The next music city half marathon runner.....

The week before our weekend trip to Nashville, Mama Jane bought Kam a running outfit to be able to go running with Matt and I while we were there. She looked so adorable and was a pretty good runner!

Matt woke up extremely early to go to the St. Jude. Music City Nashville half/marathon to support some of his clients from the gym. He ended up running 11 miles just traveling all over the course to get pictures of the runners.

Mom made Kam pancakes for breakfast at Kam's special request. We told her she needed fuel and energy to be able to run. She told my mom the reason we run is so we can eat more pancakes....and she is so right!!! haha
Kam went running with my mom and I. She ran to the park, ran/played at the park, and ran home from the park. We def wore her out! When asked what her favorite part of the weekend was on the way home, she stated her favorite part was running with us. Who knows....she may be a lil runner in the future!!

We went to my cousin Amanda's soccer game where Kam met a new friend Kinsley (Amanda's lil sister who is the same age as Kam). Kinsley ended up coming over for the afternoon to play and spend the night. They were best buds all day...it was so cute....did everything together.....played in the rocks,,,Matt took them to the park....threw balls with each other....ate all of their dinner together (roast and vegetables...we were proud)....took baths together.....made brownies together....watched movie Cinderella together....and had a sleep over. It was a busy afternoon with non stop kid fun but thankful Kam had a friend to play with.

Mom, Gran and I made a quick trip to Mboro while Matt played with them at the park. Gran's 50th anniversary party is nearing and we had a few items to buy. 50 years is a long time according to Kam.
Kam and Kinsley were both a huge help assembling invitations to be mailed out. Kam said at one point, "I am a good helper." And of course we praised her because she did a wonderful job. On Sunday, the entire family participated on putting the final touches on the invitations. Look for the finished product in a mailbox near you!

Looking forward to celebrating my grandparents 50 years of marriage on June 2nd!! Only one more month!

Sunday Birthday celebration

Sunday morning, Kam and Kinsley woke up around 7 am, watched cartoons, and ate pancakes/homemade donut holes. My mom makes the best homemade donut holes. Matt said he wishes we had a deep fryer just so he could make homemade donuts and french fries......how healthy right????
That is a reason I am thankful we do not have one... ha :)

We all got ready for church and the girls put on their pretty dresses. I painted their fingers and toes bright pink and so they were very proud of them!

The message Sunday from the Lord through Pat Hood was on Jonah. So thankful for a God who gives second chances and Grace to those who do not deserve it.
And by the way, Pat made a point it was time to quit using the excuse, "You will pray about it" with the One who already has told you to Go!


After church we headed to Grans to celebrate Brianna's 19th birthday. She will be 19 on May 5th with a whole year of college behind her!! Time flies when your socializing! ha :) Love you Bri!
It was a good time with family as always and Kam fit right in with the whole crew!! We played outside on the swing set, rode around on tricycles, and played catch.
Gran made her famous lasagna as well as vanilla cake with choc icing!!
We love birthdays at Grans!!
Hope you have a great birthday month Bri!!

After having so much fun at Grans,,,,,we got in the car to head back to Memphis. Kam was literally asleep in 30 seconds after leaving Gran's driveway. We knew she was tired, but not that tired!! We wore her out. She slept over 2 hrs on the way home. Sorry Mama Jane if she did not sleep at your house Sunday night!!

What a special opportunity we had to invest and love on Kam this weekend! Hoping she will remember our times together for years to come!!
On Monday Matt said he was having Kam withdrawals! We just love this sweet girl! She was so well behaved and well mannered all weekend! Her mom has raised her well!!

On a side note, I spent Monday recuperating and preparing for St. Jude clinical rotation to start on Tuesday. Matt and I had a lunch date before we both went into work for the afternoon. Looking forward to being with the kids at St. Jude again for the month of May.

Friday= Joy and Dissapointment

Friday after my pediatric elective final and Matt got off work, we picked up our little friend Kam to take her to Nashville this weekend. Having her for the weekend was the joy for Friday. She came packed ready to go in her pick suitcase
Kam's grandfather was still in ICU on ventilator when I talked to Kam's mom on Saturday. Continue to pray the doctors will be able to wean him off ventilator. It has not been an easy task so far.

Friday afternoon Kam was so excited to see Matt go skydiving and jump out of an airplane. She said he was crazy for wanting to jump out of a plane and she was too scared to. ha :)

This was us at the air field.....we were told today was going to be the day Matt would be able to sky dive. But the weather had different plans once again. We're beginning to think it is a sign.
Matt could not sky dive due to "cloudy" skies.

My sister Brianna met us at the air field to see him sky dive as well. I hated she made the hour plus trip and was not able to watch him but it was good to spend a little time with her.

Kam and I went back to check out "Bri's college" while Matt ATTEMPTED to check out the convention center for music city half marathon (he was unsuccessful due to traffic and parking issues)
Bri gave Kam a tour of her college/dorm room, and then Matt met us for dinner. We ate dinner with Brianna on "flex" money she has left over for the semester. Lipscomb University has Chick fila, Blue Coast, Papa Johns, Starbucks, asian place and so forth right on the campus!

Poor Kam was so tired of being in and out of the car but she was a trooper. We entertained her most of the time with iphone apps, ipad and/or justin bieber.

When we got to my parents house, we settled in for the night. Kam got to feed the orange fish in "Mr. Jeff's" pond and check out his garden. She wanted to plant her own seeds by end of the weekend to watch them grow...ha

Kam and Matt semi-watched (more like the movie was just on and Kam played on the ipad) Pocahontas.

It was such a good but long day in and out of the car! More weekend memories to come!

I am the Church being sent by the Church

College Students serving Christ during summer
Check out the above video of college students from LifePoint who are sacrificing their summer to serve the Lord. My sister Brianna will be traveling to Thailand for 6 weeks. Please begin praying now as she and others prepare to take the name of Jesus to the nations. Pray for safety, for wisdom, for the hearts of those in Thailand, for the hearts of those who are going, and most of all that God receives ALL of the glory for what is accomplished while there.
In Thailand, part of their ministry will be ministering to those who have been saved from sex trafficking. Sex trafficking is a real issue and it is not an issue God's people should be ignoring.
If you want to support the ministry of the college students in any way, feel free to contact LifePoint or myself. These college students have been raising money to financially provide for the 6 week mission trip. They have been blessed by the support and humbled by the response of God's people.

Sunday afternoon

Sunday afternoon, Matt and I went by the TN Baptist Children's home for a cook out and to hang out with the girls in the cottage. It was a great time sitting around the table getting to know the girls. We learned a lot of information: whether or not the girls had brothers/sisters, where they were from, what subject they were bad at, what they wanted to do when they graduated, what animals they like, what grade each was in (age range is 9-17), the dress code for the children's home, when they could/could not watch TV, and what they like to eat (those girls can eat,,,most of them ate 2 hamburgers, chips, potato salad, cupcake and so forth)
Matt and I are in the process of getting our reference letters back in order to be able to go over and have movie night while the houseparents have date night or let one come to the house for the weekend.

Looking forward to returning at the end of May to cook a BIG Sunday afternoon lunch for the girls and houseparents!


Sunday night was a special night for the Nason family. I was thankful and honored to be a part of the night. Jonathan, Matt's younger brother, was ordained as a full time minister at Faith Baptist. It was an emotional, but joyful time as the pastors of Faith gave a ministry charge and prayed over the newly ordained minister. Both Jonathan's dad and brother in law (Jay) were able to take part in the ordination service.

Jonathan and Jenna live in Brandon, MS. We miss them dearly, but both are serving the Lord Crossgates Baptist Church. Jonathan is the pastor/teacher over the college group and Jenna works in the preschool/children's ministry. I am so proud of both of them! I know Lolli and Pop were proud parents last night as well they should be!
After the service, we headed to Firebirds to celebrate God's work in Jonathan's life. It was a great time to be around the table with family and friends. 
Looking forward to when we can all be together again!

LAST PATH CLASS!

We have now officially completed PATH.

The class on Saturday was on medication......most of it was not new information for me (Matt probably learned quite a bit). What was helpful was the nurse going over all these different forms that have to be filled out if the child takes medication and/or makes a visit to the doctor.
Just as in healthcare, if it is not documented, it did not happen. Therefore, it is better to be safe than sorry and just write every detail down.

The nurse who taught the class was quite cynical in her perspective of health care. She rubbed me the wrong way a few times with her comments not only about pharmacists but also doctors.

In her mind patients or parents of the patient are the "boss" and the doctor is an "employer." This analogy is true because you are paying the doctor for a service; however, your perspective on the relationship is what is important. Every person should find a doctor and a pharmacist where there is mutual respect and you trust the other person. Don't argue or go behind the doctors back with every decision he/she makes. Trust the doctor's judgement. Doctor went to school for a long time to do what he/she is doing. Doctors and pharmacists are human; therefore, we do make mistakes but a true health care professional CARES about their patients. Find a doctor and a pharmacist who cares and who takes time to address your concerns.

The nurse made it clear to ALWAYS ask a lot of questions because the doctor is not going to tell you everything you need to know. You should ask questions. You should leave the doctors office knowing what the medication name is, what it is for, how to take it, and any major side effects to be concerned about. Doctors are not pharmacists. Don't expect them to know everything there is to know about a drug. Yes, the doctor should be somewhat familiar but the pharmacist is who are "drug experts." Be respectful of the doctor's time. He/She has many other patients to see that day and cant spend an hour talking about a medication. Therefore, if you have a question about a medication, call or go see a local pharmacist. If the pharmacist does not know the answer, they have plenty of resources at their fingertip to find the answer.

Sorry that was my little plug for doctors and pharmacists.

After several hours about medication, Matt and I had our "interview" with the PATH instructor. She bundled all of our homework and PATH class certificates to give to the home study writer.
The actual "interview" portion was very short. She asked both of us one question, "Why do you want to foster?"
Matt and I both answered, she typed it in the computer, asked if we had any questions, and informed us she had approved us with no reservations.
She told us to expect someone to contact us within two weeks. Supposedly, the home study writer either has 60-90 days (we've heard both answers) to complete the home study.
And that was the end.

Thank you for following our journey through the PATH (parents as tender healers) experience

Yard Sale Finds and Home Study Requirements

Who would have thought one could find a fire extinguisher at a yard sale?
I was quite happy with the $4.00 find vs paying $15.00+ for a brand new one.
I mean seriously....how many parents out there actually have a fire extinguisher in their home in a normal situation? But the state requires it, so we have to have it.

Saturday, Matt was so helpful while I was studying to do odd and end things trying to mark items off the list for the home study.
Matt bought electrical plug covers, a CO2 detector (who really has one of these as well?), and replaced batteries in a smoke detector.
We did not even know before Saturday that our house had two smoke alarms. It is quite interesting what you learn even after living in the house for over 2 years.

Matt also is "nesting:" not inside but outside. He is probably going to hate I posted that, but I have been so thankful for all of the yard work he has done over the last two weeks. It is the simple things that make me happy.
He has mowed, weedeated, trimmed the bushes and the tree, pulled massive weeds as tall as me out of the back yard, removed useless rocks/bricks out of the ground, and lined the side walks. I dont think we have lined the side walks since we moved into the house.

Side note:  Matt and I think it is quite hilarious how many people in our neighborhood pay to have their zero lot line yard manicured. Seriously??? How lazy! It literally takes Matt 8 minutes or less (yes, we have timed it) to mow the yard. Granted, not much grass grows,,,it is all weeds...but we still do it ourself. Our yard def does not compare to most of the yards in the neighborhood, but at least we do it on our own.
Also, next year I need to count how many lawn businesses leave advertisements on our door. We literally have a new one every other day. I guess they know where they get business so they keep coming back. I just smile to myself as I throw into the trash....they are not scamming me....we know how much work it DOES NOT take.


Back to the topic....so basically Matt and I have very minimal things to do before home study writer comes. We are on top of the game for now. We have to draw out a fire plan, write and post home rules, and get medical physicals completed.
Our notebook is all in check with paperwork.....I need to post a picture of the massive notebook of information we have received from the class. It is quite impressive.

Swimming with Kam

Thursday afternoon we wanted to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather and relax by the pool.

Matt picked up Kam from his moms, took her to Mcdonalds for lunch and patiently Waited for me to get off of work.

We headed to Dac in Southaven for some swimming, sand, and sun fun. Kam loved the sand as much as she loved swimming. The outdoor pool was freezing and so Matt was a trooper and swam inside with Kam a majority of the time.
Check out the fun we had:

Poor thing was worn out and could not hold her head up in the car on the way home.

Side note: Pray for Kams grandfather. He was in ICU due to head bleed from a fall Kams mom could not go to ICU with Kam. Jane is watching Kam to allow her mother to be able to be at hospital with Kams grandfather.

Surprise parties and dinner at the zoo

Thursday night Matt and I attended a dinner at the Memphis zoo hosted by Fred's pharmacy.
It was pretty neat: we were able to see Boa constrictor, skunk, red tailed bird and penguin all up close!
They had a fabulous meal catered by corkys BBQ. BBQ is not my favorite but I'm Adjusting to it because everywhere we go and a free
Meal is involved BBQ is food of choice. We do live in Memphis.
Fred's gave away some awesome door prizes but unfortunately Matt and I did not win. We did get a bag of goodies including a tshirt and umbrella.
It was a good night and glad we went!

Friday night Matt and I attended a surprise party for Mike Simpson. Mike was one of Matt's buddies from high school And college.
It was at a bowling alley and his wife did an excellent job decorating and pulling off the surprise. She had cupcake stand, jars of chocolate, popcorn and pretzels, and large bowling pin cake.
Mike thought he was going to march of dimes bowling fundraiser for her work.

We were able to spend time with some good friends we had not seen in awhile like Brandon Morgan and Richard/Megan. Thankful for good friends even if we don't see each other often.
I enjoy bowling every once in awhile (esp when it is free) because I grew up going to the bowling alley every Friday night for parents league and sat morning for my league. Last night I got 4 strikes in a row and I still came in third. How does that happen?
Bowling brought back good memories of family time and eating dinner late
Fridays nights at shoneys, cracker barrel, "steak and wait" and so forth.

Saturday Night we had the opportunity to be a part of Veronica McKims surprise party. The party was at a condo downtown overlooking the river. It was such an awesome view from the roof top. We enjoyed celebrating with good friends. By the end of the night we had been invited to the next door
Neighbors karaoke party. The party got interesting with some much needed laughing. Matt and I do not karaoke but we enjoyed watching everyone else.

It was an eventful weekend but thankful to have extra time on my hands to be able to spend time with friends. I cherish it after spending so many years studying on the weekend and having to really time manage.

Expert Panel at Path #4

Saturdays class was on "culture."
The state is very concerned about not demeaning the child's culture. And culture goes farther than ethnicity.

Our instructor constantly says, "DO NOT take everything about the child away from the child." Basically do not try to mold the child to fit into your culture. If the child is hispanic, try and incorporate the foods of the culture into the child's diet. If the child is African American, encourage he/she to be proud of cultural history.
Because Matt and I may have the opportunity to foster many different cultures, I plan to try hard to learn more about the culture the child came from. It will be a steep learning curve because history was not the most interesting subject to me during school.
Matt and I will try to pass this information on to the child so he/she can know about the culture's history.

Saturday was also breakfast day, but Matt and I had no idea it was taking place. The instructor called many of the families the week prior requesting they bring food item, but we did not get a phone call. Therefore, we did not contribute to the food, and I felt kind of bad about it. Matt always looks for a good excuse to make sausage balls. It would have been the perfect opportunity.

After the class, we went to lunch with our friends we met in the PATH class. We ate at trolley stop! Local restaurant loved by all! Our friends had never been so we wanted them to experience the great, fresh, food!
Matt and I both got the regular: pizza for him and grilled chicken wrap for me.....You can never go wrong!


Saturday afternoon I spent studying..........no fun! I had two tests this week on the same day. I was reminded how thankful I am to be on rotations and not in class studying for tests all the time. This month I have been on "electives," so I have had two classes. I will be ACLS certified after this month (I will be certified to respond to codes in a hospital setting) and I am taking a pediatrics elective. Hopefully the pediatrics elective will be helpful for the near future when we have a lil one at our house.

Only two more weeks and I return to St. Jude!

Looking forward to our last PATH class on Saturday and our "interview" with the instructor in the afternoon.

50-1

That is right!
My mom turns 49 today!
Happy Birthday Mom!
Your daughter and son in law love you very much!

Matt and I wish we were in Nashville to celebrate the special day with you! Know you will be in our thoughts today! Thankful for time spent last weekend celebrating birthdays.

I am so honored to be the daughter of a woman who is hard working, loving, sacrificial, beautiful on the inside and out, enjoys the simple blessings of life (such as the ability to exercise), Godly-Christian example, wonderful mom and wife........I could go on and on, but I am sure she is being very humble as she reads this and not wanting me to share....

We hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Love you Mom

Faith Baptist Date night

BIG shout out to Stephan Brandon and his young adult/college crew who organized date night Friday night!

Matt and I looked forward to an "official date night." Even though we do not have children, "official" date nights are far and few between. And yes I've heard it gets worsen when children enter the picture.

The faith gym was decorated in a comfortable, inviting atmosphere. Very inviting and relaxed environment.
The dinner was catered by Italian Collettas. It was very tasty. It was salad, roll, baked chicken and ravioli! It reminded me of dinner time on cruises. Waiters/Waitresses wait on you hand and foot....all of them were serving the guests with a smile. I appreciated the kindness.
Compliments of Faith, we received a book on Marriage....hoping to find time to read it in the near future.

After a few funny marriage videos, the newlywed game, and Brother Danny and Mrs. Rhonda speaking, Ben Mandrell and his wife Lynley shared.

Ben is the pastor at Englewood Baptist Church where Matt and I attended in Jackson TN so it was special for us for him to be the speaker.

They were very laid back, transparent, and realistic.
If you were not there you def missed the blessing of being reminded how each of us can minister, encourage, and support our spouses.
We are not perfect and no ones marriage is perfect. It is a constant learning game. Ben said the #1 reason for divorce is disappointment--which is ultimately what financial, sexual, and hard times lead to.

Marriage vows are not an emotion or a feeling or unrealistic expectations, marriage vows are a commitment, promise, and a covenant.
Every husband and wife should realize the covenant is not only for the wedding day but also a future date in time. The two should minister and do life together. As Matt and I walk this journey, we are learning what it means to be in ministry together, on the same team.


For Matt and I the night was a time to relax, enjoy one another's company, and grow in our marriage based on Biblical principles.

Every Life Is Beautiful

To watch many powerful testimonies surrounding adoption and abortion, please check out the website associated with October Baby.
http://www.everylifeisbeautiful.com/

One of the women, Dawn Cornelius, is an employee at LifeWay Christian Resources where my mom works. Be sure and watch her video......only God could have orchestrated her story.

Facts you may not know about abortion in the United States ...

• 22 percent of pregnancies in the United States end in abortion
• 40 percent of unintended pregnancies end in abortion
• 18 percent of women having an abortion in the United States are teenagers
• More than half of U.S. abortions are performed on women in their 20s
• In the United States, 1.21 million abortions are performed annually
• Since 1973, the year that the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalized abortion, about 50 million abortions have been performed in the United States
• Of abortion providers in the U.S.:
  • 95 percent offer abortions from eight weeks after the first missed menstrual period
  • 64 percent offer second-trimester abortions (abortions after 13 weeks)
  • 23 percent offer abortions at 20 weeks
  • 11 percent offer abortions at 24 weeks
• The number of abortions has trended down over the past 20 years:
  • In 1973, there were 16.3 abortions per 1,000 U.S. women age 15 to 44
  • The number peaked in 1983 at 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women
  • In 2008, the number is 19.6 per 1,000 women
• Total abortions are down as well:
  • In 2000, there were 1.31 million U.S abortions.
  • In 2008, there were 1.21 million U.S. abortions

Easter Weekend and Birthday Celebration!

WARNING: Long Post: If nothing else, please watch the testimony link towards the bottom and share with others!! This is what the gospel is all about!! God changing the hearts of men!

Thursday afternoon Matt and I headed to Nashville for the weekend after making a stop to obtain fingerprinting for fostering/adopting and meeting with a house parent at TN Baptist Children's Home.

As a small group, we have decided to minister to girls ranging from 10-18 years old. Ultimately we would love to be approved to bring a girl home for the weekend and give her one on one attention.
The house parent gave an example of a girl raising a grade from a D to a B and giving her positive reinforcement by taking her out for ice cream or to a movie. With 7-8 other girls in the home, the house parents are limited on giving the child a "job well done" special night just for her.
To establish relationships and get to know the girls, our small group will begin by preparing Sunday lunch and hanging out with the girls after church. We will help celebrate birthdays as well as plan special events. We eventually would like to have a pizza/movie night and give the houseparents a date night out.
More to come on this wonderful ministry opportunity.....

Upon arriving to Nashville, we were stuck in rush hour traffic and rainy weather traffic. We were anxious to be out of the car. Mom had dinner waiting on us: spaghetti, salad, and bread.....It was yummy.
Matt and I had eaten several chicken burrito meals before leaving town. We literally had nothing in the house, but we did not want to grocery shop until we returned home from Nashville. We were thankful for something other than chicken burritos.

Friday morning, mom made blueberry muffins for breakfast! I love to eat the batter of muffins more than cakes...weird I know....
We relaxed for the morning and then Matt and I went for a run. It has been beautiful weather for running!

I usually look forward to running with mom when I go home. However, she has been recovering from a nasty virus known as the shingles. She has been suffering from extreme pain and miserableness. My mom actually had it in her ear, which is scary because it can lead to hearing loss.
Pharmacy plug:::: If you have ever had the chicken pox, consider getting the shingles vaccination. Most retail chains like Walgreens and CVS pharmacy carry the vaccine and your local pharmacist can give the injection. My mom will tell you whatever the cost is worth it. Shingles is basically a dormant chicken pox virus; it can be reactivated by stress, sickness, and so forth.

Side note: I am still so proud of my mom when I think about how far she has come. She started running shortly after Matt and I got engaged in June 2008 and has not stopped since......she eats healthier, she is more active doing Zumba and ab classes at work, and she has built up exercise endurance by running/walking. All of this combined resulted in her losing weight comparable to individuals on Biggest Loser weight loss, except she has done it by the strength of Christ.

After Friday morning run, we went by grand and gdaddys to visit for a little while. I always enjoy just sitting and talking with my grandparents. Grand of course had already started preparing for Easter lunch on Friday! :) She also showed us her dress options for her BIG 50TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY IN JUNE! Our family is looking forward to celebrating 50 years of two high school sweet hearts! What a positive role model and Christian example they have been for their children and grandchildren....soon to be great-grandchildren! :)

Saturday afternoon mom received her brand new sectional furniture for the new and improved "downstairs room." The room looks great and mom/dad both have worked very hard on it. New dry wall has been installed, new paint color with white trim, hardwood floor polished, cables rewired, removal of excessive "stuff" and so forth.

Friday afternoon we ran errands and enjoyed outside. Dad grilled steaks for dinner and mom fixed baked potatoes and vegetables. We ate so good while we were home....we were spoiled to what we had to come back to....absolutely nothing...ha.
For dessert we had strawberry shortcakes..........I love fresh strawberries, cake like bread, and whipped cream. Matt did not get to enjoy them because he is allergic to strawberries.

Saturday morning Matt and I got an early start to eat breakfast together at Mimi's in Mboro. It is a cute french atmosphere. Matt and I had an excellent breakfast and I got a specialty muffin for later.
We headed back to Smyrna to change, go for a morning run, and watch Amanda's soccer game! Amanda played so hard and has really improved since the first soccer games I watched her play!

Saturday afternoon we ran some more errands and then relaxed/enjoyed the new furniture!
Saturday evening dad grilled pork chops and made his famous cobbler!
Like I said, we ate REALLY good!
Saturday evening the family went to see October Baby. I was hoping we would have the opportunity to go with my family to see the movie. So powerful even the second time around!

Easter Sunday we ate breakfast together as a family (biscuits, sausage, bacon) and prepared our hearts to worship at Lifepoint. What better way to share the Easter story than to have an actual convert testimony. This testimony brought joy to my heart because this man was my teacher for two years for Latin at Smyrna High School. I was very aware of his agnostic belief. He was quick to criticize, mock and harass students who walked a Christian faith. He was a man of great head knowledge, but he was lost and so far from the Truth. Please listen to his testimony and remember God has the power to change hearts, even the hearts of the wicked and non-believing.

http://vimeo.com/40023412

After church, we went to Grands for Easter lunch to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior and 3 birthdays.
BIG SHOUT OUT to Amanda, Katelyn, and my MOM for birthdays!
My mom's birthday is on April 15th......wish I was able to be home to celebrate and honor her on her birthday, but thankful for the time to celebrate this past weekend.
We had a great time hunting Easter eggs with the kids, playing outside, fellow shipping around the table, and opening gifts. Some of my best memories are birthday family get togethers at grand's house. I love we set aside time from month to month to celebrate the birthdays of the ones we love!
Looking forward to seeing family again at the end of April!!

For those of you who made it to the end of the post, I thank you for bearing with me. Just wanted to recall family time on Easter weekend.

3 down, 2 to go

This is a little late but just a quick update on the last PATH class before Easter weekend.

The topic for the last class was discipline.
The morning went a little like this:
We had a substitute instructor for the morning which was fine. Matt and I enjoyed her and she did a good job.
The family causing so many issues during the second week missed the "respect every one's time" speech; therefore it was a repeat of the second class (maybe not to the same degree as before). But the new instructor did not know to reinforce the issue because she was not aware of what happened in previous classes.

I have to be honest and say I was a bit annoyed before I ever walked into the PATH class. I have tried to maintain a positive attitude the last few weeks, but I was not looking forward to sitting through another "unhelpful" class. Because of my negative attitude, it probably was not as bad as it seemed

But the topic was interesting because we discussed many scenarios of when a child would need to be disciplined.....
Such as a 3 year old pulling a whole sink off the wall......
I would think this would be common sense of the child needing discipline, but apparently it has happened and needed to be voiced as an example.
Other scenarios included disobeying, talking back, not following the "posted" household rules, and so forth. (The Nason household rules will be posted soon)

Then we discussed what not to do, such as physical punishment. Many of the children coming into the system have been physically abused (beatings, not spankings); therefore, in order to build the child's trust, discipline must not be physical.
We were told to use time out as a "chill out/cool off" time instead of as the punishment. 

MY BIGGEST  CONCERN WAS THAT WE DID NOT TALK ABOUT THE PROPER "STATE" WAY OF DISCIPLINING. Only the last 15 minutes of a 3 hour class was set aside to discuss correct ways of disciplining. What I learned about the proper ways to discipline was not from the class, but from the weekly handbook and homework. The written information the PATH class provides is very helpful, the actual classes are debatable.

Leaving the PATH class, I was relieved to know we would have a two week break. I needed this time to re-focus my perspective on the classes and re-gain my positive attitude.

As we prepare to attend the 4th class of PATH this coming weekend, pray for positive attitudes and an informative last two weeks!

We love our Kam!!

Quick background on Kameron:

Kameron has triplet sisters who are now 14 years old. Kam is only 4 (turning 5 this summer).
The mother was 18 when she had the triplets; therefore taking care of three newborns was beyond feasible (it would be for me as well).
The Nasons took the triplets in for three years keeping a very close relationship with the mother. At three, the children were able to return home to live with their mother. Periodically the triplets would come visit Mama Jane and Pop after being returned home.
10 years later, Kam was born. Kam and the triplets live with their mother but comes to visit every once in a while! We try to see her whenever we can!! We just love her and she is growing up so fast!

Last Thursday night we picked up Kam for pizza and sky zone. Mama Jane said she was so excited to spend the evening with us that she was ready at 6:30 am with no where to go. She was so proud of earrings Mama Jane bought her and wanted to look pretty for her night out! ha

After eating pizza, we headed to sky zone!
We met Matt at DAC and the first thing Kam said was "You got crazy hair!" So for the rest of the weekend she referred to Matt as "Crazy hair/head!" It was too funny because no one prompted her or warned her how long Matt's hair was before she saw him.

For those of you who are unaware, Matt is in the process of growing his hair out to an acceptable length to cut off for a program similar to "locks of love." Children with cancer or without hair have the opportunity to receive wigs through these programs. I cut all of mine off right after we were married for locks of love.
Now he thinks it is his turn. It is kind of weird when you share razors and head bands with your husband, but that is a post for another day......ha :)
I know Lindsay Flynn Arnold shares in my feelings!

Any of you with children (or even adults) living remotely close, should make a trip to this in-door trampoline park! It is so much fun! They have dodge ball games, small basketball area, foam pit, kids area, and one massive trampoline area. Go check out the website! The owners are members and friends with Matt at DAC.

Here are some video clips and pictures of our evening! They were taken with our phone...sorry if a little blurry.
Kam loved the foam pit. We did not even need to purchase tickets for ourself because she loved jumping/tumbling/flipping into the pit.

Saturday evening we had our Easter Sunday school small group get together! We grilled out, ate lots of yummy food, shared the Easter story using resurrection eggs, and did an Easter egg hunt for the kids. Matt and I made rotel and rice krispie treats!
Kam was such a big helper during the hunt to the kids younger than her.
But on the way home, Matt started something he will probably regret. He let her "drive" back to Mama Janes once we got close. She actually did a really good job! I was very impressed.

 We love spending time with our Kam! I think she likes us a little as well! :)
Looking forward to our next Kam outing!