another free event...

...brought to us by the local lumberyard. The boy scouts were giving away free hot dogs and soda (for donations), and the parking lot had a bunch of inflatables and old-fashioned games. Plus some animals to pet, and a long-horn cow to ride...but neither of my cowboys wanted to give that a try... We went with Nicole and Gavin yesterday, and gave Grandma & Grandpa a short rest from the crazies =)

Here is big man on a bounce-house-slide... And powering away at the Frog Flip (love that face!)
Walker petting a goat - right after he finished a Tootsie Pop. Lovely! (Thankfully they had a table with hand sanitizer set up! That grosses me out, and I could see goat hair on his sticky little fingers --- EWWWW!)
And Walker showing off his soda. Those boy scouts weren't messing around with the free soda - no Shasta here!
Of course, Wilson had to get in another game of Trouble with Grandpa before bed. (Secretly, I bet they are both a little happy that he is going to school tomorrow so they can take a break from all the games and puzzles. He isn't even watching his TV quota! Games, games, games!)
Tomorrow Walker is scheduled for his pre-op appointment and then I will find out what time the surgery is scheduled for on Tuesday... Also, Brad goes back to the daily grind tomorrow. (Well, technically that happens tonight... oh the time change!)

safely there...

...Brad made it back to Djibouti safely. He was tired but still had a sense of humor. He is hoping to get some pictures online of his time in London maybe tomorrow. It all depends on the internet and how well his body is adjusting to the time change...

I have to say THANK YOU again for the all the prayers. I have no neck pain whatsoever. That is no small thing for my body and this long week. He is good, all the time.

We had a fun day today. A few flare-ups with the big man (Wilson, not Grandpa) as he is adjusting to Brad being gone and so am I. I am tired right now and don't feel like uploading our pictures from the day. Maybe tomorrow during naps... Did you know I ♥ naps? I do.

highlights...

...and no, not for my hair. I am way-too-low-maintenance to keep up with that kind of responsibility!

Today I asked each of the boys what their favorite part about having Daddy home was... At first, I thought maybe Walker was too young to come up with an answer, but he did... I asked them separately...

Wilson said, "CAMPING!" ...for a few hours, in our yard. This was his highlight. Simple things.

Walker said, "happy birthday to you..." well, actually he sang it to me. His highlight was our birthday night. Meatloaf, a pinata, and a rainbow cake from a friend. Again, simple.

Treasure the little things. Teach your children to do the same. When you walk through difficult times, there are still plenty of little things to treasure.

My highlight was probably singing at church with Brad. Neither of us are gifted singers, but our church is big enough that we can belt it out and nobody can really hear it but God. We each raised one hand to our Father and wrapped one arm around one another as we sang, Made Me Glad. It is a moment I am sure I will remember for a very long time.

Again, and as always, thank you for your continued prayers and encouraging words!

I spoke with my-jetsetter-husband while he was at a subway station in London. He did get to go out and see a few sights! He was headed back to the airport for his flight to Ethiopia. He didn't talk long, just wanted me to know he was ok. He should be en route to Ethiopia by now--a long layover there and then a quick flight back to Djibouti.

once again...

...His grace is enough. And I am amazed.

The boys and I took Brad to the airport this afternoon. We do our best to prepare the boys and ourselves for these good-byes, but they seem to get more difficult as they come. However, each time, God is faithful and carries us through. Here are a few pictures from the airport today. This is Walker's favorite spot!


Watching Daddy going through security. As you can see, God granted Brad peace to walk through that door.
I sit here tonight on the verge of tears. I feel like I could type for three hours to try to help you all understand what this feels like. But part of me just wants to curl up on the bed and cry to my Savior. And I know that will be what I choose.

God has spoken to me of His faithfulness through this mental picture for many years. I remember curling up on my bunkbed in college and crying to Him. Of course, the depth of sorrow was a bit different then. But His grace is the same.

In a few minutes, I will close my eyes and imagine myself curled up like a baby in the Hands of the Almighty. The Hands that created this universe, will hold me tonight. I will feel them surround me and His peace will flood over me. Even as I cry out to Him, I will feel His comfort. My bed will melt away as I feel myself nestle into the nail-scars of His palms. I will rest. He alone can grant me rest tonight. And even as the tears flow for Brad, God will remind me in His quiet voice, that He is holding him as well. We are secure in His hands.

Many nights I have drifted off to sleep in the Hands of the Almighty. I know many nights ahead will find me the same way. I am thankful that He shows His love for me in this way.

Thank you for your prayers and the words of encouragement. They mean more than you might ever know.

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand." John 10:27-28

your prayers...

...are greatly appreciated this week (as always!!!) We are getting ready to say good-bye again. Our visit has been sweet and memorable and slow-paced and laid-back. We have enjoyed ourselves immensely! Thank you for praying for us during our reunion. Your prayers have been evident in our days! We continue to ask for prayers as our time draws to a close...

Brad leaves here Thursday afternoon. He will be flying to Dallas then London then Ethiopia. He has a long day-time layover in London and is hoping to do some sight-seeing while he is there. Please pray for safe travels for him.

Walker is getting his tonsils out next Tuesday (the 21st). We had the option of scheduling the surgery today, but Brad couldn't extend his leave time so we thought it best to wait until after he left. However, Walker will be spending 1-2 nights in the hospital, so we called in some reinforcements! Brad's grandparents will be travelling here to stay with us during the surgery and the recovery. They will be arriving in the next day or so... Please pray that they have safe travels on the road.

It will be good to have some moral support here when we take Brad to the airport. I cannot describe all the emotions that are involved in this kind of a good-bye. Difficult is an understatement as I am sure you can imagine. I am very thankful that our visit has been so sweet and that the boys have had such a wonderful time with their Daddy.

Please pray for peace for all of us. Pray for physical stamina. (My body rebels with these good-byes--headache & neck pain specifically. I try to combat it proactively and appreciate your prayers on my behalf.) Pray for wisdom as well.

We are confident that our Father is carrying us in His hands. We remain confident that He has called us to this difficult path. We have not wavered and we continue to trust Him to carry us through. In our weakness, He is strong. He is the one that makes it possible for us to say good-bye. Only through His strength could we do it.

"Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But my righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul." Hebrews 10:35-39

Thank you for your prayers. I am sure I will return to more regularly scheduled blogging once I am alone in the evenings again =)

happy birthday to us...

...happy birthday to us, happy birthday dear us, happy birthday to us.

we celebrated all 4 of our birthdays TOGETHER yesterday. Such fun! Walker and Daddy give each other a quick squeeze in the driveway... Wilson and Daddy pose over the birthday meal. Meatloaf is Wil's favorite--and actually, we all pretty much like it. YUM!
We surprised Wilson with a birthday Pinata. I do not know why, but he LOVES them. He really wanted one for his birthday this summer, but since he didn't have a party, he didn't have a pinata. He was pretty surprised last night!
Daddy helped Walker take aim...
...even Mommy got a shot at it!

It was kinda small, and more like a really thick cardboard box so it was hard to break open... Wil & Daddy got through it eventually...And then came the candy!
Here is our birthday cake that Logan decorated for us. It was a four-color-rainbow, one color for each of us.

Make a wish!

what a weekend...

...it started Friday when we let Wil "skip" school. We headed to the newest Donut Shop in town while in our PJ's... and sunglasses...it has a walk-up window to pick out what you wantyum, we ♥ our donuts!Friday night was the BIG camp-out. Wil and Daddy set up the BIG tent... Walker was excited to get out there...Here we are, ready for the BIG night!and here is a picture of one of the BIG problems. Big girl wouldn't settle down, startled by every little sound outside the tent (and it was windy...)We tried to make the best of it... but we only lasted outside until 10:30pm.Saturday was date night for us. We went to see the movie Fireproof. It was excellent. Go see it. The boys spent the night at the Clements house. Funny how romantic your own home can be when the kiddos are gone =)

Sunday was our big trip to OKC. We stopped by our hotel to check in and then headed downtown. We went by the OKC Memorial before we went to dinner... It was beautiful and somber...You can see the chairs behind us that represent those that lost their lives in the bombing in 1995. We walked up to one of the little chairs for one of the children that died. It takes your breath away, really. And makes me cherish each moment we have together.Afterwards, we ate at IHOP in Bricktown (still part of OKC). Then walked around the Riverwalk (or whatever its called).
Our friends, Jenn, JC, Brendan & Cam met us for ice cream at Sonic. (And I talked Jenn into snapping some family pics, because she's good at that kind of thing...)
Here are the boys snuggled into their KING size bed. So cute!

Ok, that last picture was little out-of-order. Our MAIN reason for heading up to the City was to go to a diner Monday on Rte. 66 called Pops. (Jenn & JC told us about it). Wilson has had a mild obsession for all-things-Route-66 since the movie Cars came out. So after our ice cream Brad thought we should drive out towards Pops because he remembered that the big bottle had neon lights at night. It was worth the drive! Those boys would've thought we bought them the Diner! Wilson said, "This is the sweetest EVER" at least 25 times... which led Walker to say "sweetest ever" at least another 25 times. Y'all - its the LITTLE things!

Here are our evening selections of soda from Sunday night. Hmmm... sorta Michigan-y, huh?And here is Pops by day. A little cloudy...Wilson thought he was SO COOL when Daddy let him pump the gas.And we HAD to drive up to another attraction on Route 66. It was a round barn. Sorry, for some reason I didn't include a picture of the attraction, just the cuties that went to see it =)And we ended the long weekend on a high note with Smores leftover from our BIG campout. Walker was pretty impressed (as was I, they are one of my favs...)Brad just got back from his run in enough time to get Wilson off the bus. THANK YOU for all of your prayers. Our time has been sweet and cherished and memorable!

Tomorrow we take Walker to the ENT to get his BIG tonsils looked at. If you think of it, we would appreciate prayers for wisdom.

Also, we are going to celebrate our birthdays tomorrow night with a cake decorated by LOGAN! And Wilson's FAVORITE meal, meatloaf! Wow... we are fancy folks...

i ♥ our tripod

rumor has it...

...some friends have been checking the ol' blog frequently to see what is going on over here. So I found the pictures from yesterday... Brad had already uploaded them to the computer.

He and Walker picked Wil up from school so I could finish up some of my PWOC responsibilities.

Here is a family walk to the park. You know how I am about those walking pictures... And the big race down the slide...
A moment watching Wilson from the bench
Reading one of Wil's new books from Scholastic (such a great way to help your child's teacher earn stuff for their classroom... but that is another post... sometime after R&R I am sure!)
And, I just wanted to let you know the obsession lives on. Brad bought Walker some new sun glasses AND found the little Dr. Suess backpack in the garage. They have been on-or-next-to Walker ever since. This was the other morning before we took Wil to school... (The guys just got home and Brad said, "For the past 40 minutes all I have heard about is sunglasses, because we forgot them...)
The boys are enjoying their time with Daddy immensely. Walker wraps his little hands around Brad's neck every chance he gets... tonight is movie night, tomorrow is camp-out, Saturday is date night... Fireproof!

For those of you local, we ARE planning on making an appearance at Cameron this Sunday. Does the excitement never end????

yada, yada, yada

so, I was going to post a few pictures of our days with daddy... but, when I put in the card--no pictures! YIKES! Brad picked Wil up from school today and they are off at the mall on some Nascar simulator ride (or some such). They are then going to rent SpeedRacer for our movie night - which will be Thursday instead of Saturday (and no breakfast for dinner this week as that is only a non-Daddy tradition).

Wil and Daddy made a list of things to do together so nothing gets overlooked. We have reduced Wilson's school attendance to three-days a week while Daddy is home (with the blessing of his teacher, whom I ♥ big time. And we also thank God for blessing our family with her!)

Some discoveries have been made since Daddy's return on the scene... I forgot to pay the cell phone bill last month (oops, that explains why they kept calling!), there was a rather big spider living in the bottom of our towel basket (which I never discovered because I never got to the bottom of the basket with daddy gone!), the weed-eater actually does start when you follow the steps (if you are a man, apparently)... I am sure there are other things, but I can't think of them right now.

We took Walker in to the Doc yesterday for swollen tonsils & glands... no fever, no infection, just REALLY big tonsils. He is on a steroid and has an appointment with an ENT next week - the same one that put his tubes in. Thankfully, Brad is here for this. He is good at remembering details and explaining them well.

Hopefully I will discover what happened to the pictures I took earlier in the week... and will be able to share them with you the next time Brad is out spending some quality time with Wilson (or Walker or both).

Truth be told - it is HARD to let him out of my sight but I know how important it is for Wil to spend some one-on-one time with Daddy. (Plus he went running before he picked Wil up from school, and well, I haven't been working out enough to keep up with him.)

OH... one more thing. Family - if you want to chat with Brad you can call my cell phone. You have ALL been awesome about 'leaving us alone' (your words not mine), but you can call if you want to... We aren't afraid to let a phone go to voice mail if we are busy... or vacuuming ;)

HE'S HOME!

the pictures tell the story pretty well, so I won't narrate tonight... (THANK YOU BARBIE & LOGAN for coming to the airport!)

Brad is tucking the boys in right now... I had a feeling a couple of you might come looking for some of these priceless pics tonight =) Thank you for your prayers, we appreciate them all!