heavy is settling in

One of the missionaries that I worked with in the Gambia was walking along the beach Friday and collapsed. He awoke in Heaven and left his family reeling. Here is the complete article - click here.

My {former} neighbor's husband passed away last weekend, I found out while we were traveling back from NC. He too left behind a wife and four children. You can read about "Robbie" here.

The week that we went to NC, a friend's nephew died. Because of SIDS. Her sister put her healthy little bundle to bed and when she went to get him he was lifeless. No reason, no cause, just gone.

I have cried about all of these situations. I've sat staring into space and wondered about the "whys". And I've got nothing.

I know that there are horribly sad circumstances in abundance each day all over the world. I know that is true. But right now, these circumstances that my friends & acquaintances are walking through are weighing heavy on my heart. I don't know much how to pray, and I don't have many encouraging words to offer.

God created me with a tender heart that invites others' pain to come and dwell inside. Its uncomfortable, but its how He made me. I hope as I bear a bit of their pain that I learn more of our Father's goodness as well. I pray that I will be obedient to Him; to offer encouragement when he prompts me; to be quiet before Him on their behalf; to trust that His ways are not our ways. And as He turns the mourning in to dancing, I pray that I will acknowledge His faithfulness.

If you think of it and would like to pray for these families, I know it will be appreciated.

birthday recap

Wilson's recap is a brief one... his birthday was a long one!

As you know it started a day early with a surprise cake at Uncle David & Aunt Casey's house... then he spent his actual birthday in the van on the way home. We had lunch at Cracker Barrel per his request. We split the Double Fudge Coca-Cola Cake for dessert - because that was the cake he wanted me to make, and he wanted to compare the two... He opened his birthday cards when he got home from NC. If I remember correctly, he also had a package waiting for him, and his gift from Miss Barbie. We took pictures with my phone but they all turned out crappy. (excuse the language, Dad)

Tuesday was the official observance of his birthday - the day he gets out of having to do any family work whatsoever. We all look forward to our "day off." Unfortunately, we did have to go to the commissary, but it wasn't too bad. Wil requested ravioli and green beans for dinner! How awesomely simple! I made the Cracker Barrel Double Fudge Coca Cola Cake for dessert...

Sweet 8 year old grin, love it!

Blowing out the candles....
Wil took one bite and said, "this is WAY better than Cracker Barrel's cake!" Brad and I took a bite and looked at each other, I think we were both thinking the same thing..."not even close."

Then Wilson said, "Yes, IT IS better its not as rich!"

Oh, that explains it. Brad and I would've preferred rich, Wilson prefers not so rich. It was tough but we eventually managed to eat nearly the whole pan this week.

Overall, I think it was a good birthday for Wilson.

So, in case I try again, any tips on making a richer chocolate cake from scratch? I looked a bit online and other recipes seemed to use at least double the amount of cocoa that my recipe called for, but with similar amounts of flour & sugar. Is there a secret "rich baking cocoa" that I need to look for? One more question... what is a "sheet cake pan?" A 9x13 or a cookie sheet?

NC trip

Well, with Brad's block-leave window being in May we haven't been able to plan a big summer trip. He decided to put in for a four-day-pass the only available weekend in July, which was the 15-18th. We originally thought about going to Panama City Beach, but then realized it might be the only time - for quite some time - for Brad to get to go meet his nephew. When Brad first called Dave about the idea, I think we all thought Breeze would be a week or so old by the time we got there... Turns out God had different plans.

We made reservations at this little cabin at Fort Bragg so we could be "out of the way" and also make a little family vacation out of the trip... turns out the Little Cabin is most desirable from this angle. A cute-picture-perfect-cabin. Not so perfect for actually sleeping. We only stayed one night and then stayed at a hotel closer to the hospital and David & Casey's house... turns out the "little family vacation" part of the trip was when we were actually with family ;)


So as we were driving to NC on Friday we were getting updates via text: water broke; checked in at hospital; dilated to 5; .... and then "pray now". That'll make your heart race! Turns out baby's heart was slowing down, dangerously so... the docs did an emergency c-section and Breeze was born healthy and strong at 1:57 (?). Thankfully, Mom and Dad were at the hospital with David & Casey during this time. We got to meet him Saturday morning (although this picture is from Sunday morning). Is he a little doll or what?

And here is the sweet momma at home with her baby. She hated to be in the hospital while we were all in town, but what are you gonna do after having a major surgery? Thankfully she got to come home Sunday afternoon. Casey was doing so very well in her new role as momma! She and David make a great team and it was so fun to get to see them jump in to their parenting roles. And seriously, isn't he the sweetest?

Wilson got his 'love tank' filled while playing a round of Monopoly Deal with Uncle Colson and Aunt Jacq. The kids also swam a ton at David & Casey's neighbor's house... they were very hospitable folks, and they promised to take care of Dave, Casey & Baby after we all left! So sweet!

Grandma & Grandpa surprised Wilson with a birthday cake! Its funny, because he had mentioned the day before "that it would be fun to have my birthday here!" He loved it! I think you can tell by this picture... These two are such good buddies!


Brennan and Brad... love this picture.

I would LOVE to know what Walker is telling Grandpa in this picture. It seems like it was rather interesting...

Wilson wasn't too thrilled about holding Baby Breeze... until Sunday evening, he finally wanted to give it a try. Once he did, he was hooked. It was so sweet to watch him! If Breeze fussed a little he'd lean in and whisper something sweet to him... (his eyes are bloodshot from the chlorine). So adorable...
It was so wonderful to get to be with family, even for a short trip. It was a sweet blessing, and I'm thankful God guided the plans - I'm pretty sure if we had known all the details going in, we may have tried to re-work our plans somehow, but the way God planned it for us was way better than we would've figured out. I was so worried about being in the way or creating too much chaos, but God knew where we should all be and when. He is faithful always. We are praising Him for a healthy baby, healthy momma, and happy family. We'll continue to pray for Casey's speedy & thorough healing.

EIGHT

Wilson, my first baby, you are...

{enthusiastic}

{insightful}

{dashing}

{adventurous}

{prepared}

{creative}

{perceptive}

{playful}

...and so much more. You forever changed Mommy & Daddy the day you entered this world. You consistently challenge us to be more.

We often say you are an "old soul." And while we joke that its because you act like an old man sometimes, the truth is your little eight-year-old heart is sensitive beyond your years. You seem to know when there is a need, and you do your best to help. You are visibly bothered when you aren't able to help. I pray that your heart stays sensitive to the needs around you, even though it might be hard to carry that sensitivity sometimes. God will bless you for it, I know it.

Daddy and I could have never imagined the joy you would bring into our lives. And we would have never believed that at age 8 you would be in the middle of a fundraising goal to help people you might never meet. Its thrilling to see your relationship with God grow, and a blessing to be able to see Him challenge you through this. We love you.

at-home VBS (plus some sewing pics)

Sometime after our VBS at church, Walker mentioned that he wished "every week was VBS!" And I thought I probably could find one at least for each week in June...but I wasn't serious about that. I kind of dismissed his comment until sometime after I had gone crazy from the continual fighting that was happening on a regular basis during the summer days.

So I did some googling. And I found some free VBS stuff online - I knew I would, google is good like that. Of course, I took bits & pieces to make it work for these two, but it was really pretty fun. And the fighting decreased (somewhat).

The theme was based on Galatians 5:22-23, the fruit of the Spirit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

It was a five-day lesson plan, but the boys were into it some days and not so much on other days so it took us two weeks. And that's ok, because it was fun. Here are a few pictures from them playing with our "fruity" playdough (I used this recipe for kool-aid playdough - the boys had fun making it!)They also made mini-books with each of the characteristics listed - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Ironically, Walker's patience fell in the dog's water dish). In the process, Wilson and I memorized the verses. Walker remembers two characteristics without fail - joy, and self-control! We talked about how the Holy Spirit can help us display this fruit in our days. And that we should pray for help. The boys made little reminders for their rooms that say, "make today fruity" - you can see one on the side of this picture with Walker.
And naturally I wanted a reminder too. Mine is for the kitchen. While googling "fruit of the Spirit craft tutorials" I found this. I had to load the verse myself so I could get it to print to fit in an 8x10 frame. That website was so fun!

Oh, and I had done some sewing last week too; the background fabric of the boys' "make today fruity" reminders is scrap-fabric from this pillowcase dress. Its very fruity!
I took these over to Bit of Benning, we'll see if some of them sell.

I have two other theme ideas for at-home VBS ; hidden treasure, and the Armor of God. I'll kinda play it by ear to see if the boys want to do it some more. I figure centering our play around scripture is a good way to get some of it stuck in their brains for the long-haul. And, it is fun to say to the boys, "Make sure you are fruity while we're in the store," and give them a little wink. ;)

Running Brad

Brad ran in the Peachtree Road Race yesterday - along with 59,999 other people. One of those other people was Brad's boss; pictured above (who is moving in a couple weeks.) Brad didn't quite make his goal pace, but he did finish well. And I am so proud.

I think you probably know how much Brad hated running not all that long ago. The combination of the asthma diagnosis with improper treatment made running a horrible experience for Brad. Add to it the bosses he had at Fort Sill that assumed Brad was a scammer and it was just awful. He often felt defeated. As his wife, I hated it for him. I think there are few things worse than knowing your husband isn't being respected (and I'd be naive to think that this only happens to husbands in the Army).

As you might remember, while Brad was in Africa his running experience began to change. He has worked hard. He's invested time and money into improving his running. He has stopped claiming that he "just isn't built for running." And I've mentioned this before but its worth repeating, God has blessed Brad with some great guys that have encouraged his running efforts. Brad downloads sermons to listen to while he runs. The time he spends running isn't just about running. Somehow, God has turned running into a benefit for Brad.

Brad has taught me (and our boys) an incredible lesson. "You might not be that great at something, you might not even be built for it; but sometimes its what you have to do. If you give it to God, and ask Him to help you; if you work hard, and invest in getting better; you will. God will take this thing you struggle with and make it a treasure*."

Granted this lesson was not taught using words, but actions.

* and yes some days running is nothing more than a giant suck-fest, but Brad is not defeated by it. That is the treasure.

We'll update Wilson's blog later with more pictures and his perspective of Race day.

summer reading program...

Wilson has been devouring books. I mean, this kid can R-E-A-D! Wow. So I decided to take him to the library two weeks ago while Walker was at MMO. But the library by church was "closed for renovation." Bummer. We decided we'd go to the main library after we picked Walker up on the way home...

We were so glad that we had to go to the main library! They have a huge children's room and there is no shhhhushing necessary. Awesome! Here's Wilson, in the Hardy Boy's section...And Walker with his bag full - Barbie made these bags for the boys and I just added the little pocket on front for their library cards this week. (Walker wanted to get his own library card on his birthday! And, forgetter-mom did not want to have to keep track of 3 library cards!)
Yesterday, we had some family errands to run... Brad dropped the boys and I off at the library while he went to the bank and post office. I was at a loss for where to find a good list of decent, age-appropriate books... then I remembered the homeschool curriculum that was used when I was in Africa... Sonlight! I found their book lists and uploaded the pdf to my phone so Wilson will always have some suggested reading - for when he finishes all the Hardy Boys' books!

Wilson checked out his first Encyclopedia Brown book yesterday. Brad had recommended it a few weeks ago, when we saw it last week at the library Wilson wasn't too sure about it. Well, he changed his mind by this week so he got it. He started reading when we got in the car. To finish off the errand running we had two more stops to make: first, Wal-mart -where we all went in; and second, Big Dog Running - where the boys and I waited in the car while Daddy went in to get a belt for his race (more on that later). Of course, we had to stop at Sonic because it was Happy Hour...

And when we got home Wilson says, "I finished the Encyclopedia Brown book already."

Wow!

Good thing I let him pick out 4 books this time.

Oh, and shortly thereafter Walker told me that he had finished ALL of his books. Little cutie ;)

Rangers in Action

Last Friday (was it Friday?) the boys and I went to see this thing called "Rangers In Action." Brad has mentioned to me a number of times that I should take the boys out to see it. I guess I was hoping for a time when Brad could go with us, so I kept putting it off. But since its summer and we had nothing going on Friday morning, we decided to head over there.

We got there a few minutes after 9 - Brad said it started at 9. (I'm always so punctual). Apparently it got changed to 10am, but it worked out perfectly because if we had gotten there much later I don't think we would've had very good seats. It was packed!

Here are the boys waiting for the show to start... I told the boys to grab a hat or sunglasses because I didn't know if we'd be facing the sun...Basically, the Ranger Instructors demonstrate all kinds of things that the Ranger students learn in Ranger school (and beyond, I think). I can't really explain well how spectacular this show was... better than any I've seen at a theme park, for sure! Walker wasn't happy when he found out there would be explosions...
I took a couple of videos, but this is really the only one that turned out - you see some guys and bags fly into the water out of the chopper toward the end...


Walker's favorite part of the demonstration was the "Australian Rappel" and Wilson liked when some of the Rangers performed a STABO extraction by helicopter across the pond. There were 4 Rangers suspended from the helicopter on a rope. It was pretty sweet.

If you come visit and its during an RIA (Rangers in Action) you can bet we'll take you out to see it... maybe we'll bring some earplugs for Walker.

birthday recap

Walker wanted to help make his own birthday cake. He picked chocolate, with chocolate frosting. I wanted to try the Cracker Barrel Coca-Cola Cake recipe, but he wanted to stick with a tried and true recipe - Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake. It is quite good, and I've made it twice and it has turned out twice - that's sayin' something.
Here's a little video of the cake-in-progress....


This might have something to do with why he likes to help. ;)
He still has a great-gift-opening-face...
Blowing out the candles... he started blowing as soon as we started singing...
Is it just me, or is he ridiculously adorable? {Oh, and wasn't it sweet that Wilson let him borrow the "#5" that Yaya had made him?}
He's especially fond of this puppet book from Meme and Grandpa Carl...
...but his favorite gift is the mircrophone. Oh boy!

five years

Walker, my child, you are...

{vivacious}

{affectionate}

{opinionated}

{lighthearted}

{super}

...and a million other things.

You make me rethink things I never thought I needed too.

You just recently taught me that #3 in the bathroom refers to blowing your nose. And you stated it with such certainty - convincing both Wilson & I that perhaps the rest of the world already knew that.

Last night as we talked about how God helps during hard times, you took my breath away. At first you said, "He makes them go faster." Daddy said, "not always," and we remembered about how Daddy was deployed for 15 months and God didn't make that time go faster. We asked you and Wilson how God helped and you said, "He gave us peace."

Your initial birthday list - before your brother encouraged you to be more thorough - had three things on it:
1). Wilson not to read all day.
2). Matchbox cars to fill up the bathtub to the ceiling.
3). New brother or sister to be home.

Oh son, your heart is so incredible. I pray you will always have your own special way of looking at life. I pray you will let God use you in amazing ways to show His love and share His peace. And as you continue to grow and become more of a boy and less of a baby, I pray God will protect my heart so I can let you become the man you must be. You were made for God's glory, I pray I never stand in the way of that.

blueberry pickin' time...

really, Saturday morning was about as perfect as it could be for blueberry picking... it was cloudy and in the low-70's, which has not been the norm around here in the mornings!

Here are a few pictures from our pickin' time...Wilson was a very serious picker...
...guess he gets that from his Daddy... ;)
don't they look lovely? it was different this year in that there were so many ripe berries intermingled with unripe (is that a word?) berries...
Walker showed me nearly every berry that went into his bucket for awhile, he'd give a little description about its size or color and then hold it up for me to examine before dropping it into the bucket.
Walker and I worked together & Brad and Wilson worked together. Walker and I sampled the berries from each bush before deciding to pick from it or not... some trees are sweeter than others.

---sidenote---
I made a discovery after standing on a fire ant hole... I have a very mild reaction to fire ant bites; an initial sting and then nothing: no itching, no swelling, just a couple little bitty welts. So I guess that's good news.
---return to original post---

As we finished filling our buckets (we picked two gallons), we were all clumped up together at the end of the patch. Pouring our pickin's into two buckets to see if they were full. Discussing the chipmunk, the weather, the berries, and a variety of other topics.

Another patron came out from the bushes and announced, "I don't really care if the berries are any good down here or not, I've just thoroughly enjoyed listening to your family chatting. My oldest son is 24 and his name is Wil and it just took me down memory lane to listen to you this morning."

After she walked away, we were all a little quiet. She yelled back, "I'm not listening anymore, you can keep talking!" It was pretty funny.

Today I am going to make a blueberry pie and give blueberry jam a try. We froze at least 20 cups of berries over the weekend. Something sweet to savor throughout the year along with the memories!

Survey Says... {round two}

Father's Day Survey - 2011

...the boys originally answered the same survey questions in 2009, you can click here to see their answers then...

What is something your Dad always says to you?
Wilson: um, let's see here...."stop fighting"
Walker: I think its 'not to be naughty.'

How tall is your Daddy?
Wilson: hmmm... 5 foot 4
Walker: shrugs shoulder

What makes your Dad...
a. Happy?
Wilson: us not fighting
Walker: when we don't fight

b. sad?
Wilson: us fighting
Walker: when we fight

c. laugh?
Wilson: that's a hard one... me saying something funny
Walker: nothing

What is his favorite thing to do?
Wilson: Spend time with the family.
Walker: I think his favorite thing to do is probably wash the car, that is probably why he washed the car yesterday.

What does he do when you are not around?
Wilson: Yard work
Walker: He sometimes grills out.

What does he eat for breakfast?
Wilson: cereal
Walker: Sometimes he eats something that is brand new, like Frosted Flakes or Honey Nut Cheerios.

What is his favorite food?
Wilson: he never really told me that, but I'll go for "Brats!"
Walker: I think steak.

What is he really good at?
Wilson: Soaking us with water
Walker: Grilling

What do you and Daddy do together?
Wilson: Play the Wii
Walker: Sometimes play board games, and when you and Wilson were at Cub Scouts, Dad and me wrestled, that's what he likes to do with me.

How do you know he loves you?
Wilson: He will play the xBox with me
Walker: Sometimes he picks me up at church and I think that means he loves me.

What is your Dad's job?
Wilson: Medic
Walker: To get money.

Is there anything else you want to say?
Wilson: uh-uh
Walker: shakes head no

a little more VBS!

The theme this year for VBS was "Big Apple Adventure" Here are the boys by one of the posters...
Wilson was, of course, with the "big kids" while Walker and I were in pre-school land. There were over 400 kids participating in the "big kids" part of our VBS! Each day the kids could participate in dressing up as different things from NYC. Thursday was "Tacky Tourist" so Wilson and I plastered "I ♥ NY" over anything and everything we could find... we tried to fill his backpack with some pamphlets & maps too...

He thought the socks with the sandals was especially tacky.
I can't tell you how many times he said, "thanks for helping me with this, Mom!" Again, so adorable!

VBS!

Our church had VBS this week!

When I went to the leader's meeting before our Asheville trip, I discovered that I was slotted to be a "floater" with a note next to my name that said, "will help with three-year-olds only." While I was a little impressed with my boundary-setting-skills the wording of my boundary was a little skewed... I said "the older kids" which would've included 4 & 5-year-olds as well. ;) Anyway, I was prepared to be the one that bounces from room to room making sure that all of the hard-working teachers were able to get breaks when they needed them...

But then, one of the 3-year-old teachers had strep so I got to be in the same class all day, every day. And I tell you what, we must've had the absolute best group of 3-year-olds ever. They were so chill. And eager to do every game and activity that the VBS curriculum had to offer. And there were only 4 of them! I always feel a little weird posting pictures of other people's kids on the blog, but I thought this one of their hand puppets would be alright... such cuties!oh. and did I mention that I have had some sort of awful-summer-head-cold-thing this week? And Brad was working crazy hours as we continue to set heat records here? So evenings were a bit rough around here. But thankfully Brad downloaded me a new album and listening to it while making dinner did help my spirits... like my fancy iPhone-speaker-amplifier? (I love all the crystal that has been making its way to my house lately from some very special ladies!)
(Oh... and that recipe, really is the best. waffles. ever. Interested? click here.)


And you know they say that if you have to take a test that if you dress up it will have a positive impact on your test results? Well, I thought I'd try wearing Walker's Statue of Liberty crown while I made those waffles... and honestly, from this picture, you can barely tell that I feel like I was just run over by a truck... well, only my head, the rest of my body felt relatively fine... So, I think there is something to that theory...
...and a handful of chocolate chips never hurts either....
Back to VBS....

I found out this week that Walker is a big, big helper in Pre-school Worship (they have it every Sunday and had it each day during VBS). The lady that leads it said that her son has a hard time controlling himself in there and Walker will sit by him and say, "You know your mom wants you to sit still!" Here's a shot of him helping lead a song, "Good things, good things, Jesus does good things..." So adorable.