One more monkey jumping on the bed

Noah and Ella (and Jack and Nick) are getting another cousin! Joey and Rebecca have been blessed with their first baby. He or she will be here at the end of the summer and we are all so excited about this new addition to our big family. Today we were eating milkshakes at Jack Frost and talking about the new cousin. First the kids fought over whos cousin it was. After that argument was squashed over "it will be both of yours!" They were placing bets on if it was a boy or girl. Noah wants a boy cousin. Ella wants a "dirl." We will all find out soon and can't wait to love on him or her. We are so thankful for Joey and Rebecca and their love for our children. They are an incredible aunt/uncle and have so much patience with our kids. And their love for each other is undeniable and a great example for us. Ella especially has a heart for Joey, and I can tell you they will be amazing parents. Before we know it, there will be 5 little monkeys jumping on Granny's bed!

The Doctor

Jerry's getting his doctorate. Which is a pretty cool thing. But I did tell him that I could never refer to him as a doctor. Tonight we met and talked about what he is doing for his final presentation, what will make him a "Doctor." He's doing this experiment, where he has asked us to pray for each Sunday. Tonight I got the full run down of what we are exactly to do. Evidently he goes through a method of steps each week when he prepares his sermon. The second to last step has him prepare a pretend person's bio - the guy who this sermon is directed to. Our group is praying for George, the guy who owns his own buisness but has had to lay off half his workforce in order to stay a float. His debts are higher than his income, and he is losing all hope. It's affecting all aspects of his life. He will hear that even in times of distress, we can have hope in our Father.

The second week of this nine week commitment, Jerry had sent out the sermon outline for people to pray over, and the bio of a lady. That Sunday morning, a woman came to the front in tears and almost word for word dictated the bio that people had prayed for. Jerry said he wished that all the people who are praying could have eavesdropped on their conversation and heard it. God had answered the prayers of that group of 40 people. The group is now up to 140. And there are 60 more that will be added over the next two weeks.

Through this series and the path my life is on right now I'm learning so much about the power of prayer and transparently praying to my Father. I'm humbled by the responsibility and excited to see how God is going to reach "George" this week. If you'd like to hear more, go to www.graceforall.org and click on the podcasts for the most recent sermon series.

Beating the Odds

I was laying in bed one night this week, and the thought hit me and I had to say it outloud to Matt. "My dad died last week. And came back." Words you think you will never utter, but are so glad you can say the "And came back" part out loud. I am still processing all that I heard, saw, felt, and witnessed in the past two weeks.

Dad's own doctor said that he had beat the odds. Not once, but three times. All the circumstances that led up to and during his heart attack, and his recovery that followed were a testimony to God's hand on Dad's life. And the power of fervent prayer to our Father. They were miracles. God is not through with my fathers ministry. And he chose to let him be here longer with us, his family.

Dad collapsed due to a massive heart attack in the bathroom of Jackson Hospital on March 9th. It took the doctors and nurses 22 minutes from the time they found him to get him intubated, to the ER, and then to the cath lab to insert a stint into his blocked artery. He spent a few days in the CVICU, where we all got to be there with him. He was moved to the telemetry floor and was watched, where he developed a diverticulitus flare up which affected a hernia in his stomach. A second heart cath showed that the other blockages on the left side of his heart could be treated with medicines and diet.

You have to understand, my father is one of the strongest men I know. Strong in faith, in determination, in love and compassion... I had never seen my dad weak. Thankfully (another miracle), dad's brain was not affected by the lack of oxygen, and even in the ICU glimpses of his funny personality were surfacing. He will regain his strength and has gotten a second chance. It's a second chance for all of us.

I have been contacted by so many people. From Loganville, Warner Robins, Hendersonville, Opelika, Marion, and more. Encouraging my family and lifting him up in prayer. Thank you for praying for my dad. And continue to pray for him as he recovers and as God uses him through this new testimony he has. He is home now and is resting. And we are all blessed. We will be there for Easter, and his hugs will have a whole new meaning for me.

You know spring is here...

... when Jack Frost is open! We were waiting on Matt to get off work yesterday so we went by Fastenal early to use our sidewalk chalk to draw chalk people. Each one of us laid down on the concrete, and someone drew their outline. Then we colored on their clothes. We had Meredith with us, and while we didnt' lay her on the ground, we did a pretty close match to how big she is. Ella forgot completely about her own chalk person and drew exclusively on Merediths outline. Noah was in a not so great mood, since we had passed Jack Frost and saw the huge line of people waiting for the best icecream in the south. I wouldn't stop to get any, we were on our way to dinner! But promised to take them this weekend. So this picture of Noah was the closest I could get to a smile.

Ella's Future Husband

I was so blessed to have family and friends rally around us while I was in Alabama last week. I was still gone, Matt needed to be at work, and Ella didn't want to stay in Hendersonville anymore. She has a huge attachment to her daddy, and didn't want to stay another night without him. But she did have a blast spending 5 days with Granny! Anyway, my friend Kim picked up Ella from Matt at work on Monday morning and she got to play with Carter. Her prince, and future husband.

Silly Homework

Embarrassingly, my mother in law had to explain to me what a consonant blend was this week. I opened Noah's homework folder and was lost! If kindergarten homework is stumping me, I know Matt is going to have to be the lead teacher of our children! Here are a few pictures of Noah laughing through his homework. He and Ella were being silly!

Beauty

The trees are breathtaking with their branches full of snow. It's amazing that God's plan in creating the tree included the beautiful leaves, the changing colors in the fall, the shade, and the picture of a snow filled branch. Love, love, love it!

A whole bunch of blankets

We all 4 snuggled into our bed for the movie this afternoon! Ella fell asleep, but we tried to wear her out as best as we can sledding after dinner!

Almost Matching Shoes

Ella loves that our boots are similar.

Sledding... eating snow... playing...

Love

She loves this little girl! Ella has two baby dolls that she carries around all the time. One is "Meredith" and one is "Hannah Beth." She pretends to be their ommies and is so sweet to them. And when the real Meredith is here she is such a sweet friend to her.

The Weatherman was Wrong!

Yesterday when we heard the weather forecast, they were saying we would get 2-4 inches. Then later that night they changed it to 1-2 inches. Well, they were definitely wrong! This afternoon we already have at least 3 inches and the snow is falling fast. This morning, Noah had a 2 hour delay for school. Shortly after I dropped him off, the snow really started to pick up. And then I got the call that school was being dismissed at 12:45. At 2:00, Matt called me to tell me he was coming home from work because the roads were getting bad. So, we all got under the covers, and watched Where the Wild Things Are and are getting ready for some good comfort food for dinner.

Field Trip

Ella got to go with the Marion Christian Academy preschool class on their field trip. One of my good friends is the preschool teacher, and Ella's best friend, Sylvie, is in the class. Her mom Jen offered to take her with them, and Ella was so excited! We packed her backpack and made her picnic lunch, and she couldn't wait to go. They had a great day at Kid Senses!