Just Stuff

Bry woke up on Friday and these were the first words out of his almost 8 year old mouth: "Mom could you make me some coffee?".
No joke. I asked what on earth he would want coffee for and he said he was so tired he needed some cafine to help him wake up. First it was electronics and now our kids are passing us by in acquiring a taste for beverages. What's next?

Today I put water in a clear glass pitcher with some MINT from my herb garden to try to be fancy for our dinner guests. Tonight while I was cleaning the kitchen DJ came in and asked for a drink of water. She said, "Can I have some water but just without the PARSLEY". ...so much for being fancy!

Elle is just as funny as the other two but in a "you had to be there" kind of way. She doesn't say a lot of funny things but she is hilarious to watch. Like when she dances to a slow song and sways back and forth so slowly that she barely keeps her balance. Or when she sings "patty cake" and then laughs at herself because she knows she's being cute.

Cal and I are both trying to do a better job these days of just slowing down, reducing our commitments outside our home and making time to just be with our kids. We're getting better at listening to their (sometimes long) stories and descriptions of things that are special to them. We're savoring each day with them because we're realizing it just goes so fast. Our hope is that by listening to them and building trust now, they'll want to talk with us when they're teens and adults. Maybe we're (FINALLY) growing up a little bit. Thank goodness for grace!

Bry turns 8 in less than 2 weeks. Half way to driving! Where does it go?

Back and Forth

Hey everyone, sorry if you've recently tried to access my blog but couldn't. I got a strange comment on one of my posts and didn't really have time to deal with the issue. I went back and forth on what I should do. So I deleted the comment and put my blog on "Private" status until I could make a good decision on how to handle it. After talking with several people who received the same exact comment on their blog throughout the country and having a little time to think it through, I decided to take our blog off of "Private" status and just change my settings so I can monitor all comments.

I'll try to post more soon.
Thanks for reading!
J

QT with BK

Quality Time is no doubt Bryant's primary love language. It is so obvious when Bryant is getting QT and when he's not. It is clearly the way he translates love. That is why I was so glad to get to go on his field trip with him on Monday. Just the two of us. I could tell it meant the world to him. He continually hugged me throughout the day and would say things like, "You're such a good mom". My primary love language is Words of Affirmation, so of course that gave me a full measure of feeling loved too. It was such a great day for us. Here are some pictures we both took at Cypress Gardens. If Bryant is in the picture, I took it. If he's not, he took it. (with the exception of the picture of both of us together)

A Quick Stop to the Emergency Room?

Last week was full of plans that included going to the Flowertown Festival, grocery shopping and getting our house perfectly clean for Caleb's parents and grandparents' visit. None of which happened. Instead we took an unexpected trip to the Children's E.R. because our Delainey got sick with some frightening symptoms.

It all started right after we got back from Georgia. That Monday, I found a tick in Delainey's hair. I saved the tick in a plastic bag and immediately called her Pediatrician. They said to just keep an eye on her for the next 24-48 hours. She seemed fine for the next few days. That Friday, however, she didn't feel well and threw up. The next day I was gone all day shooting a wedding on Edisto Island but Caleb didn't notice any strange symptoms. Sunday morning she woke up with a fever and a strange rash on her face. I called her Pediatrician's after hours/weekend service and they instructed me to take her to the Children's E.R. at MUSC. We had no idea she wouldn't be coming back home until Wednesday!

Caleb and I were sure it wasn't going to be a big deal so we loaded up the whole family to head downtown. Our thought was that Caleb, Bryant and Elle could walk around downtown and enjoy the sunshine while Delainey and I got our prescription for an antibiotic. I thought I would just call Caleb on his cell when we were all done and he could pick us up at the curb. We could be back in Summerville in perfect time to make the Flowertown Festival... after all, surely she wasn't contagious and she seemed like she would be okay.

WRONGO! Within the first few minutes they had started an I.V. and were talking about doing a spinal tap to check her for Meningitis of the brain, which ticks can spread. The thing that had them so concerned was this rash on her face. Since we knew she had been bitten by a tick and this rash is sometimes associated with Lyme Disease and Meningitis, they didn't want to risk overlooking anything. I called Caleb and asked him to get back to the E.R. right away. Our friends, Brian and Annie kept Bryant and Elle so Caleb and I could focus on what was going on with Delainey.

Sunday was a very rough day. I felt so helpless and overwhelmed. I was scared like I've never been before and would have done anything to take Delainey's place in the hospital bed. I stayed the night with her that night and started out on the couch in her room. She woke me up at some very early hour and said, "Mommy, I don't like you over there. Can you come sleep in my bed with me." So we cuddled between I.V. lines, monitor cords and many nurse visits to check vitals and temperature. Neither one of us were able to rest well at the hospital but she was in good hands so it was worth it.

The next day, Caleb came and stayed that night with her. I went home to be with Bryant and Elle and fell into bed that night with exhaustion and sadness lurking over me. Test results were beginning to come back by then but we were still waiting on cultures. The time at the hospital felt like a big blur. Delainey started out very polite and even thanked the nurses for taking her temp. Each day she got more and more fearful of needles and people. Even if someone came in to take out her trash, she would hide under her pillow. She was quickly tired of being in the hospital and cried a lot while we were there. By the time we left, she wasn't making any friends and she didn't care any more. Tuesday rolled around and since I had gotten some rest at home, I went to relieve Caleb who was in serious need of sleep at that point. Finally, on Wednesday they let us come home with Delainey. Her tempt was still up to 104 but because her cultures were coming back with good reports and her White Blood Cell count was coming back down, they felt it was safe to release her. As of last Friday, she is fever free. She's back to her beautiful, feisty self!

Thanks to everyone for praying for Delainey's healing. Also, thank you for helping with our kids, for bringing food to us, for visiting us, for the thoughtful gifts, cards, and many calls to check on her.

Back to her self..

Blogging Siestas

Here is a picture of some fellow "Siestas" (ladies who correspond on Beth Moore's blog)I met at the LPM event this past weekend. Good times! Thanks to Angie at Little Steps of Faith for sharing this picture with me.

Where Do I Begin?

I am going to attempt to describe what an amazing weekend I just experienced. I know for a fact I won't be able to fully describe the blessings that God delivered to me right from the palm of His mighty hand, but I will do my best. I will try to be descriptive but brief so I don't make this post 10 pages long.

WOW! Is there any way to describe the gift of friendship? I received a call a couple of months ago from my friend, Peggy. She invited me to go to see Beth Moore with her and a mutual friend. It was actually her husband Brad's idea. He said Caleb could come to Georgia and stay with him and the kids while the moms went on to Jacksonville for the LPM event. I told her I'd talk to Caleb about it and call her back. A few minutes later, she called me back instead and said, "I'm on Lifeway's website. There are still tickets available and if it's okay with you, I'm just going to buy you one for you..." How can you say no to that?

Brad and Peggy are a rare caliber of people. We were connected to them through our friend Kris, after his death. Knowing Kris like we did, should have given us some insight to the kind of people the Headleys are. They were dear to Kris which indicates they are special people. They have the same commitment to the Lord and same generosity towards others that Kris had. They made us feel so incredibly welcome in their home with an uncommon level of hospitality. The dads took great care of the kids while us moms were gone and the kids had a blast too. There was a lot of Wi playing going on, pizza was ordered and they even raked the whole yard on Saturday before we arrived back home again. We so appreciated our 2 husbands being brave enough to let us moms head South for 24+ hours while the dads cared for our 5 kids ranging from 12 years to 18 months! Since then, Brad has decided there's a fine line between courage and stupidity. Even still, the guys were so glad they gave us the gift of a weekend away to rejuvenate!

So off to Jacksonville we went. Peggy, Kalie and I went, which was great because we were all in small group for a Beth Moore study, "A Heart Like His" about 3 years ago. We checked into our hotel nice and early. Then we walked around the lovely downtown of Jacksonville, FL. I really like that beautiful city and it smells like coffee because the Maxwell House plant is right in the middle of it. We rode the monorail, walked along the river, checked out Jacksonville Landing and had an incredible dinner at a restaurant called BB's. Don't tell the kids, but we even splurged on an enormous dessert! As great as all that was, our day hadn't even hit it's peak yet.

We headed to the stadium where nearly 15,000 other women would find their way to in the next 2 hours. Yes, we did get there a couple of hours early because this wasn't our first time to go see Beth and we had learned about seating and we wanted good seats. "Good seats" is an understatement. We ended up about 10 seats away from Beth's seat when she was sitting and right near the stage. Travis Cottrel and his team were all around and it was just FUN! I don't think I could ever go back to sitting in the "nose bleeds", which I've done a few times. Beth was on it both Friday and Saturday! Wow! I felt like the entire session was hand picked for me. I have a feeling most of the women felt the same way. The whole thing was perfectly placed in my path for this season of my life. I can't even begin to describe the impact it had on me. It was huge!

We returned to Georgia where there were children and husbands who were clearly happy to see us! I love being missed! We grilled out and chilled for the evening. Sunday morning we woke up and headed to St.Simon's Island Community Church which is where we attended during our 5 months of living in that area. When we attended, it was a remarkable group of Christ followers. They were meeting in a very nice, converted (no pun intended) shopping/business park. Things have changed in the last 3 years! While the people and their focus on God has not changed, their location has! The new campus is seriously breathtaking. The church looked and felt like a resort inside and out! It was really amazing to see the fruit of their labor with our own eyes! The service was amazing too. This church is one of the most prayer-centered churches I've ever seen. Being on St. Simon's Island, it's congregation has a lot of very wealthy people in it. However, they are incredibly generous, not only with their money but with their lives. This church mission-focused. They're continually planning trips to not only poor, but dangerous places like Haiti, India, Asia, etc. They leave their amazing homes and give sacrificially, risking their own well-being all the while. What an example!

The time with the Headleys was steeped in generosity. Their girls gave our girls a toy set that they had outgrown (but still looked brand new) which included a My Little Pony castle, about 20-30 new ponies and many accessories. Brad sent us home with a case of MonaVie, a juice, which is probably the greatest "super food" known in the world today. This stuff is NOT CHEAP! It retails at $45 a bottle! They insisted that we go home with not 1, but 4 bottles! They have experienced such great things by consuming only 2-4 ounces a day. So, they wanted to share it so we could try it for ourselves. Have you ever heard of such unnecessary kindness? I want to give to others like that!

The trip home was quiet and a good chance for Caleb and I to reconnect after being so busy and apart for a short time. We got home early enough to eat sandwiches for dinner, bath time and our bedtime routine. I'm certain I will never forget this weekend as a gift!

I just found this recap on Beth's blog and my friend Peggy is actually on it!

Here are just a handful of pictures from our weekend. If the slideshow below doesn't work, click on the X in the upper RIGHT corner 2 times...

13 Things I'm Looking Forward to this Weekend

1. A change in scenery.
2. Going to see Beth Moore in Jacksonville, FL and I know I will leave that place better than when I arrived. I'm praying that my heart will show up ready and that I'll be tender to what God would have me to learn.
3. Getting to be involved in the awesome worship. With Travis Cottrell leading, I know it will be great.
4. Going to St. Simon's Community Church where we used to attend and seeing old familiar faces there.
5. Getting to see St. Simon's new building that we heard about over 3 years ago!
6. Getting to spend some quality time with some good girlfriends on the trip to Jacksonville. Girl talk- Yay! I may even find time to read a magazine- imagine that!
7. Getting to go out to dinner on Friday night with my girlfriends and not be interrupted by children! (You know I love my little ones. Spending time with them is very important to me, but getting a dinner out without them is a rare treat!)
8. Getting to have a much needed "Mommy break". I may just have a nervous breakdown looking around for my 3 blondies, reaching for Elle's diaper bag and feeling irresponsibly indulgent... just for a split second but I'll recover.
9. Getting to eat lunch on Sunday at Barbara Jeans -one of our favorite restaurants in St. Simon's Island. Caleb's been tucking a little away since we started planning our trip to make this happen. He thinks it's a shame to get all the way to St.Simon's Island and not visit Barbara Jean's for one of their incredible crab cakes. I agree.
10.Getting to do some photography on Jekyll Island. I'm hoping to reshoot some of the stuff I took 3 years ago but new and improved. I'm so glad for a do-over and this time I have my new digital SLR!
11. Enjoying a road trip with Caleb. I love the DVD in the van because it helps the kids settle in for a movie and Caleb and I can actually finish conversations, uninterrupted. It's a beautiful thing!
12. Getting to breath in the Georgia and Florida air. For some reason, getting away for a weekend has a great effect on me. I always appreciate home more afterwards and see my old surrounding in a whole new way.
13. Getting to return to our home with my children and husband rejuvenated because I do love them SO much. I love serving them and spending time with them, even though sometimes I just need a little break.