Home life

So, for the past week I've been posting photos that show the things for which I am thankful. This post will show the day to day happenings of home life. So often I take these "small" things for granted. Being a family, walking with God and teaching Lily His ways in the everyday steps are "HUGE" blessings.....not just small things. I mess up along the way and get to once again experience God's forgiveness and grace but through it all I pray He will do His work in and through us as parents to teach Lily about the love and faithfulness of our Savior. I'm learning that His ways are to be taught all through the day, every day....not just at Church, not just on Wednesdays and Sundays. It's when we are painting or feeding the chickens or lying down for a nap or taking a walk....
 Deut. 11:18-23
¹⁸ Therefore you shall lay up these My words in your [minds and] hearts and in your [entire] being, and bind them for a sign upon your hands and as forehead bands between your eyes.

¹⁹ And you shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you rise up.

²⁰ And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates,

²¹ That your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.

²² For if you diligently keep all this commandment which I command you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him—

²³ Then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.

Here are some photos as we are walking along the way :)

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What have we been up to??

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Our September thus far...

As you know I live in a whirlwind most of the time but try to stop in here at the blog every once in awhile to jot down my thoughts and to attempt to keep a journal (with pictures) for Lily to have one day. However, words and photos will never be able to fully express how much we love her and how very special she is. Isn't God gracious! When I look at Lily I can't help but think "God, you are so good...you love us so much to give us this gift." Help us to love YOU with the same depth and strength. And out of that love be reaching the world so they might experience YOU. Another part of God's amazing grace in our lives is time spent with family. And we got to spend time with Uncle Jeff on his birthday this year. Here are a few photos of our time together.

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This month has been a very memorable one for us. Joe's grandmother passed away at age 90 and we were able to travel to Cleveland with his mom to be with the family. It was awesome - hearing the stories of "Big Mama" and how much everyone loved and adored her! Lily had met her great aunts, Dot and Fay, and her great Uncle Dennis, and a few cousins, Tonya, Beth and Robert but this trip we got to meet and spend quality time with so many more! I enjoyed it so much that I didn't want to leave.

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Our Summer....so far.....

Part 1

We didn't last long at our nanny job...2 weeks. Going into the job they said it would be average of 30 hours a week and would be a set salary with 4 weeks paid vacation. Sounds good, huh? Well, the first week I worked 44 hours and the pay just wasn't worth the effort of caring for 4 kids. So, we said goodbye to the sweet babies...

Lily even gave them a little nibble before leaving

and one last hoorah on the swingset - yes, "she has decided" that she's a big girl and doesn't need to be in a baby swing anymore!

It's back to just you and me girl!

One nanny and 4 babies

I just noticed that this is my 200th post on the blog!!  I always wonder if people read it b/c I don't get many comments but that doesn't stop me :)  It's really about keeping a journal for our sweet angel and to have these words and photos to look back on and REMEMBER our life....her life. 

So, back to this post - The first week on the job was.....fun, exhausting, sweet, exciting, crazy, peaceful, busy, smooth, hard, and well....you get my point. I guess one word to really sum it up would be FULL. :) I didn't have much time to take pictures but here are a few.

the twins, Jake and Zach, and Chase (he's a few months older than Lily)

can you tell them apart?

Chase is a joy and I have enjoyed him so much

Lily thinks he's pretty cool too

but they have their moments

they both love spending time outside

A new job

Well, I start a new job tomorrow.  I'm a little nervous but and a little excited :)  It is a nanny postion for a family with 4 children (twin boys that are 4 months old, 23 month old boy and a 7 yr. old girl).  I met them last week and Lily and Joe met them today and we love them already.  Lily especially likes the 7 year old girl that was doting over her.  I will be working M-F but some days will only be 1/2 days b/c the Dad is a fireman and has a unique schedule.  Please keep us in your prayers!

What day is it?

The past week 1/2 have been a whirlwind for our family!  Joe's mom is still in the hospital but she is doing better.  There were a couple of days that were pretty scary....she was very confused and so weak.  But the doctors finally took her off some of the meds (steroids and antibiotics) that are known to cause neurological problems and she is doing much better.  She is still very weak (her white blood count is down) and nauseous from the chemo but doing well considering everything that she's been through.  So, Joe and I have been passing each other coming and going since one of us has to be here with Lily all the time.  We have been taking turns with Jeff and Tammy staying at the hospital so Maw Maw won't be by herself. 

So, yesterday we had the day off so we took care of a few errands and I took Lily to the eye doctor and to her regular doctor.  She had a cold a couple of weeks ago but this cough has just lingered and I wanted to make sure it's not something that needs to be treated.  She did great at the eye doctor except for the drops he put in her eyes....she wasn't too crazy about that.  He said her eyes look good but show some signs of allergies.  Following that appt. we went to see about the cough and that doctor said the same thing....her lungs sound clear and ears and nose look ok so they told me to give her zyrtec every night and see if it clears up in 3 days.  If not, she will take her first antibiotics. 

So, what day is it?  I have to ask that question everyday and I feel like I've lost a few days somewhere. :)

I was looking forward to Easter morning - going to Church and being with Lily.  Joe went to the hospital early that morning and then Lily and I headed for Sunday School.  We were only there a few minutes before I noticed that she was hot to the touch and when I checked her temp she was running a low grade fever.  On top of the cough she has a tooth coming in....poor girl!  We had to leave before Church started :( but we still enjoyed the beautiful Resurrection Day.  Here are a few photos:

this is how she feels about bows

I think she's already showing signs of being a tomboy :) 

Need your prayers

As you can see I haven't updated the blog in weeks and it's partly due to being out of town.  We went to Olive Branch after my Maw Maw (Lily's great grandmother) had a stroke and was admitted to the hospital.  She fell and broke her hip a couple of months ago and was doing pretty good with rehab but then she had a stroke things have gone downhill from there.  They let her go home from the hospital which we were very happy about and now we have a Hospice nurse that comes to check on her 3 times a week.  We know that God is in control and He knows when her last day on this earth will be and we are enjoying every minute we have with her.  When we were visiting we had some really precious moments together and Lily was so sweet with her.  She would sit in the bed with her and "talk" to her and give her kisses.

It was amazing to see the care she is receiving from our family.  My aunts and uncles are really awesome!  They are taking turns staying with her at night (and during the day) and just loving on her.  I can only hope that I will be surrounded by people that love me like that during my last days.  It was also incredible to see my Dad care and pour out his love on his mother.  He is the baby of the bunch and they have a very special relationship.  I saw him in a way that I had never experienced and it was really beautiful and I admire and love him even more.  Please keep my Maw Maw in your prayers.

When we got home from Mississippi we discovered that Lily's Maw Maw (Joe's mom) is very ill.  She has been struggling for a couple of weeks now with a sore throat and we found out on Wednesday that they suspect that lymphoma is back.  She had a biopsy on her lymph glands and is scheduled for a full body scan tomorrow.  She is in terrible pain and there is so much swelling in her neck that it's hard for her to eat or even swallow water.  We are praying that the Lord would bring healing to her body and that she would have some relief SOON.  Please join us in prayer for her.  Her and Lily are like 2 peas in a pod and I know that they are both missing their days of playing and enjoying each others company.  We have kept Lily away as much as possible b/c she has a cold right now and we don't want Maw Maw to catch it....she has enough going on in her body right now.  However, Lily has been calling for her (pretty much non-stop) so we took her by for a few minutes today and she continued her chanting "Maw Maw, Maw Maw, Maw Maw".....(you get my point) and taking all of her toys for Maw Maw to hold.

So, I just wanted to update everyone on "us" and ask you to PLEASE pray for our Maw Maws.  God reminded me today that it's at times of great trial that He gives us extra measure of grace so I know that He is covering them both with His love, comfort, peace and GRACE at this time.  We serve a loving Father who cares for us...Psalm 139:17-18 says "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!"

Here is a photo taken of Maw Maw when we were visiting in the hospital (Poppy, Neil, me)

And this was an old video that I came across.  I can't believe how much Lily has changed!!  (I guess you could say that Maw Maw was snapping the beans while Lily chewed them :) )

2 peas in a pod (click to watch video)

Be of good cheer

Every year that passes by we have even more to be thankful for. Thanksgiving has come and gone but I’m still reflecting on all the ways God has blessed us. And the verse that keeps coming to my mind is John 16:33….“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." With all that is going on in the world with our national economy and security and with our own personal struggles I don’t know what we would do without the hope of Jesus. He truly is our peace and for that I am THANKFUL. The word in that verse “be of good cheer” actually means to have confidence in. Jesus says it 8 times in the New Testament – “be of good cheer”. Though things are spinning around us and always changing we can have confidence in Him – in His plan and purpose for our lives. His promises never change and HE never changes. When I think about that I can’t help but take a sigh of relief. Because it seems that EVERYTHING changes. Friendships, marriages, churches, families, people move away, careers change, children grow up, our physical bodies start to….well, you know…..It’s almost like you can’t count on anything to stay the same. But, we can. We can count on God to ALWAYS be faithful and to always be there for us – to walk through the trials with us, to guide us on our way, to provide for our every need, to give us peace in the midst of storms. So, I have to say the thing I’m most thankful for this Thanksgiving is my relationship with Jesus. And of course second on the list is my family. Joe and I were able to spend Thanksgiving together this year for the first time. We are usually busy working at the Mission but it was so nice to be together this year! Lily enjoyed a nice visit with Poppy and the Pryor family and even got to meet a few relatives for the first time. My Dad’s brother and his family came in from Texas and it was great to see them! I love this time of the year when we can be with family and refocus our hearts and minds on what’s really important…..God and all the many ways He blesses us each and every day.
Please continue to pray for our family. Joe has been doing part time work at the local airport but is still looking for full time work. I’m trying to finish medical transcription training online and babysitting 3 days a week. I love to update the blog but my time has been limited for that task. I’m really trying to find a good balance on how to spend my time and prioritize things in the way the Lord would have me. I’m involved in a Bible study on Tuesdays and I go to MOPS twice a month and as you know a one year old can really keep you busy.

Lily has been our little sunshine (as usual) and our love for her grows stronger every day. She was walking the past couple of weeks but she’s moved on to RUNNING now. She loves for you to chase her and she has the cutest toothy grin you’ve ever seen. Yes, she is still working on cutting these teeth. This week she has 2 bottom teeth and 1 top tooth that are pushing their way through and has given us several wakeful nights. Sometimes I feel like we are giving her too much Motrin but my doctor reassured me that once a day is not too much. I read a tip online that says to elevate her mattress a little bit so her blood flow won’t be to her head causing more pain in her mouth. I think it’s helping! Anyway, she is still fascinated by the moon and always wants to go outside and see it. Her favorite thing lately is “books” and she loves to bring them to you and insists on getting in your lap for you to read to her. She has dozens of books but she has 3 that are her favorites. Her repertoire of animal sounds now includes elephant, monkey, lion, sheep, horse, and octopus. Yes, her Daddy taught her that the octopus says “wooly, wooly, wooly” and moves his arms around crazily. I’m sure one day the kids will say “that’s not how the octopus sounds” and Lily will say, “yes it is, that’s what my Daddy said.” I get so tickled by Joe’s love and adoration of his sweet girl. I would say that he crazy in love with her and I’ve never seen him act so silly. In a good way of course.

Lily’s vocabulary has definitely increased and I can understand more of her words. Some of the new words and phrases are “it’s shining, in the sky, outside, Melmo (Elmo), toes, bubbles, moon, caca (cracker), shoes, socks, Bible, go go go (when you ask her about Bama).” So here are a few photos of our sunshine.

Poppy got her a chargeable 4-wheeler and she's having fun with that!

she loves her cousin Matt and is always glad to see him!

she's still not sure about stepping over thresholds but she knows

how to find someone to help her out - her cousin Stacy is glad to take her hand

this is another one of her fun games "take the diaper off"

enjoying a fun day with her friends, Blake and John Michael

(these are the little boys I babysit)

What has Lily been up to?

I was looking through some of our photos and realized I've really fallen behind on posting on the blog. Lily is growing and getting more personality by the day and we are just eating it up. The weather is finally starting to cool down so we have been spending time outside and going for walks together. I've been overwhelmed by God's beauty....as we walk there is a field of wildflowers along the road and the butterflies are everywhere and then you top it off with an amazing blue sky and a cool breeze. Can there be a more perfect day? "The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship." Psalm 19:1

So, what has our little girl been doing lately....

playing with toys (her favorite - Elmo in a chicken suit) watching her favorite show "Wonder Pets"

going to Church
watching football with Daddy

playing with Mommy

playing with Nana

swinging

crawling EVERYWHERE

(especially places that are off limits :) )

eating green pancakes

(I found a great recipe for sour cream and spinach pancakes here

and Lily loves them. I leave out the honey and egg whites and they still turned out yummy)

taking a bath in the kitchen sink

(when Mommy isn't home)

Daddy knows how to make bath time more fun

spending time with friends

I kept John Michael for a week while his grandma

was out of town and Lily had such fun

they chase each other around

(there was lots of giggling and squealing involved)

she may be the only girl but she's the leader of the pack :)

....and I'm not sure what we think about her

kissing so many boys

....but maybe it's better than this :)