Another Principal's Award

Last Friday, I got another phone call from the assistant principal of the kids' school. This time, it didn't scare me as much. He had Hannah in his office and she got to read him a book and was nominated by her teacher for the principal's award. So, I got to talk a minute on speaker phone and she received her dog-tag for this achievement. My kids make me very proud! Their teachers are always full of compliments and they love getting recognized for their hard work.

So, I snapped this pictures yesterday morning with her dog-tag:

She bounced out of the house very excited to get to wear her dog-tag for the first time. A few hours later, Jamie received a phone call that Hannah had gotten violently ill and the nurse there was pretty worried about her. We got her home and she laid around all day and was pale and had no energy. I ended up at the doctor's office yesterday afternoon, and nothing came back affirmative, so you know how that goes. You get the ol', "its a virus" diagnosis. Today she seems fine though. I would love for everybody in my house to be healthy. The past couple of weeks have been horrendous!

On another note. We are headed to the Playzeum here in a bit and going to enjoy this gloomy Saturday. It is cold and flurrying. Have I mentioned that I'm ready for spring? It cannot come soon enough!

Also, Tuesday the girls both have parts in the school play. We are all very excited! Abbi has a speaking part and Hannah is singing a solo. This will be a great opportunity for Abbi to start facing her fear of getting up in front of people. I can't wait and there will surely be a post in the near future with pictures and video from their performances.

Thoughts from the Past Week

The past week and a half has been a bit challenging for all of us. There has been at least one person sick since before our trip. Two nights ago was the first night in over a week that the entire house slept all through the night. And since we lived with teenagers last weekend and was already sleep deprived, it has pretty much meant that Jamie and I have been the walking dead lately.

Hannah and Abbi had strep, but they are fine now. Jamie, Chloe, and I all got this cold. Chloe was up in the night, because of continual coughing, but she seems to be better now. Jamie and I are still battling this never-ending cold. Every time we get one, mine goes into my sinuses and his goes into his chest (without fail). So, our kitchen counter looks something like this. This is all the medications that the family is taking on a daily basis. Insane! Right?
Micah is the only lucky duck that has not been sick. He is sniffling a bit, but nothing that is a big deal (yet!). I guess we did pretty good though. A family of 6 that makes it to Feb. without being sick is doing pretty good, I think. Although, why it all had to hit at once is beyond me! Bring on the spring! I'm ready this year like never before! I loathe winter.

On a different note. God has really revealed some things to me this week. We were really down a couple of weeks ago about the house and began to feel ourselves falling and touching that rock at the bottom in many ways. I cried, and I cried a lot that week. I have been telling people, "I don't think I really have faith about that house selling". God kind of bonked me over the head in the midst of my sorrow and said, "Don't let your emotions dictate your faith".

This might be common sense to some people, but I needed to hear that. We can't let the warm fuzzy feelings make us feel that our walk is doing well and we can't let the hard times with a lot of raw negative emotion make is feel like we are slipping away. God is always right there with us if we have him inside. Always!

He also told me that if I didn't have faith that I would still be in Murray right now. Murray was our "comfort zone". ALL of our family is there, Jamie wasn't seeking to get out of his job (this ministry kind of came to him instead), and our home was there. We left a lot behind to come here. It would have been much easier just to shrug off this entire opportunity. So, sometimes it might feel like my faith is sinking with the sale of our house, but I have to hold onto the fact that we followed God here in the first place.

Also, as Christians, we need to understand that we don't have an answer for everything God is doing. We just don't know and many many things in life we will never know this side of heaven. It is just a fact that we live in a fallen world and life is not going to be a bowl of cherries. Sometimes people just need you to listen to them and pray for them. That's it. No need to tell them what they should be doing, thinking, or focusing on. No need to try to make it all better for them, because you can't. No need to tell them the super spiritual, "God has a plan" kind of stuff, because odds are, God is what is getting them through the hard times anyways.

So, this week, while full of sniffles and sneezes, has also been full of God's love and him hammering me over the head with things I needed. Sometimes we have to hit that rock before we can push back up (with God's help).

Cindy Lou Who #2 and Abbi Update

It was "crazy hair day" for Hannah's class today. So, she left all excited and sort of like Cindy Lou Who too. This school does a great job of doing positive reinforcement. The kids love it and it doesn't cost anybody anything. Proof that we don't have to buy a ton of fancy gadgets to entertain our children!

Abbi finally ended up in the doctor's office yesterday after getting up 3 nights in a row severely sick at her stomach. My first inkling on Monday was that she possibly had strep throat like Hannah did. But, I had asked her a million times if her throat hurt and she assured me that it didn't. I called the nurse line at the doctor's and they said there is a 72 hour stomach bug that is going around, but I went ahead and made an appointment for the next day hoping that I could cancel. Well, we ended up there and she was positive for strep! Even the doctors were confused, because her throat was only slightly irritated looking and not swollen and all like strep does. Whatever the case, she got 2 doses of anti-biotics yesterday and is at school today. Now, I kick myself for not taking her sooner, but isn't that what mommy is suppose to do?

So, today is our first "normal" day since the trip. Chloe is excited to finally get to the library and it'll be nice to make a wal-mart run. We are running out of everything around here since I've not been able to leave the house!

Now, we just have to pray that nobody else gets the strep!

Gatlinburg and Sick Abbi

So, we just got back from the 'burg last evening. It was a good trip and great to get to know people on a more personal level. You know, we only find out so much about people at church and there is nothing like living with people to get to know them. God really spoke to each one of us and God has always been faithful in giving Jamie the lessons that we all need (even the adults). Jamie has worked very hard the past few weeks getting everything in perfect order and everything went off without a hitch besides a few schedule glitches the first day, but that always happens on the first day for some reason. All in all it was exhausting, but awesome in many ways.

I was very excited to get back home and see my kiddos though. Abbi was sick and had missed school. We thought she was doing some better. She was complaining a little bit and running a low grade fever, but she was not pukey anymore, so I thought it was a good sign. About 2 a.m. I got woke up and she was throwing up again. So, I just put her in the bed with me. She was so sick! Poor baby! I finally came and got Jamie at 4:30, because I felt like I literally couldn't stay awake another second. She finally dozed a few times, but is still quite sick this morning.

She wouldn't let me take her "sick" picture like I did with hannah though. And, can you believe that I took my camera this weekend and never took 1 picture? I'm not sure what is up with that either??? I must be losing it! So, no pictures to share with you today.

And On Top of Everything Else...

Hannah is sick! She complained with her throat this morning. I checked her temperature and looked in there with a flashlight. It looked a bit red and irritated, but since Jamie and Abbi have had a scratchy throat cold thing going on, I figured that was what she had. She said she felt like going to school and so I sent her on her way with instructions to tell her teacher if she felt worse throughout the day. Well, when she got in the car this afternoon, I immediately knew that she was sick. Her eyes were glassy and she looked pale. She said she didn't start feeling badly until right before pick-ups, so she didn't say anything. I got her home and looked with the flashlight and her tonsils were enormous, but her temperature was low-grade. I called the doctor, because Hannah usually gets strep a few times a year. I was right, it was strep. So, she ate some soup, got her medication down her, and is resting right now. At least with strep, she should feel better before we head out tomorrow afternoon. I just hope nobody else gets it, but usually they don't with strep.

I will have to say though, this is the first time any of my kids have been to the doctor sick since we've moved here. I think that must be some sort of record. 4 kids and almost 9 months of being pretty healthy. Not that we haven't been sick, but nothing that they needed medication for, which is great for us.

Hannah is sad, because she is now going to have to miss her Valentine's party at school though. Those things are so important when you are young, so I feel so badly for her! I told her that maybe daddy could bring her home a Happy Meal or something for lunch if she was feeling a bit better. I hate for her not to have anything fun since she'll have to listen to everybody else talk about their special party. I thought I'd see if her teacher can send her little cards with one of the other kids. At least she could have those to look at. It is tough being little sometimes.

So, Jamie is planning those last minute details for the trip. I'm doing laundry, planning my packing, and cleaning. It will be a long day tomorrow!

When you fall off the horse, you have to get back up!

So, I've been wallowing in my emotions for almost 24 hours now and I can't really cry anymore (right now anyways). Life is full of disappointment and worry, and I'm beyond sick of it right now. Jamie and I have both cried and been so angry at this whole situation. It is so hard to not know what is up on the road ahead. It is honestly one of the hardest things for me. I just want to sneak a peek at the other side. It is hard not to ask "Why?". I know that is not super spiritual, but if I'm thinking it, I might as well say it out loud to God or anybody else. Maybe my faith is weak. Maybe it is just that I think my faith is weak, because my emotions are taking over. One thing I've learned from being a Christian for the past 12 years (almost) is that our emotions are not reliable. They often deceive us and are not a measure of faith.

We've never had the blessing to be financially stress-free. Most people aren't, we do realize that, but to have to constantly worry for almost 15 years gets to you after a while, especially after disappointments and having to wait. The house in Murray is a burden. There is no other way to verbalize that. When we first moved here, I was the one talking Jamie off the ledge. I was the one saying, "Do you not think that God can get this house sold?". Now it is both of us on the ledge and it is not pretty! In all honesty, that house was our biggest concern in this move, and we are still dealing with that. Sometimes when our resources are gone, all you can do is cry out and pray and then do that over and over again.

So, last night my dryer broke. Just quite working. We stayed up late trying to do what we could physically do and it was to no avail. It was several years old and the cheapest one Lowe's had at the time, so it kind of figures to be honest. Jamie's parents are gracious enough to help us fix that problem, but others lie ahead. We thank them tremendously for relieving that extra burden right now. More than they'll ever realize! With 4 children, we have a lot of laundry!

But, Jamie called a bit ago, and we are both kind of leaning on each other right now to trudge through this valley that we are in. I had an emotional breakdown with my mother today and I think he had one with his dad. Sometimes, it feels good just to have someone listen and say, "I'm sorry" on the other end, you know? Life just stinks sometimes and there is no way around that.

I told Jamie, we are so blessed in so many ways. Right now, I need to focus on that and try to get to the big picture of it all

• We have 4 beautiful wonderful smart children that God has entrusted us with. We have each other and Jamie is such a wonderful, compassionate, Godly husband. We are the best of friends as well as spouse and those are the best kind (maybe I'm partial).
  
• Jamie loves his job more than any other he has ever had. It has been such a joy to hear him talk about his ministry with a smile and excitement in his voice. I haven't had that for a long time with him.
  
• Our kids are happy
• Our neighborhood is lovely. Different than we are used to, but now we are converted city folk. I have no desire to be in the country away from convenience again. Never thought I'd feel that way honestly.
• Our new church is enjoyable and the kids are learning more than they ever have about God's word.
• All of our needs have been provided.
• The weather has been warmer the past few days.
• We are all healthy.
• God loves us even when he seems far away.
  

Hope and Doubt, Doubt and Hope

That is where our feelings have been the past few days about the house. One minute, I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it. Then the next minute, I get a wedge of doubt in there and realize how hard I'm going to fall if this doesn't work out. So, on the roller coaster we remain and I really am not fond of roller coasters!

Jamie has spoken to the guy that is interested on a few occasions and so far so good, he is just waiting on insurance money. He was having a bit of a headache with them, and we all know how frustrating insurance can be. I've been praying for this family, because they are mourning the loss of their home while trying to pick up the pieces. It has to be quite difficult for them right now and they are just as anxious to get the ball rolling as we are.

I keep trying to console myself with, "what is another week or 2 since we've waited over 8 months" but it isn't always working. I really want to put this chapter behind us more than anybody can even realize. It is a burden. I huge fat financial, emotional, and mental burden.

I do realize that God is in control and knows what is on the other side of this stress. I do realize that! It doesn't make my stream of emotions less of a roller coaster. So, the saga continues and maybe I'll have an update soon.

Kids are So Funny!

Jamie never blogged this, so I will. A few weeks ago a little girl at church handed him a card. He sometimes gets little pictures and notes from children, but this one takes the cake. I think we both laughed until our sides hurt and it is a keeper, for sure.

Kids are so funny and innocent in what they say. Don't you just love it? Pay close attention to the P.S. in the note.

Do we dare get excited?

Jamie just called with the official word that someone is wanting to buy our home in Murray. His house burned last week and apparently he lost everything. He came to look at it a little bit ago and just needs to wait on his insurance money before the transaction can be official. We are still praying that things will go smoothly from his end and by the end of next week, I may have to pay for 1 less home!

We have prayed for this day to come for 8 months. I had readily admitted to Jamie and some others that my faith had weakened over time. When God placed us in the new church, all the pieces seem to fly into place except for this one. And this ONE piece has caused us a lot of worry, struggle, and tears for the past 8 months.

I'm excited, but won't let myself get too excited until the money is in our hands. Getting excited for something only for it to be a big let down is one of the hardest feelings in the world, I think. We went down that road several months ago and it was just easier for me to become callous to it all and just assume that I was stuck paying for 2 homes forever than for me to go down that emotional roller coaster again.

When Jamie called me to tell me, I had tears in my eyes. And, even as I sit here, I'm still in major denial and disbelief, because we all know how life is and anything could happen between now and next week (there goes my lack of faith again).

Going Stir Crazy!

We've been out of school since last Tuesday. If I have figured it correctly, they will now have to be in school until June 5th! Lord, help us all! It will be so beautiful outside and they'll be stuck inside a classroom! They are suppose to go tomorrow barring any unforeseen circumstances (and there better not be any!).

We are all ready for our normal routine again. It isn't that I don't enjoy my kids being around. It is quite the opposite really. I'm the first one to start counting the day until summer vacation and the one that mourns on the first day of school, but this is nuts. In the summer, we enjoy the outdoors and the kids can run around and get that energy out. Being stuck inside with 4 children that are also stir crazy is not always pleasant. I'll leave it at that. I am also a creature of routine and predictability and I miss that when I don't have it.

Monday, Jamie was off and we decided to get out of this house for a while. We went to the library where Chloe enjoyed story time and everyone else was able to choose some books. We ate lunch at Fazoli's and topped the day off by letting the kids blow off some steam at the Playzeum. We used some of our Christmas funds to go ahead and pay for a year's membership for that. With a family our size, we only have to go a few times to more than pay for the membership and I'm sure we'll go more than that. It is a great place to let them run around and beats going to a McD's play land any ol' day.

Micah really enjoyed the "shadow room". I'm not sure how we missed that the first time we visited the playzeum. The walls are painted with neon paint, a light flashes, and it imprints their shadow on the wall for several seconds. It was really cool actually. Here he is playing in that room. Doesnt' look like much in the photo though.

Abbi got thrown in jail by Hannah.
Hannah and her crazy static hair after a trip down a slide.
Chloe, still not tall enough to get up on the platforms without a nudge.

I Survived Winter Storm 2009

Sounds like a snazzy T-shirt slogan doesn't it? It is kind of the way I feel now. It has been an eventful couple of weeks and I'm ready to get back in a normal routine, but it doesn't look like that will be happening tomorrow since school is out again.

When we heard the storm was coming, I had gone to the grocery and stocked up and was prepared to be trapped in my house for a few days. I really had no idea what was before me. I guess I just had a false sense of security, because we've had ice storms before and they are never a huge deal. Everybody is always up and running in a few days. Little did we know!

We were without power Tuesday evening through Thursday afternoon. I think it bothered me more that we didn't phones, because I had no way of getting in touch with my family who also went through the storm. It was a very helpless feeling as we drove around and saw that almost the entire city was shut down.

By Thursday morning, I admit, I was getting scared. It was about 50 degrees in our home and I had no idea how long we would be without power. I looked at Jamie at one point on Thursday and said, "this is really bad, isn't it?" We would kind of laugh out ourselves as we were huddled together on the living room floor (where my entire family slept that night to keep warm) with hoodies, fuzzy socks, red runny noses, and blankets galore. I guess you might as well laugh as to cry, but I really wanted to cry. I told Jamie, "I want to be in Murray" I knew that Murray didn't have power either, but it just seemed better to be suffering with our family rather than here.

We were rejoicing when we drove by the church on Thursday and noticed lights on (they were not on Wednesday). So, we went and enjoyed the heat and the kids could run around a bit. We were just going to bunk up there for the night when we learned that our neighborhood had power. We drove home and I was squealing and clapping as we came into our subdivision and saw lights.

I think I can safely say that we are up and running 100% right now. We even got internet this afternoon, which was the least of my worries, but it is nice to be connected again. I know that it could be a long time for many of our family (my parents and grandaddy included), friends, and others. Please pray that the repairs are alot swifter than they anticipate.

One thing you learn through this is not to take things for granted. Even little things like going to the store, drying and fixing your hair, eating a hot meal, and staying warm.