Smarty Pants

As I was driving down I-95 going 70 miles an hour when suddenly the window behind me started to roll down. At first it startled me because the wind at that speed is so loud and it was so unexpected. As I turned my head around to see what had happened I saw Clark's toe on the automatic window button. The clever little kid had figured out how to roll down the window!

This got me to thinking about how much he had learned and grown in the last year. This time last year he was just mastering holding up his head, smiling and laughing. That was about it. He couldn't feed himself, communicate his needs, play games, makes jokes or move himself around. He couldn't even coordinate the movement of his own hands and feet and would often hit himself in the face trying to figure out how to get his arms to do what he wanted.

Yet today, not only can he feed himself, communicate (with a lot of guessing from me) some of his basic needs, play games (patow and peek-a-boo being his favorites), run around, climb stairs, splash and kick in the pool, climb out of the pool, open every cabinet and door that isn't secured, bark at Hank, help dress himself, but now he can roll down the window with his foot. Sometimes it feels like it takes him a while to catch onto things, but when I think how far he has come and all the new things his little brain has learned in the last year it amazes me.

This weekend when we were in Atlanta, Meredith started coughing. She just had a tickle in her throat, but it wouldn't go away, so she coughed for a few minutes. Seeing her, Clark started fake coughing and putting his hand over his mouth. It wasn't very nice to mock someone who was coughing, but it sure was hilarious! I'm glad he caught onto covering his mouth too. It always surprises me when he picks up on little things that I don't think he's even paying attention to. It seems to help that he's so social and loves to watch other people.

He's such a joy and a blessing to us. I praise God for him every day and thank him that Clark is a growing, healthy, strong little boy. We couldn't have asked for a better gift!

Here are a few pictures of recent skills Clark has acquired.

Climbing the air conditioner at the hotel in Atlanta.

He did it all by himself and then knocked on the window when he got up there.

Then turned around and sat down looking pleased with himself.

This trash can (I assure you it was empty) looked tiny, but Clark figured he could fit him whole body in it. He didn't succeed, but he came very close.

Answered Prayer

This year our church decided that instead of doing a Vacation Bible School at the church they would get members to host "Kid Blast" gatherings in their neighborhoods so that they could get out into the community. It seemed like a great idea since many times the majority of the kids who attend VBS are churched kids. Going into the neighborhoods and getting people to invite their neighbors seems more effective in reaching unchurched kids. For several weeks there has been an announcement in the bulletin asking families to sign up to use their yard to host a club. The clubs are in the morning so that it's not too hot and I'm assuming the reason they're having them outside is so that parents are more willing to send their kids.

I've taught more 5 Day Clubs with Child Evangelism Fellowship than I could possibly count and these Kid Blast clubs sound very similar, but for some reason I was a little reluctant to sign up. Partially because I don't really have a yard and partially because I don't really know my neighbors and there are signs saying no soliciting. Basically I was being chicken. I didn't know how and didn't really want to contact the HOA to find out if I could use one of the playgrounds or the field across from my house, but I was afraid if I tried to do it there without approval we'd get kicked out. I gave myself every excuse I could come up with, but the more I walked around the neighborhood and saw the swarms of kids I knew I had to do something.

So, I found a website with the contact information for the management group that maintains our neighborhood. I don't have contact with the HOA because we rent. I explained what I would like to do to the lady who answered the phone at the management group and inquired about how I could go about getting approval. She said I could write a letter to the board and she would give it to them for approval at their next meet on June 8th or they might be able to approve it by email before the meeting. I was hoping to have the club June 21-24 and she said that would give enough time to get everything approved. My next plan of action was to go to the pool as often as possible to meet kids and parents in the neighborhood so that they wouldn't think I was just some strange lady inviting them to a Bible club. Of course spending time at the pool wasn't exactly a hardship :)

I wrote my email, sent it and got an approval within 24 hours. The lady from the management group write back and said, "All three board members think it is a terrific idea." I have been praying about it for several weeks now hoping to get a positive response, but this was even better than I expected! Not only did they approve it, but enthusiastically! Because of their overwhelmingly positive response I wrote back to see if they would even be willing to put the announcement for it on the neighborhood board. If so, this will help with my problem of "no solicitation" and give credibility to the club.

Clark and I have been going to the pool and it's already helped us get to know a few kids and parents. Children flock to Clark because he's so outgoing and cute so we have made several friends. Hopefully in a month or so we'll have lots of friends to invite to the Bible club. I know God is going to work through this because he's already opening doors. I just have to remember it's His work and be bold in inviting people to come.

Just one of those days...

We got in late last night from our quick trip up to Atlanta for my uncle's funeral. It's been raining off and on all day and Clark and I are both tired from being off our normal routine this weekend. He was such a trooper in the car though, I am blessed with an awesome little boy! I've had a head ache that won't go away and I just feel blah for a number of reasons I don't go into. I want to make every day count, but today just seems like a waste. It makes me thankful for the good days. Today's not over yet, so I may be able to salvage it in some positive way, but if I never experienced days like today I don't think I'd appreciate the really good ones in quite the same way. I'm thankful that most days are not like today and that even when I have a bad day I have hope in the things that don't change. Regardless of my mood or circumstances my God doesn't change. So often I forget the big picture a look at the moment I'm in living in. I praise him for life, for salvation and the the thousands of little blessings he pours out on me that I don't even notice, or I forget to praise him for.

The sun has popped though the clouds in the few minutes I've been writing. I think I'll go take some ibuprofen, attack the mound of laundry waiting for me and play with my favorite little blessing (when he wakes up from his nap) to try to salvage the day.

My husband rocks! . . . episode 3

Clark and I have been going to the pool a lot since he started swim lessons. Because our bathing suits were in the dryer from the last time we went swimming, I changed clothes in the half bath downstairs. When we got home I picked up my clothes to carry them upstairs and one of my earrings fell down the drain of the sink. Thankfully it wasn't an expensive earring, it came in a necklace/earring set from Kohl's for less than ten bucks, but I wear it at least 3 times a week.

I couldn't figure out how to get it out, so I just left it until Michael got home and made sure not to turn on the water to keep it from washing farther down the drain. Because my husband rocks, when he got home and I told him the situation, he quickly (and without complaining at all) took all the stuff out from under the sink and began taking the pipe off so that he could get to where he thought the earring was trapped. Using a hammer, plumbers tape and the company of a cute little boy, he successfully found my earring and put the drain back together in working order.

I was grateful to have my earring back, but even more grateful for a husband who cares enough to help with something as trivial as a lost earring. He never questioned if I really needed it or complained about the extra work and he even put up with the little hands in the bathroom and let me take a picture. I love him!

In the midst of the struggle

Over the last year Michael has applied for more jobs than I would dare to count. He started applying right after Clark was born in anticipation that it would take a while to get hired. Because the economy is down many churches aren't hiring when a pastor leaves and there's a lot of competition for the jobs that are open. We knew it could take a while, but we never dreamed it would be over a year. Every time we get another email saying "We've decided you aren't a fit for our church" or "There are many qualified candidates and we have decided to pursue other candidates" or something along those lines it's hard not to get discouraged. It is hard not to become hopeless and just give up when it's been so long and all we've heard is no or been excited about a church that looked like a good fit, interviewed Michael multiple times and once even brought us in for a visit only to then tell us they weren't going to offer the job. Michael feels like he's never going to get the opportunity to show what he can do and respond to the call God has put on his life because no one will give him the chance. We've been reminded again that the church is full of sinners and that just because someone is in the ministry doesn't mean they're going to keep their word or be completely honest with you.

The good thing is that when one of us becomes discouraged often the other one is feeling more hopeful. Usually we aren't both down in the dumps at the same time.

Last night as we were talking I was reminded of other times in our lives when we were discouraged and felt hopeless. One such instance was when we were trying to sell our house. We put it on the market in April after Michael was accepted to seminary and after several offers that fell through we found foundation issues with clay under the house. Because of these issues all future buyers were leery of our house and we had to pay $10,000 to fix the problem. Then we had to spend more money because the company who did the geological work didn't do a thorough enough job. With every passing month with a house that still wasn't fixed and no potential buyers we felt like we were NEVER going to sell our house. In the end, we sold the house without a realtor and made as much money off of it as we would have made if we had sold it with the realtor when we first put it on the market (even after paying for the repair). God took care of us and taught us that his way and timing is not always our way, but he will never leave us .

Another story that came to mind involved our friends Brian and Jacqui from our Life Group at church. When we met them they had been struggling with infertility. They had prayed and seen many doctors and yet they still didn't have a child. Every week at Life Group we prayed for God to bless them with a child. At times they felt hopeless feeling like they would never have a child. However, God answered their prayers and three weeks ago they welcomed boy/girl twins into their family. The babies are still in the NICU because they were premature, but they are doing great. Seeing the picture of the them holding their precious babies on Mother's Day reminded me of God's provision. Mother's Day last year they probably felt like they were going to struggle forever not knowing God's plan. It's amazing how much can change in a year.

So, although it feels like we will never get a ministry job and we're going to be stuck in this situation forever, we know that God has a plan. Sometimes it's hard to get my heart and my head to match. Just because I know in my head that God has the perfect fit for us and he's going to give us the job of his choosing in his timing, my heart still gets discouraged sometimes. One day, in the not too distant future, this struggle will be only a memory. For right now, we continue to thank God for taking care of our every need and trust him with our future. I know the lessons he is teaching us now will be useful to us in the future in whatever way he chooses to use us.

Mother's Day

It's only my second Mother's Day as a mother and so far it's been a great day! It began on Thursday when I was leaving the house to go for walk. As I came out the front door (which we never use since we go out the garage) I noticed there was a package at the front door. Michael said, "Oh, that's for you." It was my mother's day present: a beautiful box of decorated chocolate covered strawberries! Michael knows that two of my favorite foods in the entire world are strawberries and chocolate, so when you put them together you can't go wrong. They are the biggest, sweetest strawberries I have ever tasted. I've been enjoying them all weekend.

Also on Thursday, Grandpa, Clark and I met Michael for lunch and then went out to the Navy Exchange. At Grandma's memorial last week the Navy Exchange came up several times since it was one of her favorite places to take the grandchildren to shop. Grandpa called Thursday morning to see if Clark and I would like to go on an outing to the Navy Exchange. Since I haven't been there since I was about 12 and since it was an excuse to get to spend time with Grandpa, I gladly accepted the invitation. When we got there he said, "I'd like to buy you something. Go pick out something." Normally I would have felt a little weird about this, but I figured he was being sentimental since Grandma always took us shopping. As I walked around the women's clothing section he took Clark over to the shoe section. When I came out the dressing room Clark was wearing one new sneaker. Grandpa had taken him to the shoes, gotten his foot sized and picked out a pair of shoes for him. He said I could look at the other choices if I liked another pair better, but the ones he picked were super cute! They have Tigger on the side and they light up. (He has them on the in the picture) Shockingly they have blue and orange stripes on the side...can you believe Grandpa, the ultimate Georgia Bulldog, picked out shoes with blue and orange?!? I found a shirt that I love. I'm wearing it right now. It's bright and cheery and fits really well. Because it's distinctive (in a good way) I'll think of Grandpa every time I wear it.

When I thanked Grandpa for my shirt and Clark's shoes he said, "It is Mother's Day week. I don't have any mothers to buy for, so it's a Mother's Day gift." I told you my Grandpa is amazing!! Some men could learn a lesson from him. I'll get on my soapbox for a second: Don't ever say, "She's not my mother" about your wife. She's the mother of your children so you better figure out something to do to make her day special. I'm definitely not Grandpa's mother (haha!), but I'm the mother of someone he loves and he chose to do something nice for me. I love him and appreciate his thoughtfulness. (The picture is of me in my new shirt with Clark on Mother's Day)

For lunch today we went to Mellow Mushroom. It's my favorite pizza place and we never go there now that we don't live in Orlando. It was delicious! Those who know me well know Michael was super smart to take me to lunch there for Mother's Day. He also got the stuff for steak and twice baked potatoes for dinner which he is going to cook. Yum! I'd say he hit a home run!

I am so blessed to have the most AMAZING mother in the entire world. She has taught me so much about being a mother and I hope to use what she has taught me. She has loved me through her words and actions, taught me to love God and been supportive of everything I have tried to do. I'm not exaggerating when I say a number of my friends were jealous of me growing up because they wished my mom was their mom. She's just that awesome! I also have been blessed with an amazing mother-in-law. I know mother-in-law's don't always have a good reputation, but my mother-in-law doesn't fit the stereotypes at all. She's caring, supportive, kind and accepts me as a daughter. For this, I am very grateful! I love my mom by birth and my mom by marriage.

This is much longer than I planned. I just feel so blessed and praise God for putting so many wonderful people in my life.

It Just So Happens. . . episode 3

God works in mysterious ways! One thing I love about the way God works is that he doesn't do it the way I expect or in the same way twice. When I was in college the only stipulation my parents put on my choice was that I couldn't take out loans. They would help me in any way they could, but they had two children in college at the same time and four little kids still at home. Covenant College (my alma mater) is a private Christian school with outrageous tuition. It seemed impossible that I could go there without taking out loans. God provided a phenomenal scholarship package and an on-campus work-study job, but there was still a chunk of money left to be paid. Watching God provide each semester in a different way and always just in the nick of time was a huge booster to my faith. Because of God's provision, I graduated without any loans.

We're not as poor now as I was in college, but we aren't bringing in enough to cover all of our expenses. Because of this deficit we have had to rely on God to provide. He never ceases to amaze me. A few months ago I got a letter from the IRS which I opened with fear and trembling assuming it was a request for an audit. Instead it was a letter letting us know that we might qualify for a child earned income credit. I did our taxes with an H&R Block tax program and it said we didn't qualify, but when I read the letter we met all the qualifying conditions. After consulting with a CPA friend of ours to make sure we weren't going to fall prey to any fraudulent schemes I filled it out and sent it back. Why in the world would the IRS send me a notice that they might owe me money?!? I have no idea.

Anyway, this week we received a sizable check to add to our refund. It just so happens God chose to use the IRS (of all people) to meet our needs. It's totally crazy. It will probably never happen again in this same way, but I praise God for his provision even from the most unlikely sources. We have been overwhelmed time and time again in how he has provided for our every need as we wait for him to provide a more permanent job for Michael. We praise him because he has always been faithful!

Some firsts for Clark

Being a baby, Clark does new things every day. I'm not able to capture all of them in pictures and the pictures I do get aren't always the best quality, but here are a few from this past week.

We went out for a milkshake Monday night to celebrate Michael finishing seminary and getting a 91% on his English Bible Exam and 100% on his Westminster Catechism exam which were his last hurdles to graduation. Clark just learned how to drink from a straw, so I let him try out his new skill on my milkshake. The boy wanted to drink the whole thing! He also has gel in his hair because we found it in the bathroom right before we left, so this could be two firsts in one: First milkshake and first hair gel. He smelled like Michael :)

The other day I was checking out at Walmart with my weeks worth of groceries. As the cashier put the bag in the cart Clark reached back and grabbed a banana, pulled it off the stalk and started eating it peel and all. I didn't get a picture of it, but once I realized he could eat a it without cutting it up I gave him a banana for breakfast. He did great!

Clark's first drawing. Tonight Clark picked up a pen and this piece of paper which were sitting on the coffee table and started drawing on it. He was actually holding the pen correctly and writing on the paper. He's such a little copycat. I didn't help him at all, except to write his name and date (now that would be phenomenal if he could already write his name!)

My husband rocks! . . . episode 2

One thing I am particularly thankful for is that Michael does the dishes after dinner every night. When we first got married we established the rule: Whoever cooks, the other one cleans up. Since I do most (or all) the cooking, he does the cleaning up. He never complains or mentions anything about it. As soon as we finish dinner we put all the dishes on the pass through to the kitchen and he rinses them, washes the pans and loads the dishwasher. Although I know some men do this I've had several friends say their husbands don't ever do the dishes. Thank you Michael for doing the dishes, not complaining and relieving some of my household responsibilities. You rock!

The Legacy Left to Me

Today, we had a chance to remember and honor an amazing lady: Fay Celia Parkerson Walker--my grandmother. Although she died peacefully at her home March 6th at the age of 81, we didn't have her memorial service until today because we had a family reunion already planned for today and Grandpa wanted to do it when everyone could come. Grandpa asked if anyone wanted to share at the memorial. It's a once in a lifetime chance to get to honor her, so I wanted to say something, but I wasn't sure if I could get through it without getting all choked up. I've been grieving for Grandma for the last 5 years as we watched her deteriorate and lose her ability to communicate. Michael can attest that I would cry every time I would talk about Grandma, her condition and the amazing love she and Grandpa had for each other displayed in his caring for her 24/7 for the last four years.

My Aunt Diane said that at her father's memorial the grandchildren compiled a letter telling memories they had of him and one of the grandchildren read it representing all of them. So, we decided to write out our memories, I arranged them and Matthew and I read took turns reading them. It went great and God gave me the strength to get through it without losing it too bad (just a little). I want to share my memories with anyone who would will read them. Below is my contribution to the letter.

Memories of Grandma:

Grandma was the best shopper! Anytime she took me shopping I knew I was going to come home with cool stuff. She bought me my first pair of REAL Reebok tennis shoes at the Navy Exchange when I was about 8 and I thought I was the coolest person on the face of the earth. She also took me shopping when Jonathan was born. We went to Pick-N-Save and got a sundress with a little short sleeved jacket and jelly shoes to match. She definitely knew how to speak to my "girl" heart.

I always loved Grandma's jewelry. She was one classy dresser! She always wore a necklace, earrings and bracelets. I used to like to play with her bracelets because they would rattle together. Even to the very end Grandpa would make sure to put on her earrings and lipstick if she was going to have company. I know she appreciated that caring gesture.

Grandma could talk to anyone and she was always smiling and laughing. I always loved to follow her around at the fellowship hour after church on Sundays. She'd take me around and introduce me to all her friends. It made me feel like I was an honored guest!

Grandma always sang in the choir on Sunday morning. When the choir would process in at the beginning of the service and again at the end she would always wink at me (and the other grandchildren sitting with me). It made me feel special, but it was also a reminder that she was watching us. She could see us from the front so I always knew not to misbehave during the service.

I think all of us grandchildren remember Grandma teaching us the crumb trick. She taught us that to keep the crumbs from falling all over the place we should suck in just a little after taking a bite to get the crumbs into our mouth instead of all over our shirt or the floor.

Grandma and Grandpa were always family oriented. They made family a priority. Grandma knew how to make anywhere feel like home. For years we went to Beaver Lodge, which was an old run-down house on a Boy Scout camp. We would go after Christmas for a few days of boat rides in the lake, swimming in our underwear if it was warm, going snipe hunting after dark, everyone talking at the same time and sharing one bathroom. It wasn’t luxury, but it was a memory maker. Grandma was the heart of the family. She and Grandpa bought the house at the beach and put in a pool so that they would have a fun place for the grandchildren to visit. It worked, because we spent countless hours horsing around in the pool with chicken fights and Marco Polo.

I remember Grandma was always doing Weight Watchers. She's been an inspiration to me since I got her genes :) Every time I see Parkay butter or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, I think of her. She was a life time member at Weight Watchers and was so faithful to do her monthly weigh-ins even if they were on vacation.

Some of my favorite memories from my entire childhood were at Grandma and Grandpa's house, especially during JU camp because we got to stay there the whole week without our parents. We would ride with Grandpa to work in the morning and go to camp and then get to hang out around the pool in the evening when we got home. Grandma always made delicious food for dinner. I always looked forward to her food except she liked to serve squash, which I don't like. I wasn't allowed to get up from the table until I had eaten my squash so sometimes I would cram it in my mouth and go to the bathroom to spit it out. She was the perfect mix between fun and teaching us manors and respect.

I hear this is a common experience among the grandkids – Grandma gave me my first sip of beer when I was about 5. I thought it was nasty. It was one of the best ways to keep me from being tempted to drink beer when I was young.

I always loved the way Grandma could be comfortable talking to anyone. She had so much class and personality, she could talk in front of a group with perfect ease or to the cashier at the grocery store as if she had known them all her life.

Grandma was always a good example of a wife and mother (and grandmother). She had a strong personality and she retained her individuality while still caring for and devoting her life to her family. She had distinct opinions about what she wanted done and she wasn't afraid to make her voice heard (especially when she and Grandpa disagreed). She taught me that you can disagree with someone and still love them. Marriage isn't about always agreeing, but about being committed to each other no matter what. Grandma and Grandpa are an excellent example of "having each other's backs" so to speak, in marriage. Grandma spent much of the time when her kids were little raising them by herself while Grandpa was deployed and packing up the house to move all over the world. Then, Grandpa got to return the favor by caring for her so diligently until the very end. There was definitely mutual sacrifice and selflessness on both sides. They have taught me more by their actions than I could ever read in the book.

When I think about something to sum up Grandma's life the thing that comes to mind is love. The thing she did best throughout her whole life was love people. The impact of her life on the many she touched with that love is immeasurable. She loved her God, her family and everyone she came in contact with. I am one of the most blessed people on earth to have known, loved and been loved by the best Grandma on the entire planet.
Grandma with me when I was a little baby. Look at her face, she was so happy and loved us so much.
Matthew and me with Grandma and Grandpa
The caption written on the back of this picture in Grandma's own handwriting was "As close as it gets to heaven" That brought tears to my eyes.
Both of my grandmothers with Matthew and me. Grandmother Clark on the left and Grandma Walker on the right. I miss them both.
The pictures of Grandma at the front of the church for the service today.
Grandpa and me at the memorial today. Doesn't he look awesome in his uniform? I wore black and red because they were Grandma's signature colors.