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!