Catch Up Time From Way Out In The Country

Lots of new news from this neck of the woods!  Served along side a very sincere, well intentioned, written here commitment to blog more in these upcoming days!  It's hot, dry, and back to business here where we live.  Thankfully the evenings are beginning to cool down, bringing a hope for some cool, fall relief on it's way!

In the meantime, we are back in the rythym of school weeks, to newly include Gracie's first year of dance!  The kids are growing, becoming bigger, smarter, and busier than ever before!  Next week I start back to counseling at the Pregnancy Resource Center I volunteer at!  Tomorrow starts the next few months to be full of little ones birthdays and lots of family inbetween!

Tommy's been busy with more work days than usual and we look forward to being back into our usual schedule with him.  And thank the Lord, we now have a perfect, precious, healthy nephew!  I'm proud to introduce....

Tucker Wade Richmond

Born August 30th, 2011

6lbs. 10oz.

20in.

For those of you who may not know or remember, this baby's safety is quite the answered prayer!  Little Tuck tried to make his appearance almost 15 weeks ago!  Through these scary weeks, and only by the grace of God, Gena and Jonathon welcomed their first baby into our lives last night at just a day short of 37 weeks!  He is sure to be one very happy, very special little boy! 

Welcome to our family little Tucker Wade!  We already love you so very much and we can't wait to watch you grow up!

As for our oldest little boy, he is now going strong in first grade!  Just the second day of school, he amazed his teacher, the 2nd grade teacher, and the principal with his reading ability!  They've started him in the Accelerated Reading program to assess what grade level he's actually reading at and to reward him for his extra work!  We are very proud of him and so happy that he's been blessed with a wonderful teacher this year who recognizes, encourages, and acknowledges his strengths!

Our boys, intently studying the workings of the ferry on their way to Aunt Gena's house for Uncle Keiths going to college get together!

And the baby boy....sound asleep after lots of hard play in his toy boxes!

 Our littlest girl Gracie on her way to her first dance class!  She's so excited to be there, and we're proud of our little princess too!

 Now for those of you who know Gracie, this will come as probably no surprise!  This here picture was taken during a night at the emergency room!  And that there little brace/contraption in not exactly a set of fairy wings.  Instead....it's what she has to wear the next several weeks after recieving a broken collar bone!  She's doing great, but still seems to forget that she's not really a monkey princess and can't be wrestling or beating up her brothers!  I guess that's what happens when you have to hold your ground in a house with two very rambunctios little boys!

And that would be a very quick recap of our last few weeks.  It's funny how life seems to take us by the heart, mind, and good intentions of every day and before you know it, the next season begins.  That would be about where I am right now as I sit here and write this.  There's times I have more questions than I do answers.  This is one of those times for me.  So until God provides the way, if it is to be shown, then I will just keep on doing what I do best.  Tending to the first and foremost calling and responsibility in my heart.  Being Mom.  To the greatest 4 kids in the world.  And being the wife that Tommy needs and deserves.  And letting the Lord use me, to shine His light into the hearts of the women that come through the Pregnancy Center.  And maybe to not ask too many questions.  I'm not sure on that one.....I'll have to get back to you on it!  And above all else.....to love and trust the Lord with all of my heart and all of who I am.  Even on the days I have to do so with unanswered questions, unmet expectations, and not as much courage as I should have.  He will carry me if only I seek Him first. 



Prayer Request For Our Gracie

Gracie Elizabeth Sheree....our youngest daughter.....sweet and spicy all wrapped up in one perfect, beautiful little girl!  She'll be four in just three months and she has a heart bigger than you could ever imagine!  My heart is caught between faith and a pretty good scare right now.  The best thing I can do  is ask for your prayers.  Gracie and Cass both have strep.  Because of that, we've stumbled across something else.  The grace comes in at knowing how blessed we are to have found out something is going on sooner than later.

Sugar.  Too much of it in her blood.  Talk about coming from nowhere, I'm not quite sure we've really wrapped our heads and hearts around the complexity of it.  So I'll just share the details thus far.  She had a 3 hour glucose test this morning and I can't make it sound good because it just wasn't.  She's tiny, it hurt, and it was hard for her.  But she made it through, after having her blood and urine taken 5 times in those 3 hours. 

The good news is that she is producing insulin.  So no Type 1 Diabetes right now (or hopefully ever, I'm not really sure about how all of that works yet).  The 'gist' of the test results is this....her sugar is spiking after she eats and it shouldn't be.  Our wonderful family practitioner feels like it's probably something along the lines of Postprandial Hyperglycemia which basically means her sugar levels rise after she eats.  In and of itself it doesn't sound too awfully scary, unless you're a diabetic.  But what does is that it could signal a pre-diabetic condition.  I sure hope I'm getting all of that right.

 What we do know is that her diet needs watched.  And that as soon as we get some other labs back, including the test showing her sugar average over the past three months, we'll be going to see a Pediatric Endocrinologist in Lafayette.  As for food choices....I'm between boggled and encouraged after a long shopping trip just trying to substitute some of our basics and staples.  It's one thing for an adult....another for a three year old who can be very particular about her eating habits.

Please pray for Gracie....for all of her health, fears of the testing, and her sweet little girl heart that seems to internalize, absorb, and ponder all of what life throws her way.  She's so sweet.  She's so perfect.  I don't want her to have to face any life changing conditions.  And I guess I don't know what else to say other than thank you.  Our God is good, He is powerful, and like I said in just my last post....

God's will is what we would choose if we knew all of the facts.

I know that.

I trust Him.

He loves my little girl even more than Tommy and I could ever imagine loving her (and that's HUGE).

And as Gracie herself loves to say.....

"God is faithful.....I can dig it!"

 In the meantime, I'm just a Mama.  And I'm scared.  Please continue to pray for our little girl! 

And most of all, to my precious little princess......

We love you so very, very much and you're one tough little pumpkin!

Always know that God says it best himself when He's said......

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.   Jeremiah 29:11

   

I LOVE YOU GRACIE!!!!



An Update On Our Boys

So we went to hospital appointments for both boys the other day.  When the appointments ended up overlapping, we had Tommy and Cass on one side of Shreveport and Aiden and I on the other.  But it worked out well with my Dad being in town to get Aiden for a week of Papaw fun.  He was able to shuttle us across town in time for most of Cass' testing and appointment!

Cass and Aiden

Some of you may remember and most of you may not actually know this because it's been so unnoticeable from a distance for so long.  Aiden was born with a club foot.  Our little trooper had 8 different casts on the first 11 weeks of his life.  Before they put the last one on, they 'nicked' the tendon that goes up the back of his heel so that it would allow his foot to continue growing in the new position.  Then he wore shoes with a brace for quite some time.  I called him my 'little houdini' because he was ALWAYS able to get out of them!  Then another single brace for a short time a few years ago.  And then we were good to go unless he started having problems.  Over the last few months, we've noticed him falling down alot if he's barefooted and his foot seemingly turning inward again.  That leaves for one worried Mama and another trip to the wonderful Shriner's Children's Hospital in Shreveport.  Talk about people knowing how to do what they do so well and even more, loving the child and family along the way!

After checking him out, we've come to learn that yes, his foot is turning more than it should and we will have to intercede with a little help.  The good news is that it's not in his bones, which means no bone rotation that would require hardware in his leg.  He's been fitted with another brace to wear inside of his shoe that will hold the position of his foot correctly, hopefully to help with the falling down and to prevent it from getting worse.  The not so settling news to our little boy is that he has to do this until surgery.  They will have to go in and lengthen tendons at some point down the road.  The object is to buy time right now with the brace.  The younger he is when he has the surgery, the more likely they'll have to go back in and do it again at some point.  So we go with the brace and in six months they'll check him out again and measure his growth.

Aiden needs alot of prayer with this.  When he hears surgery, he thinks about what I've gone through the last few months.  That's very, very scary for him.  As much as I try to comfort him with the fact that his surgery will be nothing like Mama's major surgery and recovery, my words don't compare much with the memories of our early summer.  And, we're talking about the kid who has MAJOR issues with needles and shots.  So please keep him in your prayers and ask that God prepare his heart and comfort his worries! 

And for our little Possum, Cass man, Casserole, Mr. Munchkin, red headed baby boy.....

By the way, he all of a sudden thinks he's a monkey.  Don't feel sorry for his expression of great worry here.  I promise it's not because he's afraid....it's only because he's been caught and knows Mama's coming to get him down!

Cass got great news from his Pediatric Urologist!  Tommy was able to be there for this visit and he did such an awesome job with Cass.  He has this calming effect with him that touches my heart to the very core.  Cass knew he was safe with his Daddy.  He didn't even cry when they put in his IV!  And he was an ideal patient, even when strapped down to the imaging bed.  Twice that day we were told that he was the best little one they've ever had to work with!  One tough little guy!  To catch you up with little man....he was born with a UPJ obstruction on each kidney.  This means that there's either a kink, a narrowing, or an obstruction on both sides where the kidney drains into the Ureters.  This leaves his kidneys holding fluid, which can cause damage if it leads to infection.  Praise the Lord, he's never had any problems and so far, we've just watched, worried, and prayed for him.  He had another nuclear imaging test (the Willy Wonka test) on his kidneys to show their flow and function.  Our kidney's ideally function equally, at 50 percent for each kidney.  His showed functioning at 49 and 51 percent.  Pretty great if you ask us!  His urologist said that we don't have to do this test again unless there's ever a problem or concern.  So, we'll just continue to watch the fluid level on his kidneys through Ultrasound every 6 months and thank God in advance for completely healing our little boy!

At one time, this amazing kid was my smallest baby boy! And he's forever my oldest boy!

And now that 'smallest boy' title forever belongs to this sweet, full of life little one!

I love my boys!  We've been very blessed with them both.  All of this will work out for the best and we love having them both in our lives!  I heard the other day that 'God's will is what we would choose if we knew all of the facts'.  Stop and think on that one for awhile.  I love you Aiden James and Cass Lee and I thank God every day that He allowed me to be your Mom!

The End Of Summer Is Drawing Near

As the end of summer draws near we've begun switching gears around here.  The long, hot, summer days leave time for reflection and a need for fall planning.  We've been able to spend a lot of great family time together this summer and I know that Tommy, myself, and these kids will treasure the memories for years to come.  There's also been challenges and heartache but I know that God is faithful to keep His promises.  Hard decisions, weak times in our lives, and tears seem to often pave the road towards new seasons and times in life.  And perhaps most importantly, they lead us to lean more on the One who has it all under control in the first place.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  Galatians 6:9

And what about those times in which we fall short or even completely miss the mark?  I've learned that sometimes the better my intentions, the bigger my shortcomings.  Thank the Lord I have the love and grace of Jesus Christ for that one.  For I know....

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  1John 1:9

When the waves of exhaustion and discouragement roll in, I'm reminded of this....

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.  Philippians 1:6

Our God is faithful.  He is just.  He keeps His promises.  Always.  I'm not saved because I'm better than the next person, or because I always do the right things.  I'm saved by the grace of a God that loves me enough to offer that gift.  I need Him because I'm NOT good enough on my own and I never will be.  And that's why Jesus died for me, and for you WHILE we were still sinners.  I know who I belong to.  Do you?  It's a free gift, but we have to make the decision to receive it.  And that is the only way any of us will ever be good enough.  And thank God for that, because on my own I'd only make a bigger mess of things! 

Gracie has been quick to remind me daily that "God is Faithful, He keeps His promises."  She'll ask me, "for two months?"  Then say, "Noooo....for eh-er".  His words have been planted in her heart and she's not shy about sharing them.  That was their VBS motto this year.  (Or FBI motto, as Aiden called VBS by FBI instead all summer!)  "GOD IS FAITHFUL, I CAN DIG IT".  And here's some pictures of VBS 2011!

Gracie, Cass, and the girls!  It's so fun to see how great all of these kids are together!

Aiden and some friends.  Is it just me or does he look all grown up?

At the program the kids put on for us!

My boys!  Cass thinks he's grown, just like the rest of them!

We were able to enjoy a day at the water park in Shreveport last week!  It wasn't busy during the week which made for very short lines and a relaxing day!  Except for the water slides that is!  Alaina and Tommy went down the fastest, scariest one more times than I can count!  And after an entire day of her begging, they took Gracie up to the tallest, curliest, most fun slide of all!  She ended up upside down and on her back by the end, swam out of the water by herself, and loved every minute of it!  She laughingly told us in the hotel that night, "I thought I was died."  No fear in that little one for sure!

Taken at the request of Ms. Alaina Jade herself!  After a fun day in the sun at Splash Kingdom.

 So, summer winds to an end around here and we're gearing up for the fall.  Aiden starts first grade in a week and a half and I think we're ready to go!  He's enjoying this week with his Papaw Coleman and our family in Texas!  It seems to serve as a final summer getaway for a little boy that works so hard in school!  I'm so grateful that he's able to receive a good Christian education.  In my heart, I know that's the most important of his subjects all together.  We're raising kids in a world today that pulls in every way possible to stand for things other than Christ and the truth of God's word.  Not in this home.  Our children will be taught and prepared with the truth and how to defend it.  And as summer comes to a close, I hope all four of these kids carry memories of our garden, our vacations, each other, and the many things that the Lord has blessed our family with! 

Aiden and Gracie enjoying our one tiny cantaloupe harvest for the year!  They loved it though!  It was so hot and dry this summer, we were glad to get even just one to enjoy!



A typically hilarious moment in our home!  Lazy summer nights have been another memory to hang onto!

The beginning of school and the close of this very eventful summer also brings me back around to a place I love to be!  I'll be spending tomorrow with some ladies that I love dearly at the Pregnancy Resource Center that's become such a part of my life and heart.  And when school starts, I'll be headed back there weekly as a counselor.  I never intended to have time off, but now I see that God had other lessons for me to learn this summer!   

From our 100 plus degree home to yours.....may you all have a wonderful day, cherish these last weeks of summer, and ask God to show you who you were created to be!

Jennifer

And The Countdown Is On!

Gena.  My sister in law.  My friend.  A wonderful Aunt to my kiddos.  A very hard working nurse (well, until bed rest anyway).  Christian woman.  Married to Smiley.  One of those gals you just can't help but like.  Honest (even when we don't agree on every detail of everything).  Strong and beautiful.  Successful.  Yep, that's her.  And within the next 6 weeks....holding her own new baby, her first child, and glorifying God for the answered prayers that brought this little one to be.....through 12 more weeks of pregnancy since the first scare at 22 weeks.  That's BIG.  That's AWESOME.  That's a MIRACLE.  So mixed in with the excitement, the anticipation, and the joy to come is... gratefulness and praise.  Thank you God that little one has had more time to grow and develop.  And I thank God too, for a sister in law like her and a new niece or nephew to love.

Okay now, enough with the sentiments.  It's time to share some party pictures!

Aunt Gena and her two Jr. Hostesses....Alaina and Gracie.  They helped plan, decorate, and make sure her shower went just right!






Hmmm...I wonder what they're talking about!




Wait, hold on.....we need to throw a pose in the mix first!




When Gena began opening gifts, Gracie came and whispered in my ear.  She wanted to be sure that the 'gift delivery' was her job!  And she took it very, very seriously.  Such a great helper, she loved being involved in it all!





The shower was fun and now it won't be long! And we can't wait!  Baby will have great parents and the best of life to grow up in!  Now for the biggest question of all.....

BOY or GIRL?????

Tomorrow Will Be An Exciting Day!!!

Hi everyone!  Just wanted to take a quick moment to share about something exciting that's going on tomorrow!  You may be familiar with a recent prayer challenge I took, and you may not be!  It was amazing, heart changing, and led me also to a new favorite author!  The book then was called Warrior Prayers and geared at praying scripture over our sons.  It's became a favorite and a tool that I find myself using for our entire family....and as a guide when it comes to applying scripture to cover any and every situation and family member with the power of God's word! 

The new book is Notes To Aspiring Writers, Your Dream God's Plan

Anyhoo....I dare say she's probably gone and done it again and I can't wait to get my hands on this new eBook!  The launch day is tomorrow and surrounded by an AWESOME launch day giveaway package geared for aspiring writers and to include a Kindle WiFi!  Someone will definitely be very blessed as a winner and I know so many more of us blessed with the encouragement sure to be found in the new book itself! 

So stop by here tomorrow, check it out!  What a great way to get introduced to the concept of eBooks.  It was so foreign to me just a couple of months ago....intimidating also.  But it's cake, it works, and it's so very affordable too! 

From Cherry To 'Sun Dried' & Little Workers On The Move

Against my ongoing wishes.....the garden dies down for the summer.  I am grateful for the abundance we've had, what we've been able to share, and the veggies we've received from others!  It's been a wonderful first garden for us, amidst the challenges this spring and summer have brought.  We've learned some great lessons on what and how to plant next year.  I also see now why the Bible so often uses the examples it does about planting, harvesting, reaping, sowing, and so on.  There's a life lesson in all of it, and even more....a lesson from our creator.  For now, I continue to water a few tomato plants and plan for a late summer planting for early fall harvest....or so I think!  Still doing my homework on that one, so any and all input would be greatly appreciated! 

The chickens continue to grow!  I catch myself looking out these days for the treasure of their first layed egg.  In the meantime, I've been kept full on fresh eggs from Holly's chickens!  Who knew they could come in so many different colors!

Cherry Tomatoes.  How in the world do you preserve cherry tomatoes?  That's been a question rolling around in my mind for a few weeks, as that is one thing we have grown well!  So many of them have been nibbled away by a venturing child's hunger, a visitors pleasure, or this Mama's enjoyment!  But I had a TON left on the counter top this week that I didn't want to go to waste!  So after a little research, we have come across a wonderful way to preserve this fresh bounty!

-First, wash your tomatoes and line cookie sheets with wax paper 

-Then slice each tomato in half and lay face up on the cookie sheets.

-Sprinkle with salt.

And they should look like this (along with the happy child if they get to help!).....

-Place in your oven at 200 degrees

-Let 'oven dry' like this for somewhere around 2-3 hours

-Remove from oven when they feel chewy but not hard

-Enjoy a good snack (we ate ours by themselves and with cream cheese on crackers)

-Stick the extras in a freezer bag for later on in the year

Sorry about the picture everyone!  We got a little carried away with how great they tasted so I forgot to take a picture until after we'd already helped ourselves to a good handful....or two!  And I suppose I better share just exactly WHY I don't know an exact time to leave them in the oven!  First, I started them off the first hour on only 175 degrees not being sure how they'd do.  After bumping them up to full heat....I forgot about them!  Not until in my bedroom piddling on some cleanup, with  Holly from Tucker's Homestead Blessings reading and blogging on this here computer did I realize it!  I was about to tell her about how preserving and such always helps me feel better when I'm worrying and fretting over something when it dawned on me and the sentence ended in a shrieked "THE TOMATOES".  We ran to the kitchen, with curious ears from the other end of the house soon to follow!  After a good round of laughter, we had these yummy treats!  And plans to spice them up or sweeten them for a new twist next time!  Perhaps most priceless of all will be the memory of a mad dash to the oven after remembering "THE TOMATOES"!

Now, onto another topic and the reason why these here children are so happy and proud of themselves!  They very well should be as their behavior and motivation has been OUTSTANDING the last several days!  And I for once have a peace that we're finally getting where we need to be in what may be the scariest, most dreaded topic in my house........

ORGANIZATION!!!!  Yes, that word actually came out of my mouth to be followed by some accomplishment!  You see, I have an organizers heart, believe it or not!  This is something I've been yearning for for quite some time!  Although I've wanted to be, tried to be, and in some small ways succeeded in the last few seasons of our life....we have a long way to go.  Because somehow, LIFE HAPPENED in the midst of my intentions!  I say that with a smile and a laugh because I love this family more than anything and we're blessed to be where we are today!  Entering into this world of organization has been HARD EARNED for this here Mama!  The kids LOVE IT, are THRIVING ON IT, and STICKING TO IT.  So enough of the talking!  Now to present.....TA DA!!!!!!!!

Some for the kids......and some for Daddy & Mama!

Motivation, Reward, Discipline, Accountability (for me too), and Reminders....all summed up in that simple little accomplishment of ORGANIZING our family and life's activities in one central place!!!  There's such a great feeling of accomplishment for each of us at the end of the day.  I suppose that at times it's proven a bit much for our little redhead.......

And yes, that is a mama and baby opossum sleeping next to him, every night!  It was a vacation gift from his Daddy, and for good reason.  Since possibly the day he was born, he's carried a nickname that has grown on us all and just become what we call this sweet boy.....he's our POSSUM!  And definitely the cutest one there ever was!

 Lord, help me to have a merry heart that does good like a medicine; and not a broken spirit to drieth the bones.

 (from Proverbs 17:22)

Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than a house full of sacrifices with strife. 

Proverbs 17:1