I feel like there are a lot of happenings that I have failed to blog about lately...so here's a super-random post:
(In no particular order)
*Anna Bell got this great, girly, life size dollhouse for her birthday from Grandpa and Grandma. She loves playing in it and although my plan was to move it upstairs to her room, I think that I'll leave in our dining room turned playroom. (Who needs a formal eating area over a place just for toys when your kids are 4, 3, and 15 months?)
*Joshua and AB got new fishing rods a couple of weeks ago. J upgraded to a big boy rod and AB picked out her first one (it has Tinkerbell on it and lights up when you cast). We took them fishing for a few minutes after dinner one night and they both did great! It was so fun; they both did a super job casting on their own and didn't get bored, even though they didn't catch anything. We're gonna have a blast this summer! Joshua's rod came with a little tackle box and the other day, he said "Hey mom, do you know where my fish killer box is?" HA!!!
*I've had a few ministry opportunities lately at church that are a little out of my ordinary for this stage of life. God has given me great peace and pleasure at this point in ministry to serve alongside Fred a lot of times in the background, as our kids are young and are my main ministry. With a husband who is a pastor, I feel like a lot of times, my greatest service to him and our church is to keep our home in order. I love to get to know our leaders, love on our students, and pray for them- but I just don't do a lot of things that I can't leave if someone gets sick or we have to leave early. However, over the past few weeks I've served in a few "up-front" roles. I got to speak to the girls at two of our father/daughter events and challenge those little girls to love and serve Jesus above anything else. I was really nervous (haven't done that in a while!) but it was a lot of fun! I also got to sing backup for our worship pastor in one of our new evening service that targets a more "edgy" crowd. I felt completely inadequate for this role; I haven't done much like that since college and there are SO many more talented singers at our church. But it was really fun helping lead other's into an intimate time of worshipping our Amazing God!!! Of course, 30 minutes before the service started, someone from childcare came up to tell me that Caleb was sick with a fever-- which reminded me of the serving season that I'm in. (Thankfully, Fred's sweet and wonderful assistant came and took C home! Thank you DD! We love you:))
*I continue in my sewing endeavors. I never expected to enjoy it so much! My sweet friend Amanda and I got together one night after our kiddos were in bed and ended up "sewing" (okay, mostly laughing and talking) until after midnight! She taught me how to follow a pattern and this is what I ended up with:
My dad, mom and ash came to visit this past weekend and she taught me how to applique as well! We (okay, mostly mom) made a little flower shirt that matches these pants. (I ask again, dear mid-western friends, have I gone crazy?!!?) I'm working on another dress right now that requires things like zippers, bias, and slipstiching...I'll post pictures when I get a chance.
*While the fam was here over the weekend, we drove to Savannah on Saturday. It is so great to live somewhere that you can drive to and from the beach in one day! We had a wonderful time while they were here. Mom got some sweet pictures that I'll post when she sends them to me:)
*Confession: I'm not a good couponer. Ahh...it feels so good to admit that to all of you frugal blogging friends. They stress me out. I get so mad at myself when I mess up and forget to use some. I typically grocery shop with my children, which requires enough multi-tasking without a handful of paper! ...All that to say, I did pretty well at saving at Kroger yesterday and there was a bit of a rush in knowing that I saved so much money. Kroger is a great store!
*We've had some major sickness at our house lately. All three children have ear infections and allergies and we just found out yesterday that Joshua has mono! Isn't that crazy?!? I was pretty sure that he did when I took him to the doctor. He was really drowsy acting all weekend and then on Tuesday he fell asleep at around 3 in the afternoon and didn't get up until 8:30 the next morning! He also has had a terribly congested nose, so we kept thinking that he was just worn out from that. But when he slept for 17+ hours, we thought we should probably get him tested. A lot of people have had it around here and even quite a few young children at our church. He fell asleep again yesterday and around 3 and here he is at 8:30 when he woke up to eat some dinner. He was up for about an hour and then went right back to sleep. Poor little guy...the best thing we can do is encourage him to rest...and when I asked our doctor how to keep a 4 year old resting, his answer was "lots of movies and games." So there are some upsides to mono: nap time revisited and guilt-free (for mommy) movie marathons. The downside is that we have to be careful to protect his spleen for the next few weeks; which mean no bike riding or jumping off of things. Please pray that none of the rest of us get it!
*Okay...I guess that "in no particular order" isn't quite accurate, because I definitely saved the best news for last: my sister and b-in-law have an adoption referral!!!! You can go to Laura's blog to read the entire story, but really, it's so amazing how it all happened: way earlier than expected and clearly what God has planned for them. She is a two year old, BEAUTIFUL little girl from Ethiopia. I love her so much already from just looking at two pictures. There is a sweetness about her that I can't wait to get to know. Please join me in praying for Luke, Laura, and Maddie Grace as they wait. Please pray for my little niece: for her protection and provision and that God would prepare her little heart to know that she is dearly and deeply loved by her family and her Father. I will post pictures as soon as we can-- we're not allowed to until the adoption is final. Praise Jesus!!!!
