Sweet Prayers

Dave left a few days ago for deployment. The kids and I miss him, but are adjusting well - although one child is struggling more than the others. Poor Liam is pretty attached to Daddy, and still has a few sad times each day. We decided to pray for Dave when he feels sad, and that seems to help. I love hearing him share his heart when he's praying, and last night he said something that just tickled me. His prayer went something like this: "Dear God, please keep the sand out of my Daddy's eyes, because I know there's a lot of sand there." I'm sure Daddy appreciates that prayer, Liam!

Because Dave is gone ...

In the 13+ years that I've been a military wife, I have noticed that things always seem to go wrong when Dave is gone. In fact, I told that to a friend just last month, and she has laughed at the truth of that statement. And while things always seem to go wrong, God is always faithful to get us through the crazy stuff. This last month has been no exception to my statement - because Dave is gone ...
- E and G got the swine flu,
- we were quarantined for 9 days,
- the dog got sick,
- the car wouldn't start,
- LJ got punched in the face,
- the punch knocked his teeth back,
- he had to have a tooth pulled,
- I had to tell my neighbor that her son hit mine (and I hate confrontation!!),
- the dog chewed my sunglasses,
- the dog chewed up a black pen on my (light colored) carpet, and
- the dog rolled in the mud when I put her outside after I discovered the sunglasses and ink stain.
But ...
- 3 of us did not get the swine flu,
- we had a lot of quiet time,
- the dog got better without an expensive vet visit (she just had to throw up the 2 pairs of underwear she had eaten),
- the boys and I were able to jump start my car since it was just a dead battery,
- LJ had damage to his baby teeth, not the permanent ones,
- things went very well when I talked with my neighbor,
- I can get a new pair of sunglasses,
- I'm praying the carpet will come clean when I stop writing this and go at it with the steam cleaner, and
- the kids bathed the dog.
I feel blessed when I see how God has taken each crazy thing and worked it out for good. And I feel better knowing that Dave will be home soon!

Jenna's 1st ballet recital

Jenna and her Mimi

Posing with the girls in her class

Letting me take her picture before the recital started

Jenna had her first ballet recital last month - oh, was it sweet! She did a wonderful job, and wasn't nervous at all. She tends to be shy, so we weren't sure how she'd do, but she seemed to enjoy the audience. She's like her dad, I guess!:-) Dave was traveling, so he missed the recital, but my mom and sister joined me while my dad watched the boys at their baseball games. It was so fun to watch her, and of course, I thought she was the most beautiful girl there! How neat to see her dance when just a few short years ago she was going to Occupational Therapy 3x a week because of a developmental delay. What a sweet blessing it is when I see how well her body works now!

More pictures

Some pictures because I promised!

I've been so bad about keeping up with our blog. I think about it occasionally, and have every intention of at least putting some new pictures on here, but I just don't seem to get around to it. I have been asked by some friends and family about it lately, and I promised a special aunt (that's you, Bunny!!) that I would at least get some photos on here, so here they are. I will even promise to post more in the next few weeks!

A momentous day

Today was a day of many firsts. Brinley scratched at the back door to go out because she needed to go potty. I registered Jenna for preschool for next year. Liam lost his first tooth. I spent 7 hours in the Emergency Room with Erica, only to find out that she broke her elbow. Her first broken bone - and the first of our children to break a bone. I'll have to thank Grady tomorrow for not adding to the excitement! Praying for a quieter tomorrow...

Brinley

The kids finally wore us down ... we have a puppy! Here are some pictures of the new addition to our family - Brinley. The kids were really missing Kadie and BJ, and are thrilled to have Brinley around! Dave and I think she's pretty great, too.:-) She is a chocolate lab with a white spot on her chest, just like BJ - and her birthday is the day before Kadie's ... we think she was made just for us. So far she is a great dog - she does well in her crate, does well going to the bathroom outside, and loves playing with the kids. We think she sure is cute!!