Creek Walk Birthday Party

We arrived home from church to see the little light blinking on the answering machine. A sweet voice of one of my friends was requesting Sophie attend a birthday party for her daughter. Quick reactions blurted out as I realized little ears were tuned in. Haleigh immediately cried that she didn't want "her Sophie" to be away from her and that she wanted to go to a party too. I went through the whole "we can't do everything together all the time..." Did I mention that the message was cut off right after, "we would love to have Sophie come to a party tomorrow." So throughout the day I tried to reach the voice that trailed off on the machine. Around 7:30 the call came with the info. The party was to be a creek walk party and all the girls were welcome to come!! SMILES ALL AROUND!

We woke up and hustled through school, with sweet little solar systems created, so we could be completely ready to leave in time to grab a gift on the way. As usual we set out 20 minutes later than intended, grabbed a Build A Bear gift card and we were off for the creek walk party. Did I mention it was 100*? We met the party crew and drove to the spot to unload (Sophie actually rode in the back of a pickup - have I lost my brain!!) I packed Mackenzie into her hiking pack and we trounced across a field. Each child adorned with the party favor bug kit was pumped to get to the creek. We welcomed the shade and the cool water on our feet. Haleigh had a frog in her "bug jar" before she was even in the water. We hiked up the creek, all was going fine until my flip flop snapped! The rest of the hike I went barefoot while balancing my youngest on my back. All the bug jar were filled with guests and it was time to head to the pool.

Lasagna, bread and watermelon were served and the kids jumped back into the pool for some party games. The next thing I know about 30 little squirt animals were thrown into the pool and a mad scramble broke out. In the midst of the scramble Sophie realized she has gone into the deep end and completely forgot that she could swim. I saw her eyes get wider by the second. Mamma instinct kicked in, I tossed Mackenzie to another mamma and in I went clothes and all.
I asked Sophie if she forgot that she could swim and she said, "I guess I did."
The worm cake was served and we headed home.
One of the frogs was released only briefly while in the car then the survivors were set free in their new home in the back yard.
Summer days!! Tired Mamma!!!

A Sweet Day!!

I still plan on continuing the "stay-cation" post, just not yet;) below is a post copied from Mackenzie's Caring Bridge site. At the end are a few additional comments.
Oh what a sweet day! I pray that I will have the precious memories of Sunday etched in my mind forever. After the second church service we met with some of the elders and pastors of our church to have Mackenzie anointed with oil and prayed over. As we began I was not at all sure how it would all play out as Mackenzie wasn't exactly being still. As we gathered we were sharing Mackenzie's story in the shortest version we could pack it in. All the while, Mackenzie was showing the gentlemen she was not lacking energy as she ran around offering her new found love - raisins to anyone willing to accept them. Then Mark and I were seated with Mackenzie on Mark's lap. The elder who was leading us put the oil on Mackenzie's head. Not sure if she liked it, she paused giving us a funny look, and then she held her leg out with her toes as pointed as they could be as if to ask for some to be placed on the tip of her toes. Loving hands were placed on our shoulders and the sweetest prayers for Mackenzie's healing, along with wisdom, guidance and strength for Mark and me. But above all, that God would be glorified through this part of HIS story.
As we finished up we were thanking the gentlemen who had given their time and sought out the Lord's leading even before we met. In response they actually thanked us for asking them to pray for Mackenzie and inviting them to be part of this journey. The love in that room was amazing! The Holy Spirit was definitely there and we certainly are excited for all He is going to do!!

When we got home my dear friend Terri called to see how the morning had gone. She listened intently as if just hearing it brought her into the experience. Then she shared a beautiful thing with me. At her church in Richmond, VA she had asked for prayer for Mackenzie at a prayer breakfast they were having during the Sunday School hour. As she entered their church service she was asked for some more details to her request. Around 11:20, when she knew we were meeting with the elders, her church paused their worship service to take time to pray for our girl! I tear up just thinking about it!! We continue to be blown away by the prayers and love from so many!!!

As of today Mackenzie has had some raisins with her regular meals for 3 days and so far so good!! She is excited with the new addition to her plate and tomorrow we will add some avocado. We'll keep you posted as the week continues!
We love you all!!

*** additional comments--As we were getting ready to sit down, they were scooting chairs together for Mark and me to sit in. I was trying to figure out the best way to contain Mackenzie and decided it was to have Mark hold her and that she would by all means need her passie. I was thinking this very loudly hoping Mark would pick up on my thoughts. Before I knew what I was doing... I tried to put her passie in Mark's mouth :0 Let's just say it brought a few laughs!

Also, Pastor Hanford (Mrs. Libby, that you hear me speak of so much, her husband is one of the elders and former pastor of Southside) said he and Mrs. Libby had been praying for Mackenzie for a long time and in preperation for this time together he felt led to pray for healing. That absolutely nothing would bring as much glory to God then her being completely healed!!!

An unexpected "stay-cation"

Friday evening Mark worked longer than we had expected he would need to. After a home cooked meal we decided to venture out on a family walk. (Did I mention that we stopped for ice cream on our way to our walking spot?) We had a great time and got some much needed exercise in too.
Saturday morning I headed out alone for a new do. I was way overdue for a new style. When I got home Mark had the dishes cleaned up and the baby napping. Then he offered the chance to discover a new little soup and salad lunch spot followed by a hike in the mountains. This is a favorite activity for us, but this year we have not made it to the mountains together yet - and July is almost over. So we headed out and had a blast. Again, the differences in our girls' personalities shined as bright as the sun. Sophie looked around discovering the differences in leaves, moss, spiders, etc. As we walked she slowed more and more claiming she wouldn't be able to make it all the way back. Haleigh walked three times the distance of any of us because she walks a slalom style path covering more ground side to side than forward. She stepped on, jumped on, skipped on every rock along the way big or small. And Mackenzie babbled and rubbed the back of Mark's head as she rode along in the backpack.
That evening the girls enjoyed a babysitter and Mark and I headed for dinner to celebrate a friend's birthday.
Sunday we awoke to get ready for church. We had the sweet blessing of worshipping our awesome God! After a shift in the nursery we headed back to our new found soup and salad spot, joined by many of our small group families. Then headed home to get the house ready for a special visit from Aunt Becky and family. (OK so I didn't get all the house ready but most of it. But Mark did complete a great store run for some good grilling!) They arrived with great celebration from the girls. We fed the kids hot dogs and fruit and sent them to the yard to play in the water slide. Then we grilled Grandpa's BBQ chicken with corn on the cob, salad, and fruit. And dodged the flies as we ate and watched the kids play. It was a super sweet weekend!! AND it wasn't over yet. Mark slipped in a surprise that Monday he wouldn't have to go to work:). We'll continue the "stay-cation" fun with the next post...

Sweet summer days, sweet summer memories! There is nothing like summer to create great memories. After the older gals had some sweet one-on-one time with family we met back up to hear of all the special fun of Bible school and Grandma adventures. Then we went to the zoo. The adults didn't have great expectations of this zoo trip and although we poured on warning after warning trying to dull the expectations for the girls we all had a GREAT time!! We saw lots of animals, fed the bears some moon pies, cheered as the prarie dogs tunneled beyond their boundries, and fell in love with the goat kids as we fed the ones that were out of their pens. Then to top off the trip we got to have our picture taken with a lion cub!! Too much fun for all 4 generations present and accounted for!!!

After we returned home to Daddy we had a super special day. We stared the day with a plan of eating a fun breakfast out before we attended a friend's birthday party. But Daddy's check-out at the office ran a little long and Mommy was unorganized as most necessities were (and still are) in the suitcases. So a breakfast out turned into Dunkin Doughnuts drive through. "Oh fun" you think, but that before you realize the party is a "decorate your own cupcake" party. So loaded up on the first filler of sugar we find the party location and head in to ic

e our own cupcakes. It was so fun to watch the girls decorate. Sophie had a design in mind, a mountian with a snowman on it. Haleigh also had a design in mind, "load it up." She piled on the icing until it literally slid off the cupcake. They got to eat the first cupcake they designed and then they got to ice another one. Again, Sophie created an ocean scene with gold fish (sprinkles) and octopus and seaweed. Haleigh created a 3D color infusion.

Then we happened next door into a second hand kids store. There we found what could be the solution to an ongoing struggle of family time vs. exercise. A jogging stroller and a trike with handlebars. SO last night we had an awesome time at the park all three girls on wheels for about an hour and then fun on the playground. (Funniest part is when Sophie got ahead of Haleigh and me just enough to jump off her bike and lay down in the grass to breathe jump back up and go again!) Many of these images I wish we had on film, but to be honest it was all we could do to keep all wheels in motion and not running over each other!

Let's just say everyone slept very well.

Enthralled by HIM!

This evening I had a meeting where we discussed the topic "Being Satisfied By Him/Rich Towards Him." It was follow up to a podcast, I honestly can't even remember the pastor's name right now. But I have to tell you my perspective has been shifted and I feel like I need to share it. I don't know if I need to share this for my sake, for my girls when the time is right for them to delve into this blog, or for a reader out there known or unknown. So here it goes...

My God is big, He can do anything! So here are some questions I need to ask: Am I completely satisfied with Him and the life He has chosen for me? If I am satisfied in Him what does that look like?
Lately, I have been so focused on getting a diagnosis for my youngest I have convinced myself that I will rest when the name of this thing is given to me- then I will be satisfied. Well, not really. Once I get a diagnosis I will want a specialist to give me a treatment, then I will rest and be satisfied. Well, no. Then I will want her to be well...
A few lines after this is when my computer went completely blue with tiny scripts changing without my prompting cause me to quickly unplug and shut down. I thought my computer caught a virus, but the next morning all was fine. Today my sister helped me realize my post may still be here and above is what was left. The rest of the post was that in this time of my life God is indeed with me and in control of the hand that is dealt to me. To be honest, the hand He has allowed to be shuffled my way is a great one of many many blessings! My husband, my girls, my precious sisters and parents and extended family, my church family full of friends who know my heart and challenge me to be more like Him, a home that I am more than comfortable in, the list goes on and on and on even more. So why is it that the struggles seem to get my focus? My prayer is that the One who walks me through the struggle and builds a closer relationship with me through this time will become my focus and my greatest satisfaction!!

Planting flowers in July?

It may seem an odd thing to plant flowers in the middle of the summer, when the days here are 92*and higher. But since the days here have been 92* and higher I needed some fresh flowers. I am hoping I will be disciplined enough to water (or assign watering) as needed to get the flowers through the upcoming holiday weekend. To be honest even if they don't make it the attempt of planting was worth it just to have a couple of "planting hours" with Sophie and Haleigh.
While Mark mowed the yard I put Mackenzie down to bed and then headed out to plant our flowers with the big girls. As I arrived out back Sophie was doing her normal waiting with a book in hand. And then there is Haleigh, my "free spirit" child, she was dancing around the yard picking up the fresh cut grass clumps and throwing them into the wind. She couldn't have been any happier at Disney. We had gathered our supplies, just ready to plant when Mark yelled that he needed me for just a minute. While I went down in the yard to move some things from the mowing path I left the girls waiting again. When I returned to the planting station I found Sophie much further along in Miss Piggle-Wiggle's Magic and Haleigh was sitting with her feet in the bucket of dirt. Not only were her feet in the dirt, but she was rubbing handfuls of dirt over every bare part of her body and so extremely proud of how crazy dirty she was.
We finally began to plant and each of the girls picked the flowers she wanted to plant. Both were very proud of their individual pots. Haleigh insists we need to go back for some more to fill the rest of her pots. --- Last year we had a grand idea of planting in terracotta pots and letting the girls paint their pots. I think Friday we will freshen up the pots and see what our little artists will do this year!
AAHHHHH!! Another priceless summer night!!

Pile up!!

What a fun evening! At one point of this evening we were all five piled up on the couch, literally piled on top of each other watching a movie. Mackenzie was obviously not holding still, she rarely does. Once we had all four settled into our spots she would climb onto the stool and jump into my arms, hug Mark and me, quickly squirm down from the top of the pile start it all over again. It was one of those times when you want to grab the camera to capture the precious moment but you know as soon as you try it will all be over. I just closed my eyes and soaked it all in!!!