Good Days and Bad Days

Life is simply good days and bad days mushed together in random order to create a journey. Saturday was one of our terrible days. :(

Drew wrecked his bike and fell down a concrete drainage ditch. He had his helmet on so the important stuff was protected, but he really took a beating to the face. I have held strangers as they've bled into my hands; I have comforted the terminal while they slip into death's slumber without shedding a tear, but when I saw my busted up little baby, my heart EXPLODED! After six stitches and five hours at the hospital, we returned home to finish healing. It will take about six months for his wounds to heal, but I am so thankful that God protected my little boy...it could have been so much worse. I know that God loves us and sustains us through our good days and our bad days, and for that I am eternally grateful.

It's been a while since I've posted. I didn't realize so much had happened until I started looking through all of my pictures. Drew graduated from Kindergarten! We spent the last week of school going on field trips, playing at field day, and having a class party. I seriously can't believe he's this old already, but I'm so proud of all that he's accomplished this year. We also took a trip to Atlanta to celebrate Sean's brother's 30th birthday, and a trip to Birmingham to go to the zoo. (I LOVE THE ZOO!!) We've just really enjoyed spending time as a family...life's purpose becomes so clear when we are together.

hugs, kisses, cake, & spashes

So, I feel like the luckiest gal in the world. I have had such an amazing week!

I have been horribly sick...morning-sickness doesn't even begin to describe it...it's more of an all day - every second that I'm breathing - overwhelming feeling of puke. I eat and I get sick; I don't eat and I get sick. It just hasn't been fun, and the weight gain hasn't made it any easier. (I'm so amazed that I've managed to gain weight without keeping any food down!!) But my sweety-pie made everything better as he held me in his arms and told me how excited he was, how beautiful my changing body was, and how lucky he was to be with me. I really don't think he knew how desperately I needed to hear those simple words, but it was one of those moments that I realized how lucky I really am. I have a husband, a friend, who loves me for me and who is willing to experience life with me. He loves me fat or skinny, as a student or a stay at home mom, grumpy or happy...I am loved. I am living the life that I dreamed of, and I feel so blessed!

Despite the sickness, I have been able to find the time to have fun with Drew. I love him so much!!! He fills every day with joy and surprise. This week we went to the fountain downtown and ran through the water together. I hadn't planned on getting in the water, but once we got there, I just couldn't resist :) We had so much fun together.

As if the week couldn't get any better...my little cutie-pie made me a mother's day cake at school!!! He decorated it with icing and wrote our names on it, and the smile on his face when he gave it to me melted my heart! We took pictures before eating it of course, and when I opened it to cut a piece for each of us, I noticed the little smear in the frosting on the bottom where he'd taken a little taste-test while decorating. lol. It was the best mother's day gift ever!

pAnOpLY

It has been such a wonderful week, and we have so much to be grateful for! Sean is LOVING his new job at Jerry Damson; I am finally done with this semester's finals, and Drew is finishing this school year with a bunch of fun activities that I can't wait to help with! I just feel like I'm finally able to take a deep breath and enjoy myself.

Ben was in town this week; it was SO good to see him! I love my brothers so much. They are such a source of strength to me, and I have been miserable with both of them living so far away! We got to go to Sarah's softball game, go to Panoply to see Sarah's art, and then go out to eat. We had a great time together, and I hope this summer is filled with many more opportunities for me to just relax and breathe.

3 + 1 = 4

Well, much to our surprise...we are happy to announce that we are having another baby! We are so excited and terrified and happy and overwhelmed and all of the other emotions that come with the joy of having another child. We honestly had planned on only having one child. It is such a huge responsibility to raise a child correctly...to give them all of the love and support that they deserve, to provide them with the material things that they need, and to give them the attention and time that they deserve, so we had planned on focusing on one and praying that our hard work paid off. However, life has more in store for us. I can truly say though that I now feel a sense of wholeness that I haven't ever felt before. I feel like our family is now complete and that joy will hopefully carry me through nine long months of puking and fatness. I'm glad that God has trusted us to raise another one of His sweet spirits, and I can't wait to see our little miracle.

A Walk to Remember

We LOVE being outdoors!! Every time the skies are clear, we are outside playing, hiking, and riding bikes. It's just so cleansing & invigorating to breathe in the fresh, crisp air. We recently went on a hike to our favorite trail on Monte Sano and took my sisters along with us. We had such a fun time! Drew and Gracie ran the entire time; Sarah and I tried to keep up, and Sean and the dog lead the way. We stopped to look at bugs and flowers, and then got ice cream cones at the little camp supply store. I really enjoyed being able to talk to the kids while we walked. We talked about their friends and their sports and their bullies and their newest knock-knock jokes. We just talked and walked. As I listened, I began taking myself back to their age and thinking of all of the things I wanted to protect them from. If I could, I would just wrap them up and stick them in my pocket, safe from all temptation and worry until they were eighteen or so. Although the pocket idea is rather brilliant, I realized that that isn't my purpose as a mother or as a sister, but instead my job is to love them unconditionally, to be a friend, and teach them right from wrong through example. So, as helpless as I felt while listening to the woes of McKenna calling Drew names at school and Sarah forgetting to put her name on her paper, I realized that I was helping just by listening. So, here's hoping that there's many more days of walking and talking with those I love most.

The first...

Well...I guess I have officially jumped on the blogging band wagon :) I just wanted a place to share all of the amazing things that are happing in my life right now. I have so many things to be thankful for...a beautiful family, a flexible job, the gift of being a mother, our home, my continuing education...so many blessings; yet, things are so quickly changing...my brothers are both far from home and are missing out on so much, everytime I blink Drew has grown a foot, and it just seems like life is blowing past us at warp speed. Hopefully, I blogging can kepp my family up to date while giving me the opportunity to recognize the beauty of each day.

I'm not sure where to begin, but I guess I could try and cram the last five years into a few sentences ;) Five years ago, I married my best friend Sean, & soon after we were blessed with the miracle of having our son Andrew. Andrew has given me the opportunity to know joy, to understand my purpose here on earth, and the capacity to love unconditionaly. Everyday I am humbled and a little overwhelmed that I am responsible for his life. It is my greatest responsibility and my greatest joy. When I'm not busy being super-mom, I go to school, work a couple of jobs, and do all of the other normal household things. I am a Biology major at UAH, and with the patience & support of my family, I have been able to follow my dreams. So I guess that brings us to now ( leaving out the multiple moves, deaths, vacations, jobs, and all other significant events..lol.) I'm sure memories of the important events I left out will emerge in later blogs, but for now I am looking foward with hope & enthusiasm to the adventures ahead....