Livin' Large

With our "built in pool"

After All

To have only a small taste of the truth in this song!

Can't get enough of it.

David Crowder Band: "After All (Holy)"

Sick and tired...but encouraged

You know, it's been a long time since I (Amanda) have been really sick. This past week the kids and I have come down with a cold, and it's been hitting me really hard. To put it plainly: I am sick and tired...even miserable at times.

But I am encouraged. Would you believe that the two days that I have felt the worst, Ellis was unexpectedly given off early from work? Never happens. One of the days, Ellis said he was just talking with the nurses about me and the kids, and his Attending (who didn't even know I was sick) said, "you, know, it's a little slow here, go home and be with your family." Never happens!

And the next day he got off early to participate in the new resident orientation (wasn't originally part of his schedule). Two days in a row that Ellis got to come home before the kids were in bed and spend time playing with them and eating dinner with us. Couldn't have picked a better two days!

The view from my bedroom window: Ellis and the kids playing outside 

while I get to rest and enjoy writing about these wonderful blessings.

Something else that has been a wonderful encouragement to me is the garden in our backyard. I planted a bunch of seeds in early May...pretty much just thinking "Hey, we'll see what happens!" Then, when I realized what our soil was like (hard, dry clay), I thought the whole garden idea was pretty much a lost cause. "Darn! I really should have prepared the soil better!"  

I realized at that moment that the garden wasn't really even mine to begin with, but God's. He is the one who really makes things grow and He is the one who allows them to wither away. You can imagine how encouraging it was for me to go out yesterday evening and pick our first little harvest:

Our first "harvest." Baby zucchini's and zucchini blossoms.

And fresh parsley to add to our chicken soup!

Mac and Corrie have been particularly sweet (aside from the general "sick" stuff like crying and extra tantrums and not sleeping). Yesterday morning, Mac went to his room and brought out his pillow and blanket. 

Mac is saying, "Corrie! Get your pillow!
Lay down with your blanket!"

Next thing I knew, he had dragged his mattress down the hall too. He went and found a pillow and blanket for Corrie and asked me to get Corrie's bed too. He got some of his favorite books so we could all have a little rest together out in the living room. You know, it was really fun. And it was really sweet.

Of course, Corrie just wanted to jump around on her bed, and she despised having any pillows or blankets on her mattress. But it was still a pretty relaxing time for me and Mac :).

And, another exciting thing that cannot go unmentioned (don't make fun of me for this), is that yesterday I located a Vernor's Ginger Ale Vendor in Virginia! Ever since I accidentally drank Dan Rocke's only can of Vernor's several months ago (sorry Dan...not really!), I have been dreaming of it every time I feel sick. I was sure I would have to drive to NC to taste it again, but it turns out there is a place that sells Vernor's an hour away from here in Manassas, Va...which turns out to be exactly where Ellis has been assigned to work right now! Yes! 

I know the Lord is working in our hearts and continuing to bring His life to our family. And He is encouraging me in such sweet ways right now...when I feel so horrible physically. Just knowing Him and having a heart that has grown more sensitive to Him is enough - more than enough. He hasn't had to give me these blessings these past few days, but He has. And I am so thankful. 

Mac

Something about Mac that is really blossoming these days is his imagination. It has been really fun to talk and pretend in creative ways with him.

When we go outside, we might find some of Eyore's favorite thistle, or we might see the honey tree by Pooh's house. We see a lot of "grickle grass" in our back yard (the grass in Dr. Suess' The Lorax) and sometimes if we are really lucky we see the Lorax in a Truffula Tree when we are driving down the highway.  Every time we walk up a big hill, Mac makes sure to point out that we are climbing up "Gordon's Hill" (a very fast express engine from Thomas the Tank Engine).

Yesterday, the first thing he told me when woke up was that he needed to "taste the honey in the honey pot." It seemed extremely important.  So here is a picture of him "tasting the honey in the pot" :)

Sometimes his imagination is not so fun for his poor little sister. The other day, Corrie was playing nicely by herself in her room, building a tower of blocks. Next thing I knew, Corrie was crying and the blocks were everywhere. "Mac! What happened to Corrie's tower?!" He said, "Oh mommy, that's just my super power."  

Something else Mac has started doing is using adjectives. He must pick them up from stories we read and I guess things I say, but he doesn't always know the right context for the words. The other day I went to get him out of bed in the morning and he said, "Mommy, you see the wonderful poopy Macky made his bed? See that mommy?" 

More shameless plugging...

Hey Rocke's! Couldn't help joining in and offering another shameless plug for Aldi!

*Not pictured: Corrie Johns, who is completely terrified of the wiggly water squirters and cried the whole time the sprinkler was on.

And don't forget the $6.00 Hydrangeas!

To my husband

To my hard-working, amazingly resourceful, talented husband,

Mac and Corrie got a chance to tell you how thankful they are for you in an earlier post, but now it is my turn to say I love you. I am thankful for you...growing more so every day.

I want to tell you thank you for finding the most creative and unique ways to make sure that our family is provided for. Somehow, even when things are not looking so hot on paper, you keep finding a way for me to stay home and spend my time investing in our children. The Lord is blessing us. Thank you for looking to Him as you lead our family.

Do you know what we got to do today while you were working hard and (literally) saving lives? We went on an adventurous bike ride in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia with The Beaune's. It was just a tad hot out there, but we all had a pretty memorable time.

Here was our posse...ready to ride!

Getting psyched! 

The (mostly) shaded trail

View of the river from the trail

Here is the spot that we stopped at for lunch. You can probably imagine that neither kid ate much...not with a river and rocks around! 

Before I even had the lunch bag open, Mac and Thomas were already having a blast in the water. Forgot I had put a diaper on Mac in case he decided to go #2 during the ride. Darn! That thing was so heavy and full of river water...had to lug it all the way home and then it exploded in the carport when I tried to throw it away!

Corrie was as cute and sweet as ever (except for the fact that she was really whiney and cried pretty much the whole time).

All in all, we all had a lot fun...but we missed you!

On the bike-ride back to the car, the kids finally ate some lunch. Yes, this picture is a pretty accurate depiction of each child's nutritional preference!

And lastly, here is the scene from when we got home.  Who gets to spend an afternoon like this? Mac and Corrie playing with trains while I got to lay on the couch and watch the Euro 2012 quarterfinals...yes, days like this are a wonderful gift. A hard-earned gift. Thank you honey, we love you.

P.S. You just nailed me square in the forehead with my elastic hair band while I was typing this...and now you are celebrating the "most accurate long-distance shot ever." Sigh...I think better go back and re-read this post!

Hey Ames and Jer...

If you ever get around to actually reading our blog (cough, Amy!) Just want to tell you guys thanks for stopping by today. Love any time we can get you guys!