AUSTIN, TX

We took a quick family trip to Austin. I desperately needed to get away.  The house and all the responsibilities were about to overwhelm me.  It was just what I needed.  I think the kids did too.  Enjoy the pictures.  Oh and I highly recommend the Hyatt Lost Pines resort.  AMAZING!

Gracie is funny!

On a lighter note, we were on a fun weekend trip to Austin this past week and ended up at Inner Space Cave in Georgetown on our way home.  Gracie and I both needed to use the restroom and they were so sweet to bless us with a sign on the door reading," sorry for the inconvenience but our septic system is under construction.  Please use port a potty."  I was sick. I just do not like those things and neither does Gracie. She is not sure of the blue water and no flushing is odd.  Anyway, when I explained to her (as she is crossing her legs in pain) that she had to use this awful thing, she started almost crying and said,"  I don't want to use the porky potty!!!!"  I truly almost wet my pants from laughing.  

Catch up!

Well, it has been a while since I last blogged.  So much has happened in the last few months.  Sophie recovered from RSV completely at the end of March ( Thank you Lord!), then my grandmother passed away March 21st.  After that we had the dove awards and then a big scare with Misti and her health scare.  Let me see.....  then I think Sophie got RSV again.  They did not test her because she is older, but I am almost positive it was and she just recovered from that last week.  I have come to believe that this is just the way life is as you get older.  I hear more of illness and cancer in people my age and it is quite scary.  Is it our American diets, something we breathe in the atmosphere?  It is becoming all too common.

For some reason death and illness have surrounded my life since 2004.  There has been a break every once in a while, but it has been pretty consistent.  You can see where our family has been when you listen to the music Bart writes.  Our journey in song almost.  As I encounter death and illness with family and friends I realize just how far I have to go in dealing with it all and working through it.  I think for five years I have dealt on the surface, but shoved the rest of the pain under the rug because I had three more kids since then.  There is no time for grieving.... I have a family to take care of.  Anyway, my mammaw is now dying of cancer and it is so hard to watch her slip away.  As I walk this road, I am reading Heaven by Randy Alcorn.  I constantly sit in amazement at what I have never learned about Heaven and life after this earthly dwelling.  If you have not read it, I highly suggest it.  The Lord is slowly teaching me that to hide the grief is only robbing me of the blessing of knowing him more.  I don't want to miss any more of those blessings.

Here is an insert from Beth Moore's Breaking Free Day by Day....

They will tremble with awe because of all the good and all the peace I will bring about for them.

Jeremiah 33:9

God does not minimize the things that break our hearts.  He is not looking down on us, thinking how petty we are because things have hurt us.  If we are so "heavenly minded" that we grow out of touch with earthly hardships, we've missed an important priority of Christ.  God left our bare feet on the hot pavement of earth so we could grow through our hurts, not ignore and refuse to feel our way through them.

So surrender your hurt to Him, withholding nothing, and invite Him to work miracles from your misery.  Be patient and get to know Him through the process of healing.

Dear Lord,

Please tear down bit by bit the walls of fear, unbelief, doubt, skepticism, apathy, pain and grief that I have encircled around me to keep me strong so that I may begin to heal and be blessed from all this misery.  Amen.

Funny sayings

Apparently Gracie is learning the parts of a book at her preschool. She was telling me about them last night and she told me about the title page and the front cover and back cover. Then she pointed to the spine and said" This is the sponge." I tried very hard not to laugh.

A couple of weeks ago Gracie was playing a game with her aunt Darcy. They made up a card game where you had to pick a card and tell where you wanted to go. So, the first card was drawn and Gracie said she wanted to go to Disney World. Then Aunt Darcy picked up a card and said she wanted to go to Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. Then it was Gracie's turn again and she said," I want to go to Heaven and be with Jesus and walk the streets of gold." Hmm. proud mama...... she is listening and soaking it all up.

I love how kids just speak their minds and have wonderful thoughts and questions. Where do we as adults lose our honesty and innocence?

Easter

We  had a quiet Easter this year.  I have a feeling they will always be this way now because are families are getting smaller (well my actual family is not).  It was tough because my grandmother died a month ago and my mammaw is not doing well either.  So, we went to my mom's house for lunch with my parents and Nana and Bob.  It was nice.  It was the first time we had been to church with Sophie due to illness and RSV.  Here are a few pics.

Gracie

The kids went to their Nana's to paint Easter eggs the day before Easter.  When I went to pick them up, Gracie looked me in the eyes and in a serious voice said, " I've been dialing eggs."  I had to turn around I was laughing so hard.

Potty Training

I have officially decided to work on potty training with Charlie now.  It is long overdue (on my part).  So, today I was at my bootcamp (workout program)  and my dad was staying with the kids. I came home and he was laughing and told me that Charlie went poo poo in the potty.  YEA!  We were so excited. The funny part was that Gracie went with him to cheer him on and then wiped him.  Oh I cried.  That is funny!