looming on the horizon

what's looming??

a government shutdown?

tax day?

spring break?

spring cleaning?

Easter Sunday?

Gracie's next surgery?

all of the above!

we were in Charlotte yesterday

to see Dr. Matthews who was still pleased

with Gracie's palate healing, and ready

to schedule her next surgery!

He will be repairing her uvula

(it is split in half basically),

her lip, and also working on her nostril,

which actually will be the most difficult

aspect of this procedure as far as

her recovery goes. she will

come home with packing in her nostril,

which will be interesting b/c it will

obviously affect her breathing, and

we will go back a week after to have a

tube-like device placed in that

nostril to hold the shape as it heals.

it will be an interesting summer...

he listed some things we should avoid/limit

after her surgery, mainly for the incision healing...

sun exposure,

sugar in her diet,

and he mentioned that with some Asians

wheat and dairy

can cause thickening of the skin

at the incision site.

ok, so any ideas for a

sugar-dairy-wheat free

diet for a 3 year old who loves food?!!

I guess we'll cross that proverbial diet

bridge when we come to it!

two of my favorite peeps

playing in the back yard

and here's a taste of the unbelievable musical

talent that resides in our home. I see a

worldwide tour in her future...

hearing that sweet girl plat her harmonica

thrills my soul...

she couldn't do that before her palate repair.

God is so faithful!!

april fools

so last night was Ali's first official
ride-in-the-car-with-other-teenagers-
without-parents-dress-up-get-
your-hair-done-receive-a-corsage-
wear-shoes-other-than-flipflops-
outing.
can't bring myself to say the D word.

it was like the car commercial where the dad
is looking at his 3 year old daughter
sitting in the driver's seat as he gives her
safety instructions, and the next shot is his
teenage daughter backing out of the driveway....

yep, that's what I saw - our little Ali playing dress
up and pretending to go out on a da__,
I mean outing with her daddy.
sniff sniff



"come on dad, please stop embarrassing
me, and quit threatening to be cleaning your gun
when my da--, I mean outing friend arrives"

this masterpiece took an hour -
wish I could take the credit for doing it!

someone was really excited for her sister
(I can't understand why said person
kept giggling all evening...)

the sweetheart of a guy who was our
baby girl's "friend-that-accompanied-her
on -the-formal-outing"

how did the family survive you ask?
after sitting down for dinner to an empty
casserole dish (April Fools kids!),
we ate dinner at Yogurt Mountain.
Yesiree - chocolate, vanilla, and
a plethora of sugary toppings can help
a mom & dad through anything!
(I still don't understand why
Erin keeps giggling to herself)

behind the lens - a 3 year old's perspective

ahh...life around here seems to be settling down a bit...

my mom is home from the hospital,

so while the scary part of the roller coaster

seems to be behind us, a new unexplored

section is being experienced as

she recovers at home, and we learn exactly

what level of care is needed.

thank you for your continued prayers!

on a much needed lighter note...

Gracie received her very own

camera for her birthday.

(ours kept coming up missing,

and would have dozens of random

pictures on it - hmmm...)

I thought I'd share some of her photographic

skills...enjoy, & keep her in mind

for your next big event!!

someone quickly figured out

the camera's special effects

the never-camera-shy big brother

her dream kitchen

abstract Erin

one of her favorite tv shows

Fred's big close-up

she calls this her

"washed out 70's polaroid photo

of my sister Ali"

she loves capturing her mama

in her pj's w/o makeup

she actually took this of herself,

and we think its lovely!

the birthday in pictures!

the troops bring breakfast to the birthday girl!

Quinn's gift - a lego rifle

("because you're studying the Civil war at your school")

Gracie couldn't wait for sissy's birthday!

we had lunch with our church family after the morning

service -someone was thrilled that there was face painting!

a girl can always use a new sassy purse in her wardrobe

so glad our friend Diane could share part of

Erin's special day with us!

fourteen is fabulous!!!

happy, happy birthday to our

beautiful, funny, talented,

compassionate, smart, creative

Spirit-filled girl!!!

new every morning

Lamentations 3:22-23

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

it’s been a long week here.

my mother has been in the hospital for over a week now
with diabetic related complications.
we are seeing steady, slow improvement, and we are so grateful for that.
we really felt like we were going to lose her last weekend.
it’s tough being spread so thin, and I know there
are many for whom this is a daily lifestyle.

splitting time between a hospital, caring for & watching
my precious mom suffer,
and being a wife & mommy is not easy.
let’s just say I’ve cried buckets of tears,
interceded like I never have before,
and seen the bottom of many starbucks cups lately!

my family is amazing – oddly enough, I wouldn’t trade the times
of prayer & intercession, and reminiscing that have
been shared w/ my parents,
my brother & sister –in-law, my sister, & their kids.

would you please keep my mom in your prayers – for a
grace-filled recovery, and for
wisdom for future care. our kids are starting
to show signs of stress as well. they’ve done great,
(Brian has been AMAZING)
but it’s hard for everyone when your
schedule is turned upside down, and stress
seems to be palpable in the air.

believe it or not, my nephew was admitted
to the same hospital as my mother yesterday,
and will be having surgery (kidney related) this afternoon.

Praising God Almighty for His new mercies EVERY day,
and for His healing power!

watching this video has been a huge bright spot for Brian and me.
we have always loved Third Day, and this song is very powerful -
please take the time to watch!

happy referral day!

2 years ago today we got "THE call".

we had been matched with a beautiful little girl

on the other side of the world.

the first time we saw

this face

we knew it was our Gracie girl!!

Ephesians 3:20 Now all glory to God, Who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.