Monday, May 29, 2006

When Girls Come To Play



This morning a bunch of mommy's friends came to visit. This is what happens when a bunch of girls get around a baby. Soon Jack-Jack was surrounded with ALL of his little stuffed animals. Is Jack really in this picture? Can you see him? There he is!

Monday, May 22, 2006

Happy Half Birthday!


Jack is 6 months old today! We celebrated by taking some pictures outside and with Grandma Poo.



Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Busy Days

This is going to have to be quick--it's late, I'm tired, and I've got to get up early! We have been going non-stop for a couple of weeks now. Here are some updates:

Sharon is doing great! She is getting around great with her walker and wheelchair. She still needs my help with a few things, but she's becoming quite self-sufficient. Jeff has teased her that we will have to hide her car keys in case she tries to run away. She has a doctor's appointment tomorrow to get the staples removed, so please pray for her. Pray that I can get her in the car and down to Indy and back without trauma. Aunt Laurie has graciously agreed to take Jack, so he's going to have fun, fun, fun!

My grandmother is not doing very well. Her kidneys are failing, she has fluid around her heart and lungs, and her blood pressure keeps rising. On Sunday, Jeff, Jack and I made the trip down to Henderson to see her. I kissed her little mouth that was all droopy and paralyzed and told her that I love her. It was Mother's Day. I don't think that I've ever spent Mother's Day with my grandmother. I doubt that I ever will again. Please pray for her and also for my Bampy. This is absolutely heartbreaking for him.

My sister is coming on Tuesday of next week. She decided to make the trip all the way from Temuco, Chile. She is praying that she makes it in time to see Mamaw alive. It is hard for her to be so far away. It costs close to $2,500 for her and my 2 year-old nephew, Joshua to fly to the states.

My brother Jason had his back surgery today. Everything went well and he is recovering. Pray for my mother as she cares for him. Pray that she doesn't smother him with a pillow in his sleep (hee hee), and vice versa as soon as Jason is strong enough to move around!

Pray for me because Jeff is leaving tomorrow and will be gone for four days. He is helping his cousin Nick build a bathroom in their home near Chicago. It will be the longest that we've ever been away from each other. I am afraid that Mamaw will die while he is gone and I will have to go alone to the funeral. I know, Philippians 4:8. Trust me, I'm trying to think right about it. Why borrow trouble, right? It's just there in the back of my mind, you know.

Jack is doing great. He is SO growing up. He just moves around and laughs big belly laughs and plays with toys and is just the cutest thing that I've ever seen. I love him so much.

Good night, friends! Pray for our little family!

Monday, May 08, 2006

House Guest

Jeff's mom is home from the hospital and is staying with us indefinitely. Please keep praying for her, as this has been quite an adjustment. She is a very active lady and an expert in her field of nursing. Her hospital will no doubt feel her loss, and she is already missing her busy life with patients, co-workers and new learning opportunities. She has also had to put her masters' program on hold since she will be unable to travel to Indy several times a week to attend classes. She is doing great and being a trooper, but it is hard for her. I am hoping that her friends and co-workers visit her often, and any of them that might be reading this blog (as I know that some of you do) please consider this an open invitation to visit her anytime.

On another note, please also pray for my grandmother, Boots Cummings. She had a stroke this last week and is in the hospital. She is paralyzed on her right side and unable to communicate very clearly. It appears that she will need to go to a nursing home, and since my grandfather is blind and relies on her greatly, he too will have to go the nursing home. My mother and her sisters have been making arrangements for them to be together. My grandfather is very upset and extremely emotional. My grandparents are the greatest example of two people who have been in love with each their whole lives, and it is especially sad to think that there might have to be a time when one lives without the other. As hard as it may seem for the rest of the family to lose them both at the same time, I hope that when God calls them home that He takes them both together.

For now, God has definitely increased my ministry to others and I am thrilled to be able to take on this new role of caring for such an incredibly caring and loving lady!

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Happy Birthday To Me



Today is my 36th birthday. I never really liked to do "big" birthdays, but I had a friend who was excellent at making my birthday a "big deal", and I kinda got used to it. I've been thinking that a person as old as me probably shouldn't have "big" birthdays (too many over-the-hill gag gifts, the increasing fire hazard, and now, the difficulty of finding a babysitter) but my husband thinks differently. He made my birthday so special. It lasted for 2 1/2 days! It started the night before last when he took the baby from me and gave him a bath and put him to bed so that I could go and take a nap or just lay on my bed and watch TV. The next morning he made a special trip into town to buy me a bottle of my favorite coffee fru fru, and then he made me coffee. We spent the day working together around the house. At 3:30 p.m. we got all dolled up and went to town. First we went to a bird store where Jeff bought me the mother of all bird feeders and a bird book to go with it. We have a lot of birds out here on our property, and I'm getting excited about learning their names and songs. Then we took a quick trip to Home Depot since it was close by and Jeff just couldn't resist. Then we went to dinner at Mountain Jacks. YUM. It was great and romantic (Aunt Gi Gi was at home with Jack) and totally tasty. THEN.....we saw Mission Impossible III. Awesome! We loved it! I think it's the best one yet. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Definitely a fun flick. We got home and were in bed by 11:00 p.m. And that was the end of the day before my birthday! Today is actually my birthday, but we had church this morning and Jeff's mom came home from the hospital this afternoon, so we planned most of our fun for yesterday. I did get a nice lunch out with the Gray side of the family and the choir sang a very goofy rendition of Happy Birthday to me during practice. Gaylene made me a rockin' Margarita cheesecake that was yummmy yum yum. Of course, any day that I can wake up next to the most wonderful man of my dreams and go in the next room to see my smiling, lovely baby boy is a spectacularly special day! Thanks everyone, for making this birthday wonderful!

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Our Fallen Hero


Last evening we received a call from a very teary Grandma Poo saying that she had fallen and hurt her knee. Uncle Jason and Aunt Ashley came to the rescue and took her down to Indy to her fabulous hospital to be evaluated. Several hours later the call came in--she had broken her leg just below her knee. Ouch! They admitted her to the hospital and she will be having surgery sometime soon. They would like to do it right away, but there are evidentally 11 surgeries scheduled ahead of her, so it could be a bit of a wait. In the meantime they have her souped up on some yummy drugs and so she is stable. We'll update more as time goes by. For now, pray for our Grandma Poo! We're happy to have the opportunity to get to take care of her instead of her taking care of us!