Ann

Our dear friend, Ann, is always outfitting our kids with handmade clothes. Last year she made an adorable Christmas outfit for Sam and recently she spent a long long time smocking this dress for Carolina.



I cannot believe how adorable Carolina is in it. She literally looks like a doll when she's sitting still while wearing this dress.


Very few people know how to smock anymore - the detail in this dress is absolutely breathtaking.


Thank you, Ann, for lovingly making my children these special outfits. A woman was telling me how beautiful this dress was today as we were leaving church. I told her that our friend Ann really loves Carolina and her response was quite accurate, "Oh, I bet she loves her more than you know and her making that dress is only one way she shows it." AMEN!! Thanks for your prayers too, Ann, and your friendship.

Birthday Party

Sam had an awesome birthday party today! We had fishing, pin-the-tow-hook-on-Mater and lots of games. It took a long long time to make the cake, but it was totally worth it.

His birthday isn't for another week, but we had fun celebrating on this rainy cold day.





Lots of people came and we had 15 bean soup, corn bread salad, and tons of cake. It's always nice to have 30 of your closest friends stuck inside to celebrate! LOVED IT!!

Even Carolina got some of her gifts a little early.

Happy birthday, kiddos.

Life Without a Computer

Life has continued at our household despite not having a computer to connect us to the world during the daylight hours. Bill has been bringing home his work laptop and offering me a chance to catch up with friends once the kids are in bed.

Playing with a caterpillar

Today was the first full sunny day we've had in over a week and we were definitely feeling water-logged. We all need to get out in the sun just to feel better in general. We've kept up our normal activities, which Sam is doing great with so far. His stamina is just about where it should be for a child who is about to turn THREE next week.

Lounging in the rocking chair after church

Carolina is progressing so much. She's saying even more words and her agility is progressing as well. Just this morning she was doing Tae Bo with me. HA! Sam just kept asking, "why did that man take his shirt off?" I had to explain that Billy Blanks was just so hot and sweaty he didn't need a shirt. It was a good explanation because Sam and Carolina both went without shirts yesterday during a two-hour stint of sunshine we had.



Sam has a cardiology appointment next Thursday, so we'll be able to see exactly how his heart has been over the last five weeks. I can't believe it's been that long since his surgery. I can't believe the child below is the very same child who is in the picture above. God is amazing and has done an amazing work in both of my children.

Sam in the PICU

But life is moving on for us. Despite the fact that there are quite a few friends falling ill with H1N1 here in town (we're praying for you), Sam and Carolina have remained healthy. I am continuing good hygiene with them, but mostly just praying.

I have so much more to say, but will end on this note. God is good. I'm so proud of my children and what they are learning about Him every day in life and at our amazing and wonderful church (which Bill was just voted to be a deacon in on Sunday!). I am learning so much through my children as well, especially in my relationship with Christ.

Enjoy your week!

This Week

We had a weekend without Daddy here and not only survived it, but we finally made it to church on Sunday! It was an extremely exciting time for me, because it was the first time I had been without the kids for even 45 minutes in a long long time and a time to enjoy talking about the Bible with other adults. Carolina did exactly what I would have wanted her to do when I left her in the nursery. She cried for about 10 minutes after I left and then got back to playing. She was happy to see me when I returned too.

Sam is now in big boy Sunday School as well, and learned a Bible verse as well as a Bible story. No more nursery for Sam...he'll be in Children's Church too. I didn't think it was fair to leave Carolina for longer than an hour on her first day in the nursery, so we left after Sunday School. But, it was definitely a great milestone for us.

Unfortunately, our final computer, the desktop, died on Saturday night. Bill has been trying to fix it all day, but the parts are nowhere to be found on the mountain. The laptop died about 6 months ago.

Nevertheless, life goes on. Bill has a work laptop that I can use at nighttime, so at least I can keep up with a portion of what's going on out there.

Meanwhile, we went to the library story time today and had a wonderful time. It reminded me, once again, of why I love living in a small town. The librarian who Sam loves the most (and talks about on a daily basis) had no idea that Sam had had surgery (four weeks ago today!!) and doted all over him for the rest of our time there. Another librarian went out to my car to put a parking pass in it so I wouldn't have to lug both kids out there. His favorite librarian pulled tons of books on construction equipment and a few extras because of his inquisitive attitude towards life. We left with a canvas bag FULL of books. It was great to be in public again.

I'm praying hard over these kiddos and using a ton of hand sanitizer, plus washing hands a lot. Sam knows the ONE rule I have is to not put his hands in his mouth while we're out. It seems to be working so far. So...we're thrilled to be out and about again. Sam is still tiring easily, but that just means nap time is longer than normal. Oh, and Carolina has moved to a toddler bed and hasn't fallen out of it in almost a week now. So, as I said...life is moving FAST here!

Big Idea

Last week I was speaking with a co-worker of Bill's at Samaritan's Purse. I told her how I had recently watched an episode of Sesame Street with Sam and saw one of the Muppets (named Murray) looking for a horoscope in a newspaper.

I let her know that that was the last straw for me. I have seen several episodes of Sesame Street where they are teaching things about the "Big Bang Theory" (more specifically that we were all sludge to begin with, after the "big bang," and we evolved to be sentient beings) being the absolute truth or that the world is actually billions and billions of years old. I remember a couple other episodes that were very off-putting too, I believe one dealt with divorce. We don't watch Sesame Street every day, so I was still trying to figure out if it is a normal thing or just with the few episodes I've seen.

I was so surprised by the horoscope scene that I shut off the television and made the decision that we will never be watching Sesame Street again in this house. A lot of the PBS shows have surprised me, though we will still watch Super Why.

The worldview depicted on Sesame Street just doesn't mesh with the one I want to teach my children. I realize that there are a ton of TV shows that also teach a worldview that I don't agree with and that I won't be able to protect them forever, but I'm certainly going to try. Eventually, I want them to be aware of the different worldviews and to be able to make an educated choice for themselves, but during these first few years of their lives, I want to be the one to expose them to what WE believe, as a family. After all, isn't that what raising your children is all about? Training them in the way they should go, so that when they are old they won't depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

Bill's co-worker, Susan, has a son who works for Big Idea. Apparently she contacted him and let him know our story and he mailed her NINE Veggie Tales DVDs for our family, to replace any Sesame Street exposure my kids would have gotten.

I cannot believe the generosity of this man, nor can I believe that Susan was so affected by our story that she shared it with him. I know that Operation Christmas Child has now partnered with Big Idea to do a project for Christmas and it's really exciting to hear about their work. But here we are, just making good decisions for our family, and they are rewarding us! How amazing.

Is there a show that surprised you when you sat down to watch it with YOUR kids? Tell us about it.

Sam Update

We got to visit Bass Lake in Blowing Rock with Elijah and his parents a couple days ago. I forgot to take my camera, but Trish got this adorable shot. There weren't any without an apple to Elijah's face, but I guess he was really hungry.

Sam is doing amazingly well. We're down to one wake up during the night, but that one usually lasts about a half hour or more. I can't figure out how to fix the problem - whatever it is. I think, in the end, he's just been traumatized from his hospital stay and wakes up in fear for his life. It's very difficult to soothe him.

Nighttime experiences aside, he is physically doing amazingly well. He gets tired very easily, but is able to regulate himself. Today he sat at the dinner table by himself for almost one hour. I had gone out grocery shopping with Carolina and when I came back, Sam was still there. Bill said every time he asked Sam if he wanted to get down he said no. He only had a sippy cup in front of him, as he had finished his snack in about ten minutes. I know he was tired, despite no activity today. So, I put a coloring book and some markers in front of him and he set off to coloring (and gluing). After another 15 minutes or so, he was ready to get up. The entire time, he was just talking to himself and having a grand ol' time.

Carolina is doing well too. She's communicating like crazy, but mostly with her hand signs. I need to teach her more, because she often just goes through all of them if she doesn't get what she wants the first time. She's very attached to us too. If I leave the room, she either cries or watches me from a distance. When she sees Bill, she often says, "Daddy!" and runs to him for a big hug. She loves jumping and rolling and any other kind of tumbling activity. She's very obedient, but really pushes to find out what she's not allowed to do. I think that comes from lack of experience in a lot of ways. But, if I say to put the remote control down, she puts it down without complaint.

She and Sam are playing well together these days. She's catching up in a lot of her development too. I think she's quite bright (if I do say so myself) and as she experiences new things she will absorb them like a sponge.

Sam is working on memorizing Psalm 23 for his birthday. He's got the first couple of verses down pat, but we have a few more to do. Last year he did John 3:16 on his birthday. I'm hoping each year I can get him (and Carolina, eventually) to memorize longer and longer verses. They're not for him to recite in front of everyone (unless he wants to), but for him to recite to our family on his birthday. I think it is a great tradition for us to have. I'm looking forward to the day he can pick out his own Scripture to memorize.

Hope you have a happy Labor Day!!

Family Photos

Life at our house has been so much better since Daddy came home and since we've come home from the hospital. I think I've mentioned this before, but in the interest of being redundant...we are definitely whole now. Carolina is eating a little better, she's definitely sleeping better and Sam has healed in an amazing way.


Carolina is still a tiny little bird, but she can wear so many different sizes. She's worn 2T, but in the above picture is wearing 3-6 month coveralls (that belonged to Sam).



Sam can wear size 2T, but the shirts are always a little short, while the pants aren't long enough but always fall off his waist. He's a tall skinny man, like his daddy before him. Here he is watching Bill come home.


Carolina is a ball of fun. She is constantly making me laugh so hard my side hurts. Usually it's because of something very clumsy that she's done, which doesn't earn me the mother-of-the-year award, but at least we're all having a good time.


And here are my loved ones together. Carolina with the perpetually perfect tan, Sam with skin so pale he reflects any light (like his mommy) and Daddy with the perfect smile.

Just wanted to say I love my family.

By the way, I finished reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and just want to recommend to everyone. It is an amazing tale of love and not at all the kind of book that a person breezes through. I cried when I read the last line because it was absolutely perfect and for no other reason. I haven't been so impressed by a book in a long time - definitely one of my top five favorites. See if your local library has a copy and read it today!