My Cute Little Bumble Bee

Here is our happy little bumble bee (just before he wiped out).

WOW!

In the span of just 6 hours Matt broke his tailbone, Garin hit the concrete with his face and Mr. Magoo somehow managed to lay open about 4" of skin along his shoulder. Our Halloween was very, very spooky.....it pretty much just sucked. We have tons of trick or treaters here, and we were all set with 10 bags of candy, Garin all dressed up, ready to enjoy the night. Instead, Garin got to hand out candy with Carla down the street, was held and photographed with numerous friends who dropped by, and then went home with Tammy, who according to rumor was considering keeping him. I spent the evening at the vet getting staples put in Mr. Magoo's back. Oh, well. It could have been worse. At least Garin had fun! THANK GOD FOR FRIENDS WHO ARE WILLING TO HELP AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE!!!!!

Karl called tonight, and his earliest hope of taking off from Spain will be Friday. That's assuming all goes according to best case scenario. And then we don't know where he'll be headed from there. It will most likely be next week before he gets home.

I'm tired, and I still have a lot to do. I'm going to say goodnight, but I'll post some Halloween pics before I sign off. Have a great night, all!

Matt's First Big Break...

....and not the good kind.

My baby, the big 14-year-old one, took a hard fall during a basketball game today at school and broke his tailbone. He's been at the hospital most of the afternoon for exams and x-rays, but his favorite part seems to be the Ibuprofen and Darvocet. He isn't exactly used to drugs (thank goodness!). He rarely even takes Tylenol and has never had anything with a narcotic effect. He's livin' large right now!

Poor guy, that's one of those things you just have to suffer through; they can't exactly put you in a butt cast.

Break Time....

Hi! I'm taking a short break from the craft show to share the latest. It's been a good day for the most part! I forgot to mention last night that I had lunch yesterday with Kim, the volunteer chairperson for the craft show. We had a great time, as we were not allowed to speak of the show. Today, I had a "working lunch" with several of the girls who are responsible for putting the show together. We really had a great time - lots of laughs as well as lots of work - and I feel like we are ready. Well almost. We will be ready on Thursday when the real work starts as we get everything set up.

Karl had a weird mission yesterday in that it was his first acting as Aircraft Commander in a C-5, and it was his first time piloting during a landing in a hostile area, so he got to practice all the tactical evasion stuff he's been learning. The crazy part was that an evaluator hopped on to give him an unscheduled check ride. This happens periodically to the pilots; it's like a pop quiz. But to have it when you're in the midst of all those firsts must be nerve wracking. Maybe that's why we were praying for him yesterday! Or maybe because there is a major maintenance issue that was discovered this afternoon (thank goodness!) that could have been very bad if they had taken off with it. They are now indefinitely delayed (surprise, surprise). I give up. There's no point in even trying to guess when he'll be home. Keep them in your prayers!

Back to work! Y'all take care!

What a Day!

It's been a long and strange weekend without Karl here.....not bad or unpleasant, necessarily.....just odd. After a lonely but jubilant celebratory dance in our bedroom Friday night after the Cardinals' World Series win, I slept for the few hours Garin allowed me. He was up before dawn Saturday, and I spent the day working on (what else) the craft show and cleaning house. It felt good to get everything spic and span, except for the bathrooms, which I will have to get to later - definitely before my parents arrive on Wednesday!

Garin was kind enough to wake me only once during the night, and thanks to the time change I got almost 7 hours of sleep! I must admit, too, that as much as I dislike what I call Daylight Wasting Time, it was nice to drive to church this morning by daylight. We have to leave here by 6:45 to get there for the band 's warm-up at 7:30. It was a touching and meaningful service today. We have spent the last month on a series of sermons titled "Just Walk Across the Room." It focused on how to share the love of Christ with people by meeting them where they are and being sensitive to their needs. Last week, we talked about telling our stories about what God has done in our lives by keeping it very short and simple. They gave us a little fill-in-the-blank to get us thinking. I didn't even have to think about the words to fill in my story. It isn't about when I first came to know Jesus as a child, it is about how God changed me in the last few years, after I had struggled and searched for answers on my own: Before God changed my life, I felt powerless to control my life, but now I am strengthened by the power of Christ and know that He has it all under control. This week, the message was about making people our priority, not things (and I extrapolated to fit my situation: being more like Mary and less like Martha), and seeing the potential in others - who they could be with Christ - rather than seeing who they are right now. At the end of today's services, people walked up from the back to the front with posters. On the front, they wrote their "before," then they flipped it over to show their "after." It was very simple, not a word spoken, but so incredibly powerful to see them share the changes in their lives. Things like "pothead"/"marijuana free"; "abused by man"/"loved by God"; "judgmental"/"accepting"; "self-centered", "God-centered". Of course, if you know me well, you already know I was bawling.

Karl is flying into bad places this week. That's probably as much as I can safely say, but you understand. Usually, it feels rather routine to me (as much as that is possible), and I don't worry much, but today was different. I was very unsettled, and my heart was heavy with concern for him. I mentioned it to Carolyn between services and asked her to keep Karl in her prayers. Next thing I knew, after third service, a whole army of prayer warriors surrounded me on the stage to pray with me for Karl. Most of you won't know them, but I want Karl to read about his brothers and sisters who were there. I know I can't name them all because a number of people walked up as we began, and I didn't pay enough attention except to know that they were there and to appreciate each one even if I didn't see their faces. The praise team was there: Carolyn, Leslie, Patti, Aneissa, Kari, Alan, Devon, Erin, Ed, Dennis, Todd, Ron, Keith, & Roy. Steve Faulkner and Jeff McKee also joined us, and I know there were others I'm not thinking of. Steve, Jeff, Ed, Kari, Erin and Carolyn all lifted Karl up aloud, while the rest of us prayed along. It was a most special moment for me, and I know that there was a reason why I felt the need to ask for prayer and that they felt an urgency to pray with me. As Kari said, we may not ever know exactly what our prayers were for or how God answered them, but we know that He is answering them.

Our treasurer is headed over to talk craft show now (at 8:30 pm!) ....oy! I guess I'd better go. Garin's asleep, and I plan to follow him as soon as she leaves. Hope you all have a wonderful and blessed week!!!

Woo-Hooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!

Man, what I wouldn't give to be downtown at Paddy O's tonight! I can't even imagine!

My favorite part of the whole night: Watching those world champions hugging their wives, holding their kids and sharing the joy with their families!!!

Not now, I've got a headache!

Our crazy cat, Harvey, crashed on the couch last night. With Karl's keys beside him, it looked like he'd just come in from work, exhausted.

Tough day...

Karl had to leave this morning on a mission. It was the most emotional departure I think we've had yet, especially for him. I was feeding Garin, and Karl came back at least three times, maybe more, for "one last hug". This is the worst part of our lives in the Air Force. It's so hard to be apart, especially at Garin's age.

Otherwise, it's been a productive day. I had a doctor's appointment, and I got a lot of craft show stuff done. Garin's feeling good, and his fever is gone. We are about to head out to PetSmart to buy food for our babies, and then it's off to church for praise band rehearsal.

I had a great conversation with Kari, our co-pastor and praise team leader, this afternoon. She has a really kind heart, and I am so thankful for her and her family, as well as our church. I am looking forward to practice tonight!

I think Karl locked poor Harvey in Matt's room this morning by accident. I had missed him all morning and found him in there with the door shut. It was kind of funny, in a weird way....like a little "Karl was here" note. I miss him so much already. I hope he gets home quickly!

Just some stuff...

Garin is almost back to himself today. He was up in the night with fever, which worried me for a while. It was just a little lower than the "call the doctor" temperature on the information we brought home from the hospital. It has been lower today. He also has a lot of congestion, but it is clear. I don't know if it is from the tube that was in his throat or if he has another little cold, but I'm not too worried about it at this point. His throat was very raw yesterday, and he cried every time he coughed. That seems a lot better today. I think the area of the actual surgery is less of a problem for him than the side effects of the surgery. Once in a while, he'll sit down a little too firmly or stretch his legs a little too far apart and fuss a little, but he is mostly unphased by the stitches.

Karl is on crew rest, so he stayed home with Garin while I went to bowling and to distribute packets to craft show volunteers this morning. Now he's gone to get a haircut, so he won't come home from his mission with a ponytail. Okay, that's a little extreme, but his hair is getting longer than he is used to.

I'm so tired today. Guess I haven't rested up from the night before last.....who am I kidding? I haven't felt rested in weeks. I might as well resign myself to feeling this way at least until the craft show is over. Just 10 more days!!!!!

We're back home

Garin's surgery is over, and we are back home! Thank you all for your prayers!

We got up at 3 am, so he could breastfeed one last time before surgery. We arrived at the hospital around 5:45, and everything went smoothly when they took him into surgery. That was such a blessing!!! He had a great nurse who was entertaining him as she whisked him away. When they brought me back into the recovery room, he was waking up and crying, but he settled down once I got there and fed him. He is very, very groggy, and he is having some pain, but fortunately, he is sleeping most of the day away. Hopefully he'll feel better tomorrow. Everything went as expected, and he is in good shape now!

We're exhausted and headed back to bed while Garin's napping. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for your prayers!!!

WE'RE FAMOUS!!!

My friend, Karen, sent this photo of Garin, which was taken three weeks ago. She asked Garin and me to model some carriers for her website. We are now officially models: http://handsfreebaby.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_5&products_id=70. Karen and Isabella are modeling the "Zoe Loves Pink" sling.

OK, REALLY gotta get to bed now. The alarm is set for 3:00 am!

The first bruise

I forgot to tell you that Garin got his first bruise/goose-egg yesterday. I guess it was just a matter of time, the way he pushes himself to do new things. He has started trying to get from the couch to the love seat without holding on. He used to always keep one hand on the couch until the other hand hit the love seat (He does laps around the room this way.). Yesterday he let go several times with one hand while the other was still reaching, and they weren't all successful attempts. Once, he whacked his head on the way down. The knot was gone by morning, but he has a little bruise on the side of his forehead to be proud of.

I should also mention that he is becoming a pro at going up the stairs. After watching his friend, Isabella, do them a few times when they visited last week, he started flying up them. He must have taken copious notes. He has learned that this activity garners much attention and has developed a method of stopping every few stairs, turning to look at one or both parents, grinning, and waiting for applause and cheers before continuing. When he reaches the top, I have been trying to show him how to back down. He has absolutely no interest in such an absurd activity. After all, life is about climbing, isn't it?! Who wants to go back down?!

And I am convinced that this child is calling me Mama. I know.....me and every other mother in the world. But he always says it when he needs me, if he's upset or hungry or can't find me. Karl won't commit to an opinion on whether Garin's calling me or just babbling. I can't blame him. I guess we'll have to ask my parents when they come next week....two more totally unbiased opinions! ;o)

One more precious story, ok? We've always said that Harvey stands guard over Garin and watches out for him. Honestly, it's to the point where sometimes Harvey looks at me condescendingly, as if I'm somehow a failure as a parent and am not caring for Garin in a way that meets Harvey's standards. It's embarrassing to admit that I sometimes feel the need to justify myself to a CAT! Anyway, this morning, Garin was crawling on the twin bed in his room. I was right there to catch him, but I have been trying to teach him about heights - that falling happens, that it could hurt. He doesn't seem to get it yet. So I've been letting Garin get right to the edge and start over it before I stop him, and then I help him to the floor in the same way he headed there. That usually means I set him down on his head and help him roll onto his back. Harvey doesn't trust me. This morning he plopped down on the edge of the bed, watching Garin. Then, as soon as Garin started over the edge, just as I reached out to grab him, so did Harvey!!!!!!!! He never, ever has used his claws on Garin, and he never touched Garin's skin this time, but he reached out with both paws and sunk his claws into Garin's shirt and held on for dear life as Garin headed off the bed. I had to unhook them myself to let Garin down. It was crazy...and SO sweet!

Surgery tomorrow

We are supposed to arrive at the hospital at 6:15, which means we'll be leaving home around 4:00 am. This will make for an awfully early start to the day, but it is probably good for Karl. He has an early mission-alert time on Wednesday, and this way we'll be home early enough for him to pack and relax a bit, and he'll be tired enough to get to bed early tomorrow night. I'm just praying that Garin isn't fearful when they take him into surgery tomorrow and that all goes routinely. I hope that he will not be in too much pain (and/or that the codeine will knock him out for awhile) and that we will be okay, just the two of us, starting Wednesday. There is just so much going on right now! (Update as of 4:35 pm: We just learned that Karl's mission has slipped a day, so he won't leave until Thursday! God is so good! Karl will not have to leave a sick baby the day after surgery, and it also solves several problems I was trying to figure out how to deal with. I have things I have to do on Wednesday, and now Karl will be home on crew rest, so Garin won't have to get out with me if he's feeling yucky!)

Karl finally got this week's assignments done for school today. (He's working toward his Master's degree in Emergency and Disaster Management.) He's starting to doubt the wisdom of taking two classes this semester because he is so busy with his AFSO21 office job and his Aircraft Commander upgrade. It's an awful lot, but I think it would be a lot easier if he spread the work out instead of waiting until the last minute. Of course, it took me many years to learn that lesson, so I have no room to talk.

I finally got to see the eye doctor today; I'm out of contacts and needed a new prescription. I am so blind! For those of you who understand it, my prescription is -7.00. They just dilated my eyes last fall, and now they want to do it again. Ugh. I hate that. But God bless the base optometry clinic! They make it so quick and simple compared to civilian doctors. Here in Delaware, they take your insurance money to do your exam and then make you pay anywhere from $50-$175, depending on the doc, to do a "contact lens fitting". For someone who's been wearing them for...oh, my goodness...24 years...that's a ridiculous waste of time and money. I know how to put them in my eyes! Here on base, I didn't have to pay anything, and I went home with a prescription for new lenses. I'm getting new glasses, too, as mine are an older, weaker prescription.

This must be really boring to read! I don't know a whole lot except that I am ready for tomorrow to be over, so the surgery will be done. I also, on the other hand, wish time would slow down, so Karl wouldn't leave so soon. Hope you all have a great day, and please keep Garin in your prayers!

Awesome Sunday!!!

Isn't it amazing how you can sing (or hear) the same song a million times, and it means something special to you, but then all of a sudden one day it hits you right where you are and you can almost feel the Holy Spirit digging a little deeper into your soul and fusing together a torn place inside you? That happened to me today in church, second service. We had practiced it Thursday and again this morning, and we had done the song in the first service, too, then all of a sudden during second service, I could hardly get the words out because I was so moved by them. Awesome! It was just a great morning of laughter, joy, encouragement and time with some very special people.

I got an email yesterday from high school/college friends who are married to each other and have three kids. They discovered a mass in his abdomen Wednesday that was removed on Friday. It was malignant, and he faces aggressive cancer treatment in the very near future. He is my age, 37. I don't know much more at this point. They are still processing it all, and the kids don't fully know what's going on yet. It seems like one person after another around me - family and friends - are getting cancer. And all of a sudden, they are people my age and younger. It used to be "old people," but it's not anymore, and it's scary. It reminds me how short our earthly lives really are....and how uncertain. The only thing we can really be sure of in life is God and His complete provision in all of our circumstances, good or bad. Of course, we'd all prefer the good, but if all we had was good, I am positive that we would forget to rely on His grace and mercy and to lean on Him. We humans are very self-centered and so easily fool ourselves into believing we're self-sufficient.

And on that note, I'll close this entry with a challenge for us all. It's how I want my life to be: Live with joy, love without condition, give without hesitation, forgive without reservation, look at others through the eyes of the Creator (God-goggles!), and do all of these with passion, honoring the God who gives us the chance, and when we fail, is the God of second chances...and third, and fourth......

Pray for Matt

Please keep Matthew and his father in your prayers. Their relationship is precarious at best, and although things have been exceptionally good between them for the past few months, this past week has seen tempers flare and tensions rise between them. I don't want to go into detail, but please, please, please pray that God will keep Matthew in His protection and that He will speak to his father's heart and show him how to be a parent. Pray that Matt will move past his understandably rebellious spirit and move into the Spirit of God. It is hard to be so far away when Matt is frustrated, and I feel like a parent with two children who can't get along and who can't see past their own points of view.

Clickety-click-click

We have discovered Garin's calling! We believe that he is destined to travel to southern Africa and minister to the people of the Khoikhoi tribe, who are known for their language of clicking sounds. He has mastered to tongue clicking, and it's loud. He woke us up this morning by clicking his tongue....keep in mind that he's in his room with the door shut, and we could still hear it. He does it over and over and over and over. It's his favorite thing to do these days.

It's been a couple of days since I've done any real writing. We've been so busy, but not with anything terribly interesting. The craft show is eating up a ridiculously large amount of my time, but that's to be expected when one person is left to do the job of two. This situation is strangely familiar: the school project where one is grouped with a classmate or two, and everyone is graded on the work of the group rather than her own efforts, but not everyone is committed to success. Karl says I agreed to take care of a Pekingese but ended up with an Irish Wolfhound. I said I signed up to paint a house and instead had to build it. Either way, you get the picture. I'm not complaining, just stating the facts. I'm not sorry for the experience of it. I've gotten to know some great, hard-working women who are willing to do so much more than they have to in order to help me and to make sure this show goes well. I've also learned some important things about myself.

Karl passed his check-ride yesterday, of course. And Garin and I had Karen and Isabella over for lunch and playtime. We had a great visit, and the kids had fun together. We're going to their house Sunday night for a little bash for Bell's first birthday. Bell took her first steps alone last night! The rest of our weekend looks pretty tame (yay!) with no other obligations other than church (and, of course, Game 1 of the World Series on Saturday!). It will give us a chance to rest and regroup for the week ahead. Karl is flying out on a mission mid-week, so it will be good just to have some good family time.

WOOOHOOOOOOOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Cardinals have done it again!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love my Redbirds!!!!!!!!!!!! Off to the World Series!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(not that we're excited or anything)

Garin's surgery rescheduled

We were able to change Garin's surgery to Tuesday, which will be very helpful. I realized after we left the hospital yesterday that I have an eye doctor appointment. Although I would reschedule it if necessary, I had to wait several weeks for this one, and I was afraid I'd be out of contacts before I got to see a doctor. This wouldn't be tragic, but my glasses are older than dirt, and I don't see well out of them. Also, Karl already has Tuesday off, so he won't have to try to get leave for that day. Just wanted to let you know.

I received this email today from my dear friend, Kim. We were buddies in Illinois in the mid-late '90's while they were stationed at Scott AFB. She was with me during some really fun times and helped me through some really awful times. Although we haven't seen each other in eight years, she remains close at heart. Her sister battled cancer last year, and her father passed away earlier this year. Please keep her family in prayer, that the God of peace, comfort and healing will hold them close as He brings about His perfect will in their lives.

Good Morning,
I got a call from my niece last night that my Mom , Emma Hall is in the hospital. She has had shortness of breath for two weeks with some chest pains. She thought that this was her normal Fall allergies. She went to the doctor and they admitted her for pneumonia. After doing an MRI they found that instead, she has tumors throughout her lungs. She is having a biopsy today. Please pray for peace. My sister Loree is on vacation in Amish country, which because of their small business, they never do. She does not want Loree to know until she returns. So she is alone in the hospital. Loree is also involved in their church prayer chain so Mom did not want to put it on their church chain in case Loree checks her e-mail. Please pray for wisdom for the physicians, peace for my Mom, for Loree as she is the only one in the area to deal with this and they just went through the loss of my Dad. Just pray as God leads you. Thank you so much!
Kim

Garin's Christmas Wish List

We've had several folks ask about what to get Garin for Christmas, so we decided to make a wish list for him on www.amazon.com. If you click on My Lists at the top right of the page, then click on Wish List from the drop-down menu, you can enter his first and last name or my email address to access his wish list. Also, we would really like to get him some good, warm, sturdy shoes. Robeez are the toughest of tough, but still soft-soled, which is great for new walkers. We like this website (free S&H!): http://www.bippityboppitybaby.com/robeez1.htm. He would need the 6-12 month size, and we like the following styles: Navy Athletic, Olive Booties, Classic Brown. Just some ideas for those who were wondering! This isn't an all-inclusive list by any means. Feel free to use your imagination if you prefer.

As for Matt, he is still the atypical child who can't think of anything he wants (unless any of you are crazy-rich and want to buy him the new Playstation, of course).