Happy Birthday to...

Well, you'll have to watch the Princess' video message to find out!

The Waterboy

Nope, not Adam Sandler...just some pictures of the Pork Chop enjoying the Princess' kiddie pool for the first time!

Yay!

Literally! Look what James can do!

The graduate

This is about a month late but specifically for my mom, so who cares? Better late than never!


For those of you who don't know: my baby sister, Tina, is the graduate that is holding the piece of paper in her hand. (it's not in her lap)





And then they called her name! Mom, I hope you can hear it!

Why do we call him Pork Chop?

Well if I told you it was because he never eats, I know that some of you would not believe me! This kid can eat his own weight in baby food, and I think that is growing old - so he wants Big People food instead!

Here are some photos of the things James has tried over the last few months!


Don't let this picture fool you...he did NOT eat this whole ear of corn! Gracie decided she didn't want anymore, so we gave it to him to see what he would do. He would bite a few pieces off (with his four teeth) and then take them out of his mouth. Guess Pork Chop doesn't like corn either!


Lesson #1: giving a 10 month old a plate means one of two things will happen: food ends up off the plate and on the highchair, OR plate ends up on floor! (James is enjoying diced ravioli and rapsberries-his new favorite food!)


I learned a trick from babycenter.com. It is much easier for children to grab "slippery" food (like the watermelon seen here) if you coat it in dry baby cereal first. It works, it really does!

God's Little Red Wagon

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

I am alone. I am frustrated. I am weak. I am vulnerable. I am lost. My heart aches. I can't sleep. I worry. I am numb.

My life the last few months has been anything but picture perfect. And yet, I have tended to take on this "whoa is me" attitude about everything. It's just me against the world. And sometimes I feel isolated, even alienated from the people I hold dearest to my heart. I forgot that God is there, and he will never leave me or forsake me. I forget to lean on him when I am troubled. I forgot to curl up in his open arms and feel that sense of total bliss..."a peace that passes all understanding."

And then I see an image like this. And not only do my problems seem so insignificant, but this image stirs up something inside me. Shouldn't we look at God this way sometimes? We're at our weakest point, not able to even hold ourselves up, and there he is - pulling us along in a little red wagon.

And then I remember Lily Murphy. I remember how more than two weeks ago, people everywhere were praying for her. She was on life support and in critical condition. Each day, Heidi (or a family member) posted an update that just floored me. Go, God! And after much prayer, she went home this past Tuesday. And I realize how awesome our God is. I forget how simple life is sometimes, and how often I take it for granted. I forget that when I don't think I have anyone else, He is there.

I shake my fist and get angry because, why is everything so horrible right now? I cry because I don't understand what is going on, and why this is happening to me. And I forget that I am blessed beyond words. I have a loving family, two beautiful children, a good job, friends who care about me....I forget all of the things that God has blessed me with and instead want to know why he is sitting back on is heels while my life falls apart.

This image hits that part of my heart and I realize He has been there the whole time. He has been the one to hold my hand and guide me through this mess. He has been the one to let me get to my weakest point and even when I thought carrying on wasn't a possibility, He is pulling me along in a little red wagon.

New blog header

Simple and sweet, just a new photo of the kids! (courtesy of Lori Mercer!)

Update #2 on Lily

I surely hope that Heidi doesn't want to clobber me for stealing photos from her blog! :)

So yesterday on Facebook, I saw random updates about Lily. The first was that she had big hairbows in her hair and looked like an angel.

The next one that came was that she was awake and asking for her Daddy, and mentioned something about asking Daddy for ice cream.

Today I saw an update from Heidi that Lily had asked for her Daddy, and it was the first time Heidi had left her bedside.

I also heard today that Lily is off the ventilator!

And then I get the update that Lily is awake and has spoken the words "chocolate candy." (What five year old does this NOT sound like??) So I know someone else has already suggested this, but in honor of this sweet little girl and God's miracles today (and always), please enjoy some chocolate candy of your own and remember to pray for a speedy recover for this little girl!

Update on Lily Murphy

If you had not seen my original post asking for prayer for 5-year-old Lily Murphy, I have some great news!! As of late yesterday, June 12th, Lily had been blinking her eyes, and had even squeezed one of the nurses fingers. We were hearing good things about the neurological reports, and that everything is looking good.

There is still some concern about a fever on her brain, but doctors are hopeful that once they get that under control that Lily can be moved out of PICU and into a regular room. She is still on life support, which is aiding her in breathing on her own, but things are looking very hopeful for this beautiful little girl.

Please continue to pray for the Murphy family.

Pray for Lily!

Please be in prayer for Lily Murphy, 5-year-old daughter of a blog friend of mine, Heidi Murphy.

I just got information from Facebook that Lily was in a drowning accident at a pool party yesterday, and as of early, early this morning she was in critical condition after being life-flighted to Children's Hospital in Birmingham.

Heidi updated on FB at 3am, saying that Lily squeezed the nurse's fingers. She is still on life support and is in critical condition.

I know that our God is an AWESOME God and he can do miracles....so please pray for this sweet little girl and her family!