365.143: Sick

Why is it that my children only get really sick on Friday nights?! For real, if they are going to come down with something that needs to be seen by a doctor stat (I'm so medical), it will be on a Friday night.
Last night when I was brushing Holden's teeth, I noticed his throat was super red. I didn't see any white spots, though, so I thought we were safe from strep. Then at about 9pm, he started throwing up. No bueno. So this morning I made some calls to see where we could take him. (Luckily, the guys who is going to be our family doctor is also in our Lifegroup, so a friend.) It was definitely Strep. I guess the up-side of getting sick on Friday night is that he'll be better in time for school Tuesday!
Here are some "presents" Holden made for Turner, Ryan and me. He is now sitting for what are very long periods of time for him (like more than 30 minutes!) and writing out words and coloring! I just love to see how he is changing and growing from preschool. So he sounded these out with no help.
From L to R: Mommy, Brother, Dad, and Dude (the last two were both for Ryan).

Oh, and PS, after two weeks of very good behavior, his teacher thinks that he has really turned a corner and is getting into the swing of being in preschool! Thank you for all your prayers!

365.142: Shenanigans

This is the surprise party that Holden made for me. He screamed surprise when I walked intot he room, then blew his whistle. I think what really surprised me most was the 50 napkins he had completely unfolded and laid out to wrap my "present."

365.141: Gianna Jessen

I'm not always super outspoken about my pro-life stance, mostly because there is so much hate associated with the historic actions of pro-lifers. I believe in life, all life; and attempting to ruin the life of the expectant mother, or even doctor at a clinic, seems a little counter-productive and hypocritical, don't you think? Plus, I get really riled up thinking about how pro-lifers rant and rave to save the lives of unborn children, then want to turn a blind eye to the overwhelming poverty around them. Poverty which almost always involves children. If you want to save a life, shouldn't you also be pro-active in ensuring that life doesn't turn out to be miserable?
And abortion takes not only the life of the baby, but also the life of the mother. Whether we want to believe it or not, women are hurt and broken, and lose a piece of themselves, when they have an abortion.

Sorry for the soapbox. I'm finished now.

I watched this video on Facebook this morning of a woman who is an abortion survivor speaking to the Parliament in Australia. I just loved almost everything she had to say. Especially the part about women's rights.






After watching this, I prayed about it, and came up with this declaration for my life (one of many):

I am a women's rights activist. I protect women who are not yet born. And I also protect the confused, hurting women who are considering abortion from a lifetime of guilt, regret, and brokenness that comes along with that choice.

365.140: Small Town Living

The longer that I'm in Waco, the more good things I find about living in a small town. Of course, there are the downsides, too. Since I am a lover of lists, here are the pros and cons about Waco.
(I'll start with the cons so we can end on a good note!)

Cons

• The local Top 40 radio station here has the worst DJ's. I loved the Bert Show in Atlanta. Maybe nothing will ever compare...
• Sticking with local media, the newscasters here are the kids right out of college, working for the first time in a tiny market, which means a lot of funny mistakes, but mostly It's just painful to watch. Like this girl:
  
• No Trader Joe's! (Boo hiss, Waco. Boo hiss.)
  
• There is a grocery store monopoly here by H-E-B. Never heard of it? I hadn't either before we moved here. There are quite a few grocery stores in Waco, they are just all this same chain. And while I haven't always been the biggest proponent of the benefits of capitalism, I sure would like some grocery shopping options!

Pros

• We save so much money on gas! It never takes more than a couple minutes to get anywhere. If someone lives "really far away" in Waco, expect a 15 minute drive.
• Going along with the everything-is-close notion, I love that when you're meeting for lunch and someone says, "Let's meet at Chick-fil-A," you don't have to ask which one!
• Everyone is so friendly and willing to carry on an extended conversation at any point.
• I love the downtown area of Waco. It is really cute, albeit quiet.
• I love living so close to the Brazos River, with all its charming bridges, and lined by Cameron Park.

• I know you've heard it before, but the Children's Museum and the Cameron Park Zoo here are amazing places to take the boys!
• But, undoubtedly, the best part about Waco is all the amazing people we've met and the great work God is doing in our lives through them!
  

365.139: Fasting

As I am learning more and more about fasting from leaders at Elevate, the book God's Chosen Fast, and from God himself through scripture, I just keep coming back to Isaiah 58. Check out what God says to his people in verses 4 and 6-7:

"What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.
No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.
Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives that need your help."

365.138: Art

I recently painted this for a friend.
Thought I'd share.

365.137: Birthday Party Fun

Today we went to church and again, just hung out (are you seeing a pattern here?), then our Lifegroup came over this evening.

Holden has been wanting to have a birthday party for Clark and Esther, so we made cupcakes and sang a belated birthday song for Es and an early birthday song for Clark.




Turner hanging with Uncle Clark in the hammock.