Where did the time go?

Seriously… where did my little Karter Henry go?

He used to be little.

- He’s not little anymore.

He used to need me to carry him up the steps, because his little legs couldn’t climb.

- Now I can barely carry him at all.

He used to want me to rock him to sleep, and I loved every second of it.

- Now he goes to bed and I listen through the monitor as he and Brody talk and plan and dream.

He used to want to be up on my lap.

- OK, so he still likes to cuddle with me, but he barely fits on my lap!

Where did the time go?

Tomorrow I will bring Karter to preschool. He’s scared and nervous, and he wants me to stay. Or at least that’s what he says today. I am so excited for this season of his life. I know that he will love it. I just wish he wasn’t nervous.

God, thank you for two beautiful children. Thank you for each minute you have given us. Please help me to recognize just how truly blessed I am! And please, please protect them. Amen.

Our House

Here’s what our house looked like after the storm last July:

Well, folks… just shy of a year later, here’s what it looks like now:

We’re not quite done yet. We are hoping to re-shingling the parts that haven’t yet been re-shingled, but you know… it’s all about budgets. The roof is still doing it’s job, so it’s OK if it waits another year. We also still need to paint the foundation, but you know… it’s not a race.

I must say, though… I love how the house turned out. Ron Britt (married to my cousin Andrea) did the work on the outside of the house, and he did a wonderful job!

Pictures of changes to the inside of the house to come soon…

Mark It Down, Folks

Wednesday, July 6, 2011. This is a very important date in our house. Yes, it’s true. Last night, nearly an entire year after our house was hit by a tornado, I went up to my boys’ room, read them two books, said prayers with them, tucked them in their beds and walked out of their room… and they were still awake. They talked, played, yelled for me, and played some more. Then… finally… they went to sleep.

Have I mentioned how excited I am about this?

What? You haven’t heard from me in a REALLY long time? What? You want to see pictures of the boys? OK, fine.

But, just let me say it again… my kids went to sleep on their own last night.

Here they are…

I love them.

The Polka Dot Chair: Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

I'm entering a contest on a blog that I just started reading. Check it out:


The Polka Dot Chair: Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!: "Today Sew Mama Sew is holding their annual giveaway day! If you are new here, Hello!! I hope that you will 'poke around' a bit and find som..."

Thinking in Song

Do you ever think you’re living the words of a song? Like you almost know how your story will end, because you know the final verse of a certain song? Sunday night I had the chance to sing in our church. This is something that I just LOVE to do. Let me tell you, many times over the last few years, I feel like these are the words to my life’s song.

Blessings by Laura’s Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home,
It's not our home

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

(Here’s a link to her singing it: Blessings - Laura's Story)

That’s not meant to sound like I’m feeling sorry for myself, or anything even close to that. What I’m actually saying is that I’m so thankful to be at a point in my life that I can look back on some crazy, rough, scary, sad, what I thought was horrible times… and thank God for each of them. I would be nothing without Him, and He knows exactly what I need.

Father God, thank you for writing each verse in the song of my life. Thank you for each blessing, each tear, each sleepless night.

”What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy”