Diet Coke Break.

This beautiful girl is napping.

So I take a break from the laundry and toys that await.

And sit down with a Diet Coke and my Bible.

For we need Him, don't we?

so much.

And I read about how 

He satisfies me with good so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's.

and I pray that the Lord will work justice and righteousness for a very special friend who's in Uganda right now trying to bring her 2 sweet boys home. and home soon.

I praise the Lord that He is mericful and gracious.

That he does not deal with me according to my sins.

and that His Love is steadfast.

{psalms 103}

And a few pages over, 

I am challenged by the Woman of Proverbs 31.

She dresses herself with strength. 

She reaches her hands to the poor.

and she laughs at the time to come.

So.much.confidence in the Lord that she can laugh at the days ahead.

In my head, I picture her envisioning the future.  

smiling, shaking her head.

saying, 

Okay, Lord.  It's all yours.  

We are in your hands.  

Whatever you have for us, we will walk humbly. 

Your will be done.

I pray I can say the same. 

that my confidence in this Lord of ours will.not.be.shaken.

Even if the days ahead include more health crises like, um, toxic shock.

juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

words like leukemia. spinal tap. sepsis.

and thus I know that I can laugh at the days ahead.

For our Lord holds them.

and we are 

in

His

Hands.

Four year olds and tonsillectomies.

It's kinda been a long few weeks around our house, folks. 

Grant and Matt, walking into the 8 a.m. surgery.

So, all my dear friends,

why in the WORLD did none of you warn me how hard a tonsillectomy can be 

before our sweet four-year-old underwent surgery?

I kinda had lots of friends whose kids were

playing at the park

the day after surgery.

we.were.not.

Our poor Grant was miserable.

Apparently his pain medicine wasn't working well enough, 

and he was becoming super super dehydrated.

We did the best we could keeping him comfortable and drinking enough

{but still came *this close* to being back in the hospital.}

 But, we made it.  
Even if we kinda haven't left the house for like, 2 weeks straight
{except maybe for the McDonald's drive-through window for 2 large coffees and 4 of these to get us through until one of us could actually go to the store!}

 And then, just as Grant was half-way feeling better
{better enough to at least sit on the couch and watch TV and not just in his bed all day}


this one got sick.

So we really haven't left the house in awhile.

But, ya know? 
I still love this life with little kids. 
I mean, my heart just aches for them when they're sick,
and I've cried my share of tears over both of them the past several weeks.

But I still love this life of a stay-at-home momma. 
{even when I've worn the same running pants for days
and go through a drive-through just for milk!}

I soak in every time Gracie wraps her sweet little arms around my neck and says "hug it!"
{as I close my eyes and try to remember that feeling forever}.

every time Grant wants me to play with him. 

or watch {curious} George with him.  

or watch him run fast fast fast on his bike!  

every time Grace comes zooming down the hallway saying "whunning!" 

as she leaps into my arms.  

 

Every time she buries her head into me at 2 in the morning, secure in her momma's arms.

every time, I try to slow down time for just a moment, 

because I know that though the days can be long, the years are so, so short.

Even during the midst of the roughest tonsillectomy recovery ever,

I'm so thankful to be at home with them.

That He chose them for us.

So thankful to be loving on, playing with, laughing with, 

and praying with the sweetest kids in the world, all day. 

 

 

And, right now? 

so, so thankful that we now at least have 50% of our {current} kiddos' with out tonsils.

 

--------------------------

 

"...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me..."

Matthew 25:40

Tonsillectomy and JRA issues

This is pretty much how we're feeling about

juvenile rheumatoid arthritis 

these days.

our favorite-four-year old...

...is getting his {crazy huge, thought-to-be-fatigue-causing} tonsils out this Friday.

His consult with the ENT

{who has a special place in our medical lives 

after diagnosing Grace with toxic shock syndrome in May!}

went really well.

Until he saw on the chart that Grant has received the official JRA diagnosis.

and that he takes a NSAID 3x/daily.

And we realized that a NSAID carries increased bleeding risks.

Which, clearly, we do not want going into surgery.

So, for the next {at least} two weeks,

Grant will be JRA-medicine-free.

{I'm already feeling the need to ask you to pray for us!}

We accidentally missed two out of 5 doses of Grant's medicine a few weeks ago.

And Grant's knees immediately were swollen, warm, and painful.

He was extraordinarily fatigued.

and back to complaining of leg pain.

So, this momma is understandably a bit hesitant going into two weeks of zero arthritis medicine.

Our rheumatologist has given us a few options if worse comes to worse

but it'd mean steroids.

So, we're praying for the miraculous.

and also praying for Divine kindness, patience, and understanding 

in the mean time.

So our favorite-four-year-old can {as quickly as possible!}

get back to his happy, easy-going, mud-loving self.

Thank-you, again, for praying with us.  

------------

I've asked for prayer for Grant so much on this little blog world of mine.

Can I pray for you?

Leave a comment with your prayer request, and I will pray for it, regularly, over the next several weeks as I pray for Grant and his JRA and tonsillectomy.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace,

that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

Blueberry Lemon Streusel Bars

I spent Gracie's naptime today baking.

Move into our neighborhood, and you'll get these.

 New Neighbors. New Friends.

{who happens to like to run and has kids our kids' ages}.

And that was my Tuesday. 

A quick grocery run. Making blueberry bars. 

Meeting new neighbors.

Playing with kids. 

Folding a few {dozen loads of} laundry.

Laughing over orange popsicles.
Racing on our bikes.

It was a very, very good Tuesday.

Love an Orphan.

Luke 15 tells us a story of sheep.

Of a shepherd leaving 99 sheep in the pasture...

to find the ONE that's missing.

  

Our Savoir cares for us.

so very much.

deeply, personally.

Which, after visiting Ug@nda in February, I have to trust in.

That He truly does care for each and every child.

Each and every orphan. 

that sleep and eat and play like this. 

 

I trust...

That HE is the Father of the Fatherless.

That HE sets the lonely in families.

Psalm 68

and as I trust that HE cares for each.and.every 147 million orphans,

we do everything we can on this side of Heaven.

we advocate, support, and tangibly show the love of Christ to them.

We can't reach all of those 147 million,

but we can try to help one.  or two.  or a few.

Because that ONE sheep is worth it.

That one life...

We will leave our pasture, our comfort, 

to find, help, protect.
to Love.

As we pray about what type of orphan care the Lord has for us in the future

{adoption, more trips, sponsorship}

right now we are selling these beautiful Ug@ndan bead necklaces and bracelets.

 

 

 

Each and every one was made by an Ug@ndan woman,

who sells them to pay for her children's schooling.

As you by a necklace or bracelet, 

you support her.

Her children.

AND you support orphans.

All of the proceeds go towards orphan care.

AND you get a super cute necklace or bracelet.

or both. 

 

 

in this photo I'm wearing 3 bracelets together - super cute layered.

 

 

I wear them all the time and always get compliments.

You can buy a necklace
($20, including shipping)

or bracelet 
($8, including shipping)

by clicking the paypal link . 


And, in buying a necklace or bracelet, you truly help find that ONE sheep.
You help that ONE orphan know he is loved.


Thank-you for loving the fatherless with us.

Awareness.

July was Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Month.

As the month has gone on, and Grant got the "official" diagnosis,

 I've thought a lot about how our lives have changed since he started having JRA symptoms.

My normal laid-back self flinches at Grant rubbing his legs. 

When he looks more tired than usual, I start praying.  

and analyzing.  

Did he just go to bed too late? Or is the inflammation returning?

I glance at his knees when he's in shorts and find myself comparing for swollen-ness.

He's had more blood draws than a 4 year old should, 

and knows way too much about doctor's visits.

{she's going to wiggle my arms mommy! Then I'll walk down the hall really fast!}

However, all in all, the Lord has protected our sweet Grant over the past several months.

 my heart still cringes at what the diagnosis could have been.

Praising the Lord for a very manageable, very treatable disease!

And, after spending time at a very high-tech children's hospital,

I'm so much more aware of health issues in children now.

How if a kid is kinda cranky in Sunday School class,

they may not just be being difficult.

They may have awakened with swollen joints and 

pain beyond what a child should know.

How if a friend seems kind of flustered and overwhelmed,

her inside may be aching for her child.  

Even if the prognosis is good, 

seeing speciality doctors and super-tech hospitals is a lot to process.

Awareness.

Awareness that we all deal with our own difficulties.

That there's more to everyone than what we see.

And awareness leads to compassion.

Compassion for hurting kids.

Hurting mommas.

Awareness that we all, 

{4-year-olds with arthritis, 80-year-olds with heart disease}

need help, healing, and hope.

Hope for this life.

and eternity.

...I have put my hope in the Living God, who is the Savior of all men...

I Timothy 4:10

Happy Weekend

We started ours off with homemade guacamole, roasted veggies, and marinated flank steak.

Fajitas!

Today I'm cleaning around the house, enjoying family time, 

and hoping a feverish Gracie gets better.

soon.

 

Hope your weekend started off well, too!

Our week.

Happy Friday!

Our week.

{in cell phone pictures!}

Loving LOFT's sale racks right now.

{taking photos for BFF approval}

And Pottery Barn Kids' sale racks!

{only lived 2 years with out a bed skirt on our Sweet Girl's bed.  

Who knew how much better it would look with one?}

How the Sweet Girl and I made it through a grocery trip.

{Yes, those are froot loops. The girl loves them. Seriously. loves a little too much}.

And, from the grocery trip.

"As is" should not appear on meat.

And Grant.

  Our sweet, enthusiastic, easy-going 4-year-old.

  

Who now officially has Systemic Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. 

After months of doctor appointment, blood work, x-rays,

and a whole lot of prayer,

it seemed a bit anti-climatic to get the official diagnosis from the doctor.

But, we know now how to pray better,

and are thankful that this diagnosis didn't include previously-said words like leukemia.

{oh, my!}

On a positive note, 

Grant has no more swelling in any of his joints!

Full mobility in wrists and ankles!

{for the first time since our original appointment in February!}

and a 50% chance of remission.

Yes. Please, Lord, remission.

Praying.

Grant.

Many of you have followed Grant's journey over the past several months. 

Praying with us for protection and healing from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Today we have a routine appointment with the pediatric rheumatologist.

{Really, after months of hearing spinal tap and abnormal in medical conversations about Grant, 

nothing really feels truly routine for this momma!}

We're expecting good news, praying for good news.

But a part of my momma's heart always get a bit nervous walking into a 

super-super-high-tech children's hopsital.  

with MY child.  

seeing bald babies pulled in wagons, 

I hold Grant's hand a bit tighter, pray a bit harder, and walk to the doctor's office a bit faster.

We've really had a great two months with him.

The NSAID is working!

The fatigue is almost completely gone.

He's only complained of leg pain on a couple of occassions 

{when we've accidentally missed one of the three-times-daily doses, or when it's raining}

And there's been very little swelling in his knees.

As I tell the doctor all of this, I pray for good news.

And, as always, I pray for Grant's heart to be protected.

Physically. Emotionally.

Spiritually.

Cow Love.

Gracie.

She's a sweet, sweet 2-year-old.

And a serious animal-lover.

{Last year at the fair, we had to *leave* the horse how because Grace was laughing so much that she was disrupting the contestants!}

So, her reaction to seeing these furry animals at the local county fair this year?

 

Priceless.

 

Pancakes

Summer is in full-swing in our household.

Lots of playdates, parks, water, bike-riding, sand...

loving every minute of it.

Although I love to cook,

{seriously, love it!}

summertime is just made for easy meals, isn't it? 

That we can be playing outside and come in and eat quickly?

So, pancakes it was for dinner last night.

{It's kind of our favorite-four-year-old's favorite.}

And the two year old?  She just loves to eat whatever anyone else is eating.

{See how she's not in her chair? Other people's food is always better, apparently}

 

When we were first married, I couldn't make pancakes.

{Well, honestly, I couldn't make a lot of things!  On our honeymoon I took an hour and a half to make breakfast for us once. It may have been the first time ever I fried bacon}.

I learned a lot of cooking quickly, but pancakes, well, I almost always burned them.

Almost 10 years and one four-year-old pancake-lover later,

 I have a killer pancake recipe.  

{ya know, if I do say so myself!}.

I'll post the recipe for you tomorrow

{after I, the momma of a crazed-teething-2-year-old, sleep!}.

For now, here's one of my favorite pictures of late.  

{even with Gracie in all of her straggly, end-of-the-day-hair-in-eye glory}.

Grace climbed up onto Grant's chair to eat with him, and Grant started to give her a zerbert.

{where he blows on her cheek really fast and makes a weird noise}

Grace was completely cracking up,

and then she picked up one of Grant's pancakes to try to do the same to it.

They seriously were cracking up, and thankfully I had my camera close.

{and the battery charged. which like, never happens.}

Love these 2!

{see how Gracie's right eye is all crinkled up?  She's smiling behind that pancake!}

It's 2 o'clock Tuesday afternoon...

And I am tired.

We've been busy errand-ing and cleaning and playing and 

in general doing life with small kids this morning.

I love it all.

and wouldn't change it for the world.

but I really am tired today. 

{yawn}. 

 So since this girl is down for a nap...

 and I'm off to play legos and SuperStructs! with Grant, 

these...

M&M's. Diet Coke. Seriously a good combo.

...were oh-so-worth the 105 calories this afternoon.

{wake up, Anna!}