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!}

 

One.

When I was in Africa last winter, I was so incredibly overwhelmed at the need.  

So many orphans.  So much poverty.  So much injustice. 

What could I do?  What difference could one person make?

Well, I came to the conclusion after just 2 weeks in Africa: a lot.

To the one little boy that had been dropped off at the orphanage by his father that couldn't care for him, I could make a big difference. 

I could hold him, and tell him that I loved him and that Jesus did too.

I could show him, for the first time in his life, the love of a mother, if even for just a few days.

I could rub his cheek and dry his tears, and sing and play and clap.

x
To the precious 11 year old boy that had been strangled by his step-mom, I could talk with him, show him how to mold things with play-doh for the first time ever, build with legos.

I could tell him that his life is valuable.

To the 15-year-old girl dying of AIDS, I could hang out with her for the day, doing teenage-girly stuff like painting nails and doing hair and fixing her sewing machine.

Helping her feel like a typical teenage girl for just a day.

I couldn't make a difference for millions, but I could make a difference for one.

Although the need is still overwhelming, I've decided that not acting because of the need being so great decreases the value of an individual life.  

Sure, I probably can't make a difference for millions of orphans, but

I CAN make a difference for ONE.  

Whether it's an orphaned child in Sub-Saharan Africa or the elderly woman at church who could use loaf of banana bread and an afternoon visit, ONE person can be reached.

One life at a time, I can help.

WE can  help.

Siblings.

My Heart. 

Walking around on 4 cute little legs.

grant owen. {4 1/2}       grace abigail. {2}

First Roller Coaster

Vacation.

It's a fabulous word.

We're staying low-key this "vacation" week -

while enjoying some sweet family time

and fun things in the our own hometown city.

{all the while letting everyone sleep in their own beds at night,

including the just-turned-2-year-old who absolutely will.not.sleep. elsewhere}

Here's Grant

(4 1/2)

and his first roller coaster.

Enjoy.  

Pool Party

It's Wednesday.

And we celebrated the fact that Grant got his hair wet for the first time at swim lessons.

{also known as going under water!}

So, complete with still-damp swim trunks, 
we ate frozen yogurt with every topping imaginable.

My fave?

{low fat} cheesecake frozen yogurt.

with just a few chocolate chips.

Gracie just wanted to eat the spuh-inkles.

And for the super swimmer?

Cake batter frozen yogurt. 

with lots and lots of sprinkles.

and m & m's.

and maybe just a few gummy bears

{because the gummy bears will help me swim real fast tomorrow, mommy!}

{I've had a headache that I just can't shake  for the past couple of days,}

so it was a great, great day to celebrate Grant's swim success with some sweet treats.

 I'm just l-o-v-i-n-g this summer so far.

with long, lazy days. 

lots of sand, laughing, running, swimming, and sun.

it's these days that I start to miss  almost before they're even over.

love, love, love little kids and long summer days.

{feeling thankful and blessed tonight! hope you are, too.}

Our Week

{in cell phone pictures}

{clockwise}

::a beautiful coffee table that I am absolutely in.love.with that Matt found a killer deal on at the Pottery Barn Outlet in Ohio.
Seriously, my husband loves me.
a lot.
He spent about an hour texting me photos from the Pottery Barn store...
even photos of serving platters! seriously, true love.::

{not sure I'm in love with the coffee table in the sunroom, though. 
WDYT? too big for the room?}

::a huuuuge pile of sand that Grant and friends had so.much.fun.sliding down::

::the above mentioned friends eating breakfast {waffles, blueberries & yogurt} at our house.  we had these sweet friends for an evening and morning, and we all had a blast. truly! I've  wanted lots of kids for a long time now,
and these 2 sweet girls just sealed the deal for me!
Who knows what the Lord has for our family, but I'd take a tableful::

::kitchen table set for an evening with friends.  Lots of pasta, salad, bread, and good coffee::

And my favorite of the week.

grace.

This sweet {and oh-so-spunky!} just-turned-2 year old carried this flower through the Lowe's entire garden department.  Really, could she get cuter?  

My heart, walking around with 2 legs, carrying a zinnia.

Happy Friday! And Happy Weekend!

Linking up with Life Rearranged's InstaFridays!

Protective Brother

We went to play at the huge, new, way fun playground for the first time this afternoon.

Standing at the top of the super-twisty, enclosed, very-high slide, you know what the {slightly concerned} Grant told his sister?

 "You go first, Gracie".

More than Soccer

Grant.

{my favorite four-year-old}.

He takes a weekly soccer class that he loves.

{loooooooves!}

He loves to kick and run and throw and run some more and then run some more!

{Mommy watch this I'm going to run sooo fast even faster than Coach Ben!}

Today was the last day of the spring session, 

and at the end of the class Coach Ben spoke with me.
He recommended Grant move up into the 

{invitation only!}

advanced 4 year old soccer class.

Yes, I know it's "just" a 4-year-old soccer class.

But, this is my sweet, sweet four-year-old.

My sweet child who, just five months ago, was lying on the couch complaining his legs hurt.
all.day.long.

Who woke up in the morning shuffling like an 80-year-old man.

Who started to refuse to walk his legs hurt him so badly.

 In my original post about Grant, I said we were praying that if juvenile rheumatoid arthritis were indeed the diagnosis, the Lord would protect him.

Five months later, he's kicking and throwing and running!

{Willingly, happily, and, apparently, well!}

My momma heart is happy tonight,

and I'm praising our Sovereign Lord for His protection over Grant and His provision for Grant's medical care.

And I'm going to keep on praying so that, Lord willing, 

Grant can keep on kicking and running.

{maybe, someday, even faster than Coach Ben!}.

Home.

I spent a wonderful afternoon yesterday at my parent's house.

The still live in the same town where I grew up.

There's just something so...nice...about going home.

The kiddos splashed in wading pools, 

and the overly-loved family dog was given enough water for several days.

My dad fixed fabulous afternoon Sundae snacks, and my mother had a special kid supper.

And my dad loaded me up with Diet Coke for the trip home.

20 Years from now, I hope Grant and Grace

{and perhaps a few more!}

will love visiting as much as I do.

Matt and I will do everything our parents do for us.

{favorite foods, favorite drinks, toys and activities ready for the grandkids}.

It's been a great start to the summer around here!

Hope yours has started well, too.

3 Hours. 3 Dollars.

Friends!

Meet Anika. 

 

http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorfreeland

She's just adorable, isn't she??

She is orphan in Eastern Europe.

But, through God's divine plan, she has found her forever family.

And her forever family is headed to meet her soon!

Can you imagine?  

This sweet, sweet girl, living with no parents, in potentially heart-wrenching institutional conditions, is going to MEET her mommy and daddy for the very first time very, very soon!

Would you be a part of her journey home?

My friend Love, who the Lord used to lead me to Africa, found out about Anika and Love is now trying to help get her home.


Love is asking all of us to give $3.

That's it. Seriously! 

three bucks.
That's cheaper than my Starbucks order!

Would you consider giving the $3 to Anika's fund?
Think of all the ways you could spend three dollars.
Would you consider being a part of helping an orphan find her family?
To help her family GET HER HOME?

It may not feel like a lot, but it every.single.dollar. adds.up. 

When you click on the link under Anika's photo above, there is a paypal link.

May seem so insignificant, but this is truly life-changing for this orphan.

three dollars.  click now!

And then go to Love's blog and leave a comment, where you'll be entered to win a super, super cute purse.

AND 

come back to HERE and leave a comment that you donated your three dollars to
Anika's forever family,

and I will pick a random person to win a super cute African beaded bracelet.

Donate by midnight Sunday night (central time) for your entry here.

Orphan care is so, so close to my heart.   Will you join me?

Memorial Day

Thank-you.

It does not seem enough for all of the men and women who have served our country.

Who have gone overseas.

Who have endured so much training.

Who have witnessed horrors unspeakable.

Who have left brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, wives, children at home.

Who have risked their lives.

So that we can live in a country that lets my husband freely go to work.

Work in a Bible-believing church.

So that we can live in a country where we can pray openly.

without fear of governmental intervention.

Where we can simply live our lives - our very blessed lives.

With our own brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and children.

But, on this beautiful, hot Memorial Day.

I DO say thank-you. 

To all of our past and present military.

And on a very personal level,

thank-you to my own dad.

Thank-you for serving in a war that wasn't applauded in  the homeland.

thank-you for your bravery, courage, and service.

I have always, always been proud that you are a veteran.

And always, always will be.

 

My dad and myself. Easter 2011