Summer Update

This summer has not been at all what I thought it would be like. After our trip, things have been happening at a whirlwind pace. First of all, we got home from the road trip with Uncle David and Aunt Wanda. Three days later we were in the road again to visit Sarah in North Carolina.

I completely forgot about throwing Jeremy a birthday party... I know, I am an awful mom. Well, we ended up throwing a last minute family party with just the family (including the Blessings and the Naylors). Jeremy was upset that all of his friends from school weren't there, but he had fun anyway. I will do better next year... I promise!

So, my mom's house has been on the market since the beginning of the year. It is officially under contract now. She is going to buy our house and we are now looking for somewhere to live. We close on her house August 6th and on ours August 9the So in the meantime we are all going to be one big happy family until we find somewhere to live.

School will be starting all too quickly and we've barely had time to enjoy the summer. Speaking of school, we hadn't registered Jeremy for school yet because we don't know where we will be living. I've been a little worried about it, but my prayer has been that God would make it clear where He wants Jeremy to go to school. I decided last Friday to go to the school we are already zoned for and just register him. Of course, I didn't have all my paperwork, so I had to wait until Monday. Friday afternoon in the mail we got a letter from Florida High. We had written this school off since he didn't get in in April, but we were excited when Jeremy got in. He was excited until he figured out that this is the "Seminoles school" and he is a Gators fan.

So, there is my update. My explanation for my lack of blogging. I am sitting here surrounded by boxes and cellophane. No pictures on the walls. No china in the cabinets. We are going to need a lot of prayer for the next few months.

The Lord's Prayer

Jeremy's class says the Lord's Prayer at lunch time. He is so excited that he has learned it and wants to say it at any opportunity (especially for an audience!) It makes me happy that he loves learning about God and prayer!

Father's Day at Suwannee

This was a really quick trip that we didn't have time to plan. But when we don't have any plans for the weekend it must be time to go to the Suwannee. Here are a couple pictures from our trip.
Papa even took a turn on the jet ski with Rachael driving. Papa showing off his big muscles for Father's day. This one really made me laugh.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours

The virgin birth is more than a Christmas story; it is a picture of how close Christ will come to you... Where will God go to touch the world? Look deeper within Mary for an answer. Better still, look deep within yourself. He issues a Mary-level invitiation to all his children. Christ grew in Mary until he had to come out. Christ will grow in you until the same occurs. He will come out in your speech, in your actions, in your decisions. Every place you live will be a Bethlehem, and every day you live will be a Christmas. You, like Mary, will deliver Christ into the World.
-Next Door Savior, Max Lucado

Merry Christmas from Joey, Elaine and Jeremy!

Taking a cast off is so easy a Mimi could do it...

We made it through five very long weeks in a cast, and we have finally gotten it off! I am so proud of my little monster for never complaining through 36 days worth of baths and not being able to jump strait into the pool. (Although, it really seemed like we were getting off easy with the cast cover.)Jeremy was really excited to have Mimi their to help take his cast off. My mom was running late to meet us, so I asked if we "could wait on Mimi to take the cast off." So when Mimi showed up, he handed my mom the saw and said that since we waited on her, she could take it off.

And she really did help take it off.

I was really supprised that Jeremy's arm wasn't nasty and scale-y, and it really wasn't pail, but their were spots where he must have been tanner and that skin wore off. I guess the few times when he got the cast really wet and we had to vacuum it out kind of helped keep it clean.
The x-rays show that we are right on target. His arm is healing, although it is not completely healed yet.

Blueberry Picking Pie

Ingredients:

5 cups sugar-y sweet kids

3 cups good mommy friends

1 acre blueberry bushes

1.5 lbs blueberries (in Hopers tummy)

5 lbs blueberries (for everyone else)

Mix all ingredients and bake at 96 degrees for two hours.

No Thank You, God

Today in the car on the way home from school it started to rain. I've taught Jeremy that God made the rain to water the flowers. So, Jeremy say saying "Thank you, God, for the rain." Then he stopped and said, "but, no thank you!"

I thought it was sweet. At least he is being polite to God, right?

Potty Success!

Yesterday was an exciting day in our household. It was the very first day that Jeremy made it ALL DAY without an accident! I know most of you are probably thinking, "big deal." But I just got to have a full day of no soggy pull ups and no cleaning up little wet spots on the floor. That is a really exciting day for me! So, to celebrate, I gave Jeremy a new Cars car.

Beautiful day

Today is a beautiful day!

A hairy conversation

Today in the car, Jeremy was talking to himself as usual.
"Mommy, wook! I have hair on my arm." he said enthusiastically.
"Yes baby, you have hair on your arm and so does mommy." I replied.
"Why?" Is new response to everything.
"That is how God made us.! I said, "Why don't you ask God why."
Jeremy thought for a minute and started praying. "Dear God, thank you for your hair on mommy's arms. Amen!"

Is it all worth it?

In short....
the answer is YES!

God Made the Rain

Of all the things a parent can teach their kid, teaching them about God is the most important! So, it is amazing when you know that they just get it. I have been teaching Jeremy about God making the rain, plants, animals and even him, and then today right after nap time it started thundering and lightning. Jeremy looked at me and said, "God make a rain!" His little two year old brain understands that someone named God, who mommy and daddy say loves him, made the rain, so it will be ok.

Now, if I can just explain to him that Monsters, Inc is just a movie.