Another Happy Birthday To You….

To my firstborn on his birthday…

Twelve years ago today, when those nurses finally laid you in my arms, I wasn’t the least bit scared or intimidated.  In fact, if anyone would have asked me if I knew what I was in for, I would have confidently reassured them that I knew what I was doing.  Thank goodness I am not so young and naive anymore.  Nathanael, in many ways, you have been the teacher as your Daddy and I have learned to be parents.  So is the role of the first born, I guess.  You get to be the guinea pig, and I know I couldn’t have hand picked a better one if I’d had the chance. 

There are so things to celebrate about you as we look back over these past twelve years.  First of all, I don’t know another young man with such amazing character.  This doesn’t mean you’re perfect, of course.  (Remember?… No one is!)  You make wise decisions most of the time, and when you don’t…you learn quickly from mistakes you make.  (Which turns out being another wise decision in the long run)      You are conscientious and caring.  Gentle and kind.  Strong and protective.  (Anna E. is right to choose you as the brother to be with when she wants to “be safe.”)  More than that, you have such a heart for God.  You are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and you are strongly planted in your convictions.  3 John 1:4 is right on when it says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”  Keep it up, baby.  And remember, when you fall – just get back up and keep pushing forward. 

All your life, I’ve waited in gleeful anticipation to see “what you would do next.”  I couldn’t wait to feed you solid food.  I couldn’t wait for you to sit up.  To walk.  To get your first tooth.  To ride a bike.  To read.  To play t-ball.  To lose your first tooth.  To receive your first special award.  To crash your first car.   To sit behind the wheel for the first time. :)  You have the pleasure of being my child who gets all “the firsts” documented in detail.  Unfortunately, I know my time for witnessing that list is getting shorter and shorter with each passing year.  Still, I can’t wait.  You have your whole life in front of you and the world is yours for the taking.  Go do something amazing.  Have fun.  Laugh.  Cry.  Make a difference.  And remember, you don’t have to wait to be a “grown up” to be a world changer.  You can do it now, at twelve.  Happy Birthday, baby.  I love you more than you’ll ever, ever know.        ~Mom

From Dad:

Nate, What can I say about my firstborn?  Your mom and I always talk about how we will not be surprised by anything you accomplish in this life.  When I look at you, I see a hope and a future for our country, our family’s legacy, and the Kingdom of God.  Your love for your Savior – and the maturity of your relationship with Him at such a young age, blows my mind.  I want to encourage you to continue to be bold in your faith.  If you do so, our God will take you on the greatest adventure.  An adventure that does not promise ease, but promises a life with meaning - lives impacted for Christ’s sake. 

“Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity - show yourself an example of those who believe”    1 Timothy 4:11 

Thank you for teaching me, for loving me unconditionally, and I am so thankful we share like passions.  You rock my face off

Nathanael and his favorite Strawberry Cake. Didn't have twelve candles, so we settled for 1 and 2. (That's for 12; not 3!)

Swim Lesson Success

My dear sweet Anna E. finished up her private swim lessons yesterday.  I am in complete and utter amazement at the miracle that transpired in one weeks time.  She can successfully swim under water and finished off her session by doing cannonballs off the diving board.  Solo.  We went to the neighborhood pool with some friends yesterday afternoon and I was shocked to look up and see Anna E. walking to the diving board to continue her practice there.  The swim to the side of the pool in 10 foot deep water was quite a bit more lengthy in this pool, so I was a little more than nervous when her feet left the board and a loud “cowabunga” escaped her lips.  No worries though.  She bobbed right back up, and proceeded to swim to the side of the pool using her breaststroke arms and flutter kicks.  She’s got it! 

A sight I thought I may never see

 

Scary Goggles; Confident Smile

Cannonball!!! (Not an easy picture to get)

 Luke’s next…if he can ever get out of diapers!!!  (Keep praying, Miss Pam!!!)

A1c’s and Other Woes

Monday morning I took Philip for his quarterly appointment with his Endocrinologist.  He is a leader in the field of Pediatric Endocrinology/Diabetology; his wife is the former PTO president of the kid’s elementary school, and they live right down the street.  (Not that we abuse that privilege by banging on the door at 2 am if we have a scary blood sugar reading).  (Although I would be lying if I said the thought hadn’t crossed my mind).  Dr. Rodriguez, along with his wife and two kiddos, spent half the week at camp with Philip (not actually with Philip, but at the same facility).   They are such a great family, and we feel extremely blessed to have such an amazing doctor helping to care for our son. 

Anywho…I was a little worried going into the appointment that we were going to see a higher A1c reading on Philip.  A1c is a test that shows the average blood glucose levels in a patient over a two to three month time frame.  In essence, it shows how well you (or your parent) is handling diabetes treatment.  A normal person (remember, normal  is relative) would have an A1c reading of 4-6%.  A great reading for Philip would be 7-8%.  Monday, he was over 10%.  Can I just say, I felt like a complete and utter failure as a mother?  Because I did.  In between Philip coming out of his “honeymoon” stage, another bad round of asthma/allergies  and a broken hand in May, we have seen some crazy high numbers for Philip.  His target blood sugar range is 80-180.  Anytime his body is experiencing stress, his numbers will go up.  When he has a rush of adrenaline, his numbers go up.  When his mother isn’t doing a good job of increasing insulin to adjust to these situations, his numbers go up.  Needless to say, after seeing numbers in the three to five hundreds on a fairly regular basis, the lower two hundreds seem to not look that bad.  Unfortunately, that had probably been his average over the past couple of weeks, and it was still way too high.  I thought, when we sent him to camp, we would see a lot of lows on the report that showed all his numbers and insulin doses.  To my surprise, he only had two lows while he was there.  In fact, he ran pretty high during his week at camp as well.  (This makes me feel a little better because medical professionals were overseeing his treatment, not just some average mother who is a complete novice at determining correct dosage equations for insulin).  The fix?  More insulin.  Seems easy enough.  I will say, it has already made a huge difference in Philip’s activity level.  He was literally hurdling the chaise lounge in the living room tonight.  Actually, hurdling the chaise lounge stacked with an additional seven pillows on top.  He was flying through the air.  Driving me insane, flying through the air.  Making me think, “should I go back to school and become an orthopaedist so I can set all my children’s broken bones because I know he is going to break something doing this” while he was flying through the air.  I guess not having to deal with thick, sugary blood flowing through your system makes it much easier to do things like climb doorways, hurdle furniture, chase your younger siblings through the house while screaming at the top of your lungs, and not be able to hear your mom tell you the same thing over and over for the one hundredth time in one day.  I’m just guessing.  I love to see him full of life and full of energy, but I absolutely hate to see him deal with all the things he has to deal with each day.  I told him as we were leaving the hospital that I wish I could switch with him.  He said he was glad I couldn’t.  He “wouldn’t want anyone to have to go through this if they didn’t have to.”  Hopefully one day there will be a cure.  One day soon.

When Philip and I got home, Anna E. told me all about her first private swim lesson that I had missed.  How she went under water and got something off the bottom.  How she practiced her strokes – “no bending your arms, Momma!” and her kicks – bicycle and straight leg.  How it went by way too fast, so she couldn’t wait for tomorrow.  And, how her ears really hurt.  I figured we might as well make another trip to a medical facility, because you know if we don’t get our weekly quota of doctor’s office or hospital visits in, we might actually not have to take money out of savings this month,   have time to do more fun things like library visits or playtime at a park,  not know what to do with ourselves.  Turns out, Anna E. has “swimmers ear” and what may be the beginning of another ear infection.  We were told to stay out of the water for at least 24 hours - which was just great for the whole swim lesson thing, and our first day with temperatures over 90 degrees.  She did start on some ear drops so hopefully she can pick up where she left off on Wednesday, and maybe even squeeze in a make-up class sometime before the week ends.  I can’t wait to see her go under water and swim.  This is the same girl who wouldn’t go into water any deeper than her belly button a few short months ago.  I’m amazed!

In other news, we all made it out to Nathanael’s baseball team’s first tournament playoff game tonight.  Wayland coached, Nate manned the dugout – rooting on his teammates the entire time – giving high fives and knuckles with his brightly casted left hand.  Anna E., Luke, Philip and I all cheered them on as well – with a bit less enthusiasm.  It’s just not quite the same when one of your own kiddos isn’t playing.  Good news though – they won.  They’ll have another game on Thursday and the championship will be Saturday.  That will wrap up the 2009 Spring baseball season where Nathanael completed 0 practices and only 4 games.  (One and one half of those where he played with a broken bone).  What a season!  You can just imagine my reaction when he told me he wanted to play Fall Baseball starting in mid August.  It evidently doesn’t interfere with football, so he thinks it would be a great way to make up for all the playing he has missed so far.  Do you think I’m crazy for only picturing neon pink casts???

Our little Luker is keeping us all in stitches.  (Thankfully, I mean that figuratively and not literally)  I’m not sure I have ever known a child with such a funny personality.  You know, Proverbs says “a merry heart does good like a medicine.”  I guess Luke is our daily dose of slapstick serum.  From funny faces, to outlandish impressions; from witty one liners, to some seriously sick dance moves (I actually meant to type “slick,” but now that sick also means amazing, I think I like it better), Luke provides us all with some much needed laughter to our day.  I love to see all three big siblings gathered around him cracking up again and again over his same silly action.  What a treat!

Well, once again, I’ve blogged right up to the 2 am blood sugar check.  (Why do I do this???)  I’m praying for a great number and the ability to get as much sleep as possible before that alarm clock goes off in five hours. 

To Daddy With Love

I’ll only say a few quick words before I hand over the reigns to my four young-uns.  I can’t imagine anyone other than Wayland helping me raise our children.  Although we don’t always see eye to eye in every situation, we know the importance of a united front, and we are both dependant on God for His wisdom and guidance as we raise these precious gifts with which He has entrusted us.  My children know they have a daddy who loves them, and for that I am so very thankful. 

Luke says:  “A present for you is mac and cheese.  And for me.”

Anna E. says:  “I love you.  You’re the best dad.”

Philip:  “I love you so much, you’re the best. Don’t let the golf trip slip your mind.”

Nathanael:  “… the new #1 dad of America, Wayland Thompsssssoooonnnnn.  Way to go Dad, You’re #1 on my list and many others too.”

Daddy and His Baby

Snuggles With His Baby Girl

Two Cool Dudes

 

Just like old times

Sometimes I still can’t believe we are living this life, Wayland.  Who would’ve known, that all these many years past 7th grade, I’d be the one telling you thank you for being such a great dad to our kiddos?  I know I get upset sometimes when you play a little too rough with our babies…I guess the pictures prove you do a good amount of snuggling and loving on them as well.  Thank you. 

To Papa and Granddad… Hope you got your homemade cards and felt all the love we sent with them.  Thank you for being such great grandpas and loving fathers.  We are so thankful to have you in our lives.

Are You Sitting Down?

So, you wanted an update on the Thursday night double header.  Here goes.  Philip ended up NOT being able to play.  (League commissioner overruled head coach).  He was completely bummed.  So was I.  Oh well.  It was just the first of many disappointments of the evening. 

Nathanael was finally put on the line up to catch last night.  He was really excited and a little nervous.  It was the first game.  Third inning.  Nathanael was catching.  He called for a fast ball.  He got it.  After the inning, he came over to the stands (first alert that something is not right).  He asked for some ice.  We happened to have a big bag ready because of Anna’s recent fall on the bleachers.  I gave him the ice and asked him what was wrong.  “I kind of hurt my thumb.”  During the next inning, I ventured over to the dugout.  The thumb was swollen and bruised and I could tell Nathanael was hurting.  I told Wayland to look at it.  He said, “He’s fine.  Probably just jammed it or something.”  Nathanael finished the first game and ended up playing the entire second game (they only had eight players last night – every man was crucial).  I ended up going home early during the second game because it was literally making me ill to watch my son grimace with pain after each swing of the bat, or catch of the ball.  He was playing great, by the way -   even if it was killing him to do it.  He had some great outs, and only struck out once during both games. 

Long story short, I knew Nathanael was in pain.  Even if he wouldn’t admit it to anyone else.  I called the hand surgeon who we took Philip to a few short weeks ago, and he got us in first thing this morning.  The verdict:

Guess he really does like pink

He broke his left thumb on the growth plate.  Not fun.  We go back in three weeks to make sure (you know the drill) – no movement and hopefully no surgery and need for pins!!! 

I asked the doctor if there was a bigger problem here – two broken bones so close together.  He blamed it all on the fast ball.  I hope that’s all it is.

One Happy Mama

Wayland’s last post was beautiful, wasn’t it?  I’m hoping Nathanael will post something as well; I was a little overwhelmed at the changes I saw in him in one short week.  He came back older.  Part of his innocence shed.  His eyes opened to things he never knew existed.  I found him burdened and markedly changed.  He knows he will no longer view the world through the same lens.  I know, because of that, he will change his world.  He is confident, capable and his heart is connected to those who are in need.  I praise God for bringing my two big guys home safe and sound from Memphis and for the work He is doing in their hearts. 

Another thing I’m thanking God for?  Philip’s awesome week at camp.  After only 3.5 hours of sleep Friday night (or more accurately, Saturday morning) I woke up at 5:15, got ready, and hit the road to collect my boy.  We arrived with time to spare, and the waiting was pure torture.  I was hoping that Philip would be just as excited to see us as we were to see him.  He did not disappoint.  He came running up to us, stopping first to meet Anna E.’s open arms, then rushing into mine.  Luker grabbed onto his legs and squeezed with all his might.  It was quite a sweet reunion.  He seemed much more grown up.  His voice was even deeper.  I really don’t know how that happened.  After his counselors told me what a great son I had, we collected his bags and headed to the car.  Once we were buckled, he immediately pulled out his journal and began recounting his days.  I’ll say this – I asked him to journal and he did.  We just need to work on those skills a bit.  Here’s a quick excerpt:   “Day 2.  Woke up.  Bathroom break.  (By the way, every single day of his journal starts like this except once where he uses the word restroom instead of bathroom).  Went to breakfast.  Chapel then activity.  Next swim test.  Came back.  Played.  Lunchtime.  Bubble Bounce.  Free-swim – we had fun! Next dinner and showers and bed.”  The funny thing is, he wrote this right after lunch – so he hadn’t even done half the things he journaled about…they were just on the schedule.  I love the way he went into such detail about the mundane and left me guessing about the big things like ACTIVITIES!!!  I found that I was getting much better info by asking questions, opposed to him reading straight out of his journal.  First off, he seemed to really hit it off with his counselors, med staff, and cabin-mates.  He loved the climbing wall, sea-wasping (like tubing), and kayaking.  He swam a little (I think the water was really still too cold), but spent most of his free time playing “GaGa,” or Israeli dodgeball.  He took down some teenagers and the queen of the GaGa pit, and won some serious bragging rights.  There were campfires, and mock rock (like a talent show) where Philip’s cabin preformed a great number to “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”  (He did the running man.  On stage.  In front of the entire camp…I’ve got to be a counselor next year!)  He really loved the chapel services and was encouraged that there was such an emphasis put on faith.  He started a program that encourages campers to work on mind, body and spirit.  His goal was to work on the character trait of “reverence” and spend more time in the Bible.  He came home with a full playlist of camp songs that we’ve all tried to learn.  All in all, it sounds like an awesome experience.  It was wonderful to hear all about his adventures, but the best words I heard were, “I loved it!  I’m going again next year, but…I really missed you, Mom.”  Yeah.  Me too. 

I am so happy to have everyone back under one roof (well, not quite – Wayland is already traveling again).  It’s been good to snuggle and listen to another story as someone remembers it.  It has also been nice to eat something other than PB&J or Special K for dinner.  I was actually ready to cook  by the time everyone got home. 

Anna Elizabeth started a day camp this week.  It revolves around nature and wildlife, plus they do a craft each day.  She is in hog heaven.  When I got ready to drop her off yesterday, she asked me how many days she would be there.  (I guess she thought she was going off for a week like her brothers did).  I told her I would be back in about three hours to get her.  She wasn’t happy.  “I want to stay until school starts!”  What is that girl trying to do to me???

Luke wants to do all these “big kid” things as well.  Just not bad enough.  I keep telling him that boys that still wear diapers can’t do camps and gymnastics and VBS (and anything else I can think of at the time).  Doesn’t seem to faze him.  “I’ll just do camp when I’m four then.”  Oh joy!

Nathanael has one great week of regular season baseball left before playoffs begin.  Thursday night they have a double header – one of the games will be played under the lights.  I don’t know why that excites me so, but it does.  Saturday they also play two games.  What makes it even better is that the coach is in need of some players to fill spots of those who are MIA.  Guess who he called up to fill a space?  PHILIP!!!  My boys played on the same t-ball team six years ago (with their second cousins Jake and Dan) and, although it was fun – they hadn’t really come into their own as players, if you know what I mean.  I haven’t seen them play on the same team since then.   I can’t wait!

The Cure for a Complacent Life…

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.       Romans 12:1

And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.       Hebrews 13:16

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this:  to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself  unstained by the world.        James 1:27

With good will render service,  as to the Lord, and not to men.       Ephesians 6:7

Allow me to share a few things that God has shown me this week.

1. I have come away from this past week with the conviction that we are never closer to our Heavenly Father than when we are serving people for His name’s sake.   The phrase that resonated with me most powerfully was “practically living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ”.  God moved so powerfully in both my and Nate’s life this week.  We had the privilege to serve people who need to be served – people who are precious in God’s sight.  With full disclosure, I’ll admit that I have always been of the opinion that people who are needy – are in most cases there because they choose to be.  What God has shown me this week is that even though that may be true – to think that way is to lose the point of why Jesus died for us in the first place.  Thank you Jesus that you did not state as a pre-requisite that you would only help, much less save, those who have never refused your help.  If so, I would have died in my sins because I have lived most of my life refusing God’s best plan for me.  Thank you that you keep knocking on the door to our hearts and you never give up on us. 

2. I have come away from this weekend with total confirmation that God does not call us to live safe lives.  Lord forgive me for chasing comfort and for striving to attain things that have no eternal significance.  In my favorite book, The Barbarian Way, Pastor Erwin McManus says this:

We created a religion using the name of Jesus Christ and convinced ourselves that God’s optimal desire for our lives was to insulate us in a spiritual bubble where we risk nothing, sacrifice nothing, lose nothing, worry about nothing.  Yet Jesus’ death wasn’t to free us from dying, but to free us from the fear of death.  Jesus came to liberate us so that we could die up front and then live.  Jesus Christ wants to take us to places where only dead men and women can go.

The orginal call of Jesus was so simple, so clean, so clear: “Follow Me”.  He wants us to surrender our lives to him and follow him into the unknown.  and if it means a life of suffering, hardship, and disappointment, it will be worth it because following Jesus Christ is more powerful and more fulfilling than living with everything in the world minus Him. 

God would never choose for us safety at the cost of significance.  

I hold steadfast to the realization that God has revealed just a glimpse of these truths to me.  I want my life to be eternally focused rather that looking on things that are temporal.  God started showing me this when I was in junior high (it has only taken me 18 or so years to allow Him to advance this revelation).  I remember my youth pastor, Darrell, sharing with us that our lives are not even a blink of time on the scale of eternity – so what will we do with our lives?  I have often shared with Nate and Phil that if salvation was God’s ultimate plan for our lives, we would be taken to heaven immediately when we accept Christ.  Instead, we are left on this earth to impact others.  Lord, forgive me for wasting so much time chasing things that have no significance.

3. God has shown me that anyone with a willing heart can do mighty things for the His Kingdom.  The SOS (Service over Self) ministry started with one church that felt the call to do something about the hurt, shame and poverty in the Binghampton neighborhood of Memphis.  To date, more than 10,000 volunteers (mostly middle and senior high students) have repaired over 500 homes in this neighborhood.  More importantly, they have played a part in repairing broken lives by ”practically living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ”.  In my group, and in the reports I heard from others - this group of middle school students powerfully ministered the love of our Savior to people who were in need of a Savior’s love.  In my group, 6 students ranging in age from 12-15 worked tirelessly on Mrs. Mary’s house while sitting at her feet and fellow-shipping with her. 

Mrs. Mary is 90 years old, grew up in Mississippi the daughter of cotton-pickers, marched in the Civil-rights movement in Memphis, and is a true southern lady.  She also loves her savior and was quick to add in during our devotionals at lunch a spirited “Amen” or “Thank you Jesus” – even though I am convinced that she did not hear most of what was being said.  Occasionally, she would scold one of her “children” for not drinking enough water, or me for putting her “children” in harm’s way on her roof.  It is very powerful to minister by providing the basic, but taken for granted, essentials of a home that is drier, warmer and safer.  Although Mrs. Mary lives on one of the nicer streets in Binghampton, the needs for her house were a new roof, new ventilation (she has a real safety issue with carbon monoxide),  new steps and railing for her front and back porch, and a new water heater – all of which will be provided by SOS over the next 8 weeks by 8 different teams of students. 

I was so proud of my young men and women.  I never heard a complaint – even in 90 degree, high humidity weather.  By the way, these were not jobs created for middle school students – these were dangerous, grown men types of jobs that you and I would pay professionals to do.  I have included some pictures of my crew: the 3 Morgans, David, Brandon, and Alex.

 

 

 

 

 

While we were on a relatively nice street, most of the teams were smack dab in the middle of the hood.  One team had a drug bust right across the street from them and every morning we passed by so many people that had no jobs to go to and were turning to all sorts of things to get by.   One of the houses below was on fire our first morning and we were told later arson was expected tied to a drug deal.  I left out some pictures of the gang graffiti that was everywhere you went. 

 

 

 

 

Nate was on another team that was fixing up Mr. Charles Richards’ home.  Mr. Richards was a WWII veteran, played QB for Penn in college and is 95 years old.  He is also deaf – but that did not stop Nate and his crew from communicating God’s love in abundance. 

I will wrap this post up by saying that my heart’s cry is to serve God in a significant way.  There are a thousand ways I can start doing that immediately – and I am praying that God reveal his long-term plans for our family concerning His work.  I am so encouraged that there are young people (including the college staff members at SOS that are the future leaders of our church) that not only gave up a week of their summer to invest in people’s lives, but did so with excellence and vigor.  I am so thankful that our Father gives us the opportunity to do something significant with our lives if we will just ask Him to show us what His plan is for us.  I am so thankful for a son that gets it – he is truly a follower of Christ!  I am so thankful for the rest of my crew (TEAMThompson) and especially my supportive wife that held down the fort while I was off playing with power tools and teenagers.  Most of all, I am thankful for a Savior that never gives up on me - and is calling us to fight with Him using the weapons of Faith, Hope and Love.

I want to challenge everyone to read Romans 12 about this service He calls us to.  Thank you for all your prayers and support.  Here are a few more pictures to enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T Minus 18 Hours and Counting

As I type this, I am literally counting down the hours until I see my Philip.  I cannot wait to hear how his week has gone.  Those of you who know Philip well, know that he has to be in “a talking mood” to verbally share anything.  Nathanael and Wayland don’t seem to have that problem.  They can “share” from sun-up to sundown.  It takes perfect alignment of the stars for Philip to recount more than a couple of paragraphs at a time.  Let’s hope tomorrow all the cards fall in my favor. 

I can pick Philip up between 9 and 10 am tomorrow morning.  The drive is about two and a half hours, so I plan to leave by 6 am and hopefully be the first mom through the gate to grab her baby.  (Why do I have the feeling that Philip might not appreciate that?)  To fill up the rest of our afternoon, I think we will travel around Amish country, look at barns, furniture, quilts, and buggies;  admire horses and many, many beards; hopefully eat some delicious farm fresh food, and then head home for another sweet reunion.  I know the kids will think it’s better than Disney World (ha.ha.)  I  know that it will be better than coming home and watching the clock until 6:30 pm to go pick up my other two babies. 

I know there will be many stories to share, and hopefully a few pictures as well.  Thanks again for your thoughts, prayers, emails, and phone calls this week.  I feel so blessed to be loved by the best family and friends in the world. 

One more thing.  Would you please pray for my sister and her family this week?  She and her two children have practically lived with my parents (or my parents and/or brother have lived with them) for the past five years.  The times that she, her husband, and children have had the opportunity to be a single family unit have been few and far between.  Her husband recently got a job around Longview, TX (he had previously worked in Alaska) and today my sister and her kiddos headed east to join him.  I know it is very hard for my sister to leave, but I pray that they will all see the future as new opportunity.  God loves to work in situations like these.  I pray He is glorified.

T.G.I.A.N.D. (Thanking God it’s a New Day!)

What a difference a day (and many, many prayers) make!  Thank you all for lifting up our family in prayer.  I have definitely felt God’s peace today!!! 

Last night, Anna E., Luke and I pulled out the couch bed, rented Hotel for Dogs off  Movies on Demand and had a fabulous sleepover complete with laughter, crying, dancing, and a low key pillow fight.  During the movie, Luke kept leaning over and saying, “Mommy, you’re the best Mommy.  I love this bed and this movie.”  When I opened my eyes this morning, he was staring straight at me and the first thing out of his mouth was, “Can we do this again the next day?”  I’m assuming he means tonight, and I’ll gladly oblige – except this time, no Hotel for Dogs…it sent Anna E. into a sob fest and a complete dissertation on why we need to help save all the dogs of the world.  I can’t handle that again. 

I heard from Nathanael around 5:30 yesterday evening.  He sounded exhausted.  His group had worked on an elderly man’s home (I think Nathanael said he was in his 90’s), stripping shingles, tar paper and rotten ply-board off of his roof.  Nathanael got to talk to him and the lady that helps take care of him.  She must have told Nathanael that her daughter had just had a baby in May that was born prematurely.  Nathanael recounted the weight, length, and date of birth of the baby with no problem.  He must have been a great listening ear to a weighty heart.  I think in the two minutes we talked, I told Nathanael I loved him a dozen times.  After he said it back one time, he started cracking up.  I guess the guy in the bunk above him thought he was talking to him and finally answered, “I love you, too” to shut him up.   My time was short with Nathanael because there is a “no electronic device policy” in place at S.O.S.  I guess Wayland knew I needed to hear from one of my babies pretty badly to allow him to call.  Wayland ended up calling back around 10:30 last night.  He, the other leaders, and all 58 kids from Northview were at Sonic, filling up on slushies, milkshakes and cherry limeades.  We don’t have a Sonic here in Carmel, so this is a great treat for them.  He explained how the day worked a little better.  S.O.S takes each group (there are 4 or 5 churches with groups there right now) and drops them off at their work-site.  Each home has a project manager that oversees the work being done.  The kids pack a lunch and work all day until the vans come back to pick them up at the end of the day.  Wayland’s group worked on an elderly lady’s home - he said she was as sweet as she could be.  When the teams break for lunch, they do a Bible lesson and Wayland said the woman had set up lawn chairs under a tree in her backyard and joined them as they studied God’s Word.  He wasn’t sure how well she could hear, but every once in a while, she would say “Amen. Praise the Lord!”  Wayland got a kick out of her.  Another team is working on a home with no plumbing and no electricity.  The owner of the home supposedly deals drugs out of the van in his front yard.  I pray that God touches his life and changes his heart.  After the teams get back, get showered, and eat dinner, they go to chapel.  The guy that has lead the services the past two nights came out of the Bing Hampton area and was directly affected by S.O.S.  He is now in seminary and works for the ministry, giving back to the community he grew up in.  Anyway, during the service they called “Nate from Northview” to the stage.  There are two Nates, so immediately both boys stood up and began a game of rock, paper, scissors to see who would be the lucky volunteer.  After about fourteen rounds, our Nate won.  Lucky him.  Evidently they proceeded to call a girl from Northview up on stage and asked her to stand behind Nathanael.  She was then instructed to apply all manner of hair product and makeup to Nathanael’s face and head without being able to see what she was doing.  Wayland said it was a riot.  I wish I could have seen it in person.  Hopefully, there will be pictures documenting this event.  I’m sure I’ll need them for blackmailing purposes in the future.    I got another call from Wayland around lunch today.  He didn’t sound too good.  Evidently they tried to start removing the chimney on the lady’s roof and had run into some problems.  He said he was lying on the roof in 90+ degree weather “taking a break.”  I asked him if he was glad he was there.  He said he might be exhausted, but he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.  Tomorrow they only work half a day, I think they are taking the kids for some go kart riding in the afternoon – I’m sure that will bring lots of smiles.   Make sure and check out our youth pastor’s blog for up to date info (and hopefully some pics):  http://northbeachkurt.blogspot.com/

After having the special treat of talking to Nathanael and Wayland, I woke up this morning even more desperate to know what was happening in Philip’s world.  I decided I was calling the camp; I didn’t care what they called me.  They did call me something by the way…a “helicopter parent.”  I guess I was hovering.  The guy did make me feel a bit better saying that there were some moms who actually called yesterday.  Really?  I can’t imagine.   

After the contact person found Philip and his counselor, he got a quick update on Philip’s well being and called me back.  He informed me that the counselor said things were going “pretty well” (I’m going to try my hardest not to read too much into that) and that Philip had already been on the thirty foot climbing wall and been kayaking this morning.  I felt like a weight had been lifted.  He’s alive and well, probably mortified that his mother called to check on him.  Oh well, at least I’m not going to end up with a bleeding ulcer by Saturday. 

Today has been jam packed for the little ones and me.  I ate an entire watermelon (yes I said entire – and no, it wasn’t one of those tiny personal sized ones.  I’m talking corporate picnic size.  I haven’t tinkled this much since a nine pound baby was sitting directly on my bladder a decade or so ago).   Anna E. had gymnastics this morning and  I took a meal to a family in our church whose 18 month old daughter just had open heart surgery (she’s recovering well).  I got in a much needed workout at the Monon, then the kids and I had a picnic, followed by some time in the pool at the outdoor water park.  Anna Elizabeth is doing great in the water.  I can’t believe how far she has come since Nathanael worked with her in West Virginia.  She is going under and swimming in spots where her feet can’t touch.  She even went down the big blue twisty slide on an innertube all by herself tonight.  Luke and I worked on blowing bubbles, kicking feet and paddling, but he holds on to me with a death grip the entire time.  These busy days make the time pass so much faster – I love it!  We have a trip to the Children’s Museum planned for bright and early in the morning with some friends down the street.  Well, I guess it’s time to pull out that couch bed and start Robin Hood – it’s the perfect mix of action and romance, which makes my two viewers both pretty happy.  I’m so thankful to say that it will be the perfect ending to a much better day!

Down, But Not Out

I’m not going to lie.  This is already harder than I thought it would be. 

On one hand, Anna Elizabeth, Luke and I are having a great time.  We got home around 6:30 pm last night after dropping Philip off (more on that later), ate a bowl of cereal, put on our jammies and all crawled into bed.  Waking up at 5:00 am to see Wayland and Nathanael off, then driving two and a half hours each way to and from Philip’s camp would have been more than enough to cause me to be a little tired at the end of the day, but all the emotions piled on top totally did me in.  Unfortunately, I was too upset to sleep.  That, and the fact that the phone kept ringing.  I was relieved to hear from Wayland; they made it to Memphis safe and sound and he sounded pumped up and ready to go. That really surprised me considering he drove one of the vans loaded with junior high kids for over 9 hours. Evidently, one of the kids in the group had downed three Monster energy drinks before they even got out of Indiana.  It should be against the law to sell energy drinks to kids in 7th and 8th grade…especially if they are going on a road trip.  Anyway,  Wayland told me he and Nathanael would not be in the same work groups this week.  Honestly, it makes me a little nervous.  Wayland can no longer “guard Nathanael with his life” as he vowed to do before they left.  I guess I’m going to have to (once again) trust God to watch over and keep both Nathanael and Wayland safe while they work around Bing Hampton in Memphis.  I am posting a link to a blog the youth pastor is keeping so you can stay up to date with the daily happenings in Memphis if you’re interested.   http://northbeachkurt.blogspot.com/

Like I mentioned in my last post, the fact that I can keep in contact with Wayland helps tremendously to lessen my anxiety and give me some peace of mind.  Unfortunately, most of my anxiety now hovers a couple hours north of here at a camp full of diabetic children, who from the look of it yesterday, were having a blast as I drove off in tears.  I actually drove up in tears too.  The poor guy that was directing people on where to park, seemed genuinely shocked that I had tears running down my cheeks when I rolled down my window.  Guess he’s not a parent. 

After registering, undergoing a lice check, pleading for a bottom bunk so he didn’t break another bone if he happened to sleepwalk (one of his new scary habits), Philip was ready to set up house.  It didn’t take long for him to slap his sleeping bag down on the bed, turn to me and say, “Well, mom…”  I guess he was trying to tell me it was time to go.  I didn’t want it to be time to go, though.  I could tell he was really nervous, but equally excited.  He picked out his top activities to start camp with (American sports, rope climbing, riflery, archery, canoeing, and kayaking).  These will all be in addition to the lake activities like swimming, tubing, blobbing, and log rolling.  That is, of course, if he can pass his swim test.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed. (He really swims just fine – it’s just pretty ugly to watch…I think I need to check into lessons).  All the other parents had pretty much moved out, and the counselors were calling all the boys together for cabin games.  That was our cue.  I got one final hug (he held on for a good while) and I cheerfully told him he was going to have a blast.  When I got to the car I lost it.  I cannot tell you how many times I almost turned that car around driving home - sure he must have forgotten something, or maybe just needing one more goodbye.  It hasn’t even been 24 hours and I’ve picked up the phone several times to call the camp and “just check.”  I keep hanging up – telling myself he’s fine.  I’m just not so sure.  I’ve spent the last five months and nine days being acutely aware of Philip’s most minute details; for the next six days I’m completely in the dark. 

While I’ve put on the best face possible for my two little ones, my three big boys are constantly in the back of my mind.  This morning I got out the Bible and every single one of my prayer books and spent a good amount of time with the Lord.  I wish I would have walked away feeling better.  (I’m just being honest).  I’m pretty sure this is going to come down to believing  that God will do what He says He will do.  I know it – now I just need to believe it.  Make sense?

Anna E., Luke and I have already gone through several board games, a tea party, rebuilding train tracks and some art work this morning.  We’re about to hit Costco before a big storm moves through.  We’re out of milk, toilet paper, and chicken nuggets;  three staples I’m not prepared to go without.  I think we are all going to camp out in the living room tonight – the kids will probably fall asleep watching a movie; I’ll be doing good to sleep at all.  That’s okay though – more time to pray over my babies.