Month: June 2020

It’s time, yes. It’s time to instill an official day where we girls do girlie things. (amidst the quarantine at least!)
Of course, we started the day with prayer/gratitude/devotion and brekkie. After, we usually on Tuesdays, work on our Fairy Tale (more to come on this) and we do some Bible questions/verses.
After this, I had it written on the board that we would have a surprise.

I drove her over to Luci’s. We always pass it, and she always asks when, Mommy?

Today, we would hang out on the patio and enjoy a confection. The confection, a coconut macaroon, was the size of her head,

so we cut it up.

Delicious dipped in coffee. Yes, this is what girls do. What else do girls do? They chit chat.

We did. We talked about our walks with God, her maturity, school, other girls date ideas….. Truly soul food.

We did have a reservation at Top Golf after, but we figured it might not be open. So, what do girls do? They shop. Target, here we come.

She had $10 to spend from her allowance, so we searched high and low in Target for some fun toys. In the meantime, I found a few goodies as well, like mints, gift bags, lettuce. Very random.

She hyperventilated when she saw this little cutie.

When we got home, we played a bit, ate lunch, read, and played piano. Truly a wonderful girl’s day. Swimming pool, here we come.

What will we do next week?

Tatum couldn’t wait for Austin to come over for brunch. She made him a card, and she decorated the table

Each one of us had a place heart with directions on the back. (Tatum’s was prayer)

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Mine was “eat first” (so thoughtful)

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Daddy’s was “love”

The whole table was adorned with hearts and love from God.

Cooper was all ready for us to begin. He hoped he could hang out under the table?

No, puppy. You’ll have to be on your spot. We love you buddy.

Austin, we love you too! Can’t wait to see you!

Of herself, and they became her “kids.” They have become her new toys.

She has them grouped into ages, so at times, she has a newborn, and at others, this baby become three. (within minutes! It’s remarkable! )

I love her imagination.

Oh, Baby. I remember when she discovered there were TWO!

It’s been a long journey with Baby. He’s been through about five surgeries (if not more).

His nose is now completely missing, so we stuffed it with cotton balls, and now, he dons a BLUE nose.

Now, BabyONE has an alias: Babyblue.

Back in 2013, when Tot was 3 months old, I tore my achilles tendon. A full tear.

Since then, I have worked on developing my left calf muscle. Its size is significantly smaller than the right side. I would do leg lifts at the gym, all the calf machines, and whatever I could do to make it bigger. Has it happened? Vanity aside, (not being symmetrical), I still feel pretty weak on that side, and it is still much smaller.

Well, for 3 months, the back of my ankle has bothered me. I could see the remnants of my surgery as it started to work its way out (after 7 years). I made an appointment with Dr. Waslewski (my orthopedic surgeon) so he could look at it. He found the culprit, and he said that these would have never dissolved.

While there, I asked him about developing my calf back as it just hasn’t returned to normal. He suggested returning to Troy at Physical Therapy for an evaluation.

I showed Troy what I have been doing (DAILY! for seven years), and he immediately said, “You’re knee is bent when you are doing these lifts. This means you have developed your lower calf and ankle but NOT the calf. Try straightening your knee.”

Holy cow. He also showed me some other tweaks on what I had been doing wrong.

This is so much like life. We go along doing what we’ve always done, thinking that we are doing the right thing. Then, an objective observer notes a teeny change that would help. If we listen, the difference is profound.

Here’s a quote from Dr. Louis Newman about the Jewish concept of teshuvah, or, repentance. Remember, a simple change must be a gradual process to take hold. ” Here’s what he said:

…think about this in terms of a 360 degree circle, if you’re headed in one direction and you turn only one degree or two degrees to the right or to the left, over a long period of time — it may be a very slight turn, but over an extended period of time, if you now walk in that direction, you’ll end up in an utterly different place than if you extend that line outward infinitely. ”

Now, I know that simply straightening my knee is not about repenting from doing something sinful. BUT, it is a great analogy for the small changes we can make in our lives to grow. I had been doing my physical recovery completely wrong for so long, that it became my “right.” This is how sin can be. We do something wrong for so long that it just becomes a habit.

What will I do now? I’ll engage in small practices daily. They won’t be long; 5 minutes of some new exercises with a “straight” leg. But, in time, I will see all the difference. May we all remember that engaging in small changes and creating new habits can literally help us thrive.

Doug, Mama and I had the honor of attending this event.

Hosted by SBC, it was an interfaith dialogue on morality in today’s culture with Dennis Prager and Dr. Wayne Grudem.

Some questions it covered:
Is morality in peril in our 21st-century age of feelings?

Are truths still self-evident in today’s culture?

Does morality matter to the younger generations?

The world we live in right now boggles my mind. I find that more than ever, we need to fight for the values of our country AND for our Judeo-Christian beliefs. Where has it all gone?
God is and will always be the answer, and He continues to be on the throne NO MATTER WHAT. May we continue to live that way.

Thank you for such an amazing evening.

We woke up to a beautiful golf course view and a reminder of our FATHER. We also celebrate Daddy today. Since we missed Coopy immensely, we headed home early. A big day awaits!
As we drove home, we listened to Jamie, our pastor. His sermon was still on Jonah and running FOR God! We are HIS ambassadors! Let’s act that way.

Arrived! Coopy, here we come.

Reunited and it feels so good!

Now we can focus on Daddy the rest of the day.
However, when we got home, Coopy seemed to have a bit of a boo boo on his foot. So we ended up having to fix his foot up with gauze and have him wear a cone so he wouldn’t mess with it.

Mom, NOT happy about this.

Ok, after getting quite focused, the dinner had to be prepared (Mama was coming over!) and the presents had to get ready!

Daddy looked relaxed and ready for the fun.

Are you excited, Daddy?

OH yes!

And Coopy? We are ready for you to relax too.

Mama arrived, and she had a little goody for Daddy to open.

But first, his card….fresh from her presses.

She worked so hard on this TRUE card!
What about this shirt? Doesn’t he look handsome?

She always has such good taste.

Now, Tot’s turn. She made him all kinds of goodies. First, the book:

A Me and Daddy book.

Me and Daddy fix stuff, launch rockets, build stuff and I LOVE HIM!

The hedgehog even says so!

Daddy, you are the best!

Now, my turn. I made him a book too! All homemade this year for our hero.

(It’s true: now he BUILDS (up), renews (us), serves (many), launches (many fun activities), and delivers (joy)!

Launching us into the future and soaring with…

Christ at the center.

We love you, HHH and Daddy.

We had a lovely chicken, potato and salad dinner. (Thanks to daddy for running to the store!).

Tatum entertained us with some songs after dinner.

Daddy, it’s all for you. You represent our Father in so many ways. Kind-hearted, provider, servant, and leader.

Sedona, Father’s Day, and Family. Perfect.