It was a special day of testing, and Tatum would be with me the whole day. Dr. Ruiz, our dear friend who is also our Dr., came over to give me the breath test to test me for SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth).
First, Tot and I would go for a walk to our “ocean” to see the duckies. This always cheers me up!
Hi Tot!
I got a few love notes too!
He arrived at 8:30 am, and we started immediately since it would be a three hour test (and I was fasting).
After nine bags, we finished. And guess what I did? ATE FOOD!
Daddy, Tot, and of course Coopy….
They all loved on me all day. I am so grateful for Dr. Ruiz too. He is committed to my healing. (Thank you, Jesus, for sending him to me and for my family. You always provide).
What others say about you is so important. Why? Because it’s how we are perceived when we are in public. Do we shine as a light? Or do we bring others’ down? Do we stink up the room or do we add a delicious smell?
When Tatum was Camper of the Week,
her classmates wrote letters to her and about her. What did they say? Those sweet little 2nd graders.
WOW!
She read every word. She realized that she has some great friends who truly love her.
I see all of this in you, my sweet girl! I LOVE YOU and so do so many.
YOU TRULY LIVE YOUR LIFE VERSE!
“Let your light shine before others so they may see your good works and give glory to God your Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:16)
Now, with the last day of school, you think she’d be thinking of school. NOPE.
Doug and I were still in bed around 6am, and we heard some movement in the kitchen. We weren’t really sure what was going on, but no bother… we ignored it.
Then, as we got ready around 6:15am, Tot came in and said to come into the kitchen with our eyes closed.
I was expecting her fake food to be out from her pretend kitchen. NOPE! She had prepared her own breakfast: Toast and yogurt,
and she got out our muffins with all the fixings. Water, note, and my devotion.
Daddy too!
This is a big deal! She hasn’t been able to reach much, so her doing this is a game changer. She is taking control and wanting to help. I LOVE her heart so much!
TOT!!! You are GENEROUS! She wore her red, white and, blue earrings for the last day to celebrate our country as well.
She’ll be out soon. I can’t wait for summer to begin!!!
International luncheon launched the last week of 2nd grade.
She first had to write an essay about being Polish.
Her great grandfather is Polish, so she dressed up as a Polish gal, and I brought polish sausage to enjoy.
All the kids brought in food from their nationality. It was a feast!
Then, the next day, it was the awards ceremony took place. They sang “My Country Tis of Thee” to begin. MELT
Then it was time to present Tatum with her character trait and any award.
Her humility was inspiring. She was surprised and happy about being GENEROUS! She had the trait of generosity. She always shares what she has in the class and is giving of her time. I’ll take that! I love her heart and so does her school.
She also won the TOP reader award with the most books read and the top AR score. Also, 100% on all of her Bible verse memorization.
Oh, Mrs. Phillips! We are going to miss you!
And you silly girls! Isabelle, Teagan, Sophia, and Maddy.
On their way now to the pool party at Diego’s. It couldn’t have gotten any better! Well, except that they had pizza and Gatorade.
The last day is Wednesday. How did this happen so fast? We love you PVCP.
This phrase was coined when Neil Armstrong landed the Eagle Lunar on the moon in 1969. Well, it was symbolic of our day today. Doug went out on a bike ride on Tot’s 1/2 birthday, and this is what he saw.
This regal bird represents so much as did this day. He sits atop this pole watching and waiting. His presence is like our Father; His presence being majestic and protective. When the eagle landed there, he brought with him a reminder of what HE (the LORD) brought me; This remarkable Tatum Tot 8.5 years ago. Ah. Yes, what a gift.
She played in the morning in her room; her classroom, I should say. Now, Tatum’s imagination is quite expressive and inspiring. She turned some pictures into a classroom once again, putting them as tents.
She’s teaching them from the Bible.
What. a. girl.
Then, later, we had a little fun with a game, and we gave her a little reminder of how much we love her.
She will always have an inner puppy I foresee! And these little earrings represent the circle of HIS love. It is NEVER ENDING, my sweet girl.
May you know, like this eagle perched atop this pole, that HE never leaves you nor forsakes you.
Neil Montgomery, pastor at SBC, married us. He performed Doug and Tot’s Baptism. Neil and my honey have been meeting on and off for years, and he knows our story. He’s also a crack up; a lover of Jesus, and a just all around GREAT guy. Karen? She is his lovely, and I mean lovely, funny, wise, and wonderful, wife who runs the children’s ministry at SBC. Tot and Karen hit it off from the beginning, and it just so happens she is Neil’s other half, so it all was a perfect opportunity to give back and make them feel loved. How else? With dinner of course!
Tatum made some place cards for them
Table is set!
And they arrived! We showed them around and they enjoyed Coopy. He made them feel very welcome.
As we gave them the tour, it came to Neil’s attention that he was memorialized on our wall and in Tatum’s panel display for school; THREE PLACES! SO funny that Neil is part of our daily lives.
Gallery wall:
Tot’s board:
He loved it. (I think?)
It was finally time to put the food out. I made taco bar, healthy style.
And then from there, the night just got more fun. We learned about how they met, and we found their hearts were even more sweet and warm than you would even know. They asked us a bazillion questions as well. It was a nice night or fun and…..then….
Tot get them all sillied up! I think they were wishing they had daughters after this night. (??) We were all having a nice conversation, and Tot and Karen disappeared. They then reappeared in the back of Neil’s head.
Then Daddy. Oh dear.
Then, they disappeared again after much rejoicing.
Huh?
Is there something on your head?
No.
But there is something on your lap, Neil.
And he plays music! What else does he do?
He’s a licker and a lover; it’s what Coopy does best; I think he likes it. I mean the dog? Or Neil?
I think Karen is jealous.
The evening went downhill from there in terms of sheer silliness.
Honestly, we had a great evening. The next day, Karen and I compared our famous cookies. We are hopefully going to have a bakeoff. Game on! Neil sent us the nicest email for thank you.
“If I don’t send the “thank you” card that I want and intend to send, can I just say “thank you” for a sweet evening with your precious family.  Dinner was perfect.  You are a great hostess.  Doug is great dad and amazing home engineer…and Tatum melts our hearts…so fun and full of life.  So…thank you for a wonderful evening and for blessing our stomachs with food and our hearts with love. (hope that doesn’t sound overly cheesy). “
