Tuesday, February 26, 2008
We're still here!
Thanks for your prayers. We're fine! I don't know if it's still burning or not. We can still smell smoke though.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Urgent Prayer Request!!
We have a raging wildfire less than 12 miles away from us and we can smell the smoke from it at our house. It's in Jean, TX and they are evacuating it as we speak.
Please pray that they will be able to put it out. The winds are unbelievable right now, please pray for them to calm so that the fires won't spread any further.
Thanks!
Please pray that they will be able to put it out. The winds are unbelievable right now, please pray for them to calm so that the fires won't spread any further.
Thanks!
We had a fun weekend!
We went to Seguin to Jack's surprise birthday party. He turned the big 60 on the 19th and Diana arranged for everyone to come in & surprise him! We went out to eat, then the boys went back to Jack's house to stay with a babysitter while Kelly & I and the other adults went to Gruene Hall. We had a blast. We got home about 1 am and JAKE & HUNTER were STILL UP! Jack & Diana got home about 12 am and the babysitter just kind of walked out in a daze and just said, "I need to go home". There were 2 other kids there too, Diana's daughters son (6) and daughter (2). (They were both up too) Riley was the only one who crashed...thank goodness! She might have just left before anybody got home if he had added his grumpy-ness into the mix!
We saw Josh Grider and Walt Wilkins at Gruene Hall on Sat. night. They were both great. But I think anyone would be great if you're in Gruene Hall, just to be there is enough to make it worthwhile.
Hunter Juncton is a store in Gruene.
Gruene has to be one of my most favorite places in the world! It is great. If you've never been, I highly recommend it! It has the cutest little shops and The Grist Mill is a really fun restaurant to go to and the ribs are fabulous. My guys downed a whole rack in less than 5 minutes.
Hunter found Hunter Road!
The Guadalupe River! What great memories I have of this place!! :)
We saw Josh Grider and Walt Wilkins at Gruene Hall on Sat. night. They were both great. But I think anyone would be great if you're in Gruene Hall, just to be there is enough to make it worthwhile.
The boys in front of Gruene Hall (on Sunday morning).
Hunter Juncton is a store in Gruene.
Gruene has to be one of my most favorite places in the world! It is great. If you've never been, I highly recommend it! It has the cutest little shops and The Grist Mill is a really fun restaurant to go to and the ribs are fabulous. My guys downed a whole rack in less than 5 minutes.
Hunter found Hunter Road!
The Guadalupe River! What great memories I have of this place!! :)Only my BFF's will remember this, but was it '04 when Kim & I almost died on the first set of rapids? In the 20 degree water at 9 am? And we ruined our cute hats that we'd shopped for weeks for? And we didn't move for about 2 hours later in the day and got separated from everyone else? That's when we became true BFF's, right? Can we please do that again this summer?? :) :) Wow, those were the good old days....I miss you guys :(
Thursday, February 21, 2008
God is Good!!
Riley has had a few extremely difficult days. He was up and down all night Tuesday night and barely ate or drank anything all day yesterday. He's been throwing drinks at me and kicking me. I have been calling him "bi-polar" because he has been such a grouch!
Last night, Riley and I prayed together and I told him what to say. He said "Dear God, please help me feel better. Amen!"
Today he's like a different child. He slept all night (we both fell asleep in my bed about 8:30) and drank all of his chocolate milk this morning! HOPEFULLY, we're over the hardest part now.
Thank you, Jesus!!!
Last night, Riley and I prayed together and I told him what to say. He said "Dear God, please help me feel better. Amen!"
Today he's like a different child. He slept all night (we both fell asleep in my bed about 8:30) and drank all of his chocolate milk this morning! HOPEFULLY, we're over the hardest part now.
Thank you, Jesus!!!
Monday, February 18, 2008
What we've been up to...
Riley had his surgery last Thursday. Everything went fine. He's been pretty cranky, but that's to be expected I guess. Here's a pic of his "impressive tonsils".
He ate 3 popsicles before we left the SurgiCenter.
Jake had a good birthday. Can't believe he's 8!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Riley is getting his tonsils out!
We went to the ENT yesterday and Riley has "impressive" tonsils. So, we have him scheduled for surgery on Valentine's Day. At first it didn't seem like the Dr. wanted to take them out because he's so young, but once he saw them, he decided it would be best as long as I could get him to drink a lot after the surgery. As long as we have chocolate milk, I don't think that'll be a problem.
While we were there, Riley & Hunter got weighed in. Riley was 42 pounds (the weight of an average 5 year old--30 lbs is normal for a 2 1/2 year old) and Hunter was 58 pounds (the weight of an average 8 year old--45 is normal for an almost 6 year old). They aren't fat, they are just SOLID! Riley is 39 inches tall, which is the height of an average 3 1/2 year old. The height predictor calculation is to take their height at 2 1/2 and double it. If that's true, he'd be 6' 6"! Even though they look like their daddy, there must be some Turner genes in there somewhere!!
While we were there, Riley & Hunter got weighed in. Riley was 42 pounds (the weight of an average 5 year old--30 lbs is normal for a 2 1/2 year old) and Hunter was 58 pounds (the weight of an average 8 year old--45 is normal for an almost 6 year old). They aren't fat, they are just SOLID! Riley is 39 inches tall, which is the height of an average 3 1/2 year old. The height predictor calculation is to take their height at 2 1/2 and double it. If that's true, he'd be 6' 6"! Even though they look like their daddy, there must be some Turner genes in there somewhere!!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Jake's Birthday Party!!
We had some houseguests this weekend. A mommy dog and her 3 puppies stayed with us. They are a border collie mix. The boys have named them Sally, McQueen, Fluffy and Buddy. They are all very sweet dogs. If anyone is interested in adopting them, let me know!!Princess was NOT impressed! The puppies were bigger than her and really wanted to play.
We had Jake's birthday party a little early so we could have it at the Monster Truck Show this past weekend. We had a great time! We sat so close to the action that we had dirt and mud slung all over us. And we were a little hard of hearing by the end of the night.
Jake's birthday cake!
The boys taking a ride on "Sudden Impact"!
The Equalizer
Here's a video of the action! click to watch
The Equalizer
Here's a video of the action! click to watch
I'm starting off with an e-mail that my mom sent me. It's one of those that's been forwarded and forwarded and it doesn't say where it came from or who wrote it, but I recognized it from the first sentence. It's an exerpt from a book called, "The Invisible Woman, when only God sees" by Nicole Johnson. I have the book and read it a few years ago, but it's just what I needed to hear today!
I'm invisible.
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going - she's going - she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean.My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she' d given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: * No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record oftheir names. * These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never seefinished. * They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It wasalmost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become." At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not adisease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of myown self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. as one of the people who show up a t a job that they w ill never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes aturkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
I'm invisible.
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going - she's going - she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean.My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she' d given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: * No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record oftheir names. * These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never seefinished. * They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It wasalmost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become." At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not adisease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of myown self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. as one of the people who show up a t a job that they w ill never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes aturkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)