every captive thought

We are happily settled back into our house!  We still have a few more things to finish on the bathroom but at least we have hot water and can shower and do laundry at our own house now.  I can't wait to show you how pretty the bathroom turned out!  I LOVE it. Jamesie has been spending a lot of his time with his nose in the corner these days.  I think he might be starting to like it because when I put him there last night he was smiling at me.  And I can tell by his cheeks that he is smiling in this picture. Maybe I need to work a little harder at explaining why he is being put in the corner. Yesterday he got a sack of Bob The Builder toys from our friend Sarah.  He was SO excited! They are all he has played with since he got them.  He even set them up on the bathroom counter so he could still see them while he took a bath. I hope you have a great weekend!

Today we had Jude's 1 year old well check with Dr. Honey.  James came along so that he could hit up Dr. H for a sucker and some play time in the train room.  He got both wishes.  He put in his request early with her this weekend at church. (Spoiled much?) Then to top it off, Raine brought in some birthday gifts for the boys! So spoiled. Jude's appointment went well.  He got 4 shots with more to come.  He took it like a champ though.  He screamed while he was getting them but stopped immediately when I picked him up.  Drama.  He is in the 95th percentile for height and 5-10th for weight.  Tall and skinny like Daddy!  And Jamesie. He also got to switch to whole milk!  Hooray!  I woke him up to give him his first taste.  He was a little grumpy. Brad was really trying to get a picture of his hair because it was sticking straight up.  Poor little guy can't catch a break...he gets 4 shots and then his parents make f...

I've mentioned this book before... 31 Days of Praise by Ruth Myers.  My BSF discussion group leader at the time, Helen, gave a copy of it to me 12 1/2 years ago when I lost stillborn twin daughters.  Year after year, month after month...it still proves to be relevant.  I've memorized so many of the pages...or even just quotes that are a comfort.  The first copy I had was tear-soaked, torn, highlighted, underlined, and read to pieces so I had to get a new copy a few years ago.  James got a hold of it one morning and colored on several of the pages...which only makes me love it more.  It is a precious reminder of the little blond-headed boy that is often tucked by my side as we read the Bible each morning together. The 23rd and 24th of each month I always remember what happened in March of this year.  Jude's diagnosis and surgery.  Those days in 31 Days were particularly meaningful and timely.  Even with the rough few days we've been having...

6 months ago today Jude was diagnosed with cancer.  What a precious, strong little boy we have.  I'm so proud of him.  His next round of tests and scans will be at the first of October.  Thank you for your prayers.  

I am super crazy tired so I'm going to make this short.  We had an AWESOME day today at BSF!!!  I am praising the Lord for many answered prayers. The house construction stuff is still going on and is going beautifully!  I cannot wait for it to be done.  It is going to look so pretty! I can't wait to show you. We are all fighting off some sort of allergy/sinus/sniffy thing. Jamesie is the worse. Hopefully getting some rest and getting back in our house and all settled next week will help. These pictures are crummy because they are from my phone...because my camera is dead and I don't know where the battery charger is...presumably in one of the 4 laundry baskets I wag back and forth between mine and my Mom's house every day...but that is just a guess. Jamesie "reading" the Bible this morning before BSF. Looking for roly polys. Up in the tree. Fatty

Our two BSF days are early and long days.  So I try to prepare myself.  Nothing could have prepared me for today.  This morning started out with realizing that Jude's diaper had busted open and those nasty gel bead things had gotten everywhere.  Normally that would not be too big of a deal except for that we don't have a shower, bath, washing machine, or hot water.  (We've been showering and doing laundry at Mom and Dad's in case you worry that we have not had showers).  So Jude got a cold bath in the kitchen sink and did not like it (or me) at all.  After BSF we went back to Mom and Dad's, ate lunch, and then I put the boys down for a nap.  I was pleased that James was actually napping.  So I took the opportunity to take a nap myself.  Bad decision. Jude woke up and I went in and got him and then heard James talking from the room he was in.  I went into get him and before I had even turned the lights on he said, "My marker!"...

When I was a little girl my Mom would always help me make "tents" all over the living room.  We would have the entire room covered in sheets and blankets.  It was so much fun and felt so cozy underneath.  Today she made a table tent for the boys and they LOVED it!  I love that my Mom is making some of the same sweet memories with my boys that she made with me.

Now we start another week and pray it is much better than last week.  However, this week is going to include a lot of 1 year old shots for Jude so I'm being cautiously optimistic.  I feel like that is sort of like saying I am being negatively positive.  Because I kind of am.  But I'm praying about my attitude so that should count for something, no? For reals this was my cup of coffee.  And no I didn't drink it.  I felt jealous of the fly. Joshua 24:15-But if you don't want to worship the Lord, then choose right now!...My family and I are going to worship and obey the Lord!

I am still not dealing well with the transitions in my life these days.  I really hate that part of my personality.  I wish I was better about just rolling with the punches but I am not.  I thrive on structure and order...yeh...I'm one of those.  So are my kids.  So being out of our element is not ideal.  We have about 4 or 5 major things going on right now which is about 4 more than I can handle.  Anyways...Thursday was our first class day of BSF.  We were staying at Mom and Dad's house because of the things going on at our house.  The boys woke up bright and sunshiny at 3:00 a.m. and never went back to sleep.  So Jude feel asleep on the way to BSF. James cheerfully posed outside of his classroom with his new Spiderman lunchbox. And then with his brother. He also peeked at the fish while we waited. After a very long and exhausting day, the boys were ready for bed. The next day was Jude's birthday!!!  We had a fun day celebra...