I'm Alive and Kicking

(Tap, tap, tap...)  Is this thing on?

Well, hello there.....

It's hard to believe it's been six months since I have published anything here.  A lot has happened since January.  And as such is life, there have been joys and there have been sorrows along the way.  If you follow me on my Facebook page, you've caught some of these events since I've tried to stay somewhat active over there.  But it's time to catch up here.

Let's begin with the birth of my first grandchild waaay back in March.  I've lost any hopes of winning "Grandmother of the Year" by taking this long to show off my grandson.  Cheyenne and Nathan had a beautiful baby boy, who is now (gulp!) four months old.

Allow me to introduce you to Gregory John...."Grey" for short.  Just look at him donning all of his sweet freshness!

March 4, 2014 

 

Fast forward four months, and here is my precious sunshine now!  Isn't he the most handsome baby boy ever? 

 

 

We are enjoying life as grandparents.  We are especially thankful to live close enough to get to snuggle Grey often.  Our younger kids are tickled to be aunts and uncles, so they tend to want to smother him constantly.  There are no shortage of arms willing to hold him around here.

Shortly after my daughter had Grey, we found out we were expecting another baby.  But rejoicing turned to sorrow when I miscarried not long after finding out.  God's peace was abundant and we rejoiced that He had created another soul for His purpose.

By mid March, sorrow came again when we left our church of seven years.  I won't go into detail here as to why, but it was a very difficult time for us, as well as for the church family.  Just recently, the church closed its doors permanently.  Our hearts hurt for the people, but we trust God will lead and guide them as they search for a new church home.  We have since found a new church home, and we're slowly trying to find our place there. 

Joy came again when we learned in late April that we were once again expecting.  I felt really good about the pregnancy and looked forward to meeting our sweet new bundle in January 2015.  But as the weeks went on, I felt "too good" and wondered if things were okay.  My suspicions were confirmed at our first ultrasound.  Our precious baby had no heartbeat.  We were devastated, and the time waiting to miscarry was difficult.  My body just wanted to hang onto this tiny soul.  And my heart did too.  I miscarried at 9 1/2 weeks.  My heart goes out to those women who suffer losses much later.  This one was hard for me, so I can only imagine the pain of a later loss.  But in God's goodness and faithfulness, His grace was sufficient, and he carried me through my second miscarriage in a row. 

Before the miscarriage, our daughter, Celeste, came home from college for the summer.  It was so good having her home, and a comfort to be able to share our loss with both of our big girls here.  Our time with Celeste was short but sweet.  She came home mid June, and in mid July she headed to Uganda for the third time.  She loves Uganda and the work she's able to do there.  She's exploring the possibility of going back long term next summer.  It will be interesting to see where God leads her in the future concerning Uganda.

Here, she is working with a ministry called Sole Hope.  They wash children's feet and provide shoes for them.

Celeste returned home from Uganda, and then five days later, returned to Tennessee to start a job before school begins in August.  We miss her already and look forward to seeing her at Christmas.  As quickly as the days fly by, Christmas will be here before we know it!

In these six months, we have also celebrated six birthdays.  Amelia tuned 3 in March, I turned 41 in May, Ethan turned 8 in May, Celeste turned 19 in June, Seth turned 13 in June, and my hubby turned 43 this month.  In between all the joys and sorrows and birthdays, we've been busy living life as usual.  Homeschooling, cooking large, cleaning, piano lessons, piano recitals, state competitions, swimming, meeting needs, trips to Sea World, and raising 8 kiddos, 13 and under (with no big girls at home anymore) have pretty much worn me out! 

I have managed to write a few things over these months that I hope to post in the coming weeks.  If you're still with me, thank you!  I hope you have been doing well, and look forward to hearing from you.  Blessings!