a transition from spiritual death to spiritual life, and conscious, intentional, active faith in Christ is its immediate fruit, not its immediate cause.
So back in March, I got an e-mail from my brother-in-law wanting to know if we wanted to visit my sister in Charlotte for a week in June. Well DUH.... OF COURSE. Then came the catch. "Your sister will have NO IDEA you are coming. I'll be leaving for FL on Tues for a conference. That's the day you get there. On Friday you will drive Tonya to the airport and get her on a plane to join me for the weekend (she will also have NO IDEA about this until you tell her.) **Great, so I was going to be the one to tell her that she was going to leave her 4th for the first time** You and Gerald will stay home with the kids...." HUH???? We needed some time to think about this. As much as I wanted to see my sister and my nieces and nephews (We don't get to see them nearly enough) the thought of G and I taking care of FIVE kids for THREE days was somewhat overwhelming! I didn't immediately jump at the chance. After some discussion and finding that Donnie's sister would be at the house some to help out (she's living with them for the summer and volunteering/interning at their church) we decided, WE CAN DO THIS!! So off we went on May 31st. We boarded a plane from Lubbock to Dallas, and then Dallas to Charlotte. Jake's FAVORITE part about that trip was the tram we got to ride from gate to gate at the DFW airport. He is sooooo into trains these days!!
He was a champ the entire time. He really travels well!! He crashed in his stroller as soon as we got off the plane and didn't even flinch when we moved him from the stroller into the car seat. It was good for him to get in a little nap before arriving to see his cousins.
Soon we arrived at the house. I was so excited that we had actually pulled this off!! Luckily Jake woke up right about the time we turned into their neighborhood.
That was PRICELESS!!!
Obviously Tonya was SHOCKED to see us there and took the news of her Friday departure VERY well. She was so excited to have a little kid free get away with the hubs! The next day was filled with Monkey Joe's (a jump-house place) and Fro-yo that night with the kids and Aunt Coco.
Before heading off to Palm Springs, FL, my sister treated me to an AMAZING pedicure. We had a good time being pampered together. Wish we could do it more often.
After that we didn't get many more pics or videos. We stayed busy having fun though, with soccer games...
(On our way to the game)
(Sweet Erin)
(Waiting for the game to start. Best cousins!!)
Going to church, playing Wii, bike riding, walks, playing with computers, cars and trains...
more Wii, meals together, bedtime stories
and just a lot of laughter rough housing and pillow fights.
Oh, and of course following Jake up and down the stairs. He maneuvered them like a champ by the time we left. We survived the week as "parents" of 5. Of course it helps that my sister and Donnie have raised their children with such integrity. Joshua is their helper and has such a servants heart. He could run the house as well as any adult. Caleb is their comic relief, HA! He wants to be like his big brother and does just about 21anything Josh does. He is tender-hearted and LOVES his sisters too. It's so sweet to see him and Ella play together. He is just FUN to be around. Ella is their princess. She LOVES her big brothers, but also has her girlie side. She was a good "big sister" to our Jake-Man. She always made sure he was where he needed to be. I think she's going to be a good leader as she gets older and will grow into a beautiful woman with great faith and also a big heart. Sweet Erin is just that, sweet Erin. She's very different from her brothers and sister, but that just shows me that the Lord has AMAZING things lined up for her. She will have her own special place in their family. I believe she will grow up to be their bold one. Bold in all that she does. I can't wait to watch her blossom.
We were blessed to be around those kiddos for a week. I hope as Jake grows up they can grow closer together and all become amazing men and women of faith!
So Grammie and Granddad are back on the road again. Through a waterfall of tears we said good-bye on Friday. We stood on the sidewalk as Jake waved and said "Bye-Bye Bus, Bye-Bye Bus..." It was an amazing month filled with memories that will never be forgotten. Jake absolutely loved having Grammie and Granddad around. It won't be the new cars, the new clothes, the talking puppy dog, Car hauler, ping-pong balls, choo-choos (which he even had to sleep with) that he'll remember. It will be the time spent together. Other than the few days that Grammie and Granddad were rather sick, (and the week we spent in NC - which will be my next blog post) we got to see each other everyday. They went to the mall with us, to the park, to Jumpin' Jungle, Chick-Fil-A, Toys-R-Us, Target, shoe shopping, you name it. Of course there was also a lot of precious time spent just here at the house playing in the floor with trucks, cars, choo-choos, and balls. Jumping outside, playing with bubbles, swinging, playing in the sandbox and water table, and just going for walks. It melted my heart every time.
I was reminded everyday the importance of family and making the moments count. Though we don't know their travel schedule, and we might not get to see them as often as we would like, the bonds will last a lifetime. Jake enjoyed a lot of love and fun with Grammie and Granddad. You couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He would get so excited when I would tell him we were going to see them, or they were going to meet us somewhere. He didn't care if they were going to come baring gifts or material things, he just knew they would be there and that was enough to light up his day. He would drag each of them around by their finger to help him or watch him do different things. He just wanted them there, and they were, every moment they could be. I am so blessed to have parents that love me and my family so very much. I'm so thankful that they give of their time and energy to invest so much in our lives.
Sooo... enough of the mushy stuff, I'll show you what you want to see... PICS AND VIDEOS!
We have been married for 9 fabulous years and had our first baby on October 8, 2009, We are so blessed to have Jake as part of our family. We had quite a journey to becoming a family of 3, and are now on a new journey of healing. Jake has been diagnosed with a condition called Long QT Syndrome. We are believing God for his complete healing and hope to share how the Lord brings us through every step of the way. We were blessed with our second little miracle on May 14, 2012. Dawson, though he started small, is our chunk. We hope to share our ups and downs as we trust The Lord to guide our family of Four!!
