Yay for Spring!

Well, the stomach bug made its way through Jack, Clint and me over the course of 48 hours. We're all better now and ready for fun! One of the main reasons we bought our house is for the yard. It's 1.04 acres and surrounded by privacy-bearing trees. Some people don't like a big yard, but we love it for the following reasons:

1. Free entertainment - it costs nothing to play kickball, dig in a flower bed, or make a bonfire.
2. Work ethic - Clint and I both grew up in families that required us to do yard work. We believe
it teaches responsibility and the value of working hard.
3. Ministry opportunities - Once the weather has consistently warmed up and Clint is done with
planting season, we want to have a big fish fry. I would also like to have a huge
waterslide/splash party this summer for the kids in our Sunday School class. It's easy
to find ways to invite lost friends when you have a place to entertain them.
4. We just like it - I love yard work (except for when it's 100 degrees). I love flower beds, raking,
planning the landscaping. Everything. It's a full year of something to do for relatively
lost cost.

Jack and I got out in the yard today and finished the raking.
Jack liked to help Mommy by throwing handfuls of leaves in the trashcan. So cute!

Jack took a snack break with some grapes. He ended up feeding them to Flapper. Isn't this the CUTEST picture??

Our massive pile of leaves to burn when Clint gets home this evening. This entire pile is just from our raking today. Be impressed!
I brought Jack inside for Round 2 of grapes (Flapper ate all the other ones) and I picked up the rakes from the yard. I came back inside and found him asleep on the floor! I guess he was worn out from all the raking!

Stomach Bug!

Jack has his first real stomach bug. Poor baby!! Vomiting scares him half to death and we just won't mention the diarrhea...I guess I just did. I stayed home from school today and Clint's getting home around 2:00 so I can make parent-teacher conferences. Jack is soaking up the television and slurping the Gatorade. I took this picture from around the corner because I didn't want to disturb him peacefully watching Cars. Doesn't he just look pitiful? I think the worst has passed. Hopefully it won't hit Clint or me!

Animal Sounds

Thanks to a great book Uncle T and Aunt Sarah gave Jack for Christmas, Jack has learned many animal sounds. My personal favorite is the cat sound he makes. It's so cute!! Today we are going to PetSmart to try and adopt a kitten. We'll have another post if we get one! Sorry it's sideways. I keep forgetting I cannot turn my camera!

Valentines

Jack had his Valentine party at school Friday. We were in charge of cupcakes. Jack loves to watch the mixer go 'round! I found some Valentines with stickers of puppies and kittens and knew they were just perfect for Jack! Friday afternoon I rushed over to Calvary from school and was able to catch the party in full swing. Baby Bible Song CD was blaring and 13 very content almost-2 year olds were chowing down on cupcakes and cookies. They were so cute!

Good Times with Friends!

This weekend Jack and I made the trip to Starkville. Our friends Lloyd and Kristen Reitz will be moving to Pennsylvania next weekend. Check out her blog over on my list. It's "From Dixie to Dairy." Isn't that precious? Lloyd, well, Dr. Lloyd, is an official DVM and will be starting at a practice back in his hometown in Pennsylvania. Saturday night we had a surprise going away party for them. Jack and I stayed with John and Leanne. I was able to see precious, beautiful Mary Audrey. Jack was so good with her. He was very concerned about where she was and what she was doing. It was so cute. I left my camera in Woodworth, so I tried to steal a few pictures from Kristen's blog, but Blogger told me it was corrupted. (My goodness, Kristen!!) Also, Leanne said she'd email me a few of Jack and Mary Audrey together.

We sure miss you Starkville folks!!

I follow the blogs of several families who are adopting from Ethiopia. We don't know if this is something God is calling our family to, but we know He is calling us to pray for them. For those of you who are unfamiliar with international adoption, it's such an amazing journey for families who go through it. American World Adoption Association is the program I follow. This particular association has programs through China, India, Rwanda, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Ethiopia. Many of you probably know about Steven Curtis Chapman and his two daughters from China. One of them was recently killed in an automobile accident. The Chapman family went through American World for their daughters. From DeRidder, Pam Graves Beadle and her husband Shawn adopted Kailyn from China.

The Blackwell family from Missouri is adopting a little girl from Ethiopia and will be traveling this weekend to pick her up. They passed court, which is a major milestone, and Rahel "Rae" is officially and legally their daughter. Jump on over to their website and check out the sweet video of them introducing their new daughter.

www.bringscouthome.blogspot.com

Single Mothers...Bless You

The winter months are especially busy for Clint at work. It's planting season, which means two crews from Mexico come and plant trees on clients' land. Clint and his coworker Robert stay busy keeping up with land, workers, trees, etc. Most days he is gone before I get up (and I get up at 5:15) and is home after Jack goes to bed. Several days, including today, he is gone overnight. He and Robert switch out Sundays, but now two crews are here, so they are both working Sundays for the next few weeks. I'm not saying that to complain, because I am so grateful that Clint has a steady job during these uncertain economic times. I'm only describing our situation to say that I've had an extremely small taste of what single mothers go through every day.

I've thought a lot about single mothers lately. Whether they are widowed, divorced, or never married, it doesn't matter. I have gained so much respect for single mothers over the past few weeks. Walking into church alone is difficult. I hope to never ignore a woman who is at church by herself. Just the every day errands and worries and chores would be overwhelming.

Even though the past few weeks have been difficult, God has shown me what a blessing I have in Clint. He has also taught me to reach out to mothers who don't have much help with their children. Anyway...ramblings just to say that I have a deep respect for women who do this on their own. Let me know if you need anything...

Here's a picture of Jack asleep tonight!