Grandpas UNITE!

Food is the subject, hence these photos...

This post is entitled Grandpas UNITE because lately I have been bombarded with the love of Grandpas! Earlier I wrote about the grandpa who saved the little red ball but today I write about a different grandpa. One who also showed us love through his actions.

We were crunched for time, rushing to pick up Mikes family from the airport, we were lucky to have our child in pants much less ready for company visiting. I was too frazzled to cook so Mike decided to take us all out to eat at Ted's Montana Grill. This is a huge treat! Usually when we go out we pick places that you order at the counter and then sit down. To have a waiter is a huge treat for us.

We arrived at the restaurant with the whole gang. All 6 of us with a toddler! I took the drink ordering time as a chance to let O stretch his legs. We did a few laps around the restaurant. He of course insisted on waving at every diner in the place. Such a gentleman! Then we ordered as usual and I even got a milkshake! I did not hold back! We were here to dine, so dine I did!

Upon finishing our meals we promptly asked for the check and asked him to hurry since we had a toddler that needed to evacuate here soon. The waiter informed us that a sweet grandpa had bought our entire meal! A MEAL FOR 6 PEOPLE AT A NICE RESTAURANT AND HE COVERED TIP! I was in awe of such a kind deed. I mean I have heard of people paying for people at the drive-through, but this is a restaurant and for a family of 6 none the less! Who was this man!? Mike could not stand for it! He asked the server where the man was. The man was dressing in his coat to make a quick exit. Mike stood up promptly walked over, spoke to the man and gave him a nice big hand shake. On his way out the man passed through our table and said "your son is a joy, it makes me miss my own grand kids. They live on the other side of the country."

Again, this Grandpa touched our family in a way that will remind us what Jesus calls us to do to others! TO LOVE! Grandpas are always teaching us things aren't they?! Thank you stranger and I pray that you are reunited with your grand kids soon!

Side note- In being thankful for Grandpas...I can not help but think about my own Grandpas.
Papa- I know you would easily have bought that meal for us and we know that you are sending us your love from afar! We miss you and love you dearly. Next time we will go to Thai and let O lick noodles off the table in your honor!
Grandaddy- We know that heaven has to be AWESOME and we can not wait to join the party. In the mean time we are enjoying all the beautiful sun rays you send to us. We miss you!

Pay it forward

It all started with a little red ball...

      O and I went to the tool store to get a few items for projects at the house. We had finished our errand and we were loading back into the car. I got him all buckled in and went to hand him the little red ball for some entertainment while we drove home and wouldn't you know it that ball jumped right out of my hand... rolled across the parking lot, under two cars and rested under a huge black SUV. (The song "On Top of Spaghetti" comes to mind) I had raced to get O out of his car seat. I was that crazed mom galloping across the parking lot. I stood next to the SUV thinking I am going to have to leave this ball here because there is no way I can crawl under the car while holding this 30 pound bowling ball (aka my son!) Then out of no where I hear a voice "oh no!" he said to me. I looked back. It was an elderly man dressed in a white dress shirt. I said that it was unfortunate but we were leaving the ball under the SUV. The man said "I am a grandpa and if that were my grand kid I would never let the ball stay under the car" and then the man crawled on his belly under the car in his WHITE DRESS SHIRT to get O's little red ball. I was floored! I was shocked! I was speechless! I could not understand the selflessness of this grandpa!

So, thank you to that man who saved the little red ball. I may never see you again but I will remember your actions. And we all know that actions speak louder than words.

^"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

-Hebrews 13:8

Compliments

Me: "You have the finest buttock in the entire northern hemisphere. Correction, entire norther and southern hemisphere combined." 

Husband: "It's really just a cluster of fat camping out around my tail bone."

What is a woman to say to that? I just laughed! 

Hard times = Healing measures!

We had a totally normal day. Nothing went askew. Went to the park, normal dinner, everything...
10 pm struck... I got the mommy "ping" you know... the one that says "check on your baby". I quickly peered into little mans room. Oddly enough he was standing at his crib, not crying, not whinnying, just standing. I decided to promptly shut to door in hopes that he would settle on his own.

I came back in a few minutes later and he had vomited everywhere. Poor baby, he wasnt even crying. We hurried into the shower to rinse off and feel better. Got out, and for the next five hours my 13 month old violently threw up with only minutes of rest in between.

We rushed to the ER.

He threw up on everyone and everything, until there was nothing but air and foam to get rid of. (On one occasion the doctor kneaded my sweet babies stomach as he was vomiting. It broke my heart to see her hand pushing so hard. She explained that doing this would empty his stomach completely.)

Nurses looked worried. The doctor on call did repeat visits non stop for hours. He was severely dehydrated. His veins continued to collapse. After 4 sticks they finally were able to get him connected to an IV.  They also wanted to get blood tests to monitor his white blood cells and to do a culture. They bagged his privates so they could analyze his waste. They did X-rays. It was horrible! I felt ill myself.I wished over and over again that it was me and not him.

FINALLY his white blood cells began to drop, showing that the infection was starting to improve.

He started to interact with those around him, wanting his monkey and mommy. It broke my heart to see him so ill. I prayed non stop! Hours went by. Every muscle in my body was flexed, throbbing with worry. Eventually he was able to be released. We went home and had to return to the doctor for more tests later that afternoon. They concluded that he had some type of virus that really whipped him out quick.

It took him a solid 5 days to return to his normal self. But you better believe that I was praising the smallest sip of water, or the little crumb of food he swallowed! 

It made me realize that your life can change in an instant!

It made me realize that God is always near!

But most of all it reminded me to ALWAYS listen to that Holy Spirit inside of you! I know that mommy's are not the only ones who have that sense of what to do and when to do it. I attribute my mommy powers to the Holy Spirit.

It also made me realize just how hard it must have been for God to watch Jesus endure so much for the sins of others. What a mighty God we serve!

Thank you Jesus for healing my sick baby! To You be the Glory!

"But you - you serve your God and he'll bless your food and your water.

 I'll get rid of the sickness among you;" -Exodus 23:25

Minus One!

Owen spent 5 day with Grandma WITHOUT mommy.

Owen has a special relationship with his Grandma, he always has. She was the most patient being when he spent the first four months of his life screaming non stop from a belly ache. She was present at his birth, holding up one of my legs while I pushed. She spoils him rotten and boy does he soak it up!

I wasn't worried that she would do a bad job. I wasn't worried that he would miss me too much. I wasn't worried that he wouldn't have fun. I wasn't worried that she wouldn't know what she was doing or how to take care of him in all the uncontrollable circumstances that could happen... but I was beyond worried. I was a mess.

My mind was filled with the what ifs... crazy scenarios would peek in my mind. I had to take those thoughts captive and launch them to the throne of Jesus.

5 days came and went... I quite enjoyed catching up on housework and spending evenings with my husband. I did miss my sweet baby though. Grandma sent me daily pictures, we exchanged videos and even skyped. At the end I was more worried that he forgot who I was and had so much fun that he wouldn't want to come back home.

I learned a valuable lesson, kids are flexible. Mommies are crazy!

Robots

Merry Christmas Becky!!

My amazing sister is currently traveling the world as a missionary for The World Race. Since we could not get her a gift for Christmas, we decided to make her a music video of her favorite robot song.

Love you Boo! Missing you each and every day! May our gracious Lord protect you and bring you back to us soon! In the mean time, go love on those peeps!

Airport Angel

Arms full, sweat well everywhere!, screaming hungry tired child, full bladder, full diaper (on Owen), flight to catch, not enough time for anything! This is what things looked like in July as we prepared to fly to Alabama to spend a week with Great Grandma.

I walked into the bathroom desperate for a plug to warm Owen's bottle. Wouldn't you know the plug was too far from the counter and the bottle warmer would not reach the counter. A woman came up to me... AN ANGEL! She said, "what can I help you with..." I just looked at her and had no clue what to say. I just started murmuring in confused speech about the cord and warm milk. She said, here I will hold it so you can do other things. I looked at her in amazement... "Okay, thank you" I responded. (Let me paint the picture here, this is a busy airport bathroom and here is this woman standing near the entrance just holding a bottle warmer in the air while it cooks.) I went and changed Owen's diaper and washed my hands. As soon as my hands hit the water I was overwhelmed with the sensation of my aching full like a bucket leaving a well bladder. The woman still stood there waiting for the milk to finish warming. I strapped my screaming wrestling child into his stroller. She said, "I will stand here, I will watch him, you can go to the bathroom, its okay." I walked into a stall left the door partially opened and listened to my baby scream while I peed and a STRANGER watched my child. I was so desperate I simply could not care.

I refer to this woman as a stranger but in actuality she was my airport angel. I came out, washed my hands, she discreetly handed me to bottle so Owen would not see it, she had wrapped up the bottle warmer and had it ready for me to put away, then she said "I am on my way to visit my Grand kids... I completely understand how it is. You are a great mommy."

"You are a great mommy."

I wanted to burst out in tears because in my mind I was thinking "Oh no! I left my kid with a stranger. Mike is going to kill me!!! What is wrong with me!? I am a horrible mommy! HORRIBLE!" God spoke to me through this woman. God showed me that He always finds a way to help His children in need. God showed me that He can speak through others mouths in a way that penetrates straight to my heart. God showed me that He is near! Always near!

So thank you to that airport angel grandma! May God bless and keep you!