Moving.

We are moving. We will soon be moving to Virginia. We will either be leaving Texas the weekend of Sept. 19 or the weekend of the 25th; we're not sure which yet; we are waiting to hear from Bo's work.

We are all very excited and have already begun the process of packing! :)

How Jack became a movie star

Our wonderful friend Edith has been known to babysit Jack for us from time to time. Recently, she documented one of those occasions and has put together a series of wonderful videos that really capture the...um...essence?...of Jackson. Edith really did an awesome job. Here are links to the videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOjKvWyeahA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqreStMtjkw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zwjTSyzZdQ

Excellent viewing.

Night Terrors

My poor baby.
Last night, Jack had a night terror. About a year ago, I suspected that he had begun having night terrors. He would "wake up" 1-3 hours after going to sleep, screaming inconsolably and apparently not recognizing anyone or anything. He was so young at the time we didn't really know what was going on, but I suspected night terrors. They went away though, and he hadn't had one since last fall...until last night.
Poor baby Jack went to bed at 8:30 as usual last night. At 10:30, we heard him wake up and start screaming. We went to him and tried to comfort him for about 30 minutes. He apparently didn't recognize us, he was screaming, he was kicking, and every time we tried to bring him back to his bedroom it would only get worse and worse. Bo and I held him and tried to comfort him, saying "It's Mommy (or Daddy), it's okay, you're okay, Mommy (or Daddy) is here," but it had little to no effect. We tried to wake him up since it was clear that he was not actually awake (he was just asleep and terrified with his eyes open), but he wouldn't wake up. We yelled his name, put a cold washcloth on his head, and eventually changed his diaper. The diaper changing is what eventually worked. Poor baby suddenly, still in hysteria, made eye contact with me and seemed to "snap out of it."
30 minutes after the night terror began, Jack finally started to calm down. When we took him to bed, there was a bit more screaming and obvious fear, but we went through his normal bedtime routine and he calmed down, at that point, rather easily. He went to sleep and slept through the rest of the night without a peep until 7:15 this morning, when he woke up happy well-rested.
Let me tell you, night terrors are no joke. Just thinking about it right now is making me teary-eyed. I thought Jack was having a seizure, or in very intense pain, or even possessed. Seriously, the thought that he was possessed actually crossed my mind. It was a very bizarre experience. Night terrors are not like nightmares; the child does not wake up and cannot be comforted. It is a scary thing to see your baby like that. I'm just glad it's over and now I am sure I know what it is so that I will be more prepared next time.

For all the mommies out there...

An excerpt from the book I'm reading, The Remarkable Women of the Bible by Elizabeth George:

"Embrace motherhood as an occupation--'The most important occupation on the earth for a woman is to be a real mother to her children. It does not have much glory in it; there is a lot of grit and grime. But there is no greater place of ministry, position, or power, than that of a mother.'...'Parenthood is a partnership with God. You are not molding iron nor chiseling marble; you are working with the Creator of the universe in shaping human character and determining destiny.'"

Doctor Update

Jack saw the doctor today. She thinks his ongoing diarrhea battle could be one of 2 things:

1. It could be a virus still, and it is taking his tummy a long time to heal because of the stomach virus he had last month.

or

2. It could be a parasite, most likely from the public pool we swam in mere days before the diarrhea began.

They are doing a test to see if it is a parasite, but the results could take a week to come back. Meanwhile, the doctor gave us some probiotics which will hopefully help at least a little!

Doctor time [again]

Jack has not had a fever since Friday evening, but his diarrhea has not gone away, even after 5 days on the BRAT diet. He is losing weight and apparently not getting any better, so we are taking him to the doctor today. Please pray for us.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Fever-free

Jack woke up without a fever this morning!!!!! It looks like he is officially getting better. He is still lethargic and under the weather, but the worst seems to be behind us. Thanks for your prayers!

Afternoon Update

After the Motrin wore off, Jack's temp was 102.7. Not quite the improvement I had hoped for, but it beats yesterday. He has also had 3 episodes of diarrhea today, which is frustrating considering the strict diet we've had him on.

Friday

Jack's fever is down to 99.9, on Motrin. That means without Motrin it would be about 101-101.5, most likely. That may not seem like much of an improvement, but yesterday at this time, his temp was 102.5 with Tylenol, so it actually is a huge improvement. I can tell that he is feeling a bit better this morning too; he has been talking my ear off and so far he is on his third baby banana (if you've never had one, check them out--they are delicious and perfectly Jackson-sized!) of the morning. Hopefully this burst of improvement will be followed by further bursts! Keep praying! :)

Sesame Humor

I let Jack watch Sesame Street this morning. They were talking about penguins. Big Bird introduced his cousin who is a penguin.

Big Bird: "This is my cousin; he lives at the pole."
Penguin: "Hi y'all!"
Big Bird: "The south pole."
Penguin: "Y'all got catfish?"

HAHAHAHA oh my goodness too funny.

Jack Jack

Jackson woke up at 5:20 this morning with a diaper full of horrible diarrhea (which was also all over him and the bed) and a fever of 101. He also is suffering from a terrible diaper rash, due to all the diarrhea he has been having. Please pray for my little guy. I just don't know what to do, and the doctor doesn't want to see him until he has had diarrhea for 2 weeks or a fever for 3 days.

Funky.

Bo didn't get the job in Kentucky. We are disappointed, but we trust that God has something better planned. Now we are just waiting to see what that is!

Jack's diarrhea is back, this time with a fever. Please pray that he is granted quick healing. The poor guy is suffering; he cried when I changed his diaper because his poor little bum was hurting. I hate it when he is sick; it makes me feel so sad for my poor little guy. It is really weird to see my typically energetic kid become so sedated and sad.

My verses for today

"For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence."

1 Corinthians 1:26-29

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!!!

Sometimes it really feels like I am the crazy one, but how can it be?????
I believe in a God who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient.
I believe in a God who blesses and protects those who follow after Him (Romans 8:28 anyone?)
I believe in a God who never gives us more than we can handle--with His help, of course.
I believe in a God who is lord over all things--not SOME things or MOST things. ALL THINGS.
I believe in a God who stops the wind and the waves with mere words (Matthew 8:26-27).
I believe in a God who created the earth and everything on it with mere words (Genesis 1).
I believe in a God for whom NOTHING is too hard (Genesis 18:14)!
I believe in a God who not only raised others from the dead, but raised Himself after 3 days in the grave!
Are we to believe then that this omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God is incapable of handling our lives' daily matters? Or maybe He is too busy?
Call me crazy, but I say OF COURSE NOT!!!!! NOTHING is too hard for the Lord! I believe in His awesome power not only in the stories of the Bible or in other peoples' lives, but in my life too. I believe that if I will just step out of the way, He can and will do awesome things in my life. And most of all, I believe that He would NEVER EVER steer me down the wrong path. I believe that as long as I am following Him and His word, I will never have to fear again. Call me crazy.
It is so liberating. It seems so complicated, but it is so simple: Let God make the decisions in your life and you have nothing to worry about.

Get well soon

We are in need of prayer for Jack's health. He has not been feeling well since Monday, and it isn't getting any better; in fact it has gotten worse. It was just diarrhea, but now he is vomiting as well. He has not had a fever as yet. The doctor says they do not need to see him unless he is not better by the end of next week, but I am concerned, of course. Please pray for my little guy!

Events

It has been a fun weekend! Well, Saturday was the most active day--we went to the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market in the morning. We got some of the BEST coffee I have ever had. I mean seriously, it is amazing. It is an organic fair trade coffee from Ethiopia and I could drink it all day long; it is delicious! Plus the profits go back to Ethiopia!

After Jack's nap we went to the Austin Ice Cream Festival. It was fun...but really hot!! We had a good time anyway and Jack enjoyed his "isees" (ice cream in Jackson-ese) He has such a sweet tooth!

After we tired of frying in the Texas sun, we decided to head over and check out the new Sports Authority store that just opened. They have a big golf section with a putting green and a little computerized driving range thingy, so Bo had fun with that while I lusted after all the beautiful Nike and Puma exercise clothes that I can't afford! Jack had a blast watching Bo play golf, and he even got to play a little himself! The employee working the golf area went and got him a little putter so he got to play just like Daddy. He was very, very excited!

Today was church, which was wonderful as always. We started teaching 1 Timothy in the TILT class this week.

Something cute about Jack (you know I have to do it):

This morning we were eating breakfast and I looked over to see Jack with his hands folded and head bowed, mumbling to himself. Then he looked up and said "Amen!" It was the cutest.

Just as I am

Last night at church, we had some guest musicians lead worship. They sang one song that they had written; it was about how God loves us exactly as we are--not only that, but He MADE us the way we are.

It got me thinking about the things of this world and how little they matter. It also got me thinking about the fact that even those who profess great faith still put such importance on the things of the world. It's true! Many people don't think of it that way, but seriously, what will any of it mean when we are with Jesus for eternity?

Some things which even most Christians think are "important," but which will mean nothing in the grand scheme of things:

-College/education
-Retirement/401k
-Owning a home

I have been very troubled since last night; thinking about this stuff can be very upsetting. I know many people who put a lot of importance on things that really are just silly, and it makes me sad.

Seriously, raise your hand if you think Jesus will ask you any of the following questions when you get to heaven:

-Did you go to college? Where? What was your major?
-How much do you have in your 401k? Were you able to retire early?
-How much home equity do you have? Did you own a home at all? Oh, you rented? Get out of here; we don't like renters in heaven.

Or do you think He might ask questions more along these lines:

-What did you do to serve Me? Did you serve in the church?
-What did you do to feed My sheep--literally and spiritually?
-Did you store up earthly treasures or have you been awaiting your heavenly treasure?

I'm going to go with the second set of questions, but that's just me.

Mat 19:24
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Not my words. Jesus' words.
I will step down off my soap box now.

Affirmation

God gives us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it. The last few days, I have really needed some affirmation of my parenting, and about 3 minutes ago, I got it. Jack said a new word tonight--he said "Jesus."

Thanks

To all of you who have been praying for us, thanks!!

Jack and I have had a great day so far today. I don't know if it is the fact that I am refreshed from the weekend and therefore more patient, or if Jack is actually behaving better today, but we are doing great. It's probably a combination of both, and I am so thankful!

It is so stinking hot. Seriously, it's ridiculous. I think the high today is 105.

Here are some photos from the last week or so (notice Jack is pretty much sweating in all of them):

Weekend Update

With another weekend under our belts, I figured this would be a good time to post an update.

On Friday night, our good friends Larry and Edith babysat Jack so that Bo and I could go see Mamma Mia! at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. It was a blast! The movie was so great--Bo even liked it! It was funny and just really well-done. Plus, the food was delish.

On Saturday we got up early and went out to Wimberley Market Days with the Caskeys. It was fun, but wayyyy too hot. I HATE the Texas summers!!!!!!!! We hardly ever have a high under 100 degrees, and it is starting to get frustrating, for sure. Anyway, on Saturday night we went to Larry and Edith's for dinner and some game-playing. It was really fun!

Today we had church, which was wonderful as always, and then after Jack's nap we went over to where the Long Center is (it's a big convention center thingy). They've built a really nice park with walking trails, hills, and a big fountain that kids can play in. Jack was really scared of the fountain at first, but he did end up liking it toward the end--and he REALLY enjoyed climbing the hills! He's a climber.

Let me just end with this: we paid $3.72 for gas today!!! WOOHOO that is the lowest I have seen it in quite a while.

I cannot promise coherence.

I am exhausted. The "terrible twos" have set in early and with a vengeance. My sweet, obedient 1-year-old has become a disobedient almost-2-year-old with an attitude.

Since I am home with Jack all day, he knows me well--and he knows exactly how to push my buttons. And he pushes them. Constantly. I know it sounds crazy, but I swear to you, he does it on purpose. The last week has been really, really difficult.

I know that a lot of it has to do with our trip, etc., but please, PLEASE pray for us. We need it.

On a lighter note, my good friend Suzy came over for dinner last night and we had a really great visit! It was so good to see her; I missed her! I really enjoyed our time together.

Another fun thing is that Bo and I are actually going on a "date" tonight, without Jack! :) We are going to the Alamo Drafthouse to see a movie. For those of you who are not familiar with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, it is the best way to see a movie!!! First of all, all of the seating is tiered so there is no possible way that your view could be obstructed. Secondly, they serve food!!!! And it's good! Another upside to that is that they have to keep the theater extra clean!!! It's wonderful. I am really excited; we literally have not been to Alamo in 2 years. The only movies we have seen have been Veggie Tales and a couple of free ones, courtesy of friends with free passes. So we are really excited.