Chad update!

Chad had surgery on Tuesday to remove the rod from his shoulder and from his spine and all went perfectly! We're so very thankful. It was such a very long day in general, we had a friend keep all 4 kids for us, which was a huge blessing, Chad had changed same friends brakes and rotars on her truck so that'd be done before her husband returns from his deployment in a few weeks. By the time we left her place it was almost midnight, we got home, tossed laundry into the dryer, took a shower, and finally got to bed, we got around 2 or so hours of sleep and then the alarm was going off to get up and head out for our 1 1/2 hr drive to the hospital. We were later than they told him, but they didn't seem to even notice, they got him in the room got him settled in and told us we could sleep for an hour or two until they came to take him down, which was a huge blessing. The day before I'd talked to one of the drs and he'd told me I'd be able to go see him in recovery after he'd been in there for an hour, that never happened. They took him down to the OR at 9:30 and at 3:00 I was finally able to see him. To say it was a long day, is putting it lightly! I was so exhausted. I stayed with him for about 30 minutes so I could make it back for Emma's last soccer game, he was doing well, but of course very tired. He was good when we called him that evening, and yesterday he was feeling much better. Today they took out the drainage tube from his shoulder and did xrays to take a look at his shoulder and spine and said all looked great. We will go pick him up in the morning!!!

We are so very blessed that God gave us a miracle with Chad's life. We do not take that for granted and are reminded that he is still a God who does give miracles. We've been on the otherside where it didn't feel like he did, when he took Jordyn home, but he gave her and us a miracle by not allowing her to suffer and loving her so much that he allowed her to return to Him, that can be hard to remember sometimes, but it's true whether I remember it or not. I'm so thankful we serve such an awesome, loving, merciful, and just GOD!

Thank you for all your prayers and support as well. We're so very blessed!

Update

Amazing how when you're busy, time just flies by! I'm in my 4th month of pregnancy already, it's just flying by. The kids are all doing well with school. Jackson's reading has been a struggle for him, but we're seeing definite improvement, and a friend and fellow homeschooler shared some tips with me on helping him. She has a son his age and another Jacob's age who both also do and did struggle with reading, so I'm very prayerful that over the next few months we'll have a full fledge reader on our hands. Emma's doing very well with her letters and loves doing school work. We're going slow and steady. Jacob's doing great, although we're working on him rushing through everything, when he takes his time he never misses a thing!





Chad is having surgery on Tuesday. He'll be having the titanium rod removed from his spine and he'll also have the titanium rod removed from his shoulder. He's a bit nervous, so please keep him in his prayers. The surgeon told him that after surgery and his physical therapy he should be back to 95% of what he was before the accident. He would like to be at 100%, but let me tell you, I'm just truly so thankful to the Lord for allowing him to have survived the accident. He could have easily have been paralyzed....but yet here he is, a walking miracle. I know he forgets that

Busy but blessed

I've been terrible at blogging lately. I haven't read blogs or anything in weeks. So it's been a over a month, so an update. We started school and it's really going well. We will most likely be taking a couple weeks, if not a full month off when the baby comes, so we're working to get ahead of the game. Emma's started doing some very basic preschool work, of writing letters. I had read a blog a while back about how when teaching children to write, teach them to write in lower cases first, which is not the norm, because...the majority of letters you write is in lower case. Once they have those down, then teach them in uppper case. When you think about it, it makes total sense and darn it I wish I had known that with Jacob and Jackson, but I can't change that and that's the beauty of homeschooling we can learn and make adjustments!

The pregnancy, baby #6 is growing perfectly. She or he is literally measuring eactly as she/he should. I'm 14 weeks along and feeling good. The nausea has even pretty well passed for the most part, so I'm very thankful. It's really been a very,very easy pregnancy. It's amazing and after Emma and Noah's where I was sick the whole pregnancy, it's a nice change of pace! Anyone who thinks every pregnancy is the same, has never been pregnant more than once!

Life is rather busy, but in a good way. Football practice twice a week, tae kwon do 2 times a week, soccer and ballet once a week (same day), then homeschool Art and homeschool PE start and round out our week. Our one truly and completely day of rest is Thursday. Saturday's we have football game...Sunday we have church and AWANA. Each boy are in one sport and of course our homeschool activities. Emma's in one sport and ballet and does PE with our homeschool group and all 3 do AWANA. I've told them if they feel that they're just overwhelmed, just to speak up. They're all enjoying their individual activities. Chad's coaching football and soccer, so it's been great for them to have that time with him. I have PWOC, but have stepped back from volunteering. I'm helping our AWANA program to get going this year, it's the 7th year of AWANA in our community and I've been here since the beginning. I'm the only one. We have 4 others who have returned this year, 1 is the new Commander (she was a Sparks leader last year), one's a T&T leader , and Chad who's the Games director, and one's our Sparks secretary. I told them I'll be an undependable volunteer and come when I feel like it, but to not be counted on. I also said I'll fill in for the Sparks director and secretary when they can't be there.
I just feel God calling me to a quieter time. I'm helping lead a bible study in PWOC, Crazy Love by Francis Chan. If you have not read this book, I highly encourage you to! It's been wonderful. We have had 2 classes, the first week was just ice breakers and getting to know each other, so this week was our first class to talk about the first chapter and it was wonderful. To already see where and how these ladies are with their walk with Christ, what he's already doing in their (and my own) walk. Please be in prayer for our class. We have an amazing group of women and ladies in different places in their walk with the Lord. He's going to do amazing things through this class, you can literally just feel it! I feel blessed and humbled to be co-leading the class and being able to share with these ladies.

Now to Chad. He went up to the hospital where he had his surgery last year after the horrible accident. He has surgery scheduled for Oct 11. The surgeon who put the rods in, will be taking them out. Please pray for his surgeon as well as for Chad. I'll be with him the day of surgery. He'll be released with that Thursday or Friday. I'm praying it'll be Thursday, but when ever is best for him and his healing process. We don't know what will be next, if he'll need to be on leave after surgery, and we know he'll have to start back up on Physical Therapy. He's on leave right now, and we're trying to get a lot done while he is. We're going to be rearranging the living room and dining room. Pulling up carpet in the living room and tossing it (it's in bad shape) and laying down carpet in the living/dining room that our old neighbors gave us, that's in perfect, unstained condition!!! We want to go through our attic and get rid of that stuff we don't need/use/want. We need to do the garage as well!
We're a little behind in all of that, because Noah's been sick this week, but seems to be on the mend so hopefully tomorrow we'll get lots accomplished! Thankfully right now Friday's a free day other than our homeschool PE, but that will give Chad time without little people under his feet and can get things moved. He'll be moving our buffet out, mopping the dining room floor, and laying the dining room carpet. Hopefully Saturday when we get home from football, we can start on the living room. We have our antique shrunk that will be moved into the dining room, then we have to move all the other furniture out of the living room and pull this gross carpet out and mop the floor, lay the carpet and rearrange the furniture! I'm hopeful we can get it done Saturday. I think we'll sleep good, Saturday night!!!! :)

Once we're done I'll take pictures and post.

Well, this pregnant woman is exhausted and I'm going to get into bed, with prayers that we get a full nights sleep because I don't think Mr. Noah will be up all night feeling crummy!

God's blessings,

Farewells

I don't write a lot about us being an Army family here. It's part of who we are, and I'm so exceptionally proud of my husbands service as well as our family as a whole, but yet I rarely find myself writing about it. One of the hardest things of this life is saying goodbye to friends. My kids have had to say goodbye so much over their young lives, and they're once again about to say goodbye to friends. Two brothers will be moving. When we moved from the stairwell to our house last year, these boys were the first kids they met in the new neighborhood and it didn't matter that their dad is an officer and ours is enlisted.....to me that's a sign of great parenting in the military (when the kids simply don't care....trust me they've had "friends" who have tried to pull the rank junk, so this momma has had to lay down the law quickly that kids don't have rank). It's hard on this momma's heart to see my kids hurting as they have to say goodbye. It doesn't feel fair and honestly it just stinks, especially when those friends are leaving a year earlier than expected. They're entering a season where goodbyes will be plentiful though. They have many friends who'll remain, but there are so many who will be leaving. So although for many military the busy moving time is coming to a close, our post seems to be still in high gear. Please keep my military kids in your prayers as well as all the others, whether they're the ones being left behind or the ones moving (having to meet new friends at a new place, etc). I try to protect my children from as much as I can, but I can't protect them from sad hearts from saying goodbye to friends. It is part of life, most definitely part of the military life, but it doesn't make it easier.

I know it's been a month since I last blogged, but life just keeps going! We finished up VBS, during VBS a friend who's a missionary flew in for 12 days so we did a lot of local sight seeing and went down to Garmisch, then she headed to Switzerland for the majority of the month and will return next Friday for the weekend, before she heads back to Africa.

Although it's summer, someone forgot to tell German weather that! This has been the coolest summer yet! I really hope it warms up so we can go swimming a few times at least.

I started watching a friends baby last week. She's almost 7 weeks old, so it's definitely an adjustment for me as I juggle a newborn and a at time very jealous 14 month old little guy, along with the older 3 kids! We're also working on school, yes even through the summer. One subject a day. We've had many sleepovers, lots of park time (when it's not raining), and over all a great deal of family time!

I thought our life was going to slow down, but the reality is, I don't think we're going to have a true slow period again for a very long time and you know I'm good with that. We're not over busy, we have lots of down time still and we have a sit down around the table, home made dinner every night (unless we splurge and go out, but that's a rare treat). Jackson just started Tae Kwon Do, twice a week and so while he's in class I'm working out.
(I published this before I was finished...oops!)

So my one comment so far mentioned the heat wave in the US....trust me we've heard all about it! We're definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum here, it's not warm enough to run around in shorts most days, but instead jeans or athletic pants, etc...many days a sweatshirt is called for. It stinks when you're more than half way through July and you're dressing like it's October! LOL But God's giving us this season for a reason and well I could be sweating day in and day out so I'm going to be grateful for what the Lord has given us! Plus although we have portable A/C's they are not the same as central air that's for sure!

Well, I should take advantage of nap time while I can and fold some laundry...that unending horrible chore that I dislike more than anything! Oh and I forgot to share...Chad will not be joining his unit in Afganistan! His unit is actually overmanned and has already begun sending soldiers home (1 and 2 at a time) so we actually missed out on a deployment which just seems amazing after 3 in a row of every other year and the last one being 14 months. We're very thankful! He'll be scheduling surgery very soon to have the rods removed from his shoulder and back, then restarting physical therapy. We are so blessed!

VBS week

Our lives have slowed down a bit. Not sure if I shared that or not yet, but I'm so thankful. Now don't think we're not doing anything, oh to the contraire...we just started VBS this week! I initially volunteered to head up the snack room, and because the volunteer who was supposed to lead and end the day and do music has not made it back from the states, I some how got voluntold (yes that's a word...no seriously it's a military term, ask any Soldier or other military member). I love the kids, love singing so it all works out.

Besides VBS we also will be welcoming a friend on Wednesday. My friend "K" will be flying in, in the morning (I'll be missing VBS that day). I have to admit I'm starting to dread Wednesday morning though. A friend found out I was going to the airport and asked if I'd take a friend of hers and her daughter to the airport. Well this lady's daughters flight leaves at 9:30 am, which is right around the time my friend will be arriving, not a problem, oh except that the daughter has to be at the airport 2 hours ahead of time since it's an international flight....yikes, that means she needs to be there by or around 7:30, oh and did I mention we're 2 solid hours from the airport? No, yes we are. So do your math...guess what the LATEST is that I can leave our house...yeah about 5:20 because I will need to pick up the lady and her daughter, get her luggage loaded up and head down the road. The only good thing is, that I should not hit much morning traffic on our way there and I'll hopefully have someone to talk to on the way up there besides Noah who normally falls asleep fairly quickly in the van as it is! :) So guess who's going to be taking a little sleep aid tomorrow night at 8 PM so I can get some sleep and hopefully be exhausted and not able to keep my eyes open by 9 PM! That's the goal! If so I should get about 7 1/2 hours of sleep.

Ok with that, it's 12:30 AM so I need to get my hiney to bed, so I can be up and ready to go and out of the house by 8:20 in the morning!

Nighty-nite! :)

Have a blessed week, oh and I highly recommend if you can, volunteer at your local VBS this summer, when ever it is! Be an example to the kids, show your love of Christ. Even if it's out of your comfort zone, or maybe that should be especially if it's outside of your comfort zone! Even if all you can do is help decorate and maybe tear down decorations, or just be there to welcome kids.

In the Arms of Jesus

Sweet Ayden went home to our Lord and Savior tonight. Please be in prayer for his parents, Erin and Daryl...his big brother Caleb and baby sister Kaelyn, grandparents, and all their family and friends. My heart is just absolutely broken for the whole Phillips family. Please join me in prayers for this precious and heartbroken family.

Immediate Prayers Please

(Ayden's the one on the right/the smaller sweetie)

Please pray for my friend Erin, whose little boy, Ayden (3 1/2) was found floating in a pool. I do not have a lot of details as in how long, etc....but his brain is swelling and the drs have said that the swelling will continue for the next 3 days and there's nothing more they can do right now but wait and see. They have 2 other children a son who's older than Ayden and a brand new baby girl. Erin's such a dedicated mother and I can only imagine she's beating herself up over this horrible ACCIDENT. We all know how in a blink our kids can be with us and bang they're off doing something else. Please just pray that the Lord will give them a miracle. We know God's still doing miracles.



Christy

Grateful

After my last post (thank you Betty for your loving words and wisdom!) I wanted to write about things I'm grateful for!

1. My Salvation.....so thankful that the Lord humbled himself into a man, was born in that stable, grew up as a carpenters "son", was sinless, and loved me so much that he died a horrifying death on the cross.

2. My husband....Chad is patient, forgiving, strong, faithful, trustworthy, dependable, funny, loving, caring, affectionate, devoted. He's a great husband and father and loves serving in the Army as well. A man in a uniform...what more can a girl ask for? Oh I know he LOVES Jesus!

3. My 5 children. We only had Jordyn in this world for 2 years and so thankful for each day we had with her. Jacob was an unexpected blessing. Jackson was a much planned blessing. Emma was a down on my knee's prayed for blessing, and Noah's an adored blessing. Somedays they make me want to pull my hair out, run screaming from the house, make me cry in my pillow....but honestly those moments are few and far between. The older two boys are well behaved, respectful to adults, helpful (to others) boys. Emma's a blue eyed charmer who pulls people in with her stunning eyes, sweet little voice, and cute face and then they fall in love with her heart. Noah's a beautiful baby boy, with stunning blue eyes himself, a smile that doesn't stop, who's loved by everyone who comes across him!

4. My friends. When you have those nearest and dearest friends are normally more like family of the heart. When you're a military family it's those friends who really are family. My two best friends are not even military, but I do have a best friend Army wife who almost 3 years ago moved back to the states, but is moving BACK to Germany (not here with me, but just 2 hours away!! HURRAY). I have been blessed with amazing friends over the years and am so thankful for each friend that God's brought into my life.

5. Extended Family: I have an amazing brother, sister in law, and nieces. I am so proud of my brother and his wife and just adore their girls. I love my parents, even though emotionally we're not close, they're my parents and there's a reason God gave them to me (it's a work in progress). I love my inlaws as well...my mother in law and I have had some bumps in the road, but the last few years I've let go of my own issue's and just accepted her and love her and am very thankful for her. Chad's step dad is a good man and loves us and we love him. Chad's sister well she's given us 2 nieces and a nephew that we love.

6. The Army...trust me pick the right day and I could easily not add the Army in as a blessing! LOL But honestly the Army has given Chad a good, solid career. We have a dependable paycheck every 2 weeks, medical care (again pick the day and this is not always a blessing, although we're very very thankful for Tricare when Jordyn was fighting cancer/fighting for her life).

7. My bible....I'm so grateful that I can read my bible where ever I choose. I'm thankful that the Lord gave men the words of his heart that he wanted us to have.

8. Our home....now I want to get specific here. I'm not talking the materialistic home itself (although I AM thankful for this house after 5 years in an apartment). I'm thankful that we have a safe place to come to, live in, raise our children in. I love that our home is a place of refuge, fun, joy, and peace for our children as well as their friends. Our home often has kids going in and out, our backyard is almost always full of neighborhood children.

9. Our church (and church family. I'm grateful I have a safe place to gather and trust in the Lord.

10. I'm grateful for the life God has given me. It's not perfect, it's not all sunshine and roses, there's not a lot of drama in it. I'm so thankful for my life..

Complicated endings

I don't know what to do. I don't know how to handle a person who's hurt me deeply. We've already talked about the hurts. I had unintentionally and unknowingly hurt her as well. We talked, face to face. We both cried, we both asked for forgiveness and gave it. We hugged, smiled, and even laughed. I thought that although things would take time to get back to where it had been, that it'd get there. I believe I was wrong. We live on a SMALL Army post in Germany, small. We are involved in many of the same activities. Our children love each other and my kids care about HER and her husband and her kids care about Chad and I. I still love on her kids, hug them, everything I've always done. But there's a wall and I have been praying for God's wisdom on this situation and he so far has been silent on the matter. I truly am just not sure what do.
She's not a bad person, just the opposite she's a good person with her own faults of course. She's loved and admired by many.

I just am at a loss here. I've had friendships who run their course and in a way it seems that's where we are at, but normally friendships that do that, you're not around each other often. It just feels so uncomfortable to me. I have no doubt Gods teaching me something in that uncomfortable feeling.

I am sad that the friendship seems to be over. I'd truly thought we'd be able to weather this small storm that we went through. It's hard. I wish I could pinpoint if I've unintentionally done something else to her, but the reality is we've hardly spoken since our conversation of getting everything out into the open. When her name is brought up, I normally smile, say something nice.

It's a lot easier to let a friendship drift off, when they move away or you do. When you're both here though, it's a lot tougher. Through writing this, I feel like God's telling me to let her go. Pray that I can be obedient and let go gently and just be still in Gods love and comfort.