Only Child. . .

Last night we went for a walk in our neighborhood, which we do almost every evening we are home. We take the dogs, and sometimes Addie rides her bike. We have special rocks we always stop to play on, one is the stage rock where we do "shows" and the other is a "pirate ship" rock. On our walk last night we ran into neighbors who have a 4 year old and 8 month old twins. Addie watched as the older sister doted on the twins. When we got home, we sat on the back porch in our swing and talked. For the very first time in all our years of struggling, Addie said, "Mommy, I don't want to be an only child." It just pierced my heart. I have no idea what God's plan is for our family, and I know His ways are best. In the almost 4 years of pain and loss, Addie had never expressed her desire for a sibling. When we would ask her if she wanted a baby brother or sister, she would always say yes. But, this was the first time without being asked she stated her feelings. I am hoping this is God preparing us for a child, and not just Addie being old enough to realize what is happening. Only time will tell . . .

Spring/Easter

It was an eventful Spring both at church and at home. We were able to spend last week with both Justin's and my family. Last weekend, Justin's family came and we got to spend some great time with them. It was a FUN time. We went to see "Monsters vs. Aliens," went shopping at Opry Mills, played tennis, cheered at Addie's soccer game, saw the live show of "Llama, Llama Red Pajama" at the library, and stayed up very late. It's always fun to do a sleepover with the cousins, although there is not too much sleep for them.

This week we were able to be with my family at my parents' house. On the way, God protected us from a very frightening experience. As I was driving on the interstate, a man in front of me drove over a huge piece of metal. It looked like someone's fender. As he drove over it with his back tire, it sent it flying into our new minivan! It hit the hood first and then our windshield blocking my vision. It made a very loud sound, and I thought for sure it would shatter the glass. I screamed, and looked back at Addie who was still watching her movie and didn't even notice! After taking it to the Toyota place, they said the repair would be $1700! We turned it into our car insurance, and so we only paid the deductible. We are so grateful!

The Easter Bunny visited us at my parents' house on Saturday. (We are trying to keep Easter Sunday just for Jesus, so the Easter Bunny comes early at our house.) Addie found part of the Easter Bunny's tail coming out of a door (a stretched piece of cotton), and she was just so excited about it. After the Easter Egg hunt at my parents' we had a great meal and time together.

I wanted to share some pictures from the last few weeks so here they are . . .

End of the Beginning

Easter is one of the most glorious times of the year for me. It forces me to remember the details of what I celebrate each day, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each year I try to read the last week of Christ from the gospels from Palm Sunday until Easter so I am ready for Easter! Reading through the crucifixion always just sickens me, but that's not the end! I will never forget one Easter Sunday at Grace Baptist Church (in Knoxville, TN) when our choir sang "End of the Beginning." The congregation walked into a dark sanctuary and the music to the song began. It stayed dark until we sang, "Three days later, three days later, three days later. . ." They showed the video of the stone rolling away and then all the lights came up so bright and we sang "He Rose." Imagine 300 voices singing, "He ROSE!" on Easter Sunday. The crowd errupted with applause, cheers, tears, and celebration. Now, imagine how much greater it will be in heaven. Enjoy the song, but more importantly celebrate the message!