It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

... at least in my opinion!

I LOVE this time of year!  The trees are absolutely amazing, the air is becoming crisp and cool, and there are so many great things to do outside  (i.e. go to the pumpkin patch and pick out a pumpkin, play at the park, go on a hayride, etc,... )

 I think of Fall as God's last display of the beauty of His creation before the winter and cold weather come upon us, and beauty is an understatement!

This year I'm really trying to take it all in.  The best way I know how to do that is to capture the Fall splendor with photos... here goes!

   This photo was taken at Lake Needwood.  You may recall that Lake Needwood was the location for our recent family photo shoot.  Aren't these colors just breathtaking?

Pumpkins... 

Buddy with the pumpkin of his choosing at the pumpkin patch...

Our sweetheart... not sure which pumpkin to choose...

A few more photos at Lake Needwood...

And here are some pictures from Redland Park.  The munchkins and I visit this park on a regular basis once the weather warms up in the Spring until the last leaf has fallen in Autumn.  It's one of their favorite places to run and play!

I hope you are able to take a few moments this season and really marvel at God's creation.  It's such a gorgeous time of year!  

8 Years Ago Today...

Jon and I got married at Grace Fellowship Church in New Haven, IN on a cold, wet, dreary Saturday,  October 26, 2002.  The dreary day did not dampen our excitement about getting married to each other, though!

God always knows what is best for us and I'm so glad He picked Jon to be my husband.  He is my perfect mate in so many ways.  I love him now more than I ever have and, Lord willing, I'm looking forward to spending many more years together with him and our family! 

I love you Jon!  

I can't wait to see what God has in store for our future together!

Smile!

Our family had a photo shoot a few weeks ago at Lake Needwood with our good friend InShil.

Here are a few of the many amazing photos she captured...

... and here's a picture of InShil.  For some reason, she always seems to be behind the camera, instead of in front of one.  :-)

We LOVE our pictures and had a great time on our photo shoot!  We are very thankful for InShil's obvious gift of taking great pictures and the gift of her friendship.  These photos will be treasured for years to come!

Time for a Haircut!

Today I took the munchkins to get their hairs cut!  With preschool just around the corner, starting next week, I thought it would be a great time to get their hair cut.

Here are a few 'before' shots of them...

It had been over a year and a half since we had our sweetheart's hair cut last!  A hair cut for her was way overdue!

When we arrived, she wanted to go first...

She did a great job sitting still for the stylist...

and smiling for the camera!

Then it was Buddy's turn...  

and he did great too!

His hair looks so much better!

Here's our sweetheart from the front...

and from the back!  

The stylist put a cute little teddy bear barrette in for her... so cute!

This is Buddy on the way home with his sucker for being so good! 

I had called it a lollipop and he informed me, "It is not a lollipop, Mommy, it's a sucker!"

Here are a couple of 'after' shots when we returned home.  

Now I think they are ready for preschool!  ;-)

Meeting Up with Some Friends

Last month when we were in Indiana, I had the chance to meet up with a few of my friends.  I always try to meet up with a handful of friends when we go to IN to see family. 

We arrived on Friday evening, so Saturday evening, I met up with my friend Jenny.  We went to a restaurant and just sat and talked, catching up with one another's life.  We ended up leaving when the restaurant closed, at midnight!  I have always appreciated Jenny's friendship to me.  She's one of those friends where we can go months without talking and once we do finally get back together, it's like no time has past at all. 

The next night, I went over to my friend, Sarah's house.  We enjoyed chatting about life.  Then, we decided to head out to the local festival's Food Alley and get an elephant ear. YUM!  We had a great time catching up and and reconnecting.  (Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of my time with Jenny, or Sarah.)

On Monday morning, the munchkins and I headed over to my friend, Julie's house to see her and her kiddos.  Julie and her husband just adopted their second child in May.  What a cutie pie he is!  Julie and I have been friends since the 3rd grade.  We were both in each other's weddings and once again, she's a friend I can just sit down and chat with about anything, even when we haven't seen each other in a year, or two.

Julie with her kiddos.

My munchkins with Julie's little girl playing in the sandbox.

On Tuesday, the munchkins and I met up with my friend Chrissy and her 3 kiddos.  Chrissy and I met at a bible study about 11 years ago.  We were both single at the time.  Then,  in 2001, she got married and we continued with the bible study, along with a few other ladies.  Then, I got married in 2002 and moved away.  So we lost touch for nearly 6 years.

  Last year she found me on Facebook and I was so excited to reconnect with her!  We had been corresponding through Facebook over the past year and when I told her we were making a trip out to IN, she wanted to see me, if it worked out.  So, we were finally able to see each other and catch up in person after 7 years of not seeing each other.  The last time I saw her was at my wedding!  I was thrilled to get a chance to see her and meet her kids.  I just cherish her friendship to me.  She is a sweet friend who I know is always praying for me. 

(Once again, I don't have any pictures of my time with Chrissy... I need to be better about taking pictures!) 

After we met up with Chrissy, I dropped our munchkins off at my sister's house.  Jon and I then headed up to Lake Hamilton, about 45 mins away to see our friends, Tim and Ang.  Tim and Jon have been friends since they were toddlers.  He was Jon's Best Man at our wedding.  It was so great to see them and have a little vacation within our vacation.  While we were there, we went out on their boat tubing, and everyone but me, went skiing.  I think I was just too chicken, but I enjoyed watching everyone else take their turn.  (Sorry, no pictures of us tubing or them skiing!) 

 We stayed overnight and did the same thing the next day, tubing and skiing.  Tim has been a wonderful friend to Jon all these years and Ang has great advice and experience with parenting.  Tim and Ang have 5 kids, all teenagers right now.  We were glad to be able to spend a little more time than just a few hours  with him and Ang.  They have already invited us back up to their lake house next year and want this to become an annual event for us.  Sounds good to me!  Can't wait 'til next year!

Jon, me, Ang, and Tim

... and here I am with my best friend, Jon!

I have realized that God has blessed me with wonderful friends and I never want to take any one of these friendships for granted.  I'm so thankful for each one I have!  You know who you are and you are each a blessing!

One Year Ago...

One year ago this week, we discovered Jon had a benign brain tumor in his right frontal lobe.  He was working out at the gym late Tuesday night, July 21, 2009, and the gym owner called to inform me that Jon had experienced a seizure and that paramedics were on their way to take him to the hospital!

I didn't know what to do.  The munchkins were sound asleep, since it was close to 11:00 PM, so it's not like I could just leave and head to the hospital.  I remember thinking I should pray but had no idea what to pray for or how to pray specifically for Jon.... all I remember doing is walking around in a circle and literally saying the word 'PRAY' over and over and over, as the tears started to flow.  I had no idea what had caused the seizure, if he was OK, etc.

Moments later, the paramedics called and told me that my husband was OK.  He kept reassuring me that he was OK, probably due to the fact that I was clearly crying and very concerned.  Then, he asked for Jon's full name, address, and birthdate. The paramedic said they'd be taking Jon to the ER at the local hospital and for me to meet him there, but to drive slowly.

I got off the phone and wasn't sure who to call, since it was so late.  So, instead of calling someone and interrupting their sleep,  I logged onto Facebook and saw that our pastor was online, thankfully.  Jon had just been to an elder meeting with our pastor earlier in the evening.  I informed him over IM that Jon was going to the hospital because he had a seizure, and that I'd like to go, but needed someone to be here with the munchkins.  He gladly came over as soon as he could... remember, it is now close to midnight on a Tuesday!

When I met up with Jon at the ER, he seemed a little out of it.  He had bitten his tongue, a sure sign of a seizure, and kept saying that his back was sore (probably from the seizure.)  The doctors did a CT scan at some point and told us that there was an abnormality on the scan and needed to do further testing to find out exactly what the 'abnormality' was.  Once again, the tears started to flow.  I thought, 'What exactly does that mean?'  Jon was the one to reassure me this time.  He said everything is OK and told me not to worry about it because we don't even know what it is!  I was the one that was supposed to be there for Jon, yet he was the one comforting me at that point. 

Jon spent the night at the hospital and I went back home to sleep at around 2 AM. 

The next morning, the other tests that the doctors and nurses did, concluded that the abnormality was indeed a brain tumor and that it needed to be removed.  Jon ended up staying at the hospital for the next few days before his surgery that was scheduled for Friday afternoon, July 24, 2009.  

The night before Jon's surgery, I think I had an anxiety attack.  (He was at the hospital and I was at home 'sleeping.')  Around 3 AM, all these thoughts of him not making it through surgery flooded my mind.  I thought, 'if this is Jon's last night here, I want to be with him and I want him to know how much I love him!'  

I remember calling my friend Lauren, crying, saying,  'I think I need to be with Jon at the hospital....  I don't know what to do!'  She said I should go to the hospital and be with him, so I did.  He was asleep, of course, but at least I was there with him.  Lauren ended up coming to the hospital a few hours later to bring me breakfast and just to sit with me.  I was, and still am, so thankful for her and her thoughtfulness.   

Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night! 

Friday morning, Jon's sister and his mom were able to fly out to be here for his surgery and stayed for about a week.  I was so thankful that they were able to be here for him.  They were both a huge help to us.  

Jon's surgery lasted for about 5 hrs.  During Jon's surgery, we had several people from church stop by to sit with us while we waited.  Our friend InShil also brought dinner to us at the hospital.  We were so well cared for by so many people!  God was so good and showed His love for us in very real and practical ways during this entire ordeal.  I had such great peace, that can only come from Him, during Jon's surgery.  I know several people were praying and fasting for us.  I cannot explain how real and present God was during this time.  

Our friends from our small group at church were absolutely amazing!  They took care of our munchkins the entire time Jon and I were at the hospital and also for several days after he came home to recover.  This was a huge blessing to us since both my family and Jon's family are out of state.  (I made it a point to meet up with the munchkins each day for at least an hour so I could see them and so that they were, hopefully, reassured that everything was OK.)  Our friends in our small group, in so many ways, are like our family. The Pulls, the Holmes, and the Glenns, you are all amazing!  Thank you for taking care of our family and meeting our needs in the midst of chaos!  We can never repay or fully express how grateful we are for each you!  'Thank you' is just not enough!

 Several people from church came to visit us at the hospital, brought meals to us at the hospital and to our home, came over to mow our grass for a few months as Jon recovered, cleaned out our gutters..., the list goes on and on.    

God took care of our family physically, emotionally, and spiritually during a time of uncertainty.  He showed His amazing love for us through his people at our church and through our families and friends.  He met our family's needs, comforted me when I was filled with anxiety and worry, and gave us His peace that surpasses all understanding.  He is truly my Rock and Foundation.  When our circumstance was uncertain, He remained faithful, good, and in control.  He lavished His love on us in very real and practical ways.

I look back on this time with great joy.  I was able to see God work, in so many ways, on my behalf.  I am humbled and awed that the God of the Universe loves and cares for me so deeply.  Truly Amazing love!

Jon with our munchkins after his surgery.

Jon and his Mom

Our munchkins with Aunt Tracey at the hospital.

Our friends, Joe and Trisha, brought us Chipotle at the hospital.  Yum!!!

Jon and me with our friend, InShil

Our munchkins watching Daddy get his BP taken.

Here we all are last month.  

After two more surgeries, (I'll talk about those in another post) Jon is doing great and feeling well!  By God's grace, we have had another year of life together as a family.  Thankful does not seem to adequately express how we feel.