Riley's Home!

I took the girls to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel on Friday as we awaited Rileys flight into Nashville. We spent the day swimming & exploring the jungly hotel...it was a lot of fun. After some flight delay , Riley made it to the hotel a little after midnight. Ry wanted to look at his girlies & when he was checking out sleeping Ellie she instantly woke up (of course)! A huge smile stretched across her face b/c her Daddy was finally home! She hopped out of bed & lots of hugs were given...& then presents were given as well... a swimming manatee bath toy, a marching wand & gummy worms...could a girl be happier? They played for a half an hour & then off to bed with Ellie (this was a battle).

Skipping to morning...(tee hee...those middle details are unneccesary)

The next morning Saedi (who is a mommma's girl) took right to Daddy. She just kept smiling & kicking & doing her "yaaaaay" clapping show. We swam all morning, checked out of the hotel & headed to ride Thomas the Train at the train depot. Ellie had fun on the train but we didn't stay terribly long...it was hot & we were eager to get home.

Ellie summed it up this morning when she whispered to Riley, "Thank you for coming to my house, Daddy."

Florida Pics

About a week ago I blogged about our recent trip to Florida...here are some of the pictures to help with visual aid.

Ellie & Uncle Truck Fishing

Mommy & Saed-Saed in Cici's pool

Aunt Cici with Saedi & Ellie

Crawling, Clapping, Reading, Signing

I keep forgetting to post that Saedi is officially crawling, and yesterday she started clapping. I wasn't sure if she was clapping on purpose or by accident. Today Ellie & I experimented with her (poor Saedi...always the experiment) & started yelling, "Yaaaaayy!" and sure enough, Saedi started clapping. It's sweet to see her little hands coming together! It's a slow and awkward clap, but still adorable! Saedi seems proud of herself, too.

Ellie is in her element as Big Sis & as Mother. She's taken a refreshed interested in reading & she's often reading to her baby doll, Ashley & to Saedi. Today she was on the couch reading to Saedi & trying to teach her sign language as well. So cute!

A Family Visit

Riley's Aunt Londa & Uncle Jr, along with his cousins (Carlie, Brady, Zoe, & Keaton) came for a visit this weekend & what a refreshing time we had! We had lunch at our house, shopped downtown Clarksville, ate ice cream at Baskin Robins (my 1st time), & then I left the girls at the hotel & went on a nice run by myself...fun! They all took Ellie & Saedi swimming in the hotel pool & then they taught Ellie how to play Go Fish & Memory. Carlie & Brady crashed at our house & Carlie & I stayed up til 11:30 talking...I felt like a college student again. This morning, Carlie got a brief tour of Ft Campbell while Brady ran on post. We all met up again at our house to play in the backyard & say goodbyes. Ellie was so sad to see everyone leave...she kept saying, "I don't want you to leave my house."Brady, Zoe, Uncle Jr, Carlie, Aunt Londa with Saedi, Keaton with Ellie
Aunt Londa in her element
Zoe & Saed-Saed


Carlie, Ellie's buddy

In Memory of Grandma Great

Riley's maternal granmother, Ruth Harmsen, passed away last Friday (Aug 15th) & the funeral was today in Michigan. We would have loved to honor grandma today with the family, but the girls & I decided not to make the trek. I thought it wouild only be appropriate, though, to dedicate today's post to her. Continuing, we are grateful to grandma for her heart of service, unconditional love, & her witty spirit. We will cherish her special gifts- the silverware collection, homemade doilies & dishcloths, & her china plates. More lasting, though, I will remember her as loving me as her own grandchild & for her joyful spirit playing with Ellie. We rejoice that Grandma is no longer in pain, but instead, is dancing with Jesus & Grandpa.

Back from Florida

Mimi, Ellie, Saedi & I went to Florida for a week to visit Lacey & Aaron (aka Uncle Truck & Aunt Cici). I don't have any pictures to post yet, but we had a wonderful time. Here are some of the highlights:
10. Ellie decided that Cici & Truck's baby will be named "Fluffy" when he/she is born.
9. Swimming, swimming, & yet more swimming in the pool.
8. Ellie & Uncle Truck skimming worms off the pool each day.
7. Ellie & Mimi's encounter with a manatee while swimming in the 85 degree Gulf water...bliss!
6. Saedi LOVING the sand...dig, eat, dig, eat, dig
5. Walking & running alone (w/o pushing the girls in the stroller)
4. Seeing Ellie so excited to fly in an airplane...especially when she watched the beautiful red sunset on the flight home
3. Aaron, Lacey, & Mimi's general hospitality...especially in the food & childcare department
2. Seeing Mimi & Ellie so happy together...Ellie acts like Mimi's shadow!
1. Spending a day at Busch Gardens with Ellie all to myself- she loved the rides, the train, the gorillas, & of course, all the other kids!

Happy 6th Anniversary Riley

Happy 6th Anniversary (I know it's a little early)! It was so fun for me to go through our old albums & be reminded of the many wonderful (& some not so wonderful memories) together. Look at how far we've come together! I've never doubted that God hand-picked you just for me. You're equally my best friend & love & I can't wait for you to come home again.

Renewed

When I sit down to update the blog I usually try to choose the best, worst, or most unusual event of the day. Tonight I'm writing about the best event...and even quite possibly the nicest experience I've had this last month. I just got back from a terrific night of worship at church (Bethel Community Church www.bethelclarksville.com) Once a month from 7-9 our church holds a Night of Worship where people gather...to worship Jesus through singing, praying, etc.

I had been looking forward to Worship Night all week; I was hungry to meet with God, & quite honestly, the free childcare was a perk. :) For the past several weeks I've been in a funk where I've tried to pray, I've tried to read the Bible, I've tried to memorize scripture & I've tried to meditate...but I didn't feel like I was connecting with God. Sure, I knew I was still in a relationship with Him, but my mind was on other things...how much time do I have before the girls wake up? should I clean the house or should I nap? what will tomorrow's workout be? why did I eat that 3rd bowl of granola today? etc. So, tonight, I dropped the girls off in the nursery & for the first time in a good month I was able to quiet my soul before the Lord & talk to Jesus for a lengthy amount of time without distraction. I began to empty my heart, confess sin, sing without reserve, pray, read my Bible, find healing, & be renewed.

I'm sure some of you have had similar experiences while others of you are probably a tad freaked out. Either way, trust me that God transforms people & stick with me as I keep sharing the highlight of my day...or month. As I was praying tonight I was reminded of two people I had prayed for 3 months ago, but for one reason or another, I stopped praying for them. God revealed to me tonight how he was in the process of answering my "forgotten prayers" about these people that I gave up on long ago. He also put 2 different Bible references in my mind, & when I looked them up they were about the same topic. God answers prayer.

I guess I'd just like to be an encouragement tonight. While I was reminded of several truths tonight: God doesn't give up on us. God answers prayer... the highlight for me was to be in that simple, quite place of intimacy with God again. If for some reason you're in a spiritual funk, there is hope. Whether we get to that place of desperation & hunger or whether life is good & we can be still before God we can be completely renewed in Jesus.