Not just another fall...

Toddlers fall and bump their heads that is just part of being a toddler. Well, I get a call from Claire's school around 9:30 that she fell off a stool and I could come check on her if I wanted to but she had already calmed down and stopped crying. Given that her school is 2 blocks from my work (this is one of the reason's I love living in a small town) I head out the door to go check on her. She hit the back of her head but there was no huge knot or bump. She just kept saying "Mommy bump head", I was going to run to the pharmacy (again around the corner) get some Tylenol and bring it back...well she would not have it, she would not let me put her down. So, plan B...I am going to take her to our house, give her some Tylenol and bring her back. Let me just say she did not look right...as a mother you know what I mean, her coloring was off, she could not hold her eyes open and about half way home she threw up everywhere....Plan C, straight to the doctor (I have always heard if you can't keep them awake or they threw up after they hit there head...go to the doctor). By this time, I am having to sing and talk to keep her from shutting her eyes. The doctor gets Claire right in. Her balance is a little off and just seems sick...the kind of sick where they won't move, they just want you to hold them. Through all this I am trying to stay very calm...and I think I did a pretty good job, then came the words cat scan and Children's...what??? The doctor called our local hospital had a cat scan ordered and pending the results would make the decision of whether or not the send us to Children's. I immediately, start talking to God about this!!! Praying for everything to be ok...we get to the hospital (again around the corner) and as we are waiting she eyes a puzzle, so she and Nick go play with the puzzle...within minutes she is acting like the normal Claire. They call us back for the cat scan in which, I let her Daddy do the honors of holding her still, while I waited in the hall....or should I say paced the halls, praying for the scan to come back normal...over and over and over. This was the same hall I paced the night she went to the ER because she could not breath. God and I have had some serious talks in this hall....I don't want us to ever meet there again. The results came back and everything was normal!!! Praise Jesus!! The scan was clear!! However, some times head injuries won't show up on a cat scan for 5-6 hours after the injury...it had only been 2 hours since the fall. So, we had to be on watch for any unusual behavior, waking her up every hour....but I can handle that. Claire has been doing great since the turning point. All I know is she went from very sick to very normal....It's just one of those times where God stepped in.

Thank you Lord for watching over Claire and making sure she was healed. Thank you for allowing us to play with her at our house, give her a bath in our bathroom, read her a book in our bed instead of pacing the halls of Children's hospital!!!

More of the Firefighter...

More pictures from Ryan's graduation at the fire academy...

Insisted eating lunch with her foot on the table...she keeping us laughing:)

Firewoman

Guess who got to drive a fire truck??? Miss Claire was one excited little girl!...We now have an obsession with fire trucks and guess what color they are?? PINK!!! Gotta love her!

For Granted

My sister recently wrote a post about taking something for granted. I think we all do this in some form or fashion, it is simply our nature. For the most part we have all grown up in America where this is the only life we know. We have no earthly idea what it would be like to sleep on dirt floors, have to walk 5 miles to the closest market, to put our babies in their bed for hours on end while we go to work, to be able to only talk to God in our minds for the fear if anyone heard us say "God Bless" or "May the Lord be with you" we would be beaten or jailed....like I said most of us cannot comprehend this life.....we are free and I mean really free....it is so hard to believe there are people out there that are not free and their daily lives amount to how many of us might imagine Hell.

So about those things we take for granted; those days playing around the house with no agenda, the wonders in your our backyard, friendships, family, hearing your baby say a new word, ......just being silly, putting up a tent in the living room....

...just another day playing at the pool...
...and the smiles it brings...

....swimming all by yourself...Do you remember when you felt so small in the swimming pool? Trying to touch? Afraid to jump off the diving board?....

....simply spending time with family and friends.... Call your friend you haven't talked to lately, know need to take that relationship for granted....

....do the Hokie Pokie with your child....chances are they won't want to spend 10 minutes with us in about 10 years....

...remember wanting to move away from that small town...boy, did I ever take my hometown for granted....this weekend alone we enjoyed things I have done 100 times but it was so nice to feel at home....a feeling many of us take for granted...

....swimming in the lake...swimming areas everywhere..

...collecting rocks....sound familiar?...

...fishing off the bank with the smell of hamburgers cooking from the nearby pavilion...none other than a family reunion...laughs, kids running around, walking down memory lane, good food...

take that for granted?

... catching that tiny fish...but it was sooo big to my little girl...

...how many fish have you caught with your children?....pull out your fishing pole and go out to the lake this evening...it might be in your our backyard...

...digging in the dirt...of course she needed my help...trying to help and letting her grow, a process I am trying not to take for granted....

...spending time my husband doing what he loves...watching him fish with our little girl...

...Claire discovering the tube of crickets...do you remember playing with crickets?...

...still fascinated... before she drops the tube....

...and crickets go everywhere...its hard to get mad at that one in Barbie life jacket....one of those moment you can't help but laugh.... look at those boys "cricket hunting"...

...playing at camp meeting...a week long camp out that is surrounded by friends and worship...this something I took for granted that was in my our backyard...I wish I would have spent countless hours at camp meeting during my younger years...

...there are so many places and things I took for granted at "home"...I would love to have all those things back...and there is so many more to "want back"...time, family, friends...

I think the important thing is we try and savor the things that are important to us, even if they are daily routine...think of 5 things you think you might take for granted, they can be small or they can be huge...

1. Lakes and Rivers...I grew up on, I wish they were in my backyard now

2. Old Friends...the "ones" that will always be there...I need to call them more often

3.Changing my daughters diaper...this season of my life with her will soon be over, not sure if I am ready?

4. My pay check...I am grateful to have a job during this economic crisis

5. We no longer have 2 mortgages...need to continue praising the Lord for answering our prayers. When we sold our NWA house I told Nick I wanted to shout from the roof tops "Praise the Lord, Thank you Lord" he responded "There is a ladder in the garage"....I should have taken that as a moment of opportunity to shout "Praise the Lord" for the world to hear.

Has God answered your prayers??? Do you still praise Him? Let's all remember the good times He has shown up...taking Him for granted?

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord."

Psalm 40: 1-3

I might just go get that ladder and shout from the roof tops!!!

Fire Academy

We officially have a Fireman in the family!!! We attended an event last week where the soon to be fire academy graduates showed their families somethings they have learned. It was pretty neat and of course Miss Priss wanted to be in the middle of the action.

Congratulations Uncle Ry Ry!!! We are so proud of you!Giving Uncle Ry Ry a hug before the event
Claire with Papaw...passy & shades

Claire lovin her shades....smiles with Nene

Cheetos face makes a happy girl:)

Fire....HOT!!!

Love the rainbow!

JOY

LIVE.LAUGH.

LOVE.

PRAY.

FAITH.

HOPE.

BLESSED.

OH!!! The JOY.... She Brings!!!!

Let's Focus?...Small Town USA

Though I have never thought of myself as some one with strong-willed politics I have come to the realization that just because you ignore politics does not mean they will go away. Please excuse the vent session if you want, no one is forcing you to read on. Just my opinion...every one is entitled to one:)

Recently, in the small Arkansas town I grew up in the City Board voted to change the name of main corridor (street) in a very back-handed way. They claim the primary reason for the name change is to honor Dr. Martin Luther King. The cost associated with this name change will be unprecedented; this street stretches for one end of the town to the other, includes more businesses than any other street in the city and numerous homes. The economy of this town is stagnate and has been for probably close to 30 years, I would predict when the new census data is available the population has declined. The voices in the town say "change" but the actions of the City Board say the opposite. Where is the common sense in raising expenses of the businesses in your community during this ugly recession? I have read many opinions about this issue and for what ever reason the ugly "race card" is being played? However, from my small corner of the world I don't care if you wanted to rename it ABC Street or Hometown USA Blvd; it makes absolutely no sense to try and fix something that is not broken! There are so many issues in this town that NEED attention; the school system, the lack of businesses coming to the area, the unemployment ratio, the viability of a beautiful downtown. There are so many pluses about this little town that could be monopolized on; lakes, colleges, rivers, interstate, Amtrak, the possibilities are endless!!! The people stand in the way of progress...sad but true. The truth is not always pretty. This town has so much potential and there is no reason what so ever that it should not be functioning like many others towns with similar characteristics that are booming during this recession. I think the people with the power to change this place, say they want change, but will not make the move to make the change. If this small town does not try to move forward it will only fall behind. The rest of the world is changing, like it or not; I just hope this little town decides to jump on the bandwagon and reap the benefits. A new generation of leaders needs to be born, a new generation with new ideas and an open mind. Maybe they are there?? Maybe they are already yelling in the ears of the people that continue to hold the "power" but is it going in one ear and out the other? I am really not sure. I would love to see this little town "that is a great place to call home" prosper but the train of thought needs to be reformed if the powers at be think renaming a street is where the local businesses need to spend their money? (If the majority of the businesses want to spend there money that way and they vote to change the name then more power to them... welcome, MLK Blvd.) The focus needs to change....the heart of a community is only as good as the education it provides its future leadership!!! Without education, it will be hard for leaders to be born, without leaders it is going to be hard to climb the ladder of economic prosperity and this little town will just wither away! Once again, ignoring change will not make it go away...sad but true!

If you are still reading, thanks for listening, sorry if I stepped on any one's toes, not my intention, just my opinion:)