I don't know about you, but I think I've seen (and eaten) enough turkey to last me until- well- next Thanksgiving. So, instead of posting pictures of turkey and people eating it, I think instead I'll talk about what else we did this weekend.

Those of you who know me, know that I am most definitely an outdoor person. Think of the word that's the opposite of love.... that's how I feel about winter. So, as long as we're still able to be outside without seeing our breath, you are sure to see our family squeezing every last moment we can out of fall.

And there is no better place to do that than at my Dad's house (aka "Papa").

I used to try to try to tell him that I had a better backyard because we live on a pond. But then our pond dried up. So much for that. We had the pond- but he's always got the view.

And not only does he have an amazing view of the river valley, but all sorts of interesting wildlife frequent his yard as well. Wild turkeys, deer, bald eagles soaring over the valley. Okay- so I never really thought our yard could compare in "coolness" to his, but it was fun to try to compete. Now if you saw our "view" you'd laugh. A dried up mud hole with a few weeds poking through here and there. But I digress...

Not only does Dad have the view- but he's also got the toys.

 Not toys as in, "miniture Escalade's that kids sit their lazy butts in, push the battery operated "go" button and tool around the yard in".... no... toys as in "you need to use your own strength to make it go" kind of toys.

He's got ropes to climb on.

Ropes to swing on.

Swings made out of rope to soar in.

I can't forget the zip line. Yes, I said- ZIP LINE. He actually has a zip line hooked up in his yard. It's fun. I've tried it. As a matter of fact, I think sometimes the adults have as much fun (if not more) than the kids do on it. You should hear us elderly's squeel with delight... "weeeeeeee!!!" Too bad I didn't take a picture of it. Maybe next time.

And if you're not in the mood to be playing with or on some sort of rope, there's a bucket full of footballs, softballs, sticky mitt catch balls... you name it.

The kids have a blast when we come to Papa's.

Unfortunately, not everyone is able to play outside. When the weather is too brisk, some have to stay inside and watch longingly from behind the glass...

But if you're really super cute, you're Mama just might feel sorry for you and bundle you up nice and bring you outside with the rest of the gang.

Now we're talking.

Ahhh, that's better!

good days...

Each night when I tuck my older daughter in she prays,

"Dear Jesus, thank you for this day. Please help us to have a WONderful life. Help every day to be a good day. Please let us not get sick for a VERY long time, Lord, please, help everyone in the whole wide world to have good dreams tonight..."

... and then she continues on with a variation of thanksgiving & supplication- whatever is on her heart.

But I find it interesting that she always begins her prayers the same way, requesting that He give us a wonderful life. First of all, I think that God has blessed us with a great life. And as far as my 7 year old is concerned, a life that is pretty much trouble free and by most accounts, pretty "wonderful."

But, as far as her Mother goes- I have weathered my fair share of challenges throughout these 33 years. A childhood that was neither necessarily stable, nor balanced- though, fortunately, I still knew my parents loved me. An adolescence period that was as challenging and awkward as any other teenagers. Fast forward to my 20's which were filled with milestones... graduating college, getting married, having my first couple of children... each which came with it's own set of new challenges to overcome.

Were all of my days, "good days?"

... of course the answer to that is a resounding NO! Some days have been great. Some days have been exhausting. Some days I've worn my knees bare and my cheeks left stained with tears begging God for his intervention and his peace.

When my daughter prays, in all honesty, at times I want to say- "listen, honey- that's not how life works. All our days are not going to be good days and we might get sick tomorrow, which is not God's fault. And, furthermore, everyone in the whole wide world is not asleep at the same time, so it would be impossible for them to all have good dreams at the same time while you are sleeping." But- instead, I just stay quiet. She'll have many years of revelation ahead in which she'll draw her own conclusions.

For now, I just enjoy her innocence. And, frankly, I just like to have 3 minutes or so of living in my daughters bubble where everything is safe, "wonderful," and everyone in the whole world sleeps with good dreams.

But despite the harshness of the reality of this fallen world, I remain grateful and thankful that God is always- ALWAYS- with me. It's not necessarily during the "good days" where I find myself closest to Him. It the times when I'm scared (terrified!?!), desperate, exhausted, confused, angry or sad that I find myself not just closest to Him, but clinging to the hope I have in Him.

Life does not always make sense. Life is not always wonderful. But life is ALWAYS full of hope, when you place your life in His hands. "cast all your anxieties on Him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

Even though, for now, my daughter innocently believes that all our days might just be "good days"- what I wish for, more than anything, is that she will also come to believe- with all of her heart- in the true and living hope of our Father. That she will know that "God loved us, and through his grace he gave us a good hope and encouragement that continues forever." (2 Thes. 2:16-17)

It's that truth- and that promise- that will sustain us, keep us, bless us .... and help us to "make every day a good day."

Surgery Day

Today couldn't possibly have gone BETTER. What a huge relief and an absolute answer to prayers! I am so thankful to those of you who thought of us and prayed. God is awesome.

My alarm went off at 2:00 a.m. (to give him his last feeding) and again at 4:30 to get up for the day and get ready to leave for the hospital. Christian never fussed or cried and woke only briefly when we put him in his carseat. He slept the whole way to the hospital and, to our surprise, continued sleeping during the entire intake process. The nurses finally had to WAKE him to get him dressed and prepped for surgery. What a HUGE relief!! I guess I had imagined him crying his head off from the moment we woke him up to leave for the hospital. But- to the contrary- our little guy slept the entire time!

Here he is when the nurse woke him up to prep him for surgery...

He was smiling and cooing the whole time....

After the nurses changed him into his hospital gown and finished his pre-op exam, we had a bit of time before the anesthesiologist arrived. During that time, Mike held him and I tried to avert his glance- I didn't want him to remember that Mommy was there and that Mommy=mealtime. He started to chew on his hands, but still never cried.

Before we knew it, he was whisked away. After they took him, we were walked over to the family waiting area- at which time I nearly passed out. Considering how minor of a surgery this is, trust me, I realize how utterly ridiculous that is. But the mother/child bond is indescribable and often times defies logic. Something about seeing my 2 month old taken away in a hospital gown - off to be put to sleep didn't rest well with me, I guess. But after I sat down (with my head between my legs - LOL!- I felt better). Just anxious.

Before long at all, the Dr. was back! We had to wait about 30 minutes for him to wake up in recovery. They had told us to expect him to be fussy, disoriented and possibly nauseous.

What we found, instead, was our happy, smiley baby boy happy as can be. The nurses were all remarking about how unusual he was - and what a joy- because he had woken from the anesthesia smiling. That's my boy!

Here we are... Reunited!

Happy and content (with a full tummy- finally!)

Happy to see Daddy. Time to change out of that (unflattering) hospital gown...

So proud of my baby boy. He did SO good on his very first surgery- but we are glad to be home where we belong!

And as if there were any question - my mommy thinks I'm the best (check the shirt)...

Six more weeks until the next surgery. Until then- we'll keep on smiling!!

easy like Sunday morning...