Seven Weeks

Tomorrow Callie will already be seven weeks old. I can’t believe how much she has grown in this short amount of time. It is comforting to know that we did make it past the six week mark without any major health issues. With both Emily and Callie, we were told to keep them away from large crowds like church and Wal-Mart for the first six weeks. That was actually very easy to do with Callie since we have been having such cold weather since she was born and since the flu has really been bad this year. Almost everyone we talk to at church is sick or has been sick. Having passed the six week mark and with nicer weather today, Callie made her debut at church. Everyone has been so anxious to see her but also very understanding considering her health. It was a good morning and Callie mostly slept through Sunday School and church.

Another thing about this past seven weeks is how different each day with a newborn seems. What worked yesterday does not work today but may work tomorrow. Forget about trying the same old tricks we used on Emily because they probably will not work either. I think it is just God’s way of keeping us on our toes! For someone who enjoys change here and there, but also likes some consistency, this is frustrating at times but also fun. I do look forward to our future as a family of four and have already begun to dream of vacations and trips the four of us can do when both girls are a little older. Every time I start to get ahead of myself, I remember to take it one day at a time and enjoy each moment with my newborn. Thank you God for a good first seven weeks.

Since Then

Well, it has been a while since I last posted. Our lives seem to be one big roller coaster. I am still getting used to have two children and trying to keep our home life a little sane. Anyway, many of you know that my grandmother passed away on Valentine's Day. It was hard for me but it was not a shock. she was 87 years old and ready to go. Callie is going to be seven weeks old tomorrow and it is hard for me to believe. I guess the good thing is that we are getting closer to me getting a full nights sleep. The sad thing is that she is growing up way too fast. My oldest will be three in May and that makes me very sad also. Speaking of Emily, she is so cute and loves Callie so much. she likes to help me wash dishes and cook and clean. Our latest thing her and I have discovered is YouTube. We go on there and look up one of her children's songs (such as "Wheels on the Bus) and pick out one of the many videos and watch it. The other day we watched "If you're happy and you know it" about twenty times in a row. She likes the one where there are other children singing. Today was mine and Callie's first day at church. everyone was excited to see us but nobody got to hold her because everyone here has been sick. Emily did so well with it and I was so proud of her.

Callie's First Movie

Here is the video that Norman Regional Hospital took of Callie right after she was born.

Theresa's Grandma

If you have not already heard, Theresa’s grandma passed away about 2:00am this morning. She died in her sleep and we are thankful that she didn’t suffer. We are not sure if the funeral will be this Saturday or next Monday. Theresa, Callie, and I will be heading to Baton Rouge in the next few days so we can attend the funeral. This is very bitter-sweet for Theresa because we wanted to go visit her grandma in April so she could meet Callie. On the other hand, we were afraid that if she passed away toward the end of the pregnancy, then Theresa wouldn’t have been able to make the trip.

Her grandma has been the “rock” in her life and means the world to Theresa. We had our wedding in New Orleans so that she could be present. It didn’t matter to Theresa if anyone else came as long as her grandma got to be there. She has not been doing well health wise for the past few years so we knew our time with her would be short. Please be in prayer for us as we make the trip and for Theresa as she grieves.

Happy Valentine's Day

Since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, I wanted to write a quick post for Theresa. Usually I focus on Emily and Callie when I write, but for this post I want to focus on Theresa. Don’t get me wrong. Having both of my girls this year makes this such a special Valentine’s Day and I look forward to spending many more with both of them. However, it all goes back to Theresa. She is simply amazing. I can’t even imagine my life without her. In January, we celebrated our five year anniversary and that doesn’t even seem possible. We have been through a lot in five years and we are both definitely not the same two students who met through a seminary class.

Every step of the way, Theresa has been so supportive of me and my youth ministry. I could not do what I do without her. On top of her support, she does such a wonderful job raising Emily and Callie. We both know that God called her to be a stay-at-home mom and that is no small task. She knows how important a child’s spiritual formation is when they are young and that is one of her top priorities as we raise our girls. There is nothing wrong with moms who have to work, but it is such a blessing that she is able to stay home during the first part of their lives.

Happy Valentine’s Day Theresa! I love you and thank God for allowing us to have such a wonderful family.

A Trip To Arkansas

My family and I are currently in Bentonville, AR to visit some very close friends of ours. They are pretty much like family to us and it has been good to get away for a couple of days. I know that Theresa has really enjoyed getting out of the house since she and the girls spend most of their time inside these days. It has just been so cold outside and everyone at church seems to be sick or getting sick. This is also Callie’s first time outside of Oklahoma and she is only one month old! The weather here has been really nice. We drove through a little bit of snow on the way up here, but it didn’t last very long.

Emily has been having a great time with Hannah and Sarah Jordan. Hannah is thirteen and Sarah Jordan is ten. They have both done a great job playing with Emily and loving on Callie. I know that when we have to leave tomorrow that she will want to stay longer with her two new play-mates. Theresa and I are going to a movie in about an hour so that will be nice. Life has just been so crazy this past month and we really haven’t spent a lot of time by ourselves. Callie will be with us, but it will still be nice to get away for a few hours. I will post some pictures of our trip when we are back in Oklahoma. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Old School Commercial

After watching most of the ads during the Super Bowl yesterday, I came across an old McDonald’s ad from 1993. While I enjoy some of the new commercials, it is fun to see how much they have changed over the years. Enjoy.

Crazy Youth Group Game Idea

This goes to show you that American’s aren’t the only ones who can have fun.

More on Lost

Okay, I know that you are probably getting tired of my posts about Lost. I will make this one short and sweet. As I said in my previous post, tonight was the two-hour season premiere of season 4 of Lost. I guess that ABC is really wanting viewers that started watching Lost and have stopped or those who never really got into the show to give it a try again. I think this because they have been really trying to sum up the first three seasons so that you can jump in with tonight’s episode.

First, while I was excited about the two-hour premiere, I also knew there would be a lot of time spent on re-capping what has already happened. They did this by using the first hour to bring everyone “up-to-speed” on the highlights so far. Secondly, I also figured they would give us just enough to grab our attention to get us hooked again. The second hour of the show did just that. I can’t wait to see what happens next on Lost.