Oops, I almost forgot....

....to mention that Greer has a laser treatment scheduled in the morning! Will you please add this to your ever growing "Megan Needs Me to Pray for This and That" list? I would so appreciate it!

Truthfully, I have such a peace about it this time around....it's not even a worry in my heart (good thing, since I have plenty of other hearts (and shoulders) to worry about)! I thought about rescheduling it, but they are so hard to fit in....I knew that it was best just to go ahead with it. So, tomorrow we'll head to the hospital bright and early. Greer will be put to sleep for a few minutes and the good doctor will zap that beauty mark away. We are so amazed at the fading she has had....it truly is a miracle! If you're new here, or you want to catch up on her story, click here (or head over to the sidebar and click on the slideshow to watch her Port Wine Stain Birthmark fade before your very eyes)!

Daddy had a pretty good day today. He is still in the ICU and we are still unsure what the coming days will bring. I haven't had a chance to talk to my mom today....it was busy in labor and delivery and we never could catch each other. My sisters told me that he was up some more and that he enjoyed a visit from his brother, my Uncle Craig. Please know that we covet your prayers and that he is doing pretty well. I will update if I get any breaking news....for now we watch and wait.

I guess that's all for now. I am totally exhausted! I know my mom and sisters have to be, too. I miss them so, and coming back into town to work and see my kids has been good medicine for me, but I am still so torn. I plan to get back up there later in the week after Greer has had a little healing time here at home. I'll update tomorrow with some before and after photos of Greer's treatment. And I would so love some prayers for her little, sweet self....it still breaks my heart to have to put her through these procedures. I just remind myself what a miracle she is.....what a miracle these laser treatments are! It's all gonna be worth it come Prom Night, right? Right!

God Bless You, friends!

Please Pray

Daddy and Greer, May 2008

The past few days have been a blur for our family. Early Thursday afternoon, my Daddy collapsed during a meeting at work. Four of his partners (he is a pediatrician) responded immediately and began CPR. Those 4 men (along with my awesome Father in Heaven) brought my Daddy back to life. He was rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery to repair his broken heart. His life is a living, breathing miracle, and we are so very thankful that we still have him here on Earth.

Please remember him and especially my mom in your prayers in the coming days. As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time and he is still pretty sick. He is still in ICU, but we hope he will be moved to a regular room soon. My dad is tough as nails, and I have faith that he is going to come out of this stronger. Please pray for our family and friends as they travel to be with us in this time. I can't tell you how much your prayers mean to us.

Orange...It's Brilliant!

I was asked to be a part of a new small group at our church, and this is the book we are studying. Our first formal meeting is on Sunday afternoon, and I cannot wait! I'm pretty pumped about the concept....and it's putting the recent stirrings of my heart into words. This guy totally gets it, and I can't wait to dig in deeper. I can't wait to see it's impact on our church and community.

So, what's it about? Well, I've only read the first few chapters, so I'll have to get back with you as I read more. Basically, Reggie Joiner, presents a vision of the church and the family combining their individual talents in a revolutionary way. What if we merged the light of the church (yellow) with the heart of the family (red)? Imagine the possibilities!

Wanna know what I love the most? The focus on Jesus....just Jesus. It's exactly what I have felt called to focus on over the past year, and reading the words on those pages is such affirmation that I am following God's will for myself, my marriage, and my family. When I made it about Jesus first, foremost, and absolutely....well, everything else makes sense.

But isn't it always just about Jesus? If we profess to follow Christ, isn't that what every Christ follower believes?

Sadly, for many Christians, Jesus is not always the first focus when it comes to living out our faith. Sure, we may say it's about Jesus, but is it how we live? What do we really believe?

When we judge others for the way they worship, is it about Jesus? When we worry about whether or not our best friend's son is going to believe in witchcraft because he loves the Harry Potter books, is it about Jesus? When we worry that the grungy teenager in the youth group (the one with the black makeup and the tatoo and the nose ring) is going to be a bad influence on our daughter, is it about Jesus? When we argue with our neighbor about politics, is it about Jesus? When we gossip on the phone with our girlfriends about the openly gay couple who have come to worship for the past month, is it about Jesus?

Something to think about, huh?

A Brief Update on My Life

Sorry for ye bloggy absence....it's been a busy few days!

Where to start? Well, the sickness found us me and Reeves, and we've been pushing through. I refuse to let it get me down, so I have tried to let every non-essential in my life go undone while I heal. It's the best rest we mothers can hope for.....it is true what they say! Nope, no rest for the weary.

I did have quite a motivator for getting well, though. Our bestest friends came in to town for a visit (remember the ones who moved to Raleigh), and we had some good times. I am dying for Amy to post the Flip Video she caught of Jake surprising Reeves at our front door. Priceless is all I'm gonna say. I promise to post it as soon as she does!

Tomorrow is a big day for me! It's my first workday (I work 2 days a week as a labor and delivery nurse in case you didn't know...) since the kids started back to school. And since Chris has to be up at the Rick and Bubba Studio bright and ridiculously early, it will be my sole responsibility to get the rest of us up and at 'em....and neatly deposited at said schools. I am a wee bit nervous about pulling it off. I have run the route a few dozen times, though, and if we can pull out of the driveway by precisely 6:53, then we should all make it on time. I'll be sure to keep you updated on how it all goes down.....

So....the bags are packed, the animals are fed, the clothes are laid neatly on the dining room table. That reminds me, I need to go set the coffee maker. The children are nestled all snug in their beds....drugged on cough medicine and hot cocoa. Pray that they don't fight me in the morning. Or have any major meltdowns concerning hair tangles, toothpaste flavors, or sock comfort. But mostly, pray for sweet Greer! She is going to be in for a rude awakening come 6:40....that girl hasn't woken up before 9 am in over a year! She's my happy girl, though, she'll be fine! Good thing she adores her school (have I mentioned that? Well, she does.....she calls the place "PLAY"! Hallelujah & Praise the Lord)!

Sweet dreams y'all!

Guest Posting, Randomness, Prayer Requests, and a Giveaway!

How ya like THAT for a Title? I probably could have simply titled it "Randomness", but that would have been just plain boring! This way, you know exactly what you're getting, right? Right. Here we go....

My Fabulous Friday post is up over on Danielle's blog. I was honored when she asked me to join in, but had a tough time coming up with a topic. I hope I haven't disappointed her readers with my sappy, sentimental topic {Fabulous Teachers}! Usually, her blog is all fashion and fun and I go there to keep myself feeling somewhat cool. Won't you please head over, poke around, leave a comment? You know the drill. There's even a chance to win something sort of yummy, too! You'll have to click here to see what's up for grabs!

Yesterday, another cellphone (owned by yours truly) fell prey to death by water. Yes, friends, this is the third phone I have killed in a year. My friend Lauren thinks I keep doing it to get a new phone (it has worked out pretty well for me thus far), but I promise I'm innocent. The hassle and stress it causes isn't worth all that, now! Thankfully, I keep a backup around just for this very occasion (you know, when I decide to wash my phone with my favorite jeans or drop it in the pedi-bowl....), and Chris managed to reactivate that old Razor for me to use in the meantime....

....while dear old Palm Centro dries out in a tiny tub of orzo and wild rice.

I didn't have much rice.....do you think it will do the trick? I've heard I need to leave it alone for three days (anyone else see the irony in that) before I see if it will live. I'm not counting on a second resurrection, but you never know!

On the bright side, turns out Chris is eligible for an upgrade. This very afternoon, I may be the proud owner of a slightly broken-in little Blackberry. Lauren, I promise I didn't know!!!

Speaking of great deals (that's what I was speaking of, right?)....do you Woot? We've been Wooting for a couple of years now, and Chris just loves it. I have to admit, I rarely see anything that really blows up my skirt, but they have finally gotten my attention. This week, our friends over in Wootland (hey, they have clever words to go along with their posts so I can too!) have launched a new site....

Kids Woot!

Genius I tell you! Great deals on fun toys/products for kiddos. You can bet I'll be clicking over every day! Maybe it'll inspire me to start my Christmas shopping before December!

And now for my last random thought today.....

Please say a prayer for my sweet grandmother, Bubba, as she recovers from rotator cuff surgery. My mom will be taking care of her for a few days and she could probably use some prayers, too.

And pray that my house gets rid of the sickies over the weekend....there's a suspicious tickle in my throat that is making me nervous!

Hope you have a happy, healthy weekend friends!

Wordful Wednesday....Lovin' Kindergarten

After that emotional post on Friday, I thought you might enjoy a more cheery story about how kindergarten is going for our Lucy. I am happy to report that there have been no more morning tears since that fateful day, and we are getting in our groove around here. Now if I can just keep them well....Reeves is home sick today (just a little bug I think, he's feeling much better today)!

One of my prescriptions for sanity in the morning (did I mention that the bus comes at 7:05) involves the laying out of clothes at night. I have learned the hard way that when we don't get everything together the night before, our day has the potential for disaster (and don't believe for a minute that boys don't care what they wear). We pack up our homework, pick out our snacks, and set the coffee maker. I've even started polling them to see what they might like to eat for breakfast....anything to save some time in the a.m. You wouldn't believe how the anticipation of warm cinnamon rolls will motivate a groggy child, just so ya know!

So, we have our nightly routine down to an art already. The kids have gotten pretty independent with their responsibilities, and the past few nights I have simply found their clothes in the dining room ready for the next day. Just in case you're wondering who Lucy takes after.....

Yes, she's a woman after my own heart. This is totally something I would have done at her age. Right, mom? It made me LOL, and I couldn't resist snapping a picture (or waking Chris up to show him, ha!)

And yes, she also has the greatest kindergarten teacher evah! Look at what fun she had with bubbles yesterday (thanks for sending me this picture Mrs. K)....

I miss kindergarten sometimes, don't you?

Head over to Angie's Blog for more

Wordful Wednesday

pictures and stories!

Guest Posting

I'm over here today....I hope you'll join in come Friday! Head over and check out the details!

And while you're there, take some time to look around! Danielle is a Fabulous Girl (and may I say, quite talented). I am so blessed to call her my friend!

New School Year Resolutions

It's the first full week of school and time for me to get my groove back. I had a revelation this morning (as I was trying to figure out what to do with my morning sans children)....this time of year is a much more appropriate time in my life for resolutions. If you are a mom with school-aged children, you probably feel the same way, right?

As soon as summer started (i.e. the day the last school bell rang back in May), every task that could wait till school was back in session was put on perpetual hold. Remember? We played and swam and ate lots of yummy food and stayed in our pajamas all day when we felt like it. (note to self in regards to planning next summer, a little bit more structured fun is probably not a bad idea). Basically, I spent a summer in denial....it was awesome!

But alas, that blessed school bell rang again last Wednesday morning (i.e. the last day of summer), and I was hit in the face with reality! The to-do list is more like a to-do book: There are closets to organize, errands to run, gifts to buy, notes to write, friends to lunch with, workouts to tackle, piles to be sorted, classrooms who need helpers, work to catch up on, movies to watch, books to read, charities needing a helping hand, plants to tend to, pounds to lose, fingernails to file (not to mention all the extra curricular activities that the children will soon begin).... well, those are a few of the items on my to-do list anyway. Yours might look a little different.

Even still, we all have one, and the trouble is, where do we begin? I read a great post on Simple Mom a few weeks ago that inspired me. My life may seem chaotic at times, but if I put my mind (and maybe a good bit of prayer) to it, maybe it can feel more like organized chaos. That's the best I can hope for at this crazy stage of motherhood!

So, here is the first draft of my resolutions for this school year!

1. Pace Myself (i.e. cut myself some slack). I place this at the top of my list because I am a control freak who needs to check myself every once in a while. I can't do it all, and I'm not going to pretend to be able to. Period. The breakfast dishes may stay in the sink till Greer's naptime and the beds may go unmade on the days I work..... you get my drift!

2. Work Out a Routine (that works for me). I don't work (as a labor and delivery nurse) the same days every week, but I want to feel like I have some sort of "plan" (even if it's not a daily routine). I need to use my time more wisely now that I have some time to myself each week (4-8 hours depending on the week). I need to have a time each day for prayer, exercise, showering, straightening, returning phone calls, doing laundry, running errands, resting.....and by the time the kids come home at 3 every afternoon, I'll have time to spend with them!

3. Lose 10 pounds by Thanksgiving. I have totally lost my mojo in this department. I want to feel strong and fit! I want to be able to wear my favorite jeans come mid-October! I need to find 3 solid times each week to exercise and jump back on the Weight Watchers wagon. Yep, I started back today (well, with the diet anyway). Keep me accountable y'all.

4. Pick a Project. I haven't decided if this will be a weekly or monthly thing yet. I have a lot of re-organizing and decorating projects that I really want to do, but I end up spinning my wheels and never finishing anything.

5. Set Boundaries. I can't do it all. I work, I have 3 little kids, I have a marriage that needs to be top priority. There are things that I feel God leading me to do. I may have to say "no" to some of the things I am asked to do outside of these things. I am going to try my very best to choose to do the things I feel God has gifted me to do, and realize that it's OK to say no to the others.

Consider this list a work in progress.....what's on your list?

My Angel

This morning I was a version of my worst self.

Absolutely-positively-horrible.

and that is the nice version if you want to know the honest truth

My voice was raised, my home was chaotic, my face was scrunchy.

And I rushed my children and raised their blood pressure.

There were no gentle words to start their days. No prayers for them. Only "hurry ups" and "I don't care if it feels weird" and "Why did you pull everything out of your backpack!? We have to GO! Y'all are going to miss the bus!"

We ran and we made it!

And I tried to make up for my awfulness in the 2.36 minutes before the bus pulled down our street. But it was too little, too late. And when the bus doors swung open, she clung to me.

And sobbed. and sobbed. and sobbed.

And then an Angel came.

She swept Lucy into her arms and held her and told her that she could sit on the bus right next to her all the way to school.

and I made a lonesome walk home. and I sobbed. and sobbed. and sobbed.

Grace.

"Mom? Lucy wants to talk to you!"

"Hey Mommy.....I love you. I'm having fun on the bus. I love you."

{biting hard on bottom lip so she wouldn't hear the tears in my voice} "I love you, Lucy. I love you baby. Have a great day!"

That bus-driver's wife {the one with 3 children who have all had a hard time getting into the groove of kindergarten. the one who made my sweet girl smile and laugh before she arrived at the school's front door. the one who called me while they were still on that bus to let me know that Lucy was laughing and that they decided the red headband was the perfect choice for that outfit} wasn't supposed to be on the bus this morning......but she was.

First Day of School 2009...

.... a picture says a million things!

Dear Birmingham....

I promised to keep posting the videos from a2's latest series here on the blog, and I shall not disappoint (or like that awesome billboard just south of B'ham says...."The Devil Will GET Me!"). Check out Chris Goins' blog too....he posts some awesome stuff there. He even makes a cameo in the video posted below....see if you can catch him!

The guys did a great job with this one (did I mention that my sweet hubby, Chris, is filming and creating these videos....with the help of many more talented peeps at a2 Church)! This one is funny and nostalgic for those of us living here in the 'Ham!

***don't forget to scroll down and pause my playlist first!***

Dear Birmingham - Part 3 from Chris Goins on Vimeo.

This weeks' service was light and fun! A Rockin' time celebrating our youth, children, parents, and educators as we head back to school this week. I have more on that later, but we have a little bit of homework to get to tonight.....

Catch y'all later!

Teacher Letters

Tomorrow is the first day of school....for all 3 of my kiddos. Yes, even Greer. Reeves will be in second grade, Lucy will be in kindergarten (at the same school) and Greer will begin "Mothers Day Out" at our beloved preschool. Tomorrow I will have 4 hours sans children, and I am still working out how I will spend that time. Am I sad? To be honest....only a teensy bit. Does that make me a terrible mother? I sure hope not.

They are all soooo excited! I mean, they. can't. wait! How awesome is that?

I am ecstatic about what is in store for my children this year. I have never prayed it through like I have this year, and we have never been more ready to begin.....

More on that tomorrow....or the next day. I have some really awesome things I want to share.

What did I do today besides hang out at the pool with the rest of the neighborhood? This day before the first day of school?

I wrote letters to my children's teachers. I've never done it before, and I can't tell you how awesome it felt. I shared some of their strengths and weaknesses and made sure to tell their teachers that we had been praying for them all summer....that we would continue to pray for them as the school year rolls on. I wanted them to know Reeves and Lucy a little better and to know that Chris and I care. We're partners in this journey and I felt like I should share a little from our perspective.

I won't share everything I wrote. The letters are very personal to me. But, here is a little excerpt from each letter (and the pictures I included with them)....

"...Lucy loves to help, to be a leader, and to “do it herself.” She can be great with kids who need a little helper or who might be shy. She’ll talk your ears off and ask a million questions (but you already know that)! Please feel free to be firm with her concerning interrupting....I know you will be. She can’t wait to learn how to read and we have been working on some readers a little bit this summer. I am not super hung up on the academics....I know they’ll get there and that she is a smart girl. I just want her to love learning!

Lucy has a very sensitive side and sometimes I have a hard time pulling her worries out of her. She tends to “shut down” and become very quiet when something is bothering her. When she is good, she is great! She is so very excited about big school and she is looking forward to being your helper. I hope she doesn’t get too big for her britches though....I know you know exactly how to handle this type of little girl!..."

*Lucy has the same teacher that Reeves had for Kindergarten (Mrs. K), and she knows her pretty well already. She has 4 kids of her own and is a friend of mine. What an awesome blessing is that? Totally ordained (in my opinion)!

"....I wanted to share a little bit about Reeves so you can get to know him better. For the most part, he is a really great kid. Easy going, eager to please, and ready to learn. He has a pretty gentle spirit and is great at including kids who are younger/smaller than him. He can be kind of shy, but he loves deeply and has a sweet heart. He’s messy and full of energy. I tend to know exactly what he ate for lunch by looking at his shirt when he gets off the bus! You may have to give him gentle reminders to wash his hands!

Feel free to put him to work and to be firm if he is not listening/minding you. He tends to behave way better for his teachers than he does for us! He is so excited about your class and has several buddies to play with. We were thrilled about that!..."

*Reeves has a teacher that we don't know, but whom we have heard nothing but great things about. He seemed to love her when we met her at "meet the teacher" and we can't wait to see him grow this year.

If you have time to write your own teacher letter, I encourage you to do so. It was an awesome experience for me!

Happy Birthday Rach!

I know it's hard to imagine, but I was not the easiest baby. Ahem. In fact, to hear my parents tell it....I was a downright holy terror (in the nicest sense of the phrase). It's a running joke in my family and we laugh about it still, but it's true! I barely slept, I cried a lot, and I was all around high maintenance. I sure hope I have redeemed myself by now!

Sure, my parent's adored me (as any first-time parents do), and they felt blessed to have me, but I was a lot to handle. When I was only 9 months old (and even though it had felt like a very long 9 months), my parents found out that they were expecting again. Needless to say, it was a surprise! Dad was in residency and mom had her hands full with, well, me.

My mom prays a lot and is a woman of great faith. I venture to guess that she said some mighty big prayers during that pregnancy. Prayers for a different kind of baby (not that she didn't appreciate the one she already had or anything). One who actually slept, and who was a little less verbal, and maybe a little more, shall we say, laid back.

I do believe that the gift my parents got in my sweet sister, Rachel, is sufficient proof that God DOES answer prayer....

She loved to sleep. She loved to eat. She barely talked till she was two. She was a dream baby! (remind you of anyone???) She adored me and we were instant friends. It was like I had my own personal babydoll and we spoke our own secret language. I could translate her gibberish with brilliant ease and she turned out to be the most amazing gift we could have ever been given.

My confidante, playmate, partner in crime. It was always that way. It is still that way. Who could ask for anything more?

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

I love you, Shonkey (or Ponkey)....I can never remember which of us was which. You are beautiful and strong and I look up to you more than you will ever know.....

And in case you are wondering.....YES, that is her natural hair color. I know, she's too perfect!

Great Finds

***Update***

So, I decided to play with a couple of pictures on "Picnik" tonight!

Scroll down to see the magic.....Cool, huh!?

Isn't it fun when you discover something really fun and cool? If it saves you money or time, well that is just a big 'ole bonus! I haven't had much time for scowling the internet or window shopping this Summer, so this list is going to be short....for now!

I love sharing great things. My friends laugh at me for it (yes, I have an unhealthy relationship with Costco....ask anyone who knows me well), but if I find something that is worth sharing....well, share it I must. I'll even venture to say that I drive a few friends crazy with these 4 little words....

"Guess what I found!?"

So, here is a list of my "great finds" this summer. Remember.....

If the text is lime green, then it's a link.....just click on it and see for yourself (just a little friendly tip for my less tech-savvy readers....You're welcome!)

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library! The gist? Register your less than 5 year old child and receive a free book every month until they turn 5. Free books....Yay! Greer just got her first one this week (The Little Engine That Could).

Bottle Cap Necklaces Sure wish I was still young enough to pull off wearing these, but my 5 year old can and she LOVES them. They're all the rage down here in the 'Ham.

Picnik As much as I would LOVE to understand Photoshop, well, it still makes my brain hurt (I'm not giving up yet though). In the meantime? I found this fun/easy photoediting site, and well, I heart it! (thanks Savannah)

Look what I did in a matter of minutes!

Marshmallow Fluff Let's just face it....everything is more fun with fluff. It was the token food of the summer 'round here (no, we didn't eat it for every meal, but I will always remember this summer as the "summer of the fluff"!)

Oh, and if you follow me on twitter, you saw that I was on the hunt for some "waterproof vinyl labels" for Greer's sippy cups and food containers.....

I found some great ones on etsy! These things are awesome!

What Cool Things did you find this summer? Please leave a comment if you have something you just can't NOT share! I promise it'll make you feel so much better to get it off your chest!

Flight of ideas...a little perspective on Heaven!

Did you know there are gold roads there? I read once in the Bible that you just think of a place you want to go and you can be there! Cool. You get to stay up till like 10 o'clock. Sometimes I just rest my eyes a little bit and I don't open them till morning. Hey Reeves....don't pee on me tonight. Mmmmkay. Do you get to play baseball in Heaven? I bet they play baseball like all night loooooonnng! Did you know that people like from Japan get to live in houses like we have? Some of them live in shacks and stuff and they will get to live in their own big houses in Heaven. John said that when he gets to Heaven he is going to take the gold stuff from the roads. I heard Heaven is awesome! Do you think we can watch Star Wars in Heaven?....

I'm sitting here in my dark, comfy den as the sound of "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" fills the air. Two messy-haired, wild little boys are curled up on a big blow-up mattress at my feet. They just conquered world 6 on Super Mario Brothers and have decided that a little clone action is in order. I listen to their conversations in complete and total amazement....

They know Jesus....and they love him. They can't WAIT to be in Heaven.

Awesome!

Questions....

Mama.... "How old was Reeves when I was born?"

Mama.... "What is a soul?"

Mama.... "Where IS my soul in my BODY?"

Mama... "But, what does my soul LOOK like?"

Mama... "I don't get it..."

Guess I need to figure out how to explain the Holy Spirit to my children. This is way harder than I thought it would be....

The Year Ahead, Part 2

****Update****

I'm starting this today, August 5th....

It will carry us through the first day of school, one week from today.

Please join us :)

Just like the morning last week when I wrote "Part 1" of this story, I woke up today flanked by 2 of my 3 most favorite children on the planet. When did it happen? Who knows. I've gotten great at sleeping through the comings and goings of my bedmates (that sounds terrible doesn't it?) and I am just savoring every moment of these last few days of Summer.

No, they didn't start out in our bed.

They started out here.....

All snuggled up, with wet heads and each other, on a big air-mattress in the den....watching "Shark Boy and Lava Girl" (I know, I know....)

Last night I made a declaration that I pray I won't live to regret (at least it has an end in sight!). After bathtime, I announced that if they wanted to, they could sleep on that air mattress every night from now until school starts.

Watch movies, eat popcorn, fall asleep when they feel like it, invite friends over to do the same.....

Crazy?

Maybe. But I don't care. We have 2 weeks of Summer left and I want them to have a blast!

And, I've made another decision. One that I have carefully prayed about, and that I am so excited to begin. I hope you'll join me, and if you do, that you'll share with me later what happened when you did it. I am so looking forward to seeing how this will impact our school year for the better!

If you're like me, you know that it is essential to pray for our children. But if you're like me, life gets crazy and you feel yourself saying short little prayers like this....

"Dear God, please keep Reeves safe today.... I'd really prefer to avoid a trip to the emergency room this morning."

"Dear God, please help Lucy remember to say 'yes ma'am' and 'no ma'am' while she's over playing at Emily's house!"

"Dear God, please keep Greer from pitching a fit in front of the pediatrician today..."

.....and so on.

Sure, you find time for a serious, meaningful prayer every once and a while, too. You pray that they'll make friends at their new school and thank God for giving them a gentle heart. You pray that they will stay safe from harm and that they will grow up to be faithful followers of Jesus with a servent's heart.

But do your children know you are praying for them? Do you say any of those prayers out loud, in their presence?

I'll admit, I don't do it very often. But I want to, and I'm going to.

Will you join me?

One week from Today, I will do exactly what Angie Smith has done for her girls (and if you have time to catch up on her story....you will be blessed). I read her "Pray for Your Child" post/challenge months and months ago, and when I was praying about the school year ahead, God led me back to it. I can't tell you how appropriate it is for this time of year and for what I hope and pray for my own children.

I bought my note cards yesterday, and I am set and ready to go. This week I am praying about it and for my children. I will start the 7x7 prayer challenge next Tuesday and finish it up the day before the first day of school. I can't wait to see what happens!

So, click on the link above or on the 7x7 prayer button below.....

and let's see what happens!!!
What a privilege it is to pray for our children!

Retreating...

... so I can

breathe. sleep. cook my kid's favorite meals. meet teachers. clean my nasty house. play catch with Reeves. buy school supplies.

find joy. be free. forget. get out of this funk I've found.

lay myself at the altar.

water my plants. deal with sibling rivalry. pray for my children.

catch up on laundry.

get rid of the ants. buy my sister a birthday present. meet a friend for coffee. paint Lucy's toenails.

go on a date with my husband {even if we just watch a movie in our bedroom after the kids fall asleep}. have an actual conversation with my husband. kiss my husband.

return some phone calls. write some recs. help a few Mamas have babies. read my Bible. play Wii.

burn a candle. burn all of my candles.

help Greer learn how to say her name.

.....and I pray that you'll be here when I return. See you soon, friends!

This Weekend...

....brought to you in part by:

My very first migraine and 2 days of hard work in labor and delivery.

However, I did manage to squeeze in a couple of good {mommy blogger} reads that are worth a little linky love. On sisters and bravery and balance.

Thank you girls for inspiring me to transparency.....