mini vacay

Sometimes I have to ask demand my husband to take a break. There's so much to do that he could work through all four weeks of vacation time that he gets & never get away, but that's one of the many reasons that God gave him ME! So, after the amazing services on Sunday we were loaded up & headed out on a little vacay.

EASTER SUNDAY



our sweet little bunny

First stop: Greenville, SC for some EASTER dinner with the Berry family!

The Berry family has to be quite intentional for us to all be able to get together. John, with his plethora of responsibilities, very rarely will agree to a 4.5 hour drive on a Sunday. However, after talking to my sister on Thursday of last week and finding out that everyone was going to be together for Easter dinner except this Berry trio, I was so happy that to hear John say, "LET'S go!" It was so nice. I've dreamed for 3 years of cousin time & though Channing has only gotten 4 opportunities for it, I've been so grateful to finally have a sweet addition to bring to the gatherings. We had a wonderful visit with our family.

 bath time!

 allie going in for the takedown

ella & channing playing

Second Stop: the beautiful mountains of Boone, NC

a beautiful view

The next morning we headed up the mountains. Channing is a champ when it comes to the car riding part of traveling. He only wanted one rest break & I really think that was so HE could get behind the steering wheel...he really is alot like his daddy.



Channing in the driver's seat

Jenny & Adam always welcome us into their home with open arms! We love them. They are special, special friends to us.

Now, the sleeping somewhere else part of traveling...not really his thing. He's a homebody in that aspect. The first night in Boone something did NOT settle well with his tummy & our sweet fella threw up over & over again, until we almost went to the ER. I'm so grateful that the Lord has blessed me with amazing friends here in Fayetteville that are always willing to help this new momma out & to use their previous nurse training  from before they were mama's! It's crazy, but I have like 5 friends who are or have been nurses! WHAT A BLESSING! Karisa, Hillary & Marcy were more than willing to answer my questions & tell me what to look for before we went to the ER which was the COMPLETE opposite of the nurseline the pediatrician has us call. These ladies bless my life so much! With their encouragement, we waited it out & overnight he improved greatly. After resting, nursing & having a wet diaper we knew that he would be fine. He woke the next morning smiley & happy!

DAY TWO: VISTING WITH FRIENDS & GRANDFATHER MNT.

  Marsha & Tyce ..... Marsha was my waiting partner in this whole baby thing. Both of us had difficulties conceiving. There were many days that we shed tears together, prayed together & encouraged one another that the Lord would be faithful to provide & JUST LOOK!!!!  Both of these boys are  a testement to the faithfulness of an amazing God. I miss Marsha so much & love when I have the opportunity to catch up with her! I also got to spend some time with my dear friend Lara ( we didn't get a picture). Lara is about to have baby number 2!

One of the wonderful parts of April is dollar days at Grandfather mountain. Despite the fact that we have lived in Spring Lake for over 2 years, we have not yet changed our drivers lisence. With all the endorsements John has, it would cost $250....CRAZY! But one advantage is $1 to get into Grandfather Mountain! I don't feel as bad because we do still own a home in Boone, NC! So technically, we are still residents, right?

 It was a whooping 58 degrees on top of Grandfather mountain that day! Channing didn't really care for the wind that was whipping up there, but as soon as it would die down he would lift his head & check out the view. It was a little surreal being up there with our sweet boy. We used to visit Grandfather Mountain so much & dream about the day we would hike with our kiddos up there!

Watching the otters together.

Lunch with Joe:

Joe is such a special man to John & myself. He helped us for years while we were in Boone & even now talk through ministry things. He has two kids in college & we tried to glean as much as we could from him at lunch about what he did to be successful as a parent & what he wishes he would have done. We feel like being a parent & being in ministry can be a bit tricky. Some succeed & some fail miserably. We really are trying to be very mindful of our desire for Channing to grow towards Christ, not away from Christ due to his father's position in ministry. 

We came home after a few days away & began work on our vacation project. I know, sounds crazy. More to come on that later!



He's got the whole world in his hands

I have a children's worship cd that I listen to with Channing in the car. Today 'He's got the whole world in his hands' came on & one verse said "He's got the wind & the rain, in his hands. He's got the wind & the rain, in his hands..." You get the picture, but it was so true this past weekend in our area. Approximately 280 tornadoes have been reported from the storms on Saturday.

This a picture that was taken of the tornado that hit the town just 10 miles from us!

It left the Lowes hardware (pictured above) destroyed along with handful of other places and people homes. Our neighbor walked out of the rubble pictured above without a scratch! Isn't that amazing?

 There was another tornado that touched down right on base, just 10 more miles from us in the other direction & yet one more storm that touch down about 10 more miles on another side of us and left a huge path of destruction. We were left with 24 hours or so of no power & a sweet baby boy who needed breathing treatments. But even in the midst of our need, God provided. My sweet friend Michele gave us a car adaptor and we were able to give him his treatments when we were without power.

On Sunday morning, John went to the church to see if there was power for services & left our sweet puppy outside because he was gonna be back within the hour. Channing & I were upstairs finally sleeping & had no idea that our sweet puppy girl was outside being attacked by two stray pitbulls!! Our neighbor, same one who walked out of Lowes alive, came over with his gun & saved her life! He literally pulled her head out of the dogs mouth. She's alive, sore & needed 3 staples for her wound.

And our sweetest little blessing.....

you would just never guess that he's on four different medications, eye drops, & taking a breathing treatment every four hours for severe allergies, congestion & viral pinkeye!

Gosh darn it, WE ARE BLESSED! Despite all the unexpected medical bills, vet bills, spoiled groceries & the inconvenience of no electricity....WE ARE BLESSED.  God never ceases to be amazing in his ability to provide. I know he's got the whole world in his hands. I know he's covering us. So I'll continue to focus on that truth & refuse to allow the enemy to get the best of me.

 My God has the WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS!

Family love.

Channing got some sweet lovin' from his cousins Allie & Ella & Aunt Coley & Uncle Brandon a few weeks ago in Charlotte while we celebrated little Allie Berry's 2nd birthday! We are so stinkin' excited about RWOC-Charlotte because we know God is gonna do big things through B & Coley, but also because they will be CLOSER & we will hopefully get more family time! I love those sweet Berry girl faces! Can't wait to love on them more.

where has time gone....

My sweet boy is six months old. My how quickly the time with him has passed. If only it would slow down and be as slow as the years seemed that I waited for him. He's such a joy. He draws attention wherever we go. He gives the sweetest hugs and has eyes that draw you in. His little personality is already coming out and I feel certain that this child is going to stretch me in who I am and how I think things have to be, but its something that I am so excited about. He is and continues to teach me everyday about relinquishing control. His slobbery kisses are priceless. I love that when we take naps together, I always wake up & he's touching my arm or face with his precious little hand. I love that when we are away from each other, he smiles with joy when I return. His smile melts my heart and I love every minute of being his mommy.

THE END.

play time from the eyes of Channing

We've done a lot of playing lately with friends. Here are some pics of my adventures. Hope you enjoy! LOVE, CHANNING

 I love sitting up now. No help, please.

 Lunch with Nana & Mimi in Raleigh

Hanging out at the park

Titus (above) & Levi (below) are brothers. We've had some playdates at their house on Post. Mommy got to learn how to open her hood one day at the gate when she was having her car inspected to get on base. She was reminded of how much Daddy does that she doesn't have to even think about!

 Tori (above) & Twila (below) have been begging to take care of Channing. They have volunteered their mama numerous times as a babysitter. Finally, mama decided to leave me & go on a date with Daddy. I was in great hands with the Matthews family.

"Hey Jack! I'm back here. Wanna play?" 

   Jack preferred the Radio Flyer to Channing...looks like he's having fun.

A thumb war with my buddy Cole at our Happy Heart Breakfast. Mommy always seems to come away from those gatherings with a happier heart & a full tummy too!

worship....

 A friend took this the other day. I had no idea she had taken it until she tagged me in it. But I remember the moment. My child was taken care of. I had no responsibilities at the time & I was able to just worship. But it's had me thinking. I need to be like this all the time. COMPLETELY SURRENDERED. Oh it's my heart. It's what I truly desire but so many things get in my way.

I need to worship though. ALWAYS.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 106:1

It doesn't say when it feels good or when the circumstances are as we wish. It says GIVE THANKS. It's a command. And then it goes on to say, HE IS GOOD. Isn't that so true? Can't we really say that from experience over & over? So I need to worship.

When people disappoint me. WORSHIP. When criticism comes. WORSHIP. When money is tight. WORSHIP. When my baby is sick. WORSHIP. When my attitude stinks. WORSHIP. When I don't understand the circumstances. WORSHIP. When I'm lonely. WORSHIP. When marriage is hard. WORSHIP. When John has meetings 4 nights out of the week. WORSHIP. When problems arise. WORSHIP. When I just don't want to. WORSHIP! And when things are stinkin' awesome, I better NOT forget to....WORSHIP!

Dare you not to smile.....

Another first...

Channing got to attend his first big concert this past weekend. Winter Jam is a tradition! We love it. Awesome Christian music for $10. Can't beat that! So we decided to take our little fella. Though it may have been more of an attention grabber than I would have liked, I made sure his sweet little ears were protected. Sometimes I wished I had a pair in my size because it was so loud. I was thankful that he didn't seem to mind the ear protection at all.



Running....

I'm working on becoming a runner. I've always been a runner. I've ran from a whole gamut of things throughout my life.....heartache, help, my relationship with Christ, relationships with others, at the first sign of trouble, love, pain, the truth,...gosh the list goes on & on. But I am so glad that I've finally taken up a new type of running. Running to help my body be healthy! And you know what? I'm loving it & I really look forward to it every other day.

I run in the path of your commands,

for you have broadened my understanding.

Psalm 119:32

Fun in the Sun

Today it was a beautiful day! We took full advantage of John's day off & the lovely weather. We woke this morning & I made coffee & homemade blueberry muffins & we studied some of God's word. Such good family time! After Channing's morning nap we headed to Raven Rock State Park & took a short hike. It was much shorter than we anticipated because it was a 88 degrees out &carrying an 18 pound Channing on you makes for one hot momma & one hot fella. If there is one thing Channing hates, it's getting hot. Despite the shortness of the hike, we enjoyed our time together.

We headed to one of our favorite parks in nearby Angier, NC. It's beautiful and not too far from an ice cream shop called Sunni Sky's that makes all of their own ice cream. You can get a kiddie cup for $1.50! Not too bad. Just remember your cash because they are still old school & don't take any cards. We also got to catch up with Evalyn & Sarah who are now at Campbell. They were both in our first youth group. I still can remember when sweet Evalyn accepted Christ as her Savior!!! Sweet, Sweet memories. So hard to believe that they are about to finish their freshman year of college.

 

 Frisbee Golf

John is serious about frisbee golf.

 

  Off roading in the stroller with Daddy.....just the beginning.

 Sarah & Evalyn

Sunni Sky's...yum!

I could just pinch those cheeks off!


At the end of the day, he was all tuckered out!