Reagan's First Day of K-4

Reagan started K-4 today at Coosada Baptist Church. She will go three days a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30-11:30. That time frame is still sufficient for me. I am not sure I am quite ready to release her for 5 days a week from 7:30-3:00 yet. That is a hard thought when we have been together almost every waking hour since she joined our family. This schedule gives us the best of both worlds....days of school and days at home.

She was so excited this morning. Let's just hope that excitement sticks. She is super pumped about her teacher and the fact that she has several friends in her class. Reagan is my social butterfly, so knowing people will probably get her in trouble, but I still think having friends in the same room is a blessing. Here she here right before we loaded the car. I thought she was just adorable this morning, and I am so thankful that I am home with her to take part in all these big events.
Here is her teacher, Mrs. Vicky Lowman. This is the teacher we requested and come to find out, she requested Reagan. That felt good as a mom. Mrs. Vicky just oozes love and affection for all of her students. She is bubbly and energetic and has "preschool teacher" written all over her. I am thrilled that she is Reagan's teacher this year.

Here is Reagan with Drew Hicks, a friend literally since birth. These two have grown up together in the church nursery at East Memorial. Reagan is looking forward to playing with Drew each day. Like I said, I hope they don't get each other in trouble.

And here is Reagan with another East Memorial buddy, Katelyn Crosby. Reagan was equally excited about this little cutie being in her room.

Reagan had a great first day of school and told me she wanted to stay with Mrs. Vicky forever. I think that is a pretty good first day impression. She talked about her day the entire way home. That made me smile.

Her great first day was a happy point in my otherwise sad day. I am still in shock about the loss of such a dear friend. I can not get her precious family off of my mind and have been praying for them throughout the day. I have cried way too much and I know my children think I have finally lost it.

Life is hard isn't? Some things are just way too hard to comprehend. When an elderly person dies, it is still sad, but more expected in a way. When someone dies that is about your age, it is hard to see what good could come from it. But yet, that is what God's Word says, that all things work together for the good for those who love Him. Today, I just don't see the good, and I guess I probably won't until I am in heaven myself.

Until next time...

A Profound Loss

I am so sad to report that my sweet friend Beverly Easley lost her battle with cancer tonight around 9:00 p.m. It is almost 11:00 in the evening and it has taken me awhile to gather my thoughts...not that I will write many.

I wrote an entry a few days ago called "Legacy" after spending some time with her on Tuesday of this past week. She truly left a legacy of faith. She was a committed follower of Jesus Christ, a loving wife, a dedicated mother to 8 amazing children, and faithful friend, daughter, sister, aunt, etc. She definitely got it right while on this earth.

I will always remember that last visit with her...holding her hands, praying for her, telling her how much she meant to me...I felt like I was saying good-bye....and I was.

I am better for knowing her and knowing her sweet family.

What an amazing testimony of faith that I have witnessed as she served the Lord with all her heart in the good times and in the bad times. She never wavered in her faith that God was with her and would never leave her side.

Her husband posted a small paragraph on the caring bridge website at www.caringbridge.org/visit/beverlyeasley after she passed away. He said the entire family was gathered around her singing "Beluh Land" as she uttered her last words..."The angels are here to get me." That gave me chill bumps! Amazing...amazing...amazing...

The angels ushered her right into the presence of Jesus where I know she heard the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

Beverly, you will be missed. What a hole your absence will leave in our lives.

Please remember to pray for the entire Easley family today, but especially her husband Bryan, and their 8 children, Luke, Ellen, Mason, Maggie, Patrick, Paige, Palmer, and Hope.

A New Best Friend

We had a traumatic event at our house not too long ago that I have failed to mention. Reagan lost her beloved "Teddy". This was a pink blanket style teddy bear that she received as a baby at one of my baby showers. She has slept with that thing for over 4 years and we recently lost it. I think we left it at the beach, but who knows. It still could turn up somewhere in the future.

The first week after losing Teddy was very difficult. Reagan continually asked for it with tears and we continually assured her that Teddy would show up and for now she could sleep with one of her other stuffed animals...which she did. She stressed it wasn't the same, but complied and slept with either a cat or a lamb, both of which were gifts as well.

This little nighttime scenario has continued for almost 2 months. She recently asked to go pick out a new Teddy and we went to Target and Wal-Mart and looked at the stuffed animals. I commend her for knowing exactly what she was looking for because no stuffed animal at either store was good enough. She saw nothing she even came close to wanting to buy. Over the last week or so she has really been asking for a new sleep buddy, and I thought maybe Build-A-Bear workshop would fit the bill. My mother had mentioned doing this in the past, but I kept putting it off because honestly it just seems a little pricey for a stuffed bear, not to mention all the accessories that go with it.

Well, yesterday I finally caved and took Reagan to this famous money pit. She absolutely loved the entire experience. We all had a great time and I am proud to say that Reagan has a new best friend. Here are some pictures from our day.

Here we are at the beginning of the process.

Here is Reagan right after picking out which Teddy she would "adopt". This took her at least 20 minutes. She is very indecisive, but finally settled on a pink and yellow teddy that she named Pearl. Don't you love the way Reagan poses for the camera.

Here she is listening to the lady and rubbing Pearl's heart on her cheek. She then kissed the heart and placed it inside Pearl's body.


Reagan still listening...

My mom watching the process...

Stuffing the body....

Fluffing the body... This was followed by brushing her fur which I failed to take a picture of.

Here is Reagan dressing Pearl. She picked out a pretty princess dress with matching shoes. Picking out the clothes was really an ordeal. I know it took her 30 minutes to make up her mind, but she was really pleased with her final choice.

Hugging Pearl once she was dressed.

The finished product complete with bows on each ear...

The store was giving away free Messenger bags with any $25.00 purchase to carry the new teddy around. We definitely spent more than $25.00, so Reagan got a "free" bag and has loved it as well. I think they should have thrown in lunch too for what I spent in there. Doesn't she look so grown up in this picture?

And in case you're wondering what Gracen was doing during all of this...

She was running wide open throughout the store, going from rack to rack. Thank goodness my mom was there to help with her. (I left her shoes in the car.)

Gracen was walking around like she owned the place. She really thought we were in there for her.

We truly had a fun day. Reagan has carried her bear around constantly. Of course I realize that it hasn't even been 24 hours yet and only time will tell if the money spent was worth it, but so far so good. She gave Pearl a tour of our house when we arrived home, insisted on having her in the car on the way to church and back yesterday, watched TV with her once we arrived home, and of course slept with her. She has kept her by her side all morning and now she has taken her to visit Gran and Paw Paw.

On a negative note....last night she complained that Pearl didn't have any PJ's to put on and this morning she wanted shorts and a shirt to put on her for outside clothes.....Ugh! Life is perfectly orchestrated to take every dollar I have!

Until next time...

Legacy

Do you ever have days where you are forced to think about the deeper things of this life? I had one of those days today. As hard as some moments are, I am so thankful that God is always there. Today I thought about James 4:14 which says, "...What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."

Our lives are truly a blink in time. The older I get the more and more that becomes truth to me. In the end, so many things will NOT matter one little bit.

It will not matter...
what kind of car I drive or
what kind of house that I live in or
what kind of clothes that I wear or
how spotless my house is (or is not) or
that I caught the latest episode of _______ on TV or
that I purchased the latest and greatest technology or.....etc, etc, etc.

That list could truly go on and on!

The only thing that will remain is the kind of legacy that I leave behind.
What kind of person was I?
What kind of wife was I?
What kind of mother was I?
What kind of friend was I?
Did I love the people in my life....really love those I came into contact with?
Did I spend quality time with those who were important to me?
Did I tell them often how much I loved them?
Did my actions show love or selfishness?

Just today, I clicked on Beth Moore's blog and she had a video of Kelley Minter, author of the Bible study called Ruth. Kelley was talking about this similar idea.....that each of one is ACTIVELY leaving a legacy behind.

What kind of legacy are you leaving behind?

What kind of legacy am I leaving behind?

Of course, the most important thing is whether or not I believe in Jesus Christ. Will I spend eternity with Him in heaven or separated from Him in hell? I will be in heaven and all my shiny things that I have collected on this earth will melt away.

If you read this blog, really think about this issue.

We all think that we are invincible, that we will somehow defy death and live forever. That simply isn't reality. When we make a choice to put off living for Christ or put off accepting Him as our Savior, we are denying Him.

I am thankful today for the peace that I have deep down in my soul. It is a peace that doesn't come from any earthly person or material thing. My peace is based on the love of my heavenly Father. I am fully accepted and covered by His blood.

Thank you Lord for you mercy, your grace, and your love.



Changing the subject in a major way....
If you read my last post, you saw the pictures of Gracen's crazy bed hair. I thought I would post a picture of what her hair normally looks like when she wakes up and you will then see why I thought her hair was crazy enough to take a picture of it last week.


Calm, normal hair.....


Until next time...

Bed Head

Well, Gracen wanted to say "Good Morning" to everyone this morning. She woke up with some serious bed head and I couldn't resist taking a few pictures. Look at this hair.



Here she is smiling and reaching for the camera. She woke up in a perfectly good mood, just had some crazy hair. Isn't it getting more and more blonde? I think that is pretty crazy too.

Well, we are about to leave for Pump It Up. I am taking Reagan and a friend, and Gracen of course. Reagan needs to get out of the house and get some of her energy out. This heat is killing all of us. Being trapped inside is not good when you have kids. When will fall be here? Not soon enough!

Have a great day!

Prayer Request

I want to remind everyone to pray for my sweet friend, Beverly Easley. You can follow her story at www.caringbridge.org/visit/beverlyeasley She is an amazing lady, one who loves the Lord and her family with every fiber of her being. She has terminal cancer and has taken a turn for the worse. Basically, her digestive system is shutting down. She is unable to keep anything down and a Hospice nurse is now visiting her in her home, as there is not much the hospital can do for her. She is in an enormous amount of pain in her stomach and is taking morphine. Her color is not good and she is so thin and frail right now. My heart is breaking for this friend and this family.

Our entire church has rallied around this family, meeting their physical needs, lifting them up in prayer, and begging God to heal her. I must admit that it has been quite frustrating for God to be so silent.....(or rather to not give the answer we seek). Seeing a situation like this makes you think about the deep things of God....things that I would like answers for but know I will not get those answers while on this earth. I do know that I trust Him deeply and would much rather do life with Him than apart from Him. I know in my heart that He is good and everything that He allows is for His ultimate good....to somehow bring Him glory and grow His kingdom. But, things don't always feel good, do they? This situation doesn't feel good. Nothing about this is good to the naked eye.

I do know this....every single issue I have at the moment is so small in comparison to what this family is going through. I am thankful for every single day that I live. I am thankful for every single thing that I have. I am thankful for every single person who is in my life. God has been so good to me and to my family and I give Him praise. I want to be able to give Him praise in the good and in the bad and Beverly is teaching all of us that that is possible.

If you read my blog, please say a prayer for her healing and lift up her husband Bryan, and her 8 children.....Luke, Ellen, Mason, Maggie, Patrick, Paige, Palmer, and Hope. They all need your prayers.

Thank you

Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a great weekend as a family. I'll start with Friday, which is not technically the weekend but it was a nice kick-off to the weekend for me. My mother-in-law called around 9:30 and asked if she could pick up both of my girls for a little while. "Ummmm, let me think about that....YES!" Anyway, I was not expecting to have a free hour or two, and was in the middle of trying to clean my floors around my children....which is just about impossible. When she arrived, she said that she was going to keep them until 1:00. I wanted to break out into a dance, but refrained. At 1:00 she brought Gracen home because she was ready for her nap and told me she was going to keep Reagan. I am immediately thinking about the next 2 hours of freedom I am about to enjoy while Gracen sleeps.

What a treat!

It gets better, too!

That afternoon she said she wanted to have Reagan spend the night and if I wanted to go meet Gene for dinner and spend some time with him, she would get Gracen too. If I want to.....are you kidding me? At this point, I was thinking to myself, "Who are you and where is my mother-in-law?" She told me to call her as soon as Gracen woke up and she would come on and get her. Gracen woke up around 3:30. I feed her a snack, packed Reagan's overnight bag and called their Gran. I was child-free by 4:00.

Gene and I had a nice dinner out and spend some time just walking around Kirklands and Target. I loved every free minute we had.

On Saturday morning, I took Reagan to Lifeway for their Princess Day event. They had several princess activities and snacks in honor of a new Veggie Tale movie about being God's little princess. We also ran over to Kohl's and bought some back to school clothes and finished with lunch at Chick-Fil-A. Oh, and did I mention that my MIL asked to keep Gracen so I could just spend time with Reagan...I know, crazy!

Saturday afternoon I helped give a baby shower at my church for Kristin Lanier. It was a lot of fun and I ate too many cucumber sandwiches.

By the time I got home, it was time for dinner, baths, and bedtime.

We had a wonderful Sunday at EMBC. I always look forward to Sunday because it is just like being with family....and that is a good thing because I love my family.

Until next time...