A Lesson in Prayer from a Four-Year-Old

Today I want to share a story about my sweet four-year-old. The other day, we were about to leave for one of Levi's therapy sessions. Adam was heading out to the car & I told him I'd be right there. I grabbed Levi & realized a diaper change was needed. It took a little while to get Levi all cleaned up & when we got back out to the car, Adam was buckled in & had a little tear drop under one eye. I asked what was wrong, and he said, "I got a little scared because you were taking so long, but I prayed for God to help me. I feel better now."

Philippians 4:6

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

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I am so pleased to announce was given the Liebster Award by a fellow blogger. My next post will explain more as I follow protocol on this thoughtful gesture.

Our Mini-Vacation

Wes & I got to take a three day trip all by ourselves last weekend. It was wonderful.

This photo was taken at the unique steak and seafood place we went to for dinner Thursday night on our way to Lexington, VA. It was an old home turned into a restaurant. The food was amazing (maybe the best prime rib I've had) and it was full of antiques and beautiful things to look at.

We stayed the night at a Hampton Inn that had bed and breakfast type area, too.

Our room had a fireplace, and even though it was unique, I still got my beloved Hampton Inn pillows to sleep on! (I have a Hampton Inn pillow on my bed at home. I had one bad experience at a Hampton, and the front desk worker said, "If there is anything I can do..." I told him I knew just what would make things right...and ended up with 2 Hampton Inn pillows of my own.)

The next day we did some antique shopping and drove the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway to Richmond, VA, where I presented a child care seminar on Saturday. We stopped at a lot of scenic overlooks on our drive.

Do you see the face?

That night we had another cool dining experience at a Brazillian steak house. They bring huge skewers of steak (think, swords full of filet mignon), lamb chops, and other yummy meats to your table and carve it onto your plate. They also had a salad buffet that was really nice.

Since we've been home, I've been back to the usual kind of day, enjoying the boys and tackling all my responsibilities as time permits.

My boys are turning in to little photographers. Adam took this of the sandcastle we built the other day.

Levi took this...

And this (while I was changing his diaper)...

It cracks me up to pick up my phone and find whatever pictures he's taken since the last time he had my phone. Pretty entertaining.

These two sure keep things interesting.

Levi is getting a sleep study done tonight to determine if he has sleep apnea. If so, his tonsils will be taken out.

"Dude, Can't you see I'm trying to play on the iPad here?"

Have a great weekend.

This and That (and LOTS of photos!)

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This is a boy that’s always thinking.

Adam is always asking what words mean. I can’t remember what word he was asking about a few months ago, but I remember telling him that “re” means to do something again, like when we redial a phone number or reorganize our toys. Last week while we were on our way out to eat, he asked if regardless means to guard something two times. I told him no & explained regardless as when something happens no matter what. I told him we were going to eat dinner regardless of if Levi fell asleep or not. A few nights later, I was putting lotion on him after his bath & asked him to stand up so I could get his calf. Instead, he straightened his leg & I was able to finish applying the lotion. He said, “I didn’t stand up, but you got the lotion on regardless!”

Adam’s follow-up blood work indicated that strep was not the cause of his tics, which is a good thing. Other infections can cause the same symptoms, but if strep were the culprit, we would have a higher chance of reoccurrence, worsening, or permanence. We didn’t have any luck changing up the antibiotics, but his symptoms lately have been mild enough that most people wouldn’t notice. It hasn’t been affecting his speech or thinking anymore, and we are grateful for that.

That is Levi eating his first bowl of spaghetti! Hooray!

This is Levi sorting colors!

It was an Easter activity they did at the library during story time. We've been working on this skill at home, and I was so excited to see him sit down & get right to work without any help!

This was a fun family trip.

Wes was off this week for Spring Break. We spent one night with his sister and took the kiddos to the zoo the next day. They love spending time together.

Levi was so enthralled with the manatees he didn't move for close to 15 minutes. I finally had to tear him away so we could catch up with the rest of the group. Wes thinks this is a good reason to get a fish tank...

On the way home :)

That was the mess I made the other night. While Levi was at the table waiting for dinner, I caught him pouring his apple juice out of his cup & onto the dining room table. I had a plate of spaghetti in one hand & I grabbed his cup with the other hand. I ended up pouring the entire plate of spaghetti into the bag of clean clothes I was packing for the boys, who were leaving the next day to spend the night with their grandparents.   

Wes & I were cracking up & the first thing he asked was if I got a picture of it.

This is what our Easter was like. We hunted eggs in the front yard & had a peaceful day of worship and time at home together.

That is how I found them the other morning when I got out of the shower: all snuggled up in a blanket watching a cartoon.

Hoping all is well with all of you. I can't believe I let so much time pass between blog posts! Have a great week!