Miracles

Over the weekend we said goodbye to the Expedition that we got when Emily was six months old. A lot has happened in that car. She was so good to us but the last couple of years the amount of money we've spent on her has far exceeded what we wanted to so it was time to start looking.

We've halfheartedly been looking for at least two years, perusing websites to see what was out there, how much they cost etc, and I started praying for a miracle. We have been without a car payment for 10+ years so the thought of having to shell out a bunch of money every month for a car was not something I was looking forward to. I really started praying the last six months or so that God would provide a miracle car for us, halfway thinking that we'd get a $15,000 check in the mail or that someone would anonymously give us a car. If you're going to ask you might as well ask big right?

So about two weeks ago it was decided that we really needed to make a decision. Our car was on her final leg and it was go time. And yes, I was still waiting patiently for the check. Rob found a couple for us to look at so on Tuesday we set out to find a new car with our very short list of criteria;
1) Runs well 2) Looks decent 3) Have a third row seat that folds down into the floor.

The first place we went had already sold theirs and the other one was in Nampa so off we went. We pulled up and it looked good so we took it for a test drive and lo and behold she ran great and the third row folded down beautifully. It seemed like a great car but, much like a bride who finds her wedding dress on the first try, I couldn't believe that everything could be working out so well so I insisted we go drive a couple more. It only took driving one to see how good the first was. Convinced we had found our car, they allowed Rob to pick it up Wednesday morning and take it to our mechanic to have it looked at. We got the all clear from him so we decided we would buy it. Rob took it back and let them know we wanted it but with it being New Year's Eve and banks closing early and staying closed it was going to be a couple days before we could get our loan finalized and get the money to them. They shook hands and sent him on his way.

The first rolls around and Rob takes another look online to make sure the car was off the market, but not only was it still advertised, the price had dropped by $800! We were both annoyed so Rob sent them an email and told them he hoped that this was the new price that we would be charged when we came to pick it up. We waited and waited to get a response and, without even having to dicker with them, they said that that was the new price and it would be waiting there for us to pick up. Floored. Long story short(er) we finalized the loan, went and picked up our car and have been blissfully happy ever since!

I think when people pray for miracles they expect the parting of the red sea, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. God tells us to pray big. That's certainly what I was praying for, but God doesn't always provide the way we want or the way we think is easiest. Did God send us a big fat check? No, but I absolutely believe he provided our miracle in so many small ways.

--Had all our requirements and SO MUCH MORE!
DVD player
Sunroof which, hand to heaven, I have wanted since I started driving
Beautiful interior
Dual heated and cooled seats
Dual temperature control
These may be old hat to some people but for those of us driving a 15 year old car they are reason for a happy dance.
--The car was basically dropped in our laps with little searching necessary.
--Loan was held up which allowed the price to drop another $800
--We didn't have to bargain with them to get the new price
--He provided Rob with raises this year that far exceed any extra expenses

So grateful and thankful for His provision!

even in the little things

we just returned from a week long vacation to lincoln city, oregon and i have to say that we had a great time! mom and dad came with us which made it even better. with the kids getting older it is harder and harder to get them to family things so a full week, out of town, where they can't leave...brilliant!

early in the week as we were on the beach looking for treasures my dad said something about a sand dollar. emily asked what that was so he told her. he said he would find one for her and set off to do just that. her poppa searched, head down, scouring the beach all week for a sand dollar that he could give to his baby granddaughter. it got to be thursday and other than the teeny tiny sand dollar that i found he had had no luck.

we just got done playing at hidden beach and he and my mom were off to search some more. as we were all going our different directions in search of whatever treasures caught our attention i started praying. nothing big, i just asked god if he would allow them to find one. i told him that i knew it was just a small thing for him to do but it would mean so much for them to find one. had i not been there for this next part i wouldn't have believed it, but not five minutes after my little talk with god my mom starts calling my name. i walk over to her and you know what she had in her hand?! a stinkin sand dollar!!! a whole, unbroken normal sized sand dollar!

i was overjoyed and a little surprised, although i know i shouldn't be.
1 john 5:14 says "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." it goes on to say in verse 15 "And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him."

i know from experience that god doesn't always work like that. if he did i would be a millionaire :o) but why was i so surprised that god actually heard my prayer and cared enough about me to answer it? he cares about everything we care about no matter how small. so thankful for my 'rainbow' and a lesson that i needed reminding in.

the light of day

the day after the accident we went to get austin's stuff out of the truck. 

the accident looked bad by moonlight but it really gave us a new perspective when we saw in in the light of day.

i can't thank god enough for sparing those two boys.

i can't thank him enough for protecting them.

i keep wondering how they have no visible injuries.

nothing from breaking glass, no bumps, no bruises.

jake has since been diagnosed with a bad concussion and we pray for his quick recovery.

this is what miracles look like.

this is where jake was sitting.

i can't imagine the feelings he must have felt when he realized what had happened considering his side was against the ground, it was dark and he couldn't see austin.

before we left i told austin to stand in front of the truck and smile.

rob asked what there was to smile about (since we only had liability, it's a total loss) to which i replied,

"he's alive. that's plenty to smile about".

Psalm 121:1-8

Psalm 121:1-8
I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip-he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you-the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm-he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

we got that phone call.

you know, the one that no parent ever wants to receive.

the one that says your child has been in an accident.

fortunately, for us, it was austin doing the calling so i knew, at least for that moment, he was ok.
i answered my phone and all he said was "well, we rolled it".
"rolled what?!"
"the truck".

after asking questions...
are you hurt?
where are you?
are the police there?
...and trying to cope with my mixed emotions of wanting to kill him and hug him at the same time we went after them.

they were about twenty minutes away from where we were so we raced there.

i had no idea what we would find.

all i knew that they they had rolled the truck.

were they covered in cuts and bruises?

was anything broken?

whiplash?

internal bleeding?

we had no idea.

they were on a dirt road in the foothills so as we made the drive up the hill we could sporadically see flashing lights.

we pull around the corner and this is all i could see.

 as we got closer we finally saw the truck.

the boys said they were coming around the corner, hit ice and started sliding.

i can only assume that austin tried to correct and just couldn't get it righted.

the officer said that it looked like they fishtailed several times before they flipped, which made it worse.
the boys don't remember what happened.
they said they were sliding and the next thing they knew they were upside down.

it looked serious upside down.

my child and another mother's child were in this car.

and that was bad enough.

then they flipped it over. 

they didn't just roll the truck.

they hit the ditch and the back end flipped up and over and smashed down onto the edge of the ditch.

the brunt of the impact was in the middle.

right between them.

the officer said that had they landed cross ways they probably wouldn't have made it.

had it been a few inches either direction their heads would've been under that crease.

i know that god watches over our children.

i pray for them daily to be safe in his hands.

this is proof of that protection.

those two boys were able to walk away with no visible effects other than a tiny scratch on austin's hand.

they will be sore and banged up for a few days but when i look at these pictures i think of what might have been and can do nothing but praise god for giving them another chance and giving us more time with them.

color run

alyssa told me about the color run a couple months ago.

all i knew was that it was a fun run/walk and at different points along the course you got blasted with colored powder making it the "happiest 5k on the planet!".

before the race we were so clean in our brand new white shirts.

as we went along the course there were four color stations.

pink, yellow, orange and blue powder was tossed, hurled and showered on us.

we were towards the front of the second wave of runners so we had a pretty easy time getting around everyone to take up a jogging pace. 

i have never done a 5k before and i wasn't planning on doing one today but i was convinced by a few girls that i could most definitely do it so i took the challenge.

i am very proud to say that i ran all of it, except for two very short two minute "i must walk or i will die" sections.

let me also say that i paid for it the next few days.

after the race there is a color party. 

we received color packets when we registered and every  twenty minutes or so everyone throws their packets in the air.

its' a beautiful, but slightly choking experience. 

there was colored powder everywhere.

this is kari. she was my running jogging partner.
she was so great to run jog at my pace and walk when i needed to.

i started laughing right as i took this picture cause i got a glimpse of my teeth. classy.

our whole group after. such a fun group of girls and so many fun memories!

we're moving!

when we decided to build this house we did it with the intention of being here forever.
my family moved about every two years growing up so it was a constant of new houses, schools and friends.
i wanted my kids to be in one house for the majority of their school age years, so when we found out we were pregnant with emily, and our three bedroom would no longer do, we set out on a search to find that house we would settle into for the remainder of their years home.
we wanted to be in our home before she was born and time was in short supply so we ended up rushing into a house.
we moved in on december 17th 2002 and our little princess was born on december 19th.
after being here a while we decided we didn't love our new house.
it was fine but had we really thought over the design we wouldn't have picked this one.
it was too late now and it fit our needs so we have made it our home for the past 9 1/2 years.

in those 9+ years there have been times that we have thought about moving but have stayed put for different reasons.
in the last two years, though, more pressing issues have come up that have forced us to rethink our position.
about two years ago the school board wanted to change the school boundaries so that the west side of meridian road, the side we live on, would have to change to meridian high.
parents complained, they didn't change them, they tried again last year, parents were up in arms, they didn't change them.
i fear that on the third try they will pass the boundary change and tell parents to get over it.
austin has been at mountain view for three years and we really like the school and want the other two to attend there as well.
in another few years, i believe, living here will make that an impossibility.
strike one.

about a year ago we got the news that the great city of meridian is putting a walmart in our back yard.
it will, literally, be 200 feet from our back door and we will get to see it ever day in all it's glory.
no thank you.
why they couldn't put it a quarter mile down the road where there aren't any houses built yet is beyond me.
and construction began last week.
strike two.

we received an email about 6 weeks ago from our neighborhood watch.
it let us know that there were two intruders in the back yard of someone on our street.
our yard backs up to a road and has a much too low five foot fence.
any child could jump it and that has always made me a little leery.
that email sent me over the edge but i still didn't think about selling until i was driving down the road later that day thinking about the email,our house etc.
the lord said, clear as day, "it's time to sell".
strike three.

we are under water in our house so after we do a short sale we will have to rent for a couple of years.
we have been home owners for 12 years so this will be different for us but i feel like it also gives us time.
time to decide where we want to live.
time to find the perfect house for us.
time to make the best decision for our family.

my only sadness comes when i think about austin.
i always wanted him to leave for college and be able come back to his childhood home.
the place where he skinned his knees, rode his bike, and learned so much about becoming a man.
it won't play out like i wanted but as the song says, "home is wherever i'm with you".
no matter where we rest our head it will always be home.

so with that we've submitted paper work, purged and cleaned and hopefully it goes on the market this week.
onto our new adventure.

65 and counting

 there aren't many people who can say they've been married for 65 years.

i feel very blessed to know a couple who has.

grandma and grandpa reed celebrated their 65th anniversary over labor day weekend.

weren't they cute?

wedding day

september 2012

cake toppers from their wedding cake, 25th and 50th anniversaries.

 congratulations on 65 years!

so over it

i shouldn't be complaining.
we have it better than a lot of people.
we have healthy children and i thank god every day that we do.
but we have had a lot of medical and dental stuff this year and i have about had it.
i went through my calendar to add up all of our appointments this year and i am up to 25.
25!
between broken teeth, sealants, fluoride treatments, root canals and wisdom teeth i have made 14 trips to a dental office since january.
between broken ankles, lacrosse knees, shots, sinus infections, moles and routine visits i have made 11 trips to a doctor's office since january.
it's not only squeezing our wallet but my insanity as well.
taylor finally got his root canal finished after three visits to an endodontist.
that joy lasted for about 30 minutes.
we got home and his dentist called and said that after we left the endodontist took another look at his final x-ray and noticed a spot on another tooth. he wants us to come in next week to make sure he doesn't need a root canal on that one too.
seriously?!
that poor kid has been through enough.
to round out the month we have one more dentist appointment and one more doctor appointment to get emily's stitches out bringing our grand total through september to 27.
her mole was benign and, even though i wasn't worried about it, it's always good to hear.
so even though we still have some appointments to get to and i will spend a good portion of time ferrying kids from school to dentist and doctor and back again i will be grateful that they are for small things and at the end of the day give thanks that my babies are healthy.

oh fall

i have always loved fall.
the colors, getting to throw on a sweater after so many months of heat, the changing light.
year after year i drive down the road and see giant trees filled with yellow, red and orange and it is breathtaking.
i love making apple cider and casseroles and big pots of soup to eat at the end of a cold day .
even with all that the mood still hasn't struck me.
this year i long for more months of warmth.
more light in my days.
the thought of shorter days and cold weather puts me in a foul mood.
i can't even think about it without getting a knot in my stomach.
i used to not mind the cold.
i've never loved winter but i put up with it cause what else could i do?
then we went to cabo in october.
i can pinpoint it to that year.
that's when it all changed.
this is what we got to play in while everyone at home was frozen.

and ever since then it's been down hill.
to be there snorkeling, getting sunburned and drinking margaritas under an umbrella in the fall shifted my thinking.
now every year i wish for longer summers, warmer weather, sand and surf.
i can feel it calling to me.
the older i get the greater the pull of the ocean is.
i long to be there.
to be able to get up in the morning and walk on the beach.
to hear the roar through my open windows.
to sit for hours with a good book and sand between my toes.
spending my early years in california i spent a fair amount of time at the ocean.
i have been back many times since we left but this last time was so much different.
it felt like home, even after all these years.
even though idaho has been home for most of my life it still felt so familiar to me.
the places we went that i went so many times as a child.
the sounds of the lane dividers on the freeway, the sea gulls, the waves.
it's a part of me that will always be and whether i fight it or, eventually, give in and take up residency someplace warm and beachy remains to be seen.
but it will always be in my heart.
so fall and winter...if you could stay away for a little while longer this sunshine loving girl would really appreciate it.

my ears are ringing

tuesday emily and taylor had to go to the dermatologist to have a couple moles looked at.
taylor gets a once over and an all clear.
emily's keeps getting scratched and bleeds fairly often so he said he could take it off so it doesn't bother her anymore.
i gave the ok and that's when the fun began.
i'm not good at needles and that sort of fun stuff.
in sixth grade we were finding out our blood types for health class and i was the one that ended up laying down in the hall so i didn't pass out.
awesome.
so the assistant comes in to numb her up and i'm trying not to look.
she says the medicine stings and i am holding her hand trying to go to my happy place.
he finished and taylor made a comment about how cool it was and i made the mistake of looking.
he had injected her with something that made her skin expand so the spot they were removing stood up about an inch higher than the rest of her skin.
he went out and i was getting ready to sit down so i could get my head under control when emily starts crying because she's scared.
i am trying my best to comfort her all the while my ears are ringing, i am sweating and trying to figure out how the heck i am going to stay upright.
the doctor comes in and i'm getting worse so i say those eight words that forever haunt me.
"i feel like i'm going to pass out"
since i'm sitting on a rolling stool the assistant goes into action.
he's trying to keep emily's mind occupied with talk of finger nail polish and school while at the same time getting me a stationary chair, a wet paper towel and some air.
my girl is having a minor procedure done and i am bent over with my head between my knees, doing my best to comfort her with one hand reached up on her arm telling her things like "it's ok" and "i'm right here".
i was a lot of help.
the doctor removes the mole, gives her two stitches and she is good to go.
i sit up a little so he can give me after care instructions and tay says "you don't look so good. you're really pale".
thanks bud.
i don't feel so good.
all i can think is that i now have to drive these two across town to school.
the doctor was great and told me to stay as long as i needed to.
don't you worry, doc. i'm not going anywhere.
after about ten minutes i gained enough composure to check out, get to the car and vow never to go to another doctors appointment without my mom again.

first day 2012

in order of departure...

taylor. 7th grade.

this is his first year in middle school and he was a bit nervous.

fortunately he has plenty of kids from the neighborhood, football and his old school to pal around with.

 the color is a little wonky on these pictures cause it's my phone.

in real life he isn't white...har har.

these eyes scream excitement and fear.

ryan's mom drives them to the bus so i say goodbye at the door and off he goes. sniff.

austin. 11th grade.

where did this kid come from?

he's not really a kid anymore, though, so i guess i should say where did this man come from but that's too weird so i will stick with kid.

we only have two more school years with him and then he's off to begin his own life.

that's scary.

we are trying to soak up all the time he will let us have before he's gone.

i was pleasantly surprised that he didn't even put up a fight.

the last two years we have had to threaten him with death to get him to stop and take a picture.

this was last year. memorable huh?

we hardly even had to ask this year, he just hopped right in.

such a good boy.

he still won't smile with his teeth showing. 

i think it's more of a stubborn thing than a 'i hate my teeth' thing but i will take what i can get.

 

emily. 4th grade.

holy cow she looks old here!

not sure when she grew but apparently it's been happening lately.

 

after the boys leave i have a little over an hour with just her.

it's been so nice getting that one on one time with her.

i get her breakfast, help her pick out clothes, have time to do her hair and walk her to the bus. 

it's fantastic! 

 emily and hailey.

hailey is nine months older than emily.

i am so curious to see how tall this girl ends up being.

so that was our first day.

everyone came home happy.

no horrible experiences that made them want to crawl in bed and never get out.

success!

only nine months to go!

insta friday x 2

one of these days i might get around to publishing a post that isn't an insta friday post but for today that's all i've got.

and to top it off it's for a the last two weeks. 

austin had his wisdom teeth out right before school started.

even though he did the conscious sedation he remembers everything. so glad we didn't have to pay the $300 that tiny pill usually costs.

afterward he didn't take one pain pill, one nap or have any swelling.

i think it's cause he's so stubborn.

 i had to look at the ground most of the time so i didn't end up on the ground.

that would have been embarrassing.

 i participated in a mug swap a couple weeks ago.

i love sending things and i love getting things so this was perfect!

this was the mug i got my partner and the mug rug i made her.

and this is the mug i received.

we are going to be great friends.

7th grade shots for taylor.

30 minutes after this picture he broke his front tooth again. oy!

 some last minute school shopping and a pretzel at the mall.

her fav. 

  first game of the season.

we won 42-16

 emily going after the bouquet at a friend's wedding.

 me and laurel at the wedding... 

 and out for a good time later that night.

praying for our kids as they head back to school.

  first day of school.

4th grade for this little one.

 7th and 11th for these two.

this was the first time in three years that austin didn't act like he was dying when we asked for a first day of school picture.

  had to don the sweater at the end of practice this week.

i do love the sweater/three quarter shirt and shorts thing, though.

indian summer makes me happy.

and i decided as long as the flowers are going strong there's still some summer left.

come on flowers! be good to me!

i sent this girl to school with a sock bun today.

she is so stinkin cute it kills me.

she totally rocked it!