Easter, etc

What a month. Here are the bullet points:

- Dan got.... PROMOTED TO MAJOR (USAF)!! We are really excited and *interested* to see where God is pointing us towards next... More to come soon.
- Ellyotte hit 9 months. What a precious baby girl. Gah, she melts me. 4 teeth, crawling, sleeping 13 hours straight each night. What a sweet child.
- The kids and I (NO DAN) drove home to Alabama on, noneother, than the prelude to the most intense tornado storm in US history.

On 15 April, we set off for Alabama - despite protests from both of my folks. To sum it up: a normal 7.5 - 8 hour trip took almost 12 hours. We entered Clinton, MS 10 minutes after most of it had been wiped off the face of the earth by a tornado. I20 was shut down and we were detoured through that ravaged town for 2 hours. We then head on towards home (to see my folks). I witnessed firsthand the desparation and devestation in the peoples' faces as they realized they had lost EVERYTHING. Homes, businesses, power, lives.... were gone.

On the way between Jackson, MS and Meridian, MS, I hydroplaned 5 times and we stopped under 5 overpasses as tornados blew behind us and in front of us. The hail was so big that it woke Noah up from his brief nap and threw him into a fit of frightened tears.

We finally make it to Meridian. As we enter the town, I see a funnel cloud in the distance - so I tear into the Chic-Fil-A parking lot, whip Elly's seat out of the car, run towards the LOCKED doors and I hear "Oh my gosh, she's got babies. Let her in." I leave E with them and go back to get Noah. They escorted us into the KITCHEN to wait for the tornado to pass. At this point, I am a wreck and my mom (on the phone) is having a nervous breakdown in Costco back in Bama. My dad tells us to head on out while my mom is begging me to get a room in Meridian (NO CHANCE - a second front was on the way) - I check the doppler on my new iPhone 4 and it looked like we would come right behind the front that was leaving West Alabama and leave before the new front entered Meridian. I put the pedal to the metal and my poor kids were exhausted from driving.

We drove the next 150 miles in heavy rains and got to Demopolis and then Selma and then Montgomery just after tornados touched down in all places. My knuckles were so sore from gripping the steering wheel the next day... And I inhaled several huge glasses of wine that night after kids were put to bed. We had a lot to be thankful for.

- While in Bama, we got to see a lot of friends and took a lot of golf cart rides at my parent's gorgeous home. It was so much fun - there are few places more beautiful than the South in early Spring. The cranes were flying over the water, azaleas were blossoming, just gorgeous. Noah definitely loves getting to go "home" to the Waters - he gets to fish, play with Graddy, feed the horses, drive the golf cart. It is a little boy's paradise.

- We met up with Dan in Nashville, TN for Easter weekend. It was the first time any of us had been back to our second home since my sweet Aunt Mamie went to be with the Lord the night before Thanksgiving. It was bittersweet. We stayed with one of my dearest friends, Amy, and her family and had a blast. We celebrated the Resurrection at Grace Chapel in Franklin, TN - what an incredible service. We adore that church. And what an awesome thing to have JEREMY CAMP sing during the offering!!! Loved it.

After church, we met up at Leigh Ann and Mike's farm in Franklin and had so much fun eating, hunting eggs and enjoying God's gorgeous creation; TN farmland is so beautiful. And the 150 year old barn that is owned by Amy/Vince Gill and my cousins Mike and Leigh Ann is just incredible. It sits on the Natchez Trace and this family has made so many irreplaceable memories there. Weddings, Easters, barbeques, bonfires. Each time we gather there, the memories made only add to the rich history of that old barn.

*Note: the other cute little redhead guy that Noah's hunting eggs with is Olympic ice skater Scott Hamilton's son. I did a double take when I saw Max because he and Noah were so similar; I also did a double take when I realized "Oh, Mike and Leigh Ann's friend is Scott Hamilton... and he's at our Easter Sunday get together!"*

- Dan went onto Knoxville, TN to provide training for a Guard unit and the kids and I drove back to Alabama for a few days before driving the long haul back to Louisiana. We were supposed to leave for Louisiana on Wednesday, 27 April, but we all know what happened to my sweet home State of Alabama that night... This time around, my dad forbid me from driving. I am so glad he did.

We hunkered down in Montgomery, AL for the night and literally had no idea of what was heading our way. No clue. As of this afternoon (Friday), 230 people in Alabama alone have been confirmed killed by the tornados that ripped through Wednesday night. The damage is unimaginable. We have so many friends and friends of friends who lost everything - one girl in particular lost her entire home and every neighbor to her right and her left and across the street. There aren't enough body bags in many of the small towns to keep the victims until emergency relief can take the bodies. They are having to stack the dead in refrigerated trucks. One town lost their grocery store, fire and police stations and only gas station. They also lost over 30 people. Where do you even start to rebuild when you have literally lost everything? My heart is heavy for the loss of life and way of life that Alabama is experiencing right now.

- The kids and I drove back home yesterday - Thursday and are glad to be home. It is always nice to get back into your own bed and your own routine. I am wrapping up Term 4 with Troy University and have lots of papers to grade. Finals week is next week so the deadline lies before me. Feeling the pressure.

Here are some beautiful shots from the past month. I promise to be better about posting now that we are home!
First mac and cheese
First boyfriend: Keegan
First popsicle.....
..... in the bath
Easter Baskets!
Having fun at Uncle Bob's (and Aunt Mamie's) house in Nashville, TN
New cousin, Baby Hank
My gorgeous mom and her new great nephew, Hank
Ellyotte LOVED her first Easter Basket - lots of pacis and yogurt melts
Jan-Jan and Ellyotte making her silly face
Someone loves their Daddy
Fun at the Farm
Happy Girl
"It's EASTER!"
Hangin' with Uncle Bob
My dad and cousin Mark at the barn
Farm time

Riding with "Mee-Ann"
Barn!
Kelly, Elly and Sandy
Kel and Danny
Happy Easter!
Gorgeous
And more beauty

Hunting eggs
Noah and his long, lost twin: Max Hamilton
Mark and Elly
Sweet hugs for Mark
Aunt Kelly and Elly
The Farm
Kristen and Ellyotte comparing pedicures

Getting to know her cousin Stella, born 9 days before Ellyotte
Hunting eggs

Such and Such

Lately, I've been inspired to write so many blog entries. But, entirely too tired to write even one.

Dan's been out of town with work and Noah had Spring Break from Mother's Day Out last week. I've got a maxxed out class this term and I just can't find the time, energy or desire to get off of my too-busy bum and write OR grade. Grrr.

But, I am finding some time to take some precious pictures in our house. These kids may be a handful but they are delicious; don't you think so, too?!

We've had a major blessing occur this week for us: I had my monthly hemotologist appointment today (my regular follow-up since the pulmonary embolism that nearly ended my life last July) and my weekly blood tests done right before the appointment. The great news is that I AM OFF OF COUMADIN (the daily massive amount of blood thinner I was having to take)!!! We are elated.

I will go back to Dr. V next month and again each month till the one year mark (27 July). But, in the meantime, I don't have to take "rat poison" anymore and I am so thankful.

He has referred us to a high risk OB because of the "uterine window" I have (ruptured/scarred/too thin uterus condition - google it; I had to...) from my c-sections and because of my risk of clotting in pregnancy. We want a final opinion before deciding to have any more children. I have been told many times by my doctors that there should be no more Beall Babies but before we take a drastic step, we want that final say-so.

No date set for that appointment yet but as soon as we know more, I will of course let you, my friends, know. We are just thankful that I am still around to even have the discussion of whether to pursue more children! And if Noah and Ellyotte are the only two blessings we are to have, then so be it: we are satisfied beyond measure.

More on the home front: Noah and Ellyotte cannot get enough of each other and while I've been overwhelmed with trying to entertain both of them while keeping E on a sleep schedule and myself sane, I've managed to remember how precious and fleeting our lives on this earth really are. So, I take that extra minute to nuzzle Noah's neck or to tickle my baby girl to hear her laugh or to kiss my husband one last time.

Life never gets too busy for love. Dare we forget that.

Ready for SUMMER! Grillin' with Daddy

Transfixed on "talking pictures." (movies!)

Little Katie?

"Hey, you, dog. I am talking to you."

"Yeah, so? That's popsicle on my face." Pool time in Louisiana! Watching cartoons together "I love you, Ellyotte." Mmmmm, feet. With painted toes. Don't judge: she was watching a movie and eating a cookie so I could get ready for a date!

Mmm, mmm, love her!

Can you get enough of this face?!? She's too adorable. And we just can't kiss her face enough. Ellyotte might be the happiest, well adjusted baby on the planet - a far cry from Noah at 8 months... Maybe I am more at ease with being a mom second time around. Who knows. But, she's an easy and sweet baby.

Ellyotte weighs 19 lbs 4 ounces and is in the 75th percentile for weight at 8 months. She has her bottom two teeth and is about to cut her top front teeth. Not fun! She's had two ear infections in the last month... Ahhh. I am praying that it isn't anything serious and we don't have to go the "tubes" route. I am confident we won't though.

Ellyotte is just about to take off into the crawling world - if she sees something she wants, she scoots to it. It is funny to watch. Not too long till she's fully on the move though.

We love this baby - just adore her. She giggles so much when Dan walks into the room and buries her face into my shoulder. It's too cute.

I delight in this baby girl. And I delight in her big brother. God has been good to this family.

Romance

Dan and I took a much needed and deserved vacation the first week of March. We set off for Paris and then Rome! I had been to Paris 3 times already but Dan had never gone and neither of us had been to Rome. What a time we had... I will let the pictures show for themselves the amount of fun we had and the beautiful sites we saw. It was perfect. And not one day did we have even one cloud in the sky! Literally, it was blue skies all week. What a blessing.

This trip was in honor of our 5 year wedding anniversary (this past October) and in honor of the blood clot (pulmonary embolism I had back in July, post Ellyotte's birth) being removed from my lung. It was a celebration on many fronts.

My mom graciously watched the kids for us (not easy... both were very sick back here in Louisiana the whole time) and we were very thankful.

The food was incredible... AMAZING. Not kidding - Dan and I ate some of the best food we have ever eaten. We followed Rick Steves' suggestions and ate "off the beaten path." In Paris, we had the most amazing breads, cheeses and wines. We ate on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower (reservations we made months ago) at a 4 star restaurant. I've never dreamed there was more divine creme brulee in my LIFE than what we had in Paris!

Then in Rome, the pizza and pastas we had literally melted in our mouths. Oh and the red wine.... amazing. Just order the house wine by the liter and you are set.

Here are our favorite 100+ photos of the 500+ we took! Enjoy :)

Just Have to Share...

Brittany's sister has taken over her Facebook page and is posting notes about Brittany and Baby Shep and how they are making it through these first heartbreaking weeks.

I read this one in particular and just wept. I thought I would share with all of you who aren't Facebook friends with Brittany, and now, Brooke.

Please continue to pray for that precious and broken family.


********
Sign #7: Monday, March 14, 2011-The 1-week anniversary had arrived, and every minute of every part of that day felt like I was reliving the Monday before so vividly in my mind. Allie had been so sheltered from the devastation of this tragedy the week before, but had been with us all (including Clint) since Saturday. Ryan and I had decided to wait on her lead before we said anything to her about why her baby Shep and BB were not around. I was waiting with anticipation as to when she was going to begin questioning me-I wasn't ready to share the heart-breaking news to her. She had been with her Uncle Nint and never asked us once about BB and Baby Shep. Ryan and I both said it was like she somehow already knew-Finally, on Monday she started to cry, she laid her head on my chest, told me how sad she was and then said, "Momma, BB and Baby Shep aren't coming back are they?" It was like in her little spirit she knew, and it was only after she elaborated more on her dream from the week before about Baby Shep, that Brittany had taken care of letting my Allie know (but more on that tomorrow!!)....Later that evening, we all struggled as the clock turned 5:15, as the pain of what Brittany and Shep experienced at that time rushed over us all-We stayed together like we have every night since the accident until we couldn't anymore. Clint left ahead of us, and we were still with mom and dad at their house. Mom had walked back to Shep's room, and was standing in the doorway when I received a text from Clint. He had gotten back to his mom's house, walked outside only to look up and see the clouds in the shape of a baby with huge angel wings in the night sky. He said he was shaking so badly he could barely text us.....As that text came into me, I was telling everyone-mom heard and came back down the hall crying. She said she had just said, "ok Shep, your momma has been giving us signs all week now, GiGi needs a sign from her sweet baby." At that moment, Shep, our little angel, had given us his first sign.

******

Wow.

Brittany's Facebook Page

I didn't want to post a status update with this info because I don't feel it is my place to do so there. However, I wanted all of you who are praying for Brittany and Baby Shep's family (and those of you on Facebook) to know that her sister, Brooke, has taken over her Facebook page. She is posting regular "Notes" in Brittany's "Notes" section about how the family is doing, how she's doing, how God is revealing Himself to them all.

She may or may not add you as a friend if you request Brittany's friendship but if she is, then I wanted to let you know so you too can follow them through their journey of grief and healing.

Let's continue to lift that precious family up before the Throne every day.

Blood of the Lamb

This was shared with me by my mom via email. I encourage all of you (after reading the previous post and the heartbreak that has been caused by the enemy this past week) to read this, print it out and CLAIM IT DAILY over your babies, your spouses and all of those you have authority over - including yourselves.

We stand as one on behalf of our children! The Blood of the Lamb has been applied to the door post of our homes! The spirit of infirmity must pass our homes because of the power of the Blood! No weapon that has been formed against our children will prevail!

The Blood saves (rescues). The Blood redeems (exchanges or converts as in a financial transaction; the Blood of Christ paid the price for our sin). The Blood delivers (liberates and frees). The Blood protects (it is a shield that guards, defends and cares for). The Blood provides (grants and supplies). The Blood heals (makes well). The Blood restores (reinstates, refurbishes, repairs and renovates). The Blood transforms (converts and makes over). The Blood provides everlasting life (eternal, ceaseless, perpetual).

We underestimate the power of the Blood. There is NOTHING that the Blood of Christ can not do.

Satan knows exactly what the Blood of Christ can do; therefore He has no choice but to pass over the household that has applied the Blood of the Lamb on its doorpost. He may growl as he passes but he must pass none the less. As he passes he will hear our roar (the roar of the parents that stand guard over their children); our cry declares Christ as our Redeemer! As for me and my house; the line has been drawn and the Blood of the Sacred Lamb has been applied!

To all that are seeking healing of any kind for their children; Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, I know it is Your will, based on Your Word, that the medicine taken or the procedures given by and for our children, will be for their good and not for their harm for blessed is the Healer of the sick, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

I declare that I unite with every mother and father who is interceding for the salvation, redemption, healing and restoration of their children. God has promised strength for the day, rest for the weary, grace for the trials, everlasting and merciful love for our journey and He has promised to hear our cry and answer our prayer! Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers us from them all.

We stand as one; ready to fight, to declare and to receive, May the love of God bless you with everything that is good, may He grant each one of you His supernatural peace and may His favor be upon you and yours.

2 COR 2:14 NOW THANKS BE TO GOD WHO ALWAYS CAUSES US TO TRIUMPH IN CHRIST JESUS

I am learning more and more that we have been given POWER and DOMINION and AUTHORITY by God. To say "God is in control" is a cop out, of sorts. If He was in total control, tragedies (like what happened to Brittany and Baby Shep) wouldn't happen. He has given us the authority, and the total CONTROL, to plead the Blood of the Lamb, His own Son, over all of the earth. And especially over those we have been given authority over. (Reference Matthew 12:29).

Satan comes to "kill, steal, and destroy" (John 10:10). Not God. He does not want us to suffer, nor do I believe he allows bad things to happen to us. But because of the sin of man in the Garden of Eden, Satan has been given a foothold in all of humanity. Thus, the most unbearable and unthinkable things happen to even the strongest of believers. Claim the authority you have been given today.

Brittany and Baby Shep

Most of you who read my blog know about what happened to our friend, Brittany Shepard Pugh, and her sweet boy, Shep, but there are many of you out there who do not.

Dan and I were in Paris and Rome without much communication back home (except for talking to my folks, who had our babies)so it wasn't till we landed in Atlanta on Thursday that I learned.

I grew up with the Pugh boys: Dax, Clint and Tyson and went to college with Brittany. Brittany married Clint 3 years ago and they had Shep 15 months ago. We communicated a LOT about 'mommy issues' and our friendship over the distance grew that way.

Last Monday, Brittany picked up her baby boy from her mom's house and was heading home (in Troy, Alabama - my hometown). Another car crossed the median and struck Brittany's. She was killed immediately and Baby Shep was lifeflighted to Children's. His daddy, Clint, was able to kiss him once more before they put him on the plane. They worked tirelessly to keep him alive but his heart wasn't strong enough for all of the trauma he sustained. He died Monday night a few hours after his mommy.

The lady who struck them also died that night.

Brittany and Shep were buried yesterday in Troy, Alabama: they are in the casket together. She was buried holding her baby boy in her arms.

I canNOT begin to imagine what Clint, her husband, and what her family is going through. Life is not supposed to end like this - babies are not supposed to die so tragically; mommies aren't supposed to be taken from their children - or WITH their children - nor away from their husbands so young.

I share this with you all - near and wide - so you can be praying for the Pugh and Shepard families. Nothing will bring them back, but our prayers for mercy, strength and grace through this time will help in the smallest ways.

Brittany loved Jesus, so we can be certain that she is holding her sweet Shep in her arms in heaven and dancing with her Savior.

What happened to them is so tragic and so heartbreaking. I encourage us all to love on our children a little more, kiss our husbands a little longer, and be certain - like Brittany was - that we will spend eternity with Jesus when that uncertain moment comes for us too.