I think I'm back!

You know that Johnny Cash song, I've Been Everywhere?? I wish I could (or would???) make up my own Jennings' version to tell you about our summer! But we are HOME.

We've driven with the kids to Delaware (Rhehoabeth Beach)and back, Wilmington, NC and back, Roanoke/Salem, VA and back, Buchanan, MI and back and Charlotte and back (in one afternoon for Elijah's bday). We need to go to visit the family in Georgia (I KNOW!)...but I can't put the kids back in the car just yet, or myself for that matter. Although they are amazing travelers and we had a great time! Even with more frequent stops than we are used to because Luke is actually potty training!

Some of our highlights include:

• The Creation Museum - near Cincinatti
• Hanging out with extended family, great friends
  
• Fun at Family Camp
• The Beach (Hattie especially!)
• Camping in the pop-up

I think that is over 70 hours in the car! Who knows how many hours of Adventures in Odesseys, Movies, Travel Bingo, and sleeping...only God know how many times I said, "its time to BE QUIET NOW!!!"

I have TONS of good pictures to share, but the camera battery is dead right now. I have been unpacking today and yesterday, on top of trying to clean up and get other stuff put away and semi-organized.

I cannot believe:

• that school starts for Silas so soon
• Jody will be 32 on Monday.
  
• Millie Grace is pulling up to stand. (She looks TOO little to be able to do this)

More to come, I promise!

Mommy Needs

I was thinking about stuff I just can't live without these days. Here are some, please add to the list if you want to!

1. Coffee - it just helps me open my eyes better in the morning and be ready for the next wave in the afternoons. My favs right now are Montana Cherry mixed with plain old wonderful Dunkin Donuts in the morning and Cafe Bustelo in the afternoon...but I'm not really picky. I can't wait for the college kids to return so I can have some coffee company!
   
2. Shower - even though I HATE getting up early, I set my alarm and try to get up before the kids each morning so that I can take a shower and shave my legs and get dressed and put some makeup on. I know some of you are rolling your eyes and saying YEAH RIGHT. But it REALLY HELPS. If I don't do this, Jody leaves for work and I am lucky to get a bra on before the wild rumpus begins. Plus this way if I happen to pass a mirror or someone pops in, I don't scare myself or the visitor.
3. Adult Conversation - My 3 oldest could talk the paint off the walls. Ugh. It NEVER stops. They get it honest, I know. I love to talk. (So does Daddy!) But if I get towards the end of the day and I am just on edge, most of the time I can trace it to not having had a decent conversation with an adult.
4. Nap Time/Bed Time - If naptime doesn't go well, I am a goner. I will lose my mind. I cannot describe it, but if my kids are not well rested, its as if I see the brain cells evaporating out of their little heads as well as my own! I need some quiet to either read, click around on the computer or nap myself. If we are out and I know its past bedtime, call me uptight (because I am) but I cannot enjoy myself! Pitiful, I know.
5. Hugs and Kisses - My kids are really good kids. They travel well. They play nicely (most of the time) together. They make me laugh. But there are times when they drive me NUTS. They are messy. They talk too much and ask too many questions. They beg and demand. So, I've realized that in order to remind myself of how fortunate I am to be the mommy to these 4 little guys, I need to have regular hugs and kisses from each one of them. That's when they say the sweetest things too! Like:

Silas: You are the best mommy ever

Hattie: I love your earrings today, can I have them when I grow up.

Luke: I love how your neck is so long, mom.

Millie: slobber slobber smile.

Laundry

Really laundry is the bane of my existence.

If you do a load or two every day you ALWAYS have some to fold and put away. If you wait to do it all once a week, by the time you get to it, people in the family are out of clean underwear!

I actually don't mind separating, washing, switching it over...its the folding and putting away that kill me. I can't fold when the kids are awake. They are too much "help". And I can't fold them fast enough to get them out of the way. So I wait till they go to bed to fold and I'm tired...Jody helps...but its a lot! We bring it all upstairs, spread it all out putting them in little piles all over the floor and furniture and watch a movie or something. Then we put them in the laundry baskets. The girls in one, the boys in one, and Jody and I in one or sometimes different ones and the linens.

I HATE to admit this, but I loath putting the laundry back into the appropriate drawers so much there are many times that the baskets of clean, folded laundry sits in the rooms for days.

Jody and I folded clothes (that had been sitting in the baskets, clean for a while!!) last night. Today I decided I was going to put them away! (Well, the kids' at least, not mine. And I don't put Jody's away...I let him do that. ) Hattie decided she was going to help me. Millie Grace sat in the middle of the room and we went to work. Hattie was so helpful, really. This is not sarcastic. She even helped me with the boys clothes! When we were finished, Hattie said, "Mommy, I LOVE laundry!"

What?? How wonderful! I was thrilled!

Now, I have a few questions for you.

What is your laundry system?

Also what is your favorite choice of detergent? Do you care? Is it whatever is on sale or what you have a coupon for? Or are you brand loyal? I like All Free and CLear...I like clear for some reason. But I recently had a coupon for Tide and it was on sale and EVERYONE loves the smell and feel of the clothes. I thought that was funny.

Comic Relief

We had a great day. The kids have been getting along great and entertaining themselves well. But by the end of the day, you know, around supper time...its just HARD. I was craving some adult conversation. Or at least the cessation of little ones saying "mama, watch this" over and over. SO on the way to VBS we stuck in an audio book. Junie B Jones and the Little Monkey Business.

Let me say, she does say stupid and dumb excessively, in my opinion. We had a big talk about it. I told the kids that as soon as I hear those words come out of and little Jennings mouths, we would no longer listen to or read these books.

But man, I was laughing out loud. Its funny stuff! The kids were laughing, I was laughing...endorphins were released and we all felt better by the time we got to church.

Home!!!

We had a WONDERFUL time at the beach in Delaware! The beach was great, the weather was perfect, the company (my aunt, uncle, grandmother and cousins in/and out) was fun...all around super time! Jody had a wedding in Bismarck, so while we waited for him to come back, we enjoyed the beach a few more days and then headed to the DC area. My aunt and uncle live there, and they took us to the National Zoo before picking up Jody, dropping my grandmother off at her house in Southwestern Virginia and zipping home. (We got in at 1:30 am)

We got back just in time for VBS at our church. Last night was the first night. Its going to be a long week, getting to bed late every night, I know. But the kids are having a great time. I am too!

Its HARD to believe June is on its way out. We still have several more FUN FUN things to do this summer! People to see and places to go.

Here are some fun pictures.
Silas and his favorite passtime: being in charge of the remote while enjoying TV time.

Lukey and his favorite passtime: harassing everyone and being a typical 2yr old.

Hattie Ruth and her favorite passtime: dressing up and looking pretty.


Mille Grace and her new favorite passtime: sitting at the table and acting like a starving baby bird.

Everyone at the zoo. My uncle Pancho, Aunt Melanie (my mom's sister) and Nana (my mom's mom) with the kids. Notice the Terrible Two-Year Old!

I've got problems!

Our computer crashed! I've been waiting to do my blog until we got it back, but it looks like we won't get it back before we leave for vacation. I think all will be recovered...I HOPE!! It should come back better than ever. We have another computer to use, but I really think it doesn't like me!! As long as I have control of it, it will NOT stay connected to the internet but Jody seems to have no problem! Go figure.

We are headed to Delaware! We really are excited about spending time with family and hanging out at the beach. Jody will fly up to Bismarck in the midst of it to be at a wedding.

Don't know if I'll have access to the internet, so...I'll be back with pictures and stories!!

Photo Shoot

What's your favorite word?

Back to Normal

Sorry...its been so long!  I got a text from a friend saying something about it and I realized I have neglected my little blog!  Ha.

But I have to admit, I just have realized how much more important just staring at my sweet kids and playing with them is than other time-suckers.  Not that this blog is, because I do see this as a form of journaling.  I will be able to look back at these entries and remember a lot!

Silas had his last day of kindergarten on Thursday.  That means the summer schedule will be in full swing on Monday.  (Inspector Mom will be visiting each morning.  This is something Jody and I came up with.  I'm looking for a funny hat to use.  Then I will get in character and inspect their rooms each morning after breakfast.  HOPEFULLY this will help with starting the day in a home that isn't overrun with junk all over the place.  Who knows?? This may be a horrible idea!  I may borrow my mom's FLIP video camera and show you my inspection routine, I know you'll love that.)

Luke had a MELT-DOWN today because he couldn't play soccer with the big kids.  It KILLED him!  But I reminded him that there are no 2yr olds out there.  He stayed off the field as hard as it was for him.

Millie Grace is army crawling all over the place.  And I think she is going to eat us out of house and home!  She gets so mad when we sit down to eat and don't include her at the table AND feed her!

Although its not her favorite thing right now, Hattie is doing a great job playing soccer.  She is FAST.  

They all talk about Luke's near drowning.  Hattie, on her own, drew a morbid picture.  But I've heard that's good therapy.  Silas will say stuff to Luke about wearing floaties and not jumping in ever again.  Luke just keeps talking and asking questions.  Like, "what are lungs?" "what was the man's name who jumped in and saved me?" stuff like that.

So, that's a little catch up.  I'll post some new pix soon!  Maybe that video!

Back and better than ever!

Just in case you don't believe me. Luke REALLY is back to normal with no complications whatsoever! Again, we are just so thankful to the Lord for his life!

Sound Mind

1Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." I memorized this as a highschooler. Its been in my heart, but I've never fully understood and clung to it as I have lately.

This is what I am continuing to meditate on since Luke's near drowning last weekend. Here are some of my thoughts.

We cannot live in fear because of this incident. We are still going to go swimming this summer. But with this SOUNDER mind, we are going to be far more careful around the pool. We've already gotten Luke and Hattie Ruth good swimming life vests. We got Silas a life vest too, although he knows how to swim now. And for Millie Grace, we got her one of those double ringed floating things.

We are going to change some things within our family. We are going to all learn how to be aware of the others. How to watch out and take care of the other family members, especially in group settings.

There are other areas where we have not been very careful and consistent, like in the parking lot. We will hold hands everytime now. We will NOT open the car door until another adult says its ok.

But God doesn't want us to live in fear. We can't stay holed up in our house all summer long. We can still be the fun-loving Jennings family. We are just going to implement some new changes and rules.

I also want to address something else. I believe with all of my heart that God has a plan for Luke Simon Jennings. He gave Luke to us TWICE now. I don't want to ever forget. I want to always remind him of this and pray this for him. Pray that he will be used by God. That the "voice that God gave me back" (his exact words) would be used to tell others what God has done. This is firm in my heart.

HOWEVER, I also believe that God has a plan for Silas, Hattie Ruth, and Millie Grace. I believe he has a plan for our family to be used by Him. I believe this about my mentally handicapped sister Joy. I believe this about every person. Jeremiah 29:11 says,"I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plan to prosper you and NOT to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future." God loves each one of us. He has a plan for us all. Even those who don't know it yet. (I'm thinking of 2 people in particular who I don't believe know that God TRULY has a wonderful plan for their lives! I'm praying that we will be able to share this with them because of Luke's accident).

I'm holding each of my babies a little closer a little longer. I'm laughing with them more and trying to not be so grouchy when spills happen and messes take over the entry way. I'm praying harder for some families that I know that are going through some difficult days regarding their children. And I am continuing to "sing songs of Joy" like the Psalmist mentioned in my previous post because of what the Lord has done for us!

Unfailing Love

Psalm 107

¹⁹ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and He saved them from their distress.

²⁰ He sent forth His Word and healed them;
He rescued them from the grave.

²¹ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for men.

²² Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of His works with songs of joy.

This is our new theme song.

The Lord has heard our cries as we found Luke at the bottom of a swimming pool at a birthday party. I believe he was there for under 3 minutes. The Lord sent His healing and rescued Luke from the grave.

When he was pulled out of the pool he was not breathing, he was limp. He was dead. Two nurses who were also at the party ran to Luke's side and began trying to administer CPR. His airway was VERY blocked. I was certain that we would not be bringing Luke home. Silas was screaming and crying in the background. I heard people around me SHOUTING to God, praying, begging for His mercy on Luke's life. A peace flooded my body. I told my friend I was as peace with whatever the situation. She told me later that at that moment she felt the peace of God. She left my side and took Hattie and Silas inside. 911 was on the line. EMS was there within 5 minutes. Just before they arrived, I saw my baby take a small breath. Then another. He was still not making eye contact. No talking, but some moaning.

I rode in the front of the ambulance, calling parents and others, Jody followed. Luke slipped in and out of consciousness on the way. He vomitted a lot. He would cry and fight. When we arrived at the ER, Luke made eye contact with me. He was crying. In the ER, he began to answer our questions with little "uh-huh's". Then a few words and names. Then he came back in full swing. Asking questions. Telling the doctor to take the thing off his finger. He said, "Mom, I love you."

He was moved to the PICU where Jody stayed the night with him. He was on oxygen. They were monitoring his oxygen levels and breathing. They did put a tube in his nose down to his stomache to pump out the air. He HATED that. At 2 am he pulled it out. They took him off oxygen. He began eating and was talking the nurses ears off by 6 am.

We are watching him for signs of pnuemonia. But I can tell you my son is Lazuras. It is as if it never happened as far as his health.

When I close my eyes its like a bad dream. I can see it all again. It makes me nauseous. The doctor told us this morning that we are very fortunate. Most cases like ours do not end this way. Most cases do not have people willing/qualified to do CPR at all. I would add that most people do not have people calling out to God, intervening in prayer.

Jody's parents came to be with us for a couple of days. My parents are far away. But I have experienced love and support from people and friends all over. The Lord has shown us his Unfailing Love. I felt like in the midst of it all, I was like the Hebrew boys in the furnace. I know My God can deliver us from this situation, BUT IF HE DOESN'T I will still trust Him. I can trust Him. I KNEW IT. As I thought we had lost our baby, I knew I could STILL TRUST Him. And then the Lord showed Himself to our family like I cannot ever experience again. He gave us Lukey back.

Tonight as we read books Luke gave his usual running commentary. Nothing has ever sounded more beautiful to me than his endless chatter.