Why I missed Fayetteville this weekend...

There's nothing like Fayetteville on a game day. I stole this picture from my friend Allison's Facebook page. Apparently, this football helmet was driving down 6th street. I love it.

Go Hogs! So glad you beat Western Illinois. We were kind-of sitting on pins and needles listening to the end of the game here in Louisville! Hope the LR game next week against LA-Monroe looks (sounds) a little better!

The Rest of the Arkansas Pictures

**I was reading back through this post and I see a million errors. I'm not editing! Too tired. Please don't critique my writing tonight!**

I've been wanting to post the rest of these for a while now, and finally had a chance to do it. Here is the rest of our week in Arkansas.

Because my dad didn't know when he would be back from Arizona, we opted to fly to Little Rock and just hang out there for a few days. We knew it would probably be late Tuesday or Wednesday before he got back, and even thought about staying in Louisville until then, but I just needed to be near my family. Evan's sister, Meredith, was ever so gracious to let us come invade her space. I didn't get very many pictures from being at her house, but we had a great time with them. Kendall loved getting to be with Graham and Thomas. (For the most part. I think she and Thomas have a love/hate relationship going on.) Meredith got a few more pictures. (You can go here to see those. I especially like the one of Kendall in her car seat and the one of Kendall and Thomas watching TV.) Evan's parents were actually supposed to be in Louisville the week we came to Arkansas. They are being gracious enough to let us borrow a vehicle from them for a few months, until we decide what we want to do for a second vehicle, and were driving to Louisville the Tuesday after my mom died. Instead of coming to Louisville, Evan's parents came to Little Rock instead, and just kind-of stayed on stand-by for us all week. I have to say that I was a little sad that we didn't get to spend more time with them, but am so thankful they were able to be around to help us out. Kendall actually had her first overnight stay at Aunt Mere's with Nana and PawPaw the night of the visitation. (Mommy and daddy didn't even call to check up on her!) Having them around all week was SUCH a blessing.
Kendall also got a new car seat while we were in Arkansas. I actually sent Evan to pick it out and told him I didn't really care what he came back with. When I saw it though, I knew that Meredith picked it out. It was way too girly to have been picked out by a man! I love it, though! Thanks, Mere! My dad got back to Arkansas late Tuesday evening, so on Wednesday, we (Dad, Kara, Keith, Coby, Jackson, Evan, Kendall, and I) were finally all together. That night, we sat down and ate a yummy meal of Jones BBQ and then played outside with the boys for a while. I have to admit that sitting outside was very bittersweet to me. I loved watching the boys run around and play (we were ALL out there together) but couldn't help but think how much my mom would have enjoyed having all her kids and grand kids there at one time together.

Coby and Jackson LOVE Kendall. They wanted to hold her and play with her, and just love all over her. Coby kept saying to Evan over and over again, "Aren't little babies so much fun?" Jackson wanted to carry her around a lot and help feed her. He was constantly asking, "Where is Kendall?" So sweet.

I have some of the most amazing friends in the world. When we got to Little Rock on Monday, Evan took Kendall for the rest of the evening and I went out with three of my favorite girls-Jill, Heather, and Laura. We did a little shopping and then went to Mimi's Cafe for dinner. (Yummy! Very much a place that Evan would never step foot inside! Way to feminine!) Heather, Jill, and Laura were MORE THAN GRACIOUS to me. I can't even write about it because I will start crying. They are just wonderful, and have been even more wonderful since I've been back to Louisville.

I also have to say a big thank-you to all my high school friends, Adriane, Sarah, Robin, Carrie, Meghan. (Sorry, no picture here. I didn't think bringing my camera to visitation would be appropriate.) I didn't get to visit with any of you as much as I wanted, but I knew you were there and that's what mattered most. It's funny that after my dad called me to give me the news, the first person I called (besides my family) was Adriane. I don't know, but there was something about telling the people that had known me the longest. I remember thinking how comforting it was to hear Mrs. Ann and Mrs. Barbara's voice on the phone late that night. Maybe it's because they were like mother's to me (still are in so many ways) and they just know how to console girls. Whatever the case, I love ALL of you so much and am so thankful that you were there for me.

I was also touched that so many people from Fayetteville drove to Stuttgart for the funeral. Fayetteville is FOUR HOURS away! That is NO quick trip! Thank you Jennifer, Wendy, Karen L. , Ginny, Judy, Karen, Joyce, Taylor, Brian, Kendra, and Scottie. You just don't even know...

Kendall was having a big time in this walker during the lunch before the funeral and then after. She was EVERYWHERE! Coby, Jackson, and Faith were having fun playing chase with her. If we had a big space, we'd SO have to get one! :)

Of course, it was so good to see all of our extended family, even if the circumstances were not so hot. My cousin, Scott, flew in from New York and I was so excited to see him. I hadn't seen him since our wedding in 2005. He is one of my favorite people in the whole world and it was really good to visit with him for a bit. I also loved getting to see my grandparents and then some other distant cousins (Ginger and Amy, wish I could have visited with you more!) that I haven't seen in a while.


So, that's basically the trip in a nutshell. I hated the reason that we had to go to Arkansas, but the time we had with family and friends was wonderful.

Sisters, Sisters

My sister and I have always had this sort-of love/hate relationship. We are COMPLETE opposites! I'm a girly-girl and Kara is a tom-boy. (Don't get me wrong, she does love a good pair of shoes and an occasional shopping trip!) I am talkative and opinionated, she is even MORE talkative and opinionated. She likes to be outside to hunt and fish; I like to be outside to swim and tan! We have certainly had our differences throughout the years, but I am learning more and more just how much I do love her and how thankful I am that she is my sister.

Here are a few reasons why...


1.) Kara LOVES LOVES LOVES my Kendall. She is an amazing aunt. (Isn't that top picture so precious?!?!?) When Kara found out I was pregnant, she was probably more excited than I was! We don't get to see Kara, Keith, and the boys very often, but I can promise you that when we are with them, Kara will hardly let me take care of my own child. When we were in Arkansas, Kara bathed, fed, and changed Kendall any chance she got. Kara is really good with babies-I guess she gets that from my mom. I had so much fun watching Kendall get spoiled by her Auntie Kara.

2.) She works hard. Kara went back to finish her degree after Jackson (the youngest) was born. He was literally only 2 months old, but she was determined to finish school. She finished in 4 years (maybe less) and stayed on the Dean's list the entire time. She is now in her third year of teaching. I'm really proud of her.

3.) She paints my toenails, every time we are together. My mom did the same thing.

4.) We make each other laugh. The first night we were all "at home" together, Kara and I decided to go play in mom's closet. At first, we both felt kind-of funny about it, but then we realized that if mom were there, she would have been right there with us. I think after we started, looking through her stuff brought a sense of comfort to both of us. So as we got in her jewelry drawer, and I kept thinking, "This is NOT all her stuff. Where is everything else?" Finally, I found a jewelry hanger thing in the back of her closet with a ton more stuff. Of the items we found, we decided to do a little fashion show with her old Christmas jewelry. Oh yes, those are Christmas lights in my ears and wreaths made out of astroturf in Kara's ears. And you've got to love the jingle bell necklace! It's got Santa's face painted on the front! Maybe mom was saving all this for an Ugly Christmas Sweater party?!?!?!

I'm sure I will still have moments where my sister gets on my nerves like none other, as I will do her the same. However, through the death of my mother, I have learned that life is WAY too short to be arguing with others or to be bothered by what they do all the time. Instead, I need to see value and good in everyone, since that is how Jesus sees us.

I love you, sister, and I am always here for you!

FYI

I was trying to figure out what do do with my mom's blog, and at the advice of my friend Angie, I decided to post my memories there. For anyone interested, I posted the first one tonight.

10 Months!

Today is Kendall's 10 month birthday!!! It's so hard to believe that in just two short months, we will be celebrating one year! As I wrote in her baby book last night and read through the previous entries, I had a hard time thinking back to what she was like all those months ago!

Kendall is such a sweet girl! We just love her feisty personality! She cruises everywhere and is very quick. While we were in Arkansas she started "letting go" a little more and will even take a step or two before falling. I'm afraid she will be walking very soon, which is very bittersweet for me. She has two teeth on the bottom shining through and seems to be working on more. She is a pretty good eater and will try anything. She seems to like meat a lot, especially barbecue! Kendall can wave and is doing a lot better holding her sippy cup. We enjoy every minute of her!

Yesterday afternoon, my friend Carey called to see if we might like to join her family (along with this family and this family) for ribs and fixings, and then for the guys to later play golf. I was a little hesitant at first to go, because Kendall had her first ear infection this week. (She woke up Wednesday night running a temp of 104.5 and we took her to the doctor the next day to confirm. Thankfully, it's only her right ear. We got some meds and she seems to be on the mend. We are so thankful that at 10 months, this is her first major illness and pray it's not a trend!) Carey assured me it would be fine for us to come, and of course, Evan was thrilled to get to play nine holes of golf.

Kendall was pretty much like this all night long:


We took all the kids on a walk over to a nearby school, so the girls could play on a playground there. Carey, Kedra, and Rachel, I hope you don't care that I am posting pictures of your kids on my blog, but I couldn't resist, because they are so stinking cute! Just look at Abigail with her arm around Georgia!! Isn't that precious?!?!?!

Jack and Nathan are just hanging out! They are the cutest boys! Both are only about four months older than Kendall, so I know she will be running with them soon!
And here are three of the four mommies and their strollers!

Thanks, Carey, Rachel, and Kedra for an evening of fun! I enjoy being around the three of you!

Quick Note...

We made it home to Louisville around 6:30 last night. I was sad to leave my daddy, but I knew that even if I didn't leave on Sunday, I would have to do it eventually. I think he had a hard day yesterday, but today sounded a lot better.

We are back in full-swing here...although I'm still in a fog and struggle to get motivated for the most part. I went to work today, and it went okay. I pretty much just "winged" it. I did just about loose it when I saw one of my students with double hearing aids crying in the hallway. (I'm not sure what the deal was, but apparently, this young man has struggled some upon arriving to school. I guess the combination of him crying/wearing hearing aids/my mother wearing a hearing aid just kind-of got to me. I know. Silly. But "they" say it hits you at the most inopportune times.) I'm getting ready to write out my lesson plans for the rest of the week, so I'm sure that getting a little ahead of the game in that area will help. We have a field trip (already!) on Friday, which means I only have to make out plans for three more days. Evan is trying to get caught up with his reading for classes this week, since he missed his first two days of school as well. And Kendall...well...I'm pretty sure she's going to be walking soon. I've seen her let go of the furniture a couple of times today and take a step!!!

I'll try not to turn our family blog into "memoirs of my mother" but at some point, I'd like to share a few things. We'll see. Right now, I just didn't want the "funeral arrangements" post to be the first thing I saw when I clicked on our page.

I really am doing okay. I just have moments. A lot of moments.

Thanks for all the encouragement! (I may never get to respond to some of you...I'm trying to clean out my inbox now. Just know that I got your notes and I am thankful!)


Love to all!

Funeral Arrangements

Visitation for Leah's mom will be held Friday from 5-8 pm at Turpin Funeral Home in Stuttgart.

Funeral service will be held Saturday at 2 pm at Park Avenue Missionary Baptist Church in Stuttgart.

THANK YOU!!

To all-



We appreciate your thoughts and prayers more than you know; they are carrying us right now. There are SO MANY of you that I want to respond personally to, but I must finish my packing at some point.


I mainly just wanted to let whoever reads this know that Evan, Kendall, and I will be flying to Little Rock in the morning and will be hanging out there for a couple of days, until my dad gets back to the state. My dad and Aunt Marva should get to leave sometime tomorrow from Yuma. They autopsy report came in today, and they ruled my mom's death as multiple blood clots in her lungs. (Something like in both lobes of the right lung and in the upper or lower lobe of the left lung. I may have that all backwards. LOTS of things are hazy right now!)

There are no definite funeral arrangements yet. Everything will be in Stuttgart, through Turpin funeral home and daddy said he was thinking probably Friday and Saturday. We aren't taking the laptop with us, so if I have access to a computer, I will post the final arrangements on here. If not, those of you who are interested hopefully will hear by word of mouth or the paper.

We love you all dearly! I cherish your kind words, especially those who have either emailed me or left a comment with a special memory of my mom! It's neat to hear what other people remember most about her. Your words really bring a smile to my face. I promise...I will be keeping these and sharing them with Kara and my daddy.

Thank you all again!

Leah's mom

Leah's dad called us about 30 minutes to ago to let Leah know that her mom passed away tonight.

As most of you know, Roger and Janice (Leah's parents) were on their way to San Diego this week because Janice was set to have an operation out there next week that would hopefully cure her of the pulmonary hypertension that has been such a burden to her the past three years. They had just come up to visit us last weekend before leaving for California on Tuesday. They had made it to Yuma, Arizona today, but apparently Janice had not been feeling well for much of the trip and this evening she passed out in their hotel room. When she came to they called 911. She died either on the way to the hospital or shortly after arriving.

Janice was a wonderful, godly woman, so we praise God for the fact that she is in His presence tonight enjoying a perfectly healed body. But while we rejoice for Janice's healing, she leaves behind parents, a husband, two daughters, a sister and three grandkids who are all really going to miss having her here with them.

I'm sure Leah and I will be heading to Arkansas in the next day or so, but we don't know when yet. (Leah's dad has about a 2-3 day drive back to Arkansas before anything can be done.) I'll post more as I know more, but in the meantime, we covet your prayers.

Miscellaneous

1.) I missed the GMA interview with Steven Curtis Chapman and his family, but stayed up until 1:00 a.m. this morning watching the Chapmans on Larry King. Anyone else see it? Incredible. I could go on and on about it. That family has amazing faith. I'm thankful for their testimony.

2.) I have broken all but about two fingernails and have a callous on my right hand from using the stapler to decorate the FOUR bulletin boards in my classroom. (Yes, FOUR. The maintenance people came and put up the fourth one in my room on Tuesday. And NONE of the boards are small. I know...I hear the symphony playing behind me!) I have to say that while I love the way a finished bulletin board looks, getting it decorated is WORK. (Maybe I think it's work because I tend to be too picky...I redid three of the sections before I was finally satisfied.)

I'm okay with the way my room turned out. Normally, I pick some sort of theme-be it color or whatever-and go all out with my decorating. I didn't do that this year. Since I didn't really know what kind of space I had until about a week ago, I didn't feel good about going out and buying a bunch of stuff. Plus, I haven't had the time. With the exception of about a yard of fabric and a few new posters, I just used what I already had. It looks alright. I will take my camera to school in the next few days and get some pictures.

I think I mentioned on here before, but our school building was remodeled over the summer. We have kids on Tuesday, and the work is NOT FINISHED!!! I'm a little nervous about that. The building is a lot bigger than KMS, and I can barely find my way to my classroom; I'm not real sure how I will get kids where they need to be! I just have to remember that only three things have to happen on the first day of school...1.) Get them counted for 2.) Get them fed 3.) Get them home. If those three things happen, we are all good!

3.) Because they are all so cute, I wanted to show a picture of the hair bows my mom ordered for Kendall this weekend.

Oh, so precious! Kendall is finally getting enough hair for a bow, and boy does she look cute in them! :) The bows come from this website, and I believe the girl that makes the bows is a former member of our church. These bows are awesome! They pretty much stay in place, are very reasonable in price, and if you order $20 worth, you get free shipping. ($20 will order A LOT of bows on her page!) Anyway, I can't wait for Kendall to wear them! (Especially that little crocheted flower one!)

4.) Evan found this verse the other day and shared it with me.

"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life." Luke 18:29-30

This verse is on the list for memory.

I've written on her many times about how difficult it is sometimes for me to be so far from our family. I'm telling you, though, I have certainly seen the "many times as much in this age" in these days surrounding my birthday. Monday, I got a card in the mail from my friend Wendy (that I haven't talked to in a couple of months). Yesterday, I got an unexpected package of goodies in the mail from Evan's sister, Meredith. (Some were for me, some were for Kendall!) :) Then, today, I walked in the door to find more birthday cards, and this sitting on our kitchen table:

A HUMONGOUS bouquet of GORGEOUS gerbera daisies from my sweet friend, Joyce and her daughter, Taylor. I was seriously in so much shock when I saw the card and read who they were from! I immediately called Joyce and thanked her for such a sweet gift.

All of these tangible reminders are so thoughtful, but I will admit that it makes me feel like a worm, because I am the world's worst at remembering birthdays. I have great intentions, but fail to follow through more often than not. I still have my nephew's birthday card sitting on our desk and his birthday was July 28!

Joyce and Taylor also asked me to paint a canvas for Grace, Taylor's daughter. I've had it finished for about a week now, but have failed to get it in the mail. (Girlies, I hope you like it. The "G" is a little off-centered and it's bugging me. If you want me to redo it, you know I will. I'm also very paranoid that the colors don't match. The yellow looks lighter in person.) After doing this canvas, I figured out several things I will do differently if I ever paint anymore. Thanks, Joyce and Taylor for the fun practice!

5.) After seeing the GORGEOUS flowers, I looked up and saw this drawn on our Dress-Me-Up plate:
I could go on and on about my sweet, precious husband, but I will spare you. He's pretty great and I'm so thankful God gave Him to me. I love him so.

Okay...I'm off to bed now! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Family Fun at the Park!

The weather in Louisville has been PERFECT the last couple of days. I have been so thankful for the unseasonably cool summer we've had so far. It makes the really hot days not seem so terrible!

Evan and I decided we would take Kendall to one of the local parks (FYI...Louisville is FULL of beautiful parks!) this evening and have some fun. We ran by the grocery store, picked up a few things to grill some hot dogs, and had ourselves a little picnic. Kendall thoroughly enjoyed herself in the swing and even had some fun going down the slide with mommy and daddy!

We look forward to playing at the park again soon!

Quick Parental Visit!!!

What a great weekend we've had! My parents drove up Friday afternoon to deliver all my classroom stuff that has been in storage at their house this last year. (Thanks Mom and Dad for letting me take up some of your space!! I appreciate it!) :) We have certainly enjoyed having them here for a couple of days!

Friday evening, we just hung around the apartment. Kendall was loving the extra attention! She, of course, (as well as Evan and I) were spoiled royally while my parents were here! New toys, new clothes, diapers...my parents are two of THE MOST generous and thoughtful people! Evan and I even tried to give back to them and fill up their van with gas and got reprimanded for it! Anyway...the cutest thing was Kendall's new "walking" toy! She looks like a little old lady trying to push that thing around! We were cracking up. At first, the walker kind-of walked her, but she is starting to get the hang of it, and boy, is she determined!!!
Doesn't my mom look great?!?!?! She is so skinny and feeling awesome! We are so glad, because she has to be in the best shape possible in order to go through all the testing/surgery. Please keep praying for her. Mom and dad will head out to California on Tuesday. She is very excited and hopeful for the future. Honestly, she's just an inspiration to be around!

Mom wanted to be everywhere Kendall was! If Kendall was eating, Mom was trying to feed her. If she was getting her diaper changed, Mom was sitting on the bed beside her. If Kendall was taking a bath, Mom was sitting in the bathroom talking to her. My mom is a baby magnet, and I know it was killing her to not be able to get in the floor and play! But soon...very soon things will change!!! :)

On the other hand, my dad wouldn't hardly put Kendall down! He pretty much had her in his lap or was in the floor with her the entire time they were here! My dad is pretty partial to little girls! Below you can see a picture of my dad helping Kendall with her new puzzles. She thought her Pop was the funniest thing making all the animal sounds!

Mom and dad stayed with Kendall on Saturday morning so Evan and I could unload all my school stuff in my new classroom. My new school is in the process of being remodeled and hopefully it will be finished before August 12 when the kids come back. The construction crew has A LOT of work to finish! Saturday was the first time I was able to see my classroom and it looks like a great space. I have bookshelves underneath the chalkboards, so I'm pretty pumped about that. I think there are three bulletin boards to decorate, so I'm thinking about what I'm going to do on those. Tomorrow and Tuesday I have a school retreat and I think some time has been built in for the teachers to work in their rooms. I'm glad, because unpacking and decorating a classroom is WORK!!!

After Evan and I got back from unloading my stuff, Mom and I sat outside with Kendall in her baby pool. Kendall, who generally loves the water, was not wanting to be in the pool yesterday. She was more interested in crawling out of it and playing in the grass!

Later on in the afternoon, we took mom and dad to see our house. I'm getting more and more excited, especially since we walked through it yesterday. I have been specifically praying for two things right now...1.) that the inspection would come back okay (since it's a foreclosure and none of the electricity/water is turned on, we just don't know) and 2.) that when we rip up the carpet, there is hardwood underneath. Well, guess what?!?!? We pulled up the carpet in the living room quite a ways yesterday and there is BEAUTIFUL pine flooring underneath that probably won't even need to be refinished, just cleaned up!! It's so neat to see God work in even the smallest of things!

Last night we went to eat at Mark's Feed Store to celebrate an early birthday for me, then we made a Target run. For the most part, Kendall did very well in the resteraunt. Thankfully, a little girl at the neighboring table kept Kendall entertained while we ate! As we were finishing, Evan gave Kendall some of his barbeque and she was chowing down on it!

Okay, Kendall is waking up from her nap. I need to go get her before we are off to church again to keep the nursery for the new member's class this afternoon!!!

Thanks, Mom and Dad (if you read this before you leave) for a GREAT weekend. We LOVE you so much and are praying hard for you!