Refresh and Relax

Kids asleep-Sun on my face-refreshing water -could it get any better??

Larry's Dad- kids call him Poppy
Larry's brother- He and Evan are buds

My Sister-in -law with the kids




What a wonderful time we had with our family at the Lake. Larry's Brother and Sister-in-law have a lake house and we were finally able to make it up for the day. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed just playing games, relaxing in the water and of course grilling out! This was Evan's first time in a life jacket and he was NOT thrilled. He wanted to get out of that thing so bad. Katherine was very cautious in the water but by the end she was letting go and trying to kick by herself with a noodle. I despised the gunk that I felt creeping and smooshing in between my toes. Larry was in heaven and would have stayed out there for hours. The water is extremely low so we were disappointed that we couldn't get on the boat. Katherine's cousins saved their money and bought the raft that Katherine is sitting in. We were so proud of them. They get in together and row out of the cove, turn around and come back. Great exercise. Did I mention that they are 7 and 10. Great girls! They love our kids so much and help out tremendously.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful sister-in-law. We get along great and we always have encouraging conversations about life, our husbands, God the list goes on. On top of all that I told her I wanted to get some exercise, she grabbed her stuff and came right out with me. It is always easier to workout with a partner. Larry and his brother both took pics while we were sweating and I think this one we can share without it looking like we are in labor.

Hope everyone is enjoying their freedom here in the USA and be sure to thank an officer, a fireman or a soldier if you see them in the next couple of days. They have lost a lot of friends in this war and I am sure they need the encouragement.

Carter's

I LOVE CARTER"S!! I was there today and was blown away by their sale prices. So many summer clothes are on sale $3.99 to 5.99 and I walked out of there with a bag full of great stuff. Gifts for friends, two outfits for a neighbor who just had a baby and pj's for my kids. The quality is great and I have received many hand-me-downs that have held up great. Go take a look at your store and you will see what I am talking about. Have FUN!!

African Children

Children raising children



Porridge that they eat at school everyday

He has arrived!!!

He is back in our arms and home to stay, for a little while at least. We have already seen 300 pictures and a few short videos. I have heard many stories and we have rough housed with the kids on the floor. We are so glad to be together again.

Thank you for all of your encouragement and prayers while he was away. They have been heard and we have finished this trip with a ton of mini and Big miracles to thank the Lord for.

Look for his pics soon.

Favorite books

Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors. She has written a ton of books and this series really captured my heart. The Firstborn series begins with a small town of Bloomington, Indiana and takes you on a journey of one man's search for his family and the meaning of life. Along the way there is romance, disappointment and an encounter with the Lord that brought me to tears. She has a beautiful way of teaching you when you don't know your being taught and I have found that I have applied things the characters did in the book to improve my own marriage and friendships. This particular series has five books Fame, Forgiven, Found, Family and Forever. She goes on to write a third part to the Baxter Family Drama in a series called Sunrise(just started it this week).

You can find Karen's book's at your local library or any bookstore. At Barnes and Noble yesterday some of her books were on a sale table. Pick up and enjoy a good, healthy and encouraging story today!

Final Update from Kenya

Larry is heading home.

He e-mailed me this morning right before they checked out. He said he has mixed emotions in leaving. A little sadness in leaving Kenya but great excitement to come home to me and the kids. He knows Katherine will greet him with a big hug and kiss but he is wonderfing how Evan will respond. I know he will go running towards his Daddy. He loves to go get his Daddy's picture on the fridge. I of course will beat them both as I sprint towards my man. I have missed him so much.

Oh, and by the way, according to Larry the crocodile he ate was a little fishy. He passed on the chicklen livers but ate so much of the other meat that this morning he was still full. He topped it all off with some Mocha ice cream.

We will greet him Sunday afternoon at the airport

Four more days

Larry has e-mailed only a few times this week. He called Wednesday and he leaves Saturday to come home. Only two more nights without my wonderful husband and then he will be back in our arms. We are starting to really miss him and I for one will be glad to be a two parent home again.

As for his trip, he has been apart of evening meetings in the area. There is a network of churches that Marcia(Team Leader) knows and visits when she comes into town. It gives the Pastor's a break and gives the people a new face and voice to listen to. They get to eat with the people and then minister to them during a meeting. Many of the team members have had a chance to preach and Larry has enjoyed seeing all the different ways the Lord is expressed.

Wednesday was a free day and Friday night they got to the infamous "Carnivore" restaurant. They told many stories about this place and I asked him to PLEASE pray over his food. They have all different kinds of animals to choose from and it is quite an event. Larry, full of adventure, wouldn't miss this part of the trip for the world. He loves to try new things and his favorite show is Man vs. Wild. He will have to spare me the details just smile and say he had a good time. I don't know if my stomach could take it.

They check out of the hotel on Saturday, not the kind of hotel we think of, and leave for the States around 7 or 8pm. Please pray for their safety as they enter back into the States and go through customs. Things are not over until they come through through the gate and we are able to hug their necks. If Larry calls or e-mails again I will give you all an update. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Favorite books

We LOVE this book!! Katherine and I have read it over and over again. Her little cousin Kylie memorized it last year and performed it for us. Since then it has been borrowed from the library many times.

Daddy kisses is one of the treasured books that Larry brought home for Katherine. It has a special place in my heart and is a sweet story about different ways Daddy's show their affection to their little cubs.

Weekend Update #2

OK ~ I would love to write everything I lost but I am going to make it quick so I can go to bed and try again tomorrow.

Over the weekend Larry went to the town of Tala. It is considered Upcountry. The Kenyans refer to anything outside of the city as Upcountry. He said that it was a beautiful drive that reminded him of going to visit his grandparents farmland in Alabama when he was a child. There are little towns every 10 - 20 miles and you can see the occasional thatched roof hut. Most of the buildings were cinder block similar to ours, only rougher. You can see a mountain range off in the distance and the landscape is scattered with bushes and Acacia trees. Towards the end of their trip they only had dirt roads where they would often pass a herd of cattle or goats.

They held meetings primarily for the youth in the town of Tala and one of the girls(17 yrs. old) on their trip spoke during the meetings. Larry said that she was a very powerful speaker! She caught the attention of the youth there and found a gifting she really didn't know she had. Larry said his favorite part is hearing the people raise their voices in unison to sing praise to God!!

Monday and Tuesday they will be leaving early to drive 5 hours to the Masai Mara Park. Here is where the "Exotic Expeditions" will take them on the Safari. These adventures normally cost around $3000. Marcia(team leader) has brought so much business to this group over the years that they give her an incredible discount, it only costs the team $300 a person. Larry has his camera ready and I can hear him smiling as he wrote about the pictures he can't wait to take.

Please continue to pray for their health and safety as they finish up the trip and prepare to head home. They have all been touched in their hearts by what they have seen and experienced and it will be bittersweet to leave and come home.

The kids and I are good. I was a little short tempered today but Katherine is going to go to VBS this week and I know she will love it. Evan misses his daddy I can tell because every time I get on the floor he wants to rough house with me. Uncle Ret came over Sunday night and I think it helped the little man. Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement.

Weekend Update

Everything I just wrote was lost!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe it. I wrote a very long update and now it is gone. STUPID computer!!!

Summer fun at the Fountain

A call from Africa!!

YEAH!!!

This afternoon I received a call from my Beloved!! He sounded wonderful. He sounded as thrilled as he was the day we got married and had children. I could see the smile through the phone. He was all a buzz about the Mogra Star Academy and the house that our friends found to live in while in Africa. They have room enough for a team to come and stay and he wants to pray about me going with him next time we go. Sounds like he knows something I don't know. More on that when he returns, I am sure. He really misses us and he wants to hugs and kiss the kids so bad. He shows our picture to most people he meets and he looks at it often. So precious! Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
He has the day off tomorrow and will be resting up for a weekend full of outdoor crusades. Thank you for your e-mails and prayers. They have been felt!!

He wants to call today!

Last night Larry said that he needed to hear our voices and might call today. I am thrilled!! They are working with our friends at the Mogra Star academy and orphanage today and will have a day off tomorrow. If any of you are following the events you will see that the schedule has completely changed. Larry said we could just throw the other schedule out because nothing is the same.

They were in the slums all day Wednesday. His highlight of the day was when he had the opportunity to pray for two women. They were wanting him to pray cause they thought he would heal them. He spent some time with them before praying and encouraged them to pray for one another. He was wanting to show them that it doesn't take an American minister for the Lord to hear the prayers. The one woman then layed her hand on the other women's area of pain and they prayed. Nothing happened but Larry felt like the lesson wasn't over and God wasn't through yet. He encouraged the women to pray again and they saw a miracle!! The area was healed right then in their moment of prayer. Larry said the look on the woman's faces was amazing but the lesson learned(that God heard their prayers, not just the American's prayers) was priceless.

Larry is weary, he is sure it has something to do with the time change, food change, and being in the sun most of the day. Please pray for his strength as you think of him today.

The kids and I are off to exercise class and a picnic with mom and the girls at the park. I have had my moments of missing my wonderful husband. I have pressed through though and have a wonderful group of people around me, they all tell me I can call them any time of the day or night.

Africa update

Larry is doing well!
They are spending their second day in the slums of Kibera tomorrow. Wayne and Terry will be joining them. Thursday they will be with Wayne and Terry and the Mogra Star orphanage all day.

He said that Sunday was a challenge for him because he was asked to preach to a church of over 1,000. He said it was very hard to be so removed from all of the people. They were escorted in and out. If any of you know Larry he hates to be treated special because someone views him as a Minister(especially because he was American it was even more like royalty). He would rather be with the people, talking with them, praying for them and getting to know them not preaching at them. He did not buck the way they did it though and he expressed to me that despite being separated he felt like the Lord put something in his heart to say.

The team has been separated some throughout the day to visit as many churches and people as possible. They came together Sunday night and had a good time swapping stories and encouraging one another.

On a sad note~ Tuesday they were brought a little girl who was about 5 years old. Her father passed away with Aids a year ago and Monday night her mother passed away as well. She was now an orphan and they had not told her yet. They brought her to the ministry for people to love on her and pray for her. Larry said it ripped his heart out. He has been faced with poverty and sickness he has never seen before and I can hear it through his e-mails.

Please continue to pray for his health and safety.

On the way home from church tonight-

Tonight my sweet three year old all the way in the back of the van called out to me and said "Mommy where is God?"

My first thought is where did that come from. You just got done giving me a fit about who was going to go first to the potty and now you want to know where God is. My second thought is what answer do I give her. This is what came out
"Honey, God is in heaven"

Of course she then sais "WHY",

" Well, baby I believe he is in heaven watching over us" I reply

She is silent. This is when I am laughing because I didn't expect this so soon. Smiling to myself and about five minutes later she sais

"Mommy, is God everywhere?"

"Well Baby, he made the trees and the flowers and you and me etc..."

"Yeah and he made Mikayla and Baby Kyle and all her toys" she said matter of factly

This is when I was sure it was over she was on to the toys and God had left the building, but wait there is more.

"Mommy, how we love God?"

Amazing!! This question brought me to tears and I told her that we love him by loving all the people around us.

Her reply "all da people?"

"Yes baby we know they were created by God and we love them because they are God's creation just like us"

We got home tucked into bed and as I was going out the door she sais "Mommy let's pway to God" She then led us in a pwayer that thanked God for her friends and her Teeny and Katie. I am overwhelmed and humbled by this great responsibility to help guide my child into faith. I pray I do a good job and that I may receive some heavenly inspiration in the future on how to answer her.

Day One

Following is some of the e-mail I received from Larry around 4:30pm our time.

" Well, the end of day one. What a great day we had. We spent the first half of the day in Kibera. Got to pray for several people and love on a bunch of kids. What heartbreaking conditions they live in. Spent the afternoon running errands with Marcia(Team Leader) and Pastor Victor in downtown Nairobi. What a chaotic crazy place traffic wise. Had a wonderful time of fellowship with Brother James and his wife Betsy. I will be preaching tomorrow in a church of 1,000 in Dandora along with another Pastor from Kenya. Pray for me that I will say the things I hear God saying and do the tings I see Him doing."
So wonderful to know he is doing what he has desired to do for so long. I know he is fulfilled in in so many areas of his heart.

The kids and I spent the day with my sisters and we are getting ready to go to prayer at church for the evening.

He has arrived!!

Larry e-mailed me today around 5:30pm our time. They made it to Kenya around 7:30pm Kenya time and they are 7 hours ahead of us. He said it was a very long and tiring trip (19 hours). They have a full day scheduled tomorrow in the slums of Kibera. They will be having a medical clinic, evangelistic outreach and praying for the sick.

It was wonderful to hear from him and I am glad to know that he will be able to communicate with me through e-mail on a regular basis.

Continue to pray for his safety and breakthroughs in the people they come in contact with tomorrow.

The kids and I are great! My sisters are here tonight and we are about to divulge in some good chocolate treats while watching a girlie love story.

Specifics on the work in Africa

We received an e-mail today asking for more information about what Larry is going to be doing over in Africa other then spreading the gospel and I thought it was a great question.

We both agree that a major part of loving on people with the love of God is seeing what they need and providing for them. This is both physical and spiritual. Many times we miss an emotional need of someone we are caring for because we are caught up in what they look like. The flip side to that is we can be all caught up in presenting the Gospel to them and completely overlook the physical need for food and medicine. When Christ walked the earth He communicated on a regular basis with the Father throughout the day and he gained wisdom to every situation. In the same way we are to be in constant communication with the Holy Spirit so that we can touch the lives of those we come in contact with spiritually and physically. Matthew 25 goes into a deeper understanding of this and I encourage you to read it and evaluate what you are doing for those around you or not doing for those around you. I know I am challenged by this scripture often. It applies to anyone, those who follow Christ, and those who are searching. It is THE most rewarding thing, to lay down your life for someone else, even if it is just one meal, one hug, or one bottle of water. Look for ways to to change your daily life and you will see your perspective in other areas of your life change.

Larry has teamed up with a ministry that goes yearly to this area and communicates with them on a regular basis. As a result they know specific needs for that area, they can bring goods that will help, not just take up space. Each team member was allowed two bags and a carry on. One bag was used for their personal items and the other one was filled with medical supplies and goods for the people. There is an EMT and an RN on the trip and they are ready to give the people medical attention. In addition they will be assisting local pastors and their congregations. The outdoor crusade and going to the slums is what Larry is looking forward to the most. He wants to get his arms around the people and help them not only with food, but with the Love of God that they have never experienced before.

Details of the Africa Trip

May 31-Aboard plane bound for Africa with a layover in Amsterdam.

June 1-Arrive in Nairobi around 7pm in the evening.

June 2-Holding a clinic in the Slums. meetings in the evening with local churches

June 3- 3pm Church services(they will be splitting up and traveling to local churches this day)
In the evening the women will be ministering to the women and children

June 4-7-Work in Orphanages and slums

June 8-9-Leave up-country and do work in churches along with city wide meetings with children

June 10-Outdoor crusade

June 11-12- Kids works and meetings in the evenings

June 13- Safari

June 14-15- Mogra Star Academy with our friends the McCarty's!!!

June 16- Leave at 10pm for the States

June 17- Arrive in ATL around 1pm

Nairobi, Kenya

Larry leaves in just two short days for the trip he has been looking forward to since last year. I am excited for him and we have been busy getting everything together. He leaves on Thursday and will be back Father's Day. We will be sad while he is gone and I am not sure how much of my hair will be left when he returns. J/K. I know that I have a ton of support here and I am not afraid to use it!

Please be in prayer for Larry's safety and look back here for updates on his trip as I hear from him throughout the 18 days. Enjoy the pics!

Starting to say goodbye

What a glorious weekend we are having so far, except for the emotions I am starting to feel as we come closer to the day that my sweet man leaves for Africa. It is funny to me how all I want to do is be around him and close to him as possible but I find some of my attitudes are hostile. Explain that?? I have been praying this moring and just trying to remind myself of all of the wonderful things that will happen for him on this trip and how glorious it will be to see him home and excited about serving the Lord.

Now all I have to do is make sure that I stay sweet and gentle towards him so that he doesn't want to leave in a few days.

In Rememberance

Just some pics I was looking at that our wonderful Canon took over the last five years. First is Katherine, then Evan, Engagement photo and our Wedding.

Camera is down-Mayday Mayday

To all of you out there that have your camera with you on your hip to be used at a moment's notice please take a moment of silence with me. This week we have sunk and sunk bad. Our wonderful camera that has seen us through our engagement, wedding, baby #1 and baby#2 has gone down in a terrible way. The lens said it had enough and did not want to extend itself one more time. After hours of work by my man we have had to say good bye to our beloved friend Canon G1.
It has missed two birthdays this week and Mother's day last week, it missed the outing of the year (when my man bought me a beautiful dress and took me to dinner and a concert downtown).
We are excited to buy a new better camera with a 1gig card that can hold eight times the pics Yeah!!But it is still a sad day.

Happy Mother's Day!

This morning I have enjoyed a wonderful omelet, time doing my hair and writing in my journal because my wonderful man is here doing what I normally do on a Sunday morning. He is half of the reason I can celebrate this wonderful day! HEHE

The scripture says Children are a blessing from the Lord. If you are a mom of youg children receive the blessing today. If you are an older child BE the blessing today.

Lessons I'm learning through my children-Part 1

The Splinter~

This has been an incredible ordeal. Katherine, who is 2 yrs. old, loves to go around barefoot. It has been this way since she learned how to take off her socks in the carseat while we were driving. We usually keep her socks and shoes in the car because she NEVER wears them in the house.

Now, here is where it began- It was Sunday about two weeks ago when we decided to grill out. The weather has been wonderful here and we like to get outside as much as we can. Larry was sweeping the deck, Evan was riding his car, and Katherine, barefoot, was running around outside. All of the sudden I hear the scream that most mom's dread and Larry was carrying Katherine into the kitchen with blood spilling off of her foot. Oh God!! What happened and where is Evan??

45 minutes later we had removed a tiny part of a splinter and my sweet girl was beside herself over the torture of it. If any of you have children you know the ordeal I just experienced. Extreme fear in my little one because she knows something hurts in her foot but she doesn't know what it is and why mommy has to use a metal thing(tweezers) to get it out. With a bandaid on and the cool breeze of the deck I just held her and told her I loved her. I also said "Baby, mommy has to get the splinter out because if I don't, it could get infected and hurt worse, I know it hurt and you didn't like it but I did it because I love you." Ok! I can hear the Spirit of the Lord ministering to my heart at this point because He is saying to me"That's right, I love you and I want to take care of things in you before they hurt you too!" I just sat there loving my baby and letting the love of God pour over me. I Imagined Him pulling me into His embrace and letting me know He loves me and he exposes things in me that can harm me because he loves me. He knows what areas, in my life, left unattended could could do to me.

As the days went by I could see that the splinter was still in there. I told Katherine and we asked God to help it come out. The next morning she came into the kitchen screaming and I could see the tip trying to push it's way out. Through many tears again and a struggle that I had no idea could come out of my little baby we ended up pulling a 1 inch splinter out of her foot that day. We thanked God that he helped push the tip out and she still has bruising and cleaning that has to be done daily because of how deep it was. Two weeks later we still have to clean and watch the area. This again speaks to my heart about wounds that we have and carry around with us from people or events in our lives. The splinter might be out(the deed done) but if we don't care for our wounds properly they could hurt us even worse. I am choosing to go to God with my heart and ask Him to show me areas that I haven't let him treat(wounds from a friend, offense, unmet expectaions). These are areas that I have tried to just take care of on my own (or ignore) have now gotten infected and cause a limp in my walk. It even effects the way I see God and other people because I don't want to get hurt again.

My prayer for us today is that in our fear and pain we sit and let the Holy Spirit show us areas that He wants to cleanse and heal. He draws us to this place because He loves us. He knows all that we can be and all of the lives that could be touched by our wholeness and wellness in Him.

5,4,3,2,1...Lift off

In the evening before the kids go to bed Larry and I usually get down on the floor and get all their jiggles out so they will sleep better. Tonight, I got the workout.

My Babies

Katherine and Evan,

Oh how I love you- do you know how much I love you??
It is wonderful to me to see how you are both growing so much.

Katherine your ability to communicate and your love of your friends is so sweet. You always ask me who you are going to see today and at night you remember to lift them up to Jesus. Going to the Library is the highlight of your week and you ask if you can play on the "compooter". You have no clue what you are doing on the "compooter" but you love that it is your height and has your shows on it. You are telling everyone what your "birfday" is and that you will be "free". You twirl and sing about everything all day and you are constantly loving your brother to death!! Just wait till he gets older and you will have wished you were a little softer.

Evan, my son, you are into everything! Well, let me rephrase that, you are on everything. I can't get you to stop climbing and it scares me to death sometimes. Crawling under and into things is another favorite and I have found you inside the kitchen cabinets. I only knew you were there because I followed the trail of pots and pans that used to be in the cabinet. You bonk your head and have booboo's all over your shins and I don't understand why you keep going back for more. Your little brain is expanding and every day it seems you are comprehending more of what mommy and Katherine say to you. We can ask you questions now and you just shake your head yes in response. I love you, oh, so much and I love how you lay your sweet little head down on Daddy's and Mommy's shoulders when you are telling us you love us-your kisses are a close second if not for all the slobber.

I praise the Lord daily for the blessing you are to me. What did I do and how did I love before you came into my life. I pray you will see Jesus in Daddy and I and that you love Him all the days of your life.

Love and hugs and kisses and snuggles and any way else I can smother you with love,
Mommy

Dying eggs

We dyed our eggs today with a friend from church. She wore her egg shirt and got dye all over her hands. Evan was playing in the toy drawer as we colored the eggs. He can always play by himself so well.

Easter egg hunt

I took Katherine to the city of Lilburn egg hunt Saturday. A ton of people were there and I wasn't sure if she was going to come away with any eggs. We stood in our spot and looked out over the field. She spotted a red one and told me that was the one she wanted. Well...that ended up being the only one she got. Thank God she got the red one. After, we walked around, got a donut and ate her one red candy egg.

Daddy times

I have been taking time to capture moments with Larry and the kids. He is so good to them! He plays silly, reads, and even lets Katherine help him in the yard. I am so blessed to have been given such a wonderful man.

We also love our new van! The kids stuff has a lot more room now-hehe

Preparing for Dinner

Tonight-

I was getting the bread to put in the oven and Katherine walks into the kitchen

KK- Can I have some bread?

Me-No, Baby we have to eat the Chicken Divan first

KK-(eyes wide with excitement) We are going to eat chicken in the van?! Yeah

I just laughed.

Cute words

Katherine is talking all the time but every once in awhile she says something and it is so cute.

OiMoi- Oatmeal
Tuggle- Snuggle
Pider- Spider
Baa Baa Black Sheep any fat wool- Three bags full

DADDY wanted to add this one-"I'm drinky"-Thirsty

Evan is climbing on everything and we found him recently on top of his highchair climbing onto the dinner table. Good times-HA