Project 52:28 | Sacrificing

Project 52:28

Motherhood is: 

SACRIFICING
your own wants & plans
for the needs of your babe's.

Unfortunately, the end of our 4th of July travels commenced with an unwelcome hospital stay. Elam came down with what we now think was an intestinal virus, but with his fever spiking above 105 and an extremely high white blood count the doctors wanted to make sure it wasn't something else.

Not only do we not have a pediatrician to call our own right now, but we weren't even at our home away from "home." After weathering out the illness a few days we decided to try Urgent Care. We left that visit with a finger prick, a chest x-ray and extremely irritated at the standoffish doctor.

Finally, the following day we resorted to a cousin's pediatrician. I HIGHLY recommend going this route if you are traveling with a sick child and have any connections in the area. The doctors were very attentive and suggested we hospitalize Elam to make sure we weren't dealing with a larger issue. We also felt this was best. The poor little guy ended up with an IV, three more finger pricks (mostly due to human error) and another x-ray. He would scream anytime an unfamiliar face walked into the room and literally wore himself out!

As you can tell he loved seeing Granna and Pop that evening. Pop went a bought him some tea (he's a TEA lover) and promised him a lawn mower ride. Thankfully, with fluids, meds and lots of prayer he improved overnight and we were able to leave the hospital. We headed back to Joplin the following day.

Joel and I were supposed to celebrate our anniversary at a St. Louis Cardinal's game the night Elam went to the hospital.  When it comes to your children and their needs everything else just takes the back seat. It worked out in the end and we celebrated a few weeks later with Sushi and a James Taylor concert.

And now, all are happy and well.

Project 52:27 | Sharing

Project 52:27

Motherhood is:

SHARING
time, family, belongings & lessons learned with others
& teaching your little ones to do the same.

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July. Ours was spent at a home away from our "home." It was spent with family and so it was delightful. We enjoyed a small town parade, snow cones and fireworks in southeast Missouri. I thought we would escape the dreaded heat when we left Texas, but I'm afraid we drug it north instead. 

Happy Hot July!

Project 52:26 | All In

Project 52:26

Motherhood is:

ALL IN
At times everyone is worn out
& completely spent.
Take a short rest & get back to work.

I am certain our little children were just as exhausted as we were during the moving process. All of their toys and belongings being packed into box after box is so difficult to understand. I'm not sure they know how to comprehend life transitions such as these at their young age. But, it's been done by many before and they will survive.
Children are resilient.

The kids, Granna and myself left Texas with all the essentials we could cram into the car. We left daddy behind to help the movers. Sadie was so excited to get to spend time at Granna and Pop's house. Little did she know it would be a month long stay!

Thank goodness for the book, Berenstain Bears' Moving Day. We've already worn out the pages. Sadie has every word memorized and now correct me while I read.
I love it!

As Papa Bear says, "It's moving day!"

Project 52:25 | Dazed

Project 52:25
Motherhood is:

DAZED

from time to time.

Exhaustion sucks the brain dry of all creativity.

End of story.

Long story short, we decided to use PODS for our moving and storage during this transition. It was a last minute decision, but it has worked tremendously well. They have been very accomodating and even packed the PODS for us. 

Thank goodness for this blessing!

I can't remember the last time I was so mentally exhausted. Packing your house in general is exhausting, but packing with the intention of living out of a suitcase for an indefinite amount of time wracks the brain. 

There are many things I rather do than pack up and move. 

And the list begins with . . . birthing a child. 

Okay, I'm finished complaining now. 

Good bye.

Project 52:24 | Amicable

Project 52:24

Motherhood is:

AMICABLE
because without good friends & neighbors
life would be much more difficult.

We bid farewell to our neighbors the day we departed for Missouri. Sadie spent hours of "bike" riding and playing with her neighbors across the street this past year. I'm sure these precious faces didn't understand the full meaning of "good bye" as they hugged and shared sweet words that morning.
We promised to keep in touch and Skype.

Thank goodness for good friends! 

Project 52:23 | Awestruck

Project 52:23

Motherhood is:

AWESTRUCK
at the sight of God's creation.
As one child glances briefly
the other stops and climbs to stare.
He created His children with diverse
looks and personalities and
it's truly a pleasure to
call myself a "mother of two."

We took a family outing to the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, TX recently. Aside from the humidity it was the perfect day. We had been to the Fort Worth Zoo in the past, but I had heard the Waco Zoo was clean, kid friendly and never crowded. It definitely exceeded expectations! The kids walked freely and could easily see all of the animals.

Now that the hubby is home more often we've been trying to venture out to experience a little more of what the area has to offer before we leave. I'd rather be headed to the zoo than packing boxes.

Speaking of packing . . . although I haven't started, I have prepared! We decided we were going to try and save some money by scrounging up most of our boxes. After a couple of trips to the grocery store I decided to try and hit up new homeowners in the neighborhood. (Our neighborhood is booming!) And I hit the JACKPOT! A family had just moved in and stacked up their boxes along with large trash bags of newspaper and bubble wrap. Joel made a couple of trips back and forth and filled up our garage. They were happy to get rid of the boxes and we were ecstatic to have them.

No more excuses I guess. I am ready to start packing,
but I'd rather go to the zoo again.

*SPECIAL NOTE: This post is dedicated to my dear, dear friend Carrie who unexpectedly lost her earthly father the morning of June 8th. Though not surprised, I am in AWE of her strength as she and her family handle this sudden loss.  

Project 52:22 | Accomplished

Project 52:22 

Motherhood is:

ACCOMPLISHED
 at the successful completion of
doctor & dental check-ups.
No screams, tears or trembles,
only smiles, sweet conversations & compliments.
And hand in hand,
we both stroll out happy.

These photos were actually taken several months ago, but are back on my mind again. We are headed to the dentist in the next few days for a final cleaning and check-up before we leave Texas. Her dentist is fabulous and if this visit is as uneventful as the last then it should be a pleasing experience. 

DREAM BIG!