A quick catch-up on the rest of the clan. . .
My parent's celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this month - so family pictures were in order! It had been 15 years since we had them taken. Much has changed, including the addition of 5 grandchildren during those 15 years!
Chad traveled with Joshua and Brenna to the Minneapolis area for the wedding of his cousin, Travis.
I stayed home with Jamison and Sierra since they had athletic commitments. Mataya kept me company. Chad and I rarely split like this, but for this event it worked well. Chad is always good at texting me photos to help me feel included!
Brenna and Joshua has a BLAST swimming and dancing with their cousins!
I am SO thankful they had this time together!
I am SO thankful they had this time together!
Daddy also took them to the Mall of America!
They ate at the Rainforest Cafe. I can not imagine Grammy and Brenna there. They are kindred spirits in regards to animal love!
Daddy also splurged on rides. Brenna was so pleased! She texted me, "Dad is definitely the BEST!"
It is always neat to spend time with just one or two of our kids. I know that many precious memories were made between Chad and the kids this weekend. I am very thankful for the daddy that he is!
Jamison's life. . . ind thus ours!. . . pretty much revolves around running. You will not hear me complain! I LOVE cross country! Last weekend Chad, Mataya, and I traveled to Minneapolis to watch Jamison and the rest of the CHS Varsity boys and girls run at a HUGE meet called The Roy Griak. It is the second largest high school meet in the nation. There were 53 teams in his race alone. It was a really cool event!
Actually, it was a really HOT event. It was about 85*. The course was very hilly. It was also windy. So the race conditions were less than ideal - even so, I am so glad we were there! It was really something to witness!
Pre-race we found a shadey spot to hide under.
She is seriously the MOST adaptable child.
No matter how much we drag her around, she is almost always smiling!
No matter how much we drag her around, she is almost always smiling!
Our boys warming up!
My attempt at photographing the entire starting line. It was HUGE!
Can you find him?
The finish.
Sierra is NOT doing anything like this these days!
Sigh!
After re-injuring her shoulder at Homecoming she has to take it VERY easy.
She had an MRI last week. Thankfully surgery will not be in her future. BUT - A LOT of physical therapy is. She is finally at a point that she can move it under extreme limits once again. (It had been pretty much immobilized for 10 days.) She has a very limited range of motion and quite a lot of pain. Before she will be cleared to cheer again she will have to have a full range of motion AND be able to lift quite a lot of weight. Previously she was cleared once she had full range of motion only. She had been up to 3lb weights at PT when she re-injured. She had been being VERY careful, never doing ANYTHING without being fully taped by her PT; but those efforts proved unsuccessful. SO. . . no more cheering until she is strong. That is a MAJOR bummer for my favorite cheerleader. She will not be able to cheer for competition this year. BOO! She is hoping to be strong enough for basketball season, and we are praying that wish becomes a reality.
If you would join us, that would be awesome!
Thankfully not everything in Sierra's life is a bummer! She has a new BFF. . . coffee! LOL! She packs her mug every morning just like her dad and I. It cracks me up.
She has also been really, really enjoying a new church experience. She is glowing when we pick her up. It is a beautiful thing.
And she was asked to join a girls jazz choir. She is a talented musician; and while she had not intended to invest in that gift much this year, I am excited to see God opening doors for her to use this incredible talent.
This has been a hard season for my ever-smiling Sierra.
The ONE blessing in this time is that I have been able to spend A LOT of time with her as we go to various appointments together. I adore spending time with Sierra. We are like-minded enough that we really connect, yet different enough that we do not drive each other bonkers. It is a precious gift to have a daughter who allows you to be a friend and confidant. I treasure this relationship.
And Krissy (no photo here. . . shocking, right?!?)
Her plans have been in flux as well. Her departure date for Basic training has been delayed until January.
These are the times when I am so thankful for the absolute truth.
God has a plan for each of us.
It is a plan to prosper us, not to harm us.
It will give us Hope and a glorious future.
Waiting to see how His plan will play out is often hard for me - but I can not begin to imagine how bleak some days would seem if I was not confident in Him.
Thank you Jesus that You have a plan. You are in control. I love You, trust You, and submit my life and the lives of each of my children to You and You alone.
