The past few days...

I don't have any pictures to show of the past week or two, but just wanted to capture what has been happening around here.

*Nathan left for South Asia on Saturday to take a mission team from SEBTS. Before he left, we ate at Firehouse Subs for the first time. The kids were thrilled at the pictures of firefighters on the walls, and the really cool firefighter hats they received with their kids meal. We will definitely be eating there again.

*We normally just drop Nathan off curbside but we decided to park and wait with him and his team at the airport. The kids had a wonderful time playing with Nathan's team, running around the airport, and making multiple trips to the large bathrooms there. I think it will be a new family tradition to see Daddy off at the airport--it was the best $2 (parking) I've spent!

*On Nathan's last trip to South Asia (May 2011), he called my cell phone using the cell phone of a worker there. I did not recognize the number, and didn't answer it as quickly as I should have. I missed the call, he left a voicemail, and when I heard the voicemail, I broke down sobbing and immediately tried to call him back, jamming the phone lines in the process. I was quite a mess--it was the first time in a few years that he had been overseas, and I just wanted to hear his voice. We got it sorted, we talked on the phone, and I dried my tears. This trip I was able to actually SEE him! He has an iPhone now, and he gave me an iPod touch for Christmas, so we were able to use the FaceTime app to talk to each other Sunday evening. I was overjoyed when that 'call' came through, and the kids were tickled beyond belief that they could see and talk to their father. Though I have not always been an Apple fan, and we are usually a few years behind the newest technology trends, that FaceTime call on Sunday made me a fan for life :-)

*Last week Georgia had her teeth cleaned at the dentist. We loved our pediatric dentist, and Georgia always has a wonderful time there. Sadly, though, she is predisposed to cavities, and has to have multiple fillings. Yesterday, Wednesday, she had her first cavity filled, and my big girl was such a trooper! She went back to the exam room by herself, and did very well by all reports. I got to peek in at her, and she was giggling! It was super cute. Her special treat afterwards was a vanilla milkshake--her very first one--and apparently she mentioned it multiple times to the dental staff. I am very proud of her.

*Baxter discovered 'real Legos' this week--the small ones that make cars/vehicles/etc. A friend gave me an unopened box of Legos that makes a couple of different vehicles, including a fire truck. He LOVES it, and has returned to it again and again each day. It has held his attention amazingly well, and I am amazed at how well he works the tiny little pieces. I am not sure he will ever go back to the bigger Legos now!

*Eleanor ran a fever Monday-Wednesday of this week. It was low on Monday, and grew higher on Tuesday (102 degrees) and Wednesday (103+ degrees). She had a couple of times where her fever seemed to be gone, like yesterday at lunch, but then it returned with a vengeance after her nap. I was quite at a loss yesterday evening, because my doctor's office was closed, and I didn't want to wait at an urgent care office. In God's great kindness and grace, a friend from church who just happens to be a family practice doctor (retired:-) read a comment about Eleanor on Facebook and contacted me.  It was greatly comforting to me, she gave great advice, and I was able to rest easier last night. Praise the Lord, E's fever broke overnight, and though she has been clingy this morning, she perked up later today and seems to be on the mend. Rejoicing at that!

*Nathan returns Sunday evening and we cannot wait for him to be back. Life is just sad when Daddy isn't home. It makes me just hurt for those single parent families who have to survive with just one person serving as mother and father. May God give them strength and grace, and I pray that the body of Christ might reach out to them and help them more than we do!

Thanks for reading my rambles! love to you all!