Thankful For The Ride..

One thing that you will probably never hear (or read) from me is that our life is....boring!!!! Why? Because it could not be any further than the truth. It seems each day brings with it it's own set of little inconveniences and fumbles, but can I please say that I am so completely, utterly grateful that each day I get to experience these things with the most wonderful family in the world.

This past week has been a huge roller coaster with many twists and turns, ups and downs. But I believe that being content is learning how to ride the roller coaster. Always keeping your hands held highly in the air. Keeping a smile on your face no matter how nauseous you may become. It's being joyful to be able to experience the ride!

Turn #1:

Spring in Texas! An abundance of sunshine. Blue skies. Wild flowers as far as you can see. Note: Prince Charming calls them weeds. But, I love seeing all the colors that the wildflowers bring. There is nothing more stunning than an open field of Texas Blue Bonnets and Indian Paintbrushes. The kids have so enjoyed being able to get outside and play each day after school. We have an 8 year old half Saint Bernard (which was our dog) and half Boxer (which was not our dog) who recently had puppies. Although the puppies are only 12 weeks old, when they stand on their hind feet, they easily reach the kids' chins! HUGE! Well, we have told the kids that they could keep one. They chose the cutest, best natured fluffy dog. He is adorable! Last Saturday, he and another puppy got into a little scuffle. Garrett became upset that his dog was in the middle of it, so he attempted to break them up. Rule Number 1....NEVER attempt to reach down and break apart any animals when they are "scuffling"! Garrett did not know Rule Number 1, and he ended up with puncture wounds of each side of his right arm. The wounds were pretty deep, so we set off to the ER. Fortunately we have some good connections at the hospital and we were in and out in 45 minutes (well...and the fact that it was a slow day at the ER). They did not stitch it due to the fact that if there were an infection introduced, they did not want to trap it. So, we had to keep it bandaged for a few days. It will leave a scar, but I am so thankful that it was in the end, a minor bump on the ride.

Turn #2:

Having so many of our family work in the oil field, we know that there are dangers. Things can happen. I am fully aware of this, but I choose not to dwell on it because I don't think I would be able to let Prince Charming leave if I succumbed to all the "what if's". There was an explosion on an off shore rig. It was a rig owned by my father-in-laws company. Although Prince Charming and the rest of our family was not on that rig, it has weighed heavy on us all. There was a man from our town who was on the rig. His wife is a teacher at two of the schools. He received some injuries, but he will physically be ok. There were 11 men that went missing, and they have not found them. It puts so much into perspective. My brother in law was on a rig not too far from there, and my Prince was at work on a rig on land. It is so tragic, and I grieve for those mens families. My heart breaks for them.

Turn #3:

Friday night, we had a break from baseball. There was not a practice due to them trying to get the baseball field ready for opening day. I watch the weather every morning and evening because I am one that dresses our children appropriately, and I kind of like knowing what to expect. I receive weather text messages on my phone so if there are any kind of weather watches or warnings, I am prepared. Early Saturday morning, I woke up about 1:30 a.m. out of the blue (which I now know was God giving me a little nudge out of bed). I got up and noticed that it was raining lightly and lightening. About 1:45 I received a text saying we were in a Severe Thunderstorm Warning. Then it started to hail. Not little pea size hail that you can sleep through. Hen size egg hail that I thought was going to come right through the windows. It made me nervous. Living in Texas, you know the signs of bad weather, what to look for, what to do in case of severe weather. It's drilled into you. I would rather be safe than sorry. I went to the linen closet, which is across from the boys' bathroom (no windows, interior room of the house) and started to take out quilts and pillows. THEN, I received the dreaded text message. Tornado Warning. I quickly looked at the map and the path of the tornado and we were right in its path. A complete peace washed over me. I went to wake Callie up and told her that I needed her to get up and help me. She asked why, and I told her that they said there was a tornado 10 miles south of town and that was where we are. She got up, helped throw the blankets and pillows in the bathroom, and then helped me round up the other 4 children and our little Yorkie, Chloe. Even though, I was on edge, I was able to get everyone in the bathroom..calmly. I didn't panic, I didn't freak out. The kids picked up on it, and they were calm. We sat in the bathroom for 10 minutes while the wind blew like crazy, and the hail continued. Once it was done, friends started posting on Facebook that they did not have electricity, fences were down, trees were down. But it was 2 a.m., and I couldn't see any damage. I was thankful beyond words. We all went back to bed, and slept!!! Seven in the morning, I started to get phone calls from family and friends checking on us. We were good. Safe and good! But others were not. Trees were uprooted blocking roads, still no electricity in the majority of our county, power poles down on buildings. The news confirmed that there had been more than 1 tornado that ripped through the county. I walked outside. We had branches everywhere in the yard, shingles from the roof on the ground, but the house was for the most part, unscathed. I looked at our barn/shed and I noticed there was something on the roof. That would have been the back side of the roof. The tornado had ripped the entire back of the roof off. Half of it was in the pasture, the other half flipped completely over onto the front. BUT!!! We were all safe, and I have to say that there are not enough words to express the depth of my gratitude to God for placing our home and my family in a protective bubble. A close friend of Prince Charming's grandparents passed away that night. He and his wife are amazing people. They have 9 foster children, but they are Their children. When the tornado struck, it caused a fire in the control box of their home. The father was able to get all of the children out safely, and returned into the house to retrieve the family dog. Tragically, he became trapped and couldn't get out. John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Please remember his family in your prayers.
Here are some pictures of the shed:

This is a part of the back roof which flipped over to the front.

The gaping hole where the roof once was.
The tornado literally rolled the tin like it was nothing.
Part of the roof in the pasture.
This amazed me. The nails were pulled up from the tornado. This was the front part of the roof.

Last night, Shelby and Chisum both had their first baseball games. Unfortunately, they were at the same time at different fields. We will split up and switch during the middle of the game so we can all have a chance to watch each child play. I ended up having to keep the books for Chisum's team, so I couldn't watch Shelby :( I didn't like that. But, they both have games again on Thursday, and I will watch her entire game. So, I am Thankful for that. Here is my baby playing his very first t-ball game.

Here is my precious angel...um...playing short stop *giggle*
Running home for the first time!
I absolutely love this picture. Ethan and Garrett were watching Chisum, and cheering him on! My heart overflows :)

The other morning I laid beside Chisum as he woke up. He had some pretty nasty morning breath, but in that moment, I silently thanked God for giving me the most wonderful opportunity to have a 5 year olds morning breath to wake up to. Count your blessings everyone. We have much to be thankful for. The ride is not always easy or pretty, but I am eternally thankful to be on it.