Cole. Jeana. Javik.

Change...

2011-09-08T18:29:00.002-05:00

"Times they are a-changing." I don't really know who said that, but its so true in my life right now! First... Baby Zailey is on her way. We're adding a princess to the CH household in December. Not only will our lives be completely turned upside down by another baby, but a GIRL baby at that! Contrary to (my) popular belief, being a girl doesn't mean you know what to do with one. But we are excited to meet her!
However, in preparation for her arrival, we're switching up the bedroom sitch. Javik is moving to the loft. Some days he's excited about this. Other days he cries that he just loves his downstairs room! It breaks my heart to make him move... even when I know he'll eventually love it and it really is the best scenario for everyone. So begins the process of cleaning my stuff out of the loft so that we can move his stuff up there so that we can fill his old room with her new stuff! Where in the world do we get so much STUFF?!
On top of all of that, we're once again seeking God's direction in the job field. I know that God moves in our lives to teach us & grow our faith, and that it's selfish of me to think that He'll move in our lives again in the same way He's moved before... but that really is my prayer! I want so badly to know that making any kind of job move is His will for us that I'm praying for another billboard. You know: God, sell our house (even when its not for sale); God, provide us another house (even one that we tried & failed to get ourselves); God, send a church to come looking for us (even when we're resistant to the idea of going there)! How likely is it that He'll do all of those things again?! Probably not all that likely. But that's what I'm praying anyway. Either that or that He'll make things so miserable where we are, that we have no choice but to leave! lol
Maybe we'll be right here forever... but maybe not. And if or when that "maybe not" comes, I want to not only be ready, but willing. Babies & all... willing to pick up & move & start over. But it doesn't make it any easier to think about!
So, although I'm not generally a fan of change, some of these big changes are exciting. Some are a little scary. But as long as I know they're of God, they're all possible!

Wait! No, just wait...

2010-12-27T21:40:00.003-06:00

Isaiah 40:31 says this:
"But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don't get tired,
they walk and don't lag behind."

Now for starters, I'd love to run and not get tired. That would do wonders for my workout regimen. And the hubby would certainly be thrilled if I would walk and not lag behind. [I blame his long legs...]
But the part of this verse that is hitting me square in the face right now is that first line...
"But those who wait upon God..."
I did Beth Moore's study of Esther this fall, and in one of the lessons she talks about waiting on the Lord rather than waiting on an event. And while I thoroughly enjoyed the lesson and loved Beth's insight... I didn't realize how much I was waiting on any event until just recently.

I want another baby.

There, its out. Out there in cyberspace, for all the world to read [as if "all the world" reads this blog], never to be removed from web-history.
I want another baby. I want Javik to be a big brother. I want to be pregnant again, and go through that newborn stage again, and experience the thrill of watching another helpless infant become an independent person.

And it's not happening.

Granted, we've only been trying for about 4 months. And I know that there are couples who try for years. Close friends of ours, in fact. So, I'm not begging for pity. I'm just realizing that I'm waiting on this event. I'm trusting in my own ability to get pregnant [not completely on my own, of course, but.... this is a family blog].
Instead of waiting on the Lord, in His perfect timing and infinite wisdom and divine plan for my life and my family, I'm waiting on a baby.

And to make matters worse, it seems like everyone else I know IS having a baby.
Friends who have literally been trying for years... expecting.
Friends who already have children, but who have experienced heartache in having others... expecting.
Friends who already have more children than they ever planned, and who were not trying to have any more... expecting.
Friends who have no business having a baby because their lives are a mess to begin with... expecting.
Friends who aren't married, and who never thought "this" could happen to them... expecting.

And I'll be honest, I'm fighting a little bitterness. I'm fighting the urge to ask God if He forgot about me. Doesn't He know my plans? My desires? My timeframe?
I thought I had it all planned so well... Javik would be about 4... baby would be born in May so that I could have the whole summer off without taking maternity leave...
and yet, nothing.

So how does one "wait on God"?
I'm trying to wait by trusting. Trusting that God, in fact, does know me and remember me and love me. He knows what's best for me because He not only knows where I've been... He knows where I'm going. He knows what's ahead for my family, and He knows when it will be the perfect time for us to add to it, or if it won't be perfect at all for us to add to it.
And I know that regardless of the efforts of others, no life is created by accident. God just as purposely created the lives of those babies for our friends who so desperately want to be parents as He did the lives of the babies for those people who aren't at all ready for it... and He's just as purposely not creating another life in this family.

I am but a speck in the paint of one stroke on the canvas... and He can see the entire mural.

Lord, teach me what it means to "wait" on You. That my strength will be renewed. That my faith will be strengthened. That my love for you would begin to reflect one tiny ounce of your love for me. Thank you for that love. Thank you for having a plan for my life.
And thank you, that no matter whether another baby ever comes along or not, I already have one amazing family!

Verdigris Extremity

2010-05-29T12:17:00.003-05:00

At the risk of shocking anyone who really knows me...
I think I'm getting a Green Thumb!

When we moved to our house 2 years ago one of the things that I loved about it was all of the landscaping beds. So, as a token of my appreciation of them, I have successfully neglected said landscaping beds since the day we moved in. Not on purpose of course, just because I don't really know anything about gardening or taking care of plants!

So one of my goals for this summer was to clean out & clean up those landscaping beds. Weed them out, plant some new plants, and re-mulch... and so it begins. Just as I was getting ready to begin my undertaking, we heard about a landscaping business that was closing nearby, and they were planning to auction all of their inventory! Perfect! So we went, we spent, and we came home with quite a haul.

Knowing nothing about any plants, including the ones I purchased at the auction, I googled all of them and made a plan. Since then, I've made about 4 trips to Menards & nearly doubled my plant "collection"!

I'm about a third of the way through my landscaping beds... I've used about 10 of my 40 bags of mulch... I've planted 4 planters & 9 pots of flowers... and I'm loving it! Turns out gardening flowers provides a lot of time to think, and provides a lot of similarities to my spiritual life. My existing plants were full of dead leaves and dying stems, which left no room for new life to grow through! I've realized I'm a lot like those plants. I hold on to all of the dead & painful things in my life, never being willing to let Jesus "clean me up" so that new life can grow!

I'm sure that if my plants could talk, they'd share that being weeded is no fun. But the pain is worth the growth! My heart is the same way.... being spiritually weeded is no fun. And unlike my plants, I have the ability to hold on... hold on to the old without giving it over to the LORD. But when I am willing to let go, willing to give it over to Him, that's when I can grow! Grow in Him and for Him.

And so, this summer, I'm seeing change in more than just my landscaping! My property is getting a makeover & so am I!

And if any of my newly planted friends survive the next month or so, I'll be sure to post pics to share! =D

Branching Out in the Blogosphere

2010-05-14T23:22:00.002-05:00

Apparently it's not enough for me to not keep up with one blog... I've started another!
My Javik says & does the funniest things on a daily basis. And I know that the reality of life & motherhood is that I will not remember them, despite how much I really would love to.
So I've started blogging the funny things that he says, the "Javisms" of our life.

www.javisms.blogspot.com

Thank goodness I'm a mother in this day of technology... my boy turns 3 next month & I barely have his first months scrapbooked. I've forgotten to write down nearly every thing a mother is supposed to record in a baby book. If it weren't for our periodic recordings of his height & weight on his closet doorway, I'd have nothing!

So these Javisms will hopefully enable me to look back on my days with my little guy and smile. I spend every day with 13 & 14 year old boys... I know that despite my every attempt to keep it from happening, Javik will one day become one of them. And I know from my many conversations with the mothers of my students that apparently the teenage years of your children come with worries & stresses & frustrations & joys of their own. I want to be able to remember. To remember what the worries & stresses & frustrations & joys were of having a (3) year old. And hopefully to look back with fondness while looking at the amazing young man my boy has become.

The Newspaper About God

2010-02-08T21:52:00.004-06:00

Javik handed me this paper he got at Sunday School a few weeks ago...
he said, "Here Mommy, don't forget to read your newspaper... it's about God!"
Wow buddy, thanks!
Then he points to the older gentleman on the paper... "That's my daddy! He's my preacher of the bible."
My heart = melted!
He then points to the pianist pictured... "And that's Katie. She plays the piano at my church!"

He's so excited about everything he learns at Sunday School.
He LOVES his teachers, Mr. Mark & Ms. Dawn!
I pray that his excitement for the things of God never goes away! I hope that years from now he's just as excited to get up and go to church on Sunday mornings as he is right now.

Chilly Chili

2010-02-03T09:20:00.004-06:00

My husband claims that a blog shouldn't be m i l e - l o n g posts every once in a while, but rather should be snippits of life on a more frequent basis... he apparently fancies himself the blogging expert! LOL
However, after thinking on his "advice" I've decided that this year my goal is to write more often about the things that seem less significant... (I know... I'm getting a late start!)
So this morning when Javik & I were leaving the house at 6:30 a.m., (before Mr. Sun had even woken up) I said to him, "Man, its chilly out here."
Javik's response: "Chili?! That's a food that we eat!" and as he looks around the yard "I don't see any chili out here!"
I couldn't help but L.O.L.! I said to him, "Actually, chilly has two meanings... it IS a food that we eat, but it also means a little bit cold." He stared at me as if I had just made up the craziest thing he'd ever heard (similar to the look I get from 8th graders on a daily basis).
So the entire ride to town I could hear him in the backseat trying to convince himself : "it is a food that we eat AND a little bit cold..."
So funny! I couldn't even begin to tell you where I was the day I learned the difference between chilly & chili... it's just something that I know. But I'm pretty sure I'll never forget the day Javik learned the difference!

And I couldn't bring myself to inform that Chile is also a country in South America... that seemed like too much for his little boy brain to handle so early in the morning!!

Farewell 09.... Hello 1-0

2009-12-31T15:59:00.003-06:00

Tis the end of another year. I don't know why but I always feel a little hesitant going into a new year... what will it bring? How much different will my life be 365 days from now?

2009 has been a pretty great year for us. Javik has grown so much in the last month I can't even begin to recount how he's changed in the last year. He has quickly become a little boy, right under my nose! I read a book once where a mother said that if she could go back in time and do any one thing she would most like to relive her children's "lasts." Time passes so quickly, and is lived so day-to-day, that we often miss the lasts of life :: the last bottle you fixed, the last diaper you changed, the last time he scooted down the stairs rather than walked... While I know that there are many more firsts in Javik's life, he has crossed over some of those lasts. I know that one year from now, there will be countless more "lasts" to add to that list.
In the here & now, though, he is quite a guy! He loves to play outside (in any temp or weather!), he loves action movies & cartoons and fancies himself to be a Super-Mr. Incredible-Spiderman-football player! He could practically go pro in running & jumping (with both feet... at the same time...) and has recently mastered the art of "pretend." I catch him narrating his playtime through the eyes of his toys :: " 'Let's go over here,' said the elephant." " 'What's going on?' asked the Helicopter." Hearing his sweet voice never gets old and never fails to melt my heart!
He is also 2... and with that age comes serious trial and error on the part of a (usually) sweet boy & his parents! We're daily teaching about appropriate attitude & tone, and exactly who has the job of being the boss & who is the listener!

2009 also brought another job change to our lives. One year after Cole left full-time youth ministry to pursue evangelism, God lead us to a small church 0.1 mile from our new home, who was (surprise!) seeking a pastor! After much prayer and many many Sunday visits, Cole accepted a position as full-time pastor of Perche Baptist Church. His role as pastor there is so unlike the ministry positions he's had in the past, and the small church atmosphere has definitely taken some getting used to! But our new church family has been so loving to us and made us feel like part of the family right from the start! Yet again, I am reminded of how truly blessed we are to know & serve such a mighty, loving God!

While I haven't had any major changes in my career over the last year, life in the 8th grade is never without excitement. =) I continue to teach math at the middle school in my hometown. I love my co-workers & my students. Although it's technically the end of another year, I'm only half way through this year of mine. At 28 years old, I still operate August-to-May and my summers stand still. Every year I am sad to bid farewell to my kiddos in May, knowing that I'm sending them off to high school "prepared" for what they'll face there, and hoping that I've somehow made a difference in their lives. And I welcome a new group of 8th graders every August (albeit with a little hesitation & anxiety), excited to see what I'll learn from this group. And year after year I'm reminded that no matter how enticing the offer may be, I'd never want to relive my jr. high years! I see 14 year old boys and think to myself "One day my Javi will have to put up with guys like this... or worse yet, he'll BE one!" But I wouldn't trade my days for anything, and I can honestly say that 9 times out of 10, I'm truly excited to go to work. =)

I know too that I've grown spiritually this year. 2009 has brought me face-to-face with a form of "persecution" that I've rarely had to face in my life. Ever since I've walked seriously with the Lord, and been aware that His will & the will of the world often clash, He has blessed me with friends who are also believers. My social life has rarely been affected by the fact that I follow Jesus. I always had others around who made similar lifestyle choices and so I always had people to hang out with. In the 7 months since becoming a "pastor's wife" my social life has taken a serious nosedive! While the people at our new church are so loving & welcoming, I don't really "fit" anywhere in the social spectrum. This has been tough, and has tried me more than I often care to admit. But I know that I am blessed to have a wonderful family... I also have the most fabulous girlfriends anyone could ask for (I just wish they lived closer!!)

So... so long 2009. I'm ready for 2010. What will you bring? No doubt you will bring love & sorrow, joy & pain, sunshine & rain (my heart just broke into song! LOL). You will bring my high school class reunion (but oh my, that's another post entirely!). Another baby? Maybe... An ever-growing little boy; and hopefully another 365 days to live out my life and love for those around me, and to become a little more like Jesus.

Happy New Year!

Teacher-in-Chief?

2009-09-08T19:02:00.004-05:00

Today was another historic, yet controversial, day at the junction of politics and public education. President Obama delivered a speech to the nation's students about responsibility and staying in school. My school opted out of taking part.
While I agree with the stance of my administration, that requiring the speech to be viewed could have created unnecessary controversy in our students' school day... I also think that his message was important and it's kind of cool for the leader of the free world to take time out to encourage our students to do well in school.
My primary concern about viewing the speech during our school day was lack of previewing... I never show anything in my classroom that I haven't previewed. Even if its a video I've seen 100 times, I watch it again through the eyes of a cautious educator. I wasn't given this option with the President's speech. Nor was my Principal or Superintendent.
Regardless of my opinion of President Obama's administration or political idealogies, I believe that truth is truth. And I believe that all truth comes from our Father above. Jesus said that He is Truth! So any truth spoken, no matter the source, I believe is from Him. That said, a lot of what the President shared with students today was true. That hard work pays off, that nothing comes to any of us freely, and that their education is theirs to take responsibility for and to own. Those are messages that I frequently deliver to my own students in my classroom!
Yet, in this land of the free and home of the brave, I don't want to be told I have to do something anymore than I want to be told I can't. I've heard alot today, from both liberals & conservatives, about whether is was right or wrong for schools to show or not show the Presiden't message.
I agree with the message. But I don't agree that all schools should have been required to view it. In this day & age of the internet and students' access to things on a global level, there's just no need to require a mass viewing in our public schools. One such commentor made this statement "so should our students never be exposed to a State-of-the-Union address either..." Of course they should, we all should. But we all have the ability to turn the channel or turn it off. When students are in school, their time is not their own. Their hours are dictated by those in charge... and when it is mandated that their time be spent watching a message (albeit a decent message) from a President that they may or may not agree with, it sends a message that shouts far louder than that coming from the President.
Put it on a podcast. Post it on YouTube. Email a direct link to every school district in the country. But please don't tell me, a teacher who is already overwhelmed with the amount of curriculum I have to cover in 9 short months, that I can't view something... or that I have to.

Mourning in Victory...

2009-07-07T18:54:00.002-05:00

My heart is heavy as I write this. We learned today that Ms. Carolyn, Javik's much loved babysitter, has cancer. She will meet with a surgeon in a few days and will begin treatment almost immediately in an effort to fight and win this battle.
And so there is a part of me that is in mourning... for as she begins this battle that will take every ounce of her energy and time, she will have to give up her daycare. She will no longer be able to care for my baby, and many others, as their parents work. However, the part of me that is mourning is not doing so for Carolyn. I truly believe that she can and will beat this disease! No, I am mourning for my Javik... I am mourning for his time with her. You see, Carolyn is one of the most wonderful people you could ever know and my son's time with her since he was born has fostered more learning and love and nurture than I ever could have imagined! He has learned so much about life and living from his time with Ms. Carolyn. And I mourn for the friendships that he has made there. So many little ones who go through life together, 8+ hours a day, "co-workers" if you will, that will now be scattered around town. Maybe Javik will end up at another daycare with some of his old friends. But not all of them. He...they... will have to start over.
And yet, with this mourning, there is also victory. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my God is the same yesterday, today and forever... He is unchanging! He is faithful! He is in control! And so, just as I trusted Him yesterday I can trust Him today. He holds LIFE in His hands, all of life, new and old and sick and healthy... mine and yours and Carolyn's. I know that He is the great healer and that if it is His WILL she will be healed. She is strong... and she is stronger in Him! I believe that this battle that has come, will go. She will fight a good fight and she will come out on the other side strong and healthy and beautiful! And even when things happen that we don't understand, like Ms. Carolyn's cancer, God is LOVE and He is LIFE and He is FAITHFUL. And we don't have to understand our circumstances in order for Him to be all of those things! No matter the battles we face, faith is the victory that overcomes this world, and that faith rests in JESUS CHRIST alone!

So if you are reading this... what can you do?
1. KNOW JESUS. If you do, thank Him and love Him and live for Him... If you don't, introduce yourself to Him, and if you don't know how, ask me...
2. PRAY. Pray for Ms. Carolyn as she faces this battle with her family and friends by her side. Pray for the displaced babies as they adjust to new surroundings and faces and routines. Pray for those, all over this globe, who are fighting cancer; those who are winning on both sides of Heaven.
3. DO SOMETHING. Find someone in your life who is battling... maybe its cancer, maybe its some other disease, maybe its life itself... and do something to help them. Be a friend. Sit with them and talk awhile. Run errands for them. Take part in a fundraiser to help offset medical costs.
Be the hands & feet of Jesus to those who are hurting...

As always, I am because of HIM...

Let the Dog Days Begin...

2009-05-19T23:21:00.005-05:00

Summer is here. If not in temperature, then in schedule. School is out. It always takes me a few days to adjust to the carefree days of summer. And although I'm teaching summer school this year (just can't pass up that $$), it's still a great feeling knowing that I have a week and a half to myself. No where to be, no schedule to follow; no alarm clock, no bells dictating my day... yes, summer is here and summer is good!
Lax as the schedule may be, it is still setting up to be a busy one. 3 weddings in the next 5 weeks (one this weekend... yay for Erin & Luke!). The next 2 are the weddings of girls who were in our youth group! How is it even possible that someone who came through our youth ministry is now old enough to get married?! I'm going to keep telling myself its not... possible, that is.
Summer school lasts all of June. This will be the first year that Cole will EVER attend Super Summer without me... I'm kind of bummed. No, I'm really bummed. But I know that this is the way it has to be, so I'm making my peace with it. Pray for us... that God will work mightily during those 2 weeks in the hearts of teenagers and adults alike on those 2 campuses; and that Javik & I will survive 2 weeks without Cole!
July, though, is all mine. Well, almost. Javik & I will spend the week with Cole at Grand Oaks Camp in Chilicothe again this year (by far the best associational camp I've ever been too!). We're particularly excited about the pool. And then some eMints training days, followed by Cheerleading camp for 3 days.
Then, finally, a little relaxation... nope, wait, then its August! School again!
Oh well. Nonetheless, I have nearly 70 days of little to no schedule and no real responsibilities. Sitting here with another entire summer ahead of me, my ambitions are big. I have lofty goals of all that I will accomplish in the next 2 1/2 months. Times like these make all of the headache days fade from my memory and renew my love for the career that I chose.
Happy Summer everyone!

A Mom's Mom

2009-05-07T21:02:00.002-05:00

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be just like my mom...
This Sunday is Mother's Day. A whole day to honor the woman who gave me life. I've always liked Mother's Day...even when I was a little girl, I would pick flowers or draw a picture for my mom, excited to try and show her just how much I loved her.
However, Mother's Day took on a whole new meaning when I became a mother myself. Not until then did I really appreciate everything I have in my mom. For those of you who are not fortunate enough to know her,
my mother is AMAZING.
She truly is the most beautiful woman I know.
As a child, I was never really aware of all that my mom did for our family. I think that's part of what makes her such an amazing mom... she never requests thanks or praise; she gave selflessly to us because she wanted to.
I know that with everything in her, my mom wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. She wanted to be there when we came home from school each day and to spend our summers playing together. But she couldn't. Financially, it would have been a bad decision for our family. And so she didn't. I never saw the labor of love in my mom's working until it was my turn to drop my baby off at daycare while I went to work all day. What about all the moments of his life I would miss?! How could I ever trust that anyone (even the best "nanny" of them all) would take care of him like I would?! "You're doing this FOR him," my mom told me. "I know it's hard. But it's not the number of minutes you get with him that matters... it's how you make those minutes count in his life."
Advice from a woman who's been there.
And she's right. And so every day I try to make the most of the hours (however few) that I spend with my son... teaching him and playing with him and laughing with him... just like my mom did with me.
I also never understood why my mother wore the same winter coat for the entirety of my childhood... Didn't she realize that it was the farthest thing from stylish?! In fact, I'm not sure that a navy and red "trench coat" (for lack of a better word) was EVER stylish! How could she wear that thing year in and year out and not seem to care?! Now I know... she wore the same coat every year because her growing babies couldn't, and even when we reached the age where we could... so we wouldn't have to. She kept her tapered leg jeans and out-of-date sweaters so that I could have the latest. My mom never mentioned if she wanted new things... she showed me what it means to be content with what you have. And now I understand why... I'd gladly wear the same jeans for the rest of my life so that Javik could have whatever he wanted. Recently I had a conversation about this very topic with my girlfriend and she relayed a similar message... for HER recent birthday, she requested clothes for her SON!
The proverbial trench coat lives on.
There are countless more examples of how my mom gave and gave without ever asking for anything in return. Exhibits A through eternity: my laundry was ALWAYS done and I KNOW I didn't do it... Somehow there was always enough money for me to pay class dues, and go to the movies, and buy ANOTHER t-shirt for whatever I was doing that week... When I fell in love with a boy who had stolen my heart, my mom loved him too, she made him part of our family without any reservation...
My mom has given me more than I ever acknowledge... so many things in my lifetime that I'm certain I've forgotten many if not most of them. But the one thing my mom has given me that I'll never forget or take for granted is her unconditional love. I know without a doubt that my mother loves me, for who I am... not ever for what I have done or will do, could give or take, wanted or provided...
she loves me because I am hers.
It was because my mom painted such a beautiful picture of unconditional love and grace that I realized my need for a Savior and ultimately gave my heart to Jesus. And when I made that decision it was my mom who was there to lead me in that sweet, life-changing prayer. I pray that I can lead that same kind of life for Javik. That through my example he will meet Jesus and his life will be changed. And I know that when that day comes, he'll have the greatest grandma on Earth cheering him on!
So this Mother's Day, thank your mom. And on this Mother's Day: thank YOU mom! (assuming she'll ever read this)... And so now, as an adult, a wife, a mother to my own, if ever I grow up: I want to be just like my mom!

Who We Are...

2009-01-21T14:09:00.000-06:00

I've been inspired by some friends who are regular "bloggers" to begin blogging about my own life. The nature of the blog is, in itself, slightly presumptuous on my part... that anyone besides myself is interested in my life... and that you will continue to come back for, what I can assure you will not be exciting, updates.
'Tis the nature of the blog beast, I suppose. So here goes...

I'll start with a brief introduction... however I think its safe to assume that anyone reading this already knows me and my family. Nonetheless...

My name is Jeana. I am graciously saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, the wife of Cole, the mother of Javik, the friend of several (dare I say many?!), and the teacher of 98 8th grade math students.

I gave my life to the Lord when I was 8 years old, when I realized through the life-example of my mom that I was sinful and needed HIM. In the last almost 2 decades, my Savior has never failed me, never failed to guide me, never failed to love me...

I gave my heart to a boy named Cole when I was 15 years old, at a camp called Super Summer. He was a brand new believer, and renewed in my heart what passion for Jesus really looked like. We dated for 5 years before we married in 2002... what an amazing 11 years we've shared together!

My heart lept outside my body in the form of a baby boy named Javik Nolan on June 27, 2007. He brings so much joy to our home... its really unbelievable. I have a constant reminder of the love that the Father has for me in my love for Javik. He is now 19 months old and does not stop! Those of you who are fortunate enough to be called "mommas" and "daddies" yourselves know what I am talking about. The boy is a sponge! He learns something new, I swear, every second. Through him, we see the world all over again. What I view as mundane, he sees and says "Wa Oww." He notices every moooo, every neeigh, every Bah Bah, as well as every "tactor," "beep beep," "brooom brooom," and (my personal favorite) "Biiiig Daddddie!"

2009 is off and running, and in the Calloway-Hodson household we didn't miss a beat! School marches on for me, where it's almost sad to look forward and think about our lone day off between now and May 22nd. (Good Friday is truly Good!)

Cole is continuing on with the vision the Lord has given him regarding the hearts and souls of teenagers across the great state of MO. God continues to bless (tremendously) Cole's work as an evangelist... even when it appears as though there is no way, HE will make a way!!

And Javik's world remains, day in and day out at Ms. Carolyn's (thank the Lord for wonderful babysitters who care for the babies of working moms as if they were their own!). We're currently dealing with a biting friend at daycare... pray for us as we strive to impart to our son the importance of truth, that right is always right and wrong is always wrong... and pray for Javik as he continues to bear the brunt of the bite!

I think that should do it for my 1st post. I suppose I'll try to update every now and then... those of you who really know me know that there will potentially be months between posts, but no matter. The lack of updates should serve as a thankful reminder that the Lord is good, and where there is no update, there is full blessing and peace! :)

lots o' love...