A Much Needed Vacation . . .

This past weekend, we took the kids to Silver Dollar City for a much needed break for everyone. 2 weeks ago our home was robbed & vandalized. It has been a physically, mentally, & emotionally exhausting 2 weeks. We had planned this trip as part of John Michael's 5 birthday celebration - but thought we were going to cancel due to all the events leading up to it. We decided that the best thing for all of us would be to get away, laugh, sleep, play, & just be together. Our life in many ways has been turned upside down & the best thing for us was to just be together & reconnect as a family! We had a great time. Daddy & John Michael on the "High-Low Silo"


These 2 kids were bad!

A little sunshine, green leaves, & blooming flowers are always good for the soul! (Especially after our first day at the park - drizzle, cloudy & COLD - not many rides open, but some good shows!)
Isabelle & Daddy on the "Electro-Spin" - she was thrilled to be tall enough to ride this ride - she loved it so much, she rode it 3 or 4 times, I can't remember. She was even willing to wait in line to ride again & again.

Kevin & Isabelle on the right!
Kevin & Isabelle at the very top - she her pigtails flying in the wind! I rode this last year between Kevin & my sis-in-law Shannon, I was screaming my head off, with my eyes closed the whole time - they were on each side laughing!
A roller coaster more my speed in the kiddie section. Isabelle & Kevin with their arms up!
John Michael rode with Isabelle once, but it made him dizzy - same with the tea cups. He might have my dizzy issues.

Dinner at Famous Dave's at Branson Landing

The 2 munchkins cuddled up for bed!

Happy 5th Birthday John Michael

Our big boy turned 5 . . . he had a great day! He got to pick his lunch menu . . . hotdogs, macaroni & cheese, edamame, pears, carrots & ranch, & cupcakes! It was a yummy lunch! John Michael received a new big boy bike, legos, remote control car, & 2 racing games for the Wii. He had such a fun day & got really good at riding his new big boy bike.
Present from "sissy"

Thanks to our friend Laura for the yummy cupcakes - white cake & white frosting - JM's favorite! Laura . . . you make great cupcakes - we LOVED them!

A Big Thank You & Prayers

A big thank you to my sister Holly for coming to help us yesterday - she woke up early & headed 2 hrs with her baby girl to help Kevin with his new computer/register equipment. We really appreciate it! Her daughter Olivia is being stubborn about eating right now - doesn't really like baby food anymore, but won't eat table food either. So, for lunch I made her a "mini" plate that looked just like John Michael's & Isabelle. We all sat down to eat - her plate contained Mac 'n Cheese, tiny turkey dogs, paper thin apple slices & a dab of ketchup. As we prayed & began to eat, she looked around in wonder - "am I eating this? Is this all I get? Are you sure it's good?" were what her eyes seemd to say. I told the kids to not make a big deal of anything & to just keep eating. So we ate. She bit a little apple, spit it out. Licked a hot dog, then watched the kids have 2nds on the mac 'n cheese. At that point she decided, the macaroni might be good - she took a bite & smiled - she ate it all! We were so proud of her. She did it all on her own! She did try to then dip the macaroni in ketchup - the kids told her that was gross. So they showed her how to dip her hot dog - she licked the ketchup which sent chills down her back! It was cute. So, I hope she will eat some for her mama! Thanks again Holly, we do appreciate your help - as you know the computer has been a big source of stress & exhaustion for us.

Prayers needed:

VOICE: I am in need of prayers today. For the last 2 weeks, I have noticed my voice hurting, but tried to ignore it. (I started voice therapy about 18 months ago & finished May '08 for vocal chord nodules) Today, I can hardly talk - well I can speak, no laryngitis or anything, but it is so sore & very heavy. I think with all the stress, talking too much, & tears - I have lost all my good vocal hygiene that I learned last year during my speech therapy. So, I would love prayers for healing & for help in resting my voice & doing my exercises again. I don't want to develop the nodules again. I need to take care of my voice!

HOUSE: We are waiting on a call from someone interested in viewing our house this weekend. The timing is great for us b/c we'll be there celebrating J.M.'s 5th b-day. We are praying that they are very interested. We need to sell our home quickly!!!!! Please pray for them & for interest to pick up.

I'll update more as things develop . . . & I have news to share! :)

Thankfulness

Every day for the last 7 days, the word "thankful" has been ever present in my heart & mind. There are SO many things causing exhaustion & stress in our lives right now - but they are nothing in comparison to God's amazing goodness & all we have to be thankful for. So, I want to share in this post, the things I have been thanking God for in the past 7 days:

A. OUR FAMILIES have been extraordinary blessings in our lives, but in this past week in very specific ways:

1. As I was in K.C. last week, my sister & my parents both blessed us in practical ways - meals at their homes! (When you aren't really living in your house - there really is NO food in the house!) What a super huge blessing that has been for me & the kids (they don't have to eat cereal for every meal!) My family has also blessed me emotionally. I know my family misses me, as do I miss them, but it has been a blessing this week to know their encouragement & support of us in this new adventure. This is a hard change for us all to adjust too, but their positive spirits in our conversations have blessed me! I am thankful!

2. Kevin's parents are allowing us to "live" in their basement until our house sells - that is a HUGE commitment to say the least. They have been so gracious to help us with food, lodging, etc. I was blessed this week as they made some garden beds - they know what the garden meant to me & the kids at home, so they were excited & willing to start their own garden that we could share in. That meant a lot to me. The garden is such a special place for the kids & I to connect & work together. It's also great for homeschooling projects! I am thankful! Here are the beds:

B. OUR FRIENDS - I feel blessed that our friends are so supportive, encouraging & staying connected with us though our physical location is changing. I have been blessed by phone calls & emails from friends - just to say hello & to let us know they are praying for us. This past week the kids & I both were able to visit & connect with good friends while in K.C. I am thankful!
The kids with their friends (l -r) Natalie, Tyler & Emory Leachner; Myah & Carter Olson. I am lucky that my kids have good friends with really cool mama's - that I love dearly too! It was fun to let the kids play & for us to talk - well talk as well as you can with 8 kids running around!

I have known these gals for 2 1/2yrs. The Lord brought us together through BSF - 5 girls who never knew each other, yet our hearts connected in deep ways. I appreciate their friendships more than they know. I love getting together with them - to share our stories, our tears, & our joys! Our times together are so refreshing! I am thankful!

C. OUR JOB - I am so very thankful to have a job in this current economy & one that so matches the vision Kevin & I have for our family. We spent Saturday working together as a family at the nursery - it was wonderfully amazing. There was such peace! And I believe God has big things in store for us as we grow together as a family & with the nursery. The kids created boxes for plants, bagged onions in 1 lb bags, watered the plants in the greenhouses, & made friends with the customers - they absolutely LOVE being there! It brought a great big smile to my face! I am thankful that Kevin loves what he is doing & that God has given him the desires of his heart (read the previous post for more on this!) I am thankful!
D. GOD'S CREATION - the last 4 days have been amazingly beautiful. I say I wish it could be this way everyday, but then I'm told I probably wouldn't appreciate it as much - I don't know. It was absolutely perfect yesterday - no humidity, sunny, little wind, 70 degrees! Kevin hasn't had a day off in 14 days (the exhaustion I alluded to earlier), but his escape is the woods. So he & his dad took the kids for a hike - the kids take after their dad. They could spend the whole day in the woods - hiking, searching, & discovering new things. It was just what Kevin needed - to be refreshed in God's creation & to spend time with his kids. I am thankful!

The discoveries abound in the creek - here they are trying to trap a crawdad (above) & spiders (below). I am thankful that they aren't afraid of mud as I was as a child! :)

E. REST - physical & spiritual. I never sleep well when Kevin isn't with me - but while in K.C. I had the best 3 nights of sleep I have had in a long time. I can't explain why except that God blessed me with incredible rest. I am thankful for the rest Kevin has gotten this week - even with the time change. He has gone to bed early & slept so well - usually when he has lots on his mind (stress part I alluded to above) he doesn't go to sleep well or wakes up very early like 4am, usually. But not this week - I am so thankful!! I am also thankful for spiritual rest. We have felt so closely connected to God through all of this transition. Everyday, He meets us as we study & pray each morning to equip us for what the day holds. He is our source of strength, our confidant, our comforter, our provision, our Lord! He is all we need! I am thankful.

An Official Celebration!

As of 2pm today, Kevin became the official owner of Independence Nursery & Garden Center. The process of this change in our lives has so many pieces. It seems long at times with various delays - but God shows us His complete sovereignty through it all. He reminds us every morning to take one day at a time. Through the process of delays, we are both learning to have JOY in the hard times & to trust that He IS fully in control. Even today as we signed papers, there are a few small details that have to be finalized next week to make it "officially official". So once again a few more delays! :) It has been a great growth time for us all to say the least!

Kevin has been working here since early January - learning the ropes, setting up a new cash register system, & bringing his experience of paver work to the SE Kansas area. There is no one in this area doing the kind of work Kevin did in K.C. - so people are very excited about what he can do. The crews just completed a huge retaining wall for a gentleman who asked our company to do it last year - but they just didn't have the experience or confidence to do it. So they had Kevin look at it as soon as he arrived on the scene & it was well within his scope of experience so they went forward. It was a huge boost for all the employees & Kevin. He is excited to bring his experience to expand the business here. He was taken out to lunch last week by a paver company that is trying to win Kevin's attention because there is no one really addressing the market in SE Kansas for patios, retaining walls, etc. They are very excited to have Kevin's experience & knowledge in SE Kansas.

Kevin's favorite part right now is getting to know the nursery side of things & helping with the retail store. He has always dreamed about doing this, so this is very exciting & new for him. Over the last 10 days - the retail store has been very busy. They are seeing a huge increase in people wanting seeds & garden plants. With the economy struggling, more people are looking to grow their own food - this is very evident on a daily basis.

In the near future, the kids & I will be at the nursery a few afternoons a week to start learning the ropes. The kids love to be there & are learning about the nursery as well. For now, my role has been behind the scenes. My first order of business - straight from the boss - was to make a postcard to mail to all the customers. It was fun to be creative & do something new. Here it is:

We continue to ask for your prayers in regards to the sale of our home. We are asking the Lord to move quickly in this. Please pass the word if you know anyone looking for a house.

First Day of Kindergarten - Part 2

The kids had a great day of school yesterday both inside & outside. . . after lunch, we had a field trip. The lady across the street invited the kids & I over to feed their 1 month old calf. It was very interesting - the calf hits its'mother to get more milk, so you have to hold the bottle very tightly or you'll get hit with it. The kids thought it was really fun to do, & we were all amazed at how fast the milk was consumed. She had chickens for us to see as well . . . Isabelle was pretty excited about that. She has one called a "turkin" - it is a chicken, but it resembles a turkey - very interesting! The kids actually thought it was a small turkey. It's hard to see here, but it is right in the middle of this picture. We spent lots of time riding bikes, playing soccer, & creating a chalk village - complete with every store you could need, housing, a jail, & a church. It was very fun. The kids rode their bikes & scooters all around our city! It was so warm - I even have a sun burn on my arms! They slept great last night - it was a very FULL day! I slept great too - in bed at 8:22pm - SO tired!

This is one of our blocks - a toy store, pet store, grocery store, & library

This is the middle of our town - school, playground, pool, & neighborhood.

First Day of Kindergarten

Today, John Michael officially started kindergarten - & boy is he excited! I have been homeschooling Isabelle since January & John Michael since last fall in Pre-K. As the last 2 months have unfolded, Kevin & I have noticed his desire to do more & be a big boy doing work like Isabelle does. This weekend, we got him the first Math book in the curriculum we use & he was thrilled to begin. In the above picture, he had to color the blocks that matched the number underneath them. Then, he had to pick his favorite number - of course 5, since the big b-day is just a few weeks away - and draw 5 animals. His animals were an elephant, a bird, a spider, a mouse, & a turtle. He did so well & was so proud of his work. This picture was taken last week - he is much improved on his handwriting. It gets better each week. That is fun for a mom & homeschool teacher to see! I posted a pic back in Sept. of his first attempts at writing his name - you can check that out for fun in you want. http://theredfordfamily.blogspot.com/2008/08/jm-loves-school.htmlThis drawing is of him (the orange face) on his dad's shoulders. I'm the angry one standing on his arm - I need to smile more! :) & Isabelle is riding a dog. These are some of his first "stick figures". Pretty cute - even though I am the mean one in the pic. Isabelle is excelling like crazy. We are extremely proud of all that she is accomplishing. She is determined to learn cursive & fast. Her favorite part of school she says is Bible time. We read a daily reading & answer some questions. Then she writes a summary of what we read & draws a picture of what she read. It is a great project for her - she loves that she has her own "Bible journal" with her own words & pictures. She has worked very hard on it! She also loves to read & take comprehension quizzes - we found a free website for this that gives her points for all the answers she gets correct on the quizzes. They will then give prizes for the points or I can create coupons that she can redeem her points for . . . her dad agreed to give her $5 for every 1000 points she receives. She has a little over 4000 points since Jan. 1 & is working to earn enough to buy a Mario game for the Wii. She is one very determined little girl!