Lawn Work

Our friend, Caleb Walker, who is also a former student of mine, mowed our grass on Tuesday, and he had a little help from Landon!

Camping

This past weekend, we took our highly anticipated camping trip to Standing Stone State Park with the Griffins. Phillip couldn't wait to get there, and he wanted to make sure we got a good spot at the campsite, so we left on Thursday. When we got there, the boys couldn't wait to fish. So, Phillip went to the office and asked if there was a trail that led to the lake. She directed us to the trail, and we were on our way. I think it must have been a trail made by a deer because it was a skinny steep trail- not one for walking on with small children. On our hike, I couldn't even walk side by side and hold Lofton's hand, so he walked in front of me, and I would hold on to his hand when it looked treacherous; Phillip carried Landon. Well, on our hike, we (well, Phillip not me) saw a snake above us in a tree; it was good that I didn't see it or we'd have started our hike back up. Lofton also slipped and fell and was holding on to a root. I grabbed him, and we were both scared, but when I told him he was like Indiana Jones, he got over it. When we finally got to fish, it was uneventful- not a thing was caught. And, this was the story of the weekend. The boys and Ella also fished on Friday and Saturday, but they did not catch a thing unless you count the turtle that Landon reeled in. It was a good thing we weren't fishing for our dinner. Then, we went back to our (mine and Amy's) cabin for the night, and it was good that we did seeing as there were tornado warnings all night and severe thunderstorms.

The Griffins joined us on Friday, and the boys and kids hit the campsite. Phillip made dinner, and the kids and adults made smores, caught lightening bugs, and told "scary" campfire stories.

On Saturday, we all enjoyed swimming, which was surprisingly Landon's favorite part. He usually hates the pool, but he has changed his mind, and I couldn't even get him to leave. The kids with Jonathan and Phillip also fished and stomped in the creek on Saturday. We ended Saturday with a hike and a delicious meal (who knew you could eat so well on a camping trip), and of course smores and stories.

The camping experience wasn't complete without the catching of a fish, so on our way home, Phillip drove to Dale Hollow, where they finally caught a fish, and we then got to head on our way home. I am happy to say we all survived, and I am actually thinking it would be fun to do again. I know I wouldn't feel this way had I not slept in an air conditioned cabin with a bathroom and beds.

I recently changed my guest bathroom to the boys' bathroom and redecorated it. Phillip had a picture on his cell phone of Lofton holding a large frog, so I had him email me the picture so that I could hang it in our frog themed bathroom, and as I was looking through his phone, I saw these old pictures of Landon taken right before his eye surgery at Vanderbilt. I had always meant to get them printed for his baby book, but I never did. Phillip emailed them to me, and we both were shocked to see just how crossed his eyes were. At our last checkup with Dr. Donahue (a month or so ago), I was reminded just how fortunate we are. Dr. Donahue drew me a diagram of Landon's colabomas and showed me that had they been a little larger or in a different spot that he could've been blind. He also told me that Landon is lucky to not have had to have glasses. Dr. Donahue told us as we were leaving that Landon is "quite a lucky young man." We agree, but we also know that many prayers were answered on Landon's behalf. God is good! We are so blessed.


Minutes before Landon's surgery



16 months later!

Who's the Boss?

Tonight after Lofton said his prayers, he started asking me questions about heaven, such as, "Will Jesus take all of our stuff with us? When are we going to heaven?" After he and I talked about it for several minutes, he then said to me, "When we go to heaven, God will be the boss; not you. Tell, daddy that, ok."

How sweet and innocent are children! And, how funny that he recognized me as the boss and not Phillip!

WORN OUT!

We went to the pool on Saturday with Nana, and the boys were having so much fun that we totally missed nap time. Before I knew it, it was 3:00, so I packed up to head home knowing that Landon would fall asleep quickly, but I had no idea that Lofton would fall asleep before I hit the interstate!

Chocolaholic

Landon by far loves chocolate more than about anyone I know. He gets giddy if you even speak the word. It is definetely a key to his heart. The other day he somehow got his hands on some chocolate, and this is what happened.