Back to the Back

So Allen's back has been bad since I have known him. However, a year and a half ago he did something to really mess it up and ended up with 2 herniated discs. He recently decided that it was not going to get better despite the physical therapy, cortisone shot and exercises he had/has been doing. He got another MRI which showed he now has 3 herniated discs. Tuesday we went and met with a surgeon who confirmed that surgery would indeed relieve the leg pain caused by his herniated disc(s).

He is scheduled for August 20th, at which point he will have the problem disc (apparently the other two aren't causing any of his pain) "scooped out". This is their simplest and most common surgery, with a 95% chance that he would NOT be back with this same problem (at least not at this disc). Pray for all of us, as this will mean tough recovery for Allen and challenges for myself and the girls as we assist him in his day to day functioning.

He will not be able to lift anything for a week and then no more than a bag of groceries or a laptop for 6 weeks. After that no more than 15 pounds for another 6 weeks. It will be a slow process as that means he will be unable to lift ANY of our children, since even Gracie will be too big by then.

He will be able to hold them once they have been carefully placed on his lap, but as you could imagine, this will be a HUGE challenge for all of us. We appreciate all your prayers in regard to this whole process!

Tie Dye

We (okay I) wanted to do something different for Lizzie's birthday party this year. So after much thinking and planning, we ended up having the kids tie dye shirts using blueberry juice. Here are the girls in their finished shirts (Lizzie's had the ice cream cone on it already..since she is the birthday girl):

She's 4

I cannot believe our little Lizzie is 4 years old.

Monday was her birthday party and we all had a great time. Lizzie especially enjoyed the animal game where she had to guess which animal all the kids were pretending to be.

We are so blessed to have such a sweet and kind little girl leading the Hutchison girl pack. She is a delight in so many ways, especially as it pertains to her loving relationship with both her sisters. I can't wait to see what God has in store for her. Whatever it is, I know she will rise to the challenge and shine even brighter with Him shining through her. May she know Him soon, and serve Him always.

I love you Lizzie girl!

Weights and Measures

So I started doing Weight Watchers again (as I have after each pregnancy thus far). It is going well and I have a new accountability partner, which is great! I was getting out the scale to let my new WW buddy compare it to hers. When I got it home the girls were very excited to use it too.
The first of the girls stepped up and onto the scale, 33 lbs.
The next little girl stepped up and did the same, 32.5 lbs.
The first child decided to have a second try, 32.5 lbs.

That's right, our big girls are almost the same weight and almost the same height, no wonder people are always asking if our girls are twins!

Vacuuming

The following conversation took place this morning, when the two older girls were watching the campus crew mow the grass.

Ellie: Why is that man vacuuming the grass?
Lizzie (without skipping a beat and as matter of fact as an almost 4 year old could possibly be): Because the grass is all dirty!

How Effective Are YOU?

“If you read history you will find
that the Christians who did most for the present world
were precisely those who thought most of the next.
It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world
that they have become so ineffective in this.”
-C.S. Lewis

2 months check-up and check-in

Today was Gracie's 2 months check-up. She passed with flying colors and even wrapped the doctor around her little pinky by smiling and cooing at him as he examined her. Maybe she was being sweet or maybe she was responding to his comment that, "she could be a baby model", either way, it was very cute to watch.
Here are the stats:
Head circumference- 15 inches (45% for her age)
Weight -------------- 10 lbs. 11 oz. (55% for her age)
Height---------------23 inches (75% for her age)

So average head and weight, but on the taller side of life for now.

Updated Note: I forgot to mention when I first posted this that it was also a big shot day for Malina Grace (two in one leg, and a 3-in-1 in the other). Needless to say this led to a very fussy and generally unhappy baby (who is generally very laid back). Here is Lizzie's take on things:

Lizzie: Why is Malina crying?
Daddy: She got shots in her legs today and they are hurting her.
Lizzie (sympathetically): Oh, right, because babies don't get lollipops.

So apparently that sucker they give the girls after their shots does the trick! Who knew!

Aunt Edee

Today I found out that one of the sweetest, most creative women on this Earth, my Great-Auntie Edith, passed away. Her body couldn't keep up with the beautiful soul it was a vessel to for over 90-something years. She, to the best of my knowledge, knew and loved the LORD well, and now is enjoying the beauty of being in His presence. At the dinner table we prayed for our family members as we mourn her death. This led to a discussion later in the evening that went something like this:

Lizzie: Where did Great-Aunt Edith go?
Allen and I: She believed in Jesus/God and loved Him, so she went to heaven.
Lizzie: Who is heaven?
Me: No Honey, heaven is a place where God and Jesus live.
Allen: Heaven is Jesus' home...
Lizzie (face lighting up): Ooo! Can we die too?!
Allen and I (chuckling at this point, trying to maintain some form of composure): Well, um, yes, we all die some day, but God decides when. So, when it's our turn, yes we can die. When we die, if we believe in Jesus and that He died for the bad things we've done, then we can go to heaven.

So not quite what we were shooting for, but don't worry, I went on to explain that God decided it was Auntie Edith's turn and that Auntie Edith died because her body was having a hard time working since she was an older woman. I think she got it, but it was a tough conversation, with moments of laughter and moments of extreme seriousness, trying to explain such difficult concepts to such a sweet little girl can really challenge your creativity skills.

Hopefully I did Aunt Edee proud with my simplistic explanations. She was always so creative.

New Layout

So what do you think???

Thoughts From My Quiet Time

My quiet time has been moved to "naptime" as of late. And I think I just read my new favorite verses. I couldn't help but chuckle just imagining the imagery. God is amazing and worthy of our praise, but sometimes He has an awesome sense of humor when He is scolding His children:

Job 38:12-13
(The LORD speaking to Job out of a storm)
"Have you ever given orders to the morning,
or shown the dawn its place,
that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked out of it?"

Sometimes we can get so self-righteous, but God always takes the time to remind us who He is and who we are not.

Later in the chapter the LORD's sarcasm continues:
Job 38:19-21
"What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?
Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?
Surely you know, for you were already born!
You have lived so many years!"

May I remember my place and be humbled by it, so that I can be freed to serve Him well, without my pride getting in the way.