micah's sweet new ride

yes, that is my husband rockin' a 1968 Vespa scooter, shipped here all the way from Vietnam.

growing pains

I have a very distinct memory of being young and walking into my parent's bedroom in the middle of the night, tears falling down my face because my body ached. I could never fully express what I was feeling, so mom and dad named them growing pains. It seems like just yesterday my legs were tight with growth, my arms being stretched beyond their capacity. Those were aches that every child experiences during their growth process, but I was certain I was falling apart and no one else in the world had ever lived with such pain.

Last night mom asked me if I was okay. I can't say something is WRONG. But I would have to say I am living with some growing pains right now. These are growing pains of the spirit. I can feel my heart and soul being stretched; the refiner's fire is at work within my life, melting away the stone to create something beautiful for my God.

And I know that, like those pains of my early days, this is a period of growth in my life. I will come through this with a deepened confidence in my faith, a newfound appreciation of the holiness of my God.

"I guess I thought that I had figured You out.
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save.
But those were only empty words on a page.
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be.
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees."
--Addison Road

"and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of His glory and grace"

--Jesus, make the things of this world pale in comparison to You.
give my heart a hunger and thirst for You,
for Your truth and Your voice.

now i understand

If there is one thing I have learned in my 2 brief years of being a mom is that all my preconceived notions regarding motherhood have flown straight out the window.

For example, I always hated kids with boogers. Gross. Now I understand that in the winter, nothing short of a surgically implanted kleenex will keep a toddler completely booger-free.

My most recent discovery came with one of John Mark's birthday presents... the dreaded LIGHT UP article of clothing. You see, I have always been entirely opposed to all things "clothing" with lights- shoes, hats, etc. I never understood why these were popular. To me they were entirely unnecessary and waaaay too cheesy.

Two weeks ago my proclamations of "my child will NEVER wear light up clothes" was put to rest. John Mark was given a light up cars t-shirt. And he fell in love. It's the only shirt he wants to wear. So what did my mother do? What any self-respecting grandma would do- buy him 2 more.

So I am now officially "that mom." You know, the one whose kid only wears shirts that light up.

18 weeks to 26.2

That's right.
This begins my first week of official training for the full marathon in Dallas.
Every time I think about it, I get so excited.
A separate blog is in the works to be dedicated entirely to marathon updates, so keep your eyes peeled.

Until then, here is my training update for today.
Running total: 3 miles, 26 minutes
Uniform: Gray mesh shorts, hot pink dri-fit racerback tank
Playlist: Rihanna, The Killers, Telecast, U2...

our party

On account of our ridiculously busy schedule, we are waiting to do John Mark's big birthday party until after August 17. The reasons for that date are too many, and probably too boring, to list here. So if you are a friend who is wondering if we have somehow forgotten to invite you to the 2-year-old bash, please know you are not forgotten! I just don't have a chance to breathe until summer slows down... but once life gets a little less hectic, you will all be invited to something ridiculously fun. Well, probably not all of you, because some of you are just stalkers that I could never invite since I don't know who you are. :o)

Anyway, last night we had a fun little "rigdon family" birthday night. We started off the evening with the first present. I casually mentioned the present when talking about the evening. Later I asked John Mark if he wanted to eat pizza, to which he replied "no, present" and sat down in the chair. So we got out his first present, a totally awesome sesame street school bus that sings the ABC's, which he has already thrown on the ground and broken. But he loved it for the evening!

Then I made mini pizzas for each of us, since pizza is John Mark's favorite food. Micah & JM got pepperoni and cheese. I got an oh-so-yummy pizza that I will post a recipe for later. After pizza, John Mark proudly proclaimed "Presents." So we got out his next presents. This was the hodge podge of gifts we bought to pacify him on the bus ride to Florida (I know, I know, I still haven't posted those pics yet... give me time, people!) that we never made it to. He got a Diego magna doodle, cars magnet set and little plastic tools.

After these presents, of course we had to eat cupcakes. Micah graciously made the cupcakes, since I had to work Monday and he had the day off. We sang "Happy Birthday" and John Mark attempted to blow out the candles. After very little success, we helped him out. He enjoyed the cupcakes quite a bit, if you can't tell from this picture:

That pretty much sums up our evening. Oh, he went to the doctor yesterday for his 2 year check-up. Here are his stats:
*Height: 38', 105% (they say if you double their height at age 2, that will be their adult height... that puts him somewhere between 6'3"-6;4")
*Weight: 35 pounds, 105%
Yeah, he's pretty much huge. But that's cool. We love him!

2 years

Today is a day for looking back...
for remembering that day,
two years ago when our lives changed forever.
I'll start at the beginning.

It was hot. Not the kind of heat you can ignore, but HOT. Sweat rolling down your temple as you walk to the car kind of hot. Imagine this heat magnified by an added 60 pounds and a 10 pound baby heater in your stomach.

I had just finished a fabulous lunch at Saturn Grill with Jamie, her sister Amy and baby Caroline. After a quick shopping trip to Target, we had headed to our respective houses to get ready for our monthly small group party.

Did I mention it was HOT?

As I walked into the house, I noticed I was a little more tired that usual. I didn't think too much of it, having spent a good part of the day walking. So I laid down on the couch. The longer I laid there, the more I began to realize something was going on with my big ol' belly. I began to pay closer attention. As the clock neared 5:00, I was guessing this was labor. So I did the only intelligent thing to do- I called Jamie. She assured me that this was, in fact labor and I should call the hospital.

Micah got home from work and we called the hospital. They politely informed there was no room. Feeling a little like Mary, I began to follow their instructions: lay down, walk around, drink water, take a bath... but nothing was stopping the pains from coming quicker.

We called again. They told us we could stay in the holding room. We grabbed our bags, cell phones and car seat and set out. Along the way, phone calls went out to everyone who needed to know. Mom & Dad headed that way from Central High... Tiffany & Russell went to the wrong hospital... Micah's family sat aside their evening plans and drove to Lakeside.

Time seemed to slow as they made all the necessary precautions. We made ourselves comfortable for a while in the room no bigger than a closet. Laughter and tears (ahem, TIFFANY) flowed as we all waited in anticipation.

Who would he look like?
Would he have hair?
How much would he weigh?

The moment came- come on back to surgery, they said. Jamie & Natalie waved at me excitedly as I walked back to surgery. I laid down on the table, quietly waiting for Micah to arrive in his scrubs. Meds were given, blue curtains went up, the doctor went in...

Micah & I sat chatting about this new life coming into the world.
Prayers were said.
A cry.
The announcement from the anesthesiologist-
"Good grief, lady, you just delivered a toddler!"
The curtain dropped,
My son.

waiting in the hospital

the "toddler" i delivered

family picture, 2007

florida, 2008

i need you so much closer

Late Thursday night I stood on the beach,

a salty breeze ruffled my sundress around my ankles.
All around me students were face down in the sand,
crying out for God to move.

I watched from the back,
John Mark sleeping soundly in my arms.
I was reminded of a time when I was desperate,
needing nothing except for Jesus.

Somewhere along the way life got busy.
Things grew hectic,
my passion began to wane in light of other things in my life.
Nothing bad, in fact, most of it was quite good.
But even good things can become burdens.

So on a clear night in July,
twinkly lights illuminating the sand around me,
I asked Jesus to move.

the distance is quite simply much too far for me to row

it seems farther than ever before
--death cab for cutie

We are headed to Florida for a week with the HS students from church.
I'll have lots of fun pics and stories to post when we return!

If you think of it,
say a quick prayer for us.
18 hours is a LONG time on a bus,
especially with a 2 year old!

one more day...

until a little bit o' this...

can't wait girls!!! love you!

fun in the sun

Tonight after work we let John Mark play in the water sprinkler in the front yard. I got a ton of cute pictures. Enjoy!

freedom day

I love the 4th of July.
I think it might be my favorite holiday of them all.
I mean, what's not to love?
Family, friends, great food, fireworks...
a celebration of freedom...
It's awesome!

True to form, we had a busy, but super fun, 4th of July weekend. We started on Wednesday with the Freedom Celebration at church. There was a concert and fireworks. John Mark loved running around in the grass playing with Caroline, and declared the fireworks "awesome." Thursday after work we headed to Central High to catch the big party at mom & dad's house.

Friday evening lots of our friends and family got together at mom & dad's for lots of good food, homemade ice cream and games. Jonas & Eric walked down to see us for a while in the afternoon. The boys had lots of fun playing in John Mark's kiddie pool.

Owen and Amanda were in town, so John Mark got to have lots of fun playing with his new friend Austyn. They had lots of fun being pulled around in the wagon, sliding on the slide and eating. It's always so much fun to watch John Mark play with other kids. They are all getting so big. I just can't believe it!

The neighbors always put on a great fireworks show, so instead of venturing into town, we just sat at the top of the driveway and watched the fireworks from all around.

Saturday we ate leftovers and rested after the long night. I had a lot of fun walking around taking pictures of mom & dad's backyard. Here are some of my favorites.

moon over central high

the antique tricycle mom & dad redid for John Mark

nanny & grandma- these woman are my truest heroes

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green..." Jeremiah 17:7-8

"but we have this treasure in jars of clay..." 2 Corinthians 4:7

bye bye, colors

Tuesday evening Micah and John Mark were laying in the floor coloring in his new coloring book. They were having so much fun and looked so cute. John Mark has a newfound love of coloring on anything. We are learning "only write on paper."

Anyway, after his bath that night, I was getting him ready for bed. I got up to get his milk and I could hear him talking. When I turned around, he was picking up all of his crayons saying "bye bye colors..." "colors all done..." "night night colors..." It was the absolute cutest thing I have ever seen!!

Please excuse how disgusting he is in this last picture... he had just eaten something (shocking, I know!!)

long overdue (again)...

I am so sorry for my lack of recent updating. We have so much going on, which is leading to some hilarious pictures and video, but it is also keeping me from having the time to post!!

We have now crossed Middle School camp, VBS and the 8th Grade Trip to Six Flags off our summer "to-do" list. Now we have High School Camp and Kids Kamp left. Fortunately those things are at the very end of the summer. Unfortunately, so is John Mark's birthday and our anniversary! I like being busy though. I seem to thrive in chaos. John Mark is being quite the trooper too and going with the flow very well.

Before you start feeling too sorry for us and the insanity that is our life right now, know that we are having plenty of fun family time in our down time. We took John Mark to see "Kung Fu Panda" at the theater last weekend. He loved it and sat pretty well through the movie- that is until the snacks ran out. At which point he loudly proclaimed "eat pizza now." Fortunately we were near the end of the movie and he held through to the end and we got to eat pizza in the food court.

Here is the promised picture of the black-eye that was the result of last weekends dancing incident. It is looking better now, but he keeps falling down and getting more bruises. My parents got him golf clubs and he uses them as a horse, guitar and umbrella. Yesterday he decided to try all 3 at once and fell down the steps to his playroom, resulting in a bruise and bump on his forehead! Silly boy!

Last night we made a quick trip to Central High to wish Jonas a very happy birthday. The party was a kiddieland, which brought back lots of memories of my childhood. I am pretty sure I have this same picture of me and JJ (Jonas' mom) when we were about this age, riding these very same airplanes!

I think that brings us up-to-date. Micah is doing awesome at his job with the Middle Schoolers. They are starting to figure him out and I can see them growing to love him. It makes me so happy every time I see him talking with the kids... speaking messages that I know God has given to him... even showing off his sweet dance moves! I can see the light in his eyes that comes from doing what God has called him to do. I am so proud of him!

hair cuts and owies

This is John Mark modeling his new, super cool, summer, big boy hair cut. I was tired of how sweaty and gross it gets every time he gets hot (which is ALL the time) so we decided to just cut it all off. He looked in the mirror and said "non-nart hair... go?" But I think he likes it. It makes him look a lot older.

He also got his first major owie- a nice, fat black eye... just in time for Father's day and all the fun pictures I wanted to take tomorrow. He was dancing in the office with Micah- to Jordin Sparks' "No Air"... make fun of Micah for that later :) He decided to start spinning, lost his balance and hit his eye on the corner of the file cabinet. Poor little guy screamed for about 30 minutes. We turned on cars, gave him juice and animal crackers and he finally calmed down. I didn't get a picture of the damage... I'll have one after tomorrow and will post it then.

We finally decided to buckle down and hang things on the walls today. Our office/guest room had just been the holding room for everything we hadn't found a place for and it finally drove me insane. Somewhere in the midst of everything I was going through, John Mark found the glue gun. He carried around everywhere, hitting walls and doors. When Micah got on the couch to hang the pictures over it, John Mark got up behind him and said "daddy fix it... non-nart fix it." It was the sweetest thing I have ever seen!

sweetness

It's been a whirlwind two weeks.
We spent last week in Gerty, OK at Camp WOW.
It was an awesome week full of Middle School students,
crazy games and of course Jesus.

Hearing the gospel presented is always so inspiring.
Late Wednesday evening, I walked across camp
thinking about the songs we sang,
the beautiful simplicity of the gospel.

Micah and I were discussing how the older we get,
the more complicated salvation becomes...
more difficult to explain.

And then today, at VBS,
I heard the gospel presented to 600 elementary kids.
The beautiful story touched my heart.
I remembered what it was to have true faith...
the faith of a child.

I want that again-
to know that I don''t have it all figured out,
but it's okay because HE has the whole world in His hands.

"Jesus, Jesus how I trust Him
How I've proved Him over and over
Jesus, Jesus precious Jesus
Oh, for grace to trust Him more."

cupcake boy

On Thursday I was making our bed when I noticed that it was unusually quiet in the living room. I walked into the room and this is what I found. Apparently John Mark pulled the container of cupcakes from the top of the cabinet and helped himself to the cupcakes that were left. Oh- there were about 6 cupcakes left... He looked so cute sitting there with icing all over his face that I just couldn't get too upset with him.

memorial weekend

This was a wonderful weekend for us. We didn't have anything planned and loved just spending quality time with each other and our dear friends.

Saturday we didn't do anything really. I cleaned the house and Micah played with John Mark. I know that it sounds really boring, but it was such a fun day!

Sunday was church and then we had a barbecue at the Wehunts. That is where these pictures of John Mark and Caroline are from. They had such a fun time running around and "climbing" the tree. By climbing, I really mean me and Jamie holding them up in the branches until they were tired and said "down."

Monday we went to the zoo and saw the animals. John Mark loved being at the zoo with daddy (he is much more interesting than mommy!) and got to ride the carousel and kiddie train. He had so much fun that he wore himself out and was asleep before we got out of the parking lot. We rounded out the evening with popsicles in the driveway. We figured that he was already a sticky, sweaty mess so why not add a little more sugar to his nastiness!!

It was a great weekend spent together, especially considering we are going to be busy for the entire month of June!

always be weather aware

Today we were sitting in the living room when Micah and I noticed that it was abnormally quiet in the back of the house where John Mark was playing. I went into our bedroom to investigate and this is what I found...

John Mark had pulled everything out of my closet and was sitting on the ground. I guess he was thinking that we were going to hide from the tornadoes again! Then he proceeded to make me get in the closet with him. What a silly boy!!

I have a lot more pictures from this weekend, but I will leave you with these for now until I have a chance to post again.

love wash over a multitude of things

It's been three years today since my life changed.

Three years since I sat on a couch,

tears streaming down my face,

scared to death of the choices I faced.

I was given a gift that night-

a gift I had thrown on the ground months earlier,

carelessly choosing to discard such beautiful love.

Little did I know that gift-

one handpicked for ME,

from the Giver of every good and perfect gift-

that gift was bursting with grace.

Today I am overwhelmed with gratitude-

to the Giver, the gift,

and everyone in between who has walked this journey with me.

I love you.

There is a love that never fails

There is a healing that always prevails

There is a hope that whispers a vow

A promise to stay

So come with your love and wash over us

--Sara Groves