Busy, Busy!

I have been deliquent in my blogging this week because life has been busy.  Good busy, but nonetheless busy. 

 

 This sweet preschool girl and her class had a visit from "David's principal" for Read Across America day.  Not only did he bring them a book and a goody bag, but information for upcoming Kindergarten registration!  I would be so sad except for the fact that she is so excited!!!

 Sweet girl is growing up so fast! 

 Friday night our boys and some other Daddies and sons went to nearby Oak Hill to watch the gold team play hoops.  Hope and I headed to church to help with the all night children's ministry "camp in." Over fifty children showed up for the all night event at church.  Here is Hope helping Ms. Saunders set out the cupcake decorating station for the kids. 

 Here is Hope painting her prayer rock at one of the stations. 

 Hope and I did not stay all night but we stayed for the Friday night activities and the movie.  Here are Hope and Olivia getting snuggled in for the movie. 

 After the movie the amazing El Saunders did a goodnight devotion/story for all the children.  When I grow up I want to be like El Saunders!  She is a godly woman full of energy and love for children.  She is simply amazing! 

 Saturday afternoon we headed to a AAU tournament for Kyle and his basketball team.  David has to dress out in his own Hornet uniform and "help" the team on the bench.  The entire team is SO amazing to David and treat him like a teammate. 

 We love our basketball team and families.  We have spent many hours together in different gyms all over Virginia and East Tennessee.  We sometimes complain about the late nights or early mornings, but we have made some precious family memories together. 

 This picture cracks me up!  David typically sits on the bench with the team and helps "coach" with Mike and Coach Syd.  I love the hands on the hips from "Coach Dave"

Hope and Macy had such fun together yesterday and between games I brought them outside to run and play in the sunshine.  The boys won which meant that they played a fourth game last night which made for a long day for these girls, but between coloring, running, reading, and playing Ipads, they had fun. 

Today is church day and Upward basketball for David.  This upcoming week UVA is sending a video crew to our house to interview us for a video to be shown at the opening of the new Battle Building this June.  We love being a Miracle Family through the Children's Miracle Network which allows us to give back after all that UVA has done for us.  We are honored to be in this upcoming video and of course David loves any opportunity to have visitors here and to be in front of a camera!  Ha! 

My Sweet Girl and the Bible

This has been the most low key weekend we have had in a long while.  Poor Kyle is still battling the nasty norovirus that hit him Friday morning in the wee hours.  It has been a harsh bug on our buddy, but he is slowly on the mend. 

I finally dumped some pictures off of my camera and I was stunned to see through these pictures that our baby is growing up.  We will be signing this sweet girl up for kindergarten in the next few weeks which is exciting and sad all at the same time. 

Here she is at her preschool Valentine party.  Her heart is as sweet as her smile!  She is at the precious helpful stage and we love it! 

 

Another milestone for her is that we just signed her up for Tball!!!  She is so excited and she kept Mike out in the yard for a long time yesterday practicing!  This will be Kyle's last year in Little League and this will be Hope's first!  We are looking into David playing Challenger Baseball through Little League.  Mike and I both chuckled that we can't believe we have a Tballer again.  We feel a little old to be back in the Tball rank, but we are excited!

Being home so much this weekend has allowed us to finish up The Bible on DVD that was on last spring on TV.  We watched parts of it then but we have really enjoyed watching it all within a short time period now.  It is simply awesome.  Kyle watched the least because he is so tender-hearted that he cannot stand violence at all.  David watched every. single. minute of it.  I will admit that I had to leave the room during the Crucifixion. 

It still boggles my mind what Jesus endured on that cross.  He did it out of His love for me and for you.  Watching this mini-series reminded me of the night many years ago (spring of 1996 if my math is right) when Jesus tugged at my heart during an evening church service at Calvary Baptist Church in Radford.  Because of a dumb boy, I was feeling so down on myself and so unworthy.  I remember I was wearing brown slacks and a creme sweater and I was trying hard not to cry because of the same dumb boy during church. 

Jesus was tugging on my heart reminding me that I am worth so much to Him because He created me.  I felt peace, love, and warmth all over my body and I knew right then I would never be the same.  I had no idea the ride that Jesus was going to take me on, but that night in my heart and in my head I surrendered my heart to him. 

Let me clarify that I am a sinner.  Just because I gave my heart to Jesus back in 1996 does not mean that I am perfect or that I do not sin.  I said a curse word just this morning in the shower when I hit my head on the shampoo holder.  I roll my eyes at my husband, I indulge in small town gossip every once in a while, and I can be righteous. 

But I love my Jesus.  I love the peace and the grace that He extends to me every single day.  He knows me and He loves me anyway.  I was so emotional watching the Bible because of my love and apprecation for Jesus.  That night in 1996 He pulled me out of my teenage pit of boy drama and has been rescuing me every since.  He brought Mike into my life, He has blessed us with three children when we thought that we would maybe not be able to conceive one child, and we have all grown closer to Him.  We have felt his presence during the happiest moments of our life and also the scariest.  His power is certainly made perfect in our weakness. 

I am just a girl that walked into an evening church service in 1996 with a sad heart over a dumb boy and walked out a changed woman.  I am not even sure my parents knew that I had even accepted Christ that night.  I had been baptized when I was 12, but that night when my heart was broken over a silly boy, I realized that magnitude and the need for Jesus in my life.  I am so glad that I did:) 

Friends and Love

When David was battling cancer there were MANY prayer warriors back here is beautiful Southwest Virginia praying and rooting for him.  It has been our joy and honor to meet in person some of the awesome people that have followed David's journey and this blog. 

Tonight david and I had a date to a local high school girls basketball game to cheer on sweet and beautiful Kayleigh in a huge basketball game for her team.  She is Jason's niece so David was pretty pumped up to see Jason!

The girls won in OVERTIME by one point and we cheered our guts out!  David even got Jason to do spirit fingers while the girls were shooting foul shots.  Only David could get grown men to twinkle their fingers in the air!!!  I love it!  Jason and Ashley were our rocks on those first scary and sad days after diagnosis and it has been such a joy to connect with Jason's family. 

Here is the beautiful Kayleigh and the sweet sign we made to cheer her on at the game.  Back in the fall, her volleyball team would break huddle with "David" to remind them to give it their all and to play hard just like he fought cancer.  When Kayleigh's Mom, Tessa, told me that I got the biggest lump in my throat.  It continues to amaze and overwhelm us in a good way how this whole area was rooting and praying for our boy.  We are also thankful to know that many are still praying!

 

Kayleigh, you and your teammates rocked tonight!  I only yelled once at the ref which is pretty good for me!  Ha!  You ladies gave it your all and it was such an honor to meet you and to cheer for you.  Thank you for praying for our boy and for loving him.  Whether you continue to win or lose you will go down in our book as a true winner!  David said on the way home that "Kayleigh is pretty!"  You are pretty on the inside and out! Good luck tomorrow night-wish we could be there but that game is past our bedtime!  :)