by pastorrobin | Jul 18, 2012 | trip
Gulf Shores here we come/came/are going/went/left. None of the previous line should make any sense, so just disregard it.
We had a great day.
We got up early and left the Lejuenes’ house and hit the road.
Robin said “it’s not too far, probably 3 or 4 hours” which I then relayed to our children.
Do you see what is coming here? If you do the math, and look at the map, you realize that it is not exactly 3 or 4 hours but more like 6 or 7, which to a 6 and 8 year old, is about 300 more “are we there yets??” UGGGHH.
Here is a picture of our youngest trying to drink the hours away.
Very cool tunnel. Seems like we should have seen Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones cruise by in their sweet black car.
Awkward photo op with me applying sunscreen on Kenna.
Absolutely the best picture of the day. <3
Our spot for the night. (about half mile from beach)
Dinner’s served! Everyone else managed to get rinsed off and in a new change of clothes except mama. Not really sure what my son is doing in the background, it may be some sort of gang sign, but it looks more like the walking dead.
Tomorrow, we head to the Atlanta area!
by pastorrobin | Jul 17, 2012 | trip
Today, we began our trip! We loaded the RV and started east on I10. When we got to Houston, we hit a major rain storm, but it only lasted about 15 minutes.
We both had a turn at the Wheel!
We continued on and had dinner with our friends in Lake Charles, LA. Paul, Charity, and their lovely kids.
We HAD to eat Cajun food in LA!
We did not have specific plans as to where we were going to spend the night. We had heard from several people that sleeping in an RV at a Walmart parking lot was acceptable. So, we were thinking of going that route in Lake Charles or Lafayette. However, during dinner we heard all these stories of people being shot and robbed in LA so we decided to make other plans. I (Robin) remembered a good pastor friend, Clifton LeJuene, who lives and pastors in Jennings, LA. I called him up and he said, “Sure, come on down and park in our driveway.” He and Paula (his wife) were such great driveway hosts! They showed us around their lovely house and then we went back outside and slept in our RV.
Actually, the first night in the RV was really sweet. (this is Erica, and if by “really sweet” my husband is referring to freezing our buns off…then yes, it was “really sweet”. I woke up in the morning after being mostly frozen, to find out that the ac was set at 68! The problem has been solved and is now a balmy 74) In a few days, we will post a video tour of this thing, but suffice it to say, everything we need is right here.
All for now! See you tomorrow. We are headed to the beach!
by pastorrobin | Jul 15, 2012 | trip
And the drum roll please…
Here are Kennady’s supplies for the next two weeks.
A lot O stuff here. This time around I (Erica) have managed not to get completely stressed out until this day before we leave, which is a big step in the right direction. Usually, I am a giant troll for at least 4 days before leaving.
sssskkkkrrreeetttcchchhhhh This is Robin interrupting my wife’s blog. Today, she has made up for all the days she wasn’t a grouch. Got it all in in one day. Ok, back to Erica….
My husband is a butt and I just punched him!
Anyone remember The Princess Bride and the old lady?? “LIAR, LLLLIIIIAAAARRRR” yeah, that’s basically it.
Ok, back to my explanation of the packing scenario.
This is how it goes down. I pack everyone except my husband, who meanders in the night before we leave and packs his stuff.
Ok, back to packing Kennady. It’s a lot and you can obviously see that.
The rest of us are allotted one checked baggage and one carry on.
Check back daily for more random spouse banter and updates on our adventure.
by pastorrobin | Jul 13, 2012 | Choices, How to deal with pain
Sometimes the difficult decision is to “have the surgery or not”. Other times, it is “should we go grocery shopping today or not”
Every time Erica goes to the grocery store it is a spectacle. I (Robin) often try to get her to wait until I am home so she (or I) can go solo. However, there is always something going on and she can’t wait to go get her groceries.
It is a balancing act. 3 kids (10yrs, 8yrs, 6yrs). Shopping cart. A LONG list of supplies/food to purchase.
As she meanders through the store, they get strange looks. Of course, some folks are curious of Kennady’s condition. Some folks are asking themselves ‘why did they have more kids’. When we had foster care kids, I am sure people said, ‘who in the world are these people?!’ <<<<<SCRREEECHHH>>>> that is a tire noise for those of you who don’t recognize it. (now, insert song…”hold up, wait a minute, let me put some boom in it” and that should suffice for the interruption) I (Erica) am hacking the blog and adding in my own thoughts since my dear hubby wrote a blog and published it before I could add my own touch to it.
Yes. People did make comments. When I was pregnant with Avery, #3, people would say, “wow, you sure do have your hands full” to which my constant refrain was, “yes, but it is a good handful”. They would take long looks at us as we made our way through the store, pushing Kennady, pulling the cart with a two year old in it and a very large belly attached to me. Now, the comments have turned to stares and I am not quite sure if that is a good thing or not, I kind of enjoyed the small talk in the store. I am sure a lot of that has to do with the missing, super cute, chubby and smiling baby that was usually with me. Now they are bigger, louder and slobberier.
The awesome thing about us humans is that we keep growing and my little two year old is now a big 8 year old that does an awesome job at keeping his sisters chair going the right direction and not run anyone over. There is the occasional knock down of something here or there, but if that is the worst of a trip to the grocery store, we are good. I am still working on #3 to be in charge of driving his sister, then I will be sailing through the store, #2 driving the cart, #3 driving his sister and me, ME…walking through the store tossing things in the basket like a little kid at a toy store (until the money runs out that is)!
<<<Thank you for bearing with the interruption, now back to my husband>>>>
I am amazed when she comes home and everyone is alive, the eggs aren’t broken, and the milk is still cold!
We made a decision early on that Kennady’s condition would not take us from normal life. It was easy to say that when she was an infant. However, the bigger she gets, the harder transportation gets. The more difficult it is to keep her happy in certain environments. She can only stay in her chair for a limited amount of time. Then, she has to be stretched and diapers have to be changed. All these factors limit our ability to run out and do anything. Plus, our boys are still at an age where they require a lot of attention and ‘hands-on’ interaction.
We continually find ourselves reshaping our thinking. Get out! Don’t stop! Difficulties can shape decisions, but they don’t have to dictate or be the final authority. Improvising and changing is the name of the game. Get creative. Ask people for help. Pray for direction and strength. Rest. Stay home. Talk to friends. Stick to the non-negotiables.
Those are processes we use to keep on going.
by pastorrobin | Jul 12, 2012 | Children
Here is a blog by Shelley Colquitt
Beautiful Beyond Compare
Before I had children I would think of what kind of child I would have. I imagined her beautiful beyond compare, she would be so sweet and kind, and her brilliance would shine through her eyes.
I never imagined having a special needs child. the words beautiful beyond compare, sweet and kind, and brilliance would shine through their eyes were not what I thought described a special needs child.
Obviously I had never met a special needs child.
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