{5 sweet years: Carter}

{carter michael cates}

this boy, he is a miracle. 

he has given us a glimpse at love, hope & faith that few ever experience this side of heaven.

celebrate 5 years with us.

tears, i know. isn't our god good!

celebrate carter and give others the gift of life!

www.donatelife.net

and if you want to bless his momma and daddy, check out there business'.

sean, chelle, and carter cates.

{Happy Birthday Caleb!}

Twelve years ago you made a frightened nineteen year old a Mommy.  You made me want to fiercely protect you while molding you into a young man ready to tackle the world.

You made your Daddy and I work harder at loving each other and Jesus.  Our love for you made us face every hurdle with courage. 

Bubba I love how you love with your whole heart and are sensitive, just like Daddy!  I love that you wait for me to get dressed every day just so you can say I look pretty (no matter what I'm wearing or look like!).

I love that you have talked about serving your country as a soldier since you were a little boy.  And when you aren't mesmerized with that you would be content to spread the gospel and remind me we need to every chance you can get.

I love that you are inquisitive and ask more questions than humanly possible.  I love that you are ALL boy.  I love that you are silly and make me laugh every day.

I love that you are confident and protective. I love that you are creative and passionate.

Most of all my sweet boy, I love that you are mine!

{source}

You Are My Sunshine, will always be our song.  I will never forget those tender moments we shared when I rocked and sang, you cooed and gripped my finger, and we said goodnight with our signature kiss of my lips to the sweet little bridge of your nose.

And because you love Jesus and a mean beat, here is one of your favorite tunes and one of your favorite toys:

Happy Birthday Caleb Wayne, Daddy, Mommy and Sissy love you so!

{Happy Birthday Bella!}

I cannot explain the joy it is to be this girl's mother.  She challenges me in ways that I could never fathom.  She loves passionately and gives freely.  She has a permanent twinkle in her eye and grin on her face.  She is a beauty to behold.

Ten years ago I stared down at her willing my face to show the love in my heart.  I'm a bit of an impatient one and knew months before that she would be a precious baby girl, but when her big brown eyes gazed back at me I was overwhelmed that she was...just as more perfect than I imagined.

I love that our family cherishes her.  

I love that she is a mini me, the constant mother, the rough and tumble girl her Daddy always hoped for.

I love that it was her big brother who led her in the Salvation Prayer at four and her Daddy who baptized her.

I love that she is content to be herself, secure, content, grounded in the Holy Spirit.

I often tell her

{source}

...of course instead of person, I tell her she is my favorite daughter.  She giggles and tells me she's my only one and I nuzzle her nose and tell her she's still my favorite.

This is one of Bella's very favorite songs and I love it's message!

Happy happy birthday Bella Boo, we love you so very much!

{Servant's Heart}

I have a great pair of french doors with inlay shutters at the back of my house.  Perfect for watching the kids frolic fight in the backyard.

Last week, I used those windows to watch my hubby teach my son a sweet lesson of how to love and serve his future bride well.

Shortly after dropping my SIL and I at the airport back in March for Creative Estates, my Hubs with kids in tow made their way to my FIL's house.  He lives a good hour and half from us and we don't nearly get enough time to visit regularly. Because my FIL works from home, it was a perfect chance to catch him before they headed home.  My in-laws had recently pulled up several bricks from their backyard patio.  Being ever so resourceful the Hubs offered to take the bricks off his hands.  We have a compact car and an old truck that might make it 30-45 miles from home.  This was going to be a long term commitment.  My father-in-law offered his truck and so began the trek home...back and forth to get it all home.  Quite the ordeal since we all got up around 4am!

He was so excited to show me the fruits of his labor when I got home.  He designed a brick slab to set our backyard swing on.  Not finished, but the gesture was worth it's weight in gold. He took the initiative to use some free time while I was gone to do something sweet for me.  This week he has finally had enough of a lull in his busy schedule to set to work at leveling the ground and preparing to make it a permanent slab.

I watched as my son handed his Daddy each brick.  Precision to ensure the work was done according to plan.  I watched as my son eagerly looked to his Dad for direction, willing to help.  I watched as sweat poured down on my Hubby's brow to complete this labor of love.

To most people, a brick slab doesn't evoke heart palpitations, but to me it is swoon worthy.  My hubby and I love to swing on the swing in breezy summer evenings, dreaming and reminiscing.  It's our special spot.  A year earlier he transformed the swing my parents gifted us by replacing the worn fabric cushions with more permanent wood seating.  I love how he values this sweet spot to continue to approve upon it.

More than the makeover on our special spot, I love the legacy he is weaving for our children.  I love that my son will value investing in his marriage.  I love that he will learn how to serve his wife.  I love that he longs to be the man his Father has become.

I am blessed to have an amazing husband who is an equally amazing Father.  So thankful that he willing serves me and builds up our marriage in ways I never knew I needed.

Thankful.

{Life Made Lovely with my Sissy}

My sweet friend, Heather hosts a weekly link up to showcase the lovely in our life.  I love that!  An intentional reminder to enjoy your day, your week, your life.  To embrace and document the sweet moments big and little.

28 years ago God blessed me with one of my very best friends, my sister Jackie!

Being the only girls in what seemed like a sea of boys we were buds growing up.  It wasn't until we both got married and became Mamas that our true friendship blossomed!

We have weathered many storms together and have never left each other's side.  We are completely ridiculous together and laugh harder together than with anyone else, with the exception of our hubby's.  We love each other's kids like they are our own and pray for a day when our little girls that look just like us, will be besties, too!

When we were little Jackie couldn't say sister and ever since we have affectionately called one another Titters.  It sounds funny, but the weight of that word makes me tear up.  It's a reminder of the love only we share for one another and the promise that we will always be there...through thick and thin.

Titters I am so proud to be your sister!  So thankful for every laugh, tear, hug, kiss, memory, boob pinch (sorry TMI, just keeping it real), memory, and even the fights.  Each one has shaped us and our relationship and I am a better person because of it.  I pray this year you run even faster after Jesus with a desire to earnestly serve him.  I pray your marriage continues to build and grow and weather any storm it encounters and come out stronger.  I pray your babes rise up and call you blessed and honor you the way you deserve because of the incredible Mom you are.  And I pray we don't waste one moment in this last year we have together before you move. I love you most and always will!

And here's a little shot of some crafting I was able to accomplish this weekend....by the way huge shout out of thanks to my amazing hubs who left Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon with the babes so I could refresh and have some time to myself.  It was amazing and I highly recommend it!

This is the shirt I made for Jackie's bday gift.

Here's a close up on the flowers.

Hope you enjoyed my lovely and remember to embrace and enjoy yours!

XOXO

Jenni

{cherish, embrace, surrender}

My sister-in-law, Chelle posted this song to her Facebook, when she acknowledged the passing of a young lady, Jennifer Sparks who battled Short Gut, until this past Monday when she met Jesus. Carter also has Short Gut, so this young lady's life affected Sean and Chelle in a very deep way. Please pray for the Sparks Family and hug your littles just a bit harder this weekend.

 

 I have also read some very lovely posts this week and thought I'd share some nuggets of truth.

•  Thankful on a Thursday
• the one word that fixes a broken heart, this broken world
• Mercy I, Mercy II, Mercy III, How to Change The World

Be encouraged and love BIG!

XOXO

Jenni

Encourage One Another

Today is the National Day of Encouragement...what a great idea!  I had no idea that such a day existed until I started reading the daily blogs provided by the website (in)courage. Each contributor has blessed and encouraged me every time.  I love the idea of a group of women with different giftings working towards the common purpose of glorifying the Lord through encouraging other women.

The website just celebrated a year of (in)couraging and a 30 Day giveaway.  I was able to snag some encouragement cards from Dayspring's new  Hope and Encouragement line from one of these giveaways.  (in)courage gave them away to encourage their readers to encourage others.  Of the ten cards I received I wanted to highlight one cards participant, my friend Kat.  Kat is the author of the blog Inspired To Action. And her blog does just that, inspires others into action.  Specifically Moms.  She shows you how to take an ordinary life and make it extraordinary.  She doesn't concentrate on crafts and recipes, she concentrates on your heart and fulfilling the purposes God has called us to.  I love it and I love her!  I pray the card I choose for her shows her the impact she has made on my life, although I am sure it will pale in comparison to what she has given to me!

Dayspring also offered a free encouragement card at their many retailers through today to also motivate us to encourage others.  When I went to pick up mine, my local retailer said I was the only person who had come to request one. So instead of offering me one card they offered me THREE packages.

My guess is there are anywhere from 25-50 cards in each pack.  I love cards, but this is too many cards for even me!  So I want to celebrate today with my very first giveaway!  Here are the details:

Two winners, with each one receiving one pack of the card image you see above.  You are free to share or send all of them out to encourage others!

You can submit one entry for each of the following, but in order to qualify you must leave a comment on this post for each entry.

Entry One:  Follow my blog, by selecting the follow me button.
Entry Two: Follow Kat's blog Inspire To Action
Entry Three: Follow the (in)courage  blog
Entry Four: Tweet this giveaway & include @jennilynncar in the tweet
Entry Five:  Blog this giveaway

Now truth be told I will have no idea if you complete entry two or three, but it will be up to you to follow the honor system.  I promise following either blog will truly be a blessing!  Giveaway ends Tuesday, September 14th at midnight CST and I will announce the winners Wednesday, September 15th.  Good Luck and go out there and encourage someone today!

"Encourage one another and build each other up."

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV

Be blessed and incouraged!

Jenni

oh. my. word.

I fumed.  I cried.  I laughed.  I learned.  All today...being a Mommy is funny like that. 

Some weird coincidences have been happening.

My daughter's best friend happens to be my best friend's daughter.  My best friend mentioned the other day that her daughter hasn't had a chance to email my daughter back.  Bella participates on an online community with stuffed animals called Webkinz and she emails her friends (she/we knows all of them in real life) back and forth.  We monitor her time on the kid's computer that's in her room and it has a filter and is password protected.

I have a facebook account and randomly get invites from people I don't know. Being the people pleaser I am and wanting to insure I don't avoid a long lost friend if I am unsure of who it is I'll send them a quick email to inquire on their identity.

Two things happened.  First a picture less facebook user showed up in my friends suggestion list with my daughter's name on it.  I investigated.  I find several people with that name and the picture less user has no identifying info, so I forget it.  Then another facebook user, again picture less asks to be my friend who conveniently has my first name and my sister's last name.  Hmmm, email sent...who are you?  They reply saying they went to my high school.  Annoyed that it was probably a joke from someone I know, I ignore it and decline the request.

This morning when I logged into Blogger I noticed a new follower. (I did not get all excited, because that doesn't matter to me...no, not me.)  Only to find the new follower is someone who happens to have the same name as my daughter.  I am of course so annoyed that someone is messing with me.  I click on the user to see who they are following.  Umm, just so happens said person is following my sister-in-law and another local home schooler's blog.  Really, this is not happening.

Long story short, after a bit of lying...yes LYING she, as in MY daughter admitted to having an email account and that she used it to open a FACEBOOK ACCOUNT and a BLOGGER account.

Ya'll SHE was the person emailing me saying that she went to my high school!

She created a pretty cute blog and had ALREADY posted a blog post!

Say what?

So, then I start looking at her email account and she has emailed several accounts with her name as the email address'.  This child...when it was all said and done...had created SEVEN email accounts, THREE Facebook accounts and ONE blogger account.

Let's just say she is grounded from all things media and digital for the rest of her life an undetermined amount of time.

Before I get reamed, I have already played the blame game.  We have gone to the trouble of securing her computer, that I never imagined she would sneak and use mine!  I also want to explain on behalf of my friend, that we had discussed opening the kiddos an account to work on their typing skills, spelling, letter writing, etc. so she just assumed I was aware.

Sadly, while it was a very frustrating situation I found myself wondering if I should be angry or impressed.  I was floored that she knew that much about the computer to do all that!  In the end it was a sobering moment as a Mommy to remember that I can't protect them from everything.  I am so THANKFUL that she didn't share any personal information.  Please let this serve as a lesson that we all need to be oh so careful with our kiddos, especially when dealing with the internet.

Now, if you'll excuse me Calgon is calling my name.  Tomorrow is another day, tomorrow is another day, tomorrow is another day!

Gratituesday: Oh, how he LOVES Us!

 
My favorite stories are stories of how God continues to remind us of how much he loves us.  In the big and in the small he sees our earnest desire for all the little things that make us uniquely his!

I have been on a blog hiatus taking care of so many things.   One was an opportunity to host a garage sale to benefit my brother Sean's family and his son Carter.  I jumped at the chance as that is my thing!  In the midst or organizing that, teaching my kids, feeding my family, etc. we got a call that gave us pause on everything.

Before I proceed, let me preface my story by saying everybody is fine. I am also the type of gal who once faced with a dilemma isn't keen with completely leaving it up to God.  He always trumps me, but I entertain the idea that if I don't act he can't work.  Ha, jokes on me!  I'm constantly in awe how God doesn't just fix a problem, he uses the most unlikely sources and links hearts and lives together.

That being said, Sunday August 8th, my Sister-In-Law, Chelle calls my husband to ask some AC repair questions and in the process let's us know that their AC went out.  To those reading who are not from Texas, our summer heat is brutal and we have been topping off most days in the 100's.  My heart started to race and I began to panic as I thought of Carter enduring that heat...inside!  Long story short they ask that we keep it between ourselves and we get off the phone.  If I was in a financial position to replace it that would have been that.  But we are not, not even close.  As we talked, I cried and prayed my Hubby remembered his uncle had a portable AC.  We worked out the details and hit the road to literally hook them up.  When we got there, their house felt like a sauna.  After running all the errands that included air conditioning buildings they retreated to their front yard and filled the kiddie pool to kill some of the heat.  Luckily, they had another AC from Chelle's Dad and together they lowered the inside temp by about 5 degrees.  For real!  With nothing left to do we said our goodbyes and prayed it would cool over night.  It did not and they retreated to a hotel we would later learn.

By Monday night  I was out of ideas and I broke my promise to Chelle and called my sister.  Hoping her and her husband knew someone or a possible avenue to take that would fix this situation.  I figured at least that was two more people praying and that counted for something right.  Well, my Brother-In-Law has more guts than I have.  As he brainstormed what to do he came up with an idea.  He emailed Mark Cuban's assistant!  The name Mark Cuban may not ring a bell, but prepare to be impressed...he is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team.  Nothing like going for it...I mean 'no' would leave us in the same position anyway.  Fast forward he not only agreed to help he PAID for a NEW AC!  And then touched by Carter's story the AC company, Crow Heating and AC PAID for a NEW FURNACE and ALL THE LABOR!  There are many more details to this story that you can read at Carter's site.

So now that the AC was taken care of we could move on to the Garage Sale.  Sean and Chelle had asked several weeks prior to come home for a Garage Sale.  We finalized a date and I set out to get donations to hopefully get a few more things to sell for them.  I sent out two emails.  One to close friends and one to our local Homeschooling Group.  I was blown away at the generosity of others.  Between pick up and drop offs from family and friends we had 11 families give out of their abundance to help mine!  Two families from our Homeschool Group, that I hardly know...as in met once, brought car fulls.  My garage, car port, living room and porch were spilling over with donations before Sean and Chelle ever made it to town.  Along with donations, my sister and Mom made baked goods and the local paper ran an additional small write up to advertise the garage sale and Carter's site.

I was so blessed by the generosity of others that I almost missed it.  While each precious person was so appreciated who gave no matter how big, small, in kind, in prayer, in hugs, or financial donations, it was the fact that each was a physical example of the Father's love for US.  I was blown away that not only were my prayers answered, he loved me extravagantly through each small gesture and detail.

This lesson will be one that I treasure for years to come.  I love when God shows up and shows me up....he was there all along.  While He still calls me to be obedient He is still in control.  So many lessons to cherish.

If that wasn't enough I was able to get in lots of Carter snuggle time and my ginormous family got to take a family picture complete with grand babies.  We were missing three members, but for this brood that was pretty good!

On a not so happy note, our life is never short of a dull moment.  In all the cousin fun, Carter fell Sunday.  He apparently fell in such a way on his knee that he fractured his femur.  This poor little guy had to cast up his entire leg and will have to have it in a cast for 7 weeks.  With Carter's in and out hospital visits and stays he has still not mastered walking independently.  Please pray that he would heal quickly and accurately and that it would NOT pose any obstacles for the future.

Please continue to pray for Sean to find a job and if you feel lead please visit Carter's site for a link to their personal paypal account for donations.

Gratituesday: Crystal Blue Water and White Sand

So with my hit and miss blogging I'm sure no one noticed the absence...however, we got back Saturday from a week long break in the Florida sun.  Well  half of us did.  Bella and I spent the week with some of the Carlisle ladies in Florida, while the boys roughed it in some crazy heat in Alabama with some of the Carlisle boys.  I was definitely homesick from my boys, so I was thrilled when they met up with us Thursday night to finish our vacation together and the trip home.

The boys stayed at my Father-In-Laws property in Alabama, camping camper style.  Caleb and his cousin Zac, however, wanted a chance to experience  some real camping and spent one night in a tent.  They spent quite a bit of time talking into the night with flashlights.  I did say ONE night, as they soon realized it was too hot for that!  They also had a chance to fish, nearly every day and you bet Caleb was ALL over that!  And, it wouldn't be a Man's camping trip for my Hubby without bringing the guns along, so they each took a turn at that as well.

First Catch

Kiss for LUCK!

Camping out with flashlights!

Target shooting with the boys!

We were hardly roughing it!  We met my Mother-In-Law's sister and some of her family at Ft. Walton Beach, right next to Destin.  We each had a condo overlooking the breath taking ocean.  The comparison to our muddy Texas gulf water and and less than desirable beaches was night and day.  (Don't believe what you 'see' on TV folks, Florida beaches are BEAUTIFUL and OPEN for business!) Just so we are clear I love Texas and we had a blast when we were at Mustang Island last year, but you CANNOT beat white sand and crystal blue water.  To be completely honest a storm blew in some murky waters with seaweed, but it was still beautiful.  We also saw a few tar balls, but they were more or less pebbles in size and in no way affected our beach time!   We did our fair share of site seeing and shopping, but the best view was beach side.  We also lucked out with a pool, when we decided to forgo the ocean.

Balcony Beach Shot

Hermit Crab Hunting

Bella Boo Boogy'n

Boogie Board Battle

Sand Castle

Suntan anyone?

My Honey and I

My Babies!

We were so thankful for our getaway!  We will treasure our break from reality and the memories we made!  We did learn however, that we are creatures of habit and while we LOVED our trip we were also ready to be home and back to our 'routine'.  Nothing beats quality time with family!

Gratituesday: Celebrating Carter

 

 

I have been looking forward to snuggling with my nephew, Carter ever since I said goodbye in February and he jetted off to Boston.  I've missed him.  Each time I see him I have the opportunity to see the living example of how precious life is.  He doesn't speak, with the exception of a few words.  Ironically he doesn't have to.  People are mesmerized just being in his presence.  He signs a few things, but in true Carter fashion he gives it his own spin and adds a few to the batch.  This weekend he showed off his newest. As we asked him to show us 'I don't know', he would stretch his hands to each side of his body and shrug his little face side to side.  My favorite is 'pretty eyes' when he clamps his eyes open and shut all the while flashing a toothy grin.  His small body packs quite a punch to the personality that oozes from him.  His life is a testament to the gift God bestows Doctors, the love he brands on the hearts of parents, and the will to survive that Carter cranks out day after day.  Please read his story, and consider the gift of LIFE.  Most importantly soak up the goodness of each healthy child in your life!