Making the time pass...living in the here and now

Like I said in a post about a month ago....it really does feel like someone is missing. After seeing that video of him a couple of weeks...it was hard to do anything else but watch it a million times or search on the world wide web for pictures of him. Thankfully, I was at my parents house and I was able to be "missing in action" a little bit while my kids were cared for more than normal. I soon realized I was going to have to remove my self from the realization of having a child half way across the world and engage in motherhood again. I realized I was going to have to remove myself from thinking about him too much or the alternative was feeling sick and anxious. But, then at the same time not worrying and thinking about him, meant I did not care for him. I can see now that the Lord has given me grace in this area. He continues to say to me...trust me...relax in me...rest in me....do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God and the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6)

God has made me the mother of two beautiful children and a wife to a husband that makes me more like Christ than I ever realized I wanted to be. He has called me to the here and now...so I rest in him until we will be united with Charles Tucker.

What else have we been doing to pass the time, while we rest in him until we are united with our precious Charles Tucker?


Watch'n daddy play softball...

Water fun with our friends Hannah and Blair...despite his daredevil tendencies, Henry is afraid of the slip'n'slide...

Henry and Hannah have a special friendship...so cute to see them together...

Baby Blair on the other hand isn't so sure what to think of her 'special' friend...

In our waiting time we also attempt to fit in some homeschool activities for the first time in a month...this was a lesson I planned in our zoo unit several months ago...

After all of our lessons, they usually end in dancing to music...which helps us all to get along...

Going to Birmingham really helped the time to pass by. Mary Taylor's favorite thing to do in Birmingham with T.T. is to find pictures of him around my parent's house and show him. Of course he eats this up!

Mary Taylor also loves attention from 'Ameme' (Amelia my sister) while we are in Birmingham...

Finally daddy gets Henry to go down the slip'n'slide, or can I say MAKES him go down the slip'n'slide, with a little help from 'Ameme'...

Playing with our special friends the Vestals... Their mommy and daddy are in South Africa right now with Campus Outreach, you can track what God is doing on their trip here.

Visiting the Young family while they are in their cocooning phase (a time to for an adopted child to learn to bond to his or her family). Batman Henry, Isaac, Laney, Mary Taylor sporting Frank's shoes, and Spider Man Parker. Little brother Frank missed all the fun while he was napping...

Andrea told everyone to lean in and of course Henry always takes everything too far...there is no middle ground...what else do you do but laugh!

I think Mary Taylor thinks Parker's pretty neat...Isaac on the other hand seems to be done with pictures...

Date night for our 7th anniversary at 10 Degrees South, a South African restaurant in town and the food was amazing!!! One of Dee's coworkers was at a table right next to us during dinner and insisted on taking our picture for our big day. One of the best pictures we have had in a while! Thanks Rita for sending it to us!

What fun times God blesses us with!!!

 ***If you have been following my blog for a while, I have talked about my father-in-law who has cancer. I talked about him here. Please continue to pray for Cleve, he is not doing well. Pray that he will know the peace of his heavenly father even more in this hard time.

(Pop and Henry~Christmas 2009)