For King & Country

 



The girls and I went to see For King & Country a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure if it would be too late or too loud, but Dan encouraged me to go for it, and I'm so glad I did! Their music was tight, just as good as their recordings. Their message was strong. They love Jesus, sharing the Gospel, and have super generous hearts. We had a great time. Lilly got picked out of the crowd and was given a necklace. Two band members popped up behind us to play one song. We sang, danced, and cheered. I got a little misty loving my girls, and realizing soon enough it won't be me they go to concerts with. Growing up is hard, but oh so lovely.

He Is Risen Indeed!

 

We had some sweet friends over on Good Friday for pizza and egg decorating. It was fun, relaxed, and the perfect way to kick off our Spring break (Dan and mine, that is)! Henry would only use the orange dye. It was pretty hilarious; no one could get near his cup!

 

We went to church Saturday night, and the Easter bunny left his annual jelly bean trail to the kids' baskets Sunday morning. It was a peaceful morning. We made Resurrection rolls for the first time. We read John 15 about Jesus being placed in the tomb as we assembled them, and we read about the resurrection after they came out of the oven. It was a beautiful illustration for our littles, and I'm sure we will do it again next year.

 

Our parents came over for brunch and an egg hunt. Dan and I put coins in the plastic eggs, and the kids couldn't have been happier. We went to my dad's for the afternoon, topping off a perfect day celebrating Jesus's love and God's grace. I'm always humbled to remember the ultimate sacrifice made for a mess like me.

#asthmasucks

 

I've known Hendricks had asthma for awhile now. His pediatrician wouldn't say it until he had 5 instances in a year, but I think we all knew it to be true. A few weeks ago, Henry woke up with a clear, snotty nose. He acted fussy all day, and even took an unusually early/long nap. When he woke up, I knew something was wrong. I gave him a breathing treatment and then another, and nothing changed. When Dan got home from work, we took Henry to the ER. We thought they would give him some steroids, and a few heavy duty breathing treatments and send us home.
 They did a chest x-ray, took his blood, and gave him steroids along with five breathing treatments. He showed no improvement. At 4am, we were transferred to CHOC and admitted into their pediatric intensive care unit. I never worried about his life and was never really afraid, but I was sad for him. The entire experience was very traumatic and the fear in his eyes was heartbreaking. (We had gone through the same thing with Iris and I could not believe this was happening again). 
There are so many things I want to remember, like when he said, "Go to playground right now!" and how the nurses on the transport team gave him a teddy bear and played Frozen for him in the ambulance and how he held on to his sippy cup like it was a stuffed animal from home, never actually drinking from it, but never letting go and how at one point he threw his arms around me, and said "Love you, mama."
But what I mostly want to remember how close I felt to God. Through social media, I was able to ask for help... for prayers. We felt our friends and family praying for us. When I was alone, crying in our little room, I knew I wasn't alone. HE was with me. Our loved ones were with us. 
The last day, Hendricks ripped out his IV and really wanted to go for a walk. He was tied to a few machines, making this difficult. When he finally fell asleep, his oxygen saturation level dipped more than it should. Three times, the nurse was ready, cannula in hand, to give him oxygen again. If she did, we would have to stay another night. Three times, I prayed fervently for this not to happen, the last time I prayed out loud, laying hands on my son. His levels came up just enough, and they gave us the option to go home. We chose home because there is no place like it. 

Misc. Monday: Easter (Last Edition)

 

He was pierced for our transgressions He was crushed for our sins. The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him And by His wounds, we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

 I gave up playing candy crush for Lent. I haven't always followed this practice, and may not do it every year, but felt like I needed to this year. When I was bored and wanted to play, I would praise God for all that I have and thank Jesus for His amazing grace. It may sound silly or trite, but so often I find myself moving busily throughout my day, never even thinking about the one who made this life possible. I want to be more aware, joyful, grateful and in touch with my Savior because He has paid a debt for me that I could never repay.