Welp, spring has sprung and we find ourselves on the cusp of another annual check-up. Number 3, which is a new record in that category. Next week is spring break for the kids, so we’ll celebrate Easter here with family, then load up and head west bright & early Monday morning.

We haven’t made that drive in two years - last year, the annual visit was pushed back to May because we had my brother’s family in town over our spring break. Since the take-the-whole-family affair would have required missing school, L flew out with just him. He was really sick from a virus while they were there, so they canceled all the non-essential appointments and came back as fast as possible.

This year we’ll have a bit of time to hang out, hit most of our old haunts, and hopefully see lots of our Memphis people. It will be good to reconnect in person with people who walked with us through such an intense time of life.

Also, and I confirmed this hunch through some internet research, there is now a Buc-ee’s at almost the perfect lunch spot distance from Charlotte. I thought I remembered it being under construction on the last drive with a big “coming soon” beaver head on a billboard. It’s now open and that almost makes the 10-hour drive worth it. It’s the little things, right?

Here’s a few from our March, left to right: Jennings and his massive 3-yr anniversary cookie cake; pasta night - the only night Charlotte cleans her plate and savors the last bite with her eyes closed; Caroline bravely went on her first overnight field trip - proud of her; Lauren escaped to the mountains with her girlfriends…it was a close one, but she agreed to come back.

You see part of our celebration of the 3-year mark in that first picture. Thank you to everyone who prayed and fasted. It was a sweet milestone to mark as a family. The night before was a Sunday so we had some time to on the couch and talk with the bigs. Jennings got to pick how we would celebrate, but we wanted him and Caroline to remember (so important, as I’ve shared) why. For those wondering, he wanted to go out to a nice restaurant, sit down as a family over a good meal with a couple glasses of wine and linger in conversation.

Actually, he wanted Chick-fil-A takeout to eat at home while watching the movie “Big Miracle” followed by the fun yet dangerous game of determining how much cookie cake is too much. But anyway, we had a good talk about why we were letting him do these things. We went back through the timeline of some of his story, told him what a fighter he is, and how God has carried him through. We told him we would be going back to Memphis soon to hopefully confirm that everything is still fine. “Fine?!” he exclaimed. “Don’t I look fine?!” Yes, Jennings. Yes, you do.

Out of the whole recounting of his story, the only area he wanted to dig in, really ask some good questions, and really get into the details was….wait for it….any guesses?….

…when I passed out while donating blood for the RESOLVE trial. It’s a real crowd pleaser, a lively tale, uproarious or even gut-busting you might say. So, I can’t blame him. And, it’s really only worth remembering if you get every detail right. 😂

A few more from the past month, clockwise from top left: Henry earned his next level karate belt; the girls got some cousin time in traveling to Greensboro for one of Caroline’s meets; the stomach bug remains undefeated against Brother-man; another bout of Strep meant no school for J but some sketch time with Pops.

So it’s with that attitude that we head into next week. The attitude of a kid who always finds the joke, even in the hard, and one who looks, and feels, fine. And the attitude of parents who know just how special this time is.

Other big life things have kind of slowed down over the last few weeks, almost like the feeling of an unspoken, yet acceptable pause. We are ok going into next week with next week being the focus. As I’ve thought about this over the last few days or so, the image of a boat on a lake pulling into a “no wake zone” is what I saw. How much of that is conscious vs unconscious vs external circumstances I do not know, but there has definitely been a throttling back on any of the “big decision” stuff. The next thing for us is Memphis. So, we are going to do the next thing and then see what God has for us.

This one 👆 celebrated a birthday this week - 11! The bottom right is a couple months after we got back from Memphis the first time. I was struck by remembering how young she was when everything started with Jennings. It’s so easy to see them as they are now and think that that is how they have been this whole time. Proud of her and love the little pre-teen that she is growing into.

I hope you all have a great Easter weekend and we’ll be back with an update in April.

He is risen!

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a sone of the gods.” Daniel 3:24-25

#allinforjennings