A hot day in the mountains!

It's been hot here! But the wind sweeps the rain in - sometimes with thunder, but we have not seen lightning. Those breezes are very welcome to cool off the temps that we are not that used to!

We had a GREAT yard sale on Saturday, making some beach money (it was for medical bills, but we changed our minds since the boys need a fun break!) and getting rid of lots of stuff. I took most of the rest to donate today and always feel so good to get it out of my car! I am grateful to our neighbors who helped us set up extra tables and came by to visit. We are also especially thankful for the neighbors who sold us a John Deere Gator for Sam at an unbelievable price. We have wanted to get him one for so long, and he loves it. That was a very generous gesture, and we appreciate it! We have such great neighbors. And in the mail Saturday was the sweetest card from my grandmother with a gift inside. I cried when I opened it. I had just had a conversation with one of my neighbor's about accepting a gift and letting the giver have a blessing too. I would rather be the giver - most of us would. But it is very humbling and sometimes a direct answer to a prayer when someone does something nice for us. God knows what we need - even if we did not even know to ask for it. I am blessed with people who are so thoughtful and lift me up at just the right times.

Andrew needs prayers to grow. He is eating well and running a lot, and he has not had a seizure in a long time. For that we are very thankful. Whether the seizures have anything to do with his growth - we really don't know. But I know God can make him grow no matter what. So I ask that if you pray for Andrew that you pray for wonderful growth and no more seizures - ever.

Peter won the Over the Creek and Through the Woods 5K on Saturday. He entered at the last minute, so Pete dropped him off on his way to his United Way meeting. Andrew ran from home to see him, so they had a fun morning.

Will is working hard. If he is not out with Bobby working on wells, he is over at Mack's helping seal his driveway or working on wood. Or he is at the neighbor's house helping solve the mystery of their missing truck. Our neighbor has a blog called Little Creek Life, and she tells a great story about their missing truck and what happened. It is interesting and funny and kept us in suspense for a few days! Will was here when the truck was returned, by tow truck, and knew to write down the license plate of the accompanying vehicle and wrecker service. My only problem is he did not get me, AND he talked to the guy who took it. The story is well worth a read! I was proud of my little Encyclopedia Brown!

Sam is doing well. He is keeping very busy with his brothers while I work in the mornings. He still gets up early most mornings, and I check his blood sugar and give him something to eat before I leave. It's a sweet time in the mornings. Sometimes though, he crawls into bed with one of his brothers and sleeps a little longer. They love that.

We are packing for our beach trip coming up. If we start packing early, we take less it seems. My list of things to do before we leave is not too bad - if it does not get longer! We look forward to some slow time together and are excited that some cousins will be joining us! I look forward to some shopping time with girls.

I am also looking forward to some catch up time with my Bible and reading. I feel so empty and like I need a refill - a filling up. I have been praying about this for a while. Sometimes I can feel so "mean" (for lack of a better term) because I am overly sensitive about comments to me or things that go on around me. And I try to be aware and pray that things won't bother me. And they should not because in the long run or the big picture, they don't matter at all. So I have determined that I need to ask for God's guidance and be still and listen to what He tells me to get that filling up. Dealing with things can shift my focus, sometimes too easily. But in the midst of my worst situations, I have been closest to Him. When He is all I have to depend on or cry out to. I have great listeners around me (a few that get the most), but He does not even want me to depend on them. He wants me to depend on Him alone. Of course He puts people in our lives to help us, and we need to remember Who put them there. Again, He knows what we need before we ask. I think it is a step forward when we sometimes realize what we need and ask. And it is so amazing to see His work unfold. There are so many things we don't understand, and won't on this earth, but He understands it all; and that gives me comfort and peace.

Hoping it will rain again soon! The heat has rolled back in! I thanked the Lord that Pete was hot on our way out the door to church yesterday. That may mean some AC in our future!

Have a great week!