Glorious sunshine!

On Friday the sun came our in force. It was warm enough for long sleeves only. It is certainly much easier to get her outside to play when we don't need layers and the sleeping bag although I kind of miss being able to drag her around in the sleeping bag like we did in the snow! This rolling board has been such a great thing for Alex. She loves that it gives her the freedom to go on her own and to not always need to be in the wheelchair. I would help her get up to the top of the sloped driveway and then she would roll down to the bottom. The did this until I told her I needed a break! She would have kept going all day. The snow melted all day long and was mostly gone from the grass by the end of the day.

She really can't get enough of the swing. Before we left Dallas to come out here after surgery we took her to the park to swing several times. On the drive out Brent and I were discussing trying to figure something out so we could keep her swinging once we got out here. Soon as we pulled in the driveway we saw this swing and were thrilled. God cares about the desires of our hearts and seeing these little blessings has been so neat.

By Friday late afternoon our water was completely off. It had been decreasing in pressure the last few days and Friday morning I noticed it was much lower so I filled pitchers and cups that I could find so we would have something if it was off for a while.

Brent did make it home to TN late Friday evening and sent me these pictures I the dark and then again in the morning sunshine. I’m thankful to have been here and know this is where we needed to be but there is always a part of me that misses home when there is snow and ice. It wreaked some havoc but it was beautiful!

Saturday morning came and our water was still off. The owners of this property have gone far above and beyond while we have been here. By Saturday evening they had brought some groceries for me from another town where the store shelves were not nearly so empty as they were here. They also picked up plenty of drinking water as well as a huge cooler of potable water for me to use for washing dishes. They had heard that the water was not expected to be back on until Wednesday so they had me set up to last till then if need be. They had also set up coolers and containers catching the melted snow as it dripped off the roofs so we could use it for flushing toilets. They have been creative, helpful, and wonderful.

Before we had all of that wonderful water Alex and I played pioneer and melted snow to wash our hair. Obviously not quite the same but it was fun to pretend. We had just finished the chapter in Little House In the Big Woods where Pa brought in snow to melt for baths so Alex thought it was great fun to do the same! I have been very glad that it was just the two of us because it is much easier to do without running water without all six of the kids.

As the day continued to warm up and more snow melted we headed outside to play. We decorated the driveway with chalk and Alex made her balloon family. She is constantly talking about her brothers and sisters, making crafts and cards for them, and making decorations to put around the house and planning the party for their arrival. She can not wait for them to get here and has been counting not just the days but the hours. This time she didn't want to put her hair up and kept it down until she rolled over it and got it tangled in the wheels. Ooops!! Now she believes me that it is better to keep her hair up with she is on her rolly board.

Sunday we enjoyed joining our church family for worship over zoom. After church it was back outside for more sunshine and this time we didn't even need long sleeves. We took a walk down the road along the lake, added more decorations to the driveway, and lots more swinging. She spent over an hour in the swing and she sang to me for a lot of that!

If this isn't happiness I don't know what is. She almost fell asleep in the swing soaking up the sun. It was 68 degrees at this point. Just a few days after the temp was 0. Always exciting that's for sure.

The sunset was gorgeous and we went down by the lake to watch it and saw really cool designs in the ice as it had been melting through the day. More fun conversation with this girl. She loves nature so much and loves trying to understand how things work and why things happen. I don't always have answers to her questions, and she asks a lot of them. We try to find answers we don't have. She always tells me how much she loves to learn new things. That is one of the many things I love about this girl.

This brings us to today. It was over 70 degrees today and the sun was shining brightly. All the ice is gone from the lake and the snow is gone except for this giant pile by the driveway. The most exciting thing about today was waking up to running water. Sometimes it is the simplest things that are the most amazing. Another answer to prayers. We played with her fairy garden friends outside in the grass, and enjoyed more chalk and bubbles. She loved watching the rainbow colors in the bubbles as they floated in the sunshine.

The other kids had been out of town visiting family for the weekend with Grandma. They got home tonight and are back with Brent. It was a happy reunion. He sent this picture of Paul and Boone to show us how much Boone has grown. When I showed the picture to Alex she said Oh my goodness, what happened to Boone? I think he is going to be as tall as me when he gets here tomorrow!! Haha. She was so funny.

On their drive back to TN we were chatting with the kids on the phone while Alex and I took a walk. When I asked Boone if he was coming to see us tomorrow he started crying. I was so confused because every day that we have talked he has asked us where we guys are and talks about coming to Texas to see us. Finally understood he thought since they were traveling that he was going to end up in Texas at the end of that trip. He wasn't quite able to understand that he was going back to TN and then tomorrow heading to Texas. Of course getting to Daddy made that all better but the poor little guy was so confused.

Mama and Daddy have been absolutely wonderful with them. Keeping up with school work, getting them to all of their activities and jobs and taking them to visit cousins and friends. They are pretty amazing Grandparents and we are so thankful for them. I can't image how we would have done all of this without them.

Before bed Alex had a video chat with them and they were all so silly. Before I knew it they were taking pictures of themselves like this and she was laughing hysterically. It was a good way to end the day.

Pray for Brent and the kids as they travel tomorrow.

Continue to pray for sleep. She has done a little bit better the last two nights but we still have a long way to go till we are getting good sleep. She is still taking her nerve medication but is off all other medications the last two days. She is not showing any signs of pain or discomfort and says she feels great.

Pray for patience for me as I deal with her at night. We both do fine during the day but it is hard for me to go without sleep and not get frustrated with her when she wakes and is just fussy but says nothing is wrong and there is nothing I can do but she just fusses. These fussy awake times are shorter and more spread out so I am thankful for that.

Pray that this next week and a half is sweet family time and for good weather.

Alex’s Amazon Wish List:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3I926UO5WYC20?ref_=wl_share

Alex’s GoFundMe link: https://gofund.me/d870c58d