Excerpts from Return of the Prodigal Son – an excellent read about the love of God.

“I am not accustomed to rejoicing in things that are small, hidden and scarcely noticed by the people around me. I am generally ready and prepared to receive bad news, to read about wars, violence and crimes, and to witness conflict and disarray. . . . I have been accustomed to living with sadness, and so have lost the eyes to see the joy and the ears to hear the gladness that belongs to God and which is to be found in the hidden corners of the world. . . . . I have to learn to “steal” all the real joy there is to steal and lift it up for others to see. . . . . This is a real discipline. It requires choosing the light even when there is much darkness to frighten me, choosing for life even when the forces of death are so visible, and choosing for the truth even when I am surrounded with lies. . . . .The reward of choosing joy is joy itself. . . . It is the joy of belonging to the household of God whose love is stronger than death and who empowers us to be in the world while already belonging to the kingdom of joy. This is the secret joy of the saints. . . . . People who have come to know the joy of God do not deny the darkness, but they choose not to live in it. They claim that the light that shines in the darkness can be trusted more than the darkness itself and that a little bit of light can dispel a lot of darkness.”

So it’s been awhile since there was any regular activity on the blog. I’m hoping to change that in the near future, but I have been unsure how to get started again. It seems impossible to post an “update” that wouldn’t be a novel, so I am going to start with something a little easier. I have a few random draft posts that were left at various stages of development. I am gonna tidy up a few, post them, and go from there. Things should pick up when the little girls go to school after Labor Day and I can type uninterrupted for more than 5 minutes. Perhaps that is why I never finished all those posts …

Since we had so much fun with our Father’s Day interview last year, I thought we’d try it again with a few new questions added. It seems the answers will get better and better each year. Here’s what the girls had to say this year.

What is your Daddy’s name?

O (5.5 yrs): J.R.

M (3.75 yrs): J.R.

V (2.75 yrs): I don’t know.

What does J. R. stand for?

O (5.5 yrs): I don’t even know what that means, Mama.

M (3.75 yrs): I don’t know.

V (2.75 yrs): Your daddy.

How old is Daddy?

O (5.5 yrs): Thirty something?

M (3.75 yrs): I don’t know.

V (2.75 yrs): I don’t know.

What does Daddy do for a living? What does he do at work? Why does he go to work?

O (5.5 yrs): He works. To make money to take care of our family.

M (3.75 yrs): I don’t remember.

V (2.75 yrs): At him’s work.

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?

O (5.5 yrs): Go to the movies.

M (3.75 yrs): Go out for candy.

V (2.75 yrs): Holor (color) & paint.

What is something cool that Daddy has taught you/that you learned from your daddy?

O (5.5 yrs): Reading.

M (3.75 yrs): He never taught me anything.

V (2.75 yrs): At my school I made a little rainbow guy (for the record, Violet has never been to school, but she sometimes calls the church nursery “school”).

How do you know that Daddy loves you?

O (5.5 yrs): He snuggles me, I guess.

M (3.75 yrs): Because … he gives me hugs.

V (2.75 yrs): I don’t know.

When you grow up, do you want to be like Daddy?

O (5.5 yrs): No, I don’t want to work.

M (3.75 yrs): No, girls don’t change into boys.

V (2.75 yrs): No.

What makes Daddy happy?

O (5.5 yrs): Getting snuggles.

M (3.75 yrs): Making this surprise for him.

V (2.75 yrs): I don’t want to hawk (talk) about that.

What’s Daddy’s favorite thing to eat?

O (5.5 yrs): Meat!

M (3.75 yrs): I don’t remember.

V (2.75 yrs): Fruit.

What is something Daddy always says to you?

O (5.5 yrs): I don’t know.

M (3.75 yrs): I don’t know.

V (2.75 yrs): I don’t know.

Life has been very unusual lately – and most of it in a very unpleasant way, unfortunately. But each of them is a good reminder to count my blessings.

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My parents’ house on the farm burned down a couple weeks ago. They are okay, but the house was not salvageable. This news story pretty much sums up what happened. I don’t think it will really hit home until I pull into the driveway and there is nothing there but a concrete basement (which will be used in the new construction).

This tragedy reminds me to thank God for many blessings – that my parents are alive & well, that we have a big family & a tight-knit rural community that all jumped in to help, and that they were insured and have the opportunity to rebuild. It is also a good reminder of what is really important.

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So about a week & a half after the house fire, JR gave me a big scare. I am assuming he will write the long version of the story, so I’ll keep this short. It started with a rapidly deteriorating sore throat on Wednesday night. He went to the doctor Thursday morning and was diagnosed with coxsackie virus (basically ulcers in the back of the throat). By Friday morning, I took him to urgent care because he could not even swallow his own saliva and he was diagnosed with strep & started on antibiotics. He was still unable to drink fluids & became severely dehydrated. I had a friend of his take him in for IV fluids Friday afternoon. Saturday morning, we thought he had turned a corner and then out of nowhere his fever spiked to 103.5 and he had almost seizure-like chills. I called a friend (two, in fact, who both raced over) to watch the girls and took him to the ER. We spent 6 hrs in the ER, then he was admitted, and eventually transferred to the ICU. He had developed epiglotittis, a potentially life threatening condition where the patient is unable to breathe. They pumped him full of antibiotics & steroids to bring down the swelling while they monitored him. At any moment, they told us, he could stop breathing and they would have to intubate or do an emergency tracheotomy. And then on Monday, they were pleased with the decrease in swelling and ready to send him home to recover fully. I am still reeling from how close we came to a family tragedy.

This close call reminds me to thank God for the blessing of a healthy husband, good health insurance, loving & generous friends, and the most basic thing – the gift of life.

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Once again, I am deeply touched by the outpouring of generosity from our TX friends. When JR was in & out of doctor’s offices, urgent care & the hospital, I had such wonderful support from the same families that had just put themselves out when Jake was born. It was hard to accept so much help knowing that I already had a long list of favors to return, but these are the kind of people who don’t keep track and don’t expect a return. And that’s what makes them such outstanding people. I am still trying to think of a creative way to say thank you – let me know if you have any ideas!

Obviously, this outpouring of support reminds me to be thankful for loving & generous friends. And to strive to follow their example.

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As if that weren’t enough, on JR’s first day back to work, I took Jake to the pediatrician’s office for a well check. He’s doing great – 11lb. perfectly chubby and all smiles & coos. While the doctor was examining Jake, Violet asked me to pick her up. As soon as I did, I knew she had a fever. She also told me that her tongue hurt. I asked Dr. G to have a look at her when he was finished with Jake since her temperature was only 100 and there didn’t seem to be a rush. By the time the doctor finished with Jake, Violet had fallen asleep on my shoulder (this was 11am!) and was very warm. The nurse took her temp again & it was 103. They said they wanted to give her some ibuprofen & do a strep test. Jake still needed to get his immunizations. JR was expecting us for lunch because it was his birthday, but when he called to see if we were ready for lunch, I asked him to come to the pediatrician’s office instead so that he could take one of the kids. Thankfully, he works across the freeway from the doctor’s office and was there in a few minutes. Turns out Violet had strep and when Molly started exhibiting symptoms later that day, we asked for a double dose of antibiotics and were granted it. So that is how we got our first (& second) dose of antibiotics for the children. For the record, the doctor said it couldn’t have been strep from JR because it had been too long since he was infected.

While strep throat is not any sort of tragedy, it was a simple reminder to be grateful for healthy children, a good doctor, and a helpful husband.

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Amidst all this chaos, life goes on. School is almost out for the summer – Livy has just 4 days left. I am looking forward to having all my little chicks together for awhile. I am also wondering how I’ll keep my sanity having 4 children under 6 at home all day, every day for two and a half months. We are going to break it up a little by visiting family in NE, doing Vacation Bible School, taking an intro to dance class and swim lessons. Before we know it, it will be time to head back to school. Livy will go to Kindergarten and Molly & Violet will be in a twice a week preschool program at church. Jake & I won’t know what to do with ourselves!

Looking toward summer, I am grateful for so many opportunities for the girls & I to enjoy ourselves and learn together.

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In addition to the out of the house activities we have planned, I am hoping to have several happy days at home. I think a key to this will be a well-structured day. It doesn’t take much creativity to predict where the day will end up with 3 little girls left to their own devices. To that end, I am thinking this is the perfect time for me to dust off the plans I had made awhile back for a daily “rule” or routine. When I tried to do it last, the girls were much younger and it was very hard to implement with so many different abilities. Now that the girls can pretty much work on the same activity, I think we’ll have more success. Hopefully, I can get it drawn up next week and I’ll share it here when it’s ready. There are so many things I’ve been wanting to do with my children and yet days and days go by without getting to it. This is my chance to prioritize & plan things out.

This paragraph reminded me to be grateful for the opportunity to start fresh this summer and implement several plans that have been in (& out of) the works several times but never really took off.

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And one last random thing. My friend Sr. Rosalie had her first home visit in April. Missionaries of Charity get a home visit every 10 years for one month. I got to visit with her on the phone for over an hour. She was so thrilled to be with her mom & sisters again. It was really funny to talk to someone that has been almost completely removed from normal society for a decade and then dropped back into it. I suggested she see if anyone had a webcam so I could show her baby Jake and she was so surprised that such technology existed! She said that she will likely make her final vows next May in Washington, DC. We are making plans to attend as a family. When we left Uruguay, Kelly told me she would need $100 to enter the convent to pay for her sari and the other very limited personal items the sisters are allowed. I was very proud to give her $100 and promise that when she took her vows, I would be there to see it. I am thrilled that I will get to make good on that promise! In her Easter card to us she asked for prayers that she would “persevere joyfully to the end” – I have no doubt that she will! And she signed it “Auntie Sister Rosalie”

And finally, Sr. Rosalie reminds me to be grateful for the gift of faith, for simple joy & for true & lasting friendship!

Hope you enjoyed my 7 Quick Takes – be sure to visit Jennifer at Conversion Diary for links to more 7 Quick Takes Friday!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

The other day we were out for mexican food, ok so it was really just Taco Bell, and Livy and Violet were playing a game with their Doritos. At first, you could “win” if you had the biggest chip which was Violet. Livy wanted to win too so she added that the person with the most chips was also a winner. She crushed one up just to make sure. Then Livy and Violet started brainstorming ways that Molly could also win. Molly wasn’t really into it but Livy reassured her, “Molly, everyone can win in this game.” Molly replied back without hesitation, “I don’t want to play games if everyone wins.” I swear I didn’t teach her that, she is just a natural Andrews. And we might be a little competitive.

As I mentioned in the previous post, we have been the happy recipients of a whole lot of good will since Jake came along. One perfect example is the basket shown below.

It came home with JR from Livy’s school one morning after Jake was born and as you can see it was overflowing with goodies for our new baby. Needless to say, we were overwhelmed by the generosity of Olivia’s pre-K class. These are families we don’t know well yet, but they warmly showered us with all sorts of fun & practical goodies for a new baby. The most amazing part is how many items were exactly what I had been meaning to go out & get for Jake and I hadn’t even had a conversation with any of the other parents about it! First of all, the new Moses basket & beautiful bedding for it were at the top of my shopping list. Jake wasn’t sleeping well the first couple nights home from the hospital and our worn out basket wasn’t looking very comfy anymore. And then out of nowhere, JR brings home a beautiful new basket! Then there’s the play gym that folds up super compact (perfect for our “cozy” house) and is a fun & simple spot for Jake to take in the action. A couple of my other favorite items were the swimsuit in a cute Hawaiian print, and the super soft, polka dot blanket set. There must’ve been 30 or more items in that basket. More than anything, though, we appreciated the feeling of community that came with the gift. When we were considering schools we really wanted something like the small town Catholic schools which we attended in NE where there was a real sense of community. We weren’t sure we were going to find it here in the “big city” but we are feeling right at home. We are the “new kids” at school since Olivia started mid-way through the year and it means a lot to be welcomed so warmly. Thanks to all y’all for your generosity & friendship. The best gifts are the ones which are unexpected and we feel very blessed. We look forward to getting to know you better and watching the kids grow up together!

Livy’s school has been doing a fundraiser called Hearts for Haiti during Lent. The children are offering works of charity and requesting donations to help the people of Haiti. Livy is VERY in to this project. Last night, we had to make the final decision about our family’s financial contribution. Suggestions were given – $90 to buy a family a goat, $25 to buy 20 chicks, etc. JR finally put the question to Livy -

“How much would you like to take to school tomorrow?”

Olivia’s reply?

“One million dollars.”

She could not have been more serious.

Another Haiti story involved Molly & Olivia. Molly had just found some spare change on the floor at the Costco food court. Olivia asked her – wouldn’t she like to give that money to the people of Haiti? No, Molly quickly replied. But Molly, insisted Olivia, they only have rice to eat everyday! Molly was unmoved – “I like rice,” she said.

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Jake is already over two weeks old! By his first well check with the pediatrician (at 5 days old), he had already regained his birth weight (7 lbs, 13 oz). By his two-week visit, he was up to 8lbs, 9oz. Aside from the baby acne that came on strong a couple days ago, he is perfect – just perfect! And he smiles already – no seriously, he does. It’s the sweetest thing ever. I’m not even exaggerating. Today I practically had to frown at him to make him take his pacifier. He kept smiling back at me when I gave it to him and he couldn’t keep it in his mouth!

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The big sisters absolutely adore their baby brother. They can hardly go 5 minutes without asking where he is and trying to give him blankets, pacifiers, toys, etc. Every time I put him down in the swing or the bouncy chair, he is is swarmed by a loving trio all trying to get him to look at them. It is really sweet, but can lead to skirmishes amongst the sisters or a little too much assistance for Jake (like when he’s fast asleep, only to be awoken by someone shoving a pacifier in his mouth). I can’t complain too much about the help, though. It’s the first time I’ve had a runner who can do so much – Livy, especially, is adept at “reading” him stories (from memory), showing him a toy, grabbing a clean diaper, putting the old one in the diaper pail, singing to him, finding him a pacifier, covering him with a blanket, talking to him, etc. And the more help she is, the more the little ones want to be mama’s helper, too. This little guy is well loved!! The funny thing is that the girls are not so sure that I know what I’m doing. If Jake makes the slightest whimper, I have 3 little mamas telling me, “Jake’s crying,” “Jake’s hungry,” “Jake wants you to pick him up.” And then all 3 shouting, “Mama, hurry!!”

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You know that “it takes a village” slogan? Well it really does – especially when extended family is far away as in our case. I must say that our village came out of the woodwork when Jake was born. We were inundated with offers to help and there were so many people offering, we couldn’t take them all up on it! One friend came at 5am to stay with the girls when we went to the hospital. Another friend met her at noon and took them home with her to stay overnight. If it hadn’t been for a fever in her daughter, she would’ve kept them overnight again, but when she couldn’t, a third friend stepped up with zero notice and came to our rescue. A fourth friend picked up Olivia from school, several friends have brought meals (in fact, we have a steady flow through the whole month of April!). And before Jake was even born two friends generously took turns keeping Violet & Molly through all the prenatal visits so JR & I could go together (Olivia was at school). It is humbling to be the recipient of so much help. It is a wonderful feeling to know you have such generous & loving friends. Thanks be to God for our TX village – we couldn’t have done it without you!!

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We have been LOVING the weather the last several weeks. March is my favorite month to live in Austin – an early spring with everything green & warm (but not hot) temps. March & April are the best months for being out in our new backyard (can I still call it new if it is 2 years old?) and I have really appreciated the extra livable space. Our house is small (1304 sq. ft.) so an outdoor playroom has been awesome for the girls. It will be sad when it is too hot to play outside without water because that means I will have to go outside, too! At any rate, it’s past time to get out the tank tops & pack up the long sleeves. We won’t need any of that until Thanksgiving! Here is a link to our monthly average temps if you are curious.

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I am really excited about my sister’s upcoming visit. It will be great to hang out with her, but I am looking forward to the cousins spending time together even more. Her little Ms. Addison is just a few months older than Molly & sweet baby Hayden is just a few months older than Jake. It is going to be awesome to have a giant sleep over with 6 kids 5 & under in our little tiny house!!

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This June 2nd, JR & I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. Before we had kids, I used to think I’d ask JR to take me on a cruise or to Europe or something romantic. Honestly, the best thing I can think of right now is going back to the community we got married in and having a great big reunion. Maybe not all 400 wedding guests, but all the family that could come and all the old friends who are still around and plenty of food & drinks & time to sit around and visit about all the things that have happened in the last 10 years. We’ll see what happens, but it sure does sound nice – and so does Nebraska in June – a bit like Austin in March, actually.

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Some of you may have noticed that our RSS feeds were broken for awhile. JR fixed that and also updated the on-line photos from last June through November. He has a good start on December to the present as well, so hopefully there will be some new albums put up this weekend. Our pediatrician complimented us on taking pictures of Jake at his first doctor’s visit. He noted that he was the 4th baby in his family and there are very few pictures of him in the early years. So the good news is that we have lots of pictures of Jake – the bad news is that we have a lot of pictures and very little free time to select/edit/upload them.

Hope you enjoyed my 7 Quick Takes – be sure to visit Jennifer at Conversion Diary for links to more 7 Quick Takes Friday!

Have a wonderful weekend!!