Life Lessons

Life Lesson #1 - Never Say It Can't Get Worse!

Sometimes you just have to laugh. I've learned this week to never say "It can't get worse." As soon as you say it, something happens. For instance, I was talking to my real life BFF Tiff, venting about the madness of my week. Dealing with death in the family is never easy and when it's MY family it gets to the point of being so insane that it's comical. I sure wish I could blog about the craziness of it all, but I can't. Tiff is trying to convince me to create an anonymous blog just so that others can laugh along with us. If we weren't laughing, we'd be in those jackets that don't have any arms (as my Mom likes to put it).

So anyway, I digress. I was taking J.K. to daycare just venting away to Tiff (yes, I drive and talk on my cell at the same time, everyone does it) and I ended the conversation with "It can't get worse than this."

I get J.K. out of the car and into his classroom. And then..yep, it got worse..I hear blllaagghh...that would be the sound of J.K. puking all over himself and the daycare floor. I nearly sat in the floor and started crying. But I didn't. I quickly picked him up and cleaned him off. I knew the cause of the random upset belly - motion sickness. He gets it from me. The child gets sick in the car more often than I want to admit. By the grace of God his teachers believed me and gave me a chance to get into the office and actually get some work done. Oh, and I was right. He was fine the rest of the day. But I have now learned to never say "It can't get worse!" Because it can!

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Life Lesson #2 - Don't be a Fish Killer

Now I love my hubby more than life itself, but sometimes I just want to bang my head against the wall. You see, we are still in the process of completing the yard landscaping project and hubby built a really nice pond for the family to enjoy. It's surrounded by plants and even has a little waterfall. It's very peaceful. A few weeks ago we rescued several fish from a pet store and brought them to live at the fish haven. They were loving life - swimming, eating, growing. One of J.K.'s favorite times of the day was fish feeding time.

Then the hubby decided it was time to clean the pond. I tried to tell him to take the fish out and let the water sit for awhile, but Noooo. I wasn't the fish whisperer - he was. So I shrugged my shoulders and went back to cooking dinner. After dinner I went out to the car and noticed that the catfish was swimming sideways and not looking so hot. So I went inside and casually informed the hubby that he had killed his catfish. The man darted outside to the fish's rescue (note: this is the same guy who catches, cleans and eats catfish). He tried his best to save the little guy, but with no luck. The fish went to the big pond in the sky. Then, another fish, and another and another until there was only one little lonely goldfish left. Yes, hubby is a fish killer. Five fish died on that tragic Saturday and it was taking every amount of restraint I had not to do the I told you so dance!

After an evening of mourning, we returned once again to the evil pet store and rescued more fish from their little tanks. Or at least I hope they've been rescued and not doomed for a life of cold, chlorine-filled, deathly water! The hubby and J.K. have their fish feeding time again and all is right with the world.

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It's been a while since I've posted pictures of the little guy. He's growing so fast it's ridiculous. He's running, jumping, climbing and doing all things boy!

Easter Morning

The Easter Bunny left a basket full of goodies just for J.K.





He loves helping Pawpaw in the yard.


Hunting Easter eggs with Big Cousin E. We tried to get a picture in their church clothes, but it didn't happen.


Despite the look on J.K.'s face, I promise we're a happy family.



Priceless.

Please Pray for Kayleigh!

Kayleigh and her family need our prayers now more than ever. Please visit their blog and lift this family up to the Lord.

An Update..

So if you saw the comment from Tiff yesterday you know that my Uncle passed away. It's been an extremely emotional time for my family on so many levels. I just ask that you continue to pray for strength and peace as we go through the funeral tomorrow.

Life..

Life is short. Sometimes it's extremely short. Sometimes it's 100 years. Sometimes a person dies as a teen. Others make it to middle age. Regardless it's never long enough. There's never enough time to do or say the things we all long for. It's never easy to be the survivor. Surviving can be horrible. It can also have moments of peace and joy. You never really know what grief will hold. Worse than the grief is the waiting, which is where our family is standing at this point. My Uncle is dying. Everything possible has been done and he's going to die. I've accepted it, but my Aunt is stuck. She can't accept that her husband won't be here much longer. She's dealing with the waiting. Awaiting the grieving process. It's a horrible place to be. She needs strength. She needs the peace that only He can provide. I write all of this to ask that you pray. Please pray for peace, strength and acceptance. She needs it, we all need it, more than I can express.

The Next Michael Phelps (without the bad habits)

So I'm convinced that my child's future involves several olympic gold medals! That's because he swam by himself yesterday!! After we had completed all of our little exercises during aqua babies class the instructor pulled me to the side and said that J.K. was ready to give swimming a try. I was a bit hesitant, but went for it and he took off like a little fish! He's such a natural and I'm so proud! It obviously makes me feel better considering the amount of time we spend around water. I wish I had a picture or video, but we were at the lessons by ourselves. So I don't have evidence, but trust me, this kid is the next Michael Phelps, minus that whole pot thing (hopefully)!! :)

A Game of Catch Up

I guess blogging is what happens when you wake up way too early on a Sunday morning! The one morning that I can sleep late, I'm wide awake. So why not catch up on some much-needed blog time? Life around the Avery house has been full of action and fun the past few days. Last weekend J.K. and I enjoyed a couple of days at the lake with my parents and the cousins. We spent our time blowing bubbles, reading books and running around the yard. We even went to a rodeo Saturday evening, yes like a bronco buckin', bull ridin' rodeo, and it was so very entertaining. I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would want to hang on to bucking bull for 8 seconds, but we had fun at their expense.

This weekend has been fantastic as well. Saturday morning we went to our third Aqua Babies class at the Y. My child LOVES the water. Thank God we're in swim classes because I think the child would just jump in and go for it if I gave him the chance. We've mastered kicking and going under water. It won't surprise me if J.K. is swimming on his own by the end of the summer.

After swim class we all bundled up in the bed for a nap and then it was off to Karie Mitchell's photography studio for some family picture time. If you haven't seen Karie's work you must visit her site. If you live in the Birmingham area and are looking for an awesome photographer with competitive rates, then Karie is your girl. She spent two hours with the three of us and my parents and got some amazing shots. I know he's my little guy, but he was so photogenic yesterday. I can't wait to post the pictures to the blog.

So now, it's almost 7 a.m. on Sunday and I'm on my second cup of coffee. We'll head off to church later and just enjoy another great day.

On another note, my heart has been very heavy lately. I know of way too many people going through job loss, sickness and even death. My heart hurts so much for so many of these families. If you wouldn't mind I just ask that you keep the following people in your prayers:

Baby Cooper who is fighting cancer. Hospice is now with him and his family is dealing with the reality of this horrible disease.

Baby Stellan, who as many of you know, is fighting SVT, a serious heart condition, which nearly caused his death in utero.

The family of Sweet Little Tuesday as they continue to grieve the loss of their precious angel.

Baby Madison a miracle micro-preemie who came into this world weighing only 14 oz. She was born March 4th and continues to fight for her life.

My Uncle Jon who is fighting a failing liver. He's currently in the hospital and has been for two weeks. He needs a liver transplant and it wouldn't surprise me if he stayed in the hospital until that day comes.

Footprints Ministry, for strength to be the people God wants us to be. To know what to say to these families who need God's peace now more than ever.

For the Avery's, yeah that would be us. As we approach the coming months life will have a bit of a sting. May 29th would be Olivia's 3rd birthday. I have a difficult time believing that she would be 3 and sometimes it's even more difficult dealing with the reality of having only one living child. Please just pray for peace for me, Ben and our family as this difficult time approaches. My prayer is that we can find joy and celebrate her life in every possible way.

And so many more..

I'll close with my new favorite quote, which hangs on our wall among a collage of family photos:
Just when the caterpillar thought life was over, it turned into a butterfly.

And a few pictures for the road..

The three amigos, J.K., Big Cousins E & A show off their fishing hats at the lake house.


Kick, kick, kick, kick!!! Aqua Babies Class is so much fun!


J.K. playing in Pawpaw Ray and Nonna Debbie's tulip garden. Aren't the flowers gorgeous?


One of my favorites.

Until next time, which hopefully won't be too long.

~Lu

Work, work, work..

I need a vacation. Desperately. Just ask my blog! It hasn't seen me since it snowed, which was weeks ago. It's now in the high 70's and everything is blooming. I've been holed up in my office for weeks. I'm glad to have a job, but do I ever need a break! That is why we are in middle of planning a getaway sooner rather than later. The prospective destinations are currently between somewhere in Mexico (drug cartells don't scare me), Antigua, Costa Rica, Turks and Caicos, US Virgin Islands, etc. So basically the break will include crystal blue waters, sand, sun, food and fruity drinks..LOTS of fruity drinks!! If any of you guys have any suggestions for FABULOUS all-inclusives in the Caribbean I'd love to hear them. We have a budget, but we're hoping to make the best of the budget.

I've missed my blog, but my brain is tired. So that's all I have for now. I just didn't want you guys to think I'd fallen off the face of the earth.

Oh, and just a reminder..I'm still raising money for March of Dimes and every dime counts!! :)