Since Chad is out of town, Clayton and I decided to spend a few days with his Gram and Papa(my mom and dad). On Tuesday evening we went to the best Mexican restaurant in the world. Pancho Villa. They have this dish called the ACP. It's rice, melted cheese, sauteed onions, and chicken all mixed together. So very good. I digress. After Panco we had to make a pit stop at Walmart. I was the last one out of the store, and when I made it to the car this is how I found my son. 
............The mice will most definitely play.
Chad's out of town this week on a men's retreat(deer hunting). So, that means Clayton and I have the manor to ourselves. Whatsoever shall we do?
Hum (think, think, think, think)
We could shop, stay up late(me, not Clayton, and those of you that know me know that's not going to happen), go to bed early(that's more like it), watch chick flicks, shop, eat a salad from Zaxby's. The possibilities are absolutely endless. Time can only tell what the two of us wild children will get into.
Most likely not a lot. Clayton in bed by 9pm, and Mommy soon to follow, just because I can. In all honesty I do miss the husby already. I know, I'm a softy. He's my best bud and definitely the most calm half of this relationship. Have a great "retreat" Chad. See ya soon.
XOXO
Christmas was great for our family. The Christmas festivities began for us on Tuesday evening and have continued until just about an hour ago. It's been a great, and busy week. Just because I know you care I plan to go through each day event by event. Don't you feel special.
Tuesday evening, Chad, Clayton, and I went to the Tanglewood Festival of lights with the seniors from our church. Not high school seniors, the senior adults. Besides Clayton, I was the youngest person on the bus. It's a very interesting seat to fill. Anyway, I digress. Clayton of course loved the lights and giggled at each light display as we passed them. After Tanglewood, we had to go to Walmart and get a few last minute things for various meals for the next few days. 10:30pm is a great and recommended time to go to Walmart.
Wednesday morning began with brunch at my mother's parents. The food was fantastic. I love breakfast casserole. After brunch we came home for a nap (Clayton and his mommy both napped). Since Christmas Eve was on a Wednesday, we had church a little earlier than usual. Then I had to split paths with my boys. Chad and Clayton went to Chad's Grandmother's house for their Christmas celebration. I, being the wonderful older sister that I am, went to Jesse's church to play the piano for their Christmas communion service. It was a great service, and his church is awesome. They had the prettiest Christmas tree I have ever seen in a church. I met up with my boys a little later and listened to some Christmas music on the guitar performed by Chad's uncle.
Thursday morning we had our very first Christmas with Clayton right here in our home. We didn't get up too early, which was great. We all opened presents and played with our new toys(well, we all played with Clayton's toys). After Christmas at our house we went to Chad's parents house and had Christmas there, and we had a really tasty breakfast. More toys. And, Chad's sister is a whiz(think kid, not cheese) on the computer. She made Chad a really cool DVD of Clayton's pictures from his birth until now, and set it to a Phillips, Craig, and Dean song. It was AWESOME in every way. Tears, tears, tears. After Chad's parents we stopped in at his other Grandmother's house for a few minutes and had breakfast again. Yeah, why they call it breakfast at noon, I'm really not sure. It works though. After that was nap time. Everybody in the Carswell manor took(and needed) a nap. Lastly, but certainly not least we went to my parent's house and had Christmas there. As always anything we do at Mom and Dad's house is a blast. It gets loud in a nano-second, and yesterday was no exception. Clayton came home with so many toys, I think we could open a Toys R Us in our living room. Chad and I racked up too with some neat electronic goodies.
Friday evening(Ipromise this is the last one) we went to Christmas dinner at my other Grandparents. The Grands as I affectionately call them. I love going there, because something crazy always happens. This year was no exception. We get so loud and goofy in a manner of minutes. It's great.
I'm tired.
So, that was our crazy Christmas. It's so busy, but we have a lot of family that loves us dearly. It's great. Now I'm going to bed to rest up for next year.
It's almost Christmas. It's so close now. I can't wait. I absolutely love Christmas and being able to get together with family. My family is so great. We're just loud and goofy, but we all love each other so much. Nobody seems to get offeneded when we pick at each other, and make fun of one another.
Last night we had a little mini pre-Christmas celebration at Mom and Dad's house. Just the seven of us. We hung out and ate sliders, fudge, mini pecan pies, and the best cheese dip in the world. Wow, I sometimes can't believe how big our little family is starting to get. I can't wait until there are even more of us. We really should have been Italian, the way that we eat and get so loud together. It doesn't take long for the decible level to reach max power.
So I think today is the last day with minimal craziness of this week. Tonight, Chad, Clayton, and I(well maybe just Chad and I) are going to decorate a few more Gingerbread men and women. Tomorrow evening the three of us are going to Tanglewood(a light display sorta near us) with a group of the seniors in our church. That should be a lot of fun. Wednesday is of course Christmas Eve. We have brunch at my mom's parent's house, then Christmas Eve service at our church, then I have to go play piano at Jesse's church for their Christmas eve service, then we will head to Chad's mom's mom's house for their Christmas get together.
Thursday is the big day. Christmas at our own house in the morning, and then to Chad's parents mid morning, then to my Dad's parent's house for lunch, then a nap(hopefully) for Clayton, and then we will go back to Mom and Dad's house for our real Christmas dinner. More junk food. Have a great Christmas.
I do have a date tonight with my hubby. I'm excited. I hope he is too. But, Chad is so nonchalant about most things that you would never know if he was excited or not. We haven't decided what we are going to do. I want to go shopping. OF COURSE. Shopping is always on the top of my to do list. And, Chad has me nothing for Christmas, so maybe I could go and pick out what I want, and get to bring it home and keep it tonight. I think that's a great idea.
Or, we could go to dinner and a movie. The possibilities are endless, but I still prefer shopping. I'm completely ready for Christmas as far as gifts are concerned, so I don't have to worry about that expense any more. What do you think we should do?
The two most handsome men in the world. Just ask either one of them and they will tell you. Chad always says that he is the most handsome man, and that Clayton is second. I can't decide, I think they are both the most handsome.
My grandmother, Clayton's great-grandmother bought him this little suit for Christmas. And doesn't he look like a big boy in it. And, wow he really looks like Chad. Sometimes it just hits me how much he looks like his Daddy.
How cute can you get? Well, I must go and rescue my son's arm from the dog's water dish, or rescue the dog's water dish from my son's arm.
Ok, let my preface this by saying that I'm not angry, in a bad mood, upset, needing any extra medication. I just don't like some things and I was rolling them around in my mind, and thought I would share.
* Pickles (YUCK)
* The song "Christmas Shoes" (who thought this song was a good idea? They should be put away, and put them out of my misery. If you agree with this, head over to Stuff Christians Like. Hilarious.)
* Waiting(I have absolutely no patience)
* Blogonese / Textanese (for those of you who don't speak Nikki, those words refer to special words or initials used just for blogging or texting. I don't like them, I know they save time, but I just get confused by all of that stuff)
* Rude people
* Chewy Food(it's a texture thing)
* Cold weather / snow / ice / sleet
* Repeating myself
* Repeating myself
* The TV / Car radio being loud (seriously people get a hearing aid and save the rest of us)
* Crushed bread
* Hot drinks
* Doing laundry again and again and again and again and again and again
* Stupid questions or answers
Ok, maybe I really am a cranky person. I didn't think I was before now, but I really think I need counseling. Chad's been sort of trained to deal with people like me. Maybe he can help out a little. I hope the Lord has a special reward for those of you that have to deal with me on a daily basis. You certainly deserve it.
I tried to put all the pics in one post, but apparently Blogger and my laptop are smarter than I am and it didn't exactly work. Here are pics of the gingerbread men and women(yes, we gave equal time to the ginger ladies). I baked them, and Chad decorated them. Aren't they great?
And yes, the first picture really does say Merry Christmas in gingerbread and frosting. Who would have thought such a thing was possible.
Earlier this evening Chad and I hosted a Christmas Party for the youth at our church. It really was a blast, we ate junk food, played games, sang carols, and ate more junk food. We wanted the kids to have a really good time and to be able to eat like pigs without anyone telling them they shouldn't eat this, or they should eat that. So, we had junk food only. Nothing healthy at all. It was great. 
As I have afore mentioned on this blog, we love football. All kinds of football. We unfortunately don't have time to go see High School games, but we kind of keep up with the teams in our area. However, we do keep up with College ball and of course the NFL.
On Saturday our beloved Alabama Crimson Tide battled the Florida Gators for the SEC Championship. The Tide fell to the Gators, but it was a great game. And, Bama played well. The Gators are a great team this year and they earned their win. And of course, there's always next year. Nick Saban seems to be a great coach with a lot of great leadership skills. And, there's always next year. Go Tide!!!
Then on Monday. The Carolina Panthers trampled the Buccaneers 38-23. Awesome game. Carolina played very well. And now, they are 1st place in the NFC South. Yippee.
And as a side note I really don't care for Jon Gruden. He just seems like an angry man. He's totally different that Tony Dungy, the previous coach at Tampa Bay. That's just my opinion.
More importantly than football, this weekend Chad was ordained as a minister. His service was on Saturday. It was a great service. The preachers that were in attendance did a great job at all of their respcetive roles. I am very proud of Chad and all that he does for our family. He has completed his BA, and is currently working on his MDV. Love Ya babe.
I feel like all of our weekends are drop dead run busy. So this one was no different. The exception lies in the fact that we went to the Dixie Stampede Christmas show on Saturday. That of course took up the whole day. The kids at church had earned their trip to the show by doing different things around the church. They seemed to have a great time. I know I did, but then again who doesn't like to eat with their hands.
Sunday was the same crazy that most Sundays are. It's just a full exciting day for us no matter how you slice it. Sunday morning the youth at our church were privileged to have a Youth Sunday. The oldest youth, and the young adults taught all of the Sunday School classes, the youth choir sang, and we had a special guest preacher. It was a great service. It's really cool to see the kids serving and doing the things the adults usually get to do.
Sunday evening we had a candlelight communion. It was a great way to have communion. Everyone took communion by families. It was very reverant, respectful, and holy. I personally enjoyed it very much.
Also, Chad and I got most of our Christmas shopping done this weekend. Both in stores and online. I love to shop. I don't know any other way to say it but I love to shop.
Have a great day everybody. It's almost Christmas.
So, in a very strange turn of events Clayton and I are chilling here at the house this Thanksgiving day. Here's the back story.
Clayton has had a cough for about a week and a half now. No fever, no runny nose, not feeling bad, eating well, um.......relieving himself well. Needless to say, other than the cough we thought everything was pretty normal. That was until he woke up from his morning nap on Tuesday with a major allergic reaction. To what? Well that we still don't know. It could be any of about a million different thing. Anyway, I took him to the doctor because the hives(that's what it looked like in my semi-professional opinion) were really bad and had consumed his entire body. Of course by the time that we got to the doctor they were gone. Isn't that they way everything usually works out. Here's where the story goes a little off to the unexpected.
Since we were at the doctor's office anyway, I asked his PA(who is awesome, we really like her) to check out his cough. I was sure, and so was she that it was nothing more than a cough. She listened to his lungs and still felt the same. Here come the kicker.
AS A STANDARD PRECAUTION..............................................................................................................
She swabbed his nose to check for RSV. Sure enough, it came back positive. This surprised both Clayton's PA and his Mommy. So now we have a sick, quarantined baby, that's not really all that sick. The treatment for RSV is exile from society, and Albuterol breathing treatments. Clayton has to wear the "dino" mask 4-6 times every day. After we struggled through the first few treatments he has done really well with the mask.
I am incredibly thankful that he's not "sick" while he convalescing. So we are here hanging out. Have a great Thanksgiving.
(This one's just because it's really cute to watch him try to figure out the christmas tree)
So it's Thanksgiving today. Enjoy your day with family. Enjoy eating until you feel like you're gonna explode. Enjoy the parades. Enjoy football. Enjoy planning your shopping strategy for Friday. Remember to be thanful for all that you ahve been blessed with. Have a great day.
I promise I will stop messing with the background on this blog. I was trying to find something really cool that just screamed "NIKKI"!
(chirping)
Oh well, I guess this one will have to do. I couldn't find anything better than this. If it's too hard to read please let me know.
Love Ya
Thanksgiving will be here in less than a week, so Thankfulness, and what I'm Thankful for has been on mind a little more. That's probable a very good thing, because I'm not near as Thankful as I should be. What follows is a short list of things / people I'm Thankful for. Here goes:
I know I'm a proud Mommy, but I think my baby is the best ever. Last night he cruised the full length of our sofa. ALL BY HIM SELF. He was after Pepper, and of course when he got there she left. Oh well. Life must be hard for a baby. They work so hard to get somewhere, and then just when they reach the goal one of two things happen. Either, whatever they were after leaves or moves, or a much larger and hopefully more responsible ogre(adult) picks them up and puts them right back where they started. It must be a rough life
We had Christmas/Family pictures taken over the weekend. We had a blast and the pics turned out great. Clayton really is a ham. He loves to be the center of attention(I wonder where he got that.............). I'm not putting them all up because they are going to be Christmas presents for some of you.
Do you think you could sleep like this?
Does this look comfortable to you? I went to check on Clayton, and cover him up, before I went to bed last night, and this is how I found him. Remember, he's sound asleep.
I ran into a lady(or girl, I think we're still young enough) that I was friends with in elementary school today. She and I were able to talk for a few minutes about nothing really. It was just great to see her again. I had heard through others about her and had her on my mind lately. So, it was really cool that she just popped up at my office today. I once heard someone call that a "God-wink".
CLAYTON IS CRAWLING.
He is going absolutely everywhere now. He's no longer bound to where you sit him down. No seems to be the "word of the day" every day at our house. For some reason Clayton likes to get the very thing that he shouldn't have. For example, the dogs toys, our shoes, the XBox, you name it it's his. And, it always goes directly to his mouth. He doesn't care, but eeww.
I love Christmas. I love planning for Christmas, decorating the house, listening to Christmas music on the radio. I like almost everything about Christmas. It's almost here. I did a little "scouting" at lunch today. Scouting is when you go to the store and plan what you might like to get someone else for Christmas. We know what we are getting Clayton, but the rest of our families is still up in the air. I have a few more ideas now, and I have started my list. If you want something specific you had better speak now, or hold your peace come 12/25/08.
I haven't done a general update in a while, and since I couldn't sleep, I feel now is a great time to do just that.
We'll start with Clayton, since he's the coolest of the 3 of us anyway. Mr. C is 8 months old now. How did he get that big without asking me first? He's starting to say a few little words. Hey, Dada, and when he's really upset and angry, Mama. He's trying to crawl, wave, pull up, stand up, learn to drive, and apply for college. Well, maybe that's a stretch, but it seems he is growing by leaps and bounds every day. He's still a great sleeper and eater. Eating off of the table most of the time now. He loves beans of any kind, fudgesicles(thanks Gram :P) and something called a Moo Tube. A Moo tube is yogurt in a long plastic sleeve. I think it's gross, but he likes them. Chad and I are starting to plan for Christmas. How cool is that? We get to buy toys this year for someone that actually wants them.
Next there's Chad. If you have no life and keep up with my random posting, then you know he now has an insulin pump. WOW. I really can't think of anything else to say about it. In my opinion(and since it's my blog, it's the only one that matters) it has completely changed his life. He feels great, looks great, acts great, and is always busy again. His blood sugar levels are starting to become more normal without the erratic highs and lows. We are thankful that the Lord saw fit to provide Chad with the pump. Already we have noticed that diabetes is not in the forefront of most of the things that we think about. Sometimes you can almost forget about it. AWESOME. Chad is also back in school working on his Masters Degree. He's busy at Calvary doing all of the things an Associate Pastor does. I'm really proud of him, and the man that he's becoming.
Now to me. I don't have a whole lot to report on myself. My days are filled with work, helping Chad with his church duties, and loving Mr. C. And really, is there anything better? I didn't think so. We are very busy, going here and there. But, we love it. We have a lot of opportunities and get to do a lot of different things, and meet a lot of different people that we otherwise wouldn't be able to do. We're thankful for everything the Lord provides for us, and we know that it all comes from Him.
Today is our 7th anniversary. How exciting for us. I know 7 years isn't all that long, but we're happy about making it that far. We have been blessed with a lot in our short time together. Great jobs that make us happy, a great church where we get to serve the Lord, a great house with an equally great payment(read cheap), great friends and family, and of course a WONDERFUL, AWESOME, CUTE, ADORABLE, SWEET, red headed little boy.
This past year was filled with a lot of craziness and busy days, but we did it and came out on this side happier than ever. So, I love ya babe!!
We text...... a lot. Here's our text conversation for today. It's by far the best ever.
Me:Thanks for stopping by, you made my day
(Chad has stopped by my office to get Clayton's car seat, and we chatted a few minutes about nothing really important)
Chad's reply:Thanks for loving me. You made my life.
WOW
At the Carswell manor we love football. All kinds, high school, college and professional. Our pro team is of course the Carolina Panthers. I feel this is our year. They almost won against Pittsburgh on Sunday. It's still early, but I'm hopeful. On the college front we love the University of Alabama. The Crimson Tide is basically an American Institution. In my humble opinion. Anyway Saturday evening was their season opener. They trampled Clemson 34-10! In the spirit of the festivities we decided Clayton needed to support the team as well. He was sleepy and it was way past bedtime, so the photo shoot didn't go all that great. But, don't you think he looks great in his Red. Go Bama!
The Medtronic Minimed Paradigm 722, and it's accompanying Real Time Glucose Monitor arrived via "Brown" today. We were so excited. Chad immediately tore in to his packages and opened everything. He still has to wait a few weeks to get started on the insulin pump. There is training that is required before you can begin insulin therapy through the pump. Anyway, it's a giant leap in the right direction. Chad's well on his way to a target A1C of 6.
Chad is finally getting an insulin pump. He had a consultation today at our local Diabetes Care Center. They were very knowledgeable and helpful. He has decided to go with the Minimed pump distributed by Medtronic.
This pump has all of the standard features, and a few really cool extras. The main extra feature is called real-time Continuous Glucose Monitoring. This is an extra piece that he will have to insert in hie abomen. This device measures his blood sugar every 2-5 minutes. If his blood sugar rises above, or falls below, a safe level the device will sound an alarm. Our hope is that this will, in time, eliminate the hypoglycemic comas(it's a scary name, but we do know how to manage them) and the incredibly high spikes.
As of Friday morning we have placed the order for the pump to the Medtronic Rep in our area. They will contact our insurance for final approval. Chad's medical history has to meet medical necessity for an insulin pump. This is not generally a problem for a Type 1 diabetic. Insurance companies are starting to realize that it is cheaper to control diabetes, than to pay for medical care to combat all of the complications of diabetes.
God has truly answered all of our prayers thus far. What follows is the short list of answered prayers.
1. We prayed that God would allow our insurance company to cover the majority of the cost of the pump. When deciding to go the route of the pump, there are a lot of costs that are associated. The pump itself cost around $6000. Then there are the monthly supplies that are required to get the insulin from the pump into the body. They run around $500 monthly. These prices are before insurance pays their portion. Our Savior saw fit to provide the pump at a tiny fraction of the total cost. I don't think you would believe me if I told you what the estimated charges are. Let's put it this way, a nice steak dinner at Longhorn would cost you more out of pocket than Chad's pump should. My God is GOOD.
2. We prayed that God would send the pump to Chad quickly. Our thought of quickly was 6 weeks to 2 months. It's better than that. The diabetes educator informed us most patients have their pump around 2 weeks after ordering it. There is training required after it is received, but that is minimal and should be scheduled very quickly. Chad should be using his pump before September. Keep in mind, we will be on vacation 1 whole week during August. My God is GREAT.
There are many more answered prayers in relation to the insulin pump and Chad's diabetes. He has not had a critical low in 6 weeks. That's exciting for us. There may be one tomorrow, but God's grace is sufficient. He's kept Chad safe thus far and I believe Has a greater purpose for Chad and for our family. Diabetes DOES NOT run our life. It DOES NOT have preeminence over our God. My God knew exactly what He was doing when he created Chad with extra antibodies(extra antibodies kill the insulin cells that the body creates in Type 1 diabetics). Chad is still "fearfully and wonderfully made". This is a challenge we deal with every day of our lives. But through it we have drawn closer to God. We have been forced to rely upon the Lord for Chad's safety, health, and well being. Chad and I now realize we can't take care of ourselves. It's all God. We aren't supersaints or bionic Christians. We are simply saved by Grace. Our creator loves us, makes us the way He wants us so that He gets all the glory for our lives. If Insulin Dependant Type 1 Diabetes in Chad brings more Glory to God, BRING IT ON!!.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me!!!!!" Philippians 4:13
It is official and certifiable that I am the worst blogger in the history of all blogs. I sincerely apologize to all of my adoring fans(all 3 of you). I will attempt to do better.
On a different note, Chad is finally getting somewhere with the insulin pump. He goes next week to the Diabetes Center at a nearby hospital for a pump consultation appointment. This appointment is expected to take 2 hours or longer. It sounds very daunting, but we are very excited. I have called our insurance carrier and we were excited to learn that our insurance pays for insulin pumps and they pay very, very well. We are thanking the Lord for how he has worked this out for us.
Please pray for Chad and for me as we begin this new journey. There will be a lot of learning and changing, but we are definitely up to the challenge and ready.
Does life ever slow down? Ours doesn't seem to. That's OK, because we have a very full and rich life. I wouldn't trade one mintue of it. Anyway here's what our weekend was like. Here goes.
Friday, we attended a funeral of a precious lady that died very tragically last week. I won't go into the details, because I want the Lord to receive all the Glory for her homegoing. I don't understand why God took her home in the fashion that He did, but, thankfully, it's not my job to try and understand these things. On a side note, at the grave side services for sister Vivian, there was a Scottish Bagpiper. How cool is that. It really was fascinating. I have been to a lot of funerals in my short life, but that was definitely a first.
Friday evening, Chad and I were able to steal a few minutes to ourselves to have a little date. Clayton stayed with his Mawmaw(Chad's mother) and we went to dinner. We went to a place called Friday Friends. We had not eaten there before, but thoroughly enjoyed it. It was wonderful to have an evening with my sweetie.
Saturday afternoon we were honored to be invited to a wedding. Philip and Amanda Crump were hitched at Calvary in a beautiful and sweet ceremony. They seem to be genuinely in love with one another and with their Savior. Pray for them as they start down this new road together.
Saturday evening we went to dinner with Mom, Dad(the boss), and Ed and Nancy Taylor. Brother Ed pastors a church in Perry, FL. They were in town for Jesse's ordination. More on that in a moment. At dinner, my brilliant husband(he really is, Love ya babe) locked his keys in his car. We think they fell out of his pocket while he was taking his pre-dinner insulin. Anyway, there happens to be a high ranking office of the Lenoir Fire Department in our church. Chad called this man and he was willing and able to dispatch Lenoir's finest to our aid. We were very grateful not to have to call a locksmith. Thanks LFD.
Sunday. Of course we had our regularly scheduled church services this morning. Then this afternoon Jesse(baby brother) was Ordained into the ministry. It was an awesome service. I don't get to too many ordination services, but this has to be the best one I have been to thus far. As they were laying hands(special prayer time) on Jesse I was able to reflect on how fortunate I am to have a heritage of preachers. My husband, father, brother, and father-in-law, are all preachers. They also all pastor in some fashion or the other. In addition, they all live what they preach. How many people have this many preachers in their family. I love it and them.
So that was our weekend. We are physically EXHAUSTED, but we really are very full. God loves me and allows me to be a part of all of these wonderful activities. I'm grateful for every opportunity He provides for our family.
This is too precious not to post. Jesse and Amy babysat a few weeks ago for us. They kept Clayton up until, and a little past, his bedtime. Amy was so sweet and fed him his last bottle of the day, and even put him in his jammies for us. She really is the best. After Clayton was dudded up for bed he fell asleep with Jesse. It really is sweet. And I do love my baby brother.
Who would have thought cereal would have been such a hit. Clayton started eating cereal on Monday and hasn't stopped since. He's been getting it twice a day this whole week. Actually, he may be wearing more than he's eating, but it's still a lot of fun.
Chad had to try a bite of cereal. I don't know what possessed him to do that, but he did. Well, let's just say he didn't like it quite as much as Clayton does. I don't have a picture of that, but I sure wish I did.
I really am very sorry for not posting sooner. This week has been crazy busy. There was the usual work, bottles, and diapers. But, we also had revival at church this week. Evangelist Tom Gilliam delivered the message each night. Each sermon was about prayer I believe everyone of the messages was directly aimed at me. I always need a push(or a kick) when it comes to my prayer life.
Anyway, there's a lot going on for our family. Next Sunday 6/1 is Chad's official first day as the Associate Pastor at Calvary Baptist in Lenoir, NC. He's been observing only during the month of May. We've been able to get to know a lot of the youth during this month. It's been great fun for us anyway. I think they have enjoyed it as well. Please be in prayer for Chad as he begins to minister to the wonderful members at Calvary.
Clayton's smiles are the best things going and coming around the Carswell house. Toothless grins are worth every 3am feeding, and poopie diaper. Enjoy.
I think I had the best first Mother's day that any new mom could hope for. Clayton(and Chad since Clayton's only 3 months old) gave me a gift certificate to a day spa here in town. They know how much I like to have my toes painted. I was so excited when they gave me their gift. Chad is not an incredibly romantic man, so I was incredibly shocked that he would think of something like that. He did a really good job.
We had a few bumps on our road to parenthood, but we are loving it now. God's will and timing for our lives has been absolutely perfect. We love being parents now that we have Clayton, but we are thankful for ALL of the things that preceeded his arrival.
I know it's belated, but I want to say Happy Mother's Day to the special ladies in my life. Of course my Mom, my Grandmother, my Mother in Law, and my 2 Sisters in Law, neither of the have children yet, but they will make great Moms in God's time.
I'm a first time mom this year, so I'm really excited about Mother's Day. Chad and I don't usually do our birthdays really big, and Christmas is usually about other people. We get the things that we want for ourselves throughout the rest of the year. But, I'm really excited about Mother's Day. I love being a Mommy. It's WAY up there on my list of the best things to ever happen to me. Clayton is the coolest little boy in my world.
So, I was thinking about my own Mom. Besides my husband, she's my best friend in the whole world. Whenever we get together we talk a hundred miles a minute. It's not usually been that long since we've see each other, but there are always things that need to be said, and problems to solve. She raised my brother and me in a Christian, loving home. We have always been very important to her. She loves my Dad, and treats him with the respect he deserves. How cool to be close enough to her that I want to spend time with her now that I am all grown up and a Mommy myself. Love Ya Mom.
WOW! This weekend was incredibly busy.
Friday evening we went to the Mother/Daughter Tea at Calvary. It was wonderful. The speaker for the evening was a lady that portrayed the blind hymn writer Fanny Crosby. She did an amazing job. The food was great, and some of the wonderful men(Chad included) served us ladies. There were around 150 ladies in attendance. It was a lot of fun.
Saturday morning we woke up at the usual time. Early, since Clayton needed his breakfast. After the usual morning things, we went to CARE ministry at Calvary. CARE ended around 12:30. Then we took Chad's sister Jamie, shopping for her 17th birthday. She seemed to really enjoy the day. We did too. Chad was able to get some much needed clothes. And then, Saturday evening we went to a youth meeting at Community Baptist. Alan Carr and Jesse Carr (my Dad and brother, respectively) were the preachers for the evening. And then, everyone (ie Mom, Dad, Jesse, Amy, Jamie, Chad, Clayton and Me) went to dinner at Fatz.
Sunday was the usually unusual. Sunday School, and Church on Sunday morning. The Lord came by in an unusual way and spoke to His people. God's people testified and sang praises to Him. It was wonderful to be in church again. Sunday afternoon we (the afore mentioned entire family) had lunch at Mom and Dad's house. She's an amazing cook, so it was delicious. After that she and I ran an errand, the baby needs milk to keep his belly full. The boys stayed behind, and tried to take a nap. We went to youth Bible Study at 4:30, and had worship again at 6pm.
Now, it's 9:30pm. Chad's feeding Clayton, and then it's bed time for everybody in the Carswell manor. I'm tired, but thoroughly satisfied. Our first Sunday at Calvary was wonderful. Chad, Clayton, and I were made very welcome at our new church home. The people are so wonderful, if you live near by and are looking for a church home, come and have a visit. I hope your work week is wonderful, and God manifests Himself in a marvelous way. I'm sure He will, if you will look for Him.
Chad, Clayton, and I were doing a little photo shoot in the yard last week, and I thought I would share with you. Hope you enjoy!!
Well, Sunday night was our last service at Trinity Baptist in Drexel. It has been our church home for the last 2 years. We love Trinity and all of the wonderful people that make Trinity their place of worship. But, as you know from previous posts the Lord has decided to move Chad's ministry in a different direction. On Sunday May 4th Chad will become the Associate Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Lenoir, NC. He will be observing only during May. But, in June he will hit the ground running, with "guns a blazin". OK, enough cliches. We are both very excited about this new phase in our life and ministry. But, we were sad to leave Trinity. It's a wonderful, Bible believing church that genuinely wants to follow God's direction. If you live in the Burke county area and are looking for a church, you should definitely give them a visit. Calvary here were come.
Well, we the faithful jurors of Burke county are still holed up in our little, gray, unairconditioned room. We did get a small break from our duties and actually got to see the inside of the great Burke county court room. The honorable judge was gracious enough to explain why we were having to wait. Everyone seems to be pleading guilty to the crimes that they have been accused of. I guess that's good if they actually did the crime. Anyway, today's church day and that is always exciting for our family. We love to take Clayton(and ourselves) to church. He seems to really enjoy it. Have a great day.
Have you ever had Jury Duty? Well, this is my first experience with such a blessed occasion. So far, our primary duty has been to stare the gray paint off the walls of the Jury Assembly room. It's been a blast(note sarcasm). Now please don't bash me for being umpatriotic because I'm not enjoying my experience. I understand and respect that it is my civic duty as an American citizen to report for Jury duty when called. That being said, I would much rather be in the court room deciding the fate of anything instead of being in a holding pattern with 50 other dutiful citizens. My complaining aside, I do appreciate the fact that in this country we do have the right to receive a fair trial, and for our fate to be decided by a group of our peers. We are very fortunate to have that right. Anyway Romans 8:28 is still in my Bible. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose." I guess that goes for Jury Duty as well.
Last night Chad preached at Calvary(our very soon to be new church home). He preached out of Acts 27 where Paul was ship wrecked. Chad brought out points relating to anchors and what they hold to. His first point was the anchor of Salvation. That got me to thinking about my Salvation and my God. Where would I be without the anchoring power of God's Grace? I don't know, but the options don't sound very appealing. I'm thankful that God saw me in the lost state that I was in and decided that I was worth saving. Now, I can cast anchor in Him and know that the anchor truly holds.
Chad and I have big news. Chad was voted in as the Associate Pastor of Children and Youth at Calvary Baptist Church in Lenoir, NC. Really cool stuff for us. We have been praying that the Lord would place Chad in service somewhere ever since he graduated in February. Pray for us as we begin this new endeavour. We're excited to be able to minister to youth in Lenoir. Our desire is for the Lord to use Chad and our family to bring souls to Him.
