Soccer Memory

Last Tuesday night at 10:15 pm, as I was sitting at home watching Dancing with the Stars, I received a text message from my youngest sister, Lindsay: "Pray for Ethan. We r on the way to the ER, he got kicked in the face during the soccer game, lost memory. Don't call-will call u soon."

In an instant the TV was off and Jim and I were holding hands, heads bowed in prayer for my brother. A sense of panic was trying to overtake me with powerful force and I could only imagine what the rest of my family was going through at that moment, so I called for spiritual reinforcements. After phoning my father-in-law and asking for his prayers, I sent a mass text message to other family and friends. Within minutes I had received replies from several people stating they were praying right then. Interestingly enough, a few of the first to respond were friends I only talk to a handful of times a year because we live in different states. And I broke down crying because my spirit was encouraged by the fact that prayer knows no distance. I could feel the unity in the supernatural realm as the prayers went up for my brother, Ethan. It was an extremely comforting feeling considering the fact that I was really struggling with not being there in the waiting room with my mom and sisters.

It felt like forever before I got the first call from Lindsay saying that Ethan was having a CT scan and that his mouth was all busted up, particularly his bottom lip. She explained that Ethan had been kicked square in the face as he was diving to stop the ball as it approached the goal area. (Ethan is the goalie.) They didn't think he lost consciousness but after being helped off the field by his coach it became evident that something wasn't right. He was very confused about a lot of things, such as what day of the week it was, how he got home from the Dominican Republic (where he had been on missions the entire previous week) and whether or not my other sister, Krystal, had given birth to her baby. He kept asking a lot of questions, and asking the same questions repeatedly trying to fill in the gaps in his memory. Lindsay told me she would keep me posted regarding any updates, so we said goodbye and began the waiting game. I fell asleep still praying for Ethan. Just before 2:00 am, I got another text from Lindsay stating that it could possibly be a long wait before Ethan would get his test results so my dad was staying with him at the hospital and she and my mom had gone home.

I woke up around 7:00, after a very restless night (which was as much attributed to my girls as it was the circumstances with Ethan), and had to fight the urge to call my family. I knew it had been a very long night for them and that they were all most likely sleeping in. Finally around 9:00 I caved in and dialed my mom. I could tell she was still in bed (sorry mom!), but after realizing I still hadn't had any updates since 2:00 she began filling in the rest of the information. The doctor said Ethan had a severe concussion. He needed to stay home from school the rest of the week and they gave him some Vicodin to help with the pain. There was good news though. First, he didn't need stitches in his lip. (The thought of which didn't even cross anyone's mind until after the doctor stated he didn't need them.) And the second part being that he got his memory back. Everything that is except for the moments right before he got kicked in the face, which probably aren't worth remembering anyway.

My mom said it seemed that there was quite a prayer chain going Tuesday night into Wednesday morning for Ethan. She also said she knows that the prayers are what made a difference. And I completely agree. To those of you who were part of that intercession for my brother, THANK YOU!! God heard you, me, us. He is good!

The doctor said Ethan needed to wait a week before participating in anymore sports and today marks the end of that week. Tonight Ethan's soccer team takes on Oologah and I know everyone is hoping Ethan will be able to participate. Especially since Ethan is the starting goalie, the backup goalie, the only goalie. And he must be pretty good because I don't know how many guys could get kicked in the face and still manage to make the save.

Ethan, you're an impressive dude and I love you. Have a great rest of the season!


"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:15-16

Girls Night Out

Friday night was girls night out. We started off the evening with pedicures. Abby and I were on cloud 9 as we got our feet and legs massaged before getting our toes painted. For Angie, however, the experience proved to be torture. There we all were, sitting in our luxurious massage chairs and chatting away when all of a sudden Ang starts to twitch and jerk and cringe and laugh. And that's when Abby and I learned that Angie is EXTREMELY ticklish on her feet. We were all laughing as we watched Ang try with all her might to avoid kicking her pedicurist in the face as he scrubbed and massaged her feet. It was quite the scene.


After the fresh coating of paint on our toes had dried well enough, we headed to the mall in style in Abby's mom's awesome Mini Cooper. We hit the food court for some fuel and then invaded a couple of stores, taking full advantage of our time sans children. It felt like we were in college again. We were laughing and running back and forth between each other's dressing rooms. We oohed and ahhed at each other's finds. We had fun. Lots and lots of fun. We then headed to Bonefish Grill for some desserts and girl talk. I can never get enough girl talk. Especially with these girls. Even though our discussions often revolve around the same topics, our conversations are never stale.

Finally, Abby drove us all back to our "mommy" cars and we said our good-byes and as I drove home I reflected on our time together. I felt overwhelmed and blessed to have such an amazing circle of friends. I lean on them so much for anything and everything and I don't know what I'd do without them. Thank you God for girlfriends!

Cookie Monsters

When my nephew was almost 8 months old, I decided to introduce him to chocolate chip cookies. I thought it would be harmless and make for a cute picture, but it didn't occur to me that he would actually try to eat it (not that I blame him). In the same instant that I put the cookie into his hand he had it in his mouth. So, during my mom's recent visit to PA she suggested I give Kylie a cookie since she is about the same age now as Malachi was then. I grabbed the camera and handed over the cookie. I took about a dozen pictures of her with the cookie, but she never tried to eat it. As pleased as I am with my daughter's self-control, I think my nephew proved that when it comes to cookies his reflexes are anything but crummy. (Ba-dum-dum)

8 Months Old Today

The last month Kylie began rambling "ma ma" as a change of pace from her usual "da da" rants. Actually, she has begun just babbling on and on and on. I have a feeling she'll be quite the talker in a couple of years.

She also started feeding herself cereal 'puffs' this month. I find myself laughing out loud as she doesn't just pick up the cereal and put it in her mouth, but rather attacks it with lightning quick speed and then nearly eats her entire hand in her haste to get the food into her mouth. I would compare the sight of her eating the puffs to watching Bear Grylls catch a trout with his bare hands. It's like she thinks they're going to run off her tray if she doesn't snatch them fast enough.