Life Changes In the Blink of an Eye!!

I can't believe how long it's been since I've written anything!  Besides simply being lazy and unmotivated about it (I'm not a writer or journaler by nature as you can tell), but so much has transpired since I wrote last (in March).
On March 28th, my father-in-law suddenly passed away.  I will never forget... I was waiting for Sean to come home from work.  I heard the garage open but after he didn't come in for quite a while, I finally went out to check on him.  Figuring he was on the phone, I quietly came around the corner to find him on an intense phone call.  He told me blatantly and quickly and my heart sank.  I went back in side, sat down with tears in my eyes, and processed what he had just told me.  Dad was found that day, by my eldest brother-in-law, laying peacefully in his bed.  Isn't that the way we all hope to go?  It gave us all peace to know that's what happened.  We suspect a heart attack.  The suddenness of it was the difficult part.  And that is something we will all continue to process differently.  The very next day Sean was on a plane back home to Fresno.  I tried to go to work, but as I sat there in my surgery case anxious and in tears, I knew I had to go too.  I took a break and made the phone calls that got Emery and I bereavement flights leaving the next day.  By Saturday night we were all back together with Brett and Mattie and the kids, and Devin.  All a family, together once again.

 Emery got her Easter basket a day early and very early in the morning before our flight

 Emery had her own seat for the first time!

 Bubble Guppies bought me some quiet time :)

 ... then it was on to my phone during the second flight

The first couple days we spent having low key talks and fun.  The kids played, we all caught up.  It was a great time, as if nothing had happened and no time had passed.  But eventually the plans had to be made and soon it was underway.  Brett and Sean were crazy busy with all the planning.   The memorial service for dad was really great.  Our pastor, Dale Oquist, at People's Church, did the service and Sean did the eulogy.  He was so stressed about it, but in the end God gave him the most awesome message and he portrayed his dad in the most beautiful way.  He honored him greatly and as he did, so many memories came back to me.  It was a wonderful time remembering him with friends and family.  He really was a great man who had a broken heart after mom passed away.  But they are together again!!!

We spent 3 nights with Brett and Mattie (Sean's brother) and then moved to my brother's house.  We ended up staying there for the next week. All this time with family was so fun and so good for us!  Especially, for me, the time with my brother was very special to me (and my sis-in-law too!).  And my nephews and niece who are growing up so quick.  Josh is graduating THIS year!  Yikes!  It was a very bittersweet visit home.  I had planned to visit for Josh's grad in May but here we are.  Not quite the trip I had planned.  But I made the most of it.  Sean released me to spend time with friends knowing I wouldn't be back for a while, but I still felt guilty as his family planned their dad's service.  He was so gracious about it.  But without a car, I was at the mercy of whoever would come pick me up. lol  But I did get to see most of my friends (I did miss a couple important ones... :(  And more importantly everyone got to see Emery!  The first weekend there we got to celebrate Easter with our families.  (funny that two years ago we were in Texas, checking it out, also on Easter weekend)

Sean's family

 First night with her cousins!!!  It's bathtime!

 After church we had lunch and egg hunt at the Martinez's

Cousin time! Owen, Mckenna and Emery

 It was a gorgeous day!!

Family pics!

 Racing with her cousins!

 me and the girls!  Love my Emery and Mckenna!!

 I finally got to meet my newest nephew, Levi!

 Cousin Levi!

 Cousins Mckenna, Owen and Levi!

 Cuties!!

My Family!

 Cousin Josh!

 Cousin Jenna!

Cousin Jordan and auntie Nae Nae!

 Emery with Grandma Sherril and Jenna

My brother's kids... love them and miss them so much it hurts!

Emery and Jenna... hanging out

Friends and Fun!

Kuppa Joy!!

 I visited this new coffee shop in oldtown Clovis more than a few times during my visit.  So sad they opened after I moved away.  But so glad to be able to enjoy it with friends!!

That's my very very very best friend and soul sister at the counter :-)

 My dear friend Tonia brought me my favorite Maddie's Cupcakes!!

 Coffee at Kuppa Joy with my friend and hair stylist, Tamara 

(who's hopefully moving to Texas soon too!

Shopping with Tamara in Oldtown

We got to visit with my dearest friend, Lisa, and Emery's Beau-friends!

Girl's night out with my girlfriends!

 Brett turned 30 while we were there!  Yeah!  So we got to go out on an 

adults only date to the Yardhouse!  So much fun!

 Emery checking out the real estate in Cali!  lol

 She missed her second birthday here at Batter-Up so we took this picture a couple months late (we celebrated her first birthday here as well as week 1, 2 & 3 and many more!)

 I was so excited to see that Big Hat Days in Clovis was going on while I was there and
got to go with both of my sisters-in-law, Renee and Melissa!

 We visited Papa Chuck.  This is Emery outside of my mommy's house where I grew up

 This is typical of me and my brother...  LOL!!!

 And this is a typical evening in the McCarley house... loud, obnoxious and fun!

 Auntie Nae Nae loves her Lola so much!!!  and Lola loves her!

We always knew when Sean's dad passed away some day, his brother Devin would come to live with us.  Sean had been frantically shopping houses, getting us pre-approved and talking with a realtor when he found out we were out of our lease with him working for the complex.  This was all a month or two leading up to his dad's passing.  He was almost obsessed to the point that it stressed me out and even irritated me.  But when everything hit the fan, we knew it was God leading him.  We were amazed at how we got pre-approved and built a relationship with a realtor so that part was done by the time we came back home and we were ready to start looking.  As for Devin moving here, we thought we would come home and find a house, get settled and then move him out here.  But again, God had other plans.  When Sean was trying to figure out flights, our best friend, Tom, called and told Sean to get a one-way ticket to Sacramento and he would pick him up on his way home from Portland.  And... if he was willing to stay 10 days, Tom was driving out to Dallas to pick up a trailer and Sean could hitch a ride all expenses paid.  We thought "Praise God" for providing cheaper transportation.  But as I flew into Fresno, the thought came to me that it would make sense to move Devin, and his stuff, with Sean and Tom 10 days later.  I knew God was preparing me.  I had no time to prepare house, mind or emotion on this very huge change in our lives.  I wasn't ready.  And that night when Sean and I went out to dinner "to talk", he hit me with the news.  But I knew God was bigger than my human emotions and he would give me all I needed to face each and every day and every change, big or small, in our future.
Ten days later, Tom, Sean and Devin pulled out of Fresno... Sean's third drive to Dallas in 8 months!  I was supposed to leave as well, but Emery ended up in Urgent care with a fever and bilateral ear infections!  I was afraid to fly and everyone strongly suggested I wait a day or two.  So I did.  I made the most of it.  But just like in August, after Sean pulled out of Fresno with my life in a truck, I, once again, felt the anxiousness of wanting to get back home with him.  But we eventually left two days later in the afternoon.  Emery was way past her naptime and with a dose of Benadryl on board and lots of prayer, she slept the ENTIRE 3 hours home!!!  Thank you Jesus!!!

Can't wait for my next visit home!  It will be much more relaxing and fun!!!!  Until next time!!

Family and friends!!

3/23/13 (finally posted 2 months later!  lol)

This past week has been pretty fun.  Despite that the beginning of the week started out very rough for me, I'm happy to say things got much better and I could breathe again.  So Thursday, my friend, Tyranie, and I took the kids out for a trip to Fort Worth.  My real reason was to go to Trader Joe's, but by the time we had all our fun, we never made it.  But it was a wonderful time together!  We didn't even leave the house for an hour and a half simply because the kids were having so much fun playing and we were having so much fun having (almost) uninterrupted talk time!  By the time we got down there, it was lunch and so we ate at Wendy's and then headed to Trinity Park and played for quite awhile.  I don't think we got home until 3:00!  It was a blessed day!  I cannot express the emotion that comes with the closeness that our friendship has taken on in only 7 months.  Although we have been friends for over 20 years, its now being co-transplants in Texas that has really deepened our relationship.  We are both grateful for that!

Saturday night, we had a our first official dinner guests over.  My friend from last semester's bible study, Karah, her husband Jeff, 26 mo daughter Ari and 6 mo son Aiden, joined us for dinner.  I made a simple, yet yummy, dinner and we hung out all night while the girls played.  It was so fun and laid back.  I hadn't invited anyone over yet because we do not have dishes.  Yep, that's right!  Sean had been bugging me to get new dishes for awhile now, so when we packed up to move, he refused to bring our 18 year old heavy dishes with us.  He thought it would force us to buy a new set.  But quite the contrary, as money has been extremely tight and they just have not been a priority.  After a few weeks he bought 4 plastic plates at Target for $1 each ... and THAT is what we served our guests on.  They were so gracious!  I had to admit to them that I had to set my pride aside.  But I got to a place recently that I wasn't going to let something so menial as plates keep me from having friends in my home any longer.  I told them "we are gettin' real tonight!!!"  lol  It was such a wonderful evening of fellowship, getting to know each other, laughing and making plans for more dates.  What a blessing!

This past week, Sean worked 10 1/2 days straight!  Then spent his 1 1/2 days off at the Men's Summit (conference) at Gateway.  Then worked a half day on Saturday.  So when Sunday came, there was no question we were skipping church and spending the day as a family, out and about!  I love when God gives you peace and you know His grace is in that!  With playing so hard the night before and then with the time change, Emery slept in until 10:00!!  We finally had to open her door to get her to wake up.  We got her dressed and off we went to breakfast.  We ate at the Snooty Pig, with the cinnamon roll being the star of the menu.  The food was good but not one of those A-mazing breakfast houses!  But we had a great, peaceful breakfast experience with Emery.  After breakfast we had planned to do some house hunting.  We saw a few model homes, drove some neighborhoods and even drove the country.  We stopped for a quick lunch somewhere in the middle of it all at a pizza joint called Marco's.  It was yum as well.  Then Emery fell asleep allowing us to drive some more.  It was a really fun day to be together, having some great discussions throughout the day.  These days are so few and far between for the last 2 months.  It's been kind of hard.  So we have to steal them when we can.

Overwhelming blessing and more doctor visits!

It hits me every so often, in the midst of this crazy life and the hecticness of being a mom, just how blessed I am.  There are moments that I have to stop and remember how I thought this moment would never come.  To have this beautiful amazing little girl in my life, given to us, entrusted to us, by her heavenly father to raise up in His ways and love, to love and cherish and grow to be all that God has created her to be.  It is overwhelming and the task can seem daunting.  But it is the highest honor a person can ever have!  Many days are hard, and the 'twos' are definitely upon us!  But all that is needed to break me in those stressful moments is her smile.  And then the frustration of the day she gave me just melts away.  That's the beauty of parenting.  That is unconditional love at its finest.  I told Sean recently... if only we could all be that way with each other.  How awesome would our marriages be!  How amazing would our family relationships be.  Having a child really teaches you what love is all about.  It teaches you patience, humility, and reveals things about yourself you may have not necessarily wanted to know.  But God uses these little ones to bring you to your knees in need of daily guidance and strength and begins to change you from the inside out.  We are growing right along with her.  And it is an amazing season of life!!!  I am so full right now!  Full of life and joy and peace!
And growing she is!!  Last night she got, yet, another belated birthday present from a friend who could not make it to her party.  It was a dress up set complete with necklace, earrings, ring, bracelets, purse and heeled shoes!  As I was dressing her up, I had one of those moments.  She's not just the baby I always wanted, but the daughter I always wanted!  And she's right here in my living room, playing dress up, and talking to me!!!  It's hard to believe!  She is learning so many words and phrases now too!  In fact, she has been going to our friend's house on Fridays and some Wednesdays when Sean and I both work. She is with the three youngest of their kids all day.  And we immediately saw a difference in her vocabulary and communication skills!  She's definitely forming longer sentences and more sentences than ever before.  Her new favorite is "I want...".  And she says it all the time.  And she doesn't give up... ever... even after I tell her no ten times!  She is a persistent little bugger!  And the hard part is sometimes I have no idea what she is saying, but SHE DOES!  And so she is set on making me understand!  This is where patience comes in. lol  Here are a few examples...

I want go outside... I want uncle (after my brother came to visit this past weekend)
... I want oiuyuyuiyoiu phone... 

I want uyoiuuipoiou up... I want in (shower)... 

I want eat, I want run, I want walk!!!  lol

sometimes its I want I want I want I want...  over and over and over again! lol  And its all at inopportune times that I'm not able to let her do what she wants.  She is persistent and so it is SO frustrating sometimes!  But its all part of this precious part of watching this little baby grow up into a person.  It truly blows my mind some days to see her progress!!!

An update on her growth.... I knew going for her two year checkup with a brand new doctor would probably end us up having more labs and tests.  And sure enough!  But our new pediatrician was great.  After getting her old labs from her previous doctor, he called me on my cell and talked with me for a good 20 minutes.  He brought up some things that could definitely be causing her to not grow as quickly as she should.  One of the things that has kept me awake at night was the thought of Cystic Fibrosis.  Although she thankfully did not have the tell tale signs, her low weight and short stature and the fact that she has, once again, had an ongoing night cough, caused him to want to test her for it.  I was, honestly, scared to death, but at the same time wanted desperately to rule it out.  She went it for the test and the next day we got the results... they were normal!  Praise God!  It's not so much that I am a paranoid, hypochondriacal nurse mom.  But being a nurse, I am more aware of things that could contribute to slow growth that the normal person would never think of.  So this makes me open to tests and ruling things out.  Sean on the other hand has a hard time thinking about the possibilities and feels the doctors are freaking out without warrant.  We talked at length about this and agreed on a plan as parents.
Up to date, she did have more labs done and everything, once again, looked great.  We ruled out CF along with Celiac Disease and malabsorption issues.  We started her on an antacid in case she has what they call "silent reflux".  The dr said this can cause her to not want to eat and/or not eat very much.  (I hate to say I have not been diligent about giving her this)  We met with a GI specialist and agreed to watch her, start her on daily pediasure for increased calories, and followup in May.  From there if things don't progress well then he may want to do Endoscopy to look at the GI tract (which I don't think we plan to do unless it is really warranted).  This week we met with a new Endocrinologist simply to continue to be followed since she started with one in fresno.  Its funny.... he hated that she is on pediasure and said it only takes away from her eating normal meals.  Sean and I agreed and so I'm thinking we'll only use it for those times she doesn't eat.  He also resonated what Sean says in that Emery may simply be a skinny, petite kid and drs always try to fit these kids into a "normal wt" mold and then they get fat and have to deal with getting them to lose weight.  lol  Again... we agree.  I knew Sean would like this doctor!
I feel at this point that we will probably not go any further with testing or treatment if she continues to meet all her developmental milestones and continues looking healthy.  Neither one of us want her to be put under anesthesia for Endoscopy or be poked and prodded any more.  All looks well so far and, as Sean says, we don't want to hear any more about it.  There is power in the word and the things people speak over your children.  Even doctors when they say 'she is this or that'.  I say... No she is not!  She is perfect and I know God will give us wisdom if there is truly anything going on that we need to be aware of and treat.  But otherwise, I daily speak over her that she is growing big and strong and that she is perfectly as God created her!  She truly is healthy and right on track and I praise God for that!!
So all that to say.... there really is nothing new to tell. LOL!   There was so much I wanted to blog about... fun stuff we've done lately, all her funny new stuff she's doing, etc.  And of course my short term memory has set in.  I will work on being more timely so I can get these things in here for me to have forever!

Random pics!

I uploaded this pictures more than a month ago.  Just random, fun pics!  So enjoy!!  lol

These pics were from our second snow day!!  Unlike Christmas, when we never left our house, this time it was my day off and I got to drive in it as I had errands to run.  It was freezing outside!!  And though there was no snow on the roads (thankfully) it was a dream seeing it everywhere else as I drove through town.  Coming from a place where you have to drive to the mountains to see snow, this was so fun for me!  

Random pictures of Emery! :)

Emery took a tumble that cut her lip. :(

The following pictures were on a beautiful "winter" day.  After church we drove some neighborhoods in Southlake and Keller and came upon this awesome park!

LOVE the oaks everywhere!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Emery Rose!!!

As usual I'm a little late on posting Emery's birthday extravanganza!  But better late than never, right?  We had a fabulous time!  It really was the most perfect night!  I could finally breathe once it was over.  I just wasn't on my game this year.  I was a little behind.  At the beginning of January, we were having a playdate with a few friends, and one of my friends announced her son's birthday party date.  It hit me like a ton of bricks!  "Oh my gosh!  Emery's birthday is in 3 weeks!"  So I looked at my calendar and set a date right at that moment!  It would be Jan 26th, a Saturday.  But my planning did not take off from there.  No, in fact it was a week and a half or so later that I finally figured out where we would have the party and then sent out an evite.  Luckily, I did at least tell everyone to save the date.  Whew!  And it was only a couple days before that I had any plan of what I would be doing. Sheesh!  I'm just a procrastinator!
I needed a theme.... Well I decided to go with a zebra and hot pink theme.  I needed a location.... Sean had just been hired for a job as a leasing consultant at our complex 2 weeks before and so we were able to use the clubhouse without charge.  I was so excited!  But, that meant we had to have the party after hours.  So the time was set for 5:30.  Which meant now I needed to come up with a dinner menu.... The day before I finally decided to do pulled pork and a warm pasta salad with sundried tomatoes and feta.  I served it with rolls.  I wanted it to be easy and simple but more of a dinner, than a lunch or appetizer feel.  But here's the thing... I have never done pulled pork.  But thank you Jesus, it turned out awesome!!  I needed a cake!.... I had made my sister-in-law's white chocolate cake for Christmas and had the brilliant idea to make it again as cupcakes for Em's party!  They were a hit!  After one failed batch of orange frosting... ugh!... I stuck with white on white and made the fondant hearts pink in a zebra stripe cupcake cup.  They were so yum!!!
And I needed a birthday outfit....  I met a friend on facebook when I was back in Fresno and Emery had modeled a couple outfits for her business last year.  She agreed to use Emery again for her business and sent us an outfit for her Valentine's season.  I had been wanting to get Emery some cowgirl boots.  I mean, we ARE in Texas!!  I shopped and found, on the day of the party, the most perfect cowgirl boots and it just so happened that the whole outfit went perfectly together!  (although not zebra and hot pink, but that's ok.  I didn't have my act together that much!  ha!)  And best of all, her papa wanted to buy them for her so I was able to get better boots than the original ones I found!  Yippeeee!!!  Thank you Papa and grandma Sherril!
I had lots to do from the time I got off work Friday night until the party the next day!  When I woke up that morning, I was off and running!  And I prayed so hard that Emery would take a good nap.  Both, so she would be rested and also so I could get a ton done.  She did!  yeah!  At 4pm I headed over to the clubhouse to start decorating.  Our best friend Tom came into town that morning from Fresno (on business but he came a day early to stay with us!) and, lucky him, I put him to work!!  And thank God he was there!  There is always SO much to do an hour before the party!  But everything got done, the food was awesome, and the way everyone met and got to know each other was great!  We had two long-time friends, the Carlsons and the Caughrans, and two of my new friends, Shane & Stephanie O-Dell, and Karah Johnston (her hubby had to work) and they all fell in love with each other.  And in all, we had ten kids with ages ranging from 5 months to 18 years.  It was a fantastic night!!

 The Outfit!  ... Emery getting ready for her party!

 The entry into the clubhouse.... Loved the balloons!!!  

The clubhouse really felt like we were in our home!  

Everyone kept mentioning that it didn't feel like we were in an apt complex.  

I was so glad for that!  I just wanted it to feel warm and comfortable.

 The party favors for the little ones...

 My friend Karah and Emery playing with her son, Aiden.  So sweet!

 The gifts and decor! 

Emery had a blast opening her gifts!  So different from last year!

Emery was showered with so many wonderful gifts!  She got two baby dolls, puzzle, coloring books, crayons, a big pink and white ball, two musical tea sets, clothes, the burlap pillow (which I'm convinced is more for me!  hehe) and her boots.  She had so much fun opening the gifts and receiving help and being cheered on by all her new friends.  

Her new boots!!!  (she wears them all the time now!)

One of the precious gifts from Karah, a handmade burlap pillow.  

Her birthdate on the opposite side.

her newest friends....  Ari (Karah's daughter), Emery and Griffin (Stephanie's son)

 The cupcakes I made with lots and lots of love!!!!!...

...And then we all sang to Emery!!!

The after party when Tom cut down the balloons and freed them all!!!  lol

Emery back at home having a nightcap before bed.  ;-)  She was one tired little girl!

It was a relaxing evening, everyone talking and getting to know each other.  The kids running around and playing together.  Emery had so much energy as she ran around with them all!  We ate, we had fellowship, Emery opened gifts, we ate more!  lol  Pretty much your typical birthday party.  But WAY better!  :-)

I really felt so blessed for all that God provided for our family on Emery's birthday.  The week before, I was overcome with sadness that our family and closest friends in Fresno would not be here to celebrate her birthday.  Last year, we had 30+ people in our small home, all for her! And this year, I knew it would be different.  Not even at Christmas was I sad.  But when it comes to Emery and her birthday, I really was.  But throughout the week, I just kept praying and, as always, God totally covered me and all of us and provided every single thing we needed.  It goes without saying that I would have given anything to have our family with us to celebrate her.  But, throughout the night, I truly was overcome with contentment and joy and an overwhelming feeling of richness and blessing from the friends, new and old, that God has brought into my life (our lives) in only 6 months.  There was so much love and support in that room!  The air was thick with it!  God is so good and His love for us endures forever!!!!