Monday pick-me-up

WE’RE SAFE & WE’RE “REGULAR”
I’m borrowing these pics from my friend, Shannon, who is in front of an uprooted tree at Rotary Park near Jackson Elementary. This is about three miles from our home.
WE’RE SAFE!
If you followed the news this weekend, you may have noticed a tornado swept through our community on Friday. Growing up in the Oklahoma panhandle, my father nurtured in his girls a love for storms. They truly fascinate me. However, I’ve always had a healthy respect for tornadoes. When I turned on the news Friday around 4pm, I heard the storm chaser say, “It’s on the ground, crossing Hwy 9 and heading to Norman. Take cover immediately!” I thought to myself, “This is serious. This one is really coming to Norman.” My heart was pounding. I woke Alexa from her nap, grabbed sofa cushions, my phone, a flashlight and we took cover in our tub to wait out the storm in silence. I’m so thankful Chris, who was taking cover at OU, was able to reach us by cell to give us live news coverage. As you know, all is well. Although there is definite damage to parts of Norman, there were no fatalities. We are so thankful for God’s hand of protection over our family and our community.
A side view of the uprooted tree. Click on the image. Look closely and you can see Shannon in front.

WE’RE “REGULAR”
In another bit of news, random as it may be, we are also celebrating “regularity.” Our poor lil’ Alexa went 10 days without a BM. I know that doesn’t seem like appropriate blog talk but when you are away on vacation and your daughter is at home and hasn’t gone #2 in several days, it can become very consuming for all parties involved – Alexa, Mommy, Daddy, Ama, Opa, docs & all of the family members praying for her.

I am happy to announce Alexa is celebrating BM #6 in the last ten days!! Again, I never thought I would share news like this on my blog, but it’s DEFINITELY reason for celebration and reason for a “Monday pick-me-up.” As all of us know, if you aren’t regular, you aren’t yourself. Our Lil’ A had definitely lost her sparkle and her appetite. She had become lethargic and grumpy with a distended belly. Poor thing! We’re so thankful God (as well as docs and Ama/Opa) helped her get back to normal. Now it’s daily doses of Miralax, a high fiber diet and lots of prayer that keep her “going” strong. I’m so thankful we weren’t potty training yet!


Here’s a pic after Alexa’s 1st breakthrough. And it was, indeed, a major breakthrough – it was ten days after all!! We didn’t have any extra pants with us at the park but we told Alexa she could continue playing if she would agree to a diaper change. Here she is having the time of her life sans pants. We kept begging parents not to turn us in. They all seemed to understand our plight and celebrated with us.



This is after BM #6 yesterday. As you can see, we solved the pants dilemma but didn’t have an extra shirt. When we picked Alexa up after church she was super stinky and oozing out of her diaper (top & bottom). She told us she was playing at the playground and pooped. We thanked her for the play-by-play. So, we changed her in the back of our Subaru Outback – thanks to the towel I always keep in the car now. As mentioned earlier, I had an extra set of pants but I didn’t have an extra shirt. So, we dressed her in her denim jacket & new pants and headed home. She did ask where her shirt was on the way home, but she answered herself and said, “It’s dirty in the back.” She didn’t seem to mind running around in the front yard with her denim jacket for a few pics. In fact, she preferred taking it off. 


A glimpse of the new “normal” for the Kennedy crew. Chris joked that our kitchen was beginning to look like it belonged in a nursing home. The sad thing is I didn’t even include it all.
By the way, if any of you have great high-fiber recipes for picky eaters, I’m all ears!!

Hooray for the little & big ways God takes care of us!!