Thursday, February 16, 2012

A lot of LIFE

A lot of life has been happening in the Palmer household. Here's a quick glimpse...

NUMBER 1:
Cole and I had some pretty grandiose plans for what we were going to do with our tax refund – which in our minds was going to be quite a bit of dough coming in. But as I started preparing our taxes, it was looking like the refund wouldn’t be anywhere near what we thought it would be. I was bummed and a little frustrated at ourselves for getting our hopes up. The main thing we were going to do with the refund was get another set of wheels for Cole. We’ve been a one car family for almost a year now. It’s worked fine, and actually has been quite the blessing at times. However, with the addition of Addy as well as me being a stay-at-home mom, dealing with one car was getting difficult. But now it looked like another set of wheels wasn’t going to happen.

February 5th, Superbowl Sunday, God blessed us with a 1994 Honda Accord with 100K miles… UNBELIEVABLE! After getting the car, Cole (in the Honda) and I (in the Buick) pulled into a nearby gas station and just parked next to each other. Staring at each other through the open car windows, shaking our heads in disbelief, mouths agape, tears rolling down our cheeks… no words were necessary, nor would any be sufficient to express our gratitude to our precious friends whom God blessed us through.

God’s great provision once again. I’m ashamed that I am very much like the Israelites – whining and doubting, when God has provided over and over AND OVER again for us in miraculous ways! Why do I ever doubt? This story is not about us getting a car, but about God’s great love for His children, even those who are undeserving and doubting.


NUMBER 2:
Feb 7 – Addy rolled for the first time! And it was even caught on camera! (Sorry for my squeals of excitement)


NUMBER 3:
My grandmother "Gokey" (from the first grandchild’s take on “grandma”) passed away on February 3rd, after holding on for a long time. She was 90 years old. Her and Poppa (who passed away in 2002) lived in another house on the same 25 acre property as our family for the duration of my childhood. What precious memories. I will always remember the short walk down the driveway to Goke and Pop’s house. The big hugs, the warmth, the delicious dinners. Helping them around the “farm.” The funny endearing words Goke would use (that are either a different language, or that she simply made up…still not sure) like “ish-ka-varge.” I’m so grateful that I grew up close to my grandparents, and that they were a huge part of our lives, and not just “holiday grandparents.” That has caused me to want my kids to grow up near their grandparents as well. What a wonderful foundation.

On Thursday, February 9th, Cole, Addy, and I took off at 4am for Salt Lake City, where Gokey was from, for the memorial. The memorial was Friday afternoon. It was an open casket. I will never forget the look of a body with no life in it. Simply a shell. Gokey was no longer there. So that begs the question – where did she go? My dad wrote a beautiful eulogy, and I took over reading when the emotions got too much for him. It was my honor to support my dad through this.


It was wonderful to see a side of the family that I haven’t seen in many years, and especially to introduce Cole and Addy to them. Addy brings such joy, and I love that part of her character. Going along with that, she started LAUGHING on this trip. God’s grace in His timing of her development. I will try to get some videos of it soon, as it is just the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard!

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And lastly, here's Addy's 3 month video, a little late. (She's now 3.5 months old!)


... and her 2 month video, as I never posted it on my blog before.

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