A story of God's goodness . . . new fridge edition

Written back on July 25 just after our new fridge was delivered.

Throughout the past 24 hours Dave and I keep looking at each other and saying things like, "could that have been any more miraculous?" We have both been reading through the Old Testament and it says over and over that the stories were to be told to their children and written down for the generation to come. Tell the stories of God's faithfulness regularly so that when things aren't as clear you remember His goodness.So here is the story of the our new fridge.

Three out of our four kids have colds. Anna had a terrible night, the kind where it doesn't really feel like the day begins at six, but at nine the night before when you thought you were going to bed. A trip to see the doctor is definitely at the top of the day. I noticed that the milk felt different and there was some condensation, but tyranny of the urgent won. We went to see the doctor in Owensboro.

With a "just summer colds" diagnosis we arrive home right at lunch time. I go straight to the fridge to make a bottle for Anna and I know that things aren't right. Sure enough, food in the freezer is also starting to thaw. I call Dave and leave a message, then send him a text message as well. I move the freezer things to the deep freeze, call Samsung to see if I can get any service recommendations, fend off a thousand questions from the kids, try to find a service man online (not how to do it in rural KY), and then give up and move the fridge food to the mini-fridge and coolers.

Side note: I laughed at Dave's college mini fridge when we were first married. That mini-fridge has saved us through several tricky refrigerator situations!

Dave finishes his lunch meeting and gives me a call. He has already messaged a couple of men and is starting to get some recommendations for guys to call and is on his way home. Once he arrived he checks a few basics and starts leaving messages for the repair men. No one answers his call, but within a half hour or so he gets a call back. This man had a cancellation while he was eating lunch and can come right over. It is a blessing to him and to us.

Later we find out that he is the only service man left in Tell City/Hawesville and that it normally takes a week to get an appointment with him. He was at the house within the hour of Dave's call. Miracle.

He went to work on the fridge. I was thankful for Dave's flexible schedule that afternoon. Barry even came by the house to work on a flyer so Dave could help me! Then we got the diagnosis: a stuck compressor. He said a new compressor is as much a new appliance and his recommendation was to start fresh.

This man was really nice and let us ask him a load of questions about brands, warranties, appliance stores, deals, and types of fridges. He was able to give us local recommendations and the knowledge of which machines he was fixing most often. We felt like this conversation and the time he took talking to us set us up for the next phase of the process.

We decided to go to a local store in Tell City that was open until 5:30. We arrived around 4:45, each child armed with a favorite book and the admonition to stay quiet and still. A salesmen showed us around what they had, told us a little of what they had in stock, and explained that they delivered to KY once a week. If we ordered a refrigerator that would be 7-10 days for delivery to the store, then up to a week before they made their KY deliveries. We were a little bummed that they didn't have what we were looking for in the store, but when we described it the salesman went to get an invoice for a delivery they were doing the next day. It was for the exact type of fridge we were looking for, in the right color, at a reasonable price. He said that it was being picked up from a supplier and delivered to KY tomorrow. If we liked it, they would just pick up two units and have it to the house later in the day.

What?!?! It could have easily taken us two weeks to have a new fridge in the house, and that is only if we decided on one right away. God's goodness.

Our maintenance man said it wasn't advertised, but they would price match with Lowes and Home Depot. Sure enough he knocked the price down a little lower. By 5:15 we were paid up walking out the door. (Or rather chugging . . . the kids and I played train while Dave did paperwork.) We painted behind behind the fridge while it was empty and easy to move, a spot I didn't get to when I painted the kitchen, and then scrubbed the floor that night.

I expected the delivery late in the day, but heard a knock just after noon. At 1:00 they were rolling away with the old fridge and our new baby was cooling down in it's freshly painted home. (Mom, remember that time you helped Dave pick up a new-to-us fridge and move the old one out? "Measured" will now forever be in quotes when it comes out of Dave's mouth.)

Over the last year not a lot of things have gone as planned. We have wondered why things have gone the way they did. How could that have been God's goodness? And we read His word and trust Him through it all. Then we have days like yesterday. Twenty-four hours from discovering a warm fridge we have a new one quickly getting cool.

Miracle.

Bring On The Season

We have started off cold and flu season with a bang!

This past Thursday I was brought down by a terrible stomach bug. The worst of it lasted about 24 hours and it took a couple of days for me to feel normal again. As I was recovering and Dave taking charge of childcare, Lydia came down with a cold. We fired up the humidifier and didn't think too much of it.

On Sunday I wiped Lydia's mouth with a baby wipe and her chin broke out in a really bad rash. Anna had the cold now too.

Monday is our community day for Sarah's homeschool group. Sarah woke up with a bit of a sore throat, but we forged ahead in good spirits. (This turned out to be basically the worst decision of the week. Maybe the month. Possibly will go down as worst decision of the year.) Around dinner time Josiah started to slow down. He went out to look at the moon and got a chill her couldn't seem to shake. Then he asked to go to bed early. I took a peek at his throat before bed and saw spots- the next day was more than likely going to start with a trip to the doctor.

Sure enough, he was still feeling down Tuesday morning. Sarah also woke up with a fever. So we loaded up and went to town for our pediatrician's walk-in sick clinic. I signed Josiah and Lydia up for appointments since he was clearly sick and Lydia's chin wasn't getting better. (It seems greedy to sign all four up!) Once we were in the exam room, the friendly nurse kept glancing at Sarah and said she thought we should add Sarah to the appointment. When the doctor arrived she started with Josiah because he was the one who looked like he didn't feel good. I was expecting a hand foot mouth diagnosis, so was surprised to hear that she was confident he had strep. Before she did the strep test she looked at Sarah's throat and said she wanted to swab both. Then she moved on to Lydia and quickly gave her the hand foot mouth diagnosis that I was expecting. With high contagious HFM and strep in the family, the doctor asked if she could check Anna too. Gladly! Turned out Anna had an ear infection. Strep swabs both came back positive.

At this point we were a circus, albeit a mostly happy circus, of files, papers, prescriptions, questions, incubation periods, and instructions. The appointment ended with "do you have any other children?" I assured her she had seen the whole team and we would stay away from all other humans for the foreseeable future.

In the days since, Josiah also developed HFM and we have gone through a box of kleenex. It turns out that giving medicine to a baby who doesn't like bottles or a paci is really challenging. Altogether spirits are high. The weather has been beautiful and our isolation period is coming to an end! Dave brought me mums, hand sanitizer, and vitamins- true love at its finest!

Sarah read to him on Monday night. She said,"how about I choose two, you choose two." He said, "how about I choose zero and you choose them all." I knew he wasn't feeling good!

Stickers make everyone happy.

As do diggers. We watched some construction while we waited for prescriptions to be filled. It didn't hurt that they are working next to the Starbucks with the drive-through :)

I asked the doctor if Anna was going to have trouble with her ears since she got an infection so young. She said that the only trouble was that Anna was the fourth child during cold season and to expect that she would get sick more than the others.

Not an easy business.

We might just get pharmacy status at this rate :)

BC-4!

After watching the latest Star Wars movie, we affectionately started calling our newest little one BC-4 (for Baby Cook #4) in honor of the droid in the movie. The nickname stuck with our kids and they use it with a straight face. Dave and I don’t always achieve a straight face when saying it!

We found out we were having this little one on October 21, exactly two weeks after driving away from our home on the Cape. It was intimidating to so quickly be on the hunt for doctors and figuring out insurance, but wonderful to share in this good news as a family while we settled into our new home in KY. We made Lydia her own “Big Sister” shirt and started sharing the news by FaceTiming with the grandparents on Halloween.

Now the kids get to be "Big" twinkies :)

What we know so far:

* Due date is Tuesday, June 21. We didn’t have an early ultrasound to confirm, but we did get to see this little nugget at the 12 week visit on a handheld ultrasound machine to see her heartbeat. The kids were there and technology is awesome!

* BC-4 will (mostly likely) be born at Owensboro One Health Hospital. It is about 35 minutes from Hawesville, and the the OBGYN office I go to is in a connected building of medical offices. The whole campus is about two years old and still feels very fresh.

* The big kids are really excited. When I was pregnant with Lydia I was scared we wouldn’t celebrate her in utero the way Dave and I celebrated the first two. Boy, was I wrong! When we were experiencing pregnancy with a big girl Sarah (Josiah was still young) we talked about the baby way more often and celebrated each movement and milestone in an even more grand fashion. That has been true this time around as well. Sarah and Josiah are both very aware of our little one. They have been with us to hear the heartbeat and watch the ultrasound and I am excited for them to grow up knowing that the little nugget in a mother’s tummy very quickly turns into a baby like Lydia.

* We found out on January 29 that BC-4 is a girl! This means that all of our kids have fit into a very particular gender predicting model :)

The youngest among us were tired and hungry. 

They were great during the ultrasound, but not so great for pictures beforehand.

Girls in pink

Boys in blue

"Hello, world!"

* I took morning sickness meds this time around. I’ve never had a doctor offer before, so I’ve always just toughed it out. Sarah came with me to an early appointment and I mentioned some vomiting and the doctor asked how often. Sarah pipped up with “a lot.” Well, the doctor took pity on me and offered, and I took her up on it. I took a medication called Diclegis that is a simple combo of Unisom and vitamin B. The same combo under a different name was taken off the market in the 80s after a publicity scandal, but after 30 years of subsequent research it was reintroduced under the new name.

* At our latest ultrasound we also found out our little one is healthy! There was one angle on the heart that the technician couldn’t get, so I get to go back in a month for more pictures. I don’t mind that one bit! We saw her kicking her legs and chomping her mouth.

* I haven’t felt any definite movement yet (at 19 weeks, 4 days). The ultrasound tech checked placenta placement and it is toward my spine, so that isn’t why I’m not feeling things. (It was on the front with Sarah and I felt movement with her quite late.) It might be all the brownies/cookies I’ve been eating to comfort myself through the house buying process!

* The great name debate can officially begin. We gave up even brainstorming names before gender was known after Sarah, because that is a lot of work! And a rule of nature says that the gender of the name you easily agree on is surely not the gender you will find out you are having. (I would add that to my gender predicting model, but we only tested it for one pregnancy. Insufficient data!)

* We are taking pregnancy progress pictures :)

November 21
9 weeks, 4 days

* The big kids love to kiss my belly goodnight and Josiah is especially good at remembering to pray for BC-4.

* We have signed up for a couple of classes at the hospital. I am really excited for the kids to go to a sibling class in April. They are supposed to bring a baby sized doll and will get to tour the maternity floor. In March, Dave and I are attending a refresher class. Doing this with each new hospital (this is our third) brings me some comfort since they all have slightly different policies, procedures, and resources. Also, I’ve learned I forget a lot in two years and really do need to be refreshed!

Dave is 33!

We had a great day celebrating Dave's birth!

I'll let the pictures tell the story :)

Threes for Daddy!

We took Dave to Seafood Sams for dinner and celebrated with a lobster roll and lots of threes!

birthday kiss from Sarah

birthday kiss from Siah

giggles because even after many attempts they couldn't seem to kiss at the same time

which led to lots more kisses

Next year, Lydia! Here's to another great year with the love of our lives and rock of our family!

Dave ended the week by picking out a speaker and a project guitar.

Pulling Dandelions

This has been a banner year for dandelions on the Cape. The sweet white and yellow flowers are all over the place, bringing joy to little girls and dread to their daddies. We have accepted the challenge to battle on behalf of our lawn. Uncle Frank next door loaned Dave a handy little tool that looks like a screwdriver that helps get the root out.

Several times during the week we have done a clean sweep of the yard. A few days later there would be fewer weeds, but we would sweep again. And then again. This gave me lots of time to do that dangerous thing we call thinking :)

Most recently I pulled dandelions while the children were napping. In the quiet, with the paced work, my mind was able to really run. I started thinking about the dandelions. And how as we pulled them and felt accomplished when we got them "all" up, the next day there seemed to be twice as many. I thought of cultivating our lawn as cultivating our children, who had a particularly challenging week. And pulling dandelions I related to the discipline that they need. Sometimes it seems like we get all the weeds pulled, then there are just as many as before. Sometimes I get physically tired, and it seems better to just stop and let things be than to keep going. But to not pull a dandelion has consequences. The white puff blows tons of seeds across the yard. The dandelion also covers and kills what can be a large piece of good grass. This exposes a piece of dirt which then becomes a breading ground for bad grass and weeds, that will then spread to the rest of the yard.

Isn't it the same with sin in our lives, as well as the lives of our kids? It is exhausting to keep fighting. The battle is hard. But it isn't an equal trade to give up and let things lie. The consequences of not fighting are serious. The weeds win if we do nothing in our yard. Sin wins if we do nothing in our lives.

This year I am just a little bit thankful for the dandelions as they encourage me to keep up the good fight for things worth fighting for.

As for you, brothers, do not weary in doing good.

2 Thessalonians 3:13, ESV

Sarah's New Stool

Growing up, I used to always look forward to seeing what new toy or contraption my Uncle Jerry would make next. He's a great woodworker, one who loves to make things for his loved ones. A pair of tongs that helped you get your toast our of the toaster without burning yourself? Had 'em. Chairs? Had 'em. Imagine a wooden toy. I had it. It was awesome.

After the rocking horse he sent Sarah last year, I was really looking forward to the chair/stool he told me was on the way. Sure enough, it arrived last week. Sarah loves it, but you don't have to take my work for it.

The lower step converts to become a chair back. Pretty clever design, as you might expect from the master. Thanks, Uncle Jerry!

Christmas Gifts

We love Christmas around here. It is certainly a special season of remembrance and celebration. To aid us to that end we do what most people do- we sing, bake, eat, laugh, decorate, and eat some more. And to top it all off we give gifts.

While we never want our family (children or ourselves!) to be greedy about gifts at Christmas, we do find that they hold great value as part of our celebration. We remember that God is a good God who loves to give good gifts to his children. So we try to gift good gifts to our children and to each other. No pressure, right? Well, really there isn't. But we do have fun with it and this year was no exception.

Josiah: Josiah got a couple of tubes of Gerber puffs- his first finger foods! We let him eat them under the tree on Christmas morning. This was the first gift under our Christmas tree. Sarah knew what they were and told him at every opportunity leading up to Christmas.

Sarah: A matching "big girl" plate and cup. The say "sweet pea" and have a picture of a smiling pod of peas. She is now helping set the table and (consistently) learning to drink from a cup.

Emily: I received awesome tickets to see the Nutcracker in Boston. This is what Dave (selflessly, not being sure he was a fan of ballet) gave me last year, but we had to give them away to make an unexpected trip to MS. But this year was even better. Since my parents were in town they watched the children and sacrificed hotel points so that we could stay the night. We had a nice dinner with a gift card from other family members. And to top it all off Dave genuinely liked the ballet!

Dave: For a few years now we have been toying with the idea of getting Dave a nice new camera. He was faithful to his hobby and diligent to learn new techniques regularly. The camera he had was used when he purchased it many years ago and painstakingly slow- not an asset when trying to photograph a toddler. We decided before Thanksgiving to take the plunge and he set out to find the best deal, which he found online the Friday after Thanksgiving. As such, he has been enjoying his gift throughout the Christmas season and we have been richly blessed by it. Oh, and when you see him with his fancy camera you can go ahead and say "happy birthday" too :)

MegaTrip: Fun with the Cooks

Part Eight in a series chronicling our first big family road trip. 

As much a treat as the mountains were, the real draw was the family who had gathered there. We were able to see my parents (Pappy and Gigi), my grandmother (Grandma Lynda), my cousin Rachel and her husband Drew, my cousin April, my Aunt Faye and Uncle Jerry, my sister Jacki, her husband Mike, and our nephew Eli. 

Pappy leading Sarah down a path in Cade's Cove

I got to preside over the renewal of Jacki and Mike's vows

Jacki, baby Eli, and Mike

My parents with their children and grandchildren

A gathering of home beer brewers, for sharing purposes. Pappy brought his newest creation.

Pappy and his boys

At a stop along the road. Emily, Josiah, Sarah, Me, Pappy, and Gigi.

Pappy, Gigi, and the grandkids

Our nephew Eli

Buds

Trip to Florida

Well, life has finally calmed down enough to tell you a little about our trip to Florida, in which we got to see so much of the Cook side of the family!

It all started the Sunday evening after Thanksgiving, in which we rode up to Boston and spent the night in a hotel. Although we (especially Emily!) love staying in hotels, this was really so we could avoid driving up from the Cape to catch our 6:00 a.m. flight. By 4:20 the next morning, we were out the hotel door and on our way to the airport.

Wrap a couch cushion in a baby blanket, stick it between the hotel bed and the wall, and what do you get?
A toddler bed!

The sun rising over our beautiful Cape Cod

After landing, we spent the afternoon and evening with our family, having lunch at Chick-Fil-A and a dinner of my Mom's hamburgers. The next day, we took a trip to the Regional History Museum so Emily could be briefed and I get a refresher on Florida history.

A little playing in the car while we waited on Auntie J.

I was NOT going to let this stone alligator eat my wife!

Sarah picking oranges with Grandma Vicky. I think I was up in the tree at this point.

Wednesday was a real treat, as we went to Dunnellon to see my Uncle Jerry and Aunt Faye. We all took a trip together to Rainbow Springs, a beautiful part of what I call "the real Florida."

Rainbow Springs

Somewhere it turns from Rainbow Springs into the Rainbow River

On the way home, Sarah got to meet Molly and Amanda.

The rest of the week had some great plans attached to it, but instead the strangest thing happened. By Thursday morning, Jacki and Sarah were the only people who hadn't come down with a stomach bug! So we all spent a day or two at home in recovery- fortunately it was a quick one. By Friday evening, everyone was well again and a dozen or so of us had a nice dinner together before we flew back home.

Panorama of sunrise on Lake Louisa

Sunrise the next day

Playtime!

Reading with Great Grandma B.

It was a great and refreshing trip. Although we were sad to miss out on a few days of fun, especially on seeing our good friends the Kerrs, I think the easy rest of a sick day may have been just what we needed.


Epilogue: you may be thinking, "it's a good thing Sarah didn't get sick." And you would be right . . . if. As it turns out, she only managed to fight it off until the day we flew home. I don't suppose the details are internet-appropriate, but let's just say that plane ride involved several outfit changes and ended with a diaper-only baby and some stewardesses I feel very sorry for.

Sometimes, rather than just giving us patience, the Lord teaches us patience.