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.

The Nutcracker

On Friday, December 1, we kicked off the month with a trip to see The Nutcracker. It was presented by Owensboro Dance and the performers we local youth. There was a unique hometown feel to the show.

This was our first trip to The Riverpark Theatre in Owensboro. The venue is between the Bluegrass Music Museum and Smoothers Park, so we pass it reguarly, but have never ventured in. It was bigger than I expected and gave the kiddos a real theatre experience.

The three big kids dressed up and we talked about theatre etiquette. The performance we attended was one of two hour-long shows designed specifically for school groups. A special treat was that they left the curtain up during intermission so we could watch them clean up and change the set.

The kiddos favorite parts were the flying characters (they made full use of their flying apparatus) and the humor. There was even a clown nurse, which Sarah, naturally, loved.

It is a joy to expose the kiddos to such beauty and history! And Lydia's subsequent twirling and "balleting" is delightful :)

Happy 15 months, Anna!

Anna is a charmer. She is quiet and calm, so when she turns on a smile or giggle it is entirely infectious. We are getting a better glimpse at the appearance and personality that she'll have and we are smitten :)

Weight: 26.3 lbs (95th%)
Height: 31.5 in (82th%)
Head: 46.5 cm (73th%)

Diapers: size 5
Clothing: 18/24 month, 2T

Likes: hanging with the big kids, destroying puzzles, chasing balls, being in a lap, doing "touch down," being tickled

Dislikes: being left alone, taking medicine, being sick

Schedule:
7am Awake for the day!
9:00-11am   Nap
1:00-3pm   Nap
7pm   Down for bed

Sleep: Things are mostly better in this department- praise the Lord! We have dropped the dream feed and she is (finally!!!) getting good long sleep. Dave and I are big believers in long sleep for healthy growth and have mourned the lack of long sleep for our Anna. Quite recently she had a really rough patch, but her doctor noted at the well visit that she has about 5 teeth popping through and could be having a growth spurt. I think she may be ready to drop the morning nap, but I'm not sure that I'm ready.

Physically: Right now she is holding steady with her six faithful teeth, but I think we'll have a change in the tooth count soon! Her hair is getting longer and we have started pulling it into a little pony in the front. It is pretty adorable. The biggest news is that she has started pulling up- yay! She isn't anywhere near walking, but she is a fast crawler and we are seeing steady improvement. Her fine motor skills appear to be on track.

Food: Anna still likes purees, so we usually give her some finger foods to work on while we fix a meal for the rest of the kids. After that, she get purees. Favorites are apple sauce, blueberries, and crackers. Her iron is back within the range of normal, but just barely. So we are continuing to give her fortified cereal and other iron rich foods.

Communication: She is a chatty girl, but doesn't say much! She sometimes does her sign for "all finished" and she loves to say "Dadda". I'm telling you, she won't need to learn any other words if she keeps grinning and saying "Dadda"! She also says a version of "touch down" along with the motion in response to "What does Tom Brady throw?" Parenting priorities, people. But it doesn't sufficiently impress the doctor who wants 15 words by 18 months, so we're keeping an eye on the word count.

Fun things:
- Anna likes to be where the action is, and that often means that she hangs out in our bathroom while we are getting ready in the morning.
- We are officially at the stage where the kids have to put puzzles up high and keep doors closed if they don't want Anna to get into them.

"Mooommmm. This suit is a little small . . . "
Sorry, Anna, that your swim suit didn't cover your belly.

But hey, first time in the ocean!!!

She didn't love the moment as much as we did :)

Her brother and sisters make her laugh like nobody else.
He was giving her rides around the house by pushing her in the toy basket.

Cool kids.

Enjoying Lydia's birthday to the fullest.

Lydia forgot her shoes when we went grocery shopping, so Anna got her first ride in the big kid cart.

At a friend's birthday party . . . turned out she had strep that day.
(It is so funny to look back at a moment when you know the more full story!)

She stands!!!!!

We were pretty excited about all the pulling up  :)

Happy 3 years, Lydia!

Lydia is full of life! She is physical and loud and persistent in all that she does. She is full of spunk and incredibly funny. We have seen her be brave this year, as well as kind. I love how she runs with the big kids, but it also makes her grow up a little too fast sometimes. She is dearly loved!

Weight: 41.8 lbs (99%)
Height: 38.25 ins (79%)

Diapers: size 5, undies
Clothing: 3-5T, shoe: size 9

Likes: all things Frozen (the movie, though she really gets tickled if you put ice in her drink), taking her hair down, singing, dancing, being with people, laughing, being read to

Dislikes: leaving shoes on in the car, hair wash night

Schedule:
6:30-7am Awake for the day!
9:00am Alone time in her room while we start school
10:30 Snack time and read alouds
12:00 Lunch and outside play
1:00-3pm Nap (the real deal)
5:30 Dinner
7pm Bed

Sleep: Lydia tends to sleep well and wake up happy. She also tends to wake up singing, which is kind of tricky since she shares a room with Sarah, but still sweet. She likes to sleep with a pink blanket, pink Beary, Lambie, and two pacis (one for her mouth, one for her hand).

Physically: She is just staring to stretch out and thin out. I think our "squishy baby" will need a new nickname by her next birthday. She seems to have very normal gross and fine motor skills and a sense of adventure that keeps her progressing. Her hair has grown sooo much over the past year. We are batting around the idea of a first hair cut soon!

Food: Lydia is a good eater and generally not very picky. She likes to dip given any opportunity, even if that mean strawberries in ketchup at Chick Fil A. We currently battle keeping her on task and in her seat at meal times, but it is a battle we plan to win :) She loves cheese, yogurt, mac & cheese, and grapes. (Surprisingly, she doesn't love cake!)

Communication: Lydia is full of words. Usually loud words! And if not loud, dramatic words. She says everything on her mind these days. We can almost always understand her, but others don't always know what she is saying if she gets going fast. She has a lot of inflection in her voice that almost makes it sounds like she is singing all the time.

Potty training: Once school started last year, re-potty training had to give. So we didn't worry about it for several months. In April we made a concerted effort to retrain with great success. She currently does all her business on the big potty and wipes herself. We still put a diaper on her when she is in bed, but no long in the car.

Fun things:
- The nursery ladies graduated Lydia to Children's Church and Preschool Sunday School. She danced her way through her first Sunday in the service for the music.
- Lydia was that kid who started potty training by visiting every bathroom in the tri-state just to see what it looks like, even though we all knew she wasn't going to go on any potty other than her potty at home :)
- When people ask how old she is, they don't get the short answer. She has been saying that she is two, but about to be three. And when she turns three her daddy is going to take her pacis away. It's quite the conversation starter.

First time bowling . . . she was super funny.

Her friend took the girls to the nail salon for her birthday.

Her first pony tail!

She asked me to take a photo of her with the fence :)

Chick Fil A kids night.

Lydia put together an all pink outfit.

Anna was her dog on a leash . . . 

She dressed up during nap and asked me to take a picture of her pose.