High School Retreat!

This year's high school retreat was really amazing.  Never before have we had a high school retreat at FCF where the Holy Spirit moved so powerfully...to God be the glory!  It was a great time for rest and renewal for both the high school students and the leaders.  After our last talk, the youth had an opportunity to share what God did in their hearts...they did...and it was powerful!  People were being vulnerable and transparent...there were tears...apologies...and hugs.  Thanks to everyone for their prayers.

I thought this picture was real artistic...Emmanuel did a lot of hanging out in my sling over the weekend.
And...I couldn't resist--this is by far my favorite picture of our boy. 
Have a great Thanksgiving!  We are going over to a family's house for dinner.  Lil' E doesn't like riding in the car too much...so asking him to ride for 10-12 hours is too much (and that doesn't include the many times we will have to stop for me to nurse him).  So...we are hanging around for Thanksgiving, which is Mia's birthday (she'll be 4 years old!) and my birthday (hello, 27), which is the day after.  

Enjoy your family.  

Happy 33rd Birthday, Eli.

Eli's 33rd birthday was last Friday! 

Well, I was having difficulty coming up with a present for Eli's birthday.  We do the "traditional" thing of going out to eat, but we also get each other a creative gift each year.  My dear sister in Christ--peer mentor--co-social worker--and role model, Won-Jung Hong, gave her husband a homemade hardback book for Father's Day two summers ago.  I thought to myself, "What a perfect idea for Eli!"  Eli just loves being a daddy, and his 2007 birthday was the day that I told him that we were pregnant...so I thought this was an appropriate way to reflect on the past year of pregnancy while looking forward to our future life with Lil' E.  Thanks for the idea, Won-Jung!  (By the way, Won-Jung' husband, Davin, is an architect by day and an amazing photographer by night...check out his sight:  www.flickr.com/photos/zoesappa).

Here is Eli's birthday book.  It is called "Just me and my daddy!" (I wrote the story as if Emmanuel was telling it...so technically it was a gift from Emmanuel.) 

After Eli read the book for himself, he read it to Emmanuel.  If you look closely, you can see one of the pictures in the book of Eli and Emmanuel.  

Eli gave Emmanuel a big kiss and thanked him for his thoughtful present!  

Later that night, we headed to Red Lobster for Eli's Birthday Dinner...now we chose Red Lobster because we had a coupon and we thought that they had an item on the menu that they no longer had...anyway...it was almost going to be a disappointing birthday dinner, but then our waitress brought over the other 15 waiters and they sang Happy Birthday to Eli and hung out at our table (business is slow these days, so they just hung out with us).  Business is real slow and that's why they gave Eli this jacked-up "dessert"--it was whipped cream with chocolate and a candle...business is slow.  

All in all, we had a great day!  Now my man is 33...I can't make any "old" jokes because my birthday is in a couple of weeks and the closer I get to 30, the more I realize I'm not a teenager anymore.

We are taking the high school kids on a retreat this weekend.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in a powerful way--and for the weather--we don't want to get snowed in! 

Playdate at Bella's house!

My friend, Courtney, let me borrow her baby's Exersaucer.  Emmanuel has really started to love it.   Thanks, Courtney!

Earlier I wrote about my friend, Jamie, and her baby, Bella.  We had a playdate a while ago at Panera.  Well, let me tell you this amazing story...

After Eli finished running his 7 miles in the Baltimore Marathon Team Relay, we walked passed this lady with this cute baby.  I stopped to talk to her and we introduced our babies...

Well, a week later, I was in this yoga class for moms and their babies (it was free!), and the lady from the marathon walked in with her baby.  

Well, then Jamie sent me pictures of Bella and her friend, Stephanos, at a pumpkin patch, and lo and behold...it was the same baby and lady that I had run into twice!  I immediately called Jamie, and it turns out that they were friends...so the natural thing to do was to all get together! 

So, now Jamie, Shirille, and I get together once a week with our babies for a playdate, Bible study, and prayer.  We encourage one another in the Word.  It is so much fun!  Emmanuel is the youngest kid in the bunch, but he holds his on!  Since he is the youngest, I also get to pick their brains about the latest toys and milestones.  We are all learning together! 

Below are the kids:  Stephanos (9 1/2 months), Emmanuel (4 months), Bella (8 months on the 14th), and Roan (6 months--he is the neighbor's little boy, Jamie watches him).

Emmanuel is also starting to sit on his own a bit--he falls over pretty fast...but we are getting there.  We need to get there soon because Emmanuel has started to escape the bumbo (that is the baby seat he is sitting in).  I will put him in it, then he arches his back to get out of it! 

Eli's birthday is tomorrow...I'll be sure to post pictures.   Love you all!

First Black President...

The first two pictures are from our visit to Nashville--and they are especially for Mia and Joshua who come to the blog "on the regular" to check up on their baby cousin.  Mia and Joshua, Emmanuel loves you very much and we hope that we get to see you soon.  

This is Mia and Emmanuel.....

This is Joshua and Emmanuel.  **Might I add that Joshua is not even 2 yet--isn't he such a tall boy!  I think he'll do a fine job protecting Emmanuel when they get older! 

Emmanuel and I headed to the polls early Tuesday morning.As we approached the long line outside of the church, I thought to myself...hmm...I don't know how long this wait is and Emmanuel will probably need to take a nap in about an hour.  As soon as I thought that, the election judge came out of the church and said, "Hey....lady with the baby...come on in!"  I got to have a seat with the senior citizens while they all goo-gooed and ga-gaad over Emmanuel.  We ended up getting through the polls pretty quickly because of the grace that was shown to us.

As I sat down with Emmanuel in my lap to vote...this wave of emotions came over me.  I thought about my granddaddy who was a sharecropper--whose own dad was a freed slave--I thought about the many times he has faced discrimination in his life...in Tennessee...in America and how he gracious he is.  I thought about my dad, who was an avid political follower, who marched during the civil rights movement, and who participated in demonstrations...I thought about how I wish that he could have been there with me to vote...

I thought about many others who long awaited a time in our country where African Americans could not just run for president...but could run and win...I thought about Dr. King and his courageous battle for equality...I am often humbled when I think of the many who have gone before, even in the face of death to fight for justice and equality.  I thought about how Emmanuel would know a different America than my granddad, my daddy, and even myself...yes, he will still experience racism because we live in a sinful and fallen world...but he will have more opportunities because a minority, a black man, a bi-racial man, a "mutt" just like him is President of the United States of America.  It is a new day in America.

As I watched and waited like everyone else in America to see the electoral votes...tears began to form as the numbers for Obama began to increase.  When he exceeded 270--I bawled...those were tears for my grandparents, my parents, my great-grandparents....for all of those who worked so hard in the face of extreme racism and adversity so that we could have better...so that we could do better...so that we could still hold our head up high and achieve when we were called the "n" word on the playground at 7 years old...so that we could believe that God had a plan for our lives even when teachers told us that "our kind" would not make it...those were tears for me.  

Below are some great pictures of Emmanuel from this week.  He has been laughing and rolling over.  This kid loves to smile at folks. (Thanks Mona and Ms. Brenda for the outfit!)

Emmanuel looks like he is going to beat someone up in the picture...it's how he is poking his lips out...
Back to the silly pictures...

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.  Eli turns 33 on Friday, Nov. 14.  Happy Birthday, Eli!

Youth Sunday and Miami

Hey, friends and family!  Emmanuel is 4 months old now.  

(I tried to get another smile...but the red light on my camera is distracting to my boy!)

A couple of weeks ago we had our annual Youth Sunday at church. The youth led the service and Eli preached on 1 Kings 19.  It was a wonderful worship experience, and it made me look forward to worship in heaven.  I LOVE worship--I love to sing, I love to dance, I love to praise the sweet name of Jesus.  Below is a picture of some of the youth in Sunday School. 

Our Youth Group is called "YOU KNOW"--it stands for "Youth of Unique Knowledge Now Overcoming the World."  Our "unique knowledge" is Jesus Christ. 

Here is a picture of Pastor Stan with Emmanuel.  Pastor Stan preaches, plays guitar, sings, and he and his wife, Terri, have raised 5 kids (including a set of triplets)...I know, crazy, right!  

Emmanuel fell sound asleep after the 2nd service.  The poor kid was in church for 6 hours!!!  

After youth Sunday, we packed our bags and headed to the Christian Community Development Conference in Miami.  (No wonder Eli came back from Miami sick...we barely recovered from Youth Sunday when it was time to go again).  Below is a picture of three students, Sarah, Michelle, and Peter that we took with us to Miami--they were a part of a student intensive leadership conference that was being held in conjunction with the larger conference.

Emmanuel loves hanging out with his daddy.  It was his first time on a light rail!

Here is a picture of our team!  

Well, Miami was fun, but we were exhausted afterwards!  Eli got some antibiotics, and he is doing much better.  

Tomorrow is the big election day!  We will all stroll over to the church to vote.  

Until next week, folks.  Thanks for reading :) 

Baltimore Running Festival and Youth Sunday

Sorry it's been a while since I've written.  Our internet has been moving slowly, and it won't allow me to upload all of these photos!

Lil' E has had an action-packed last couple of weeks!  From visitors to running to spending several hours at church...it has been non-stop.  We are so thankful that he is flexible with us.   Joe Ella Darby, a dear friend of Eli's from the University of Tennessee, came to visit us.  I say that she is a dear friend of Eli's, but Eli says that I have stolen her from him because Joe Ella and I hit it off like we've known each other for years.  I just love her so much!  As an aside, Joe has 9 brothers and sisters (and they're all from the same two parents)--so she knows how to handle a baby!  She's also from West Tennessee like my daddy.

Early on Saturday morning, Oct. 11, Eli and I got ready to run in the Baltimore Running Festival.  Our church used the Running Festival as an opportunity to raise funds for our Christian School and our non-profit that provides one-on-one tutoring, sports leagues, and community advocacy to people in our neighborhood.  (By the way, Eli and I both ran in the event, and we are STILL LOOKING FOR SPONSORS, so if you want to sponsor us, you can make a check out to Faith Urban Works and mail it to me--it is 100% tax-deductible--but no worries if you forget, we will send you a letter).  Eli was on a relay for the marathon where he was slotted to run 6.8 miles.  Anybody who knows my husband knows that he is super competitive, but he hadn't trained in two weeks for this race because of pulled muscles.  We weren't quite sure he was going to make it!  I told him to make sure he filled out the medical information on the back of his race number just in case!  Well, to make a long story short (I am sure that Eli will tell this one for years to come), Eli and his relay team beat the other two relay teams at our church...but one of the girls on the other relay team passed him about 3.5 miles in and tapped him on the shoulder.  He couldn't believe how fast she was going!   He said that she was the Road Runner and that he was Wylie Coyote (long story).  He finished the race and ran pretty fast, but he was exhausted afterwards.  

And, yes, I ran the 5K--I ran faster than I thought I would...but I wish that I could have run 7 minute miles.  I ended up running 8.10 minute miles.  Well, let me tell you that having a baby changes everything!  Emily and I were supposed to train together, but I didn't have the strength to wake up at 6:45 every morning and run because I was waking every 2-3 hours with Emmanuel.  As a matter of fact, the night before the race, I woke at 2, 3, and 4AM and finally decided that I might as well get up.  I guess it's not the smartest thing to do (running in a race while you are sleep deprived), but it was fun...God had mercy on both Eli and me by allowing us to finish the race.  Next time I won't sign up for a race that happens 3 months after I give birth.    

We also had more visitors from UT that weekend.  Eli's dear friend, Rodney Lee and his girlfriend, Jessica, came to see Lil' E and so did their friend Desmond.  We went to church, grilled out, watched football, and played games all night long.  It was the girls vs the guys in Taboo--unfortunately, the girls lost, but we had a lot of fun!  

There is so much more to write, but I will save that for another post.  We had Youth Sunday at our church and we just got back from a CCDA (Christian Community Development Association, www.ccda.org) conference in Miami.  

I will post more later this week!  Thanks for reading.

Trip to Nashville!

I must confess that I am cheating a little bit in this post...the first picture below is NOT from my trip to Nashville...it's from today.  Mr. Emmanuel and I were in the kitchen having the best conversation, and I was able to capture one of his smiles before we headed outside.  He's sitting in a green bumbo, which is a seat for infants.  Tonight he also laughed a few times--it was really precious.  

Okay--so back to the Nashville trip.  Thanks for your prayers--the airplane ride went really well.  He was intrigued by looking at all of the people and the lights.  The pictures below are not in chronological order...so please bear with me as I try to recapture the story with pics that are out of order.  

On Sunday after church, my brother came to my mom's house looking like Bruce Pearl!  (For those of you who don't know...Bruce Pearl is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Tennessee, and we all know how Eli loves his alma mater).  Emmanuel and Joshua sort of posed for this picture.  

On Saturday, my mom and I drove Emmanuel, Mia (3), and Joshua (20 months) to visit my granddaddy, who happens to be 82 and born on July 4th (2 days after Lil' E) in Henning, TN.  It was really important to me that Emmanuel meet my granddaddy.  I LOVE this picture of my granddaddy holding Emmanuel with his hands.  My granddaddy has hands like my dad had...really strong, large hands.  I loved my daddy's hands.  Anyway, you get the point--here's the picture. 
Okay--the reason for the trip!  Kelly Marie Benda married Byron Aubrey Earnhardt!  Now--unfortunately, I don't have great pics from the actual wedding...but I am getting some sent to me from the maid of honor.  I promise to post those later.  Kelly Marie was absolutely gorgeous...below is a picture of her and her precious daddy, John, at the rehearsal.  

My brother's kids were in love with Lil' E.  Here were there responses: 

Joshua (20 months):  He kept saying "my baby...my baby," and he lowered his head next to Emmanuel's and kissed him.  It was really sweet. 

Mia (3 years):  She could not wait to meet this little boy!  She kept following me around, asking to change his diaper...and reminding me how many times she held him.  She would say, "You know I've only gotten to hold him ____ times."  She's a good little helper...and she counts well, too...she reminded me over and over and over again. 

Michael (7 years on Friday, Oct. 10):  Michael wanted to know all of the facts about Emmanuel.  Once he got the answers to his questions, then he repeated them back to me--he knows who Emmanuel's parent's are and when and where he was born.  

James (8 years):  James thought it was his duty to take care of Emmanuel....he sat next to him in the car and tried to comfort him...he held him and walked around with him when he was fussy...he said, "My Uncle Eli told me that I was supposed to take good care of Emmanuel while he was down here."  He wanted everybody to know that he was doing what his Uncle Eli told him to.
My favorite part of this post is this video of my granddaddy first being introduced to Emmanuel.  I just loved how he grabbed hold of him and kissed him.  I often imagine that my dad would have reacted the same way.  After granddaddy kisses him, I edited in Mia saying Emmanuel's name.  She calls him, "Eman--yell."  It's super cute!  Thanks for reading.