I hate when Summer ends.

Everyday I'm amazed and so thankful that the Lord's plan is far better than what we could hope or imagine. I love the life the Lord has given us. Waking up in the woods with a short walk to camp, is just one of the many blessings I'm thankful for every day. We spent most of our summer down at camp helping Rhett work or watching camp happen (I bet he was SO  thankful for our "help".)  I loved having a small group in our home and truly enjoyed our Monday night SAL nights (we ate ice cream and french fries almost every week- a perfect combination if you ask me!). I hate when summer ends, I really do. Yes, it's so nice to have a normal schedule again and to have Rhett home in the evenings, but I get sad every summer. The campers leave, the staff go home and to me it feels empty, as if something is missing. I love summer. I was made for summer. (Until winter comes, and then I'll tell you that I was made for winter.) So for now, I thank the Lord for summer and that he allows us to live in serve in such an incredible way. Goodbye summer. 

 Block Party! One of my favorite nights of staff training! 

 Post Bath Abe :) 

 End of Summer Banquet. This is another one of my favorite nights celebrating all that the Lord has done in the lives of the staff..

A very fun 4th of July.

 Sock Hop anyone!?

 Rhett and I snuck away for a night with the Royals. Big thanks to Nonni for keeping Abe on his first slumber party. 

 Catching up with these highschool friends was definitely a highlight of the summer. 

A night at Wicked. Love wicked. Love these girls even more. 

Pierce- Party of 3

I'd like Abe to hear the story of his birth someday, and since I have a horrible memory, well to the blog I go. April 23rd, 2013 I woke up around 3 am with contractions. I was able to fall back asleep until it was time to get up for work. By the time I woke up, my contractions were much closer together but Rhett & I (in our tired, sleep deprived stupor) decided I should go to work. As I drove to work, pausing every few minutes to breathe through contractions, I thought we might have made the wrong decision. I powered through and was able to teach that morning, in between contractions. Let's just say that my students were very attentive that morning. Around 10:00 though, I was struggling so I called Rhett whose great advice was to call my mom who promptly told me to call my doctor.  Long story short, my doctor sent me to eat lunch and then head to the hospital.  We had a pretty relaxing day (after the epidural!). Friends and family stopped by to visit until it was time for Abe to appear. At 10:24 pm, Abe entered the world at 7 lbs 7 ounces and 21 inches long. That hair. Those eyes.  We were in love.  We didn't get to hold him right away because he was struggling to breathe, but the second we got our hands on him we melted. Right away, instant love. We spent the next two hours snuggling, getting pictures with the family and soaking it all in. I experienced Jesus' love all over again. I understand his love for me in a whole new way. Thank you Jesus for Abe.  I couldn't get over the fact that there were 3 of us now. Now we're a party of 3.

 It was only a few hours later that everything changed. Around 2:00 am, the doctors woke us up to tell us that Abe was struggling. He was breathing about 100 breaths a minute and he'd need to fly (yes, fly) to Tulsa to the NICU. Our quaint little Siloam hospital was not equipped to help our son. We immediately went to our knees. Jesus is big. He's got this. We always knew that Abe was the Lord's not ours, but this news made that more real than anything.

Around 6:00 am, Abe was flown to Tulsa in a helicopter, I was discharged and Rhett and I (along with our families) headed to Tulsa. The next 5 days were a whirlwind. Abe improved everyday getting better and better. He had more visitors and prayer warriors than we could have ever hoped for. I was overwhelmed by the support, love and encouragement we got while we were in the NICU. Thank you Jesus for community. The lobby of the NICU became the Chalker/Pierce campground for the week and of course my sweet momma knew everyone's story and everyone's baby by the time we left. On Monday April  28th, Abe was discharged and they let us go home.  We made the drive (where I of course rode in the back to keep my eyes on our precious cargo) to the ranch. Just the three of us, to begin our new little life together. What a strong boy he is. We couldn't have been prouder. Thank you Jesus for Abe. What a gift he is to us.

Abraham Allen Pierce. Born on April 23, 2014 at 10:24. 7 lbs 7 ounces 21 inches long. 

Ready to go home. 

A New Baby, A New Life

I just wanted a place to record our little life. So, here it is, a blog. We have a precious new baby, so we begin our precious new life as a family. Everything is different now. The way I think, the way I love, the way we live our life. Abe changed everything. It's harder and better. It's more interesting and more complicated. He's teaching me how to be a mom. It's an incredibly refining process. A process that  I assume will continue for the rest of my life. I want to be clay in the Potters hands. I don't want to believe that I have in someway finished. That I am who I am and there's no changing that. No. I want to be moldable, changeable, and ready for what the Lord has for me next. I want to be a good mom. I've never loved Rhett more and I never knew I'd be so in awe of our own little man. I'm ready for this journey.