Oh the things we can do....

I've decided that with mobility comes the inevitable proclivity towards repetition and destruction (and repetitive destruction).  How have I come to this conclusion you ask?  Let's recap the past 24 hours......


Yesterday was a laundry day, not much unlike any other. Eliaya and Simba like to lay on the clothes while I fold them so the three of us were having just a grand old time. Here's E trying on her clean hat:

While putting clothes away, E scampered into the bathroom and started playing with her bath toys. All good. Then came the silence.... the kind that settles in the pit of your stomach as you just know something outside the realm of expected in happening. Walking into the bathroom, and Eliaya is still playing with her duck.... in the toilet. Blech! I promise, the lid was closed. It's always closed. How this kid managed to hoist it up.... not sure. But the skills of this almost 10 month old are far from limited to such trickery as lid-opening.......

So we cleaned that up, and while I was putting clothes away in the closet, she was playing on the floor a mere 6 feet away. Seems safe, right? Not only did duckie go for a swim.... but E decided it would also be good for him to take a cave tour through our VCR (yes.... we still have, and use, a VCR. Finish laughing..... okay, now to continue). So I excavated the rubber duck, then picked up E and we put clothes away together.....

Fast forward to dinner time.... We've picked up the toy minefield so daddy could walk through, and are in the kitchen cooking. Eliaya chases after Simba back towards the living room. I call her saying "it's time to eat"... and there's nothing... the eery silence again. Mind you, this child normally breaks land-speed records to get to food. I mean, she REALLY loves to eat. So this silence was all the more concerning.

In a matter of seconds, the minefield had been entirely recreated. This kid's really got some skill. We played for a while, the went back to dinner. Oh well if the biscuits were a little on the done side.... we had fun :)

taking our very important call

The last houdini adventure, that I know of.... was this morning. Not wanting E to go to kindergarten still being swaddled to sleep, we've been working on going to sleep (and more importantly staying so) without it. Last night was the best sleep she, and therefore I, have had in a long time. I go in at 7 to get her, she's all smiles standing in her crib waiting to be picked up. Just like normal, we head to the dresser to get changed and dressed for the day. Upon opening her sleep sack, I find a naked baby! Her diaper was crumpled up in the bottom corner and she just giggled and clapped. How she managed this one? Still have no idea..... Anyway, she went straight into the tub for an emergency bath (no diaper meaning a rather messy child) and so another day began.

I say all this in jest, and mostly out of admiration for the amazing, talented (houdini skills are hard to come by you know) and fun baby. I cannot imagine a better blessing. I am so thankful. Yesterday was an awful anniversary in this country, 40 years since abortion was legalized. Becoming a mother has made this atrocity hit so much closer to home. I think about the children, who will fight for them? For their rights? I think about the women and the aftermath they must face as consequence for this choice. I read a very convicting article, here's a snipit: "The ending of abortion cannot be separated from the raising up of an adoption movement. Both concern wanting and loving children, born and unborn—and loving them enough to make them our own sons and daughters if they are left fatherless. In the Father’s house, there are no unwanted children."

I am so thankful to our church in Louisville for the passion for defending the fatherless they showed me. So thankful for a husband who faithfully fathers our daughter. So thankful to be adopted by my Father. So thankful for Christians around the world who are leading the way in living out "pro-life". So thankful for friends who believe children are a blessing, even on Mondays. 

I pray this would stir your heart too. Stir your heart to hug the children in your life, to verbally encourage other parents when they're tempted to see the hardship and not the gift of children, to serve in the church nursery, to really pray about adoption. I will be right there with you.

-the Reeds

ps: growling means happiness.... right?

New January, New You?

Excuse the melancholy, but I really am not one for New Year's resolutions.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about goal setting, just the glitz and glam of setting a goal (in my experience, usually highly unrealistic) alongside countless others doing the exact same thing and then watching 95% of them fail is just disheartening. 

Listened to a sermon this week about resolutions. The pastor spoke about how people crave a new identity each year. People have spent the past year realizing what they were striving for, higher rung on the business ladder, a more attractive body, the newest and greatest technological product to grace Best Buy's shelves... well, it hasn't given them joy. Their "I've-got-everything-together" appearance is just as much of a sham as the year before. 

What is our identity? Is it really based on what's in my closet? My mode of transportation? (Side note... the grape still lives, she's a cranky old lady of a car, but she gets us where we need to go). My job? My resume of humanitarian efforts?  This sermon really got me thinking, when I'm introducing myself to some one new... what to a tag myself as? A wife, a mom, a nurse, a Christian? What's your subtitle?

I wont type out all my notes from this sermon, but suffice it to say this: There is only one identity giver. God gave mankind our identity at creation. (Gen 1:26-27) We accepted the lie from Satan that we can and need to make our own identity (Gen 3:4-5). Christ has come to make us new creations and restore our identity in Him (2 Cor 5:17-19), allowing us to live as we were intended.

I'm sure by now you all have heard and read about pastor Louie Giglio's invitation to pray at the inauguration being rescinded. Much has been said and rather than becoming one of  "those" bloggers who just spurts out my own opinion on the situation, let me instead recommend this
  Here's a take away: "In the coming days, all Christian leaders will be forced to choose a side on issues that flow from the Gospel – including biblical teaching on sex and marriage. Intentionally avoiding clarity will not do. None of us will be allowed to take a pass." 

  As Christians, it is high time we dig into Scripture and beg the Lord to teach us Truth. To stop standing on ambiguous moralisms and really declare who the Lord is, what He says, and what He has done for us. I preach this to myself more-so than anyone else. Please pray for me, that my convictions would be rooted in Scripture and not self-righteousness, and that as I study the Great Story that I would fall more in love with the One who came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

  Eliaya is really starting to enjoy when we read her Bible. What an awesome, and seemingly overwhelming, task to begin teaching her the ways of the Lord. I can only imagine what the world will look like when she is my age, I pray that Christ would call her to Himself and that she would cling desperately to His Word.

Thanks for reading! I know you're potentially rolling your eyes at my ranting, but I can't help but feel the time to speak out and stand firm on what Scripture says is very much upon us. Fish or cut bait, they say.

Have a wonderful Friday!

Ch...Ch...Changes

Quick Thursday blurbs:

9 months has gone by so very fast. Took E to the doctor for her check up, she's now 27 inches long and 17 pounds! Little peanut is chunking out!

Jarrod and I have had fun planning out our next few weeks, thanks so much to everyone who's been inviting us to hang out :)

Holy smokes, my bff is GETTING MARRIED! Going dress shopping today. I love weddings. Not just because of the fun decorations, the dancing, and dresses... but because there is hardly a clearer portrayal of the Gospel. The way the groom pursues his bride..... Christ perfectly pursues and rescues His bride. The way the bride prepares herself for her groom.... Christians becoming more like Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. And while I'm sure this wedding between my friends will have a great party afterwards, the best party is yet to come, the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Based on doc's recommendation, we've been trying to get Eliaya readjusted to sleeping through the night. If my belief in the power of prayer was failing, it's been revived now. Two nights ago was initiation. There was shrieking from 230-445am. Yet we kept our cool and were able to lovingly reassure E that she was okay, we were still here and she could put herself back to sleep. PTL last night's vocal warm ups only lasted from 4-530. Hopeful that tonight she may handle it on her own, thought I will kinda miss the focused prayer time. Oddly enough, distractions are as bountiful at 3am.

Okay, have a great day. We're headed out to enjoy this BEAUTIFUL weather. My Louisville friends.... feel free to move to FL anytime :)

New Beginnings

Last box.... unpacked!............. Well, that's mostly true. There's one box, full of entirely miscilaneous objects, most of which I have no recollection of acquiring, that remains in the corner of our bedroom. BUT, aside from that we are settled. Now to the stage of hanging pictures, reorganizing the kitchen for the third time, and more importantly- starting life here in Jax.

Alas, I have jumped many noteworthy events in our tale. Let's start back three weeks ago....


Work for me finished well. I really had the best co-workers :)  We had a weekend long party. Miss you ladies! Jarrod feverishly worked on assignments for his hermaneutics class and we said our goodbyes to church family. The last few days of packing were quite funny - we learned that I pack too quickly (kitchen boxes went through three rounds of tape....) The morning of packing day arrived and we headed off to pick up the Budget truck. It was a monster! Retrospect, definitely should have recorded Jarrod scaling into the truck and maneuvering in our complex... could've won america's funniest video!

We had a great group of friends come and load us up (THANK YOU!!!), camped the night in our empty apartment, then headed out early the next morning.... here's where the fun (and God's provision) begins.....

Eliaya slept most of the way between Louisville and Nashville, which was great. Our plan was to stop at a truck station just south of the city. But of course, being around Christmas, traffic picked up more than we expected. Ok ,we can deal with that. Then, Jarrod calls me: he's breathing really fast and describing this incredible pain he can't get rid of, says he feels like he could pass out any minute. *Onset of freaking out*

We manage to get off at an exit and get to the shoulder. I run out of the car (Jarrod's mom was riding with me to help with E) and jump into the truck  Long story short, he was okay after some rest and food. Note to self, do not have a huge starbucks drink at 5am and not have any other water or food until past 9. So we got back on the interstate and laughed, assuming the worst part of our journey was now far behind us.

Fast forward a few hundred miles, and now we are just outside of Atlanta. Making pretty good time, everyone's feeling well, E has only had one major meltdown... thing's were looking bright! We hit Atlanta traffic just at the onset of rush hour: things were moving, but slowly. In the homestretch of downtown, we came to a stop. Doing a double-take, I thought I saw the moving truck get closer to us...hmmm... watching again, I hear the engine rev and definitely see the bumper of our towed car meander back towards me.

"Jarrod, you're rolling BACKWARDS!" (my highly insightful and helpful greeting when he called). The truck wouldn't engage. He tried turning it off, to see if heat was the problem, no change. After a few minutes, traffic was beginning to move again, and we were just as stuck as ever. Yikes.

We called for help, and the Atlanta "highway heroes" came to our rescue. Found out later that the traffic control center was able to locate us via a camera on an exit sign. Cool, huh? They towed us off I-75 to the median around an exit. Budget sent out a mechanic, we stayed in a hotel.... they next morning the truck was fixed and the rest of our trip was truly.... boring. It was great.

The whirlwind continued: unpacking, Christmas, traveling to see other family, New Years.....  now we're starting to see what day-to-day life will be. Jarrod has started work, I'm on to my second round of interviews.... we're really excited about where God has us.  I've run out of witty one-liners and this quick update has rambled far too long... so here are a few pictures of Christmas and Eliaya, enjoy!

our first truly girly dress, thanks Susu

LOVED our musical table, and it talks to us in Spanish!

hmm.... play with presents or the puppies??

Hope your 2013 is off to a great start, thanks for reading :)

-the Reeds