Kendrick Journey

Almost Baby Time!

2011-05-29T20:29:00.001-07:00

We only have 10 Days until Mary Charlotte's Scheduled arrival! I'm sharing a belly picture for you Anna, my faithful reader :) I love you and miss you!

Sweet kisses from her big sister!

Big Girl Bed!

2011-05-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

This Spring we had some construction done to put a hall in and close in Ann Edwards' new big girl room!

No worries, that hideous fan is now gone!

We took many trips to Lowes during the project! We left the hard work to the professionals, but Rainer and I caulked, filled holes, sanded all the wood work. And Rainer with a little help from a friend and my dad painted the halls and woodwork, Thank you Daddy! We had Ann Edward's room wallpapered.

We took one last nap in our crib before it officially became Mary Charlotte's bed!

Went out to a special dinner complete with ice cream to celebrate being such a big girl, and a big sister too!

And here we are so proud of ourselves in our big girl bed!

She did great with the transition, she of course got out the first night and knocked on her door...so polite! When we opened the door she said 'May I be excused?". Hilarious, yes, but no she was not excused...She really loves her new room and her bed! It was my bed when I was little so its so sweet to see her in it!

Preparing for Another Baby Girl

2011-05-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

In less than 2 weeks we will welcome our second baby girl, Mary Charlotte, into our family. We can hardly wait to meet her. There's been much preparation as far as getting Ann Edwards moved to a big girl room and the usual nesting projects. But the major preparation seems to be happening in all of our hearts. Of all my anticipation and worrying over Ann Edwards adjusting well I'm overwhelmed with joy at what a blessing this child is! Ann Edwards speaks of her so often and I'm praying for a seamless transition. It feels like time to meet her, to welcome her home, she's been a part of our lives for so long already it seems, written on the tablets of our hearts.

I hope to remember all the funny and sweet things Ann Edwards has said to Mary Charlotte in my tummy.. Some of my favorites are when she kisses her or tickles her. She loves to feel her kick and tell her good morning and good night. As I'm growing expotenially these days she said, "Oh mama! Mary Charlotte is a big girl now!". Sometimes she'll just lean down and tell her little tidbits like ,"Guess what? Its valentines day!"...or one time she just said "I lub you, oh one more thing..Ding Dong!" So funny!

I had to share this ultrasound picture that was such a gift to me, to see her SMILING in my womb! What a sweet joyful spirit she already has!

Colossians 2:6-7
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

More than just a phase...I hope

2011-05-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

We have officially entered into the Princess Phase with Ann Edwards. I was hesitant at first because of all the media and paraphernalia out there about being a princess. It definitely wasn't something I introduced or pushed, but a natural progression and love for dressing up, castles, stories and of course the prince, who is always played by Daddy. Even at the end of Cinderella as she runs off with her prince Ann Edwards will proclaim, "Oh! Look at her and her Daddy!". I love that it doesn't cross her mind that it would be anyone other than her Daddy! But lately, this has taken a deeper meaning to me, about the role of "daddy" to little girls and ultimately our role of our Father God, our "Abba" which when translated literally means Daddy, the most dear name for us to cry out. So I'm officially embracing this phase and actually learning a LOT myself through it.

For months the Lord has been working on my heart to rewrite my identity as His alone! Of all His goodness and faithfulness I struggled with my flesh to truly believe that He would call me HIS, that I was worthy of being His child. The truth is that His word says He is King, and as His children we are heirs to the throne...which makes me a princess!

Romans 8: 14-17 (NIV)
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

I love the way He works and the timing that this revelation in my own life came alongside me watching Ann Edwards discover that she too is a princess. So, we decided to start sharing with her the truth of her being a Child of God and she so faithfully believes and walks out that role. Sometimes she will just say, "I'm a pincess", and I'll ask her how she knows and she'll say, "Because I'm a daughter of the King!" Oh the precious faith of a child!

The other morning I came across this verse and knew the Lord was knocking at my heart to reveal His truth again...

Isaiah 61:10 (The Message)

I will sing for joy in God,
explode in praise from deep in my soul!
He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,
he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo
and a bride a jeweled tiara.
For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers,
and as a garden cascades with blossoms,
So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom
and puts praise on display before the nations.

The NIV version says "As a Bride adorns herself with jewels". As I read this verse my girl played happily across the room from me and I watched her so naturally fulfilling the role of Princess, of Daughter of the King. She wore her pjs as it was still early in the morning, but she had requested heels and necklaces before coming downstairs. The Lord spoke to my heart revealing that He longed for me, for all this children to faithfully believe and take up our roles as His Children daily! As I thanked Him for His goodness, out of no where she stopped playing, walked over to me and took the pink jewels from around her neck and held them out for me saying "This are for you, they are yours" and she placed them around my neck. How beautiful that the Lord would speak to me and minister to me through my sweet daughter.

I embraced the Father's heart for me that morning in a new and a special way...a way that I long to experience each day. I am His princess and all these dresses, heels and tiaras have a whole new meaning for me now...A deep longing in each of us to be the children of the King that we are, a longing I will prayerfully nurture in all of my children!

I love this phase and pray it becomes her total identity as Daughter of the King, Daughter of our great God! I now cherish each time she says boldly "I'm a pincess!" (we're working on getting the 'r' in there)...

My Little Artist

2011-05-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

Bitty loves to paint, color, really anything creative these days! We're enjoying watching her creative juices flow. Her little mind really amazes me!

A few weeks ago she insisted on wearing a very special outfit to paint in. Who really needs paints while painting anyways? They only stifle your passion for art.

But, no look for her is complete without her sparkly (or "sprinkle" as she calls them) shoes.

I love her sweet, joyful and creative spirit!

An Easter Photo Shoot

2011-05-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

It proves to be harder and harder to get a family picture of everyone looking and smiling at the camera. Easter is definitely one of those times you really try and make it work. Here is our attempt...

Here we are after Church which sort of explains why she is wearing a random necklace she obtained in the nursery. Wait we're missing Momma...

We've resorted to bribery with a Hershey Kiss to try and get big grins. She has her eye on the prize..

In goes the chocolate...

Hershey Kiss=Dangerous Chocolate-y toddler fingers. Naturally we lick them off since I have no wipes on hand.

And here we are a goofy family pic with chocolate teeth on Ann Edwards.

What joy this child brings me! Happy Easter :)

A getaway and an old Friend

2011-05-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

I apologize ahead of time for the tilting of your head you'll have to do, struggling with blogger today...

In April Rainer and I snuck away to Naples for a vacation. It was so wonderful to have hours of conversation away from the busyness of life before this new baby comes!

We relaxed, ate great dinners and just loved our time together. This was the yummiest key lime pie with a chocolate crust, delish!

We are truly blessed.

An added bonus to the trip was getting to stop in Tampa to see Anna's house and get a glimpse into her life there. I'm so proud to call her my friend and of who she has become. Getting to see Bradford play in his own house and see the wonderful life she's building there was such a joy!

Here we are with our baby bumps, little Mary Charlotte and even tinier Baby Boney Boy #2!

Sticking my toes in...

2011-03-10T17:57:00.001-08:00

Wow, it has been almost a year. How will I begin to fill you in all that's happened?..There is so much to share. Honestly thats half the reason I stopped blogging, just dreading trying to put it all into words (and pictures) to make up for my absence. So, let's just skip that part.

Mainly this is for Anna who sweetly prompted me, reminding me how fun the blog could be, especially for the friends and family we don't see as often as we'd like.

So, here's to sticking my toes back in the blog world after a year...I'm not making any promises that my entries will be frequent, or funny, or EVER free of run-on sentences, but I am aiming to be transparent here and like our title says give you a peak into our Journey....

Thankful

2010-04-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Admist the packing I ran across this gem of Emily Sr. & I. (For the newbies around here, both of my brothers married Emily's so naturally we have Sr. and Jr.) This is probably when she and Paul were Juniors in High School. I'm cringing hoping this wasn't on a date of theirs. I might have tagged along on a few of those.

Finding It made me very thankful...
Thankful that I have had her in my life for so many years.
Thankful that she was around as an example for me in the trying middle school years.
Thankful that I learned about eye brow waxing.
Thankful that I learned about highlights.
Thankful that I am now allowed to apply eye makeup.
Thankful that my braces came off.
Thankful that I remember that clip in my hair was from the Valentine's dance I had recently attended with Rainer.
Thankful that Rainer knew me and even loved me in my most awkward of phases.
Thankful that even though we don't have a really awkward picture to prove it... I love Emily Jr. as if I've known her my whole lifetime too...

A good mix

2010-04-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Packing up and moving has involved lots of reorganizing and we've run across some old pictures that have been fun to re-visit.

Here are baby pictures of Rainer and I. Wasn't he the cutest little baby boy? I've already begun praying for a little boy who looks just like him! Ok so maybe I've already been praying for that since I was like 12... But I think Ann Edwards is a pretty good mix of us!

What do you think?

Lately

2010-04-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

We have been busy with house stuff and are feeling so blessed. We've closed on both houses!

(who remembers my first car with the LAH license plate on the front? ha! )

Sharing some cheer in front of our new home!

And we've been busy with projects, good thing we have this little helper to keep the front porch clean!

She seriously loves to clean, when she is not making a mess. Which almost cancels out all the picking up I do.

Easter Catch-Up

2010-04-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Here are a few Easter pictures. Thanks to Anna's mom for making Ann Edwards the sweet bunny dress! We had a wonderful Easter celebrating the reason we have Life! And the littlest Kendie got a Bubble Machine from The Easter Bunny!

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Psalm 103:1-5

Tease of Spring

2010-03-22T08:14:00.000-07:00

We are running full force towards warm weather! (we hope!)

We had the best time playing outside last week at the Gardens!

What fun day with lots of tickles from Daddy!

Hurry up warm weather. Please return and say you're here to stay!

My Groundhog

2010-03-08T12:11:00.000-08:00

I hope this doesn't mean 6 more weeks of winter, but my little one found her shadow for the first time today. It was so cute to see that little mind work, her cute little shadow caught her eye and she began to dance with it! I'm so blessed I get to see all these sweet little moments in her life.

Fun in a Box

2010-03-05T12:55:00.001-08:00

How to entertain a busy toddler while the majority of her toys are being packed up? Easy, put her in a box and let her play with packing supplies.

When that wears off, put the dog in a box next to her.

Poor Ginger.

No Animals were harmed in the making of this post.

Ketchup...A mistake?

2010-03-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

In a moment of weakness today I introduced ketchup at lunch. I held out for 20 months, but now she's offically addicted. She said "moe, moe?" atleast 25 times after she was finished dipping her chicken. I was frantically loading the dishwasher while she ~~inhaled~~ ate her lunch and turned around to see ~~the Joker from Batman~~ this ketchup-stained grinning girl!

And yes, we're still in our PJs at lunch time.

Miss me?

2010-03-04T12:25:00.000-08:00

Its been forever it seems since I've last posted. Please forgive me, life just gets crazy sometimes, doesn't it? We've had an awesome, busy and blessing-filled start to 2010. Over my laptop are many empty cardboard boxes to be filled that are looking at me (yes I said boxes, because we are moving!) So, I need to get to packing, T minus 7 days until closing #1, but I figured if things weren't slowing down soon I'd go ahead and post before its summer!

We had been praying about God's timing to put our house back on the market, and in January we felt His peace to move forward with it. In His delightful sense of humor and perfecting timing, He sold our house for us the day BEFORE it was listed. A friend of a friend came to see it one day at lunch and bought it that night. Meanwhile we had started praying for the next house and were prepared to wait as long as it took to find the perfect house, and again God totally came through. Our perfect house dropped into our price range the day we got the contract on our house and it all went very fast! We have laughed at the difference between our timing and God's timing as it felt like we would never sell this house this summer and we finally surrendered it and it was so easy. How encouraging that God was just holding our next house for us, and just waiting to bless us in His time.

So, needless to say its been crazy busy packing with a 19 month old who loves to pull things out of boxes and Rainer has been busy traveling with work. Ann Edwards is as precious and busy as ever. She is so funny talking and developing her little personality more and more these days. I will try to do better not waiting so long to post next time...Also, for all you blog stalkers come on out and let me know if you missed me, maybe it'll even inspire an other post soon, you know like within the month...

Here are some recent pictures of what we've been up to!

Her new favorite food is corn on the cob, its hilarious how aggressively she eats it!

Can you tell she loves it?

Rainer and I ran a 5K last weekend to celebrate the full restoration of his heart!

We've had some chilly days lately, but Bitty loves to play outside regardless, here we are bundled up!

And swinging is always a favorite around here, boy will we miss this backyard!

Nativity Confusion

2009-12-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

Our neighbors have this displayed in their yard. I feel like they might have been mislead as to the whole reason we celebrate.

Rainer suggested that maybe Joseph and Mary had a date night.

Then last night as Ann Edwards and her cousin Reid were playing with the Nativity scene I noticed something odd. Where is baby Jesus you might ask?

Then, thankfully, Reid assured me all was well. Jesus was just "ridin' the camel".

Apparently He had places to go, people to see. Which is actually quite true.

Thank goodness God Sent His son, our savior to save this fallen word! I am beyond grateful that my life has been redeemed and I rejoice this Christmas for the peace, joy and freedom that God gave us wrapped in a perfect little baby!

Merry Christmas All!

Love,
The Kendies

Santa

2009-12-18T13:38:00.000-08:00

As you can see Ann Edwards ~~loved~~ gave Santa an ear full. He must have seen it coming because as Rainer set her in his lap Santa said, "Nice 'n easy...nice n' easy."

Merry Christmas!

Love,
Ann Edwards

Grandparents..

2009-12-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

are the best! They let me do so many fun things, even ride them like a pony!

And I bet you can guess who got to be the next pony, and whose knees are sore from daily pony rides through these tiny halls in our house.....

Where Daddy works

2009-12-09T14:12:00.001-08:00

Ann Edwards loves when her daddy comes home. However, I'm pretty sure she thinks he works in our carport. Actually,I think she thinks that's where I keep him during the day. About 6 times a day, at random hours, she goes to the carport door, and announces "Dere's Dada!" and waits for him to appear. When he doesn't, there is a pretty sad little chain of events. She knocks on the door, cries to be lifted up to see out the door, looks for him and then cries and looks at me like, "Why won't you let him appear Momma?". It is so sweet how much she misses him when he is ~~in the carport~~ at work, but I am trying to get her to understand its not me being mean hiding him from her.

Restored!

2009-12-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share with you that we just got Rainer's report back from his cardiologist appointmentt last week. His echo showed that his heart looked GREAT! His Ejection Fraction was just where it needed to be and it all looked normal.

We are over-joyed and beyond thankful. We give God the Glory for healing Rainer's heart!

We are so grateful to our friends and family who have humbled us at their outpouring of love during that time of uncertainty with Rainer's health. We are so thankful for each of you for walking through this with us!

What a wonderful Christmas gift we have been given to have Rainer's perfect health back!

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED!!!"
Isaiah 53:5

Also, if somehow you missed what happened you can read about it here and here

You asked for it

2009-12-05T12:20:00.001-08:00

Due to the comments on the hair dye fiasco, I've decided to show you the final product, and the really dark too...

Here is the way too dark color. Ouch (yes this is a self-portrait taken with my phone in the mirror, i have many talents)

Here is after a cut to trim off my over processed ends (by yours truly) and after some highlights...At least its closer to AE's color :) Besides after seeing the color my sister-in-law Emily told me it made me look "taller" Hmmmm...

Have no fear, I will return to being blonde shortly. And honestly I will probably color it myself again, (it takes me a while to learn lessons apparently.)

Girly giggles

2009-12-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

A few days ago my friend Shelley had a doctor's appointment so we got to have Adelaide over to play. I cannot tell you how happy it made Ann Edwards. She smiled and squealed the whole time! They were too cute playing so I had to snap a few pics! I am so blessed to get to be a part of such fun as girly tea parties, baby dolls & giggles, and so thankful for the laughter that fills my house.

Cooking up some fun!

Playing Peek-A-Boo in our laundry room
AE: "Mom, we're trying to hide from you, take a hint".

Ann Edwards is quite affectionate, here she is trying to sneak a little hand holding here while Adelaide is distracted with Veggie Tales. Only Shelley will understand how monumental this hand holding is, as we try each time to let Ann Edwards kiss or hug or hold on to Adelaide, while then explaining to AE that Adelaide sometimes needs some space. They are hilarious.

I love these girls! And I'll babysit anytime, AE slept for like 3 hrs after they played!!

Catching up in Pictures

2009-12-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

I've been busy lately and having so much fun. Here's a glimpse of what I've been up to:

A surprise 60th Birthday Party for Big Mike. (These faces say, "Enough is enough. Now that he is here may we please eat cake?!")

Showing off what a big girl I am riding Reid's bike

Bundling up on some cold days!

Being silly and loving dressing up! My daddy brought me home this special crown and it has provided much entertainment even as I cut some new teeth (note the drool on the dress, which was my mama's when she was a baby!)

And again dressing up in Minnie's cowboy boots from when she was little! I'm in my undies since my dress kept slowing me down!

Ride em' cowgirl!

Sweetness

2009-12-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

What's sweeter than having cake with my cousin Reid?

Cake AND a hug!

(Disregard her body language, She loves hugs, just doesn't love sharing food...I wonder where she learned that from? hmmmm)

What a difference a year makes

2009-12-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Bitty with her daddy Picking out our Christmas tree 2008

With our Christmas tree 2009.

And yes she is wearing the same dress. Size 6 months. I love that tiny little girl (and getting another year out of her Christmas dress is pretty nice too!)

Humility in a Bottle

2009-12-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

This picture has been haunting me for years.

I think Gwyneth Paltrow is stunning. I saw her once in person in Austin and have had a slight obession every since. When she went brunette back in the day I loved it. Yes, she is better blonde but she was still beautiful as a brunette. Which leads me to my current predicament. For years every time the season changes to fall I have an itch to go brunette. I'm always talked out of it, and always grateful that I didn't do it. Until this year...

I've been coloring my own hair to save some money for a while now and they were out of my current color yesterday. (Perfect oppourtunity to try something new huh?!) Well let me tell you something, if the bottle says "Dark Blonde" they are lying. Dark, Yes. Blonde, No. So in my attempt to go a little darker I now have brown hair. And as I suspected I cannot pull it off like Gwyneth can.

Good thing I did it during the Holiday season where there will be pictures galore and I'll get to see everyone I know in one months time. If you're one of those people, be gentle, I know its too dark. But hey, we all make mistakes, right? Too bad mine landed on my head.

No more tears

2009-11-19T12:03:00.000-08:00

Well less of them atleast. Ann Edwards had surgery yesterday to have a stint placed in her left tear duct that never drained properly. She has had a little weepy eye since about day 4 of her life. I will never forget the first trip to St. Louis when her little left eye had a constant tear running from it..Ava Belle must have said, "Oh! HE's crying!" Like 1,000 times. (She now uses the correct pronoun for her cousin also) It was an early day and a rough go to give my baby up to be carried into an OR. Luckily she had her passy and her lamby with her in the OR. But, all is well now and her little eye is healing just fine. The highlight of the day was when a little girl in the Children's waiting room thought Ann Edwards was tinkerbell. So sweet!

Here she is playing in the waiting room, they had a princess kitchen! She of course loved the hospital at this point!

And for anyone who has been with us in the car for any length of time knows how impressive this next picture is. She hates her car seat and refuses to sleep in it. I took this because this is literally like the 3rd time she has slept in the car in her entire life! She was so tired after the procedure, and so were her parents!

When Daddy is in Charge

2009-11-15T17:51:00.000-08:00

I went to Atlanta Sunday for my friend Anna's shower. She has a baby boy on the way and I was so excited to go celebrate with her!

Meanwhile, Little Bit stayed at home and played with her daddy. The weekends are so special to us all, but Ann Edwards really gets her fill of her Daddy and being with the two of them makes my life so sweet. They have captured one another's hearts the way only daughters and fathers can, and its so dear to witness! They have their weekly Saturday breakfast date, which always involves pancakes or waffles. Yummy! (while mama sleeps in!! woo hoo!) And they take wagon rides and wrestle, explore the back yard and always find new adventures. She loves her time with him, and its so good to have some new ways to entertain a busy toddler! So today I had no worries about her happiness as I left them. I knew fun was to be had, as it always is, when daddy's in charge!

When I left this morning she was in her Sunday best as they left for church...Then as soon as I crossed the Georgia state line I got this picture via text from Daddy. Ha ha. (Thanks to the Matthews for this cute shirt!! RK has been itching to get her in it)

Thats a wooden spoon in her hand, she is really into Kitchen items these days!

And here are some pictures of the 2 of them from our last Blink Lady Session. Enjoy!

An ode to our neighbor...

2009-11-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

Dear Neighbor (it seems somehow wrong to put your name on the Internet) So, we'll just call you G-Dog.

Dear G-Dog,
We can't believe you are really moving, though we'll believe it when we see it. You come back everyday to move about 2 boxes at a time and leave your van and sometimes dog here, so I have a feeling the process could take awhile. Meanwhile, we will be reflecting on how much we will miss you. Life can get too predictable sometimes..unless you have a neighbor like you. We never knew what was going to come out of your mouth or what event we'd get to watch you do through our windows. I'd now like to recount some of the highlights...

There was the time (yes only one in 4 years) that you decided to wash your car. Looking back it totally made sense to do it your way. You emptied an entire bottle of dawn dish detergent on the top of your dry car. Then you used your (our borrowed) hose to run water over the top of your car creating mass bubbly chaos for about an hour until the water ran clear. No need to wipe, scrub or actually do any work. Meanwhile using the maximum amount of water possible, mind you it was during a severe drought. Filling up a bucket and using a rag like the rest of America just wouldn't do. Besides your way ends with the gleaming roof that no one sees and the dried dirt on the tires and rim of the car, almost as if you had never washed it.

It was always fun when you got the urge to do yard work about every 1.7 years. That one time it was so cold when you decided to blow your leaves, I'm sure you hands would have been freezing..IF you had not thought to plan ahead and wear tube socks on your hands. Yeah maybe it was a little hard to maneuver the on and off switch having no fingers, just a blob for a hand, but you were warm, and it warmed our hearts too.

One time we came home to you standing in our carport wearing jean shorts, no shirt and...SKI GLOVES. Why the gloves? Oh, because you were hunting for a roly poly for your daughters school project. I'm sure there weren't any in your yard. And the ski gloves proved to be a little tricky to pick up the tiny roly poly, didn't they? But after the socks-on-hand incident you were definitely going to wear the gloves you no doubt got for fathers day.

When you needed to expand your Drive-Way you could have hired a professional, but of course not. You just mixed up quick-crete in a cooler (no bucket handy I'm sure) and spread it inch by inch with a small spackle spreader. Too bad quick-crete dries almost instantly, and it was pitiful that your parking pad crumbled the first time you parked there. Although it did come in handy when you inherited your dad's broken down car that sat there for 9 months.

After living in a house season after season things loose their luster. Like your chain link fence. Good thing you thought to get boo-koos of silver spray paint and spray 1/4th of your fence to make it shiny again. Those cans ran out really quickly didn't they? It was also an added bonus for us to get to have silver grass for a couple of weeks.

When Rainer told your girls he was getting me a puppy a few years back for my birthday they asked him, "Boy or Girl?" When he answered Girl, they ran off, and he got the feeling they were up to something. Three days later they came back and presented him with a list of 87 suggested girl dog names. And 2 days after that they brought a second list with 67 more. They were written as one long sentence, no numbers, just a stream of random names. Some that I remember being highlights were: Pansy, Blossom, Indonesia, Asia, Bruce (what?) Needless to say, we had to choose one of the suggestedd names. And thats where Ginger came from. I personally feel like we should go back to that list to pick ALL future pet names..Rainer might disagree. (Readers- I can only find the 2nd list, but will keep searching for the first because its even better. Regardless, enjoy this one, and feel free to use any of the names!)

Needless to say when we found out we were having a baby we were sure to mention that we had names picked out already. I'm a sucker for kids and probably would have named my daughter something crazy like Gladiolia if another list had appeared.

Another thing that was always hilarious was when you (or your family members) came over to borrow things. My personal favorite being this conversation with Rainer:
G Dog, "Rainman!...Whats up?! You know I was thinking...We should grab a beer sometime"
Rainer, "Yeah, that'd be nice"
G Dog, "Well, you got one?"

Then Rainer came in to grab 2 beers and you stood in the dirt that divided our homesteads and enjoyed a cold one, on us of course.

One night you sent one of the girls over just before dinner time. Here is what she said, "Hi. My dad sent me over. We were going to have spaghetti for dinner. But, do you have some sauce we can borrow?" I asked her if she needed noodles too, but you had planned ahead for that one.

Then there was the time you were sending one of the girls to camp. She ran out of luggage so you left a note when we weren't home, to borrow some extra large leaf trash bags for packing.

But in all seriousness you could not have been kinder to us, always checking in on us, loving watching Ann Edwards grow and of course you did name our dog and all. I really can't believe you are moving. We will miss you, our lives will be filled with a few less laughs and smiles now. Thank you for being the PERFECT neighbors for our first home. We will never forget all your quirkiness or kindness. You will be missed.

Love,
Your neighbors, The Kendies

Staying

2009-11-05T05:42:00.000-08:00

You might have noticed a lack of a certain subject I blogged about for a while..Moving. Well, after denial (on my part) about God's timing for us to move, we have taken our house off the market. God is so faithful and has brought us so much contentment in our not-so-huge house. We are confident in His plans for us and knew that now just wasn't the time for many things we had planned. So, we take heart and wait on the Lord!

Meanwhile, its our favorite time of year to be in our home, we have loved our backyard lately and the beautiful huge trees that daily seem to remind me of my father's perfect covering over me, over my home and over my family.

Ann Edwards runs freely on the back deck, in and out of the kitchen at her leisure and roams our house with such joy. I can't help but realize God had further blessings for us staying put for a little while!

We also turned our guest room into a playroom and sold our coffee table, so its offically toddler roaming/play house over here! You see, its really Ann Edwards house anyways,filled with her toys and her laughter, we just get to live here too!

As we're staying our neighbors are moving! Which is another post all together...Stay tuned.

Proud (of my) Peacock

2009-11-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Halloween weekend with dressing up, seeing family and even our first sucker!

Happy Halloween Everyone!!

Love,
Ann Edwards

Tea Party for 1.5 People

2009-10-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

Here is Ann Edwards attempting to have a tea party with Ginger, who you'll see hiding under the side table. It didn't really work out as she had planned. No worries, we still had our own tea party.

Lucky Me

2009-10-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

Rainer has been working a lot lately, so Ann Edwards and I have been spending lots of wonderful time just the two of us. Lots of walks, dancing, parks and playing. I am loving it. Little Bit, you are such a joy to me. You are my sunshine, and I am so thankful that I get to spend my days with you!
Love,
Mama

Bye-Bye

2009-10-22T19:47:00.001-07:00

Those are the words I hear no less than 100 times a day. Ann Edwards loves to say Bye-Bye to everything.... to daddy in the morning, to me every time I leave a room, to fed-ex to ginger, to scrambled eggs tossed from the high chair and so on. Lately she has been a bit rambunctious with her playroom chairs, standing up in them and trying to leap out. I see stitches in the future if we don't figure this out.. So if she wont sit down we say bye-bye to the chair and put it up for a little while until we can control our urges to stand and leap. Then it all came full circle. We were playing this afternoon and I was trying to get caught up on some important world issues on ~~Access Hollywood~~ the News. I was clearly not paying attention to her like she needed. So she got the remote pointed it at the tv, turned it off and said clear as day "Bye-Bye" to the tv. Touché Annie, Touché.

15 Months Young

2009-10-16T12:48:00.001-07:00

Ann Edwards is getting so big. She is growing into a precious little girl right before our eyes. We love seeing her personality develop! This child loves life, and specifically loves to eat, give kisses and chase ginger. Those three things are pretty much on repeat at the Kendrick Estate mixed in with some napping, dancing and reading here and there. She is really such a joy to us, so affectionate and funny. At her 15 month check-up she weighed 18 pounds and the doctor said she was just perfect, but of course we already thought that.

Here she is getting her first pair of shoes, which she loves!!

We've also been reflecting on how much she has grown. If you don't remember just how itty bitty she was, just look here...

Who doesn't love streaking?

2009-10-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

Yeah you heard me. Streaking. Well not quite, but as the pictures will show the highlight of our trip to St. Louis was letting the kiddos run wild and near-naked around in the center of downtown St. Louis. They have the best parks there and we feel like we definately made our mark!...We went for T's 60th Birthday and had a blast. It was a surprise for him and we loved being with everyone...It had been 9 months since all the Holcombes and Kendricks got together, and it is just never enough time together. We ate great food, raised our glasses multiple times to the Birthday Honoree, and soaked up lots of family time. Ann Edwards had so much fun playing with her cousins, aunts & uncles she rarely sees! Here are a few pictures that captured how much fun we had! (Surely you know by now, that a few always means a ton)

Here is AE in her preferred high chair style...laid back, feet up, munching on a french fry.

This picture perfectly captures Ava Belle's little personality! She knew what fun was coming once she saw the water spouts!

This is who we like to call T-Rex. She always holds her hands like this when she runs....

We miss you all!

Celebrity Alert!

2009-10-02T07:36:00.001-07:00

After a cousin bath the other night, we were introduced to "Micha Pheps"

Reid reguarly demonstrates his mad swimming skills for Ann Edwards during bath time, so we thought some real swimming equipment might help him out.

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

Get Ready...

2009-10-02T07:19:00.001-07:00

To be jealous that I get to go squeeze and love on this little boy today! (I mean little as in less than 2 months old, he is actually quite the whopper!)

This is our newest nephew Mitchell Kendrick Maedel. We are in love!

How precious is he?

Ann Edwards LOVES him..Pretty much everything about him, She kisses him and sometimes feels the need to literally lick his face....unfortunately for him, she also loves to "borrow" his pacy and his bouncy seat too...

Cousins are so much fun!

At a Loss

2009-09-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Uncle John went to be with Jesus last week. As I watched rows and rows of people file into vistitation and heard the multitudes speak of the lives he so dearly touched I was overwhelmed at how loved he was...And how blessed we were to call him our family. We will cherish our memories of John for our lifetimes, until we are with him again. I am at a loss of what to say to express how missed he will be, So I will share with you Rainer's words from the service:

"Today we are here to celebrate John’s life, and all the great memories we have of him. It is truly a blessing, and nothing short of miraculous, that he lived for 60 wonderful years. Thank you, all of you, for the part you played in bringing him so much joy and happiness throughout the years.
John was like a thread, woven through many different lives, intertwined with so many people in so many social circles. Throughout various cities, and reaching across several generations, everyone knew John. And John knew everyone.
He loved Alabama football, Texas swimming, his endless schedule of activities, The Park, as he simply put it, his countless friends, his family, and more than anything, his Lord and Savior, Jesus. Growing up with John taught me a lot of things, and shaped me as a person, and as I reflect back on his life, I think of him as a perfect picture of grace.
From the day John was born, he was a gift to this world. To say he was special, while applicable in many regards, would be greatly understating the obvious. He was precious, and in many ways, pure; filled with unconditional and unbridled love that is often times only found in children. He was a child at heart.
While we are saddened by his death, I cannot stand before you today and say that I am discouraged by it. Instead, I am rejoicing that he is Home, in heaven with his momma, and most importantly, his Lord. No longer will his hips hurt from a long night of dancing, nor will his speech be hindered or hard to understand. As Isaiah 40 tells us, “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” John’s body and mind are fully restored, made new by the One who loved him even more than all of us could collectively.
So as we celebrate John’s life today, and rejoice in his homecoming, some of you might ask what you can do to best remember John, how can you honor his life. My answer to you is simple: Love Jesus. I believe that above all else the gift He would want you all to receive would be eternity in Heaven through a life-giving relationship with Christ. If it were John up here now, he would certainly say “ I take a prayer for you…”
John probably could not grasp the full depth of his own salvation, but there is no doubt that he was an instrument of God. If you knew John, then you saw a glimpse of the mighty love that Christ has for each of us. I pray that knowing John has stirred in you a desire to find the same joy that can only come from experiencing the peace of walking with the Lord. I hope that someday each and every one of you will see him again, and we will all join him, as we dance together for eternity.
We love you John, and we will miss you."

Good for Something

2009-09-11T09:16:00.001-07:00

So we had our 3rd Open House a couple of weeks ago. And as all 3 have gone we had an attendance level of a whopping ONE person. BUT, the balloons were good for something providing much entertainment for Ann Edwards! Oh and I should add that the one person who came didn't speak English so I'm just choosing to assume she liked it, even though there was no conversation whatsoever.

Hints of Change

2009-09-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

God is so good, and so faithful. Recently we had the most beautiful, pleasant fall-like weather in the midst of crazy, humid Alabama. I was at first just thankful for the breeze, for the hint of change in season. Then, as He always does, God stirred in my heart and led me to a deeper thankfulness for this time. For most of this summer I have craved change, a new season, longing for change in Rainer's health, and in my restless feelings...Then with God's beautiful creativity he used the weather of all things to speak to me through the crisp air, light breezes and the hint of fall to assure me of things to come, that its not yet time for all the changes I crave, but His continued blessings are just around the corner.

Meanwhile during this beautiful weather we spent so much time outside and even had some help finally putting our swing set together. Ann Edwards loves it! Here are some pictures of us enjoying the weather.

Also, I feel the need to say sorry that the blog has gotten so "deep" lately...but I did start this as a look into our journey and sometimes it gets deep. Hang in there, I'll work on being funny another time :)

No News...

2009-08-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

Is good news! I've decided to adopt this as my new motto! This summer it seems we've found ourselves in need of patience. Rainer is continuing to heal, but is still feeling the effects of decreased heart function and we are waiting (3 more months now) to confirm that his heart is healed. Our house is still on the market and after several interested couples, we've had no offers. We are anxious to see what house God has in store for our family...and it does seem that our house is actually shrinking everyday. So we find ourselves waiting. Waiting on God's plan...I told Rainer the other day that it seemed that we were in a holding pattern. And just this morning God gently reminded me that I am in a 'holding pattern' of sorts...and that the beauty in that is that I am being HELD by the huge, loving, always faithful Hands of the Father. So, there you have it, God is again working on me, and working in my heart to find contentment and peace in times of uncertainty of Rainer's health, or where we will live. We wait on God's promises for Rainer's health and for His plans for our family...And we look forward to the blessings we are certain He has in store for us....As always I'm reminded that we have much to learn on our Journey.

Oh and I fibbed about the No News part...Ann Edwards is about to be walking! She has taken several steps and is standing on her own! Big stuff! She's also cutting 3 teeth right now!

And, stay tuned for a blog coming on our new nephew Mitchell Kendrick Maedel!

Beach Baby

2009-07-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

We spent all of last week in Hilton Head with my extended family. This annual beach trip with them is one of the highlights of my year! I'm continually amazed at the effort we all put forth to get together several times a year, and marvel at the fact that we've done so for over 25 years!!..This is such a special group that loves to be together and share and love on one another! Tradition runs deeply in this family and I'm so glad I was able to bring Ann Edwards in on this special time this year, I only wish Rainer had felt well enough to go! We still can't seem to get EVERYONE together, but considering we span from several states including Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and now even have 2 family members in Japan, we do well to get at least 20+ together! We missed those of you that weren't there... And next year I'm hoping for ALL of us to come, then we'll really be the Griswolds!!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the week... Oh and as you'll see Ann Edwards LOVED the beach, and playing in the water!

I could just gobble up this little face!

Ann Edwards learned to climb stairs while we were there! Here she is climbing in and out of the pool (over and over).

Here she is with my sweet grandmother, "Momdoni"

There aren't many shots that show her 2 teeth and that dimple that makes my heart melt, so I couldn't resist posting this one!

Here is a favorite that my cousin Jason took. He is a great photographer, and you can see his work here

Playing with her Minnie

Us with her Aunt Emily and Uncle Patrick

This just made me laugh, oh that hair!...The only part about the beach she hated was getting sunscreen put on, Here she is tolerating me...

Here are the precious pirates she chased after all week!

The whole gang!

Until Christmas when we can see you again, we'll me missing you all!

Polka Dots and Lollipops..

2009-07-18T06:14:00.001-07:00

O' What fun! We had a party & Ann Edwards turned One!!

We had a great time with friends and family for Ann Edwards' First Birthday Party. You view (way too many pictures) on our picture site (yes we are first time parents and like taking pictures of our child...) But here are a few highlights of the party and her special day.

Also, she had a great 1 year appointment. She is still tiny, weighing in at a whopping 16 lbs 8 oz..But hey, thats more than triple her birth weight! She is more precious everyday and showing interest in everything it seems! She says several "words" that mostly we can understand; daddy, mama, dog, baby, bye-bye, hey and she is working on saying Ginger. She makes our hearts melt with her hugs and open mouth kisses and now makes a hilarious frown face thats pretty pitiful actually. These days she loves rocking in her little rocking chair, wagon rides, puzzles, books, dancing and playing on her musical activity table, any dogs! and rolling around on the bed or the sofa like a wild woman. Seriously, you let her up there and its like wrestle mania! She's a busy little one, I have people tell me daily that I'm going to have my hands full...I wonder what they think I do all day now?

We (minus Rainer) are headed to Hilton Head for a week with my whole side of the family, like 20+ people. It should be a blast, I can't wait to see Ann Edwards chasing all her older cousins. I'll take lots of pictures, I'm sure you're worried.

A year ago today...

2009-07-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

My sweet baby, my joy, our little bit. How our lives were forever changed when you arrived just a year ago today. I always wanted to be a mama, and the moment God gave me that gift in you I have never been the same. You have forever captured my heart like only a daughter can capture a mother's heart...You have shown me grace and love and taught me more than I can fathom..But you've also been gracious to me on the days, (ok everyday), when I don't always get it right, you still reach for me with your sweet hands and it never ceases to amaze me that you love me... that you crawl and tug at my feet, that you find rest and peace in my arms..That I get to be your mama. What a gift. So, today on your birthday, as I should be giving you a gift, I'm overwhelmed at what all you've given me...Annie, you are so loved, so adored by all of us. Happy Birthday!

Update on Rainer

2009-07-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

For those of you who missed it, its been a long month or so for Rainer. You can catch up on what happened here.

Since then he has been laying low and focusing on getting better. We have had wonderful friends and family who have prayed for us, helped with Ann Edwards and brought food and we are so thankful. We went to the Cardiologist for his follow up visit this past Thursday and got a good report. His doctor listened to his heart and confirmed that it is healing, and is on the track to recovery! He did not run the tests to check his heart function, or do a heart scan as Rainer is still on the mend. He has an appointment in a month for those tests. Rainer's blood pressure has crept up some, (which shows that his body has adjusted to the medicine) So, they are doubling his blood pressure medicine. This is all good news and the doctor seemed encouraged at Rainer's progress, the goal is to get the meds at their maximum dosage to ease the load off his heart, so its a good sign that his body is ready for them to already increase the dosage. However, this medicine really takes a toll on Rainer's energy level and generally makes him very weak as it is, so we ask for your prayers that God will continue to restore him and give him endurance as the dosage increases.

Here is a sweet shot of my loves at the lake, doing what we've been doing a lot of these days...resting.

Rainer is so blessed to have so many people that love him and are praying for him! Especially this little one, who couldn't be happier that her daddy is healing so she can have many, many more moments like this with him!

Best Friends Forever

2009-07-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

Here is Ann Edwards with Ginger our yorkie. They are both small and fast so catching their interactions on film is tough. These two really love one another. Actually, Ann Edwards really loves her, and Ginger really loves food. Match made in Heaven! Here she is giving Ginger a hug. Notice how she closes her eyes to brace for the licking that always follows.

And then its over, Ginger is off to harass the neighbors with more barking.

You just never know..

2009-07-06T17:56:00.000-07:00

What you'll find when you get me up from my nap. (We've discussed my wild hair before). Man how I love playing in my crib! This particular afternoon I had some crazy fun playing in my new dress Spot made for me!

It just gets more fun!

2009-06-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

I know every mom says this, but it is true. This is my favorite age with Ann Edwards. As we approach her first birthday I willingly admit that its bittersweet. I love being her mama, and absolutely love having a baby. What I'm realizing more and more is that my baby is slowly becoming a little girl right before our eyes. This little being that was once a fragile 4 pound, 9 ounce baby that was wrapped up in blankets and caps in mid July to keep warm is now my busy crawler! I'm amazed and feel like its all gone so fast. I was sharing with my friend Shelley just how bittersweet the reality of her growing up is. She said something so true, that this would be sad, IF it did not get more fun with each new day. Ever since she shared that with me I have awakened to a new chapter with my "baby"...A chapter filled with laughing at her little personality developing, loving the snaggle tooth smiles, catching many near face plants as she thinks she can walk, and just enjoying her growing into a little girl. One of the dearest things lately to watch is her interaction with other children. To see the way she looks at her older cousins and friends is so precious! For months now we have had play dates with Adelaide (Shelley's little girl) and Ann Edwards has looked at her so longing to be big enough to play with her...This past week they made a huge stride in their friendship, and much bonding has taken place over the sharing of food! What funny little interactions they have. Ann Edwards just adores her friend and is so happy to be able to finally partake in an activity with her. So as we get closer and closer to the 1 year mark, I'm loving this age, loving watching my baby become a little person who is having so much fun these days! Look at these two cuties sharing some snacks...How sweet, and what a lucky mama I am that God chose me to get to raise this precious girl and watch her grow!

Hair Issues

2009-06-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

It has been brought to my attention that my child has some wild hair. In fact, it was my dad who recently said to me, "Soon enough, you're going to have to decide what look you're going for with her hair". Hmmmm. What look I'm going for? I guess he is implying that this punk rocker/mullet hairdo isn't working for her?

(It's ok Ann Edwards, I'm making the same face as I type this)

I'm also including this picture so you can see what we see after every nap, how the hair looks, and most importantly how prepared she is, just in case one passy isn't cutting it!

Here is a nice shot of the hair over the ears and a glimpse at the mullet...

She has no idea what is wrong with "the look she is currently going for". And frankly, as her face clearly states, she has better things to do...like seek out dangerous objects to grab, plugs to stick her fingers in and delightful things to eat, like you know, Dog Food.

So, here is what we've come up with..Pretty cute, huh?

I think Ann Edwards is happy with it!

Da-Da

2009-06-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

That's the most clear word Ann Edwards has been saying lately...And I have to admit I've had a twinge of jealousy, as she has not uttered those syllables I so long to hear "ma-ma"...She has always adored her daddy...He is the recipient of many dear moments with her, quick smiles, easy giggles and lots of open mouth wet kisses, and even if I was timid to admit it, the first to be called by name. It was not until Sunday at Church that I realized truly what a gift this love for her daddy was. Don't get me wrong, I adore seeing them together, and there is no greater sound that hearing her giggle with her Daddy. But, I was brought to a deeper appreciation of this relationship this Father's Day. The sermon Sunday painted a beautiful illustration of the Father's love for us...The pastor spoke of how across all languages and all countries the majority of babies' first word is their form of "Da-Da". In that we see the deep need for Fathers, ultimately for our Heavenly father. He went on to discuss how for most of us we view our relationship with God through the light of how we are loved by our earthly fathers...And it hit me. How beyond blessed Ann Edwards is, that she is so loved and adored by her earthly father...and how by this love of her "da-da" she will one day grasp on to the love of the most high! Rainer is the best daddy to her I could ask for or imagine. Patient, gentle, funny, silly, strong, compassionate, loving, graceful, providing, generous. He is such a gift to me, to her. One day she will say "ma-ma", and that will warm my heart. But, for now I'm just happy to hear that babbling and "Da-Da" all day...as I understand the importance of her love for her Daddy that will take her a step closer to our biggest prayer for her, a heart for Jesus.

Happy Fathers Day Rainer. Thank you for all you do for us, and for working so hard so we can spend our days together. We love you Da-Da!

It's Official

2009-06-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

St. Louis is too far away.

I miss this little man

And this Little Mermaid too...

Enough already. Move back home! :)

Post Vacation Blues

2009-06-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

I have a serious case of them. In fact with all that has happened it seems as if our week at the Lake was just a dream after all. Good thing I have these pictures to prove that we went!

Catching Fish off the Dock..Yes, Ava Belle was, as usual, cautious of getting too close to the fish

Feeling the wind in our hair...(AE has aspirations of becoming a Price is Right Model if you cannot tell)

I found Paul's old wetsuit...from when he was like 12. Naturally I had to put it on, with goggles and run from the house to the slide...Here is Paul giving me a "friendly" splash to improve my sliding speed. We don't take ourselves too seriously, thank goodness!

Dr. Paul, takes a break from his usual past time of saving lives (still in the 12 year old's wetsuit, mind you)

Emmett discovering his LOVE for Black Bean Salsa. He is the messiest little eater. Ever.

Going for a boat ride to get pizza...(T minus 2 hours before Coxsakie Virus hits)

It appears the Littlest Ones have inherited the Holcombe Competitive Gene. They wanted to play a mean game of ping pong, but the height barrier was just too much to overcome

We even had Kid's date night (I went stag since my partner in crime had started the Coxsakie trend, don't worry I got it later that night) Thanks Minnie and T for watching the Kiddos so we could go have a wonderful dinner!

It was a wonderful week, and I'm ready to go back! We missed you Patrick and Emily!!

Just in case you didn't know..

2009-06-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

As I didn't, that the best, and frankly the only, way to show that you love your cousin is to put them in a loving Head Lock. Evidence is documented below....

Reid loving on "Ewards" (please note the smiles) For some reason Spot is breaking up the pow-wow in the second image, I can't imagine why.

Ava Belle loving on "Edwards"...

And Apparently it works to show affection to younger brothers as well...Sweet Ava Belle and Emmett

Fun....and Not so Fun

2009-06-12T08:22:00.001-07:00

So its been awhile since we spoke and much has been going on! We had a baby shower preparing for our new cousin Mitchell, a week long trip to the lake...and a stay in the Hospital for Rainer! All is well now and we are resting settled back in at home. Ann Edwards is so happy to have her daddy home and healthy (and so is mama!)

Here is a little catch up of the Hospital fiasco in case you missed it...

Rainer and I both caught a virus the end of last week on our vacation that we thought was just a normal crummy stomach bug. However, Rainer continued to feel badly through the weekend and on Monday early am he started to have chest pains and shortness of breath. After 2 trips to the ER and many heart tests the doctors found that the virus has caused myocarditis. Basically, there is infection around Rainer's heart that is causing inflammation to the walls of his heart.. His heart ultrasound showed damage to the lower right side of his heart and his Ejection Fraction was at 35% when normal is 60%, so his heart was not pumping as it should. The virus he has is called coxsackie b and there is no antibiotic to cure it, so we have to wait for it to run its course and assess the damage on his heart after the virus has subsided. He is on medicine to ease the work load on his heart so he can heal and begin the restoration process. He was in the Cardio ICU since Monday, then in a private room Wednesday & Thursday, but we got to come home Thursday! Yeah!! He is feeling great, no more chest pain or discomfort, just tired. The doctors are encouraged by his progress. He will continue on his heart meds and have limited physical activity. We go back to the cardiologist in 3 weeks for another Heart Ultra Sound to assess the damage. Though we believe that God will completely heal and restore his heart. We would ask that you join us in that prayer/praise that the scans would show NO trace of damage to his heart!

First and foremost we want to give God the Glory for the healing he has done in Rainer so far!! What could have been a very grave outlook is looking up. We know that it is nothing short of the power of God and all the prayers you all have sent up on our behalf. We are overwhelmed and humbled at the out pouring of Love that you all have given. From the many, many prayer lists at Churches Rainer has been added to, our PRECIOUS small group, friends and family who have been on their knees for us, all the emails, texts & calls...we are SO very appreciative. We are so blessed to have you all walk through this time with us, and now we just feel renewed and excited that we have such an audience to watch God heal Rainer and bring His Glory. Rainer and I have had a supernatural peace throughout this time that we know is the unmistakable peace of our Father. We are finding great comfort in the cross...that when Jesus died his heart was pierced, as His word tells us that the blood and water separated. We know because of this that His heart was pierced so that all our hearts, and Rainer's heart may become PERFECT, without blemish. That is the miracle that we are believing for now. That His heart will be completely restored beyond what heart ultrasounds and doctors have found.

Meanwhile, Ann Edwards was content and happy playing each day with her grandmothers so that I was able to be with Rainer in the hospital.....and even got her first baby doll (Thanks Shelley!) so our little angel did wonderfully throughout the whole week, but missed her daddy.

The next post will be more fun I promise...pictures of the lake week are coming :) Until then, here is a little preview.

Be careful what you wish for

2009-05-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

So it seems I've done it again, wished for something, received it and lost my perspective of what a blessing it is..Ann Edwards is nearly 11 months old and getting to be so busy. She's wanting to crawl everywhere and pulling up on everything. These days it seems she needs a supervisor and a protector, much to her dismay, as she craves new adventures and independence. Thus at times I find myself looking at her wondering where my little baby has gone. So the wish started, a little tug at my heart, hoping for more time to hold her, nurture her and soothe her. I am so thankful for the gift God gave us in this precious child, but was aching for her to need me like she used to..Then my gift arrived wrapped in a strange package of diaper rash, a fever and dripping-faucet-like-drool...The dreaded teething phase! Now it seems every night Ann Edwards wakes up several times saying "Ya, Ya" (Her version of Mama) and crying, so I sleepily shuffle down the short hall to her room scoop her up in my arms and soothe her back to sleep. And frankly, I've been feeling quite tired the past few nights. Until last night, I had a rare burst of energy for her 4 am waking, and actually opened my eyes to see her sweet grin, and the trace of her dimple just under her left eye as I opened her door and went to rescue her. As I held her in the quiet of the night and rocked her back to sleep it felt as if time stood still for those moments. She was once again wrapped in the safety of my arms, and all was right in the world. We had the sweetest moments of her gazing up at me until she drifted back asleep. I found myself once again realizing what a gracious God I serve, and one with a sense of humor too...So I tell you, be careful what you wish for..although if you look close enough you'll find you're probably right smack in the middle of a blessing...

Our Second Home

2009-05-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

Lately it seems we live part-time at the Lake, so I thought I'd share a bit of of what we've been up to there!

Peaches...

And Pickles...

Kisses, and tickles....

Swinging and Singing...

As you can see...

The Lake is one of my favorite places to be!

Oops...

2009-05-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when a teething 10 month old "assists" you with house hold chores.

Yes, that's my credit card in the washing machine

Turns out that when you're taking multi-tasking to the next level doing laundry while singing, dancing, playing peek-a-boo with, guarding from sharp/choke-able objects, plugs and dog food and handing credit cards or cell phones to be chewed on to your assistant things can get a little out of place.

Here's to hoping that extra half-scoop of oxiclean somehow washed away my debt....squeaky clean

What's in a Name?

2009-05-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

So, I finally did it..I created a blog. I've only been saying I was going to for 10 months now. The thing holding me back was a creative name. So, speaking of the name I'm thinking a little explaining is in order..Yes our last name is Kendrick. But, Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick are Rainer's wonderful parents, so in true Holcombe fashion (we love us some nicknames) Paul and Emily nicknamed us "The Kendies"...A silly name of sorts, but very fitting, as we never want to take ourselves too seriously. In starting this blog we debated over names and catchy titles, but mostly wanted you all to have a true glimpse in to who we are at the core, so we figured it was time to let the world meet The Kendies. I must say my husband had some quite interesting and amusing title suggestions that I will list for your reading pleasure, but we settled on 'Eat, Drink and Be Kendie' since that's what we're after, finding the joy in life, in our journey of marriage and raising kids (just singular, Kid, for now) and just being us! Here are some of the names that didn't make the final cut: "The Good Ship, Lolly Blog" (Lolly is my nickname), "The Big Rock Kendie Mountain", "KendieLand Delight" (fitting for Alabama, and the fact that our 10 month old has a slight mullet), "I love Jesus, but I drink a little..." (Laugh here:"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83JDXXKzOXg"), "The pursuit of Kendie-Ness"..and there were others but I won't bore you....All you really want is pictures of Ann Edwards, right? So here you go!

Lastly, Welcome to our blog, a peek into our journey as we raise our little girl. Enjoy!