Dr. Truett

The man holding our baby committed suicide last night. He was a better doctor than we could have ever hoped for. He prayed with us, went the extra mile in numerous ways, and was one of the kindest gentlest men I have known. In such a small community, it seems half of the families have gotten to know him and love him. Please be praying for him, his family, and the community.

The Faces of Jude

My sister introduced me to a video of a woman that can interpret the different sounds a baby makes when crying in order to tell what the baby needs.
I have taken it upon myself to analyze Jude's different facial expressions to determine what he is thinking or what kind of mood he is in. Here are some examples...

Curious- Jude is wondering why we keep hiding behind this little metal box that flashes at him.



Happy- Jude is happy that his diaper is clean, he is free of gas pressure, is full, and is getting lots of attention.



Flirtatious- He is very taken by his pretty mommy and hasn't come to grips with the fact that we aren't supposed to marry within the family. I think the confusion stems from our proximity to Arkansas.



Disappointed- When he discovered that he was wearing camo, he gave us a look that clearly said, "If I'm going to be a redneck, at least let me go hunting.




Angry- After watching his father play basketball with some teens, he saw his dreams of inheriting great athletic ability dashed to pieces. It's just not fair.




Drunk

Patti's

Monday we met with a youth minister that we will be working with in Mexico. He is in the Nashville area so we met halfway at a place called Patti's 1800's Settlement in Grand Rivers Kentucky (at the north end of Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area). It was a beautiful day and we spent a good deal of time strolling around in the gardens there. I finally got Jude to smile on queue when he was posing with Mom.

In other news, Jude and I have been really enjoying our daily walks. We usually walk somewhere between 2-4 miles each day with him in the Snugli. So far he has never cried during any of our walks, I on the other hand, occasionally do.

Spring "Break"?

Last week was spring break for the students in our youth group. And while it was undeniably a fantastic weekend, it was no break. We started the week with the 7 hour drive to the Smoky Mountains. Once there we climbed the 2nd highest peak east of the rockies, Mt. LeConte. We stayed in a lodge at the top where supplies were packed in by llamas 3 times a week. The heater in my cabin did not work so when I woke up for the sunrise at 6:30 there was ice on my floor. It was 18 degrees outside and the wind was very strong so the wind chill must have been very low. But I was the photographer/ videographer for the trip so I went on the 25 minute hike to the place where the sunrise would be the most impressive. It was the most spectacular sunrise I had ever seen. I took dozens of pictures and 30 minutes of video, many of which will be used for worship backgrounds.

Off to the right of where the sunrise was taking place, there was an endless blanket of clouds drifting over a ridge at a quick pace. Even so, I sped the process up on my computer and the effect is remarkable.


Part of the way up there was a waterfall (Grotto Falls) that allowed you to walk around behind it.

After returning from the hiking trip, I rejoined Sarah and Jude and returned to Nashville the next day for Bible Bowl with our middle schoolers. It took place in the Opryland Hotel-City. The best part of that was a devotional held in one of the expansive courtyards. there were thousands of people singing with the sound echoing off the glass ceiling and surrounding hotel rooms.



A great week, but it was good to be back.