Updates

Well, it's been a couple weeks since I posted. We still have found a job for Ron yet but we know God has a plan. Our church is doing Dave Ramsey's Life.Money.Hope series for the next 3 weeks which is such an awesome series. Everywhere we turn we see signs of God's plan and how He's prepared us and paved the way during this time of trial. I truly believe He has something amazing in store for Ron. Don't kid yourself...this is tough for us and we have people around us who say careless things and call us silly for relying on God to open the doors. In fact, one person said that God slaps people down just to humble them. I feel bad for someone who thinks that way - I don't know what God they know but I know it isn't the God I believe in, worship and treasure.

As for the kids...Kyle just finished up cross country. The team made state and the guys placed 7th overall. Kyle came in 55th out of 142 - not bad! We're pretty proud. Camdyn is just finishing up his pitching machine baseball season. He has improved so much!! Jacob is busy, busy, busy. He spends a ton of time playing on the trampoline, riding in the Rhino and zooming up and down the driveway on his bike. The weather has been gorgeous so the boys are rarely inside. Evan is growing like a little weed. His 6 month checkup is Thursday - he should weigh in at probably 21 pounds since he was 19 lb 15 oz at 5 1/2 weeks and has been gaining a pound every two weeks for quite a while. He likes to sit up, roll over and chew on everything with his new tooth...hmm, almost like a puppy! His cute smile and laugh melt the heart...so cute!

The grownups are busy just being grownups. Ron is doing P90X at church 6 days a week and I am doing Slim in 6. We are working on getting fit both physically and spiritually. Ron has also been doing all kinds of "honey do" things for me that we just haven't found time to get finished. I've been busy with MOPS, Women's Ministry, Children's Ministry Council, getting jewelry ready for the craft show, leading the ladies' workout and all kinds of other things. Somehow I have managed to be busier now as a stay at home mom than when I worked 50 hours a week.

Keep praying for us that God's wisdom would rule and Ron would have a strong sense of which opportunity he should take when it presents itself. He doesn't want to just run into a job because it's there but wants to make sure that he is placed where he feels led.

Resting in Him~ The Cardwells

Remember the Titans!

I don't know why football seems to be such a theme in my daily devotions lately...HELLO, I'm a girl...I didn't even play football. That being said...I love the sport. I love it! I love Monday Night Football. I love Thursday Night Football, Saturday College Ball and we LIVE for Sundays for football. Since my husband is crazier than I am for the game we are perfectly matched.

We LOVE football movies - Radio, Rudy, Facing the Giants, We Are Marshall, Varsity Blues...waaay back to The Longest Yard and All the Right Moves. One of my particular favorites is Remember the Titans. Ever seen this movie? The passion for being the best in football, in life, in relationships is shown so well...alongside the challenge of racial integration in Alexandria,Virginia. The white coach is put aside as head coach for the black coach. The players have to combine white and black in the turbulent South. The team heads off to football camp and since they are away from family and town folk influence really begin to bond as teammates and friends. Once they are again immersed back into the reality of living in their hometown - the rivalry and prejudice starts again. The story has a bittersweet and happy ending though - the team becomes a true team that supports and builds each other up. The two coaches become friends and gain enormous respect for one another. The town realizes that the old attitudes are going to have to change and begins to support the black coach.

What on earth does that have to teach you might ask? Well I realized that as a Christian, I have that same struggle every day. Old vs. New. Sin vs. New Heart. I made a decision to put aside Coach Self for Coach Christ. Now, Coach Self really doesn't like that much. Coach Self thinks that she knows it all. I've gone away to camp - ladies retreats and really felt my old and new self were getting along and becoming a team. It was exciting to deeply "feel" the Holy Spirit take hold and coach my heart team. I didn't have the outside pressures of the world pressing in. BUT - All retreats come to an end and I have to come back to the real world every time where the enemy would use the town folk - prejudice, self doubt, replaying of sins that were already forgiven - to tear me down and to cause my team to fall apart.

Now I am not saying that Coach Christ and Coach Self are going to go out and become best friends and share equal credit for my eternal salvation - THAT'S ALL CHRIST'S GRACE AND MERCY but Coach Self is learning that Coach Christ has great plays for my life. He's got a plan and it's a good one. Coach Self has respect for Coach Christ and is realizing that it's best for her to take a backseat to Coach Christ. I'm going to have a happy ending because I am saved by the blood and will go to Heaven. It's just reassuring to me to know that Coach Christ recognizes that though Coach Self has brought me a lot of grief...she's still part of my nature. Coach Christ doesn't expect perfection from me. I am perfected because of HIM. Perfected. I'm not perfect but I am made perfect because He died for my imperfections. One day, Coach Christ will have me come to the Hall of Fame and I hope He'll say..."Well done good and faithful servant." - not because I overcame the world but because I continued to strive to be like my Coach Christ while in the world.

It's All Wrong...but, It's Alright!

Ron used to work with a guy by the name of John Anderson...really great guy with a couple adult kids and some grandkids. I remember when Camdyn was just about 2 and into everything Ron would tell John about Cam's misadventures. John taught Ron the phrase..."It's all wrong but it's alright." As of late I have been reminded of this phrase as the boys and I adjust to Daddy being home while he is between jobs. The little ones are THRILLED to say the least to have so much of Daddy but they have a way of getting into his stuff and causing chaos. It's all wrong, but it's alright.

Ron's job search isn't easy. The economy certainly isn't what it was when we left Washington last year. Ron said the other day he had a feeling around April of last year that maybe Jacobs wasn't the company for him. He was feeling discouraged and voiced regrets of not just cashing in his chips then and coming back to Washington. THANK GOD for the Holy Spirit. It was that still, small voice that reminded me to remind him that we had already made the decision to follow God's direction and move the Oklahoma BEFORE God provided the job at Jacobs. We chose to be obedient and provision was made. Now that job is gone. The office Ron worked at in Washington is gone now too. A season of unemployment was on the horizon of whichever path we took - leave and obey God or stay in Washington and be disobedient. Is it hard to be without the income? Yes. Is it hard to watch my husband struggle with doubts? Yes. Do I know that we are suppose to be here and that our obedience will be counted as righteousness? Yes. See, It's all wrong, BUT It's alright - God has it covered.

Life's Volcanoes

Ever been to Hawaii? The big island is beautiful. It's so lush and green and yet some areas are just black volcanic ground. We visited the big island in February 2003. One of our favorite excursions was to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We went at dusk and drove down the Chain of Craters road to the ocean. As we started our hike we noticed a sign that said "New land flow September 2002". We were walking on ground that had come from the volcano, been cooled by the ocean and was now a new part of the island. That's pretty awesome. One of the rangers informed us that they had lost 100 acres of unstable new land into the ocean the month before. God giveth and God taketh away was my first thought.

Hot lava pouring into a cold ocean produces a large plume of steam which is spectacular by day and breath-taking by night. Imagine...all that mixing of hot molten earth with cold water to create a place that seeds will eventually land on and will flourish. Creation from chaos and destruction.

Isn't that just like God? He takes our heavy earthly burdens and tries them by fire. He pours our circumstances out into a cold world and creates a landing place for new growth and life! He trims away our unstable parts to make way for the new land. In the end, when the race is run we become beautiful, lush islands teeming with life.

Praying for abundance and life from your volcanoes.

But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and owls, too, for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed.~Isaiah 43:18-20

Friday Night Lights for the Kingdom

Ok, so everyone knows I am married to a football loving guy - after all, he went to college on scholarship for football. (Go Loggers) Yesterday was a rough day. We found out Ron was being laid off from Jacobs - now that's pretty serious since he's our sole income and we have 3 kids that would require daycare if I worked. I was in a low place last night. Off we went to God's house and the love of our church family - I do NOT believe it to be coincidence that we found out on a Wednesday night.

THANK YOU GOD for the women in my bible study and for Joyce Meyer. Only God knew that I would need a study called Never Give Up. Only God knew that I would need her message of hope last night - that week's video was for me! Only God knew that the scripture on the wall during the Dwell prayer service would need to be Phillipians 4:6-7 (my mantra scripture).

How does Friday Night Lights fit into this you ask? Well let me tell you. We live in a small town here in Oklahoma. When you are driving the roads around Piedmont there are two things you can usually see from a distance - one is the Baptist church's tower and the other is the stadiums lights. Think about every movie or every little town you've driven through (especially if you've been in the mid-west states or Texas). Friday night you'll see the lights of the football field shining bright in the dark fall night. Big, bright, wonderful lights calling you to watch a battle on the gridiron. Opposing forces line up against each other heading down a path to defeat the obstacles in their way and using every ounce of energy to do so. Most people would say the quarterback is the hero of the game since he's the leader on the field but I ask you...who tells the quarterback what plays to call? The coach, of course.

The Cardwell family is being given a rare opportunity to be Friday Night Lights to all those around us. The boys and I are putting on our pads and helmets, learning the plays and ready to charge onto the battlefield led by our quarterback, my wonderful husband. We are blessed to have close friends acting as cheerleaders and fans in our seats watching as we line up to defeat the enemy and reign victorious over this crisis in our lives. God is our coach and boy, we couldn't ask for a better one! He has the best defensive line ever when the enemy decides to try to go on the offensive and attack us. He has the best offensive plays - The Word - to gain yards as we move toward the goal to score a new job for Ron and ultimately to win the battle and victory when we head through the pearly gates to our permanent home in Heaven.

Thank you dear friends for suiting up with us, for cheering us on and Thank You Lord for leading the charge!!!

Evan Update

And the countdown continues! At my weekly appointment on Thursday Dr. Stanley has agreed to induce me the week of May 12th if I don't go on my own. Good news!! I am now dilated to 2 and have a "favorable" cervix - ok, whatever...I haven't made it past 2 without the addition of pitocin so it will be interesting to see if I continue to dilate. Next appointments are Monday and Thursday for non-stress tests and then another ultrasound on May 4th. I'm going stir-crazy staying quiet and keeping still. I think I am starting to hate my house - just kidding. My pops guessed April 16th for the birth - missed. Ron guessed April 24th - missed. Mom is guessing April 28th so still a few days to go. I figure May 8th which is when the moon is full next and all the kids have been born right near that time. Evan would be the one who really knows. Cam and Jake just come ask every day - is Evan coming today?? Send your guesses in - no prize since we never started a "pool" but you can have bragging rights!!

Saga continued

Good news today! Evan is not as directionally challenged as we thought and put himself back head down. That would explain why my ribs are ready to break on the right side...he has both feet firmly planted right there. I was so excited. Now if he can just stay put I don't have to have a c-section at this point. Dr. is still keeping me on bedrest due to the bleeding episode but he's not planning on stopping labor if Mr. E decides to come. Non-stress tests twice weekly with an OB visit at least once weekly. Anyone want in on the betting pool for delivery date?

Spring Craziness!

So here's the latest update...Baby Evan is a pain in the neck! At 25 weeks this little bundle weighed in at 2 pounds which is about 3/4 pound larger than expected. At 31 weeks he was up to 4 pounds 15 ounces. This last Sunday I woke up with some bleeding and clotting which freaked us out so off to Mercy we went at 2:00 am. That little complication ended at about 7 am but I was still under a 24 hour watch. Monday afternoon Evan decided to go crazy and his heart rate jumped to 195 for about 45 minutes which freaked out every nurse who was monitoring me. Guess what? - Yep, another night in the hospital. In the middle of the night he decided to throw us another curve ball and drop his heart rate to between 90 and 105 which is way too low. The nurses called in my doc around 3 am but by the time he came our little bundle had straightened himself out again. Poor Dr. Stanley didn't get any more sleep than I did that night!

That brings us to Tuesday morning...I had to wait for an opening for an ultrasound at Dr. Stanley's office which meant they came for me at 4:30 in the afternoon. He was hoping to find out what was causing the mystery bleeding and the erratic heart beat...HA, like Evan would cooperate. No idea why either occurred but oh by the way...now he's breach AND weighs in at 6 pounds 9 ounces. All his parts are functioning great and they have given me two doses of the steroid to mature his lungs. One more night in the hospital AND if he can behave I would get to go home on Wednesday. Right...like that was gonna happen. I woke up feeling a bit sore in the tummy, well duh, I had been having contractions so back on the monitor I go again. Doc comes in around 10:30 and says we'll just watch to see what my contractions decide to do. Another night in the hospital. UGH!

Thursday morning and a decision at last...I get to go home and be in bed but now I have to go see him 1-2 times per week and get 2 non-stress tests per week. Our goal is to keep the little stinker in there for a while longer so we can make sure he's healthy and fully developed. Wonder if he'll turn back around. If not, it's a c-section for me and yahoo...more time in the hospital while I recover! Thank heaven my mom is here along with my sister to help out with the boys, the house, and the kiddos I babysit. That's the update for today - it's an ever changing pregnancy that is for certain so who know what will happen next!

Dems Cows Mom

Here's a fun conversation with Jacob:

Driving into town to pick up Cam and Ky from school we pass a field full of cattle.

Jake: "Dems cows mom"
Me: "Yep, they are"
Jake: "I eat cows" (imagine a soft, deep, growly little voice)
Me: "Yep, you do"
Jake: "Dem cows are cheeseburgers. I like to eat 'em"

Crack me up...what a little carnivore!

Winter Fun

We're BAAAACK!

Huh, talk about MIA. I just realized that I haven't posted since October. Well that's just crazy so hang on...here's the updated news!

The Boys: They are growing like crazy!

Kyle is out of cross country and now into track season. He's also in football training too since he's going to play football next year instead of running cross country. Amidst all the athletics he is still taking a HUGE load of classes...this is by far his hardest year. We've been making the college inquiries - he's decided that he'd like to attend the US Naval Academy or maybe Virginia Military Institute and get his degree in engineering then join the Navy and build things around the world. We are in full support! Of course he is also considering attending SNU here in Bethany (Southern Nazarene U) to get his degree then moving into the Navy after. Either way, he'd like to become an officer.

Camdyn is doing awesome in school and loves his teachers and his friends. He is such a smarty! He's getting anxious for T-ball to come...signups are on the 31st. He is looking forward to the baby coming and likes to feel him wiggle around in my tummy.

Jacob is talking more and more all the time...including in his sleep. We can't believe how much he has to say for one so little. We're working on the potty training...it goes day by day! His newest love is dress up - spiderman, star wars, batman...doesn't matter as long as he can be in a costume and play superhero.

Baby Cardwell is a boy. Yep, another boy to add to the clan. Ron says he now has a full basketball team. We are still deciding a name but think we finally have decided on Evan David. I am still recovering from the shock of being pregnant AND him being a boy. Familiar territory for me though so that's a relief!

Now the rest of the news:

We added another member to the four legged children - our pup, Geoffrey. He's a cutie - a red heeler mix who is very smart and loves to play with Hendrix. They are always together wrestling or snuggling up to sleep. They keep the 2 legged boys busy too!

Ron's work is going well. He's been travelling a lot to the Tulsa area during the week to manage the CVS pharmacy projects that Jacobs is in charge of. He goes to Ft Worth every couple of weeks for the projects too. Those are usually overnight trips so he can make the most of the required meetings and get them all done at once.

The house is in the process of repainting. I've decided to finally put my signature on it by painting the living room/kitchen a soft yellow and the dining room a dark barn red. I've painted stripes and one color wall in the baby's room and will soon move on to painting Cam and Jake's room. We are looking forward to the weather warming up more so we can get started on some outside projects. Ron designed an awesome fort for the kids that they are anxious to help Daddy build and we will soon get the concrete done around the house and in the back so we have nice sidewalk for the kids to ride bikes on and so we have more room for the table, bbq and such outside. This fall we hope to start in on the addition of rooms and a bath upstairs. The impending arrival of Cardwell child #4 makes it necessary to gain a bit more room for kids and visiting guests.

As for me, well I am busy being pregnant, chasing around the boys, keeping up with the family schedule and trying to find time to scrapbook. It's no wonder that the blog fell behind lately...I was horribly sick with morning sickness for 3 months but am feeling much better now so back to updating everyone I go!!!

Blessings to you all...we miss and love you!