Elijah:(Hebrew), The Lord is My God

      As  a child I can remember thinking how cool it was to look back at pictures and souvenirs from times past whether they were my own experiences or of someone else. In my mind questions like, 'what was I thinking when I saw this?' or 'how did we get to do that?' would come up while searching through the treasures of the past. Now, having my own family to make memories with and keep memories for I so enjoy times like Birthdays and have made it a tradition to look at baby pictures of that child the day before their birthday. Elijah will turn 3 years old on Saturday, October 1st. We will have a Lightening McQueen Birthday with Flo's V-8 Cafe, Luigi's Tires, and Sally's Cozy Cone motel, but most of all we will be making memories, taking pictures, and reminiscing on times past. So, here's a few thoughts about my almost 3 year old.
     Elijah was not a surprise to our family in the least bit. From the time Noah was about 6 months old I knew that I wanted to have another child, and that I wanted them to be close in age. I have nieces that are about 19 months apart and saw how well they got along and played well together so, naturally I thought it was a great idea. I found out I was pregnant February 2, 2008. Noah's first birthday was February 25th so they would be about 19 months apart! I had just moved jobs as we had just moved from Mountain Home to Casscoe so that Cody could go to Seminary (we thought it would be easier).  I didn't have very much morning sickness and things were going great. We wanted to find out in May if we were having a girl/boy, and we didn't find out until June because he was a little squirmy! The funny thing about Elijah is that he was the most wiggly child in my tummy out of the 3 kids. Noah was about "normal" i guess. Ellie Kate was very quiet (not a lot of movement). With Elijah I worked in the Prairie Couty DHS office and I ate good! I ordered chicken strips, honey mustard, baked potato for lunch nearly everyday from the Pizza Parlor.
     My pregnancy was going pretty good. I hated being on call and being pregnant. Leaving the house at 2:30 in the morning to find placement for foster kids when you are 7 months pregnant is NOT fun! But, he and I did it all together. We went to court (at least every month, sometimes more) for work, we went to VBS together at New Salem (Outrigger Island), we played the piano together. Then, in August Cody went in view of a call to Bethel in Morrilton. In my 8th Month of pregnancy we moved 2 hours away from family and my favorite job I'd ever had! One awesome thing was that the hospital was only 40 minutes instead of an hour and a half! In September only 3 days of being in Morrilton I started having contractions. It was still too soon for Elijah to be born (36 weeks) so Dr. Selby who had been my OB-GYN since I was 17 ( and I trusted alot) put me on Brethine to stop the contractions and I had to take the next month off work for bed rest. I had FMLA time for work which was great but it would mean that I would only get to spend 2 months after Eli was born at home with him instead of 3! I was heartbroken, but relieved all at the same time. It would save me from having to drive an hour and a half to DeValls Bluff until my transfer happened for work, but I wanted 3 full months with my new little baby!
   September passed quickly with Mid South Youth Conference, Fireproof, and other activities through the Youth Group at Bethel. Then, when Bethel was in Revival with Bro. Terry Simmons as evangelist I started having worse contractions and I was off my brethine for good by this time. So, I called my Dr. who said to lie down, take 2 tylenol and drink a large glass of water because sometimes contractions can be due to being slightly dehydrated. So, I did all of those things and they didn't really help. My mom and Daddy had come for Revival that night. I couldn't go and my mom stayed home with me. She helped me pack my hospital bag, Noah's bag, and get stuff ready just in case. Well, they went home and we figured I still wouldn't have him until the surgery date (like the 7th?). So, I just tried to go to sleep. Well, I couldn't, so i got up and got in the internet to get my mind off of things, and it just got worse and worse. Finally, I woke Cody up and said, we have to go to the hospital! He groggily got up, got ready and we got Noah ready, bless his little heart. I grabbed a blanket from the house and he kept covering his face in the car on the way there because I was yelling!! We got to St. Vincent's and had the C-Section within 1 hour of getting there! It was quick, and easy! In fact, Cody's mom and dad didn't get there from Jonesboro until about an hour and a half after he was born! I remember right after the surgery when I got to really hold him I thought it was the best day of my life up until that point. I had my little toddler, my wonderful husband, and now my New beautiful baby Eli. I had never been happier.
   The last 3 years have been an adventure with Eli. We've seen him fall, laugh, walk, cry, smile,roll over, flip over, scoot, crawl, and everything in between. We've seen him go to class for the first time in Discovery, Sunday School, and Children's Church, VBS! We've fallen in Love with Elijah Garrett Simpson, and can't imagine a day without his adorable smile and personality. When I named my Elijah, I wanted him to be reminded of the prophet Elijah who was such a Godly man! He prayed for a drought, God gave it. He prayed for rain, God granted it. He prayed fire down on the Baals, and God provided! I desire that my Elijah would Pray and God would grant him the things not because he's some great person, but because in his inward self he truly desires to seek and honor Christ no matter the cost. Garrett is my Elijah's middle name. It is a family name to remind him of the importance that family is to have in one's life, and Simpson is the last name to remind him that although we don't know who Cody's real parents are that we are blessed to have grandparents on both sides that  love and care for our family. It also reminds us that God has and will "adopt" us all into his family if we will accept. Lord, please help my Eli to grow physically, and spiritually. Most of all I pray that one day he will accept you as his personal Savior. I pray not only that he'll accept you as his Savior, but he will LIVE out loud for you, Just as Elijah did in the Old Testament. Thank You God, for the 3 years of life you have blessed us with in Elijah.
Your Girl,
Jamie

2 Church Camps, 1 VBS, 1 Revival and a Partridge in a Pear Tree??

      This summer has just flown by riduclously fast. It is almost August, and time for Noah to start his PreKindergarten Home Schooling. I am so excited for him. I really want this to be exciting to Him too. We have a very nice lady that is in our church's association (First United) and she has helped me tremendously in making decisions, information giving, and in friendship as well. We have had a lot to talk about when we do get to talk! Now that school is about to start back I will get to see her and her sweet family at Youth Rally's, Mission Rally's, and Ladies Auxiliary District Meeting.
      We have had lots to celebrate this summer we had several saved at teen camp, and 6 saved at VBS. I am so looking forward to the Revival this week that Cody will be preaching at New Salem, which is my home church. I truly enjoy getting to hear my husband preach. I have seen God take and use him in HUGE ways, and I just think, WOW that's MY husband!  The other day at VBS we had a mom thank Cody on facebook for giving her son a BIBLE at VBS. She said it really "made his day". Well, she has no idea how much her encouraging words helped remind Cody that what he is doing is worth it all, and that IS what it's all about. I would really love to see her in church as well, maybe one day! :)
       I don't have many pictures to post, because I have been using my phone more, and it's all the way in my bedroom....so, just words for now! We have "Preaching in the Park" tomorrow evening, with Antioch in Perryville, and Temple that we are going to enjoy some fellowship with. I am getting tired just talking about everything we've got going on, but I am definitely ready for Fall time, back to school, football, and all of the beautiful things that the Lord blesses us with in the Fall time! Good Night, all!

Awesome God!

 Last we visited church camp for the week of North Central Family Camp. What an awesome week it would turn out to be! We took 50 people from our church, and out of that, one had to go home because he was sick, but 7 were saved! It was like a week of revival. One of the saved was one of my best friend's mother whom we have been praying for a long time.  Several saved were those of the bus ministry that we do. It is a joy to see them finally "get" it to where the light bulb comes on. God's Holy Spirit at work is unstoppable! Ellie Kate, Noah, and myself shared a bed the whole week, and yes, it was quite interesting to say the least. Elijah decided that he wanted to stay with my mom that week, and I missed him greatly. I tried to talk him into going with us on several occasions, but he would tell me, "no, I go to Nanny's house." So, all oft the talking I could do wouldn't compare to him being the "only" child for a week!

 Ellie Kate had her friend Cara at camp to play with. I enjoyed visiting with Cara's mommy, Judi Little last week. That is what our camp is for those that have been saved. It is a week of refreshing fellowship between believers and God. It is a time to learn more about God's word, and how to share it with others. The friendships that are born there are amazing! I have never been a part of a camp that has such a close relationship. Everyone loves everyone. There are of course a few exceptions, but hey 1 out of 370 is not bad, right? LOL.    Don't know how to rotate my photo and so, this is Cara and Ellie talking on the phone in the nursery in the back of the tabernacle during service one night! They are about a month apart, and are precious together!

The other picture, is Ally Hardee (one of the 7th graders that went), NOah and Ellie Kate were eating popcorn after church one night. We had a blast doing this! It gave me time to talk with some of the adults and the kids enjoyed eating the popcorn and sprite. Cody was doing his ministry pretty much all week, and in fact after we got home Friday we did nothing but talk from Friday evening until Saturday evening because we were catching up on eachother's week! He is just a busy man at camp, and he thouroughly enjoys himself!

 This is Abi Windham, one of the teens that went with us to camp. She is a very talented young lady. She is also going to teen camp in July. Abi and Noah had fun together, as you can probably tell! :) 

One of my favorite things about Budd Creek Camp is the food! They have wonderful food, homecooked food at that!! The other reason I like meal times is because they do it "family style" where you have what is called "table monitors" who go before everyone else does and they set the tables (in our case we had 5 tables) so we had to have 5 table monitors. This year I made out the list before camp...because if you wait until camp people think you're picking on them if they have to do it more than once. Every meal the table monitors had an adult to go with them and "assist" them to make sure none of them leave before everything is done at the end of the meal, and to teach those who are "new" to it. Some people like to do it for themselves, but in doing this you really "rob" others in this case the kids of the blessing of learning to serve others. So, I had to tell Bro Mullins (our pastor) not to do stuff on more than one occasion because he could "do it faster" than the table monitors! LOL, especially if you know him!!  Noah really got in on being a table monitor. He would take the "baskets" when they were empty and get them refilled with food and put them back on the table, and at the end of the meal, he would help sweep, and try to help put up the chairs as well. He is such a big boy now.
        The best thing about camp is the end of the week when the one's who have been saved ring the bell. The whole Idea is to picture what heaven is like when just 1 lost soul is saved, the amount of rejoicing is incomparable.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

The topic of this week was set by Bro Doyle Glass whom I have known since I was a kid, and he is at one of our churches in Birdtown just a little north of Morrilton (it really is a small, small world!) and in his sermon he preached to the saved about a marquee sign he had seen outside of a Baptist church somewhere in Quitman, Ar a while back. He asked us the question, "Will there be anyone in Heaven because of You?"  That questions played on everyone's conscience that week because if they had been saved, it was so convicting about how we are living our lives for Christ, and if they were not saved, they knew that they needed the assurance of Heaven after they leave this world! God greatly blessed us this past week with wonderful preaching, just a few were Bro Glass, Bro Cody (yes Cody preached one morning), Bro Mullins, Bro. Eli Maynard, Bro. Zach Garrigus, Bro. Kenny Haney, Bro Mike Haney, and so many more. They were all great preacher's for the Lord. I have to say this, Bro. Kenny Haney is a young man. I cannot remember if Kenny is 16, 17, or what, but he gave a devotional one morning before Breakfast and it was awesome. He challenged the kids/teens and he didn't hold anything back. It was so great because it came from someone that is "their" age. He is on fire for the Lord and I hope he will remain that way! My children are now running wild, so I must go. O, and by the way, Cody & I celebrated our Anniversary the Last day of camp, Friday June 17th! We enjoyed getting sang to by the Budd Creek staff, and little cake too! It was sweet. We had  a great time talking which is something we don't get a of time to do. 

Have a Great week!

Jamie

Family Fun

Well, This past weekend we went to Cody's parent's house in Jonesboro for a visit and we got to see so many people in one weekend! We hung out first and Cody's dad put the tent up in their yard (in Jonesboro...) and they were going to camp out but Noah was a little afraid of the dark.

So anyway, we went up to his Grandma Nolan's and Noah got to ride a tractor and he was so proud.

Here are a few pictures to portray our Crazy, busy weekend.
This picture is Noah watering Grandma Nolan's flowers with water from his mouth...it was cute!




I am just glad she was not upset about that. He never gets to see her and I think she enjoyed the visit.







Mimi got to spend plenty of quality time with Eli. He is so easy going. He just sat back and watched all of the action.





This is Uncle Casey and Noah. He got to ride on a bigger one with PawPaw, but we didn't get a picture of that.








Eli decided that it wasn't fair that everyone else got to eat "Death by chocolate" icecream and he didn't. So, here he is eating his cone. I couldn't get him to quit licking it to look up at me...


Aunt Megan and Eli when they were "camping" out. She is going to Dallas for the next few years. Her boyfriend of 4 years and his family live there and she is going to finish her marketing degree there. I think Cody's parents are pretty sad. I don't think they'll know what to do without anyone in the house. Maybe we can see them more often!














This is Noah, Hannah Moore, and Elijah. Hannah belongs to some very good friends of ours from Jonesboro and we still call them and keep up with them regularly at least over the phone. It was so cute to let our kids play together!


This post doesn't show near enough of the happenings of our weekend, but I am tired, the kids are asleep, and I know I've got to get back in bed too! So long for now!