The Fruit of the Spirit

There is an old song that goes...

The fruit of the spirit's not a coconut,

The fruit of the spirit's not a coconut,

If you want to be a coconut

You might as well hear it,

You can't be a fruit of the spirit.

Cause the fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentless, and self-control. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Then it goes on to say that the fruit of the spirit's not a watermelon (in a deep, froggy voice) or a cherry (in a high, squeaky voice), a grape, a strawberry, etc.

We have a CD that April gave us that we have been playing over and over in the car for the last few weeks, and the fruit of the spirit song has quickly become one of Elena's favorites. She began by singing the cherry verse, squealing "cherry!!!" as high as she could throughout the entire verse. Now she also grunts "watermelon" during that verse.

Today she is wearing this adorable cherry outfit with ruffles of the bootie that was a hand-me-down from Tiffany in Indiana. I'm quite sure Chloe and Callie never got to wear this in mid-March, but it is supposed to be in the 90's today in TX, so Elena gets to wear it! It reminded me of the whole fruit-of-the-spirit song...

House Tour

Yesterday marked one month from the day our stuff was unloaded from the moving truck. And what a difference a month makes! Everything has found a place and we are all settled in. Here is a tour of our new home...

Looking in the front door. To the right is the music room and straight ahead to the left is the living room.

Looking to the right into the music room. We bought a kitchen table with 8 chairs, but we decided to only keep 6 chairs at the table. These are the 2 extra.

Continuing to look to the right around the music room.

And further around the music room to the computer cabinet.

Back to the view from the entrance looking to opposite direction from the music room. The door to the right is the downstairs bathroom. I didn't take pics but it is still decorated in TX stuff like we had in IN. :)

Further down that hallway looking into the living room (stairs go up to the right).

Looking back towards the front of the house in the living room (stairs on the left here).

Looking from the living room into the kitchen.

Looking from the kitchen back to the front of the house into the music room. Laundry room is off this hall on the right and pantry is on the left.

From the living room looking up the stairs. They go halfway up and then turn to the right and go the rest of the way up.

Looking to the right at the top of the stairs. Master is through double doors on the right and the playroom is through the door at the left.

Master bedroom looking in from hallway double doors.

Looking into master from master bath door.

Looking at stairs from playroom door. To the left of the little desk is the doors to the master bedroom. To the right of the top of the stairs is Elias' room. The two doors you can see are the kids' bath and the guest room. Elena's bedroom door is just to the left of the guestroom door.

Looking into the playroom door from the little black desk.

Playroom view toward Elena's wall.

Playroom view toward Elias' wall (entrance to room to the left of the pink kitchen set).

Elias' room from entrance door.

Elias' room (entrance door is to the right of this dresser).

Elias' room toward front window.

Guest room bed. It is a twin with a trundle bed underneathe. Plus 3 storage drawers under the trundle! This is my craft room and the closet is full of all my sewing, painting, scrapbooking, smocking, etc. stuff!

Guest room. This is the empty wall where my sewing table is going to go. It is at my sister's house right now because it was on sale at WalMart and was sold out in Austin.

Looking into Elena's room from her door.

Elena's room and teacups from her crib.

Well, that's it! Hope you enjoyed the online tour! Better yet, we hope you will come by for a visit (if you are a Texan) or a stay in the guestroom (if you are a Hoosier)!

Big Hair Day...

I was doing my hair this morning with the great new contraption I recently bought. It is like a curling iron shape, but it has a round brush on the end and it blows hot air like a blow dryer. It is wonderful for people like me who have just enough natural curl to make it look bad if it air-dries, but not enough curl to actually style it curly. So, not only does this wonderful thing curl the ends of my hair under, but it also straightens from the root down.

So.... as I was doing my hair, Elena walks in and takes enough interest in what I am doing that I ask her if she would like her hair done. She immediately repeats "Bow" over and over (yes, we do have pretty much every color and shade of bows possible for this girl!) So, I put some leave in conditioner in her hair and comb it out like normal. But then I section it off and begin drying it with the straightener. I could not believe how much hair she has!!! And how much auburn is in it when it is pulled tight and straight around the brush.

The end result is what follows. I think it is absolutely adorable. She looks way older to me with all that long hair! Still, I love her curls and think this will only be a once every few weeks thing. Noce to know there is another option for when she gets older in case she wishes her hair wasn't so curly someday...

Sweet Morning Conversations

Okay, so first I must begin by apologizing to the one or two of you out there who actually check and read this blog. I have REALLY dropped the ball by not documenting and keeping a written record of our move across the country with 2 small children a mere 4 weeks after major reconstructive foot surgery. Actually, as difficult as it has been, there have been so, so many joyous moments where we have seen the face of God through the acts and words of His people. I really do promise that pictures are coming soon. The house is completely unpacked, pictures are all hung, and now I know where the camera is. So that is at least one step closer to taking pictures!

As for the sweet morning conversations in my heading....
Elias and Adaryll went to church this morning without us girls because Elena has bronchitis and I have a sinus infection. I started an antibiotic Friday night and she started one last night. So, for the sake of the other kids in her class, we decided to keep her home and contain the germs here.

I went into her room at 9am this morning to find her sleeping soundly with Mr. Frog squeezed as tightly as could be. I woke her up and proceeded to change her diaper. At which point she decided it was time for a conversation. This is how it unfolded...

Elena: Daddy?
Me: Daddy is at chuch.
Elena: Eeeee-Yiii-Yus? (translation: Elias)
Me: Yes, Elias is at church too.
Elena: Huh-Hee? (translation: Honey, which is what they call my mom)
Me: Honey is at home.
Elena: (BIG smile) Kye-Yee (translation: Kylee, our neighbor in Indiana who Elena hasn't seen now in over a month)
Me: Kylee is at home too.
Elena: (Big laugh)

And I realized at that point that we really are having conversations these days! She is not just babbling aimlessly (although she still does that some, particularly when she is singing because she knows the tune but not the words, so she just makes up sounds to the melody). I love hearing her little voice and what is in her little mind that she is learning to share.

Gettin' Settled

Did yall hear that? The Texan twang is already settlin' back in!
We arrived in Austin Thursday a week and a half ago, and our stuff got here the next day. And so began the process of gettin' settled. And what a process it has been! Room by room, my mom and I have worked through the boxes. Today marks the end of the boxes in the house, but we still have a way to go out in the garage. Slow and steady, right?! Tell that to a type-A person who is desperate for life to "get back to normal" --- whatever normal is!
The kids have done great with the adjustment. There have definitely been some "I miss my friends" moments (for me too!), but overall they are both doing really good.
The house is really nice- Adaryll did good! (he came down by himself to find it.) We have plenty of room for everyone and everything we have unpacked has found a home.
And church. WOW! Church has been just awesome! We have loved both Sunday services we have been here for. The pastor is such a great speaker and really communicates God's Word in a wonderful way. He also has a wonderful spirit and Adaryll has loved working with him. If you want to check out the website or view a service or music, go to www.hcbc.com .
Well, I'm fixin' to unpack the piano room (did you hear the Texas twang again?!) and be done with boxes for a long, long time I hope! Keep praying for us as we finish getting stettled into our house and begin getting settled into Austin!

We Will Miss All Yall!!!

To our TPCC family- We are going to miss each one of you so much! So many of you have blessed our lives and your friendships have made our lives fuller! Please know that we sincerely look forward to having company and if any of you would like to come to Austin and stay at the Jordan Inn, we would LOVE to have you! Rawsons, Harleys, Steph & Kelly, Carters, Evanses- I am counting on you guys to follow through and come see us so I can see a familiar friendly face soon!!!
Today was such a day of mixed emotions. We know we are going where God has called us for this time, but that really didn't make it any easier to hug your necks without sobbing!! Aaron's message is really just sticking with me- live for the line and not just the dot. That applies to everything we think and do. This move is really not about me or us as a family. It is about God and eternity and what He is asking us to do to forward His kingdom. He is calling us to Austin and to Hill Country Bible Church so that we can be used in the ministries they have to reach every man, woman, and child in the greater Austin area. So it really doesn't matter that moving is hard and leaving people you love is even harder (and doing any of the above 4 weeks post-reconstructive foot surgery is NOT something I would recommend!). But what matters is going where God has called us so that people in Austin will hear the gospel and possibly make a decision to change where they will spend eternity on the line once their teeny tiny dot of a life is over.
So tonight we are surrounded by hundreds of boxes holding all our treasures (anyone else get caught off guard by Aaron reminding us that all of our treasures- even our bodies- eventually end up in boxes???! I never thought of that!) And what I MUST remember as we pull out tomorrow is that what really matters is keeping Christ the center and focus of my life and treasuring that above ALL else.
So, good night one last time from Indianapolis, Indiana. (where is it FREEZING outside, I might add!!!) :)

Even Bigger Difference 5 Years Makes!!!

I love it that Elias cried in his second picture too. I think every kid deserves the picture crying on Santa's lap. I have one of me, but it is packed in a box already. Maybe I will remember to post it when we get to Austin!

Anyway, wow has Elias grown and changed! He was so shy and reserved even just a year ago. Lately he has really come out of his shell and wants to make conversation with everyone! Hard to believe he is old enough to already have his 6th Santa pic!

What a differemce a year makes...

Last year, Elena had not a care in the world as we sat her in the lap of a strange, furry-faced, red-suit-wearing guy. This year- not so much. She definitely let us know she protested. In the picture she is holding a sucker that Santa gave her as we approached him. After the picture I picked her up (she immediately calmed down) and Santa put his hand out as if to shake hers or give her 5. At that, she proceeded to give him his sucker back.

Did That All Just Really Happen In One Month?!

(Deep breath)
Ok, so what a month we have had! It has been one of those months that has flown by without even the opportunity to visit my own blog site, much less anyone else's, and surely not enough time to actually post an update! So, here goes...
At the beginning of December, we announced to our church family that we are leaving in January to move to Austin, TX. Adaryll will be working as one of 4 small groups pastors and also overseeing assimilation of new members at Hill Country Bible Church. www.hcbc.com. He will shepherd around 40-50 small group leaders, which means he will spend most of his time investing in the lives of these guys- having one-on-one breakfasts, finding out how they are growing spiritually, just being "their guy". Sound like a good fit? :) For any of you who know Adaryll well, you know that is just who he is!
So, the movers are coming, the movers are coming!!! As of right now, it looks like they will be loading the truck January 14th and then we will start our 3 day drive to Austin the 15th. Pray for us- Elena is really not that fun to ride in a car with!!!
In other news, and in keeping with the Jordan tradition of having some sort of major medical thing going on anytime we move, I had reconstructive foot surgery 10 days ago. This makes me the proud new owner of two 3-inch-long screws in my ankle, 2 new big incision scars, and lots of narcotics (well, there aren't that many narcotics left, actually).
I scheduled the surgery for December 14th way back in September because I knew Adaryll would have 2 weeks off at Christmas time. When we took the job in Austin, I decided I should postpont the surgery until the spring, but when I saw the doctor again, 2 bones had begun to fracture. So, no postponing. Several friends from TPCC have had surgery with this doctor and all said they had "no pain". Let me repeat- they ALL said that they had "NO PAIN". I woke up from anestesia in so much pain the added morphine to my IV. Now, I know what I had done was really extensive, but I honestly thought I was going to be painfree from day 1. Am I a sucker or what?!
They moved several bones that had drifted out of place and fused the joints so that they stay where they belong and they put the 2 screws in my metatarsal/tarsal joint. Then, through another incision in my calf muscle, they elongated my Achilles tendon. Sounds like fun, huh?!
Soooo, after lots of narcotics, anti-inflammatories, and good old Tylenol, today was actually the first day of any significant improvement in pain. I am so thankful it is finally getting more tolerable!! And the stitches come out Wednesday, at which point I will get my next instructions. Up to now the instructions were to stay in bed with it iced and elevated until Wednesday.
So that is the Jordan life update in a nutshell. So much more to say about all the little things going on and funny things the kids have done. Hopefully I will get back to making time to blog and keep in touch with all my faithful blogging friends! :)

A Declaration of Love...

Last night during dinner, Elias made a declaration of love. As he pointed from Adaryll to Elena to me and to himself, he announced, "I love you and you and you and me and Jesus and God and Kylee!" (Most of you know Kylee is our 4-year-old neighbor who calls herself "Elias' wife")
Elias has such a kind, sweet spirit and declaring his love for us all just reminded me what a great kid he is (not that I am biased or anything...)