One thing Erin and I have strived to do as a parents as been to take advantage of or create moments were are children are able to engage new things. As we entered the month of May, Eliana and I planted several small seeds that would hopefully yield a small harvest of cucumbers and squash. Well, to my dismay, these little seeds took off and a decision laid in my hands, "Do I keep these little sproutlings and make a garden in the back yard or do I throw them away when Eliana is not looking?" Well, I decided to do something no one in my immedi ate family have ever done, so I made the garden! To date we have several little cucumbers and squash growing. Oh yeah...and we planted one watermelon vine. Stay tuned to see what we get. You can see Eliana watering the plants with such care and precision.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Garden Time
One thing Erin and I have strived to do as a parents as been to take advantage of or create moments were are children are able to engage new things. As we entered the month of May, Eliana and I planted several small seeds that would hopefully yield a small harvest of cucumbers and squash. Well, to my dismay, these little seeds took off and a decision laid in my hands, "Do I keep these little sproutlings and make a garden in the back yard or do I throw them away when Eliana is not looking?" Well, I decided to do something no one in my immedi ate family have ever done, so I made the garden! To date we have several little cucumbers and squash growing. Oh yeah...and we planted one watermelon vine. Stay tuned to see what we get. You can see Eliana watering the plants with such care and precision.
Monday, June 15, 2009
I'm Back...
Well I have set out to do the impossible...blog at least one time a week. Now if you read my last blog, you would be forced to think that maybe another huricane came and I did not make it. That was an attempt at a joke, being that the last time I blogged was almost a year ago. So to think once a week for Clay to write is crazy. I agree.
For some of you, exciting and wonderful things just come to your door every day and writing them down for those who care to know excites you. I have to admit while I believe exciting and wonderful things happen in my life (ecpecially when you have children), I just have to wonder who cares. Well regardless of who decides to read, here I go. Please check back in.
For some of you, exciting and wonderful things just come to your door every day and writing them down for those who care to know excites you. I have to admit while I believe exciting and wonderful things happen in my life (ecpecially when you have children), I just have to wonder who cares. Well regardless of who decides to read, here I go. Please check back in.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
We Survived!!!
The winds and the rain came by the droves. Trees were popping everywhere around us...well okay not really. So Tropical Storm Hanna came and went with nothing to leave but a nice rain fall. I am certainly not complaining, although if I'm honest, I have found myself in the past becoming a little bummed when hurricanes in other areas are down graded. Now please don't get me wrong, I have no desire to see people get hurt, but the mass furry of such a storm is quite amazing.
Well as I write the sun is shinning and there are children in the road throwing their frisbee. Looks like it is going to be a good day. Hope you enjoy yours.
Well as I write the sun is shinning and there are children in the road throwing their frisbee. Looks like it is going to be a good day. Hope you enjoy yours.
Friday, August 22, 2008
I Know....I Know!
I know I know...it's been like months since my last entry. I do apologize to all 3 of you that actually check every month to see if Clay has anything to say. Well the big question is what in the world do I write about. I mean after a 2 month sebbatical and hours of pondering the next blog entry, one would expect something amazing, right? Well the truth is, there are so many things to write about, but where do I start? I think about the road my family has been down the last 6 months and the emotional effects brought on by the loss of a brother-in-law and a brother away in Iraq helping defend this awesome country. Or the times Erin, Eliana, and Harper and I have had to go enjoy with grandparents, friends, and each other. Or how overjoyed I get when I hear of how people at the Journey Church are investing their lives into the lives of others. Whether that be sharing a cup of coffee, helping paint rooms, listening to a couple struggling with their marriage, and college students staying up late to figure out how they are going to make an impact on their campus for Christ. ALL OF YOU GUYS ROCK!
There is no doubt the last few months have been full of some emotional highs and lows, but I thank my God that through it all he tells me He never changes. That means that through my ups and downs, He still lavishes the same love on me that He always has. That also means He has the same expectations for me regardless of my situations. Those expectations are for me to love Him, love my wife and children, and to love and invest in the lives of the people he has place around. I look forward to being more specific in my future posts about the great and not so great things going on. Until then...I hope not another 2 months.
There is no doubt the last few months have been full of some emotional highs and lows, but I thank my God that through it all he tells me He never changes. That means that through my ups and downs, He still lavishes the same love on me that He always has. That also means He has the same expectations for me regardless of my situations. Those expectations are for me to love Him, love my wife and children, and to love and invest in the lives of the people he has place around. I look forward to being more specific in my future posts about the great and not so great things going on. Until then...I hope not another 2 months.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Harper's Room
Just thought I would share pictures of Harper's room. We wanted to stay away from some typical "baby colors", so here is what we came up with. Just as a disclamer, there is nothing wrong with "baby colors", ie. pastal blues, just wanted something different. Here it is...
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Michael Is Dancing
For many of you who have followed with us, my brother-in-law has battled cancer for the past two years. This past week the Lord decided Michael had to fight no more. While I have many words and feelings, I don't think I can express anything quite as well as his awesome wife Jen. Jen sent this email out the following morning after Michael passed. His life was truly one lived to the fullest. We will forever miss him.
FROM JEN:
hi friends!
i didn't think i'd be writing this email this soon. after a two year
battle with cancer that michael fought with such toughness and determination he is nowrejoicing with our Lord in heaven. michael peacefullypassed away last night at 11:50 pm. yesterday was atough day. michael went to bed as normal saturday night. he even slipped out of bed around 3:00am. i helped him back into bed and he made some silly comment about being clumsy. when the boys woke me up in the morning around 7:30 i noticed michael was slightly labored in his breathing. at first i justthought he was snoring, but after looking at him his left eye was slightly open and looked un responsive. i tried to wake him up and couldn't. i moved his arms, legs, tried sitting him up and put water on his face,but nothing. i then called our oncologist office who told me to call 911 right away. i did and the firetruck and ambulance were here in under fifteen minutes and by 8:25 we were in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. once arriving they put him on a ventilator and got a ct scan to see what was happening. two of his tumors had some more bleeding and there was tremendous pressure in his head causing his brain tobe pushed down to the base of his brain stem (called herniated). i was quickly told this was not a reversible condition and there was nothing we could do. he would not recover from this. he was not in any pain and it 
would be a matter of hours before we would lose him. around 11-12 they moved him up to an icu room where we (me, my dad, bill and andy) sat with him. my mom and sister also made it to the hospital for a little while and were able to say their goodbyes. michael's parents got in their car and tarted the seemingly never ending drive. thankfully hey arrived around 10:00pm and michael was still with s. the ventilator was the only thing keeping him live. after spending some time with him we decided round 11:30ish to stop the ventilator. this was something michael and i had talked about. it only took minutes since he was not able to breath on his own before he peacefully was embraced by our loving heavenly Father who took him home. of course i would have preferred a miraculous healing, but since obviously this was michael's time to go i couldn't have asked for better circumstances surrounding the day. we were blessed with lots of loving friends in the waiting room, great neighbors who stepped upwithout hesitating, an 
amazing hospital staff who wassupportive and michael being painfree and totally peaceful. it was a long hard day, but i can smile today knowing he's where he belongs. and nobody loves him more than my God. he's left an imprint in many lives which is exactly what he wanted to do. he will continue to live on through all of us and especiallyhis sweet boys. please pray for them as this is something so foreign and strange. i talked with them this morning and we shared some tears together, but all agreed we would still love and talk about daddy whenever we wanted to. and of course he would never stop loving us. thank you already for all your love and support. it comforting to know i have so many amazing people around me ready to help with anything! let this week be a celebration of michael's life! he most definitely deserves it!
love,
jen
FROM JEN:
hi friends!
i didn't think i'd be writing this email this soon. after a two year
battle with cancer that michael fought with such toughness and determination he is nowrejoicing with our Lord in heaven. michael peacefullypassed away last night at 11:50 pm. yesterday was atough day. michael went to bed as normal saturday night. he even slipped out of bed around 3:00am. i helped him back into bed and he made some silly comment about being clumsy. when the boys woke me up in the morning around 7:30 i noticed michael was slightly labored in his breathing. at first i justthought he was snoring, but after looking at him his left eye was slightly open and looked un responsive. i tried to wake him up and couldn't. i moved his arms, legs, tried sitting him up and put water on his face,but nothing. i then called our oncologist office who told me to call 911 right away. i did and the firetruck and ambulance were here in under fifteen minutes and by 8:25 we were in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. once arriving they put him on a ventilator and got a ct scan to see what was happening. two of his tumors had some more bleeding and there was tremendous pressure in his head causing his brain tobe pushed down to the base of his brain stem (called herniated). i was quickly told this was not a reversible condition and there was nothing we could do. he would not recover from this. he was not in any pain and it 
would be a matter of hours before we would lose him. around 11-12 they moved him up to an icu room where we (me, my dad, bill and andy) sat with him. my mom and sister also made it to the hospital for a little while and were able to say their goodbyes. michael's parents got in their car and tarted the seemingly never ending drive. thankfully hey arrived around 10:00pm and michael was still with s. the ventilator was the only thing keeping him live. after spending some time with him we decided round 11:30ish to stop the ventilator. this was something michael and i had talked about. it only took minutes since he was not able to breath on his own before he peacefully was embraced by our loving heavenly Father who took him home. of course i would have preferred a miraculous healing, but since obviously this was michael's time to go i couldn't have asked for better circumstances surrounding the day. we were blessed with lots of loving friends in the waiting room, great neighbors who stepped upwithout hesitating, an 
amazing hospital staff who wassupportive and michael being painfree and totally peaceful. it was a long hard day, but i can smile today knowing he's where he belongs. and nobody loves him more than my God. he's left an imprint in many lives which is exactly what he wanted to do. he will continue to live on through all of us and especiallyhis sweet boys. please pray for them as this is something so foreign and strange. i talked with them this morning and we shared some tears together, but all agreed we would still love and talk about daddy whenever we wanted to. and of course he would never stop loving us. thank you already for all your love and support. it comforting to know i have so many amazing people around me ready to help with anything! let this week be a celebration of michael's life! he most definitely deserves it!love,
jen
Friday, April 25, 2008
A Great Week with The Family
I have had the most wonderful week. I have had the opportunity to be at home while our family is getting back on its feet from the birth of our second child - Harper. The time at home has allowed me to accomplish little jobs around the house, but most of all bond 
with my little man and precious little girl. On Wednesday, Eliana's Memaw and Grandpap (my mother and step-father) came to visit for a few hours. From the pictures you can see one of the things she enjoys the most right now - SWINGING. Probably some of the most frequent words I hear are "Daddy swing?" To which how do you resist such a sweet request? It has been an incredible week and while I look forward to getting back into a little routine, I will 
forever cherish this week with my beautiful wife and two precious children. Thank you God for the tender grace you give in little things.
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