You can see some picture of us off the Pine Cove site. Go to their site (http://www.pinecove.com/), scroll to the bottom and select Photo Gallery at the very bottom. It will give you a pop-up window and you then select 2011, Woods, Week 6 to then the different days of the week to get picture from that week of camp. If you go to Tuesday and then click the right scroll button 5 times you will see me climbing the rock wall on the bottom right. One more click will give you some pictures of me and Jacob at the top of the zip line tower. For some cute ones of Ava going horse back riding, try Thursday and then 2nd and 3rd pages, and then some of Ava doing her super dive into the pool see Friday pages 2 and 3.

My first niece, Lucy Kate Hagerman, came into the world last week on my birthday, May 6. Here are pictures of her and rest of extended Meadors’ family on Mother’s day.

Jacob had a wellness check up this week. Measures 3’11″ and 50 lbs. Very healthy and “normal” for his age. Playing soccer which he enjoys. He shows good instincts out there. He is in 4-6 age group with most kids on his team 5 and 6. Makes a HUGE difference from the last 2 seasons with 3s and 4s. It actually resembles soccer.

A funny, maybe not ha-ha, laugh out-loud funny but amusing, cute funny, is that Jacob’s has discovered the old He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoons I use to watch as kid through Hulu. So he will ask me, “Daddy, can we watch He-man” and I am happy to oblige. I do have to admit that looking back at these cartoons 25 years later puts them in a different light. They are really not that good. The super-hero cartoons of today are just better in terms of plot and dialogue, but I will always have a soft spot in my heart for He-Man.

Ava is now on allergry medicine after her 2nd ear infection. It was due to having so much mucus drainage that we thought allergy medicine would help, especially since Jacob and I take it regularly. She has been on it for 1/2 week. Hope it helps.

Good news on the potty front. Ava has peed in the potty 3 days this past week. Either after her nap or after waking up from the night, she was dry, and I then put her on the toilet and she did the rest. Definitely not ready for underwear, but good steps.

This week we are heading to Panama City for a vacation. Our family loves the beach, and I looking forward to getting away.

Both my work and Shannon’s at the church is very busy. Busy is good, but busy is busy. Thus, limited time and energy to write on the blog. Maybe the vacation will help give me a boost.

I then drop Jacob off at preschool. I stand by the window watching him put up his lunch box and jacket. He turns and looks at me. Gives me a big thumbs up and blows me a kiss.

It won’t last. The days will change and so will my children. Those new days will be special in their own right. But this morning will be tough to beat.

My little daughter is probably the toughest 30 inch tall person you will meet. She wears a life jacket at the beach which has a strap which in effect makes it a small leash to hold on to her which is very useful. If you don’t, she will take off and run into the water and the waves. She loves being in the waves and trying to swim. Super duper cute. Yesterday, Shannon was not holding to her leash but standing right by her as she stood just in the water letting the small waves hit. However, a big wave suddenly came in and knocked her down face first into the sand. Shannon went over to pick her up, but Ava just got up, smiled and when “ahh.”

Water was still warm which is not too surprising as we have been consistently in the 80s-90s so far. Hardly anyone was there which is the big plus of living down here in the off season. I do miss a traditional Fall as it is probably my favorite season, but I also enjoy the long Summer. I am been grateful for the experience. One of our reasons for coming here was to experience a tropical life even for just a year, and it has not disappointed. When we moved down here, we specially looked forward to October and November here. So far, so good.

Fall may actually be coming this weekend. Saturday is projected to be sunny with high of 65 and low of 48, first time getting to the 40s. All next is projected to still have highs in the upper 70s.

My parents came down on Thursday evening. We had dinner together, caught up a little and then headed to bed. My dad had some chest pains in the last few days, but they were light and passing. He has a history of heart disease and a had a triple-bypass 15 years ago. His recent problems, even going back further than just this last week, due to different aligments.

Thursday night he had his most severe episode yet. Mom came into the room and told me “Kyle, I need you to take us to the hospital. I think your Dad is having a heart attack.” I quickly decided it was much better to call 911 than to attempt to bring him to the hospital myself.

The EMS was there quickly and by that time Dad’s chest pains had subsided. He was even thinking this just a false alarm, and it was not necessary to go to the ER, but they took him on to the hospital, arriving around 1:00 AM.

Shortly there after, the pains returned and this time strengthened. Now, it was no longer in his chest but into his arms and his back. The pain would come in ever increasing waves. Nitro glycerine, morphine and the other drugs did nothing to hinder the pain, and it continued this way until around 3:30.

Finally, the pain stopped, and he was able to rest. By 5:00 lab results showed that he had indeed had some type of cardiac event. Around 8:00 they transfered him from the South Baldwin Medical Center ER to Thomas Hospital which had a cardiac stent facility. Later that morning he had a heart cath which showed 80%-90% blockage in one of his by-passes. He later had a stent inserted to alleviate the blockage, and he did well with the procedure. He was discharged on Sunday, and he got to spend a few days in our home before leaving back to Georgetown this morning.

There in the middle of night in the ER was a scary moment. Witnessing a heart attack is not something I ever longed to see, but it is something I will never forget. Your heart is something you take for granted. How can you help it, given its silent, steady beating your whole life. Yet, when it comes under distress, you are then aware of its primacy in keeping your body alive. A primacy only exceeded by God Himself.

We are grateful the attack was not a massive, deadly one. While the glycerine and other medicine did not immediately remedy the pain, they likely helped and kept the heart attack from being worse. We are grateful for the providence of God and getting Dad through this. If you are going to have a heart attack, it can’t happen at a better place than a hospital.

I watched a movie a day and worked until past midnight.

Nearly all of my non-work/non-sleep time was spent in front of the TV. A small defense was that we got our new 50″ plasma HDTV that week so I felt obliged to “test” it out. But I watched the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy among other movies. That goes beyond just testing out the TV.

I started working from home right before I was married so I never really experience a home-work environment as a bachelor. I can confidently say that it is a lifestyle not healthy for me. I had nothing to stop my work day, and it was too easy to pick up later at night. I am in the midst of a very busy work season, but with my family, I know I need to focus on getting as much done as possible during the day so I can give them my time in the evening.

It definitely was not what I anticipated. I had these images of quiet evenings on the couch reading books or working on a project without interruption. I am sure if I was really a bachelor I would find a better balance in my life, but I was surprised at how unfocused my life was.

In my earlier post, my wonderful brother-in-law Wes made an insightful comment: “I hope you enjoy the quiet and solitude of this week and make the most of it. Not that solitude and “freedom” are better than the family life, but hopefully one will help you to appreciate the other all the more.”

My favorite singer is Sara Groves, and one of her songs is called “Painting Pictures of Egypt”.

I’ve been painting pictures of Egypt
Leaving out what it lacked
The future seems so hard
And I just want to go back
But the places that used to fit me
Cannot hold the things I’ve learned
And those roads were closed off to me
While my back was turned

The inspiration of the song is the Hebrews’ complaints as they journeyed out of Egypt. They went through a tough spot in the wilderness, but it was obviously a better situation than enslavement in Egypt. Yet, through their sinful self-centeredness they focused on the immediate pain and ignored the past difficulties while magnifying the good of those past times. Groves then ties that into our lives as we gripe and whine on the change of our life not noticing that God has grown us out of that past person and past life.

That was me. I got too wrapped up in the difficulties of raising two young kids and being in a family unit that I overlooked the changes God has done in me. I really loved my single days, but they had hard times too.  It is not about one season of life being easier or better than the another one. It is recognizing God is transforming us into the image of His Son, and each season is being used to take us further down that road. You can’t really go back to the old ways because you are no longer the same person who went through it the first time.

Last week was a blessing. I got to see an insight into my soul and the work God is doing. I got a reset on my attitude toward my present life. And I got to watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I really do like those movies.

Have to confess here at the 12 hour point: I am not quite sure what to do with myself. My life is now too open. I am free to do many things but the choices are nearly overwhelming.

I am going to sit down and make my list for the week. I have told myself I have to do some reading. I always complain about the kids interrupting me and making it difficult to read. Well, no excuse this week. And, I probably should write in this blog nearly every day.

No matter what I do, I will definitely miss my wife and children. I love you Shannon!

Second, my wife has been super mom this week. She has given the kids a great week of fun, made super meals every night, kept the house up and worked in getting us moved in. I am very, very proud of her and realize how blessed I am to have her as my wife.