Goodbye Tupelo

Before we move, I thought 'd share some pictures of the end of our time here in MS.

If you walk down the Main Street of Tupelo, you would never know that Elvis is no longer with us! He is perpetually getting a haircut at The Hair Co., playing his guitar, and bustin' a move.

And if you ever wanted to know where Elvis was born, well... here it is! Actually, the local gossip implies that this is not REALLY the actual house, but a replica. We'll let you all lose sleep over that one:)

Upon the eve's eve of our 5th move in the last year, we resonate with the profound wisdom of J.R.R. Tolkien; "Not all those who wander are lost." Thanks for continuing this journey with us.

News, Fun, and Lesson Learned

There has been a lot going on in the Childs household. First of all, thank you for the prayers, comments, and calls concerning Elijah. It is amazing how quickly his face has healed. I have no doubt that by this time next month, we will be looking for the scars. He really handled the whole ordeal quite well. Aside from the hallucinogenic, short-acting side effects from the medication the doc used to render him consciously-sedated (poor guy!!!), he has been level-headed about his response to what happened to him. He has mentioned several times his desire to never encounter the particular dog who attacked him but still speaks fondly of the friendly dogs in his life. This is a blessing. He has always loved animals- particularly dogs- and Micah and I are thankful this has not produced a broader fear in him.

There is one piece of information I thought I would pass along to anyone else interested for future reference/knowledge. We had a few people who told us after the fact that this trauma did not surprise them. It has been made known to us now that some smaller/smaller-medium sized dogs can feel very threatened by little kiddos at their level; even those who do not have a history of aggression toward children. The best way for parents to allow younger children to pet these dogs is from a standing position. Elijah bent down beside the dog that bit him and was at his level. This may not always be true for family dogs or those who are more used to being around children. I also am not saying this advice will always keep children safe, but hopefully it will serve as a wise word- One I wish we would have been told in the past. It is so difficult to learn lessons the hard way, but we trust in some way, it has been for our good.

Before this happened last Sunday, we visited the Tupelo Buffalo Park. It was ironic because Elijah had just spent the better part of an afternoon feeding some of the animals there. He is fascinated by them and was nurturing toward them. Andrew liked looking at the animals but didn't care a thing about feeding them. This Park houses the tallest giraffe in captivity as well as a very rare white buffalo. What was distinctive about this small zoo was the proximity of the guests to the animals and the ride out into the field with a camel, cattle, zebras, donkeys, and of course the buffalo. I had never been so close to these animals before. Hand feeding the giraffes was very cool, too.

Elijah- assessing how much feed he has left...

Oh No!!! The animals have escaped!!! Oh... Whew.... it is only the boys:)

We recently found out that we will be headed to Little Rock, AR from here in about two and a half weeks. This next assignment will hopefully be our last temporary one. We are praying that in the next two months, we have a more clear vision of where the Lord has for us to live. In the meantime, we continue on.

Eat Mor Chikin!

Our Sweet Elijah

Yesterday, Elijah was bitten in the upper lip by a neighbor's dog. Even though the whole event was scary and difficult, it is with grateful hearts that we can report that he is doing well. We spent the night in the ER where his face was repaired. He has two gashes and a puncture on the inside of his lip and some bruising on his face. Today, besides a little discomfort, swelling, and questions about the details of what happened, he is on the mend. He has been so brave and compliant. Even when he had trouble understanding all that was going on around him, he seemed peaceful and trusting. Today, every time I ask him how he feels, he answers (with his life-long "how are you?" answer), "Great~".

After the dust has settled, the ages-old battle of thinking on things that are true has been at the forefront of this day for me. We are all in the recovery/healing phase in some way or another. It is during times like these when there is no clear explanation as to why God allows things like this to happen, I have to constantly remind myself that all I know of God- His goodness, mercy, justice, care, graciousness, sustenance- never changes despite difficult circumstances. Things like this would happen more often or be much worse if He withdrew His protective hand for just a second in our tragically messed-up world. It is a good reminder to both Micah and me that Elijah is always in God's hands and that He loves him far more than we do, even when He allows suffering. Jesus is the One who offers the remedy for all the messed-upness. Again, we carry Elijah to Him for healing.

Birthday Weekend

My 31st birthday this year was a memorable one. I felt truly loved, appreciated, and blessed with another year to grow. The calls and gifts from family and friends as well as the many Facebook messages were so kind. Andrew and Elijah made sure I was sufficiently loved on during the day and Micah took me to dinner in the evening where had flowers waiting at the restaurant.

The next day, July 2nd, we were still partying. Elijah turned 4 years old! What a big boy he is~ He spent the day playing and sharing new toys with Andrew. He got to ride the carousel a the mall, then at his request, go to Chuck-E-Cheese for some playtime and ice cream cake.