The Red Couch & White Couch

When Kari and I were first married we bought a living room set. When we saw it in the store it was set up in such a way that the full size couch was white and the love seat was red. We loved the setup because the rug tied the entire set together, so that is the way we bought it. We still love our living room set, but we confess that we did not consider children (or a messy man) when we chose a white couch.

Kari is away visiting her family right now, but I can truly say, "she is still at home."

The other evening I went to the kitchen to get a dinner/snack and found chips and salsa. As I walked into the living room I debated in my head which couch to sit on. In my head I heard, "Jeremy, please sit on the red couch since you are eating salsa," and I listened.

I pressed play on the episode of wrestling I was watching and started snacking. On the second chip, somehow I knocked the entire bowl of salsa out of my hand and it went everywhere...except on the white couch! I raced to the kitchen to grab towels to scrub up my mess.

I am thankful for several reasons: a) I was't sitting on the white couch; b) you can't even tell I spilled anything; and c) I learned listening to your wife is actually a good thing (even when she is not present).

I hope you have a great day and know that probably 95% of the time, your wife does know what she is talking about. God Bless.

Psalm 8

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.

From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:

all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Retreat Season & Family

After August 15th, camp officially went from summer camp season to retreat season. This means a few things for the camp and staff around Highland Lakes Camp. For me several things happen: less 17 hour days, two days off, scheduled PR work and less running sound.

One exciting aspect is I am able to spend a lot more exclusive time with my family. During the week, we often get off at 5pm allowing for an evening of fun with everyone at the Hellums household.

A typical evening could look like: arrive home at 5:02pm, put the swimming trunks on, eat before or while we are at the lake, try to keep Landon above water, head home, give Landon a bath, bedtime from Landon, and Kari and I take a moment to slow down while taking care of Logan's appetite and find bedtime about 11 or 12pm.

Landon loves water. Swimming in the lake, pool or bathtub daily is something he loves. We tell him, "kick, kick, kick," and he will get on his belly and raise his head up and kick and swing his arms. It is an awesome sight to see.

Friday morning, Kari and I watched Logan dreaming and half smiling. It was one of those moments where our "alien baby" is becoming more human. It was a precious moment. Logan is almost one month old and time has flown.

I am so thankful for my family and the Lord allowing us to serve in such a place where I am able to have so much interaction with my family.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. God Bless.

Old Man or Sick Kid?

I recently caught myself telling stories about poop and vomit and thought a couple of things: I am getting to be a sick old man or I have a sick kid.

For the past several days Landon has had diarrhea and been throwing up. I just want to say thrown up milk is one of the worst smells, textures and hardest things to clean up. When thrown up milk gets on you, the stink does not go away. I sat next to John Mark the other morning in chapel and had to apologize for vomit smell I was wearing.

Enough about vomit...Landon is doing better. I got home from work yesterday and Kari exclaimed, "Landon had a solid poop!"

Logan is doing great. No poop or vomit from him, yet, but he is getting bigger (he does poop, just not diarrhea). We are scheduling a one month photo session with Cordsen Photography, so we will have some new pictures posted soon.

God Bless.

The Report

The doctor said all her symptoms are normal. The bruising on her tummy is a blood vessel that burst after surgery. She did tell us to keep an eye on it, but in about ten days it should return to normal.

The bleeding is said to remain at a maximum of four weeks and the swelling is from all the fluid they pumped into her.

All is well. Thanks so much for the prayers.

God Bless.

A Prayer Request

Please keep Kari in your prayers today. Those symptoms I described in an earlier post have prompted the doctor to ask Kari to come in. Please pray for the doctor to figure out what's wrong and pray the Lord heals my wife.

God Bless.

Hanging Out with Logan

After a full week, hanging out with Logan has been a blast. He does have his nights and days mixed up, but Kari and I knew that was going to happen. He threw a party in the womb every night starting about 11pm, just like his brother. We are getting a little sleep, but we are sure that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Logan is eating like a champ. His grandpa asked how he was doing and my best response was, "he eats like a Hellums."

We have already had many visitors. We are so glad to see everyone and glad you have had an opportunity to meet Logan. On Saturday, Logan attended his first SMT banquet; this was his first public appearance. He slept through the entire event.

One of the most precious moments so far has been Landon's reaction to Logan. We were uncertain how Landon would react, but are so excited about raising these two precious gifts from God. Landon gives Logan kisses on the head. I am not sure how he learned to be so sweet to his brother, but I believe these two boys are going to get along just fine.

Kari and I want to thank everyone for your prayers. We are so thankful for each of you. God Bless and have great Monday.

August 2nd - Play by Play

Monday morning started early for Kari and I. We had to be in Round Rock at 5:30am and it takes an hour from camp to get to the hospital. We left at 4:17am with Kari's mother, Ruth, following us. (Sidenote: traffic on 620 at that time of morning is amazing).

We arrived at the hospital without any problems and were in Labor and Delivery by 5:30am. We were greeted by a familiar nurse and were very anxious to meet Logan. The nurses completed the prep work by 6am and told us to relax because the doctor wouldn't be in until 7:15am or so. My mom and Aunt Martha arrived at about 6am, so we were able to pass time with family.

At about 7:25am, they rolled Kari back to the operating room. As I waited with my mom, the clock stood still. They said it would only be about 15 minutes, but I am sure it was two hours. In reality it was about 40 minutes. I went back about 7:50am. While we were separated, Kari was in some serious pain. The anesthesiologist had inserted the spinal block with much screaming and groaning. It hurt her so bad, they had to stop and allow Kari to catch her breath. During post procedure we asked the anesthesiologist why it hurt so bad and he did not have any explanation.

At 8:11am Logan Earl was born. Dr. Leath retrieved Logan and he cried the most beautiful sobs. I watched as she cut his umbilical cord and once he was free Dr. Leath presented him to Kari and I. From across the room I gazed upon our little boy and he had many distinct characteristics of his mommy. He has a little hair, brownish around the crown of his head and light blonde hair on top. He his two dimples under his bottom lip, just like his older brother Landon. On day two his baby pictures started looking like Landon's, so we got several recommendations to start labeling baby pictures now. He has similar characteristics of Landon, but he definitely has his own unique look.

Current: We have been home since Wednesday, Kari has been experiencing some difficulty in her recovery. I say difficulty, but maybe it is more like issues that she did not have with Landon. You can pray for some of these issues and ask the Lord to heal her: Both of her feet our swollen, she is experiencing large bruising and her tummy is continuing to remain hard. If you would please lift these up.

God Bless!

Logan Day One

Proud Father

He is Here!!!

Logan Earl Hellums is Here

Kari, Landon and I are excited to welcome Logan Earl to the family. Logan was born at 8:11am weighing 7lbs and 5 oz and 19.5 inches long.

More details to come, so stay tuned.

Thanks for all your prayers. God Bless.

Headed to the OR

Kari is on her way to the OR.

On the way in at 4:44am we saw a falling star. We made great time and all is going well. Grammy, Big Momma and Aunt Martha are already here.

Please pray for Kari and Baby Hellums Number Two.

Stay tuned.

On the Way to Round Rock

Kari and I are traveling now to Scott & White Healthcare - Round Rock to have Baby Hellums Number Two. We got up this morning at 4am to get ready for the hour trip. We got on the road about 4:15am just to make sure we were checked in at 5:30am as scheduled.

Please keep us in your prayers as we travel these early morning roads and Kari mentally prepares for the spinal block to come. She is dreading the insertion of the large needle, but who wouldn't be; we both hate needles.

We are so excited about meeting Baby Hellums Number Two and look forward to sharing his arrival with you.

Stay tuned to Insert Title Here for the latest information on Baby Hellums Number Two. God Bless.