May always begins with a party thanks to Jeff's birthday being on May 1st. This year his students threw him a party at school. He was super surprised! Then he got to celebrate again when he got home. It was a good day for him!
The next celebration was the annual Tideriders Swim Banquet. The boys were awarded with their second year medals. It is a fun night to celebrate the swimmers accomplishments and fellowship with other swim families.
This month Leigh Ann wrapped up her 8th year of Bible Study Fellowship. On the final night, there is a time to share what you have learned and give God glory. There were so many blessings talked about and the tears flowed freely. It was an especially good night when Leigh Ann's friend Laura walked through the doors for the first time since being admitted to the hospital months earlier! God is so good.
That same week an event happened that we have been dreaming about for years. Papa and Nana arrived in Arkansas with the biggest U-haul available to begin the next chapter of their lives here. They moved into a house about a 1/2 hour away. It has been surreal to be able to see them often. We thank God for allowing them the opportunity to be near us! To the kids it is still like Christmas every time we see them. They are SOOOOO excited! Talk about blessings!
The boys wrapped up their 3rd and 5th grade years with excellent grades. They also did a great job at their piano recital. It has been so neat to watch them grow and develop! Marie also wrapped up her last year of pre-school. It is hard to believe she will be starting kindergarten in the fall.
A special treat this month was getting to meet up with friends at the Amazeum. We also got to attend a special performance just for kids put on by the Fort Smith Symphony. This was a first for Anna and Eden. Eden fell asleep and Anna was close. I guess the music was soothing!
Eli started guitar lessons this month and is so excited to be learning new chords and songs!
This month has brought crazy/scary weather. Fort Smith had 5 tornadoes touch down. There was so much storm damage that school was cancelled for a day because of trees and power lines across roads. The very next weekend, the Arkansas River began to flood Fort Smith. Watching the waters rise has been unbelievable. Jeff and the boys helped fill sandbags to protect homes but so many people's homes have been flooded. As I type this the river has crested at a record breaking level. It will be weeks before it goes down enough for some people to return home. The last three days of school were cancelled because there were over 100 roads closed in and around Fort Smith including several major highways and an expressway! I cannot even begin to describe the devastation all this water has brought. The amazing thing has been to see the community come together to help others out. People of all ages, races, and status have worked alongside each other to fill sandbags, serve meals, and pack peoples belongings into trucks. It is hard to fathom how the city will recover in terms of houses and businesses but the people are standing strong. I am thankful that regardless of denominational differences, faith in God unites! We are also thankful that the Lord provided our current home as our previous home is in the flood plain. Our previous neighbors had to head for higher ground. We are also thankful that ultimately, this world is not our home. We hope that no matter what the circumstances, you too can say, "It is well with my soul." Thanks for reading.
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