recent Luke pics

April showers bring.....

a May baby!

We are thrilled!  We told Luke officially yesterday and he immediately ran up to my belly and kissed me.  =)  Two days after I went to the Dr. to talk about infertility and set up appointments, I took and test and could not believe the results.  So I took 4 more tests, all POSITIVE.

Such an answer to prayer!  Watch out world!  Another Bryant is on their way!

Remembering the good times.....

So, Luke started real school last week.  There are a few things that I really don't want to  forget.....


1. Wearing a nice baby gap red shirt to school ( free to us thankfully). Later to find him running around with huge holes in the front of his shirt. When I asked him about the holes that were not previously there, he said " well, I really wanted to see what my belly looked like on the inside. I thought that would be cool." note to self. Do not read human body books to boy preschool kids. Save for later date.

2.  Naming all of the colors in Spanish after the very first day

3.  Clonking down the long hallway off to the library with ruby red high heels on as happy as a clam.

4.  Asking him who his favorite friend is and him always saying " Lucas"

5.  Taking over the fire truck on the playground  and being chief,even though he is the youngest and is commanding other older kids to go on a call with him.

6. Falling asleep the very first day in my arms at dinner, fighting me till the last word was said.

7.  Learning how to read the book No no, yes, yes, and learning to read the word fire.  He is really upset that he can't read already.....

8. Singing "how great is our god" in Luke's bed( all of us- his request)


I am sure I have more. Currently I have to go ward off more bedtime battles.......wish me luck.

More later.

Back to school at the Bryant House!

Well, it's another year at the Bryant house!  Quotes of You've got mail start popping up with "freshly sharpened pencils" and "scotch tape" start, and the organizing begins!  (both at home and at school)  

The summer was fantastic.  LOTS of pool time. rest time. pool time. rest time. beach at the end.  But, my child is READY TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL and I am too.

Luke started Pre-K at St. Peter's this year.  I am so excited to have him in the car in the morning singing sweet songs with me, have him in my wing in the very same building, and just see him starting real school.  He feels so big.

Here are a few pics of my classroom before the kiddos came.  Not great- I have so many more, but its a start!  After nine years of teaching, it is a wonder that I still even take pictures anymore.

 My sweet boy on his first phase in day.

I love packing lunch in August and September.  (maybe not in May)

 This is Lucas Maounis- best buddy at school.  His mommy teaches 5th grade so they have seen each other a lot already!

So, I made my first graders do this for our wall outside our doors- so naturally, I am happy to jump right in and show them how its done.  

Jessica- I ACTUALLY carved out some time and painted the chalkboard canvases myself.  Get excited.  

 My sweet friend and other first grade teacher

 Me, Angie, and Blaes

I am excited about another new school year.  I am SO HAPPY to get to teach at St. Peter's too.  It is a blessing to be there and such a rich environment of people and love.

Cheers to a new school year!

There is such contentment in laying in the sand, letting the waves roll in and out of the tide.  =)

I was reminded of the song by Ten Shekel Shirt that says:  "There's something, about the ocean, that makes me rise up and SING!  There's something about the heaven's, that makes me stand in awe of HIM. (or something like that!)


Contentment is 'acknowledgement and satisfaction of reaching capacity'.  I don't feel like I am a content person overall- I'm too much of a pleaser and worrier- but I think the three of us reached some sort of contentment in just BEING this past week at the beach.

Sand. waves. book. sun. naps. pool. repeat.  Such is a beautiful thing to take vacations to truly ignite your soul and allow all outside stuff to be pushed aside.

The beach is a respite for my soul.  The beach is calming. Thankful.

More pictures to come when they upload.

God walking down in my heart....

This week has been long in some ways, and then beautiful and glorious in others. Luke is a fiery three year old who has a zest for life and while so so stubborn , is so tender at times too.( lately I have been praying for God to remind me of those times more often as it has been a battle zone around here!) Needless to say, Luke has been disobedient. a LOT. So daily, I have been praying for his little heart to know how to show love to his mommy and daddy. Tim and I have had many opportunities to talk about being Godly and what that looks like through simple hard situations like sharing toys to friends......(a HUGE one) it has taken a while, but Luke has started asking a lot of questions about life. When his friends Bo and Mary Susan share, he has used them as examples over and over again as friends who are Godly-or in his terms, someone who shows love to him by sharing. His other friend Eli, shares his toys all of the time with him when we go to Nashville to visit without hesitation. He continues to notice that these are people he thinks are Godly and showing kindness. We are thankful. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 says " be on your guard, STAND FIRM in the faith, BE men of courage....be strong...do everything in love." We have sung this from the seeds family worship cd this summer. Every time the sound is over, Luke asks, "what does it mean to be men of courage?". His heart is turning. It is being shaped in Gods perfect timing. He is learning to be a really good sinner like his mommy and daddy. He is learning with us how to forgive. How to love. How to move forward. We had really fun family time last night. We stayed up and watched swimming and gymnastics, cheering for " Michael felts" and Ryan lochte, and mimicking the gymnasts by walking on his hands to bed. Tim went in to read a bible story before bed like they always do. eXCEPT.....tonight was different. Tonight was very special. They read about the money changers being thrown out of the temple- and talked about how Jesus is the new temple and can reign in us now because Jesus died on the cross- Luke started asking lots of questions to Tim. Admitting that he was not godly this week to his mommy or his friends. "yeah, I'm bad sometimes." " Jesus still loves me when I'm bad right?" Tim told him that he had Jesus in his heart and because of that he is forgiven always for his sins. So is mommy. I was still watching Olympics at this point until Luke came in the living room and told me that I need to come in his room for a few minutes. " my daddy and I were talking about Jesus and I want to ask him into my heart" Sure enough, he told us both that he loved God and wanted to be better and have him in his heart. So we prayed with him and he accepted Christ to be his personal savior. 1 Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example to the believers....". Luke at three knows truth better than I. Having faith like a child teaches you MUCH. When we were done praying, Luke puts his hand over his heart and says, " is that God wiggling in there?" I can't help but smile as my son is a child of God, and that he is going to be used in MIGHTY ways....even if he is stubborn. Even if he is disobedient at times. He has a plan and is not going to waste it. We tucked Luke in bed, and went out of the room. A few minutes later, we heard Luke shout from his bed, " Hey daddy! Is God walking down in my heart right now? Do you think he is going to go into my belly?" July28,2012. Praise be to the Lord!

Bryant Summer chronicles part 1

So, this may be long.   This summer so far has been fantastic.  Wake up, cartoons and coffee with Luke, Pool, learning how to eat vegan and plant strong (another blog time), working at at sports barn, gymnastics and swimming lessons, camp, church, lots of fire station time, lots of playing with cars and trucks, learning ALL letters and a lot of sounds., time with sweet friends, conversations, sleep, movies, home time, date nights, craigslist selling, lots of reading....glorious. 

I was going back through my journal today since school got out, and here is a collection of verses and quotes that I have read this summer that I am trying to take to heart.  Main themes in the books?  BOYS, MARRIAGE, JOY, LOVE, FAMILY.....you know.....life stuff.  

We are happy.  Eager.  Learning.  

Jeremiah 24:7  "I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord.  They will be my people."

Psalm 18:7  "My heart LEAPS for JOY!"

 John 15:11 "I have told you this so that MY JOY may be in you, and that YOUR JOY may be complete!"

"The night MAX wore his wolf suit.....his mother called him "WILD THING!"  Maurice Sendak

 Plato:  "Of all animals, the BOY is the most unmanageable, in as such as he has the fountain of reason in him not yet regulated."

(hiking at Sunset Rock, Lookout MTN)

G.K.Chesterton  "Boyhood is a most complex and incomprehensible thing.  Even when one has been through it, one does not understand what it was.  A man can never quite understand a boy, even when he has been the boy."

 Madeline L'Engle  "All of life is a story."

 2 Chronicles 16:9  "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."

 (helping daddy clean the squad)

 (sweet time with cousin Layla)

 Psalm 24:1 " The earth is the Lord's and everything in it"  (my adorable niece Layla)

 (teaching Layla fun new toys)

 (Let the building begin!!!!!  We love these!  Magformers!)

 (Bebe and Luke went to "camp".  He begged me to go all summer so I finally caved and put him in Gymnastics camp at the Sports Barn.  He LOVED it.    He said, " Mommy, this big boy at camp told me I am a little boy.  BUT, I'm not anymore.  I went to camp."

 Traditional Nootka Song  "You, whose day it is, get out your RAINBOW colors and make it beautiful."

 (Fourth of July turned south for us as Luke had an inner and outer ear infection.  So we came home WAY early from the lake, and just played indoors for a WEEK.  UGH.  we got a little stir crazy!)

 "Having something to fight for puts everything into perspective"

 (Tim has had a LOT of fires this summer.  These pics were from my paramedic friend that was on the call.  )

 Deuteronomy 32:30  "One can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten thousand to flight"

 (Tim on the ladder to go work the hose)

 (Luke's favorite beyond favorite song...)  "How GREAT is OUR GOD!"

 Below:  My 4th of july ear infection guy....no energy to smile.  We did, however, get to see two sets of fireworks from my deck right here in my pj's in North Chattanooga.  Yay for unexpected blessings.

 John and Stasi Eldredge  "Companionship is far more the actual brick and mortar of two lives lived together.  Companionship is the glue that allows a marriage to make it, not just through the hard times, but make it in the sense of finding your way to comething rich together.  "

 David Wilcox  "We cannot trade empty for empty...we must go to the waterfall.....for there's a break in the cup that holds love.....inside us all.

 I could eat this kid up.

 Playing with banana grams has been a favorite.  Luke got really mad at me the other night.  "Mommy, I can't read these words!  I need to know how to read N  O  W  )  (melts my little teacher heart)

 (playing princesses with Mary Susan)

 Psalm 62:1  "My soul finds rest in God alone."

Seneca  "  As is a tale, so is life:  not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters."