Isaiah's Fifth Birthday Lego Party!

So, I have some terrible news to report. It may not sound terrible to you but it's actually quite awful. My baby boy turned 5 years old. =( Yup, that's FIVE years old. I am not quite sure how it happened because it seems he was just born, but for some reason he keeps growing like a weed and he's now all grown up and stuff.

To celebrate we had some family and friends over for a LEGO birthday party. Everything was awesome!! (no pun intended) =)

I hope to get a tutorial up soon on the different decorations and food items that I made for the party but for now I'll just share some pictures from the big day. {EDIT: You can find detailed instructions on how to make everything (and more!) that you see in this post here.}

Happy FIFTH Birthday, Champ!! We love you, Isaiah!!!

EASY Italian Chicken Bake - Only Five Ingredients!

Lately I've been aiming for quick, easy, and healthy dinners. I've been making a lot of crock-pot recipes because I absolutely LOVE being able to pop something in the crock-pot in the morning and not have to start making dinner at 5 o-clock when the kids are getting cranky and I'm starting to lose my steam. Hopefully I'll be able to share some good crock-pot recipes with you soon.

But my other go-to type of recipe is the type of recipe that only takes a couple of ingredients and only requires ONE pan! The recipe below is one such gem. Enjoy!

Easy 5 Ingredient Italian Chicken Bake

Ingredients
3 chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
2 cups potatoes, cut into pieces (I haven't tried it yet but I'm thinking sweet potatoes would work too)
2 cups of green beans
1 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
1/2 medium onion sliced (optional)
1 packet Italian dressing seasoning
1 stick of butter

Directions
Arrange cut potatoes, green beans, and chicken in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Mix in sliced onion and sprinkle garlic over chicken if desired. Sprinkle dressing over entire dish. Add sliced butter over the top. Cover with foil and bake for about 60 minutes (depends on how small you have cut everything). Make sure not to over-bake as the chicken can easily dry out! Serves 5-6.

That's it! A quick and easy dinner the whole family will enjoy!

Isaiah's First Day of Pre-Kindergarten

Today something bitter-sweet happened..... My baby boy started pre-kindergarten!!! I am both excited and miserable at the same time. =) Thankfully, Isaiah was very excited (and just a little bit nervous) this morning. He has a very out-going personality and I have no doubt he will do fine in school (sitting still is going to be his biggest hurdle!!!!).

Isaiah is attending Argyle Christian Preschool and Kindergarten this year. We are so glad to have him in a christian school and love love love the school so far! Because of the way Isaiah's birthday falls (he will be 5 September 25th) he was not allowed to start pre-K last year (in Jacksonville you must be 4 by September 1st and last September 1st he was not yet 4). So, although I am sad to see my baby growing up and starting school, I am thankful that I sort of had an "extra" year at home with him! I wouldn't trade that for anything. And, based on the class calendar I saw on the wall in his classroom, it looks like there are two other kids with birthdays even earlier in September than him so he won't even be the oldest in his class!

As a funny after-thought this morning as we were taking first day of school pictures with Isaiah, we realized that today is also Drew's first day of his next grad-school class. He takes his classes in 8 week rotations and today happens to mark the first day of his next class. So, we decided to print him off a sign too and they had fun taking pictures together. =)

Happy First Day of School to both my boys! <3

Our neighbor was leaving for work and saw us taking pictures of Isaiah by the front door and stopped her car right in the middle of the road to get out and offer to snap a family picture of us. It was so sweet! (We didn't have time to grab Livy who was still inside finishing up breakfast.) 

Looks like he's excited about his first day!

Eloise cried on the way home after we dropped Isaiah off. She misses him so much already!

Drew's sign says, "It's my first day of my next grad-school class! 2015"
Isaiah's sign says, "It's my first day of pre-kindergarten. 2015"

Me and my boy. I LOVE having a son. <3 

The Three Amigos! 

In front of his classroom door. 

In front of his cubby. 

Ready for class to start!

The Day I Met Namanya Daphine

In honor of {Throw Back Thursday}, this Thursday I am posting from our blog The Hutcheson Headline that we used while living in Uganda from 2012-2013. The post below was originally published by me on January 25, 2013. You can view it here if you'd like to see the original version.


For many years I have been sponsoring a little Ugandan girl named Daphine through Compassion International. Let me take you back to that wonderful day when I got to meet her for the very. first. time after years of letter writing.....


Last week we had the amazing privilege of meeting the little girl we sponsor through Compassion! I've been sponsoring Namanya Daphine since August of 2008, before Drew and I even got married. And since we've gotten married we've been sponsoring her together.

Daphine will be 12 years old in February and lives in a small town called Maziba, about 6-7 hours away from where we live in Kampala. Compassion gave us the option of either traveling to visit her for the day or paying for her and a companion to come to us for the day. With two small kids, 14 hours in the car didn't sound very appealing so we decided to have Daphine come to us!

She arrived early Monday morning and my first thought was "She is SO beautiful!!" It was an incredible thing to meet her for the first time after 4 1/2 years of writing to her and only seeing/sending pictures. We were so excited! Daphine does not speak a lick of English so thankfully she had a translator with her. The translator told us that Daphine had never been out of her village and was shocked by the big city of Kampala! 

Meeting her for the first time!!

Isaiah was so excited about showing her all his toys, especially his magnetic cars.

Daphine brought us a sweet gift of fruit and a basket.

After some tea and cake at our house we took Daphine to the big mall downtown and took her to see a movie in the theater! We also had Isaiah with us and it was his first time seeing a movie in the theater too. He and Daphine were both completely glued to the screen the whole time. It was awesome to see their faces!!! =)

We had some gifts for her as well.

Opening up her gift bag!

She was so excited!

She loved her new shirt, a hand-me-down from my sister, Adelynn.

We got her a handwriting book to help her practice writing her letters.

She said her favorite gift was her English dictionary!

When we returned from the mall we enjoyed an African style meal that our house help prepared. Daphine had no idea how to use a fork so she used her hands! All too soon it was time to say goodbye. We really enjoyed our visit with Daphine and feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to meet her! She is a beautiful girl inside and out and we look forward to our continued communication with her now that we know her more personally!!

Here I was telling her translator to tell her how proud I was of her for being such a helpful, studious girl who loves Jesus!

Saying goodbye after a wonderful day!

If you are interested in sponsoring a child through Compassion click here to locate waiting children. Your tax-deductible contribution of just $38 a month connects a child living in poverty with a loving, church-based Child Sponsorship Program.

Your support provides:

• Medical checkups, which often save lives
• Nutritious food
• Health and hygiene training
• Educational assistance
• Access to special services like surgeries and disaster relief
• Mentoring to help children discover their incredible value as God’s children
• Most important of all, your sponsored child will hear about Jesus Christ and be encouraged to develop a lifelong relationship with God.

When you sponsor a child, you'll receive your child's photo, personal story and a child sponsorship packet by mail in approximately 10 days.

When children find out they've been sponsored, the joy they feel is indescribable. Just knowing that someone across the globe cares means more than you can imagine. Sponsoring a child in need will profoundly change the future for your child, and will change your own life as well.

Six Years as Mrs. Hutcheson

This post is going to be a bit sappy. But, to be fair, I hardly ever post mushy love posts and it's my anniversary so cut me some slack. =)

Six years ago on August 7, 2009 I made the second best decision of my life - I married Drew (the very best decision of my life being to give it to Christ!). I had no idea how to be a wife, no idea what marriage was really like, no idea how to truly set aside my selfishness for the good of another person. But I jumped into marriage with both feet and faced the steep learning curve. Let me tell you, marriage is not for the faint of heart. Choosing to combine your life with someone for better or for worse is not an easy task considering the sinful state of human nature. But it's worth the work because marriage can be refining, healing, beautiful, and fun!

God says that marriage is GOOD:

He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22 

I'm so glad God gave me the good gift of Drew. Is he perfect? Nope. But he's perfect for me. He is weak where I'm strong and he is strong where I'm weak. He balances me out and helps me think from a different perspective. In marriage it's easy to get stuck on the little annoying things your spouse does. But a few years into our marriage I realized how silly it was to pick fights over how to squeeze the toothpaste tube (FYI: Drew and I now have our own SEPARATE tubes of toothpaste because we finally decided to just agree to disagree!!! =)). But seriously, I'd rather save up my energy to fight battles that really matter, like conquering sin with each other's help or fighting through difficult life circumstances together.

We've done a lot in our six years of marriage. We've lived in two different countries, three states, and six different houses. We've had three children, completed an international adoption, and lived in Africa for a year. We have said hurtful things to each other and we have forgiven and been forgiven. We have had a blast together on numerous crazy adventures and we have laughed together till our sides hurt.

Interested in a healthy marriage? Listen to this:

"Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful."

Colossians 3: 12-15

That's a big pill to swallow!! But the closer to Christ we become the better we are able to love our spouse like this.... and it creates a sweet, sweet marriage.

I must say that my second year of marriage was better than my first, my third year was better than my second, my fourth year was better than my fifth, and my sixth year has been better than them all combined! Our marriage just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter as we continue to learn each other in and out, as we face and overcome trials together, as we walk through valleys and as we rejoice on mountaintops together. There is no one else I would rather live this life with than my very best friend!

Engaged!

Married (we saved our first kiss for our wedding day!)

First Year - Isaiah was born a month and a half after our first anniversary. 

Second year!

Third year! Eloise joined our family!

Fourth year!

Fifth year! Olive joined our family!

And Sixth Year!

I love seeing how our family has grown, our love has strengthened, and our lives have changed in these six short years. And I look forward to the next 6 (and 16 and 60 years, God willing!!).

Grandma's Funeral and The Time I Almost Missed My Plane

My blogging pattern is usually a reflection of what is going on in my life at the time. When things get quiet on the blog it usually means that my life is crazy, stressful, busy, or sad. That has been the case this past month.

A couple of years ago my Grandma Luckey was diagnosed with cancer. She had chemo and things looked ok for a while. Then, a few months ago, she started to go downhill fast. My Grandma was in Michigan so my parents (who live in Indiana) kept me updated by phone. Slowly we came to the realization that my Grandma wasn't going to recover this time. On Saturday, July 11, my mom called and told me that Hospice said Grandma had probably 8-48 hours to live. On Sunday I booked a last minute plane ticket for me and Olive to fly to Michigan that Tuesday. Then I scrambled to find people to watch Isaiah and Eloise, cancelled all the doctors appointments the kids had scheduled the following week, and prepared meals for Drew to eat while I was gone. Everything fell into place and I prayed that my Grandma would still be alive when I got to Michigan so that I could say goodbye one last time.

Grandma getting chemo several months ago.

On Tuesday Drew took off work early to bring me to the airport. I flew out of Orlando, about 2.5 hours away. We didn't leave much extra time for any unexpected delays in getting there as Drew couldn't take off any earlier than he did. I was nervous about cutting it so close but tried not to worry. Well, about half way into our trip I started to worry!! We suddenly ran into STAND STILL traffic on the high way. After doing some research on my phone (don't you love technology these days!??!) I found out that there was an accident ahead.... I also found out that there were miles of cars lined up in front of us. This was not going to be a short wait.

As the minutes ticked by and we crawled forward little by little, I began to panic! Olive started getting antsy in the back seat which only added to my stress level. Drew and I could only wait and pray that I would make my flight. After an hour in traffic we FINALLY started to move again. And boy did we move! Let's just say that Drew went a little above the speed limit!! When we finally pulled into the airport I was nervous and shakey. And I had only THIRTY minutes before my flight was scheduled to leave. I grabbed Olive, the stroller, and my bags and rushed into the airport. Sorry, Drew, no time for a hug goodbye!

There was no line at the check-in counter, praise the Lord. But the lady who checked me in was not optimistic. "I don't mean to be negative, but you're not going to make it. They close the doors 15 minutes before the plane takes off," she said as she pointed to the incredibly long line that I would have to pass through in order to get through security and to the terminals. "Well, I'm going to try," I said as I took off running. Thankfully I didn't have any bags to check or it probably would have taken just a few minute too long. I packed light and only took a carry-on!

By the time I got to the security line I was sweating and shaking like a mad woman. "PLEASE, I HAVE to get on my flight. I HAVE to get to my Grandma's funeral" I sobbed as I handed the gentleman at the beginning of the security checkpoint line my boarding pass and ID (I didn't have time to explain that she hadn't passed away yet but that I was trying to make it there in time to see her alive AND to be there for her funeral....it was just too long to say...lol). The LORD was in the details because He caused the man to have compassion on me and he directed me over to a VIP line which was 10 times shorter! Praise the Lord!

Have you ever flown on an airplane? You know the drill. Take off your shoes, empty your pockets, take out your baggy of liquids. I hurriedly and shakily did all this, looking down at my phone and seeing that I had 20 minutes before my flight was scheduled to depart....and FIVE minute before the lady at the check in counter had told me they would close the doors! My perfectly straightened hair was now all kinky, drenched with sweat. I felt like I was going to pass out. Drew, who was waiting to see if I would make the flight before driving home, texted me if I was good to go. I didn't have much time but texted back NO. I was so frazzled I couldn't get the stroller collapsed and for a second I seriously thought that darn thing was going to prevent me from getting on that plane. I finally just told the gentleman that I could NOT get the thing collapsed and that I was just going to have to push it through the detector instead of putting it on the belt. He took pity upon my tears and my shaky hands (and probably thought I was loony) and let me push it through. Olive was FREAKING out at my behavior and would not walk through the detector on her own. Every second of a delay made me think more and more that I wasn't going to make it.

After I made it through the detector and got Olive to walk through I started putting back on our shoes and repacking my bags....and noticed that my diaper bag had been set aside for additional screening. COME ON!! "PLEASE do it quickly. I NEED to make my flight!" I told the lady (again, with tears running down my cheeks). Thankfully she did work quickly. She just did a quick check on Olive's sippie cup and when she was done I grabbed the bag and RAN!

I had to take a tram after that to get to my terminal. By the grace of God a tram arrived within a few seconds and I hopped on. A man on the tram asked me if I was ok, he probably thought I needed psychiatric help!! As the tram got closer to the terminal I could SEE my plane!!!! I started to feel hopeful that I was going to make it. I got off the tram and RAN to my gate - Gate #35. Thankfully I had a stroller so I didn't have to run while holding Olive, my bag, and the diaper bag. She rolled along smoothly in the stroller!

When I got to the gate my heart sank. It was closed and empty. I rested my arm on the check in counter and cried. An employee came over and asked if I was ok. "I HAVE to get on that plane. Please, let me on. I HAVE to get on" I sobbed. He smiled, "Are you heading to Chicago? You're at the wrong gate. It's gate 34 behind you and.... they're still boarding." =) I felt like kissing that man (sorry Drew!). I looked behind me and HALLELUJAH! He was right! They were still boarding MY flight! I got in the line and was the second to the last person to board. I called Drew and told him to head on home! Praise the Lord. Thank you Jesus! I have never before in my life been so relived to make it on a plane. I was going to see my Grandma!!

Finally on the plane! What a glorious feeling!

This photo was actually taken in the airport on our way BACK from Chicago. There was absolutely NO time to take pictures in the airport on the way there. Haha. =) 

I arrived in Chicago safe and sound and stayed with my parents in Indiana. The next day we drove to Michigan to see my Grandma. It was truly heartbreaking to see her in the condition she was in. She was sleeping most of my visit but she did come to enough at one point to recognize that I was there and even said, "Oh, hi Amber." That alone was worth the cost of a last minute plate flight and a stressful trip. Through tears, I was able to see and touch my Grandma one last time. I was able to kiss her forehead and hold her hand one last time. One last time I was able to tell her that I love her and am thankful for all the wonderful memories we have together. I was able to say goodbye.

The family had an early 80th birthday party for Grandma exactly one week before she died. This is my Grandpa and Grandma at the party. 

My Grandma had a strong will to live and fought hard. She held on much longer than anyone thought. I went and saw her again on Saturday but this time she didn't move or even open her eyes. We knew the end was near. And early Sunday morning, the Lord took her to Heaven. She met Jesus face to face on July 19th, 2015 - exactly one month before her 80th birthday. Oh the joy and pain mixed together in that moment.

This was taken a year and half ago but here is Grandpa and Grandma with many (but not all!) of their grandchildren. 

And several (but not ALL) of their great grandchildren!

I was scheduled to come home on Wednesday but I ended up changing my flight so that I could be there a few days longer and be there for Grandma's funeral. That was a very hard and sad day but I am so glad that I could be with my family and friends during that difficult time. I come from a very close knit family. My Grandpa and Grandma got married when my Grandma was only 16 years old! They have 8 children (plus spouses), 33 grandchildren (plus some spouses), and 25 great grandchildren (with more to come)!! I love this big, beautiful Luckey family!!

This is the Luckey family members at the burial where we said our last goodbyes to Grandma. 

Grandma, you have left behind a wonderful, godly legacy of men and woman who will follow the Lord behind you. It was a sad, tearful goodbye but one day we know we will rejoice again with you in Heaven. I love you, Grandma. See you later!

(Oh, and my flight back home was extremely uneventful....Praise the Lord!) =)

*Grandma's obituary can be found here*

Braces, X-Rays, and Kinesio Tape - An Update on Eloise

I realized today I haven't written an update about Eloise in a while! So, here's some quick info on where we're at with her foot. (If you want to catch up on what's going on with her you can do so here and here).

Yesterday we had an appointment with pediatric orthopedics to get some x-rays done and just confirm that nothing is wrong with Eloise's hips, knees, or feet that could be causing her right foot to turn in. The x-rays came back all normal, which means that the cause of her in-turned foot is neurological. That means that it's stemming from the brain, not from any deformity in her bone structure. This is what we were expecting as we are pretty sure her condition stems from a brain injury or disease as an infant.

The orthopedist is pretty sure she does not have cerebral palsy but a possible mild form of dystonia is still on the table. He mentioned Botox as a possible option in the future and also mentioned that in a year we can reassess if she needs to continue wearing her brace or not. He was positive and encouraging, saying that her condition is very mild and he expects it to stay that way! We have appointments to see all of her doctors (pediatric physiatrist, neurologist, orthopedist, etc) again in 6-12 months, at which time they'll reassess her condition and treatment.

In the mean time we are still doing weekly physical therapy at Wolfson's and she is supposed to be wearing a foot brace all of her waking hours. I say "supposed to" because it's a constant struggle to get her to wear it. She loves to either be barefoot or wearing her ballet shoes - neither of which she can do with her brace on. =(

When she first got her brace a few months ago, she started out with a smaller brace that just reached the ankle but her physical therapist wasn't happy with it as it didn't seem to do much to straighten out her foot. Yesterday she got a new brace, one that reaches half way up her calf and controls her leg much more. I do think her foot is pretty straight with this one on and am hoping that I can get her to wear it enough to help retrain her leg/brain how her foot is supposed to turn when she walks!

Eloise also gets something called kinesio tape at each PT visit. It's a blue tape that the therapist wraps up her leg that pulls on the muscles in her leg, teaching them to pull outward instead of inward when she walks. The tape stays on for about 5 days, then falls off, then she gets more at her next appointment.

In addition to what is going on with her foot, Eloise has been getting a rash on her face and sores on her legs and feet since she was a baby so we are trying to get to the bottom of that. We have been seeing allergists and dermatologists to try and figure out what it going on. I swear, this girl LOVES doctors! (Actually she hates them, poor thing!)

Overall we are hopeful! We don't know if her condition will worsen over time. We don't know if it will ever be corrected. We don't know if we'll ever know what is causing it. But one thing we know is that the Lord keeps giving us the strength to deal with each new development, each new doctors appointment (God knows how hard it is to take 3 kids to the doctor by myself!), and whatever each day brings. For now we are thankful for a sweet, happy girl who doesn't let a little in-turned foot keep her from much of anything! Praise Him!!!