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August17th

Caleb’s New Trick

Author: Casey | Posted in: Home Life & Family

Caleb has learned a new trick this past week: high-pitched, ear-piercing squealing. It was pretty cute the first five or six times, but it started to get a little old after that!

There are some parents that think every thing their “little darling” does is just adorable. I guess it’s probably a good thing that we don’t think that. Hopefully this is just a phase and he’ll move on to less annoying sounds.

We also went to the lake this weekend and had a great time! It was nice to relax and do a little swimming. Caleb even got to float in the water a little bit with me; it was great fun!

» See some lake photos

On another note, I have TONS of video that is waiting to be captured and put online for family to see. The only problem is that I don’t have enough hard drive space to do it just yet. We’re saving up for a pretty sweet drive, so hopefully I’ll be able to post some videos soon…
August2nd

Caleb’s Journal

Author: Casey | Posted in: Home Life & Family, Spiritual

A few months before Caleb was born, Mary Beth had a brilliant idea for me to start a journal for Caleb. Hopefully, it will be a place where I can write down some of God’s wisdom for him to read when he’s a young man someday.

I know there will be some teenage years when he doesn’t want to listen to his dad’s advice, but my hope is that I can share some of that advice in this journal for him to read when he’s older. I only have a few journal entries so far, but as he grows I will continue to write down my thoughts and prayers for him.

On a similar note, being a dad is great! I love getting to come home from work and see a visible change in Caleb’s emotions when he sees me. It’s such a great feeling to know that he already loves me. I pray that I can make him proud to have me as a dad just as Proverbs says:

“Proverbs 17:6
Grandchildren are the crown of old men, And the glory of sons is their fathers.
”

As a boy, I can remember thinking that my dad was the coolest person in the world, and I still think extremely highly of him. My hope and prayer is that I can teach Caleb what it means to be an authentic man by my actions and example, just as my father did…

Well, I can’t write a post without putting something in here for the grandparents. So, here’s an audio clip of Caleb talking and cooing the other night. Enjoy!
July26th

Mary Beth is Online!

Author: Casey | Posted in: Random Thoughts

My wife, Mary Beth, decided to start her own blog. She is a magnificient writer who has a lot of insightful things to say. Her thoughts never cease to amaze me!

So, go take a look around her site and don’t forget to sign up to be notified when she updates!
July24th

Weekend on the Farm

Author: Casey | Posted in: Home Life & Family, Travel

Our family went up to visit my grandparents in Gravette, AR this weekend. We enjoyed getting to spend time with my grandparents and they just LOVED getting to see Caleb.

All of the relatives on my mom’s side live on a large farm near my grandparents’ house. So there were plenty of aunts, uncles, and cousins for Caleb to meet also. We didn’t do a whole lot, but we got to spend some good time with my granddad, who has been pretty sick lately.

Caleb has now met all four sets of his great-grandparents, and hopefully he will have many more wonderful memories with all of them…

» View some more photos
July20th

Our Family Mission

Author: Casey | Posted in: Featured, Home Life & Family, Spiritual

Mary Beth and I sat down last night to design our Family Mission Statement together. It took us a while to come up with an idea, but Mary Beth was the one who decided to use verbs to define how we wanted our family to be. We both sat at the computer for a little over an hour while I put some graphics together. It really was a 100% team effort!

I co-taught a class at church last fall based on the book by Stephen Covey, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families.” After the class was over, Mary Beth and I fully intended to write our Family Mission Statement together, but we never got around to it. So, we finally decided to “Put first things first” and come up with something.

I hope this will be something that we can hang on our wall and live by for years to come. I hope our great-grandchildren will look at this someday and be inspired by the mission that we have chosen to live by. I pray that it will truly be a blessing for our family!
July11th

Meet Cammie

Author: Casey | Posted in: Home Life & Family

My niece, Cameron (or Cammie for short), was born yesterday and she weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz. Cory said that she practically walked out!

So, Caleb now has ANOTHER cousin to play with. Our family is so blessed to have such good relationships with all of our “distant” relatives. I grew up surrounded by dozens of cousins, which I loved (most of the time!). My prayer is that Caleb will also have many cousins on both sides of his family with which to play.

Send Brad & Cory your congratulations by leaving a comment on this post…

» See more photos
July2nd

Four Generations

Author: Casey | Posted in: Home Life & Family, Spiritual

This morning, we were blessed to accompany my mom and dad as they returned to church for the first time since their accident. My dad seemed more like himself while we were worshipping; he even got up to thank everyone for all that the church has done for them over the past several weeks. It was an emotional morning for him after being away from his church family for about a month. We were so glad to be there with him, and Caleb was the well-behaved baby that he always is until he peed on his mom about 15 minutes before church was over. How do you recover from that when you’re sitting on the front row?! Fortunately, it dried quickly.

After church, the Picker men posed on the back porch. I feel so blessed to be part of the generations of Picker men that have served the Lord. I am grateful for all that my dad and my grandfather have taught me about being a man of God and hope to instill these same values in Caleb. I know that one day he will appreciate his wonderful heritage of faith.
July1st

Blessings Abound

Author: Casey | Posted in: Home Life & Family

My parents are both doing great at home, and life is starting to return to a state of normalcy. They received over 300 cards and several banners from friends and family while my dad was in the hospital. It’s just amazing to see the outpouring of love and consideration that have been shown to my family.

My dad is still on the IV feeding tube and he is eating a very limited diet. It’s going to be a long recovery, but I think he’s willing to do what it takes to get back to 100%. Again, thanks for all of your prayers, cards, and flowers. They have encouraged my parents a great deal!
June22nd

Home Sweet Home

Author: Casey | Posted in: Home Life & Family, Spiritual

My dad is finally back home! He was released from the hospital this morning, and he sounded very glad to be out of there. He’s still on the feeding tube, but at least he can relax in a comfortable setting.

A nurse will come by everyday to change out his fluids and check on him. His diet will still be pretty restricted, so he’ll just take it slow in the beginning. He’s pretty much just on clear liquids and maybe a few popsicles, but I know that everyday he will continue to improve and will eventually be able to eat everything he used to (With the Lord’s help!).

I’m so proud of my dad. I always knew that he was a very strong, persevering person, and to watch him over these past few weeks has just confirmed everything I always knew about him. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard of a struggle this has been for him, but I’m just so proud of the way that he has stayed positive and optimistic through the whole ordeal.

WE LOVE YOU DAD!!

Again, I just want to thank everyone for their constant prayers on behalf of my dad. I know that his healing is a direct result of your peitions to God. Our family thanks you!
June20th

JELL-O Time!

Author: Casey | Posted in: Home Life & Family, Spiritual

Well, on Saturday in the middle of the night my dad pulled out the drainage tube in his nose. He must have done it in his sleep because he said that he didn’t remember doing it. They also had him on some other medication that made him a little “loopy” so that might have contributed to it as well. After hearing this, the doctor decided just to wait and see how he responds without the tube. It’s been about 72 hours and he’s now doing great!

He had an X-Ray this morning to see how his intestines were healing, and after looking at the results, the doctor came back and told him that he was “Amazed”! He said that stuff was getting through and he could start drinking water and eating Jell-O! I’m sure my dad was SUPER excited to hear that news after not eating or drinking anything in over a week.

The doctor also said that he will probably be able to go home soon, but will still be on an IV and feeding tube for a while. He’ll keep waiting for everything to fully heal, but at least he’ll be able to rest at home. God just continues to answer all of our prayers, so don’t stop praying!