A tribute to Maria Chapman

It has been ten days since little Maria Chapman left this world for Heaven. I found a couple of tributes to her on Youtube and thought I would share them with you. Kim, Hannah and I went to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert on April 19th. We were volunteering for the Chapman's organization Shaohannah's Hope. It was a very nice evening and Hannah loved it. She danced and listened intently when Steven sang her favorite song Cinderella. We have a special bond with the Chapman family because they used the same adoption agency to adopt maria as we did to adopt Hannah. Please continue to join us in prayer for this family. I can't imagine what they are still going through. I pray to God we never expierence that kind of pain. We will all miss you Maria! Wait for us.

Dad! Where is my zucchini?

I got home from the station around 8:30 or so. It was a pretty quiet night, no real tragedies. I had told Hannah we could go in the pool when I got home and after I mowed the lawn. Kim was awaiting me to relieve her so she could recuperate. Kim stayed home from school today because she has been battling a bad upper respiratory infection this past week. I think she is kicking it though, because Kim had made pancakes and we enjoyed a nice breakfast together. It even felt like a weekend all of us being together. Later, after brekafast I went to use the bathroom and of course that is when Hannah likes to talk to us the most. Why she wants to talk to me while I am sitting on the john is beyond me. Sorry to give you that gross visual! Anyway, Hannah comes in and she is asking me " Where is my zucchini?" I am thinking to myself, why in the world does this kid want zucchini at nine in the morning? I am completely at a loss for words but she keeps asking me. I said, go ask mommy, it is in the fridge. She looks at me like I am nuts and then it dawns on me. She wants her BIKINI. Wow that is too cute!!! I laughed all morning about that one. I explained to her through the tears of laughter that we would get her bikini after I was done cutting the lawn.
After cutting the lawn I found Hannah and we went swimming for about an hour or so in the pool. We had fun and I put on a happy face for my little girl. You see, lately the pool has not been the same for me. I find myself really tense while swimming and playing in the pool with Hannah. I really want her to learn how to swim now. On Memorial Day, I had to work. My crew and I ran a very tragic call near the Fire station. A baby boy wandered out a sliding glass door to the pool area and squeezed passed the pool gate. He was found by his family, face down in the family pool. We were on scene within minutes and myself and 4 of the best medics in the department worked on this baby feverishly, until a medical helicopter arrived and took him to a pediatric trauma center in Tampa, where he later passed away. I feel so much pain for that family. I can't imagine losing a child to such a terrible accident. I ran through a gamut of emotions since then. I was angry, profoundly sad, fearful and so confused by it all. Drownings are the leading cause of death in 1-4 year olds in Florida. These calls are never easy and I am afraid they will never stop. I think of the Chapman family and how tragic the death of little Maria has been. I often question God, Why? When I do that I read the book of Job and it helps me to make some sense of it all. The bottomline is, go hug your kids and please watch them. You can not possibly watch them every moment but try and do all you can to prevent accidents. Here is a good site http://www.safekids.org/tips/tips.html . I hope you did not get down from this post. Go reread the zuchhini stuff again! Love you guys.

Meet the Princess

In a castle you have to have a princess, right? Some days Hannah likes to be Cinderella or Belle, or maybe even Sleeping Beauty. She loves to dress up and be a girlie girl through and through. I am soooo glad she has not yet expected me to dress up like a Princess ..Uh...well...Oh. I guess it is already too late for that. It was not one of my proudest moments but Daddies do things for their kids that are a sacrifice and things they usually don't admit to others. Wearing tiaras, and having tea parties, or dancing like a goof are some examples. I am secure enough in my manhood that I have no problem doing silly girlie stuff for my daughter. She is so worth that to me. Some day she might not want to play games with her dad. I have to remember that when I am tired or in a bad mood. Listening to her giggle at me makes my heart sing. There is something miraculous when a three year old looks right at you, unprovoked and says " I love you Daddy". It is the best feeling in the world. It makes the sacrifices worth while. Romans 15:2 reminds me that we should please others even if it does not please us. Romans 14:8 reads while we live, we live to please the Lord. That is all that matters. I have to go, Hannah wants to show me her newly polished nails. :)

Well I guess it is official? Life in the castle

I guess I am now a blogger. Who would have thought? I have always wanted to write but just never knew what it was I wanted to say. I thought for my first post I would talk about my daughter. Yes, my princess whose castle I live in. I don't know what that makes me because we all know that God is the king. We are all part of his royal family though. We just have to make the choice of wether or not we choose to live in his kingdom. This family has chosen to do just that. It is a difficult walk through his kingdom but it is worth the effort. God has given us a very precious gift and I cherish every moment that she walks this earth. I am so often reminded of the frailty of life at work and on the nightly news. I pray for her safety, health, happiness and success every day. I know that she has been entrusted to our care from our Lord. I know that everything I say and do, she absorbs. I pray that I do all of the right things. I know that is not possible but I think the good stuff will far outweigh the bad stuff. We are all human afterall. Mistakes have to be made. With God, we pray she becomes what God wants her to be. she is such a special little girl. I am forever amazed by her. I love you Hannah!