Summer 2016: Sweet Cheeks Turns 11/IHOP Invasion

This is by far one of my favorite summer memories. My blog includes all the good stuff, but there are also hard days. During this time, we were getting the news of the summer crisis in Turkey. Our hearts were so heavy. People were asking, "Well, surely you won't go back, right?" and that's not how we felt at all. Not even our kids felt that way. We began praying that things would settle down and that we'd have no obstacles in the way our our return. It just didn't "seem" that the Lord would provide this beautiful new campus only to have us never occupy it. Its provision had been so miraculous.

Sweet Cheeks birthday #11 was that Friday we were in Memphis. We surprised her with the suggestion that we get her ears pierced. She wanted to! 

My baby. With ears pierced. 

I always buy birthday cakes for her. She's the only CampbellClansKid with a birthday in America. And America has SUCH good birthday cakes. Corner piece. More icing. That kind. 

And amid the heartache of what was going on around us, we woke up and took the kids to IHOP to celebrate SC. They had never been to IHOP, so we explained the entire concept. It's called breakfast, but it's really dessert for breakfast. Here's what she chose. 

I remember that morning feeling like my eyes were swollen and my heart was heavy. But we went to IHOP and my focus shifted for a wonderful, brief time to all that God has given me. A husband who loves me and loves Jesus, kids that are doing well and discovering God on their own (not just because it's our faith), health, people who love us, a God who is in control. This picture reminds me of the shift I had that morning. Please also note what everyone ordered. There was exactly one thing on the menu under 500 calories. It's sitting in front of me. We had a good laugh about the limited options. But I did enjoy my meal, not because of the food, but because of these sweet 6 around me. 

And the IHOP girls didn't disappoint. The blonde in the middle heard it was a birthday and rallied her troops. It was so fun. 

And after all that sugar and goodness, they delivered a dessert to her!!! Everyone was up to their eyeballs in sugar, but I forced them all to eat a bite so it wouldn't be so rude that we left the dessert untouched. One bite turned to 2 and between the 6 of them, we ate it! 

I'm thankful for this escape this summer!