Wordless Wednesday

How neat to watch Carter play. What an awesome Creator we have!

Thankful Thursdays

I am so thankful today for the fact that I am so rich. Yes, that's right. I'm rich. And it's the greatest thing ever.

Am I rich by the world's standards? Probably not. We drive a car that is 10 years old and one that is 12 years old (we like our cars and they're both payed off!), our kids share a bedroom (and love it!), and we mostly eat at home.

But I am rich. Why? I have a husband who I love and he loves me no matter what and cares for me and our children. I have an almost 3-year old daughter who is a joy. She loves to talk, sing, and dance and is so happy! She wants to be a Mommy when she grows up. I have a 5-month old son who loves to smile, laugh, and give hugs. Really, he does hug us! It's great. We have a wonderful time together as a family. I am also blesssed by our decision and desire for me to be home with the kids, raising them to love the Lord, even if that means we don't have the newest cars and the biggest house. That's okay, because these things make me rich, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Proverbs 10:22
"The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it."

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Meals

So, I usually plan my dinners out for a two week time period to help me keep budget and be more productive with my time at the grocery store. I don't always follow the plan exactly, but at least I have what I need for two weeks of inexpensive, tasty meals. I thought I would post what our plans are on a weekly basis, not because I know of any one is who interested, but because I thought it would help keep me accountable and keep us from spending money eating out! So here goes...

Monday: Tacos

(I usually make a pound of meat at a time and freeze it in 1/2 pound servings.)

Tuesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs

(I made a super easy big batch of meatballs and froze them.)

Wednesday: Dinner at Church

Thursday: Pot Roast

Friday: Dinner for Ten

(10 youth will be coming to our house for dinner)

Saturday: Grilled Pork Chops

Sunday: Chicken in the Crockpot

Carter Luke Vermilyea - Part 21


So, where are we today, you may ask?
Looking back over the past 5 months since Carter was born, it is amazing to see the growth I have gone through emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Emotionally, I have gone from crying often because I didn’t know how Carter would do things with only one hand, to crying tears of joy and amazement when I see him ALREADY using his arm to do many things. Mentally, I have gone from constantly thinking about his missing hand and concerning myself over what that means, to rarely thinking about it and being unable to imagine him any different. Spiritually, I have always known that God created Carter with only one hand. But the change has come in the way I trust God’s plan. In the beginning, I worried a lot about how he would do things (from crawling to holding his wive’s hand one day), but now I am excited about what God is going to do in Carter’s life and how he is going to use him for His own glory.

Do I still get emotional sometimes? Do I still cry? Yes, there are times it is still quite emotional. A little while ago I looked at Carter taking a nap. I saw his arm, and many emotions came flooding back. There are times now that my heart breaks when I see him playing with his toys on his highchair tray, and he gets frustrated because he can’t reach them. He doesn’t know why he can’t, but I do. These things are emotional and sometimes leave a little lump in my throat, but I have no doubt that God created Carter the way he is, that it was no accident, and that the Creator will take care of him always.

We are excited to see how God will use Carter’s life for his glory and hope that maybe, through sharing this journey, He already has. We look forward to the day that Carter attracts attention because he is doing something “one-handed” and he then shares about God, who created him that way.

I remember a conversation I had with my mom a few days after Carter was born. (Did I already share this?) Things were still so new, but even then I told her that I felt like maybe one day I would stand in front of others, maybe a MOPS group or something else, and share how God had used this situation in our life and Carter’s. That I could encourage others who may be going through a difficult situation. The specific thing I told my mom, though, was that I HATE to speak in front of people. But I could see how he was already changing me to one day be able to share. I may never have opportunity, but to feel that change in my own spirit is neat.

As far as Ryan’s thoughts at this point, I am going to let him share. I will put it up as my next post. He wants to write from his perspective. Maybe I can also get Caroline to share some things – that would be awesome!

Carter Luke Vermilyea - Part 20


We are so thankful for a program called Early Steps. It is actually a state-funded therapy program for children ages 0-3 who qualify. Through this program, Carter will receive an hour of Occupational Therapy every other week in our home. We know that Carter doesn’t need the therapy to learn how to use his arm. He uses it in amazing ways already. However, having a therapist come and observe how he is growing and using his arm is a great way to monitor everything and helps us as parents know we aren’t missing anything. The therapist has been very nice and is great with Carter. We look forward to all we will learn in the process and can pass on to others who may not have the opportunity to see a therapist.

Carter Luke Vermilyea - Part 19

Not long after Carter was born, we began to hear people talking about Shriner’s Hospitals for Children. We had several parents tell us their children were sponsored there. I didn’t know what that meant and begun to research it. After not really finding any information, we just so happened to find out that a church member’s good friend was a Shriner. Within days, he called us and offered to sponsor Carter at Shriner’s Hospital. We didn’t really know what that meant at the time, but later found out that they will be a great support to us as Carter grows up.

We were signed up for an appointment with Shriner’s in Tampa the beginning of March. It was an emotional time for us. As we pulled into the parking lot of the hospital it just hit me all over again as to why we were there, that I never imagined we would be. It also overwhelmed me that we could be there, at a very special place, because other’s care about kids. As we sat in the waiting area we watched many other children run around, read books, play, or sit with their parents. There were children of all ages there. I was choked up pretty much the whole time we sat there. I realized Ryan was pretty quiet too. I asked him how he was and he said, “I was just thinking how everyone here actually kind of knows what we have been thinking and feeling. Here people understand.” It was interesting to think about how in that waiting room, Carter wasn’t so different.

There were children there with all kinds of orthopedic things going on, some with more than just orthopedic. How wonderful to realize that God was using that place to minister to us and other families.

We met with a Care Coordinator first, who basically will be a contact person for us if we need anything! She was so kind and helpful, ready to help with anything. We saw a nurse practitioner who checked our Carter and looked at the x-rays we brought. We were able to meet another little boy (around 9 years old) who has the same limb difference as Carter. It was great to meet someone else, who seemed happy and doing great.

Shriner’s will provide Carter with care (in regards to his limb difference) and prosthetics through the age of 18. Isn’t that wonderful? (We don’t necessarily want him to have them, but we want him to have the opportunity if he chooses to do so. Most kids don’t want them and as adults don’t really use them either.) They are going to see him again when he turns 1 and see how he is progressing. Our time there was a wonderful experience. We are so thankful!

(On a side note, we were told while we were there that because of funding they may not always be able to provide this service free of cost. (Prosthetics are very expensive.) So, let me encourage you to give to the Shriner’s you see when you are out and about! It is a wonderful service to support, and so many kids they are reaching (in more difficult situations than Carter).

Carter Luke Vermilyea - Part 18


At some point in those first few weeks after Carter was born, I was reading Psalm 139:13-14. I had read it many times in those weeks, and several people had written it down in emails or messages. But, for some reason it really hit home and made sense to me that day.

Psalm 139:13-14
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

You see, it wasn’t until that day that I really thought about the fact that God MADE Carter. I mean, I had said it and all, but it was the first time I had really thought about how He specifically made Carter with one hand. It wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t a mistake. It was His plan. When God was knitting him together, He made him with one hand. There is a reason. There is a plan. Isn’t that wonderful?

So, I have two children. Caroline, 2 years old (very soon to be 3) was born with two hands. Carter, 4 ½ months, was born with one hand. Both were created by God. Both were fearfully and wonderfully made. God’s works are wonderful. I know that full well.

Carter Luke Vermilyea - Part 17

It is so interesting to hear things Caroline, and other children, say about Carter’s arm and lack of a hand. I thought I would share a few of them.

Caroline was sitting beside me holding Carter not long after he was born. She was looking at a little book which he happened to touch with his arm. She said, “Carter, you can’t have a book! You don’t have a hand!” It was the first and only negative-type comment she has said. It took me by surprise, and almost made me cry, but then I realized that she was only saying what she knew. In her eyes, she thought, “He can’t hold this book without a hand.” So, I talked to her about how he will be able to do just about anything he wants to with his arm. That God will help his brain to know how to learn to do things without his hand. And that was that.

One of Caroline’s little friends, Nathan, looked at Carter one day and pointed to his arm and said, “Hand? Where hand?” This was after having been around Carter for quite some time. It took awhile for him to even notice.

Caroline was in the nursery one Sunday with Carter (only 6 weeks old) and a little girl, Madison, just a few months older than Carter. The teachers kept referring to Madison as a baby. Caroline corrected them several times by telling them she wasn’t a baby. When they finally asked her why she thought Madison wasn’t a baby, she said, “Because she has two hands.” So, obviously Caroline thought (or thinks maybe still) that all babies start out with just one hand, and eventually you get the other. On the way home from church we talked to her about how Carter will not grow his other hand. We reminded her that God made her with two hands, and Carter with one.

Another friend’s little girl, Carly (4 years old) was talking to her mom one day about something she did when she was a baby. She said, “Hey mom, when I was a baby, you know, when I only had one hand, did I…..?” She said this several times to her mom in those months after Carter was born.

My nephew Connor (2 years old) was at our house (along with his siblings and my sister-in-law) for a week helping me out around the house and with the kids. One day I was holding Carter, and Connor pointed to him and said, “Hand?” It took me a second to realize what he was referring to, then he said it again, “Hand? Broke?” He knew it wasn’t there, but didn’t really know why. So, I told him the same thing we tell everyone who asks about it – God made him with only one hand.

These are the ones that stand out in my memory right now. I’m sure there are more, and I am sure there will be many others!