All posts by Samantha Jolicoeur

Nya loves Alan Jackson

Faith & Hope

Thanks to long car rides, I recently I got Nya (age 2) and Josiah (age 4) totally hooked on Alan Jackson’s Precious Memories CD.

My Papa was a Baptist Preacher, so naturally I already knew all the songs on this album. And since they were so dear to me in my upbringing, I wanted to pass them along to my babies.

Needless to say, they now know all the words to the first 15 songs on disc one And it brings me great joy that they are always asking Alexa to play these songs as well.

A heavy dose of this music makes me super happy. My husband Kevin on the other hand, not so much. He appreciates a good hymn once in a blue moon. But a steady dose is not his thing.

A couple of weeks ago, Josiah & Nya were riding with their daddy in his truck. Josiah asked Kevin, “Dad will you play Softly & Tenderly by Alan Jackson?” Since Kevin had had his fill of hymns, he told Josiah, “I got a fun song by Alan Jackson called Chattahoochee!”

He played it & the kids thought the song was so funny. Kevin later told me it was great compromise- the kids still get to hear Alan Jackson and he doesn’t have to hear anymore hymns. 😂

But my favorite part of all this is when Nya wants to play Chattahoochee on Alexa. Check this out. 👇

So Nya loves Alan Jackson. If you ask her what her favorite Alan Jackson song is, she will tell you “Hat-a-hoochee.” But thanks to the Precious Memories album, she will probably also tell you “Blood of the Lamb” (Aka- Are You Washed in the Blood).

I love my kids

Up last night

Faith & Hope, ,

12:45 am – 4:30 am

That’s how long Gideon was up last night. After 7 and a half years, we have come to expect these kind of shenanigans from him.

As soon as I hear him yell, my mind plays the guessing game as to why he’s up this time. Did we give him his Charlottes Web CBD oil? Did he eat too late? Is he too cold? Too hot? Is he hungry? Did he 💩? Is he getting sick? Or is this just one of those times that he’s just up for no reason?

Well tonight, it was a 💩 show. Now sometimes we can change him and he’ll go back to sleep within 30 minutes or so, but not last night. Kevin and I took turns tagging in, but neither of us could get him to go back to sleep. We tried a bottle, his vibrating toy, rocking, all our bag of tricks, but nothing worked.

Close to 4 am, Kevin went to seek sleep else where because he has to coach a volleyball game in a few hours. And I stayed to ride out the last wave with G. Thankfully around 4:20 Gideon was mad, which usually indicates we are close to sleep again. So I gave him his favorite vibrating toy, laid him down and let him holler. Within 10 minutes, he was asleep.

Praise God nights like these only happen a few times each month. Nevertheless they are exhausting.

But I know I’m not alone in this. There are so many other families that function on way less sleep than we do. And on nights like tonight I pray for these families. Sleep deprivation is no joke. The physical and mental toll it takes on a person is brutal.

We have been so blessed by our community with love and support. Nights like these are more bearable because we know people are praying for us. So if you know someone who probably isn’t getting much sleep, I want to challenge you to send them a note/text of encouragement. I think most parents (whether they have a special needs child or not) need to know that someone is rooting for them during these long, sleepless nights.

Lord, so many parents are functioning on very little sleep. We love our kids and it’s hard to raise them well when we haven’t had the proper rest. I pray that you sustain us today like only you can. I pray that we lovingly respond to the days trials rather than react from exhaustion. And finally Lord let these littles ones go to bed early tomorrow night and sleep all night. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

One year ago

Faith & Hope

My favorite part of Facebook is the Memories. Most of the time, I scroll through them and laugh. But today, this was the post and photo marked, one year ago.

Hard to believe one year ago, Gideon contracted a virus that led to hospice & funeral planning. Since he was 7 months old, we have known that one day we will bury our boy. And while I cannot fathom the grief, despair, and utter devastation of my heart when that day comes, I trust that the Lord will carry us through. 

Psalm 139 reminds us that all our days were ordained before we ever came to be. And while we do not live with a spirit fear, we do love & live each day as though any day could be our last.

As I reflect back on this time last year I’m reminded of just how loved we are as a family. Not only by our sweet Savior Jesus, but by our family, friends and church body. We are so thankful to be a part of Crosspoint Community Church. They truly were the hands and feet of Jesus during such a difficult time.

We are also thankful for our social media followers who sent such love and encouragement from all over the world. It gives my heart such joy to know that our sweet Gideon has impacted your lives even though you have never met him.

So thank you all for following our journey. We hope to keep you smiling & laughing with videos of Gideon and his siblings for years to come; but most of all, we pray for God to be glorified in how we walk this journey out. ♥️