Snug as a bug in Denver

We have arrived in Denver!

We left Snowmass this morning a little bit before 10am and arrived in Denver around 3pm. We took a very beautiful route which brought us through Independence Pass. (I stole the pic above from the previous link.) Unfortunately, we didn't spend too much time at the scenic overlooks because it was so stinkin' cold out. A simple jacket for the boys just wouldn't have cut it. JB ran up and took a few pics, but we all stayed in the car. We actually saw snow. In July! I think the road is only open between May and August so we were glad to get the opportunity to drive it.

Believe it or not, Elijah returned to his normal feeding schedule like clockwork today. It was as if he knew he wasn't at that high elevation anymore. The entire time we were in Snowmass, E. only drank about one-third to one-half his normal amount. But today he is right on to finish where he normally does. I guess he is feeling better. I guess altitude can make people not want to eat. This was definitely the case with him. I'd work for an hour just to get him to take an ounce or two all day long at the condo.

We made a pit stop at a Burger King. Funny how before kids, JB and I would avoid fast food at all costs. We still don't like it much but having the opportunity to let Isaac play for an hour while we sit and eat is something we just can't pass up. So we purposely look for playlands when we start looking for a stop. When the boys are older, we may try to do rest stops instead. Unfortunately, Isaac makes a beeline for the road at all rest stops right now so those are out.

Our hotel is only a few miles from the airport. We paid an extra twenty dollars for an upgrade to a suite. Way worth it! There will be plenty of room to put one boy on each side of the room. In addition, they have an indoor pool. Both boys LOVED being in the water -- Isaac especially. He has never been in a formal pool before and showed no fear.

JB is going to fill up the rental car with gas and pick us up some dinner in a few minutes. Tomorrow morning we'll be headed back to Eglin. Your prayers for happy babies and smooth travels are much appreciated.

"See" you all when we get back.

Six Months Old

Well this was the closest we captured to a good picture of Elijah during our not-so-happy-photographic session yesterday. I really feel like I am unable to capture Elijah's "jolly" personality either on film or camera. He has a hearty chuckle and a grin that just says, "If you kiss me or hold me, I'll be your friend forever." He's grabbing at things, scooting backwards, rolling all over the place, starting to try to sit up, and in love with his big brother. Nothing can make him cry harder than hearing Isaac cry or laugh harder than seeing Isaac laugh. I'm so blessed by both my boys! Happy half a year Elijah Luke.

Last day in Snowmass

Six a.m. Elijah wakes up. Nice JB offers to go feed him. Fantastic. I roll over. Back to sleep. An hour later. Bedroom door opens. JB is standing in doorway holding Elijah. Isaac is standing by his feet.

"Question," JB asks. "Did you get Isaac out of his crib?"

"Answer," I reply, "is absolutely not."

A few seconds later we were able to deduce how Isaac had joined the family without any help. His crib, was broken. The board holding the mattress had broken away from the crib. Isaac had slid out from the bottom between the matress and the rest of the crib and then, since this condo has those fancy doorknobs that you have to pull to open instead of twist, had just walked right out to say good morning to us.

JB said he did make the sign for "night-night" when he saw his Daddy, as if to say, "Daddy, there is something majorly wrong with my night-night."

Add to that the fact that Elijah is now scooting around when we set him on the bed or floor now and I guess you can say that both our boys are really growing up. Isaac can open doors. Elijah is not staying in one spot. Is my life about to get even more complicated?

. . . anyways, on to the rest of the day.

After Rob left early this morning, JB and I decided to head out for some breakfast and fun around Snowmass. We were hoping to take a gondola to the top of the mountain. But then we realized the gondolas only go down to the "base camp" area. Only the ski lifts go up. We really wanted to go, but each of us balancing a baby in our lap just didn't seem to be as peaceful as riding a gondola (or as safe) so we decided to head down into the base camp area instead via the gondola. There was a great kids' play area that we spent quite a bit of time at.

Here are some pictures of our morning.

Riding the gondola. Great views.

Cute snap of Isaac outside.

Another one I couldn't resist putting up on the blog.

Mom attempting a pic with both boys in the indoor play "Tree house" play area.

JB helping Isaac climb into the tree house.

Hanging out outside.

Mom trying to help Elijah sit up for a photo. As you can see, neither boy is excited about this photo. I'll let the boys tell the rest of the story.

Elijah: "Hey Isaac. It's okay. Let's just take a photo together for Dad and Mom. It'll be quick."

Isaac: "Are you crazy little brother? I don't want to take no stinkin' photo!"

Elijah: "You know, I think you are right. I don't think I want to take a photo either."

Elijah: "I think I am going to cry with you big brother."

Elijah: "And now I think I am going to fall over with you, big brother!"

Okay, enough photos. After our day out, we headed back to our condo, where housekeeping brought a new crib and we started the painful packing process. JB will pick up our rental vehicle tomorrow morning, and we'll be on our way to Denver where we have another hotel booked. We have had a wonderful time but are excited to get home and also to see Scrubby again. Seeing all these doggies really makes us all miss him!

Not sure I'll get to post again before our departure. If not, I'll see you all back in good ol' humid and hot Florida.

All by myself

Kelsey is gone. I knew I would miss her, but it really hit me this morning. It could be a very long time before we see her again. In addition, I am on my own in the condo with the boys. Just another reason to miss her.

Last night was the banquet. Great food, great people, and a great talk by a mountain climbing physician. While the talk was very interesting, I am awfully confused why people would want to climb something that might kill them.

Today is the last day of the conference. Tomorrow, we will hang out here in Snowmass as a family before heading to Denver on Friday morning in preparation for our Saturday morning flight. It will be nice to break up the return trip in two days (one day driving to Denver and one day flying home) instead of doing it all at once as we did on the way here.

We discussed leaving for Denver tomorrow morning instead as we continued to monitor Elijah's dealing with the altitude. However, while his fluid intake is way down (less than half of what it usually is), the general consensus by the three docs staying in the condo with us is that he is getting enough fluids and sleeping well enough to be okay for another day or two. Either way, I'm sure his body will appreciate the decent to Denver on Friday.

Off to make some lunch. JB should be home to share it with us any minute.

Excess chub and other Colorado adventures

Elijah hanging out with Kelsey while she catches up with some friends.

Kelsey leaves tomorrow morning to head back to her real life. What a wonderful, nearly week, we have spent with her in the mountains. I could not have managed myself and the two boys at the condo without her help that's for sure. Not only do we live on the second floor (with no elevator), but Kelsey is comfortable driving around the area being as she is a local. She is also able to help me walk back up the steep hill that is required of any trips around our condo!

I am blessed in my life by many wonderful friends. But I have a few friends who I can truly open up my heart and soul with. Kelsey is one of those friends. I have been going through a few things lately and Kelsey was able to just listen. To just be my friend. I needed that so much. The moment I saw her, it felt like I was home, even though I was thousands of miles away from the place/s I consider home. It was such a blessing to have her with me during this time.

Our days are fairly similar. Each morning, Kelsey gets up to go to mass while the guys get up to head to their conference. I also get up but not to go anywhere. For me it's bath time, eat time, bottle time, nap time. Then Kelsey comes back and she and I usually attempt at least one activity. One day we went to the park. Another day we went to the little mall. Another day we went to this little gymnasium where they let toddlers play with the balls and play mats. Isaac loved it. He ran from big ball to big ball with a huge grin on his face, talking to the balls in a language only he understands as he went.

After our morning activity, we head back to the condo to meet the guys for lunch. Following lunch, it's naps for the boys (hopefully at the same time). The guys then come back around 5pm, and JB heads to the kitchen to make us all food. He has done some Indian, Mediterranean, and last night some Thai. Last night's dinner was especially fun as we ate it while watching the finale of The Bachelor. Everyone here was cheering for "the chubby guy" and very excited to see a "real man" (not chiseled mind you), win! Go Ed! I haven't watched any of the episodes, but it will still fun to watch the finale, especially with a bunch of people making sarcastic and cynical comments during the entire thing.

Tonight, Kelsey is going to babysit so that JB and I can have a date. We are attending the conference banquet. What a wonderful gift. She stayed an extra day just to bless us with this!

This afternoon, JB had two hours off for lunch. Kelsey and I took the boys and met the guys and a little soup and sandwich place a few blocks from our condo. I had a ham, apple, and brie sandwich. It was fantastic! Afterwards, we let Isaac walk around and play.

Isaac playing. Holding his matchbox cars, one in each hand. Stopping to drive them on any new textures he finds. Rocks. Grates. Cement. Grass. Patting his stomach "please" when a kid nearly knocks him over -- his little eyes saying, "Please don't make me fall down." Walking up a hill hand-in-hand with Daddy. Asking for help walking down. Only asking for help when he really needs you. Striving for independence while not wanting to let you out of his sight. Smiling from ear to ear anytime he sees a "puppy." Waddling up to strangers to show him his cars. Falling down. Getting up. Trying again. Wanting to maneuver up any stairs he sees, but patting his belly if the stairs are too big for him to do alone. "Please hold my hand so I can go up these stairs." Saying please in front of every store to see if we will let him go into that one.

I could watch Isaac play all day. I am amazed, each time I do, that this little boy is our little boy. I don't look at him and think, "There's my adopted son."I look at him and think, "There is my son." My heart wells with love for him.

I think of my friend Becky and Stephanie and others in the early stages of adoption. My heart wells with excitement for them as well. Adoption is soooo cool. Isaac is sooooo cool. I remember asking JB once if he thought we were proponents of adoption simply because Isaac was just the best kid ever. JB laughed. He reminded me of all of our friends who have adopted. They all think that their kid is the best kid ever. So obviously, adoption in general, is pretty stinkin' cool. I can't imagine our lives without Isaac.

This has nothing to do with Colorado. But it is on my mind nonetheless. It also makes me think of Elijah and the fact that he got his first tooth while we have been here. He still isn't eating very much, but he is sleeping better, and as JB said, "It's not like the kid is hurting for calories." So, right, he has a little bit of excess chub "in reserve." I'm sure he'll be fine until we move to a lower altitude on Friday.

All right, off to get ready for our date night.

P.S. Have to put out a Happy Birthday to Ebby! I love you friend!

Morning in the mountains

Question: do my boys look like they are the same age in the picture above? That's the new question I am getting from everyone. "Are they twins?" In my honest opinion I don't think they look the same age but maybe I am just seeing things differently because I am their mom? Either way, we are thoroughly enjoying the cool mornings, rain storms in the evenings, and mild afternoons. It's absolutely gorgeous here!

Cool afternoon at the park

Hard to believe it's July with temperatures in the 40-50's overnight and 60-70's during the day. It was fun to get my boys in some of their warm clothes. Yesterday, Kelsey and I drove to a park about 2-3 miles from our condo for a fun afternoon outside, despite the drizzle that eventually rained us out. The guys are busy from about 7:30-11:30 and then 1:00-5:00 each day so we try to find at least one activity to get us out of the condo.

Isaac on the playground, keeping his matchbox car very close at hand.

Another shot of Isaac at the plaground.

While Isaac still doesn't like the swings, Elijah thought it was pretty cool!

Bit of Altitude Sickness

JB is pretty convinced that our little Elijah is fighting some altitude sickness. Apparently 8,000 feet is pretty high. And apparently this height can cause insomnia and lack of appetite -- both of which Elijah has.

At home, Elijah sleeps through the night 95% of the time. Here, he has been waking up nearly every hour. The wake up is very short. We just roll him over, resettle him, and he seems to work his way back to sleep. But hourly resettlings are cause for pretty long nights!

In addition, he isn't eating very much at all. He'll usually take his morning bottle but the rest of the day he is only taking 1-2 ounces at a time and then pushing the bottle away.

As long as they aren't showing any respiratory distress, his altitude sickness is considered minor. He is also managing some liquids which is preventing dehydration. I went and read on some baby sites that all suggested parents don't take their children to heights of 8,000 feet without taking a few days to work your way up there. Well, we didn't do that, obviously. Isaac seems fine, and while JB got sick last time he came up here, he's been doing great as well. But our little Elijah, while generally in good spirits, is definitely not himself.

Speaking of steep heights, Dave attempted to run the stroller straight up that steep hill last night after the pizza party. He nearly made it but fell out about 50 feet from the top and was forced to walk the rest of the way. However, I am still proud of him for making it period. That is no easy feat.

If you think of it, please keep Elijah in your prayers -- that he'll quickly acclimate to being in the mountains. These prayers will directly help Mom and Dad as well as we'll be able to sleep even more ... never a bad thing!

Have you adopted?

I know I have a bunch of people who read my blog who have adopted or are adopting or are thinking of adopting. If you have adopted, would you take a few minutes to bounce over to my friend Becky's blog. She and her husband are in the early stages of adoption, a bit overwhelmed by everything they are learning, and asking for some advice/direction if you have it to share. If you have adopted in Maryland, you are especially important to Becky!

Thanks everyone!

Afternoon out

Kelsey attends mass each morning in Aspen, about 20 minutes from our condo. When she returned this morning, I put Isaac down for a nap, and then when he woke up, we headed to the little outdoor mall about ten minutes downhill from our condo. We had a wonderful break which included ice cream at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, a little playtime at a park, and careful observation of some very strange carnival type performers which I think I liked even less than Isaac.

The only problem with visiting the mall is that it is ten minutes downhill on the way there but ten minutes straight uphill on the way back. Even Rob, Dave, and JB are huffing when they reach our condo during conference breaks and that isn't with a stroller in tow. I do not think, in this altitude, that I could push that stroller up the hill by myself. It took both of us taking a block at a time to maneuver our way back to our condo successfully. I brought clothes to exercise while I was here. That ain't happening. Just walking up stairs is amazingly difficult at 7,945 elevation!

Anyways, here are a few snaps from our afternoon. We are headed out to a pizza party put on by the conference! So enjoying the cool mornings and evenings and comfortable afternoons. What a beautiful place to be (in the summer!)

Kelsey holding Elijah.

Isaac doing a bit of exploring.

Story time

Last night I was eating while holding Elijah -- fairly typical as my littlest guy certainly loves being held. Dave finished his first rounds and then said before he went in for seconds, he'd take Elijah and have some story time so I could finish eating in peace. REALLY?!?! Needless to say I was incredibly blessed by this gesture but had to sneak away from the table to snag a picture of him reading to my two little guys. (Look at Isaac with his hand on Elijah's arm!) :) What a great guy to actually think of me during dinner. And what a blessing!

Isaac . . .

said Kelsey last night. At least we are pretty sure he said Kelsey. That means he know says "Daddy" and "Kelsey". But no Mommy. LOL. :)

The Maroon Bells

JB had a free day today so Kelsey and our family headed out to do a bit of exploring. After Isaac woke up at 8:30 (9:30 our time!) we headed to see The Maroon Bells -- a beautiful mountain range about 30 minutes from our condo. Here are a few snaps from our afternoon:

After our little scenic tour, we stopped at an outdoor shopping/eating area for a great lunch. While I have visited Colorado many times, I often forget how different Colorado's culture is from everything I am used to. People are so keen on staying active and being outdoors. They also bring their dogs with them everywhere. Dress, food, everything is so different from all the places I have lived: South Florida, North Florida, Kentucky, and Minnesota.

After lunch, we hit a local grocery store in Aspen where we paid way too much for groceries. Gosh things are expensive here! (I won't even mention the $7.50 we spent for a tiny thing of suntan lotion.) JB cooked a great Indian meal for all of us, including Dave, who spent the day at an optional conference that JB attended last year and didn't retake. Dave is a year younger than JB in the Eglin residency program and a fantastic guy. He was a great help to us yesterday during our travels and his wife drove us to Pensacola as well. Isaac thinks he is a really cool guy!

Also joining us this evening was Rob, my friend Sarah's husband. He just arrived this evening. All three guys will be busy during the days during the next week while Kelsey hangs out with me and helps me with the boys. We hope to do a bit of exploring but for the most part, will probably hang out in and around our awesome condo which is in a great area! It's a beautiful place right inside Snowmass Village.

So speaking of our travels, as I mentioned in yesterday's post, the trip did go as well as it could have. The boys did a fantastic job. Elijah had a bit of trouble on both flights for about ten minutes as he attempted to fall asleep in our arms when we didn't have much room. Isaac, however, was fascinated by the matchbox cars we bought him and entertained him for much of the flights.

We also found out that we could not sit together much to the dismay of the people sitting next to us who vehemently offered to switch! Apparently you cannot have two lap children in one aisle because they only have one extra oxygen mask per aisle.

The first two hour flight was incredibly uncomfortable as it was a very small plane, and for some reason, they told us that because we were holding children we needed to sit on the inside.

However, the second flight was much better with more room. They originally sat us next to each other in a bulkhead row, only to find out right before takeoff that their policy of one child per row was still in effect. They made me move back to a row farther back next to a very large but very nice man. While he was taking nearly one-third of my seat, he didn't mind when Elijah and then Isaac hit him, kicked him, or tried to talk to him even when he was taking a nap!

One great thing was the USO rooms we were able to visit in both the Pensacola and Dallas airport. These are for active duty military and their dependants. How awesome! Free food (including free boxes of girl scout cookies), children's play areas, computer access, a little movie theatre . . . it was fantastic. Saved us a ton of money in the airport to not have to buy lunch and provided a nice get-away while we waited for our flights to take off.

Anyways . . . both boys are in bed now so I am going to do the same! Night all!

We have arrived

We are in our condo in Snowmass.

In short, the boys were incredibly great the entire day. The day, however, was still incredibly long. People we came in contact with throughout our travels were incredibly patient, kind, helpful, and encouraging. We are incredibly exhausted. The scenery in Colorado is incredibly beautiful and our condo is incredibly nice.

Seeing my "sister" Kelsey -- I'm not sure incredible is a good enough word. At some point maybe I'll find the words to explain what just having her around me for a few hours has done for my spirit.

But for now, I will just say: good night!

Reason #2 to Not Live on Base

I love living on Base. I really do. I actually, up until this point, have only had one reason I could give for someone choosing not to live on Base. That reason was signing in guests. It would be nice if people could get to my house without me having to meet them at the gate and sign them in. But even that isn't so bad. Most of the people that come to my house have Base access. It isn't often we have to do the gate thing.

But today, I met reason #2.

The morning started flawlessly. I had Elijah fed and some breakfast-on-the-go packed for Isaac so that by nearly 7:30 we were out the door to drop Scrubs off at doggy camp, about an hour from here.

Dropped Scrubs off at camp at 8:30 and returned to base by 9:30 only to find that the gate had been closed.

This happens occasionally. Occasionally, they stop us from entering or exiting. This usually lasts somewhere between 5-15 minutes, and while annoying, is only a minor inconvenience.

Today, was more than a minor inconvenience. Today, the day that I have so much to do in preparation for our departure tomorrow morning, I sat outside the gate for one hour and fifteen minutes!

During that time I fed Isaac every snack I had packed and also got up on my knees and fed Elijah a bottle while he was still in his car seat. When we finally reached the gate, we discovered that now that it was open again, they were checking each car in detail. This meant people had to get out, pop their hood, open all doors, open the trunk, and remove all children from the vehicle.

Three cars from the gate, I started trying to figure out the logistics of this in my head. How could I hold both children while opening all doors, popping the hood, etc? Isaac didn't have shoes on, and even if he did, I couldn't set him down amidst all the cars by the gate. The guys with full gear and big guns weren't going to open the doors or the hood for me. That was the whole point. They wanted you to open them. Yikes.

I got up to the checkpoint, and I suppose the big guys with guns felt sorry for me. They decided to let me leave the boys in their seats. Thank goodness. The thought of trying to hold Elijah while unbuckling and hoisting Isaac into my other free arm (or in reverse) was causing me to hyperventilate a bit. In the end, I passed through the checkpoint flawlessly but then had to go through all the back roads to get to my house.

I spoke with JB later. It appears all of this waiting and checking was simply an exercise. Not even a real problem! Geez. I was near the front of the line. It is very possible that some people will wait hours in that line. All the gates were the same. So there is nowhere else you can go. If you live on Base, what option do you have but to wait?

Both boys were exhausted when we got home. We popped by the wifia lunch only briefly as it was being held just a few doors down at Sarah's house. They are both now sleeping, and I am mentally preparing myself to get as much done as I possibly can in 60-90 minutes -- probably all the time I have before one of them wakes up.

I believe I will have Internet in Colorado. Not sure how much, if any, I will post. Time will tell. If you think of it, please pray for us tomorrow as we travel.

And pray that I never get stuck waiting to get on Base like that again! Egads!

Ta-da!

Wish I had my camera with me. But it's already packed, waiting to board our flight to Colorado.

Today at Elijah's physical therapy appointment (which I accidentally showed up 30 minutes early for due to forgetting they changed my appointment time back to its original time) my little guy rolled to the left, not one, not two, but FIVE times in a row. This is a major accomplishment and really illustrates that the muscles on his left side are getting stronger. Ms. Jenny had me get on his left side and talk to him, and I guess I was enough motivation to do it! We thought it might have been a fluke but then he repeated, repeated, repeated, and repeated again. Way cool. These busy Tuesday mornings are producing some rewards.

Afterwards, I stopped at WalMart. I realized this morning that this is the first time I have been in our WalMart here in Fort Walton Beach, ummm . . . ever. Sorry to admit it folks, but even though it may be a little cheaper, I just really, usually, don't like this store and will often drive farther to reach Target. Of course in Minnesota, my drive to Target was only ten minutes and was to a Super Target. The drive for me to Target is thirty minutes and there's no Super here!

But now that I have two babies, I was looking for a way to get milk and a few new toys that were easy to pack to take on our trip at one stop. I didn't want to have to stop at a grocery store, get out, get in, and then stop at a toy store and do the same. So I did the WalMart thing and actually halfway enjoyed myself. This is a really nice WalMart, and I think, I might, possibly, even go back sometime.

I can't remember the last time I had ventured down a toy aisle at a store. I spent five years avoiding anything having to do with children. I especially have never gone down the toy aisle with Isaac. We have so many toys that have been given to us as gifts and as hand-me-downs from our cousins Grace and Nate that even his arrival did not provide the need. But I was on a mission to get some match-box cars and bubbles for Isaac: two toys he has never played with that would be easy to pack and hopefully pass a lot of time at the condo in Colorado.

If you have met Isaac in person, you know that he is often quiet when not in our house. In our house he runs around, yelling and talking. But when we are out, he often just sits back and observes, making slow movements, and waiting until he feels very comfortable before moving forward in the situation. However, when I turned down the aisle with boy toys, Isaac actually said out loud, "Oooooohhh . . ." It was pretty cute. He was incredibly impressed with the matchbox cars we picked out and waved them in the air as we headed to the checkout lane.

Okay. What am I doing on the computer? Both boys are down for a nap at the same time. Time to get a lot done for our trip. Or take a nap? Hmmmm . . .

Good and bad

The good news? Today is a great day to celebrate the birthday of my Mom and my great friend from Minnesota, Kristen. Happy birthday to you both. I think you are both 21. Is that right?

The bad news? Huggies overnights failed in their second attempt. Both boys woke up at exactly the same time this morning which can be a little tricky in and of itself.

Grabbed Elijah first. Elijah wasn't wearing the overnights as he usually doesn't soak through. But soak through he did. Changed him from top to bottom and put him down on the floor of the living room on the boppie. Went to get Isaac. Isaac was in the Huggies overnights. Soaked completely through. Changed him from top to bottom. Gave him a cup of milk. Threw two sets of sheets, stuffed animals, and a blankets into the wash. Made and fed Elijah a bottle and fed him while reading Isaac books. 0-2 for this night.

Off to Elijah's physical therapy appointment. Hopefully this day will slow down soon.

Tonight we'll try again.

Hurrah for Huggies & God & Colorado

All right, so it was only one night, but Isaac woke up dry for the first time in weeks this morning! Thank you to whoever recommended the Huggies Overnights. They did the trick. So far, we haven't needed them with Elijah. While he is sometimes damp in the morning, he isn't soaked as Isaac has been.

Thank you also to God for the beautiful weather this morning. Isaac woke up a bit on the early side, the sun was out, a cool breeze was blowing, and a quick glance on the weather channel indicated that the temperature started with an eight instead of the usual nine. So, I threw some cheerios in a cup for Isaac, strapped Elijah in to his child seat, convinced Scrubs to don his collar, threw on some running clothes and my sunglasses, and off we went on a run. It was so nice not to run in such blazing heat!

This will be a busy three days for me. Not only does Elijah have his therapy appointment tomorrow, but on Wednesday I need to drive Scrubs to "doggy camp" which is over an hour away. All in preparation for our Thursday morning departure for Snowmass, Colorado which is just outside of Denver. In addition to those activities I have lots of packing, prepping, and planning to do. We will be driving to Pensacola on Thursday morning, flying from Pensacola to Dallas, flying from Dallas to Denver, and then driving four hours to Snowmass. Quite a day I would say. Two fellow residents are making the trip with us although their families won't be there.

JB is attending a Wilderness Medicine Conference there. (This is the same conference he attended last year with Erik, Andrea, and Erik's family.) I was a bit nervous about spending a week in a condo by myself with both boys, until I remembered something quite fabulous. My dear friend Kelsey lives in Colorado! So we put plans in the work for her to spend a number of days with us and thus not leaving me alone in the condo for days on end. She's going to stay until Tuesday morning. She'll be able to help me with the boys and make getting out on my own not quite so overwhelming.

This is a bitter-sweet trip for me in that I know this is the last time I will see or talk to Kelsey for TWO YEARS. Kelsey is entering the convent and the first two years require no contact outside of her immediate family for two years. We may get an occasional letter or updates from her mom, and we can send letters ourselves. But otherwise, this will be the last time we get to see her for quite some time. We have to make the best of it!

Can't wait to see Colorado and this beautiful part of Colorado JB has told me so much about. All right. Got to get off the computer and back on track packing!

Sweet Summer

Cannot put into words how wonderful it has been just to be home with our family for the entire weekend. I actually, believe it or not, got back out into the yard today with JB again as both boys took their naps at the same time yet again. The weather has not been nearly as hot, a bit overcast actually. Joia you left at the wrong time!

We decided to wait to start the search for a new church until after we get back from Colorado. Can't believe the trip is so nearly here. We will leave first thing Thursday morning. Instead of church, we took a trip to Lowes to get some flowers first and the yard is really starting to get back into pre-before-JB-got-so-busy shape. We also stopped at Publix to get some things for our trip and to hold us over until we leave.

Before dinner, we were outside as a family, admiring our handiwork in the yard, when Brandon and Brittny drove up with their new dog Brick. We brought Scrubs over and the two got to know each other. They seemed to like each other quite a bit!

P.S. Speaking of Scrubs, here is a video of Scrubs and Isaac playing together this week:

Admission

I weeded the garden today while JB mowed and both boys slept and Scrubs watched from the window. Both monitors perched on the sidewalk, a good seat in the middle of the bark chips. I can't believe I am admitting this, but I actually enjoyed it. Wishing I tried joining my husband outside in the yard years ago!

We also got a run in and a trip to the new park they just built just around the block from us. It's been a wonderful day at home with all of my boys.

No Isaac! No Scrubs!

Well I have figured out what it is that is giving Scrubs "the runs" in the middle of the night. It's all the snacks he is getting from Isaac. I cut him off for two days in a row, keeping him out of the kitchen every time Isaac ate. Both those evenings, I didn't hear any bell ringing in the middle of the night indicating a desperate Scrubs.

However, even though I know the source of the problem, stopping Scrubs from eating Isaac's food is easier said than done. For one thing, I recently discovered that not only is Scrubs getting the scraps, but Isaac is feeding Scrubs. Scrubs is tentative. He knows he will get in trouble if he takes anything from Isaac. So he waits until Isaac shoves it into his mouth. Then, he accepts willingly.

In addition, Scrubs is my vacuum cleaner. Sweeping the seat and floor of the high chair after every use is a pain. I rely on Scrubs to clean it all up for me. Ugh. I have to sweep immediately as Isaac will get out of his high chair, pick up the scraps, and give them to Scrubs since I have taught him that things on the floor are for the dog not for him. Not sure how I can keep Scrubs' stomach in good shape while not making more work for myself at the same time. Stay tuned . . .

Contemplating sharing his food with Scrubs . . .

. . . and caught in the act.

Does that look like a guilty face or what?

And then he tries to blame Scrubs for the whole encounter!

You've got to be kidding . . .

Noticed people in Minnesota complaining all over Facebook about the weather there. I went to check it out. EGADS! JB and I talk often about returning to Rochester. We love it there. But this is why we can't. Didn't someone tell the state it's JULY!?

Not my best day

Yesterday was my first day in this new role as mom, that I just felt like I didn't do my best work.

Not that there haven't been other days that I felt were hard or I didn't do well. But yesterday, seemed to be my hardest.

I'm not sure what it was. A combo of things I guess but basically all stemming from the fact that our house is moving from that of two babies to that of a baby and a toddler.

Firstly, Isaac is moving in the direction of dropping nap #2. They say this happens by the time most children are 12-18 months. He's 14 months so he seems right on track. Problem is, I just can't figure out when he wants to sleep. He acts tired. I put him in his bed. He talks for an hour and never goes to sleep. He doesn't act tired but suddenly gets cranky. Awwww shoot, I betcha he needed a nap. I can't quite get what his new pattern is at all. It's so true that as soon as you figure them out, they change on you.

I glanced through one of James Dobson's parenting books yesterday -- an outline of the first two years of a child's life. Dobson advises that prior to 15 months, parents use "distraction techniques" or the "no" command to steer children from things you don't want them to get into. That prior to 15 months they can't really understand discipline.

Yesterday I learned that Isaac has outgrown the ability to be distracted. While he understand no, he decided yesterday that it was a bad idea. I tried everything to distract him from his desire to hold "Daddy" as he repeatedly calls a picture of JB that we have in his nursery. I have been letting him hold it while I change his diaper. But yesterday he wanted to take it around the house with him. Problem is, it's a frame. It's a fairly nice frame. If he carried it around he could break it or break off pieces of it. It isn't really a child's toy.

But Isaac didn't agree. How do you convince a 14 month old that he can't have something if you can't distract him? I'm really not sure. He just cried and pleaded for what felt like hours.

Maybe he was tired? Who the heck knows.

Those of course, are just a bit of surface scratchers for my day yesterday. I felt like I was five steps behind the boys all day long. I felt like everything timed unevenly yesterday. Most days they get up from their naps at different times, want to eat at different times, need diaper changes at different times. Most days I manage to scatter things so that I can move from boy to boy in a fairly fluid fashion.

Yesterday, everything seemed to fall at the same time. Since Isaac really doesn't understand the meaning of "wait" yet, I was forced to leave him standing there, crying, wanting milk for himself while I was trying to feed Elijah. Or I was forced to leave Elijah screaming in his crib while I finished a meal with Isaac or finished changing his diaper. Add to that my glorious puppy, who decided that yesterday would be a good day to follow me everywhere I went by standing directly in front of me whenever he could. I think he knows when the house is a bit "frantic", grows concerned, and decides he needs to help me. I end up just yelling at him as I move from room to room, a child on each hip, nearly tripping over his huge body. He usually takes the brunt of my bad day.

I went outside when I saw our neighbor trying to call Scrubs over to him. Scrubs had a pricker in his front paw. He always lets me remove his prickers, but with the neighbor's dog playing across the fence, Scrubs couldn't calm himself down enough to sit still. I ended up bringing him into the house and waking up Isaac (who had finally fell asleep for a nap) as I tried to yell Scrubs' name and get him to lay still so I could remove the pricker -- which I never found. Sigh . . .

When I talked to JB in the afternoon, I let loose and told him that I was feeling completely overwhelmed and lost in my day. He asked me why, and I couldn't really tell him. Isaac was a bit cranky. Elijah's naps were a bit scattered. Scrubs had a pricker I couldn't find. Those types of things.

JB told me he'd be home fairly early so I decided to kill the last hour before he arrived with a run. It was the worst run I had had in weeks. I couldn't finish my 3.25 mile trek and was forced to take a shortcut home. Scrubs seemed relieved. I seemed frustrated. I think it was because I drank way too little water in the hustle and bustle of the day. I'm not sure. But it was painful that was for sure.

My husband, the greatest man in the universe, came home and told me he was going to take the boys shopping by himself while I stayed home and got caught up, took a bath, whatever I wanted to do. I thanked him but knew that what he was saying was not really possible. Both boys needed to eat. Both were a bit cranky. When I told him he couldn't handle that, he looked at me and just smiled. "I most certainly can," he said. And truth be told, he could. JB can handle those boys so well and never seems to get flustered.

But I did talk him out of it. Instead, we went to Sams together. On the way home, we both picked up dinner from our favorite spots (JB got sushi and I got Thai.) We also got some dessert, put both kids to bed, and sat and watched the first half of The Bucket List while we ate our food and goodies. JB even did a quick clean-up of the house while I was feeding Elijah his last bottle of the evening to help me get a good start to the day today.

What a guy!

JB told me that even he, "Mr. Calm, Cool, and Collected" would find himself in the midst of a day like I had yesterday if our roles were reversed. This made me feel better. It wasn't just me. I'm not alone in this universe.

So today starts a new day! Pray with me that it is a great one!

Elijah and Physical Therapy

On Tuesday morning, I finally summoned up the courage to ask our physical therapist, Ms. Jenny, how long Elijah would be in physical therapy for his head/neck issues. Ms. Jenny kindly informed me that they would be seeing him until he was at least one year old! One year?! I quickly calculated in my head. He's five months old. That's another seven months getting out of the house every Tuesday morning with both boys and entertaining Isaac for the duration of the thirty minute appointment. Really? She made me feel a little bit better when she told me that the appointments would become less frequent, eventually getting to every other week and then once a month, but holy cow! That's a lot of work for one little baby's head.

Many of you have asked me about Elijah's physical therapy. I know I explained it on the blog in a previous post, but if you missed it, let me quickly recap.

Elijah's neck muscles on the left side of his body are very tight. This causes him to favor his right. He doesn't like to look left, roll left, or do anything to the left. This also caused his head to become oddly shaped in the back which can be rectified through the physical therapy. This condition has a fancy name that I can never remember. Elijah's case is fairly minor, but if left untreated, things could get worse. He could lose the ability to do anything to the left which could cause developmental delays as he moves into sitting up, crawling, walking, etc. It therefore has to be worked on and evaluated regularly. Ms. Jenny does all kinds of exercises and stretches with Elijah and as a result gets spit up on a lot. She then gives me homework for the next week -- things I need to try and do with him as home. I can really see the improvement -- which is why I was hoping for a graduation ceremony in the near future. I can see why she said baby appointments are only thirty minutes long. That's all Elijah can handle. By the end he is sweating, exhausted, and is asleep before we even get to the car!

While waiting for Elijah's appointment, Isaac plays with the toys in the waiting room (or sits on my lap a bit scared if there is a child in there screaming at the top of his lungs which there was last week) and I get to meet some wonderful people and amazing children. Some of these children are living with very difficult disabilities, but they always have huge smiles on their faces and great stories to tell you. While some of these children are mentally delayed as well, many are simply dealing with physical difficulties. This week a teenage boy who appeared to have severe cerebral palsy, emerged from his appointment to tell his Dad who was in the waiting room that there was a basketball league for kids like him. He was ecstatic! I was ecstatic for him. I went home and began researching the Special Olympics online. I'd love to get involved in that organization. We'll see what opportunities may come up.

As for how Elijah "got this", there are various possibilities. It could have been in the womb. It could also have been that we always faced him this way when we set him down in his crib, chair, the floor etc. No one is really sure. As I said, Elijah's case is minor but these type of things can lead to unevenness in the front of the face, ears, etc. So it's important to stay on top of it.

When I told JB we would be there until Elijah was a year he said, "I figured that." Figured that? Why didn't he tell me that? He said a year is pretty typical. Ugh. I didn't even need to ask Ms. Jenny if he already knew! Geesh. At least JB was home for me to have this conversation with him. He meandered through the door at about 9:15 last night. He figured that he had been in the hospital 29 of the previous 36 hours! No wonder I was feeling a little weary. Hopefully the next few days will be much quieter as we prep for our upcoming trip.

God is cool!

About two hours after I wrote my post on worry, both boys went down for a nap, and I went to do my devotions.

I opened up my Jesus Calling book and read, written from our Lord's perspective:

Do Not Worry About Tomorrow! This is not a suggestion, but a command. I divided time into days and nights, so that you would have manageable portions of life to handle. My grace is sufficient for you, but its sufficiency is only for one day at a time. When you worry about the future, you heap day upon day of troubles onto your flimsy frame. You stagger under this heavy load, which I never intended you to carry.

Throw off this oppressive burden with one quick thrust of trust. Anxious thoughts meander about and crisscross in your brain, but trusting Me brings you directly into My Presence. As you thus affirm your faith, shackles of worry fall off instantly. Enjoy My Presence continually by trusting Me at all times.

Matthew 6:34; 2 Corinthians 12:9

How cool is God?! The exact day I write this exact post, I find this devotional written by the author for July 15th. I haven't been doing my devotions every day either. I happened to write that post today. I happened to do my devotions today. And there was God telling me, along with all of you, to chill out!

Thanks for all the great advice and encouragement everyone. It is always so helpful to know that we aren't alone in this world and that we can be real with what we are struggling with.

It is especially helpful during the past two day spread. I've been running my house nearly completely solo. During these times of fatigue, it can be especially hard to "let go and let God." But I have been.

Right now it is 8:38 p.m. I am currently waiting for my husband to get home. He hasn't been around much in the last two days. He had a gal come into the hospital yesterday afternoon to deliver her baby. While he did manage a few hours home with us last night, he still hasn't stumbled into the door this evening. Bummer. He did sleep at home some last night though. I would roll over and he'd be there. I'd roll over again and he'd be gone. Back and forth to the hospital to check on his patient. Makes it nice that we only live 1.7 miles from the hospital.

One less thing to worry about!

Mish Mash of Mush with Some Worry on Top

Why do I worry?

I'm not sure when I will finally be able to say to God, "I've decided not to worry about this situation because You have shown me time and time again that YOU are in control of my life . . ."
Sigh.

Big sigh.

I'm sure many of you reading this post understand exactly where I am coming from before you even read the rest of this post.

I'm also sure that there are many of you, like my husband, who will say, "Why are you worrying? It keeps you up at night! Just enjoy life for crying out loud."

JB has a way of dealing with my obsessive worry. He'll turn it around and say to me, "What's the worst thing that could happen?" When I spell out what it is, it doesn't seem that bad and seems to help me, for a few hours at least, until I think of something else to worry about.

I did this to him one time. This was a time that he was actually worried (for once!) It takes a lot to get him to that point. This was with a patient of his who was very sick, and he was monitoring him very closely (via phone) while we were out shopping for bathing suits for our cruise. I turned to him and decided to play the worry game with him. "What's the worst thing that could happen?" I asked, just like he always asked me.

"Well," JB said, shutting the phone. "He could die."

Hmmm . . . somehow I don't think the worry game works very well when death is a valid possibility.

Either way, I pick the darndest things to worry about.

Right now?

Well the top of my worry list is our flight to and from Colorado next week. I found out that I don't have an aisle seat which always stresses me out. What if the person behind me tries to put their chair back and my legs don't fit? JB and I also aren't sitting next to each other. This makes the idea of each having a baby on our lap more stressful. If we aren't sitting next to each other, how do we "share" the diaper bag? Do I need to pack two separate bags? Will someone change seats with us so we can sit next to each other? Or is spreading the babies throughout the plane better than putting two of them in one aisle together? And then some planes don't let you have two kids in one aisle together. Something about the extra masks. There is only one extra one on each aisle. And they are usually only on the left side of the plane. I found out that instead of one 2 hour flight and one 1 hour flight, it is actually two flights that are 2 hours. (I forgot the time change.) Then I realized that since they can't change my seat, the flight is probably sold-out. Probably little chance at securing at least one extra seat for a child. Elijah hasn't been falling asleep in my arms well. Isaac never falls asleep in your arms. And our jogger. Will it fit through security? (I did a little research to amend these fears. If it doesn't fit, they will scan it by hand.) Okay. So we can bring our jogger.

All right so I'll stop before I stress all of you out. This is typical of my mind. It doesn't have to be a trip (although those seem to evoke the stress more than other things.) It can be anything. It can be a conversation I had with someone. Did I say the right thing? The wrong thing? The stupid thing? Are they upset with me? These worries can stay fairly minor. But they can get fairly major as well. To the point that I find myself lying in bed awake at night trying to sort out the worries in my head.

I've recently become more aware of this incessant worrying and how much I need to fix it. I think the big reason is my boys. As these boys grow, they are going to be watching me. I don't want to make them into worry warts just because I refuse to grow out of my worry. I want them to be at peace, calm, relaxed. Like their Dad.

And again, I go back to the Lord. I go back to the Bible. Whole chapters, tons of verses, all devoted to worry. All devoted to not trusting the Lord. And yet here I am, thirty-two (GULP!) years old, and I am still doing the same thing I did when I was twelve. WHEN will I grow up? When will I finally decide that God knows best and let HIM do the worrying for me? When will I stop losing sleep over whether or not I can get a good seat on an airplane?

I've decided that I plan to start today. Today's a good day to tell the Lord that I am putting HIM in charge of our trip to Colorado. Don't you think? I mean, he created the universe. Surely he can handle helping me get through four 2 hour flights. Don't you think?

Becky had a great blog yesterday. It's about worshipping God through anything. Everything. While it didn't specifically talk about my worry, I thought of my own worry. If Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego can praise the Lord and trust Him before they are thrown into a fire to burn to death, I think I can handle letting God handle a measly trip to Colorado. I can continue to praise Him, to trust Him, to give everything to Him -- especially considering how small my things are in comparison to so many other things.

***On a sidenote, Becky included a link to a fantastic website for infertility support. Click here to visit the Sarah's Laughter website and here to sign up for their daily double portions (email devotional).

And everyone, quit worrying, trust God, and enjoy your day!

P.S. My "followers" is getting closer and closer to 100! If you read my blog daily, will you do me a favor and add yourself to the "followers" list? It's fun for me to browse through and see who is reading. It also allows me to visit your blogs as well. Thanks all!

Things I have learned in the last 24 hours

• Industrial sponges (the ones you use to wash your car) don't make good bath toys. If thrown overboard, they take nearly half of the tub water with it. Trust me on this.
• Putting puzzles back together halfway through the day is absolutely pointless especially is child is watching and thinks clean-up is actually you trying to play. This behavior will result in a second puzzle clean-up. Trust me on this one too.
• Dog must, somehow, be limited on table scraps from messy child eater. Another 1:30am wake-up call to eliminate consumption of who-knows-what fell under the high chair yesterday is proof. Unless you want to get up with me at 1:30am to see for yourself, you can trust me on this one too.
• You can wash crib sheets four times in one day when two children are present. Two changes from each child due to new diapers that just don't seem to have the same holding power as the previous kind. New plan: to move up 1-2 sizes at bedtime in order to hold more and prevent repeat sheet washings.
• It is possible for a child to dirty a diaper before one has even left the room. New diaper is on but less than four seconds later, another change is necessary. You definitely want to trust me on that one.

July 12 -- 5th anniversary of blog

Happy fifth anniversary to my blog (one day late!) Hard to believe that I've been jotting down my life notes for five years! Hard to believe that I started this about two years into our infertility journey, and five years later, how much has changed. Happy anniversary Blog!

Growing boys

I can always tell when Isaac threw too much food off his tray during the day. I can tell because Scrubs gets up too much during the night to use the bathroom. Poor puppy was sick. I have to try to watch what kind of Isaac crumbs he is getting a little bit closer.

So here I am at my computer, a bit bleary-eyed, but good nonetheless. Elijah just ate and is playing in his chair. Scrubs is out back using the bathroom some more. And my big-time sleeper Isaac is, still sleeping. He usually gets 12 hours overnight and up to 5 hours during the day. The kid loves his bed!

I have begun to pull out 12 month clothes for Elijah. Nearly all of his 6 month stuff is too small, most of the 6-9 month is not fitting, and I am noticing that some of the 9 month is getting snug as well.

This morning I happened to pull out a 12 month dinosaur onesie. As I put it on Elijah, I remembered that this was a pair of onesies my mother had bought for the boys. Elijah's was 3 months and Isaac's was 12 months. I took the following pictures of them back in April:

Elijah in the 3 month onesie.

Isaac in the 12 month onesie.

Fast forward just THREE months!

Here is Elijah this morning in big brother's 12-month onesie! Holy smokes!

I just can't believe how big Elijah is getting and how fast and how grown-up Isaac is becoming. They really do grow up right before your eyes.

I also got a fun video last night of Isaac trying to give Elijah his pacifier. He does this often and isn't too good at it yet. :)

Last "Official" Sunday at Crossway

Well today we attend Crossway Community Church for the last time as church members. Here's a pic of me and my boys after service was over. These are the outfits from Aunt Linda. While Isaac's was a bit big, we managed to get them in the outfits together before Elijah's belly ripped his shirt. :)

If I haven't already told you personally, JB and I decided that it we needed to begin the search for a new church. We had many reasons which all involved the "season" that we currently find ourselves at in our life. This season being, the parents of two very young boys. To make a very long story short, our church is relocating to Crestview, about a half hour away from our home. Making this drive with two babies wasn't something that we were sure we wanted to do. In addition, our Care Group, which meets on Wednesday night, recently had a number of families move out of there area and was therefore going to be dissolved. Our church also only has one service: 10:00am. This is not a great time with two boys who take morning naps. Add to that the fact that childcare is not offered during the first half of the service and not at all for children under one, and we simply felt like we needed to find something that had an earlier service, met closer to our house, and offered childcare during the entire service.

This was a very difficult decision for us as we truly LOVE the people at Crossway. They have been so supportive and encouraging during our two years here at Eglin. However, we trusted that the Lord would make our decision crystal clear, and He did just that. We spoke with our Care Group Leader and Pastor about two weeks ago and attended for a final time today. Of course, we still hope to see a lot of these people outside of church and we will be sure to visit them on occasion. But for now, we'll begin a new search for a church. Not something we really wanted to do considering we only have one more year here. But something we need to do nonetheless. I'll keep you all posted on how our search for a new place to worship goes.

After church, we took our friend Lisa's children home with us while she and her husband attended a class after church. We had a fantastic afternoon with Burger King, Tetris, and the old Journey to the Center of the Earth. I even managed a few pictures!

E. feeding Scrubs treats while B. plays in the background and Isaac looks on.

E. holding Elijah

After I dropped Lisa's kids off at home, I took Scrubs to the dog park for an afternoon romp which he, of course, loved, despite the slow drizzle that started the moment I pulled into the parking lot. We are now planning to have some leftover food from our brunch yesterday with Zachariah and Robyn for dinner tonight. Have I ever told you all how much I love breakfast at dinnertime!? Yum!!!

I'm backkkkkk!!!

Man, I have been gone from my peoples way too long!

But you know, when you are one, there is a lot going on in your life. I'm quite a busy kid. In the course of one day I have tons of milk to drink, diapers to dirty, naps to take, Scrubs to annoy, baths to play in, Daddy to hug, Mommy to play with, Elijah to entertain ... you get the idea. And that's not even counting all the books I have to read and have read to me and toys that need my attention. Man, being one comes with a lot of responsibilities.

So, what's been going on in my life?

Where to start, where to start ...

Well this past week has been really busy. First, we said good bye to my Uncle Keith and Aunt AD and hello to my Uncle Matt and Aunt Danielle. While I love my aunties, I really seem to like guys more. They are just sooo way cool. My Uncle Matt and Uncle Keith are the bomb!

On Friday, my new friend Addison came over to play. She lives in the house behind ours and was born two weeks before me. She is one cute little gal, and we play really well together. Our moms thought that it would be good we learn to play with kids our own age, so we are going to try and do it with a couple of other one year old kids in the neighborhood more often.

We also made some other new friends today. Zachariah and his wife Robyn came over for brunch this morning. Zachariah is a new first year resident, and they live on base. They are really cool folks. We spent most of Saturday hanging out with them and had a great time. I played with Zachariah quite a bit!

But other than my weekend report, there are a few other things to share, like all of the things I am interested in and accomplishing. Here are some of the highlights:

• I love to throw anything and everything over my shoulder, especially my blocks. I have no idea where I learned this from, but it sure is fun.
• I can now tell you what a cow says and have also added the word "eyes" (and the ability to point to them) to my repertoire. (Betcha didn't think I knew a word that big -- repertoire that is, not eyes. :)
• I am currently very into making car noises as I play with my toys.
• I have begun to climb. Daddy and Mommy found me on the desk chair leaning over the back of it yesterday. They had no idea I could do this and seemed very concerned. Take a chill pill guys! I am in control of the situation. I also hid from them in the shelves of my changing table. That was way fun.
• I really love my little brother. I still love to give him kisses and bring him toys. He loves to watch me too and laughs at me a lot.
• I am a great eater -- especially when it comes to fruit. I LOVE FRUIT! Watermelon is my favorite but pineapple, bananas, apples, oranges, and grapes follow close behind. It's really the best food group don't you think?
• I have begun to play at the new little park on the corner by my house but am not that into parks in general. Especially swings. They kind of spook me out still. But I'm getting the hang of it more and more.
• I am still 100% a Daddy's boy. If Daddy is home, I'm not that interested in my Mommy anymore. I say "Daddy" very clearly now but have decided to refrain from saying Mommy until I am good and ready. Other words include: Elijah, eyes, snack (na-na), and apple.

All right, I think that's enough of a look into my world for now. Mommy has said that Elijah may start a journal of his own but we'll see. So far, he isn't into the computer as much as me. But that might change.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Dossier

Our China dossier arrived this past week. Returned from China. Anything that reminds me of our China adoption evokes a bit of emotion. JB agrees. It is hard to believe that we are no longer waiting for our "China daughter" to come home. We had a name picked out for her, and for the last three years, whenever I pictured our family, I pictured her in it. I know we did the right thing. The Lord made that very clear. But it is still hard. I really wanted to see that adoption through until the end. We know that the money for the China adoption will go a lot farther toward adopting domestically again -- which we hope to do someday. We know that this was for the best, and it was what God intended for us. But seeing that dossier in my mailbox was still emotional for me. I looked through it quickly. Our passport photos. The essay we wrote. The pictures of our home. The home study. The notarized copies of every document you can imagine. All returned. No longer waiting in China. I guess it's final. How can you miss someone whom you never knew and who probably hasn't even been born yet? I'm not sure, but somehow, I still do.

Question

I really want to get some kids' Christian CDs to play around the house and in the van and that sort of thing. I'd like a good mixture. Some CDs that have the traditional kids Bible songs (Father Abraham, This Little Light of Mine ... that sort of thing.) But I'd also like some that sing scriptures so kids can memorize them. We don't have a good Christian bookstore around here so I plan to order them online. Does anyone have any good recommendations? I could pick some myself but who knows how good or bad they are until I buy them and discover they stink! The more details you can provide me with the better so I can easily find them and order them. Thanks everyone.