Let it be noted that Baby E has talked constantly for four days straight. If talking was a marathon, he’d be bringing home gold, because seriously he does not stop. Just as my ears start to feel the sweet relief of silence, they are accosted with a barrage of babbles and screeches that torture my introverted sensibilities. When he sleeps there is quiet, but only when he sleeps.

With that said, he has been a sweet boy all week and a good sport as we dragged him around to our many outings. Considering he is only two, and has the attention span of a goldfish, I’ve been pretty impressed with his behavior.

Tomorrow is a big day… A huge day, really, for two very important reasons…

1- My Family Comes Home!- Tomorrow they start the long trek back home and I cannot wait for their arrival. I’m not sure how far they will make it tomorrow, but every mile will bring them closer to me (and that’s a wonderful thing!)

2- It’s My Best Friend’s Birthday!!- While I won’t get to spend the day with my best friend, I am so incredibly grateful to have him in my life and as my partner through this crazy, messy, savage training experience. So let me be the first to say it, “Happy Birthday, Tim!!!”

There’s something you should know about Baby E… He talks constantly. I’ve never had this much one on one time with him before, seeing as the two older kids are always there, and I had no idea he had so much to say. Maybe he didn’t know it either until he realized there was silence and had this profound need to fill every moment of it. Every car ride, every meal, every walk has been filled with constant chatter. His favorite topic to talk about is airplanes and who will ride in them. This is followed closely by trucks (which, by the way, is a word he has a difficult time pronouncing) And when he tries to say “Another truck” we get a phrase that even a seasoned sailor might blush at, so I’m trying to change the topic on that one as quickly as I can.

It’s been wonderful to actually see him this week, to get to know him away from the other kids and appreciate the things that make him genuinely unique and amazing. He’s a sweet, kind kid with a stubborn personality and a smile that melts my heart every time!

The big kids are enjoying Florida. They swam in the Gulf of Mexico and played with their cousins. I am so glad they are having fun and I am looking forward to their safe return!

We are missing our loves, but we are having fun. Counting down the days! 

Merry Christmas!!

My loves are on their way to Florida. Many prayers for safe travels.

Tomorrow is a day that I have been both eagerly anticipating and dreading for weeks now.

I love Christmas time and it is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it- the lights, the music, the time spent with family and friends. And I am especially in love with the Christmas story, that God himself would become flesh and dwell among his creation, completely human and completely God – the story that begins in a humble manger, but ends on a rugged cross and an empty tomb!! It is a story that utterly changed my life and my future!

So for me, Christmas is an opportunity to connect with that story, to remind myself of both its tradition and its implications- to see that my life changed is my life saved!

So for all those reasons, tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year, however this year will be a little rough. Tim, C, and Big E will leave early tomorrow afternoon to drive to Florida. Tim’s family is having a reunion down near Tampa, so they will be joining most everyone down there by Monday. It is a trip that has been planned for quite some time and they are looking forward to it.

If you know me, or have followed the blog for awhile, you know that I deal with an annoying case of PTSD, which manifests itself as panic attacks when I travel. For the most part it has been under control for several years, though I have felt it simmering slightly for the past year. With the prospect of this trip to Florida coming up, I had been seriously considering giving a big trip a try. It’s a place I really want to visit, with a group of people that I love to be around. But I’ll be honest, since the ectopic rupture, my anxiety has been much worse- not out of control, but definitely palpable. So I made the decision to stay back with Baby E. Part of me feels like it is a failure not to go, but part of me recognizes the state of mind I have been in recently and the damage it would cause if I jumped into something I wasn’t ready for. The miscarriage shook me harder than I expected, and I’m still deep in the healing process. It’s getting better, but I want to crawl before I walk.

So in lieu of going to Florida, and missing out on some awesome opportunities, I will be spending an equally awesome week with my dear parents and sister. I don’t get to see them as often as my heart desires, so I am going to take this time to love on them. And Baby E and I will get some wonderful time together. I really think it is going to be a great week! God is good and we are blessed.

Please pray for safe travels for my loves, and for peace as we are separated. I am looking forward to us all being together again by the end of the week! Thank you!

We made it to my parents’ house last night. The kids settle din pretty quickly. They were excited to see their grandparents and aunt, and open come presents and play with their new toys.

This is what happens when mommy and daddy take way too long to pack their bags and the car for vacation… 

Christmas vacation had officially begun! Looking forward to some much needed downtime!!

If you have school aged children, you are probably aware of the massive amounts of paper that come into your house via your child’s backpack every day. Most of it is corrected homework or classwork, with a few random drawings thrown in. Sometimes it’s a project from art. Sometimes it is advertising from a local business or event. And then there are the ‘important’ papers from the teacher, school, or PTA. I try to keep a look out for the ones that require my attention, but things slip through the cracks, because, well… life.

As I was cleaning out C’s folder the other day I noticed a note from her teacher requesting that she bring in holiday themed napkins for the class party they will be having tomorrow. Somehow I got relegated to paper products duty this year, which is totally fine by me. I’m guessing her teacher took note of all the things we were supposed to send in (ie- random odd and end things they need for projects that I totally have the intention of sending in, and then usually forget) and decided we were not to be trusted with anything a party might actually need. I’m ok with this. I can do paper products.

However, there’s nothing like the last minute and I kept forgetting all week to grab up some napkins. Since tomorrow is the party, I stopped by a store on my way home crossing my fingers they would have themed napkins. Much to my disappointment the holiday shelves were almost bare (naturally) and as I wandered around the store, I stumbled upon the clearance aisle where I found…

Ok, so totally not holiday themed, but they do have a snowman (ignore that he’s on a beach and stick with me.) And most of the Frozen movie happens during the winter, with snow and ice everywhere. So in a round about way I can totally convince myself that these are in fact holiday themed. But knowing that I was on shaky ground, I tracked down an associate and pleaded for the Christmas napkins. Please, please tell me you have some!

She pointed me down the next aisle and as I meandered through the aisle I only found one display of napkins.

Yup, there they are… Smiling-santa-sunglasses-emoji napkins. Truly the most hideous holiday napkins ever created. I bought two packs. (and the Frozen ones cause they were on clearance.)

This guy and I laid on the floor by his bed and sung Christmas carols after his brother and sister had already fallen asleep. He’s such a sweet boy.

This morning Baby E kept pointing to this picture of “Daddy” and a “doggy.” I tried to convince him otherwise, but he’s two and would have nothing of it.