Journey of Faith

Is that you, God?

2011-04-02T20:53:00.000-04:00

The other night, Eli was tucked in bed, and up, and tucked in and up a few more times. Then he quieted for a few minutes. Next thing I heard was his little voice calling, "What Mommy??" He repeated that twice and then ran to his door, opened it and called downstairs, "Mommy, I heard you call my name. What do you want?"

I said, "Honey, I didn't call you. Please go back to sleep."
"But Mommy," he whined, " I heard you call my name. What do you want?"
So, I explained that I hadn't called his name and he needed to get some sleep.
"I heard someone call my name. Is Daddy home?"
"No."
"Then who called my name, Mommy?"
"Well, do you think maybe it was God? Remember the story we learned about with Samuel? He heard his name being called and ran to Elisha and finally discovered it was God."
"How do I know?"
"Ask Him."
"What if he says it isn't God?"
"Then tell him to go away cause you only talk to God!!"
"But what if it is God and He is just kidding?"
"Go to Bed!!"

A few minutes later I hear him moving about in his room and go to check it out. He has on his little flashlight, his Brave Light he got in Kidstuff last month when we learned about being brave, and he is looking all over his room. After a brief discussion, he tells me he is looking all around to see if maybe it is a monster in the closet.
"Eli, are monsters real?" I ask.
"No. They aren't Mommy."
So, we prayed a little and rocked a little, and I told him the same thing again about it possibly being God, or maybe he fell asleep and began dreaming. He finally relaxed and I tucked him in again.
As I was walking out of the room and slowly closing the door, I hear his little voice in the room saying, "God....Is that you?"

Gotcha Day number 3

2011-03-14T23:29:00.000-04:00

I think back on all the emotions we experienced 3 years ago. Tonight was our first night as parents to our amazing son. I remember the two of us standing over the crib, watching him sleep, so completely overwhelmed with wonder at this amazing thing God had done in our lives. Thank you, Father, for trusting to our care this precious child of yours. May we always seek after Your heart and raise him as you would have us.

It is so amazing to me as I think back on that day what God created. We became a family legally that day. God had planned it out long before, brought us together and formed a new thing. Eli WAS adopted, and now IS our son. He is NOT our adopted son. I am so thankful to our friends and family that get that distinction.

As our post placement reports have come around each year, it focused us back on our time of adoption. At first that was so difficult, like a strange dichotomy of thoughts flashing through my mind- our two pictures superimposed over each other- how it was- how it is. We now cannot imagine a time without Eli in our lives. What a complete unit God created.

I think Eli sums it up best. He says that's when the judge married us. How wonderfully true, my son!! For better or worse, for richer or poor, in sickness and in health, we all became one. And just as I would never refer to Daddy as my married husband, so you are my son- OUR son. We love you more with each passing day!! Happy Gotcha Day!!

"Da" Day!!

2011-03-04T22:26:00.000-05:00

Today is the 3 year anniversary of the day the judge said yes. My how time flies!! Seems like just yesterday!

So hard to believe that was all real, though. It seems so like a very vivid dream.

Last post placement report ever for Eli was received by our agency. Yeah!!

Trip to WVa

2011-01-13T21:20:00.000-05:00

Here is Eli- chilling out in back seat, playing on Daddy's phone as we took off for the lower tip of WV.
What beautiful country!! We stopped at a few rest/view areas just to take in some of the scenery.

Eli and Daddy taking a wee break

Eli and Mommy setting up picnic lunch

great picnic area!!

"Cheese!!"

The dog came along and "adopted" us while we were there... Acted like it belonged with our family..

This bridge is amazing!!

The overlook was incredible!! We didn't take advantage of the long hike down several hundred steps that day! Just looked out across the way. Impressive!

Mommy's birthday Weekend

2011-01-13T21:11:00.000-05:00

We stopped at Whitehall after playing on the machines at COSI- had a great dinner with all the guys on the 2 unit crew. I had enough time to finish a sign for Tim for the NTFD Longaberger baskets they would be selling that weekend.

Then we headed out for PA to visit with my family. AJ had a great cowboy costume that didn't fit anymore, so he gave it to Eli- who loved it!! Here he is posing...

My little cowboy!

Get along little doggies!!

Daddy and Grandpa had been gone all day at a Cowboy Action shoot, and when Daddy got home, we met him in the garage...

And went out to get some pics of some of my favorite cowboys!

3 generations of cowboys...

My handsome family!!
After that we headed down to the southern tip of WV to get some wood siding for our barn so we could finish it off.

COSI Big Machine Day

2011-01-13T20:57:00.000-05:00

Big day at COSI- Big Machines-

Look Mommy!! I'm running it all by myself!!

What fun we had for Mommy's bday!!! We went to COSI- you can see the fun we had there!!- then Fire Dept to see Daddy and have dinner with him. What a great day!

Too Much Fun

2010-12-20T19:31:00.003-05:00

Eli loves to help me (Daddy) in the barn. I thought he was being very quiet, and I couldn't see him being on the other side of the where the truck is parked. I walked over to investigate and found him with his head on the 5 gal bucket with the warmth of the pellet burning stove behind him. I started taking to him and he didn't move, and thought for sure if he was truly asleep he would tumble over, but he didn't. I picked him up and carried him into the house, laid him on the floor in front of the fireplace, and he never moved. I guess he needed a nap. :)

Mr Roger's Neighborhood at Idewild park

2010-08-27T22:14:00.004-04:00

Idewild Park

2010-08-27T22:01:00.010-04:00

Storybook Forest

2010-08-27T21:33:00.020-04:00

No Gate

2010-06-08T21:31:00.002-04:00

Well, we are now down to only the child door locks now for Eli. The gate (which he has been able to open now for over a year) finally came down last night.

Growing up.

So amazing to be a part of this.

Thank you, God, for the huge blessing of being a part of our son's life. May we continue to be the parents you call us to be, and may our actions and our words bring only life to him and others around us.

He's getting it!!

2010-06-07T20:05:00.004-04:00

Last Sunday, we went to church but came home very quickly so we could take off for KY. On the way home I was busy thinking about all I had to finish before we left, wondering when Tim would be able to make it home, and I realized I was missing a moment with Eli!!

So, I asked him what he learned in Sunday school. And he told me lots!! He said he learned that he was wonderfully made from Psalms one three nine- or eight....And then told me all about the sand box he was able to play with. He had a home made paper pom pom and when I asked about that, he said he was learning to praise God. How cool!

Then, this week, as I was doing laundry, he pulled out his wooden chair from the back room in the basement. Going to exercise like Daddy he told me. He walked in a few minutes later and asked if I knew how he carried that heavy chair in? I said it was because he was growing so big and strong!!!

He said no Mommy!! I am not strong enough to move that chair!! It is God in me that makes me strong enough to do it!!

Wow!!

Then, yesterday at church, we had to leave a little early so I could go to work (my first Sunday EVER!!) so I waited outside his door for just a few minutes as I could see his teacher and hear them learning the memory verse. Boy was that ever fun and a blessing to hear Eli telling the memory verse!!

So, he was able to tell us the memory verse as we went to lunch.

My prayer is that it sinks soul deep and he begins to have that relationship with God that I have been praying for him since before he was born- closer than a brother. Thank you, God, for beautiful beginnings!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-03T15:59:00.010-04:00

Finally, the long awaited day arrived!! We took off for Kentucky to visit with my family I haven't seen in over 6 years!! Tim wasn't able to get a few hours off on Sunday, so our weekend was cut short- but we still had a lot of fun!

We arrived in time for dinner on Sunday after a very uneventful trip- aren't those the best kind? Eli fell asleep for the last hour or so of our trip. He was so very excited to find that cousin Luke was coming to play. Luke is the same age as Eli's cousin Wesley, who lives next door, so he was very familiar with playing with an 8 year old cousin :)

We all had a great dinner and a wonderful time in fellowship and conversation with Aunt Ruth, Uncle David, Tonya, Brett and Luke. Eli couldn't believe that Uncle David had a school bus!!! How cool that was to get up in it and start the engine and get to open and close the door. Such excitement! Eli didn't want to go to bed- even though it was so late!! We told him to go ahead and go to sleep and we would go fishing the next morning...

So, sure enough, bright and early (I think sometime way before 7), he came running into our room and jumped up on the bed and asked if we could go fishing right now!! He was so excited to try out his new fishing gear. So he and I got up and dressed and played outside for a little while to give everyone else a chance to wake up and get moving.

Well, once everyone was up and functioning and breakfast fixed and eaten and all of us outfitted with some older long pants from Aunt Ruth, we headed out on Uncle David's Gator for a fun morning of fishing.

Luke caught a fish as soon as his hook hit the water, setting off a palpable excitement for the rest of us. Uncle David and Tim helped Eli get his new pole all set up, Tim showed him how to cast his new open reel pole, and Eli was off and running. He finally caught a medium size blue gill- if I can figure transfer from my iphone, I'll put video up soon :) Tim caught the big fish of the day- a nice size large mouth bass.

We came back, had lunch and then it was time for water guns, swimming and all around relaxation and fun with the family. Was soo good to see Aunt Diane and meet Chris as we were able to sit around and catch up.

We all went to be a little earlier that night :)

Aunt Ruth related a conversation she had with Luke that morning while they were waiting for us to get ready.... Apparently, Luke had been so excited to meet and play with Eli. So, Aunt Ruth, his Nanan, asked him how he enjoyed playing with Eli so far. He said something like this, "Nanan, I think he is the smartest little boy I have ever seen in my whole life!! Of course, I never saw myself when I was little..."

Tuesday morning, Eli actually slept in!! Couldn't believe it! So, we decided to go out and go fishing again.

Tim started getting Eli ready for our trip as we were out on the porch.

Here are Eli and Mommy on the Gator, getting ready to go fishing...

In the back, Tim and Luke were all ready, too!!

And our fearless leader, Uncle David!! Notice the beautiful lake in the background. We had such fun!!

Eli and Daddy went down to find their spots.
Daddy gave Eli a little help to get him started and refresh from the day before...
Ahhh, what a beautiful and relaxing day we all had, listening to the sounds of nature, spending time together and trying to snag a beauty!!
Uncle David took us around the farm and showed us so many amazing things. Eli didn't quite make it back- he succumbed to the weariness and slept for a little while- until I tried to lay him down....

Tonya had a few bags of clothing that Luke had outgrown which she brought over to see if Eli wanted. What a blessing they were!! Most fit him now, and several we were able to put back for next year. How amazing it is to be able to be the recipient of such a great gift!! Mommy got Eli's clothes all cleaned out of his drawers and closets (packing away the remainder of the clothes we had when we brought him home over 2 years ago!!) Eli loves to be able to say he is wearing his Luke clothes- and, in fact, keeps telling me if I pick out some of his old clothes, no thank you, Mommy- I want to wear my Luke clothes.... :)

What a great time!! We can't wait to go back and hopefully be able to spend time with more family!!

On the way home, I was able to get a picture of a suspension bridge. How cool is this?

Only 2 piers- for the whole bridge- in the middle of the bridge. It was bizarre going across it on the way down. Wish I would have gotten a pic from under looking up...

This is the view from the bridge up the river when we crossed. Very elegant!!

Preschool Screening

2010-05-29T20:53:00.008-04:00

Eli had his preschool screening today. Wow. Different than I expected. Tried to get a bunch of things done so we could get shopping and stuff done while we were out after the screening. Long story short, ended up there just in time, but on the wrong side of the building.

So, by the time we got in to the area we were to be in, we were a couple of minutes late. Worked out well, though. Eli went right in and was able to start playing right away while they took all the parents away to go through some of the aspects of the preschool and the move to a new building this year, etc.

We then waited for half an hour while the kids continued to play, until the next group came in. I kept looking at the kids coming in, realizing that these are the kids my son will most likely be spending the next 14 years with- going on field trips with, becoming friends with, having first crushes on, graduating with, etc. Kinda mind boggling to think these shy little kids all meeting for the first time in this setting will one day know each other so well.

Bed time photos

2010-05-29T20:53:00.007-04:00

Tim and Eli had a conversation the other day. Tim said it went something like this...
Eli- Daddy, I like to put my feet under my pillow.
Daddy-Where do you put your head?
Eli- I don't know.....

So a few nights later, when Tim came down and told me to get my camera, we headed upstairs and discovered the answer.... lol

He has been doing pretty well at staying in bed. There have been a few times he has rolled onto the floor...

Here he made it half way back up in his sleep- but the blanket didn't quite make it...
Then the blanket made it, but the pillow was still on the bed...
And then, a few nights later, I went up to check and had to laugh- the blanket almost made it- but he was pretty comfy on the pillow....

So precious to watch him sleep

Fire Engine Cake and birthday

2010-05-21T15:51:00.013-04:00

Friday morning arrived. Eli needed his hair cut very badly!! We called to see if Harry was in- but alas, no one answered the phone. We soon were opening the gift Mamaw had sent over the night before. What excitement!! It is such a cool experiment!! Eli has been helping me with the garden, and this shows how the plants grow by giving a view of the roots as they form. Soooo cool!! The radish had roots down by the 3rd day!! It is the coolest!

Here he is with our experiment sheets and the planter all set up on the right.

He said one of his favorite gifts was the Five Dollar bill from Grammalot. He really wanted a pic of that, too! He remembered seeing the huge statue of President Lincoln sitting on the big chair when we were in Washington DC visiting Aunt Charity.

I found a pattern on line for a birthday cake for Eli that I thought would be perfect.
You see, his "real" party is going to be today, at the fire department, with Daddy- and a complete surprise.So, two nights ago, I made the cake. I wrapped it up once cool and just left it on the counter- hoping that Eli wouldn't notice it in the morning since we'd be busy getting ready to go to COSI.

Last night, I was up late after we finally got him in bed, decorating the cake.

Here are the 3 cakes I made- used 3 bread pans and one cake mix.

I had the platform all ready, too!! The cardboard cut, the pieces in place...

Started by leveling the tops of the cakes, placing one whole one on the platform, cutting 2 inches off another and cutting the 3rd in half and putting back together, back to back.

Hold it together with a little frosting...

Then the "crumb-coat" to hold all the crumbs in... put in the fridge for 1/2 hour to set crumbs, then,.....

Finished the red and white icing and added the oreo wheels, black licorice hose and fruity lights.

Ahhh- the finished product- once the gray frosting was on- finis!!

Here is the top view- I can't believe he is 4!!

This morning, Tim and I realized that the slight bit of pressure the cake taker exerted on the top of the lights was a disastrous mix. It caused the cab to fall apart.

In addition, this is National EMS week, or something like that, so people have been bringing in food stuffs for the department. So, when one of Tim's coworkers saw this fire engine cake, with the cab already apart, he thought, "Yum!!" and ate half the cab.

Ever the resourceful one, Tim found another cake mix, made another cab and, lo and behold, he had taken the rest of the red frosting with him to work...instead of my throwing it away last night, so he worked in fixing the cake during the midst of his busy, busy day. Eli never knew the difference!!

Thanks, Dave, for the wonderful meal!! Eli loved your special meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans!!

We did a little search for the presents this year at the fire station. Eli seemed to really enjoy it. He started out with a card from us.
Inside was our hand print signature along with his first clue. These were his clues:
And he found a different part of his fishing equipment with each clue. He was pretty excited and there were several other fire fighters working with Tim that day that were more than happy to explain to Eli what each part was for.

Can't wait until Memorial Day weekend when we head out for Kentucky to visit with my family. We may be able to go fishing and try out Eli's new gear :)

We ended with cake with all the guys and Eli's last clue that led him down the firepole with Daddy and into the apparatus room for a 'run' with Daddy. There is something about all the guys standing around singing happy birthday that makes me almost want to tear up. Hopefully we'll be able to add video here soon.

When he got there, he discovered his very own turn out gear in his size hanging in Daddy's locker. And, as we began putting it on, Tim had a run. So, little dude fire fighter and Mommy got to watch Daddy jump in the truck with gear on and race down the road with all the bells and whistles flashing.

All in all, a great day that I am sure Eli will not soon forget:)

This is him a few days later playing in his fire engine at home....
When I asked him what he was doing, he told me he had a wet one out to clean the soot from his face since he was just coming back from a fire.He then explained to me he needed to clean his engine off after the run- so he could see out the window.

Birthday Bliss

2010-05-21T15:32:00.008-04:00

Yesterday was Elisha's 4th birthday. Hard to believe. He seems like he has grown so much over the last year.

I felt quite creative this year, when I realized that, between Tim and I, we were working everyday straight for 2 weeks around his birthday. Hmmm, creative to make a special day that all of us could enjoy together.

So, yesterday, on Eli's actual birthday, we took off for COSI. We strolled first down next to the river park for a picnic lunch. He had fun and was so excited when he saw I packed his little knife and he got to spread peanut butter on his bread all by himself.

We headed into the building,and got our membership renewed. When the woman checking us in saw it was Eli's birthday, she upgraded us so he could go see the 3-D dolphins and whales movie.
He did a great job, and we had a blast. We toured all over each level, looking into many rooms we had never been in before. It was a little crazy with all the school groups there, so we finally headed up to the pre-K area. It was wonderful!! There were fewer than 10 kids there in the whole room, so Eli pretty much had the run of the place and was able to spend as much time playing with all the toys he wanted to!! He had soo much fun!

Then it was time for the movie, so we headed down, got our popcorn and waited for a few minutes. We got in, got our glasses on and munched on popcorn, sending Daddy some photos of us. They even had little glasses for Eli :)Some of the 3-D effects were a little much for him, I think. I thought for sure he would fall asleep during the movie- see how tired his eyes are here.....He did keep reaching out to touch the huge whales and dolphins, and at times told me to touch it- I think when he was scared. After a few minutes, he began telling me he didn't much care for this movie and wanted to leave. But, *grin* we made it through :)

We followed it by riding in the space shuttle. Kinda reminds me of one of the rides you put a quarter in- vibrates, angles upwards, then back down. He loved it- and said he wanted Daddy to ride in it with him. He got really brave and, after the 4th time, said he wanted to ride by himself- so here he is...
After that we found ourselves back in the preK play area, where Eli decided to make some food for us. He is a great chef :)
Our hope, well, my plan, was that Tim would be done testing his students at Grant (just around the corner) early in the afternoon and surprise Eli by showing up to play with us. But, alas, the testing went much longer than expected, and Tim wasn't able to join us until about 20 minutes before COSI closed.

As I ponder that now, though, it was probably a good thing. All the school groups had gone home and the place was very sparce with children. Eli was able to show him what he later told me was his most favorite parts-- the Space shuttle, which he and Daddy rode on a few times, and the space station, especially the toilet that he could move the lever and flush.

We left at 5, and decided to go to the spaghetti warehouse for dinner. Boy, oh boy, do they serve a lot of food!! We got the sampler- big enough for 2 was the advertisement!! It fed the 3 of us that night and provided lunch for Eli and I the next day!!Eli loved the big rail car that was in the middle of the warehouse, so we had to get a picture before we left :) Too bad we didn't get to sit in the car to eat :)He had been asking about his cake, remembering the back hoe/ loader and school bus I made last year. So, we got a piece of the 12 layer cake, and they all came over and sang, "Happy Birthday" to Eli. I thought he would love it- but I'm afraid he was a little overwhelmed. The look on his face- I was afraid he was about to burst into tears. I thought I was getting it all on my camera- but the beep I heard was my camera saying it was ready to hit record and not the actual recording..... sigh. the memory is there though.

We got home and he opened a small gift from us- some summer clothes I picked up for him. Mamaw and Papaw sent over his gift later that evening, which turned out great for us the next day!!

What a great day!!

"New" Bed

2010-05-08T14:47:00.005-04:00

I took the side railing off the crib last night. Daytime is almost under control, but still having issues with potty training at night- he is such a deep sleeper, nothing wakes him up- as we could tell from our trip home in Feb when he slept through getting off the plane, in line in the cold, travel in the van, checking into hotel- all without ever waking up!

We went upstairs to pray and tuck him in. I wish I had a camera to take his picture and catch the excitement when he realized the side railing was missing! He ran over to it, excitement evident in his body, pantomiming where the railing used to be.

Then he ran and jumped onto the bed, jumped up and ran over to us.

"Can you believe it? Mommy Daddy look at this!!"

We checked on him a few hours later, and I had to get my camera.... This is what we saw....

He slept through putting him back to bed- and this morning, didn't remember this at all- wondered how we got this picture :) Yes, that is him, sound asleep on the floor next to his bed, curled up into the fetal position to stay warm.

First Bike Ride

2010-04-18T22:54:00.002-04:00

On Thursday, Eli I met with my friend Amy and her little girl, Haley. Amy said Haley was bringing her bike, did Eli want to ride, too?

So, I knew Aunt Paula had a bike that Wes had outgrown and they had been storing it for us for when Eli got big enough. So we went over and got the bike and gave it a bath, got it all cleaned up, put air in the tires and on the way to Kidzville, we stopped at Walmart and picked up a helmet and elbow and knee pads.

I have some great pics and video on my iphone- hopefully soon to be on the blog :)

He did great!!! He got right on the bike and went and went and went. Sooo amazing!

At end of day, he said he couldn't wait until he was big enough to get a bike that had emergency brakes on them, like his cousins/.....

Papaw's Surgery, Papa's birthday

2010-04-12T22:59:00.003-04:00

Papaw was scheduled for surgery to replace his old, worn out knees. The day, time and number of knees to be replaced all changed the week of surgery.

Eli went to visit Miss Melanie- whom he loves to go and play with!! while we all went to the hospital. Papaw did great!!

We brought Eli the next day to visit and say hi to Papaw and got there just in time to go for a walk down the hallway with the PT guy. Papaw went slow and steady- we were so proud of him!!

Later that evening, after I got Eli all ready for bed, we made one last trek down the hall to go potty. He stopped, and I thought he was doubling over- like maybe cramping. I became concerned and asked him if he was ok. I realized he was going very very slowly, and then he said-...I'm walking like Papaw!

Papaw did so well, he was able to come back home on Monday- just 2 days after his surgery!! Also, Tim's birthday. I had planned to take Eli to Daddy's work along with a cake and surprise Tim there for his birthday. However, he stayed home that day so he could go help his dad home from the hospital, and Eli removed any surprise we might have had by asking about 20 times for the chocolate cake we were making later that day to eat for breakfast!!

So, surprise thwarted, cake made, I brought over lunch which we shared with the family and then Tim went to Tat's and got pizza for supper with chocolate cake with Tim's family celebrating with him, instead of just us. It was a great day all around!! Daddy's cake!! Perfectly chocolate chocolate cake with reeses cups in the batter and a peanut butter chocolate frosting in the middle. Yummy!!

God is good!! We are all so thankful for Papaw's speedy recovery and that he continue to heal so quickly!

Forrester

2010-03-28T22:34:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we went shopping. Big ticket!! We bought a new Subaru Forrester. It is so nice. Eli has been telling people you can put a hole in the roof!!

Too funny- when we went looking the first time, Eli said he wanted a balloon. Yellow is his favorite color. Guess which vehicle was the only one with a yellow balloon on it?? hehe

More pics to come, once I find out how to transfer pics from my iphone...

Palm Sunday

2010-03-28T22:06:00.006-04:00

Tim sang beautifully in our cantata today. We were able to break for a minute and get a snap shot together between services. It was nice he sang- it meant he was here today- and then back to work tonight- but we got to have a little breakfast and lunch together. Whooo Hooo!! We are so thankful for any extra time with Daddy!!

Here we are
I have several more posts I am working on- but can not get the pics to load- so, sometime soon, scroll back and view the happenings over the last 2 months :)

Blessings and May you all have a WONDERFUL EASTER!!

Easter Sunday- We went in a little early, and Eli got his picture with Papaw!! He picked out the suit at the store all by himself... He said, I want to get a suit to look just like Daddy!!

Eli and Papaw
Then we got a pic with Papa, who had gone in early to sing.
Happy Easter!! Love, the Swingle family!!

Subaru vs Deer

2010-03-23T22:51:00.008-04:00

There once was a big boy named Daddy. One day when he was driving to work, at Newton, he hit a bump. When he got out, he saw it was a deer, and the car was jacked up.
The adjuster came and looked at the car, and said he could not get a new car, because he had to get it fixed.

So is how the tale is told by Eli, of the day that the Subaru was side tracked by the deer. Or maybe side smashed, no, hmmmm, well- you can determine that.....

Thankfully, no damage was done to Daddy!!

I do chuckle, because every time we see the deer crossing signs on the road, Eli begins the tale told above, with few deviations.

We had to wait a long time for the adjuster to show up yesterday. "I'll be there around 1- probably quarter till" turned into around 2, maybe quarter til 2. But what blessings God has for us when we least expect it.Eli and I arrived at about 20 til 1. As we were sitting there in the truck, next to the damaged vehicle (Tim had left it at the Fire Department where he worked the day the car tangoed with a deer) the terribly gray clouds and rain we had dealt with all morning, gave way to big, picture worthy clouds, bright sunshine streaming down, a gently breeze wafting through the open windows of the truck, birds singing cheerfully all around and such a wonderful Spring feeling.
Sitting behind the wheel, with the book propped up on the steering wheel, we finished our library books we were going to return while we were out and about. Then we began to notice the thwack thwack of a helicopter. It got continually louder, until finally, Eli leaned over toward the window and said, "Mommy, look!!! The helicopter!!"It landed at the helipad the department had installed a few years earlier when working with Medflight. It needed to refuel, and had been able to land there rather than flying further into town for another helipad.
Oh the excitement!! As we were standing there watching the blades slow down, the alarm went off at the fire station and we watch the medic, with all the bells and whistles, tear out of the garage and speed down the road.
The Chief of the helicopter is one of those wonderful child friendly folks, who love to watch the wonder unfold in the faces of children. He came over and told us once they were done refueling, Eli could sit in the cab, if he wanted to......
His face says it all....

The adjuster showed up just as we were ready to sit in the cab. So, we let him know we'd be right over once Eli got to sit in the cab. What a wonderful day!

On our way home, we got to meet with the woman who will be watching Eli for me on the Wednesdays that Tim works. We all hit it off very well, and I think all three of us are looking forward to the next day that Eli will be going to visit with his new friend.

Gotcha Day

2010-03-15T22:36:00.004-04:00

Gotcha Day
Wow- what a day in our lives- the day we celebrate becoming a family. Our first day as parents. As Eli has been saying- the day we got married.

So, here are the last few years of gotcha days:

I love this painting. I have had it hanging on my fridge since we first started thinking about our son. Still there :)

Just found this pic- this is how I imagined Eli until we met him. I prayed and prayed that God would hold him close!
This was our first picture of Eli- not quite gotcha day- but our first view of him, none the less.
Our first few minutes as Eli's parents, just before we left the baby home to start our new lives together.
Last year, we had Eli dedicated on Gotcha Day. It was such a special day to be able to dedicate Eli to God.

This year gotcha day was a combo celebration- we celebrated at Tim's family get together along with Mamaw's birthday, and had our own little celebration the next day as a family- have that video on my new iphone- hopefully will be able to share soon- anyone know how to get pics and videos from iphone to laptop?

Thank you, God, for the amazing things you did to bring our family together!! We celebrate so much today!!

February

2010-03-14T21:00:00.015-04:00

Eli practiced with his camera he got for Christmas quite a bit. Here I captured him with his Daddy at work. Not bad for a little camera :)

Just a bit over exposed....

Grammalot's birthday was Feb 17, so Eli got her card all ready. What a great job he did- all by himself!!
I got a pic of it,and then decided I needed to capture him with the card, too!
Eli, holding Grammalot's card.
It was a cold and snowy Feb. Thanks again Jim, for trading Saturdays with me- the 15 inches of snow we got overnight made travel impossible to go to work that weekend. Eli was a great help, too, helping to push the snow blower.
Beautiful- thou hard to hit the playset :)

We left all the snow behind and headed out to St Croix. What a time- we celebrated our 10th anniversary, and had friends that wanted to come with us. Our friend Kristen, a professional photographer, did some beach shots for us to commemorate the occasion. Little did she know what was in store for her that week :)
Here she is catching our photos as the sun was sinking down into the horizon.
Eli has started doing this with his camera, too. He takes a pic and then comes over and shows the pic to us.
Notice anything on that hand??? The surprise was amazing as John sang Kristen a beautiful song, declared his love and they agreed to be married. What a day!! and it wasn't ruined at all when Eli ran up, in the middle of the declaration of love, asking loudly if they wanted any hand sanitizer :)
Here Eli is, ready to head out to the pool with the pool toys we brought. He loved the water this year- the pool water. The ocean was still a bit to "big" for him.
I was so impressed with his snorkeling ablility!! He swam around for a few minutes with Tim,talking to us through the snorkel the whole time :)
This is one of my favorite pics from this year. Tim and Eli holding hands, walking along the beach.

Wednesday morning, we had plans to go to Christianstead with everyone to see the sites and while we went to the fort,they were going to look for souvenirs to take home. We had very spotty internet service at the room. That morning, however, Tim was able to get an email from our pastor.

He had been scheduled to go to Haiti on a mission trip on Jan 16. That trip, of course, was canceled due to the massive earthquake that all but destroyed much of Haiti on the 11th. Our crew was so disappointed to not be able to get there and help. We "knew"they wouldn't be able to get us back there very soon, since the airport was in such shambles.

Imagine Tim's surprise, regret, dismay, disbelief and overwhelmingly sad disappointment to find that our missionary had called the night before and wanted our team there that weekend- before we were scheduled to return. Ah- my heart was breaking for him, I knew how much he longed to go and help. But, he put on a happy face and we finished getting ready to go and met up with our friends and headed out.

Surprisingly enough, our phones have service on the South side of the island. So, once we got over the mountain to the other side of the island, Tim's phone starts dinging like mad as it received all his voice messages from the last few days. One was from his brother, Jeff, saying only call me as soon as you receive this message.

So, as we were driving down the road in the tropical lushness of St Croix, Tim learned that his Aunt had gone out looking for his uncle after he had been gone too long plowing snow, only to find he had passed away. At only 56 years old, it came as a shock to everyone. We were sitting there reeling with the news, not knowing what to do.

We went through our day, kinda numb, wanting to enjoy our beautiful surroundings, trying to figure out how to deal with these conflicting emotions.

Over the next 2 days we tried to find a way to get home early for the funeral on Monday. Tim wanted to be there with his family in such a bad way!!! Unfortunately, it would have cost $750 per ticket for us to fly home 1 day early. We spent a while on the phone with family, who assured us they understood we couldn't be there for the funeral. We finally concluded we could be there for afterwards- when the numbness starts to wear off.

The weather was beautiful!! Hot, sunny and wonderful- what a break from the feet of snow and no electricity we left behind!!
We toured around the fort in Ft Christianstead. Amazing to see the places people lived.
Eli liked the cannon!

The town Gazebo was dubbed the Merry-go-round without horses by Eli.
We all went out to dinner at Cheeseburgers in Paradise, enjoying food and getting to know new friends. Along with Kristen and John, John's 2 sisters, Beth and Faith were with us. What a fun time we had. Our server, after taking our pic, found out that we wanted to find the tide pools a few miles from our resort. He offered to take us the next day. So, on our 10th anniversary,we were able to do something we'd never done-and what an amazing day it was!!

Tim had just completed the P90X program. We sure were glad!! He carried Eli almost the whole way on his shoulders!!

We all had fun on the hike. It was so beautiful, and a part of St Croix we have never seen before!

The tide pools are down at the far right end of the photo- just before the outcropping of the hill.
It was B E A utiful!! I could have spent a whole day there!
Some more pics from Eli's camera.
Mommy and Daddy :)
Kristen, John and Faith through the eyes of Eli....
Our four friends!!
The happy Newly engaged couple!
Every morning, Eli would wake with the sun (around 6:30!!) yelling- it's light out, waking up time, Mommy and Daddy, and then launch himself into bed with us. Ahhh, the excitement of youth- if only we could capture it and retain it always!~
The last morning we were there, Tim and Eli played in the sand by the beach (love the palm trees on the beach) while we went snorkeling. It was fun to be able to get out and explore underwater a little bit. Kinda completed the vacation for me :)
We did our formal pics then- here I captured the boys dressing. I'll have more pics to post soon- just waiting on the final disc of pics from the week.
Eli captured Kristen as she was shooting our photos.
Then he came and got us between shots :)
He learned to say bouganvillia- the name of the flower- while we were down there- here he is saying that on the plane on the way home:)

We arrived home in Columbus to several inches of freshly fallen snow. I am amazed the plane was able to land!! We had to get a taxi to get back to our hotel.

Eli fell asleep as we were taxiing into the airport. I carried him out of the plane, where we saw a wheelchair waiting, and no one that needed it- so we put him in the chair, and used it to push over to the baggage claim. We had our sweatshirts only- thinking we'd be stepping right into the van from the hotel. We ended up waiting outside in line for about 1/2 hour for a taxi- there were so many others lined up.

I had Eli under my sweatshirt, his head sticking out, hood over his head. We finally got a cab and arrived at the hotel. What an experience that ride was!! We arrived at the hotel about 11:30. We got up to our room and I laid Eli down on the bed. That is when he woke up.... :)

We ended up staying overnight due to the road conditions.
Notice anything amiss?
Eli kept running out the door after he woke up- he wanted to go swimming- not realizing that the pool wasn't open. Our door lock wasn't very effective, eh?
We got home the next morning- but couldn't make it up the drive way- so much more snow had fallen.
So, from one paradise to the next- we went from sand to snow. After a few hours, we were able to get up to the garage :)
This is the view out our front door. WOW!!

A friend of mine had given Eli and me a Gingerbread house kit. We decided to make a valentines house. Chey and Wes came up and we made it all together. We had some icing left over, so we decorated the kids,too :)
Chey
Eli
Wes
Valentine's house front view
Valentines house back view.

Then we all went to Papa's work, sharing our gingerbread house with the guys and eating pizza with them. Sat is pizza day at work- they make it from scratch- yum!!

Then, of course, the kids went down the pole- well,the boys did:)
Wes coming down the pole
Wow!! What a look!!
Then Eli and Daddy came down the pole.
They got a tour of the back of a medic...and got to sit in the back of the fire engine. Good times!!
Eli had his first cleaning in the big room. He was so still and did just what they asked him to.
I was so proud of him. He made it into the "no cavity club"

The month passed so quickly!!

Has it really been 2 years!!!

2010-03-14T20:57:00.004-04:00

Two years ago, right now, we were beginning our first day as parents to Eli. The memories still seem as fresh as yesterday- but a yesterday packed carefully away a lifetime ago! I pull the memories out, one by one, examining the preciousness of them, putting them away carefully for more thought later.

We talk so much about how easy it is now to make him laugh.

Ramblings of a recovering mom

2010-01-18T21:33:00.004-05:00

We left last Sunday to go to PA to pick Eli up from my Mom and Dad's house. Tim's family had a gathering for Lunch, so we got away and arrived just in time to eat a late dinner and put Eli to bed.

He wouldn't eat until we got there. Said he wanted to wait for his Mommy and Daddy to get there before he ate. We arrived, and as I ran through the house searching for him, I heard him crying upstairs. Seems he wanted to push the garage door button and be the first to see us as we came in, but he also wanted to play for a little bit longer in the bathtub and missed his opportunity.

Oh, how wonderful to gather his sweet little body close to my heart!! I felt like crying. I was still feeling way below par, so wasn't too upset when Eli wanted Tim to rock him and tuck him in. I think we both really indulged him. I believe Tim read 5 books to him, and then I heard Eli singing to Tim as I stood downstairs listening.

We stayed an extra day with Mom and Dad. Eli had a couple of "bad dreams" and wanted to cuddle and be held, and sleep in the big bed with Daddy. He wasn't able to tell us exactly what happened, just that it was bad.

It was nice to have the extra time with Mom and Dad- especially since I was just regaining my ability to eat- Mom made several soups. It is amazing how little one wants to cook when one is not feeling well, and how little appetite one has when one does have to cook. Thanks for the savory meals, Mom!! They were great!

We got back home Tues evening, after a shopping spree at Cabelas, and about 5 or 5:30pm Tim headed straight back to work- he only had the first 12 hours off. He called me that evening, just after he left, as he was driving, to tell me there had been an earthquake in Haiti. It was the beginning of a long, emotionally draining week, for us, as well as nations around the world as we watch and listen for any details about friends and loved ones in the nation of Haiti.

The next day was my 2 week check up for my throat. Dr said everything looked pretty good, my tonsils were much larger than he thought, even wrapping around my trachea. Even so, followups will be closer to home at my family Dr if I have any more issues. Thank you, God, that I am finally healing!!

On the way home, we got a text from our prayer chain at church. One of my best friends had just found out that her brother, a police officer in PA, had just been fatally shot in the line of duty. Oh how my heart grieves for her and her family.

It has been difficult to not have CNN on all the time. I have a desperate need to know what is going on in Haiti. ( It feels almost like after the towers collapsed on 9/11.) Tim and I have been there several times on short term mission trips and have many friendships with people there. Facebook has been a lifeline- literally. Our friends down there had facebook availability before they had phone service, and were able to communicate with each other, make sure everyone was OK and coordinate efforts. And it is such a wonderful way to keep everyone informed of what is going on.

The hard part now is to turn the TV off. I know it is not good for Eli to see that. I so totally DO NOT want the pictures he sees on TV now to be what he has in his mind when we tell him Tim, or both of us are going to Haiti.

He is asking questions- and I encourage it- I want him to talk about it.

He wants to know why the houses fell down? Where are the people going to live? What will they eat and drink? Why did it happen?

He has overheard us talking about some of the stuff going on there, and I know he is too young to understand and process it.

So, it comes out in other ways.

I'm not sure if the destruction we see in Haiti, Mommy and Daddy tearful at times, or just the separation he experienced while gone for 10 days is to account for it. He seems to have forgotten his "self soothing" mechanisms. If he wakes in the night, he cries or comes and gets us and wants to cuddle or rock with us until he falls back asleep. And, always, wants us to "sleep in the big bed" in his room.

I am praying that begins to subside. Selfishly, it is very draining to not get much sleep at night. Seems when I do sleep, I'm listening to make sure he is ok, and then when I fall asleep, he wakes up. And yet, tonight, now that he is asleep, I sit here and type my thoughts when I, too, should be going to bed. I guess I can't lay the tired blame solely on his feet. As I feel better each day, I think I should be able to just jump back into the swing of things after having done nothing for the last 2 weeks after my surgery. I do hope he sleeps all night tonight, though.

We are so thankful for the safety of the people we know in Haiti. So grieved over the loss of so many in a country that is already so impoverished. Tim and a team from our church had been scheduled to leave for Haiti last Sat. Due to the airport situation, and lack of civilian flights, as well as no where to stay once we arrive, and not wanting to use up the limited supplies the people there have now, the trip was canceled. They hope to go down as soon as possible, to help in anyway possible.

WE went to church on Sunday. It has been a while since I've been able to make it to church! Eli and I were standing in line to sign in for KidsPraise. There was an older lady, maybe mid to late 70's- hard to say.... she was in line behind me. Eli didn't want to go to class- he wanted to stay with us in big church. The lady behind me and I struck up a bit of a conversation.

After a few minutes of talking back and forth, she looked at me and, while pointing to Eli, said, "So, is this your grandson?"

GULP!!!

"Ah, no. He is my son," I replied, reeling with a bit of shock at her words.

I'm usually told I look like a teenager and not old enough to have a child. This is definitely a first for me to have someone ask me if I am a grandparent to my child. OUCH!! I jokingly put on facebook that I never knew that a tonsillectomy could add a whole generation to your age....

Eli didn't make it in KidsPraise. His number appeared on the screen in the front of "Big church" before we'd finished singing the first song. So, Eli came to big church with us. He was so very good. He used his whisper voice (amazing how much volume a child can put into a whisper voice, isn't it?) and was very still while he was drinking the drink I picked up for him in the nursery and the goldfish snack.

Seeing our friends that have Haiti as strongly on their hearts as we do, talking about my friend, Melissa's brother that was killed, my own recovery, and just being back in a place of worship where I felt I belonged just about did me in. I was close to tears, or tear streaked on the face until well after we left the building.

Thank you, God, for the people you put in our lives that we can "do life" with. Where we feel accepted for who we are and loved, sometimes in spite of it :)

As I sit here and type about getting up in the middle of the night to tend to Eli, I can't help but be overwhelmed as I think about all the parents all over the world that tonight are sitting in their homes, arms and hearts aching, holding pictures of their children that are still in Haiti, waiting on the final stages of adoption, not knowing if their child is alive, or has any water, food, clothing or shelter, and no end in sight as to when they can go bring their children home. I do stop and remind myself to cherish every moment with our son who took so long to come home to us, and realize that it isn't so bad to have your child come and get you in the middle of the night because he wants to be close to you.

Praying for the people of Haiti and all that were affected by this tragedy- May God bring healing from the darkness and hope from the despair. May His love shine through the dust, rubble and smoke. May WE all be changed for the better as we participate in what ever way we can in helping this nation, roughly the same size as Maryland.

Good night all! I'm headed to bed :)

Missing you

2010-01-07T17:27:00.003-05:00

Mom's are very wise people. When Mom approached me last year about keeping Eli while I recovered, I turned her down. I knew Tim would be home- we could handle it.

Then, over the last couple months, I lost my voice. Several times. Eli didn't handle it very well and on the days when Tim went to work, and it was just the 2 of us, it was very difficult.

Finally, when the subject came up again, and I asked Mom if her offer was still good, she enthusiastically replied, "Of course, it is!!"

So, we packed up after Christmas here with our family and Tim's family and headed home for some time with Mommy's family. We had a wonderful few days, and then we took off for Ohio, leaving our little guy safe and sound with his Grandma and Grandpa Fox.

Other than missing him soooo very much this has worked out very well. Tim hasn't had to keep Eli quiet so I could rest, we haven't had to worry about feeding him and entertaining him- I didn't have to worry about waking him up when I was up through the night- and, best of all, Grandma and Grandpa, who never get to see Eli, get to have some time with him, getting to know him.

I can't wait to hear all the stories of what all is going on with that little guy. I can't wait to get some hugs and kisses from that little guy. What a special little person God placed in our lives- and what a huge hole you leave when you are gone!!

Come on throat- let's get this healing on the road!!! We love and miss you, our sweet little guy!!

Mommy's Surgery

2010-01-02T15:58:00.003-05:00

Hey everybody!! I am alive!! I had my tonsils removed in a very simple procedure on Dec 30th. The Dr told Tim the tonsils were actually much worse than he had originally thought, and he was very happy that I had decided to have them removed. He couldn't believe how big they were.

The first day, right after the surgery, was great!! The anesthesia was still lingering in my system, making it very difficult to be awake and or aware for very long. My tongue was the only discomfort I had at all!! The last 2 days, though, have been challenging. I am soo glad to know that God walks with us every step of the way, though!!

Eli is staying with my Mom and Dad in PA and having a great time. He calls us each morning and wants to know if we are ready to come and pick him up. "I love you, Mommy and Daddy!!" he says so sweetly in the phone.

I am quite eager to get the pain to at least a tolerable level without being so groggy :) I will also be glad to get rid of the 15 pounds of fluid I've put on in the last 48 hours. I have on a purple jogging suit today- I told Tim I feel like the little girl that loved to chew gum on Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory.... hehehe Doopity doo.... and turned into a blueberry!!

I am only on my 3rd day of recovery, though, so I will rejoice in all the small things!! Thank you God that I can sleep, for family and friends praying for us and loving us and taking care of us. Thank you for speedy recovery and that I find that wonderful balance- doing just enough to speed healing and recovery, but not too much to set me back.

I am soo thankful that my tonsils are out now, so I can look forward to much better health all around in 2010!!!!

Happy New Year to Everyone!!

Christmas in PA

2010-01-02T15:12:00.004-05:00

We had a Kidstuf program in December, and Eli was helping me out as I was making some props.
Note the Halo, the festive socks with garland and bells- turned up on the end like an elfs...

And then there was the day the Papa's boots came. Eli was soo excited about them- he opened the box and we got a pic of the boots to send to Papa at work, so he could enjoy the new boots, too:)

We drove to PA Sat morning after Tim got home from work and we got the car all loaded up. It sure is good to see my family. All the kids arrived on Sat, through out the day, so by evening we were ready to have another celebration. Eli was a little tired and wasn't listening very well, so he and i went up and got a bath. I saw on the clock that it was after 8:30- so I was going to go ahead and put him down for the night. But as Tim came up, and I realized the clock was wrong, Eli got the reprieve he'd been longing for, and we went downstairs and had a celebration!!

Grandma and Grandpa got him a little kitchen set. Aunt Amity and Uncle Justin got it all put together in record time, and he had a blast making us pancakes and lemons.

He got some Spiderman gloves and hat- I just loved this pic!!

Veronica was being a Puuurrrrffectly lovely little cat, playing in the box. Eli loved that- he loves to play kitty!! And Kylie was a great chef, helping Eli prepare meals in the kitchen.

The next day, we went with Rick and Dad as Rick was setting up his tree stand to go hunting the next morning. The farm has many beautiful horses on it, so Eli, Veronica, Amity and I went along to see the horses. Here is Eli, getting his bearings, taking pictures with his new camera.

Veronica reminds me so much of myself when I was younger. I was so horse crazy- I loved to be near them. What a dream!! So glad I could capture it on film:)

My 2 little hams, hamming it up for the photo opp...

I went shopping with Tara the next day. Tara, Kylie and I had sooo much fun!!Kylie was my fashion consultant. Tim and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary in Feb, so we are going to have some nice photos taken, and Kylie was helping me pick out my dress.

We chose several and then went back to the changing room. She critiqued each one, cautioning me on what type of undergarments I'd need, and then we picked out shoes to go with the dress I picked. I haven't had that much fun at Gabe's for a long time!! Thank you Kylie and Tara!!

We stopped at JC Penney's for Tara to exchange an item- and I found this darling suit on sale. It is sooo cute!!

Still a little big on him- but oh, what a dapper little guy!!!

It snowed quite a bit (not a lot stuck) while we were in PA- but we did get enough to go sledding!! So Tues morning, Tim, Eli and I all bundled up and headed out to go sledding. Eli got to wear his new snow suit- sooo cozy and warm!!

Love these pics of Father and son......
Up the hill for another ride down....

Wheeeee!!!!!!

The incline was just right- not to fast, not too slow....

Then we walked over to where the elementary school is, there is a cool hill there. He didn't enjoy it as much- it was fast enough that he got the snow crystal spray in the face. But he loved playing on all the playground equipment in the snow. What fun we had!!

Then it was time for Papa and Mama to say goodnight and leave.

Christmas

2009-12-30T22:15:00.008-05:00

What a beautiful Christmas we had this year. Eli came down to our room in the early morning. I got the breakfast casserole in the oven just before he came down. We read our story of the baby Jesus being born, ate breakfast and then we began celebrating Baby Jesus' birthday, too!! Mommy got a new camera- I'm going to try to download some of the cool video I got- but here are a few pics to start us out :)

We had a blast in the morning. I finished up the cookies- Eli was such a big help, washing and helping cut out all the shapes,

And, of course, cleaning off the spatula :)
Then Eli and Papa got all bundled up and headed out doors.

Papa got the old snowmobile running, so the boys went for a ride while I finished gathering our items for that evening.

What a blast they had!!

Here is Mama Snowman, Eli snowman and Papa Snowman- Good work!!!

We headed over to Mamaw and Papaw's then to have Christmas Eve dinner with the family. It was nice to relax and spend time together- it's the first time in over 10 years that Tim and I haven't had to head off for the services at church that we were always in. This year we were able to just go with family and relax and enjoy our time. It was very nice.

Then back to Mamaw and Papaw's to open presents- and, as Eli says, to celebrate Jesus's birthday some more!!

Here are all the grandchildren on Tim's side of the family. We missed our opportunity for the family shot- but at least got the kids :)

Even Baka got in on the festivities with us!!

My Brother-in-law, Scott, surprised and blessed all of us this year with some portrait sketches he did. We were all touched and deeply moved- what talent God has given this man!! Eli's picture is now on our wall- isn't it amazing?

All in all, it was a fabulous Christmas Eve- there was peace in the house and we had a lovely time together- till way late!! Eli and Wes got involved in the new Hamburger factory Playdoh kit, and even Chey played with them for a little while. We got Eli nestled in bed around 10:30 that night- with no nap- and surprisingly- no major meltdowns, either!!

Christmas morning, Tim was able to take the first few hours off so we were able to have breakfast together. Then he took off for work and Eli and I started getting everything ready for going to visit my Mom and Dad and family in PA. We soon were ready, got everything loaded up for our evening visit to the fire department in Whitehall where Papa was working (we were heading up to have Christmas dinner with him and the crew). We drove across the drive way and....

Eli was fast asleep :) He slept the whole way to the fire department (about an hour) and was able to have much more fun through the rest of the evening.

Of course, after dinner, we had to go check out the engines and the medics and all the tools. Eli loves to name all the equipment and pretend to be a firefighter.

As before, I am hoping I can download my video from my new camera onto blogger.... Stay tuned.....

On the way home, I was hoping to get Eli to drift off to sleep, so I could carry him to bed and not have any struggle. The night before, I started telling him the Christmas story, and he was asleep before I got to the shepherds.

So, I thought, I'll just pick up where I left off and keep on going. Only problem was, he never fell asleep!! we went through the wisemen, apprenticeship to be a woodworker and make things like Papaw, to learning and growing closer to God, to him staying behind in Jerusalem when he was Cheyenne's age to teach the elders, to the baptism, ministry, the men that were jealous because Jesus spoke with such authority and really seemed to know God, to the trial, the cross, the burial, the resurrection. He was really listening- at one point he said, "Wait, Mommy, back up. Explain the cross to me again. They put baby Jesus on the cross?"

No, I assured him. Baby Jesus was loved and cherished by his Mommy and Papa. It wasn't until he was much older, and I quickly went through the story again to give the time perspective.

I finally got some of the questions answered and turned on some quiet music. He was just about to drift off when I realized the song was singing about the cross.

"The Cross, Mommy, the Cross!! They are singing about the cross!! Can you tell me about the Cross again??"

May we always remember, Baby Jesus, just what you gave up when you came to Earth for me. (plural- each and every one of us can put our name here)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Here is a short clip from my new camera of Elisha opening up his camera- enjoy!!

!

Visit with Grandma

2009-12-30T22:14:00.003-05:00

I was getting pretty desperate to see Grandma. So, around the middle of December, Eli and I called Grandma, packed an over night bag and headed over to Indiana. We only stayed for a few meals, but it was soooo wonderful to just spend some time with her.

Here she is wrestling Eli down on the couch. We had so much fun, wrestling, playing, talking...

Playing Kitty cat together, with him hiding behind Grandma and peeking out. Can't wait to come see Grammalot again!!!

Santa at the FD

2009-12-16T22:49:00.003-05:00

We had a lovely Christmas dinner at the Newton Township Fire Dept this year. The Aux did a great job- the decorations and food were wonderful!!

Tim had to work that day, but the rest of the kids and family were able to be there. And then, after the food, the fun and the fellowship..... Santa arrived!! Eli was so excited!! Even more so, when Santa called out Eli's name first!!

He scrambled up on Santa's lap and began talking a mile a minute. I heard him saying something about how he saw Santa on Caillou.

Santa gave him his present- how amazing that he seems to be able to do that all the time- find just the right gift!! Eli and I think he must talk to Jesus, too, to be able to find out what we have been asking for. He got a really cool VTECH toy that teaches how to write letters, numbers and small words.

When Santa asked Eli what he wanted for Christmas, I almost jumped up and down clapping my hands. He said, "I want a camera. A real one, like Mommy's that takes pictures." Isn't it wonderful to know that the present you purchased and have wrapped under the tree is just what your child is requesting- before they even tell you?

It was pretty exciting to have Eli's cousins there, as well.
Here is Cheyenne getting her gift from Santa.

And here is Wesley. I think he was getting a little nervous- Santa saw several kids left and his bag looked pretty empty- he mentioned coal..... But all was not lost- and Wesley breathed a sigh of relief as he perched on Santa's lap and received his gift.
Lauren, Eli's older cousin also got a turn to tell Santa what she wanted him to bring to her on Christmas eve.

You have a beautiful voice..

2009-12-06T20:50:00.002-05:00

When Eli is in a whining mode- everything comes out in that most annoying whining 3 year old voice- I often take him aside and tell him that I am so glad that God gave him a beautiful voice. Then I tell him I really don't care much for the whining voice, but I would love to hear him use that beautiful voice that God gave him.

I mentioned that I have not been feeling well lately. The latest episode snuck in under the radar last weekend, robbing me of my voice and energy. I was afraid it was strep and pneumonia, so was much relieved to find out my lungs were clear, I just had tracheitis. Yup, my trachea was swollen, raw and painful. My voice was pretty much non- existent.

(I'd just like to mention at this point that I am really looking forward to having my tonsils removed on December 30. So, as you all are reading and sharing our journey with us- I'd love to have you praying for good health up to that point so I can have the surgery done, easy surgery and a smooth recovery time.. Thank you in advance!!)

Imagine my surprise during this time when all I could eek out was a hoarse whisper, and Eli came around the corner island of the kitchen and said, "Mommy, you have a beautiful voice," in such a sweet tone.

Then, as he stomped his little foot, he said, "Now please use it!!"

Isn't it nice, at times, to know that your children really are listening? Have I mentioned lately how much I love that little guy? It is overwhelming at times.

I thought I loved greatly when I was growing up. Then I met and married Tim and was amazed at how much and how quickly that love began to grow and blossom.

I thought I loved greatly as a wife. Then I pulled Eli onto my lap for the first time, and my whole world shifted, cracking down barriers to love that I didn't even know existed. The world had more color, the sounds were sweeter (and louder :)) the smells quite different. There was a whole new world opened to me.

As each new phase of my journey in life begins and I look back and realize how much deeper my love becomes, I am more awed than ever at how much God loves us. As we begin to celebrate the Christmas season, reflecting on all that happened in the life of Jesus, his earthly mom and dad, I find it takes on all new perspectives seen through this filter of new glimmers of what complete love feels like.

Thank you for the amazing gift of Christmas!! I can't imagine the love you must have for us that you would be willing to suffer so much, just to insure we can spend eternity with you. WOW!! I guess I could say You have a beautiful voice- please help me to listen better as You use it :)

Happy Advent!!

The Fox and The Hound

2009-12-05T21:42:00.002-05:00

A bizarre thing happened the other day. We had taken dinner to the fire station, and there was a fellow coworker that had some pups. He named them after the dogs from the movie The Fox and the Hound. I remembered seeing that in some older discs we found, remembered it being a cute movie, so I thought Eli and I could watch it. It was the night we were setting up the tree, a few weeks ago.

Sleeping Beauty was on before that on the disc, so I had almost lost him. As the Fox and the Hound started, I began asking him things about the movie, trying to draw him in so we could watch it together.

In the opening scene, you are going through the woods, through brush and over growth and you hear dogs barking in the distance. Then a lovely, graceful fox comes bursting through the pic carrying a little one in her mouth. She stops at a fence post and takes a second to nuzzle her baby and after a quick kiss, she is off.

Eli and I were watching- and I commented on how much she loved her little baby.

Then she jumps over the ridge, out of sight..... and gets shot.

Eli's little lip began to quiver and he said, "What happened to the mama?"

I told him she had been shot by the hunter.

He came over to me, tears beginning to well up in his little eyes, lip trembling, and said, "Mommy, why do there have to be hunters? When is his mommy coming back?"

So we watch a little more, but he is now glued to my side. We talked about how God provides- the wonderful older widowed lady comes out and finds him and raises him. He meets the basset hound next door and they become friends.

Then, after going away for on the hunt training for the winter, the dogs come back and now the fox and the hound are enemies.

As the widow was driving away, taking the fox to the nature preserve to keep him from being hunted by her neighbor, we had to turn the movie off.

She was driving, remembering how much she loved having this little fox in her life, and he became aware of how sad she was the further they drove.

Eli jumped into my arms, beginning to cry.

When she told him to stay, and drove away in the rain, Eli's little heart broke. The dam burst and he was literally wailing.

"No!!!! That is not right- she can't leave him. Mommy!!!! Why is she leaving him!!!! She can't leave him!!!"

So, I turned off the movie and we sat and held each other for quite a long time until he finally calmed down. Then the rest of the evening, he didn't want me out of his sight- and preferred to be touching me.

OK- so no matter what rating The Fox and the Hound had before, from a adoptees standpoint- not very good until they are much older. I still cry when I think of his heart-wrenching little sobs. It had been so long since I had seen it..... WOW!!

Thank you, God, for my tenderhearted little guy, for putting him in our lives and picking us to be his parents. Please help us and guide us as he grows so we can be the parents he needs providing the support he needs to grow and spread his wings fully!! Thank you, GOD!!

Fall

2009-11-29T15:50:00.008-05:00

Well, the fall has flown by. I have been pretty ill for the last few months- trying to get everything straightened out so I can have my tonsils taken out at the end of the month. Hoping that improves things a bit. So, I'm not quite up to exercising with Tim tonight, but feel up to writing, or at least updating some photos for Eli's blog.

Tim has had Eli much more this fall, at least since September. I began covering a maternity leave at the store I used to work at in October- so it has been Eli and Papa 2-3 days a week. Tim got the garage doors up, and some other work done on the barn. I made it home one day before dark and caught Eli playing with Papa in the garage.

He wants to help in everything we are doing :)

It amazes me how much this photo looks like one we have of Tim's niece, Lauren when she was that age!!

Here he is wearing Tim's big gel knee pads. We had to strap them on really tight to keep them up :)
Here he is backing his back hoe loader over a "road" he made from some scrap lumber. He is getting really good with the spacial relations, backing and driving his "heavy machinery."

Here he is designing and setting up roads.

I was amazed that day to see 2 school buses stopping each other on the road in front of our house. The one on the right is dropping of my niece and nephew. It got delayed by a fallen tree- so it came over the ridge just as the second bus was headed this way. Too funny out in the country!! There are only 2 buses that come this way :)

Eli was invited to a birthday party at the pumpkin patch. They had several places set up you could take pictures at. I love this one- thanks to Paula, my sister-in-law, for taking some pics of us together. Eli just asked me the other day where the pictures of me were? I told him I was behind the camera :)

He wasn't so sure what to think of the petting zoo they had set up. The quick jab touch was about all he felt comfortable with.

Then came pumpkin painting time. He did a great job painting. We ended up cooking his pumpkin the day before Thanksgiving. I was concerned I might not have enough for a pie.... hehe- I made 2 deep dish pumpkin pies, 2 pumpkin rolls and a batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Yummy!!

Look at the concentration as he painted away!!

This tube was tricky- it was actually quite smooth. We had difficulty climbing it- we did it several times with me coming behind Eli, giving him pushes when he started sliding backwards.

We went on a hayride around the farm. I am always amazed when you take the picture yourself without looking through the viewfinder and it actually turns out well.

Eli even got to sit up on the tractor after we got back from the hay ride. What a great day he had!! Thanks for including us in your celebration, Mozena's and happy birthday again to Logan!!

I mentioned exercising. Tim and I have been exercising- trying to get in shape- well, I'm trying and Tim is getting buff!! He's already lost over 20 pounds and built endurance and flexibility and strength that is amazing. I'm just trying. Anywho, Eli has been playing with our exercise bands. He put them on his feet, like I showed him. Then he decided he likes them like this- and calls them his firefighter suspenders.... Cracks us up!!

We put out our lights early this year, taking advantage of not freezing our buns or our fingers off. Here is a sweet picture of Eli handing Papa the light string. He is starting to catch the excitement we all share.

A little excitement, a lot of oneryness.....

I got some mouthwash at the store the other day. It is actually for children above 6- but Eli loves it. You put it in your mouth before brushing, swishing around for about 30 seconds, then spit out. It is a dye- bright blue. It colors plaque and food in the teeth. We have some flossers he loves, and we are finding how necessary they are, as he has several tight contacts already with his little teeth.

So the other day, as we were discussing getting ready for bed, it took us a second to determine that he was asking if he could use "wash mouth" before brushing his teeth. I am so delighted to see him starting such good habits so young- I'm sure his Grandpa will be thrilled- he drilled it into us as children. I don't think we were as easy in this regard as Eli has been- of course we didn't have wash mouth and cute little Plackers to remove plaque.....

We went to my cousin's wedding a couple of weekends ago- and he just had to have some sunglasses. So I let him wear the old pair I had in the car. He promptly fell asleep- why is it we love these sleeping pics so much?

Mom and Dad got some video of him singing Old McDonald- If I can get that, I'll post it here....

Between the wedding and the reception, we went to a McDonalds in Camden, OH. It was amazing!!! I can't believe it!! The play area was larger than the store. They had a little bit of everything. I wish I could have gotten some photos of Eli playing with his cousin, and then Tim climbing all over the jungle gym with Eli. At the reception, we sat down close to the back. He was a bit on the "I'm tired and if I sit I may fall asleep, so I'm going to run til I drop" kind of mood. They asked the father of the groom to say the prayer.

Eli promptly bows his head, fold his hands, says, "Thank you, Jelas, for the food. In Jesus name, amen."

He looks around- unfortunately, his prayer was much shorter than the formal prayer. We sat there for a few more seconds, and he looked at the couple to our left. "It's OK, " he said to them, tapping them on the arm. "You can open your eyes now. I'm done."

About a week before Thanksgiving, he woke up early and was yelling something to us from his bedroom. I went out to find out what was wrong.

Thanksgiving this year was fun. We celebrated with Tim's extended family on his Mom's side the Sunday before Thanksgiving and with Tim 's parents on Thanksgiving day. What a great time of year to remember all that we have to be thankful for. So many times it helps to put it into perspective.

"Mommy, can I open my gate and wake up now?" he asked, as he proceeded to open his gate and come on down the steps. So much for making sure we know where he is while we sleep.....We have left the gate up, so we can at least hear when he opens the gate....
Tim ordered some new boots the other day. They came while he was at work. Eli wanted to open Papa's "present." So, we did- and then he proceeded to try on Papa's new socks and boots. Here is the pic we sent to Papa so he could see his new boots.

If you look at our tree in the background- you'll see the popcorn/cranberry garland. Eli and I worked on that the other day. I was pretty impressed. I gave him a sharp needle, and he did quite a bit by himself. He preferred the cranberries. They went on a lot easier than the popcorn. He kept putting his head in the pop corn bowl, grabbing a piece and eating it saying he was Baka... what great imaginations children have :)

2009-11-19T22:05:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it has been a whole month (almost) since I last posted. So many things, so little time...
Last night, I got home from work, we ate a late dinner and I took Eli up to his bathroom to get a bath and prepare for bed. He wanted to take a shower in mommy's bathroom downstairs, so decided he was going to wail and scream/cry the whole time I was bathing him. By the time we finished (and it was uber-quick!!) I had a headache that was just about to split my head.

I looked at him and said, "Eli, let's play a game- lets see how quiet we can be for a few minutes... super quiet. "

He calmed down and looked at me. "Why?" he loudly asked, as most 3 year-olds are want to do.

The truth popped out- "Because Mommy has a super bad headache, and I think if we can be super quiet for a few minutes, it will feel better. "

My son displayed his compassionate little heart at this point- all thought about why he was crying left, and he looked at me, came closer, laying his hands on my head.

"I will pray for your head, Mommy. OK?" He said so sweetly.

"Sure, Sweetie," I said. "That would be great!!"

So, with his hands on my head, he began.... "Dear God...."

He paused, opened his eyes and looked at me very closely.

"Where does it hurt, Mommy?"

I took his little cool hand and placed it on my head, just above my left temple region, and he began again. "Dear God, please make Mommy's head feel better and take away her headache. In Jelus name, Amen. "

He looked immediately at me and asked if I was starting to feel better. I told him I was a little, and I knew it would be gone soon. He then asked about our youth pastor, Lonnie, who we have been praying for over the last few weeks.

Thank you, God, for moments like these where I feel like maybe he is getting it-figuring out what it means to have that close relationship with you. I pray you continue to lead and guide Tim and me as we travel this incredible journey of parenthood You have blessed us with !!

God Bless You

2009-10-26T23:26:00.002-04:00

Elisha and I had a good day today. He is feeling better each day- and today we discussed being mean- and how it is not very nice. The day went much better after that.

It was really quite pleasant all around.

Tonight as I was rocking him before bed, he was snuggling in close and we were discussing clocks. He can't wait till tomorrow when we are going to learn more about clocks like they did on Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures.

I tucked him in, hugging and kissing on him, loving him as much as I could. I leaned over and gently brushed the hair from his forehead. "Good night, Sweetie. God bless you!!" I gently said.

"Why you say that, Mommy? I not cough. You suppose to say 'Good night. I love you' and leave."

I had to laugh. Everything is so concrete to a 3 year old, and nothing has more than one meaning. Of this they are quite sure!! I guess he only knows "God bless you" as something you say after a person sneezes or coughs. *grin*

Not so sweet, please

2009-10-26T10:01:00.003-04:00

We have diluted Eli's juices since we started giving them to him. Even more so when that was all he wanted- maybe 15% juice, the rest water. The only thing we haven't diluted has been the milk he drinks.

So, I guess it should come as no surprise that the pedialyte is too sweet for him. "Yucky," he says, screwing up his face as he takes a sip. "May I please have more Gatorade, Mommy? I don't like that.... It is nasty."

Wonderful to know that I haven't corrupted him too much with my own sweet tooth, and quite thankful to see that he isn't in desperate need of drinking lots of Pedialyte. Tim and I both tasted it- it's really good- it has a "smoother" consistency than juice or water, must be the electrolytes in it.

Thanking God that his fever seems to be broken, finally, and he is more ornery and mean than ever. Hoping the mean part goes away SOON!! :) But happy to see him have energy to do more than just sit there :)

Thank you, God, for your healing touch on us all!!

Why?

2009-10-25T11:51:00.003-04:00

We thought he might not do it. Thought maybe he was past the age. But over the last week, he has discovered the word "why" and is using it non stop.

Last night as he was barfing all over, I was holding him, wiping his little face, praying for and with him, and saying I was so sorry he was sick.

"Why am I sick Mommy?" he said.

"Because a little virus got into your body and God designed your body to be able to get rid of it as quickly as possible."

"But why, Mommy? Why do I feel so sick? Why does my head hurt?"

I gently explained that viruses get into your body several ways. One way is when you touch everything around you and then put your fingers in your mouth, as we had been asking him not to do.

"But why, Mommy?"

I guess there will always be more "whys" than there are good answers....

Fever back this morning, but does seem to stay down with the tylenol and motrin on board. Thank you, God, for a good night's sleep for us all!!

The sacred snuggling hours

2009-10-24T21:16:00.003-04:00

We had a first today, though I guess it really started last night.

Eli was diagnosed with Bronchitis the day after Tim, they both did their antibiotics simultaneously and finished last week. Since he has finished, we've still been watching closely as Eli has had a very low grade temp. All the swine flu scare going around, I guess.

Tim was working, so Eli and I headed upstairs. Only last night, instead of the rocker, where we have rocked to sleep, or at least calm, since he came home, he wanted to lay on the big bed in the room and snuggle before I tucked him in.

With me.

For several minutes.

Yeah!! I never thought I would have him want to do that!!

So today the day starts out like any other. He's a little more whiny, but not too bad. Lunch time came around and Tim came home as we were finishing lunch... When I realized he was acting really sleepy and had only eaten a few bites of lunch, which is super unusual for him.

He was laying his head over on me and his eyes were really droopy. And then, my little guy who has been fighting naps with everything he has in him, and struggling to stay awake now for several months during nap time, meekly said he wanted me to come up and cuddle with him and he wanted to take a nap.

So, up we went. Oh how incredibly wonderful it felt to have his sweet little body laying on me as he totally relaxed and fell asleep. I've heard others talk about the precious weight of their child on their chest, slumbering softly as you feel each breath and watch them rise with yours.

I lay there in one part of my mind basking in this brand new experience, the other praying fervently for this sweet little very hot body laying on me to cool down and feel better.

After putting him down in his crib and sneaking downstairs for a few minutes, he started crying for me. He wanted to be with me, snuggling on the big bed for his nap. So we lay down for a few more minutes and then he decides it is time to wake up. "Wake up time", he announces, as he jumps up and turns off the fan and turns on the light.

So downstairs we go, and a few minutes later he comes over to me and wants to be held.

By me.

And then he puked. All over the two of us. And puked again, and again, and again. Poor little guy!! Thank you God for a husband with a strong stomach who could clean up the floor while Eli and I got cleaned up!!

The praying was pretty intense over the next several hours. He didn't want me to leave his side. His fever soared to 101.3 and he lay listless and lethargic, only wanted me to hold and at least touch him if he wasn't in my arms. What a scary time!! Several changes of clothing, blankets and towels later, I held him close praying he would keep down the tylenol I finally was able to get up and give to him. He fell asleep in my arms and I just held and prayed for this little boy acting so abnormally in my arms. I don't like him being sick!!

And then, suddenly, about 7pm, he gets up and says he is hungry and wants to eat with us. I was rather concerned- since he was even puking up the gatorade we were giving him. But he sat and ate some saltines, drank some more diluted gatorade and acted as if nothing was wrong.

AKA he no longer really wanted anything to do with me ~ *grin* lol. So, I guess we moms enjoy the snuggling while we can, praying for it to end quickly so our little tykes can be healthy and "normal" again, cherishing being able to love our child freely without them pulling away from us.

Thank you God for such a speedy answer to prayers!!

I am thanking God now, Eli just went to sleep. I'm praying that we are over it all- and that tomorrow will find us all in the pink of health!!

So, good night to all!!

beautiful weather outside, a little under the weather inside

2009-10-14T15:38:00.002-04:00

Wow, has it been 3 weeks? Well, life has been happening. There have been funny moments, as well as sad moments. Mommy has been tapping into the unknown reserves that only mommies have as our whole family has been under the weather.

Latest report has Tim out of work with bronchitis, Eli recovering from some cold/virus and Mommy still fighting what ever virus I picked up 3 weeks ago. Thanking God for each new morning.

As I drove home today from a meeting at work, I was almost mesmerized by the amazing beauty all around me. The leaves are so vibrant this year. My eyes seem almost starved for the beauty of them. Thank you, God for this precious gift!

Hope to post soon. Right now I'm putting one foot in front of the other and hanging tight to my smile :)

Happy Fall to you all!!

Praying with faith like a child

2009-09-23T14:53:00.002-04:00

Being a mom, going through the adoptive process, watching daily as Eli grows and learns new things- it brings me to my knees as I develop a deeper understanding of what I have been reading in the Bible since I was a child. Oh how great and broad and deep is the love that God has for us!!

We are hosting a family tonight and tomorrow night that are in town for an extreme event. I wish I had more details, but I have been sick again- (yuck!!) and pretty out of what doesn't require immediate attention. (Good news is- I have a date set- Dec 30th to get my tonsils out!!! Yeah!!)

So, Eli and I have been trying to put the finishing touches on cleaning up the house and getting it ready for this family. After we got the sheets on the spare bed (futon, really) in the basement, we paused for a moment. I held him close and asked if he'd like to pray with me that this family coming tonight would sleep well. They have a 2 year old and 4 year old- and I know that sometimes sleep is not the best in a new environment.

So, we prayed, and then continued making up the bed.

As I was upstairs, taking the bread out of the oven, Eli was still in the basement. He wanted to dust some more :) *grin*- if only I can keep this attitude for the next, oh 20 years or so.... :) As I was upstairs, setting out the bread, I hear his little voice downstairs, talking to God- praying for Rob Jr and Olivia that they will sleep all night long when they come tonight. Thank you, God, that sometimes he really does seem to get it~!!!!! I keep praying he draws closer and closer to you!!

He really holds me to his prayers, too! My toe is still a little sore, nothing like it was-but still a little stiff. The bruising is finally gone- but I am very protective of it. When he comes bouncing near, I ask him to please be careful of my sore toe.

"Ah, Mommy, God is already healing it!!"

I offered him a bandaid the other day, after a little mishap outside on the gravel. He said, "No thank you, Mommy. God will put one on it while I sleep tonight."

We have been calling scabs God's bandaid. It is so amazing to hear him talk to me about God the healer, and so sweet to have him ask me if he can pray for me or Papa when we have a headache or an owie.

Thank you, God, for these tenderly sweet lessons I am learning from my son- for increasing my faith and showing me so many new facets of yourself!!

Parenting Foibles

2009-09-12T21:09:00.002-04:00

Eli is growing up. He has skipped his nap more frequently lately :( Which tends toward more behavioral issues later in the day as he is totally spent. I watch his eyes struggle to stay open- but he reminds me of myself when I was younger, trying soo hard to stay up on New Year's Eve to bring in the new year, fighting sleep with all I had in me.

Today he was in his crib for a little over an hour for his nap. I had gone up several times to try to get him to lay still long enough to fall asleep. Tim had a great idea of telling him he couldn't go to the birthday party we were planning on going to tonight unless he slept.

So, when I came back inside after a few minutes and he was standing in his crib, I walked in and told him he needed to lay down right away and go to sleep or he wouldn't be able to go to the party. He immediately began scrambling out of the crib.

"OK, Mommy. It is waking up time now. I will go to bed early tonight. And I will go to Lauren's party next time."

Oh my!! It totally backfired on me!! So now, not only does he not get a nap- I now can't go to my nieces 16th birthday party because of trying to coerce my 3 year old to take a nap. Bummer. It is hard to stick with your guns, isn't it?

He got a swat on his little behind tonight for not listening. As we were praying together after we talked about why he got in trouble, he said, "Dear God- please help Mommy stop 'maken my butt." Ahhh.....

On a much happier and sweeter note- I almost broke my toe about 3 months ago. It was just beginning to heal- in fact- I think it was the first day I had not wrapped it in over a month. But, as I was running into the house to get some painting supplies for a door on the garage I was working on, I slipped on a puddle of water in the garage and re injured the same toe!! It looks much worse now- purple and lots of different shades of red and blue.

Well, that night as I was getting Eli ready to be tucked in bed, he was dancing all around me as I sat on the rocker. I asked him to be careful as I had hurt my toe again. He asked if he could pray for my toe? Sure, I told him.

So, he leaned against me and bowed his head, folded his hands and said, "Dear God, please help Mommy's toe feel all better. In Jelas name, Amen.... Mommy can I put my hand on your toe and pray for it?"

Sure I told him.

So he leaned down and put his little hands on my sore toe ever so gently and prayed again, "Dear God, thank you for making Mommy's toe feel all better. In Jelas name, Amen."

"Does it feel all better now Mommy? Don't worry, God is healing it."

If only I could reconcile the angry, bitter little boy when he receives correction from me lately with this incredibly kind and compassionate child. Thank you, God, for giving wisdom when we most need it. Your ways are incredibly higher than ours- and I pray for your insight in how to deal with our son to raise him in relationship with you. Thank you for this amazing opportunity!!

Touching Moments

2009-08-30T20:31:00.003-04:00

Tim and I have been working in the barn and yard, shoveling in ditches, shoveling dirt, shoveling.... Now I am not a person used to hard manual labor, aka shoveling, so I have had quite a few aches and pains in areas that haven't been worked a whole lot.

A couple of days ago, I was laying on the floor, trying to get a particularly painful back to settle down.

Eli thought it must be play time since I was laying on the floor. So, he proceeded to try jumping and climbing all over me. After a few feeble attempts to protect my already sore back, I finally sat up and explained I was not there to play, as much as I would like to, but my back was hurting pretty bad.

The next thing I knew, he was behind me, leaning into my back with his hands on my back saying, "Dear God, thank you for making Mommy's back all better. In Jeelas name, amen." and then he took off again.

I was so happy to be able to tell him an hour or so later that I felt just fine- no more back pain. The power of prayer is amazing!!

A few weeks ago- the weekend just after we started the barn, Tim was trying to get some time off work on Monday so he could be here to help lift the rafters. It was a great time to learn a lesson in prayer.

On Saturday, when Tim was at work, Eli and I prayed that Papa would find someone else to work for him on Monday. I was then able to explain to Eli that God ALWAYS answers prayers. Sometimes He says, "Yes!" Sometimes He says, "No." and sometimes He says, "Not yet."

I didn't want him to be too disappointed and think God didn't hear his request if Papa had to work cause he couldn't find anyone to cover for him.

Imagine our excitement when Papa called a little later and he had someone to work for him! We were so excited to see such a tangible answer to prayer.

Thank you God for always hearing us when we talk to you. Thank you for the character you are developing in us in the areas where you've said, "Not yet." or "No." Thank you for all the times you've blessed us with a yes :)

August

2009-08-29T14:15:00.007-04:00

Wow. It has been quite a month!! Our biggest project, by far, started on my Mom and Dad's anniversary- Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!! Tim's dream is finally becoming a reality as the finishing touches are just waiting to be done on the garage (barn) he's always wanted.

Here are the stages... We had a local Amish family do the work- and they did an incredible job. They started in the afternoon on the 12th and got all the beams set...

Tim was able to use his Dad's post hole digger- good thing- this is some of the rockiest soil we've ever seen!

Day 2- They got the side pieces all set and ready for the roofing to go up. The 2 gentlemen in charge brought their 6 and 5 year old sons- and boy did Eli have a blast playing with them on his playset!
Day 3- they got everything ready to put the metal on :) Bruce Welsh came and he and Tim helped with the rafters and by the end of the day the building was ready for the metal to be put on :) The boys came back, and Cheyenne and Wesley came over and the kids all played and had a great time together!

Day 4- They got the roof almost done and metal up on the sides. This was such a fun day. The whole family came, and I got to meet Elizabeth- the mom. We had a great time- for lunch I took down some food and they had some food and we all were going to eat together. Just as we started, the heavens opened and it poured for a little over an hour- almost an inch!! It was such a great time of fellowship and getting to know this neat family even more.

Of course, Eli has to prove he is a normal little boy- as the rain started to die down a little, he takes off across the yard.... and starts pulling his pants down to pee on the rocks. Fortunately, I caught him before he had exposed himself to any of the ladies. I was afraid Cheyenne would die on me from mortification.... :) Ah, little boys :)
Tim had to leave for work just before 6 (he had taken the first 12 hours off so he could be there for the rafters). I was chatting with Elizabeth when we saw Roman pulling the buggy down, with a big grin on his face. We both went over to see what he was up to. He said, with a huge smile, that I could tell Tim that he was the first one to park in our garage.... :)

The Amish are uncomfortable with pictures being taken of them, but they let Eli sit up in the buggy so I could get a shot of our first "car" parked in the garage. Eli liked the "motor" a lot!

Day 5- Putting in the door and finishing up on some of the trim. You can see on the left side we have quite a bit of fill to put in- about 3 feet :) One of the disadvantages to living on a hillside :)

Day 6- They are all done- the wood is wrapped, the metal all on. Now comes our part (well, Tim's part :)) We have some log siding left over from the house, so he is going to put log siding on the front part, so from the road, the barn will match the house in looking like it is a log barn, also. This is actually a few days after they left- if you look closely- you can see Tim in the building, riding on the backhoe moving dirt and starting on trenches to put in gas, electric and water.

Here he is discussing "stuff" with Uncle Scott and Papaw, while standing next to the "digger." As you can imagine, Eli has been in Seventh Heaven with all this stuff going on- first the horses,, then all the heavy equipment.
Here is the yard with the trench from the house to the new barn...

So, this is what the yard looked like yesterday when I left for work. Pipes are all in, trenches filled back in- now just need to level it all out, dump in screenings and then Papa will have a nice new barn with a great concrete floor. Yeah!! Isn't it neat to watch as dreams for some really do come true?

Well, this has also been a busy month for us in many other ways. I have been working twice as much as I was before, so it seems I've lost a lot of time I used to have around the house.

And the harvest is coming in. I have put up a lot of corn and green beans, some pickles, and, possibly, hopefully, I'll be able to do some tomatoes soon.

Here are some pics from the last month of Eli enjoying the summer months....

Here he is showing us he can eat cherries and spit out the pits, just like a big boy!

He had Tim and me laughing so hard, we couldn't eat our own cherries...

Soooo very serious, making sure that pit doesn't go down his throat....

Ahh, success!!

Now, where is that dental floss?
Then he discovered, on a very hot day, that playing in the water bucket next to the house yard hydrant is a cool way to have fun....

(What a great look- kinda 70's, don't you think?)
As is rinsing his feet off, shoes and all!

Great big splashes are the best- we had to jump back, he was getting us all wet- we had to see through our tears as we were laughing so hard.

Ahh- our cool, sweet boy :)

Here you can see my bowls in the background on the table. As I was snapping green beans and preparing them for canning, I had him set up with watercolors on his little table next to me.

But, it was a really hot day, so he soon tired of painting and we got his pool set up so he could splash and play while I was there with him :) Ah- the wonderful days of summer!

Then, on day 4 of our barn being built, Eli and I left really early for Eli's first cleaning at the dentist office. We had checked out a great book at the library a few weeks ago, all about firsts- this one was my first trip to the dentist office. It was his favorite for several weeks. We practiced, and he went with me to my cleaning and sat on my lap and watched as they cleaned my teeth. Here he is laying back watching Diego.

He got a little squirmy, but soon was connected again. Here is Dr Wells letting him feel the "tickle brush" that was going to shine his teeth.

He sat soo still while she was cleaning his teeth. She was so impressed. She didn't think he'd make it through his first cleaning- most kids his age don't. But he did fine!! He loved the water straw and even knew how to "spit" into the suction tube. I was so proud of him!

Here he is with Dr Wells, Ms Wendy showing off his new toothbrush, toothpaste and sticker for being such a good patient. Good Job, Eli!!

We also had our family production at church of KIDSTUF. Pretty cool stuff!! Here is Gordo, dressed as a French Gardener. He was learning about forgiveness and that his mom loves him even when he messes up.

Eli calls him Papa Gordo, and was seen here helping him remove his costume, as he was laughing.... :)

Last night, I worked kinda late, so I met up with my boys and we all went out for a date to Tom's Ice Cream Bowl. Yummy!! Here is Eli and Papa as we waited for our food. What a nice time to be out.

Wow!! August was a full month, wonder what September will hold?

A comedy of errors

2009-08-13T20:44:00.002-04:00

Let me start off by saying I had a great day today!! Always something new to learn and experience.

Eli woke up early this morning- before 7. I got up and went up to get him out of bed. My own feet were dragging, as I was up till the wee hours finishing up 18lbs of fudge for the fair.

I got up to the top of the steps and Eli informed me he had a poopy diaper. Uck!! I guess the 3 tacos he ate yesterday from Chipotle's finally had to come out. So, after changing, cleaning and dressing my little guy, I threw on my clothes for work today and then went downstairs to let the dog out.

There was a specific odor as I walked down the steps to the basement that gave me a forewarning of things to come. Uck!! Dog vomit and poo- liquid. Peeeeyeew!!! it stunk soooo much!!

Got that cleaned up, started breakfast- Tim got home from work and- oops- already time to go to work!! So I scooted off down the road.

I took the road less traveled and it made all the difference. a few hundred feet from the end of the road where it dumps onto the main road- aprox 5 min from work- there are orange cones and a stop sign. OOPS!! Road closed- for several hours- so, back the way I came- backtracking several miles.

When I finally got on the main road- I know this is unbelieveable- everyone was traveling at the speed limit!! Finally turning off onto the next main road, I had clear sailing :0) Until a garbage truck pulled out in front of me..... Urrgghhh..... But I was able to laugh about it with Tim- and that made all the difference!

I stopped at the Dr office to have him check my toe. I had landed with my full weight on it a month ago and it seems to not be any better. HHHmmmm.... broken, he thinks. .. Xray tomorrow :0) I've never had a broken bone. Oh- and the tonsilectomy- for sure- needs to be done.

Tim had the same problem with unmarked road closure until the very last minute on the way to the dentist, and then an almost 2 hour root canal.

I got home and realized I forgot to pack Eli a lunch for today, for when he went to stay with Aunt Paula while we were both away.

Yet, all in all, it was a wonderful day. The crappy morning (pun intended- and literal sense) was not able to ruin my day. God is amazing!!

We got to eat dinner together tonight as a family- and had some yummy corn. Isn't this time of year great to eat all this fresh produce from the garden?

Dental days

2009-08-05T15:14:00.003-04:00

Tim and I both had appointments with the dentist this week.

Eli went with me today to watch as my teeth were cleaned. He had a blast. They brought out the alligator with huge teeth and a big tooth brush and Eli sat on my lap brushing the alligators teeth while watching my teeth being cleaned.

He was sooo very good- talking animatedly with the staff and asking questions. They were great, showing him the tooth tickler (polisher), and he named all the pieces he remembered from his visit at the beginning of the year to fix his back tooth.

He has a cleaning in a few weeks- so I was glad he got to see first hand how simple and easy it is to sit back in the chair and watch as your pearly whites become sooo very shiny :0)

Pure economics- or not so pure....

2009-08-05T14:57:00.002-04:00

Disclaimer:
The words pee, poo, potty, potty training and toilet are used in this post. If you will be offended at reading about these words and what they represent, please skip this post and come back later :0D

So, when we first met Elisha- now almost a year ago, it was love at first sight- actually even before we met him, we felt we knew him.

Imagine our excitement when we went back a few months later to bring him home and the very first night at the hotel, mere hours after picking him up, he poops on the potty!! We were overjoyed that we wouldn't have to work so hard on the potty training, since he seemed to have it down.

Then, after several months of diapers and pull ups, we realized he was potty-timed at the baby home, not potty trained. And there is a huge difference.

Potty trained children understand their body talking to them- that discomfort in the belly that they have to pee or poo- and they go to the toilet and relieve that pain.

Potty timed children are put on the potty several times a day at strategic times- like a puppy-upon awakening, before and after meals and snacks and then again before bed.

A potty timed child is perfectly potty trained- as long as his/her parents are able to get them on the potty at just the right time.

Unfortunately, this has seemed to make our potty training time last FOREVER.

I am so thankful that he has no problems going to the bathroom on the potty----- but, he doesn't seem to be bothered by wet underpants either.

Thus my economics dilemma. I decided 2 days ago that we were not going to do pull ups anymore. All cloth underpants. This in hopes that he would learn to wake up if he had to pee, as well as save the world by not putting more diapers in the landfills than absolutely necessary.

Maybe I should give it more time. But doing a small load of laundry after nap and bedtime, seeing that the "pee-proof" plastic of the mattress pad isn't so much, spraying down the mattress hoping it doesn't start smelling........

I'm thinking purely economically that I am much more green with 2 little diapers a day than I am with 2 incomplete loads of laundry, (washing and drying) the time lost- Oh yeah, mostly the fact that he soaked through everything last night and still was completely sound asleep!!!!

I think I will continue with the advice from my sister-in-law. We have been going up just before going to bed and putting him on the toilet several hours after he's gone to sleep. I think I'll try going green again when he wakes up because he is wet, instead of continuing to sleep so peacefully.

For those who have been there, done that, have the tee shirt and wrote a book- if you have any advice that worked for you- please feel free to share. Denise- the cheerios work to help make sure everything is out- but he was having fun hitting the big hole in the bottom of the toilet before, anyways.

He continues to be a blessing to us and so many around us!!

Through the years with Gordo...

2009-08-04T15:11:00.008-04:00

Gordo is such a wonderful young man in our Kidstuf ministry. Just thought we'd give a little background.
He always was an enterprising young man. Even as a child, he was very involved in the world around him. Here, he is measuring the new playset.And such a pleasant personality.
His only problem being the vision difficulties he experienced at an early age....

He grew into such a fine young man- and looked so nice for his first day of school.

Doesn't he look happy?

With such a quest to quantify the world around him....
And here he is today- having many adventures in the clubhouse with his friends at Kidstuf.
What a fine young man he is!! Congratulations, Mrs. F. on raising such a beautiful young man!

Great Book

2009-08-04T15:04:00.002-04:00

We were at the library again this last week and I found just an amazing book.

Go Found Us You

What an amazing book. I laughed. I cried.

I remembered our long wait and the longing in my heart.

Nice job!! I think I'll have to go and buy a copy for myself that I can keep.

The things kids say...

2009-08-04T14:39:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a rather difficult day for Eli and me.

It started off on a rather whiny note, and soon became a full ensemble of whines. It did not mesh with the headache and lackluster feel I had on my own part.

So, last night, as we were rocking before bed, I was holding him close and said, "Do you think Mommy doesn't love you when I get upset with you? " I had been doing my mental review and felt bad that I was a bit shorter with him all day than I usually am, and wanted to make sure he felt secure in my love- and not that a bad day could change my deep down feelings for him.

He said, probably from past discussions about this topic, "No Mommy. I know you luvs me."

"That's right!" I said. We had checked out a book from the library several weeks ago called I Love You All Day Long. It has become kind of a catch phrase with us.

So I said, "I love you all day long- even when I do feel like I want to rip your head off..." We chuckled a little and he told me I was being silly- I wouldn't rip his head off.

Then he looked at me and said, "Let me tell you something. Let me explain this to you. When I am mad at you, I don't lufs you anymore. You understand? Let me tell you. When I get mad at you, I don't luvs you anymore. "

I am so thankful that God let me see his child's heart and the ability to love that we have as a youngster. A while back hearing that from his lips would have crushed me. Now, I think it is really funny.

"Oh really," I said, through my smile.

I then reaffirmed him.. "Well, let me tell you something. I love you no matter how I feel about what you are doing. I love you when you are good. I love you when you are bad. I love you all day long and all night, too!!"

I find myself thinking that must be how we sometimes react to God. We love Him when He does what we ask. But when we don't see Him doing it the way we think it should be done, we don't really show Him love anymore.

I look forward to watching his love ability grow. I know mine has become so much greater, deeper, higher and broader than I ever thought possible. What an opportunity to watch the sweet spirit in my child grow. When he can admit that even though he is mad at me, he still loves me.

To be continued over the next several years.........

Visit with Fan Fan

2009-07-26T21:07:00.002-04:00

We had the great privilege of hosting Fan Fan and his 2 children, as they are visiting from Haiti, today for lunch after church. It was soo good to see Fan Fan, who acts as our interpreter and all around kinda whatever is needed guy.

He has been asking for prayer support for his ministry in Haiti- he has, in cooperation with CSI, built a school for many of the underprivileged children in his area. What a remarkable man!

His children were delightful, and they had a blast with Eli. Amazing how children can play and have fun, even with the language barrier.

Here are a few pics:

Eli said he was driving them to Laka Abella (We have a pass to a private lake in the area- Lake Isabella). They played sooooo well with him, and seemed to enjoy every minute.

Saying cheese for the camera :0)
Fan Fan had several delays in his flight here- and still managed to look pretty refreshed. In think he'd only had about 3 or 4 hours of sleep in the last 36-40 hours.

But we sure were glad we got to spend a little time with him. :0)

The kids really enjoyed playing all over the yard- Dave keeping close tabs on his sister and Eli and Nyanka enjoying the exhiliration of the swing :0)

I got out some sidewalk chalk- the kids did a great job with their art :0)

Looking forward to seeing them all tomorrow at the church picnic- but know that many will be there to talk to Fan Fan about all that is happening in Haiti.

Quick funnies...

2009-07-22T15:20:00.001-04:00

Eli and I had some noodles today for lunch.

As I was twirling my noodles around my fork, he got a little miffed that I had cut his noodles and he couldn't also twirl.

After a few min, he looked at me and said, "Mama, is your fork dizzy?"

Farm Days at COSI

2009-07-16T22:14:00.006-04:00

Yesterday through Sunday is "Farm Days" at COSI. So, Eli and I headed up there today to check out all the BIG tractors. What a beautiful day!

I am not even going to try to guess all the different names of these tractors. :0) BIG is a good discriptor. This one was hauling the big bin the combine was dumping in. (Hopper?)

He was figuring out all the buttons and gadgets. Too bad there were so many other kids there- I think he would have spent an hour in each one, playing with and making all the sounds for the tractors- if he didn't have to step down for the next child waiting in line to get up and "drive" the monster tractors.

We thought Papa would like this "little" loader :0)

They had a few antiques there, as well as the brand new machines (one had leather seats- talk about a luxury ride!!)

Here he is in front of the combine wheel. We got to go for a ride and get a hopper full of grain with our neighbor last week- actually, Sunday, after my family left. He just sat on my lap, taking it all in.

We waited our turn in line to climb up in this corn combine.

He jumped in and acted just like he knew what he was doing. Sounds and all. He'd look behind him and see where the grain (or in this machine, corn) would go, and told me all about what he was going to do.

Here he is with sound effects.

If you notice the scratches on his face...... He says, "Mamaw and Papaw's old concrete jumped up and hit me on my forehead, elbow and knee."

He mowed the grass for quite a while (there were several mowers there).

and then finally found a tractor in his size to ride around for a few minutes....

This one was a fun machine. We were sitting in the machine across from this one when 4 siblings jumped in. They shut the door- but it was locked!!! They had to wait for the person in charge to go find the keys and let them out. Eli couldn't wait to get in it- of course, we left the door open :0)

Then we went inside. It was soo hot outside in the sun. I was hoping for a little nap (for Eli), but he is getting very good at staying awake. Hhhmmmmm.... I love naps!!

So we checked out the Ancient Egypt section- and he didn't want to get off this original grass clipper :0)

Eli and the camel.

We left there and went to Whitehall to see Papa at work. Tim is working a double shift, so it was great to be able to stop by and spend some time with him. Two 24 hour shifts followed by a 3-4 hour training--- needless to say- we enjoyed our time at the FD.

On the way home, Eli told me his favorite part of the day (and he LOVES tractors!!) was sliding down the firepole with Papa and riding on the Fire engines with Papa.

Saying goodnight is never easy- especially when Mama wants a picture and the camera has a huge delay...... but we all got the giggles :0)

July 4th

2009-07-16T21:12:00.007-04:00

Here is a left over pic from our VA/DC trip. Eli fell asleep and looked so uncomfortable, I propped his head up with his Easter basket Bunny from Mammaw. He looked much more comfortable :0)

The bunny is actually holding onto the car seat strap :0)

A few days later, we were headed into town. I told Eli he could bring a toy to play with in the car. He picked his Police Motorcycle helmet he got for his birthday. It has a microphone in it that you can talk into. Imagine my grin as I hear him saying into his microphone, "Test 1, 2...Test 1,2" and then singing the ABC's as loud as he can- amplified through his helmet. It was hysterical!!

Tim had to work Saturday, July 4th, so on Friday Mom and Dad stopped by our house on the way to Grandma's (Amity and Justin were also traveling with them) and after eating lunch and chilling for a little bit, we said goodbye to Papa and headed on out to Great Grandma Mellott's house (Grammalot)

Eli finally fell asleep, and after a few minutes of head bobbing, found a more comfortable position. :0)

He had a blast playing with his cousins! Here Veronica is pretending to be a puppy and the kids are chasing her down the hall.

It was a pretty dreary morning on July 4th in Indiana where Grammalot lives. Eli, Kylie, Veronica and I went for a few walks in the morning, enjoying the time outdoors (tiring the kids out :0)) I was able to get Eli to lay down for an early nap (and me with him :))

We got up just in time for everyone to be there- and to find out that it had started raining while we were in the bedroom. It was a light enough sprinkle that we all were able to eat outside under the canopies- but then soon headed inside to stay dry. Grammalot had quite a houseful!!

Eli was so very good. He stayed pretty close and listened to me well. He enjoyed having all the family around and moved several tiers up in the rock-paper-scissors tournament. Thanks cousin Terri for organizing indoor games :0)

Here he is with my Dad's sister, Judy- both of them looking quite ornery!!

He jumped into one of the Euchre tournament games to say Hi to Aunt Tara and Grammalot.

We spent quite a bit of time out of the way by the little table in the corner, playing with a few small cars and Happy Meal toys that Aunt Judy just happened to have with her :0)

Never a dull (or still) moment with 3 year olds around :0) His second cousin Carson was also there- just a few months older than Eli. We (the 3 of us) went for a walk in the rain under a big umbrella. What a great way for a little boy to burn off extra energy- walking in the rain, splashing in puddles, listening to the sound of the pitter patter on leaves and pavement. Ahhh- what a life :0)

Kylie joined me on the floor at one point- and cousin Laura snapped a great pic of the two of us :0)

This is Kylie and Eli- I told them to say,"Stinky feet!!" for the camera. She looked at Eli and said, "Look at those cheeks!! I just want to pinch them....I could eat them up....."

At which point, Eli grabbed his cheeks first!!

Well, as you can imagine, we had a blast talking and sharing inside- but we also found that with so many bodies inside- it heated up very quickly. So, after a little while, Eli and I headed outside to say hi to Tim.

And Eli proceeded to eat Tim's face!!

But Tim soon sucked his face back out of Eli's belly- and all of us were laughing so hard we could hardly catch our breath :)

It rained the whole day and into the night. The first time anyone can remember this happening, and we've been gathering there for many, many years!!

But, the fireworks would not be thwarted. The guys all sat around watching the weather map on their phones, and around 9 we all headed out, huddling under the tarps to watch the annual display.

IT...WAS...AMAZING!!!!

It was like 20 minutes of grand finales!! Sooo grand and beautiful.

At one point, Eli said something to the effect of, "Fireworks, you know I like you, don't you? I like you, fireworks!!!"

After each pause, he would say, "There's another one, right?"

How beautiful!! and no worries about starting a fire this year :0)

So, we packed up Sunday morning and headed home. This time, everyone from my family that went stopped by for lunch on the way home. Everyone seemed to enjoy the playset :0)

"The Kids"

My point and shoot camera doesn't normally do a stellar job in taking photos. But I did think this was cool- with Rick in focus (somewhat) and the girls swinging by :0)

It was a great weekend. So nice to see family we don't get to see very often. Happy Independence Day everyone- just a few weeks late!!

Thank you God for our country- may we continue to be a people who strive to please you and not try to shove you out of our lives!

God Bless America!!

Dirt

2009-07-11T20:46:00.002-04:00

Soon to come- pics and post from our family reunion at Grammalot's house-

Yesterday, Eli and I went to Lake Isabella with my friend Amy and her family. The kids had a blast, swimming, playing in the sand and on the playground equipment.

As we were getting ready to leave, Eli was sitting on my lap for a min while I was talking to Amy. I felt him rubbing my arm. I realized, as I had to fight back tears from my laughter, Eli had stuck his finger in his mouth to moisten it and was trying to wipe of a freckle I have on my arm. He must have thought it was dirt :0)

Ahhhh!! I love this boy!!

Any pointers on how we can change the -ing to -ed in the potty training realm? Would LOVE to hear them:0)

Washington DC, Family and Friends

2009-07-07T14:02:00.005-04:00

Our trip to Washington was great!! We had such a good time! We were able to stay with a friend of mine that it seems I haven't seen since before the foundation of time. It was good to see her and spend time with her and her friends!

Monday we went to the National Zoo. It was a great day- though we all got a bit warm after a while. Eli was kind of ho hum about all the animals- and there were several we saw- the Elephant house was amazing!! They are working on a new habitat, so all the elephants were in the house and we got to see them up close and personal. Then the hippo came in and body slammed into the big pool and began tossing around his ball.

We didn't stay in any one place too long. Eli kept asking when we were going to the playground. We worked our way over to the petting zoo, only to find out that the animals had all been turned out to pasture already.

No problem for Eli- the highlight of his day seemed to be when we went on the back road to the Amazonia area and saw the little excavator sitting behind the building. He was so excited!! Forget the baby pandas coming up to the glass to say hi, or the orangutan looking at him through the window, or the apes showing off- the excavator won hands down. Boys and their toys--- of course he probably still had in his mind when we went to COSI a few days earlier and he got to ride on one....

Tuesday was our kick back and relax day. We found a little playground and Eli was all over the equipment. I could barely keep my eyes open, so Papa and Eli played for a little while as I rested in the car. Very nice :0)

We took a little tour of the suburban neighborhood outside Washington, DC where she lives and got some great photos. I'll post them soon. I can not believe the houses we saw!! They make the Extreme Makeover Home Edition houses look like a garage!!

Wednesday dawned cool and misty. We drove over to Aunt Charity's house and got a little tour before heading out for the Metro and our day on the town. It sure was good to finally get over to see Aunt Charity and Uncle Brian. We've been wanting to do that for such a long time!

We made it to downtown Washington, and after a quick peak around the Castle, we headed over to the Merry Go Round. We were the only ones on the ride!! He let it go until someone else came along- and it was fast!! But we had a blast!

I was soo thankful for our stroller. It was great!! I couldn't help but compare our last visit with Eli to a nation's capitol--- Moscow. I was surprised at the many similarities. Charity and I discussed them a lot as we walked around.

It was neat to see these buildings again. I don't think I've been in Washington, DC since I was in High School.

The museums were very cool!! Due to a recent shooting, it took about 1/2 hour to get through the doors as every bag was checked. Going into the old castle the guard was very serious about his job, and pretty gruff. The guard outside the Natural History ( I think that is the one with the dinosaurs) was hysterical- he was like some form of Eddie Murphy.... singing zipadee doo daa and putting words in when he needed to. Then he pointed both fingers at us, while nodding his head in time to his own music and told us to have a great day. It was great!

Eli warmed up quickly to Aunt Charity, and they walked around together ooohhhing and aahhhing over the many exhibits in the dinosaur hall....

We walked past the new World War II memorial and got to take in all the sights there on our way to George Washington University and lunch with Uncle Brian.

I read these words and realized I truly didn't know the end- only the famous first line. What an amazing orator President Lincoln was. Charity and I discussed many things as we were walking around- I wondered out loud if Lincoln was one of the last presidents to write his own speeches. What deep insight he portrays with so few words.

As we were standing there looking at the statue, Eli asked who that man is. I began explaining to him a little bit of who President Lincoln was.

"What's he doing, Mommy?" he asked, looking up at his somber expression.

I told him he was probably praying for wisdom to be the best president he could and that he was president during a time when he needed a lot of prayer.

"He want to come stand next to me?" Eli asked quietly.

"No, sweetie," I said, "This is a statue of the man- he is not real. He can't come down and stand next to you."

"But Mommy, he want to come stand next to Eli?"

Amazing how there is a quiet hush as you stand there, reading these words that must have been inspired.

Our happy family:0)

Korean memorial. The last time I was in DC, this Memorial had just opened. I remember there being bus loads of veterans- in particular, there was a bus load of nurses, who came in their old uniforms to come see this memorial placed on behalf of their fallen comrades. How can anyone live in DC and not remember the sacrifices made over and over again by our military personnel and their families?

The Vietnam memorial wall was moving as always. Hard to believe just a list of names can move you so much. Amazing that you don't need any pageantry or extras. Just the realization of how many people fought and died so we could continue to live the way we live.

And we who come often have no idea of just how much they truly lost.

Lunch with Uncle Brian was great- Elisha fell asleep on the way there and slept through the majority of the meal- so we were able to just talk and relax for a little while. We met up again with Uncle Brian to ride the Metro home and then went out to eat for dinner. Happy Birthday, Mommy!! How nice to be able to be with family on my birthday!!

Thursday we went to Arlington National Cemetery. It was beautiful for the majority of our time there- and just as we were ready to start heading back, the rain began. The downpour hit full force just as we entered the Metro. I was so thankful for such a beautiful morning, though, for us to walk around, remembering again all the sacrifices made for us and our country- and time with my sister. You can't ask for a much better tour guide in Washington than a history major and avid fan of history. There are facts you learn that can't be gleaned by the less discerning among us...

I love my sisters and am soo glad I had these few days with Charity!!

Row after row after row, stretching on as far as the eye can see. It is with quiet reverence you walk through this area.

I didn't realize that the Kennedy's had 2 other children- one lived for a very short time and one stillborn. This is the eternal flame

Here is Aunt Charity, pushing Eli and keeping him a bit occupied while Tim and I were able to look at the eternal flame. He didn't argue when we told him he couldn't beep his horn and play the music on his little stroller car. I told him people were here that had come to say goodbye to the people they love and we needed to be quiet.

I told him it was like when he went to see Miss Kacy and her family when her Daddy died a few weeks ago. The body is asleep, but the person we know and love is with Jesus. I wish I would have written down what he said, I can't remember it exactly, but it was something to the effect of, is he with his Mommy now in heaven? Sometimes he comes out with these little pearls that tell me he understands far more than most give credit to a 3 year old for knowing.

There were several funerals the day we were there. Here is one of the tents. We heard the 21 gun salute several times through out the day, and as we were heading back in the rain, we saw a beautiful black stallion being led down the road by a soldier looking neither to the right nor left.
The golden boots were symbolically placed backwards in the stirrups and the horse remained riderless as he pranced through the graveyard.

We got back to my friends house and Tim made Pizza for all of us for dinner. He is such an amazing guy!! I'm so glad to be married to him!!

Friday we got up and packed and just relaxed in the morning. We were very close to our adoption agency, in McLean, so we drove over there so we could see what the place looks like and meet our wonderful family coordinator at work. It was great! I hope to have a pic soon of us in the offices with Kristen.

We had a great trip home and within a few days, life had settled into a normal routine.... somewhat.... :0)

Pics, Pics and more pics :0)

2009-07-01T10:01:00.003-04:00

I bet you can't see the family resemblance here, can you?

Here, Eli is watching closely and helping Papa edge the front beds around the house. Love seeing them work together like this!!

This is Eli riding Papaw's tractor. Boy, does he love this!! If you look closely, you can see he is making all the proper sound effects for the tractor!!

See the smile!!

Papa finished the playset- I love that this is the view from the kitchen window- so he can go out and play while I am working and we both have a blast!! He loves to play on "Eli-ville" especially when someone else can join him!!

We went to COSI for the big machine exhibit the day before we left for DC. Eli LOVED being able to get up into the big machines and pretend to operate them!!

Then- much to his great delight!! we were able to stand in line so he could actually "operate" a bobcat- scooping up a load of sand. He was in 7th heaven making this big piece of machinery operate!!

After checking out a couple more machines...

we headed to the fire department to have pizza and visit with Papa. I found the boys in the bay- after Eli slid down the firepole with Papa.....

Junior firefighter? As you can see, he has some big shoes to fill..... :0)

The expression you see here is him making more fire engine (Dire engine) noises. Whoooooeeeeeeeoooooo!!!! NEEE NAAWW NEEEE NAAAW!

And of course, after the fire engines, he had to ride in the medic!!

Will try to find and upload some DC pics later..... enjoy....

Coming soon...

2009-06-28T23:19:00.003-04:00

Wow!! Where does the time go? We had a fabulous week in the DC area visiting with my sister and some friends that live in the area. I do plan on posting about that trip- wow!! Time is just flying by!! I'll have pics and stories soon :0)

Life With a Toddler

2009-06-01T20:36:00.002-04:00

It has been challenging trying to find time to keep everything updated recently. Of course, one of the reasons is that we are going through a challenging season- where Eli is pushing as strongly as he can to see how firm our boundaries are. How exhausting. I am thanking God that he feels comfortable with us to push so hard, and also that he is a strong willed child- for these things will carry him far in life. I'm also thanking God for renewed energy, day after day.

Though there have been lows, that seem so low, there are also so many highs that are higher than any I've known. He is developing this amazing personality, and I can't help but fall more in love with him every day. (Usually when he is asleep... hehehe.... just kidding- mostly) Another amazing facet is the love in my heart for Tim. Watching him as he interacts with Eli as they read, or Tim is teaching Eli something makes my heart expand with even more love for my wonderful hubby, too. God is so awesome to continue to expand our ability to love beyond what we'd ever dream possible.

Last weekend, we celebrated Mother's Day with Tim's family. It was a nice gathering, hosted by my SIL, Paula, who lives next door. As I was getting Eli ready to go over to Paula's house, I began telling him what we were going there for, what we were celebrating. I always try to prepare him for what is happening. Our conversation was so profound- I still am amazed- I'll let you listen in.....

"Eli," I said, looking at him closely, "Do you know what we are doing tonight?"

"Uh huh," He said with his cheeky grin.

"We are celebrating Mother's Day with Mamaw, Papaw, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Tammy, Lauren, Aunt Paula, Uncle Scott, Cheyenne and Wesley, Mama, Papa and Eli at Aunt Paula'a house. Aunt Paula made dinner and we are all going to get together to celebrate Mommies."

I paused a moment, as I pondered myself exactly what it meant to celebrate Mother's day. It's one of those rare moments when time seems suspended for just a few seconds.

With a cloud of tears in my eyes, threatening to spill over, I looked lovingly at Eli and said, "Do you know you made me a Mommy? Can you believe that? The first time I met you and held you in my arms, I became a Mommy. Wow. Isn't that amazing???"

He was kinda looking at me a little funny as I ruminated on this amazing fact.

I said, "I am so glad I met you and you made me a Mommy!!" and I gave him a kiss filled with the tenderest of love, or so I thought at the time.

He looked at me and oh so sweetly said, "No, Mommy, I not make you a Mommy. God did!!"

From the mouths of babes!! I looked at him, feeling completely overwhelmed, wrapping him in my arms and I whispered past the emotions clogging my throat, "Yes, Sweetie. You are exactly right. God did make me a Mommy when He placed you in my arms. And I am so very thankful!!"

Thank you God for being so real to Eli. I pray he continues to grow closer to you!!

Sumbirth day fun

2009-05-24T21:08:00.005-04:00

Swimming lessons were going strong through all this time in our lives. Eli LOVED them this year. There was no crying like we had last time. After a long talk with my mom the night they stayed over, I started doing "standing in the corner" with Eli when he wouldn't listen or was acting disrespectful toward Tim or I.

Very difficult for a little one to listen to Mommy telling you to listen to the teacher and sit while you are waiting, when 7 other toddlers are not. We spent a few minutes in the corner, but ended up having even more fun. I'm thinking that this is the same cycle we'll hit when he becomes a teenager. He's beginning to reason for himself and develop more concrete thinking- and is pushing any and all boundaries we have ever set to see just how far he can go. Only now, he is young enough that I can put him in the corner and teach him respect. Wow. What would you do with this attitude if they never learned to respect you?

Well, the day of his birthday, Eli and I headed off to Columbus. Papa had to work all day, so my wonderfully romantic notion was for us to go to COSI- the Columbus Science Center- and play in the morning and then drive over to the playground if he was still awake and then to the fire station and have dinner, cake and sing happy birthday with Papa and his second family- the guys on his crew.

We traveled to Columbus, stopping at the fire house to drop off Eli's cake (didn't think it would be edible if it sat in the hot car all day......or at least not very presentable), and caught Papa just as he was coming back from a run. So we said hi for a few minutes and then left for COSI.

He had a blast!! We played in KidZone- an area just for kids under 1st grade. We went from item to item, splashed in water, played in the little houses turning on and off lights and the sink, made sound and noises with electrical currents, played in the little kitchen making at least 2 full meals, slid down the slides, jumped around the tree house, looked at animals, read a book, balanced balls on streams of air and then did it all again. Then, after the first 15 minutes when we did all that..... hehehe just kidding.....

We went outside for a little snack and I got my first damper for the day. (Amazing how hard it is to separate your feeling apart from what you are doing, isn't it?) I had a message on my phone that I had been rescheduled for the next day to work at a different store. So, while he was finishing his snack, I was trying to call the store I was to be working at to see if they could contact all the patients I had lined up to meet with me that day. It was hard not to let the frustration be a little cloud cover on an otherwise sunny, magnificent day.

So, we drove back toward the fire house and Papa. He fell asleep after only a few minutes, so we skipped the park and went to see Papa. I had hoped to be able to lay him on Tim's bunk for a quick nap, but when we arrived, the knowledge that we were at the fire house, a mere minute away from the fire engines and medics, was just too much to contain, and his sleepiness dropped like a dead weight.

Long story shortened, Tim had over 23 runs that day. So we spent more time waiting there by ourselves than we did with Papa. We did take a little trek over to a play ground nearby around supper time and played for a little while- Eli loved that!!

Finally, around 8, we were able to light the candles, and several of the guys sang with us, it was very cool. Eli blew out the candles and then attacked his cake- this time a backhoe loader. If I can figure out how to upload the video, I'll put that segment here.

So, on a beautiful summer day, Eli was able to spend time doing things he loved, in a place where he was loved, anticipating and then being rewarded with Papa there to sing and eat cake with him. We slept well that night- Papa is still trying to catch up on his sleep- with only a little over 2 hours for him.......

Bir-other's Day

2009-05-24T21:07:00.011-04:00

My own special name for the day- we celebrated Eli's third birthday with our parents on Mother's Day. My Mom and Dad were passing through town on their way home and had some things to drop off, and the weekend worked better for Tim's Mom and Dad, also.

Tim was singing at both services at church, so he was up and gone at the crack of dawn. Eli and I got up at a more leisurely pace, got ready for church and I made sure everything was ready for the celebrations to come later that day.

We had a terrible morning. Sad, but true. Elisha was just a little stinker all morning- he woke up whining and demanding- which, unfortunately, seems to have become his usual wake up routine over the last few weeks! It escalated so much at church (they stepped out and told me he was spitting on the floor, throwing the toys and not listening to anyone) that I took him from the nursery just after the singing was done (when I was going to go sit next to Tim and enjoy the Mother's Day service :0{)

My MIL laughingly welcomed me to the terrible threes. I immediately rebuked her and said, I'll accept it as the last two weeks of 2- but I wasn't letting anyone claim this behavior for Eli for a whole year..... tremble at the thought!

We ended up having a wonderful day, even with such a rough start. My parents were a few hours late getting here, but we had a lovely meal with Tim's parents. Tim's mom had a few gifts for Eli to open while we were all sitting there, and then were able to visit a little bit with my parents once they arrived.

We got out his cake:

Yes, it is a school bus- he has been loving the school bus stories we've been telling every night. He got so excited when we sang happy birthday to him (and he sang with us :0)) that he couldn't get the candles all blown out. He had us all laughing so hard with him as he sat there trying to blow between chuckles.

Mom and Dad brought a few gifts from Rick and Tara to Eli. Boy did he like those!! It is soooo very hard to get video from our camera to this blog. I will try to attach some here.

Then we gave him our big gift- a back hoe loader bike. Ohhh- the excitement was palpable!! Tim and I had put the bike together during Eli's nap, and I covered it with a big blanket. He still says, "This the blanket that covered the back hoe loader, right Mama?"

We dragged a very reluctant, very sleepy toddler off the back hoe way after his bed time with promises that he could ride it again in the morning. He soooo didn't want to go to sleep! But, soon, the exhaustion won out and he journeyed to dreamland- no doubt driving a real back hoe loader.

Everyone was up and ready to go the next morning quite early. I went up to check on Eli, and found him laying in his crib, staring at the ceiling. When I opened the door and said hi, he jumped up and said, "Now I can play on my backhoe loader?????" Wonder how long he'd lain there..... :0)

Proud Parents of a 3 year old :0)

2009-05-20T22:22:00.003-04:00

News flash- short version-

Had a great bday with the grandparents on Mother's day, and then today spent the day in Columbus doing fun things and hanging out at the Fire Station, catching glimpses of Papa as he kept jumping in the medic and taking off to help others.

Another round of swimming lessons- no crying this time :0)

More later on the exciting weeks we've had- and hopefully pics- can you tell it's been busy?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELI!!!

Friends and love blooming

2009-04-30T19:56:00.004-04:00

I had been asked to work today to cover for a meeting another Pharmacist had to attend. I lined up a very good friend of mine to come keep Elisha for the few hours I'd be gone since everyone was out of town on the hill (all Tim's family) Well, the meeting ended up being changed, so I didn't go to work, but my friend, Patty, still came over. She had been looking forward to seeing Eli and me.

It was so wonderful! She had the uncanny ability to include both of us in her conversations, so I didn't feel like she just came to see Eli, and he didn't feel neglected either. After a sad visit with the Doctor yesterday- yes, most likely strep for me AGAIN!! it was nice to have some cheering up!!

Our plan worked wonderfully- Eli didn't want to nap- I had to lay down- so Patty played with him while I rested a little while, and then he went to bed early for me tonight so we can both sleep. What a great plan- and so far, it's working!!

Thank you, Patty, for making us both feel loved so much!! I actually felt like I was at home in PA, and my loving mom was relieving me of responsibilities so I could rest for a little while and get that spring back in my step.

After Patty left, Eli forlornly looked out the window asking when Ms Patty was coming back- and when he could go play at Ms Patty's house.

About a month ago, Tim lovingly jumped in and helped me plant a couple hundred bulbs I had purchased the year before for a bed that we were never able to finish. I didn't think any of them would bloom-but I knew they had little to no chance if I left them in the bag until this fall. They were barely sticking their heads above ground when Tim left on Tuesday.

This is from Wed- I'll have to get another pic in the morning
to catch the vibrant velvety soft beautiful petals
on the tulips that have come up!!

Today- as I gaze in wonder over the area we worked together, I see beautiful little red tulips all over- and I feel as though each one is a hug and a kiss from my sweet love. Thank you, God for your always impeccable timing. You know just when we need those love nudges- first Patty coming over and loving on both of us, and then the flowers, showing me not only the love from Tim, but from you, in having them bloom just when I am missing Tim the most.

plethora of pics

2009-04-28T20:14:00.010-04:00

So, here are the happenens in our family over the last week.... Kinda like the Morton Salt commercials- when it rains it pours- I've been trying to get more pics :0)

Tim arrived home late Friday night from his week long conference. Saturday morning was such a gloriously fine day, all the way around!! Papa got the lawn mower serviced and mowed the lawn- nothing quite like the finished look of a freshly mowed lawn- especially when done with such love and by such a great Papa!!!

Eli, standing on the lawn mower's sulky that Tim uses. He was making some pretty accurate noises, too:0)

You can see him making the mower noises here- along with shifting the gears. He almost has it figured out- hope he's still this interested when he gets to be a teenager..... :0)

I got my tomato plants in the mail- and we've had a week of unusually HOT weather- so it has been so hard to not go stick everything in the ground. It's supposed to get back to seasonal temps, and seems to be getting there even as we speak- so Eli helped me replant them into Styrofoam cups, and, of course, water them all down well :0) We'll have to wait just a bit longer before they find their home.

We counted, found the tallest and the shortest, watered them all and had a blast.
He enjoys being outside so much- and we are all happy to be able to spend some great time outdoors as the weather has been so nice!!

Eeehhgggg!!! Dirty gloves!!

Saturday afternoon, Papa went to church for practice for our family production the next morning at church, as well as a worship concert the youth were having as a fund raiser.

Eli and I went and worshiped with Papa as the last band played. We all had a blast!! He loved dancing and singing and having a grand old time- of course, eating pizza was a bonus, too- especially when he got to sit on Papa's lap and snatch a bite there, too!!

Sunday morning, Tim was able to get the first few hours off work for our first family production of Kidstuf on Sunday morning. It was fabulous!! Everyone did such a great job, and Eli loved every moment of it!! He was so caught up in watching Papa, that after it was over and everyone left, Eli went up on the stage and repeated everything "Gordo" did. Accurately!! he even was going to try the belly flop on the floor- like Papa did when he was trying to show he could sky dive.

The tulips are all blooming again. I actually started cutting some and bringing them in the house. I got a beautiful vase from my secret mom at MOPS and the flowers are so incredibly cheerful to look at- like bringing a bit of spring indoors!! And I realized, after a few years, just how many different varieties of daffodils I have out there. They are so beautiful!!

One of the fun things about hot days- POOL time:)

I found this great little pool at Walmart on clearance at the end of the season last year- he loves it!! He actually smiled and laughed a lot as he played in it :)

There is a little waterfall that comes down the middle- you can make out the water falling just behind his head. It is well water- from our well that is almost 300 ft deep- so you can imagine the temperature:0) This is also a great pic that shows how windy it was- like a hurricane in his little tropical jungle.

Monday night started swimming lessons again for Eli. He LOVED it!! I was concerned it would be a repeat of last time, with tears, crying, being somewhat miserable the whole time. Nothing could be farther from the truth!! He had a blast. There are 3 little boys in his class and 2 little girls. He seemed to hit it off with the other 2 little boys, and they had fun splashing and blowing bubbles while the other kids were taking turns. 1 down- seven more to go:0)

I mentioned Papaw getting the peeps in the mail the other day. We finally got over to the barn with Papa to see them. I was hoping for another picture like last year- now realizing that you can never stage photos to catch the same effect as you had previously in a candid shot- especially with a 2 year old :)

He wasn't so sure about trying to catch them this year- one of the chicks snipped at his hand when they first came, so he says he is "skerd" and doesn't want to hold them.

I love to see him and Papa together :0)

So, Papa grabbed a little peep- and Eli reached out to pet it....

Watched the other peeps going by,

Made some chicken noises and some faces...

Then started blowing kisses at the little chick- instead of petting it:0)

Blowing those lovely kisses....

Papaw brought us over a load of mulch yesterday. Today, after Tim left for another conference (This one in Georgia), Eli and I went over and borrowed Papaw's mule. I was able to get quite a bit done before it started raining hard (and my shoulders gave out....)

Here is how much I got done....

Here is how much I still have to do....Just to finish this bed. Love it when it is all finished, though!

As I was putting down the mulch, and looked at the difference it was making in how the plants looked, as well as thinking how different it will look in a few months when the weeds would have taken over had I done nothing, I was struck at how much this is like our spiritual lives. Spending time with God and in His word is like spiritual mulch, keeping the weeds that sprout up and choke us at bay.

I was also thinking about how, by spending time and covering the ground thoroughly now, I won't spend all my free time this summer pulling weeds. (I hope!!) Kinda the same spiritually, too, eh? Get that good foundation, prevent the weeds from forming and growing, and you have a lot more time to do other things...

Thank you, God, for speaking in the stillness of our lives, for carrying us through all kinds of storms and holding us close always.

Firsts

2009-04-23T21:15:00.004-04:00

Now that Eli has been home over a year, we don't have as many firsts as we used to. Last week was the exception.

Our church had a marriage seminar, nestled in the beautiful setting of a state park, last weekend. I asked Tim a few months ago if he'd like to go... and he said he'd love to. How loved I felt- he took the day off work and reworked his schedule so we could have some time together.

My first- it was my first night away from Elisha since we brought him home from the baby home!! I was a bit nervous building up to the weekend about how I would handle this separation. Not that I don't think others can care for him- I don't want to miss anything!! Also, I have become so accustomed to being the main caregiver- sometimes it's a little hard to let go. I was a bit concerned about Eli, but he seems to be doing fine and I knew he'd be with my Mom and Dad.

The original plan was for my parents to come out here to Ohio, stay the weekend- Tim and I would be gone for the first night, and then I could have some great time with my parents for a few days. Tim was leaving for a week long conference on Sunday, so I knew it would be extra nice to have my parents with us.

My Dad had another engagement come up that they'd forgotten about, so slight change in plans, and Eli was going to PA to spend the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa. Probably easier for Eli to adjust, since it wasn't the super familiar surroundings without Mommy and Papa around. Not so easy on me. We met halfway for lunch, and then buckled Eli into Grandma and Grandpa's van. He was so excited to ride in their van, he didn't even seem to care that we weren't getting in with him. We got extra long hugs- especially Tim, since he wouldn't be seeing Papa for almost 10 days!!

God was so gracious. It was an absolutely beautiful weekend and Tim and I got some much needed time together and with our other friends from church that we just don't seem to hang out with much anymore. The weekend was a great refresher course on loving and understanding each other. And being able to hike around in God's beautiful creation on such a glorious day- not worrying about anything- what a breath of fresh air!! (Literally :0)

After church and lunch on Sunday, we parted ways and I drove to PA and Tim drove to IN. Mom told me Eli had actually paid pretty close attention to what I told him. For the last few weeks, when we talked about his going to visit Grandma and Grandpa, and what we were going to pack and how long he'd be there, several times he said, "And Mama and Papa, too?" I told him Mama would be there Sunday, after he woke up from his nap.

Mom told me several times on Friday and Sat he would tell her that Mama was going to be there after he woke up from his nap on Sunday. He had a blast!! When it was time to leave to come home on Tuesday, he said he wanted to stay at Grandma and Grandpa's house. He helped Grandma make bread, and wash dishes. Mom has so much more patience than even I do.

It was wonderful to be home with them for a few days. Mom insisted that I rest up- take a nap- she even volunteered to keep the monitor for me on Monday night so I could get a really good night's sleep. How nice to feel so loved and cared for and pampered by my Mom, while she played with and got to know Eli a lot better.

I am so glad he loves my parents and remembers them so well. It is a precious gift to me. He has an amazing capacity for love at such an early age. Tim's parents and siblings all live very close, so it is unusual for more than a few days to pass without seeing them- usually only a week will go by if we are on vacation. Sometimes months will stretch by without seeing anyone from my family, yet, he really seems to get it that all these wonderful people- Tim's family and my parents- are his extended family. He talks about Mamaw and Papaw and Grandma and Grandpa all the time. I just wish we could see my siblings more often:)

********************************************************
Papaw got the chicks in the mail today. I always knew they came that way, but I've never seen them delivered. I was wondering why the mailman drove up into the driveway. He stopped his truck just as Eli and I were heading into Mamaw and Aunt Paula's quilting shop. I heard a lot of cheeping coming from inside his truck. Then he started to gently lift a box that had lots of holes in it. Yes, a box full of pullets- little, tiny baby chickens. How adorable~~

I just can't believe when I think back to last year... all the differences in our lives. Here is my favorite pic from last year- when Tim and Eli were looking at the newly arrived pullets. I can't wait until Tim is home- maybe Sat morning or Monday we can get another pic with Papa and Eli and the baby chicks.

Happy firsts- and new Happy Seconds.......

More photos

2009-04-16T10:28:00.001-04:00

This is the family after the big family brunch and naps were over and we were all hanging out. Guys on the dueling laptops, Eli getting up to speed with them.

We had some great weather a few weeks ago, and Eli and I went out to take advantage of that. I got him a great big cardboard book that folds out into a fire engine. We had a blast. Add to that the fire equipment from Aunt Paula and Uncle Scott for Christmas, and we had a fun day in the sun!!

Palm Sunday was great. Eli was having lots of fun waving his palm branches, seeming to understand what happened on some level that day. He sat and enjoyed the Easter Catata with me in church.

And here we are Easter Sunday at Tim's Mom's family's Easter gathering. I'll try to post more details later about this amazing Holy day.

Picture catch up

2009-04-16T10:21:00.000-04:00

I am so behind in posting pics- but the good news (not really) is that we haven't taken too many lately

Here we are enjoying the day at the elementary school a few weeks ago. What a beautiful day!

Eli took a bath the the other day- a few months ago, I think- my how time flies!! and his little hands and feet were so wrinkled up, he just kept laughing. The pictures didn't really catch the full effect. It was one of those total ridge days for the fingers and toes. He was laughing so much with me about how funny his hands and feet looked!

Here are the precious feet pics:)

Here is Grampa and Eli heading toward Mommy's car on Eli's dedication day. Sometimes these behind walking photos are so sweet, aren't they?

The important things

2009-04-11T13:14:00.002-04:00

Last Sunday was Palm Sunday. I told Elisha about how Jesus walked down the road and the people were so excited and joyful to see him. He rode on a little donkey, and the road was pretty rough, so the people waved the palm branches, like we saw at Papaw's Big Sandbox (St Croix), and shouted, HOSANNA!! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!!

Well, this year, we were able to actually get whole palm branches from Guatemala, where one of our mission outreaches are. He had a blast playing Jesus, galloping slowly down the hall as I waved the branches in the air and put them down just as he would gallop past. Then it would be my turn to be Jesus, and he would yell, "Hosnanana!!! Come name of Lord!!" as he waved the branches.

Tim was singing and had a solo in the Cantata on Sunday, so Eli stayed with me. I was prepared to whisk him away when he got bored and would stop sitting still- but that never happened!! He sat cuddled deeply in my lap, enjoying the Cantata as well as the little snacks Mama brought for him.

Fast forward to Wed this week. I have early morning pharmacy meetings once a month, and usually take Eli with me, since Tim has been working most of those days. He is usually amazing, sitting pretty quietly, eating his breakfast I bring him and being so very quiet. After sitting and being so quiet for the cantata on Sunday, I thought nothing of packing him up and taking him with me, yet again. I was not thinking of how he has been quite out of sorts lately- spring fever my girlfriend called it. I will leave it at this; after getting home and wanting to bawl my eyes out because it was such a bad time- that was Elisha's last pharmacist meeting he will be taken to willingly.

So, Thursday night was incredible, as you've already read about. I was decidedly nervous about Friday night.

Last night was our Good Friday service at church. Tim was Pilate in the drama they did. Eli and I were going to go. I was not thinking about how he was on Sunday for the Cantata. I was thinking about how he was for me at my pharmacist meeting. I was not looking forward to the evening with much gusto!!!

It was sooo amazing!! Elisha didn't know the great worship songs they were singing, so after I asked him to stop singing the ABC's loudly, he began singing Jesus Loves Me while we were singing all about the Cross and what Jesus did for us. It was pretty neat. I can't wait til he knows the words to the songs we are singing. It's the first time he's really paid attention and sang. (Of course, not the right songs or music- but hey- he's still worshipping God :))

He sat, mesmerized through the entire evening. There were about 5 or 6 actors that came on, one at a time, telling about what they saw and felt that night. The only well known figure was Pilate. Each placed a lit candle on a little platform as they were speaking. The spotlight was on each figure. As the last one finished, an agonized, short of breath, gurgly and raspy voice was heard through the church. As that person portrayed Christ through voice, the spotlight narrowed down to only the candles. As Jesus talked, the candles were snuffed out one by one. As Jesus uttered his last words, and commended his spirit into God's care, the last light in the room was extinguished, thunder sounded and lightning was seen. It was very powerful.

Elisha screamed out at the last of the voice and the thunder and lightning and turned his face into my neck cuddling close. I asked if he was frightened or scared? He said yes. So we sat quietly for a little while, as everyone left in silence. And then we talked about what happened.

Everyone was so happy to see Jesus just a few days earlier. Then, suddenly, they became very angry and they killed Jesus. I told him everyone was so sad when they were talking tonight because they didn't know what we know..... I told him when we come back on Sunday- just 3 days away, we get to celebrate Jesus conquering death and coming back to life, just like we talked about several weeks ago. Jesus died and God raised him back to life so we could be adopted as God's children.

Thank you, God, for becoming so real to Eli. I pray that we as parents will continue to train him as we should. Thank you for giving us the words to say to him and to you as we continue to pray with, for and over him.

Tim came out after everyone left. Elisha went on to tell him everything he had done- what he wore ("Papa wear lred curtain on 1 shoulder, 2 shoulder.... Papa wear white curtain on body... Papa have gold here and here on shoulder") and was pointing out which candle stick Tim used. We stayed to practice for worship on Sunday, and he was quite subdued, a few times asking about Jesus.

He is so happy that Jeylus is in his heart and God is in his heart. I am too!!

Thank you for loving us as much as you do!! May we continue to learn more about you and learn to love you even more!!

Prayers of a child

2009-04-09T20:13:00.002-04:00

I worked today- and had a blast!! Hasn't happened for a while- so I was so pleasantly surprised. The day flew by, and before I knew it, I was heading home.

We ate dinner and Tim quickly left for a meeting, Maundy Thursday events and practice for tomorrow, when he will be portraying Pilate in our Good Friday service.

After a quick bath and story, Eli and I were sitting in the rocker, relaxing and doing the night time routine. We had been reading an alphabet book he was given where the letter is underneath a picture that slides back and forth. The letter Xx has a picture of an X-ray. I showed him the bones in the picture, and explained that he could feel his bones under his skin. He was fascinated with that- and wanted me to take his skin off so he could see his bones.

So, we rock some more, sing a few songs, and then he asks about bones again. (bear with me- I know this is a little repetitive- but he IS two.... :0))

Then he looks up at me, very seriously, and says, "Jeyla in my heart?" (the S hasn't quite made it all the way out yet for Jesus) I told him Jesus would love to be in his heart, and all he has to do is ask Jesus to come in, just say Jesus, please come into my heart and help me. So he asked if Jesus would sleep in his crib, and then if He would sleep in the big bed. I told him Jesus is every where and always with us.

Then he quietly says, "Jeyla, please come into my heart." I wonder when a person is really able to understand the significance of that? I wonder how much his understanding is of what he is saying? I feel incredibly blessed to even hear this- I just keep praying that Eli develops such a close bond with his savior. With today being the day that we mark the last Supper, the handing over of Jesus to the Sanhedrin, and preparation for the reason for our Christian faith, I am blown away that he would begin to ask me these questions unprompted, and reply with such simple faith.

Lord, may we all come to you with faith as a child, knowing you dwell in our hearts, directing our paths and leading us in the direction we should go. Thank you for this amazing gift- Your son and ours, both allowing us to realize all adoption means- Eli into our family and us into your family.

Thank you for the Cross and the amazing love it represents. May we realize anew this year just what you did for us, so very long ago.