Moving

It's been awhile since the last post and so much has happened. We moved!! It's been a crazy few weeks. But we are now settling into San Antonio. I thought I'd post a few highlights of the trip down-- it was actually a lot of fun. Who thought driving cross country with three kids could be FUN?!
First stop: Montgomery, Alabama. They have a new museum all about the bus boycott- very modern and well done, but the childrens side only talks about what led up to the boycot, and there is nothing about the actual boycott and what followed. Kind of dissapointing, but it gave us a lot to talk about on the next leg of the journey. This is a life- size statue of Rosa Parks the kids are on.













Next stop: New Orleans.
There is still a lot of devastation to be seen, which is very sad, but the French Quarter is still booming (with that very distinctive New Orleans smell: vomit and urine aged several years in 100 degree heat). And the people were very friendly...as were the lizards!! Of course the girls had to find every creepy-crawly in the city. Ahh...just like home!




Clealy Isaac was enjoying the trip- he slept in the Ergo most of the morning. It had been awhile since he slept in there, and I really enjoyed it! Then, that night we found one of my new favorite places. Preservation Hall plays some of the best jazz in New Orleans (real jazz, not that aweful stuff they play on the radio) It's only a few feet from Bourbon Street, yet family friendly! They don't allow smoking or drinking and the music goes on all night. We were so excited!! Emily and Audrey danced their little feet off! And Isaac was so cute doing the 2-year old whole body shake!! That is Audrey in the Hall- her favorite music is jazz, so this was her favorite night. The next day......



We finally crossed the Texas state line. Of course, we still had an entire day to cross only HALF of Texas!! THis state is HUGE! But we took a few days off to hang out in Brandens hometown of Beaumont. We got to stay with our great friend Scott- he is a history teacher and owns more books than Barnes & Noble. I REALLY liked staying there!! Plus he has this huge finished attic that the kids used for all kinds of imaginary play. Thanks, Scott! We also went crab fishing with Branden's dad and brother.



Growing up in Kentucky, I'd never been crabbing (I have only ever eaten one, maybe two)! So, this was new to all of us except Branden- and Emily and Audrey caught several. They couldn't believe their good luck! As you can see, Isaac thought his job was to tell everyone else what to do with their nets and lines! I think he might have spent a lot of time near a river when he was in Vietnam. He is fascinated with them and runs right over anytime he sees one. Yet, he doesn't like to swim in anything bigger than a tub as evidenced by his walking around this lovely pool wearing goggles and refusing to get in.



This pool is in my friend Amanda's neighborhood. She's a friend from our years in England and got to San Anonio a few years ahead of us. She found us a great place to stay while we househunt and has cooked dinner for us several times, not to mention keeping the girls when they couldn't stand to look at one more house!! Speaking of.. we found our house!!Ta Da!


We are renting this one and are so pleased! It has a huge yard, I mean HUGE! There is a screened back porch, 2 living rooms (so the grown-ups can have a no-toy zone!!)and it's on a cul-de-sac! Does it get better? Why, yes, it does! It's only .6 miles from Audrey's school, so we can walk when the weather co-operates. THat's a huge change from the 20+ minutes each way we drove for Emily's school the last 3 years. Of course, she went to the best school ever and I would've driven even longer to get her there! Me and Emily are doing the homeschool thing this year and there is a descent size support group just for our neighborhood! THen there is the community pool, walking trails, shade trees covering all the sidewalks.... yes, I love this house. God has certainly given us some big blessings this week. He kept telling me (as I grieved leaving all that was familiar and loved in Georgia) that he was preparing for us in Texas, just trust Him. I am being shown this is true on a daily basis. While I still miss all the folks in Georgia and shed at least a few tears each day, I KNOW that He has a plan for us here and am starting to really look forward to living that plan. Now if someone would just rent our house in Georgia, I'd be set!!

Birthdays and Surgery

Seriously, I am going to get some kind of "Worst Mom of the Year" award (just ask my 8 year old, coincidentally the only one I have not signed up for surgery yet!). First I have Isaac's palate surgery on his birthday, then I sign Audrey up to have ear tubes put in and adenoids out two days before her birthday! What is the matter with me? That being said, it all went so very well and I am so proud of my brave Audrey.

First, a funny....they had given her versed to make her drowsy before we took her back to the OR. I still got to go with her, which I was so thankful for. Anyway, when it kicked in, it really kicked in! In this picture we were asking her to smile and show us her tubeless ears for the last time. She couldn't quite remember where her ears were or how to smile. Maybe it shouldn't have been, but it was SO funny!! She was trying so hard to focus on where her ears were and just couldn't!

When we got to the post-op she was laying so peacefully on her side. They kept trying to keep her on her back, but she was too stubborn- even knocked out with anesthesia!! I held her as she woke up and she was so confused.. she said "they didn't put the mask on my face like you said" and, "have they put tubes in my adenoids yet?" Kind of pitiful, but also great that she remembered none of it!
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This is the family (minus Emily who had to go to school..thus my Worst Mom title that day from her) wheeling her out. It is fantastic to have a family like this! My mom and sister drove almost 8 hours to help juggle kids with this surgery and finding a new van from my accident. It was so nice to have them- although we did take up a third of the waiting room all by ourselves!!

And maybe the funniest picture of the day... we had gotten Audrey a goody bag full of things to play with while resting after surgery. The doctors said she'd be sore from the adenoid removal and probably sleep most of the day-- they have not had much experience with my Audrey who was running around (albeit into walls because of the lingering anesthesia) a few hours after surgery. But when Emily saw the goody bag she started crying that it was so unfair that she'd never needed surgery to get such treats (may I direct your attention to the ice cream in her hands?!).

And here's the party a mere two days later. She wanted to go to preschool and have cake and my mom got balloons for all the kids- they loved it!! That night we went to the Japanese steak house- more presents and cake. It's always a great party with Grandmother and Aunt Rachel!! We're doing a small party later with some church friends- can you tell how much we like to party at our house?

Spring Break

We went to Myrtle Beach for the last two days of Spring Break- Emily and Audrey had been begging to go to the beach since last summer. I HATE the sand, but love the girls, so off we went!! Can you tell how excited they were?? It was around 70 degrees and the water was crazy cold--and they actually swam enough to use those goggles! We brought home roughly 25 pounds (no exaggerations) of shells-- but they were so happy the whole time!!

Isaac, on the other hand, was not initially a big fan of the beach! He wanted no part of his body to touch sand or water and clung to us like a monkey!! But it turned out to be a great thing for Branden... Isaac had beed really resisting Branden lately, not letting him hold or feed or bathe him. But Daddy was the one who rescued him from the evil sunscreen-slathering lady (that would be me!) and, after much holding and walking, the two of them where hand in hand in the ocean!!

We went to a place called Broadway At The Beach (which is, in point of fact, almost 7 miles from any beach) and these teenagers who were leaving gave my kids these balloon hats. I wish I could find their mom and tell her how happy her kids made mine. Actual 'grown up kids' (Audrey's description) paid attention to them and gave them something of value.. if you are 4 and 8, anyway. I always try and tell parents when their kids do something kind-- we can get so much of the negative feedback as parents, I think it's nice to encourage each other instead.

And we ate on a boat inside Margarittaville (it's Jimmy Buffets restaurant). The kids loved it because the sloping sides made a great racecar ramp! We spent all of dinner watching matchbox races. A side note about the racecars- most of them are Audrey's. She's a huge fan of the movie 'Cars' and plays with cars all the time. And Isaac packs the cars up in a little paisly purse to carry them around! So I have a daughter playing with cars and a son carrying a purse.....

A week in the life of us!

It's been a crazy week and I had to share some highlights! First, how cute is this picture??!!?? These two really enjoy getting into mischief together! Emily and Audrey have been collecting caterpillars (Eastern tent caterpillars to be precise) in our old aquarium (to the right of Isaac). It started with 3, then they just couldn't stand the thought of them geting squashed, so- at last count- we have 124 of these things!! And they spin these creepy mummy-looking crysthalyses... what us mothers will do!!


And I LOVE this picture. It was the day after the wreck, my whole body hurt and I did not have the desire to feed him any more soup!! So...I ripped off the no-nos, gave him some soft pasta and enjoyed the best meal I've had in at least 4 weeks!! It was only 2 days before we were supposed to, and I felt a guilty delight in breaking the rules for him!! And he clearly is enjoying himself!!



We are re-doing our kitchen and here it is, I kid you not, on the day of our 3 month post-placement visit!! Actually, the counter around the sink was still in the floor when our social worker was here... and she couldn't have cared less! I'm so glad this was the POST- placement visit, though.. they can't take him back now!!




This picture just defines my Audrey. We had gone to the toy store to shop with allowance money. Audrey bought this paint-your-own piggy bank. (Emily, true to form, chose to save her money- she's going to have more than me soon!) The lady asked if she needed it gift wrapped and Audrey said, "of course!" We took the wrapped present approximately 50 yards across the parking lot where she ripped into it saying, "I just love opening presents!!" She keeps me on my toes and laughing all the time!!



Last one, I promise--I told you it's been a busy week!! Anyway, Branden won tickets for the Masters golf tounament from Ft. Gordon. We left the kids with the neighbor- it was Isaac's first time away from us both and the little stinker never even cried, just played outside with his sisters!! And the Masters was incredible!! You can't take cameras in on tournament days, but it really is at least as pretty as on TV! I have never liked golf, but it was amazing to be so close to all these greats-- I even got within a few feet of Tiger on the green of hole 7!!! And some of the shots we saw were impossible! They swerve in at the last possible second---amazing to watch.

Well, that's all for this week. The girls are back in school next week, so it might slow down, but it's doubtful!

A great day!

And I'm not even being sarcastic!! Me and the kids were headed downtown to meet some friends at the science museum. I turned and collided with a taxi-- it was totally my fault, but don't tell my social worker!! Our second post-placement visit is Tuesday. Hopefully she won't notice the rental car. Anyway... I got out of the van, smoke was pouring out, stuff I didn't even know I had was thrown up into the seats and dashboard... but we are all OK!! I stood under a covered porch at the intersection with Isaac in the Ergo, Emily and Audrey sitting at my feet singing songs (yes, singing!) and realised how little any of the material stuff matters. The folks in the other car are OK- they went to the hospital as a precaution, but the ambulance staff assured me they were fine. I called a dear friend to help me shuttle some kids because our other car only holds 4-- and this family not only let us intrude on their Saturday for a few hours, but cooked us lunch and let the girls drag out the teeny-tiny nightmare that is Polly Pocket! So, a great day to be reminded of all that I have to celebrate--wonderful kids who can sing praise music at a crash scene, wonderful friends who will drop anything for me (this is far from the first time they've come to our rescue, too!) and a God who can help me laugh and see joy in what should be a really crappy day!!








Oh, and did I mention I took out a lamppost? And ended up facing the complete opposite direction in the intersection? And all the doors make a weird crunching sound when opening? And, 36 hours later, all we have is a little stiffness in our shoulders/neck. Amazing. Any opinions as to if it's totalled? I've got my eye on this Mazda, you see...

2 Birthdays

It's taken me awhile, but I just had to share about our 2 birthday parties! We went up to Kentucky to celebrate Isaac turning 2 and my Papaw turning 80! At first I was nervous about taking Isaac on such a long trip so soon after coming home, but it proved to be a good decision. He showed clear attachment to me (with my sister coming in a closer and closer 2nd the longer we stayed!) and it helped me relax about our upcoming move to Texas. I was so worried about such a big change so soon, but I've learned that as long as he has his family, his blanket and 'Mater pillow, we can go anywhere! Now for the party highlights:



We decided to go swimming for Isaac's party- he wasn't to sure about it at first. But after awhile he just completely relaxed- he's clearly going to enjoy the pool this summer!

And then there was ice cream cake--with cars on top!! This boy LOVES his cars!! He couldn't even wait for the singing to take the cars off the cake--you're allowed to do that sort of thing on your birthday.
And here's Grumpy (my dad..my mom got to name him!!)teaching Isaac the finer points of eating chocolate cake. The kids all love Grumpy- he talks to them like people, not like kids, and they just want to be where he is. It helps, too, that he's always doing great things like climbing big trees with deer stands or welding motorcycle parts or eating his daily chocolate!!



At present-opening time, when he got one car after another, you could see he couldn't believe his good luck!! He always has at least one car in his hands- and when he discovered pockets can hold Hot Wheels....well, that is one happy boy!





And here's my Papaw- one of my favorite people in the world!! This is the first time Isaac saw him- within a minute they were down in the grass picking weeds and laughing!! It was amazing- Isaac has NEVER warmed up to people like this, especially men. I guess he's just a good judge of character!

We had a big party for his 80th and my mom put together this wonderful scrapbook with letters and well-wishes from tons of people. It really reminded me how lucky I am to have gotten this amazing man as my Papaw! And what a faith he has- he loves Jesus with all that he is. Hearing all the stories of people he's led to Christ and helped in different ways humbled me. And it was wonderful that he got to be told how appreciated he is- so often we miss those opportunities. So, I suggest you tell those you love how special they are--and get really specific--right now. It feels wonderful for the both of you!! This is my mom and Papaw (her dad). I'm so lucky to have them both!!


And playing at my Grandaddy's cabin- how many 80 year olds do you know that can swing a kid up like that?


And I just had to show my brother with the kids- he lets them climb all over him both literally and figuratively. He'll do anything thay ask- I love my little brother!!

And for those of you who have personally met my Audrey- this is the Aunt Rachel who has made her who she is!! Two peas in a pod! Crazy girls...I love you both!


And, just in case anyone is still reading, some random snow pictures. It snowed in Kentucky and Isaac couldn't decide how he felt about it. He would throw a fit to go out, then freak out when his hand touched snow and got cold! I feel like such a bad mom for admitting this, but it was really funny!! He'd hold his hand up to me and shout, I'd warm it up, and he'd immediately stick it back in the snow and look shocked that the snow was still cold. Over and over!



And this is my Grandaddy- another great man of God I am blessed to have in my family. Everybody gets a flashlight from him at Christmas- I have 30+ Christmas flashlights from him! So, of course, Isaac had to get one since he missed Christmas. It's really neat to watch the two of them together- Grandaddy is really laid back and the two of them spent a lot of time just walking around.. and Isaac loved it!

Fun at the Hospital

Well. I wouldn't exactly call it fun, but now that the worst is (I hope) behind me- I can at least find some positives. Like- he now has suction! He closed his lips around the straw I was using to feed him soup last night and startled himself(and for any nurses reading, let's pretend it was a rubber straw). It was really funny to watch his face realize--so this is what straws do! And no food comes out his nose when he laughs (or sneezes, or jumps, or breaths!). And I have one more example of how resilient he is. He has to wear these braces on both arms to keep his hands from his face. Well, he just figures out new ways to play cars and crawl up the stairs! It's a little pitiful, but amazing to watch him adapt. There is still some difficult moments- like when he wants to feed himself, but can't and we have a horrible fit. Or the middle of the night when he won't accept any comfort from me and hides his face so he won't have to look at me. And feeding- well, all we can do is drip food onto his tongue with a straw and try tiny bites of broth with a spoon. So far, he's not a big fan. And with him being so small already, I'm trying to pump him full of calories, but there's only so much nutrition in a liquid diet. But, I wanted to show a bit of our time in the hospital- and how brave my little man is.

When we first got there- at 6:30 in the morning!- they gave him some juice to make him loopy. And boy, did it work! He had been afraid of the hospital bed at first, but after the medicine he would poke it and laugh! And he was letting anybody hold him, where he is usually a mama- only kind of boy. The girls thought it was hysterical- and it was. They let me go back and hold him while they put the mask on to put him under, and I really appreciated it. I doubt he would have remembered, but I knew I was there, and that was important to me.


When we got to recovery he was already awake- they said he came out of it really fast. And I don't remember them telling me I could, but I just scooped him up and held him for the next day or so! He was so unhappy! And it's so sad to see someone so little with all these wires coming out of them!
I wanted to show ya'll the bed- We both slept there at night. The nurse made a point of saying it would hold up to 375 pounds... what, exactly, was she trying to say?! It was surprisingly comforatable and I didn't have to worry about dropping him while I slept! Also note the blanket (thanks Aunt Rachel) and Lightning McQueen pillow- he had one hand on each of them the entire stay, only he couldn't get them so the corners of his mouth (where he normaly puts them) so it led so some frustration...but I was so glad he had a special blanket to go with him- they even put it on the foot of his bed in the OR and covered him with it in recovery.
While I'm thinking of it- I've got to say how great our nurses were!! They were very good about being gentle and not waking him up. They would come back several times to check vitals and wait until he was awake if at all possible. And they kept him good and medicated- I see no need for a child to be in any pain with all the pain control options we have. His IV was in a very weird spot on the front of his ankle and they kept fighting it and, at one point, had 3 nurses in there trying to get it taped properly so it would work and not need re-done. But the best part- and this seems small to some, but was huge to me, was they all knew and called him by his American name. Each shift change, even with nurses that weren't ours, they would all know to call him Isaac. Of course, his legal name had to be on our check in papers, so there was some confusion with visitors who didn't know his vietnamese name. Of course, how many 2 year old vietnamese kids are on the floor having palate repairs? Our friends eventually found us!
The one above is when we took of some of the tubes- once he could move a little better, he started wanting to play- a very welcome sign for us! And, below, we are cord free!!! So, of course we headed for the play room. It was amazing to see how much better he felt in just 2 days.
And this--- this is what happens when a family of 5 is confined to a small space for any length of time! It doesn't look that bad until I tell you this was after we cleaned up and sent a big load of stuff to the van!!

My Amazing Children

I have written and said about the Isaacs' adjustment and how amazingly well he has done. And it is all so true- Isaac has lost his language, his caretakers, his comfort objects (we don't even know what those were), familiar food.........and been handed over to strangers. And I think he actually likes us! How amazing!

But today I want to focus on the two who waited with us for their brother. My amazing girls!! They, too, endured the long wait and constant unknowns. Then they lost their mom and dad for 2 weeks while we went to pick up the new kid. And yet we were welcomed home with open arms and precious little sibling rivalry. Please indulge me as I shamelessly brag...



Emily- She is so very brave. Her personality is not one that enjoys change. Yet, by this summer, she will have lived in 2 countries, 3 states, 6 houses (plus 3+ month stretches at my parents as few times), been in 4 schools, 3 churches...and the list goes on. Gotta love the Navy life. And she has done so well!! She is amazingly articulate- she is a deep thinker who will go to her room to sort things out in her head, then come talk to me about what is bothering her and why. Did I mention she just turned 8 !? And she's really funny, usually in that 8 year old laughing-at-farts kind of way, but sometimes she'll come up with really witty one-liners that leave us rolling on the floor! And she's really a perfect playmate for her sister and brother. She actually enjoys playing the 4 year old games w/ her sister and rolling a ball back and forth for HOURS with her brother. When Isaac came home, she went into protector mode, and he adores her! When we pick her up from school his whole face lights up and they play and laugh the whole way home. We've been trying to have mommy/Emily time at least once a week for an hour or so and, I gotta say, I really love hanging out with this kid! How lucky am I?





Audrey- This child has the most tender heart. She is all energy and motion, until she crashes into an amazing snuggle. She is the one that has amazed me most with Isaac. She was the baby for almost 5 years, then this toddler with no manners crashes her life---and she's OK with that! When Audrey was born, Emily had almost a year to get used to her before she could walk and talk and take things away. Audrey has had no such luxury- Isaac is always on the move and messing in her toys. He just wants to play with her, and I am so glad that Audrey understands that! We gave her the option to use a tall shelf to play out of Isaacs range, but she said that might make him sad, so she still plays on the floor with him. She is always so glad to see him and brings home treasures from school to show him. And her joy is indescribable. She goes wild with excitement over finding a pretty leaf! I really do take this kids to fun places, but they'd rather explore the backyard and go crazy over the new nest our squirrel family is building. Seriously, she finds the joy in everything! I get her all to myself almost an hour a day (I love naptime- for so very many reasons) and I get such a kick out of listening to her talk. And, boy, can she talk!! She'll go non-stop for hours, but it's so interesting to see how her mind works. Some days I would do anything for earplugs, but I wouldn't change this opportunity to inside her mind.

And then we add Isaac, and I am one fantastically blessed mama!!