Eliza- Almost 4

She is my sweet little bundle of joy!  As you can tell by her sweet face, she is mostly happy and full of smiles.  She will be 4 in October so she is not quite ready for school yet.  We are actually trying to do some school time at home at least 2 days a week. She loves it! We have not decided if she will do preschool next year or Kindergarten. We will decide that next year because I'm not quite ready to think about that!

She is such a helper. She sees her sister helping and she wants in on the action. She is quiet thoughtful when it comes to doing things for Caleb and she is becoming more aware of what is going on around her.   I think she has felt a little left out these past few weeks because of getting Adrianna ready for school and she often gets lost in the middle.  She talks quite loud sometimes to get our
               attention!  She is so full of life and excitement. I love seeing her enjoy things and discover that she is big enough to do them.

She loves books and puzzles too. She also still loves baby dolls, her kitchen set, and barbies. It's funny to realize that some of the toys we have such as Barbies and Polly Pockets were not given to Adrianna until she was much older! That's the reality of the 2nd child I guess! They get to experience things earlier than the 1st child.

She loves being outside riding her bike and playing on the swings. She also learned how to pump on the swing this year.

She still absolutely LOVES dress up. I just have to laugh at the outfits she comes up with. Very creative and goofy. Hmmm...maybe a fashion designer when she gets older..:)
I would just describe her as pure and simple joy.  She has a great sense of humor and loves to tease. She is also very sensitive to our response to her so we have to remind her that it is okay to make people laugh and have fun.   I have to remember she is just 4 and that there are still so many little girl things we can still do even though Adrianna is done with those things. Things like dolls, playing tea parties, and playing dress-up.  I am so enjoying our days so far with just her, Caleb, and me. 
Many of our days are filled with painting, reading, or just being outside.  She has been having a hard time lately going in to her class at church so we'll see how that develops over the next year as we decide whether of not she is ready for Kindergarten.
She still loves her silky and we are trying to get her to keep it in her bed until bedtime.  She has always loved silk! She is still my baby girl in so many ways but so grown up in others!

Caleb- 22 months

My boy is definitely a little lover! He loves to give kisses(sound effects included), and hugs.  He is all around a pretty happy guy. Very content and laid back. Very nice for being the 3rd kid!






He loves his daddy! I read somewhere that little boys start bonding with their daddy around 18 months or so and they start to break away from their mom.  A little sad for me but very healthy for Caleb! He is starting to get more into wrestling on the floor with Shawn and being thrown up in the air. The higher the better!  It honestly really helped their bonding when I was so sick. It kind of forced Caleb to stop whining for me because Shawn was his primary care-giver for a while. For a few months Caleb wouldn't even let Shawn put him to bed and he always wanted me. Now he will go to him very happily.





Caleb loves to be outdoors. He loves the swing and the sandbox and pretty much anything that gets him nice and dirty!
He loves Bob & Larry from Veggie Tales, Elmo, Abby, and most any Sesame Street Character. He also just recently started really liking Woody and Buzz from Toy Story.
He loves books, puzzles, and buckles. I call him my little engineer because he will find a buckle anywhere and stick with it until he clips it together. This involves car seats, shopping carts, and shoes! He seems to like figuring out things and he definitely won't let us help him.
His vocabulary is huge! He repeats most everything we say so we really have to watch it! 
Some of my favorite things he says are:

*More too-  This is when he wants something. We always ask "Do you want more too Caleb", so he picked up on the more too.

*The other day we were putting a Toy Story puzzle together and we said "There's a snake in my boot", Caleb then said "No boot!". Hilarious!

*We were eating pineapple for dinner yesterday and I was trying to get him to say pineapple. I told him to say pine and his response was "Apple"! I think he repeated that about 5 times after I said pine until we stopped!

As you can see, he still is wearing his glasses. Our next appointment is in January so he needs to wear them at least until then. We have already replaced the frames once and the lenses could stand to be replaced also!  Instead of throwing them off when he is mad, he just takes them off when he is tired.

He still adores his sister's and gets along well with both of them most of the time. He has always had a strong connection with Adrianna and he walks around calling for her most days. The only time he gets frustrated with them is when they take something he has (duh), and when they are trying to help him with something he wants to do himself. This will usually result in a high-piercing scream!

He loves the car which is great because we are in it a lot!  He also loves Veggie tales movies and Elmo.  He will color a bit that is if I'm sitting with him because he can make an entire meal out of a crayon! He is starting to really like cars and will actually push them on the floor and make the vrooming sounds. He also likes toys that light up or make sounds.
He is definitely all boy and I am just loving him! He makes my heart full of delight every day and it is so refreshing to see his joyful take on the world.   It has been a complete joy to have him in our family and experience all the new things he is discovering. I wouldn't change it for the world!

A Huge Accomplishment!

I just love seeing my kids accomplish things that involve a lot of perseverance and patience. My girl Adrianna can ride her bike without training wheels!  Shawn started working with her a little bit at the end of last year even though she didn't seem interested.  Throughout this summer Shawn worked with her as much as he could. My uncle gave us this cool bar you attach to the back of the bike so that the adult helping can hold on and help with balance.  Within the last few weeks Adrianna has been out practicing all by herself. We suggested she try and just balance on the bike first and she did that for a while. She then kept trying to ride it a little bit each day and finally today she rode down our entire driveway!!!  It was such a great way to point out to her that perseverance and determination pays off by helping us do things we couldn't do before.  I am trying not to cry as I write this because it is just another indication of how much she is growing up. Even though I tear up at these moments, I am so thankful and excited that I can be here and experience new "firsts" with our kids.

Off to 1st Grade!

I can hardly believe my little sweet pea is off to 1st grade for the whole day! She was very excited to start and have lunch at school. She was a little nervous on the first day because she hardly said a word as we were getting ready.  I walked her in to her classroom and she put all her supplies in her locker and her desk without so much as a peep!  She does have a little girl from her Kindergarten class at her same grouping of desks so that helped!  After school I picked her up and we went to McDonald's for a date so that I could hear about her day. I asked her what her favorite part of the day was and she said "Math, because I got to do patterns, and coming out on a date with you mom!".  She was very talkative and seems to like her teacher and being there all day. She is adjusting well so far. I do like the schedule of dropping her off at 8:45 and not having to pick her up until 3:45. Shawn can even pick her up on some days! It gives me more time with just Eliza and Caleb during the day and it has been great so far.
She has always been pretty independent and her Preschool and Kindergarten teachers' were awesome so they prepared her well.  She came home the 1st day and wanted some alone time! Yep, she's like her mama!

End of Summer Fun!

Update

Life has been pretty busy around here so my blog is one of the things that gets neglected!
Honestly, I really know of only 3 people who read this consistently and I already talk to them daily!:)
Anyway...I recently had a follow-up appointment with my Endocrinologist and most everything is moving along as expected. I have blood tests once a month to check my thyroid levels. Based on those results, my medication is increased. Then I wait a month to see if that dose is working right, if not, there is another adjustment and then another 4 weeks of waiting. My energy is better than it was and slowly getting back to normal. It's just a matter of waiting in between the blood tests and trying to make it through the day without a nap! I have a follow-up appointment with my ENT tomorrow and I go back to my Endo in November. I will also have another ultrasound at that time. I am still dealing with some healing from the surgery and some other physical issues that are from a low thyroid. I'm looking forward to the day when I can function normally!
  
Another issue has been an injury to my leg. It happened the week of my treatment and I have been going to Physical Therapy 2x a week for about 3 weeks. It is a combination of a pulled/torn muscle and inflammation. Very annoying when you can't walk very well or very far! I am praying that as my levels get back to normal, this pain will go away.
I really am just taking it one day at a time and trying to listen to what God wants to teach me throughout that day. It's about all I can handle right now!

Shawn is back full swing into Marching Band. He has been teaching at a music camp for 2 weeks during the day and he has his band rehearsals at night. There are a lot of extra gigs and events he has also.
He really enjoys his job but it is hard to be away so much. I am praying about my attitude this year and that I can have a positive way of encouraging Shawn and our kids during our long days.

Adrianna is really looking forward to being in 1st grade! I can hardly talk about it right now because it makes me kind of sad to have her gone all day. She is so ready! She is very independent and helpful and I have complete confidence that she will do well. She loves to talk to people and has already mentioned that she looks forward to meeting new friends. She has such a sweet, serving spirit!

Eliza will be home with me for another year. I am planning on doing preschool type things with her at least 1 day a week maybe 2. We will also have BSF to look forward to!  We are really trying to encourage her own identity since she gets lost between Adrianna and Caleb sometimes!  She is so funny and makes us laugh constantly. I don't want to squash that! I have to keep reminding myself that she is just 3 1/2 and wants to still play with dolls and have the attention.

Caleb is such a delight! He is doing really well with his glasses. He only takes them off when he is mad or doesn't have anything else to do! Since he has been been wearing them for about 5 weeks they have fixed the problems with his eyes! It is amazing how resilient the brain is and how fast it grows and changes. We go back in January for another evaluation so he has to wear them until them at least. 
He is all boy! Full of energy, getting into everything, and just a barrel full of fun!
He is repeating most words we say and a few of my favorites is when he says "Mommy, please candy now".  He is putting the word now at the end of most things he asks for.  He can pretty much communicate what he wants and needs and we are trying to get him to do it without hitting or biting! He loves his sisters but not when they are in his personal space! He is so different from the girls and keeps me on my toes!

A verse to leave you with:
"...I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord is my strength and song; He is my salvation. Oh, the joy of drinking deeply from the Fountain of Salvation." Isaiah 12:2,3

Still pressing on....

I haven't posted in a while and I wanted to give you all an update!

This has been an incredible journey so far.  I find myself not wanting the old "normal" anymore. I don't want to forget what I have learned or forget what it felt like to be so close to my Savior that I felt such an ultimate sense of peace. A few people I see ask me how I am doing. I can tell in their faces that they want me to say "I'm great! I'm all better". They want me to hurry up and get back to normal.  Honestly, I don't want to. Because "normal" is different now.  The old "normal" is filled with angst, selfishness, and joylessness.  I have learned so many things throughout this time and I am trying to cling to the new.  I don't want to fall back into old habits.  It is sometimes hard stay in the new place because our sin nature can cause us to forget to listen to God's voice and walk in His spirit. I want to be aware at all times what God delivered me from and that I need to listen to what He wants me to do next. I need to remember the places of darkness and then turn them around to light. I hope someday I can use my journey to help others.    Right now it is still very raw and it is not past us yet but I feel myself moving towards that place of having a complete zest for life. A place of complete thankfulness that God took us here and He has been with us every step of the way.  The passions I had before have changed. I am trying to figure out what they are now and what God wants me to do with my life!
I know this will be a daily surrendering of myself. I will need to daily commit myself to Christ and how He wants me to live. To always look and listen as I go throughout my day.
I am anxiously waiting for the day when God will show me what the purpose of this journey was.

I read this passage in Isaiah that really summed up more effectively what I am trying to convey!

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen; to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter---when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say; Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."
Isaiah 58:6-11