Changes

One week ago today, we learned that some friends of ours from residency had lost their 2 year-old twin boys in an accident. At the very moment we received this news I knew the Kirbys and all those who love the Kirbys would never be the same. The suffering and heartache has been unimaginable, the love profound and the faith, well, nothing short of a miracle. We were unable to go to the memorial service honoring the two boys, but from what I heard it was beautiful and the parents displayed such Grace that can only be attributed to Divine intervention. In the wake of such tragedy, Scott and I have sat and re-evaluated our priorities as parents. Yes, I've said that I cherish the moments and there are seasons in my life that I am better at it than others. But in re-evaluating I have realized this...there are many times the dirty dishes in the sink have been more important than playing tea party, taking a shower meant that I had said, "no" to playing dollhouse, and making sure the kids were in bed by 8pm meant that I could punch the time clock on my day. Oh how selfish I've been at times rather than seizing an opportunity to cuddle with my children or experience them. It was easier to do with one, a little harder with two, and when the third came along I think much of our day was taken up with "my agenda". In some twisted way I reasoned that I held it all together for them, but in reality I was holding it together for me. So sad and I'm sure I'm not the only one. God meant for us to experience our children much in the way he experiences us...His own children. I'm sure he has wanted to shake me at times when I've missed some teachable moment because of my own ignorance and agenda. So in this last week, I've let each of my children stay in my lap as long as they want, savored the goodnight kisses after they have fallen asleep, and tried to follow their lead instead of creating the path for them. In the past I've said it was all about them, but it hasn't been the truth and the scary thing is that I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT! I pray that I never forget this feeling or take a loved one's life for granted again. Life as usual is not going to be usual anymore.....

Colorado bound

As I mentioned in our previous post, we made the trip to Vallecito Lake, CO which sits northeast of Durango. After much consultation with friends who have gone before, we decided to take a leap of faith and just GO. The odds were stacked against us as quite often our two younger children struggled with two hour trips, how on Earth could they make it 12 hours one day and 6 the next. Here was our strategy:



1. I packed as light as we possibly could because a) we would have access to a washer/drier b) I absolutely CAN NOT stand a cluttered car. If momma struggles, we ALL struggle.


2. Upon recommendation from my friend, no hero, Courtney, I made "goodie bags" for good behavior along the way. One might have a piece of candy, another stickers, or a new movie.


3. McDonalds, McDonalds, McDonalds (thank you to my friends Jeanine and Jaime for giving me "the ok" and helping me rid the guilt). You get sick of it, but the kids don't and if it is dangled in front of them, they will ride happily for miles.


4. Break it up, stay in a hotel room and the kids will think it is a resort...seriously, they LOVED it. Just pack an overnight bag with all your valuables, toiletries, and family's clothes so you won't have to unload too much when checking in.


5. If you have a little trouble winding down from a day like that as Scott and I do, take a little adult "juice" to take the edge off for a peaceful night sleep...NOTICE- I said "a little"


6. Just about anything goes unless it is dangerous or can make a mess that can not be cleaned up. For example, putting stickers all over the windows or tearing a paper into tiny pieces are all things that can be cleaned, however, markers or meltable candies that can be used as "lotion" are NOT good.


7. If they watch 10 hours of movies, they watch 10 hours of movies. Are they quiet and content? Then don't worry about it.


8. Take several trash bags and clean out trash at every stop. I guess this only applies if you are OCD like me, but I was amazed at how much trash would pile up between stops.


9. Fill a back of individually wrapped snacks...lots of them and don't be the "food police". Trust me, it is not a battle worth fighting on a long road trip.


10. Last, but not least keep your sense of humor :)


Oh, and one last thing that really only applies to those of us with girls. Keep your girls in dresses, easy pull-over dresses. It makes bathroom stops and diaper changes MUCH easier! The kids were a little more restless on the way back than on the way up, but all in all it was great.





Here are some pictures:

Molly covering herself with circle stickers

Peaceful ridin'


Woo hoo!


The Big Texas...I do NOT recommend!


Cuddled on the front porch swing

Enjoying breakfast with Daddy boo


One of the few times Eleanor sat down

Fishing in a dress

Boat ride

Horse ride

Fishing in the mud. Unbelievably the mud came out of their clothes

Roasting marshmallows

Summer...abbreviated

Can you believe I missed a whole month of blogging??? Let us see, I'm not even sure where to begin. Maybe you to tell the story in pictures:

Princess in training

Girls in sibling harmony

Addy being silly

I would say Molly is exhibiting the full, healthy signs of toddlerhood:)

This would be me losing my mind

I'm totally kidding. There was MUCH more to our summer than that...geez! There was swimming, swimming, and more swimming....day camp....vacations....swimming.

July 4th we made our annual trip to Horseshoe Bay, Texas. It is always so much fun to get together with family. We had 8 kiddos there between the ages of one and six and one itty bitty little blessing. My cousin came in for a little visit with her new daughter, Aspen. It was so sweet to hold a little bundle again, but what was even better was watching two of my favorite people beam with pride over their new daughter! Unfortunately I don't have any pictures because chasing the kids around the lake for 3 days did not yield much opportunity to pick up a camera, but thanks to family members I have copies of pictures.


After we returned it was time to gear up for Mary Ella's 6th birthday party. We had it at Pump-it-Up and it was so much fun. My kids stayed on the slide the entire time...even Molly. Can we say, "trying to keep up with the sisters???"

Yes that is Molly coming down the slide

All of Mary Ella's cute friends

After the birthday party, Mary Ella and Addy went to my mom and Bryan's farm for a few days. They had so much fun going to the Blue Bell Ice Cream factory, water park, riding tractors and calling cows. Addy is still doing the cow call at random times. I will also add that my mom had all FIVE of these children by herself and she survived! What a brave, brave woman she is :). It was so interesting to just have one child at home. I had considerable difficulty and actually a little anxiety over slowing down my pace. I constantly felt like I needed to be doing something or forgetting something. Below are some of the picture my mom took.

The fast pace returned just in time to go see our good friends, Rodney and Jennifer. They have one little boy and another little boy on the way. It was SUCH a good visit and a blessing to have that time with them.

The next weekend we packed up and made the 18 hour road trip to Colorado. Taking several pieces advice, the kids did remarkably well...no...EXCELLENT! We now have the possibility of white, sandy beaches in our minds. I'll have to write a separate post for all we learned on that trip for the sake of getting caught up. We enjoyed fishing, seeing my dad and his wife Eleanor, 45 degree nights, campfires, and cool, crisp mornings. Ahhhh, so nice. Needless to say, after our busy summer, it took a good couple of weeks to get back to "normal" around here and prepare for the beginning of school which will, again, come in another post.

So that is pretty much the very abbreviated summer summary. I will hopefully jump back on the blogging train as our routine begins to settle. Hope all of you had a safe summer vacation as well. Love to all!