She's a keeper

Things have been a little crazy around here and I have been having trouble staying on top of everything. This has made me appreciate my youngest child all the more. She continues to be an incredibly mellow, laid back baby. While most days we have been focused on taking care of Zeker, our little Olliepop has continued to grow and change. Her favorite thing to do these days (besides sleep) is talk to anyone who will listen. This morning I walked into the living room and she was looking in the mirror and talking to her cute little self (poor thing). I love this little one so much. When I was pregnant I was so convinced I was having a boy, but this sweet girl was just what our family needed. She has brought a peaceful joy into our home and I am so grateful for her.

Celebrating her 3 month birthday with Chuck!

Oops, forgot to dress the baby.

We're hoping some of her laid back attitude will rub off on her brother.

Reasons to Smile

Endless games of Hide & Go Seek

Just Because Cake

The Wonder Pets (fascinating)

Cute little sister

And a new way to get around the house...

Happy 21st Birthday Kar Bar!

We love you and miss you so much. Hope your day is special!

Zeker

The past couple of days have been kind of rough. Zeke is not sleeping well and naptime and bedtime have been so difficult. The lack of sleep has made all of us a little grumpy. We have found that getting out of the house seems to put him (and us) in a better mood, so we have been taking him on short outings. He has also started to crawl a bit and is getting better at moving around in his cast. In fact, this morning we woke up to the sound of him dragging himself across the floor in our room. =)

Getting pretty good at rolling around.

At the park.

Enjoying some donuts while watching the planes take off at Brackett Airfield.

Keeping himself busy at home with bandaids and markers.

Tonight he wanted to go outside, so Jeff plopped him in the Ab Lounger in my parents' backyard. He told us he is sad about his leg. We told him that we are, too. He asked for popcorn, so I made him some. That made him happy. It made us happy, too.

Since we were all in such a good mood, Jeff decided to talk to him a little bit about bedtime. He began, "Tonight, when it's time to go to bed..."

Zeke cut him off, "No thank you."

We love this kid.

Lifted Up

We have felt so supported and loved by family and friends over the past few days. We've had people bring meals, treats for Zeke and good conversation. We are so blessed. Here are a few specific prayer requests for this week:

• That Zeke would be able to sleep. His sleep has been interrupted because of his discomfort. This lack of rest makes the days difficult for all of us.

• That we would have wisdom in deciding when Jeff should return to work. Yesterday he went back for the first time and it was a very difficult day for Zeke. He is obviously needing lots of special care and he only wants it from Mom or Dad.
  

• That Jeff and I would have patience with our little man. He is so frustrated by the situation and is very indecisive about what he wants and gets very upset if we don't get it right.

In the midst of this hard stuff we have so many praises and reasons to be thankful. The greatest gift has been our family and church community. Many of them have dropped what they are doing and have been available to help with whatever we need. We are so grateful.

Out & About

Last night Jeff & I realized we all just needed to get out of the house so we made a last minute decision to go see the fireworks. We loaded Zeke in the wagon and Olive in the sling and walked to Old Town Monrovia. As we made our way through the crowd gathered on Myrtle Avenue we got lots of stares and lots of comments -"Oh! Poor guy!" and "That happened to my son." and "Look at the princess." (Yikes--looks like we need to cut his hair or get him a baseball cap or something.) The fireworks were great and we had a fun time hanging out with friends. Tonight we loaded him into the wagon again for a quick walk around the block. Zeke got lots of attention from our neighbors. As we left one house, 5 year old Porter yelled out to us, "Remember kid, make sure you get enough sleep!" That is some advice we are hoping Zeke takes seriously.

El Luchador?

Don't think the irony has been lost on us. And while this post and our previous post are not directly related, we knew it was only a matter of time before our adventure seeker wound up in the Emergency Room. We just didn't realize it would involve something which seems to be just short of a full body cast, necessitating a wheelchair and handicap sticker. It has been a very long couple of days. We are home. We are exhausted. We are loved by family and friends.

Captain Z

El Luchador!