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To the Beach

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After watching the shuttle blast off into space at 6:21 a.m. (no more than 10 minutes of our life and almost an hour to get back on the interstate), we headed to the hotel to change the kids out of their pjs and eat a free breakfast (which felt really weird since we had been up for several hours at this point).  We checked out and drove about halfway towards home and then made a pit stop.  As we were driving the kids asked where we were going.  Mark just casually mentioned that he thought they would enjoy a day at the beach.  Four resounding “YES!” were yelled from the back of the van.  So to the beach we went.

I’ve been to Jekyll Island, GA several times now.  I love it there.  It’s small, peaceful, and full of some rich history.  And it’s beautiful.  Now, I’m not talking white sand, Gulf of Mexico beautiful but Spanish moss hanging from every oak tree, waves crashing up against the rocks beautiful.  The whole island is virtually flat which makes it a great place to go on casual bike rides (and you can bike the whole island in one day easy).  We didn’t bike but I so wish we had had the time to do it.

However, we did hit the beach…

This was the last day of Josiah’s bug and just didn’t want much to do with the ocean.
Ceili Rain was about three months old the first time she went to the beach.  Having no recollection and not being the daredevil of the bunch…
She didn’t much care for it.  And as for the crashing waves…
she preferred mommy’s secure arms.
I can already imagine how much this therapy session is going to cost her!
She did manage a smile when she saw daddy had the camera.
And when she watched her brothers and sister in the water.
You can only imagine how much fun these three had in those waves.  Liam tried to talk Mark into going in so they could get deeper.  He, respectfully, declined (honestly, playing in the ocean in April in Georgia…it’s a little frigid).

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Blast Off!

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Mark got a good spot for us to watch the launch.  We were as close as we could get without trying to get in on the lottery to actually be in some remote area at the Space Center (and paying an arm and leg for too).
I’ll let Mark tell about the launch but first…I have to say it was amazing!  To see what man had created and to know that God has given us the intelligence to create it!  Pretty cool!
What was left behind after the shuttle was out of sight.
From Mark:   The quick version is just as Abbie said – amazing what man can do with the tools and intelligence God has given us when a bunch of us get together and use our skills toward a single goal.  This was truly a neat opportunity and I am very grateful to my family for greatly inconveniencing themselves with the early times so that I could fulfill this lifelong dream.  Thank you, Abbie, and kiddos for a great birthday present.  I love you!

If anyone is really interested in the nitty-gritty details, just comment or e-mail and we can discuss off-blog.

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3-2-1…

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A loooooonnnnng time ago…well, not that long ago.  Just several months ago, Mark turned 30.  With that, the kids and his parents decided to give him a memorable gift.  A trip to see a space shuttle launch.  This is the last year, unless intervened upon by Congress, that NASA will send men into space using their own space transportation system.  Long story short, this was going to be the last year that the shuttle would be launched and next year they would start sending up a new rocket (like what the Apollo missions used only modern).  However, the NASA program to use the rockets (which were already being tested) has been cut from the government budget.  This, obviously, is going to put a big delay on more man-space missions.  Anyways…all that to say that there were only a handful of missions left to see an actual shuttle launch.

We couldn’t go to the first few…but this month was THE month to make it.

Now, I must admit we almost had to “scrub” our mission to head to Florida to watch the launch.  Josiah and Liam both decided to start with a fever (that Mark and Ceili Rain had had the previous week) on Friday.  Mark was still feeling a little under the weather on Saturday night and then I started to get a sore throat.  We made the decision to cancel our trip unless we both felt better Sunday morning (two parents plus two kids down and out would not make for a very fun trip).  Easter Sunday dawned and Mark and I both were up and ready to go.  After church we loaded the van, kids, and food and headed to Florida.

We stopped that night in Daytona and slept for a few hours and then got up at 2:30 in the morning (I’m so not kidding on that).  Woke the kids up at 3 a.m. (not kidding on that) and headed the extra hour to Titusville.  Going from a tip from one of Mark’s co-workers, we squeezed into a spot to watch the launch.  And we had an awesome view.

We really hoped the kids would sleep on the way to Titusville.  But they didn’t.

The entire wait until the launch.  All five of them.  Wide awake.
“Why am I awake now???”
“Okay, this isn’t too bad.”
Mark had the idea to take out the backseat of the van.  He moved stuff around and threw some sleeping bags on the floorboard.  They used that as their playing field.  We finally broke out the DVD player with about 30 minutes until the launch and that pacified them until we headed back home.  Ceili Rain fell asleep about 10 minutes before launch so we put her down in the back of the van.  Liam showed no signs of fever but Josiah was feverish and not feeling great the whole time.  He started to perk up after the launch (thanks to acetemetophin).

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Craftiness at work…stand back please!

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With a new little boy coming in July…comes a new set of logistical challenges…sleeping arrangements…clothing arrangements…van seating arrangements, etc.

Last month, we focused on the clothes arrangements.  I found a used, run down chest of drawers for Josiah and Bryant to share and we purchased it and brought it home.

This is part of the “Before.”  As usual, I forgot to get a good before.  The knobs were coming off and the off-white paint was peeling.

I put the boys to work sanding it down one afternoon.  That lasted through almost all the drawers before they lost interest and waited on me to finish what I was doing so they could paint.

I used four shades of blue.  Lest you think I spent a ton of money on that.  Lowes (and I’m sure Home Depot does too) has these extra small sample cans of paint that you can purchase for $3).  So, I bought four of those and used the brown “Cloak & Dagger” that Mark had used on the steps to the bonus room.

Here’s the result:

This should hold the boys clothes for at least three to four years along with the other dresser in their room.  I’ll get a picture of the room/dressers after we work on the sleeping arrangements.

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To Ge and Granddaddy’s House We Go

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A weekend trip to Granddaddy and Ge’s kicked off our travels for several weeks.  This was the first time we had traveled since Thanksgiving.  If you know us well, then you know that’s unusual for us…Mark says our family motto is “Go!  Go!  Go!”  But, God had other plans for a few months.  We were home in December trying to make sure Bryant stuck around to full term.  Then January and February brought illnesses and snow.  Finally, March has rolled around and with the pollen came a chance for us to visit family. 

Aside from the drama of a not so daring Ceili Rain having to endure a puppy yelping at her (which caused her to cry which caused the dog to yelp more), we had a great visit (and the dog and Ceili Rain got used to each other and she only fussed at the dog one time later on when the dog took a toy away from her).

Escaping…from the barking dog!
Granddaddy had the best spot to view the game.  He was also a great lap to cuddle into after playing outside all day!
This was the first time the kids really enjoyed the Wii.  Ge and Granddaddy have all the cool toys!
On the way home, Mark indulged my cravings and we ate at the number one place to eat for processed foods!  The Varsity!  Yep, I thoroughly enjoyed my fried onion rings and chili cheese dog and frosted orange.  Yummy!  Of course, we all payed for it dearly on Monday…but this was the first time we ate here since before we had kids.  Moderation people…that’s what it’s all about 🙂
We’re making her a spokesperson for yummy chili dogs!

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Caught!

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One of the first things Josiah asks me in the morning is if Ceili Rain is up.  Most of the time it is because he can hear her chatting and playing in her crib.  The other morning he told me he wanted to go see Ceili Rain…which buys me time to get breakfast finished while he entertains her through the bars in the crib.  This particular morning I peeked into the girls’ room to get Ceili Rain and found this:

Actually, when I first saw them, they were both sitting up and Josiah was entertaining Ceili Rain with the duck he’s holding (it flaps, sings and makes noise…which she loves)…this is what I found when I got back to the crib with the camera.  Yep, that’s pretty sweet.

And this is their busted look!
When Josiah gets up from a nap, if he can see Ceili Rain right off the bat, he is not grumpy at all.  He loves his little sis and she is equally enamored with him!  It’s safe to say that if they slept in the same room, he’d be cuddled up with her every night.

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Meet our new sons!

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Mark and I had the wonderful privilege of loading up a bunch of teenagers in our home for a weekend a few weekends back.  Our community has a weekend each March called DNow…which is short for Disciple Now.  This is an intense, fast paced weekend that is hosted by several churches.  High school and middle school students descend on unsuspecting willing homes where they participate in Bible study and crazy activities.  There’s a late night activity on Friday night to welcome the kids and kick things off.  Saturday night, our church hosted a worship rally and concert for all the students participating.  We did this several years ago…when Liam was a baby.  It was a ton of fun!  And honestly, we tried to sneak our way out of it this year…making excuses and such…but Mark and I both felt God reminding us that’s why we have a home.  The last time, we had senior girls who were a ton of fun.  This time we had freshmen and sophomore boys! 

I was a little apprehensive that they would not want to be in a home without a tv or wii or other game playing device.  And that they wouldn’t want to be around our little kids.

They walked in and, while waiting on the other guys to get there, asked to go play with the boys in their room.  They then went outside, found the marshmallow guns and played “hoops” on the baby basketball goal!  They also did this on Saturday:

And this:

And this:

They were an unbelievable group of guys.  We had nary a problem with any of them!  They loved on and wrestled with our boys the whole weekend.  And our boys grew quite attached to them as well.

I think Mark and I did too.  It was a great chance for us to get to know some of the amazing guys who God is raising up to lead our church!  We can’t wait to see how He’s going to use each of these young men to bring Him glory…

Blue hair and all.

*By the way…in most of these pictures, they’re hanging out in our updated playroom/schoolroom/office/craft area.  Isn’t the carpet awesome!?!  It stood the test of five boys and one college student!

*Sorry about the quality of the group shot.  I was hoping to get  a better shot from one of the guys but somehow his pics got deleted off his camera.  This was the best shot…with out CeiRai that we could get of everyone looking at the camera. 

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The “I” Word is Forbidden

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We’re about 16 weeks out from my due date and I thought I’d share what I’ve told Mark and will tell Dr. J when we get a little closer…the “I” word will not be spoken this time.  By “I,” I mean induction.  Of my past five pregnancies, I have been induced for all of them.  Two of them, were necessary by my standards (Zoe was low fluid…I mean a trickle when he broke my water and I had PUPPS (WARNING:  There’s a graphic picture of what PUPPS looks like on this link) with Josiah…he was only a week early anyway…and he was BIG).  The others were logistical conveniences for us and our kids. 

I would really prefer to wait on God to prepare and have little Bryant come when he’s ready.  And so, early on, I told Mark that an induction would not be up for discussion unless I deem it necessary. i.e. I get PUPPS again. 

I get so jealous of friends who say they woke up and their water broke and they went to the hospital.  I would love to experience that for once.  And since we are uncertain if God will bless us with more children (who will grow in my belly), then I want this to be the time.

And yes, I do not want an epidural again if I don’t need it (meaning, if I don’t have to have a c-section).

So, for prayers:

1.  I don’t get PUPPS.  It is soooo uncomfortable and painful.  And while Dr. J doesn’t believe the statistics, info/research on the web shows it is more likely to be present in women who are carrying boys.  I had it with Josiah but did not get it with Ceili Rain.
2.  That I am able to go into labor (at term) on my own and that I’ll know what’s going on.
3.  If I do go into labor, that the kids will have someone to stay with them/somewhere to go.  One set of our three friends (that don’t mind us imposing on them with lots of little children) is deserting us because the US Army said go.  That leaves two other friends with small children who we may have to inconvenience until grandparents can arrive.
4.  Mr. Bryant cooperates, turns and does all he’s supposed to do so that I can have an epidural-free (and drug-free…they gave me something for pain after birth, at my approval, and I couldn’t hold my head up for an hour…it was horrible) labor and delivery (for a cheap and quick recovery) without the need of a c-section.
5.  That I can wait and have others who are supportive and encouraging as we wait.

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Such a Pretty Girl

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*

She is a busy little girl these days.  She crawls to find her brothers and sister (well scoot crawls).  She loves to pull up on things and is trying to figure out how to climb up on them.  So far, she’s only mastered our two steps up from the playroom/office/schoolroom/craft area/library.

I was trying to get her to sit in the Pooh chair.
She took the opportunity to stand up and dive towards my lap.  This is a fun game that we hope will turn into a step and then dive…and then a step, step and dive, etc.  
*My grandmother would freak out if she could see that hair in her face!  Trust me…I’m working on training it to comb over…these were just taken when it wasn’t!

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