Polly Jane's 1st Beach Trip

We left Pennsylvania with much angst. How could I leave for a fun time at the beach when my grandparents are all alone? We decided to follow through with our original plans and headed to a beach house with our dear friends.

We ran the kids down to the ocean as soon as we arrived. What a fun, fun beach experience we had! Polly Jane LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the water. She kept wanting to dive in by herself! Every time she was slammed by a wave she would come up saying "More! More!" That is a crazy, crazy water baby I have. (Holla if you've seen her in action in the bathtub!)

{These pictures are a hodge-podge of dates, I believe.  At least, I don't remember Haven spending the whole day in her nightgown.}

Sweet friends.

We went to the boardwalk one evening and had a great time.  Eric and Jason were perhaps most excited about the arcade.   It was a little crazy for me, but the kid's were mesmerized by all the lights.

We left the overstimulation of the arcade and fed everyone sugar.

Apparently, we thought it wise to give the girls adult-size portions of ice cream.  This decision was made after we let Elijah add "Superman" color and flavor to his huge ice cream cone. 

We watched a great fireworks display and then rode the carousel.

We picked up a dozen made-in-front-of-you donuts because we had a long night of work ahead of us.  Everyone sat around and helped while I got our little Baby #4 announcement cards ready.  We stuck those in the mail the next day and then headed back to the beach.

5.31.2012

Our Last Visit with Grandpa Millard

This visit with Grandma and Grandpa would have been impossible without Eric. I spent most of my time at the hospital, eating with Grandma, and driving Grandma to and from the hospital. Eric pretty much took sole care of the children, even coordinating a quick meal of cereal in Gigi's apartment while I was at the hospital. Single-handedly corralling three children in an apartment full of breakables is not a task for the faint of heart, but Eric did it successfully. He was a superhero. I'm so thankful for the precious hours I was able to spend with Grandpa because of Eric's servant-like behavior. Our time in Pennsylvania was no "vacation", but I didn't want to be anywhere else.

Eric's superhero skills involved a little of this:

We took the children back to the hospital one last time to say goodbye to Grandpa Millard.  As it turns out, it was goodbye for good.  We never saw him again. 

Oh, friends!  How patients need an advocate!!!  Grandma fought with the nurse and the ER doctor to get treatment for Grandpa.  I fought to get mouth swabs.  I fought to get a temperature taken.  I fought to get an x-ray done.  We fought for very minimal care.  My Dad and Uncle fought for hydration.  Water!  We had to fight for water!

As image-bearers of the one true God we all have worth.  Each life, at every stage of life, is valuable.  At that value isn't on a sliding scale; value is inherent simply because humans are made in the image of God.  {So fight for your loved ones!  Fight for people to be treated with much dignity, to be honored until God decides their days are ended.}

Grandpa's life was well-lived and filled with many praiseworthy things.  I am still very much mourning his absence.

5.29.2012

Memorial Day 2012

Grandpa and I took a late night ride to the Emergency Room the day after we arrived.  He was severely dehydrated and had another case of pneumonia.  I spent Memorial Day swabbing his mouth.  I've never, ever been so happy to give someone water.  I told Grandpa about the new baby growing inside me.  He smiled.

Eric took the children to a Memorial Day Parade in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. They were sent with many snacks and a stroller. Elijah especially enjoyed it since soldiers were there. 

Later, the chidren came in to visit with Gigi.  I love this picture of Haven with her namesake.

Grandma was wearing her well-worn Keds.  They have a ridiculous amount of holes in them, but she insists they are still holding up.  She thought I was sitting in front of her feet to cover the holes in her shoes~:-)  Don't worry, she's got an identical pair to wear when she "goes out."

5.28.2012

 

The Drive

We spent the night with my sister and her crew. This time no one threw up or developed pinkeye during our stay. It was...nice. (Have we told you the story of driving 8 hours while puking? You probably want to hear that one.)

Eric, Elijah, and Bella bonded over some Dr. Suess stories.

Haven got her hands on Bella's best dress up supplies and happily entertained herself by scattering play food all over the kitchen.  It was so fun to be at Ab's house - even though our visit was super short.  She made tons of food for us; I was very happy~:-)

Look at this custard shack!  How can you not stop?  We ran a lot of races beside the parking lot then jumped back in the car to complete the trip to Myerstown, PA.

  5.26.2012

Telling the Children

On the way to Pennsylvania, we told the children that God had given us a New Baby!  Here are their reactions. 

 

 



Excuse my man voice (it was early, all right?) and Polly Jane picking her nose.
Elijah:  "Whippee!  We get to have TWO babies!  That means Mombo can come!"
Polly Jane: {continues to leave finger in nose}
Haven:  "Hey!  What baby's name can be?"

Then I gave the kids their new Big Brother/Big Sister shirts, they got dressed in the car, and we rolled into Cracker Barrel where we blessed our waitress with a low-maintenance table. 

Look at this Big Sister!!!  Isn't she lovely?
5.25.2012

Good Morning!

Does anyone wake up with this much energy? Pre-coffee, I mean. It's a little ridiculous around here. Mostly it's a lot of "Eat? Eat!" until I get rolling.

Haven often wakes up with wonderfully curled hair. 

Elijah is always anxious to get out of his own bed, but is usually happy to snuggle in our bed for a little while.  Recently I heard, "Mom, can you please get up now?  I've let you sleep a long time."  He made me laugh so hard that I got right up~:-)

Jolly could pretty much always use another hour in bed, but the 3rd child isn't always afforded that luxury.  This allows for a little bit of snuggling.  (yay!)

5.23.2012

Some Days You Gotta Dance

We were robbed. Months ago, actually, and we've almost undone all the damage the robbers did. Our broken door still needs some work, but we've finally fought our way through all the paperwork hassle.

Our greatest losses? Time. And all my pictures and videos. All of them. They were backed up (surprisingly!), but the backup was stolen along with the originals. I still can't really talk about it.

The truth? All my "greatest treasures are right here, in this house." Those comforting words from a dear friend have been a little lifeline for me as I consider all for which I can be thankful. And I'm thankful for this blog, a little storehouse for the many pictures I've lost. Onward, ho! Let's just pick up post-robbery, shall we?

5.21.2012