MOM. . . MOM. . . MOM.

As I rouse from sleep to the sound of my name being called in a LOUD whisper I glance at the clock to find that it is 1:47. AM!!

Me: What is it Spinner?

Spinner: Um, mom? I was just thinking. . . and thought you should know. . .

Me: Yes, Spinner. What's going on?

Spinner: Well, I was just thinking that we don't have any REAL breakfast food for the morning. And I just thought you should know.

Me: I'm sorry. What?

Spinner: We are out of my favorite cereal. We don't have any more bagels. There are no more Eggo's and no more pop tarts.

Me: Is this a joke?

Spinner: No, mom. What am I going to eat in the morning?

Me: Nothing if you don't go back to bed right now.

Spinner: Mooooom?!

Me: Spinner. Go to bed, I will find something for you to eat in the morning.

Spinner: Okaaay.

For the record. He had toast and fruit. Poor deprived child.



While hanging out one afternoon Spinner asked what sorts of things made me cry.

Me: Well, I cry when something makes me sad.

Spinner: Like when I disobey? That makes you sad?

Me: No, not really like that. Do you remember when Lil passed away? That made me sad.

Spinner: Oh, yeah, that was sad. What else?

Me: Sometimes when I am scared. Like when Wil had his heart surgery.

Spinner: What else?

Me: Ummm. Sometimes when I am happy or proud I cry.

Spinner: Happy tears. Like when?

Me: Like the last day of school when we came to your classroom and Mrs. Mattox showed us the video from your school year. I got a little teary thinking about how much you had grown during the year. How much you had learned in Kindergarten.

Spinner: I cried a little that day, too.

Me: Oh yeah? Why did you cry?

Spinner: I cried because I was so so happy that I was done with Kindergarten and was being TRANSFORMED into a first grader! Thinking about that really made me cry a little.

Removing one's clothing at every opportunity is number 8 on the "How to know if your toddler is part Redneck" quiz.

Tank got extra points for that one.

Check.

From Dr. Betz, the specialist from Shriners in PA that has consulted on Wil's "instability:"

Got all the films.

Looks perfect.

NO instability at all!

Will try to call later.

If you have followed along with us in this year long uncertainty (this time last year they were ready to fuse his spine) then you know how amazing it is to hear this! We are overjoyed!!

Tank is empathizing with my desire for a little more estrogen around here and trying to find ways to meet that need in my life.

And I am doing a lot of this. . .

because Tank thinks it is hiLARious to lock all the interior doors, over and over and over again. It never gets old for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How is your summer starting out?

Lot's of reasons I have neglected Blog lately. Here is a brief update from our brood.

1. School is out. Spinner is looking toward first grade with the same enthusiasm he had for kindergarten. Only this time he is certain he will be spending a lot of time in the principles office because, "in first grade you don't get to talk at all. And they don't have a practice box like kindergarten for when you forget you can't talk so you go straight to the principles office. Man oh man, that is going to be hard for me because you know how much I love to talk?!" Yes, indeed.

*Brag alert *Even with all his talking, Spinner learned a lot in kindergarten. In fact he is reading like a champ and was acknowledged at the end of the year with a trophy for being tops in reading among 153 kindergarten students. *Brag over*

Bean charmed all his teachers/therapists until the bitter end as they walked him out to the car showering him with hugs and kisses. He has a great team around him at school and has worked hard for them. He has a few new words, his walking/balance is really improving, and he is seeking more independence. We are so proud of him and will be working hard this summer to build upon what he has learned this year.

Tank is glad to have his brothers home around the clock. Sort of.

2. Medical catch-up. I was on the phone with no less than four medical offices today (to get appts. scheduled), plus the hospital to discuss Bean's MRI tomorrow morning. They called to get the low-down, which they got two weeks ago when we went in for the scan that didn't happen. But no matter, they want to hear it all over again. "It" being Bean's whole story. "So, Bean was premature?" and "how long was he on the vent in NICU?" to "now, his heart surgery. . . " and so it goes. If I had a dollar for every time I had to repeat Beans whole story from delivery at 32 weeks to present we would be doing pretty well! As annoying as it can be sometimes, especially when all three punks are hanging around grabbing at my skirt, I am reminded as I walk through his history, just how far he has come and how fortunate we have been.

So, Tuesday morning we go in for his MRI and hopefully this will give us the definitive answers we have been waiting on for a year now.

3. On the market. There is nothing quite like having your house on the market with three small boys running around. It has posed a new challenge for us, keeping the house somewhat clean so that when we get a call that a potential buyer is coming over we can do a quick pick up and get out. So far our efforts are for naught. No bites or interest.

4. Church life. Wow, church planting is tough stuff. We have a wonderful core group of folks that are dedicated, encouraging, love the Lord and love this City. It is so good to be in this with them. We continue to raise support as we look toward a public launch in the fall and we continue to look for more permanent space but are grateful for the facility we are currently using. More on the plant later. . .


Next time, a post full of pictures for all you family and friends that want to see the troublesome trio in action.

He has taken up residence in my back yard. And I feel sure he has some friends. This elusive MOLE is destroying my backyard. And he is seriously making me CrAzY!

Every day I see more evidence that he has been at work, creating an even more elaborate tunnel system, destroying the roots of my tender annuals and precious perennials, and my grass - oh, my grass!

Each morning I find a new mound where he has popped to the surface, no doubt to survey the scene, check out his own work, and recommit himself to destroying our once lush backyard.

And as of tomorrow, I am bringing in the big guns! The Mole Eliminator

Let the games begin!!

We had just returned from Bean's non-MRI and he was cranky. Truth be told I was a little cranky, too. For Bean, nothing cures the cranks like a little Elmo so we grabbed a snack, put in an Elmo movie and snuggled on the sofa. That's when I heard a big thud at the door.

Strange sound, not really a knock, but something definitely hit the door. I peered over the sofa and caught a glimpse of our friendly, gentle, selfless post woman jumping in her post-mobile and speeding off. I went to the porch to find that, with tender love and care, she had lobbed a package onto our porch, evidently from roadside based on the indentation in the box.

I gathered our package and brought it inside to inspect, hoping that it wasn't fragile. Bean also did some inspecting.

We cracked it open to find that the T21 Traveling Afghan had made it's way to us, along with a journal revealing it's adventures.

Bean, ever the cautious one with anything unfamiliar, looked and touched with curiosity and gentleness.

Together we flipped through the pages of the journal, reading about the lives this lovingly made afghan had already touched. Other kids, from other cities and states, that share the diagnosis of Trisomy 21 are now sharing this afghan and calling it their own for one week before passing it along to the next family.

Bean enjoyed a little hide-and-seek, like so many other kids have done with this afghan.

It was pulled in to the nightly mosh pit.

And it joined him in bed. . .

This weekend we will say goodbye to this special afghan and send it on to the next family for more love and different experiences. If you want to keep up with the T21 travels be sure to check in here.