Daddy's girl

Aubrey loves her daddy! She sure did miss him while we were at my grandma's house and she was SOOO excited to see him when he met us for the funeral. Her newest favorite activity to do with daddy is mow the lawn. Aren't Aubrey and daddy cute?

Family

Our trip was a whirlwind full of flights, long drives, crying, laughing and just plain exhaustion. Although it was difficult to let go of my grandma, there were also positive aspects of our visit. We really enjoyed spending time with our family. Here are some highlights from the trip.

We arrived at my grandma's house early last Saturday. It was so good to be with her, to tell her how much she's meant to us over the years and to just give her a hug and a kiss. Grandma was able to whisper in the morning, but looked so weak and fragile. She hadn't been able to eat in days and was only able to hold down minimal amounts of fluid. She whispered loving words, was able to smile at family members who came in and seemed very at peace with her life here on Earth ending. My grandma's house was filled with her family, my grandpa rarely left her side, all four of her sons were there, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My grandma's life revolved around her family. She was always concerned about us. It was our turn to be there for her. Throughout the day her breathing seemed more strained and her whispering became infrequent; we knew that the suffering would soon come to an end.

At about 8pm she was finally free from the pain. The Lord called her to be with Him in Heaven. My grandpa was laying next to her and she was surrounded by family, exactly how she would want it to be.

I'm so glad we made it in time to say goodbye. My grandma was an incredible woman! She was always more concerned about others than herself. She was unselfish, loving, a giver, a caretaker, such a great example of a mother and wife. At her funeral, they played "Wind beneath my wings". I know this song is probably played at a lot of funerals, but it truly describes my grandma.

I'll really miss my Grandma Betty, especially during the summertime. My grandpa was married to her for 63 years. Please pray for him... I know he's having a difficult time.

Saying goodbye...

I thought I already did this in July when I went to the family reunion. We already knew my grandma's cancer was terminal and I wanted to say goodbye when she was still feeling good; when she was the grandma I had always known, healthy, strong, such a caretaker. But now that the cancer is consuming her fragile body, I think the time has really come to say goodbye. How do you do this? I mean I've already said goodbye to my other grandma. We held her hand as her spirit was taken to heaven, but she was really sedated and out of it in her last days. My grandma Betty, although in tremendous pain, is still able to talk and understand. I know I'll probably just cry like a baby...like I am as I write this, but I don't really know what I'll say. I know she's ready, prepared and oh so willing to leave the pain of this world behind, but it is HARD to let her go.

With all the excitement of babies being born lately, I can't help, but think that death is the reflection of birth. God is pregnant up in heaven. He wants his sweet child to come to the comfort of the beautiful home he's prepared. His child is still waiting, not quite ready to cross over. Maybe there is just one more thing that needs to happen, one more life to bless before their time here on Earth is done. I like to think of all the joy that babies bring their new parents and I know that that is how God feels when one of his children is risen into Heaven. It is comforting to know that she will feel such relief and peace when she leaves us, but it doesn't make it easier to let her go.

Christy and I booked a flight today to go see her tomorrow-Monday. I just want to give her a hug, lay by her and let her know I love her.

Has anyone told you?

Please, let me be the one! CLICK HERE


Hope it's as touching to you as it was to me. I really needed it.

Babies and Bees

Our weekend was wonderful.

We woke up to an early morning call from Scott telling us that he was a daddy! YAY! No more waiting, they could finally meet their little miracle from above. We arrived at the hospital only to find out that the Chambless family was DOUBLY blessed. Colleen had just given birth to her baby also. WOW! What an amazing event this was. An event that these cousins will ALWAYS be reminded of and rejoice in. Check out Scott and Lorie's blog for more updates on their little bundle of joy. Aunties Christie and Sara have some news about the babies on their blogs as well. Both babies are ABSOLUTELY PERFECT and already loved beyond imagination. They are truly blessed to be born into such wonderful, God loving families.

After our visit to the babies, we brought our own baby to Grandpa Steve's for a visit. He was home for a few days before he goes back up to North Dakota and Washington to finish with the bees up there for the season. Thankfully, his house was bee free (which is very rare when your dad is a beekeeper) and we were able to enjoy the beautiful weather and play outside. Aubrey played in the grass, with grandpa, with Josie, with Auntie Alyssa and with Monster the dog. She conked out in her stroller for a nice nap. Grandpa is all about FUN and SPOILING and both babies LOVE playing with him.






On another bee note, here is the progress on Aubrey's costume bee skirt. Not bad for being a beginner. Still need to work on the flower, wings, body suit and antennae.

Praise and Projects

First, let me start by thanking all of you who offered encouragement or suggestions about the whole child care situation. Really it helped me to be at peace with whatever the outcome happened to be. Praise God that He already had a plan and thanks to Lorie for helping to get that plan in motion. It looks like we'll be able to work something out with Colleen, which I'm really excited about. 1st of all, she's a Christian, 2nd she's a Chambless (you know the family that's "more wholesome than buttermilk"), and third she's just an awesome mom and person. I'm really excited to get to know her better through this whole situation and just to know that Aubrey will be with someone that I trust is amazing! PRAISE GOD!

Secondly, let me just take a minute to praise God for the incredible weather today (Meg wasn't it your grandpa that used to just thank God for all the little things during his day...like thank you God for that tree...or am I totally on my own wavelength here?). I LOVE FALL! Today was such a fallish day, just beautiful! We put our fall wreaths up and I can't wait to get out all the decorations this weekend. YAY for fall! And of course the fall weather got me really itching to get Aubrey's halloween costume ready. Not that I wasn't itching before that, but now I'm really ready to go, which moves me on to the projects part of the post.

PROJECTS


Some projects I've already been working on are these cute spider bows. I saw them on e-bay and went to buy all the supplies the next day. UM yeah...I get randomly inspired OFTEN! (That's why I have a collection of craft stuff that just keeps building) I've made like 7 so far. Christy brought 2 to some girls at her work. I made one for Gracie, one for Aubrey and I'm just waiting to see how many of the soon to be born Chambless babies will be girls. I was too lazy to take my own picture because I'd have to plug the camera in, etc. So this is the one from e-bay. Mine have a white stitch down the middle of the ribbon legs and the bow on the spider is a bit different. I also made mini ones with smaller korker ribbons as well as the big ones. Can't decide which ones I like better.




I also bought fabric to make Aubrey a bee costume for halloween. My dad's a bee keeper, so I want Aubrey to be the "queen bee" for Halloween. I found this cute "boutique" costume on e-bay for...get this... $150. YIKES! Yeah, not buying that, but I can borrow ideas from it. I'll use a t-shirt instead of that cleaver little stretchy thing, but I think it'll turn out okay. I'll keep you updated.

So thanks again for all of your prayers. Please continue to pray for my grandma's health. Thanks!

Help! I need somebody!

Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know I need someone, Helllp!

No, I'm not just reciting the Beatles. I really could use your help...in any form, advice, etc.

For those of you who aren't familiar with my work arrangement, I work 50% of the time (Thurs., Fri. every other Wed.) and Christy works 60% (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays). It works out really well for about 90% of the month, but every other Wednesday we have to figure things out. Last year was rough so we knew we had to figure out a better solution this year. Malkreet (my friend that I jobshare with) had a friend who just started a daycare and was taking part time kids and drop in so it worked out really well. She was someone Malkreet trusted so I knew she would be good, and she was willing to take Aubrey only 2 days a month, which most providers won't do. Yeah...well she got some new full time kids, and because of rules and for financial reasons, she can't take Aubrey as of October 1st. So the anxiety of figuring it out is back.

I know God has a plan with this whole situation, but I'm really stressed about it. I figured someone out there might be able to make a suggestion or know someone who might be in a similiar situation. So far, here are some options I think might work.

1. A Co-op. I could join up with another family and we could switch off some time. They could take Aubrey every other Wednesday and I could watch their kid(s) 2 other days during the month. This would give them time to make their own Dr. appts., hair appts., go shopping, etc. Plus the kids could get some play time.

2. Paying someone. I don't have a problem paying someone, but I don't know anyone who can do it. Maybe a college student, another stay at home mom, etc. I don't want just any old wierdo off the streets, this is my baby we're talking about! Maybe you guys know of someone trustworthy who would be interested. I figured someone who is really on a tight budget might be interested in an extra $150 a month to shop with for watching a baby 2 days a month.

3. Daycare. I don't have a problem with daycare, but a lot of the drop in or part time daycares only take kids older than 2. I've checked into all the parent nurseries (which are 1/2 day, but I thought one of her grandpas could pick her up after work), but they are 2 and older.

Really 2 days a month isn't that often, but that almost complicates the situation more. It's hard to find part time childcare.

Ahhh...the anxiety! Please pray for me and leave me any advice you might have. And while you're praying, my grandma is in the hospital :( She's not doing well. Please pray that she won't be in too much pain, that my grandpa will be strong, and that my dad and his brothers will find peace in knowing that God is in control.

It's been a rough couple of days.

Aubrey Walks!

It's been a rough couple of days for me. When I get a chance and can figure out how to write it all down, I'll blog about it. In the meantime, I'll post some encouraging news... I finally captured some video of Aubrey walking! YAY! When people ask if she's walking, I always say she can, but she's a wimp and doesn't. Well now I have some proof!

Check out our big girl.

It's my party and I'll....

...eat cake if I want to.



Surprisingly our little sweet tooth baby, wasn't a big fan of cake. She daintily sampled the frosting and that was enough of that. She must not have known what she was missing out on. Chef Daddy (aka Justin) baked her a cake (and the one for the guests), made homemade frosting AND decorated the sweetest birthday cakes a little girl could ask for. AND I must say the were VERY good! What a great daddy!



Her party was perfect other than that. We had it at the little 50's style diner inside the old Woolworth's (which is now an antique mall). She loved hanging out with her two best buds, Gracie and Madelyn, and of course sharing her toys with her favorite cousin Brogan. The guests enjoyed rootbeer floats and french fries while the kids had a blast checking out the new toys. There were no other people at the diner so there was plenty of room to play. Aubrey cruised in on her Tot Rod from Grandma Nancy and Papa CC and stopped to pose for a picture with Elvis (he wanted her autograph). After all the fun, while daddy was loading everything up, Aubrey found a new treat that she DID like, LOLLIPOPS. Don't worry, she was still willing to share!










What a fun birthday!

365 days... 52 weeks... 12 months....ONE YEAR!?

Where did it go?

Can you believe that our baby is ONE!? It's weird how you go from giving your baby's age in days, to weeks, then months and now YEARS? Yikes! I remeber the first time I said she was 2 months old...no longer 8 weeks, but two months. It seemed to pass far too quickly and now ONE YEAR?! It makes me sad and happy at the same time. Sad that I can NEVER have that year back...never feel our FIRST born's newborn body again, never rock that newborn baby to sleep again, never anticipate that first smile, that first word, never feel that first tooth JUST barely cutting through...
It's been so special though, so I wouldn't want to go back...it would ruin those "once in a lifetime" moments. I'm also happy...EXCITED! God has blessed us with a HEALTHY, HAPPY, INTELLIGENT baby girl. We have a lifetime of milestones to look forward to. Each day she teaches us something new, makes me feel an emotion I never knew existed, and just brightens every moment of our days!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY AUBREY!

Cayucos

Family and Fun! We rented a vacation house for the weekend...me with the vision to have a mini family reunion with all the family in town for Lisa's wedding. The reunion part of it didn't work out quite as expected, but we still had a blast with Christy's crew and Alyssa. We didn't spend too much time on the beach, but we definitely got a lot of use out of the game room in the beach house. Nap time was a struggle (usually a walk or drive did the trick) but Aubrey was great for the most part....especially the important part, the wedding. Aubrey's highlight of the trip was the swings and the ice cream (I know I'm a bad mom for lettting her have it ;) ). My highlight was the wedding. Just catching up with family and enjoying the beautiful vineyard.

By the way...I don't think I'll ever stay in Pismo again...Cayucos is way less crowded...has way more beach and well it's just slower paced. :)

Lisa and Chris

This weekend my "little" cousin Lisa married her longtime boyfriend Chris. She looked breathtakingly beautiful and he was extremely handsome. What a beautiful wedding! It was at the Peachy Canyon Winery just outside Paso Robles and despite the hot afternoon, it cooled down nicely for the dancing and reception. As always, it's great to see family and celebrate together!

Click on pictures to see a larger view