We're Back...

....from a wonderful vacation to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico with our good friends Rusty and Andrea. Though it started off with a few snags in getting there due to missing connecting flights and being without any of our luggage for the first day and a half, we rolled with the punches and had such a great time. Every morning when I woke up, I would look out off of our balcony to the left, and this is the sunrise I saw!And when I looked down and to the right, this is the pool and ocean I saw...Pretty hard not to have a good time when you're surrounded by so much beauty. We went into the downtown part of the city on the boardwalk and took a few pictures.But mostly just laid by the pool, soaking up all the sun and relaxation we could stand. It was a perfect getaway. One of the coolest things we did (though we didn't get any pictures for fear of dropping our camera off the mountain) was to go down 13 zip lines through the Sierra Madre mountain range. Even in that dry, humid heat the mountains were so green and beautiful. It was definitely one of the funnest adventures we've ever been on. But definitely the best part was getting to spend some quality time with each other and some really dear friends. So we got home on Tuesday evening, and tried to get everything back in order pretty quickly because Friday was a really big day at our house for two reasons. First because we got to spend the weekend with our niece Dresden, and Aunt Chelle and Uncle Dan as they were passing back through town on their way home from vacation (more to come on that).

But secondly, because we met with the home health nurse and began Ben's growth hormone therapy. Honestly, I've debated about whether or not to even post that information here. But I've decided to share that with all of you out there for two reasons: 1) because one day Ben and Drew will look back on this blog and I want them both to know about all the good and fun stuff that happens in their lives, but also about the hard stuff and the paths that we've walked together that have been a little bit tougher to go down; and 2) because we covet any and all prayers that anyone offers up on our boys' behalves. I guess I figure if you're reading this and care enough to keep up with our family, then surely you wouldn't mind praying for our sons. There's no such thing as too much of that.

So, having said all that, we began what will at least be a six month journey. It was something that both Michael and I have been dreading doing for a while, and have been praying about for months. We were very scared of the unknowns of it all, and subjecting him to something that we'd wrestled long and hard with doing in the first place. It just seemed like the kind of thing that other people deal with...not us, with our boys who seem - in every other way - happy and perfectly healthy. But we trust his doctors and we've submitted it to the Lord. So, we began. Before anything else, I have to take a minute to get on my knees in praise. Ben did great!...of course he did! And Drew was jumping up and down hugging him saying "you're so brave! you did great buddy!" and it was almost more than this mommy could take to watch these two little three year olds be there in a big way for each other. So we all had our own little celebration. We didn't tell him beforehand what was going to happen....we didn't want to give him too much time to process it all and get upset about it. And we really thought it was important to downplay it all since they always play off whatever our emotions are. All we said that morning was "a nice man is going to come over and show mommy and daddy how to give you your 'pinch' so you can get some medicine to help you grow big and strong. No big deal." Inside we were pretty nervous since we didn't know if it would hurt or not. Basically he gets an injection once a day, six days a week. So far, he doesn't even act like he feels it. There's no crying, no fussing over whether or not to do it, or where to take it. He's been so big and brave, and I can't help but feel that this is both an answer to prayer and a response that will help him through life as he deals with things that are out of his control and maybe less-than-pleasant to endure. And I also have to take a minute here to brag on how big Drew has been through this. All of the attention has been on his brother for a while now (hard for a boy who loves being in the spotlight), and the whole time he was focused on being encouraging and loving on his brother. For sure, it is our privilege to have these boys in our lives. They continue to teach me so much.

Anyways enough with all the heavy stuff, we made it through and an hour or so later, Dresie was here and all was right in the boys' world! They enjoy each other so much, and we had so much fun with Dan and Chelle. We were able to grill out, go to the pool, play water balloons and even make a trip to Chuck E Cheese (the bane of all adults existence). Here are just a few of my favorite pictures:Playing with Myrtle, Dresie's new hermit crabFilling up water balloons with DaddyPlaying games at Chuck E Cheese

Phew...and after all that, we're worn out! It's been great, but now we're ready for our first down weekend out of the last five. Sounds like we'll be hitting the pool!!!

Time with MawMaw and PawPaw

What a great time we had with MawMaw and PawPaw! This past weekend they came for a long weekend to have some fun and spoil the boys. We put poor PawPaw to work, and he helped Michael stud the walls for the attic behind our bedroom. We've been in the process of finishing it out as a sitting room/art studio for a couple of months now, and I'm really excited about how it's going. He and Michael are both so good at this kind of stuff. The hundred-year old house we used to live in down in East Nashville was gutted and re-done by the two of them, and Jim's been building or remodeling houses since he was old enough to hold a hammer. So not only are they both really handy with these kinds of projects, its really fun for them to do together. Here is one of the two walls they studded. I did try to take some pictures of them with Ben and Drew "helping" with the wood and the nails, but none of them seemed like they really wanted their picture taken. So the few I got weren't very good. At least I tried, right? We took them to eat at some of our favorite Franklin places, and took them to all of our favorite antique stores for some shopping. At least Shari and I had fun looking around for some new things for our room, even if that's not any of the boys' idea of a great time.

MawMaw and PawPaw surprised the boys with a set of big soccer goals for the backyard and a few other fun toys for summer, so we've managed to be outside even more than normal now that we've got new toys out there.

PawPaw tried his best to take a little rest after working so hard in the attic. But in our house, if you're on the floor, you're fair game for a wrestling match. Its a good thing he's pretty tough because these boys love to tackle.
We also grilled out, played in the slip and slide, and made some of our favorite ice cream. The weather couldn't have been any better, so we were outside almost the whole time. Thanks MawMaw and PawPaw for a fun weekend!!! We love you guys!

Fun Time in Montgomery

We just spent last weekend at Mimi and Pop's house. As usual, we all had lots of fun and all got a little bit spoiled. We crammed lots into the weekend: the zoo, grilling out, playing in the water slide, swimming at our friends' pool, the sandbox, golf and even churning ice cream. Here are a few of my favorite pix of the boys:

Michael captured these awesome shots while we were on the train at the zoo...he really should be in charge of the pictures more often because I just love these.Standing like flamingos while watching the flamingos: The slip and slide:

Thanks Mimi and Pop for everything!!! We had so much fun!!!