To Vacation or Not Vacation: That is the Question.

Do you love a good vacation? Me too!! It seems that everytime I go on a vacation, I am planning my next one by the time I get back. I just can't help it! I love to get out of my everyday routine.

I have tried to trace back the reasons behind my obsession with vacations. They weren't really hard to figure out.

1. My mother. Yes, you can blame everything on your parents!! I do!! She has earned the nickname "tour guide" whenever we go anywhere because she will map out our vacations like she is planning four years at college. She claims she inherited this trait from Grampee. See, I told you that it's okay to blame everything on your parents!!!

2. Boxcar Children Books. Growing up, Lindsay and I were gaga for the Boxcar children books. These 3 kids lived in a boxcar and the books were all about how they made this boxcar into their home. Someone call CPS!!! This would never fly in real life but I always wished I was them!! They got to go wherever they wanted and do as they pleased.

3. Pippi Longstocking. If you have ever seen this movie, you will remember a part where Pippi makes a plane for her and Tommy and Anna and they fly away from home to start a new life. Everything is going great until their clothes get eaten by a cow and they almost go down a waterfall in barrels. I also always used to wish I was them too!!

So, there you have it. I have a vacation addiction. To escape real life for just a bit and enjoy time away. Which brings me to my point; wow, I had to say a lot to reach the point!

Anyway, I am dying to take another vacation!! The problem you may ask?? I married someone who doesn't love vacations!! (insert: gasps!!) I know, I should have brought it up before we were married. Now that it's too late, I'm trying to think how I can talk Wes into my latest plan. I just thought it would be fun to go away before baby #3 is born! I just look at the year after a baby's birth as too complicated to try and go on vacation. So that leaves......now!!

How can I convince Wes that we NEED a vacation? He said his idea of a vacation is to stay at home with the boys and just hang out for a week. HELLO???? I do that everyday and I don't call it a vacation. Help me!!!!!

A Heart of Sadness

Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Psalm 30:5

Life has a way of bringing the unexpected. Well this week went a lot differently than I had planned. My precious Aunt Pat lost her battle with illness on Monday around 2pm. She had battled lupus among other things that ultimately took her life. She had fought such a hard battle for the past 4 years. We got word last week that she had from 3 weeks to 3 months to live so her passing away was quite a shock for all of us. Everything just happened so quickly.

She left behind 3 wonderful children and 5 grandchildren. You can tell the mark of a great mother by seeing how deeply her children are affected by their loss. I know she will be greatly missed by them. I know her legacy will live on through them.

My mom is Aunt Pat's only sibling so you can imagine how hard she is taking this. As I put myself in her place, I kept tearing up thinking how hard I would take it to lose one of my siblings. My grandparents are also taking losing Pat hard. Grammie has been getting fuzzier the past few years but you could tell she understood what had happened. I know her and my grandpa share the same feeling: No child should die before their parents. My heart just breaks for all of them.

All throughout this time of mourning though, we all took comfort in the fact that Pat was a believer and is now with her Savior. She is no longer in her weakened state. She is finally at peace and is being comforted by her Comforter. That is something to rejoice over.

Stacy

Family/ Pregnancy Update

Well, I made it through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy! I'm worse for wear, but that's to be expected! I have been much sicker with this baby than I have been with the boys. I was always a little bit nauseated with the boys, but this baby has taught me to be pretty good at upchucking. Everyone says that maybe that means that it's a girl. That's my hope too....but I'm not getting my hopes too high.

I've been a major slacker when it comes to cooking these past weeks. I wasn't even able to open my pantry door without gagging. As you can imagine, that really puts a damper on dinner! But we made it through by eating out more and just eating less fancy things than I usually make. Yes, Wes once accused me of making "too fancy" of food for dinner. My thought is that dinner is the best meal of the day!! Why not make good things!? So that's what I do.

We are definitely going to be finding out what the sex of this baby is, hopefully in the middle of September sometime. We decided this time that we aren't going to share what the name is going to be so that there can be at least some element of surprise when this baby actually comes! And you know how hard a time Wes and I have deciding names anyway!!

The boys are doing great. Preston is getting excited for his birthday (which is still about 2 months away)! Wonder where he gets that from?? Everytime we go in the store he picks out things he wants for his birthday. The problem is he has no idea what the toys are but he wants them anyway!!

Owen is doing great as well. He is finally walking! I think waiting for that to happen shaved off at least five years from my life. His deadline for walking was 17 months. The doc said if he wasn't walking by then, he might have to be put in a developmental program to help him. So, I kept threatening him (nicely) but it wasn't working. About a week before he turned 17 months, he decided it was time. I now am going to be calling him "my little procrastinator." I can just envision the homework battles that this one is going to cause........"What?? Your science project is due in 15 minutes??? And you haven't even started???" Can you tell I speak from experience? Not me of course. I am perfect. (no comments, Mother.)

Wes planned a wonderful birthday week for me! We were able to have a nice date night one night and then we had his dad and uncle over for dinner another night. We like having people over, so it was a good time. I got some new dishes and placemats to go on my new table and I love them! Invite yourself over sometime so you can see them!!

Hope everyone is doing well!! Have a great weekend!