A WEEKEND AT THE BEACH!

last weekend we took off for a VERY last minute trip to ocean isle beach with my parents, sister and her crew! we had beautiful weather and lots of fun. the highlights of the trip revolved around sand: digging a 3 foot deep hole in the sand that the kids loved, ben david rolling down a sand dune (on purpose) and james eating sand for the first time. there was even some jump rope action which ben david participated in! the grand finale was dinner at roberto's pizza...a favorite local joint at OIB. no seafood (lucky for uncle evan)...but the best pizza around!!

here are a few pics of our time:

"Are You My Mother??"

DADDY!










MOMMY!










nothing like getting called a rhino by your 2yo son. no, seriously! ben david is a man of few words these days...we are still working on building our vocabulary around here. he has, however, been pretty clear on who mommy and daddy are...that is at least up until last week. ben david was quietly watching one of his videos while i was folding some laundry in the same room. all of sudden, i hear him exclaim, "MOMMY!" with as much confidence and zeal as he could muster up. he even pointed (in case i could have written it off as a mistake). i glanced at the screen just in time to see that he was pointing at none other than a very large rhinoceros!
i gently (but firmly...very firmly) corrected him: "no ben david, that is not mommy...that is a rhinoceros!" no response from ben david.
later in the video...up popped another animal...a tiger. at that point, ben david loudly exclaimed (again pointing)..."DADDY!" once again...i provided the necessary correction, to which ben david seemed unphased.
i am not exactly sure what this all means and i am certainly open to suggestions (except from you, dan!). nothing in my child psychology background prepared me for what to do when your child mistakes you for gigantic, unattractive wild animal. all things considered...i do think ben got the better end of this deal. i think i would have prefered to be mistaken for a tiger!!

sweet baby james

showing off those first two teeth!!

Double Trouble!

i have blogged briefly before about my regular jogs with the boys in the double stroller. this is always an adventure of sorts!

the other day i was able to capture the "aftermath" on camera. please note...ben david is holding up the wrapper leftover from his dum dum sucker. that, and only that, is what makes him content to sit still for our 30 min. run. please also note in below picutre...james sucking on the seatbelt strap. that, and only that, is all it takes to make him happy on our runs!:)
as always, we made our occasional stops to rescue james from ben david trying to steal his hat and take his toy. additional stops were made to retrive the ever rolling sippy cup and also prevent james from pulling the plastic frame out of the stroller cover.
all in all...a very pleasant event for all!!;)

very belated shot of the family easter egg hunt with my sister and her crew! ben david finally caught on towards the end that each egg had candy in it. so, being the smart little guy that he is he figured out it was much quicker to steal eggs from the other's baskets than find them on his own. poor ben david...maybe next year the easter bunny will provide him with a designer basket like his cousins!

here he is getting a few tips from dad...

and here he is caught red handed by cousin "kurt-kurt"...stealing candy from his basket.

The Germans have arrived!!

This weekend was filled with fun adventures as we had the privilege of one of my roommates from Ravencrest visiting us from Germany. Every now and then he decides that he is tired of wondering in the desert and decides to take a trip to the promise land. We started the weekend with some good Mexican food at one of our favorite restaurants El Valle ( Hats included with the meal). Even though he looks Mexican here his is actually German.

On a whim we drove past the new Billy Graham library which is by the airport and took a visit. This a great place to go and see all that he has accomplished and even though every thing appears to be about Billy Graham the people will let you know that it has nothing to do with Billy Graham but is only about Jesus. ( the silo is only for appearance- you cant go inside. Andreas didn't quite understand this)

Since Andreas is German and cant vote we decided to take some signs in our efforts to help the struggling candidates. Andreas here is trying out his ability some street marketing.

We found a Hillary sign which he was most proud of. Every time we would pass a Hilary sign he would start chanting 'Hilary, Hilary..' I am guessing this is what he has been hearing on the news. I was also very excited about getting this off the streets and giving it to the Germans. This would be great if she decided to go over there. He is going to put it in front of his house. Maybe he can stir up enough votes over there that don't count.

You've Come a Long Way, Baby!

THAT WAS THEN...





THIS
IS
NOW...











wow...it is hard to believe that today marks Ben David's second birthday. what an amazing two years it has been. we are so grateful to the lord for his faithfulness in ben david's life that has been demonstrated since day one. on this momentous day, please permit me a somewhat lengthy trip down memory lane as i reflect on the events that have passed.
two years and 12 days ago, we were eagerly anticipating the birth of our firstborn. our due date was may 25th, and we were counting down till that time! our first baby shower was to be on march 12th, and another to follow the next month.
on march 11th, 2006...i got up to get ready for work as usual and my water broke. as you can imagine, i was paralyzed with fear. the events that followed are a bit of a blur, but resulted in my being told that i was 2cm. dilated, our baby could come at anytime and i was to be on strict bed rest at Carolinas Medical Center until he arrived. doctors and nurses rushed in and out of our room...no one able to tell us much. there was an sense of urgency as they administered to me the first of two steroid shots for ben david's lungs. these were imperative as his lungs were far from fully developed and could not function on their own at this point outside the womb. the next shot came 24 hours later and we were informed that this "window" of 48 hours (as each shot took 24 hours to become effective) was crucial.
the waiting was excruciating. we had no idea what to expect. hooked up to monitors of every kind...watching each up and down of our baby's heartbeat...it was overwhelming.
those first 48 hours passed and we were able to breath a small sigh of relief. survival was not the issue now. however, each minute, hour, and day that passed with ben david still inside of me was making all the difference in his development and lessening the chance of long term complications such as partial blindness, cerebral palsy and other difficult challenges preemies can face.
the 12 days of bed rest that followed are hard to describe. they were long, emotional and trying...but each was a gift. i was given much encouragement and wise words of counsel from friends and family and the medical staff. this support was essential and so meaningful to me.
my world as i knew it had come to an abrupt halt. i was forced into a position of absolute dependency and lack of control.
yet even with the presence of all these wonderful people, here is what i discovered: when the unexpected happens, when the rug is completely pulled out from under you, when your life is instantaneously turned upside down...there is truly only one secure place where you can find peace. you can look to your friends, family, medical experts- but you will be disappointed...every time. with all the best meaning intentions and knowledge we possess, we are still each limited by our sheer "humanness".
yet, there is one who can provide the "peace that passes all understanding" and assurance that you are not alone. there is one who can meet you in your lowest moments and points of uncertainty. there is one, and only one, who can be the "lamp unto your feet and light unto your path" when the path is unfamiliar and the territory uncharted.
it is the Lord. while i believe we all know this on some level, i don't think we truly come face to face with the reality of it until life throws us a curveball. and this will happen, time and time again...some curveballs being difficult and challenging, others even tragic.
throughout those long days of waiting, of not knowing what the future held for our little one, of wondering when he would come and how long he would be in the neonatal intensive care...time and time again, i was reminded of this simple truth.
our sweet son was born on march 22, 2006, a day i will never forget. he weighed in at 3lbs. 10.9 ounces, 15 inches long...we were grateful for every ounce!
while we were not allowed to hold him for the first 24 hours as he was far too fragile, we rejoiced in his arrival. he spent the first month of his life in the NICU learning to breath and eat on his own. each day, we sat by his bed. learning to suck from a bottle was hard work and often caused his little heart rate to temporarily plummet as he'd forget to breath. ours would of course do the same.
and yet, we keenly felt the presence of our lord, giving us the strength to keep going. to leave our son each night in the care of complete strangers. to get up during the night and pump instead of feeding my baby as i had anticipated.
on april 20th, we brought ben david home. ironically, just a few days after easter that year. as we celebrate easter this year, it actually falls on the weekend of ben david's birthday. my heart is full as i reflect on all these two years have held. ben david is a happy, healthy two year old and we praise the lord for him.
i am grateful for my son, but above all i am grateful for THE SON; for his death that purchased my life, for his resurrection power that enables me to live day to day without fearing what tomorrow may hold, for his constant presence and faithfulness that remain when all else is stripped away.
in conclusion, may each of you find great hope in our saviour's life anew this easter...for he is not dead, but "he has risen, just as he said." and he remains true to his word...today, tomorrow...forever.
happy birthday ben david! we love you!! may you too soon come to know our lord and the great love he has for you.

i would like to dedicate this blog to my sweet niece, selah marie who lives in heaven, and her wonderful parents. amy and dan have been a continual testimony of what it truly means to hold fast to your faith in the midst of the storm. i have learned much from them and my own faith has been strengthened as i've watched their love for the lord grow while walking through tremendous grief.

Party Time!!!

ben david will officially turn two on saturday, but we celebrated a little early this past sunday with the whole, and i mean WHOLE family!! grandmommie, poppie, marmie, poppy, deuce, aunt amy, uncle evbo, aunt anna, aunt bek, uncle nate and ALL nine cousins: adah, brittian, drew, kurt, annascott, nate, ceci, gia and baby kai! of course, mommy and daddy and brother james were also on hand for this big event!