Always

Sometimes life doesn't go as planned. Sometimes a farewell is needed before there was even a chance to say "hello". Sometimes my heart breaks for what could have been.

That sometime was last week.

 

But the hope we find in Jesus prevails...not just sometimes, but always.

I'm so thankful for that hope and for Brevin Anthony.

I'm completely grateful that his proud mommy and daddy were able to feel his tomahawk chops.

I'm encouraged by the many blessings poured upon our family.

I'm humbled knowing that the Holy Spirit dwells within us and my mom now has another story to prove it.  (Romans 8:26-28)

I'm filled with joy because there is a bigger plan than we can see right now.

 

 I can't wait to get heavenly snuggles someday. And this crazy aunt loves snuggles.

 

Love you, sweet baby.  Always. 

And We're Off...

After stocking up at the grocery store, it was time to get this vacation started.  So with Steve behind the wheel and me trying to figure out where we were, we hit the road.  The left side of the road driving, abundance of roundabouts, and lack of road signs made for an interesting trip. I'll spare you the ugly details of our first experience driving in Grand Cayman Island (GCI), but I'm happy to report there were no accidents and we are still married.  Thank you, Jesus!

 First glimpse of the ocean...

 J and E were in awe.

 

We stopped along the way to check out the Blowholes.  There's really only one blowhole remaining since Hurricane Ivan devastated the island, but it truly is pretty cool.  This was an easy place for Steve's Island Tours to find, so we stopped here a few times throughout our stay.

 We finally arrived at our resort!  We barely got our bags in the door before the kids were begging to hit the beach.  It was love at first sight...

We ran out of daylight before we ran out of energy, but after a long day of traveling, that was probably for the best.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

With the exception of this little thing called work, I feel like we've been on vacation for a good month.  It all started in the wee hours of the morning on June 11th.

 

Rise and shine, travelers!

 

 

Mom bought Fruit Loops.  It must be vacation.

 

The kids enjoyed their first plane trip, and they both did awesome.

Upon our first descent, J, with a sense of alarm, announced, "Mom, I just yawned and my ears farted!" 

 

 

 

Getting closer...

 

 

 

 

Once we landed and picked up our rental van, we went directly to the grocery store so we could get our shopping out of the way for the week.

 

We were greeted by this guy in the grocery store parking lot.

Look closely...

 

 

Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.

Thanks, Baby

 

E:  (as she was playing pat-a-cake with my legs)  Mom, you're legs are plump.

 

Me: (very sarcastically) Great.

 

E:  No, like, you're legs are really plump.

Nontraditional Math

J:  Mom, I weighed myself and I was 62.2 pounds.  Then I took a dump, and I was only 62.

Me:  Nice, I guess. 

J:  Yeah, that's like 20% of a pound. 

Feeling Blessed

E:  Aren't you going to make a birthday cake?

Me:  I have to make my own birthday cake?

E:  No, you need to make enough for all of of us.

 

Well, today I found out that working as a 33-year old is a lot like working as a 32-year old.

 

After a couple of drinks and a dinner out, I was surprised with a giant Eileen's cookie...my favorite!

 

Even better yet, I had the absolute pleasure of hearing my three lovelies sing to me. 

My (older) heart is filled with joy, joy, joy!