It's Getting Hot in Here....

We have been staying at the Kope's house in Florida for a week and we've been having a great time. They have a beautiful house and a fantastic pool. However today was unforgettable for one specific reason. Tony was at a meeting with Chet and Janene was picking up Eli from surf camp, I was home getting stuff ready for dinner while my boys were taking a nap, (in essence I was home alone). While I was cutting up some raw chicken (gross) I saw a teenage boy outside on the patio, I knew Eli was bringing a friend home and assumed that it was him. After a little, I realized that Janene didn't come in and I didn't see Eli out there. I checked to see if their car was in the driveway and it wasn't so I went to the patio doors and was going to politely ask him what he was doing. When I got to the door I realized he was naked!! Ahahaahahahahah!!! And what was he doing?!?!?!? ahahahahah!!! This was unbelievable to me. How could someone go over to a stranger's house, take off all their clothes, and violate their their pool. I freaked out, after all I was home alone and I knew the door was unlocked. I called Chet and Janene and hid in the dinning room so he couldn't see me and more importantly I couldn't see him. I first talked to Chet and just didn't know what to do so he called the police, then I talked to Janene and it seemed to me that he might have some sort of special need issues. That made her think it was an autistic boy who lived down the street and she called her neighbor. Then the police called the house and I explained the situation. While on the phone I heard commotion outside and it seemed that his family had found him and were screaming at him. I was still hiding in the dinning room, I just don't have much experience with random naked men and I was afraid. Also I didn't know anything about the boy and his temperament and was unsure of how to handle the situation. I don't think I would have a problem if it was just an autistic boy swimming in the pool but it was a naked autistic boy in the pool and it was more then I could handle. I just wish Chet were here, he's made a living dealing with situations like this.

Brady and His Poop

So I have to write this down although it slightly crosses the line of things I think should be on my blog but I think that most will get a solid laugh out of it so I'll share. I have now completely potty trained Brady and I'd have to say it is my greatest accomplishment. The funniest thing he started was that when he poops he calls his deposit something new every time. About the 3rd time he had a successful "BM" he said "that's a dolphin mommy, I pooped a dolphin." He was so excited and he was right it looked just like a dolphin. This kind of started a trend and future specimen were described as; a daddy and a baby, a piece of cheese, scary, playdough, a camel, and a few others that I am forgetting.

My Little 3 Year Old

Today, August 6 my little boy turned 3! I can't believe it! Today, the actual day, was filled with itineration bliss so we made sure to celebrate it at a less busy time. On Friday, we had his party and spent the day at Dutch Wonderland (Brady calls it Touch Wonderland). They had great rides for little guys and that evening we had dinner with my family which was really special. Brady was very excited about his Diego cake which I made just for him. As soon as he blew out the candles he licked the icing and when he was all done it was disgusting. He had the best day ever. He got lots of Diego things and Backyardagins and Dora and some baseball stuff and several DVDs (which were the best since his case of 30 got lost). He couldn't have been happier. Above all of this his favorite part was when anyone sings Happy Birthday to him - he just glows - so thanks to everyone who sang.

A New Brady word

While we were in Arkansas sittin' on the back porch of Pop Pop Rando and Grandma Linda's Cabin there was an interesting smell and undeniable stench from one of natures stinkiest animals... a skunk. Brady is always talking about it but he calls it a STUNK - which is pretty appropriate. His little sniffer is getting pretty good, which is nice for me since mine is so bad. He lets me know when Mac has a dirty diaper by saying "I smell a poop mommy." Mac is getting really smart too. We have retired the pacifier for good now and he is talking a lot more. His comprehension astounds me. Now he can point out most of his body parts and follow most basic instructions. The cutest thing though was when we were first quizzing him he would always get nose and toes mixed up.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Sunday the whole family went along to our missions services. The first was in West Chester with a great pastor who had a good time with Mac at lunch, and the second was in Newark, DE. We had quite a few hours between services and the boys were napping in the car so I had the unique experience to take Tony a short way down memory lane. During my childhood/elementary years we lived in Elkton, MD which is only a few miles from Praise A/G in Newark. It was so wild to go by my old house in Manchester Park -- What I remembered as 193 Avalon Ave. has been changed to 164 Avalon Ave. but Maggie our GPS knew just where to go. I shared some of my most vivid memories of the old neighborhood and my best friend Megan Brown. It seems like so long ago and in reality it was about 20 years ago - that is a lifetime. Some say they don't like going back but I really enjoyed it. The past has a great piece of who we are today. For many years our family didn't live for Christ, we didn't ever go to church but it was in the living room of that house that my parents gave their hearts to Jesus and it has altered the destiny of our lives forever.

Mac's Surgery

Mac is doing well following the surgery. He is the most resiliant kid and I have so much awe in how he handled the whole thing. He really takes life in stride and makes the most out of everything. Even though he couldn't be as independent as he wanted he still found a way to do what he wanted to do. He learned to feed himself and to play normally with no functioning elbows. He was thankful to have the splints off though. It actually took a little getting used to though. After they were off a day he was still bringing us his pacifier to put in his mouth. I had to physically show him he could do it himself. He has one more day of the eye drops which he hates and he'll have to wear glasses for now at least. We are really praying that he doesn't damage things in any way. Apparently a fall or rubbing the eyes can do damage and of course he is 1 1/2 so that is a big part of his life. We truly appreciate your prayers through this whole thing.

Funny Moments in Motherhood

Before we left on a big trip I had a lot of errands to run. I do not usually enjoy doing this with both the boys but we were really crunched on time so I had no other choice. I listed the things we had to do for Brady. Because of Dora the Explorer he always likes to know where we are going. We usually sing a song and clap and it makes it bearable. On this particular day we had to go the bank and it was one of our last stops. I only had to go through the drive through, and I was done. When we got there Brady was extremely disappointed and started a mini display of disapproval. It turns out he thought the bank was going to be a giant pink pig where put all our money.