Peek-a-Boo

Garin was on a laughing spree this afternoon and was playing hard. Here's a picture of him playing peek-a-boo with me, using the lid from his box of blocks. Of course, like his big brother, the minute he sees the camera, all play stops, and posing begins.

Farewell Photo

I forgot to post this last week. This was taken the morning Karl left on his mission. Garin likes Daddy's desert BDU hat!

Happy New Year!

We're about to start another year, and I hope it's a great one for each of you. Karl is back out of Iraq and should be home tomorrow. (Update: About 10 minutes after this posted, Karl called again. The mechanics found a fuel leak, so the earliest he'll be home is Tuesday, and that's not likely. Thank God for good, thorough mechanics! Those guys are truly awesome!!!) Thanks for your prayers! Garin is down for a nap. What a precious one! As I tucked him in, and he looked up at me with those big blue eyes and his smile peeking out around his pacifier, I thought how very blessed I am to have a wonderful husband and two sweet boys. I had another nice visit with Kim yesterday and bought a basket for Garin's toys in the living room. I was tired of our house looking like a nursery school all the time. Tonight I am going to a friend's house up the street. They're having a bunch of us over to ring in the new year. I don't know if I'll make it until midnight. That depends on whether Garin will sleep at their house and how well I'm managing this annoying cold I have. But I am thankful to have friends to spend the evening with and am looking forward to it!

Change of Plans

Well, Karl's jet needs repairs, so he is not in the Middle East tonight as expected. They aren't sure when repairs will be made, but they will still make the trip. It sounds as if the whole crew is relieved not to be on the ground at the time of the execution, but I would imagine that the danger would be higher in the days following. Please keep them all, as well as the Iraqi people, in your prayers.

Garin and I took Mr. Magoo to have his staples removed this afternoon. We also went to Target to pick up a few things. I was hoping to find a nice, big, woven basket in just the right shade of brown to serve as a toy box in the living room. After Christmas, the number of toys on the floor makes it difficult to find a spot for one's feet. They carry the perfect basket, but it was out of stock today. I'll try again later!

I've tucked Garin into bed. He's such a sweetheart, and he just gets cuter everyday. He loves to tease, and his laughter comes easily. He is starting to really practice the art of conversation. Not the words, but the sounds. And not just the sounds, but the mannerisms: the tilt of the head, the raised eyebrows and sideways glances, the head nods and shakes. Such fun! Now I'm ready to fix myself a little bit of dinner and have a relaxing night. I need to clean and had planned to do so today, but I've had a headache all day. It will just have to wait until tomorrow.

Justice....Peace

Had a great time yesterday with Kim and Shelbie! We went shopping at the mall and then to Lone Star Steakhouse for dinner. I got all of our Christmas decorations put back in the attic last night, except for the exterior lights, which will probably have to wait until Karl gets home. Today I have to take Mr. Magoo to the vet, and I plan to clean house....seems like I'm always cleaning house!

My spirit is unsettled this morning. All the news reports indicate that Saddam Hussein's execution is imminent and that it will create increased violence against Americans. There is certainly justification for and justice in his death, but there is no joy from it. Even he, consumed by cruelty and evil, is a person created by and loved by God, and God Himself will weep when Saddam passes into an eternity apart from Him. I fear for the safety of our men and women over there. My husband is on a mission right now that will take him back into hostile areas over the weekend, and I just want to hear his voice again, saying that he has safely landed back in Europe and will soon be home. My cousin (actually my mom's cousin's son), Eric, is over there on the ground, too. I guess we all know someone in harm's way. I pray that God will surround each of them with his angels and a hedge of protection will be placed around them. I pray that the predictions prove false and that the people of Iraq will finally begin to heal. I pray that those who continue to create violence will be quieted. I pray for peace.

Peace & quiet are overrated

Well, Karl is off on a mission. Matt has been delivered to the airport and is back in Illinois. Garin is tucked away in dreamland. And I am rattling around in this house after midnight, wondering when sleep will finally overtake me. I treasure my family time, and watching my boys together is a gift beyond words. Even with the time apart and the difference in age, there is a brotherly closeness that is impossible to explain. I feel grateful and blessed, and at the same time, I feel like they (and we) are being cheated each day that Matt is gone. I am so thankful that they have each other.

Garin has Roseola. Fortunately, the contagious period has passed without him exposing any other children. On the down side, his rash will stick around for several days. I can't imagine where he got it, but we've been out shopping, and he was in the church nursery around that time, based on the incubation period. It doesn't matter. It's just one of those childhood illnesses that kids get when they get together. After his illness and Karl's the weekend before, I'm hoping we'll have some healthy time now!

Tomorrow is a commitment-free day for me. I'll probably do some cleaning around here and maybe even nap when Garin does, since I am obviously not getting enough sleep tonight!

"This Awful, Beautiful Life"

I can't help but think of that song today. It's funny how life is never completely perfect or completely horrible, but is instead a crazy mixture of highs, lows and mediums all at the same time. This morning we said goodbye to Karl as he leaves on his Aircraft Commander checkride mission. We pray that all goes well and that he is once again an AC when he returns! It is emotional for all of us when he leaves on a mission. This afternoon, Garin and I will take Matt to the airport for his return trip to Illinois. Obviously not a joyous occasion either. But we are excited this morning because our dear old friends, the Marks family, are in town this week, and we are meeting them for lunch before we head to the airport. Kim helped me move when Tim and I separated, and they have been there through it all with us. Not physically present, of course, as they have moved from Illinois to Hawaii to Florida to Japan to San Antonio in the 10+ years we've known each other, but they were always close in heart and by email! When we were all in Illinois, we were just about inseparable, and our kids were close. They have an 18 year old, a 15 year old and a 14 year old with whom Matt loved to play. Of course, they were about 6 years old when they last saw each other, so this lunch will prove exciting!!! I'll catch you all up when I write again tonight or tomorrow.

We think Garin has roseola. The high fever for three days finally broke in the night Sunday night, and a rash started Monday evening. His symptoms (or lack of) fits the descriptions of roseola we've seen. We're seeing the doctor at 1:50 today to make sure, then we'll head to the airport.

Hope you all have a good day, and I'll write again soon!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful....

...but it's been a wonderful Christmas Day anyway! We got up a little bit late (around 8:30) to see what Santa brought. Then we opened all of our other gifts from each other, our extended family and friends. We all had a great time ripping into our goodies and were all pleased not only with the gifts we received but also with the thought and love that went into them. Thanks to all of you!!!

We were so thankful that Garin woke up without a fever this morning! He had the biggest stack of goodies by far. He didn't quite understand the whole unwrapping thing. I guess it is a little strange, when you think about it. His first gift scared him when he pressed on it, and it started singing; then he cried when Daddy took it to cut it free from the box. By the time we were done, though, he had it figured out enough to watch me unwrap each gift before he took it to examine and play with. Below is a photo of him surrounded by his loot (and his brother); some of it still didn't make it into the frame! Matt was quite happy with his gifts and can hardly wait to spend the money and gift cards he received. Karl and I had fun, too, not only watching our boys, but also surprising each other. This is the first year in a very long time when I had no clue what was under the tree!

We had the big Christmas dinner about 4:00 and then went to the Weigners' house at 6:00 for pie a la mode and egg nog. Melody made blueberry and pumpkin, Danielle made apple, and Kim made cherry. I took Pat Breville's now-famous egg nog, which has become a Christmas staple in our family. Mom makes several batches every year when the family gathers in Longview. I never make it (or drink it) that I don't think of Pat dragging huge jugs of it, well spiked, to work on the day before our Christmas holiday began and storing it in the huge "dairy" refrigerator. (Our company was owned by a wonderful Orthodox Jewish family. They required separate storage for meat and dairy.) We all snuck to the break room several times on that day each year! Those folks were such fun. We were always planning parties or bringing food for any occasion we could dream up, and everyone looked out for each other. I sure miss those guys!

But back to the subject.....Tonight, the teens and adults played Pop 5 by Cranium and had a blast! We were on teams of six, so it was loud and a bit chaotic, but very much fun. Garin got tired, and we finally had to say goodnight around 9:00. We came home and put Garin to bed; then we got out the dominoes for another exciting family Christmas tradition: chickenfoot!

It's been a great day! The only thing that would have made it better is having our families there with us. We miss you all and have been thinking of you throughout the day. We hope that you have had lots of delicious food, lots of exciting presents, lots of hearty laughter, and - most importantly - lots of joy and time for reflection on what this day is really all about.

Blessings,
The Heinrichs

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

It's hard to believe it is already here!!! We have had a nice day together, watching holiday movies, playing games and eating way too much. As you can tell by the pictures, Garin is working hard to show Matt that he is a big boy just like his brother. They sat on the couch and watched some good cartoons together this morning. Karl, Matt and I stayed up too late last night, flopped across our bed, talking and goofing off, and I woke up with a sick stomach in the night. Karl says my symptoms were the same as his last week, so I guess I've caught his bug. We all slept rather late and didn't eat breakfast until 11, so we skipped lunch altogether. I made a roast in the crockpot for dinner with rice, gravy and peas. Garin is still fighting a fever that goes up to 102-103 between doses of Motrin, so we stayed home and had our own little Christmas service tonight before we each opened one gift chosen for us by the other members of our family. Garin got a cool choo-choo train with animals (and wheels!) that sings songs, lights up and makes animal noises. He was a little scared of it at first but warmed up quickly! Matt opened a Guitar Hero II video game and practiced a bit tonight.

I'll write again tomorrow or Tuesday, but I just wanted to let you all be a part of Garin's first Christmas Eve. We miss you all so much and wish we could be there, but we are so thankful that Karl and Matt are both able to be home for Christmas! May the overwhelming love of Jesus fill you and give you joy and peace today.

It's Official: I'm Old, and It's Christmas

Well, it's official! I'm old. I'll give you one guess who this is in Karl's flight suit and helmet, looking like he's nearly six feet tall. (Okay, so he IS 5'11", but that's beside the point.) I'm old.

And it is officially Christmas now. It just wouldn't be a holiday in our family without someone getting sick, would it? Garin is just as cheerful as always, and nothing seems to hurt him, but when Karl passed him to me this afternoon, he felt hot to me. I took his temperature, and it was 102.2! I gave him a lukewarm bath and a dose of Tylenol, and we're hoping it will all go away by morning.

Otherwise, all is well with us. We had a fairly easy time of it Wednesday night when we went to the airport to get Matt. Yesterday, we all went to the Wing Christmas party at lunchtime, had a simple but nice family dinner and just hung out all evening. Today was cold and rainy, so we stayed home. The boys watched movies and such. I cleaned up around the house and cooked for my fellas. I also made some caramel that I can hardly wait to get into. We're going to pull out a board game after dinner and once Garin goes to bed. Tomorrow we'll deliver candy and Christmas wishes to a few friends here on base and, if I get my wish, go bowling. Sunday, of course, is church. We're going to have a quiet Christmas Eve at home with chicken and dumplings, cider and egg nog. We'll read Luke 2 together, play Christmas music and play games. We're looking forward to it! Our Christmas Day menu will be a big breakfast; a lunch of ham, cornbread dressing, new potatoes, green beans, and rolls; and a dinner of leftovers. Our activities will likely revolve around opening presents from Santa, followed by the unwrapping of presents under the tree. I'm guessing there'll be lots of play time and couch time during the day. Matt's eager to open presents and keeps asking us if we can pretend it's Christmas today. I remember being the tortured child; now Matt thinks I'm the torturer.

I hope that you all have a wonderful, blessed Christmas. We miss you and will be thinking of you!

A Very Special Thank-You

This afternoon, Karl and I were finishing up our shopping separately and planned to meet at a mall restaurant at 5:00. I arrived first with Garin, and he showed up shortly thereafter, looking sharp in his flight suit. We had a nice dinner - turkey burger for me, triple burger for Karl, stuff from home for Garin. There was a nice older couple in the booth diagonally across the aisle who smiled at Garin a few times during dinner and stopped to tell us on their way out that he was such a sweet baby. Shortly after their departure, our waitress came to our table and told us that our meal had been paid for by that couple, and they asked her to tell him, "Thank you for your service to our country, and Merry Christmas." Wow. You read about this stuff in sappy emails or Chicken Soup books, but it's not something that you ever actually see happen. It was so touching. I got up and stepped outside to thank them, but I couldn't see them anywhere. They were gone. I hope that they know how much it meant to us. I hope that somehow they will know what an amazing thing that is to a military family that is celebrating Christmas far away from family because of duty but is just thankful to be together for the holidays. I hope that someone in the area who hears OUR story of a stranger's kindness will know this couple, and our thankfulness will be passed on to them. But for now I'll just put it out there into the universe for anyone who has gone out of their way to say thank you to a military service member........THANK YOU!!!

Good News

Karl's Memaw is out of ICU and in a room. She's in a good deal of pain but has some pain medication that is apparently quite good!

I got an email from my admissions counselor with a course evaluation for my prior college classes. It looks like everything that I took as a core requirement that is also a core requirement at Northwestern will transfer. Some other classwork will also transfer as electives. Some will not, but considering the fact that it's been almost 20 years since I started as a freshman at Baylor, and most of the requirements for this degree are Bible courses that I haven't had anyway, I'm not complaining! Based on how many hours we think we can afford per semester, I should be able to finish in about 4 years. And I'm kinda stepping out on faith a little, too, that we will find it possible to do it a little faster. I figure I will have to go back to work at least part-time before then, as Matt will be starting college in 2010!!! OY!!!

My narcissus are blooming like crazy, and this whole room is filled with their fragrance. I love it! It's one of those scents that people seem to have strong feelings about, I've found. They either love it or hate it. It's understandable, as it is a very strong smell.

I've been making candy and enjoying my little boy today. He's been full of giggles and fun! I also got to straighten out an insurance mess....surprise! No year would be complete without at least one big medical snafu. Fortunately, I think it will be taken care of (knock on wood!).

I need to go grill our steaks and start some veggies, so y'all have a good night!

Quick Update

Karl's Memaw is in ICU but is recovering. She had a head-to-toe MRI, and she has 7 broken ribs, all on one side, and a punctured lung. They said that there was a lot of bleeding from the lung, and she coughed a lot and swallowed a lot of the blood. That was what was causing her to vomit blood. Susan said Peggy was wearing a helmet, thankfully, and that she lay in the pasture for a long time before the ambulance came because Dalton had to ride back to the house to call, and they live so far out in the country that it took awhile for the ambulance to arrive. Memaw will have a painful recovery, but it looks like she will be okay. It certainly could have been a lot worse.

Karl's Memaw

Karl's Memaw Peggy is on her way to a Texarkana, TX, hospital in an ambulance right now. All we know right now is that she was thrown from a horse this afternoon and has broken ribs, a punctured lung, and is vomiting blood. We are assuming based on this information, the time, and the fact that the ambulance is taking her to Texarkana, that she has already been to the hospital in Idabel for evaluation and is being moved to the larger hospital. Karl is on the phone with his sister now, hoping for new information. I'll post any news as soon as I hear it. Please keep her in your prayers.

HO! HO! HO!

Today was fun! Garin got to check out Santa "up close and personal". On the way to the mall, I told Karl what Garin would do: turn and look up at Santa like he had just dropped in from another planet. Sure enough, he plopped on Santa's lap, turned, looked up and gave him this open-mouthed, wrinkley-eyebrowed stare for a minute. Then the photographer started jingling sleigh bells, and Garin turned and smiled right at the camera. Considering the number of children we had seen screaming and wailing, we were quite pleased with the result of our endeavors. We will be mailing photos to the grandparents. The rest of you will have to be satisfied with this electronic copy, as Santa must feed his reindeer and all the elves for the entire year on the prices he charges for mall photos!

Karl was up most of the night Thursday night, feeling very ill. Friday was a long day for him, and he was ready for bed by the time we got to the squadron party. We had a nice dinner and sat with some fun friends and then headed on home early. Karl was in bed by 9:30, and I wasn't too far behind him. Garin kindly let us sleep until 8:30 this morning, and we were all feeling rather upbeat today. Hopefully, Garin and I will miss this bug, and we have a great week ahead to enjoy. Matt will be here Wednesday night! He has finals Monday through Wednesday and is nervous about a couple of them, particularly Algebra II. He would appreciate your prayers as he prepares for that one on Wednesday. My biggest pre-Christmas social responsibilities are done, I cleaned house yesterday, and I am looking forward to wrapping the last few presents and making candy this week. Of course, I also have bowling on Wednesday. I plan to go practice again on Monday (c'mon 150!!), and I also need to go trim a couple of my pots before they get too dry.

Weaning is hopeless, just so you know. That sweet baby boy is nowhere near ready to give it up. He becomes inconsolable when he wants to nurse, and I try to pacify him with other things. We will just have to wait to get pregnant and give him time to do it on his own. Let me just say it before somebody puts their two cents in.....I know that some may disagree with this decision and feel that I need to get him weaned and get on medicine for pain and something to thin my blood. I understand that, but I disagree. God has given me one primary, incredible job in this life, and that is being a mother. I owe it to Him and to my boys to make them a priority. While we want to have more biological children, they are not guaranteed to us no matter what we do. But I do have these two, and I am responsible for their well-being. If God wants to make another baby inside me that will grow to live outside me, He will honor my faithfulness to the ones He's already given me and make a way for this to happen when the time is right. If it is not what He wants, there is nothing I can do, no medicine I can take, that will make life happen. And if that is the case, there is a family member(s) waiting out there somewhere for a mommy and daddy to love him or her.

So here's the scoop....

Yesterday was bowling. Thankfully, I was feeling a little bit better than the day before. I scored over 100 every game, and my last game was 138!!! My average is now 100, and I'm excited that I'm getting better. After bowling, I had to go get x-rays: 2 chest x-rays and 12 hand and wrist x-rays. Ironic, isn't it?! The afternoon was spent wrapping presents that had been sitting in the attic for weeks. Last night was my final pottery class of 2006; then I came home and made Praline Toffee Grahams to take to the OSC Social this morning.

Today was the OSC Social, obviously. We goofed off and acted up and had a great time. Speaking of my favorite girls, I got a not-so-cryptic email from Mel on Tuesday that just outlined the rules of a come-as-you-are party. That's it - nothing more. She's been talking about doing one for awhile, and I guess she was just making sure we all know what's expected when she shows up....whenever that might be. Should be really fun!!! I've missed being 16!

This afternoon, I ran all over on errands and got all of our family's presents wrapped and off to UPS (You should get them around the 20th.), then met Karl at El Corralejo for dinner. Now he's writing his FINAL essay of the semester. YAY! I just finished some updates to the squadron website, and I guess I'm off to the bathtub and bed. Tomorrow night is the big squadron party. We have a babysitter and everything! I'm looking forward to it.

Yesterday was a bit of a blur. It was back to the office for Karl, so we were all up and at 'em early. Garin and I went to the med center to have my blood tests done then on to the bowling alley for a little practice with Kellie, Kristi and Shelley. Yesterday afternoon was spent catching up on things around here, and then I had pottery last night. Karl had a tactical simulator, so Garin got to go play at the home of our friends, the Weigners.

Today will be x-rays, various errands and a squadron social tonight. I am so tired, and I hurt. It doesn't seem to matter how much I rest or sleep. I am trying really hard not to let myself get discouraged because that doesn't do anything but make me crabby and sad. I figure if I just don't push myself too hard and try not to think about it too much....just ignore it....I will be better off.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

TA-DAAA!!! Orange you glad I didn't have carrots???

Garin has two new tricks. One is shaking his head no. At first, he did it to every question that was asked of him. Now he's become more discriminating, and he actually uses it to let his preferences be known. It's hilarious, and he's quite proud of himself for it. The other trick is raising one or both hands high over his head when he feels he's accomplished something worthy of notice. When he does this, he expects a hearty "TA-DAAA!!!" from whomever is nearby. Here are some photos of him ta-daaing tonight at dinner. He was eating green beans, and each bean was very special. Daddy and I were quite tired of the repetition by meal's end.

Another interesting occurence today: Some people at church were concerned by Garin's color because he is so yellow. Karl and I have been laughing about his discoloration for a while now. He eats a ridiculous amount of carrots, and as you may or may not know, the body changes the beta-carotene in carrots into Vitamin A until it has enough Vitamin A. Then the beta-carotene deposits in the skin and turns the skin yellow/orange. We felt certain this was the reason, as Matthew did the same thing, and my niece, Emma, was a very orange baby. I also did a little extra research today which confirms it. His eyes are very, very white, as opposed to the yellow of jaundice, and he is certainly not feeling poorly. However, just so we can know for sure, I am going to call the pediatrician tomorrow to get his opinion.

Studying and Snuggling

I just re-read last night's blog and had a good laugh about the way I described Karl's return home the night before. I didn't mention his lengthy absence or flying, so the uninformed reader might assume that my husband never comes home after work, but instead goes out an parties until all hours and comes dragging in after closing time. Obviously, this is not what I meant! When he isn't flying, he comes straight home from work, but it's his missions that seem to bring him home in the middle of the night. Just wanted to clarify!

Garin's napping, and I'm thinking of doing the same. I'm very achy in the hips, knees and hands this morning, and Garin was up three times in the night. Karl's getting started on his homework. What this really means is that he is sitting at the desk reading the Air Force Times and trying to avoid doing his homework, but knowing that he has to get to it. Bless his heart, he's so sick of the writing. He absolutely hates writing, and that is what both of his classes require week after week. The semester will be over in six days, and he'll get a short rest before his next class starts.

I'm still trying to get the Christmas cards out. I've had them printed for awhile, but addressing and signing them is proving a little trickier. Garin likes to "help" with them, and it makes it necessary for me to work while he's asleep. Couple that with my own unsatiable desire for sleep, and I haven't gotten them in the mail yet. I'm almost done now, and I think I should be able to get them into Monday's mail.

I'll just warn you now that next week's blogs may be fewer if things go as I expect. It is a very busy pre-holiday week. Monday and Wednesday nights I have a pottery class. I am the only person in the class that would be here for our Dec. 20th class, so we moved one class up to Monday, and our last class of this session will be on the 13th. That way, the other two, who are brand new potters, won't miss the glazing class. Tuesday night is our squadron spouses' Christmas party, and Friday night is the big squadron Christmas party. Thursday morning is our OSC holiday brunch, and the board members have to make a dessert to bring (with copies of the recipe). Suggestions would be appreciated. I still have candy to make, too, and I need to get to the medical center and have my x-rays and blood work done.

Harvey was lying all over Garin and me when Garin was nursing in the night. I wish I had gotten a photo. If you can imagine it, Garin was across my lap in the big comfy chair in his room. Harvey climbed onto my chest from the armrest into a position where Garin was basically spooning him. Then Harvey buried his head in the little opening beneath Garin's chin and my breast and started purring more loudly than I've ever heard him purr. Then Garin wrapped both his free arm and free leg around Harvey!!! It was the most precious snugglefest! Those two are something else!

Hehe.....Karl's still sitting in front of his computer, essay on the screen, reading the paper. Poor guy! He's going to be at this all day and probably most of tomorrow, and then he'll wonder why it's taking so long. I know he and Matt don't share genetics, but they are so much alike!

Last Flower Pic

Okay, is this not gorgeous?! The plant has another new bud coming up, too, so I may have as many as twelve flowers out of this one bulb.

So on to more interesting things....

Karl got in last night about 6:30. When he walked in with his hat on, Garin didn't recognize him, but the second Karl took his hat off, Garin broke out into a huge grin and started squealing. It was awesome, and it put a permanent smile on Karl's face as well. We had a nice dinner just the two of us after putting Garin to bed. I like it when he comes home in the evening, and we have time together. It usually seems like he drags in at 3 or 4 in the morning and doesn't get a proper welcome home.

Today was so great for me....well mostly. Some of the girls from the OSC Board met for lunch. We got to know each other pretty well working on the craft show together, but we were always getting together at meetings. Today was just a chance to have fun and laugh and enjoy each other, and I certainly did all of those things. Kim and I also did a little ornament shopping. Around here, if you're involved in any kind of organization, you can expect a holiday ornament exchange. I have three in the next couple of weeks.

I came home to my boys and learned that Mr. Magoo and Annie had gotten into an altercation, and Goobie's previous wound from Halloween had partially reopened. Karl took him back to the vet for more staples, and Garin and I went to the florist to buy congratulations balloons to welcome my next-door neighbor home this afternoon from her final chemotherapy treatment at Johns Hopkins. They have given her a great prognosis, although she will have to continue to have regular scans for two years, then every 6 months after that. I'm so excited for them that the treatments are over, and they can start to reestablish a sense of normalcy in their lives!

Garin played hard today and hit the wall at 6:30. Just sat down in my lap and fell asleep! That NEVER happens! We're sitting down to dinner for two now....a very healthy pizza. Okay, that's a lie. There's not much healthy about it, but it sure will taste good. I've been dieting again, and I stay hungry. I'm spoiling myself tonight!

We're looking forward to a weekend of not much going on. Karl has to finish some assignments for his classes. One more week to go in this overloaded semester!

Take care everyone, and have a safe, happy weekend!

We have blooms!

Christmas Stockings

Garin and I found the cutest little stockings at Target yesterday! Hanging them in this house is a challenge, but when you have little ones, you gotta have stockings!

Another Day....

We're getting closer! I'm off to bowling this morning. I'll try to write later!

Flowers and stuff

Such fun! It's like coming downstairs to see what Santa brought every single morning! I haven't had an amaryllis in years, but I plan to make it an annual tradition. Here's what it looks like today. It appears to have four flowers on this stem - the two big ones on the right and left, and two smaller ones in front and back. And there's still a whole other stem of blooms that has yet to fully develop!

Don't worry, I won't blog about my flowers for weeks, but I will let you see how pretty they are once they open!

Yesterday was good! We got to talk to Karl, Garin was happy, I got all of the craft show junk out of our garage and back into the USO storage unit. Today we'll take the minutes and board reports to the printer, so they'll be ready for the board meeting on Thursday; then we'll do stuff at home......There is ALWAYS something to do at home, isn't there?!

My Man

Just got done video chatting with my hubby online! I am still in awe that technology allows me to see his face and hear his voice in real time from the other side of the world. Sure beats how my grandparents corresponded during WWII. I can't imagine having to wonder all the time. Even when they got a letter, it was so old that anything could have happened since it was sent. So Karl is safe and in his room for the night, thankfully. There were some issues that had to be resolved before the alert yesterday, and they kept him busy up unti flight time, so he wasn't able to call. Of course, he felt awful about it, but there was nothing he could have done. He flies again tomorrow and then will stop for another period of crew rest....day or night, I'm not sure. If all goes well, they will be home some time Friday, but there are some jet issues (what a surprise) that need repair tonight. To sum up, I'll see him when I see him. I'm just so glad to hear his voice, see his handsome face and know he's alright. Thought some of you would like to know too!

Morning Sun and Amaryllis

I am obsessed with my amaryllis plant. It grows so quickly that I feel the need to check it often for changes, though I've stopped just short of measuring it for comparison. Yesterday, one of the buds got a little crack in the side that keeps widening, and I keep going back to see if it has exploded yet. Today, I could see red! I just loved the way the sun was coming through its leaves when I came downstairs this morning. There is something special about the morning sun that warms you from the inside just at the sight of it.

This and That

It's been awhile since I wrote again....sorry. I have just been beat all weekend. I try to ignore the pain in my joints, and I do pretty well at it most of the time. I'm not so good at ignoring the fatigue that goes with it. It has gotten to the point that I go back to bed almost every day when Garin takes his morning nap. I hope this gets better soon. There are so many things I want to do, but I don't have any energy. It doesn't help that Garin and the dogs keep waking me up at night. With Karl gone, I have such a hard time falling asleep. It was after midnight before I finally drifted off last night, then I was up six times in the next five hours, taking care of one or the other of them. I ended up staying home from church again, which I hate, but I was absolutely exhausted at 5:30, when I should have been getting up for the last time and getting ready. I knew it would be foolish to try driving back and forth that far and singing three services, as tired as I was. I did manage to find some energy this afternoon and vacuumed and dusted. That made me feel better than anything could have....well, except for Karl or Matt walking through the door.

I went to the new rheumatologist Friday. He seems like a really great guy, and his nurse was sweet. I think it will be worth the drive to Lewes to see him. He is fairly confident that the miscarriages are because of the Lupus anticoagulant. I was taking daily aspirin when we got pregnant with Garin and continued taking it until well into the second trimester. He says that if I have another miscarriage or (God forbid) a blood clot, he will put me on heparin, but he wants me to try aspirin again once Garin is weaned. I am glad to at least have some hope. The doctor is doing the standard blood tests, plus a chest x-ray and hand and wrist x-rays. He wants to make sure it (the disease) isn't damaging my lungs, and because of the pain in my hands and the fact that this sometimes leads to rheumatoid arthritis, he wants to make sure I don't have it. If the x-ray shows any rheumatoid arthritis, he says he wants to "treat it aggressively". I don't like the sound of that, but I don't think I have it anyway.

Karl called from the other side of the world this morning at 1:00 am. He said he would call me again this afternoon before his next flight, but I never heard from him. I am trying so hard not to worry. He probably just got really busy or had a hard time getting to a phone, but it will be at least 24 hours before he gets another chance to call. It's going to be a long day tomorrow. This will be the (or one of the) demanding leg(s) of this mission. I miss him so much when he's gone, and I can't help but worry about him.

Tomorrow I plan to go to the bowling alley and practice a little while with my friend, Kellie, who is also in my league. Then I need to run a few errands, but afterward, I am going to finally get around to making Christmas candy! I'll heat up some cider, light up the tree and get to work! (This is assuming that I get a decent night's sleep and have the energy....I'm hopeful.)

Thankfully, Garin has been a joy today! Oh, and I spoke to Matt. They've been without electricity for three days now and are still waiting with thousands of others for the crews to get their lines repaired. For now, they're hanging out at his grandparents' house because they still have power.

I guess that about covers it! Hope you all have a great week!