Tomorrow...

We are going to this place....And after a few days, our dearest friends in the world will be joining us....
And they'll be bringing Harrison's long lost friend, the little towhead below....
And just when I thought it couldn't get any better....I get to see the mama of these 2 ladies all the way from Memphis, because she will be on my beloved 30-A as well!!!
So, so excited! The car is packed (to the brim), and we are ready to drive all the way across Florida for a week of perfection! I'll see you after I've gotten my proper dosage of Vitamin D...

And yes, I am a Friday night blogger!!

Babies

I had to post a little Harrison-ism that is pure sweetness and purely so that I won't forget this short phase that is flying by all too quickly.

Harrison has not been one to need "soothing"....He has never taken a pacifier, we have never played white noise, fans, kept a nightlight, etc...These are all wonderful things, but he just hasn't taken to them, which has been a good thing for us since we have travelled with him all over creation! We even used to play a CD for him every night at bed time, but the CD player broke a few months back and he hasn't missed it for a second.

You get the point.

Well, he's found his soother. I'm sure those of you mama's out there have as many baby blankets as we do. We have what seems like a million in wonderful hues of green and blue (green, because we did not know if little H would be a boy or a girl). He has some of the most beautiful handmade blankets and quilts I've ever seen.

Yet, he only needs 2....one being a swaddle that my mom bought for me when I was pregnant because she just "knew" i was having a boy, as did about 98% of the rest of the world, and a cute little blanket that a co-worker made that has tractors on it.

A few weeks ago, Linus, I mean, Harrison started calling his blankets his "babies". When he wakes up in the morning, they come out of the crib with him and stay with him until he gets his energy. Before naptime, he gets frantic, needing his babies before he goes into the crib. He says, "babies, peesh, babies peesh" (please)! And they will come out with him after nap time as well. They help soothe the pain of boo-boos and busted lips (both of which we had yesterday), and they get tossed in the wagon or dump truck when we go on walks. And always, always, while he is sleeping, he has them both curled up below or beside him.

It is so precious, and I better never forget them when we leave town...it won't be pretty!!!

Friends

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to show you a couple pictures of some of my buddies. Well, Mommy and Daddy are like my best friends right now, but these guys run a close second. And this isn't even the half of them! They are such good listeners and they are always available. They're my boys!

I think you've heard me mention how unfortunate it is not living in the same place as any of my grandparents. Oh, how I miss them. But, I have a bunch of honorary grandparents and it's a blast! Below are my Mama Sondra and Papa Lou and Franny. Lou and Sondra work with Daddy. Lou is 81 years old and still leading mission trips! Wow. Sondra gives me more kisses than even Mommy! And Franny is Mommy's dear friend from when she worked before I was born. They took lots of coffee breaks together. Mommy would get tea for Franny, but don't go thinking she's a servant, it was purely to get away from the computer and get some social interaction. I also have a couple other "grandparents", and thankfully Mommy has a lot of people she can call on for help watching me. It's fun to hang out with all these cool people!

But, nothin' beats hanging out with the parents!!! At least for now...I might feel differently when I'm older and have some more freedom, like probably when I'm 4.

Signing off for now,

Harrison

Kevin

Today marks 2 years since I lost my dear brother. Oh, it's such a good thing this blog was not alive at the time, because there would have been a post on him every. single. day. Some of you readers walked through this unimaginable loss with me. Thank you, and thanks for continuing to walk with me as I still grieve.

Kevin was actually my stepbrother...we weren't related by blood, just brought together by my dad marrying his mom, but I met Kev and sweet Hayward (my stepsister) when they were a very young 7 and 8. We grew up together, and if you asked any of the 5 of us kids, the term "stepsibling" was just semantics. I never heard Kevin refer to me as his stepsister.

We lost him way too soon at the young age of 23 on this day 2 years ago as he was in the midst of traveling overseas. Kev had battled addictions for a long, long time and in the end, the addictions won. It was, and still is a tragic loss. One that is very fresh today as I think back to the dreaded phone call I received while very pregnant, on my way to a church picnic, eager for my husband to return home from North Africa.

And although I miss him all the time and not a day goes by where I don't think about him, I am so thankful that he is with Jesus, and he is healed and he is whole. I know that his faith was as real as his struggles, but his faith is now his sight. I just wish so much for just a few more minutes with him. And I wish so much for him to get to meet his little nephew who came just a short month after he died. I have no doubt that Kev would have been one of Harrison's favorite people in the entire world. Kevin loved kids so much!

I have a million memories of him, and I know I'm leaving out lots of details about both his life and his death....Truthfully, I could go on and on forever about him, and I'm sure I will in another post, but one thing I wanted to share about Kevin that he taught me was this: He received love so well, so much more than any other person I've known. Whenever we ended a conversation and I told him I loved him, he would always say, "I know." He rested in people's love for him, never questioning it. I so admired that quality in him, because it gave him such a greater capacity to love his friends and family. His heart was so big, loving and unforgettable, and I am so, so grateful to God for bringing us together as family.

The pictures below are hilariously small (I'm just not that savvy on the computer), but they show his handsome face and bright smile.

I love you, Kevin. I miss you every day, buddy.

Constantly...

What takes up most of your days?

Here's a few things I am constantly doing:

I'm constantly chasing, picking up leaves, waving at cars, playing with toy cars, throwing the ball, and constantly trying to coax my little man to come inside after hours of play.

I'm constantly trying to figure out new things for him to eat, but settle on the same thing, day in and day out, and on top of that, trying to make dinner fun even though it's constantly chicken!

I'm hearing a new word every single day! Lately, I've heard a lot of: Shide (outside), shocks (socks), shoes, SEE YOU, night night, mama, dada, nana, Gan (Gran), Ba (Pa and/or Pop), ball, peez (please--this is one of my favorites), juice, moo moo (milk), wa wa (water), SLIDE, and lots of names of little friends.

I'm also constantly kissing scraped knees, having tickle fights, getting a cookie for him EVERY day on our walk that conveniently passes Publix, watching cartoons on PBS, and snuggling after naptime.

I'm constantly crying at least once a week thinking, "I can't do this" as my sweet, good, mild, laid-back baby boy is turning into a toddler with a mind of his own. Let's just say discipline is not my strong point, but I'm learning.

And although that part is tough, I'm also constantly stealing every kiss I can, as he's getting more stingy with them...I'm more thankful for him than I have ever been, loving every moment and trying to will time to freeze so that I can have some of these moments with my little guy forever.

I'm loving watching him love his Daddy and wrestle and have "laugh wars" with him every night. Loving watching his little tender heart grow and his personality bud. I'm loving watching his memory grow large enough to remember certain people and places.

We are constantly taking walks, going to story time, going to the playground, taking peeks at him while he's asleep before we go to bed.

I'm constantly NOT getting tons of other things done, like, perhaps packing for an overseas move...yikes, but we are constantly getting rid of stuff and trying to condense our things.

Laundry, dishes, diapers, lots of phone calls to friends in other cities whom I miss more than

ever before... Yep, these are just a few things that take up my days with my almost-2-year-old.

And some days it's easy, and some days it's hard...and I'm loving every minute.