Hello Texas!

I'm not even sure where to start other than to say that the past few months have been quite insane. In fact it really has been wild since we left for our first trip to Texas in December, returned in January, remained in Orlando for five weeks before heading back to Texas for three more weeks, returned home in March having made the decision to pursue moving to Dallas at the end of May. The following seven to eight weeks were filled with packing, organizing, taking trips to Goodwill, showing the house, a garage sell, me working lots of extra shifts, little routine for the kiddos, some crying, much exhaustion & a general sense of sadness coupled with excitement.  Warning....feeling wordy. 

In the last day of packing when everyone was there, Robby caught me in the middle of the living room & asked how I was feeling.  I said, "I feel great" & then broke down when I thought about the many laps I have made around our home in the middle of the night, in complete darkness, with babe(s) in arms singing "He's Always Been Faithful" hoping they would drift off to sleep so I too could return back to my cozy bed. Thinking back, that experience was one of the many things that made that house our home, a place full of life & now a place full of memories.  A post to come one of these days will have all the favorite things about life in our home there but for now, back to how we got out...

We were thankful for the best idea EVER offered up by my parents. My mom flew in to spend the final week with us which offered exactly what we needed to finish strong in the packing category & gave me the emotional support I needed. Part 2 of the great idea...Saturday May 3rd, my mom & I flew all the kids to Dallas where they stayed with Gaga & GGran until Tuesday when we arrived with the moving truck & the rest of our vehicles.  We also had Robby's parents in town on & off that last month as they shared time between helping with Livi- Lou (the newest grandchild) & our bunch. They rearranged their anniversary vacation plans to beat us back to Dallas & prepare for our arrival. What precious parents we have. 

Our flight was around 9am Saturday morning so we were up early, loaded everyone in the car, told the girls to say "Bye Bye house!" & we were on our way. Thankfully they are still a little on the young side to really grasp what is happening so their were no tears with that farewell.  Robby pulled up to the curb at the airport where we put the boys in the stroller, packed up three car seats & loaded them onto a cart with our suitcases & backpacks. We were off in a matter of minutes. If anyone has been to the Orlando airport you may remember that there is a mini Disney Store near the security gate. The girls were soooo excited & asked if they could get another "baby" ie stuffed animal. I couldn't say no, it was a last Disney themed purchase in the land of the Mouse. I saw I sign that said "Buy one get one half off" so they each picked one. Apparently the sale did not apply to those chosen so I forked over about $37 for a miniature Pluto for Eloise & Pascal, the chameleon from Tangled for Charlotte. It was worth it. Here we are before making our way through security.

Security was extra fun with extra kids as you can imagine...much like the rest of our "airplane experience." Once we were to our gate, I took the boys to the bathroom to get some fresh diapers & by the time I returned speedy Southwest Airlines had already let Group A, B & C on the plane! The guy at the gate was like "Ma'am, didn't you hear the pre boarding for families with young children? I hope you can find seats together!" I thought, surely someone would rather move than sit next to an unattended two or four year old! Thankfully the back two rows on one side were open so my mom sat with Owen & Eloise on one row with Me, Charlotte & Anson behind her. Within minutes the seats next to us were filled & we were on our way. The girls were thrilled with the take off & counted down ending with a loud "BLAST OFF!" 

Favorite memories from the flight:

• When I glanced back at the two flight attendants (a male & female) & was pretty sure I saw them making out. Soon after that I hopped up to take Charlotte to the bathroom & leaned over to where my mom was sitting & said to her & the woman next to her who had been pretty chatty with my mom "I swear I just saw those two flight attendants making out!" My mom kind of smiled at me funny now that I think about about it. Within 20 minutes the woman next to my mom hopped up to pass out peanuts with her SOUTHWEST AIRLINES BADGE ON! Awkward haha! She assured my mom that those two were not kissing....oh my goodness, I was embarrassed!
• When I took Charlotte to the bathroom with a rambunctious Anson strapped on in the Ergo. I helped Char get onto the potty which she was already freaked out about & she began yelling at me to "BACK UP! Please, I can hardly go to the bathroom! You are way too close to me!" Sadly I had no where to go & I couldn't stop laughing. Really though, could they not have extended the plane length by even 12 inches to provide more of a family bathroom style restroom for the crazies?
• Anson was sooooo grumpy & I spent more than a few minutes standing in the back of the plane trying to calm him down. The male flight attendant, from favorite memory number 1 listed above, was making conversation with me but due to the noise level at the back of the plane we had some difficulty communicating. He said "Oh, what a cute baby girl, what's her name?" Sidenote: the boys had on pink SHARK shirts...possibly confusing but I replied to his statement confirming the gender of my child & his name, Anson. He then said "Oh, Hansel, that's a pretty name!" I gave up on correcting and contained myself when he asked "What is her twins' name?" I so badly wanted to say "Gretel." 
• Last but not least, it was pretty great that precious, sleepy, perfectly behaved Owen fell asleep on my mom's lap as she sat across the aisle next to me.  You might think this was a great thing, it was minus the fact that I was left with one wild buckaroo & two girlie pies to manage.  I was just praying that no one would need to go to the "non-family" bathroom. My mom asked if I minded if she closed her eyes for a second....that was code for going to sleep. I looked longingly (and jealously) at her as she drifted off to sleep with Owee snuggled up in her lap. I did have to intervene when she was leaning way to the left almost resting her head on the man's shoulder next to her hahahaha. 

Overall, the girls did pretty well & were content with NOTHING I brought in our "busy bag" but happy to read the instructions on exiting the plane in an emergency, drink ginger-ale & eat peanuts. 

A smattering of our time in air....

When we arrived in Dallas, my amazing friend Brooke, fellow mom of her own fab four met us to tag team getting bags & installing car seats in my mom's Expedition. My mom said Brooke & I should get us a job at the airport installing car seats for families....we did it NASCAR style. I kissed the kids goodbye & sent them on their way before flying back to Orlando. When I finally talked to Rob I told him that he needed to give Anson a "fankin" (as Elo says) when he see's him next. He easily won the award for worst behaved child on the plane ; ) I must say I enjoyed my two hour layover complete with lunch alone, going to the bathroom alone & reading a book...alone but by the time I got home I was needing some goodnight kisses & snuggles. It's so strange how exhausting it is to take care of little ones but after a short break I want to be right back in the middle of it!

In the meantime, Robby along with about eight guys loaded the 26ft UHaul in record time, Tetris style including rolling the 850 pound safe onto the truck in a "smooth as butter" like fashion. That was wonderful to hear since Rob had lost sleep over how to get that thing in there! He was thankful for the help, the scattered showers instead of an all day Florida rain & a delicious lunch provided by Jenny & Steve. 

Part 3 of the plan of the year was to fly my Dad to Orlando Saturday evening. We arrived at the same time, met up in the terminal & hopped in the truck with Rob to get some dinner. After we ate, we headed over to the Alrdidge's house. They offered their cozy guestrooms for us to stay in while our house was (almost) packed. It was amazing!! We were spoiled rotten by LouSena's cooking, comfortable beds & a laugh or two....or more : )  We stayed there Saturday & Sunday night. I was really happy about this arrangement because it meant that for our last night night in the house, we were there as a family. 

We spent Sunday morning at CCC followed by lunch in downtown Celebration with Dean & LouSena.  We headed over to the house to finish up. Our afternoon included picking up an additional trailer, a few more boxes & a bag of dog food for Ol' Beller.  I wish I could say it was a super fun, sweet last afternoon at the house but it was SO STRESSFUL! Robby & I had some trouble getting along well if you know what I mean...ha! 

Favorite memories from trying to get the heck out:

• When I lost SO many things it was ridiculous. The best was when it was pitch black outside, we were trying to leave for Dean & LouSenas', there was NOTHING left on the counters but car keys just moments before BUT, it was time to leave & my keys were no where to found! We looked and looked and looked for about 30 minutes & do you know where we found them? In the trash can in the garage?! Let's just say I am glad we found them. My brain was somewhere else. 
• When I was trying to be helpful & touching up paint in the playroom. My Dad & I touched up multiple rooms while Rob was loading the trailer. I grabbed the paint that was labeled "playroom," gave it a good stir & got to work.  There was LOTS of free art on the walls from when the girls had a hard time keeping their crayons on paper. The touching up that I did was quite a bit of long swirly lines. You know how the color is not exactly the same when wet? I just assumed it would would blend but within 20 minutes, it was dry, Robby walked back into the house & glanced that way. He was not impressed with my "help" since it was a completely different color haha! I felt really bad but my Dad's laughter as he fixed my mistake was quite contagious & soon we were both laughing as he painted over all my free art.  They both said that it looked like Eloise came in their with water color paint & went wild on the walls.  I was just trying to help : ) 
• After all that inter-marital frustration we shared a last hug & kiss in the house before walking out that night.  What a special home that had been for us!

We were on the road about an hour & a half behind schedule on Monday morning since the guys had to head back over to the house that morning to finish up the emptying out of the garage.  Again, stressful morning!! Honestly, it felt nice to get moving in my own car packed to the brim without space for another person. For the next two days, we were all by our lonesome selves while en route to the Lone Star State. Rob in the truck, Me in the Expedition & my Dad in the Truck pulling a trailer, topped with kayaks & a cute little Pit Bull in the backseat. Overall, our driving went well. We made it to Baton Rouge around 9:30 that night after twelve hours on the road. We slept hard, got up Tuesday morning & were on the move headed straight to Texas! We made fabulous time, Robby & I were in much better moods & we pulled up to the Valentine's around 3:30. Happy day! My mom & the Fab Four arrived soon after us & it was quite the reunion in the front yard!

This picture says it all. Look at those smiles! I had never seen the four of them SO excited!

We relaxed in the backyard & visited before eating dinner together.

Anson enjoyed some snuggles with my Mom to commemorate their last of four days together while Owen cozied up on Jeannine. 

Anson got his first sniff of some true Texas brew...

and all four got settled into the greatest sandbox ever! Grandpa Bob built a sandbox within a couple days of finding out he was about to acquire six new roommates.  What a great host! The kids LOVE it & so do we!

We will be seeing lots of this in the coming months!

Wow, we made it & are officially Texas residents once again. We are transitioning well as we have been cared for so incredibly well by the sweetest in laws I could have ever hoped for. In over two weeks they have not uttered one negative comment about the increased noise level/work load around here.  The kids are absolutely loving getting to spend so much time with them along with other family & friends that we have seen since our arrival.  So far we have celebrated Jeannine's birthday, Mother's Day, both sets of parents anniversaries & my birthday...all in TWO weeks! Next up, Lolo is turning three!

There is much to be celebrated, much to be thankful for & much delight in our hearts as we reflect on what we left behind in the Sunshine State. Hello Texas!

Saying goodbye at CCC

Saying goodbye at Celebration Community Church to our Florida "family" was difficult & sweet at the same time. Here we are on the last Sunday we shared in worship as a family...

God brought us to Florida in 2008 to help with a church plant called Celebration Community Church. Six years later we can look back & marvel at all He has done through this little plant that has grown to a healthy & vibrant church. We celebrate what He has done in our own lives & the lives of others. We are thankful for Chris, the one who trusted the Lord's leading & decided to call & ask if we would move to a place far away from home. 

That last Sunday we were able to attend as a family Chris took the opportunity to pray for us during both services. Paul, a friend & fellow elder with Rob took some video for us during the second service. Our plan was to have footage from his camera & mine to clip together but mine ran out of space....grrr! So, we are left with raw, slightly bumpy at times but in my opinion, perfect capturing of those moments.  Eloise was being a little "challenging" if you will so she remained seated with my mom. O & A thought that blowing raspberries would make for good sound effects during the prayer which made me smile. Chris's kind words in sharing the story of the Valentine's in Florida helped us remember all that Lord has done & rest in knowing He will continue to work in us & though us wherever we are. 

If you are interested in watching.....

We did hug & say goodbye to some but knew that Rob & I would have one more Sunday to say our last farewell so I stayed tear free.  That evening, Amanda & Chris hosted a couples dinner in our honor. Amanda has the gift of making people feel so very special & we once again were blessed with her care for us.

She surprised us with the words to the hymn that were included in the post where we announced we were Texas bound.  Again, I love these words & find them just right to consider when feeling sad about friends we have said goodbye to along the way, or heading back to Dallas.

Dinner was served in the backyard with lights strung overhead. It was delightful!  We enjoyed some tasty burgers, potato salad, assorted chips & a green salad followed by more than one delicious pie! We were definitely full : )

I didn't take too many pictures but managed to get one of me with Annie & baby Lilah....such a pretty little girl!

Creative party planner Amanda passed out a Valentine Family Trivia game for discussion during dinner. After all had full tummies she asked the questions out loud, guests offered their answers & we shared the official ones.  She had sent the questions to us ahead of time which allowed for some reflection & laughter as we wrote down our answers.

The reward was a bag of Dr. Pepper flavored Jelly Bellys. They ended up being left & long story short provided my Dad with all the nourishment he needed while en route from Orlando to Dallas!

I will love this picture forever....

Each of these couples have played such a special role in our life will be dearly missed. One or both of us have been in some sort of small group with each individual over the course of our time there. These people have challenged us, cried with us, celebrated with us, prayed for us, served us, laughed with us, been patient with us & have joined their lives with ours as brothers & sisters in Christ during our six years in Orlando.

During the evening various people shared memories of meeting us or doing life together leaving us feeling humbled & thankful for God's provision in blessing us with more than we could have asked for in the way of friends to live life with.  Amanda also surprised us with a beautiful book full of letter from not only our friends that currently live in Orlando but also the friends who have come & gone during our time there. There is a beautiful black & white picture of each family along with their letter. Cathy & Don each wrote us a letter that they read to us in front of everyone. They were so honest & beautifully written. I have to share Cathy's because of the way it spoke to my heart. She is an incredible writer & her children are blessed to have her teaching them at home.

Lauren, 

I will always feel so blessed that our lives have overlapped at the most life-changing of all seasons. 

You and Robby, still kids really, rolled into Orlando to follow a dream. Or more of a call. And you unrolled your window and called out, " I love it here!" to the sun and the palms and the God who brought you.

At times you have loved being here, I know...and at times it has been really hard. 

Wasn't it yesterday that you sat on my little couch  and told me of the month-after-month, year-after-year dream unmet? We shared stories of waiting on the Lord's timing and of trusting even in dry times.

And the the expectation turned into expecting. Three times! And four tiny lives joined yours. It's like the floodgates of heaven burst open and a tidal wave of babies spilled out!

Wasn't it yesterday that you stood in my kitchen with your lovely homemade baby sling on your shoulder, a pudgy too-big baby Alex as a demo-baby to test your sewing? Tummy round & Charlotte growing big...your smile even bigger...

You said you loved it here to the warm air, years ago, and the warmth of God's blessing is the air you have breathed. 

It's not been easy, and waiting can be infertility and it can also be long, hard, scary pregnancies, or exhausting trips to the NICU day after day, or waiting for some one of the four to be old enough to do SOMETHING, ANYTHING, by themselves!

Wasn't it yesterday you called me desperate, asking about Tylenol for a screaming little one  - who remembers which one? The Lord has brought you through that and a thousand minor crises.

But crises or not, like the character of you both, you have followed the Lord's call into Orlando, into parenthood, into trials & into what he has next. 

It is clear to those who love you that this next step to Texas is right and from the Lord. In Christ we are never going "back," are we. At times you are likely to feel lonely in the Lone Star State. But you are going forward, in faith- and as you obey you will feel  his presence and experience his joy wherever you are. 

All those days we have spent together- that seem like just yesterday- have turned into years.  I have loved every day of knowing you and your precious family Lauren.  Your family has intersected with ours in a way that makes my children see yours as cousins. Which makes us sisters- and that is exactly how I feel about you. 

Lauren, as you drive out of town and leave our sunny state for the last time, I trust you can call out of the window to the sun and the palms and the God who brought you, "I have loved it here!" Not because it has been easy, but because it has been a gift. You certainly have been a gift to me.

I love you, dear sister, 
Cathy 

Tear jerker today again as I read it for the tenth (plus) time! I love how she ties in the calling out of the window upon arriving in sunny Florida & recommendations on my departure. (Just for the record, I did unroll my window & called out "I have loved it here!") I have read & re- read many of those letters in our special book, will continue to do so & will eventually read them to our children to help them grasp what it is that God did with our family in Orlando through intersecting our lives with so many.

Once everyone shared with us, we were able to share something we prepared for each of the couples there. Robby & I played a little game where we would write down the first word that came to mind when we said the name of a couple. Sometimes we used that word, sometimes we picked another as we talked about what we loved about the two up for discussion. It was a wonderful exercise for us as we reflected on how God had used each of these couples to reveal more about himself to us & help us become more like Christ.

Our evening could not have been more special.  I will not soon forget the feeling I had as I looked around at the faces of these precious people & felt a deep ache in my heart as I further processed us actually leaving. As Chris closed us in prayer he said that most likely the next time that that exact group of people would be together again would be for an eternity in heaven. Wow, what a thing to think about!  It again reminded me of the words Amanda wrote on the chalkboard leaned against the fence that night, the words that had been playing over & over in my head as I said farewell to dear friends & family.

Our last Sunday in Florida, Robby, my Dad & I made it to CCC just as the first service was ending & stayed till almost everyone left.  There were LOTS of hugs exchanged, many that lasted for a long time....so that feeling would last for even longer : )

We had a lovely farewell with this family that has been a gift to ours.  Rob & Freddi with (left to right) Lexi, Sammi, Trinity, Gabbi & RJ. LOVE this family, their commitment to God & others, their twins that may one day wed ours in a double ceremony ; ) their laughter & the life we have shared with them.

I got to hug my precious friend Amanda one last time....that hurt a little bit : (

We hugged Gregg, thanked him for his faithful teaching of the word & commitment to the people of CCC.

One last picture in a place God provided for CCC, a place where we worshiped, were challenged, we celebrated with others, we taught, we watched bellies grow & children be dedicated to the Lord, we witnessed people coming to faith in Christ & be baptized & experienced the love of a faithful God in more ways than we could list.

We held hands & walked out the front the door one last time. Robby looked at me & asked if I was okay. I smiled with tears in my eyes & heard the verse replaying in my head once again....

We meet to part but part to meet 

when earthly labors are complete,

to join in yet more blessed employ

in an eternal world of joy

saying farewell to sunny Florida

Our final weeks in Florida were filled to the brim with activity. I usually try & limit us to getting out of the house twice a week on weekdays since it is SUCH an ordeal but we did more than double that & welcomed many to our home as well to squeeze in all the goodbyes we needed to. 

I was a ball of emotions experiencing tears, lots of laughter, an achy breaky heart as I hugged special friends & family for the last time or watched my children do the same.  Over all, my heart was thankful for all that God had given us in the season of life in Orlando.  What a whirlwind it was of ministry & exhaustion, pregnancies & breastfeeding, working & maternity leave, hellos & goodbyes, joyfulness & sadness but always, ALWAYS perfectly orchestrated by God. 

Lots of pictures to come....

Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies: my place of employment for six years & more importantly the place where we met our precious little ones.  This place holds memories of special patients, LOTS of babies, co-workers that cared deeply for our family as we added to the bunch in a short period of time, sharing in the joy of welcoming my niece & nephew along with baby Eden, baby, Audrey & baby Lilah,  much laughter in daytime & nighttime shifts, yummy wraps & mozzarella cheese sticks, visit after visit after visit to the NICU to see O&A, I could go on forever. I loved this hospital, was proud to be a part of the team there & was thankful to bring my four into the world in such a wonderful place.   

It just so happened that my friend a fellow nurse Cheryl was a budding photographer who beautifully captured my pregnancy with Charlotte & the little lady at six weeks old submitted many of her photos when our unit was granted an allotted amount of money to fill the walls with photos.  This picture of Char in a basket in Celebration was chosen to be at the entrance of B pod where she was born along with three different pictures of my belly that are spread throughout the unit. I loved walking past that sweet picture during every shift....

and while we are on the subject of OB, we made a stop by the office to say goodbye to our beloved Dr. Peppy who delivered Charlotte & the twins along with his amazing office staff. Tawanna, the nurse pictured below kept us laughing week after week at all my appointments, made our girlies feel extra special & hooked us up with a family that has twin boys a year ahead of us that have passed along car seats, toys, clothes & all sorts of things. What a blessing it has been to have been cared for by this team!

On a non-goodbye note, we enjoyed empty cabinets so much that I should have cleared one out a LONG time ago! Good for play time...

and dinner time...

We planned a playdate with the Brainard family. It was supposed to be a morning followed by leaving the girls there while me & the boys went home to nap before a night shift but it turned into an entire day at the Brainards with naps for all but Annie, Charlotte & Hannah! We have enjoyed many a meet up with this clan & will miss them greatly.  Annie put it well in a letter she wrote me that said that every person in their family loses a friend with us moving away. We always joke that our seven together is like having two sets of twins & a set of triplets! Much easier to manage with two sets of parents!

We had lunch out at Chuy's, our favorite Tex Mex in central Florida.....it's hard to come by around that part of the US! We met the Squires family & Char enjoyed some time with her buddy Jackson. We have loved the short time we have had being around this family & are so thankful that they are committed to serving at CCC.  We all laughed when I shared that Charlotte frequently said (prior to leaving) that she would really miss Chuy's.  Cassi said "oh honey, you have no idea hoe much Tex Mex you are about to be surrounded by!" True & glorious statement : ) 

Even Owen & Anson had some friends to say farewell to! One night last September I was working & a fellow nurse was caring for a patient that was in preterm labor with twins. She requested that I go visit to better help her think through time in the NICU & breastfeeding two little guys. We immediately hit it off & thanks to a slow night at work, we got to visit for a good long while! She welcomed her precious boys Tyson & Cameron the following day. We have been able to pass along all the twin items to them & have even had a few playdates! I love Owen's face, he was so excited!

Thursday afternoon I had the pleasure of taking my favorite 9 & almost 8 year old little ladies out to Menchie's for some frozen yogurt. These two beautiful girls belong to my friend Cathy & we have enjoyed watching them grow from preschoolers to such smart, sweet & kind young ladies. I often get caught up in conversation with them anytime our families are together & thought the three of us needed some alone time to say goodbye. It was refreshing to hear their thoughts on birthday celebrations, baptism & American Girl dolls. They introduced me to to a new topping that taste like strawberries & pop in your mouth...yum! I am such a stickler with my vanilla snow & Reeses only toppings so it was fun to branch out with the young crowd! Their little brother Alex went with Charlotte & his mommy to get a donut & play on the playground. Those two have a great friendship & will miss one another. This family, ah, I love them & am so very sad to leave but hope to plan some get togethers over the course of the coming years! These kiddos feel like cousins to my bunch : )

Our amazing friend Heather stopped by for a visit one evening during our last week.  This woman has loved & served our family so faithfully for the entire time we were in Florida.  She was the first to stay over & take care of our four legged "kids" when we traveled & she continued to be our dog/house watcher nearly every time we went out of town. The dogs LOVED her almost as much as the kids : ) She was one of the few that braved taking care of all four kids alone in the early months of four under four & did an incredible job. She poured into our girls, sharing about Jesus & praying with them at bedtime to the point that the girls first prayed aloud with her...so precious. We have spent various holidays with her, celebrated birthdays & enjoyed her company. We will miss her dearly & are excited to see how the Lord works to equip her to move permanently to Guatemala in the near future to share the gospel along with her parents.

On our last day in Orlando as a family, the Valentine's joined together for some playtime & a rainy picnic enjoyed by all. Jenny girl was a gracious host providing a yummy lunch for the whole crew. My mom was able to join us & offered to snap a picture of us with our seven! Florida has been a fertile place for the Valentine's ; ) Livi-Lou's face is hilarious...

These two beauties are really going to miss each other!

It was perfectly overcast for the beginning of our picnic...

Gaga & Owen. I was SO thankful to have my mom there to help us in the last week. We shared some special moments talking & crying as we packed. She shared with me that she wanted me to know that she never prayed that we would move back to Texas only that we would be content with where the Lord had us. What a gift to have a woman who loves us so dearly also love us unselfishly.  She of course is delighted to be near to us with our move & was so helpful when I felt like laying on the floor & staring at my messy house.

Iggy, a boy that makes me excited to have two boys of my own. I can't wait till ours are running around & tackling their big cousin!

Some ducks came up to visit as the raindrops started. The boys were mesmerized!

and all continued to be obsessed with the ducks once we were inside...

We will miss that back door into nature at Aunt Jenny & Uncle Steve's house!

Friday afternoon, the Lent's stopped by. Yet another family that brings tears to my eyes as I consider all of life experienced together.  Quick summary, we have known Chris for years & when we moved here in 2008, we were diligently praying that God would give him a wife.  God answered that prayer & allowed them to meet in our home (sweetness) in 2009! They married & we were a part of their special day. Amanda is a close friend & confidant who welcomed me into the intimacy of welcoming their precious baby Audrey in 2012. I have had the opportunity to photograph every exciting life event & have loved seeing these two adjust to parenthood while serving at CCC.  My girls absolutely adore Audrey & we can hardly wait for their next trip to Texas to visit Chris's parents!

We have been blessed with some special relationships with neighbors in the past six years. One family that has been a delight to have around is the King's.  We first met James & Janet when they attended a Sunday worship service at CCC before we had any children. They were invited by a acquaintance of ours who was serving as their social worker in the early stages of pursuing adoption.  God so lovingly gave those parents Lexi & Stephen about three years ago & we have had the pleasure of seeing these four mold into a beautiful family.  The kids stop by our house often to play with a dog, request that Rob comes out to throw a football & Lexi has spent many an afternoon helping me around the house.  The girls have loved playing with their puppies as well, Chestnut & Molly. We were sad to say goodbye!

That Ziel family could not let us go & came by for one last hug Friday evening! I was happy : ) Cathy later told me that all three kids were crying on the way home & sporadically throughout the rest of the night. Hearing that makes me cry but on the other hand, seeing all these smiles & chubby Anson trying to wriggle out of Anna's arms does the opposite!

Earlier that last week my mom stayed with our kids while Robby & I went over with a bag full of cheese, crackers & a bottle of wine. We spent four hours straight catching up & laughing (our favorite way to spend time). It was a lovely night, one I know we will wish we could put on repeat.

Our last visitors on Sunday afternoon were Steve, Jenny, Karis, Isaac & Olivia.  Karbear & I-gee were quite excited about the wide open spaces in the house without furniture & did lots of running around & exclaiming "This is like one big living room without furniture Aunt Lala! I love it!" So cute : ) Livi- Lou got some snuggles from both of us plus my Dad who was there to help us finish up & drive to Texas.  Jenny brought me a stack of CDs that were the equivalent of mixed tapes for my 20 hours alone in a vehicle.  We have lived in the same city with Steve & Jenny all but one year so this transition will be a difficult one not only for us but the kids too. I have loved knowing my nieces & nephew so well & am trying to be creative as I figure out how to keep that up with the distance between Texas & Florida followed by the even longer distance between Texas & Poland.  I trust that God will continue to deepen our relationships & provide the in town support we need from others when we are separated. For the coming months, I will just stare at these three precious faces when I miss them....

We buckled them into their seats & said farewell from our driveway one last time before heading back in to finish up the packing & loading.

What a gift it has been to have our lives intertwined with so many people through our time in sunny Florida.  I know that the hurt experienced when leaving is a good thing because it is evidence of being "all in" wherever we are. We had that same hurt when we left home to go to college, when we left Lubbock after graduation & then when we left Dallas for the (half) cross country move to Orlando. As always, we don't know what is a head but we look forward to the continuing of crossed paths with others in this journey. We trust that God will give us not only what we need but WHO we need as well.

Char & her bucket list- ER: check!

In true Valentine Nest fashion, I am in catch up mode once again & am in shock with how much has happened in the past three weeks! We are taking it back to April 23rd. I hopped on a plane to head to Dallas all by my lonesome to interview for a job. Let's just say my time away was quite uneventful compared to those I left behind in sunny Florida! I spent Wednesday afternoon with Calvin, my friend Halie's son while she went to an appointment. Little did we know, Charlotte had a bucket list for Florida that included a trip to the Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital Emergency Center....she decided to check that one off in the last 10 days in Orlando.

I was relaxing on the couch enjoying some peace & quiet when my phone rang.....

It was Robby asking extremely calmly what ER he should go to. I asked "For an adult or child?" He said "child," I said "who?" thinking he was surely advising a neighbor or someone. He said "Charlotte," I kept my cool as he shared the details. She was on her scooter & had quite the run in with the tailgate of the big red Texas truck. She ended up with a 3/4inch gash on her right cheek & quite the bumps & bruises on her forehead. She was wearing a helmet but when her cheek made contact with the tailgate she moved her head in a way that her forehead was the next to make contact. According to the story, there was a lot of blood, a lot of tears & some concern about whether there would be a shot involved & if she would have a boy doctor or a girl doctor. Dad of the year, Rob was said to be cool, calm & collected as usual & handled Charlotte very well. He road in the backseat next to the injured child while his Dad drove them to the ER. I was updated via text & calls as I sat nervously on the couch at Halie's. I HATED not being there!! Long story short, they were able to glue the gash together after a quick saline rinse. No shots + no stitches +  new Minnie mouse bubbles+ a Chick-Fil-A milkshake = a giggly girl that was expected to make a full recovery. I got to talk with her twice that evening & missed her like crazy. I knew that Grammy, Papa & her Daddy were taking excellent care of her though so I was able to finish up "business" in Dallas & head home at my scheduled time two days later.

Onto some pictures of the scooter rider/crasher....

That picture on the left was the first one I got via text & it made me want to cry! Rob said that the gash itself looked much better at that point than it did when Papa carried her inside. I decided not to include the picture of the towel & shirt covered in blood : ) She was SO excited about her Minnie Mouse bubbles & so was someone else who is about two years younger. 

One thing that I want to remember about this whole experience is a conversation I had with Charlotte the day after I got home. 

Me: Charlee, tell mommy what your favorite thing you got to to while I was away. 
Char: My favorite thing was when I ran into the truck on my scooter. 
Me: (trying not to laugh) Really, that was your favorite thing?
Char: Well I really like what happened next....I got to go to the hospital. I really like the hospital mommy!
Me: I like the hospital too Char! Tell me about the hospital. 
Char: I had the best nurse mommy, she was so nice! She was pretty too. She had long brown hair to here (touching her shoulders) & one big freckle here (touching her cheek). Her name was Jackie, isn't that a beautiful name? I really like that name mommy. She took such good care of me, I think we should call her & invite her to come play at our house! 
Me: That is wonderful sweetie, I'm not sure that she would be able to come play but you could draw her a picture & send it to her. 
Char: Great idea! I will draw me & her playing tennis because that is what I would like to do if nurse Jackie came to our house. 

I was feeling quite indebted to this precious nurse that took care of my baby while I was away & mentioned it to Robby later that evening. He laughed out loud when I said which nurse it was. Apparently this nurse was perfectly cut & dry with Char. She was said to have stepped in the room for no more than a minute, said "You are going to look like a unicorn tomorrow" made sure they were doing alright & stepped out. That is it! But to Charlotte, in comparison to every other nurse or physician there that sweet talked her, she stood out as the best nurse! That tells so much about her personality! She is not interested in baby talk ; )

We stayed out of the sun for the first week & watched the bruising change colors. On day 9 post crash, our friend Heather who works in a Pediatric office took a peek at her cheek & said that we could just give the loose end of the glue a tug & it would come off easily. She was right & this girl was all smiles in stage two of recovery which entails some lotion & sunscreen every day!

Love that sweet girl & missed being a part of the monumental first ER visit. I have feeling it won't be the last for our rowdy bunch. We are about to have a couple buckaroo's on their feet & that middle child...my guess is that she will be the one to max out our deductible at some point with all her antics!