Stuffed: Verb; past tense
Definition: to fill or cram
Well, that's shockingly accurate!
Summer 2018 was like that suitcase I packed once for a cruise...around 42 outfits for a seven day period. But look at it this way; at least I had a lot to choose from! Use this excuse next time someone complains about your packing. You're welcome.
With so much to cover this post is longer than usual, so grab a snack.
The activity never stopped this summer, and neither did we. We kicked off the season with a huge group trip to Fripp Island. Ryan and his friends started a Memorial weekend tradition years ago, and it definitely grew. With so many kids and families now they wanted to make it a family affair.
Be careful what you wish for!
But this was our Big Brother cast awesome group of 24 people, six of whom were little ones ranging from just two months old to four years.
What does vacation sound like, exactly? If you're envisioning tropical breezes, rolling waves, and chirping birds then you made the wrong reservation.
Here were the sounds at Fripp, which knew no time limit.
"WAAAAAA! My toy! MINE!!!"
"Have you seen so-and-so's very important blankie?"
"NO! Don't touch that glass decoration/window/edge!"
"What's for dinner tonight?"
"Who stinks?"
"PLEASE share!"
"Where are my sunglasses/keys/phone? Beach bag? Towels? Sunscreen?"
"Yes, you can watch Moana again."
After finally sitting down for the first time that day..."MOMMY, I WANT JUICE AND SNACKS!!!"
::::Sound of diaper explosion:::
"I need milkkkkkkkk."
"WHERE ARE THE BANDAIDS?"
Are you tired yet? Yes, we were oceanfront, but by the time we hauled a million things to the beach I was absolutely exhausted, and the day had just begun. What is vacation again!?
But we had a fantastic time, and having so many sets of hands to help out, extra eyes to look for things, extra ears to hear who's crying, and extra noses to smell the latest poop culprit, I definitely appreciated the extra help.
Fortunately, everyone on our trip was super kid-friendly and hands on!
And I couldn't get over this, but on the day we arrived a DEER came right over to us and ATE out of the kids' hands. What was this- the garden of Eden? Obviously, these deer knew no fear, and we all thought it was the coolest thing.
We also celebrated Aaron and Autrey's 31st Birthday!
I will go on record and say that hands down the most luxurious part of our trip was the cooking the guys did. And Aaron and Maggie even did all the grocery shopping for us! Isn't that half the battle?! The food we ate was phenomenal.
There was a mountain of snacks available 24/7. The only question was what to eat next!
It's a good thing that our vacation was only a few days, because if you left me at that house with so much food after a month, well...
But Fripp Island was good to us. It took me about 15 minutes on the beach to realize that - wait a minute- something was missing. There no waves at certain times of the day! Hence the island. But that didn't stop us from building sandcastles and wading in the water like seals.
It was an incredible trip, and these babies enjoyed every waking moment! They made sure I did, too. The waking part, at least!
Before we knew it, this little super hero was eight months old.
June was a blur- a blur of nonstop fun!
Of course, first up was our anniversary. SEVEN years! If you had broken a mirror on our wedding day we'd have good luck by now!
For the last time...WHAT do you want for dinner tonight?!!
But I do love Ryan very much!
And something MAJOR happened on our wedding anniversary this year. You may remember my heartbreaking story last fall about my grandmother and her memory. After losing my grandfather and having surgery for a broken hip she got very disoriented and mistakenly thought I had taken things that belonged to her, her childhood photos. When my parents and I very calmly told her that I had not she completely went off the deep end and left me horrifying messages while screaming that she never ever wanted to see me again, that I was a thief and the worst thing that had ever happened to her. Can you imagine the heartbreak? Here I was recovering from a very traumatic birth with a three week old baby and had just lost my grandfather. She was my last living blood-related grandparent, and I was completely crushed and devastated.
We even contacted the Alzheimer's association, as circumstances like this can unfortunately happen to older patients after major surgery. We received a tad bit of guidance, but not as much as I would have expected or hoped for.
And so, my family and I jointly decided that while- as devastating as it was- I had to honor her wishes. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years came and went last year. I didn't call her, and she didn't call me. This January she left me a calm message asking when I was going to return her things. I breathed, reflected on what to say, and called her back that evening. It did not go well.
Still insisting that I had stolen from her, she yet again told me that I had destroyed her life, she never wanted me to darken her doorway, and promptly hung up. I experienced the pain and heartache all over again. Landon was getting stronger and more inquisitive by the day. He was learning to crawl and babble and so many other things that I wished Nanny could experience with us.
We closed on our new home the day before Nanny's Birthday; I wanted so much to call and wish her a happy Birthday and take baked goods to her like I usually do. But I could not. Especially with the move going on, my family advised me not to contact her and add to the stress. And so, the sun set on her Birthday without me hearing her voice.
Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day and a hundred other milestones came and went without Nanny being a part of our lives. What's worse is that our phone conversation in January was via bluetooth, so Emerson heard every word in the car.
"Great Nanny is very mean to you and doesn't ever want to see you again."
Hearing those words from my four year old stung like you couldn't imagine. All I could do was pray and pray some more. The situation was out of my hands. I heard a quote recently that there are two days of the week of which you have no control: yesterday and tomorrow. So whatever day it was, I had a very simple prayer. "Please, God, just give us some more normal times with Nanny. Give her back to us. Clear her mind of any doubt and confusion and let her be a part of my childrens' lives." There were days when I thought, "Well, at least she met Landon after he was born, because that may be it."
After over three decades of precious memories together, for nine months of my life a relationship with my grandmother did not exist.
Then came a phone call from her on my anniversary.
:::Incoming call:::
:::Nanny Cell:::
My hands shook, and it wasn't just because I had consumed an entire Reese's shake from Cookout that day. Was this tragedy really about to happen all over again?! I answered the phone not knowing what in the world to expect, and then....my mind was blown.
"Hi, Katharine! It's so good to hear your voice. Just wanted to wish you and Ryan a very happy anniversary. How are the children doing; is Emerson a good big sister? I imagine that you're very busy, but I'd love for you to bring them by sometime. Take care, and I love you."
WHAT?!?! I rushed home and told my parents. They, too, were stunned. As thrilled as I was I had to be realistic and acknowledge that the incident could happen all over again with her memory, and she could snap again, but I knew I needed to strike while the iron was hot.
Soon after that phone call, LOOK what happened. After nine months of not seeing each other.
THIS!!! This is the power of prayer, of never giving up...of belief in hope and God's promises. She is back in our lives, and we have since seen her several times. She tells me how much she loves me and how much I mean to her. And she adores seeing the children.
I know what you must be asking, which I asked myself a million times, too. "What made her change her mind? Snap out of it? Did she find the missing pictures and not want to admit that she was wrong to accuse me, or did she forget about the incident completely?" I'm certainly not going to kick the ant mound and ask, but all I know is that I have my Nanny back, and FURTHERMORE, my Dad had a discussion with her recently where she prayed the prayer of Salvation. ALL GLORY IS HIS!!!! I can't tell you how many mountains He moved in this situation. It is a daily reminder of how small we are and how big He is.
During this time, my uncle David spent almost two months in the hospital. We all thought it was the end for him, as he has suffered congestive heart failure for almost two decades, but he recovered from pneumonia and has totally surprised us with how well he's bounced back.
Now back to the month of June.
As much as Emerson enjoys choir and mission friends I knew she HAD to go to VBS this year. And I'm confident that the smile on her face the entire week was due to A) the love of Jesus, B) her incredible teachers and the awesome staff, C) her many friends!, and D) the awesomely fun activities and songs.
I flip flopped (pun intended) between the fourth grade class and nursery. Even little Landon got a sweet certificate of participation at the end of the week!
Emerson turned nightly music sessions into a dance-off, quoted Bible verses, and participated in an on-stage game of throwing toilet paper into a toilet seat from several feet away. I couldn't have been more proud!
"We call this game, 'When the roll is called up yonder.'"
#OldHymnJoke
This Father's Day was super sweet!
As was Isaac's fifth Birthday. Megan reminded me of myself while planning such a detailed oriented party just weeks after her second baby. The army party was PRECIOUS!
And while we're on the topic of swimming someone "off-FISH-ially" turned nine months old!
Sadly, in June, my uncle Larry passed away. He had a degenerative, neurological disorder, along with cancer of the esophagus. We knew the end was near for a while, but it was still sad when it happened. He was a professor at USC for over 30 years, skipped a grade in high school and was valedictorian, went on to graduate at the top of his class from Johns Hopkins, flew airplanes and wrote music, and the list continues. We rest easily at night knowing he's with my Papa in Heaven, and his funeral was heartfelt and well thought out by my sweet Aunt Ellen who never left his side.
I have a theory that once July 4th comes and goes the rest of the year goes faster than the speed of light. So far, I'm correct. It seemed like these pictures were just yesterday. We did have a fantastic day celebrating all things patriotic!
And- boom - this little firecracker was now ten months old.
This summer also marked an INCREDIBLE milestone: Ryan finished his Bachelor's degree from GCU in Applied Management!!! He's been working on completing it since November of 2015. He worked on nights, weekends, vacations, you name it. We were all so proud of him.
After all, I don't want to end up on Inside Edition after an airline altercation...
"I SAID TO MOVE THAT SCREAMING KID!!!"
So Ryan opted to simply receive his diploma in the mail. It was slightly less of a production, but certainly I'd make up for that. In the weeks leading up to this momentous occasion he dropped a couple of minor hints about a get-together. I completely played it off, while in reality I had both our families and friends in on a big secret: a surprise graduation party!
This was particularly challenging for two main reasons.
1) I'm a terrible liar and will laugh in an instant when cornered about something
2) Ryan checks the transactions on our bank account faster than Muhammad Ali blocked punches to the face. He would certainly inquire quickly about any purchases from Party City.
Translation? I was going to have to dance around the topic, use my superpower subject-changing technique if asked anything suspicious, and last but not least: cash was my friend. Cash allowed me to buy lots of party supplies that - poof! - did not show up on our bank statement.
Balloons, confetti diplomas, purple plates...BE GONE!
Daniel and Autrey were key people that helped pull this off. They were coming to our new house "for a fishing trip." While they were gone I decorated the house, and the rest of us helped prepare the food. The entire time I was chuckling inside while decorating and putting finishing touches on everything from the grill to the mailbox.
"Does Ryan HONESTLY think that I of all people would pass up the chance to plan a party?!"
Things really came to life as all of our guests arrived, and literally two days before the party I got the idea to dress the kids up like a GCU cheerleader and basketball player. The overnight shipping was well worth it!
On the ride back to our house Ryan kept telling Daniel and Autrey that they needed to stop at the grocery store for dinner. Knowing that the surprise guests were preparing a TON of food, his friends tried to ignore his request and go straight to our house.
When they arrived and saw all the cars Ryan didn't know what to think. But as soon as he saw the balloons and decorations he knew exactly the cause for the celebration. He was as red as a beet and SO surprised!!! Thank you to everyone who made this extremely special day happen!
In July we thoroughly enjoyed a week in Charleston, but of course it started out a little chaotic. The Saturday before our trip Emerson was playing on the monkey bars. A few minutes later when she fell I heard a crack, and she screamed her head off (granted, she also screams at the same volume over a bug bite or overhead bee, so I wasn't 100% convinced that anything had happened).
"Can you move it?!?" She could. Naive me thought that if she could move it, it mustn't be broken. I now realize that there are tendons, ligaments, and other things that can allow one to move even with a broken bone. So we wrapped and iced it for the remainder of the day, and the following morning at church she seemed totally fine.
Two days later while putting her in the car seat in Charleston she screamed bloody murder when I touched her arm. A red flag immediately went off. After a call to her pediatrician and an out-of-town trip to an Urgent Care we received the news: her wrist was broken. My heart sank, and I was stunned. Emerson actually looked at ME and said, "Mommy, don't cry!" Ryan and I are both 33 and have never broken a bone. Meanwhile, Ryan was in the waiting area with a 'calm and collected' Landon.
No wonder they shuffled us back so quickly.
They put a splint on her right away until we could get a cast from the Orthopedist, and the people there treated her like royalty.
So did the rest of us! The following day I took her on a big shopping spree. She had her first trip to Claire's, among a ton of other things. Kevin, Kristen, and Debra also ended up with receipts longer than Rapunzel's hair. To summarize: a broken bone can sometimes work greatly in your favor. But what a trooper she was!
This is what happens when you have a big sister! Hahaha.
Then there came the challenge of wrapping the splint for the beach and pool. Of course this would happen on vacation where we had water days planned! But we definitely made the most of it.
#LifeInPlastic
#ItsFantastic
Believe it or not when we saw a local orthopedist the following week they actually gave her a pink, FULLY waterproof cast! Who knew? That made the next few weeks a whole lot easier.
We also visited the amazingly beautiful and whimsical Angel Oak tree. If you've never seen it in person it is TOTALLY worth the trip. And there's a ton of history about it that you can read online regarding the preservation process, petitions and movements to protect the tree and surrounding land, etc. It's completely fascinating!
:::Insert Riverbanks Zoo membership advertisement here:::
Our membership gave us 50% off tickets to the Charleston aquarium! That totaled around $70 in savings that we probably spent at Claire's. If you visit the zoo even twice a year, RUN - do not walk- to get a membership. It comes with a ton of perks!
And the children's museum was absolutely FABULOUS!
On the last night we attended a Birthday party for Kristen's cat, Champ! It was PRECIOUS! I turned my eyes for one second to find Landon on the floor sampling cat food.
#Caught
#AreYouKittenMeRightMeow
We love pool parties in the summer and had a great time celebrating Heather turning 12!
We also had an afternoon of fun- and heat- with Cora and Eden!
And of course we love visits from Joy!
And play-time/Isetta rides with her family.
Summer is indeed full of sweet moments.
In the blink of an eye (a very tired and weary eye), baby Landon turned 11 months old.
And last week he turned ONE!!! Due to devastating flooding in our hometown we are still waiting to have his Birthday party, but traveling safety is key first, as are the prayers and help for the thousands of people affected by horrific Hurricane Florence.
I read something the other day that startled me. You get 940 Saturdays with your children. Is it just me, or does that not seem like very many? Only 18 summers.
Before I know it, my son that is cuddled up in my arms after a bottle will be calling to tell me he's missing our family Christmas due to travel and work commitments, and a time will come when I no longer have to brush and curl my daughter's hair, because she'll do it herself.
There is so much to be said about being present and living in the moment; that's why I'm writing this at 2:40 am. Because I don't want to miss any milestones or let a day go by that I'm not observing my God-given children and enjoying our lives together.
Summertime is not just a season; it means free afternoons, blowing dandelions, the occasional yelling to get out of the street (let's be honest here!), swimming, running, and slapping mosquitos, but my most favorite thing about summer is the extended time with those who mean the most.
