Vacation 2013

Vacations are wonderful things that sometimes elude us, but when we do get that wonderful opportunity to take a really long road trip to somewhere besides where we live, they are pure bliss. That's what our Vacation was for us. We packed our boys and bunch of stuff and then some more stuff and headed south to Treasure Island, Florida for seven days of sand, sea, and doing a bunch of nothing.
The weather was great (no surprise, right) and we soaked up every drop of sunshine we could.

To say John Owen loved the beach is an understatement. He spent a lot of time in the sand, near the edge of the water, and watching for sharks. He was our official shark look-out person. I contribute this obsession with sharks to Finding Nemo and Soul Surfer. (Yes, he has seen parts of Soul Surfer. I will never win a Mother of the Year award.)

James. Oh, sweet baby James. His response to the beach was as opposite of John Owen's as any response could possibly be. He did warm up to it eventually, and by warm up to it, I only mean a lukewarm feeling, tepid if you will.

This was James for quite some time the first morning on the beach. Bless his sweet little overwhelmed heart. 

This expression pretty much sums up James' feelings about the beach. He did manage to walk around and push some sand around. A few smiles were seen and laughs heard our last day on the beach. Small steps baby, small steps. He loved the condo though.

This is one of my favorite pictures from our vacation. I love John Owen's expression and the fact that James has made it all the way to the edge of the water. He's conquering those fears.

Now life is back to "normal".  I'm so very thankful for vacation and time away from regular life. Aren't you?

Boys, Boys!

Three months can seem like a little bit or a lot depending upon the circumstances. Before James was home, three months was a lot. A lot of days to wait. Now that he's home, three months have literally flown by. It has been three months of learning our new normal and we're not quite there yet. Some days seem like dreams with smiles all day and that fuzzy feeling of togetherness. Other days seem like long journeys up a steep mountain, like I'm that mountain climber from that game on the Price Is Right. You know the one? If he reaches the top he falls off. There are more "Other Days" than the dream ones. I've learned and am still learning a lot.
The grafting process takes time, for everyone. But we have made leaps and bounds and them sometimes we regress and I feel like that climber who fell off the peak.
I've learned that no matter how young, abandonment is a tough thing, even for a little fella and sometimes it might make him angry and sometimes maybe that anger has to be expressed through tears or fits.
Overall, I'd call these last three months a success. We've gotten some tubes in James' ears which improved his hearing by 30 decibels. John Owen has adjusted to having a little brother and James has learned to hold his own against John Owen.
I feel very blessed to have these two boys to invest my time in and even more blessed that it's what I do all day long.
They for sure make me smile way more than they make me frustrated.