We all love chapstick!

I have to say that I am amazed at how much self-control Gabe has shown in the last few months of his life. We have let him "put chapstick on" now for awhile. He says "I want some lips" then goes into my nightstand drawer and gets out my huge tube of Pink Lemonade Lipsmackers, or he digs the tiny tube of Citrus Orange flavored ChapIce from the desk drawer. He really enjoys my super minty and glossy C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine, which is mint-infused for fresh breath. He's also supremely happy with the Original flavored Chapstick. Up until now, just putting a tiny, quick dab on his lips was enough for him. The purpose of this post is to say that my son Gabe, five days into being a two-year old, has just taken his first bite of chapstick. At first he looked disgusted and kind of shocked at what he had just done. Now, he is laughing an evil sounding laugh, and practically sucking on the tube of Mentha Lip Shine. I'd better go check the ingredient list...

Happy Birthday to Gabe!

So Gabe is 2 today. WOW! It's amazing how much he has grown up and changed in the last couple of months. His vocabulary is huge--he can recognize more birds than the average adult; he counted 8 bushes the other day--accurately, I might add; he picks up random bugs--he tried to get a little inch worm to roll up like a rolly polly yesterday(how do you even spell that?). He makes us smile and laugh all day long. (sounds cheesy, but truly, we just grin at each other every time he does something cute--which is all day long, like I said).

Planning parties is just not my thing, so luckily it worked out last weekend that family was in town and we could celebrate then. It was a nice weekend! Ryan and I went down to Cherry Point, NC to pick up my brother Mike from base. They spent all Saturday morning getting our Blazer registered to Mike so that he could drive it back to NC and have a vehicle to use while he is there. Noah came down in the afternoon and Jon was off of school, so we headed to Roanoke, got dinner at the Irish pub, then came home and gave Tori her Mother's Day gift early---a new guitar for Guitar Hero so we can rock out together!! All her wildest dreams came true this Mother's Day :).

Gabe got dedicated at church on Sunday, which was pretty appropriate, because I was actually in labor with him at church on Mother's Day two years ago. Seems like yesterday...We came home and grilled hamburgers and had a cake for Gabe, then Mike had to leave to get back to base and watched my Mother's Day gift, the movie Bella. It was a nice day and great to see Mike, Noah and Jon all in one weekend.

So for Gabe's birthday, we have a playdate with a friend from church this morning, then we'll meet Daddy at McDonald's for lunch and a romp on the playground, and then tonight if it's not raining, we'll take some pizzas to the park in town and anyone who wants to join us is welcome. I guess by the time he's three I'll actually have to plan ahead for a birthday party. Oh, and what do I fix for dessert if he doesn't really like cake?

Hmm, I'm debating on even including this in the post, but we need the prayer, so here goes! Ryan is still not feeling good. He's recovered from the surgery, but is having headaches and feels sick in the morning, which is indicative of another tumor. They want to get him in for an MRI, but the soonest we could get there is June 2, so he's just going to work as much as possible in the meantime. I keep hoping it's just allergies, but I guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks. Pleasepleaseplease be praying! The last thing we want is another surgery right now. I just want him to feel good! We're expecting a miracle, so expect one with us, OK?

Home!

We had a great time in Florida! It was sunny and beautiful the entire time we were there, except for one brief rain shower which produced the most incredible rainbow we had ever seen! The rainbow was out over the ocean, but not too far from shore, and you could see both ends and everything in the middle. It was even a double rainbow off and on. An absolutely stunning gift from God!
Gabe loved the ocean and the swimming pool. Anything to do with water and he is in heaven! He was going underwater like a pro and could even climb out of the pool by himself. Both grandmas had a blast occupying him in the pool. Ryan and I took him in the ocean a couple of times. He would be a little timid, but then you couldn't pry him away from the waves. He could walk up and down the beach forever, just collecting shells and seagrapes and anything else that looked interesting.
One of the highlights of the trip was seeing a sea turtle rescue habitat. Turtles that have been bitten by sharks or caught in traps are rehabilitated and then released back into the ocean. We were blessed to actually see a turtle get released! It was such a fun thing to see, and I even got misty-eyed when they put him out in the waves and he disappeared.

Well, back to normal life next week, which is never fun. Gabe and I get used to having Ryan around all the time and it is no fun to lose our playmate to the office. Oh well, money has to come from somewhere! He is feeling pretty good and is getting more energy every day. Headaches are getting farther apart and his scar looks good. Prayers are still appreciated and I hope this finds everyone doing well!
God bless...

Off to Sunshine! (I hope...)

We are packing up to head to Florida this afternoon. I am VERY excited! It hasn't felt very real until today, but I got out some summer clothes yesterday and picked out which flip-flops to take with me, so I guess I'm feeling ready. This dark rainy weather we've been having is really making me hope for some warm sunny days at the beach.
We had a pretty quiet weekend here. Friday night was a "hair removal party" that I know a lot of people were curious about :). A few girls from church came over (the guys took Ryan off the premises) and we played Guitar Hero, got in the hot tub, ate lots of food, and removed some unwanted hair to get ready for summer. It was a blast! We'll definitely be doing it again, although hair removal is optional because we just had fun.
Ryan and Gabe didn't feel up to church Sunday, although we really wanted to go see everyone from Sunday School and let them know we're doing well. Ryan woke up with a headache and Gabe has had a cold for a few days, so we just laid low and enjoyed being lazy. (Actually, I wasn't lazy--I just started a crazy new workout program and did the first part of it yesterday. A little late for Florida, but Ryan and are going to SO buff this summer :)
Well, I guess I'd better get back to getting ready. If we have internet access anytime on our trip, I'll try to post some pictures!

Happy 50th to Grandma Tori!!!

So today was Tori's birthday, and what a beautiful day it was! I think it got up to the low 70's and everything is getting really green and fresh-looking.
With Noah up north and Jon stuck working at school, and George out of town for work, it feels like an anticlimactic (sp?) birthday, especially for a big one like FIFTY YEARS OLD, but we've got some big plans coming up. Since George was gone, Gabe and Ryan and I took Tori out to lunch, then she and I went shopping at Wally World. Then we came home to make my brother-in-law Marks famous buffalo wings. We had a few friends over to our house to eat them (and help grill them) and I hope a fun time was had by all. Tori and Noah are currently playing Guitar Hero on XBOX Live (Noah is in Northern VA and we are at my house, but we can play online together). She's not bad for an old lady!! (just had to throw in at least one comment on her age...)
Anyway, next week should be great--we've got a trip to Florida planned, as long as Ryan still feels up to it. We had planned on it before the surgery came up, then just put it on hold until we knew what was going on with Ryan. We'll be staying at Tori's brother's condo in West Palm Beach and I just can't wait to go on a real vacation. It will be fun to get Gabe in the ocean and hopefully we'll have lots of time to just lay around on the beach.

We got some really great news last night, too! My brother Mike is in Pensacola, FL right now for his job training with the Marines. We've been waiting to see where he would be stationed and just found out that he will be in North Carolina for the next couple of years! He'll be at Cherry Point for a couple of months to complete his Aviation Ordinance training, then he'll be at New River after that unless he gets deployed. He'll only be 5 or so hours away from us which is really exciting! I hope we get to see him a lot. I'll post a picture of him, Gabe and I from when he went to boot camp last September.
More later...

We are HOME!

Yes, we did make it home yesterday afternoon. We are happy to be in our own space and Ryan is sure feeling good! He's had lots of energy and not as many headaches. Gabe sure missed his toys and his crib. He almost jumped out my arms last night to get into his own bed.
Two fun things since we've been home...Ryan got a package in the mail from his cousin with a t-shirt that says: "I had brain surgery, what's your excuse?" He thought it was pretty funny and can't wait to wear it! Also, our friends Donovan and Michele came over for lunch today with their two kids and Donovan's dad (Pappy). They had made a video for us before Ryan's surgery and Donovan had actually brought it up to Maryland to show us, but we couldn't find any video hookups to play it. We were very blessed to see most of our Sunday school class wishing Ryan a good surgery and sending lots of smiles and prayers our way. Our pastor and lots of people we didn't even know sent their regards and love. It was a wonderful gift and a testimony of the great community we are a part of here in Rocky Mount. Donovan included some humor in the video (his 4 pigs wish Ryan a happy recovery and beg us not to let anyone eat them:) Alas, it was a good thing that Ryan didn't watch it until now, because he would have gotten a headache from laughing.
Well, I guess that's all for today. Now that we are home and getting back to normal here, I'll keep posting, but hopefully it will be more of the fun, day-to-day stuff. (or week-to-week, depending on how much time I have!) We do appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers. Ryan loves phone calls, too! Until next time...God bless!

Wow, Time Flies!

I didn't even realize until just now that I didn't post anything yesterday or today! I guess that means things are going well...We have had a nice couple of days at Noah's. Yesterday, Gabe and I got in some shopping at Target to give Ryan some peace and quiet in the condo. Ryan's grandparents were there by the time we got back (I could easily spend a couple of hours in Target, and a whole bag of their popcorn keeps Gabe busy for about that long!). It was so nice to have lunch with them and Gabe sure loves his "Tractor Grandpa."
While Gabe slept, Ryan needed to get out, so back to Target we went! I pushed Ryan around in a wheelchair until he couldn't stand it anymore :) (Target, not the wheelchair).
After Gabe's nap, he and I went to my friend Ashleigh's house. She has three little girls and I could tell Gabe was in need of some time with kids his own age (in Target he pretty much drooled over every kid he saw and the babies on the diaper boxes ever caught his eye!). We got to play outside and take a nice long walk--Gabe found a ton of sticks, a few motorcycles, a couple of slugs, and there are sure a lot more airplanes to spot here! Rocky Mount must not be a big flying route...Gabe loved holding hands with the Phoebe and Juliet on the walk, I'll post a picture when I get them on the computer. He had a blast!
We got back in time to 'help' cook dinner. Noah's friends made dinner and my friend Rachel (from Rocky Mount but just moved to Alexandria) came down to give Ryan some cheer. It was great to see her! Ryan got enough rest during the day that he could kick some butt on Guitar Hero before the night ended. He even played Halo, so he must be on the mend!

On to today:
Tori and I got to pamper ourselves a bit this morning--we each got a manicure and pedicure to go with the flip-flop weather we are finally having. We got to see Ryan's cousin Ashley and her baby before they flew off to Florida, and we even got some chicken nuggets at "Donalds". Wow, life really is good! Our friend Michael Hillman came over to see Ryan tonight--I know he enjoyed playing some more Halo with him.
Tonight Tori and I took Gabe to see our friend MaryAnn, then we went to the Romano's house, where Gabe had a great time petting some bunny rabbits and swinging on a tire swing. He's not going to want to go home!
We're possibly going to make the trek home tomorrow, but Noah is trying to convince us to stay until Saturday. He is using Wegman's as bait. Hmmm, he knows my weak spots! (There aren't too many of them, but gourmet grocery stores are high up there...)
Weelll, this has been a long one, and it has taken forever because Noah and Tori have been talking this whole time and it has been very been distracting. Now Ryan is in on it, so I'd better be done until later! Hope no one has fallen asleep reading this, but there are so many people we have seen and things that we have done and I don't want to leave anything out. Let me know if I did leave you out, and I'll post another crazy long blog for you next time!