Family Update

well, i've been wanting to post for a while now to give a longer update on how our family is doing, what we've been up to, and a bit more than just pictures all the time.... it has been hard to grab 20 minutes to do this! we've been busy! as we speak, i have Josiah on my lap and he's trying to eat my fingers. so we'll see how this goes....

anyway, we've settled into our new routine quite nicely, i think. we've had a lot of changes in our lives in the last 6 months or so.

Seth has been working longer hours to make up for the quite drastic pay cut he took several months ago when the economy started getting really bad and contractors had to start bidding much lower in order to stay competitive. He continues to work as unto the Lord in ways that amaze me pretty much every day, and it is rare to hear a complaint from his lips. He is my hero, big time!

James is loving, loving, loving preschool! He goes 3 days a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but EVERYDAY he wakes up with the words, "is it a school day today, mommy?" he also randomly says, "i'm a big boy now," which i think is really cute. His teacher is great, and there are a lot of helpers in the classroom, too. He gets physical and occupational therapy during his school day, which is great.

In the mornings, I drive him down there. He eats breakfast AND lunch at school, which has been WONDERFUL - i can't even tell you! He's on a new medicine called pulmicort - he has to swallow it and then wait for it to coat his esophogus for a while before he can eat anything in the morning, so it has saved me lots of time and energy since he has started eating breakfast at school. I don't have to spoon feed him every stinkin bite at home just to have him vomit it on the way to school all over his carseat half the time, as was our routine before he started eating breakfast at school. So, needless to say, a huge load has been lifted from me to have this as an option!


After school he rides the school bus over to "playcare," has a snack and a nap there, and then Seth picks him up when he gets off work. It has worked out really well for us so far. We've had a few rainy days already, and that is a bit more of a challenge in the mornings with the baby and the wheel chair and all that is involved in getting him from the car to his classroom, but we have survived! And the teacher is willing to come out to the car to help us and to escort James to the classroom once in a while when we need her, so that is great, too! He truly is a big boy now!

Josiah is doing new things every single day. He is a joy to all 3 of us. he likes to be held, but is not as much of a snuggler as James was. I think he's going to be more independent. He doesn't sleep unless he is in a very quiet, dark room. I think he wants to be sure that he's not missing out on anything. He drools like CRAZY. he's one of those babies that really needs to be wearing a bib all the time, but i don't like how they hide his cute outfits, so half the time i just let him get his shirt and neck all wet with drool instead. eeww. he likes to be in the exersaucer so that he can stand up and kick his legs. we love this, of course :)

James and Josiah really love each other already, and it is sooo fun for me to watch, as their mommy. I can tell that James misses his brother when he spends all day at school and playcare, because on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, he comes in my bed with us when he wakes up, and he just snuggles his baby brother and says, "aww, he's so cute, mommy..." he tries to make him laugh or smile all the time. it is very, very sweet.

Mommy - I've been busy with photography stuff. Seth and i and my parents went to an art show in red bluff where my photography is on display in a gallery, and one of my pieces got an honorable mention. that was fun. I have been doing a few smaller photo shoots for families, and for a doctor's office staff in chico. and i did a wedding on october 3rd, at a nice wedding venue in chico called The Palms. i hadn't done a wedding in about a year, so that was really enjoyable for me.

i've also been really, really enjoying all the time that joey and i get to have together, just the two of us. we started a mommy and baby yoga class on mondays, which has turned out to be a really special time for us, and very relaxing for me. i'm soooo thankful that my hubby works so hard so that i can have time after time after time of special moments with my kids.

i feel very spoiled because in a lot of ways seth's job has gotten quite a bit harder for him while my job has gotten quite a bit easier. if you know me, you know that the hardest part of my job as a mommy has been coping with all of the vomit, james' health, and stuff like that. with him being in school and eating 2 meals a day away from me, 3 days a week, that has made a big difference, believe it or not! I guess we all go through seasons, and this is a really good one for me. thank you, Jesus.

Our Family is hosting a new small group for our church at our house on Sunday evenings, starting this Sunday. It's geared toward young families and couples, and we're going to have dinner together each week and then discuss the sermon from that day in more depth. Seth and I are both looking forward to this with great excitement because we miss being in ministry. we know that God wants us to serve His body, and that it is how He keeps us humble and in His word, too... so we're looking forward to that. This is a great way for us to serve, considering all of our circumstances, and the stage of life we are in right now... we know that we will be blessed and ministered TO by the other families as well.

well, that's enough for now. my hands are covered in drool and it's getting difficult to type! haha!