Summer Beach Trip

We just returned this afternoon from our annual week long trip to the Florida Coast!

The weather was perfect, and we enjoyed spending time with our family. Each year we travel to Florida with my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, and my niece. This was our first year to travel since my dad passed away last October. It was sad not to have him along with us. I continue to grieve the loss, along with the rest of our family. I am most sad that my Sarah B. will not know her "Papa", a precious man who was an amazing influence in my life.

As for the Beach trip, we enjoyed hours on the beach and pool side. We also spent a wonderful day at the local water park with Anna and my brother's family, while Mom stayed behind with Sarah.

For the record, Sarah Beth does NOT like the ocean. I suppose it is quite intimidating to a little one, that noisy water that rushes up to get you over and over again. She warmed up to the pool on the final day of our stay :O( Wish it had been a little sooner! She slept okay, considering she was in a pack-n-play, in an unfamiliar place. She is cutting two more teeth and the last of her two year old molars, so we've been dealing with a little crankiness from that. But, overall, we had a wonderful time, as usual. Can't wait to go back, but that will likely be about this time next year. :O(

For those of you who like to follow along with my "current read", I must tell you that I finished up about 3 books while we were away that I'd started previously, but never finished. Two others that I took with me I decided weren't worth finishing. So they have since been unpacked and placed immediately into my "donations" box to send along to the Thrift Store next time I make a drop off. I came to the conclusion this week that if I'm not hooked by chapter 3, I'm not likely to get there, so I'd might as well chalk it up to being a bad purchase, and let myself pass it along to someone else who might actually enjoy it. I love to read, though you'd never know it by the looks of my house - ha, ha, ha! (There are books in literally every room of our house, and bookcases in most of them as well!) Mostly, I read non-fiction books. So, here's my list of what I just finished up Lord, I Need Grace to Make it Today (a fantastic Bible Study by Kay Arthur), Simplify Your Space, and How Did I Get So Busy. Along with that, I read Homeschooling By Heart (Which I thoroughly enjoyed!). I am a reading machine when we go on trips!

I am not a fiction reader, except for the read-alouds that we enjoy as a family. These are all mostly classic children's novels and such. A few of our favorites, that you might enjoy with your family this Summer are - The Summer of the Monkeys, The Tale of Desperaux, Freckles, The Mistmantle Chronicles - Urchin of the Riding Stars, and Hind's Feet on High Places. We often enjoy reading a book on our way to-and-from our vacations, but as we had the little one this year, we resorted to a few well chosen videos instead.

As for Sarah's growth and development thus far, at her 18 month check-up she was right on target for height and weight. She is currently going through a round of vaccinations, after I had a long talk with our Pediatrician about it's possible links to autisim in children. He told me that the ingredient that was in question has been removed from the vacines, so I was glad to hear that. (Side note: For those of you who haven't adopted internationally, often times the vacinations that they get overseas or out of the U.S. are not of a sufficient strength to provide protection to the child from the diseases. The International Adoption Medical Clinic determines through blood work whether or not they need to have all or some of them redone.)Also, she has really started "talking" up a storm lately. She jabbers and chatters all the time, using inflection as if asking a question, and not saying a single thing we can make out! She still only says about 5 or 6 things that are understandable, and the rest is just "baby talk." She laughs all the time, is very ticklish, and is easily amused. She loves to play "Pat A Cake" and to do the clapping for "If You're Happy and You Know It." Her favorite past times are tearing the house completely apart and climbing on everything! My mother says she's a "meddler" because she's always rummaging through something.

She has totally changed the dynamics of our family and our home, and I am so thankful for this precious little one that the Lord has entrusted us with. She truly is an amazing gift!

One last quick funny story. Tonight Todd mentioned to me that he'd like to go rent a movie for he and Anna to stay up late and watch this evening. Sarah Beth responded with, "YEA!", as if she had any idea what he was talking about! What a hoot! Anna thought it was so cute!

God's richest blessings on you and your families. I hope that you are enjoying a safe and happy Summer. For those still waiting for your babies, the long wait is so worth it, and I continue to remember you in prayer!

Love in Christ,
Lori