first steps.....

Okay, first I'm not going to apologize for not having a picture, because sometimes you just have to experience the moment and can't capture it on film. Jacob took his first steps tonight. We were on our way to get jammies on and have a little milk and he reached out for my legs taking a few steps away from the cabinets!!! Can't believe he's going to be walking soon. I promise to capture one of his tries soon.....

What precious little feet God gives us to guide.

Nana

Just a brief update on Nana. (Joyce/Beth's mom). After meeting with a second surgeon my mom has decided to go with her for treatment. June 4th she will have her lumpectomy and will start radiation the next week. She will go two times a day for five days of radiation. There seems to be minimal pain involved in this procedure (so the experts claim). Please remember her in your prayers over the next couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted on how her treatment is going. We trust God that He has led her to the right Doctors. He has definitely raised up a strong network of support and strength in friends around her during this time. We are hopeful for a successful treatment and full recovery.

First trip to the beach

While Nana was here for a visit we drove over to the beach. Megan loved the sand as a baby and crawled toward the waves fearlessly. We felt certain Jacob would love the beach just as much since he loves the sandbox at SeaWorld and now in our backyard. Not so much. He pretty quickly tried to eat the sand and became an unhappy camper. I'm not sure how much was sand and how much was the top two teeth trying to come in at the same time! Needless to say, we were ready to load up once Nana enjoyed her walk on the beach. Kids--never know how they'll react!

Jacob's first birthday

Our baby is one! Can you believe a year has passed already? We celebrated his day with a few friends and some outside fun. The kiddos played in Jacob's new sandbox (thanks Nana) and baby pools until their teeth were chattering and toes were blue. Nana was able to be here (Beth's mom) and made Jacob's birthday cake (Mickey Mouse). We are so blessed and thrilled to experience this milestone in Jacob's journey! Thank you to all of you for well wishes and gifts on this Jacob's first birthday!

Jacob's special day!

How boring must it be to face the back of the car hearing the music and your big sister's TV and not be able to see anything that's going on? Well, wonder no more--Jacob gets to turn around and see things from a whole new perspective! He loves watching TV with Megan although he has already made a game of throwing everything he can reach over into her carseat.

What a Mother's Day Celebration

Mother's Day was great for our family. My sweet husband began my morning with a video he put together of the kids. I had to watch before we left the house. What a keepsake of these early years. The kids sang that morning in our Worship Gathering "The Peace Song" as Megan calls it. She really did a great job jumping in with the other kids. What a treat to hear Jim share in our Gathering too. Our pastor had called to put Jim on notice that he may be out on Sunday. Little did we know Jason would end up having his gall bladder removed on Monday! He is set to go home from the hospital today and I know he and his precious family would appreciate your prayers during his recovery.

After our Gathering we had a simple lunch followed by naptime. We ate light because Jim and the kids took me to the Olive Garden before we headed over to Downtown Disney! Disney was not for me but a celebration (okay bribe) for Megan's latest milestone--she pooped in the potty!!! Many of you know that this potty training process has been a long one for us since we've had interruptions along the way! We are super excited about moving out of pull ups for Meg!

Jacob continues to heal after his surgery and goes this week for his follow up visit. My mom is meeting with a second surgeon today for her second opinion so we should know the plan of action for her very soon. We are anticipating her visit to Florida this weekend. She'll get to be here for Jacob's first birthday!! My mom is an expert cake decorator and she will also be crafting Jacob's Mickey Mouse cake. (check back for a picture) After my brother got married she "retired" from cakes---and then came grandkids : )

I've included pics here of Megan singing with the kids, wearing a princess hat at Downtown Disney, riding her first big ride and Jacob in the water at Sea World.

Megan at Kidstuf

It's been a great weekend. Jacob is hard to slow down and he got his first bath today since his surgery. (Obviously I was most excited about this). I'm not sure why I bathe them so often since little ones really don't get that dirty--I've just always loved having clean smelling babies : ) He's doing great; his appetite is back, he's playing and we appreciate your continued prayers. We are slowly getting out with him-grocery store quick stop yesterday and a walk around the block with a stop to feed the ducks today.

Our church family was doing a Kidstuf program this morning and I hated to keep Megan home so our sweet friend Mrs. Monti came and took Megan for us. She got some great pictures and kept up with Meg since Jim's primary responsibility is our Sunday morning worship gathering time and I was home with Jacob. I've included a couple of the pictures.

We got to spend some time getting to know our next door neighbors a little tonight. They had friends with children over and we were all out in the back yard playing. It's nice to feel a little more settled--getting to know people and generally getting used to the surroundings a little more. Even though when we first moved to Orlando we lived about a mile from where we are now, a lot has changed.

God is good. God is faithful. God is trustworthy. We're so excited to be here continuing our journey.

On the mend...

What a trooper! Jacob did great through the surgery. We're home and he's resting quite a bit to start the healing process. He's been pretty good to slow down for as active a little boy as he is. He was able to get a pretty good night's sleep and is getting back to his cheerful self. His incision looks good and the medicine seems to be keeping him out of pain. Thank you all so much for your prayers for him, the surgeon, staff and us. Meg is being a great help to provide toys to keep Jacob occupied. Here are a few pictures from the day--before, after, on the way home and Megan dressed up from her dance class.....ballerina in training.