All American!!!!!!!!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!!!

The Patriotic Robertson Family!!!!!!!!! A fun day at Les Grove Park in Auburn, WA!! This was the first parade and festival that the kids have ever been to. We all had a great time.


All American.....All the way......Little Bug loves to have his bare feet in the cool grass.....especially on a hot 90 degree day like today!!!


Daddy and Little Bug getting ready to take a train ride around the park.....Wheeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!


Daddy, Little Bug and the Engineer!!!! Thanks for the ride Mr. Train guy!!!!!


Mackenzie Joy lookin' pretty with her flag!!!


Little Bug rarin' to go to the next exhibit......'cmon guys, let's go!!!!!!!!!!!


Little Bug got to meet a parrott today!!!!


More play time in the cool grass with Daddy!!!!


Ohhhhhh............Somebody's sleepy sleepy!!!!!


Oh Brother......There goes Mama again doing a photo shoot.......


Ok Mackenzie.....Here's a secret for you......If you don't always do what I say, then I'm gonna have to bite your ear off.....Got It??????


Hee Hee Hee.......Little Bug thinks he's the boss telling me those secrets to make me scared.....I've got some news for you big brother.......


I'm gonna smile pretty and tilt my head and my Daddy and Mama will give me anything I want......


Big All American Girl smiles......


Whew.....I'm getting tired of this photo shoot Mama......My tongues hanging out and I'm hot and tired and Mackenzie looks scared out of her shorts.....Can't we just stop and go watch fireworks??? Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!


Mama I said NOW..................I'm TIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


The end of a great day with our All American Kids!!!!

Lovebug Hugs & Happy Independence Day,
Randy, Lori, Little Bug & Sweet Pea

100,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe the time has finally arrived that we made 100,000 hits on Little Bug's blog!!! Someone in Graham, WA logged on at 10:15pm (PST) and the ticker changed over to 100,000!!! We can't believe that our story has touched so many lives and that people are still committed to checking in on us!!! Our hearts are filled with deep gratitude to each and every one of you for coming into our lives daily to check in on us and to continue reading our journey. We plan on keeping up on this avenue of communication for a long long time....so don't go anywhere. We have many more adventures to share with the world and we have many more joys to celebrate and requests to pray for. I plan on writing a post real soon to update all of Connor's medical info for those of you who are interested. To all of our faithful blogger family we wish you a Happy 4th of July!!!!

Lovebug Hugs,
Lori

PS~ Whoever you are Graham, WA that logged on at 10:15pm on July 3rd.......leave us a comment and let us know who you are!!!!! We have a sneaking suspicion that we know who it is but I won't reveal it until we get a comment, ok......Hint...Hint...We think we saw this person at a wedding over the weekend....and a beautiful wedding at that!!!!!! Let us know!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mission Accomplished!!!!

This is for Daddy (wherever you are!!!)
Hi Daddy, it's Little Bug. I wanted to sneak into the computer to tell you that the mission is accomplished. Mama was working on a surprise for you and, let me tell you, Paul Bunyan would be proud....In fact I think Tim the Toolman Taylor would be proud too....(You know that guy from the Home Improvement show!!!) Are you curious yet????? We can't wait for you to come home and get you Father's Day surprise!!!!! You deserve it Daddy 'cause you're the best!!!!!!

See you soon. Sweet Pea says hello and I wanted to let you know that I got another tooth!!! Love you Daddy!!!!

Lovebug Hugs,
Little Bug

Saying Goodbye To Grandma Ruth!!!!

With grieving hearts we said goodbye to Grandma Ruth today. Last Friday, June 15th, Grandma Ruth (Lori's Grandma) went home to be with the Lord at 2:50am. Lori and the kids were there when Grandma took those final breaths on this earth. Randy had just left on a military trip earlier that morning and was unable to be there, but he was there in spirit. Today we had a beautiful memorial service and burial for Grandma. She is with the Lord in Heaven now and although we grieve her loss in our family we know she is healthy and whole in Heaven. Grandma was a beautiful lady with a beautiful heart. We miss her already but we are so grateful that she did have opportunity to meet both of our kids before she passed away. She had seen Connor a few times and Mackenzie only twice. I will cherish the days that we had 4 generations represented in our family and I will forever feel her absence.

Thank you for all the love and prayers over the years for my Grandma. It was wonderful to see our extended family today from all over the state of Washington. May you all feel the comfort that only the Lord can give during these days when we miss her most. The pictures below were taken just a month ago on Mother's Day. We love you Grandma!!!





Lovebug Hugs,
Randy, Lori, Connor and Mackenzie

Happy Father's Day Daddy!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everybody, it's Connor and Mackenzie here. Mama let us out of her sight for a few minutes so the little sweet pea and I made our way to the computer as quick as we could. It's Father's Day today and our Daddy is overseas on a military trip. We are so sad that we can't kiss all over him and slobber him with love....we love to do that to our Daddy.

There are so many reasons that our Daddy is the BEST. First, he loves us with all his heart. You'd think he'd won the lottery each and every time he sees us....especially me, Little Bug....I think he likes me best....Hee Hee!!! (Shhhhhh...don't tell the little sweet pea that because she'd get all bent out of shape....) Our Daddy is always so happy to see us. He flies us around the house and he kisses us all over. He loves to throw us way up in the air and listen to us giggle. Well, at least I giggle, sometimes Mackenzie just looks like she's gonna throw up or something, but I still think she likes it. Second, our Daddy's the best Daddy because he works so hard for us. He has to be gone a lot and he hates that, but he is always faithful to his job and to defend our country's freedom. We are so proud of you Daddy. Wherever you are today, we hope you know that we love you so much!!!! Third, we love our Daddy because he let's us have all of our toys out at the same time. Mama has these silly rules that we have to play with only 1 or 2 toys at a time so she can keep things tidy around here......Well, not our Daddy. He let's us have the whole floor covered with toys at the same time...Everywhere you look you see toys when our Dad's watching out for us. He turns on all our musical toys and you'd think a parade was traveling through our house. It gets really noisy around here and we love that. Fourth, we love Daddy so much because he lets us wear our sleepers all day long. (Mama hates that!!!!) He says it's easier to change us in sleepers rather than putting us in clothes. We love to roll around in sleepers....Way to go Dad for letting us have it our way....It's kinda like eating at Burger King...you know...Have it your way!! Fifth, we love Daddy because he gives us light shows at bedtime. He plays the moon game with us and lets the tap light rise over the crib just like the moon...then he zooms it around the crib and swoops it down so we can touch it. We laugh so hard.....it's the funnest game. Sixth, we love Daddy because he plays his guitar and sings silly songs to us. He makes up the words and the tunes sometimes and they're always about us. Thanks for being such a creative Daddy to us.

Well, we could go on and on but I think Mama is catching on to the fact that we're not where we are supposed to be right now. So Daddy, wherever you are we want you to know that we miss you and we love you. Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy in the whole wide universe!!!!! Can't wait to celebrate with you when you come home.

Lovebug Hugs To You Daddy!!!!
Little Bug and Sweet Pea

PS ~ Hey Dad, Mama's working on a surprise for you......I think she might be turning into Paul Bunyan!!!!

New Pictures....FINALLY!!!!!!!!!

Pretty in pink in Mama's dress that she wore 37 years ago!!!!
(I think this means were going to be taking lots of pictures of me in this dress.....Enjoy!!!)


Me and Mama.....Ohhhhhhh


Having a little bit of tummy time in my pretty dress!!


Smiling for the camera!!


So concerned....How many more pictures is Mama gonna take?????


I'll just sit here and be cute as a sweet pea so Mama can get the pictures she wants.....


Mama and Sweet Pea........


Daddy and his little girl!!!


Hanging out with Mama after a costume change....Hee Hee


Daddy and Little Bug getting ready for some snuggle time....


Snuggle time.....Are you kidding me???? I want to play!! I want to fly!!! Look at me....I'm serious, get me flying Daddy.....Ok, I'll flap my arms real hard and see if I can go....


I love my Daddy!!!!

I'm sitting up with my dog Abbey!!!! I don't sit up all by myself all the time, but occasionally Mama and Daddy catch me sitting up with a little help from my puppy dog!!! Mama says, "Don't worry", I'll be sitting up in no time!!

Hey Dad, let's just hang out for a while......I like hanging out with you!!

Oh Dad, don't cry......I promise I won't grow up too fast!!!!!!

Sweet Pea hanging out with her orange Binky!!!! (Man I wish these Binky's came in other colors to match outfits.....Uggghhh....What's a Mama to do?????)

Too Cute.......

Hanging out with our neighbor's, The Foxes last week when we had our first fire in our fire pit...We even made smore's. This was Connor and Mackenzie's 1st bonfire!!! If you look real close you will see that Connor and Mama are roasting a marshmellow.....yummy!!!!!

Connor and Mackenzie having play time with Daddy when Mama had to run errands....Wow, look at all the toys out at one time!!! Daddy must be on duty!!!!

Hey, is that Mackenzie in Connor's Bumbo chair?????? I guess she needs to start working on her sitting up skills too.....

Hope you enjoyed the recent pictures.....I know it's been a while!!!

Lovebug Hugs,

Lori

Fun With Hats.....

During our Ferndale visit, Randy and Connor had some excellent Daddy-Son time out on Grandpa and Grandma Robertson's porch. Little Bug had a big boy wool hat on and Daddy had been up in the big red barn so he had on his overalls and baseball cap. Family dog "Hunter" was close by with tennis ball in mouth in hopes that there would be play time.


Connor you look like you should be in Moscow with that wool cap on......So cute!!!!
My precious boys........How I love them!!!!!


And then there's our Sweet Pea. She is dressed up in her little outfit that makes her look like the Statue of Liberty. If only we had a torch for her. Actually, I have a pink and white "girly wand" but it didn't make it in the picture. I will post a picture like that soon, but I have to wait for the perfect opportunity to snap the photo.


Ohhhhhhhhhh, so sweet!!!!!! This is Kenzie trying on her Sunday hat for Grandma Robertson to re-size for her. She is just adorable in the whole outfit!!!!


Laura Ingall's, watch out........Mackenzie's comin' to Little House on the Prairie!!!! Hee Hee!!!

Hope the photo's made you smile, I know they sure make me smile!!!!

Lovebug Hugs,
Lori

Having Fun With Pictures....

Mackenzie Joy is starting to smile and coo when we talk to her......She's so cute!!!


I think this is the beginning of a laugh!!!


Ok, here's a little personality for you!!!!


Who couldn't fall in love with that baby face???


So sweet!!!!!!!!


An angel dropped from heaven and landed softly in my arms.....Mackenzie Joy, I love you!!!!


Baby hands.......couldn't you just nibble on them?????


Our favorite Little Bug!!!!!


Mama and Daddy love you so much Connor. You have the most precious little baby face. Don't ever loose that sweetness that is smothered all over you!!!!

Lovebug Hugs,
Lori

Off Again.............

Well, after a very short couple of weeks home, Randy is off again "into the wild blue yonder"..... I know I say it all the time, but boy do we hate it when he has to be away from us. There is a certain kind of quiet that takes residence in our home when Randy is not here. Notice I said a certain kind of quietness. Believe me, our house is not quiet. If it's not Connor babbling his Ma Ma Ma's or Dad Dad Da's or Bop Bop Bop's it's Mackenzie crying or starting to coo. There isn't a dull moment around here let me tell you!!! Anyway, see you soon Daddy. We can't wait for you to come home so we can enjoy the sunshine and afternoon walks together.

We have been so busy over the past couple of weeks. We packed the kids up and headed for Ferndale for 6 days. It was interesting traveling with 2 kiddo's and ALL their gear. Who would have known that we would barely have enough room to pack our own bags, in a mini van no less!!! Between the pack and play, the jumperoo, the bouncy seat, the bumbo, the toy bar, the bags of clothes, the diapers, the dog.....we were packed to the hilt!!!! I felt a little like The Clampet's driving down I5. Good thing we didn't have Grandma in a rocking chair on the roof!!! Hee Hee!!!

We had a fantastic and busy few days up North. Visiting family and friends is always a highlight for us. The kids were great travelers and no one got sick!!! The reason for the trip centered around Connor being chosen to be in a calendar for Down Syndrome Awareness in Whatcom County. We were all so excited about this for Little Bug. We got his first real haircut and got him some fancy new duds so he would be polished for his photo shoot. What fun it was to watch him being a star. The first few minutes of the shoot he wouldn't smile for anything. You should have seen us. We were working very hard to get him to crack a smile, but he just looked at us like we were fools. Then, finally, Randy started to do the airplane game with him and he started pumping those chubby little legs like Rudolph on Christmas Eve and we saw some smiles. The photographer was GREAT!!! She got down flat on her back and let Randy do the airplane game right over her so she could get Connor's smiles close up. She was able to snap some fantastic shots and we can't wait for the calendar to be revealed at the end of summer. We will keep you all posted on the progress of the calendar and many have already asked how they can get one once they come out. It is my understanding that you can purchase them through us or through the Whatcom County Down Syndrome Awareness website. I am waiting for word back from the coordinator on how best to accommodate requests for the calendar. Stay posted and I will let you know how you can get one if that's your desire.

After the photo shoot we walked around Cornwall Park and took some pictures of our own. We realized that we didn't have any pictures of the 4 of us, so this was a perfect and fun opportunity to take some family pictures.

We hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day and we hope you have the opportunity to pay respect to all the men and women who have fought so bravely for our dear country and lost their lives. I personally say thank you to all the brave soldiers that have been dedicated, even to death, to spare the lives of those of us living in our great USA. I found a little bit of history that I thought was interesting. In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," Moina Michael replied with her own poem:

We cherish too, the Poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led,

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies.

She conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need.
So, if you see a red poppy over the weekend you will be reminded that the "blood of our heroes never dies!!!" Happy Memorial Day!!

Lovebug Hugs,
Lori

Dear God........

Dear God, I'm growing up so fast....Please help me to stay little so I can get snuggled and cuddled forever!!!!!! Amen

Mother's Day!!!

For those of you who have followed our blog from the beginning, you will remember that last year I started a tradition of writing a letter to our children on Mother's Day!! After all, this day is a day to honor the heart and spirit of a Mother and my heart and spirit are captivated by our children. So this year, instead of writing to Little Bug only I will be writing to both our kiddos.

My dear sweet children, Connor & Mackenzie,
Today is Mother's Day and I feel so blessed and called of God to be your Mama!! There isn't a single job on earth I could take that would fulfill the longings deep within my soul to be your mother. I remember many years ago when I did not have children and how I would long for the sounds, smells & cuddles of little ones. I would dream of what it would be like to scoop you up in my arms and calm your fears and settle your worried hearts. I would wonder if your eyes would be just like mine or if you would have your Daddy's eyes. I would hope that your eyes would look deep within mine during the wee hours of night and find rest and solitude and safety. Now I know the true depths of all of those feelings. I know the truth of a Mother's love and I know that I would scale the tallest mountain to save you from hurting or plunge to the lowest depth to wipe your tears.

I have realized something about myself by being a mother. I have learned that, for me, life would be void of meaning if you were not in it. You both have become my sun and my moon, my true north!!! You guide me and you challenge me and you can't even talk yet!!! I see the way you look at me and I know that you are seeking direction and guidance from me. Some days, that is a very heavy load to bear. I feel tired at times and I want to fall into a deep sleep, but then I realize that you will need me in just moments and I have to put off what I want to give you what you need. Notice I didn't say what you want, I said what you need. I am striving to provide you all of the things that you need to grow and to learn and to flourish in our beautiful world. You both are so little right now, and I am very aware that you will not stay this way for long. I want you to know that I am truly enjoying the "baby days" that we are experiencing. Our "baby days" are so fun. I see smiles and I hear giggles. I sense that you trust me to be a good Mama and to help you grow big and strong. I know we have our days where there is more crying than smiles and there are more poopy diapers than "clean" ones. But hey, that's what I signed up for and every day is an adventure being your Mom.

There is something that you both need to know. Before you both were born your Daddy and Mama had great adventures together. We traveled and we saw the world. It was so fun and we are so glad that we took the first year of our married life to do that because life is much different now that you both occupy our time. But don't ever think that we won't have adventures with you because we have big plans for fun times together. We can't wait for you both to get bigger so that we can experience the world together. And by the way, I know I tell you both all the time when we sit and snuggle, but it bears repeating.......I am soooooooooooooo in love with your Daddy. He is the light of my life and the great love of my life. I will forever tell you the story of our love and I will forever love your Daddy with all of my heart. I realize that one of the greatest ways to teach you about love is to show you. So, I want you to always feel secure that Daddy and Mama love each other with their whole hearts and we will ALWAYS be together and be an example of true commitment and true love.

You both bring different things into my life. Connor, you have taught me how to pray in a deeper way than I have ever known. You are my miracle child and I thank God for our journey with you. I am so proud of you and the fight that you have within you. You have been an inspiration to the world and you don't even know it yet. I pray for you every day that you will be a mighty man of God and you are definitely showing me that my prayers are being answered. I appreciate your gentle character and your gentle touch! Our snuggle time and Mama and Little Bug "make out" time are the most precious parts of my day. Oh how I love your kisses!!! You have taught me how to laugh louder and heartier than I have ever laughed. I love the way you look at me and click that little jaw of yours.....It's sooooo cute. You're learning to wave now and I think it's adorable to watch you clinch your little hand back and forth. You have brought depth into my life as well. You have taught me about faith and how to trust without limits. I am forever thankful for your beautiful touch upon my life. I love being your Mama Little Bug!!!!

Mackenzie, you are the newest addition to the family and tomorrow you will be 6 weeks old. How fast time is already passing as I watch you grow and mature. You are so different than your big brother. You have your own time schedule (as we learned when you were born!!!) and you let us know if we are late with anything you need. You have brought an incredible sense of beauty into my life. I look at you and you are so gorgeous. I melt at the very sight of you. I want to say, "She looks just like me", but to be honest you look just like you. You are my Little Sweet Pea and you bring me great joy just watching the way you are beginning to explore the world. I can't wait to teach you the ways of being a "little girl" and then one day the ways of being a "woman". You have a tender grace about you that is really hard to describe. I sense gentleness in your touch and I know that you love me. You also have "spirit", and Little Sweet Pea, you just can't get by in life without some of that!!!! I can tell you are always going to let your Daddy and me know what you feel about things and why. This is a good trait and don't let anyone tell you differently. I will teach you how to express your strong opinions with respect and with humbleness. You are my second born, but my first little girl. I love the connection we share as Mother and Daughter. How I pray that with each passing year that connection will only grow and flourish into something more beautiful than I ever dreamed. I love being your Mama Little Sweet Pea!!!

I've been a Mom now for 16 months and in those months I have learned many practical lessons.
1. Never neglect snuggle time with my kids.....even if it's 3am!!!
2. Don't rush.....the more I rush, the later I become (especially on Sunday mornings!!!)
3. Pray every day.....sometimes more than once for patience and more hours in the day!!!
4. Play...Play...Play!!!!! Never forget to play with my kids, they are only young once!!
5. Buy batteries in bulk!!!!! Every toy we own requires batteries, so save a buck and buy them at Costco!!!
6. Bedtime is hectic, just embrace it!!!!
7. The sounds of my baby's cry can do things to my body that I never thought possible...wear breast pads!!!! All you mother's will know what I mean....Sorry guys, I just had to be honest!!
8. Dinner time is always fussy time.....Get used to it, and get prepared!!!!
9. Life is no longer about me. Pick an outfit that will look good for at least 3 days and don't worry if someone sees you in it all three times!!! (This one's a tough lesson for me!!!)
10. Love Daddy all the time becuase he will be the one to rejuvinate me and make me feel like a woman!! I love you Randy for the all the ways you love me!!! I am blessed by your love!!
11. Finally.......LOVE!!!!! Love beyond limits and love beyond bounds. I only have one chance at mothering my little ones so no matter what the situation is, LOVE!!!!

I will never get these days back. I can never repeat a single minute of your lives so I must be cognoscente of my every move. How I love my life as a mother and how I love being your Mom, Connor and Mackenzie. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to stretch myself in every way possible and for making every step of the journey worthwhile. I am blessed in more ways than I can imagine and it's all because I am your Mama!!! So to both of you on this Mother's Day I renew my love for you and my commitment to caring for you in the most honorable and excellent ways possible.

Thank you for giving me a Happy Mother's Day!!
Mama

Busy Days While Daddy's Away!!!!

Little Bug in his new Rainforest Jumparoo!!! He Loves jumping to the jungle music and hearing the animal sounds in his new toy. It is GREAT exercise for him and we can already see the strength beginning to build in his legs.....You go Connor.....Jump Away!!!!!!!!


Little Bug jumps so hard and fast that sometimes he puts himself right to sleep. Poor Little Bug, I guess it's time to go Night Night!!!!!!!!!


Here is our Little Sweet Pea getting ready to leave for her 1 month doctor check-up!!!! She has her little lips perched just like a baby bird waiting for a worm.....I don't think I'll feed her worms, but maybe it's time for a little snack...Hee Hee!!!


Here's Mackenzie Joy having her first tummy time play with Daddy before he left on his trip. Hurry home Daddy so you can see how strong my head and neck are getting.



Little Sweet Pea nuzzled into Uncle Les last weekend. What a blessing to get snuggles from the family!!!!


Mackenzie Joy all dressed up for the first time in a little denim dress for our first shopping outing with Connor, Mama, Grandma R. and Aunt Kathy. "I'm tired of shopping Mama, I'm gonna take a little rest, but you keep shopping, OK. Don't forget to buy me lots of fun stuff and Connor too!!!" Hee Hee ( I think these kiddo's have Mama wrapped around their little fingers!!)


We have had many busy days since Daddy's been gone. Randy made sure that we were covered with help during his trip so we have had Grandma-Nanny Milliren, Grandma Robertson, Aunt Kathy, Aunt Lynette, Aunt Maureen and Aunt Marsha & Uncle Les, Erica, Carly and Haley all stay with us at different times. We also had visits from Kim and Tracy, long time friends of Lori's who were so thrilled to meet both children. We can't forget Grandma Phyllis and Grandpa Norris and Amy & Gary and Linda too. We've had so much fun with all of our family here. Little Bug loves to have all the new faces around him to play with and Mackenzie loves to be snuggled so it has worked out well!!

Connor is completely over his sickness and cold and I (Mama) am feeling back up to speed after my sinus infection. We have enjoyed the sunshine and taken walks in the park and even a shopping trip to North Bend outlet mall.

Connor had an appointment up at Children's Hospital in the ENT clinic and everything looks good in his ear canals and ear drums. He had a little bit of fluid in his ears but Dr. Sie didn't think anything of it after she heard that he had had a big cold for a couple of weeks. We go back in 4 months to have a routine hearing exam and there is no need for concern, everything looks like he will test out just perfect!!! He is having more food go through his feeding tube during the day and he is down to 12 hours of formula at night. We are making slow progress to get food in his tummy, but still no luck getting him to take volumes of food by mouth. Still a prayer request to get that mouth excited about food. While we were at the hospital on Monday we went up to the ICU to visit the nurses and doctors that became our lifeline last year when Connor was in the hospital. They were all delighted to see Little Bug and thrilled to see how well he is doing. Connor made everyone smile with his babbling and his grins!!! It's always exciting for us to say thank you one more time to the large team of people that helped to save his little life!!!!!

Mackenzie is doing better and growing well. Her 1 month appointment was fabulous! She weighed 9 lbs 8.8 ounces so she is growing at a beautiful rate. She is starting to do better at night and we think she's going through a growth spurt because she seems to want to eat all the time the last few days. After talking with our pediatrician, he confirmed that Mackenzie officially has colic. Since she exhibits the same pattern of fussiness each night at the same time, this is the criteria for colic. He mentioned that it should peak around 6 weeks and hopefully by 2-3 month go away all together. So we will hang in there and hope for quick changes in her patterns and pray for sleep to get easier and easier. Randy is going to see such a difference in the kids when he returns. Hopefully we will see him by Friday sometime so we are ready and excited for his return!!!

I want to say Thank you to everyone who helped to make Mackenzie's baby shower a beautiful event on Sunday. We had so much fun and she received all kinds of beautiful gifts. I personally loved to visit with all the family and friends that attended and I loved to watch the excitement of everyone as they held Mackenzie and Connor too. Thanks for the beautiful day!!!!

I must close for now as I hear the Sweet Pea awakening from her nap and Connor beginning to let me know he wants me back to play with him. I hope you enjoy the recent pictures. We will post more when Daddy comes home!!!

Lovebug Hugs,
Lori

It's A Cry-Fest Around Here......

Today Randy left on a military trip for the first time since Mackenzie was born. The kids were sleeping (for what seemed to be only a minute or two...) when Randy walked out the door, but there I was, PJ's and all, standing in the doorway with tears in my eyes. I know I am so blessed to have a husband who is dedicated to our country, but it is always so hard to watch him drive away knowing full well where he is going.

I think of his sacrifices and the things he misses while he is gone and I am, once again, flooded with pride and thankfulness for the man that he is. Randy is such a help with the kids. He loves bath time with Connor. They can play in that tub for so long and I never know who is more disappointed when I come through the door saying, "OK, it's time to get out!" I love to hear them giggle and play and splash in the water (no matter how big a mess they make!!). Randy has even been brave enough to get Mackenzie in the bath for a short minute to wash her up and get her clean.

If you spent even just 5 minutes in our home, you would definitely hear the rumblings of laughter as Randy plays "airplane" with Connor. They go zooming through the house and Little Bug shrieks with delight!!! You'd think we'd taken him to Disneyland or something. As they fly around Connor does this super cute thing with his legs. He pumps them back and forth so fast I think he thinks he's making Daddy go faster and faster. Randy calls it his Rudolph move!!! Maybe he's training to be part of Santa's reindeer team this year. Oh how I love to see my boys playing. Randy is an awesome father!!! All of these things I know he will miss over the next couple of weeks of being away. Again, I am blessed that he doesn't have to be gone for months at a time. My heart goes out to military wives who have to be by themselves for months, even years at a time. But especially on the days that Randy leaves, it feels like we won't see him forever.

So, it's a cry-fest around here today. I'm missing Randy. Connor's missing Daddy. And, Mackenzie.....well, she doesn't know why she's crying, but let's just put it this way, she won't stop. It's 1:00pm and I'm still in my PJ's with the same sad eyes that were standing in the door way at 8:00am this morning. We'll find our rhythm in a few days I'm sure, but for today I've told myself, "It's OK to be sad!!"

So honey, if you get to read this when you land in places unknown, know that we ALL love you and miss you and can't wait for your safe return to us. Thanks for your sacrifices for our family and be assured I will be holding down the fort while you're gone (or at least I'll be trying to that is...HEE HEE!!!). Rest up too....Reindeer training must resume upon your return!!! I love you sweetheart!!!!!!!!!!

Over the past year these blogs have become a personal expression for me and quite honestly a window into my heart and soul. I've expressed pain, worry, anger, fear, happiness, joy, faith and most importantly love. I won't apologize for the personal nature that they sometimes take because that is just who I am. I guess you could simply be privileged to feel like part of our family, because I know that's how we feel to have so many "family members" out there in blog land.

Lovebug Hugs,
Lori

Still Holding On........

It has been close to 3 weeks that we have all been sick around here. Yesterday, Lori went to the doctor with a whole new set of symptoms.....Diagnosis......Sinus Infection!!!! Uuuugggghhhh....I honestly can't believe that we are not well yet. Thankfully Randy is feeling 90% better and Connor is on the mend. The doctor gave me amoxicillin to attack the infection so I am hoping to really feel better in a couple of days. We want so badly to experience the fun and exciting days of newborn times with Mackenzie, but unfortunately we are just surviving around here. I know we need to post more pictures, but quite honestly, we haven't taken any. I do promise that we will get on top of this and become more normal, but today is not that day!! Mackenzie is doing well, but she is exhibiting a great deal of fussiness and sleeplessness at night. We are praying that this turns around soon. So, we are still holding on to our sanity, but some days it feels like it is just by a thread. Thankfully, we know that this too shall pass!!!!

Connor had his synagist shot today to ward off RSV. He is such a trooper, he didn't even cry this time. The nurse said, "I don't know how you guys have raised him to be such a good boy, but I have never seen a child react so happily to a yucky shot like this before." I was so proud of him!!! If I could have, I would have taken him out for Ice Cream as a special treat!!! Speaking of ice cream or food in general for that matter, we have a special request. We are trying desperately to transition Connor from his feeding tube to eating by mouth. We want so much for him to enjoy food in his mouth and understand the connection of eating and feeling full so that he can get rid of this feeding tube and backpack. Now that he is becoming more mobile with rolling over, the backpack is becoming quite cumbersome and quite frankly, a danger too. We worry that he is going to pull the tube out completely and hurt himself. Last week we had to take him to his feeding tube doctor and we came up with a plan to give him more pureed food through his tube. This way he is getting more calories and his stomach is getting used to digestion, but we haven't addressed the issue of eating by mouth.

Connor has 2 wonderful therapists that work with him. One for physical therapy and one for oral therapy. We really want to be aggressive in this area, but we also know that Connor has developed some oral aversion that we have to conquer. Here in lies our request. We know that God has a special interest in Connor. He has answered so many prayers for our Little Bug and has intervened to save his life on numerous occasions. So we know that this is not outside of the realm of possibility for our God to answer this prayer for Connor as well. We know that God wants the best for Connor just like we do and that he can heal this eating issue. We would ask that you would join with us in praying for Connor to make strides with his eating. We are specifically praying that he would tolerate volumes of food instead of just tastes of food.

To many of you this may seem like a silly request because you have never dealt with a feeding tube before, but let me tell you, it is a BIG DEAL!!!!!! Each step that we take to getting Connor more normal in his behaviors is such a victory to him and to us. Thanks in advance for your support and prayers for this issue. We know that we have a big God and we trust that He can do this for Connor. We are looking forward to sharing the good news of answered prayer in this area soon.

Lovebug Hugs,
Lori