Long Time No Post...

Wowser...I realized today that its been over two months since I last posted. I've thought about posting since then, a lot actually, but I just haven't been making the time. So what, you may be asking yourself, has been keeping me out of the blogosphere for so long? Quite a bit, I must say. Michael and I attended the Navy Ball in October (our first one ever!), and since I can no longer fit into any of my formal outfits from my teen years(thanks to my two wonderful beautiful boys :)), and everything off the racks is either WAY out of my price range or way too immodest for my tastes, I decided to make my own dress. I already had the fabric on hand, thankfully, so it just took a bit of time and effort. Thankfully I had just begun giving sewing lessons to a girl in my church, so she was able to help out quite a bit. And until October 18, pretty much every moment that I had alone was spent working on the dress. Which turned out beautifully, I must say. I'll post a picture as soon as I have a copy.

So, a week after the Navy ball I received a phone call from my Mom saying that she was coming out to visit...in one week! Woo-hoo! I was beyond excited. She and my brother Miles arrived on the 31st, and stayed for just about a week. It was so wonderful. Michael had a very slow week, so he was able to spend a lot of time with my family, who he loves very much. I love and miss my family so much, and I love it when they come to visit. Michael and I won't be going to New York for Christmas, unfortunately. Hopefully, if I can save up enough money from my grocery account, we'll be coming home in May for a couple of weeks. That seems like forever and a day away, but its sooner than later for us.

Back to the wonderful visit. I felt like Michael and I really got to connect with Miles again. Life has kept us all busy, and I haven't been as close with Miles over the past three years. I felt like, well, like we were a unit again, quoting Pride and Prejudice, and laughing at our insane similarities(we are such sanguines...). Ethan really loved Uncle Miles, of course. What kid doesn't want Miles to be his best friend? Ethan now says Mimi when my Mom calls me, and he goes and points to a picture of Mom and Miles that I have. He says 'My' for Uncle Miles. I'm so glad that Ethan was able to connect with them. Miles got to preach on the college of Charleston campus, and one of the days Mom, the boys and I went with him. I even got to talk to a few people. It was great to be 'back in the saddle again'. :)

We also went shopping, during which Miles kept Ethan occupied and even bought him a bouncy ball. What a great uncle! Michael, the boys and I got professional pictures taken at Waterfront park, which was a lot of fun. Afterwards, Michael and Miles bought some oysters, and we had a little oyster party of our own. Oh, and Mom watched Ethan while Michael and I spent 2 1/2 hours voting. Crazy! And, Miles fixed the hinges on my doors so that the don't squeak anymore, and did a great job washing the siding on our house. It looks so great!

Caleb will be 5 months old on the 16th. I feel like this has just come upon me suddenly. He's no longer an infant...he's rolling over, and trying to sit up...he's becoming a big boy. We even started putting him on the potty! I'll be writing about that next time. :) Ethan was only a month older than Caleb is now when we conceived Caleb. How weird is that?

Ethan is becoming such a little man. I've been 'doing school' with him over the past few months, thanks to a great website No Time for Flashcards. He now knows that letters A, B, and C. We're going to start on numbers this week, while playing with sidewalk chalk. I am amazed at how smart Ethan is, at his young age. And how different he is from other kids his age...well, how different every child is. I get so caught up in what a 'normal' child does that I tend to forget about the differences. Ethan knows more sign language than other children that I know his age, but he isn't putting words together, unlike some other boys that I know. He's just figuring out how to open doors, while one little boy I know has been doing that for months. How amazing that God has crafted each person so vastly different! And yet each handiwork of His is amazing and breathtaking.