Pilgrims at Oak Ridge

  Two weeks ago, my sweet baby had a seizure while I was carrying him in the Ergo at the grocery store. I actually called 911, but by the time I had given my location, the seizure stopped. I quickly drove him to the ER myself. He seemed more or less fine as soon as we got there, maybe a little more sleepy than normal. His blood sugar on arrival was 19. 19! I've never seen one so low. Of all the reasons why a kid could have a seizure, low blood sugar was not really on my radar. And yet, two weeks later we are still here, Ezra hooked up to a steady, stuttering drip of glucose into his vein. Apparently, he has a condition called Congenital Hyperinsulinemia . There is so much to be thankful for. As I watched his face turn pale and quiver, I was terrified he had a brain tumor. Or severe infection. And he doesn't have any of those things. He has remained his normal, smiley, adorable self during this whole ordeal. (With the short exception of the times they have been trying to dr...

I'm a little late with this post, but we just had Judah's birthday party today so I thought I would take this chance to write a little bit about my big boy. He's five. FIVE! I can hardly believe it. Both Jeff and I have commented that he has seemed so much more grown up to us the last few months. He now feeds the dog without being asked many nights. It's a treat to see him becoming more responsible. He STILL loves to ask questions; maybe not quite as relentlessly as before, but he loves to know and understand what is going on. He is turning into quite the little hiker. At least if we have enough snacks.  He loves riding his bike, playing with his legos, playing outside with his buddy Christian, and watching Odd Squad on PBS. And he loves his baby brother. I think he might also be Ezra's favorite - just today I heard Judah singing to Ezra up in the nursery after he woke up from his nap. No crying from the baby, just cooing and (I imagine) smiling at his big bro...

For Jeff's birthday this year I got him a book of Southern California hikes. Personally, I think this is one of the best gifts I've given him in a while because ever since he got it, we have been going on hikes all over the greater LA area. Of course, with the toddler and the 4.5 year old, there is often crying, whining, and lots of potty break, but I think more than anything, hiking in this area has really given me a love for California. I have always said that I enjoyed being outdoors, but to be honest, Greenwood, SC (while very beautiful and full of lots of great attributes) was not really a great spot for scenic hiking. This family hiking has been a great way to spend time together for very little money. While I was on maternity leave we could even do 2 hikes a week since Jeff could take Tuesday off. It was fantastic. Now we are back to just being able to go on Saturdays, but we have thoroughly enjoyed seeing some of the more scenic parts of the city. Paradise Falls: ...

I'm really not sure I can keep up this blogging thing with 3 kids. Actually, as evidenced by the fact that an entire month has gone by with nothing, I'd say it's safe to say that I can't. But seeing as how both kids birth stories were recorded here, I figured I'd go ahead and post Ezra's. As November was coming to a close, I was totally over being pregnant. I mean, actually begging God in prayer to please bring this baby already. Seriously. There may have been a few tears. Or more than a few. The weekend after Thanksgiving, I decided to go ahead and put up our Christmas tree, mostly in hopes that the baby would come and it would be done. We actually got up our tree in November, people. November. That has never happened. That Saturday evening I started having quite a few contractions. I was really hoping they meant that it was baby time, even though Jeff had a full day of obligations the next day. He was teaching a new members class in the morning, then our r...

The rest of the family (except my brother Austin and his family) arrived on the 26th. I loved having our house full of family.

It's a few days late, but I've been enjoying spending time with my family, most of whom has been here. As you can tell, we had a wonderful Christmas.

They love their brother.

Today I braved the traffic and crowds to see the decorations at The Grove. Judah and Naomi loved riding the trolley with Nana.

We went to church today and had a nice sunset.

One word: Nana!! Ok, 3 more: Church Christmas Party!