Friday: Reality Check

Homebound we are! We packed bags, did laundry so everything came home clean, had time for another quick dip in the pool, adn got some pictures with a cactus before heading out! Grayson did great as we had a 1-hour delay in leaving AZ, and another 1-hour delay added to our already long layover in Chicago. Too bad we couldn't have gotten out to see some of the City!! At least I can say that I've been there, even if it was just to the airport!!



We met a VA Beach couple and their daughter as we waited for our flight. Grayson and Camille played games and talked. It was a great diversion! We found out that they are the owner/operators of The Melting Pot down at HillTop on Laskin Rd in VB!! It was ironic because Trevor had read an article about them in the newspaper! Such a small world, as my Mom would say!! It was great meeting you Holder family!

Our flight finally arrived home at 12:00am Friday night/Sat morning! Thanks again to Dave adn SUe for dropping our car off! As it turned out, we're glad you didn't decide to just wait for us to call you to come get us!! Grayson had fallen asleep on the plane, and easily transferred to bed. Trevor and I were a little different, our bodies not ready to readjust to VA time! Even as I write this, I should be in bed because it is now Sunday morning and I'm still at the computer-not tired!! It'll take another few days, but then we'll be back to normal routines and waking/sleeping schedules! It was all worth it, even though we swore we would never travel over time zones with a young child again!

See ya' next week

Just so you all don't think I fell off the planet, we fly to Phoenix, AZ for a week's vacation and a wedding! We'll be back with lots of great stories and pictures. Until then...

NEWSFLASH

NEWSFLASH!!

Grayson is now a big boy...

he pooped on the potty for the first time this morning...

it was a random moment...

no urging or asking from Mommy...

he was so proud...

called Daddy and the grandmas...

he got the 5 pieces of bubble gum that he had been promised weeks ago and proceeded to put them all in his mouth...

NO!!! I didn't include a picture to show it...

let's hope it wasn't a fluke!

My list of 8 things you might not know about Jayne: PART 1

I know it's been a while, but it took Katy a long time to come up with hers too. So, here goes the first half...

1. I was born in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. I grew up in a little "village" called Prince Albert. Yes, a village is just smaller than a town, one blinking red light for traffic, we would have to pick up our mail at the General Store, we walked/biked to school and got to go home for lunch. Awesome way to grow up, about one hour East of Toronto!

2. I don't know where it got started or from whom, but I was a toothpick and a shrimp (that hasn't changed!) growing up. Somehow I was given the nickname "Weiner". Don't laugh and don't dare call me this!!!!! Thankfully when we moved to VA in the 6th grade, the name didn't follow me.

3. I had to get braces much later than most people. I still had not lost my last baby tooth by the age of 16! My permanent tooth had begun to grow back behind. I had braces on my Senior year of high school (yes, that included Sr. Pics!) and went off to Liberty U. with them on.

3 1/2. I am not going to include the fact that I went to LU, as I'm sure most everyone knows this. I moved to Lynchburg so my Dad could go to Seminary at LU and we/they never left. I went through Lynchburg Christian and then to Liberty, graduating in 1996.

4. I hate, Hate, HATE to shop!! Even worse window shopping! Trevor is a big, "Let me show you what I saw today!"--NOT INTERESTED! If I am not in the market for something or don't have some extra money that I can just splurge on "just because" stuff, I don't want to be any where near a mall. The one time I do love to go to the mall with Trevor is Christmas time. It is one of our little traditions: to hit the stores in the middle of the holiday rush because it's part of the season. The sights and smells and traditions of Christmas include shopping!

Okay, tha'll tie me over for now. Part 2 will follow later.

Random

Good thing I'm blogging and always have my camera with me. Grayson and I pulled up to the light at the corner of Kempsville and Battlefield on our way home, and what should pull up beside us? No, not a motorcycle, not a fire truck, not Daddy in the Big Truck, not a friend, but a HUGE TRACTOR??!! I almost had to think about where I was? Am I in the middle of a metropolis, or on a country road? So I grabbed my camera to capture it. I think the tires on it were taller than our car!! Nevertheless, Grayson loved it!!

Small group thoughts

Okay, I caught up with most of your blogs today, but you'll have to give me another day to get into mine. The crazy week is over, but now we're preparing to go to Arizona for a week's vacation/wedding! Talk to you all again soon! Small groups were awesome tonight. I don't know that it was so much the lesson (not sure whether it was Dave, Sue, or the DVD!!!) but the fellowship was great. Here arew some of my thoughts from tonight as I reflect on what a group we are blessed to be a part of...

Heidi, thanks for sharing with me about Grayson and his comment to "allow you to borrow his cup if you want". It melted both our hearts! I enjoy our budding, laidback friendship.

Sue, thanks for always opening your heart and your home to us each week for small group. Thanks for your friendship-I am excited to see how God made our paths cross, and how our friendship is growing. I love our heart-to-hearts under the blazing sun!!

Katy-we missed you tonight, but thanks for the yummy cookies! Have a great morning in Bible study tomorrow. I'll miss it.

Marcia-I don't know where to begin except to say that maybe our Natalie gets her excitable personality from her mama! I better watch it if I'm going to get you in Kid's Thang!

Natalie, it was so great to see you and Kevin and the boys together as a family at small groups tonight! Glad to hear that a lot of kinks are getting worked out that will help your family tremendously in the day to day (Kevin at work, Greyson at school, you at your job)! I'll get you those recipes.

Tiffany, I barely even got a chance to say hello tonight, but I hope that the new job is going well and it will serve it's purpose for you and your family!

Kristen, it was great to have you and your family join us tonight! What a sweet spirit I can sense in you already. Hope to see you all again next Tuesday!

Erica, we missed seeing you and your brood tonight. I am ecstatic that you and the boys are away to see Daddy though. Better late than never!!

Terri, we missed you tonight too! Hope all is well and I'll be talking to you soon!

Feeding the Birds??!!

Don't anyone start giving me a hard time like you did Heidi!! I know it has been over a week since I've posted anything. I won't be able to even catch up until Saturday or maybe the first of next week. We've got something going on every night this week and will have a really busy morning on Sunday.

Here's a little tale to keep you going until then...

Last night I was frantically running around the house getting ready, Grayson ready, dinner ready, and snacks together for small groups, and Trevor wasn't home. Grayson was supposed to be finishing his last bites of dinner as I blow dried the hair. I came back to the table to find his food all over the floor in little pieces!!! When asked what was going on, he sweetly and innocently said, "I'm feeding the birds, Mommy!" Like, duh, how could I have not seen the birds flocking at his feet waiting for a bite of his supper!! Hilarious! Well, as any good Mommy would do, I let out a big sigh and pointed in the direction of the hallway where he could go to find the vacuum claener to clean up the mess that the birds didn't eat. After all of that, we still got out the door on time with snacks in tow.

Cleaning up the mess the "birds" left