Almost There

I turn 38 weeks tomorrow, and I have reached that magical time in pregnancy where I just want this baby OUT of my body.  My c-section is scheduled for August 8 (the very earliest they would let me schedule it...the day I turn 39 weeks).  Although I'm having lots of false contractions, I'm not having any that would make any sort of progress or changes.  I guess that's good since I don't really want to be in labor and then have to have a c-section anyway. My doctor is also on vacation and won't be back at work until the day before my c-section.  She and I have been through two c-sections together already, and I'd rather have her with me than whoever is on call.

We are all excited to meet Isaac! It's a little surreal, at the same time, that we are adding a baby to our family next week! We are ready. Or as ready as we'll ever be. ;-)

So, until next week we're going for sno cones several times a week, trying to get as much sleep as possible (difficult), anticipating Justin's mom arriving this Saturday (yay!), and trying to stay cool inside.

Merry Christmas

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Maldives, Part One

On July 1, 5 days after the boys and I arrived back in Singapore from Thailand, we boarded a plane for a family vacation. Except for two trips home, we (as a whole family) had not been anywhere in 18 months. Our trip home in February was a blessing, but with all the stress and grieving the loss of my grandmother, it was not a relaxing time for us. We were so excited to get out of the big city and enjoy some time on the beach together.

When we arrived at the airport in the Maldives after a 4.5-hour flight from Singapore, the plane landed and did a u-turn on the runway to get back to the terminal. That's how small the airport is.

This is the view just outside the airport. Since the Maldives is a collection of over a thousand tiny islands, the only way to travel is by boat or sea plane.

Our speed boat picked us up for the 35-minute ride to our resort.

This is what greeted us as we arrived. I have never seen water so clear and sand so white. BEAUTIFUL!

We found our room and immediately headed to the enjoy the beach.

I love this picture of Caleb because it looks like he's saying, "This is AWESOME!"

A little slice of paradise for sure!

Sunset on Day One.

And room service outside our room to top it off!

More of our Maldives adventure to come!

Life with Two Crazy Boys

Living with our two boys is always interesting. The other day I had to run down to the basement and give some donation items to a friend. This is what I came back to...(soap and water were everywhere, but I figured at least they had saved us the trouble of giving them a bath that night!)

We were stuck in traffic the other day, in the rain no less, with two hungry boys. I tried to distract them by playing with the camera. This is what I usually get. Crazy kids.

Another night we were stuck in traffic, in the rain again, and I gave the camera to the boys. This is Caleb's view from the back seat. And, yes, that is a man sitting in the back of that truck. That's how we roll in Singapore. It's also how we roll in Texas, but the truck would be way bigger.

A self-portrait of Caleb. All those marks on his chin are from the various bandages he'd had to cover the healing gash in his chin. (If you're not friends with me on Facebook, Caleb tried to body surf down our hallway using his pillow. It didn't work out the way he wanted, and he busted his face into the tile. Not pretty. But true to his I-have-no-fear-whatsoever personality, he was in the ER with his Daddy waiting to get his chin fixed and wondering what he did wrong. "Do you think if I wet my pillow it will work, Daddy?")

They keep us on our toes for sure! I'm always saying that my boys dream up stuff that my sister's girls would never consider...it's so true!

Life with boys is like living from one Emergency Room trip to the next.

I love them so.

Justin and Mini-Justin

Caleb looks more and more like his Daddy all the time. Here they're sporting their Valles Caldera shirts we got on our last trip to New Mexico.

Our US Trip, Part Six--Uncle Scott Gets Married

The reason for our June return home (and not some other, cooler, time of year) was to attend the wedding of Justin's youngest brother, Scott.

He married this sweet girl. We love her. Welcome to the family, Grace.

The three brothers, all so cleaned-up and handsome. I love those two boys on either side of Justin as if they were my own flesh-and-blood brothers and am very protective of them.

A rare photo of Mimi, Justin's mom. She looked gorgeous that day (and every other day, too).

And here's what my kids enjoyed doing during the reception...ringing the bells that made Uncle Scott and Aunt Grace kiss. *smile*

We're "Home"

We're back in Singapore and seriously suffering from jet lag. Caleb slept 50 minutes longer this morning than yesterday, so he was up at 4:20. He was apparently starving because he ate 15 mini pancakes once one of us got out of bed to feed him (not me). Their eating schedules are way off and neither of them ate much at lunch or dinner yesterday. Apparently breakfast is making up for that.

Caleb asked me at 6:45 this morning, "Can we homeschool now?" "RIGHT now?" I said. They are craving structure after being out of a routine for 5 weeks, but I'm exhausted and cannot even think straight. I need some coffee. I did what any good mother would do and told them to watch "Tom & Jerry" and then we'd homeschool when that was over at 7:30am. It's going to be another long day today.

We had a great time visiting our families and friends in the US. It was really hard to come back to Singapore, but we were thankful to get back to our own beds and a routine.

Here are some random pictures from our trip. I'll try to blog about each part later, when my brain is fully functioning. I took hundreds of pictures, so these are just a very small sampling.

Levi with his cousin, Audrey. We met her for the first time on May 29, and Levi loves her!
Us with our friends and mentors in Houston, Bob and Alicia. We love them and miss them terribly!

Our family at Uncle Scott's wedding in New Mexico. Not the best photo, but at least you know we were all there. The theme for the reception was Mardi Gras, hence all the beads the boys are wearing.
Boys with their cousins, Ava and Audrey. I'm pretty sure Audrey is sending a message to us. ;-)
The boys at the airport in Singapore for our 2:25am flight to Texas. A little sleepy.

It's time for Grace Academy Homeschool to open for the day, so I'd better get prepared. I've got two boys who are, amazingly, not as exhausted as their mother and ready to learn!

Sentosa!

Saturday we took the boys to Sentosa Island, just to the south of Singapore's main island. We did the luge ride, which was tons of fun, and then played on the beach. Here are a few pics, including some of me! My cousin, Kerri, emailed and asked for more pictures of me on the blog. I'm usually very happy being behind the camera, and usually I'm the only one around to take the pictures, but Justin was with us and was able to snap a few. Enjoy!

Caleb on the sky ride to the luge...

Could we just get a good family picture?

(notice how Caleb isn't bothered by our attempt to get a family photo...he's just enjoying his candy the whole time...)

Attempt 1:

Attempt 2:

Attempt 3:

Attempt 4: Result...no, we can't get a good picture!