The WEE Hours of the morning

So it is approximately 3 am in the morning here and YES we are up...And when I say we I do mean me and Paxton. He woke up about an hour ago bright eyed and bushy tailed. I will confess I was awake too but not wanting to do anything but lay in bed and fall back asleep. Now I am listening to the little guy play in the floor. I know its technically only day 3 but sleeping through the night again would be great :). Hopefully that day comes soon.

We went to a market yesterday called Carre For. It is like a wal-mart/ target. It had everything you could imagine. I fell in love. Now I know where to do all my major shopping. Ladies I know you can appreciate the gravity behind that. :)

I have also fallen in love with Thai people. They are so kind. Every where we go Thai women coming practically running up to Pax to play with him and love on him. Of course he loves the attention. You just get a soft spot when others show your child so much love. We will try and post pic's soon.

Much love
THe Story's

We Made It!!!

We made it! We have been here one day so far, which has been a total blur do to sleep deprivation, but the country is beautiful and the people are very kind. I’ll start by telling you a little bit about our flights over. First let me say the “Big Guy” is great and answered a lot of prayers for us along the way. We woke up at 4am Tuesday morning and began our journey. Our first flight left out of NWA for Chicago at 6am. It was about 2 hours long and Pax slept the entire way. We had a 3 and ½ hour layover in Chicago, which was fun. We walked the airport, let Pax play and got some food. Just before we were supposed to board the plane for Tokyo, Pax fell asleep. So as we boarded the plane but Benny had to carry both of our back packs, which weighed like 30 pounds apiece, while I carried Pax. When we finally got settled into our seats (which were pretty good seats near the front in Economy plus which just means a few inches of extra leg room) a stewardess came by and asked us if we would like the switch to the bulk head seats in the economy section of the plane. We were so excited because this meant we had 6 inches of extra leg room and a bed for Pax. When we got to our new seats there were four chairs and only one was occupied by a very kind Chinese man. The stewardess said we may get lucky and no one comes to the 4th seat. Well guess what…..We got lucky and had 3 seats for the 12 hour flight to Tokyo plus extra leg room and a bed for the baby!! Oh let me also say that the extra seat we had was the ONLY extra seat on the plane! The “Big Buy” is so good!! This flight was going fairly smoothly until Pax woke up sick. He was running a small fever and threw up a little. Looking back Benny and I think it may have been because he was asleep during takeoff and the pressure in his ears made him sick. We could be totally wrong but he perked up when we got off the plane and his fever went down. Other than a few upset moments from Pax he did a great job! When we arrived in Tokyo we had another 3 hour layover. It was 2:30 in the afternoon in Tokyo but our bodies were telling us it was the middle of the night so we were exhausted. We got some food and let Pax play in one of the play areas in the airport. We also took turns napping . Our next flight to Bangkok was 6 hours long. I don’t remember much about this flight except that it wasn’t crowded at all and we got an entire row of seats (4 chairs) all to ourselves! We took turns lying out across them sleeping. Landing in Bangkok is where things got interesting. Each time we landed in a new place and got off the plane the workers handed us the stroller right as we came out of the plane door but this time there were no workers and it was 11 pm, which to us meant 11 am and TIERDNESS had really set in. So we followed the people down the walk way and onto the bus that transported us to the airport where we were to find our next terminal for our final flight. Our final flight to Chiang Mai wasn’t until 6am the next morning so we had decided we would stay in a hotel next to the airport for the night but we were told we had to pick up our baggage. We were confused because our tickets said our baggage would go straight to Chiang Mai and we really really needed to find our stroller. Naturally we went to the information desk but no one knew what we were asking for so we got sent ALL over the airport. This may not sound too bad but again that meant I was carrying Pax’s tired limp body while Benny had 60 pounds on his back! Finally Benny said lets just get some seats, we will stay here for the night and I’ll go find our stroller. A worker had come by and given us a pamphlet showing some reclining chairs in a quiet wing of the airport for people who had to stay overnight but again NO ONE seemed to know where that was. So for the next 3 hours we rested on some benches waiting for the United Airlines counter to open so that we could ask about our stroller. Pax only slept 2 of those 3 hours so Benny and I watched him play at in a play area for the rest of the time. He started getting very sleepy and fussy so we warmed him some milk but he didn’t want it and began crying louder. At this point every Thai woman we saw came over to check on him. Some even picked him up to play peek a boo with him. They were all very kind and quieted him down. It was 3:30am at this point so Benny said you stay here and I’m going to go see if the counter is open and find our stroller. About 10min later he came back smiling ear to ear but without the stroller so I was confused on what he could be so happy about. He had found the lounge chairs! He took us to them and we rested in comfort while he set out again to find the stroller. I began praying….Please Father the next time I see my husband let him have the stroller in his hands walking toward us. Well guess what, that is EXACTLY what I saw the next time I saw Benny. Again the “Big Guy” delivered in our time of need. There is a long story behind how Benny found it that we will tell you if you ask. But believe me our Father is to be PRAISED! It is now 5am and time get our boarding passes for our final flight!!! We got them, ate some breakfast and waited in the terminal until we boarded the plane. While waiting we met a family from Sweden that has two boys 5 and 3. They work for Torch Bearer’s and do almost the same thing we do in Sweden!! How crazy is that. They are also staying here at Juniper Tree with us. Other than being super tiered we all have been doing well. Pax woke up once in the middle of the night for a couple of hours but went back to sleep until 5 am. Which is great considering the time difference. I think we will all be back on track in just a few days! Thank you so much for all of your prayers. He heard them and answered! We ask that you continue to pray that we acclimate fast to the time change, for our continued health and for Pax. It is extremely hot here so it is going to take some getting used to. We do have air conditioning in our room but it’s an extreme difference when you walk outside. Any ways we hope you all are doing well and Know how much we LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU! We will post again soon.

A special Thank you goes out to the Gresham family for waking up at 4am to start us on our journey here. You guys are the best. Enjoy your vacation time! 

With LOVE in Him

The Story’s

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!

To all those who haven't heard we are expecting another son in Nov!!! We couldn't be more excited! I'll have to start collecting words of wisdom from all the mothers that have multiple children and especially mothers with two boys...... Thank you Lord for the family you have provided us!

Happy Memorial Day

Growing up is hard to do (FOR MOM)

So this weekend Benny and I sent the little guy down to Nana and Poppies. We are preparing to leave to for Thailand in just 10 days and needed some time to get everything lined out. We are also re-arranging the apartment to make room for baby #2. Any who..... I love love love that Pax gets to spend time away from home with his grandparents but every single time I MISS MISS MISS MISS MISS the little guy. Benny thinks its funny because when we drop him off and pull away I'm already sad. Not sad about who he is with just sad that I won't see him for a couple of days and that means I miss out on our mornings. You see Pax and I have great mornings together. He is so joyful when he wakes up. We are usually awakened by sounds of him singing in his bed to Mr. Bear or jumping up and down laughing. I can not explain how much my heart melts daily to the sounds of his laughter. Then when I go into his room to get him he looks up at me with the biggest grin and hides his face in his blanket. It has become a game that when he hides his face I'm supposed to tickle him. One morning I didn't tickle him but hide down by the side of the crib and when he came looking for me I popped up and said boo this sent him into a tummy laugh like never before. After we change the 10 pound diaper from the night we get our bottle and its cuddle time. He just sits in my lap snuggling while he drinks up his milk. After he gets his last sip he immediately wants down so that he can charge into our bedroom and wake up daddy. I'm serious, everyday he goes into our bedroom over to Benny and pats him. If Benny doesn't acknowledge him he starts slapping the side of the bed yelling Dada. It is the cutest thing ever. Then Benny usually scoops him up and they wrestle. You see growing up is wonderful. Watching him change and form likes and dislikes. He has the funniest personality and corks about him. The hard part about growing up is mom letting go. Right now as I type this Nana and Poppie are preparing to take him to the lake for the first time! PLEASE TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES :) I love you guys and I'm so greatful that Pax has you to spend time with. He is a lucky little boy!

Pax~ I love you with ALL my heart. You light up our world and you give me joy that I never knew before. You are contagious to be around and your laughter melts me! I can't wait to see what God has in store for you little one. I promise to learn to let you grow up and change like you were meant to. I promise we will lead you the way the Lord instructs us to. You are an incredible little boy and we are so very thankful for you. I love you around the world and around my back!

Baby #2 is on its way!!!!

To all those friends who haven't heard...... I'm PREGNANT!! Benny and I are expecting our next little bundle of joy Nov 4. More to come......

Mother Hood

Being a mother is the best gift a woman can get from our precious Lord. Although the labor can be quit lengthy and painful, the reward sews dividends in your life. Paxton has been such a blessing to us. He has taught me a different meaning to the word "love" and given me a clearer understanding of the sacrifice God made by sacrificing His son for my sins. Watching Pax grow and develop over the last year has been nothing short of marvelous. He has a personality that is bursting at the seems, is always laughing and could talk to you about anything (he got that from his momma)! He loves to read and playing outside is equivalent to me offering him ice cream for breakfast lunch and dinner. He currently is obsessed with dogs and birds and will walk around the house saying "woof woof". He runs to the windows calling out for birds and frequently slaps the windows when he gets one in his sight. He is such a boy because he LOVES to get dirty and wrestle with his daddy in the floor. I've had to learn that some grass in the mouth or dirt on his clothes is okay. My favorite thing is when he runs to me with and wraps his little arms around my neck. Nothing can express the feelings that radiate through me when he gives me one of those little hugs. All the changes have been such a delight to watch and has made me excited about the day that he looks up at me and says "I love you mom." We are also excited to see how he reacts to his new little sibling in 5 months. YES if you haven't heard we are expecting number 2 and could NOT be more excited! To wrap this up I wanted to post this poem about motherhood. To all the grandma's and mothers that read this blog....Happy Mothers Day!

A Mother Is

A mother is always there when you need a helping hand; to love you and guide you , and to forgive and understand.

A mother is always there with her arms open wide, when you need somewhere to go, or a safe place to hide.

A mothers love is unconditional, in the strongest storm it does not bend; its powers are unmatched, the deepest wounds it can mend.

She is the one true keeper of truth, strength, and love. A mother is a gift from Heaven up above.

Eureka!!

Saturday afternoon we loaded up the kiddo and headed to Eureka Springs. I hadn't been there in over a year so I was excited to get to introduce Pax to the area. We walked up and down the streets going in and out of the little shops, listening to the street musicians and stopping for the occassional pic. I think it's my new favorite family day place.

This picture is my favorite one of Benny and Pax. It captures daddy and son so well!