Taylor, the Descriptive Author

Taylor wrote a three page story in 2nd Grade and brought it home this week. It is about me from a year ago and I found it so very well written, that I wanted to share it with you!
[spelling is depicted as she wrote it]

There once was a hero who my mom life now. This is a true story...

There once was a hero who saved my mom's life! Let me tell you the story... So me and my brothers were just watching our afternoon show like any other ordanairy day when upstairs my mom starts yelling my name! I pause our show then, walk upstairs, and see my mom shaking so bad the blangket I see is almost bouncing!!!!!!

"What!!" I say so surprized. My eyes were watering. My mom is on the phone. She talks to me says that the ambalence is coming and the firemen too cause her mucle is worse then a knot pulling so hard that you are crying! Then she talk some more and then arives and they take some notes ask some queistions and after ten minutes of waiting the firemen drive and help lift my mom on a wheeled bed and away they were. 

Oh and don't worry about us. Our Grama was here for us so we didn't have to come and I was still crying when my granpa arived to help baby sit. And guess what my mom didn't come back tell midnight!!!!! So when I wok up the next day I went strait to my mom's room and asked her if she felt better and she did and that is why the docter is my hero. The end.

A Week and Some Change

Jacob is now one week old, plus a few days.

And we're already noticing some change in him!

So here's an overview of his first week of life!

We spent almost four days in the hospital, three nights.

Here's a few shots from our stay there.

He took to the pacifier immediately!

And it hasn't affected his appetite nor his latch abilities,

so we do use it periodically.

On Tuesday we got ready to come home,

dressing Jacob in his HANDSOME outfit.

The next day Daddy was at school,

while Mommy got to hang out with the biggers again!

Of course, with a C-section

comes a lot of restriction on what I can/cannot do,

due to pain but also due to recovering as quickly as possible.

Grandma graciously stuck around for much of the day,

lifting Robbie when needed,

fixing meals and helping in so many ways.

We're thankful for you Grandma!

I did manage to get leftover dinner ready for lunch for the kids,

and set them up with their "tv trays" downstairs in the living room

to watch a little Curious George while they ate.

They seemed to truly enjoy the special treat of eating free of a table

and in front of a special "movie".

Plus, I got to stay in my comfy rocker while they ate,

which was much better than trying to sit at the table with them.

Jacob had his first doctor's appointment on Thursday.

He has lost a few ounces, as is expected,
but looked good other than that.

His circ is healed up completely, and he's pink and healthy!

Taylor was proud to introduce him to her doctor.

Both she and Robbie wore their stethescopes to the doctor's office,
and "stole" the hearts of all the nurses as we walked back to the patient room.

I will have a doctor's appointment for ME in a few more weeks.

So far the recovery has been much rougher than with my natural deliveries,
but I am definitely aware that I'm healing and improving.

I'm still on the narcotics for one more day-
I split them into half doses so I could make them last a little longer.

It is hard for me to rely so fully on other people,
but God has lots to teach me about my needs and how He chooses to provide.

I am rotating between three dresses,

and doing laundry every other day

so I can be comfortable and keep anything

from resting on my waist area.

Feels funny to be wearing dresses so much

but just for lounging around the house! haha!!

My incision site is healing well,
and my pain level is slowly becoming more manageable.

For this I am grateful!

Robbie loves to go up to the "Bee-bee"

and usually points out Jacob's eyes, hair, nose and chin.

He hasn't seemed to be tempted to throw anything at him yet,

which is a blessing since he's always throwing balls around the house =)

Both Tay and Robbie were STOKED to have Daddy and Mommy home!

They have especially shown it with their Daddy,
and they are missing him as soon as he leaves for school each day.

They provide him with a HUGE welcome home each evening!

On Saturday Jacob had his ONE WEEK BIRTHDAY!

We celebrated by getting him nakey nakey...

...And giving him his first bath at home!

He liked lounging in the "hot tub" of the guest bathroom sink

And barely opened his eyes for that part...

But once we started pouring water over his arms and legs
he started fussin' and soon he was in full cry mode!

So we quickly finished off the bath, washed his hair,
and wrapped him in his towel!

He was soon fast asleep- tuckered out from all that bathing action!

Jacob Sterling is such a precious gift,
and I was just saying to Greg today,
"Yes, I remember what life was like before Jacob joined our family,
but it just feels so right and complete now that he's here!"

We're in love!

Birth Story: Jacob Sterling Hickle

I thought I'd do a post about our 

Birth Story and C-Section
but it's not for those with "queezy" tummies!

So last Friday "Little Buddy" was head down, 

and I was doing TONS of walking-- 

I got up early in the morning and went on a walk since I couldn't sleep. 

I did not lay down at all during the day, and slept very tentatively during the night- 

fearing every time I felt him move that he might be choosing to flip again. 

But he stayed head down, and I thought he was getting a little lower.

On Saturday we went in at 7:40am,

 and it took about an hour and a half of answering questions, 

checking in, getting the IV in (yikes my nurse wasn't so great at that part), and other prep, 

then we started the Pitocin drip. 

For the next two hours Greg and I hung out, 

and my contractions really picked up- 

sometimes even just three minutes apart. 

Then I had a contraction and it hurt up under my ribs...

 turns out a baby with enough determination can 

actually FLIP between these strong contractions! 

"Buddy" was head up again!

So we called in the doc to confirm, and sure enough...
We discussed options again, and basically there were three:

1) Unhook the Pitocin, 

go home, 

and plan for an induction a week later- 

hoping he would have flipped head down, dropped down and engaged,
but not gained too much as he was already on the large side. 

(If he didn't flip- then C-section. 

Danger would be if my body decided to go into labor

-with my fast labor histories-

 but he was breech then it’d be an emergency c-section.)

2) Unhook the Pitocin, 

wait an hour to be sure it was all out of my system
and my uterus was relaxed, 

do the external version, 

hope that it draws him low to engage, 

redo Pitocin, 

and break my water to induce. 

(If he didn't drop low enough they wouldn't be able to break my water, 

and he'd most likely flip again. 

If they did break my water and he didn’t engage and come soon, 

it’d be an emergency c-section.)

3) Unhook the Pitocin, 

and go in for a c-section right now.

Greg and I went back and forth about it. 

In the end, after consulting and crying and thinking and praying, 

we both found we were leaning towards doing a c-section now 

rather than chancing having to do an emergency c-section later… 

A difficult decision to make. 

But once we’d said it aloud we both felt like we were fine moving forward with it.

So they prepped me for the c-section, 

gave Greg this great jump-suit of scrubs, mask and hairnet to wear. 

And whisked us off into the OR about an hour later.

They did the epidural-like injection into my back, 

and I laid on the table, 

feeling like the heaviest blanket ever was crawling its way from my toes to my ribcage. 

It became a bit hard to breathe, or so it felt like it, 

but they told me that I was actually breathing fine. 

They put me on Oxygen just to ease my mind though. 

Then they put up the sterile-area sheet by my shoulders, and Greg came in. 

He was allowed to bring the still camera, so this shot is from his perspective. 

You’ll have to ask him- 

but he said he found it quite fascinating watching over the curtain.

But get this! 

Little Buddy actually flipped DURING the operation as well, 

so he came out butt first, then feet, then shoulders and last his head. 

You can kinda tell in the OR picture, if you wanna look closely.

The hardest part wasn’t that I didn’t get to be “a part of it” during labor 

nor that I would have a rougher recovery,

 but for me the hardest thing was that I didn’t get to “have him” right away. 

Because of the breech and diabetes factors,

 the NICU nurses whisked him off to their corner for several minutes

 before I got to even see him. 

I could hear his cries, and they just brought tears to my eyes. 

Happy-but-longing-to-hold-him tears. 

Greg said that he looked fine, 

and that they were wiping him down and checking him out over at the warmer. 

The Anesthesiologist was HYSTERICAL 

and he was the only medical person on my side of the curtain. 

So he narrated the whole thing for me. 

He told Greg he’d be allowed to go over to the warmer 

and snap a few pictures if he’d like, so Greg went over there. 

Tears streamed down my face, 

and the anesthesiologist said to me, 

“I don’t have any Kleenex in this sterile environment, 

but I do have this extra towel. Do you wanna use this?” 

My lips and nose began to SEVERELY itch during the procedure, 

so he gave me Benadryl through my iv.  

It didn’t completely take it away, but I guess it must have helped a little. 

Soon the nurse came over with Little Buddy all wrapped up in a blanket, 

and I got to finally see him! 

He looked a lot like Robbie to me at that moment!

Then I flooded with more emotion =). 

Greg snapped the picture of me with him. 

While the doctors sutured and stapled me up, 

I could hear their conversation. 

They were SO surprised that he weighed in at 8 lbs 3 oz, 

as they couldn’t believe he’d had enough room in there to do all that flipping! 

Doctor Castles (my family OB practitioner) was the assistant in the OR 

and she told me later that she’d never seen 

Doctor Harris (the OB that technically did my C-section) 

work so hard to get a baby out in a c-section!

Doctor Castles also said, “You know, things happen for a reason. 

I had really hoped that when we opened you up we’d see 

why he refused to engage in the pelvic area, 

but we didn’t really see anything. 

Could it be that if we’d tried getting him down there 

his head wouldn’t have been at the right angle or something? 

There’s always a reason. 

And now we have him here and everyone is safe.” 

I have a deep feeling that she’s a believer, 

with things like this that she’s said. 

She also told me a few weeks ago

that she had a network that was praying for my situation too.

After a little while of baby being back with the nurses, 

they took my sheet/curtain down, 

and several of them worked together to lift me from the OR table to my bed.

 I couldn’t believe how truly NUMB I was. 

I wished I could be “helpful” in their moving me,

 but I had no ability at all. A very weird sensation. 

Then Dr. Castles said, 

“And this is my favorite part!” 

as she handed me Little Buddy 

and rested him in the crook of my arm on the side of the bed. 

They wheeled me back to my room,

 and she had Greg help prop me up a little sideways 

so that I could breastfeed immediately. 

And that’s when Jacob and I first got to finally bond! 

I longed for him so badly, and I just teared up immediately.

 So happy to have him here!

Greg and I took our time to decide officially on his name. 

And we’re so happy with the final name! 

He’s our Jacob Sterling Hickle, for sure!

Birth-Tay

Tomorrow Taylor will "turn" 3 years 5 months old!

This means that NEXT MONTH she'll already be 3 and a half!

That seems CRAZY to me!

So here's a few stories and pix of our lil' girl!

Now that the outdoors are "snowless"
Taylor is GREATLY enjoying getting to be outside again!

She's learning to pedal a two-wheeler
(although she struggles when she's not pointed downhill, ha!)

And one of her most FAVORITE things is her helmet!

And she's mastered her scooter
(borrowed from our neighbor)
and she speeds down and up this walkway several times a day!

She also likes to help with household chores.

Here she's "Doing the Stairs"
using the dustbuster to pick up all the dirt that we trek into the house.
This is one of her favorite chores!

On Mommy's birthday!

I sure am blessed!

She LOVES wearing her skirts now that it's warmer.
She feels like a PRINCESS every day!

And she LOVES fancy earrings too =)

She wears mostly 4T clothes,
and has recently graduated to size 10 in most shoes.

She still seems tall for her age in comparison with peers.

And she is one of the most articulate lil' people you'll ever meet.

She is also very inquisitive.

At the zoo Greg and Taylor were looking at the Bald Eagles
Greg: Look at the eagles' pretty white heads!
Tay: Yeah... did somebody paint them?

She has had some special gardening time with Grandma

now that Spring has sprung!

Grandma got her these special gardening gloves!

Sometimes she just plays with the mud,
and sometimes she asks for more water
so it'll be MORE muddy!
(the gloves are the only thing that make this possible,
as she really prefers not to have dirty hands, lol!)

POPSICLES are another sign that it's warm and nice to be outside!

I've come up with some pretty killer combinations lately!

And I've figured out how to get some protein into them,
using greek yogurt too =)

Love this lil' girl!

Taylor is LOVING feeling her new baby brother moving
in Mommy's tummy.

She likes to hold her hand on my tummy,
and she giggles and smiles the whole time!

She has started to call him "brother" sometimes.
She has decided that his name will be Fireman!

We've also entered SOFTBALL season,
she Taylor ran the bases after Daddy's game last week.

And while gardening with Grandma
Taylor actually DOES get to help plant flowers and veggies!

This spring they've planted
seeds: basil, cilantro, dill, rosemary,
flowers of many kinds, ferns, green plants and
veggie plants: tomato, cucumber and zucchini

And that's our three year five month old!

Evidence

Although I KNOW you KNOW
I KNOW you KNOW...
our kids are REALLY precious!!!
...as evidenced by:

#1) Taylor's crazy cute quotes!

Oct 2012
While reading the story of the feeding of the 5,000
when Jesus blessed and then 'broke' the bread,
"Why is the bread broken?!?"
and then when the disciples responded with cries of amazement,
"Awww... they cried!"

Nov 2012
Learning some Spanish manners
"Leche, por before!"

Then that same day, accidentally spilling her milk,
while Mommy cleans it up,
*dramatically, with pleading eyes*
"I'm soooooo sorry I spilled the milk!"
but then three seconds later
*cheerily, casually*
"But... it happens!"

Nov 2012
As the four of us sat down for some Papa John's,
"Hey Hickle, can I have a bite of your pizza?"

Nov 2012
Upon returning from a a Grandma-Granddaughter date
at McDonald's for a big weekend breakfast,
Me: "Where did you go Babes?"
Taylor: "We went to the 'had a farm' house for eggs."
(*cuz* Old McDonald.... 'had a farm'...)

Jan 2013

We watch a lot of Doc McStuffins on Disney Jr,
which is AWESOME (check it out if you haven't)
and the little girl is a doctor to her toys
which come alive when she wears her stethoscope...
Wearing her necklace Buela gave her for Christmas
Taylor put the monkey face charm on my chest and said,
"I have a diagnosis!"

Jan 2013

Daddy went back to school after three weeks home,
so she was missing him a lot
and as we drove by his school while he was in class
she explains to me,
"When I get bigger I'm gonna go to school.
Then I'm gonna get a car.
Then I'm gonna study.
Then I'm gonna be a doctor...
and Daddy will be my nurse!"

Feb 2013
Cuddling with Daddy while we say our prayers before bed,
"I love you Dad! No matter what happens!"

Feb 2013
With her plastic cell phone to her ear,
"Over and out, Grandpa! There's no time to lose!"

#2) Robbie's New Words
and Sound Effects!

He says "Baw" for everything round

He says "Buh-buh" for bye-bye and baby
He says "Maw-maw" but doesn't seem to only think
the name belongs to me.
He says "uh-oh" when anything falls on the floor.
He roars... like ALL THE TIME!
He slurps when putting a toy spoon or cup to his mouth
in Taylor's play kitchen.
He says "uh-uh" and points when he walks up to something he knows
he's not allowed to touch or play with.
He loves to crunch his food, so he eats cheerios and cereals sideways
so as to get the greatest crunching sound!
He vrooms and makes a siren sound when playing with cars.
He says "Eeeeee" when he signs "please".
He says "gua-gua" for anything he wants to put in his mouth

whether it's water, milk, cracker, oatmeal, cheerios, pacifier...

#3) Look at 'em!

There was enough wet snow last weekend
for Tay and Daddy to make a mini snowman!

Baseball season will soon be upon us...
Let's go O's!

#4) Watch 'em!

Remember you need to go to the site
to view the videos

Remember you need to go to the site
to view the videos

We are so very blessed with these two Hicklets.
Precious as precious can be!!

Ached

This week's been a long one...weekend included!

Wednesday
 begun it all with an EXCITING night,

as Robbie did not awake at all until midnight
(had been at 10:30 ON THE DOT for the last few months)
and when he awoke at midnight I did not feed him,
but then he did not awake again until six am
(had been eating at 10:30, 3ish and 6ish)
and I did not feed him,
and then he went back to sleep until eight am!

Thursday
was a pretty normal day as far as what we were up to,
and then that evening we went to
our first small group from our new church.

G&G graciously babysat so we could go meet the group,
and we had a nice time, and are excited to get to know them better.

When we got home we put Tay to bed,
and Robbie, who'd been asleep for over half an hour
woke terribly crying and upset,

so I got him up and rocked him in the chair.
Less than five minutes later
my hair, face, even eye lashes(!), sweater, arms,
his jammies and face,
and the rocking chair cushions, blanket and carpet
were covered in Robbie's stomach contents.
YIKES!
I yelped and cried for Greg who was doing homework upstairs.

We spent the next half hour cleaning.
I showered with Robbie,
who was shaken up, weak, trembling and exhausted.
Taylor was traumatized by the whole event,
and wouldn't stop crying for over an hour.
Daddy was INCREDIBLE and cleaned, helped, and
did what incredible people do!

That night I ended up breast feeding Robbie once...
But I figured he was probably dehydrating,
and it was the best thing to do for the poor guy!

Friday
we tried to lay pretty low.
We canceled our plans to be with Taylor's second cousins,
and gave Robbie plenty of nap time, water, and bland food.

We called the doctor's office and they said

it's prolly not the flu but is a tummy bug,

and that if he didn't present with a fever, just keep him hydrated.
Just an hour or so after Daddy left for class
my sweatshirt and pajama pants,
Robbie's shirt and pants,
and the high chair he was sitting in
were covered in a blow out from the other end.
DOUBLE YIKES!
So, home alone, I threw him in the tub,
took his clothes off, cleaned it all up,
Lysoled everything I could,
and eventually everything calmed down again.

But that night I didn't feed Robbie at all!
So-- maybe he was officially weened?

Saturday
we had a lazy morning,
and G&G headed out for a romantic night out of town.

We continued to eat bland food,
Mommy felt "not-so-sure" as far as her appetite,
and Robbie continued to have blow out diapers,
but Taylor seemed to have a relatively normal appetite,
although she kept mimicking us by saying her tummy hurt.

We went to church that evening

so we could sleep in the next morning,

had a late night snack before bedtime,

and Mommy and Daddy sat down for a nice movie together.
Taylor kept crying out for us,

so eventually one of us would go in there.

She'd say she needed to go potty,
we'd put her on the pot, she wouldn't go,
we'd tuck her back in.
This happened twice.

Then she cried out again for us.

I went in and...

her bed, hair, half a wall, blankets and pillow

were covered in her stomach contents.

The cute thing was she kept saying,
"I went [cough] and my tummy ached."
She would literally make a "cough" sound,

to try to describe what it meant to throw up.

Poor baby girl!

So I gave her a shower
while Daddy became Mr. INCREDIBLE again,
and stripped her bed (all while staying quiet
so Robbie could stay asleep),
cleaned the carpet and walls and everything else.
Taylor slept in bed with me.
On a towel.With a pull up on.
(she hasn't worn one for 3 months!)
just in case!
Daddy slept upstairs in the guest room.
Robbie didn't eat at all that night!

(We found out the next day
Grandma was at their "weekend getaway"
facing her own version of this tummy bug!
So sorry!!)

Sunday
we stayed home,
Greg let me take a glorious nap in the morning,
no more throwing up,
but still some queasy tummies,
so we've eaten strangely all day.

Anyway..

hopefully we're past the worst of it.

Praying Grandpa and Daddy don't get sick,
and that Mommy's version of it was all she'll face.

Thankful for Robbie weening off eating at night!
YAY!

Praying for Robbie, Taylor, and Grandma's tummies
to normalize and regain strength.

And thankful for an AMAZING husband
that did not complain ONCE for all the clean up he did,
did not hesitate to step right in and HELP,
did not insist on anything DESPITE the gross task set before him!
An INCREDIBLE man!

The List

So it's been quite busy around here

and the blog has dropped down from it's spot on the priority list.

For this I am sad,

because I like being able to look back months from now and see

what was on my mind,

what my kids were up to,

what I was feeling passionate about,

what I was learning about,

what was making me laugh,

what funny things Tay said,

etc...

However

I have been able to be involved in some projects

that I am glad to give my time to

so for that I am not sad, but grateful!

I mentioned to Kathy today

that I've realized I'm becomin' a bit more like my mama again!

I've really learned to rely on lists in a whole new way!

So this is a LIST OF FIVE of some of what I've been doin'!

#1: 

Taking care of these wonderful giggly gems!

Remember you need to go to the site to view the video

www.hickles.blogspot.com

#2: 

Christmas is upon us!

We are so excited to give Tay some "handmade" stuff 

but that means I am also trying to fill the kids' downtimes

with time to get projects done for Christmas!

I also made a few other Christmas gifts for others,

so that's been taking some of my time away!

We are experiencing ADVENT with Taylor this year.

It's a HUGE joy for me,
and she is just loving it!

I'll post more about that another time!
She can't wait for Baby Jesus' birthday =)

I wonder what that day looks like in her creative mind.

#3: 

Greg is a disciplined, successful, committed studier!

Last weekend he took a really hard test
that determines whether he can apply for the program this fall.

He studied for weeks for it.

It covered the expected LIFE SCIENCE,

but also had Earth Science and Chemistry.
It covered LANGUAGE and GRAMMAR
to the point that he had to diagram sentences, and determine

whether they were simple subjects and other tedious tasks.
It covered MATH
including Algebra, tricky word problems, geometry, etc.

We have been praying he'd think clearly
and be able to recall all that he'd studied.
He took several practice tests, and did better each time.
Well on the day of the test
(it's a proctored standardized test on a computer at school)
he finished, saw a number at the top,

but couldn't see what his score was.
He walked to the front where one of the Nursing Program Heads was,
and she was staring at him, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
He got very nervous and asked her if he'd passed.
Here was her answer:
"Yes," 

~pause~ 

"...with the highest score anyone from our school has ever gotten!"

HOORAY!
Congratulations Gregorio!

#4:
Fruit Bearers Ministries & Jewelry

Kathy's brother is Wes.
Wes founded a ministry in the Philippines
on an island called Negros Oriental.

They empower people with disabilities there.
There are some INCREDIBLE stories I hope to post about

sometime soon.

I have been helping him with getting some literature started
* a new brochure
* a concise mission statement
* a memorable and accurate motto
* and some others...

In the course of that work with him
I have evolved into a

 "saleswoman"/slash/"director"/slash/"marketer"

for these awesome earrings

some of the mothers of our sponsored children in the Philippines

make out of RECYCLED MAGAZINE PAPER!

You can see more of our inventory at the following link:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/FruitBearersShop

If you see something you'd like to get for Christmas for someone,

let me know which style, 

and I'll tell you some of our other colors too!

This has been a very fun project for me to get involved in!
I feel productive,

I feel like I'm using some of my skills and talents,

and it's an amazing cause I fully believe in!

#5:

Visitors come soon!

My folks come NEXT MONDAY and I can hardly stan' it!

Can't wait to host 'em,

to get to hang out with 'em,

to watch 'em with my kids,

to chat late at night with 'em,

to love on 'em,

to get loved on by 'em!

YAHOO!

Then Nate and Tricia come THE NEXT SUNDAY
and we're stoked!
Then Anna comes THE NEXT FRIDAY
and we'll all be Hickles together!

Okay, Daddy's home from school,
Pizza's here,
Grandma and Grandpa just left for a weekend away,
and we're watching a DVR'd CMA awards
(Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley 

are so funny together!)

I wish you well,

Merry Christmas Season to you!

A Roll of Paper Towels

A Roll of Paper Towels
                            ...& Wipes &...

Today started much like any other day.
Greg woke with the kids first
(something he frequently gifts me with!)
and I got up at 8 when he had to start getting ready
to head to his first classes of the day.

I fed Robbie his baby food bananas + cereal,
and used a paper towel to clean him off afterwards.

He's a relatively "clean" eater, and it's not too big a job.
Taylor had cereal with milk (a big girl breakfast!)
and then I made an omelet and stuffed it with
Swiss cheese and leftover ratatouille (Yum!).

Soon after that Robbie did a number in his diaper
so I cleaned him up, used a few wipes,
then he went down for his first nap.
Still, nothing out of the ordinary for today...

While he was sleeping
Taylor and I did a finger painting project.
We printed a coloring page from the internet,
and she went to town with all the different colors.
(By the way-- SHE was the one that did the tree!
I was quite impressed that she chose the right colors
and also did fairly well at staying in the lines!
I helped her with the pony hair and tail, and basket
but other than that she did it herself!)

We used a wipe for her finger
every time she chose to use a different color.
We had a big mound of colorful wipes at the end =)
Still, a rather routine morning...

Then Tay and I played on the computer using Starfall
(a wonderful preschool thru emerging reader program
with lots of FREE activities as well)
and then we also sent her cousins an ecard
through the VeggieTales website.
She was greatly enjoying herself and we were mess free!

Robbie began to make sounds in his crib
so, as she often does when he wakes,
Taylor jumped up from my lap at the computer desk
and loudly exclaimed,
"Robbie's a-WAKE! Let's go get him!"
So we did, and he had dirtied his pants again.
Time for another change.
A few more wipes.
Another trip to the trashcan outside.
Still, nothing stood out as particularly different today...

I started a load of laundry.
Taylor helped me a bit, but then said,
"I need go potty. I do it myself!"
So, for one of the first times...
I didn't follow her in there.
I knew she already knew how to do it herself,
as I've often just stood there and let her do each step.
Take off the pants, then panties.
Put the kids' chair on the toilet seat.
Lift herself up onto the seat.
Ready!

I was sorta in earshot,
but had the machine already filling with warm water and suds,
so I couldn't hear everything she said.
It sounded like she was just talking herself through her steps.
Then over the whish whish of the washer I hear,
"Mommy, uh oh! I go right here!"

I quickly stepped over to the restroom to see her
standing next to the toilet,
the kids' seat ready to go
her pants laying on the ground as they shoud be
but her panties still on
and a growing puddle below her.
She was SO close to making it.
She wasn't sure what I'd think,
so I smiled and intentionally
used the word accident about 5x in 30 seconds.
I picked up her soaked pants,
removed her drenched panties
and set her in the tub.
She enjoyed a bubbly mid-day 30 minute bath-o-fun,
Robbie sat on the carpet just outside the bathroom door
watching us intently, squealing at his sister,
and I used Lysol wipes and paper towels
to clean the bathroom floor.
While I was at it, I decided to clean the sink, toilet, etc.
Oh well- guess that was a productive experience!
Today is turning into a bit of a unique day!!

After getting dressed, hair combed, and laundry switched over
Taylor, Robbie and I headed upstairs to make lunch.

She nicely asked if both she and I could drink some water
out of big girl cups and do cheers.

I filled one about 1/4 full,
and was getting ready to fill the other the same,
when she protested saying she wanted it bigger
and that she wanted to drink all of it bigger.
I told her that if we use big girl cups
that we only fill them up this high,
and as I was saying that and putting the first one down on the counter
she flung her arms up with the other cup
just in time to send that entire 1/4 full big girl cup
flying onto the ground,
water shot-putting around the entire kitchen floor.
It was just an accident.
More paper towels. Not too hard to clean up.

Later, Tay and I ended up in a bit of a battle
over whether she had to eat the meatball I served with her pasta.
I won.
I cleaned spaghetti sauce off her face with a wet paper towel,
and then rewarded her choice to eat her whole bowl of lunch
with some finger jello, some sweet potato chips,
a few blue berries and some baby carrots.
While she ate her second course
I prepared Robbie's food.
One jar sweet potatoes, with about 1/4 cup baby cereal.
Mix, mix, mix.
As I was mixing I looked at the table
and realized Tay had pulled the table cloth toward herself.
So I told her to watch what Mommy was going to do.
I slowly pulled it back towards myself with my eyes locked on her
and was NOT THINKING at all
as I pulled Robbie's whole bowl of mostly mixed
sweet potatoes + cereal
into my lap!
INTO MY LAP!
I took a picture, just to show you how exciting it looks!!
I promise-- it's sweet potatoes and cereal- nothing more!

Paper towels to get the potatoes off.

Wipes to get the remaining potatoes off.
OxiClean to soak the stains away.
Detergent and a washing machine to clean them.
We'll see how they come out in about an hour!

And we reach the present time...it's 2:30pm

both kids are down for their naps
I have the time to write this whole ordeal up
and then we'll see what else
we might just need to clean up when they wake!

Cheers!

Stories

I LOVE seeing how God puts things that

seemingly have no relation to one another

but come come together for me

where it becomes OBVIOUS the Spirit is behind it!

An example might be:

 when a Sunday sermon,

email forward,

conversation with a friend,

non-christian tv show,

and facebook status

all reveal one themed truth about God.

LOVE IT!

Making connections is the best way to LEARN!

So I thought today I'd share a few fun

probably overtold stories

about Caleb,

so you can LEARN more about him!

When we were growing up

we came to the US every four years or so,

and traveled to visit supporters across the many states.

On one of those many roadtrips Caleb was home-schooling Kindergarten

and he was watching out the window of the RV.

In a field nearby was a very large flock of sheep

and he exclaimed,
"Bible times, Dude!"

Connections

We learn most when we make connections

between our background knowledge

and new experiences or information.

We went to go get our wellness shots at the doctor's office

and both Neil and I tried to act brave,

although we definitely weren't looking forward to it.

Caleb was just old enough to express his thoughts,

and Mom kept him busy in the waiting room

while each of us older kids got our shots.

Evidently he was observing

how we rubbed our bottoms as we came out of the office

because just before he went in

he said to Mom,
"But, I don't want a shot on my bung-ung."

Observations

We learn most when we take the time

to observe those that go before us

and our current surroundings

before trying to step in and change things.

While I was at Biola in my junior year

Caleb was on the Varsity sports teams at the Alliance in Quito,

and was having some back pain.

Through a series of tests,

he was diagnosed with Spina Bifida

as well as a slipped vertebrae that had slipped 30% out of place.

At first they thought it was severely serious,

and told him he'd never be able to play sports again!

They later came to find out it wasn't quite that bad,

but that it would definitely jeopardize his possible future with any military

but especially the marines.

For the next few years it took lots of patience, commitment, prayer

and peace that passes all understanding

until it all came together that he could in fact be a marine!

Perseverance
We learn most when we keep up our efforts

and persevere through the tough times

to come out on the other side

with the experiences to shape us into better people.

Caleb,

You have always been good at connecting, observing and persevering.

I think this is what makes you such a humble learner!

I pray, Lord, for Caleb this afternoon.

Continue your works in him.

Help him to hear your Spirit loudly and clearly.

Continue to develop his ability to

connect, observe, persevere

through all the experiences in A-stan.

May his troops see his humility and learn from it.

May it give them more trust and respect for him.

Thank you for the man you've created him to be.

Thank you for giving him the experiences he's had in the past,

so that he can better serve you in the present!

Therapy

It is time to announce officially to the cyber world
that we are moving to Montana!
By next Friday morning
our entire apartment will be packed up.
As we say goodbye to the state of California
I've had many-an-emotion.
So I decided to create my own form of therapy.
I wrote a letter.

Dear California,
It is hard to express in words all that you've provided
for us! There have been many different dorm rooms
and apartments, all our college years, ministries we've worked with,
tourist hot spots we've frequented, our first salaried long-term jobs,
restaurants we love, our church family,
our friends and best buds, and the foundational years
of building our family! We will always love you for that!
Thank you!

 

Home
Being from both Ecuador and Montana
we each chose you as our first
homes-away-from-home...

in your little town of La Mirada!

Once married we found a home on the border of
La Mirada and Whittier.
We survived and thrived in no air conditioning,
a summer with no car, & our first home together.

Then it was back to Biola for a year in Stewart.
We were able to save a lot of money
due to free utilities, discounted rent
and Greg's first salaried teaching job!

Next we moved to Fullerton in the OC.
We were located between church and work,
had a pool to enjoy on the hottest of days,
but still we sweat it out in the apartment a lot.

We moved from the center of Fullerton to just by the 5 and the 91.
What a special home it was for 3 and 1/2 years.
* with AIR CONDITIONING
* a DISHWASHER
* and 2 BEDROOMS...
It was walking distance to work at Annunciation.
This was the only home Taylor and Robbie
ever knew in your state!

Biola
In your little town of La Mirad you house a wonderful university
called Biola! We met, dated, got engaged
and were married during our years there.
Thank you for providing such ample opportunity for making
life long friends, for discovering who we are as individuals,
and for building the foundation for our marriage.

TJ

You border Mexico which provided access
to children in deep need for love.
Every other Saturday we learned to lead together,
to rely on eachothers' strengths,
to work in touch circumstances and to persevere
because we knew we were called to be there.

The Beach
We seldom took advantage of your coastlines!
We did not visit it enough by any means.
But thank you for providing us with the knowledge that
when we felt like it we could always plant our feet in your sands,
listen to waves as we take in your sunrays,
and ponder your beauty as the sun sets over your ocean.

There is one of your beach towns that we frequented more than
any other. We loved your tidepools and all the living creatures
to discover there! We will always cherish Laguna Beach
for these special memories:
* date days and family picnics
* celebration that we were finally pregnant
* trips with visiting family members
* both Taylor and Robbie's first experience of the beach

Best Buds

When we consider all that we'll miss when we move
from here there are obviously THINGS we'll miss,
but the hardest thing to leave is our FRIENDS!

Disneyland
One of your unique offerings is the
"Happiest Place on Earth".
There's no where like it!

Sunshine

Due to your almost eternal sunshine all year
we enjoyed our share of outdoor sports!
Softball and Ultimate would be our most favored.
Thank you for providing such beautiful weather!

There are not many places in the US
that provide as much sunshine as you!
And we Hickles do love to wear our sunglasses!

ACS
Our first salaried jobs came int he form of teachers
at Annunciation Catholic.
Mr. H was the coach and PE teacher.
Mrs. H taught Spanish then 3rd grade.

Restaurants
One of your biggest gifts is the vast array of culinary choices.
Thank you for all the yummy food and fun date nights!

WA
What a blessing you gave us by housing our first church home
of Wilshire Avenue!
We couldn't have asked for a better first church family!

And with that, we want to end this correspondence
by saying THANK YOU for your gift of sunshine!

Love,
the Hickles

PS. It's amazing how much we've GROWN in California!