Vay-Cay!

Virginia never knew what hit it when the Ammon family came to town! We spent five glorious days in the sun and surf of Sandbridge Beach, just south of VA beach. Christopher's Dad and wife, Kaylyn, rented a house 2 blocks from the beach; complete with separate bedrooms, our own private pool, and a fully stocked 24 hr bar! = ) Joining us were Brian, Katie, and our neice, Taylor Grace (21 mos), who continually impressed us with her 3 year old vocabulary and her sassy 'tude. Around her, Elias is always "buddy" and I am Auntie "Kiki." What a blast she is! Christopher and Brian's great-grandma Ammon (affectionately known as Gigi) was along for the ride, as well as Kaylyn's sweet parents, Don and Nancy. All the old folks were so accomodating to us and displayed the utmost flexibility: an absolute must when vacationing with toddlers!

Taylor Grace was content to play in the sand like a nice little girl, while her cousin Elias, nicknamed "Fearless E" by his Aunt Katie, took a more kamikaze approach to the beach. He seemed unaffected by the size or force of the waves and would run from the sand to the water in a circular motion to try and thwart our efforts at protecting him. Christopher and I realized that our days of relaxing leisurely on our beach blanket were long gone.

It was great to not only spend time with family we don't see very much, but also to spend time with another couple with a toddler. We have so much in common with Brian and Katie and always enjoy their company. In fact, we still have a Phase 10 game to complete...Brian: don't forget you are still on phase 3 and you CAN'T pick up from the bottom of the discard pile!!! Any Phase 10 players who wish to weight in?

We are so grateful to Larry and Kaylyn for arranging such a great house and orchestrating all the details of meals, activities, and fun with 11 people! Whew!

Click on the picture of Elias and me to see a Kodak Gallery slideshow of our pictures from the trip.

Click on the picture of the Ammon family (x 2!) to see Brian and Katie's pictures.

The sweetest thing

Elias did the sweetest thing tonight. He gave both Christopher and I kisses on the lips when we said "Give Daddy/Mommy kisses!" He just leaned in and planted one on us! Elias is not exactly what you would call affectionate, unless he is sleepy, so these kisses meant the world to us!

He seems to surprise us everyday with something new, as he takes in more and more of the world. As his parents, we consider ourselves lucky to have a front row seat!

Attitude Adjustment courtesy of Kate Kirk

You might be wondering how I am able to post twice in one week, but I was just checking on one of my patient's website and just HAD to post what I read there. Kate had a stem cell transplant at Duke in July 2005. Feel free to read more about her disease and story on her website....listed in our "Favorite Links" to the right under "Kate the Great." Kate's Mom, Allison, journals on the wesbite and the journal I read today made me cry. I know it doesn't take much to do that for me, but I think what she wrote will touch even the toughest of hearts. Here is what Allison wrote:

Kate and me in April 2006 before she left Duke to return to Nashville, TN

Today you will hear from Ms. Cotten, Kate’s preschool teacher. She sent this letter home with Kate on the last day of school. “I have really enjoyed teaching Kate this year. However, she has taught me more than I have taught her.She has taught me the importance of smiling and laughing. She has gone through more in her short life than many adults ever will, yet she still finds a reason to smile every day. When I think I am having a bad day, I just look at Kate and she looks back at me with her arms outstretched and smiles. One of my favorite memories of her happened one day just before dismissal. While we were waiting for parents, she just looked at me and giggled. I giggled back and that started a giggling competition. I think we both won.She has also reminded me of the importance of family. I understand that Kate’s language has diminished quite a bit, but there are three words I hear from her every day: Mama, Daddy, and Caroline. I guess when life gets hard, we all tend to cling to what matters most.She has also taught me the proper way to give a hug. Apparently I have been doing it wrong all my life; I’ve just been wrapping my arms around people and squeezing them a little. But Kate wraps her arms around people and hangs on for dear life! If you think about it, Kate’s way makes a lot more sense. If you are only going to give someone a half-hearted hug, you might as well not be hugging them at all.Finally, Kate has taught me the proper way to celebrate birthdays. Most people celebrate their birthday once a year, but not Kate. She wants us to sing Happy Birthday to her every day—and why not? Birthdays are simply a day set aside to celebrate the fact that you are alive. But considering that none of us are guaranteed a long life, shouldn’t we be celebrating this more often?I am so thankful that Kate came into my classroom and into my heart. I will never forget her.”





This describes Kate to a "t" and reminded me how important it is to celebrate life. I don't know about you, but it is very easy for me to get bogged down by the activities of daily living, namely dishes, kitchen floors, and laundry. I hope reading this provides you with a much needed attitude adjustment, as it did me.

Lately...

Lately, Christopher and I have been commenting on how much we are enjoying Elias in his current stage of life. 16 months this week and every bit of boy, toddler, and Ammon. He loves to be outside and his favorite activity is taking off down the gravel driveway and to the street. It's quite unnerving how he has no concept of danger. He just wants to explore and be independent.

He talks a lot of nonsense these days, but definitively says "DA DA" and "AH-DAH" for "all done" when he is finished eating. He claps along to any music he hears, including my various cell phone ringtones. People always comment on how easy going he is...never really loses it...unless you bring him in from outside, of course. Everybody has their limits, right?
The latest news with us is that I have decided to go back to school this Fall to get my masters degree in nursing (MSN). I have chosen the Nursing and Healthcare Leadership Program at Duke, which focuses on the administrative aspects of nursing. The classes are all online and total about 39 credit hours. If I take 2 classes a semester, I should finish by Fall '09, but we'll just have to see how it goes. Elias will go to a little preschool (at Aldersgate United Methodist) Mondays and Wednesdays for 3 hours, in the hope that I might actually be able to get schoolwork done! I applied last week and should hear soon whether or not I have been accepted.

We are excited about this next step in my career and envision ourselves having more flexibility with jobs/locales. Maybe we'll end up back in Charlotte! For now, we plan on hanging out here at Eno River until I finish. It's not so bad here, really. = )

Below are a few pictures of our May adventures...

Elias got to spend Mothers Day with his Grandma, Great-Grandma Brutscher (who was in town visiting) AND Nana (who had come to babysit). They all had a great day together!

With cousin Taylor Grace at the Asheboro Zoo...a trip with Carol, Brian and Katie for Carol's birthday

At Katie's shower...Sofia due to arrive June 27th!

Our last dinner this week with Kimary before she headed out TODAY to Oregon for a new adventure. We'll miss you Kimary!