for some reason this phrase has been resonating with with me the last couple days. i love my boys so much sometimes it overwhelming! david is finally getting back to his silly, energetic self. i loved all the snuggles while he was sick, but he wasn’t as “present” and I missed his silly giggles and playfulness. it is so nice to have him back! matty is trying so hard to be a big boy. he is listening well and trying to be helpful. this stage of life is so crazy, sometimes i want to wish it away…and at other moments i try to slow it down and hold on somehow. whenever we love well we are vulnerable and open ourselves up for pain, but what a blessing to love and be loved!

I turned the word verification on because I’m getting some spam comments. Chrissie and I had lunch and shopped around Ross today with Matty as our sidekick. He was so good–he listened and behaved like a champion. I needed a day like that!!

chrissie came to visit overnight. i am so thrilled she’s here and i don’t think i’m gonna let her leave. we went up to montana de oro after dinner and watched the sunset. the pic of matty is from earlier today. he had a little preschool end-of the-year picnic. off to play/chat/watch movies with my sis!!

I’m getting ready for Lindsey’s open house and I thought I’d share a few pieces with my friends in the blog world… If you’d like to order something feel free to leave a comment, but please email me as well!

This is a pottery shard from China. I never know what I’ll get when I order these and I thought this piece was so sweet! It is strung with freshwater pearls and clear glass. 16″ SOLD
I just found this carved bone bird pendant and I fell in love! it looks so organic! The pendant is about 2 inches long. It is strung with freshwater pearls and bone. 16.5″ $45, including earrings
Another pottery shard–this cobalt blue is so striking! Strung with cobalt freshwater pearls. 17″ SOLD

We went to the elfin forest again this morning. it was beautiful with the fog rolling off the water, but sun overhead. We really need to plan a mommy hike there! Matty was all about looking for lizards (which are plentiful) but would get a little spooked when he saw one. David hung out in the back pack.

Steve is performing a wedding tonight at the Cliffs and I am going to join him. Should be fun!

Some fun photos from Avila Beach last night

What is CdLS? How do you get it?

CdLS is a random genetic disorder. Neither Steve or I passed it down to David, but for some reason one his chromosomes mutated and this caused the syndrome. Our chances of having another child with this syndrome are less than %1. Anyone has a %3 of having a child with special needs.

Do you get upset with people who stare or make rude comments?

By and large we have VERY positive interactions with strangers regarding David. I have only had one person who was truly rude. She was a clerk at Target and she stared at David with a disgusted look on her face and asked me what happened to him. In hindsight, I thought I should have told her that he was waterskiing and the rope got caught around his fingers and pulled three of them off. Then get a little misty-eyed and tell her we never found them in the water. But really, most people are incredibly gracious and loving. Sometimes people stare too long and I get a little annoyed. It natural to look, David is small for his size and has a deformity, of course people will take a second look. The best thing to do, to show respect, is to look at the person with the disability, smile, then look at the caregiver and smile. I hate it when people stare at David but won’t make eye contact with me–maybe they are afraid, but it comes across as disrespectful.

Does Matty know his brother is different?

So far he hasn’t seemed to notice. He gets annoyed with David just like siblings do. He is protective of David (which is unusual for a younger brother) but mostly he just sees David as David. This will change I’m sure as Matty continues to mature. We want to encourage Matty to accept David for who he is and not to be ashamed of having a brother with special needs. At the same time, we realize Matty needs to have space and time where he can be himself.

Did David have a Nissen Fundoplication during his G-tube procedure?

No, we almost did a Nissen about 2 years ago, on the reccomendation of David’s GI Doc. When we met with the surgeon, she felt it wasn’t necessary since his reflux was under control. He takes Prevacid to control the reflux and is on a lactose free diet (except for the two bites of ice cream we shared with him last night!!)

If you had Matthias before David, would you want to have another child so that your last pregnancy would be a positive experience?

It’s hard to say since I experienced my children in this order, but I can say that after David was born I wanted to have another child ASAP. I felt like I missed out on the joy that surrounds the birth of a baby. With Matty we had the “typical” experience. We’d like to have another and hopefully things will go smoothly. I think every family has to decide for themselves what works for them. Having another child after a child with special needs in no way replaces the first child but it can be a healing experience.

Will David grow more fingers? (Usually asked by children 7 years and under)

We don’t think so, but hey, God can do anything, right?

Steve randomly picked four numbers between 1-74. He chose the following individuals:

#9 Meg (Another day in paradise)-Open circle necklace
#26 Kim (Kim Kelly Kreations)-love necklace
#54 Natalie *that girl*-love necklace
#63 Karen (Ben & his brothers)-love necklace

Email me your addresses (Meg, tell me what you’d like on your open circle) & I’ll get these out in the next couple days.

Thanks also to those of you who have linked me to your blogs. Anyone else–feel free to link me, if you haven’t yet I really appreciate the word of mouth business!!

I seriously wish I could send each of you a little something…but then I would go broke! Thanks for your awesome comments and sweet words about the jewelry. I had so much fun with this–we’ll have to do it again!

first of all..THANK YOU to everyone who is participating in the giveaway–I am shocked to see how many people read our blog. Thanks for your sweet comments, too!! If you haven’t posted yet, you have until 7pm tonight.

We hung out with some friends at the park recently. Max & Matty play so well together and really love each other (they prove it by kissing each other’s boo boos and hugging good-bye). And Jen & I love to sit and chat while they play.

David is getting back to himself, but is still pretty mellow and snuggly. He finally went back to school yesterday. His teachers were so excited to see him. What a blessing! And I am ready to get back into my regular routine!!

Crazy story–
The other night Steve and I were watching TV when we heard some scratching at the garage door. The previous owners had a cat door installed and we haven’t replaced the door. We thought maybe a cat had gotten into the garage, but when we went to investigate, we found a THREE INCH COCKROACH scratching at the back door. Let me REITERATE we HEARD a cockroach while we were watching TV!!! We never see cockroaches around here–where did it come from? I think I might be traumatized!!

Hello bloggy friends! I am giving away one custom open circle necklace and three “love” necklaces with a small round disc. Tomorrow evening at 7pm, Steve will randomly pick the winners. If you’d like to participate, just leave a comment and tell us your favorite day of the week and why. I’ll ship anywhere in the US, but if you are out of the country you might have to help with shipping (probably $7). Happy Monday!!

Hi Jessica! This post is just for you (but others can peek too!!) Fun earrings for your cute new ‘do!! Hey, that rhymes. They are each $15 and are hung on a sterling fishhook earwires.

bronze freshwater pearls

smokey quartz

cream freshwater pearls

feceted amazonite

labradorite with czech glass