SLO in Arkansas

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Wood Chuck

Silas grilled pork chops for us for dinner several nights ago, and we were trying to get Tyson to say "pork chop." He pretty much calls everything chicken, or rice, or a hot dog!!! He said it a few times after we did, and then randomly in the meal he points at his plate and tries to say it again, though it came out sounding a lot more like "woodchuck!!!" We about died laughing, and of course now I can't stop calling the pork chops "wood chuck." Silas asked me what I wanted for dinner yesterday and I immediately said, well I do not want the leftover wood chuck for sure:) The picture has nothing to do with the story. Just a cute one of Tyson loving his ice cream. The fun part is that this is his favorite spot to eat ice cream. He takes his bowl and runs to the middle of the living room and plops down on the rug with it. Luckily he doesn't spill too much:)

Sunday, July 05, 2009

4th of July

We had a simple and enjoyable 4th of July this year, and it was great! We decided recently to not go to the lake like we usually would, with me being so pregnant and all the craziness that there is at the lake on a holiday weekend. So instead, we stayed here in town and were able to spend a relaxing weekend together as a family. We headed over to a friend's house on the 4th for some swimming, hamburgers and hot dogs, and some hanging out. Then we came back into town for the firework show at the Jonesboro fairgrounds. Since this was our first 4th here in town, we weren't sure what to expect, but it was great! We got a good parking spot near the fairgrounds and had perfect spots sitting in our chairs in the back of the truck. It was surprisingly cool here.....low 80's and a slight breeze, which made the evening of sitting outside just perfect:) Tyson and the kids enjoyed playing with their glow sticks while we waited for the show to begin. Tyson has never seen fireworks before as he was in bed fast asleep last year when they started. He was a little scared at first, but then he started enjoying himself and naming the colors. He just kept saying....ohhhh hot, and fire, every time he saw one go off! It was cute. It took for ever to get out of the parking lot and home, and he was so wound up from the evening that we couldn't get the little guy to bed until almost midnight! We had a great time though, and everyone had fun.

Tyson loves swimming so much, and is so fearless in the water. We have found that the arm floaties work best for him, since he can keep himself upright and still move around. He likes to lay back and float too. He is still figuring out the whole kicking and moving his arms thing, but he gets around pretty well. He loves jumping off the side of the pool and doesn't mind his head going under. He just pops up and swims to the side to do it again:)

Here is the picture of my new hair cut. I didn't quite mean for it to get this short, but turns out it is very easy to manage and I am really enjoying it:) It is much cooler for the summertime, and I shouldn't have to get it cut too soon either.

Here is my 33 week pregnant picture. I head to the doctor on the 6th, then one more 2 week appointment before we start going every week. It has seemed pretty fast for me. Still feeling great overall, but definitely getting a bit crankier the bigger I get. I alternate having days of lots of energy with days of sitting on the couch, which works out well I guess:) We are almost finished with the nursery, and I am starting to think about what we need to pack for the hospital. Other than that I am still trucking along with work, attempting to keep the house under control, working out in the yard, and loving my time with Tyson and Silas. Life is good:)

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Baby Shower

I had a fantastic weekend which included a wonderful baby shower for Jace and a visit with my mom. The women at church gave me a beautiful shower on Sunday, and I was blown away by their creativity and generosity! I received so many thoughtful and personalized gifts, and I am dying to get to use them!!! These girls are so talented and I have been so blessed by their friendship and love as we get ready to welcome this new little one soon. Thank you so much to all who came and participated in any way to make this so special for me. I truly appreciate everything and am so thankful for your kind hearts!!!

Tyson had a ball hanging out with his Memaw, and was so sad to see her leave on Monday. He just eats up all her attention and shows off continuously when she is here!!! We had lots of fun together, but of course I didn't get any cute pictures of them hanging out. My mom is so patient with him and Tyson just adores all the love and play time. We had a great visit and are so thankful for the time we get to spend with family. Thanks for making the trip mom....we loved having you and can't wait to see you again soon:)

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Family Time

We have been enjoying our time left as a family of three in these last 2 months before Jace gets here. Just thought I would post a few random pictures of the fam hanging out around the house the past few weeks. The top one is of Tyson being "Little Chef." He pulls his chair up every night so he can be part of helping cook dinner with us. He loves cooking and being involved in what we are going to be eating. He usually asks if we are having popcorn or rice, I guess since he likes them so much!

Here is my 30 week pregnant picture. I am 32 weeks this week, but everything is pretty much the same. I went to the doctor today and got a fabulous report. Everything is going great and I am feeling great, and am sure hoping to stay that way! I failed my one hour glucose screening for gestational diabetes a week ago, and had to go back for the 3 hour test to see if I really had it or not. Turns out I passed "with flying colors" they told me today, as I was in the normal ranges all four times they drew my blood. So that was good news. I have gained about 23 pounds at this point and I feel ok about that. The heat makes me not want to eat too much, so I have been enjoying a lot of fresh fruit and fruit salad. I am sad that we have already hit 99 degrees in June though! I was prepared for that in August, but it sure sucks the energy right out of you:) Luckily Tyson and I have spent lots of time playing in the water in the yard, and were able to go swimming this morning over at a friend's house. I am still sleeping decently too, and getting a nap almost every day which has been great!

Tyson and Daddy.

A picture of Ty and Mama, finally!!!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Father's Day Weekend

We had a fabulous Father's Day weekend here in the Orbison family:) We headed out to the lake on Friday afternoon for a few days of fun in the sun. It was perfect weather...sunny all weekend and in the 90's. The water felt good and refreshing, and we had a great time boating, swimming, eating, and hanging out with family and friends. Tyson was adorable as usual and had a grand time out on the water!

Tyson and his Daddy on Father's Day:)

Silas was able to get Tyson out in the tube for the first time this weekend and it was great!! Tyson isn't scared of much, and he had a ball riding the waves with his dad. Silas told me Tyson kept saying "Whoa, whoa!!!" the whole time, and laughing. I was driving the boat, so I was lucky that our friends were able to get a few pictures of his big adventure for me:) There were not too many people out this weekend, which made it perfect for tubing as there was not much traffic on the water. Silas got to have a turn finally too, and we all had fun. I spent most of my time floating in the water, which was perfect! Ty also learned how to jump off the back of the boat into the water where Silas would catch him, and spent a lot of time climbing in and jumping off again. He would get up to the edge and say "one, two...." and wait for us to say "three....jump!" Then he would fling himself off again. He had so much fun!

After hours of riding, tubing, swimming, and jumping, we had one tired little boy on our hands. He sleeps like a rock when we are driving around, and managed to squeeze in a few much needed naps this way:) We continue to enjoy the boat and are having so much fun sharing it with friends and making memories with our family. I can't wait until next summer when we have two little boys having fun together:) We had a great weekend with Silas and I am so thankful that Tyson has such a loving and fun daddy to grow up with:)

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Summer Fun

I can't believe it is more than half way through June already! Time sure is going fast these days, and we are trying to enjoy the summer as much as possible. We have been able to spend a few afternoons outside with Tyson in his little pool so far, and he has loved it. I love that he is such a water lover! These were the few pictures I got while the water was still clean and clear, before he climbed in and out a million times and got tons of grass and dirt in there:)

The rest are just a few cute pictures of little man over the past few weeks. He is growing up way too fast and I wish he would just stop! Some days I look at him and wonder where my little baby went, or newly teetering toddler. His language is expanding daily and he is starting to put sentences together. They are not always in the right order, but he is working on getting several words together to convey what he wants. He still chatters non-stop, though now most of it is understandable. He remains obsessed with the same things....tractors, trucks, motorcycles, trains, water, and puppies. Oh yeah, and food! These things are what 99% of our conversations are about daily. He has taken a recent liking to Mickey Mouse on the Disney channel, though he calls him "Hot Dog" because of the hot dog dance they sing/do at the end of the show. It's pretty cute:)

He has also started saying "I love you," which just melts mama's heart every single time:) Really it is just "love you," but he says it at all the right times. After I kiss him goodnight and am leaving his room, he usually says, "night night, love you mama!" Then he mutters something about cookies too! I could just eat him up!!!

I have been enjoying the past 3 weeks or so since he has been out of Mother's Day out and home with me full time. We have a great routine going for our day and have had some fun together:) He starts his new "school" tomorrow for the summer, and will only be going on Thursdays. I hope he likes this one as much as his old school. I think he will enjoy getting to be able to play with kids his own age at least one day a week, and it will give me some more hours to squeeze a little work in before I pop. I also can't believe that his birthday is coming up in about a month!!! My baby is about to be 2!!!

Friday, June 12, 2009

A Look Back

I can't believe how fast this past year has flown by. This time last year we were packing up to move to Jonesboro. It was a chaotic and stressful week trying to get packed, moved, and close on the house. I would like to look back from here and say that it has been smooth sailing since, but I can't in all honesty.

I have been thinking and reflecting on the year and our transition to a new place, and it really has had a lot of ups and downs. There are many positive things about being here, though I continue to get pangs of sadness at times thinking of what we left behind. I don't really think of Searcy as "home" anymore, though Jonesboro doesn't yet feel like "home" either. I know that the whole process is just that, a journey, not an event. One day I will wake up and feel at home here, but I just don't think I am there yet.

Of course most of what gets in my way of feeling peaceful and content is my own self, and my crazy expectations! I imagined what things would be like once we moved, and not much of what I imagined became reality once we got here. Our family is changing, schedules are changing, and of course life just changes everyday, and I guess I just forgot to factor that in:) With that said, I am getting to a place where I am content with life and am starting to settle into the familiar routines that I love so much. I better enjoy it fast since I am having a baby in 9 weeks, huh?!?!?

I struggled for a long time against moving, years actually, until I felt the pull so strongly I just couldn't keep ignoring it. I am so thankful that Silas was so patient with me as I wrestled with accepting this change, and that he allowed me to come in my own time. I truly believe God has us here for a reason, and I fully expected Him to make that reason clear as soon as I arrived where I thought He wanted me. As the days and months continued on and nothing seemed apparent, I started to doubt my decision to pack up and move after all. I know the devil gets at me through those little windows of doubt, and boy did I let him at times. I know that that has a lot to do with my not being content. But I have hung on and dug my heels in, and am going to keep fighting the urge to give up and run back to what feels familiar. I know that the path will open up for me step by step, and not with flashing neon signs like I wish it would!!

I am so thankful for so many people and things here, and I forget how blessed I am on my bad days. We have an amazing church family here who has been so welcoming, and I wouldn't have lasted this long without the wonderful people there!!! Tyson is growing and thriving daily, which I know I should never take for granted either. Silas has a good job, and so do I, which is again a huge blessing. I am my own worst enemy it seems, and can always find something to grumble about or steal a little of my joy away. So, I am writing all this to acknowledge some of my struggles openly and especially to myself, and as a reminder to focus on the positive and see just how fully I am blessed day in and day out. It has been a difficult year in many ways, and a wonderful year in many ways. My dad always reminds me that growing and stretching doesn't always feel good, but the end result is always worth it. So I am going to continue trusting God that I am right where he wants me, and be more cheerful along the way. I can already see many ways that things are working for good here for our family, and I know there is more to come.

Life hasn't always turned out like I expected or imagined it would, but in most ways it far exceeds anything I could have even hoped for:) God blesses me despite myself, and for that I am so thankful! I am eagerly looking forward to what this year has in store for me as well.