…life.

Love.

Family.

This morning as I was cooking breakfast, I noticed that Little Man was being unusually quiet in the living room.  As I entered, I saw that he was staring at his brother’s picture hanging on the wall.  He had tears in his eyes.  I asked what was wrong.  And then, he spoke the sweetest, saddest words I have ever heard him make.

“Me love my brother.  Me want him hom now.  Me need him home now.”

Whoa.  Everyone has always told us how Little Man acts (and looks) so much older than he really is.  I like to think that he is very mature for his age (almost 3).  But a 3 year old child saying this?  Crazy.  I don’t say these things in front of him that often, so it was quite strange and very much out of the blue.  How much does he understand?  I don’t know, but it’s clear that he is ready to meet his brother.  Sometimes I just have to stand back and soak in this tiny miracle…he never ceases to amaze me.  I cannot take credit for his gentle soul, his giving spirit and the wisdom that seems way beyond his years. I know that God has very special plans in store for this little guy, and for his brother as well.  I am honored to be the one to guide these little souls…and to watch their lives unfold.

On top of that, I had a very vivid dream last night about brother coming home….

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Happy Memorial Day.  Blessings, peace and thanks to the many men and women who serve this beautfiul country.

Read the article here to learn about the current discussions.

…Wakefield and colleagues published a study in the medical journal Lancet in 1998 alleging a link between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella.

At the time, Wakefield was working as a gastroenterologist at London’s Royal Free Hospital and did not have the ethical approval to conduct the study. He had also been paid to advise lawyers representing parents who believed their children had been hurt by the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

Ten of the study’s authors later renounced its conclusions and it was retracted by the Lancet in February.

In 2005, Wakefield founded a nonprofit autism center in Austin, Texas, but quit earlier this year.

In January, Britain’s medical council ruled that Wakefield and two other doctors acted unethically and showed a “callous disregard” for the children in their study. The medical body said Wakefield took blood samples from children at his son’s birthday party, paying them 5 pounds (today worth $7.20) each and later joked about the incident.

In a statement then, Wakefield said the medical council’s investigation was an effort to “discredit and silence” him to “shield the government from exposure on the (measles) vaccine scandal.”

In Monday’s ruling, the medical council said Wakefield abused his position as a doctor and “brought the medical profession into disrepute.”

At least a dozen British medical associations including the Royal College of Physicians, the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust have issued statements verifying the safety of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

“I hope this ruling will finally persuade the public and some misguided journalists that Dr. Wakefield behaved irresponsibly,” said Dr. Jennifer Best, a virologist at King’s College University in London. “(The measles) vaccine is a safe vaccine.”

Read the whole story  here.

…it doesn’t get any better than that.  

I know I keep saying it…but I am a lucky, lucky girl.  Life just keeps getting better all the time (not necesarrily any easier, just better). After my last post, I thought I might need to lighten things up a bit.  So here are some of the latest happenings in our world…

Friday nights are family date night.  We usually order pizza and then go somewhere fun.  Last Friday we hit up the little coffee shop in our historic downtown.  They always have amazing live music on the weekends. Little man scarfed down a cupcake while hubby and I sat and sipped our coffee.  We spent some time listening to the music, it was a mix of folk and bluegrass and it was awesome.  Truly, a perfect evening.  I couldn’t have written my life any better.  Turns out that all you have to do to keep the Little Man in a seat for more than 10 seconds is to shove a chocolate cupcake in his mouth.  That’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make, lol:

And then Tuesday was a get-your-Betty-Crocker-on kind of day.  Priceless:

I think I need to retitle this post as “chocoholics anonymous,” lol.  We don’t usually eat this many treats in one week, it’s just one of those special weeks when mama is off work and ready to splurge a bit   Little Man doesn’t seem to mind it at all!  I’ve enjoyed being able to cook 3 meals a day from scratch, I just love it, actually!  It’s so much fun to spend the days with Littel Man just doing domestic stuff. 

Today we spent all afternoon hiding together in Little Man’s tent, underneath his sleeping bag, playing hide-n-seek with his imaginary friend “the big blue monster.”  He is obsessed with monsters (the friendly kind, that’s all he knows, and peculiarly, they are all blue…).  I couldn’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon!  Reading books, singing songs, swinging in the backyard and blowing bubbles never get old when it’s with my funny little guy.  He sure knows how to keep things fun  

Oh, and the best news of all–our park has reopened.  It was nearly destroyed by the flood since it lies on the Harpeth River, but I think it is safe to visit now.  I don’t know exactly what it looks like at the moment, but I think we will try and visit it tomorrow.  So excited!  It’s our favorite place to hang out during the summer. Maybe now I can get away from the kitchen (and the baking) and spend my time chasing Little Man instead. I think we may need a few extra hours at the park to burn off all of our little splurges.

I am feeling hopeful about the adoption…I think things may start to move quickly.  I am hoping that Big Brother is home by fall, but we are planning that he will be home by Christmas.  You know, hope for the best, plan for the worst.  They say a heart that can bend will never be broken…well, my heart is stretched across an entire ocean, nearly half of the globe, and still my heart is broken.  I’ve done this crazy thing once before….Little Man’s adoption. You think I would just be used to this feeling by now, but I just want Big Brother home, too :)  Such is life.

As a family, we also have some BIG decisions to make in the future…like big BIG stuff…good stuff…just life stuff….stuff that makes me happy.  When that all unfolds, I will let everyone know.  Life is a funny thing sometimes.  I like being on this wild adventure.  That’s all I can say right now

So, how’s that for a nice, happy post?

 Hope your week is turning out to be awesome, too.

“The three grand essentials of happiness are something to do, something to love and something to hope for”   Allan Chalmers

Scientists Worry Current Could Carry Oil to Keys

heart.is.broken.

Last summer we made the amazing  {but mind-numbingly stenuous} hike up to Mount LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains.  After 6 miles of hiking up the mountain and nearly 3000 feet of elevation change, we finally arrived at the top.  Little man had hitched a ride on his daddy’s back the enire way, so he was ready to run around and burn some energy.  We, on the otherhand, were ready to collapse!  Hubby captured this shot of me trying to love on Little Man near a pretty patch of wildflowers.  Little man, however, was ready and rarin’ to go. I still love this picture, though!  You can see all the pictures from the hike right here on our blog.  One of the best family trips ever!

Now head on over to i heart faces to view some amazing photo entries.

Just a few snapshots captured on an iph*ne…Little Man woulnd’t stop hugging both of our necks at the same time.  So sweet–the best Mother’s Day present ever.  Am I not the luckiest mommy in the world?!  Love these guys.