Sanity.

Sanity has seemed to have been restored to the Rader household. And by sanity I mean schedule, order, and predictablilty. I am...the schedule nazi. With that said, I will proceed with a bulleted update in keeping with my mantra. You will find an assortment of pictures below, but sadly they don't even capture the beauty and fun we had. Our digital broke and I was forced to buy single use disposables. Needless to say many of the pics did not come out. Enjoy what did though!

-->First and foremost, I apologize for being off the blog coaster for so long. I feel like the prodigal returning to her home. Well...you get the idea. It's almost awkward, and I confess I've stooped to being the blog stalker who never comments or posts. And don't even get me started on facebook! I can't keep up!

-->So vacation was nice. We went to Myrtle Beach S.C. for a few days and quite frankly it wasn't long enough, considering I slept half of it and most of us were sick. With what who knows. Justin puked the first night, the boys were coughing and sneezing the entire time which was accompanied by a runny nose that STILL plagues their raw noses, and I was sick to my stomach and VERY tired the ENTIRE time. Incidentally enough I was burned about 7 years ago (2nd degree burns over most of my body) from the sun (stupid teenage days...). I forgot that too much sun tends to make me sick. I haven't been in the sun like I was on vacation for a while and well...I think the sun made me sick. I broke out in these weird hives all over my chest and neck. No problem, except that they were really itchy and so I took a couple of benadryls the last night around 4 pm. I took an hour nap and then took care of Elijah for a little over an hour before I layed down again about 6pm. I didn't wake up until 12:30 am...just enough to say good night to Justin) and then I was out again until after 8 the next morning. That was a bummer. I forgot how much benadryl affects me. Last time I took it I fell asleep on the couch while Gabe was crawling around (he was still under a year old!). I couldn't stay awake at all. It was scary. Anywho that was a bit of a dissapointment.

-->Gabe destroyed most of the condo. He broke the stand up lamp shade, scribbled on a fabric chair with bright orange crayon, peed on the comforter THAT WAS NOT OURS, was awake by 6:30 am every morning playing in the toilet, strewing toilet paper all over the condo and doing who knows what with our toothbrushes (as we would find them in various places after we woke up). Not to mention he peed on the bathroom floor and dirtied a TON of other things. He also hated the beach and would dig my neck when I took him in the ocean. He hated the sand. He hated the sun. I had awful thoughts of drowning him in the ocean. Several times. He was like a different child. Not mine. It was unbelievable.

-->All that to say I left vacation NEEDING a vacation.

-->Elijah was fine. Growing like a weed. Almost nine months with 4 teeth, crawling, and pulling himself to a standing position and walking down the length of the couch while holding on all by himself. He is a fun-loving, always smiling, happy baby. He loves his brother and follows him around incesantly. Such a good-natured and all around pleasant baby.

-->Gabriel, though testing my patience while on vacation, has never let a day go by without making me smile, laugh and love him savagely. His vocabulary is just exploding with the craziest stuff. He has learned his first memory verse which he LOVES to say over and over again. He loves to sing and is constantly singing silly songs. His prayers have evolved into meaningful, darling conversation before bedtime, and he is doing so well using the potty all by himself. He's in underware during the day with pull-ups at nap time and bed time. He goes out on trips in his underware, but I dare not take him any place where he'll have fun...cause he forgets :) Believe me...I've tried. I am feeling the pressure to get him potty trained as other mothers I know have already potty trained their boys Gabe's age. But I am trying to let him grow into it naturally with guidance on my part and he is doing so well. What a little charmer he has become, worming his way into everyone's heart he encounters. He is so unique and special. I thank the Lord every day for my boys and immediately cry out to Him for the widsom and love needed to raise them into godly men.

-->I am the proud wife of a newly ordained, newly bald husband. Bald because he challenged our church that if we had 50+ kids on any given night of our VBS (which we just had a couple weeks ago) that he would shave his head. Well they stepped up to that challenge and he had to keep his word. Thankfully I don't mind it. In fact, I almost like it. Such a handsome man. Ordination pictures to come soon. I was so proud to stand beside him. Proud and challenged to step up to the awesome task of being a pastor's wife. So many negative connotations associated with the phrase "pastor's wife." And what a difficult role to fill. I am learning every day what being a pastor's wife means for me and the Lord is helping me every day.

-->I begin work again tomorrow. I love my job, but I am loving even more being home with the kids. How I miss it. It just feels right. But being out in the work force has cleared my mind and opened my eyes. I am thankful for the job. But I will always be a mom first. And quite frankly, I see motherhood as the most important job. Not the hotel I work at a few days a week. Sometimes I regret working and wonder if I made the right decision. But for now I get up three days a week for work and come home and start my real job and it works...for now. The kids are happy and Jusitn is liking it better. I think vacation has spoiled me. Kids grow up way too fast :)

-->It's late and I can't think of anything else blog world that you would be interested to know. If I do I will update it later when I add Justin's ordination pics which I will most likely post the end of this week. Here's just a snipit of our family vacation.

Until my next post blogdom, enjoy.