I've been in blog withdrawal!

Hi all,

We've been super busy on "vacation" and up in the mountains and readjusting to life back here in the Dallas area, so I feel like I've not had any extra time at all to blog. We had a wonderful trip to CA, though, and loved, loved, loved getting to introduce at least two of the quints to Gavin's family and home church out there. We were ultra blessed by our time there and by the response to the babies and assurances of all the prayers over all these months and ongoing.

I have to put the word "vacation" in quotes because our time in California was so non-stop! The three babies who stayed here did just superbly with their caretakers. In fact, I was a little bit put-out that they weren't happier to see me! They sure were happy to see each other, though! Marcie and Will squealed and flapped their arms and ended up bumping heads (and crying) in their glee. Seth just smiled and laughed over and over again.

David and Marcie are bumbling and crawling all over each other, and Will gets in to the action pretty well too with his forward scootch. Seth is getting so frustrated at watching them be mobile, he started bouncing on his little rear-end today trying to move himself while still sitting. He's doing better at being up on all fours, though, so Lord willing crawling won't be too terribly far away.

Our trip back was a bit more eventful than our trip out to CA as just after take-off Seth emptied his very full stomach all over my clothes and his. The sweet flight attendant actually took him from me and dressed him in fresh clothes while I tried to minimize the smell on my soaked clothes by using paper towels and baby wipes. Yuck!! I think he got motion-sick. But he's been vomiting a lot more in the past few days, which is frustrating, so we're back to continuous feeds until he can regain the weight he's lost - 9 ounces in 3 weeks! Thankfully he's improved a lot in his eating and physical therapy. He ate an ounce of sweet potato baby food plus lots of whipped cream today - pretty amazing for a kid who hated having anything go down his throat at all! We pray that continues and increases. He was distracted by someone sweeping the floor around him, so it seems to be largely a mental issue for him. If he's not thinking about the food going down, he can handle it going down a lot better.

Gracie, Gavin and Isaac are continuing to enjoy time at the family cabin in the Sierras. I am a bit jealous but mostly just glad to be home with my babies. I love them so much! They are TOO cute and fun! To make things more easy and enjoyable, God provided Gavin's great-aunt Bev and cousin Julie and her daughter Chloe to come help out for five days. I'm so grateful! They worked nearly 12 hours straight today - I think they have more stamina than I do!

Time for pictures:

Gracie in her cousin/uncle's pool on the 4th. She was just gleeful about this baby tube!

Gavin's grandma, Murmps, with the kids and me

Seth and Gracie

Just the grown-ups (Gavin, his cousin Grant, and me) on a pack-trip to Ragged Peak in Yosemite

The view from near the top (Young Lakes down below)

The view from the top facing the other direction. I was feeling a bit silly. :)

Gracie at the family cabin a couple of days ago

Grace enjoying Marmi's yummy cake. Most of it ended up between her legs!

The traditional Camp Sierra bath photo. All of the babies over the years have had this photo taken.

Couldn't choose between the two photos. Figured you wouldn't mind seeing two!

Those eyes of Gracie's!!

Taken after I left for TX with Seth: Gracie is clearly laughing at something she finds funny!

On the shores of Shaver Lake (Grace again)

Isaac, his cousin Levi and his grandpa "Papa" on a rented jet-ski

Gracie conked out in the shade right there on the beach

Gracie with Uncle Jared

Just hanging out in her playpen!

Sleepy Seth with his Marmi/grandma (taken before I left, obviously)