11 juice requests
10 trucks to play with
9 different boo-boos
8 tickle times
7 little tantrums
6 sloppy kisses
5 hours of sleep (if I'm lucky!)
4 poopy diapers
Do you really want a picture here?
3 outfit changes (these really were taken all in the same morning a few months ago!)
2 gorgeous children
And a whole lot to celebrate!
Luis lives down the street and across an intersection from us. We don't know him or his family. But we know he is two years old. We know that yesterday, Luis was wearing sandals, red pants, and a blue-striped shirt with a tiger logo on it. We know that Luis has been missing since Friday afternoon.
When Tim, the boys and I were returning from a Friday afternoon Thanksgiving meal, we saw a helicopter circling above our neighborhood and surrounding ones. Then we saw lots of police cars all parked along one street. We got home in time to see the 6 o'clock news, and learned that little Luis had gone missing around 3:00, last seen by a neighbor, whom Luis asked for ice cream.
Our hearts are broken.
The police have set up mobile command centers in the vacant lot by our housing plan.
Volunteers, Tim among them, searched into the night and again today.
The sound of helicopters comes into earshot at regular intervals as the police search for Luis from the air. Each time I hear it, it reminds me that a child is still lost, and it wrenches my stomach.
As I was driving today, with my two boys safely in their car seats behind me, I saw volunteers searching the train tracks and wooded areas near our home, combing the brush for any sign of the lost child.
Police have barricaded off the street where Luis lives, and people from as far away as a woman who is here on vacation from Vienna, Austria, are giving of their time to search for a child they have never met.
Before August 24, 2007, this news would have had an impact on me, but probably only because of the proximity to our house. After Micah became part of our lives, and then Liam, I feel this story on such a deeper level.
I have been on the brink of tears ever since this happened. As I go about doing the things I need to do to keep our home and family running smoothly, I am constantly thinking about where this little boy might be, and praying that he is safe.
I think about the parents, and how utterly terrified they must be. Where is he? Is he safe? It was so uncharacteristically cold and very dark last night. Was he able to keep warm? He's only two years old. Would he even answer the would-be rescuers if he could hear them? Is it possible someone took him? Why?
Tim left our house to join the searchers last night, returning only because his flashlight died. I think that he couldn't bear to stay inside knowing that a little boy just Micah's age was gone. I would have gone too, had I not been needed to stay behind to make sure our children stayed safe in their beds. My mind has started to wander to think about what would I do if it were Micah missing, and I have to stop myself from even going there before I get physically sick.
I have seen news reported where the reporters have started to question the parents, wondering if Luis was being properly supervised when he disappeared. These reports made me extremely upset. First of all, any parent with a two-year-old knows how easy it is for them to disappear, and how quickly they can do it, even under constant supervision. Secondly, now is not the time for those questions.
Now is the time to look for Luis, to search for him, to make sure no stone is literally left unturned in an attempt to find him. When he is found, then go ahead and ask questions about parenting and supervision.
I do take comfort in knowing that God knows where Luis is, even when his parents, the police, and hundreds of volunteers don't. If I wasn't confident in my belief that God is still taking care of Luis even when his parents cannot, then this whole course of events would be even more tragic.
Here's what else I know. Last night, I hugged my boys closer and gave them more kisses before bedtime than I usually do. When I was up in the middle of the night to feed Liam, I made sure that Micah was covered with his blanket so that he would stay warm even as he slept. I resisted doing house chores this morning, and instead read books with Micah while Liam napped safely in his crib. I don't want to let them out of my sight.
So I pray for Luis and his safe return. I pray for his family, that they may somehow know peace in the midst of such incredibly horrible days. I pray for the safety of the searchers and the wisdom of the law enforcement people in charge of the search efforts.
I invite you to do the same.
This was at Micah's seat when we came in for the feast. We certainly are thankful to God for Micah!
Even though he didn't have a cool turkey with his name on it, we're thankful for Liam too, who was a very happy baby while everyone talked and ate over a lovely potluck Thanksgiving dinner.
and then sitting in the chair by the computer, watching garbage trucks on YouTube. I had to wake him up and move him (after I took the picture, of course) because he was swaying so much while he was falling asleep that I was afraid he was going to fall out of the chair!
You could see the NASA building, but it was still pretty far away. Our camera isn't great, but it does have a decent zoom.
Liftoff!
It was amazing how fast it flew into the sky.
And then it was gone,
leaving just a huge plume of smoke in its wake.
It was such a nice day that we decided to stop at the Magic Kingdom on the way home. Micah hasn't yet ridden the race cars yet, which is remarkable given his love of all things transportation. There was only a ten minute wait, so Tim took him on them that evening. It's hard to tell from the dark picture, but Micah really liked riding in the car.
The castle is already frosted for Christmas, the park is completely decorated, and the carols are playing. It started to put me in the mood for the holiday, even though it wasn't cold like this time of year should be. The castle is really beautiful.
Micah and mommy in front of the castle. The classic expression on my face is saying, "Tim, just take the picture and stop waiting for the perfect moment!!"
Liam and Daddy took their turn. How cute...
and vocal than he had been all day. He chattered on and on about the lights and kept saying, "Wow!", which I didn't even know he knew how to say. Funny how I have paid all this money for this beautiful music in my life and it turns out that the sweetest sound I could hear is our little boy talking about the colors of a carnival.
Today, as Micah was eating his snack after waking up from his nap, I was giving Liam his bottle and then we were just hanging out on the couch together. And then, out of nowhere, he gave me one of his smiles
and all of a sudden my world was as bouncy and joyful as his was in that moment. And he was just smiling because we were together. I have spent all this money trying to create memories in my life, and one of the ones I will cherish most is sitting on our couch and holding Liam, overwhelmed by joy.
Somehow, even in the midst of the crazy and questioning moments, these boys have used their transformational powers to make things just a little bit better.
Then he decided that they were at least tolerable, and decided to give me a big beautiful smile in the middle of his meal.
By the end, he wasn't so sure again. But all in all, I would consider it a successful first try at real food.
Some kids have security blankets, some kids have a favorite stuffed animal. Micah has his trucks.
Micah is drinking from a cup without a lid! For running around the house or travelling with a drink, we still keep the lid on, but when he's at the table, we try to give him his special Mickey glitter cup from which to drink his juice and milk. They use regular cups without lids at preschool, and today was the first day we sent him without his special lidded cup to use. I was fully prepared for him to come home in his spare outfit since he occasionally forgets that he doesn't have a lid and dumps the liquid everywhere (note the puddle on the tablecloth in the picture below). But he came home with a good report - and the same shirt on him. His teachers said he took cups at two different snack times and didn't spill a drop. Way to go, Micah!
Liam will chew anything he can get his hands on, including his stuffed moose, which has lots of different textures on it. We're expecting teeth any week now!
Alcatraz from a distance.
This is the Bay Bridge. I wouldn't have included this picture, except for the fact that the Bay Bridge was a big story while we were there, even making the Today show morning news. A cable broke, and the bridge shut down completely starting on Tuesday night. Coming from a city that knows the importance of bridges and the havoc that can be wreaked when you can't use one of them, I totally understood the ensuing craziness. But it also meant that we had to work around it like everyone else, and it kept us from seeing AT&T Park, where the Giants play, because the baseball field is just off of the Bay Bridge. We couldn't figure out a way to drive around all the road closings surrounding the bridge so that we could get to the park. Maybe on our next trip.
Finally got the timer on my camera to work so I could have a picture of the two of us at the Golden Gate bridge.
Driving on it. It's really impressive and even bigger than I thought.
We had to stop here. You're welcome for the gift, Tim's staff at church! :) Also, if you note the oddly-shaped building on the left side of the picture, that's where we ate lunch. (See picture below.)
We ate at a little diner in Ghiradelli Square. It's a bad picture of me because the light is behind me, but I think you can see enough of my face to know that I'm having a good time on our day out together.
So it turns out that there are all these crazy people that like to swim in the waters of the San Francisco Bay. Can I explain that the air temp was around 70 that day, and the wind made it even chillier than that, and the waters were at least 10 degrees colder still? And yet, there were a LOT of people swimming. Apparently, there's a club. At any rate, we were walking along, when I saw this old guy, just hanging out by the water in his Speedo. I'm not sure what he was contemplating, but I just couldn't resist taking his picture. Truthfully, it makes me giggle every time and it's one of my favorites from our trip. 
Alcatraz up close. We didn't have time to do it this trip, but next time I would really like to tour it. I was really fascinated by it and I'm not sure why.
The curviest street in the world - literally. While the grounds are beautiful, I would hate to live on it because of all the people crawling everywhere, taking pictures and disturbing your privacy. It was cool though.
And you can even drive down it! Tim drove, and I'm glad it wasn't me. Pittsburgh has some nasty hills, but nothing like this!
The Coit Tower. We didn't go up it, although I'm sure the views from the top were incredible.
Instead, we enjoyed the views we got just standing on the hill where the Coit Tower was. It really struck me that this is a beautiful city, and I'm really glad I got to see it. It's even a city that I wouldn't mind living in one day. I just wish it was on the east coast!
The curviest street in the world from a distance. Makes it easier to see just how crazy curvy it really is.
The famous Painted Ladies. Of course, they're famous to most people, myself included, because they're the houses featured in the opening credits to that little TV show, "Full House". Although I wasn't a fan of the show, I have seen a few episodes and recognized these houses. They're really pretty. What impressed me about San Francisco is how unique all the different architecture is, and yet how it all seems to fit together to create this beautiful landscape.
In the park next to the painted ladies, we stopped to use the bathrooms. Shocking, I know. And when I came out of the ladies' room, there was this really unique little garden. It's filled with a bunch of really cool shoes, and they're all growing plants inside of them. There's no plaque anywhere describing it or why it's there or how it started, so I Googled it when we got home and still haven't been able to find much info about it. I decided that I like that. It's sort of like this hidden thing that's not on a tour map, it's off the beaten path, and you have to discover it just by walking around and exploring. And using the bathroom. :) Look closely, and you'll see the shoes.
This one spoke to me the most. A little boy's shoe with a tiny plant coming to life inside of it.
The Phillies played Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday night. Tim watched the game with his parents at their house so that they could all react together without waking up the boys. But before he went to their house, I got a picture of him and Liam together, with Liam wearing his sleeper that looks a little like a Phillies uniform. They were both pretty happy. Of course, that was before the game.
