A New Friend...An Old Friend

It's a BOY!  Yes, we have an addition to our family but this time around it is not another little person.  Our new friend is a guinea pig!  I know, I know, we are not pet people.  I can see the jaws dropping now!  But the kids have wanted a pet and a dog is not an option at this point in our life but the kids still wanted something that was fun and that they could play with and cuddle with. 
Therefore, a fish was out!  
So after a lot of conversations between Dave and I and doing a lot of homework on guinea pigs, we decided to get the kids one for Easter.   
So meet Hershey...our NEW friend.

 And now meet our (possible) OLD friend....Hershey.  Let me explain.  Hershey has been a great pet so far.  He is only about 4 months old.  We have been really good about keeping his cage clean (Mommy's stipulation with this pet was to avoid smells at all costs!).  He is finally comfortable with us holding him and petting him.  Caleb is absolutely in love with him and loves to put him on his shoulder and wants to pull him out of his cage at least 3 or 4 times a day.

So the fact that he may soon be an old friend has nothing to do with him as a pet.  Daddy has been having a lot of allergy issues this spring season.  However, it came to a head one night with wheezing, sneezing, coughing and discomfort.  It was the worst he has ever had it.  We had just "happened" to get Hershey the night that it was really bad.  It could have been the hay, the food, the bedding (doubt he is allergic to recycled paper though!) or of course, the pig himself. He went to an allergist last week and after much poking and prodding, we did indeed find out that he is allergic to certain trees and the pollen has really been affecting him immensely.  They also found he was allergic to cat hair and lastly...guinea pigs!  He was tested for all other rodents as well...mice, rats, rabbits.  Not allergic to any of those, only guinea pigs.  Even the allergist thought that was a little bit strange.  Strange but nonetheless, true.  

Soooo...what does that mean for our new furry friend?  We are not quite sure yet.  The allergist told us to hold off on finding a new home for him until the pollen season ended.  So at the end of June if Dave is still having trouble, then we will have to make a decision...Dave or the pig. 
JUST KIDDING!  We have already talked to a few people about the possibility of taking him. But for now, we are enjoying the company of our new friend Hershey.  
We will keep you posted for sure!

Mother's Day

This year's Mother's Day was quite special.  Not because of breakfast in bed, a gift card for a massage or a handmade gift from my children.  Though in the past, those have been beautiful ways for my family's appreciation to be shown.  But this year, this year was different.  This is what made my Mother's Day so special.  

This is my cousin Eric who is now 18 years old.  Eric was born with Down Syndrome and when my Aunt and Uncle were given the hard news at 5 months pregnant, they had a choice to make. They could walk down the is path knowing it would be very hard or they could take the "easy" way out.  You have got to watch this video to hear more of their story.  
http://vimeo.com/95133147 (password: Baptism2014)

Eric is such a happy person who is always smiling or giving high-fives.  He is a big fan of wrestling my kids to the ground or bouncing them high on the trampoline (both of which my kids are big fans of as well!).  And no, you can't always understand what he is saying but one thing you do know is that he loves Jesus.  At church, he is raising his hands in praise or going up to others to pray for them.  
And I don't only admire Eric for the person he has become but I admire Uncle Joe and Aunt Eileen for guiding him to become who he has become.  They have taken the gift of Eric and ran with him.  They have raised him to know Jesus and have not held him back because of his challenges.  They make him a part of everything like feeding the homeless and ministering to others at church or in their neighborhood.  Last year, they even went to Africa on a missions trip as a family! They take his hand and make him rise to be all that God has called him to be.  

To see this life be baptized today was beautiful, amazing, awe-inspiring...to name only the few words that can even begin to describe the emotions.  

Mount Vernon

As part of our DC trip, we visited George Washington's house.  This was very cool to see.  It has an amazing amount of land though the house itself looks bigger on the outside than it seems to be on the inside.  However, for that time period, I am sure it was a large house.  The house was quite narrow and it's hard to believe George Washington walked around it with his 
6' 2" self!  There were animals to see and it was interesting to see how he and his family lived there.  His tomb is also there so we got to see where he was buried...with 30 other members of his family at his request.  It was a great field trip!

 The Libbys and Thorsons in front of George Washington's House

 The backyard was huge and had an amazing view.  After a fun day at Mount Vernon with the kiddos, Mary and I got our girls night out at Clyde's...the BEST chocolate chip bread pudding EVER!!!  It was a super great night just being together to share our hearts...face to face instead of over the phone.  Love this girl!

 I just loved this statue when you walked in.  I tried to get Jonas to stand with them but that kid is on the move these days!!!

 The boys in front of the model home.

A friend of ours gave Caleb this shirt last year...it was only most appropriate to wear to Mount Vernon!  A great day to learn about a great man.