A City Boy in the Country: GA Part 1

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.' ~Saint Augustine

When we first started planning our summer vacation plans for 2014, Caleb was only a wish. We had a grand adventure planned, that we will most certainly do in a few years, and in a way we are doing a Cliff Notes version in a few weeks, but decided this year was not the year to do it. A few months ago we were invited by the Stalions' family to join them at their home in Gainesville, Georgia and we knew immediately it was a wonderful idea. 

We started our trip Wednesday afternoon, packing the car in a torrential downpour after daddy got off work. Our first stop was Aunt Heather and Uncle Josh's house just north of Orlando. We got to be a part of their special gender reveal party and I am thrilled that Caleb is going to have a best friend already!!!! I cannot believe I get to be pregnant at the same time as one of my best friends. How fun is that? Cousins!!!

The next morning we continued our trip to Georgia first stopping in Ormond Beach to have breakfast with another college friend and his family. It was so nice for everyone to get together and catch up. It felt like old times, just slightly different. Like sawing off straws for little ones one minute and reminiscing about the Eternal Praise and crazy connections the next. We made it to Georgia by dinner time and after a long day of driving, pizza and catching fireflies made for a perfect evening. Catching fireflies every night became a highly requested activity!

Family pictures were taken on the Fourth of July. This is something Renee and I were both looking forward to. I was thrilled to take pictures for them and their extended family, and we were lucky to have her take some awesome shots for us. All of the kids did a great job, and I know there are some keepers for sure. We totally bribed them with some playground time at the end if they were good.

We were invited to a delicious barbecue for dinner that evening and Connor was thrilled that his new friend Eli would be there. They had fun playing with a huge airplane in the front yard, eating hot dogs, and splashing in the kiddie pool in the backyard. 

By fireworks hour we were back at the home front and down by the dock on Lake Lanier hoping to catch some displays. Baby Colton didn't make it, bedtime came before it was dark enough, so Daddy, Connor, and I stayed at the edge of the dock and watched as fireworks appeared at different points on the horizon. We saw many different places sending off their explosions and it was a sweet way to take in the holiday.

We went to Jaemor Farms on Saturday and got fried pies, a basket full of peaches, and fresh blackberries. I was in heaven. Connor also got to see first hand that apples really do grown on trees. 

Sunday morning we got to see even more college friends by attending their church right there in Gainesville. It was so easy to pick up where we left off, and their little baby girl is just gorgeous. 

Sunday afternoon was Eli's birthday party and the kids had a blast racing all over the awesome little cabin it was held at. Connor couldn't get enough of fishing for magnetic fish in the kiddie pool outside and we practically had to drag him away from it when it was time to go. He did get to play with a cool big boy scooter back at the house, and I'm not sure who had more fun on it, the guys or Connor.

On Monday, our last day, we went to a cool old Gold Mine in Dahlonega. Everyone had fun panning for gold and we struck it mega rich with our seven gold flakes. Connor thought it was treasure for real, and then had fun down in the cavernous underground. The hard hats only made us cooler.

              
We spent sunset by the gorgeous pool, and it is amazing to me how far Connor has come with his swimming. I kept sending video to Grandma Glenda and we both marveled at his ability. It was such a nice way to end the Georgia part of our trip. Some of my favorite parts though were spending the late night hours sitting around the living room talking with Grant and Renee with no other distractions.Their hospitality was such a blessing to us, and we truly missed Bill and Linda.

The deer in the back yard one night was pretty awesome too!

Juneski in Review

June came and went like a flash! I am amazed that it is over already, but looking back we really have been doing so much. I have loved my time being home with Connor and planning different activities for him to do with friends during the week. Noah, Logan, Maelee, Sadie, and Everett are the crew for summer fun, and he has been loving every moment of it. He's also gotten to play a lot with our neighbor Jordan, and he looks for him every time we leave the house.

This compares my 20 week mark with Connor on the left, and Caleb on the right. 

June also held many celebrations. Papa had a birthday (of which Connor got to help blow out all of the candles), I hit and then passed the 20 week mark, and Aunt Arielle celebrated her first 29th Birthday. Connor has enjoyed all of the cake and ice cream. According to his Big Brother book, which he has memorized, "big brothers eat cupcakes" and he reminds us of such all of the time.

Father's Day was a fun day to celebrate Daddy, and Connor made him 3 new shirts this year. Daddy of course loved his handprint t-shirts but was really impressed by the shirt Connor painted him. He wears them all with pride. We've also had fun at the Plantation splash pad and going bowling. We can't even mention the "B" word or we are in for some serious begging. He loves to bowl and gets better and better every time he goes. Though his heart is still with playing golf with daddy in the evenings. It's their special time together.

 Our Patriotic Service at church was this past Sunday and of course they went over and above. I was so happy that Aunt Merilee was able to come along, and we loved having her down for some quality time while she celebrated her High School Reunion. Connor actually sat through his very first "Big Church" service and did great!

I feel Caleb all the time now and everyone else has gotten to experience his bumps and kicks as well. He is very very strong! I feel my belly growing, and the aches are starting to set in. We've also been working really hard around the house and that probably has something to do with it. We have officially listed our house and we're just going to see what happens. We may just be bringing baby Caleb home to a new home. Wow! Big changes ahead and it's all in the Lord's hands!

Suma Suma Summatime

It took a little convincing and maybe some therapy to get our little one back in the water this summer, but I can confidently say we have our fish back. My goal this summer is to really have him kicking and paddling without the crutch of a floating device. He is certainly strong enough so I know he can do it!

The last week of May saw me at my 18 week mark. There have been no moments recently to really stop and rest so it's been full steam ahead. The last 3 weeks of school were extremely stressful with activities/awards/concerts/end of the year closing and being one of the coordinators sees me running all over the place. Thankfully we had a day to hit Serendipity which is a happy place for everyone and most memorably one of my classes threw Caleb a baby shower. It was so special and so sweet, and I will never forget the kindness and love we both received from that class. What a blessing in weeks of chaos.

 The weekend before the last week of school we decided to throw in a Disney trip. I mean, why not? The new Seven Dwarfs Mine ride had just opened, and it was the perfect excuse to fly Casey home and take a trip.

The ride is adorable and we really lucked out with how the line worked out in our favor. Actually, Daddy, Aunt Kaitlyn, and Grandma all rode it twice. Connor wasn't sure at first but the line being interactive and fun made him less weary. He thought the ride might be too fast for his liking when he heard each set of riders "wahooo" as they took off. I assured him it would be fun and when it was all over he was "wahoo-ing" too.

The three of us had gone to Ohana for breakfast the last trip we took up to the happy place, but we thought it would be fun to take everyone there this time. You can't beat the skillet of yummy food and visiting with Mickey! Plus the conga line of kids running around the restaurant add to the festive morning atmosphere. Totally worth waking up early!!

 Aunt Kaitlyn is officially heading to High School in the fall. We couldn't be more proud of this gorgeous young woman and evidently she impressed her teachers this year as well. She won a trophy for Superior Honor Roll all 4 nine weeks, another one for perfect attendance, a medal for being the top music student, and a special certificate given by the commissioner to one student who showed outstanding scholastic citizenship. This beautiful young lady is a joy and blessing to her family, the best aunt a child could wish for, and extremely talented. Add that being a total goofball and you've got a winner. We are so proud of her!

Friday I had my 19.5 week sonogram and Daddy, Connor, and I got to see some wonderful pictures of our handsome little guy. They did a complete check of his entire body and I held my breath as I remembered Connor's cyst. Thankfully everything looked absolutely perfect and there is no need for concern over anything! Praise the Lord! He was measuring pretty consistently at 20 weeks and I'm crossing my fingers he's not going to be as big as his daddy when he's born. I just couldn't imagine!

Pee-Paw

Dear Connor and Caleb,

I am writing you this letter because a short time ago my Pee-Paw (your great-grandpa) passed away.  Pee-paw was a great man.  He had a big impact on me which will undoubtedly spill over into the both of you.  If you were to ask “what was the one quality about him that stood out above all the rest?”, most people would tell you it was his sense of humor.  I can’t argue with that.  However, I will tell you that the impact he had on me goes much deeper than that.  Pee-paw was a man you could look up too.  He was a caring man.  He was a loving man.  My Pee-paw demonstrated to me what it meant to work hard and support your family.  His doors were never locked because he wanted to be available at all times.  He loved it when someone would just drop in unexpectedly. 

Pee-paw also loved baseball.  More specifically he loved the Red Sox.  That may be a familiar thing for you two and that is because of Pee-paw.  From a young age, I loved baseball.  Pee-paw loved baseball too.  We had that in common.  When I was little, I did not have a favorite team so Pee-paw made sure I learned to love the Red Sox like him.  The Red Sox went 86 years without winning the World Series.  Pee-Paw waited almost that long to watch it happen.  I will never forget that night back in October of 2004 when the Sox finally won.  Although it was almost midnight and I was 1,000 miles away in Virginia, I knew I had to call Pee-paw to celebrate.  Sure enough he was awake and watching the end of game from his home here in Florida.  I called, he answered and just yelled, “Tim, can you believe it?”  It was so exciting.  He sounded as if he was the one who knocked in the game winning run. 

I like to think the greatest thing he taught me was to be a Red Sox fan but I was blessed enough to have learned so much more.  Pee-paw set a great example of how to be a loving person.  There wasn’t a single person that he encountered that he didn’t at least try to make smile.  He loved talking to, and encouraging everyone he came in contact with.  He loved kids and love teaching them about Jesus.  I couldn’t tell you how many people were blessed because they knew Pee-paw.  I was fortunate enough that he lived so close to where I work and live.  It was easy for me to head on over to his house on my lunch break and spend some quality time with him, especially during his last few weeks.  Most people change when they know their time is near but not Pee-paw.  He embraced reality and knew there was little he could do to change that.  During his final weeks, he kept up his sense of humor and encouraging attitude.  Losing someone you love is never easy but seeing him try to maintain his “normal” gave us a little peace and I know one day I will see him again.  Ultimately, I know I am blessed to be able to call him my grandpa.  He was a great man, he will be missed but the lessons he taught me will be lessons that I cherish and pass on to both of you.

I love you both very much,

Daddy

May I?

 May I tell you about our May so far? They say that March comes in like a lion but I feel that has been more true about May. The month started us off with me flying up to Lynchburg to visit Uncle Casey and help him to settle into his new house. It was an added bonus to get to see Aunt Hilary perform in Mary Poppins. The weekend was spent unpacking boxes, putting furniture together, and shopping. Trying to get everything one needs for a working home is no joke. I didn't feel like I did a good enough job and promptly told Grandma Glenda that she needs to go up do a better job than I did. There's something about having mom fix things that always works.

Sadly this past week Great Grandpa Hackett (Peepaw) passed away. He had been battling cancer for a while and his battle finally came to an end. I am so glad that Tim was able to visit with his grandfather during his lunchtime to spend some quality time with him over the past month or so. Connor even got to visit with Daddy a couple times and greatly enjoyed his time with his great grandfather. They got to talk about t-ball and Connor would just sit and tell him stories. This is the last picture we have of them together from one of their lunchtime visits. Peepaw left behind a great legacy and is the reason why Daddy has such a love of the Red Sox. Daddy loved his grandpa very much and there has always been a very special bond between the two of them. From their love of baseball to their love of aviation, Peepaw has always been one of Daddy's heroes. Peepaw also always made me feel loved, special, and cared for. My favorite would be when he would lean over to Daddy and tell him what a great job he had done. He will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live on in the lives of our boys. I know it already is.

Saturday was our big day to find out what this little baby growing inside of me is....I give you:

Caleb Guise Petersen

I was shocked considering how different this pregnancy has been, but I am so thrilled for Connor! A little brother is just what he needs and he is going to be the best big brother. God has a plan and I know that it is exactly what our family needs. I pray these two boys will love each other, respect each other, and be each other's best friend. That is what we will teach them and that is what we will model for them. Connor is already planning adventures from "chase" to "teaching him trucks" to "how to play tricks". That last one makes me nervous.....I'm sure it will be fine as long as I don't find frogs in my bed. It was a great revelation to make this Mother's Day even more special. He was so active during my sonogram that the technician was amazed. It has been interesting too because I'm already feeling movement from this little wiggle worm. Today marks my 16th week and I am just chugging along. I've had some migraines recently but I think some of it is stress related. I just have to take each day as it comes and I am so lucky that Daddy has so willingly taken over when I can't be home and keeps everything running smoothly. I don't know what I would do without him. This Friday I am chaperoning a trip to Universal, now that will be a test of endurance and coming back 4:30 Saturday morning will be interesting. I think I can, I think I can.