Please Pray

UPDATE Tuesday, July 28th: Stellan has made some improvements and appears to be stable at this time. They are planning on sending him to Boston via Air Ambulance and will then do a surgery which could lead to open-heart surgery. Please continue to pray for them. Thanks for all the prayers already...I know they appreciate it!

If you look right next to this post, you'll see a link for a blog. I have been following MckMama's blog for several months now and feel as if I know her and her youngest son, Stellan. He is only a few days older than Riley, which might be another reason their situation really touches my heart. If you go to her blog (by clicking on his picture) you will be able to find his story, but as of right now, he is very very ill. I am asking all of my friends to pray fervently for him! Please pray for a miracle...for his little body to be healed. I just cannot imagine what they are going through.

Rambunctious Riley

Here are some recent pics of our man. He is really getting around these days. His latest thing is standing up in his crib! Scared me to death the first time he did it. His favorite toys to play with are not actually toys at all. He loves anything from the kitchen, remotes, cell phones, nasal aspirators....you name it!!! He is so much fun (of course I am exhausted)!!

Back Tracking

These are some pictures from Riley's stay with his Long grandparents when Edmond and I came to NC to find a home for us! Looks like he had a blast! Thanks for helping us Mrs. Pat and Mr. Edmond!

Riley's On the Move

Just wanted to share what our little man has been up to the past few days! Edmond said that he also pulled up on our ottoman by himself yesterday. He is just growing up too fast!

And We Are Here!

So...we arrived in Jacksonville, NC on Wednesday, July 1st! There is so very much that happened between my last post and now, but it will take a few posts to update you. We are still unpacking (and probably will be until we get ready to move out in about 6 months) so I only have time for a summary right now! Edmond and I drove up here last week and found a house to rent. It took most of the day to find something and then do the necessary paperwork, but it all worked out! We got back to Pensacola on Sunday, finished packing and loaded the truck on Monday. Woke up Tuesday morning (still had to finish loading the truck) and then were on our way to Georgia to spend the night with Edmond's sister, Casey (her house was right on the way, almost exactly halfway to NC....it was nice that Riley didn't have to endure a 12 1/2 hour drive in one day)! We then got to Jacksonville Wednesday afternoon and haven't stopped! We are exhausted, but making some progress. In a later post I promise to include pictures, fill you in on our thoughts about leaving Pensacola/moving to Jacksonville, and tell about Riley's exposure to the Swine Flu (we are past the incubation time so he should be in the clear)! Ok, that's all for now!

Off We Go!

Well, this will probably be my last post for awhile (but I will keep reading yours so, Andrea, keep giving us baby updates)! We found out Monday night that we are moving next Tuesday. Craziness! Edmond and I (we will be dropping Riley off with grandparents along the way) are driving to Jacksonville, NC tomorrow to find a place to live for the next 5-6 months. Then driving back to pick up Riley on Saturday and then back to Pensacola (I almost typed Baton Rouge...I still think I live there I guess!). We will finish packing and then load up a U-haul on Monday and then leave first thing Tuesday morning. This will definitely be an adventure.

Here are a few pictures from Edmond's winging ceremony and the weekend. We had such a great time with our families and friends! And I am so proud of my husband. He has worked so hard to get here! It is still kind of surreal! Anyway, enjoy the pics and as soon as we get settled back in, I will post again! Oh, for some reason I did not get a picture of Casey (Edmond's sister), Stuart and India. They came in as well, but aren't in any pictures. Sorry! Our wonderful friends Greta and Ryan are standing with Edmond in front of the helicopter that Edmond did all of his training in. And there are 2 things I want to say about the family picture: 1st, I promise I tried to put shoes on Riley...they just don't stay on these days and if you are wondering, I am standing next to Edmond's parents and he is standing next to mine (most of you know that, but wanted to clear that up for those of you who haven't met our families)! Ok, bye for now!

Hula Skirts and Leis

(I decided to make this post a little more interesting with the picture and a catchy title!)

So, we got the news a day early!  We will be going to the Marine Corps Base in Hawaii for our first permanent duty station (about 3-4 years). We are so very excited!  We will actually head to North Carolina for about 6 months while Edmond learns to fly the specific type of helicopter. The helicopter he will be flying is actually one of the safer types and I was very concerned about that. Of course there are some details that I'm a little worried about (like they will only ship one of our cars out there), but overall we are excited.  I'm sure it will hit me soon how very far I will be from family and friends.  This will definitely be the most difficult part of this experience.  But....how many people can say they've been able to live in Hawaii!  So, we are thanking the Lord tonight for putting us where He needs us.