Home At Last!

There were a few bumps in the road but nothing major. We made the trip in good time and my sweet little babe didn't cry once and any of the 32 hours of driving. A little fussing near then end of each long day but I was fussy too by that point! At left is a little traveling picture that also best represents how I feel to be home!!!

I was so glad to get there early to help my aunt get ready for the reunion. It all went off without a hitch. It was great for everyone to meet Ella for the first time. True to form there were only a few people that she let hold her without complete meltdowns. But as long as she was with me or grandma or playing on the floor she was a super smiley, happy little one that people loved!

We ended up staying and extra day so my mom could take care of a few things she needed to do in Michigan and we arrived home last night. I only managed to accumulate a few things....great things....like three large vacuum storage bags of hand me down clothes from aunt Kirsten, and some great wooden toys from great grandma Eklund!

BOY WAS I GLAD TO BE HOME!!! Missing my hubby, being on the road with a babe, not sleeping in my own bed, helping get ready for a reunion, being around 25 people for the weekend and driving for long periods of time really wipes me out! I've never been happier to see my AMAZING, loving, helpful hubby and be in my little abode!

Now the unpacking....blah! My least favorite part!

I Must Be Crazy!

I know many a family who drive cross country with little ones because they are required to be at conferences and such. But to do so voluntarily requires "a little bit of crazy" as my new pastor would say :) . However, as I am not willing to step on a plane with out my husband, that is what I am doing. (I know, I know, cars are like 10 gazillion times more likely to get in a crash, blah, blah, blah. With my background, planes are scarier and either I'm going down and going to meet Jesus with my whole family or I'm not getting on them at all. Logical I know!)

Tomorrow morning my mom, Ella and I will head out to drive to Michigan for the annual Eklund Family Reunion (I'm procrastinating packing this very moment!). We're going to make the 15 hour trip in two days because we have the babe. And we have no delusions that we will actually make it in 15 hours. We know there will be many a stops for the little one. We'll be gone one entire week, returning next Tuesday night. (We're staying a little extra before and after the reunion because we may as well get in all the visiting we can since I make the trip very seldom!)

It's been 4 years since I made the trip last. Jason and I went out to Michigan and Minnesota on a support raising trip in 2005. Oh, the memories, the nostalgia...it's all coming back. We visited and stayed with SO many of my family members. They were amazing hosts, encouraged us, prayed for us, joined our ministry and supported us financially as well as gave us many contacts from their friends and families who supported us as well. I am so blessed to have such an amazing family!

I'm embarrassed that I've not been back since then...it's high time.

Jason cannot come as he does not have enough earned time off from his new job yet. AND the reunion is over the weekend of our 6 year anniversary!!! :( OH, how I will miss him!!! He noted that this will be the longest we have been away from each other since we've been married!

So if you would, please pray:
#1) For safe travels to and from and anywhere in between.
#2) That Ella would travel well, and not be uncomfortable.
#3) That Jason and I would be well distracted by our individual adventures while we're apart and not miss each other too terribly much!
#4) For a rich, deep, quality, fabulous time of connection with my family!

Fishing, Family, and Friends

We went back up home again this weekend. Jason had a fishing trip planned for Fri-Mon with a friend. They went way out in the willy wacks for a really hard core fishing trip. They drove as far as they could drive and then they hauled their gear behind mountain bikes, riding the roads, exploring every inch of the river and just pitching their tent where they found good ground each night.

He said normally the fishing there would stink mid July, but due to unusually high rainfall, low temperatures and something to do with some migration of the fish to the lake, they "slayed 'em". He caught the biggest brook trout he has ever caught in a stream on a fly rod. 20 inches and really fat. He said it was a "mountain top experience" and he could've just gone home at that. But then they got into places where he said, "no exageration" they each caught at least 100 fish. He said every cast, had a fish on. He said "I got tired of catching fish and that has NEVER happened to me before!" After he had recounted each day, in detail, with the excitement of a giddy child he turned to me with a sigh and said, "Man. If I could do that once a year I wouldn't even need to fish other than that!" It was just the adventure my man was craving and it fully satisfied him. I can't even describe how wonderful I felt for him. It brought joy to me just knowing how much his sense of adventure had been fulfilled that weekend!

And as for me. I got some great time in with my mom. We did a lot of hard work (emotionally and physically) getting her house cleaned up...but I think it was good. She watched the babe two evenings for me so I got some good time in visiting friends and being able to have full, undestracted conversations. And then I got to go to "Mommy Monday" on mon. morning and see many of the girlies and their babes. Good stuff all around!

As for the sleeping through the night. I won't update every day anymore but this about sums it up. She always goes to sleep at 6:30 or 7pm and is always up for the day at 6:30 or 7am. The nights go one of three ways. She either:
1.) Sleeps through completely without waking up at all!
2.) Wakes up once or twice and fusses slightly and then falls back to sleep on her own.
3.) Sleeps straight through until 3:30 or 4 in the morning and then cries bloody murder so I nurse her and she goes right back to sleep.
And really, I'm okay with all of them. It is a major step in the right direction of sleeping soundly through the whole night. And a vast improvement from her waking 2-3 times a night out of what I'm sure now was habit.