In awe.

Without getting too serious with this post....

I was in awe and overwhelmed during our vacation with a special person in our lives.  Some people when going through a "hardship" would seek attention, or want pity, or mope, maybe even be bitter.  

Not Brandon.  

He is the exact opposite of all those things.  He deals with his sickness and keeps going.  He doesn't complain.  When he's sick; he's sick.  When he can eat; he'll eat.  He doesn't wine or gripe.  He's pleasurable to be around and is always making sure YOU'RE doing okay. 

It's hard to watch someone you love fight such a tough battle.  

Brandon amazes us with his strength and courage.  He presses on every day to live his life in the fullest way possible and is determined to not let this cancer get the best of him.  

We love him.  

We're praying for him.  

We believe in him.  

We're cheering for him.  

Keep up with Brandon's journey at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/brandonnileperry

We're Back

Our visit to the states ended on Monday, December 19th and we headed back to the Land of Sand to celebrate Christmas and to make it back to the Kingdom before my ability to travel was forfeited.  

I can honestly say this was THE EASIEST 24 hour trip we've taken, in every aspect.  Logisitcs-- everything worked out.  We used up our entire luggage weight allotment for all 7 suitcases, packed our new double stroller into its travel bag, and successfully made it to Saudi with out anything being searched, taken, or confiscated-- woo hoo.  Physically- Brooks was with me this trip, which just makes traveling 1,000 times easier.  We click, know what needs to be done, we're understanding with each other, and we can easily navigate and control our 2 kids with few issues.  Emotionally-- as hard as it was to tell our families goodbye and knowing that it was going to be 6 months before we're back home in the states... I was sad- we all were.  However, we're you're away from your own routines, beds, home, stuff, etc- sometimes, you're just ready to get back and feel some normalcy.  Not to mention, knowing we HAD to go back at this point because I was already 33 weeks, was a bit of motivation for me to be "okay" with leaving.  

Flying back to Saudi is always a million times easier because we leave at night (around 8pm) so to the boys, it's their bed time.  They were both quick to go to sleep once we got them into their pajama's and after settling down they slept at least 6- 8 hours.  At one point, the seat belt sign came on so we were required to remove Miles from the baby bassinet that is attached to the wall, which caused him to wake up for a few hours between his nighttime sleep.  This was the hardest part and Brooks handled it all.  He let me sleep since I tend to get sick on the plane when I'm pregnant, but after 2 hours, Miles went back to sleep and Brooks was able to go to sleep.  Once the boys woke up, they played, ate some food, played some more and were pretty content.  Before we knew it we were arriving in Doha, Qatar.  

We let the boys play on the indoor playground and run off all their energy.  They had a blast and were extremely thankful for the freedom to go and do as they please.  Brooks and I got a little break, picked up some refreshments, and off we went to board our next flight.  

Our flight into Saudi never bothers us. It's fast and quick and at this point we're just thinking let's get there and be done traveling.  Well, when you're as far along in your pregnancy as I was... apparently, the airline has MANY restrictions and concerns and it was quite entertaining how many times we were stopped and questioned for my medical certificate with approval to fly, not to mention the numerous airline attendants who came and probed me in various ways.  Brooks and I were grateful for their concern, but we also thought it was entertaining... This flight lasted 50 minutes and you would have thought I was being admitted into the hospital with as much questioning was going on.  It wasn't a big deal to us... we just found it hilarious that NOT A SINGLE PERSON SPOKE TO ME ABOUT BEING PREGNANT on our flight from Houston to Doha, which lasted 16 hours.  Go figure, huh?!?!  

We arrived in Damman and got off of the plane as quickly as we could.  We never know what customs is going to be like and we're always eager to get their before the crowd, so we grabbed the boys and took off.  As soon as we got in line, Brooks pulled out our passports and we quickly realized one was missing.  We both kinda went into panic mode and he ran back to the plane to look for it.  10 minutes later he came running around the corner, while the boys and I were still waiting in line and thankfully, he had his passport with him, that he found in the overhead bend compartment.  Praise the Lord!  We maneuvered through a few lines before finding one that was going the fastest and made it through quickly.  We got all our bags, found our driver, and loaded up the car.  

As soon as made it home, Gavin took off into the house.  He wanted to see all of his toys.  He was so excited, he peed in his pants... okay, so he really didn't pee in his pants, but he couldn't wait to play with his toys that he walked away from the potty before he was done and got his pants all wet.  He played pant-less the whole time Brooks and I unloaded luggage and got settled in.  

It's been nice being back.  Spending Christmas here without family (my parents were here last year) and all our friends (most are all back in the states since they were all here last Christmas) was a little different.  We've been busy getting the house situated and reorganized.  We're having to plan for bringing Brooklyn home as well as adding more toys and gifts from Christmas into the house so it's been hectic trying to figure everything out as well as dealing with jetlag.  Thank goodness Brooks had last weekend off so he was home with us Thursday and Friday and helped out A TON.  He was able to help me out during the night with the boys, too.  Right now, both boys are waking up around 1am and staying awake until 4 or 5am.  Brooks is back at work so I do my best to let him sleep and I keep both boys in Gavin's room to play or watch a movie.  I'm hoping and praying we only have another day or two of needing to adjust to the time change.  I only let Miles take one nap during the day, to help him sleep at night and Gavin hasn't gotten to take a nap in the last 3 days... it's not working though.  At least, we're keeping ourselves busy.  

A few things before we left..

The night before we left for Saudi, and the same day we drove back from Arkansas, we celebrated Christmas with my family- our last Christmas celebration in the states.  It was an incredibly fun evening watching all the little kids squeal with excitement when opening their presents from Captain and Kimmie -- I think us adults enjoyed it just as much as they did.  My mom did a great job getting all the kids toys and fun gadgets that they'd enjoy and I ca honestly say there was never a dull moment that evening.

 

 

  

 

My brother Kyle was gracious to lend us his cooking skills and fixed a DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS dinner with homemade crab cakes and lobster bisque.  YUMMY.  After dinner, we had cake and cookies and celebrated Miles upcoming first birthday.  Miles was pretty excited when everyone started singing and he got giddy when he saw a cake.  I'm so grateful my family wanted to celebrate and be a part of Miles first birthday!  Fun memories!!  

 

Arkansas in December

Part of our vacation in the US, was spent in Arkansas visiting Brooks' family.  We started out our week and a half trip by going to the Ranch (in Hot Springs) and spent a few days visiting with all the extended family.  Brooks cooked gumbo for everyone one evening and we spent our days circled around Mim's table eating, catching up, and laughing.  There's never a dull moment at Mim's house and our boys were never bored.  They enjoyed playing and spending time with their extended cousins.  These kids get along great with one another.  

Brooks' brother, Brandon, goes to Children's Hospital in Little Rock every week for chemotherapy treatment.  Brooks couldn't wait to see Bran and visit with him, so our first morning in Arkansas he drove to LR and spent the day with Brandon in the hospital.  Considering the circumstances they enjoyed their visit.  Most of their day was spent laughing and goofing off just like they always do when they're together. 

While daddy was away, Gavin got to ride the four wheeler with Pop and took a few rides around the ranch.  He got to see the buffalo, longhorn, a donkey, and lots of horses.  This has become a normal event for Gavin and Pop and something they both look forward to and talk about throughout our visit.

Once Brandon was released from the hospital, we drove down to Arkadelphia to stay the week with Brooks' mom, her husband John, and spend more time with Brandon.  We celebrated the Christmas season and went to a Christmas Light "show", which was amazing!  It was at a botanical garden place and the sights were beautiful.  Some friends of the family were there with their 3 kids so we enjoyed walking around the grounds visiting and Gavin was able to run around with other kids. There were gingerbread houses, flowers, trees, animals, and lots more images created out of lights.  They created a train that actually made sounds and that you could walk inside.  Gavin couldn't wait until we got to the train.  He honked the horn and climbed up and down the stairs until we HAD to leave.  It was a fun evening and nice to get out of the house and enjoy some Christmas festivities while we were in the states.

*Brooks was MIA for this family outing-- he got to spend the weekend with 5 of his best guy friends outside of Dallas at a ranch, shooting guns and riding four wheelers.  He had a blast being with the guys and doing guy stuff.... you know with no kids, no responsibilities.  I wonder what that's like!

When Brooks got back from his guys weekend, we celebrated Christmas one morning and made some special memories.  The boys had a blast opening presents and were running around everywhere trying to dig into all the boxes.  I don't think they knew what to play with first.  Tractors, balls, pow-pow's, books, doctors outfits and more... it was a fun morning.  Gavin loved "working" on Uncle Bran and helping him to feel better.  Brandon was a great patient, too!  

 

The rest of our week was filled with our usual happenings around Missie and John's place.  Gavin got to feed the neighbors' horse and donkeys, did a little tree climbing, rode on Papa John's new tractor, went fishing, and helped daddy build a bonfire.  They keep Gavin pretty busy when he's at their house and he loves every minute of it!

 

One of our days together, while Brandon, unexpectedly was admitted into the hospital overnight and Brooks was staying with him, Missie and I drove to LR and took the boys to a cute, fun little children's place (almost like a children's museum). it was a fun area for them to run around, work at different stations, experiment, etc.  There was a puppet area, grocery store, kitchen, barn, water hole, vet sight, and more.  Gavin and Grammy spent a lot of time in the grocery store.  They used the cash register and everything!  Miles filled a grocery basket up a time or two and dumped all the food everywhere.  It was a really fun morning and the boys played and played their hearts out.

 

I'm so glad we took the boys there and gave them some experiences around town, not just at houses.  I'm always hoping to let them see and do as much as they can when we visit the states-- we don't get these types of experiences here in Saudi.

The following weekend, we headed back to the Ranch to spend time with some friends of ours who were getting married and Brooks was in the wedding.  Gavin played with all his "cousins" some more and stayed busy while we did wedding activities.

After the rehearsal dinner, all our friends headed to the Arlington Hotel in downtown Hot Springs for some "dancing".  I don't think there was much dancing going on, but we did visit and hang out with out kids running around.  Wow- adult conversations.  Love them and love our friends!  

It was a joy to celebrate Tim and Gabi's special day.  We've been friends with Tim for YEARS and Gabi was one of my campers so they both have a special place in our hearts.  Brooks and I were grateful when my due date changed by a few days so we could manipulate my travel dates back to Saudi in order to go to their wedding.  We spent the afternoon with close friends who we don't get to see often so it was a very special weekend.

Camp friends-- there is NO ONE LIKE THEM!

We loved being in Arkansas spending time with family and friends.  As every trip is always too short, we're looking forward to the next visit and making more memories.

Check out a million more pics on facebook from our trip!  

30 Weeks, a Middle Name, & More Baby "Stuff"

I turned 30 weeks, 2 weeks ago, and am feeling really good.  I have definitely started slowing down a little and am uncomfortable, but for the most part, it's fine!  We went and had an appointment with my Lake Charles doctor and Brooklyn looked good.  Her ultrasound showed she has HAIR!  Too cute!  We asked the doctor about Brooklyn's size, since my Saudi doctor has been concerned from the beginning of her being a big baby.  They seemed to semi- disagree and based on projections we're looking at a 7-8 lb baby.  I'll take that over a 10lb baby, which was mentioned a time or too in Saudi.

I've already started having contractions.  Go figure, huh?!?!  I'm not too worried about it though.  Both my doctors have said this is just what my body does.  My last 2 pregnancies I started contractions early but was induced so as long as they never become consistent... I'm good!  The progesterone injections have obviously been working and truly help ease our minds.  As long as I can make it back to Saudi next Tuesday without any issues or without having a baby on a transatlantic 16 hour flight... I'll be happy!

We've ben extremely busy getting ready for Brooklyn, as best as we can.  We ordered her bedding, a new stroller, been picking up girl clothes (that's a really weird feeling- I actually forget to go to the girls side of a baby store sometimes), odds & ends of baby supplies we can't find or get in Saudi, and we picked out her middle name.

You may have seen it on Facebook or read it on our Christmas card, but we chose the name Brooklyn Kay.  My mom's oldest sister's middle name was Kay (that's what we called her) and she passed away 11 years ago.  She was very special to all of us.  Her son, Stefan, who was 9 at the time, lived with us for a while when my aunt was sick and battling breast cancer and he and I got very close during that time.  He's always held a special place in my heart (so has she) so I always knew if I had a girl I wanted to remember my Aunt Kay in someway with her.  Choosing the middle name Kay for Brooklyn just fit and Brooks and I are so glad we can honor my aunt.

I'm now 32 weeks and it's really hitting us that we're going to be having a baby girl in a matter of 2 months.  WHOA.  Life as we know is going to change drastically-- not just having a girl, but with 3 kids.  We're excited for this new adventure and are ready to meet our sweet girl.

To see her bedding click here.

We ordered a new stroller in order to accommodate Miles and Brooklyn, since our sit n stand won't work at least the first year of Brooklyn's life (Miles is too young to stand on it and not yet able to sit unsupported).  We went with the City Mini Double Stroller because of great reviews, major recommendations from lots of people, and overall would be beneficial to us on the compound, around town, and traveling. Check it out here. We picked the green/gray color combo to make it gender universal and because our car seat carrier is a green/gray color so we wanted it to be as close to each other as possible.