Sorry no update for a few days - assume at this point that no news is good news. We had a pretty uneventful holiday weekend (which is a GOOD thing) and we enjoyed that almost as much as we used to enjoy busy boating/camping Labor Day weekends. Well, we did have a lot of fun at Kentucky lake all those years ago.....Anyway, uneventul = nothing bad happened, so we are happy with that! I accomplished such great things as big grocery store stock up trip, with both older boys in tow and NO announcement such as "clean up on aisle...." you get the idea. They were actually really good and I didn't wind up with TOO many extras in the cart. Josh got some yard stuff done too and I watched all three without the house falling down - and only three cups of coffee (not laced with anything either, aside from hazelnut creamer). The older two got into some minor scrapes, but didn't kill each other and no trips to the ER needed, so we count it as a successful weekend. We did get in some fun things. My longtime friend from Boston was visiting her inlaws in Duboise (near Jasper) and we, along with another longtime friend who now lives in Evansville, all met for dinner and a catch-up session. On Monday the grandparents along with Aunt Brooke watched Gabriel so we could take Justin and Kendrick miniature golfing, which is one of their favorite things to do. It was HOT, but fun. Since we don't get out too much anymore, we'd love to live vicariously through you all. Feel free to chime in a comment on your holiday weekend!

On another note, this morning Josh brought me a book he is currently reading and asked me to read a short excerpt. It is a book my brother Mike recommended, written by Tony Dungy. We are all Dungy fans around here. Not only was he instrumental in delivering the much anticipated and long awaited NFL championship for the Colts, but he did it with class and dignity and none of the "smack talk" and posturing that is frequently so prevalent it a lot of professional sports. But Josh had me read this excerpt b/c it resonated so profoundly with our own recent experiences. I'll type it in here.

Excerpt from "Quiet Strength", written by Tony Dungy.
"In September 2001, we would bring home anoher child, Jade. Lauren felt that Jordan needed someone to play with - somehow I knew that was coming. When it came to adopting another child, we never gave Jordan's medical condition a second thought. Jordan's condition is difficult, but we realized it could just as easily have happened to one of our biological children. Plus, we believe God had a reasoon to send Jordan to us. We hae a variety of resources that help us deal with his needs, especially Lauren's patience and nurturing spirit.
We view Jordan, our son, as a special blessing. We're grateful for our opportunity to impact and shape his young life. In the process, Jordan personally illustrates for us some of the wonders of God and His plan for us. Watching the impact of that single missing gene reminds me how intricately each of us has been designed and created. I am continually amazed at the wonder of God's most complex creation - people. The line between what we consider normal and what we consider special is so fine. So many varied, delicate pieces contribute to the balance and beauty of the whole picture. Just another part of life's journey."

That second paragraph hits home on so many levels. The timing of development with Gabe, something we never thought about at the time, but in that timing something went wrong - just briefly and such a little thing at that particular time - and it had such a huge impact on his potential survival, and will continue to have some sort of impact on the rest of his life. He looks so perfect and can do anything any other baby can do, aside from some minor, temporary issues. But this one thing, this one little thing, could have easily ended his life before it really began. We have been given the gift of a tremendous responsibility. I can't say it any better than Dungy does - each of us have been so intricately designed and "so many varied, delicate pieces contribute to the balance and beauty of the whole picture". I wish I could put words together like that.