Whoops. I kinda almost forgot I had a blog...

Soo... what's been fun and exciting around here...

Well... late June we got a "new" car. Thought I'd end up making a whole post about that day, it was so exciting, but the "short" story is: My dad's van broke down on the trip to Columbus to pick up the car. This resulted in our little family's first ride in the back of a patrol car for  (Dad stayed behind with the van, waiting to be towed), to get us out of the blistering heat. The officer said it was the first time he'd ever had a carseat buckled in to the back seat. So. That was neat.

You'd think an escapade like this would've got us down, but David in particular was pretty psyched because he ended up getting to watch a World Cup soccer game in the air-conditioned waiting room of the Good Year shop where the van was towed.

Yosi was psyched because she got to see a tow truck (when it arrived at the shop) and sit in the cab. She decided she wanted to be tow-truck driver when she grows up and drive her kids around in her tow-truck. Ultimately, we felt it was a great adventure. Afterall, the trip wasn't wasted since we ended up with a sweet deal on a "new" ride.

It was a little sad saying good-bye to "Verdelita", who was faithful transportation since my senior year of high school...

But it hasn't been difficult to get used to driving around "Fifa", and I think there are many good times to come with this new mode of transport.

Additionally, a couple of days later, we made the final ascent to the digital age and acquired CELL PHONES! I'd thought David was going to put that off until Yosi was in high school!

Our new accessibility to communication came in handy when, a few days later, my sister, Kari, went in to labor. I was glad to be able to attend and assist with the birth and welcoming of my neice, Claire Raelin, on July 3rd. She is beautiful (of course) with a head full of dark hair. Yoselin is a very proud cousin, who thinks of herself as a "big sister". Yosi has been busier than ever practicing her mothering skills with dolls, anticipating a time when she'll get to help feed Claire a bottle and help with diaper changes (but "only the ones she pees in!").

Since the arrival of Claire, it's really started to become more starkly apparent to me how "grown up" Yosi is has become. It's so cliche, but it really doesn't seem that long ago that she was so little, drinking bottles, and babbling... I feel like I didn't fully appreciate those times then as much as I would now. Where did the baby go? Well, she's a little girl now. Sugar and Spice and everything Nice. A little girl who drives me to the very edge of my patience one minute and then has me all head-over-heels the next with an "I'm so sorry Mommy..." or "Te amo" and a hug and kiss. There is nothing more true when I sing to her "God is so good...God answers prayer." Too often, in the barely controlled chaos of a day, I forget how much I prayed for this (parenting) and for her, even before I knew her name or saw her face. At night when I'm tucking her in and she's (eventually) sleeping quietly, then, sometimes, if I'm not too wiped out to think, I remember her sweetness, how God loves me so, and how miraculous that all is. Tonight is one of those nights. My heart is glad.

So maybe all that is why I forgot about blogging for a little while... :) Doesn't seem like too bad of an excuse to me. What do you think?