Nothing says "Togetherness" like a Community Toothbrush

God made me with a sense of adventure and part of that is I love to travel!!! Even better, bringing the girls along. Does it get hairy? Is it stressful packing little people too? Yes and yes! But as Birdie gets older, it gets easier and I love it so much!

This weekend, we got the opportunity to go to Ft. Worth for Lifeway's VBS Training. Brent is part of the state team that will go around this spring and do clinics. So, of course, I wanted to go too! My parents were so awesome and they met us in Ft. Worth so I could attend some of the conference sans children and they could spend some quality time with the grandgirls without the watchful eye of parents (translation: spoiling them rotten!) :) First of all, what a trip! We haven't been on campus in 3 years and SO MUCH HAS CHANGED! Just walking around made me think about all of the years spent there, all of the friends made and all of the tears shed! I'm so thankful that we are where we are now but of course we couldn't be without those trying years! Glad to leave those in the past.

We were in our hotel and I was preaching to Beatle the importance of brushing her teeth (because we have another cavity!) and she asks, "Well, did you pack my toothbrush?" I couldn't believe it! I hadn't! Oh, no! Brent and Brendle went down to the front desk to get her an extra. Not too long after they got back, Brent was rifling around in his shaving kit and asks, "Did you pack my toothbrush?" Incredulously, I answered, "No! Why on Earth would I pack YOUR toothbrush??? I packed me, our two children, our foster daughter (made all the arrangements for her to stay with another foster family) and our dog. So...why exactly were you relying on me to grab yours?" Sometimes they just need to be reminded that being responsible for just themselves is a luxury! Well, we lost the new toothbrush (this is telling that oral hygiene isn't as high on the list of priorities as it should be!) so it came down to making mine the Roberts Family toothbrush. Yuck, I know!

I heart telling stories on Brent. They crack me (and my fitness classes...shhhh!) up! Given the fact that he NEVER reads my blog, I'm sure my secret's safe. So, here's one. When we first got to the hotel, Brent took the girls to go swimming while I nested our hotel room. So sweet. They came back up saying that the indoor pool felt like there could be glaciers floating around in it! It was freezing. Brent made a deal with Beatle that if she could get from one side to the other, he and Birdie would get in. Despite many attempts, she couldn't because it was just too cold! They went to the hot tub but it was boiling! Too bad there couldn't have been a happy medium. After the conference that evening, both girls stayed with my parents and we went down to try our hand at the hot tub again. It was still SO hot! Brent got in and triple dog dared me to jump in the pool and swim all the way across. Come on, people! It's a triple dog dare! So, I got out and did it! My mind was screaming underwater and my chest was heaving when I popped my head up. Brent started laughing. But I had to show him just how BA I really am so as I was walking back, I jumped in again and swam half the pool and got out at the ladder closest to the hot tub. He didn't laugh the second time. I took my time and eased in the hot tub and was talking about how I showed him and jumped in, not just once but twice. He started disputing the fact that I jumped in twice. I thought I was losing my mind! He finally looked at the wet footprints that led from the ladder to the hot tub and admitted that I must have. I was puzzled by what just happened! Later, as we were toweling off, he admitted that when he started laughing the first time in the boiling cauldron of a hot tub, he got so light-headed that he almost passed out and didn't remember me jumping the second time all! Oh my gosh! Scary!

Beatle got to see her old friend Tamara from Seminary days. We had lost touch with them but luckily her dad still works at the hotel on campus and when Beatle walked up to him, he responded, "Brendle??" The next day when the two girls were playing around the lobby, Birdie was playing on her own and it was just so wild looking at those first graders playing like they were still besties and looking at Birdie thinking, "They became friends when they were just Birdie's age. They were babies!" Time passes so quickly.

On Friday night, Beatle went with Brent and I to the VBS expo. We got to see the musical for next summer, she got to hear all of the songs, we got to do some crafts, see the decorations, sample some snacks, meet Steve the drummer from the Lads (she didn't know who he was before, just that he was a "rock star") and Jeff Slaughter (the guy who has written the VBS songs for the last 16 years). The guy from the Lads gave her a CD and a DVD and Jeff gave her a hug, took his picture with her and signed her VBS shirt. She. was. in. heaven! It is so cute that she gets more revved up about them than Justin Beaver (as she calls him!) It was precious. It was nice too because she went back with us to our hotel room while mom and dad kept Birdie and we had such a sweet night and morning with just her. I always thought that she would think Brent's job is so cool at this age and she does.

Birdie can now say "iPad", thanks to all of this FaceTime fun we've been having. Isn't it so crazy that our kids will grow up with all this stuff?

So, it's Birdie's birthday week! I'm jazzed about her party this Saturday. It should be a good time--now comes the part where I hope people actually come. I've invited only a few families but the average number of kids per family is 2-3 so if everyone comes, it'll be tight but I've never thrown anything where there's been 100% attendence, I don't think, so I'm hoping I got the numbers right. Grandma and Grandpa are awesome and mailing me some money for Birdie's bday to use on finishing her playroom or her birthday party! What a fun gift for momma and Birdie will benefit from it!

We have court for Jas this week. Her mom came to church on her own today. I'm not sure how this whole thing is going to play out. We'll just keep praying and not force anything. The DHS supervisor has asked us how we would feel about the option of an open adoption. I really like her bio mom and we would be open to it but we are cautious. I'm going to send all of our concerns to her in an email this week so at least all the players in the game know right where we stand. It's not as simple as a "yes" or "no" answer for us.