Still with Delta????

So, I've had several people ask me how am I still possibly employed at Delta Air Lines. Here's how it worked out:

I went on maternity leave when I was pregnant with Nate. Before I was scheduled to return, Delta offered 5 year leaves b/c of the hit the airline industry had taken after 9/11. At the end of my 5 year leave, I was called back and I said "yes" I would return. Then I found out I was pregnant with Luke. They offered me a "delayed return" scheduled to return to flying when Luke was 6 months old. I haven't been paid during these past 6 years, nor have I taken advantage of flight benefits (other than our trip to Florida), and I haven't received any other benefits (like medical, etc).

While we were travelling this past week, I realized that I didn't miss the job at all. My life has taken a turn for the better. I'll gladly trade in long San Juan layovers, 24 hours in Honolulu or a 3-day in Madrid to watch my children fall asleep every night and then to be the one to greet them in the morning. Children give you a perspective on life like nothing else. They make you think about the things in this life that matter.

There aren't many things that we can take with us when we leave this world. But, I want to be making every effort, every day, to make sure I get to spend forever with my children.

Flying to Florida

Bryan & I have been wanting the boys to experience flying on an airplane for quite sometime. I am scheduled to return to work at Delta when Luke is 6 months old (next month) and I plan on resigning. How could I leave these boys for 3 days at a time? So, knowing that our days left to fly for free were numbered, we planned a trip to fly to Florida to visit Mark, Denise & Silas & a day with Mickey & Minnie! Other than Henry being sick the majority of the trip, we had a great time. It was especially nice to see Silas, the boys only first cousin. (That's him in the picture). We did hit Magic Kingdom on Friday, an experience that will be discussed in a later blog. Connecting in ATL wasn't nearly as stressful as I had imagined. The boys even pulled their own suitcases most of the time.

Happy Birthday Nate!

I can't believe Nate is 6 years old! Here is a picture from the day he was born. He was the most beautiful thing I'd ever laid my eyes on! I love you Nate!

A Very Special Day for Luke!

Today was Luke's baby dedication at church. This was a special day not only for Luke, but also for me & Bryan, Nate & Henry and all of Luke's family.

A dedication is different than a christening. We present Luke to the Lord and ask for wisdom and guidance while we raise him. We also pray that one day he will committ his life to Jesus. The rest of the family and our friends promise to help us raise Luke to be a Godly man. Our Pastor did a wonderful job and the service was so touching. He even wrote a letter to Luke, to be opened on his 12th birthday. Wow, I hope I can make it 12 years without peeking inside! You know how curious I am.

I hope Luke knows how much he is loved, not only by his immediate family, but he is loved by so many more.

Nature vs Nuture

Luke is so happy. He really is. If you (as a stranger) take the time to speak to him, he will smile. Almost guaranteed. It's like he's saying, " I have 2 brothers, I love them but they drive me crazy. They're always waking me up with loud noises and poking my cheeks. Thanks for being nice and speaking to me." I'm starting to wonder: how much of a good disposition is born in a baby and how much is what we teach/do to them.

Possibility #1 - They follow our lead. I'm a much happier Mom this time around, I worry less about little things, like changing peepee diapers (I just don't do it, I wait until there's poop), or do you feed them at 3 months, 4 months or 5? Maybe babies get vibes from us. They pick up on our moods & imitate them.

Possibility #2 - It's all in their nature. They're born happy or they're born fussy & grumpy. I have definitley had 2 fussy babies. Nate & Henry couldn't have been more difficult, but with Luke it's just going fine.

Possibility #3 - We teach them how to behave. They become so used to being waked from their naps, feedings disrupted & being left in the crib to cry while you attent to "more important things" - the breaking up of big fights, the wiping of hiney's, or turning off the bath water before it overflows - that they grow to be more tolerent.

Joy's verdict - #1 & #3 may be true, but #2 is out. Luke sleeps 2 hours at the most at nights. I feel okay every morning, maybe because I've discovered Red Bull, but maybe because I've adapted. So I think nuture has more to do with disposition than nature.

Lesson I've learned- while having 2 brothers has it's drawbacks, a big perk is that you become very tolerent of many of the problems you will face in life.

I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of men my boys turn out to be.

Welcome 2009!

Well, the tree is down (actually it was down the day after Christmas) and the toys are (almost) put away! I am very excited about 2008 coming to an end. It was a great year seeing that we added Luke to our family, but I am excited to see what exciting things await us in 2009. Nate, Henry and Luke had a great Christmas. Santa managed to squeeze down our chimney and left lots of goodies for good little boys. Hope you had a good one!