Feels like HOME to me!

Omaha/Bellevue was our home for 14 years. It was very hard leaving all the people we love, but also all the places we love. While everyone was at work during the week, we decided to make a quick trip South. We are trying to squeeze in as many people and places as we can while here. As soon as we pulled into town our first stop was lunch at GI Forum for tacos!!!! To my luck their lunch special was tamales too. I have yet to find a suitable substitute in Arizona. Everything we see and do here tears as my heart. I miss this place so much. I'm sure this feeling will eventually not hurt as much, but for now every road we drive on reminds me of a time when we lived here.

 

 

After lunch we were able to meet up with Stacy Kreikemeier and meet her new little princess, Josephine. Josie, as they call her, is my first cousin once removed. This little girl was prayed for more than any of my kids. (and we prayed hard for them!) She is so precious. I'm beyond elated for my cousin James and friend Stacy. I'm so sad I didn't get any pictures with her. I think I was too busy holding her that I didn't even think about handing her over so I could snap a picture.

 

The kids were starting to get a little restless, so we headed to the store to pick up a surprise for our next visit. A dear friend of mine has been sharing her struggles with her son over phone calls with me. I often laugh at her stories, not to make fun but because I understand far too well. I often welcome her to my world! The life I live often is not understood by anyone except those who walk in the same shoes. She has been walking in the shoes! Kourtney recently received an autism diagnosis for her son. In one of our conversations she talked about some day sharing the diagnosis in a party. She wanted her son and others to understand this is not a sad thing; it can be celebrated! Her son's diagnosis, like Jayen's, doesn't stop him from doing anything. It just means he thinks about it differently; he processes things differently. I personally think we all need to start thinking about things differently. The world is not the world I hoped my children would grow up in.

 

Here's to celebrating such an awesome little man! Henry, I know you will change the world!

After Kourtney's house, we were able to meet up with Renee and William (out on a mommy son date) and Nikki and Brecon at Werner Park for a Royals game. I mean, where else would we find Renee? The kids were very excited to be here again. It's so fun to see some of the players we saw in Surprise now here in Nebraska. The kids had so much fun playing baseball and basketball in the kid zone and mommy and daddy enjoyed catching up with friends (and a cold drink or two too!).

 

Our day was full, but our hearts fuller. So happy to be home!