apart for the week :(

Joel leaves for Oklahoma tomorrow afternoon for 3 days of work
Big sad face :(
We watched Marley & Me tonight before heading up to bed - um........so now I'm sad because of the movie AND because he's leaving!
Another big sad face :(

I usually try to schedule playdates and activities to keep us (Mylin, Eme, and myself) busy and un-lonely during Joel's trips
This week I have a full day of work, a playdate, visiting with my friend's mom, bible study, pigging out with my babysitter and watching So You Think You Can Dance (have you guys seen this yet?! Joel and I stumbled across an episode in season 2 and have been hooked ever since!), and maybe a trip to Troyers - sounds pretty full, right?!
I may not add anything else to my schedule - but am ALWAYS looking for ideas since he travels 5-8 times a year!

What are your go-to's when hubby is away from home?! (or you're away from hubby?!)
A good book? Chick flicks? Girlfriend dates? Ice cream and cookies?
Please share your ideas!

weird things that happened in june

one night i was mowing our lawn and had a glass of water on the deck to drink during the work - joel brought it out to me to take a sip (AND I DID!) and then discovered something gross at the bottom that looked like marshmellow or mold or something...upon further investigation by joel it was declared to be bird poop.

everyone thought mylin was a boy at our first day of wee read...
i found someone's fake nail stuck to the bottom of my shoe. ew.

i dumped a container of blueberries on the floor as i was unloading my groceries :( joel helped me pick them up and wash them off and YES we did give them to mylin the next day!

i tubed for the 2nd time in my life...which has probably been 15 years since the last time!

i found a hair in a cheeseburger!!!!!!!!!!!!

Little Miss one year old :)

June 25, 2010 - the day that changed our lives forever!
With months of anticipation we arrived at the hospital on June 24th, expecting a quick and fast delivery after my own rapid progression into labor
26 hours later, we were faced with the realization (not so much a choice or decision) that our sweet pumpkin would be born via c-section
With tearful prayers we spent our last few minutes alone together preparing for our child's arrival
Now we were so excited to find out: boy or girl?!?!
We sighed with a deep knowing at the sound 'its a girl!' and couldn't wait to get to know our Mylin Hadassah
Little did we know how life would unfold for us as a new family of three!

Here we are a year later, those 'long' 26 hours a faint memory...and 365(+) days under our belt in parenting
God has blessed us farther than we can comprehend and will ever understand
Thank you so much, Provider, Comforter, Prince of Peace, and Lord of all!

Here's a glimpse at our celebration :)

We had to have pink tonies for our party :) (Joel had his first toenail painting lesson with this very same color almost a year ago!)

 Tutu made by Kari, Mylin's Bushie (Polish for grandma)

 A pumpkin and chocolate muffin with cool whip!

 Our present helpers!

 A beautiful day to celebrate a beautiful girl!

the BIG day

Guys. Mylin turned 1 on Saturday. Can you believe it?!
Our life has been uncharacteristically crazy (and chaotic busyness is normal for us!), hence the lack of a proper birthday post
Since we are out the door (tomorrow at noon) to Chicago for 3 days to watch our dearest friends, Abby and Mat get married Friday night, I may not have time to post a birthday recap anytime soon....
So for now, here's a little teaser of our sweet birthday ham :)

update on plans, hopes, and dreams

Remember our plans, hopes, and dreams for 2011?!
I thought since we were about 1/2 way through the year, it was time for an update!

Joel has found out where Franklin is moving to: about 35 minutes north of us in south Fort Wayne - yay for not having to sell our house and relocate! boo for the option of sharing lunches together during the week being gone :(
And this man definitely supported me as I finished my degree in May - I could not have accomplished it without his understanding, encouraging, motivating, and selfless attitude.  His support, help, and reaffirmation of using my gifts in this way made it possible for me to finish, even as a new mom!  I am blessed with God's perfect match for me.
He also celebrated his 5 year anniversary with them a couple weeks ago!  This might not mean anything to you, but for us it means an extra week of vacation each year which we are ALL looking forward to! (not for actual vacations, but for more time to spend together!)
He has lost 10 more of his 15 lbs to go! (total of 20 in 8 months!!!) This man is a rock star.
And he also trained for a ran (most of) the Indy Mini!
He sure meets his goals quickly - its 6 months into the year and all he has left is 5 lbs to lose!

I have most definitely finished graduate school and now can sign my name, Rachel Draper, MA :)
I also am employed part-time as a counselor with Life Matters Counseling, a ministry of Youth for Christ
I trained for an ice cream eating contest the Indy Mini this spring as well and ran a bit and walked a lot of it!
And while I haven't become more involved in worship ministry at our church yet (I was planning on playing the keys once in awhile) I am definitely in the middle of ministry transformation...just praying for guidance on where, how, and to who God wants me to minister...for more info check out the 'radical living' tab on my blog

Our sweet little miss Mylin...she has done SO much that I don't know if I can even report it all!
She currently has 8 teeth showing - which makes for an absolutely ADORABLE grin!
She has been taking steps for about 4 weeks now, but still hasn't taken off across a room yet! (we are ok with that, she has this awesome, spider-like crawl with her head down to battle Eme's licks)  :)
And she is going to turn 1 year old in 10 days!!! I can hardly believe that!
As for words...she is really taking off here too!  She says mama, daddy, meow, bite, milk; she signs more, and all done; and she can wave byebye, clap, click her tongue, blow bubbles, pretend she's talking on her 'phone' (hand) to daddy at work, make farting noises with her mouth, and bounce on command - she is absolutely amazing!

Now...what we'll we accomplish during the next 6 months?!

What have YOU accomplished lately?!