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Happy Birthday, Phoenix!

On Monday, August 24th, my son turned a year old, a whole year. Wow! He is not my baby anymore, but has grown into a toddler who walks and throws things and gets dirty and everything.

We went to Austin for a few days and had an early birthday celebration for Phoenix with my family. Phoenix had his first piece of cake, an organic chocolate double-layer I baked for him to enjoy. He mostly threw it all on the floor and squirmed to get out of his seat. He also enjoyed playing with Grandma and Grandpa Ortiz, and his aunts and uncle, especially Aunt Lily. It was all very exciting.

What's more exciting is that we are back home now, and by home I mean in Mesquite, the town where Isaac and I met and can't seem to leave! We left Sunday afternoon after church and lunch with my family in Austin, and then drove the near-24 hours it takes to get here. SO HAPPY that drive is over! Phoenix was great, just sat in his seat with his toys and Baby Einstein playing on the DVD player. Isaac was my hero, he drove the night shift so I could sleep. My mistake was eating McDonald's in El Paso at midnight. Ugh, the grease did not settle well with me and I felt sick the entire rest of the trip. Too bad it was the only place open. Another exciting fact about our trip: the restroom stalls in El Paso did not have doors. That was the scariest bathroom trip I ever made, just waiting for someone to walk in on me tinkling.

We are so thrilled to be back with family, with our awesome dogs, in a place that feels familiar. I don't know what the future holds as we still live day by day. Isaac is looking for a job here in Mesquite, and we're praying about where the Lord wants to take us next. In the meantime, I'm enjoying my first Isaac-filled days in a long time. It feels great to be home.