It has been quite a while since our last post and for that, I apologize (notice I said "I")... yes, Josh Earls...the actual Chaplain... does own this blog but, it seems as though he's being held hostage by a group of chaplain hating ruffians*! I can think of no other reason why he has not posted something for you chaplain loving folk. I do however realize that you don't wake up on the edge of your seat every day waiting for these blog posts and if you do, you may need counseling. Let me prove it.
*who uses the word ruffians?
Lately with the crazy Earls...
What do: chaplains, earthquakes, hurricanes, Bret Michaels, Lindsay Lohan, explosive poop**, spatula's, 1/2 marathons, Williamsburg, Annie's master's program, God, and autism have in common? Well, that's what's been happening lately at the Earls house.
**Josh, I said explosive poop on your blog, I'm so sorry...how can I ever make it up to you? ;)
This list is both odd and exciting to me. If our life was composed of just these words and phrases, I would want to know what came first, the explosive poop or Bret Michaels....
1. Earthquake- Yes, in Virginia...while I was babysitting. I knew it was an earthquake right away when the light fixtures started swaying. I had crazy California flash backs for sure. Luckily, I stood up and started flailing my arms and screaming in tongues (poor kids thought I was crazy). Essentially I was saying "get under the table" but it sounded like "you, run, table aaragghhh".... If one could have taken a secret video clipping of the Earls earthquake footage, they would realize I clearly am not the girl to hang out with during natural disasters. I get all crazy. On the other hand, I would be a great person to have on the news if you wanted your natural disaster to seem totally epic (see #3).
2. Chaplains- We had all of the chaplains from Josh's office over for a huge chaplain party. Bahaha... I know, a bunch of chaplains under one roof, oh the jokes that could be made. But, it was really fun and was a great time for me as a chaplain's wife to meet all of the families in the area. Our little place had almost 40 people in it! It was a blessing to us...
3. Hurricanes- Oh Irene. I'm pretty sure the news casters wanted you to annihilate the entire east coast. I understand that it could have been worse so we needed to be prepared but, I love how epic every shot had to be. This shot made me proud to be a Virginia Beach resident (NOT) Why VA Beach? The news guys sounded all sad when it got moved from a category 3, to a category 2, and then a 1. I did evacuate to MI...so clearly I was responding to their epic news casting. I will say, autism and hurricanes have the potential to clash in a major way. Yes, I drove (with Bella) by myself to MI for 14 hours (Josh had to stay in town). Bella did great. I almost died of boredom...and from the awkward looks I was getting from truckers (picture below) but alas, I made it! It was a blessed time up north with family and old friends. I love that place:)
4. Lindsay Lohan- Josh, Bella, and I went to Busch Garden's with my college friend Kori this last weekend. It was Bella's first visit and she LOVED it! She played in the kids water area the whole time. They had an Elmo sing along and she watched the whole show (standing still)...that never happens. She had a hard time waiting in lines for the rides so we gave up and she didn't ride any:( The lack of line movement paired with the tightness of the lines equalled a "no go" for her. We did find out that she can get a pass because of her disability. This pass allows her to go to the front of the lines. I think they do this at other theme parks as well! We will get these passes from now on...so she can have fun on the rides as well! Ok... after Josh left with Bella, Kori and I went on some serious rides...one being the the log ride. I was wearing a sun dress (smart) and having a dandy time until we got off the ride, went the the screen that shows the picture of our "big drop". There was a group of people standing and pointing and laughing at one of the screens. So, like anyone good paparazzo would do, I looked at that picture....oh, it was me...pulling a Lindsay Lohan. Yep, full shot up my dress for the world to see. I have posted the picture but blocked the view of my.... lederhosen :(
5. Spatulas and 1/2 marathons- My college friends (especially Kori) had an ongoing inside joke about kitchen spatula's. I'm not even going to try to explain this joke because it would make no sense no rational human beings. Oh, and Kori (being the awesome girl that she is) ran the 1/2 miler on the beach. She did great! If I didn't have the lower back of a 90 year old man, I would soooo run with her:(
6. Williamsburg- I find it funny that we took Kori to Williamsburg. Only because it reminds me of this...WANNA BE COLONIALS
7. Explosive poop- Today I took Bella to Chick-fil-a and we had a poop situation. All I'm saying is NEVER check to see if your child has a dirty diaper by sticking your hand down their pants. Furthermore, never do this while eating in public. This reminds me of this: ANOTHER GROSS TIME
8. I am still doing my masters! I only have a few more classes before student teaching. It's hard to believe all this hard work might just pay off one day....
9. God & autism- I put these together because God is so much a part of our Bella's journey. He formed her in my womb and has guided and protected her since her first heart beat:) Bella had some rough weeks last month and it was really a testing time for Josh and I. She experienced a regression Click here to learn more about it... Well, after many prayers from family and friends and by God's grace, she is back to her old sweet and brilliant self. She is saying more words, making more eye contact, and trying harder and harder to communicate her love towards us. She was just registered for special education preschool. We got to visit her school and all of my specific prayers have been answered! It's a small class with energetic and educated teachers. It's reverse mainstream which means there are 5 kids with disabilities and 2 kids without (those 2 kids provide a peer model that helps the others know how to respond to the teachers and each other). I am so thankful for God's provision with this school and I am so excited to see how Bella grows while attending it:) She will still get her ABA therapy. She will be one very busy little girl! Pray for her. Preschool is a HUGE adjustment (for her and for us). I love my child. I love that she is who she is.... I praise God for her uniqueness. I can truly say, her autism makes her special.
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