Tulloss Family

Spoil Me Nails!

2009-07-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

This is our new favorite hangout in Olympia - Spoil Me Nails! They have these adorable kid chairs with DVD players. It's never been so convenient to get my nails done. Aubrey is turning into a little diva - she is very particular about what kind of designs she wants on her nails. This last time she got rhinestones. What have I done?

Sailing Trip

2009-07-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

During all this beautiful weather we have been having, we had the opportunity to go on a sailing trip through the Starlight Foundation. It enables families with seriously ill children or kids with chronic conditions to participate in special fun events. Unfortunately, Aidan didn't have a very good time, but we all did our best to enjoy ourselves. It was a gorgeous evening and we had some great friends with us. Aubrey got to steer the boat and had a wonderful time with her friend, Melissa.

4th of July

2009-07-31T10:52:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful 4th of July celebration. Janna was with us and we had a great BBQ dinner, blew off fireworks, had a dance exhibition, and to top if all off Aubrey roasted marshmallows for the first time. She loved helping Daddy build the bonfire and Janna was a big help with the roasting. Aubrey didn't really like smores (crazy girl), but she loved the marshmallows. Aidan slept through the whole thing. We were glad to spend it close to home, low-key, but lots of fun!

Adopting!!?!!

2009-04-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

It's official...we have sent off our application and we're starting the paper work. It's crazy how much there is to do and overwhelming, especially when you already have a pretty full life. But when God calls... we have chosen to answer...Yes!

Here's the story:

Several years ago I heard a speaker, named Lysa Terkeurst at a MOPS Convention. Her talk on Saying Yes to God made a huge impact on me and I bought the CD. Of course after I got home I promptly misplaced the CD and never listened to it again.

Last fall I was driving home late at night and was listening to the radio. Focus on the Family was on and they were playing a talk that I quickly recognized as Lysa, the same woman I had heard several years before. This time she was speaking about how God led her family into adopting two boys from Liberia that they had seen while watching a performing Liberian Boy's Choir. It was an amazing message and moved me to tears. That night I posted on my facebook that my girlfriend's should listen to it on-line. One of my friends wrote me back and said that she had listened to it and it really impacted her too. We shared how we desired to be women who listened to hear God's plan for our lives. Later she wrote me and said that an African children's choir was coming to our church this May, and maybe God was doing something here. It struck me as kind of funny for her to say that, but it somehow resonated within me and I tucked it away in my heart.

A couple weeks previous to this, Bruce made a funny comment to me one night about how he would like to have another baby with me. This was crazy talk that he blurted out in a moment of openness as we had already decided we were 99% sure we were done having babies. I immediately told him he was crazy and dismissed him. But as I lay in bed moments later, the thought came to my mind..."If we have any more kids, it will be because we adopted. I'm not having any more babies."

Somehow over the course of a few days these two incidences started forming into a thought in my mind. "Is God doing something here - in my family?" So I started praying about it. No big voice from heaven spoke or thunder in the sky, but I felt a spark of excitement about the possibility.

Our family went on a getaway for Thanksgiving and Bruce and I had a dinner out by ourselves. Over dinner I shared with Bruce all that had been going on in my heart and mind. I thought he would laugh it off or say it was ridiculous - we already have so much on our plate, but he didn't. Instead we discussed how we both wanted to be open to God's lead and that if this was what God had for us, we didn't want to miss out on that. His response floored me and just made the spark of excitement in me grow bigger.

I continued to pray and started looking into African adoption on the internet. I saw the faces and heard the stories of so many children in Africa who are orphaned and without hope, and my heart was drawn to them. I thought, "we could totally change the life of one of these precious children and give them a home, a future, and show them God's love." But how would we know if that was God's will for us?

Then I had a dream. I don't remember the whole dream, but the gist of it was that God was saying yes He did want us to adopt and the answer was in two scriptures in Romans. I woke up thinking, "Did I dream that just because it's been on my mind a lot lately? I should really go read Romans and see what's there." But my day got busy and I didn't do it. Later that day I was blog surfing and ran across a family's blog who had adopted. As I scrolled down I noticed this poster with the little girl who looks a lot like Aubrey. Then I read the scripture reference and my heart started racing. There was my answer in Romans!

I shared my discovery with Bruce and we started getting serious about the reality of this in our lives. At this point I hadn't really shared all of this with anyone else, but when Bruce brought it up with his kids over Christmas, I knew it was becoming pretty real. We still were using words like "we're thinking about this", etc.

I have a dear friend who is in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia and I had been dying to talk to her about all of this. We met for coffee and I spilled my whole story out to her. At one point in our discussion she just stopped and said in a tone I'll never forget, "You're Adopting." It was the first time anyone had spoken the words in that affirmative, non-questioning way. Immediately it rang true in my heart and I excitedly said, "Yes, we are!" It was then that I knew for sure.

So we begin our journey toward adoption. There have been many other heart-warming moments along the way - like when Bruce was looking over the costs associated with adoption and read the line item of a one-way ticket from Ethiopia to home for our new child. The thought of that made his heart fill with joy!

We can't wait to share more of our journey and are looking forward to the many things we know God will bring about through it.

2009-04-21T14:05:00.001-07:00

I Just Love This Girl

2009-04-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

The Many Faces of Aubrey

2009-03-07T17:59:00.001-08:00

The other day Aubrey wanted me to take her picture. These are all the faces she made - happy, sad, excited frustrated, angry, silly, etc. I think she's delightfully expressive. What fun!

Rockin' Aidan

2009-02-28T11:35:00.000-08:00

Aidan LOVES his ipod. Here he is chillin' to the rockin sounds of Sesame Street. I love seeing him smile when he hears his favorite parts.

Notice the 3 missing teeth - his 4th top tooth is loose too. Pretty soon he will be the toothless tiger!

Valentine's Day at Preschool

2009-02-28T11:31:00.000-08:00

Aubrey's preschool had a Daddy/Daughter day for Valentine's Day. They made cinnamon rolls, played with pink playdoh, made special Valentine's for mommy and had an all-around great time. Aubrey was so excited to have Daddy come spend the day with her. Bruce did great sitting in the little kiddy chairs and spending some quality play time with his daughter. He's such a great Daddy!

Little Lamb

2009-02-28T11:25:00.000-08:00

This was Aubrey's first public performance at church. Her whole class sang Away in the Manger and Ring those Bells for the Christmas program. I just loved all the cute kids in their lamb ears. We practiced her songs so many times. I'm not really sure how much the kids actually sang, but they sure looked cute!

2009-01-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

Here's Aidan having his EEG at Swedish Hospital. He had a ton of probes glued to his head and was still smiling - what a trooper! They discovered that he is having lots of seizures in the phase of falling asleep (which took him about 3 hours that night). They counted at least 30 seizures. We are making some adjustments to his medications and are seeing minimal improvement. Hopefully we will find the right combinations of meds to help him fall asleep seizure-free. (Or God could just heal him - that would be okay too!)

My Christmas Wish List

2008-12-25T05:32:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa (aka Jesus Helper),

My wish this Christmas is that my family would feel and share in the joy of knowing Jesus. That my children would know God and his marvelous grace. That I would serve God with a love that is bold and true. I would want my children to see Jesus in me and be drawn closer to Him.

Oh...and peace on earth.

Love, Melissa

P.S. A little chocolate would be great too! (The dark kind.)

More Winter Storm - Tree in Drive

2008-12-21T14:12:00.000-08:00

Aubrey Shoveling - Awesome Icicles

2008-12-21T14:04:00.000-08:00

Facebook | Your Photos - Fun in the Snow!

2008-12-18T04:46:00.000-08:00

Facebook Your Photos - Fun in the Snow!

"Thank God for Mean Moms"

2008-11-15T18:32:00.000-08:00

My friend keeps reminding me that being a "mean mom" translates to a mom who is doing her job.

Lately, Aubrey has really been testing every possible limit. Yesterday we ventured out to do our weekly shopping. We stopped at Starbucks to get some incentive to make the trip out worth it. While inside, Aubrey would absolutely not obey anything I said. Finally out of complete exasperation I turned to her and said, "I am getting very frustrated with you." She immediately replied, "Well, I am very frustrated with you!" Well that did get me to chuckle a little bit, but I tried to hide it.

We continued on our shopping trip. Luckily at Fred Meyer they have blessed us weary parents with Play Land so I got to shop in peace. After that we went to Costco where Aubrey continued her quest to make me totally crazy. By the time we finally got all our shopping done and we were on our way home, our relationship had sunk to a new low. I had told her she was no longer allowed to talk to me the rest of the ride home. I was so done!

What was her response? Well she began to sing a song from Sunday school. My heart melted as she sang, "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me." "I love him so...etc." I was just thinking how sweet she really was after all, when she started singing a new version. "Mommy is so bad, Mommy is so bad, Mommy is so bad, she's so bad to me." "I don't love her so...etc." So much for the sweet girl thought.

I'm sure someday I will again experience her as a sweet, beautiful blessing, and my heart will swell with joy for being in her presence. I look forward to that with anxious anticipation. So far, I'm still waiting.

Something Disturbing About This...

2008-11-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

Crazy Cow...

Crazy Girl!

Halloween Fun!

2008-11-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

Aubrey really enjoyed dressing up, carving pumpkins, roasting seeds, going to the pumpkin patch and the Harvest Fest at the church where she goes to preschool. Aidan even got into the pumpkin guts! He was so excited and giggly. We had so much fun.

Little Triumphs, Big Joy!

2008-10-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

Some parents get excited when their child gets a great report card or scores the winning goal in the big game, as they should. We all get tremendous joy in the things our children accomplish. Yesterday I had a moment of joy that brought tears to my eyes. I witnessed my son stand up from a bench and stand on his own two legs for ten seconds. He was so proud and I was too. We smiled and laughed together and it was beautiful.
Thanks God for little triumphs!

"Skinny" Mommy

2008-10-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

Today while snuggling with Aubrey she said, "Mommy, you're so soft, and warm...and skinny!" Shocked, I replied, "You think I'm skinny?" She promptly burst my bubble by saying, "Yes, because you have so much skin."

Like Father, Like Son

2008-10-13T23:00:00.000-07:00

Swimming Lessons

2008-10-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

"All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth"

2008-09-22T17:20:00.001-07:00

Aubrey Loves Preschool

2008-09-22T17:14:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Aubrey on her first day of preschool. She loves it and is not at all sad when we leave. She gives us a quick kiss and she's off. It's funny to watch her scurry from one activity to the next at free time. She's so excited she can hardly decide what she wants to do. During circle and singing time, she is totally enthralled. She has already come home with new songs. I'm so glad we found such a wonderful preschool where she feels loved and is being engaged.

"You're Not Alone"

2008-09-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I forget how much my soul needs music. It's been a long time since I took some time to replenish myself. Today I took a long bubble bath with my i-pod and a glass of wine. God always meets me in these times. What a gracious God that he immediately gives me just what I need when I turn to him.

The song that spoke to me the most was "You're Not Alone" by Meredith Andrews, and in particular the line..."I'm the one who's loved you all your life." I am so thankful that God has always known me, loved me and cared for me. As I look back on my life I see the loving marks of Jesus in the midst of pain and tears - beauty from ashes. And what really brings me to tears is looking at my little children and knowing without a doubt that God is loving them and caring about every aspect of their lives. Someday they will look back and know that God has always been there in a very personal way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgz_GI7h_U8

Church Antics

2008-09-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at church Aubrey wanted to go in to service for the worship. So she loudly sang "tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet" to the songs she didn't know the words to. Then during prayer she picked up a bible from the pew and said to me, "Mommy, I'm going to pretend this bible is the Three Little Pigs." I'm sure the people sitting around us got a big kick out of that. Of course, I was mortified. Not very reverent of my little girl. But I had to laugh.

Aidan's 1st Day of 2nd Grade

2008-09-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

Aidan started 2nd grade today. He wasn't so sure about going to school this morning and fussed a little bit getting on the bus. But, just like a typical kid, he perked right up when he got to use his new i-pod and listen to some music on the way to school.

Here's a picture of him at recess (also with his i-pod). He was having a good time. Like his new faux hawk haircut? Pretty cool!

A Fun Day at the Zoo

2008-08-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

We had a great day at the zoo! Aubrey loved it all. She played her little heart out. What was really impressive was how much fun Aidan had. He especially enjoyed feeding the goats. Also he did awesome using his standing legs to play in the hands on pool feeling sea stars, sea slugs, anemone and more. He probably would have done it longer, but his legs were getting tired and so was my back! But it was neat that he got to participate in that. I was so proud of him standing so nicely. Way to go Aidan!

Aubrey at the Park (again)

2008-08-26T17:55:00.001-07:00

Sibling Love

2008-08-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

Aubrey is developing a real soft spot for Aidan, and Aidan adores his sister!

2008-08-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time with our cousins at the beach in Seaside, Oregon. It was great seeing the kids have fun chasing the waves, getting filthy in the sand, and loving on each other. Hopefully they will remember this trip when they grow up.

Precious Girl

2008-08-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

Every day it's something new with this girl. Here are a few more precious things Aubrey has said lately.

- We were driving in the car and she says, "I'm sad." I ask her why and she says, "Because Gabe isn't here anymore." She prays about Gabe and Danielle's cat, Marcella (who has gone missing) every night.

- Susan was here watching the kids today. Justin came to take Aubrey to the park and as they were leaving Aubrey says to Susan, "Do you need anything?" Susan replies, "I just need you to have a great time." Aubrey says, "Ok, but if you need anything, you let me know."

- Tonight as I was tucking her in she pulls my face really close to her with both hands and says, "You're gorgeous."

Thank you God, for such a precious girl. She lights up our lives.

Trip to Utah

2008-08-04T07:14:00.001-07:00

Celebrating Gabe

2008-07-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

Our dear friend, Gabe Morales, passed away on Monday. His mom, Dianna, has been Aidan's main care provider since he was a baby. Their whole family has become a part of our family. Our hearts are breaking with them over this huge loss.

Gabe was a wonderful spirited child who loved life! He taught us all about pure joy! We know that he is free to run, jump, and play in the presence of Jesus now and that brings us great comfort.

Aubrey's 1st Prayer!!!

2008-07-15T05:16:00.000-07:00

What a blessing Aubrey gave us last night! During the middle of dinner Aubrey says to me, "Mommy can I say prayer?" Usually she always wants us to pray. Of course we had already prayed, but who can say no to that? So I said sure. Here is her prayer. "Dear God, thank you for the love. Thank you for Mommy and Daddy. Thank you for the food. In Jesus name, Amen." So sweet. It was the first time she has said her own prayer out loud. She also has started imagining she is walking with God after we tuck her in at night. She said they walk to the candy store! I love it!

There's nothing better than watching your child develop their relationship with God. I only hope and pray that she can maintain that "realness" as she gets older.

Aubrey at the Park

2008-06-30T21:50:00.001-07:00

Prayer Request for Aidan

2008-06-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

Lately Aidan has been crying a lot. We think it may be GI related because he is gassy and it is often after feedings. But then he's also just acting really sensitive to any change - like moving him from one activity to the next, changing his position, or putting him to bed. It could be constipation, a side-effect of a new drug (Sinemet), responding to school being out, or a whole slew of other things. It is very frustrating trying to figure it out. There's just so many variables and he can't really tell us what's wrong. He woke up this morning at 4:30am crying. I gave him his meds early to help him calm down since his normal music and mommy were not working. He calmed down, but then had a seizure. Not sure how long it was because I didn't see when it started. The seizures are relatively new and infrequent so they are very upsetting to witness.

Also Aubrey and I leave for a visit to Utah tomorrow. It is difficult to leave when Aidan is having so much trouble, but I know he will be in excellent care between Bruce and Dianna.

Please pray for a resolution to his recent troubles, for God's wisdom, strength and peace. We know that God loves Aidan and has him in His hands!

Pirate Aubrey

2008-06-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

Aubrey calls the toilet paper rolls her telescopes. The other day she held it up to her eye and said in her gruffest pirate voice - "ARRRRHH! I'm looking for someone to play with. Has anyone seen my Daddy?" It was so funny. I don't know, maybe you had to be there.

Congratulations Grads!

2008-06-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Justin & his girlfriend Cathy on their graduation from Evergreen College. Justin has worked very hard to accomplish his BA in Fine Arts. We are so proud of you!

Aubrey the Conversationist

2008-06-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

Aubrey is always providing us with great laughs. I have been bad about writing down the great things she says, so here is my attempt to remember some from the last week or so.

1. After overhearing me request a refill of my birth control prescription, she told Aidan's therapist that "mommy needs to go get her birthday pills."

2. While helping clean Aidan's syringes, she said, "I have to do a lot of work to get some money to buy food."

3. At the doctor's office waiting room she announced to everyone that she was there to pee in the doctor's special cup.

4. She is using all sorts of big words like "prefer, actually, probably, beautiful, lovely".

5. Someone said "me too" and she said "me three".

6. She can order my drink at Starbucks "decaf soy latte" and her favorite restaurant is "Japanese Steak House", both of which she says very well. Her favorite food is "shrimp".

7. As Dianna was leaving our house on Friday she said, "Bye Bye, I hope you have a good weekend."

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

And I'm proud to be an American,where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood

Please pray for my brother, Joe Schmolke, who is serving our country in Afghanistan. Also for his wife Tsvetana and his kids, Reuben, Andrew, and Stephanie. They are all heroes in my book. We love you and pray for you often!

Sesame Street

2008-05-20T13:27:00.001-07:00

On Sunday our family went to Sesame Street Live in Everett. Since Aidan thinks Sesame Street is the next best thing to heaven, we couldn't miss it! He had a little trouble at first when the show started - it was really loud! Daddy took him to the back for a little while until he calmed down. But after that he had a great time. Elmo was his favorite part (of course). Aubrey sat staring at the show and didn't move a muscle. I think it was a little overwhelming, but she loved it. Her favorite part was Abbey Cadabby and Oscar.

Fun in the Sun!

2008-05-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

Aidan Update

2008-05-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

Aidan had a nephrology appointment today and an ultrasound to check on his kidney stones. Good news is that there are no new stones. The ultrasound did show "debris" in his bladder and minor inflammation in his kidneys. This is the same as last year, so everyone is very pleased. His labs are also still a little bit off so the nephrologist is adding another test to see if we can determine why. All in all, it seems that the huge amounts of water that he receives daily are doing the trick to keep the stones at bay. Praise God!

Daddy and Aidan had a boy's day at Children's. They got to visit with our favorite ultrasound technician who over the years has joined in many singing sessions to get through the procedure. Aidan did really well and laughed to his Sesame Street DVD. Thank God for those portable DVD players!

Big Loves!

2008-05-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

Aubrey the Artist

2008-05-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

Aubrey is having a great time painting! I wonder what this style is? I'm sure it's something genius.

Best Friend

2008-05-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

My heart is full of love right now. Aubrey got up out of bed to go potty and on her way back to bed she asked if she could watch basketball with me for a little bit. I took advantage of an opportunity to snuggle with her for a while and said yes. So as we sat there watching basketball together and trading hugs and kisses, she said to me, "My best friend is you, mommy." My eyes immediately welled up and I said a little thank you prayer to God. It was just what I needed to hear. Thank God for little blessings!

Sweet Sister

2008-05-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

Hello to all our family and friends. This new tool seems like a fun way to share the ins and outs, ups and downs, news and antics of our family. We have several friends who use it and it has been neat. Plus I thought it would be easier than trying to keep a journal of all the funny and cute things our kids are doing. Hopefully this will help me with my "mommy guilt" of not writing down stuff to look back on in the years to come.

Today was very cute. Aidan and Aubrey were sharing a video together on the floor (something they like to do a lot), when I happened to look over and see Aubrey putting the lip stuff (lanolin ointment) on Aidan's lips. She has never done that before, but has seen mommy and daddy do it often. She's such a sweet sister. I would have taken a picture, but the camera is with Bruce in Colorado where he is visiting his family and going to see Roger Waters in concert.

Pray for me that I can stay safe and sane while he is gone. This single parenting stuff is not for me.