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Love the Gainors! These were taken when we were out on our double date.

more india videos

Potty Training

Our sweet little Lydia has taken her time at most milestones and potty training has been no different. In part because she just hasn't been ready (and now having trained 3 kids I'm convinced they have to be ready!) and in part because the last year of our life hasn't been very conducive to potty training (bed rest, new baby, traveling...etc.). But this week we dove in and the combination of being home and her being ready has finally collided! Yeah! Starting Tuesday I put her in a pull-up and it's been a breeze! She has stayed dry during naps and through the night! I'm so proud of her! If she can stay dry through Tuesday then we'll pull out the panties and we will throw her a party! We've told her she needs to be potty trained by the time she turns 3....she's cutting it close!

A funny thing about the third child being potty trained is that she has lots of "help" in the bathroom! Carson and Bryn can both take her potty and help her get her pull-up back on. They are so excited for her too!

videos

I took some videos while in India as well so I think I'll share a few a day to help give a better picture of our trip and what India is like. The still pictures just don't do it justice. This first one is just Spencer on Sharon's lap in the taxi ride to the hotel our first night. He is dilerious!

This clip is a quick one of Brandy driving.

India

We are back home after a long journey to India! We had a great time there and we are so thankful we were given this opportunity to go and see the work going on there. We are so thankful for our time with the Gainors and with Amy! We really enjoyed the team we traveled with too, they were easy! It was also fun seeing the Summer Link group that is there. Here are some pictures from our trip. I shared all my pictures on facebook if you want to see those.

Pam & Lauren loving on Spencer in the airport....just getting started on our hike across the globe!

Made it to Delhi, getting taxis to go to the hotel.

After one night in Delhi we got back on an airplane and flew to Indore. I was SO excited about seeing Brandy! She (and her precious family) was a huge reason why I went to India. She is a dear friend of mine from college and it was SOOOOO good to see her face. I loved my time with her! This picture is right after we first saw each other. I just cried and cried when I saw her. What a blessing!

I loved being a part of Brandy's life there. We got out together one day to the grocery store. I loved following her around and watching her shop, speak Hindi, and drive! It was great! Here she is checking out at her favorite grocery store and she loves these girls that are checking her out.

So driving in India seems completely chaotic at first. You'll see in some of the pictures how there are cars, mopeds, motorcycles, bikes, people, and even cows all going down the road together. Every few seconds you think you're going to crash. The longer we were there the more I learned there is actually a method to the madness and rarely do they crash. Here I am in the front seat holding Spencer and Parks while Brandy is driving...never in America....I had to get a picture!

It was so fun being in the Gainor's house. It is beautiful! I love that I can now picture them there and imagine their life there a little better.

It was so good to finally meet Parks!

The poverty is a lot to take in. I kept thinking about how there you see the rich and the very poor all around, and it is very extreme. Whereas here in the States, for most of us, we are surrounded by people just like us and we don't have to be confronted with seeing those in different socioeconomic statuses than us. It was just heartbreaking to see the conditions that many of the people there live in. And to be approached by the children begging for money was really hard. Eye opening...

I was so glad that we got to go on a double date with Gray & Brandy one night. It was so fun! We had sweet fellowship together at a really fun restaurant!

One day we went to a university and it was a neat experience. They treated us like royalty (later learning that some may have been worshiping us as "visitor gods") and did a program for us about the different cultures in the regions of their country. Then some of the Americans shared about our culture. They also served us a traditional Indian lunch. That was an experience. I think our stomachs are still paying for that. This was also one of the most intense times with Spencer. All the people there wanted to hold Spencer and I felt so rude saying no over and over. So here is a picture of Jeremy holding him while they all took pictures and pinched his cheeks. It was crazy!

We had a great time on the trip with Sam & Sharon. Sharon was such a blessing to me as she knew just how to help with Spencer. I'm so glad she was there. Here we are crammed into a rickshaw together.

Gray took us to downtown Indore one day to walk around. That was an experience. I'm glad Jeremy wore Spencer on his back that day. I felt like I had to walk right behind him. I'm glad we did it but I can't say I was very relaxed during this time. It was busy, smelly, lots of beggars, and a lot to take in.

Right after this picture was taken a man kept following our group and taking our picture. He especially wanted Spencer's picture. The kid was a celebrity over there!

The cows are just everywhere! It's hilarious to see them just blend into the traffic and crowds of people.

This picture shows how many of the women ride side saddle on the back of the mopeds. Many time you'd also see them holding children as well.

I love this sweet picture of Sarala and Spencer.

After our time in Indore we flew back to Delhi to meet AMY!!!! We had 2 full days to see Delhi and Amy was our guide;) Let's just say we went to bed pooped both nights:) It was so good to get time with Amy those few days. It was hard to leave her in India!

Riding in a rickshaw

Jeremy and I on our bicycle rickshaw. This poor guy road us all around town, such hard work! It was an experience.

Out of the 4 long flights there and back we had a cot for Spencer on 3 of them. I was a little concerned about the leg that we didn't have the cot seat for him. Thankfully the flight attendant moved the guy next to us so we could have 3 seats and he did great sleeping in this seat. So thankful!

Have I mentioned what a blessing Sharon was?! The worst part of our trip was in Chicago waiting for our flight to Charlotte. Our plane was almost 2 hours delayed so it was brutal waiting and then getting in so late after traveling for like 30 hours! Whew! It was good to hit the pillow that night!

I still have a lot of processing to do about our time there. For now, I'm back into the throws of caring for our kiddos who we missed SO much! They were in good hands with Grandpa and Grammy. We are so thankful to them for watching our 3 kids for 11 days! I'm sure they are still recovering;)

Spencer is 5 months

Spencer turned 5 months on the 8th of July while we were on our way to India. He also cut his first tooth while we were there! He is now cutting his second one. He is a sweet sweet boy!

Happy 4th of July

We headed out to Clemson Fest on Sunday to celebrate the 4th of July and watch fireworks. This was our first time at Clemson Fest and we had a good time.

They had a fun live band there and Bryn asked Jeremy to dance and he did! I love these next two pictures, she is elated!

Ready for the fireworks!

On Monday we enjoyed a day at home playing outside and working around the house.

and did sparklers with the kids before bed!

Amy

Last Tuesday Amy came by the house to tell the kiddos good-bye. I won't lie, it was pretty heart-wrenching to watch. Our kids adore their Aunt Amy and they are SO sad to see her go overseas. It's hard to believe that when she comes back (in 3 years for her first planned visit) they will be 9, 7, 5, and 3. Wow! I've told Amy many times that by her going she is having a bigger impact on her nieces and nephews as they see her example of following Christ. And it's already started. When Amy drove away the kids were all crying and yelling out "Amy" as we walked back inside. I sat down with them and we talked and prayed for Amy. It was a great opportunity to talk to them about the cost in following Jesus and being His disciple. See Amy, you are already being used of God as you model that to my children. We love you and miss you already! Jeremy, Spencer, and I are so excited about seeing you there soon!!!!

Here are some pictures of Amy with the kids when she came by to say good-bye.