Hi there - Happy belated Easter to you all.  We had a great day - went to church for a super service.  It was packed which is always nice to see.  Then we went to a friend's house for brunch and hang-out time with tons of other people.  It is always daunting taking our boys out of the house!  At our house, Cody has a playroom that is Cody-proofed.  He can run free.  But at people's houses, he has to be followed inch by inch which can be exhausting and nerve wracking.  So we rarely "go out" or go anywhere with the boys.  Yesterday was tiring - he did great but he does want to wander and there's so much trouble for him to get in to.  Don or I took turns following him around.  Friends took turns.  Then there was the baby with his bottles, diaper changes, nap, etc.  It is work.  But it was so worth it.  My heart was so touched at the way our church family tends to Cody.  Here we are in a house full of 30'ish people.  And so many of them really know Cody.  He'd walk by Bob and Bob would always stop what he was doing to lean over and make a fun noise in Cody's ear.  Cody would go to climb on top of Kirk and Kirk lets it happen - Cody touches his beard and hair and knocks his glasses to the side.  Kirk laughs.  A teenaged boy grabs Cody and Cody reaches for his newly shorn head too - Cody LOVES short hair to touch.  Or beards.  My friend set up an Easter egg hunt in her yard and took the time to lay out a field of eggs just for Cody.  There were bright pink and yellow eggs just laid out in the middle of the grass - perfect for Cody to see and grab.  And he did!  Last year Cody just stood with his basket and screamed but this year he grabbed 5 eggs and put them in his bag.  He had no idea what he was doing - no idea that this was Easter or that it was an egg hunt.  In his mind, there were round bright things on the grass and he wanted to touch them.  Then I held the bag up and said "put in!" and he may have understood that or just acted on reflex when he dropped them in.  But my point is, Cody was considered and catered to.  A huge attempt was made to include him in the Easter fun.  I could list a bunch more examples but you get the point.  Cody is loved.  And what really touches me is - Cody is known.  He has a broad community of people who know him and his quirks.  People who watch him on Sundays in the nursery at church.  People who come to the house and help with him.  People who read this blog and keep current on his life.  That - is why we moved here.  As he grows up - this very same church family will continue to know him and his quirks.  They will continue to love him despite (or in spite of) those quirks.  We are not alone.  Not only are we not alone, we are surrounded on every side by support.  This is the same church family who will continue to love him and support him long after we're gone.  It's a place he will always be accepted and shown the love of Jesus. 

It was a really nice weekend overall - quiet - we got some things done.  Don is training for a marathon (I think that's what it is - but not a hugely long one) and he took Cody on an 8 mile run saturday!  Cody seems to love it.  They are "Team Graves!"  Don ran the St. Patricks Day dash in Seattle a couple of weeks ago - without Cody - and did really well!  He is such a competitor.  He would never run as a "hobby" - it's a sport - to be competed in.  I'm glad he found an outlet for his athleticism.  And how cool is it that he found a way to bond with Cody doing sports?  I'm sure that Don well realized that he'd never go to a football game of Cody's.  Or watch Cody on a soccar team.  So don found his own creative way to do the father/son sports thing with his unique son.  He even wants to get a double jogger stroller to include Casey on the action!  So look out if you live on the Eastside - you may see "Team Graves" jogging past you when you're out driving!  They may be a blur, though!  :)  

with love,

Shawna