Me: “Hey Micah, do you know what D.O.B. stands for? Hint: it’s something they ask you for at the doctor’s office.”

Micah (8): “Oh! Di-O-Betes.”

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Mom: “Mix up your soup.”

Tyler (6): “Yeah – mix and mingle in a jinglin’ beat.”

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And Zion’s hair is showing early signs of becoming Kid ‘n Play.

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This weekend, I’m wishing you laughs in your bellies, peace in your hearts, and as few listens as possible of Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.”

Sweet baby Zion is hanging on and hanging in there.  His condition has shifted so many times and so quickly, it’s hard to know what to say – and I don’t want to say one thing, only to have it change in the next minute.  So watch Jeremy and Ashley’s blog for more “official” news.

What I can tell you is that Zion had surgery yesterday afternoon to have a shunt placed in his brain to drain off fluid – fluid that had been building up and restricting brain growth, fluid that had caused his original crash on Saturday night.  The surgery went well, but as of right now, he is still intubated – a much longer intubation than would have been ideal.  We are hopeful that he will be extubated this morning, because he is uncomfortable and in a lot of pain.

Jeremy and Ashley haven’t left his side, and have the impossibly hard job of entrusting their baby to strangers.  They are low on sleep and high on stress, with every beep of the monitors making them sit up and take notice.  Being a parent requires one’s entire heart – and Zion has theirs. They have been amazing.

In the meantime, and until further notice, I’m in Colorado Springs hanging out with my little chipmunks.

Thank you for your prayers and thoughts and texts and emails. This beautiful, tiny baby is so loved, and we continue to entrust him to the One who made him.

I’m on vacation this week, but my plans – however tentative – have been scrapped.

Baby Zion arrived in Colorado Springs with his family (my brother and sister-in-law and two older nephews) on Saturday, and within an hour, was rushed to the ER because he wasn’t breathing. He almost died that night. Now he is in the ICU, with no real timeline or definitive prognosis.

Please keep my littlest nephew in your prayers.

I think my nephew missed the point of the Sunday School lesson.

I won’t get a chance to go meet baby Zion in Kansas City until mid-August.

But they send me pictures like this:

And I’m already wrapped around his tiny, tiny finger.

While he’s still in the hospital, the little buddy is pushing 5 pounds now, and showing a lot of healthy signs.  Your continued thoughts and prayers are so appreciated.

It’s not lost on me that the same day that my dad moved to Austin, changing the face of our family, little Zion’s adoption process was officially started – also changing the face of our family.

The bitter and the sweet frequently coexist – I’ve seen this over and over in life.  I guess I could curse the hard things for interfering with the good – but I think I’d rather just be extra thankful for the sweetness.

I still cannot believe it.

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Yesterday, my dad called the Honda “the Grey Goose.”  Then, Becca called it “Hans.”  Both of these things strike me as hilarious since the Honda never really had a name.

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Remember when the Honda was hit by the Biggest Loser tour bus?

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Remember when it was stolen three times, and recovered each time on the side of the road in some Seattle neighborhood?

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I told Joey that trading my car to the salvage yard for $300 makes me feel like Judas Iscariot.

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Overheard at my brother’s house:

“Dad, what is this called?”

“It’s called ‘clenching your butt cheeks.’”

Not related to the Honda at all, but come on.  That’s so good.

Brought to you by my brother’s Twitter stream, since we haven’t talked on the phone in ages (probably because his 30th birthday was February 22 and I STILL haven’t sent him a gift, because I am a terrible sister, and if he wants to disown me, he has due cause, even though JEREMY I PROMISE I’M SENDING YOU SOMETHING):

Tyler (4-years old) wants to change his name to “Laser.”

Micah (6-years old) prayed, “Dear Jesus, please help us find Waldo.”

But… I just love him so much.  So much that I want to be just like him.

Yesterday, I got some fantastic news.

Tyler got the Red Ribbon at preschool!

I can’t really remember what that means, except that only one kid gets it at the end of every day.  It has to do with some sort of virtue, I think – like sharing, or listening, or helping, or being kind.  And the Red Ribbon is a very big deal.  It’s an honor.

This was Tyler’s first time getting the Red Ribbon.  He was so excited and proud.  And this auntie’s heart is bursting.

I can’t wait to see him in Kansas for his 4th birthday at the end of the month – especially to watch him ride his tricycle with his short little legs.  (SQUEEEEEEE he is so cute!!!!)

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I don’t quite know how to segue between a preschooler and an R-rated movie – but has anyone else seen “Atonement”?  I watched it over the weekend, and cannot stop thinking about it.  A raw and brutal story set to the percussive rhythm of typewriter keys, it has left me speechless.

You must see it – that is, if you’re okay with some very sexual scenes and graphic violence.  Which… apparently, I am.

I dare you to try to convince me to see “Star Trek,” you nerd Joey.