He's Finally Playing Dress Up In Something Other Than Princess Clothes

"Avast ye scurvy dogs!" is a frequent phrase heard around these parts lately.

He's the cutest little pirate I've ever seen, if I do say so myself.

The Big One

As usual I'm right on cue to give one of my kids a big Happy Birthday shout out. Seth turned one 8 days ago. It is very surreal that he is my last, yet he is already moving away from babyhood.

I saw this picture of Seth and immediately thought of the picture of Will, below, at his first birthday. Exact same expression. Priceless.

THIS is True Love

A busy weekend led to a house in shambles as the day began. I rose early, and went for a run, choosing to listen to my music instead of talking with my God. After two days of not much "me time," I decided to run slightly longer than normal, and returned to the house with only minutes to shower before Ben would leave for the day. Moving from shower directly to feeding children left me no time for a morning devotional. Moment to moment I found my desire to tidy the house growing more intense, along with a proportionately increasing desire for attention from the dear ones playing nearby. As I put them off time and again, my impatience grew... until my words became harsh and unkind.

God is so very good to give me days like this lest I begin to forget just how much I need Him. And then His Spirit whispered to me and I stopped to realize how I was acting. Well, let me be honest. In truth, His spirit shouted at me, through the voice of my 4-year-old, who amidst her tears looked up at me and said, “That made my heart hurt.” And there was my heart, in a thousand pieces, on the floor. I fell to my knees and gathered her into my lap, holding that sweet child. As I told her how I loved her, and begged for her forgiveness, a smile broke through to her face. Without hesitation she replied, "It's ok, Mommy." And for her, it was over.

Then He led me here: "'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you.'" (Isaiah 54:10)

Oh how desperately I need our Lord God. Yet how amazed, speechless, awe-struck, humbled, completely and utterly thankful I am over his amazing love for me. That my actions today, from a woman who KNOWS better, who chooses to live my life free and in such joy, can act like I did this morning. Praise you, Lord Jesus, that I cannot make your love be removed from me!! Oh praise you!

Better Than Ever

Remember this? My pathetic, whiney, good-for-nothing sorrow over the loss of Peter Furler from the Newsboys? Well, my friends, he's back with a new solo album. And this is exactly why I adore him so much.

Who else, besides Toby Mac, can get one mom, one dad, and four kids to dance around the house until they're breathless with laughter, all while praising God?! Oh yes, lest you think I'm joking, Ben and I dance with just as much zeal as the kiddos. And if you look closely, you may catch me with a few tears of overwhelming joy. My God is just too, too much.

A Time to Embrace

The last of my babies is going to turn one in a little over 2 weeks.

If you know me well, you know I am not a "baby" person. I enjoy watching my kids grow to a more playful age. But that came to a screeching halt when I met this sweet thang:

This is Miss Josie Baker, my precious new niece, who we came so close to losing. As her life hung in the balance, God whipped my prayer life into a new state of intensity. I had one of those "I didn't realize I needed to work on this part of my life" moments as I prayed like I never had before.

And He worked a miracle in her life. He didn't just save her. He moved her out of that NICU faster than expected and home to her waiting family (and providentially, she went home on the same day as our other new niece, Ava! He is perfect!) Each new peek that modern medicine takes at Josie's brain shows more improvements, more reasons to praise God!

So the last 6 weeks of Josie's life have had me thinking: the Word of God tells me that there is a time to embrace. And embrace we shall!

Today when they ask for a PEZ before dinner... the answer is yes.


While many parents sit on the sidelines and observe, we will join in!


When they want to run around sans clothes after their bath, screaming and jumping on the beds, we will grab the camera. :)


When my sweet girl wants to wear her tutu to the mall, this mom who once swore her daughter would not wear costumes or characters in public will grin widely and comply:


And that prayer life? God has taught me to ask with boldness and watch him work. As I sat feeling forlorn that my baby, soon to be toddler, would not cuddle with me even for a moment, my Father spoke to my heart. Have you shared your desires with me, child? So I did. And little by little, wouldn't you know that this sweet boy now lays his head on his mommy and rests for a few moments before drifting off to dreamland? You better believe it. Because my God, He just loves me that much.

Longing

The sounds of 3 children, happily playing behind a closed door, are too much for this sweet one to bear. I can't wait for the day he won't choke to his death on Polly Pocket's shoe given the opportunity. Until then, dear boy, pat-a-cake with Mommy will just have to be good enough.

Deja Vu

He reminds me oddly of his sister as a baby when he plays out this dramatic scene. The only difference is she had a girl's attention span and could perform for much longer. Seth, on the other hand, has all the focus of... "SQUIRREL!" ...a boy.

Yep, She's Almost 16

Okay, so really she just turned 4 on Sunday. But I feel like 16 is just around the corner.

Double Beautiful Blessings

On Tuesday, June 21st, my sister Katie's third child, Miss Josie Christine, joined us in this world.

Josie needed a little help with oxygen intake and was shortly after birth taken to the NICU. While in the NICU Josie was showing improvement, when she suddenly "crashed." Doctors and nurses worked on sweet Josie and got that little heart pumping again - they saved her sweet life!! Praise God for those medical professionals!! After her crash, Josie's little body went into a sort of shock, and she has since had us on our knees petitioning God on High for healing. Josie is on a respirator, although she has done a little breathing on her own. She has had 2 EEGs that show quite diminished brain activity. But she is stable and seems to very slowly be showing some hopeful signs of improvement. Today she was taken off her blood pressure meds and they have slowly been warming her little body back up (they've had her on thermal blankets to cool her body from the trauma of the arrest). She even sucked on a pacifier for the first time tonight! Tomorrow Josie will have an MRI to get a better look at her brain. PLEASE LIFT HER TO GOD OUR FATHER, THE GREAT PHYSICIAN. Josie's Daddy, Troy, has been talking of Jesus' first miracle, where he showed only a glimpse of His coming glory. We have been seeing glimpses in Josie's short life of the glory of Jesus, and now we want to see it all unleashed in full, spectacular view!!

On Thursday, June 23, my sister-in-law, Jen, gave birth to her second daughter, Miss Ava Isabelle.

My understanding of the story, through my hubby (and you know men with details, ha ha), is that Jen had a rupture in her placenta that caused blood to mix with amniotic fluid. Miss Ava ingested and aspirated that mixture of fluid/blood. Her little lungs are having difficulty from all of this and Ava is on a respirator while her lungs get stronger. Please lift her up to God for complete healing and quick recovery so she can be home with her family!!

Two beautiful baby girls who we already love so much. Won't you join us in asking God to shine His glory through their precious lives? Praise you, Father, for you formed every fiber of their DNA, and they are both truly wonderfully made!!

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have HOPE: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail." Lamentations 3:21-22

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine... to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Eph 3:20-21

Mini Disciples