Big Sibs

We are all getting excited about Lydia's arrival!  This anticipation is expressed in many ways and here are a few:

some of us make Lydia a "pretty house" out of paper

Some of us drive Lydia's momma CRAZY stalking around trying to snuggle with the belly

the sister-types like to practice their swaddling methods

and practice rocking the baby

and practice kissing the baby

and some of us get ready for Lydia by putting the baby's porta-bed together with great care.  :)

Some of the things I want to remember are not easily photographed, but are so precious, just the same:
-prayers of thanks for "our baby Lydia"
-the many many pieces of artwork creatied for Lydia Kate
-the way Camille breathlessly tells folks about our baby "Alivia Kate"
-the way every new baby and stuffed animal is now named "Lydia Kate"
-the way Reecie wraps her arms around my belly to give Lydia hugs and kisses
-the way Graham sings "Hush Little Baby" to Lydia each night:
Hush little Lydia don't you cry, Bubba's gonna buy you....
-the many, many conversations about who will change, feed, burp, help, sit next to in the truck, and be with Lydia each moment of the day  :)

I'm so excited to enjoy our precious people together and watch their relationships grow into something so beautiful!  

cooties!

Dan has been struggling with allergies for several weeks now, but when he came home from church on Wednesday night, I knew he was really sick.  He was achy, feverish, coughing, and sick to his stomach.  First thing on Thursday morning, I called the doctors office, on a gut feeling that he may have THE flu (influenza A).  Since it's been considered an epidemic this year, and Dan is constantly in contact with folks at church and on hospital visitations, I knew it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.  Upon mentioning to the receptionist that I am 30 weeks pregnant, I was so grateful that they had him come in for the first appointment for a "swab" test.  Sure enough, he tested positive.  This led to a quick call on the way home to my OB/GYN and the kids' pediatrician to request Tamiflu.  None of us had symptoms yet, so we took it as a prevention.  And although the Tamiflu was pricey and gave us belly aches, we decided it was worth it, especially given the potential side-effects of the flu  during pregnancy.  Dan's worst symptoms only lasted about three days and the rest of us stayed flu-free.  I am usually so leery of drugs like this, but in this case--I felt total peace.  It was truly a blessing (protection + provision) from the Lord.  

In addition to the flu, all three kids came down with a nasty cold (RSV)...poor Millie was the worst.  

So here's a few pictures that capture some of the ways we spent an entire seven days in quarantine: 

napping

eating yummy food (for some reason, when the family is sick I go into feed my family mode, so we ate really well this week!)

soaking up some extra vitamin D in the sunshine

watching way to much tv

taking our yucky-tasting meds

painting nekkid, just because it makes her feel happy instead of sick and grumpy :)

bickering because we're tired of being cooped up in the house all week, group time-out is highly effective discipline (ha ha ha!)

looking at photo albums and reading books together

lots and lots and lots of snuggle-therapy

playing games new and old

and praising the Lord for his healing touch!

sweet

The girls and I got a hankering for cupcakes tonight...and so we made 'em!  We're working on taking turns with the spoon in the kitchen.  Everyone wants to stir.  ;)

Here's "C-licious" after her nap, buck nekkid, chowing down on a  cupcake.  I love her warm snugs and sweaty baby head smell when she wakes up...can't get enough of my Millie girl!

She was so tickled with the way her voice sounds when she has her mouth stuffed full of cupcake.

One of our favorite traditions is the Christmas book basket.  So cool to watch the kids pour over these books, some familiar and some new to us this year.

Look at this little sweetie!  Eighteen weeks now.  

Feeling good.  Feeling sleepy.  Feeling HUNGRY!  Feeling some growing pains (round ligament).  Feeling little bumps and flutters.  Feeling so, so, so thankful.

a peek at our week {in pictures}

My goal is to delete/edit my pics from the week on Friday nights.  Here are the first "fruits" of my photo purge/sort.  We're easing back in to some scheduled days and I'm trying to make sure to build it time for things that are energizing and enjoyable to me so that I don't slip into "Mom-the-martyr" mode.  :)  Organizing and journaling on our pictures is one of those activities for sure!  After the joys and challenges of the week, a little memory-keeping exercise like this reminds me of all I have to be thankful for.

Dan came home on Monday night after interviewing our new church preschool director ready to celebrate!  It's been quite stressful at work this summer and this was a huge relief..  He called the emergency babysitting squad (Grandma and Grandpa) and they scooted right over to watch the kids for an hour while we noshed on some cheese fries at Rib City.  No eating after 7 is out the window when you need to celebrate.  :)

Went to the library on Monday, which means a gigantic pile of books and 7 dvd's (the library's limit)   I think they were watching Princess and the Pop Star Veggie Tales with every blanket in the house piled on top of their bodies.  I almost forgot Millie was in this pic!  Can you spot her? 

This boy is so sweet on his sisters, and right now, Miss Millie has his affections.  The feeling is mutual! In fact when she got into some trouble she ran to Graham to tell on me!  "Grammy....momma....me feel so sad!"  So, so pitiful.  

Our little "pantry raider" is now the "panty raider"  ;) This pic is going to get me into trouble one day with Camille....I'm sure of it. (Don't worry, this blog is private only for you, family and super close friends!)  

Sitting across from these three at lunch...I was overcome with gratitude to God for entrusting me with their lives and hearts!  

Graham getting in Daddy's sermon writing process.  Dan is intentional about helping our children understand and be a part of the ministry God has called him to.  One of the many things I admire about him. 

We rearranged Graham's room and sorted out  all of the Lego (a friday morning tradition).  A clean slate in the Lego room always gets the creative juices flowing.  Here, Hannah Reece is demonstrating her awesome Hello Kitty village.  She is so proud of it!  She asked me to take pictures at every angle; here is another:

our blue-eyed beauty

our buddies Asher and Jadon came to play.  We loved how the kids all piled on the sofas right away and started looking at books and reading to each other.  Makes some homeschool momma's hearts feel happy!  I  enjoy stimulating conversation with their mom, Sarah, politics, theology...nothing's off limits.  Grateful for friendships like these.

So sweet!  This little cocked-head pose is how Camille poses for the camera lately.  

Thank you, Lord.  

  

pearly whites + provision

Tuesday was a big day...a trip to the pediatric dentist for all three of our people.  We have been visiting a family dentist, who also happens to be my parents' neighbor, since Graham's first check-up at two.  She is so sweet and I'm grateful for the ways that she and her staff set the stage for a positive outlook on going to the dentist for Graham and Hannah Reece.  They both started out by straddling daddy and I during our cleanings, even getting to spray our teeth with water or suction the water out of our mouths...which had everyone in the office in hysterics.  :)

Last week Graham and Millie had their well-checks at the pediatrician and I pointed out that Camille's top teeth seemed a little crowded to me.  The doctor checked and counted and counted and checked...and guess what?  She has an extra tooth on top! So off to the pediatric dentist we went.  Nana came along too, and I'm so grateful for her help!

First stop:  the sink for a good brushing.  Then a pink rinse to show the spots we've missed.  A little talk and lesson on proper brushing (need all the help we can get in this department!)

Look up here!  A tv playing a movie, just for children! 

Uh-uh.  Not having that daddy, not even with a movie on the ceiling.  I'm outta here!

Graham  handling it all like a champ, and Reecie did too!  They actually looked relaxed!  I even heard Hannah Reece say, "this tickles!"  I was amazed at their bravery.  

It was so convenient to have Dan run over, the office is directly across the street from the church. They had an "open" exam room with three chairs, so we filled the place up!   After x-rays, Millie does indeed have an extra baby tooth.  Right in the middle, on top.  Thankfullly, so far there is no sign of an extra adult tooth.  Eventually, the dentist will have to remove that extra tooth, but not just yet.

When Hannah Reece was 2 1/2, she had a fall that left her with a chipped front tooth.  The root was not damaged, so she was able to keep the tooth.  Over time, the tooth has turned light gray, and she has developed a small abscess that is quite painful.  The dentist told us that the grown up teeth are descending, putting pressure on the nerve that has already been aggravated, causing the abscess and inflammation.  She has begun a course of antibiotics, and will have the tooth removed in about a week and a half.

No cavities and all in all, the visit was pleasant and positive.  At the end of our visit, we were talking to the dentist and Dan mentioned how convenient her office was for him to hop over to be with us.  This led into a conversation about his position at the church and she almost immediately asked Dan and I if she could speak to us privately in another room.  My mom took the kids and she told Dan how grateful she was to meet him, that she and her husband (a periodontist) are looking for ways to "give back" to those who need dental treatment but are unable to pay because of circumstances beyond their control.  She said if we ever came into contact with folks in this situation to contact her business manager, and gave us a card.  I was almost in tears at that point, and Dan looked at me with a knowing glance and a smile.  Little did this dentist know that on Sunday, only two days earlier, such a need had presented itself.

Camille's nursery teacher at church is a single mother.  I often share new developments with Camille and we were talking about her well check-up and impending visit to the dentist.  She went on to share that they had once been patients at this particular dentists office, but they no longer had dental coverage.  Her daughter hadn't been to the dentist in quite a while and had some issues that needed to be treated.  I could see the look of concern on her face, mixed with sadness.  Her daughter's father had cancelled her insurance benefits without any notice.  I felt so burdened for her and after church, mentioned the need to Dan and we brainstormed some ways that maybe we could help out, although we are certainly not in a financial position to pay for someone else's dental care.  Dan said, let's pray and ask the LORD how he might provide for this need.

Back to our little meeting with the dentist.  I was all teary and shared this story with the dentist, she got all teary too, and said to have her call the office right away.  Our friend's daughter could receive treatment completely free of charge.  I am so grateful and amazed at God's immediate provision.  It was an incredible gift to share the news with Millie's teacher, and to witness her encouraged heart and strengthened faith through this experience.

This same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 (NLT)

resonate.

“God appoints people who do 

disappoint – to point to a God 

who never disappoints.”  


-Ann Voskamp

cotton candy sunset
{taken from the back porch of mom and dad's beach house on Thanksgiving}

New Friends

Tonight we spent time with our new friends, Hadiqa and Ayesha.  These young women are international students from Pakistan, spending a semester in an exchange program at a local university.

Our pastor for missions connected us with them to be a "host family".  He told us that 80% of international students never step foot in an American home during their time here in the U.S.  We feel like it is such a unique opportunity for us and for our children to get to know these sweet ladies and broaden our worldview at the same time.

We shared a lovely "American" meal and lots of laughter at California Pizza Kitchen  :)   I feel honored that Hadiqa and Ayesha shared so honestly about their families, culture and Muslim faith and we were able to do the same.  Our friend Rebecca joined us and it was so neat to listen to these young women relate to each other.  They told me that as their host family I am their American Mom.  I love that, what a privilege!  I am happy to have children who know how to go potty by themselves.  ;)  ha!  Our daughters thought they were so beautiful.  Every time I looked up, they were staring and smiling at them.

Women like Rebecca, Hadiqa and Ayesha give me hope for the future.  They have a passion to grow and learn about people, other cultures, and other points of view.  It is a beautiful thing!   I pray that God would be glorified in their lives and for generations to come.

Joy

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.  

Luke 10:21

 

It was Thursday night, and things were winding down around here.  Camille had a late afternoon nap that day, so Dan took her with him to to pick up a few things (one being a $265 bike that was mismarked at $99...thank you, Lord for that provision!)  and I had just tucked the kids into bed, kissed and tickled (Hannah Reece likes for me to tickle her arms and back before bed to get settled down).  Like usual, I popped on my IPOD shuffle and started up a podcast from Midday Connection while I got busy tidying up the kitchen and living room before bed.  And like usual, five minutes later, Hannah Reece was out of bed.

***
"Girl, what are you doing out of bed?"
"Momma, I'm not tiiiirrrreed!" (insert big smile and head tilt)
"Ok (this part is unusual for me...I usually pat her bottom and usher her back to bed), but if you're going to stay up, you need to help me clean up."
***

So we got to work and I started up the podcast again.

At this point, I need to insert a little aside that Miss Millie is creates her own natural disaster these days.  Hence the loving nickname "Hurricane Millie".  If it is within her reach, it is pulled down, taken apart into it's smallest pieces and methodically squished up, chewed on, or torn apart.  And then she moves on to the next item.  This is all new to us, I don't recall G and H going through this phase of toddler hood.  Although, being the third child, this might be natural because I just don't have the ability to hover over her every second like I did with the first two children.  She does have a little more freedom to "explore".  ;)

So, back to the story.  We have a little basket on the bookshelf that contains these little at-home enrichment cards and manipulative's from various Sunday School and church activities.  Our little hurricane spread the contents all over the floor earlier in the day, and now my late night housekeeping helper got sidetracked with the contents too.  I continued to clean up, eager to finish this task so that I could hit the sack.   :)

Just then, I felt a tug on my arm and Hannah Reece appeared in my view and shoved the little booklet pictured above right in front of my face.  I took off my headphones (not even realizing what she had) and said "could you put that in the basket, please?"   She said  "Momma, will you read to me about God?"  So we sat down on the sofa and read through it's contents.  As you read and lift each flap it continues to open up into the shape of a cross.   She was listening to every word.  I could sense, at that very moment, that the Holy Spirit was opening her heart to the things of God.  I've had a handful of times in my life where I could tangibly "feel" God's presence and this was one of them!  It had nothing do with me and everything to do with God's ordained time and activity in Hannah Reece's heart.   I sat there amazed at God's revelation her, as we talked about the contents of the tract.

At the end, there is an example of a prayer that someone might pray surrender their lives to Jesus Christ.  I was so concerned about her making a commitment before she was ready that I almost skipped over that (shame on me!), but she wanted to know what it said, and right away said "I want to pray to Jesus and ask him to take away my sins.  I want Jesus in my heart."  Amazing.   So she did just that.

After we prayed she looked down on her little pajama tank (pictured above) that she wears almost every night to bed and pointed to one of the peace signs.  This part was equally amazing to me!

***
What does this circle thing mean mom?
It means "peace".
What does peace mean?
(Struggling to come up with a definition on the fly ;)
Peace is knowing that everything is right and well in your heart with God.
That's what my heart is telling me right now.
***

At the age of  4 years and 11 months old,  GOD has drawn Hannah Reece to himself.  Truly GOD's might,  power, faithfulness surpasses everything we know and understand.  I am in awe, that in GOD's good pleasure, HE had revealed these things to Graham and Hannah Reece as little children.  May their lives bring you glory and honor Lord, and may they serve you with undivided hearts, for the rest of their lives.  May our hearts remain soft, so that know and trust you with child-like faith.

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  

Galatians 6:14

All in a Days Work

On days like today...sitting in front of "the list" all of the little and big things that need to get done...I feel overwhelmed.   Months ago, in a similar frame of mind,  I decided to put make a different kind of list in my notebook, a list of all of the things that I do "do" in a days work.  And when I read this list today, I am encouraged, my perspective shifts.  And I realize that though many of the items on my list might not get accomplished today, or tomorrow or the next, my actions demonstrate and accomplish more than my crossed off to-do list ever could.  May all of my "do's" be done with joy and thanksgiving, out of love.

***I recently downloaded lots of photos from our little point and shoot, most of them taken by Graham and Hannah Reece.  Their pictures sure do capture reality in our home, the good the bad and the ugly (that would be my bed head and scrubby clothes! Ha!)  so I'm adding in a few for fun.  

Today I will...

cook

organize

conversate

pray

clean

list
serve

remind

love

motivate

encourage

hurry

give
comfort

play

pack

remember

plan

record

engage

discipline

unpack

forget

relax

worship

abide
read

confess

nourish

exercise

regroup

correspond

bathe

cultivate

prepare

 educate 

 drive

redirect
forgive

adore 

and at the end of the night when my body falls into bed....I will rest.