Five! {Celebrating Lydia}

Our girl turned five today.  Five!  What a joy Lydia is (and strong-willed and what some might describe as quite stubborn as well ... all traits which will make her a strong leader I believe!).  This girl has a special place in the hearts of many.  

Like Samuel, Lydia also plays her birth order well - she fits the molds of little sister and big sister well.  She knows how to work her charm on the boys, and she also dotes on Nora (often giving in a little too easily when Nora "needs" something).

On this day I like to reflect back to December 18th, 2009 - it is still with great surprise that I recall the emotions when my doctor proudly and with much emotion himself, announced that we had a baby girl.  And, as I do every year, I must insert the caveat that we love our boys fiercely as well.  It was the surprise of a daughter that was (and remains to be) quite extraordinary.

To our girl, Happy Birthday, we love you more than you can imagine.  XO

Double Digits {Celebrating Samuel}

Today our (not-so) little boy turns double digits.  It is such a joy to see Samuel grow.  He has a tender heart and loves big.  He adores his big brother and dotes on his little sisters, and he is often the one to bring Owen into conversation.  He plays the role of middle child well.

He also love animals ... if not for allergies I have a feeling we would be more than just a one (oversized) dog and fish family.  In fact, he is trying hard (relentlessly) to convince us that a hedgehog would be a perfect Christmas gift.

It's been a blessing to celebrate Samuel this weekend ... a snow coaster size pizza for family birthday (eve) meal out ...

Special hot cocoa to finish Birthday Eve ...

And, his favorite - a peanut square breakfast ...

And, then a surprise boys' afternoon / night out!

Seems the boys thoroughly enjoyed boys' day out - they went to a hockey game, and Samuel was randomly chosen to ride in the zamboni!  Happy Birthday to him!!

(Samuel and I have a birthday date planned for later this month, and we will celebrate him and Lydia ... and maybe Jason who it seems may also have a significant birthday this month ... with a family party this upcoming weekend)

Me and my December babies ...

Happy Birthday to our Samuel, you are a blessing to us and many others!  We love you!  xo 

Officially a teen ...

Life is beautiful, I have a teen and yet I'm certain I'm not aging one bit (haha).  Today Jack turns 13 ... what?!?!?  To make matters worse, in a normal conversation this week with Samuel, Jack casually mentions that in "just three years" when he is driving ... hard to digest the reality of this!  But, for now, I'll try to stay in the present as I come to grips with having a teen!

Jack is now officially staring me in the eye, I suspect that by the end of the school year I will be looking up at him.  And, the kid fits in Jason's shoes, won't be long and Jason will be getting Jack's hand-me-down shoes!

Jack continues to be social, enjoying time with his buddies (ahem, albeit a bit too much at times during school), and he thrives on being in sports and being a part of a team. 

He just finished football (another undefeated season, these boys are going to be fun to watch in high school ... you know, when they are also driving ... sigh), and basketball practice starts tomorrow (the boys are not quite as strong on the court as they are on the field - which I appreciate as we need to keep some humility in these boys).  

And, of course, Jack loves baseball and will pick that up again with a few indoor clinics in early spring.

Jack plays the role of big brother well (most of the time anyway).  This is such an interesting age to watch and parent - the age of the in between, no longer a boy but not quite a man. 

Jack, Happy 13th Birthday!  You are a gift and we thank God for you every day!  XO

Celebrating Little Miss {Nora's 3rd Birthday}

How can it be that Nora turns three today?  I'm at a loss reflecting on how another year has so quickly passed.  Seems like we were just celebrating her first birthday home ... and, many of the feelings are unchanged. 

Nora has grown so much in the past year, it is such a joy to see her blossom.

We were all anxious to celebrate her this past weekend.

Her party "theme" - "Sunny with a 100% Chance of Sprinkles"

 

Nora told everyone that she wanted "MM's" for her birthday ... she got a big bag of m&m's, a candy aisle bag of m&m's, a box of m&m's, a tube of m&m's, individual treat size bags of m&m's, and a pouch of birthday m&m's - the girl is set and was equally as excited with each gift of "MM's"!

 

A labor of love ... a homemade bean bag toss (painted to match the absolutely adorable bean bags) by Nora's talented uncle and aunt ... an amazing gift!

 

Sneaking frosting before I got a chance to serve the cake!

 

Many people comment on how "lucky" Nora is to have a family, but we are the blessed ones that get the privilege of loving her as our daughter.  And, still on this day I remember a birth mom on the other side of the ocean that likely has an ache in her heart, and I pray for this woman whom I share much with. 

Nora, you are a blessing to us, we pray for your heart and all of the questions you will one day have about your story and His story and the way He has so graciously woven our hearts together.  Happy 3rd birthday, Little Miss!

Lately ...

Seems my poor little blog corner has seen some neglect due to life moving at a rapid pace, not to mention the ease of "story telling" through photo posting on Instagram.  So, in a quick recap, what have we been up to these past two weeks?

Lydia had a date with her cousin (of course, my SIL and I had to chaperon) to get pedicures.  Super fun! 

 Jack's baseball team took 2nd place in a tourney ...

The boys and I went on a Starbucks date ... this is one excited boy (definitely a treat) ...

 

Samuel had Field Day at school with fun and games, and the girls got to hang out with the 3rd and 4th graders and play on the school playground ...

The boys completed the school year, I somehow now have a 4th grader and a 7th grader (in denial) ...

And, today Jason and I celebrated our 15th anniversary ... not quite sure how that can be!

But I do know I'm a blessed mama and wife for sure!

Six ...

Six years ago today we said hello and goodbye to our 3rd son, the journey to that point and the journey since has been filled with many bittersweet moments.  On this day every year we struggle a bit to figure out how to celebrate Owen's life.  One would think that we would have this figured out seeing May 30th comes every year.  But, we don't.  I wonder if my struggle with this is because it's such a contrast to how we celebrate the other kiddos?  I suppose the consistency is in the fact that we do celebrate ... this year with an ice cream cake at the request of the boys, easy to oblige ...  



Another consistency is where we find our Hope ...

'O Christmas Tree

In 2006 we started a tradition of saving our Christmas tree and taking it to a nearby state park in the spring to be used for a family campfire / hot dog roast. 

I wrote a bit more about it here.  Well, the past few years we have cheated a bit - we have still used our tree for campfires, but we've done it in our backyard in a portable fire pit.

We found ourselves reinstating our original tradition this year (last weekend), and we all had a blast.  It is getting more and more challenging to find family activities and outings that a 2 year old up to a 12 year old can embrace.  Burning the Christmas tree, making dinner over a fire, taking a hike, and even stopping at the park's playground was a hit with everyone.

 

Yes, we may have let Samuel try using the axe ... oh dear ...

 

 

 Thankful for these days!

Sevenly

Every week Sevenly teams up with charities to raise funds and awareness for "weekly cause campaigns."  A portion of every item sold on Sevenly goes to the charity of the week.  The week's charity is one that is quite personal for us, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS). 

NILMDTS and a local photographer blessed us beyond measure when Owen was born (the photo at the top of my blog page is still one of my favorite family photos, Jason and I with our boys - Jack, Samuel and Owen on May 30th, 2008).

Part of Owen's story will always be how a sweet friend introduced us to a local photographer who became the first photographer in our area to become a part of NILMDTS so that she could capture the arrival of Owen, so thankful for Leslie Faye and how she laid aside her fears to bless us ... and now others. 

And, thankful for organizations such as Sevenly that advocate for causes such as this.

Because there is no foot too small ...