{5.30.2013}

Today we remember, reflect and celebrate Owen.  He would be five today which seems near impossible.  Reflecting upon the past five years it is impossible not to see his legacy, not to see the impact Owen's short life has made ... through Owen's story, it is clear to see that our Redeemer lives and through His grace we have hope.

I look at our little family line-up, and it is hard not to melt in a puddle when it's so obvious that there is a step missing.  But, I look closer and see these incredible gifts that God has given us, beautifully created.  And for that and all of life's lessons, even the hard ones, I am thankful.

And, I am thankful to do life with our sweet friends and family, the ones who checked in today, the ones who are tracking with us and remembering with us. 

Normalcy

Jason and the boys returned home from LLBC's work weekend last night.  It was the first time since Nora's homecoming that we have divided and conquered. 

It felt good, and it felt like we may have gotten to a point of normalcy (somewhat sleep deprived normalcy, but normalcy none-the-less). 

Normalcy is all relative, of course, but entering a milestone week (where we will celebrate Owen's 5th birthday), the realization that we may have found our new rhythm feels good.

Sounds like a plan ...

Jason and the boys are out of town this weekend leaving me with the girls (which, can I just say is still a bit surreal ... feeling incredibly blessed with the way He created our family). 

We started the day by picking up Grandma Goose (this is how Lydia affectionately refers to my Mom) and headed to the Hallow (LOVE this art) for teacher gifts (gulp, cannot believe it's nearly the end of another school year for the boys). 

Afterwards, Lydia had a plan (this past week or so she has often been heard stating "okay, it's a plan" ... a glimpse into one of her characteristics that is a mold of mine ... oh, how I appreciate being planful).  Lydia's plan included a donut for her and a cookie for Nora, courtesy of Grandma, at a small town bakery. 

 

After a few other stops, we had lunch (and, um, admittedly I was not prepared and had not been planful which is totally out of character ... had not packed anything for Little Miss so she was forced to eat fries for lunch ... she did not protest).

Then it was back to Grandma's for a quick visit with Grandpa and then home in time to play outside a bit before naps ("naps" is used loosely here ... only one little girl took a very brief nap).

 

So thankful for these days and time with my girls and my mum.

Little Princess

So, you think we are in a household where the boys came first?  Somehow I don't have a photo of Lydia, but she was stylin' in a Power Ranger costume as she dressed her sister in a Transformer mask and orange wings ... bless the orange wings.

 Oh dear, may be time to invest in some princess gear ...

White Ruffle Leggings ... For Real {Nora's Dedication}

The girls debuted their white ruffle leggings today for Nora's Dedication and Mother's Day.  It was a wonderful day but also a hard day.  For the past five years, as we approached Owen's birth and as we near his birthday, Mother's Day is a reminder of the piece of our hearts that is missing.  As we near Owen's 5th birthday I cannot help but wonder how our lives would be different had we not lost Owen.  That said, I am very aware of the blessings we have been given ~ four healthy LilyKids here with us.  Beautiful.

Today Nora was dedicated by our sweet Pastor friend.  Unfortunately, we have no photos of the actual dedication as corralling four kiddos into church this morning and then remembering to ask a family member to take a photo was apparently too much for this aging mama.

But, I did get a few photos of the kiddos afterward and of Little Miss who enjoyed her first cake ... A LOT!

Praying that we can bring this girl up to grow in the Truth.

 

P.S.  For those who have inquired, the multi-leggings were from HERE.  Would love for our friends down south to have some too!!!

White Ruffle Leggings

I was on a mission, a mission to find white ruffled leggings for the girls.  I looked to no avail around our small community.  So, I resorted to the web ... to etsy to be more specific.  There have been a lot of clever posts about love / disdain for pinterest, can I say that I feel the same about etsy?  My search for white ruffle leggings ended with these, these very non-white ruffled leggings.

For the record, I finally did find white ruffle leggings on etsy as well ... those will make their debut this weekend.  Stinkin' etsy ...

Monkey Girl

What beats coming home from work to a girl in her monkey pj's and tennis shoes riding her brothers' hand-me-down bike?  Makes me smile ...

The Geneticist

It has been a busy couple of weeks around here, aside from every day life, Miss Nora has had a 21-month growth check (she broke the 20 pound mark - in fact she's just over 21 pounds!), we had our 6-month post-placement visit with our social worker (may blog more on that some day ... or, maybe I won't ... lots to process with those visits), and today we went back to the Children's Hospital for a visit with the Geneticist.

I will be honest, this was an appointment that I had been dreading since the day we made it, months ago.  Until the appointment was done this afternoon I hadn't realized how preoccupied I was, wondering if there were any unknowns with Nora (of course, there are a lot of unknowns and finding anything new wouldn't change a thing), but I worry as most Mamas do.  My worry was for naught as the Geneticist feels that Nora's cleft is isolated and that her development and general health show no signs of any syndromes, disorders, etc.  Praise Him!

We received the pre-paperwork for this visit a couple of weeks ago, I put it aside for a few days as the thick packet appeared daunting.  When I did get to work, it took me a mere 3 minutes to complete all of the paperwork as it was largely questioning pregnancy and birth of Nora, both of which we know nothing about.  While it is hard to not be able to answer these questions, this was another reminder that got me to think about and pray for Nora's birth parents.  I mourn for them, not seeing this little girl blossom, not hearing her first word, not hearing her belly laugh, not chasing her as she wanders (and thinks she's hilarious doing so) at her brother's spring concert.  I mourn for the milestones they are missing.  But, I am thankful for this gift that we have been given because of their sacrifice, because they clearly loved and wanted a different life for their daughter.  So thankful ...

Six Months ...

Six months ago today, she was here ...

Six months later, here she is ...

Such a beautiful thing, something I certainly do not want to overshadow with trying to describe how life, how she, has transformed and blossomed over these past six months ...

I know that my words would not be adequate. 

So thankful ...

Kissing Cousins {and Siblings}

In addition to a lunch date with a friend this weekend, we celebrated Jason's parents 40th wedding anniversary with Jason's siblings and their kiddos.  I love that the kids get along with their cousins (most of the time), and I think it's safe to say that us being in China definitely grew the bond with a couple of the cousins as the kiddos spent long weekends at their house while we were away. 

Lydia's smile and the innocent joy she has is infectious, it is entertaining and joyful to see her interact with her cousins.  Samuel and Lydia also have this special bond (all of the kids are close, but Lydia adores. her. Samuel).  

Yes, Samuel, we see you!

Yes, Lydia, we see you!

Lydia loves her pretty cousin!

Awe, could they be any cuter ... or any sillier?

Love seeing Lydia "follow" everything the older kids do (well, maybe not everything ...)!

Yep, Nora was there too ... so was Jack, but he didn't make it into any photos!