Spring Weather

So this week spring arrived in style!! With summer like temperatures but you won't hear anyone at this house complaining. This winter seemed somewhat eternal to me but I think it is safe to say it has retired for yet another year. We spent all week outside and that isn't too much of an exaggeration. I told Mark if this is an indicator of how the rest of the summer is going to be that we will need to hire someone to clean the house since I hardly got to see the inside of the house this week. I was kind of joking but kind of not!
We spent hours and hours on this broken bridge. It is their favorite place to play! They can dangle their feet in the water, throw stones and run up and down the bridge since it slants towards the middle. They also get splinters which is awesome!

And this little girl has one speed that is overdrive! She is quick, quiet and if you aren't watching vigilantly she is gone! Not a problem later in the summer when the creeks are lower and things start drying up but for now it makes me nervous. With all the storms this week everything is running full right now which is great for the older ones who seem to think they need to "swim" 5 times a day but not as great for the peanut who doesn't understand the danger of water.

See the theme here? Always running - rarely walking.

Eden had a few things to do on this afternoon and was riding her "bike" to her work site. The rest of the week was spent .......

making funny faces......

examining the bleeding hearts that were blooming.......

playing in the sandbox or in Heidi's case dumping the sand out of the sandbox.......

climbing trees and swinging on rope swings.....

picking violets and looking cute......

and jumping in the water for hours on end. Throw in a few missed naps, some slight sunburn, excessive jumping on the trampoline, hours spent in the sprinkler, time spent on schoolwork, extra laundry due to the water play and you have our week!

I walked Judah out to meet the bus this morning and we saw the most beautiful rainbow at 7:25 in the morning!! It was like a kiss from God this morning! I walked back into the house voicing my gratefulness to my Creator that He created spring and new life! I love the spring season!! And now to run and get caught up on some housework since everyone thinks it is cold today!

Innocence

My heart is drawn in and captivated by her innocence! I love my busy days with her!!

Blasted Sickness

I find that having multiple sick kiddos at the same time does a number on my energy levels. Having nights on end of little sleep puts a damper on the little bit of creativity I like to think I have. Dragging in all areas right now! I won't bore you with all the details but in the past two weeks we have been visited by fevers, croup, coughing to the point of vomiting during the night (especially fun), multiple doctor visits, an infected gland that was freakishly large....and there could possibly be more that my tired brain is not able to remember. Fortunately Mark and I have come through unscathed except for the hours of sleep that I need to regain somehow.

And tomorrow will find as back at the doctor again for Heidi's well check. She abhors the doctor so that will be enjoyable. We can never get an accurate weight because she is bailing off the scale, she screams the entire time we are near anything that looks like an exam room - overall panic on her part! Good thing that starbucks is giving away a free cup of coffee tomorrow if you bring in a reusable container because I am going to need some extra help.

Thankful for friends who care about me in the midst of caring for my children. To many seasoned mothers of multiple children these days of exhaustion are a distant memory so I almost hesitate to beat this dead horse. For whatever reason I have always operated best on between 8-9 hours of sleep so I am constantly aware of my need for His strength! I really can't do everything that needs to get done without His help. And sometimes in the middle of the day I sense I need His rest. So the children play quietly (or not) while I rest on the couch and catch a few winks of sleep. And last week one day my dear friend texted me first thing in the morning to tell me she would be bringing our family dinner. Just because! I haven't felt so loved in such a long time! Having a friend who can sense the weariness and who responds by serving us! It was splendid just spending the afternoon snuggling, playing games with the kids and not once worrying about having to work on dinner!

As far as I can tell we are on the mend at this house. I will have to regale you with the tales of a poopy butt print on the shower curtain another day! For now children are needing snacks which is a sure sign things are looking up - appetites are returning!!

It's Birthday Time

It's true.....the baby of the house is morphing into a very independent, fiery girl who is turning 2 on this gloriously, sunny day! She has been a gift in every way! I know I have said it so often but I will say it again - I am forever grateful that God broke into my carefully planned (controlled) life and saw fit to reward us with this treasure! She has brought so much life to our home!

She has always had a close relationship with Shane but kept Judah at a distance. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Shane is around everyday while Judah is gone at school. I know it bothered Judah when he would ask for hugs at bedtime and she would look away from him. She would go climb in bed with Shane, snuggle down in his covers and ignore Judah. More than once he had tears in his eyes at what he perceived as his sister preferring his brother over him.

Suddenly though she is seeking Judah out and spending time with him. One day this week Judah asked her to walk with him to the "pond" to look at the ducks with him. She held his hand and off they went. A few days later we were all out throwing rocks at the bridge and she again walked away from all of us and went to sit with Judah on the porch. And she couldn't have gotten any closer unless she had been sitting on his lap. I don't know what is changing but I am so grateful she is seeking him out. Such sweet pictures of a brother with his little sister!!

We have seen definite signs of improvement with her speech and sleep since getting the tubes in her ears 2 months ago. We are so thankful! Her speech is slow in coming but we are patient. We are celebrating 2 years of life today with this sweetie!

Multi-tasking.......

....at its finest!! Having two conversations while pushing her babies in the stroller! The girl knows how to get things done! All while wearing a highly appropriate shirt - Miss Chatterbox!! Someone gave us this shirt and it is her new favorite. Someone help!

Little Lovie

What is this you ask? A love offering from my youngest boy who seems to be growing up far too quickly! We spent a chunk of the day outside yesterday and he brought this to me with sparkly eyes! We put it on the steps so I wouldn't forget to bring it inside when it was time to start making dinner. I didn't think about it again (hard to admit) until I went to climb into bed. There on the floor beside my bed was my "flower".

It is still beside my bed and will remain there until all the needles fall off to remind me of my little guy's love!

If only you were all so blessed to receive pine tree branches from such a sweet boy!

Carrington

If you haven't been following Carrington's story I urge you to read her updates. She is slowly gaining, getting prepared for surgery and is a miracle! I struggle a lot with the reality that there are countless other children who remain in similar situations as her. I don't have time to go into the details of my struggle today but hope to soon. For now go see her and maybe leave an encouraging comment for her family. www.carringtonscourage.blogspot.com

Taste of Spring

Yesterday we had a teasing taste of spring. It was sandwiched in between chilly temperatures in the morning and thunderstorms later afternoon. In the middle you would find my passel of children tearing things up outside. Trees had to be climbed.....

and conquered....

According to Eden it was perfect for wading in the little "creek" and scavenging for sticks.

Heidi was not impressed with the bridge getting wet from Tristan and Eden's traipsing through the water and then leaving a trail of wet footprints. For the record...she was fully clothed when we first went outside even if her shirt was part of her pj's. At one point we were all going inside, or so I thought, and had to remove dirty, muddy pants and shoes. Heidi chose that time to make a get-away!

A taste of spring that was short-lived but I am hopeful it will be returning soon!

Celebrating 3 Years

Today marks three years since Eden's tiny little feet touched American soil! It is great cause for celebration!! I look at the transformation in this little person and I am amazed. This is the last picture we received of Eden before going to pick her up. I remember looking at her picture and thinking she looked even sadder than the 2 previous pictures we had received which broke my heart. You see some referral pictures that have happy, smiley babies who look like they are giggling but we didn't have any of those. I was struck with this reality again today upon seeing a beautiful little baby girl who will soon be joining our church family. Smiling and looks content. My mind flashed back to all the pictures we had of Eden before making the trip and I realized something. Her eyes are fearful. Distrusting. Sorrowful. And my heart broke anew. How naive I was to think we would rush in, scoop her up and fix her world! Her heart and mind had pathways already in place that are taking lots of time and love to reroute. I look at her almost every night while she is sleeping and ask God to continue to equip us to bring healing to her heart. We have seen tremendous progress this year. I realized while doing her annual report that I feel a new level of attachment has happened. I no longer feel like she would go with just anyone and be fine. I think she would desperately miss us and sees us clearly as her family. I do still feel like certain people who she really loves she would adjust with them and that still is a bit bothersome but can you blame her? She gets lots of special attention from people that fills her little tank. She is a ravishing beauty!! I am continuing to pray God captures her heart completely and that His beauty will radiate from her as she grows into a young woman.

I don't think anyone could say that she isn't going to turn more than one head as she gets older!

We really appreciate those of you who have prayed with us over the past year. We ask that you continue to pray when Eden comes to your mind. We have encountered some serious ugly over the past 6 weeks! We just really covet your prayers as we journey through this next layer of healing with her. Pray specifically for protection over my heart (sounds selfish) but my heart has been aching. It isn't easy knowing your child has experienced pain that is affecting them although they cannot begin to put into words what they feel. Eden will tell me sometimes as she is sobbing that she feels sad. Which is amazing considering every time I ask the boys what they are feeling I get an "I don't know."

So would you join us in thanking God today for his preservation and protection in Eden's life? We are rejoicing today!