seven is awesome

Today was Lucas' 7th birthday and rather low key but yesterday we 

had a little birthday bash.  Just a couple friends, but a rowdy water balloon

fight that included getting me wet.

The weather was perfect...sweltering actually.  It felt good to get wet and have a nice cold glass of lemonade.  We rarely have birthday parties that extend outside of our family, but this year when he mentioned having a water balloon fight I decided that every good water balloon fight should include some friends.  Even though it took me 2 hours to fill the balloons and less than 10 minutes (or maybe even 5) to pop all of them it was worth the effort.

Love this picture of him!  Not so much of me, but it's not too often 

I get to appear in pictures too so I'll take it!

Lucas,

You are a sweetheart!  Your toothless grin melts my heart.  It is a sweet sign that you are indeed growing up.  I'm so grateful that you still love to give and receive hugs and kisses.  So, I'll give you as many as I can now.  You are starting to be a big help with your brother and I love how you desire to be daddy's right handyman.  You are so inquisitive.  Your mind goes 1,000 miles a minute, but that definitely makes you who you are.  You amaze me almost everyday with some fact, usually math, that you share with us.  It's a gift from God.  It certainly isn't anything we have done.

 He has given you a mind that easily grasps certain concepts and I can't wait to see how the

Lord uses that in your life.  You thrive on being silly and you have the most awesome dance moves!

I love you, buddy, with all my being.  I am blessed to be your momma.

Happy Birthday, Big Guy!

"one"derful!

Today marks a year when in the wee hours of the morning our sweet boy was born. He was laid in my arms and for the third time in my life I thought I'd never seen anything more precious. To think, after our miscarriages we decided to try just once more. And look at what God's gracious hand gave us. We know he is a gift. He belongs to God, as do our other kids. He is not ours to selfishly hold on to, but it raise up to bring glory to Him. I'm just so incredibly grateful that He chose us, in His perfect plan, to have such precious gift. Thank you, Lord.

Ethan, you are:

• My sweet rascal. You are laid back, yet determined. I don't know how those two character traits coexist, but you pull it off! Curious should be your middle name.
  
• You are a jokster. You tease me already in your own little way.
  
• I love it when you smile and crinkle your nose. Oh, it warms my heart!
• You love the outdoors more than any other place! Absolute glee exudes from you when we step outside to play.
  
• You are quite the conversationalist. I love your jibber-jabber.
• I cherish our snuggle time. Your silky hair on my cheek is good medicine.
• ...and your laugh is music.

Happiest of birthdays to you! We love you!

Five

On Sunday, Lydia turned five. Oh my! How time just scoots along.
We had a simple family celebration earlier in the day and then with our house church
family in the evening.

Upon waking, she donned the purple crown I made her last year and did not remove it until bedtime. She requested spaghetti for dinner and a chocolate cake with light purple frosting. Overall, I would say her day was a success!

Our sweet babysitter, M, brought Lydia an Aurora Princess Baby.
She's in love.

Some of your favorite things:

Color- purple
Food- spaghetti, oatmeal and french fries
Activity- swinging, twirling, racing your "car" down the driveway
Theme- princesses, fairies

Lydia,

My precious daughter.
You are a great blessing and it is an honor to be your mom. It's been a joy to watch you grow the past five years. My heart melts at your tenderheartedness, yet you have spunk! I love your silly moments... and there are many. You are my sweet girl and I am so thankful you were chosen by Him to be a part of our family. I pray that He will enable me to be a mom who will show you what it is to love Jesus and to love others.

yours forever,

momma

You Made Me a Mom...

When I look back a little over six years ago I thought I might miss out on being a mom. (This was before the Lord opened my eyes to the beauty of adoption.) Getting pregnant was taking longer than I had hoped and I was getting worried. I was almost 30, after all. What I didn't realize is a lot can happen between 30 and 40... and beyond. Just when I had come to peace that the Lord may have different plans for us I found out we were expecting you. And my life has never been the same. The Lord has used you to help mold and shape me in ways no one else could.

The day you were laid in my arms my heart burst open with a scary kind of passion. I was so in love I ached. You, my sweet boy, have altered my life in ways you won't understand until you hold a little one you call your own.

~You have grown into a sweet, vivacious boy. ~

~You love to be silly and you crack your sister up! ~

~You have a strong will that will serve you well. ~

~Curiosity might as well be your middle name. You want to know how everything works.~

~You are passionate about numbers and can be found at least once daily with a calculator in hand figuring out things like how many days you've been alive... 2190 days, Buddy.~

~You are the family Meteorologist. I can rely on you to give me the day's forecast,
with any necessary updates throughout the day.~

~This year I had the priveledge of teaching you how to read. I love to feel your little
body next to mine as we read together.~

~I had the joy of watching you fall in love with your little brother.~

I have been blessed to have had one more year with you!
Happy 6th Birthday, Lucas! I love you so very much!

Lydia's Big Day

Happy Birthday to my sweet girl! We had such a great time celebrating such a special day! We were lucky enough to have family visiting from out of town, so there was a lot of cousin love going around. We don't have everyone pictured, but for a majority of the weekend there were 6 adults and 9 kids running around. I was blessed to have my sweet sister, Jenn, visiting for the weekend. She graciously took pictures for me. Now, if only I could edit them as well as she does!

Here's our little peanut her 1st week of life getting a little extra TLC at the NICU.

... and 4 years later- just as precious (most of the time :))

Little Lydia,

Oh goodness, girl! You are a sweet, spunky darling! You make my heart swell with pride. You are silly and snuggly. It melts my heart every time you randomly come up to me and wrap your arms around my leg and give me a kiss. You make me laugh when you make faces that only you can make. I love it when you come to me and ask me to play. Forgive me for the times I don't take full advantage of those moments. It is such a pleasure to have you in our family. You make our life richer and fuller. I thank God for the way you have helped me grow as your mom.

Happy Birthday, Gracie-Pooh!

Old Man

Lucas,

Today you turned five! As I woke you up and softly sang Happy Birthday you crawled out of bed and gave me a big bear hug stating, "I'm getting to be an old man, aren't I?"

I am so enjoying you! You have a great sense of humor and you love to make other people laugh. You are quick to forgive and full of wonderful snuggles. I think I say this often, but you teach me so much about myself and who I want to become. You have taught me that it's okay if I don't know all the answers as your mom, as long as I'm doing the very best I know how and striving to improve in the areas where I am weak. You've helped me grow strong in ways I couldn't have without you.

I love you so very much! You were perfectly placed in our lives and I am so grateful to be able to pour into your life and watch you grow.


Remember, I will love you always, no matter what!

Purple Party

This past Sunday we held Lydia's birthday party with family who live close. For months she has been asking for a "purple" party. It was a fairly simple party, but I believe we fulfilled the need for purple. Here's a pictorial account of the fun!

White cake with purple marshmallow fondant dusted with lavender luster dust.

Her royal princess modeling the crown I made her while sneaking a sample of her cake.

Purple swirls... an extra fun touch!

A pretty posy to dress up her shirt. Inspired by Lindsey Cheney over at The Pleated Poppy. I would love to support her sweet little business, but I need to use up my ridiculous stash of fabric somehow. So this my version of a posy.

Lydia's purple stash!

Uncle Clay and Aunt Katie!

Happy, Happy 3rd!

How can it be? My little girl celebrated her 3rd birthday today! She's is growing up into quite the little lady!

Some of your favorite things:

• Anything purple!
• Doggies and kitties
• Princess everything.
• Visiting the fish and "monsters" (lobsters) while grocery shopping.
• A new found love for puzzles.
• You love to wear dresses!
• You make up songs almost everyday and sing your heart out.
• INDEPENDENT!

Lydia,

Goodness, honey! Would you slow down? You are growing up so quick! You are a precious little girl! We are so blessed to have you as part of our family! Your smile lights up a room. You are feisty and independent, but you have such a tender heart. As you grow, I pray that you will love Jesus and fully know you are a daughter of the King. A princess indeed! I love you, sweet girl!

love- Mama

THEN... Nov 2008

AND NOW... Nov 2009

(trying out her new boots)

Birthday Pics

Here are some belated birthday pics:

Thanks Grandpa and Grandpa S!

Lucas handed Lydia a present so she could unwrap one. I thought that was so sweet and selfless!

Utter amazement over a craft that Aunt K and Uncle C gave him!


Look at this cute piggy-bank from Grandpa and Grandma M. A big hit!

CARS cake as requested. Shrinky-dinks on sale make for an easy cake decoration. This was a great cake! I've finally found one that is GREAT and doesn't have egg or dairy!
(I substituted coffee for the water and increased the cocoa powder to 3/4 cup. I also added a cup of chocolate chips. So good!)

Blowing out the candles!

Enjoying cake!

Funny faces always go well with cake!

Happy Fourth Birthday to You!

There you are! Always looking to make others laugh- so silly! You are sweet and compassionate and you find joy in the little things in life. You are helpful and encouraging!

Lucas, you've grown leaps and bounds this past year! What a joy it has been to see your speech and personality really flourish. It is a delight to spend time talking with you. You make us laugh everyday. Your hugs and kisses are a treasure.

You captured our hearts 4 years ago, and being your mom had been the greatest blessing. You have helped me mature spiritually and emotionally. You have stretched and honed the weak and sinful places in my life. I am so, so blessed that God chose to place you in our family.

I love you more than words could say! Happy Birthday, Bud!

Birthday Girl!

Yesterday was Lydia's birthday. It was a beautiful sunny day! Probably the last of it's kind for this year. We were really busy finishing up yard work so we wouldn't have to worry about the rain that was forcasted today. But she and daddy sneaked away for a little one-on-one time at a local park.

I made her homemade pizza and we gave her a few small gifts- one of which was a little stuffed kitty she spotted in Jo-Ann Fabrics. She cried so hard when I told her we weren't going to buy it that I had to sneak back a few days later to give that little kitty a home.

We officially celebrated her big day this evening. We had a fun gluten-free, casein-free, egg-free menu planned for tonight. On the menu:

Roasted Tomato Soup
Sweet Potato Cornbread
Potato Wedges
Maple Frosted Pumpkin Cupcakes
(all recipes or adaptations from The Gluten Free Goddess!)


Here is her cake combining two of her favorite things: dogs and jelly beans!


And here is the birthday girl: (a few pics to reminisce her 1st year since I didn't have a blog at the time...)

Our little sis at 3 weeks...

...and 2 years later!

Little Lyds,

Oh how we love you! You have brought so much joy to our hearts. Your smile and laughter are contagious and even your temper tantrums have a strange way of making me laugh to myself. I'm so thankful to God for the 2 years we have been given to cuddle you, play with you and watch you grow. Your love for animals is precious and I love to see your face light up when you see something furry pass by. You are such a blessing to our family and we look forward to the days ahead! We love you, sweetie!

Birthday Boy! (belated)

Well, our little man turned three on Tuesday! It's hard to believe that this little ball of energy has been with us for that long. (It has been crazy the past few weeks. I'll post more on that later...some fun news to share!) We actually celebrated his birthday on Sunday because it worked better for everyone and we were also hosting our house church at our home Tuesday evening.

Lucas seemed to enjoy himself. I've started him on a gluten free/ casein free diet for his PDD-NOS, but I was determined the menu would remain tasty and refreshing. I marinated chicken all day for grilling. It turned out great- so moist! We also grilled vegetable kabobs drizzled in olive oil, salt and pepper. Lucas loves corn on the cob so I made sure I had plenty available, along with a fruit salad and a variety of chips. All of it turned out great. I was pleased and relieved.

For his cake I made a GF/CF banana Bundt cake and it turned out great! Even the gluten/casein eating people thought it was great! Thank goodness for the Gluten Free Goddess blog! I tried to decorate his cake in a train theme with fruit "leathers", Lifesavers, fruit chews and chocolate chips...it was rather ugly but he didn't care.


Blowing out birthday candles!




There is only one way to eat cake!


Lucas,

You are a joy and a true gift from God! I am so glad He has given us the privilege of raising you. You bless me everyday with your kisses, spontaneous hugs and shouts of "I love you!". You have taught me so much about myself and what it means to put my selfish desires to the side (not that I have even come close to perfecting this). You have helped me to grow in depth and maturity. Loving you has helped me to love God more, because I see that I fall short in being the mom I want to be for you and Lydia. It is only through His wisdom, grace and love that I can even come close.

I look forward to the years ahead of us! I love you!