Celebrating Us

On Sunday Ian and I celebrated 7 years of marriage. Since a lot of things aren't open or close early on Sundays, we went out on Friday to celebrate. We had a nice relaxing dinner, got coffee and had hours of uninterrupted conversation, which was just we wanted and needed. Every year Ian has tried to be creative and get me something to do with the symbolic gift for that year. Did you know that year 7 was wool and copper?? He searched and found the cutest little copper tin and a pair of wool socks. : ) Super sweet if you know my icy cold toes and love for storage bins. Ok, some people may roll their eyes at the thought of those things actually being a good gift for your anniversary, but after having been together for 12 years he knows what I like and what he's good at buying. : )

Well, in honor of these 7 years here are, in no particular order, 7 things I love about my hubby!

1- I love that I always get a kiss before he leaves (even if it's 4 am) and a kiss when he gets home! It's a simple thing, but it says, "I still love you and you're special to me!".

2- I love how he loves our babies and how much they love him! It's like a party when Daddy comes home. He plays all sorts of games and funny things, but one of my favorites as of late is story time in the bathtub. He gives the boys their bath and after they get clean he uses their bath toys to tell stories. They usually involve a hippo and an elephant. : )

3- I love the way I can look back over the last 7, really the last 12 years, and see how the Lord has worked in his heart and life to cause growth. Recently, I've seen a man who never thought he was called to do anything overseas, being pulled and tugged towards an unlikely country and trying to figure out what his role should be in seeing the gospel spread to all nations. Awesomeness that only the Lord can do!

4- I love that we're a little old couple together. : ) A friend of mine says periodically that I'm "a little old lady in my heart". Well, it's pretty true of me and of Ian too and I wouldn't change a thing. (Ok, he's a little old man, not a lady, but you get the point, right?)

5- I love that he is so intelligent. He's always handy to have around during trivia games. : ) Ian would never boast about it though, which makes it all the more endearing.

6- I love that our interests are so different. The Lord has definitely used our differences to balance us as a couple and stretch us personally.

7- I love that he loves to laugh, even at himself from time to time (like when his wife convinces him that someone stole our van. : )

There are plenty of other things that I love about my hubby, but for now I'll leave it at that. Happy anniversary, Hubs and I can't wait for many more to come!!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to two of the best Dad's anyone could ever ask for!  Hubby, you're such an awesome dad to our three kiddos.  They love you so much and it's obvious to anyone that spends even a few minutes with all of you.  You wrestle, snuggle and everything in between.  You work hard for us and pray diligently for our sweet babies.  I love you and feel so blessed to have you as my partner and the Godly leader of our home.  We love you!

There's something special between a Daddy and his girl, at least this girl and her Daddy.  I've always been a bit of a Daddy's girl.  Don't get me wrong, my Mom is one of my best friends, but as any daughter knows, there's something different with your Daddy.  Growing up, I saw a real life example of a Godly leader played out in front of me day in and day out.  He was never perfect, and was the first to tell you that, but used those imperfections to teach us and help us learn from his mistakes.  While he may be a little more tender hearted when it comes to his grands, I say he's still the same lovingly, consistent dad I had growing up.  The Lord continues to use him (and my mom) to teach me things, and I hope that doesn't stop!  I love you, Daddy!

Like Me!

I've discovered that parenting is a road you walk down and sometimes you feel like you're in the dark.  You've asked for help and read the books and, well, the light you've been given still doesn't seem to help you miss those pot holes!  Sometimes, the road seems to turn and bend and you just didn't see it coming.  A few days ago, was one of those days.  I've heard other adoptive parents talk about it, and I knew the day would come, I just didn't realize it would be this particular day.  A few days ago, we had a friend over for dinner.  They have a little boy that Sawyer has seen on numerous occasions.  Well, on this day, as soon as Sawyer caught sight of baby Marcus coming out of the car seat he said, "Oh my gosh (don't worry we dealt with that later : )!  Mommy, he looks like me!!!!"  I just stopped and looked at him!  Up until this point he has seemed oblivious to this fact.  He then went on to talk about his hair and his skin and how he and Marcus were both chocolate. : )  The next morning, he was sitting in bed with Libby and me, looked down and said, "Oh my goodness!  Mommy Wibby looks like Jackers!"  Since then, it's come up in conversation almost every day!  There's never been any sadness about it, just stating facts. 

There's a part of me that wishes he could go on with life and never notice.  I know there is a very real possibility that at some point in his life his story may cause him sadness and as his mom I wish I could keep it from happening.  We will always do our best to help him see that there are many kids and families that are "like him".  I'm so thankful for the famillies that God has brought into our lives who have already adopted and those to come.  I will try my best to help all of my children see that they are special just the way God made them and that He doesn't do anything by accident.  As much as I want him to feel secure in who he is and the family God's placed him in, his real need is another adoption!  So while I will pray and try to help him feel secure, I'll be praying harder for him to see his sin and need to become a son of the King.  It's then and only then that he'll find true security and identity . . . and more people "like him".

 

 

Terrific Twos . . . again!

I can't believe I have another baby who's turned two!  I still remember the day he came into the world like it was yesterday, and even though I know it wasn't, I sometimes feel that it was.  I love all of my children, and they each hold a special "only" and "first" spot.  Sawyer was our first baby and our first adoption. That makes him pretty special!  Libby is my first (and for now the only) girl.  I love having a sweet little girl to dress up, and know that I'll have someone else to do girly stuff with one day.  That definitely makes her special! 

And then there's Jack.  I thought for years that I would never give birth to my babies, and I was ok with that!  The Lord had different plans however, and boy am I glad he did!  I can't imagine our lives without Jackers and Libby Lou in the mix!  Jack was my first belly baby and to top it off, born on my birthday!  I'd say that makes him pretty special too!

So without further ado, here's a little about Jackeroo!

  

You're very intent to little details when your working hard on something you find important.  Whether it's hitting a ball, building a tower or coloring.  You won't be distracted by things around you when you're hard at work.  A lot like a certain Daddy I know!

You're a wee bit messy when it comes to food, but we love you anyway, and at least for now I can always tell what you've been into with a sweet little kiss. : )

You're not the fastest about doing things (some might say you get that from your Momma), but boy do you enjoy things as you go!

You love food and can out eat your brother any day of the week!  This helps to make you my chub-a-love.   I must say, I'm a little nervous for you to hit the teen years!

Even though you like to play by yourself sometimes, you LOVE to do whatever brother's doing.  While you may be cautious about trying many things, if you see brother do it, you'll probably give it a try. 

You make the funniest faces, my silly boy, especially when you're looking at your brother. ; )

You're all boy!  You love a good puddle to jump in, trying to touch lizards and dumping dirt on your head.  I think I could bathe you 3 times a day!

You love music and currently sing the last word in each line of a song, which cracks your Daddy and me up!  We love to hear you sing and I hope you always love it too!

You're my snugly boy, who is content to sit and read books for as long as my voice will last.  You're quiet in new places, but once you warm up, you can talk any one's ear off!  Right now you look like your Daddy and act like your Momma, but we'll see as you continue to grow.  : )  One thing I know for sure . . .

You were made for us, my sweet little boy! 

I love you and pray that you will grow into, just like we pray every night, "a young man who will grow up to love Jesus and never stop loving Him". 

Best Buddies

These two are the best of friends!  Sure they have their moments, like all siblings do, but they would rather be together than apart, and right now they would choose to play with each other over just about anyone. 

Exploring is always more fun with a partner in crime!

Why feed yourself when you could feed each other?!

Fun in the rain or sun!

Silly side by side fun.

Books are always more fun together.

I hope these two little stinkers always love each other as much as they do now!

Mother's Day a few days late

So I had a wonderful Mother's day post written and I was trying to fix something with the font, when the darn thing got deleted! I hate when that happens! Of course, if I had used half a brain I could have just closed the window and it wouldn't have saved my changes, but did I do that? Nope! Anyway, here is what I can remember of what I wrote. : ) These are my thoughts on Mother's Day this year, in no particular order.

- This year my heart was particularly heavy for my friends and family who are waiting to be called mother. I know so many people in that position and I know how hard it is! I know that words can't do much but I want you to know, if that's you, I was praying for you on Mother's Day!

- I think the more time I spend as a mom the more I appreciate and have come to understand all that my own mom did for us! Being a mom, stay at home or not, is HARD work!! It's rewarding in ways that you never even realized, but anyone who tells you it's easy is lying through their teeth! : ) Year after year, I'm realizing all that my mom sacrificed for us. I know she wouldn't change a thing, and I'm thankful for all she taught us and continues to teach me. She's an awesome mom and Granna, someone that I'm blessed to have in my life and now someone I call my friend. I love you, Momma!

- And of course, last but certainly not least, the reason I can celebrate Mother's Day, my beautiful babies. They bring such joy to my day even in the little things.

Libby smiles with her whole body the minute my face comes into view. I could just snuggle her all day long!

Jack yells my name and comes running to hug my legs anytime I walk into the room

and Sawyer is ready with a kiss and a hug at all times during the day.

What love I have for you three!

May I be the mother the Lord has called me to be, so that in our daily walk together, you will see Him through me.

Monday, Monday

So I was going to try and link up with another blog for Miscellany Monday, but I couldn't figure out how to do it! Ha! Someone will have to explain it to me, so I can try next week. I thought it would be a great link since I feel like that pretty much sums up my life most days, miscellanious! So, I'll just do my post anyway! : )

1. Randomness via my children
What they say is so true, kids really do say the craziest things! This afternoon, when Sawyer WASN"T taking a nap, he was having some alone play time in the playroom. I was in the living room and heard him growling in frustration, so I asked what was wrong. He came in and said, "Honey, I tryin' to get the bears in the bag!!" Hilarious!

2. Not So Happy Easter
Well, we had the best of intentions for Easter this year. We were going to have a house full of people, 19 to be exact, for lunch, that is until the sickness hit. I don't know that I've been so dissapointed in a while. First, Jack got sick, and then Sawyer, then Ian and me. Libby sounds like she may be getting it too, so we'll see. I was so looking forward to this weekend and all the fun we would have with friends, but also talking to Sawyer about what Easter was all about. He takes so much more in these days and I just had these wonderful visions of sitting around as a family telling the story of Jesus' resurrection. Let's just say that did NOT happen. I realized today though, as cliche as it may sound, the Easter story is not just for one day. I can read it to them everyday if I want (and I just might!) and talk about it just as much! I want my kids to be in awe of what Christ did on that cross and what it means for them.

3. Flowers
I love flowers. I love having them in my yard, on my table, and seeing them around town. I do NOT like all the up-keep that comes with flowers. I have decided that I'm going to stick with perennials and bulbs because they are my cup of tea!

(These are a few of the beauties that were blooming at the zoo recently!)

4. Jack and Giraffes

So after this little incident at the zoo, Jack is not too fond of giraffes. Can you tell why?

5. Libby aka Wibby Woo
I call Libby, Libby Loo a lot and Sawyer picked it up, but Sawyer has given it a new spin, Wibby Woo. Needless to say, it's so cute that it stuck. I mean, I think it fits that sweet little cutie pie in the sun hat.