Our Princess

She may not yet be ready to marry her prince, but she is our princess.

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And while her every move was not watched by millions today, she captured the hearts of doctors and nurses, custodians and volunteers, techs and aids, patients and visitors.

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She is our princess. Even with an i.v. adorning her head instead of a crown...

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Sweet, sweet baby. These were taken after 2 in the morning on Wednesday night. We had arrived at the ER about 9:30. After several unsuccessful hours of attempting to get an i.v. started in the tiny dehydrated veins in her arms, a nurse from the NICU came and (in the most lovingly way possible) placed one in her head.

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As you can tell, once the i.v. was in, my cheerful darling was back. She still had a fever (from her infection) and was terribly dehydrated (from not eating and drinking most of the day) but couldn't help smiling. She just loves life and loves people.

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Then we sat down and she promptly fell into a deep, restful sleep.

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She did not respond as quickly to the i.v. fluids as our doctors would have liked so they admitted us early Thursday morning. We got to our pediatric room about 6:00. Lieren was so tired by then after a long night in the ER...

...but still had to smile when she realized I had the camera out...
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We stayed the day Thursday and were told to plan on an overnight. Shane came up for a few hours in the afternoon so I could go home, see the boys (who were with Grandma), shower, and rest for a bit. I brought Silas back up to the hospital so I could be with him longer, so he could see Lieren, and just to get him out of the house.

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Then the boys left to go get themselves dinner and head home.

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And I cried.

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I was exhausted and knew it was going to be another long night. But Lieren was tired as can be, took a bottle (which was cause for rejoicing in itself as she needed to start eating well before our doctor would send us home), and went to sleep fairly early. So I took advantage of the quiet and read. There at the end of Colossians 3:15, the Lord spoke through His Word: "...and be thankful."

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There are so many parts of my earthly self that I am begging the Lord to strengthen me to put off. So many godly traits I am begging to put on. So many weaknesses I fall into. Too many patterns of selfish behavior. And I DO NOT want to pass them on to the little princess who was laying in that hospital crib next to my chair.

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To that end, I took time to be thankful last night. Thankful for our Lieren, whose gentle and quiet spirit has been of great worth to me in the past 10 months. Thankful for hours with her alone. Thankful for a chance to give her full attention. Thankful for the reminder that she was created by the King, who knows her and adores her more than we ever could. And thankful that He is gracious enough to entrust His children to terribly imperfect parents.

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My favorite moment of the past few days was early this afternoon. A volunteer was walking Lieren and I out to the car. We saw Shane and Silas coming to meet us down a long hallway. Lieren squealed with delight and began kicking her legs when she caught a glimpse of her Daddy and brother. Silas came right up and gave her a hug. Then announced that he loved her "headband."

We girls are so thankful to be home with our prince charmings!

It's a Good, Good Friday

Our babies are 10 months today. Things have changed a bit since the day I took diaper pictures back in the fall.
I read the story of Jesus going to the cross out of the Jesus Storybook Bible this morning with Silas while the babies played at our feet. It was so sweet. Silas had an "ouchie" on his finger this week and has wanted Mommy to "Kiss it away" multiple times. Every time I do, I remind him that I can kiss it, but only God heals. I am thankful we had those conversations because it was a simple way to talk about the "ouchies" that Jesus experienced. And to talk about how much God loves us.









Yes, it is a good, good Friday.

@ the Arch

It is spring break here in our little town in central Illinois. So there are a bunch of high school guys downstairs playing XBox with Shane. I decided to snuggle up under the blankets with a computer on this rainy night instead of party with the guys. The babes are all tucked in. And the dogs are content to miss their evening walk when the weather is so wet. So we're all happy.

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I also got to "chat" a bit with my friend Julie (we texted). Always a blessing. Friendships like that never get replaced, no matter where we all move.

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Last week on our way home from Missouri we stopped to let Silas experience the "Gateway Arch" up close. I keep calling it that because it's what Silas calls it. He was thrilled. We didn't go up in it, but did run inside long enough for Silas to use the potty. Then I fed the babes dinner outside and we took a few pictures. We were all in traveling clothes, but I still think some of them turned out cute.

Tonight I think I can finally say we are back in routine after our trip. Everyone is sleeping well again and I think (besides the two suitcases that still need to be taken up to the attic) everything is back in place. I thrive on routine so it's nice to be settled again. But getting out of routine for a bit definitely made me appreciate it more!

Home Again, Home Again

We are settled back in at home again. Today we were back in a pretty typical routine: Silas and I painted while the babies took their morning nap then we all went outside to play with bubbles and take a walk until lunch time. Shane's mom came for a few hours so I ran to the grocery store during afternoon naps. And it was just so nice outside that we all played outdoors again before dinner while Shane mowed for the first time this spring.

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All of us were sick on our trip to Missouri. Just colds, but it still wasn't fun. It started with me and I had practically lost my voice by Saturday. And our Simeon has been teething so between teeth, a stuffy nose, and changing beds, he didn't sleep much. Which means Shane and I didn't sleep much.

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But. The non-sleep and hectic schedule and hours in the car were all more than worth it. We had a wonderful trip. I keep re-playing moments that I loved in my mind. It was just so good.

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I won't log all the details here. However, I do have to mention that the comical highlight of the weekend was late on Saturday night, as several of us sat in lawnchairs outside the Bachman's home. The children were sleeping or watching a movie inside while we parents remembered the good old college days. More than once, either my friend Laura or I would say to one of the other girls, "You haven't heard this story?! They tell this every time we're together!" And we would listen to it one more time. But the one we had never heard before was Shane's memory of the first time he met Luke. I haven't laughed that hard in ages. And now we can all look forward to hearing it when we're together again.

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I am so grateful for a weekend chock-full of it's own memories. Like being with family (I took few pictures of this event. My cousin took more and promises to send them to me, hint-hint, Mindy)...

And being with friends...

And seeing our children with the children of some of our dearest friends. Our Saturday night gathering included 16 children, all aged 7 and under!

Silas became fast friends with Soren. Seriously need to get these two together more often...