"Mommy, I want to hold Simeon"

...that's how this little photoshoot started on Saturday right before we walked out the door to Logan and Schaeffer's 1st birthday party.  The boys are all too wiggly to get a good picture.  And you should see some of the other attempts at all three! 

By the way, Shane's message from Sunday is up on the web.  You can listen to it here.  Just click on "Fighting for Hope."

Psalm 42

I sat on the front row in church today.  The very front row.  And I got to listen to my husband preach for the first time in "big church".  I turned off the flash and snapped a couple pictures with our camera in my lap.  So glad I did.

As Shane was nearing the end of the message, all I could think was God is so good.  Good to work in our lives.  Good to give us His Word.  Good to respond to us when we thirst for Him.  Good to give us ways to remember Him.  Good to give us reason to hope.

Shane is humble about his delivery, but he did an exceptional job.  Mainly because he lives out what he preached.  It's not just words, it's etched on his heart.

The link for Shane's message today is not up yet, but it will be on this page of the Harvest website.  I'll let you know when it's there so you can listen if you want.

Back when Shane was on staff at Second Baptist in Missouri, I was collecting some CDs of his messages.  A friend asked why it was so important to me to have them.  I told her what is still true today.  If there is anything I want our children to know about their father, it is that he loved the Lord and loved the Word.  Those CDs are a reminder of God displaying His work in our lives.  And now there is one more CD to add to the collection.  It's from today and is sitting on our kitchen counter.  One day Silas or Simeon or Lieren will listen to it.  And if they are in a season where they are fighting for hope, they'll know what their Daddy would have to say about it.

A Firetruck Lunch and More

We have enjoyed a flurry of activity this week.  On Tuesday I took the children out with me to run a few errands, ending with a picnic lunch at the park.  It was a hot day outside, but cool enough in the shade.  On Wednesday Jack came for the morning so we played inside, went on a walk, and made strawberry-banana smoothies for lunch.  That evening was gorgeous so Shane and I spontaneously decided to take the children to a park we had never been to before.  Silas rode his new bike around for a while, which was fun for us to watch.  He must have liked it because he told us he wanted to take it down the slide (which we vetoed of course!).

Today we went to another lunch on the library lawn.  They have been having an outside activity each Friday.  We've only gone to one other (some are a bit old for Silas yet) but today was the Firetruck so we knew it would be a hit.  Grandma came too...

And of course we sat with Natalie and her boys...

I could have died when this happened.  It was like seeing them as what I keep telling Silas they are:  best friends...

How do they just grow up in an instant like that?

Then Judy and Natalie stayed with the 4 babies while I took Jack and Silas to check out the firetrucks and ambulance...

 They absolutely loved it.  I have one picture that turned out all blurry because they were jumping around together in the ambulance!  However, the photo below shows their slight disdain at the end.  They seemed to have been expecting to get to ride in the firetruck.  Thankfully a fireman with Junior Firefighter stickers appeared and turned their frowns upside down (kind of).



Oh, the Places She'll Go!

This evening, after a full and fun day at the lake with our fellow Harvest staff members, we stopped at our local pool to watch our sweet Miss Ashli's last home swim meet.  In between her events, as Shane and I looked on, Ashli convinced Lieren to take her first steps.

I was more than surprised!  Just yesterday I was telling my friend Michelle that I thought it would be a long time before our girl walked.  This week Lieren has been more interested in being up on her feet.  A week ago that wasn't true.  But she would only walk with both hands held in a tight grip.  

Until today.  While we were at the lake, she began walking with Miss Joanne and Miss Shelly holding only a hand.  And then right after we got to the pool, she stood for longer than she has ever stood on her own "talking" with Miss Jen and Miss Jamie.  

 And then steps.  Two the first time.  Steps that make her such a big girl.  Steps that will take her places only the Lord can dream and steps that will lead her in ways only He can fulfill.

I feel like the dad in this commercial.  I saw it yesterday (before her steps today) and got all teary.  Must be something about having a girl.

But for now I'll enjoy that her steps only take her to places close to us.  So we can share moments like these at the lake today...

 Tonight we tucked all the children into bed as early as we could.  Shane is now playing XBox with some of our students and I am quickly settling in for bed.  But just a moment ago I went back in to glance at the children sleeping.

Silas, Lion, Monkey, Elephant, Mr. Bear, and four plastic frogs.  I covered him up, but he'll kick the blankets off again before morning...

I put on Simeon and Lieren's wearable blankets after taking their pictures.  I generally let the rooms cool down a bit before putting them on.  Or maybe it's just an excuse to get to go back in and peek at them one more time.  Sim had begun holding an ear when he sleeps, slightly different but strikingly similar to his big brother (this sight prompted the pictures)...

And our littlest babe.  For tonight the places she'll go will have to wait...

Sweet Victories

I took Silas to the doctor today for his 3 year well-child visit. It was his first time to meet our pediatrician. Which means in the year we have lived here, he has been well. He was excited to get weighed and measured and seemed to think it was all big fun. No shots today for our little man, so that made it all quite pleasant. He is 34 pounds and almost 39 inches tall.

Lieren got to accompany us today because she has had a little fever since Saturday. And we take no chances with that little one. But she giggled through the whole process and acted like she was as healthy as can be so as I suspected, she was diagnosed with what is probably just some little virus.

Last week before my sister left, we took the children swimming one more time. It was a sweet victory after our previous visit. We went armed with lots of toys (including Silas' current favorite, Diego), snacks, and pacis (did I fail to mention I forgot pacifiers on our last trip?). I was so proud of our three. They splashed and played, the babies strolled in the water and Silas even played on his own for a bit. There were no meltdowns, no voiced desires to go home, and no falling asleep. Just happy hearts all around. We were so happy that we walked over to the adjacent park and swung for a bit before we headed home.

Ok. Dare I say it? I believe we have perhaps the sweetest victory of all for this little man in this season. I am going out on a limb and saying that Silas is indeed potty trained. We went through a major low point about a month or six weeks ago and I wondered if it would ever happen. But I readjusted my expectations and approach and somewhere along the way, he just got it. He started telling us he needed to go and I cannot recall the last time he had an accident. I also chose to be proactive in the mornings, which has lead to dry, happy mornings for he and I. All I would like to say to end this talk on potty training is, thank the Lord it is over...for now.

I sometimes wish someone would decide to follow us around with a video camera so that all the sweet memories of this season were documented without me having to document them myself. There are too many things from the past couple weeks I don't want to forget...

:: A birthday party for two 1 year olds...and then a birthday party for a 3 year old.

:: My sister coming to visit.

:: Taking all three children to the park by myself for the first time.

:: Having over 40 students at our house on 4th of July Sunday.

:: Shane taking Silas to see fireworks.

:: Realizing how exhausted my children were after getting home from taking my sister to the airport.

:: Taking an idyllic small-town family walk to the Dairy Queen on Friday night.

:: Ignoring the laundry and spending an afternoon putting together Silas' new train tracks to surprise him after naptime.

:: Then conquering the laundry with Shane's help.

:: Watching Silas and Jack play on our new slip-n-slide, one of my favorite playdates thus far.

:: Seeing Simeon turn into a toddler right before our eyes.

:: Getting to hold Lieren's hands as she "walks" with us...and hearing her delight as we go.

These Months: Humility

I went back in to Silas' room this afternoon after I had already put him down for his nap. He was still awake. I gave him an extra long hug and told him how much I loved him, how thankful I was that God gave him to me. I could feel him relax in my arms. Just hearing him say, "Oh Mommy I love you so much" was enough to let me know going back in was a good move.

We went to the pool with friends and my sister today. The trip was not without its fair share of drama. I spent the majority of the outing like this...
Late in the spring I finally came to the place where I could honestly thank God for the situations that have battled the pride that has such a deep root in me. Not that I haven't found myself trying to hold on to it, but you don't really deal with three children (two of whom are not at all independent and all three of whom only want mommy) in public without a good dose of humility.

And it has now become one of the things for which I have become most grateful in these months.

I know I haven't mentioned it yet, but Simeon and Lieren did have a birthday! The day after they turned one, we marked the milestone with painting, just like I did to mark Silas' eleven-month birthday...

Also, we have been having all kinds of fun with friends. Natalie has been a super-blogger these days, so if you want to take a peek at pics from our trip to the zoo, or the excitement Silas and Jack had making cookies, go ahead!

What's Really Funny is...

...THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE!