My View This Morning....

.....and what a sweet view it was. 

I wish you could have heard the laughter coming out of my little girl....one of my most favorite sounds ever....

.....and we can't forget one special big brother who helps to make his sister laugh.

Happy Birthday Lauren.....

A few years ago God blessed our family with a beautiful baby girl. And today that baby girl turned 3.  This is a post to my daughter, who I love more than words could ever express. 

I will never forget the moment that I laid eyes on you....being in complete awe that I was a mama to a little girl. God is using you in so many beautiful ways, moving my heart daily....I love watching you grow and I cherish the bond that you and I share.

.....you love pink....alot

.....you play with your babies everyday

.....you have a shoe fetish

.....you love to sing

.....you like to chew gum

.....you give each of your brothers a kiss every night...and they love it

.....you get excited when we get together with other little girls

.....you love to fold laundry

.....you are very nurturing

.....you pray more than any other one of our lovies

.....you can be emotional

.....you tell me that I'm pretty all of the time

.....you gave up your nucky today...finally (no more pacifier at bedtime)

.....you cut the tip off of your nucky and threw it in the garbage

.....you cried hard....and I cried with you

.....you like to have your nails painted...pink of course

.....you love love love to be read to...and I love love love to read to you

.....you often end up in bed between Daddy and I 

.....you enjoy going to Sunday School and church

.....you named one of your baby dolls "Noah"

.....you ask to "do school" like your big brothers

.....you are very loving and affectionate

.....you love to help me in the kitchen

.....you like to pick out your clothes and prefer little help with getting dressed

.....you have a wonderful imagination

.....you usually cry when I brush your hair

.....you want a baby sister

.....you love to play outside

.....you are quite a talker....always telling stories

.....your laugh is sweet

.....you love to be tickled

.....you love to talk on the phone 

.....you love looking at photos....just like your mama

.....you are still a Daddy's girl

.....you always used to reply to "I love you" with "I love you too much"

.....you and Luke have a special bond...only being 15mos. apart

.....you often sit and pretend like you are reading a book

.....you still wear a bow or some kind of clip in your hair every day....we call it a "hair pretty"

.....you know what foods are healthy and which are not

.....you would never know you had two broken legs less than six months ago

.....you love Jesus

.....you run to the door every day when your Daddy comes home from work

.....you are a hugger and a snuggler...I love it!

.....you like to dance

.....you love it when Nate chases you

.....you love babies, always wanting to hold one that is near...you even still try to hold Luke!

.....you love to draw and are proud of your art

Lauren....you are loved more than you know. Not only from a family who adores you, but from a Heavenly Father who cares for you more deeply than any of us even realize. God has used you to strengthen my faith in many ways. Thank you for all of the times that you hold my hand and ask to pray with me.....in those moments it is hard to remember that you are only three.....I often well up with tears because of how you talk to God. Daddy and I are so thankful for you and we pray for you everyday sweet girl.

Happy Birthday Lauren

I Love You,

Mommy

A Little Mama....

This little mama loves to rock her baby in her new rocking chair.....

.....and I love watching this little mama cuddling and feeding her baby.

Lauren's sweet rocking chair was a Christmas gift from Jared's parents....she is really enjoying it.....thank you.

The Little Mama.....

Lauren spends a good bit of her time playing with her baby dolls everyday.  And I just think that it is one of the sweetest things.  Lauren was out on our back deck this afternoon and I was quietly watching her through our glass doors...my heart was warmed as I saw my little girl being a mama to her babies. I smiled as I watched her swaddle her babies, feed them, hold them close as she swayed back and forth...I could see her lips  gently saying, "Shh shh."  I couldn't resist and had to grab my camera to capture this moment.

I am really enjoying this season of childhood that she is in. All of the different stages have their joys and challenges of course, but right now her imagination is flourishing and it is such a delight to see her be so loving to her babies.  

Oh...and in case you were wondering, I picked up that wicker baby bassinet at a yard sale for her when Lauren was only a few months old (one of those awesome finds, I think I paid $1 for it!)....I knew someday she would put a baby doll in there. I saved it and gave it to her on her first birthday.....and now this is where she puts her babies to sleep....everyday. 

I just had to include this photo of Luke on this post. I was going to take a picture of him picking up the baby, but first he puckered up for a smooch....it was so cute.

Something To Make You Smile......

Lauren finally took her first steps last night since having both of her casts were removed.  And today is the one month anniversary of the freak accident. (Click on the link if you don't know the story)

I am overjoyed that my little girl is walking....Thank You Lord! It's like she is learning how to walk all over again.....the whole irony to this is that Lauren was our earliest walker out of all 4 lovies....she walked at 9 mos!

I was really concerned  initially after she got her casts off, and it was a little scary for me...for both of us. She wasn't recovering as the doctor had predicted, and I'll be honest, I struggled with that and am trying to realize that she is going at her own pace,  (trusting God can be really be hard sometimes),....but I will say that God truly did provide peace in my heart, especially during the times I was seriously worried about her recovery. She still has a ways to go.....but I will hold on to the hope that someday in the not-so-distant future,  I will be able to watch my daughter running through the yard.

Please enjoy these photos I took of my determined 2 yr. old.....and please continue to pray that she will improve as the days progress.....and that I will trust in God to provide for all of her needs. 

Beautiful.....

Oh to see those pretty little legs again.....so precious. Lauren has been moving her legs around quite well today, (her casts were removed around noon)....however, she has not had the nerve to stand on them yet. She doesn't seem to be in any unusual pain, and I'm sure her muscles feel tight for being in one position for 3 wks. 

She is really excited to have her legs back, but really scared to put any weight on them yet.  Patience has been on the forecast for our family for quite some time....God's grace pours down on us.

We took her swimming in our neighbor's pool this afternoon....she of course loved it. It was so wonderful to see her splashing around with a smile on her face. 

This experience has lead me to pray with Lauren much more often throughout our day than I normally would have. Whispering prayers in her ears as she sits on my lap....praying that God would heal her and help her feel better....praying that He would help her to be strong and not to be afraid. 

Sometimes praying is the only thing I know to do when she gives me an unsure or nervous smile, when she wants me to hold her and clings to me because she is scared. Prayer is special to her.....perhaps a little prayer warrior in the making.

Please pray that God will give Lauren the courage to stand on those beautiful little legs and take her first steps....and that those first steps will eventually lead into her running through our yard where I will hear her giggling with pure joy as her brothers chase her.

Peace and Blessings to you all.

One More Week!!!!

Great news from the orthopedic doctor yesterday.....our little lovie Lauren will be saying good bye to her bright pink legs next Wednesday...which is less than a week away!  If you haven't read the post about how she came to be in this state, read here.

 The doctor said that her bones looked great and were healing really well. He felt confident that she will be perfectly fine once the casts are removed....no physical therapy even necessary. So this means that she will have only had the casts on for 3 wks. We were preparing for a much longer duration (they told us 4 wks. minimum)....so this was a most pleasant surprise.  Praise God!.....so many answered prayers.

I can't begin to tell you how strong Lauren has been through all of this. I am in awe of her tenacity and perseverance.  Yes, she had went through an awful time of pain....but that did not weaken her.....her spirit is as vibrant as ever.

Literally, in one moment Lauren was a very active independent two-year-old, and the next moment she was unable to walk....not allowed to put any weight on her legs at all. She scoots around on her tush and does a mean army crawl....this gal is going to have some serious upper body strength.

Of course I was a mess when this first happened...I couldn't help but tear up every time I looked at her....then I had to turn my back so that she wouldn't see how upset I was.  Here was a little girl....broken and in pain....and yet she had the warmth in her heart to say these words to me, (on more than one occasion)..."Are you ok Mommy?"  And I would answer, "Yes, sweetheart, Mommy's ok...I'm just sad because you got hurt." 

God made me pull myself together, get my emotions in check, and take care of my little girl.  It amazes me how God works....how the strength I see in my daughter inspires me to be stronger....on so many different levels in life.

I am grateful....

..... that it was only a couple of broken legs

....that we were near a hospital at the time of the accident

....that Lauren has adapted better than I could have ever imagined

....that my Mom was able to come and stay for 5 days, (she was a huge help and an enormous blessing)

....that we were able to experience the love from a church family, (most of whom we had never met)

....that she looks absolutely adorable in these casts

....that I was able to see a raw tenderness from her brothers, especially when this first happened, (all of the boys were crying in the emergency room....it was really hard for them to see their sister in pain)

....that God gave me a strong husband to make all of the decisions. He takes such good care of us....we are so blessed

....and that God is so faithful and gracious in His mercy.