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

Loving These Years.......

All children go through their different stages in life....different seasons throughout their childhood....I really have been enjoying them all, even though some years are more challenging than others. It's the challenging seasons that seem to be the most rewarding. 

I think we are entering a new season of childhood with Noah as he grows and matures.  

There are times when I just sit and watch my 8 yr. old son....and I think to myself....how did we get here so fast? 

I am slowly letting go....and it is hard....because I just want to hold on tight to my baby....but that's not going to do him any good.  I am trying to embrace the blessings of being able to be here, along side my lovies as they experience life while they grow in maturity....and in that growth is where I have to patiently sit in the nest, giving them room.....so that they can fly.

God willing,  Noah will someday be a husband and a father....and yes I think about that....and I pray about that even now....because right now matters.  Someday he is going to be the spiritual leader in his family. What we do with him now will affect the kind of man he will become.

God has been so gracious to us....and Jared and I cling to Him for His grace and mercy in raising our children.  Are there days I feel like a complete failure?.....Yep...it's the many days when I try to do this on my own, when I am not relying and trusting in God.

There are a plethora of tools in raising and training children. The most important tool as parents that Jared and I have is the beautiful truth of God's Word. This is what we must be training our lovies in....every. single. day. 

For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

These photos of Noah are precious to me....not only because He is working on copying one his memory verses (Romans 12:9), but because these photos have captured the way Noah holds his tongue to the side of his mouth....I see this everyday,(anytime he is working hard at something.) As his mama I think that it is cute.  And just in case when he is older and doesn't believe me....I will have these photos as proof! 

Waiting....

Having moved from New England to Indiana six months ago, God has certainly blessed our transition in more ways than I can count.

Our lovies have settled right in....we have made our house a home and are six months into memory making here.

No complaints.....except for one...."Mama, where is the snow?" These words are usually asked by Nate...the snow lover. Our last New England winter was memorable to say the least....more snow than any of us have ever seen. The boys absolutely had a blast playing outside....Lauren was even out there as well.

Beautiful and breathtaking were usually the way I described the white blanket that draped anything that was motionless....for months.  Jared would use words like....ridiculously cold, wet and heavy, relentless....usually as he was snowblowing and shoveling....while I was warm and cozy inside with a cup of coffee, next to the wood burner holding a baby looking out the window...*smile*

So....we've been waiting. Waiting for winter to start....but isn't spring just around the corner? I hope you enjoy these photos of Nate.....desperate for some fun in the white stuff. Of course I was smiling from ear to ear as I watched my son "play in the snow."

If you would like to see our last New England winter, just click on some of the winter months from 2011 located on my side bar....or click here to see one of the most beautiful winter days I have ever experienced.

Taking the Time......

Toddlers are curious little critters.....and Luke is definitely no exception. Our home has a fireplace which we love to use....so warm and cozy sitting together enjoying it as a family.  But of course, fire can be dangerous, so we must give our lovies rules to follow. 

Jared is really good at quenching the curiosity of our lovies. He enjoys taking them aside and explaining things to them....he takes the time to do this. They want to learn, they want someone to take the time to show them how things work.  Having said that, of course Jared always exercises caution whether they are building a campfire or fixing the lawnmower.

I am thankful that their Daddy takes the time with them....even when sometimes it takes much longer when you are explaining something to curious little eyes.  Alot of our learning is by doing...by experiencing. Jared and I  try to include our lovies in as much of our daily duties and chores as possible...taking them along with us....talking, explaining, showing and most importantly letting them help in some way. 

And for me....there is just something super cute when Daddy has a little sidekick soaking up every word he says and willing to help with his eager, adorable chubby toddler hands.

Luke has something to say......

Just a little boy who wanted to thank his Pap Pap and Mi Mi for his new fire engine red rocking chair.

One of the cutest words Luke says is "rocking chair".....I smile every time I hear his sweet munchkin voice say it.

Essential Foundations to Being A Kid.....

In our home, one of the perks of being a kid is the encouragement one has to guiltlessly lick the spoon after helping mama bake brownies.....and enjoying every moment of the chocolaty goodness.

Sometimes I miss being a kid....*smile*

At least I can get a "sweet" kiss from my messy boy.

Sharing My Little Moments.....

 Life is made up of all kinds of moments....right? There are the big moments that are burned into our memories forever....some are wonderful, like a wedding or the birth of a child....and some moments are difficult....like illness or the death of a loved one. Either way, it's the big stuff in life and we all experience life changing moments.....but what about all of the other "little" moments that make up the rest of our time.....what do we do with those?

Over time I have come to embrace certain moments in life that may seem rather small and maybe even insignificant to some.....you know, the little moments that make up most of our lives. Being a mama has helped me to appreciate life.....all of it.  

In my daily life there are a lot of little moments that make me smile and even melt my heart....and I don't want to forget them, so I try to enjoy them as they are happening. What about the challenges I face each day too?...Yes, I want to be thankful for those as well....because even the difficult moments can be a blessing from God if we choose to look at them that way, (that's a whole other post!) It is sometimes through those difficult moments where I cling to God and notice His presence more. 

Savoring special moments, may seem silly to some....well, then I'm silly. One of my favorite little moments are the times when all four of my lovies are surrounding me on the couch as I read to them.....I seriously tear up over this while it is happening. I don't ever want to forget how we all squash together so everyone can see the pictures in the book. I love everything about that moment....and I love it while it is happening.  I don't want to take anything in life for granted....in recognizing life I am saying Thank You to my heavenly Father, for all His grace in the moments that I live.

The following photos are from the other day....just a rainy day at home. We started off with a first time ever, Breakfast Picnic. My kids are all about picnics...indoor and out. Hard to believe that we have had two outdoor picnics in January!

Anywho, we spread out a blanket picnic style and I kept breakfast simple with toast, cereal and fruit.

This is a photo of Lauren praying. She is giving thanks to God for our picnic....and a bunch of other stuff. I absolutely love listening to the prayers of my lovies....they are sweet and a lot of the time comical. I had my camera in hand while she was praying and couldn't resist snapping a shot.

If you think something looks different on Nate....you're right. He just got a haircut...super short. I prefer it longer....but either way he is super cute. He was looking a bit shaggy in recent days. His hair grows so fast...just like his mama's. I just got 15 inches cut off of my hair. At first Nate wasn't pleased, because he always played with my long hair....but now he says he likes it.

If you like chubby hands with dimples raise your hand. I know Luke's hands won't look like this forever, but they are frozen in time in our digital library. I just noticed his pinky in the air....how classy of him. I must be rubbing off. (Stop laughing Eva)

Ok...this is the look my oldest son gives me when he realizes that I have been taking pictures. Seriously...he should be used to it by now.  Besides, when I go through his photos from his camera card he has some photos when he must have been in stealth mode. Even I didn't  know he was taking them. There were a few of my backside that I was not too pleased with....of course Noah thought that he was hilarious.....and that's Noah for ya.

Notice how the strawberries are in the bowl. Notice how Luke is looking at the strawberries in the bowl.

Now notice the strawberries dumped out on the tray. I will give you three guesses who did it and the first two don't count.  Seeing a neat bowl of berries was just too much of a temptation for him I suppose.

Later in the day:

....and yes we had a jammie day....love it!

Ok....so apparently my kids thought popcorn could only come from a bag in the microwave. I used to use my airpopper all of the time....but it was packed away years ago when we moved to New England and has recently resurfaced as we are still unpacking here in Indiana.

Notice Luke yawning at the all of the excitement of waiting for the popcorn to pop.

Still waiting...they look rather bored and perhaps confused as to why I told them that they were going to love this. They know that I would never lie to them...so they know there is hope that this may be entertaining after all.

Noah was first to sight the popcorn....he can hardly contain his excitement. 

Now the others are catching on....well, everyone but Luke, he still is thinking that this is lame. 

And Applause all around.....giggling from "the Littles" as well.

I love this photo of Nate....sheer joy....this boy loves popcorn....can you tell?

So now onto the couch to enjoy a healthy snack. During our devotion that morning, we read about Moses leading the Isrealites out of Egypt, so Noah had the idea to watch a DVD that told this story. (Thank you to my sis-n-law for giving us this DVD!) It was a perfect 25 min. way to spend our snack time.  The kids loved it and asked to watch it again as soon as it was over.

Mom...do not yell at me...Luke is getting his haircut this afternoon....I promise! And I have no idea what kind of funk is on his face.

Noah's younger siblings are always mooching off of him...especially Luke. So he graciously shared his popcorn with his baby brother.

Here is a little "Pay It Forward" for ya as Luke shares his popcorn with his sister. And no, my children are not always this sweet with one another.....but I sure love it when they are!

So.....this was just  a little peek into our day. Nothing major or monumental, but I was thankful to be right where God had called me to be.  Just encouraging you to stop and enjoy right where God has you....there is someone or something special in your life today that can make you smile....don't miss it!