Maxwell {10}

MAX,

Today you turn 10! Hard to believe a decade has passed since your birth! We are so very thankful to have you as our oldest son. 

You have a compassionate heart. I told you today that one of my favorite qualities about you is your ability to admit when you were wrong. It is truly a special thing, that I hope you never lose. I struggle with that so I am learning from you! 

You are so sweet to all your brothers, you help me out so much and I am so thankful for that! Just this morning Liam was complaining about having to go to school {mostly because he was overtired} and you encouraged his heart, telling him it's fun and the importance of learning to read and write. It was so sweet. 

You have been doing these comedy routines for me lately and you are pretty funny. We tell you when a joke isn't funny or doesn't make sense and you respond so well to any criticism.  This year you and Evan will play soccer together and I am excited to see you develop together. You have skills, and I am excited to see where soccer takes you. :) 

This is also your last year of elementary school, and I pray it's a good year for you. You are a good student but I know your work load will be increased. I will be praying you work hard and don't get too frustrated when you don't understand something. 

I pray as you enter this next decade the Lord grabs hold of your heart and you respond in awe to his greatness. I pray you have a deep desire to know him more and desire for him. Being young has challenges, one of the hardest being making decisions for yourself, and trying to understand life.

My prayer is that you will see your need for him, to live for him and not this world. 

Your Dad and I love you so very much. 

xoxo

Mom

Frist day of school.

Max, 5th grade. Homeroom teacher: Mrs. Thompson. Evan, 3rd grade. Homeroom teacher: Mrs. Robinson. Liam, Kindergarten. Teacher: Ms. Oden.

baby six [6]

We are expecting our sixth baby in early 2015 {officially due February 1}. We were going back and forth about having another {we were also lightly looking into adoption} and God showed us our decision in May.
 My first reaction was one of pure joy and excitement. My heart fluttered with excitement of this sixth positive pregnancy as much as the first. Then a few days later I had a little moment of shock.  Growing up I did always see myself as a mama to two or three little ones. But four would be the ABSOLUTE max. I also saw a mix of boys and girls.

And now here we are. And if I am being completely honest I have struggled with not having a daughter. The last two ultrasounds were especially  difficult, as I had high hopes for welcoming a little girl into our house.
 I wrestled with the "why?" and cried MANY tears over it. And each time, God would wrap his loving arms around me and gently remind me to trust in HIS plan for our family.

When the time comes to find out about this little one growing inside me, I am trusting in the Sovereignty of God first, before what I think is best. He has been showing me how much beautiful, marvelous, merciful he is and I am already feeling less defeated, anxious, and overwhelmed.

I just love this quote from one of my favorite authors, Paul David Tripp.

"When my true spiritual condition reveals that I, in fact, love me more than anything else, I will always shrink the size of my care and concern, sacrifice and discipline, and hopes and dreams to the size of my own life. If I love God more than anything else, I will be pulled way beyond he borders of my own wants and needs to the spaciousness of God's kingdom, where redemption and restoration of all things is the order of the day, every day."

Holy smokes is this such a beautiful promise. In the circumstances of my life he is making me more trusting, and more dependent on him.  God is so good. He is so good to me. 

8 on the 8th day of the 8th month {EJ}

My water broke with Evan about midnight on the 7th of August 2006. I expected to begin some hard laboring right away, but the contractions were still pretty weak. Stubbornly, about 18 hours later at 6:40 PM you arrived. 

EJ is his own person. He can be so stubborn but so sweet at times. He doesn't let people tell him what to do which can get him in trouble sometimes too. He loves, loves, loves being around people. He always loves when we have people over, which is a good thing, because we do quite often.
  He has a deep affection for soda. It is a very rare treat in our house, and when he get his hands on some he enjoys every last sip.

He also has his own sense of fashion. He's into the high nike socks, and odd short/shirt combo's. Hates pants, and rotates through only certain clothes as he is quite picky about his clothes and CANNOT have a tag in a shirt. I just roll with it for the most part. 

He loves to laugh and I see his love for people in his heart. Though he often argues/fights with others I see his tender heart with others sometimes. He is very good with little ones and loves to entertain. 

Happy 8th EJ!

love,
Mom