The Dance

"Dance with me, Mama, dance with me!"  A skinny two year old waves his arms and spins in circles shaking his tiny hips to the music.
And so I do, and the baby who is not quite a baby at 15 months old joins in and we laugh and turn in circles, the three of us.  And I think "these are the moments I cherish."
And the two year old slips on his bare feet and his head slams against the wall and silence and then the cry that hurts a mama's heart.  So I scoop him up and he clings to me with his skinny arms and legs as his tears show themselves on the shoulder of my shirt, and I hold him and I dance for him while he cries....  And I think "these are the moments I cherish."
Because far too soon this little boy will be a big boy and then a man, and he won't need his mama in the same way anymore.  He won't wrap little legs around my waist and hold on tight to my neck while I whisper into his ear that he'll be ok.
And so I drink in the moment.  And thank the Good Lord for these sweet babies I have been given the privilege of loving and cherishing and teaching and training.  That I can show them by dancing and by sweet whispers of comfort that they are cherished and adored, by their parents on Earth, but how much greater by their Father in Heaven, who loves them with a love more perfect than mine could ever be.  And that I can whisper every day of His grace, His love and how He showed it on the cross and how their heavenly Father can hold them when they're sad - even when they're too big and too proud to let their mama see their tears.  But for now I walk with my snot stained shoulders, remembering every day, even the hard ones, when the tears are my own, that every day of this sweet season is such a precious gift.

Photo by Margaret Blades Photography

For the Dress-Up Princess

Darby lives for dress up.  We've really been struggling as her dress-up collection grows with how to store it so that she can easily clean it up herself and the dresses don't get ruined by being stuffed in bins.  I've had some ideas floating around but this week it finally came together.  

Ikea Mirror: 9.99

Hooks (Target): 10.99 each

All hung with 3M strips so that when she's too old for dress-up we don't have 8 different drill marks in the wall.    She absolutely loves it!

I want to put "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" somewhere on the mirror or the wall by the mirror but I have to find some reasonably priced vinyl lettering or some other cheaper option first.   Any ideas?

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

They're some of my favorites every year.  Here's 2 years ago.  Just because it's cute and the kids have changed so much.

 

 And this year:  adding in a sweet little redhead.

 Gram came to help at the patch and we couldn't have done it without her.  As usual. :)

 My favorite part of our pumpkin patch is the FIELD of zinnias.  For $3 you get a cup and some scissors and can cut as many as you can fit in your cup.  The kids love it.

Happy Fall!

Like brother like ... brother

Boys.
These two boys of ours have a fire in their hearts.  Passionate, driven, and quite determined.  Qualities that will take them far, help them do big things.  But as their mother, I'm holding on for dear life trying to train up these little warriors.  They have sweet cuddly moments and both have very sensitive hearts - but boy do they keep us busy. 

Little man has bruises all over his forehead.  From climbing out of the crib.  Again. And again.  Fifteen months old - I wasn't ready to fight this battle for at least 6 more months.  Thankfully we turned the crib around and that seems to be holding him in for now.  Friends have recommended a crib tent, but I know this boy and I know his brother and between the two of them, they'd have that figured out in no time.

 Carson climbed out the window the other day.  We're sitting in the living room enjoying the fresh air of a beautiful fall day and realize Carson is no longer playing by the couch.  He's walking around the backyard.  He pushed out the screen and climbed right out.  Thankfully our window is only a foot off the ground so there were no injuries.  He was actually quite proud of himself.

We're bracing ourselves for at least 15 years of scraped knees, bloody noses, black eyes, and broken bones and praying for two boys that hold on to their passion, drive, and determination and direct it toward serving the Lord as men of character and humility and men with the ability to lead and live boldly.  We want them to be world changers, to do big things.  (As long as those big things don't involve robbing banks.)

We asked Kyler a few days ago if he was going to be a world-changer, & his response?  "No, I'm just gonna be Batman."  I love these wild boys. :)

The Sweetest Birthday Gift

My birthday isn't even until tomorrow and already it has been one of the best birthdays.  Ever.

Conor and I celebrated Friday night when he rented a boat to take me out on the river(!).  Easily the sweetest date he's ever planned.  We had dinner served to us on a private little electric boat that we rode up and down the river.  Amazing.  Absolutely beautiful.  To prove it - here are the pictures:

The first hour and a half were amazing.  Just us, uninterrupted conversation, dinner and the sun setting over the city skyline.  The people on the dinner cruise next to us cooed about how cute we were and girls were elbowing their boyfriends/husbands/fiances about what a sweet date we were on.  And then, as usual, we were interrupted by the pitter patter of little feet.  Only this time, they were not feet of cute little children.  I wish they were.  A giant ugly rat climbed out of a little hole on the bow of the boat, ran around and climbed back in.  A big fat river rat.  The cooing from the boat next to us turned into screams and gasps.  "THERE'S A RAT ON YOUR BOAT!"  "And he's not little, he's BIG!"  Thank you.  Thank you people on the boat next to us.
The cruise line offered to comp back our entire rental and meal AND offered us a free rental for up to 10 people next time.  So it all worked out in the end.  But still.  There was a rat on our boat.

On Sunday our family went to my parents' house to celebrate with barbecue and chocolate cake. :)  When we arrived, my sister handed me a card.  In case you didn't know, my sister, Cory, is 19 months older than me and has Down Syndrome. I can't explain to you how special she is to me.  The card Cory handed me is the sweetest gift I've ever received and is what made this the best birthday I've ever had.  I thought you might enjoy reading it as well.

There were tears.  I love her. :)

Here is the text of the letter in case the pictures don't show up:

Tomorrow is your birthday so you are my best sister and a great mother for your kids.  Today, we celebrate your birthday.  God will watch over you every day and every night.  You are my hero and lovable sister.  Happy Birthday Sis.  Cory  

I've never heard anyone who had a sibling with special needs describe it as anything other than a blessing.  And a blessing she is.  I learn so much from Cory and am beyond thankful for her.  Thank you for the card, Cory.  Best. Present. Ever.