a sick little prince

So I don't know what's gotten into me or into Jase and I. We've been hard working, tail kicking work horses around this house for three weekends straight. I've gotten so much accomplished and am feeling pretty proud...and tired!

This weekend, I was to shoot a one year old session on Friday morning. But on Wednesday, at approximately 10:40am, Gabe's preschool teacher came to me and said he was rockin' a 101 degree fever.

Booooo.

Who knew this was coming? I mean, this was him the night before...fully Americanized and eating Blue Bell ice cream out of the container with his big sis.

But something was up. Sweet baby was FINE that morning before school. It hit his little body hard and fast! I called Jase, tidied up things with my teacher and walked over to the preschool to find my baby moaning and burning slap up.

We went home {with the Pook, whose asthma was in full assault against her. Booooo again.}, changed my clothes, and got in bed with my baby.

In 2.7 seconds, he was gone. See?

And for the rest of the evening, he went from sleeping to moaning with a 102 fever despite meds. Yuck, yuck.

We ate popcicles.

And waited to see how bad things got. Because as it turned out, two other kiddos went home sick that day too. Confirmation came the next morning that one had strep throat.

Double boooo.

So off to the doctor we went. And he moaned some more and when the doctor walked in, kept pointing to the door and saying, "Da da. Da da." He was having none of her or the throat swab she was after. Which, by the way, was positive for...you guessed it, strep throat.

Sufficed to say, no one year old session. But it's okay. Life happens and when it does, the best place to be is holding your baby boy while he falls asleep in your arms.

Right?

And once antibiotics do their thing, you can once again, do yours.

Namely, painting your upstairs bonus living room {big job} since it was still sporting "builder's khaki" that was nine years old! And bringing up the hubs' old desk from seminary and painting it for a certain soon to be 8th grader. Yikes. We worked hard.

But I'm all inspired {and exhausted} sitting in my newly designed {kinda} space upstairs. And that little prince? He's on the mend too. Happy weekend, peeps!

old choices made new

So yippee for 2013!

That's my attempt at New Year's happiness. But in truth, though I pretty much always welcome change, I rarely like New Year's. I don't know why. It makes me kinda sad. Nostalgic for some reason. I'm no good at resolutions really. I'm not even sure if I ever have any.

Which goes to show you how bad I am at them...I can't even remember making them.

I do make choices though. And typically around January each year, I ponder something I want to do. Or at least try to do better. I kinda wrote about that a little in my last No Hands But Ours post {blogged here as well on 1.1.13}.

For starters, I'm reading the Bible through again this year. This is the fourth time {I believe} since high school that I've read God's Word cover to cover. And that shames me if I'm being totally honest. I wish it were at least twice that. But it's just not. That's not at all to imply if you haven't read it entirely or haven't done so lately, that I'm coming down on you.

Just the opposite is true.

It's just to confess that I'm a crummy, selfish person and I spend more time normally perusing FB than I do in God's Word. And that breaks my heart. But evidently not enough as it turns out.

So I'm starting again. Cover to cover. Not chronologically as I did in 2011 {although that was a really cool way to go}. Jase and I both are doing a plan this time that has a few chapters from the OT and one from the NT each day. Easy peasy, right?

Remind me of that when I get to Leviticus. 

I'm excited. And grateful that God allows us this most precious privilege. To read, study, and feast upon His Word. He speaks most often, most clearly through the Scriptures. And I'm just expectant that He will grow me as never before while I delve deep and press into what He has to show me over the next twelve months. I'm doubly excited that the Pook has taken up the challenge this year as well. So far, she's lovin' it. Just last week, she sent me a text {from her upstairs to me downstairs} that went like this...

Such a blessing to be able to unpack those verses with her {not via text!} and walk through the passage to help her see that even the best of God's people fall. And our lives should be marked by obedience rather than a lifestyle of sinful choices. Noah was a righteous man...the Scriptures declare he became drunk. But that doesn't define his life or our view of him.

So there's choice number one, the three of us are reading through the Word this year.

But something else that I'm choosing to do is some good ole real life photography. Something I dearly love but rarely muster up the energy to accomplish lately. Some of my favorite captures of our babies are during real life moments. And I don't take the time nearly enough to just shoot them busy at everyday stuff.

I mean, that's the point of this blog in part, right?

To leave something for them when I'm long gone. My heart. My words. And my pictures from our life together.

Wouldn't you know it last night, I was working at my Mac, and real life happened. I exhaled. And considered whether or not to walk down the stairs to grab my camera. I thought, and procrastinated for about 60 seconds. Then I reasoned that choices make you get off of your hiney sometime and force to you stand up and walk down the dumb stairs!

So that's what I did. And I'm glad about that.

The hard part for me in capturing real life moments, is as soon as they know you've got your camera, they stop having real life and start having a stare down with you. You have to start without them suspecting it if at all possible. Here, the boys {I LOVE saying that!} were having loads of fun with a bean bag. And just to prove me wrong, they totally saw me, but didn't care. They just kept on doing what they were doing because it was so darn fun.

Real life here y'all, and pretty much in succession.

After all the fun was over, I went back to my desk, and the little prince tottled over with a pencil and scratch paper of some sort. He just sat happily scribbling and I looked down, saw the top of his head {SWOON} and had to snag one more real life shot. Happy happy mama.

Happy 2013 everybody! Whatever your choices are this year, let's live our lives for the fame and renown of Jesus...to the uttermost parts of the earth, and in our own home sweet homes. Love you all~

just because

So I just love my men.

All three of them.

A few nights ago, I had to run to Kroger and you know how it is, right?

You go to the grocery store for two things and you end up buying 15?

And it's a December evening after 5pm and all of your little town is in the same store?

Yeah.

That's what happened.

And this is the text I got...

"Come home to us!"

Laugh. Out. Loud.

carving

So as usual, I'm a little behind and not at all blazing a trail with timely posts! But hey, eventually, I get there! And it's for my kiddies to read and laugh about in like 20 years, right? Well, Candy Day nearly snuck up on me! And so finally on the night before, we carved our pumpkins! We'd bought them two weeks before but for the life of me, I couldn't get around to it! 

Have a looksy at my babies. I just love it. We're not big on Halloween around here. But I do love harvest and all things fall. :) So we are a carving family and well...these babies did it up right! Gabe and Joel just squeaked with glee and ickiness when their hands touched the insides of those pumpkins. Syd was zenlike in her approach...she picked the template herself, poked the holes around it herself, and yes, she carved it herself. Sweet girl. The Pook let the boys help with the other one, but she did all of the cutting of course. In the end, we had some pretty cute pumpkins welcoming those would be trick or treaters to our door. :)

2 in the books

I'm ending this day much the same way as I began it 13 hours ago.

Sipping hot tea and having Honey Nut Cheerios fed to me one by one from the chubby fingers of a certain little prince. 

I am beat and sleep in till nearly 9am this morning. Jase has been up with Gabe since 7:15 and I just am unaware of what time it is. But something startles me and I roll over to see two of my three men {the two that sleep in the same room with me}, missing. Opening the bedroom door to step into the living room, I hear Jase say,

"Well, you've done it now! You woke up mama!"

And barely visible from the sofa is a little head with tiny eyes and a face bearing a huge grin. He scurries over to me, not at all heeding his daddy's warning that he had just awoken me on a Saturday morning.

Feet moving.

Arms up.

Teeth showing.

And then complete bliss.

My son is in my arms again. And I'm still not over that yet.

I sit on the sofa to enjoy some Fox News and the hot tea Jase has gotten all ready for me. Gabe is eating his third course of breakfast...this time, Honey Nut Cheerios, dry, in a sandwich bag. He shares them with me. One by one. And each time I gobble it up, his adorable face sports that signature smile...cheeks high, eyes disappearing and mouth wide open.

I simply cannot get enough of this boy.

As of today, we've been with Gabe for two months. Two months already? September 3rd was that long ago? It doesn't seem real. A lifetime and a single minute are married together and form two entire months with this baby boy? I just can't believe it. Eventually, you stop counting months. Eventually, it all just melts into normalcy.

I'm not there yet. Still completely enamored with the fact that Gabe is home and that we are a complete team of SIX. Still, in my heart, I know there's work to be done. There are countless Gabes and Joels and Seths out there.

It's November {Yay!} and November is National Adoption Month. Which means many churches will be placing a special emphasis on the fatherless tomorrow in recognition of Orphan Sunday. Ours will be next week...and I've been asked to speak about Gabe's story and how the Lord stepped in to his circumstances in that cold local park in Henan, China. I'm anxious and excited at the same time.

I can't help but open my mouth. I can't NOT speak out for these children who want and desperately need forever families. I'm having coffee with a friend next week to share with her about their process to China that they've recently begun...one of my dearest friends, who came to Jase and I in February about adoption, is boarding a plane next Wednesday for China to bring home her son...my brother in law and sister in law are awaiting travel approval to come any day now so that they may travel to China for our new nephew, River, in a few weeks...one of my best "Thailand" adoption buddies, that I've never met but utterly adore, is leaving in 8 days to bring home their daughter...My brother and sister in law are praying fervently about hosting an orphan for several weeks next summer...I'm participating in a fundraising event for One Less Orphan in a few weeks to hopefully raise funds {lots of them!} for families who are trying so hard to handle the finances of an expensive adoption process...I was asked by our agency to write a contributing post to their blog this month to help raise awareness for  National Adoption Month.

Adoption is everywhere in my life.

It's in my home, my family and my theology. It has become a driving force of the Gospel for me. In so many ways, it IS the Gospel. And tonight, with Gabe  in my lap, once again sharing Cheerios with his mama, my cup runneth over with joy unspeakable.

This little boy is mine.

Two months ago, he was scared and shocked and so very brave.

But today?

He is home.

He is safe.

He is desperately wanted and completely loved.

Our first two months are in the books. What a difference two months makes. What a difference family and security and unconditional love makes. What a beautiful, wonderful difference. To God alone be the glory.

i'm gonna pin you down

So that's what Joel and Jase say to each other all. the. time. It's their special way of fighting to the death and laughing and loving on each other all in one big boyish display of wrestling on our bed. This past Sunday, on Father's Day, they had the mama of all "I'm gonna pin you down" battles.

And I was there to capture it. :) Enjoy or feel free to shoot me dead for the sheer number of images here. I am an expectant mother and am acting irrationally sometimes these days. I just couldn't part with any of them.

Love, love these men in my life.