Favorite Places

One of my favorite places to walk is around Lake Braddock in Burke, Va. Especially in the Fall!

Davey's Back!

Poor Little D. He hasn't been himself for quite some time, and I was starting to wonder when we would see our happy-go-lucky Davey again. I guess the combination of cutting teeth, missing naps, and catching a few viruses can really take its toll on a little guy. For at least three weeks, he's been pretty inconsolable and very unhappy unless he's been in mommy's arms.

Then we had a tough stomach bug pass through our household, and little D had his first experience of throwing up in the middle of night. I couldn't believe how sweet he was though. After I cleaned everything up, I laid him back down and snuggled him up in his new blankly. He just looked up at me and smiled! My heart melted.

So, here's a few glimpses of Davey. Welcome back, buddy!

My first attempt to let Mac and D take a bath together. I kept trying to make Mac calm down, but it doesn't help when Davey encourages the craziness!

Another first for Dave: Swinging at the playground down the street

Just Dave being Dave:

Surviving Walmart

Somehow we made it through :)

Beautiful, beautiful girl

This morning Corrie slept in until almost 8am. (She takes after her mommy!) When I heard sounds coming from her room and I realized she was up, I found that she was making a collection of all of her hair clips, head bands, hair ties, etc. We looked at her collection and she told me all about her favorite hair accessories. "I love sparkly hair clips," she said with a giant smile. 

A wonderful time with a very special little girl. God gave mommy and daddy a priceless treasure, and her name is Corrie!

"Romp Pomp a Chomp"

It's pretty interesting to me what actually makes it onto this blog. Can I get a witness on that from anyone who tries to blog about their kids? There are so many possible posts that never happen. It all just depends on when that perfect symphony of inspiration (can I even call it that?) and a few free minutes (and enough energy) comes together.

Today's inspiration is Mac's current obsession with the "Wiggles." Several weeks ago, he found an old tape in our basement of this delightful children's singing group (if you haven't heard of them, just think along the lines of Barney...in the form of Australian men...who wear colored shirts).

Anyway, the tape is so old that the songs all have that weird sound to them that would make you think you need to replace some batteries. But the thing is that Mac just loves this tape so much, and it is really, really sweet to me. His love for this simple singing group with their silly songs and hand movements is so innocent and endearing. I guess because he seems to be growing up so fast, this is one thing God has granted me to enjoy...reminding me that Mac is still my little guy for a little while longer.

A few days ago when I was putting Mac down for his nap, he said to me, "Mommy, if you are not in the living room or the hallway or the kitchen, I am going to sneak downstairs and watch the Wiggles!" I have caught his attempts several times since then, but today I stepped outside for a few moments to take a phone call. When I stepped inside, I heard that familiar, worn-out rendition of the Wiggles classic song, "Romp Pomp a Chomp" blaring from the basement.

That's Mac!

"She looks like the happiest child ever!"

I posted this picture of Corrie on FaceBook a few days ago and someone commented, "She looks like the happiest child ever!


















And how about these photos? Not too bad either! 

The truth is that one day I was so desperate for a smile (in place of the whining, crying, etc.) that I made some kind of hilarious face at the kids. I have no idea what this face looks like, although I do know that it involves crossing my eyes.

Since then, I have discovered that I can elicit "happiest child ever faces" from Mac and Corrie pretty on demand for pictures. I am thinking the key to retaining this power is to keep the "face" rare and surprising, so I am saving it only for pictures and emergencies. We'll see how long it lasts! ;)

Three going on thirty...

Corrie is officially 3 years old. The strange thing is that she has seemed so much older than 2 for a long time...when I realized her birthday was coming up I kept thinking, "wait, isn't she already 3?"

I have been fighting a virus and was not well-prepared for her big day, but God granted Corrie a relaxed b-day with some special surprises. It's almost sweeter seeing how God provided so much in the absence of us having things all together. I do wish that I would have been able to keep her hair looking better for the video and pictures though! Maybe next year.

I tried all day long to get to the store to buy ingredients for a cake, but could not seem to get out the door. Finally, a little before lunch time I had the kids going out the door. Corrie saw the rain and was so happy. "May I play in the rain please mommy?!!" That's just about her favorite thing in the world. I knew it would soon be getting too cold for rainy playing. It was her birthday. How could I say no?

Both kids loved the mud (no surprise there) and Davey took a nap (another reason I caved and let the kids stay home and play).

 

 

I thought it was sweet that God even filled up our pool for one last "swim" on Corrie's special day. 

I said, "Corrie, do you want to play in the pool?" She said, pointing her little finger, "Mom, this is actually a mud pit." 

Her comment elicited a bitter-sweet response in me. I laughed, but I was also a bit sad as I realized how grown up she has already become. 

Not long later I had both kids in the tub for a warm bubble bath. Mac found a medicine cup and a tiny yellow spoon that was made for feeding sea monkeys (don't ask). He and Corrie pretended they were eating tiny "ice cream" bites. Reminded me so much of videos I have seen of me and Jeremy at those ages.

As I sat watching them play and reminisced, my friend Heidi called. Her kids wanted to wish Corrie a happy birthday. I wondered, "Would they like to come over tonight and have cake with us?" Yes! Heidi said they would. And Heidi said they would also bring a cake :). 

Heidi and I decided that they would come over after naps. Right before Heidi arrived, we had another special surprise. Daddy was able to come home for a short break! Corrie ended up having a special trip to WalMart...just her with Mommy and Daddy. She was over the moon to be treated so special, and so was I for her!

We got back just in time to throw some candles on the cake and sing happy birthday to Corrie before Ellis had to head back out the door. Corrie had picked out a pack of candles with little dinosaurs on them, and each kid took turns putting them on the cake. We discovered after blowing out the candles that most of the dinosaur's heads melted off.

The rest of the evening was a fun time of playing with friends, although I will admit that having all 6 kids together during the dinner-to-bedtime stretch can get a little on the crazy side. At one point I wondered where Corrie was. I found her in the corner of the kitchen, behind the wet boots and clothes from earlier that day and wedged under a fallen pack n' play.

I know I must seem like a terrible mom to take pictures of scenes like this one, but if you look close enough, you will see that she was actually laughing. We both were. What else can you do?!!!

Surprise!

Surprise! It's October and it's swelteringly hot. 

Another surprise! We stumbled upon a "splash pad" (a water fountain made for kids to play in) in downtown Winchester today! So fun! 

I told the kids they could go play, and it was very delightful to my soul to see them enjoying themselves so much. It was funny seeing the difference in Mac and Corrie's approach to playing. Mac jumped right in, full-tilt, while Corrie was a little more cautious.

Thanks to her brave big brother's influence, Corrie eventually embraced all of the fountain fun. Sweet girly :)

Poor Davey. He had to watch all of the fun from mama's pouch. Two tired, hungry, soaking wet kids was enough for me today. Maybe next time, buddy!

Mark 9:24

I remember hearing in a very good sermon that all I can do is look and believe: look at Jesus, and believe Him.

A friend said to me last week, "Do you believe in Jesus, or do you believe Jesus?...There is a difference."

I heard in another sermon that to "believe" is to "rest the weight of your soul" upon something. To believe Jesus is to rest the weight of my soul upon Him.

There is no struggle quite as intense as the struggle to surrender the areas of your heart where your inmost desires and deepest insecurities lay. I have noticed that if we really desire to follow Jesus, He has an excruciatingly accurate ability to pinpoint exactly where we are resting in unbelief and say, "come, follow me." Following Jesus seems like it means that he is always finding a new cliff for me to walk off. Each time I take that fearful step into the unknown, I am surprised anew to find that I am free-falling into His presence and love. Is there anything better?

Praise God! I rest the very weight of my soul upon the hope that God will, against all of the impossible odds, continue to grant you and me the grace to believe Him.

.zip Weekend

Sunday night I asked Ellis, "What is the name of those files on the computer that look like they have a zipper on them?" He informed me that they are "dot zip" (.zip) files. These files have tons of information compressed into them - much more than a file can usually hold.

I would say that describes our past weekend pretty well! It was an awesome weekend packed with tons of activity and meaningful moments - both light and heavy...much more than an average weekend would usually hold. 

Our buddies from North Carolina came up to visit, and I think it's safe to say that we made the most of it. :)

Apple picking:

Kelly got hot dogs for us while I waited at a table with the kids. We had fun playing games. For example, the timeless classic: The "Close your eyes and then open them and look surprised and happy game!"

And the hotdogs were a hit!

Mac and Cal were such buddies the whole weekend. They spent the whole time at this playground running around and pretending they were escaping from pirates. 

Having Davey and Luke together was like going back in time four years and remembering Mac and Cal together. Almost exact little replicas of what their big brothers were like! 

Sunday was a beautiful day for a picnic on the Skyline Drive:

Not pictured: roasting mini hotdogs in the backyard with tents and a campfire, playing indoors and out, sharing meals in the carport with friends, staying up way too late talking into the night...

I don't know, what do you think, Kelly? There's definitely room to squeeze a few more things in next time.

Kidding!

Milestone for Mac

Yesterday Mac made his first original Lego creation : a robot, of course!