Blog Resurrection

I am gonna try it one more time ;)!!  I think about updating our blog all of the time, but for some reason I can never seem to find the time to sit down and do it!  I am sure having three small children close in age has absolutely nothing to do with it!!  But, since my little sweeties are all growing so fast, I want to really try and document more of it!  Plus, they are super funny little guys!  I am always looking for other people in the same boat as me, so maybe by blogging about different things, I can help some one else!

There have been some major changes around our house this past year!!  Obviously my sweet boys are all a year older....tear!  Wesley just turned SIX yesterday, Davis will be FOUR in a few months, and Johnson is ONE.  I love watching my precious babies grow and change every day, but I wish time would SLOW down just a little bit!

Another change we have had, has been a major conviction in how we educate our children.  Rhett and I have always planned to send our children to public school.  That is what we did growing up, and we turned out just fine.  He's a dentist, I'm a nurse, so obviously our education was good.  We have known of people that chose to educate their children in different ways, like homeschooling, but knew for certain that would never be our family!  I mean, those people are so weird and their kids are just strange.....right??  We actually mumbled under our breath a lot when we heard some one was planning to homeschool...."man those kids are never going to be able to function in society"......we have all said it!!  Rhett and I have both learned in the past that God's plan is so much bigger and better than anything we can ever "plan" with our human nature!  About a year ago, I started feeling like God might be telling me something different about our education plans.  I confess.....I IGNORED it!  I knew better, but I was certain I was just imagining it:)!  At the time, Wesley was in preschool at a local church.  He enjoyed it, and was doing well.  I seriously kept putting away this little nudge in the back of mind.  The problem is, it was NOT going away, just getting stronger.  I prayed and prayed some more, surely God was gonna change His mind!  One day, I finally said okay God....but if this is what you want for our family, Rhett has to be led this way too.  He in NO WAY has ever been a supporter of homeschooling.  One night, in tears I sat down and talked with him.....God had really been working on me.  Being the sweet husband he is, he listened intently to the things God had placed on my heart and some of the "research" I had done.  We talked for a long time.  Rhett did not feel led to homeschool at all, but he promised to pray about it.  I remember thinking and praying that if he ever told me we were supposed to homeschool, then I would know it was from God!  He was totally against it!  Months went by and we would occasionally talk about it, but nothing had really changed.  Rhett always reminded me that he was still praying about it, but just didn't feel led.  In the meantime I was being more and more convicted that we were supposed to homeschool Wesley for kindergarten.......but Rhett wasn't.  That is a problem.......I couldn't be one of those weird-0's alone ;)!  One day I was rocking Johnson in the den, and Rhett was in the kitchen.  He said he wanted to "talk".  I was a little surprised, because he doesn't usually want to "talk"!  He told me  he had been praying and thinking a lot about homeschooling and was feeling led that way!  I think I almost dropped the baby and choked on the water that was in my mouth!  Now it was real and very scary!  We were going to homeschool and actually be one of those "WEIRDO'S"!!  We both had an incredible peace and certainty that we were right where God wanted us to be.  There is no better feeling!!  The months to follow were filled with lots of prayer, curriculum research, major construction project to transform one of our attics into our school space, major doubt from me (none from Rhett), and excitement as we prepared for our new adventure to begin!  One day, while getting haircuts, our sweet friend that has cut all of our hair since Wesley was 6 months old, asked Wesley about starting kindergarten.  His response..."My Daddy and Papa, got some boards and put them in the attic, and I'm gonna go to school in the attic". HAHA!!!  We feel very blessed for this season of homeschooling and the path God has led us on.  We in no way think public or private school is bad or wrong.  We truly were just convicted that for OUR family, homeschooling is what we are supposed to do.  Public/private school is what is right for many families, but it is not what God has planned for our family, right now.  That may change in the future, but for now we are resting in HIS plan for us, and that is the only place we want to be.

I will update with photos of our school space, our curriculum and our first few weeks.  I can say that for now, we are all so excited about our new adventure.  We ALL love homeschooling!  I pray daily that we will stay in God's will and follow HIS plan for our family.  The verse that came to my mind the second I heard of our precious Caroline's fatal diagnosis, is the same verse that has been on my mind about our homeschool journey........

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future".                              Jeremiah 29:11


So thankful God's plans are not my own!!!

Sweet Brothers

Wesley literally rocked Davis to sleep, and I walked in to see him kissing his baby brother......pretty sure this mommy was teary eyed :)!!

We are so very blessed to be parents to these two precious boys! They are so sweet and loving and are BEST friends!! We have always prayed that they would be close buddies and they are.....such a blessing:)!!

We have also been praying a lot for the adoption of their little brother or sister. We have recently had some very exciting news in our adoption journey!! Hopefully over the next few weeks, we will be able to share more of the details! We would love for you to pray for this situation and all parties involved. God has an amazing plan for our family, and it is wonderful to see it unfold!

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life"

Proverbs 13:12

A Few Photos

Here are a few pics of my precious family! We are having a great (BUSY) December! It is so much fun to see Christmas through my children. Rhett and I are so thankful for them, and for the many chances we have to teach them the true meaning of Christmas. I am so very grateful for my sweet husband and how hard he works, and for the amazing Daddy he is! God has blessed us so much!!

"Re-purposing"

He LOVES mommy's shoes!


Wesley thinks it is great to start at the top of our steep driveway and ride his dump truck all the way down........I think this time was a little fast :)!!

These precious little boys (AKA Snoopy and Woodstock) bring us more joy and happiness than we could have ever imagined! They are wonderful little guys, and are both so kind and loving. They LOVE each other and are truly best buddies! I am so glad they have each other to grow up with and get in trouble with! They have stolen my heart, and I thank God for them every day!
The OLDEST Brother.......such a sweet heart, and our little helper. He is so smart and funny. He loves playing soccer and baseball, running, riding his bike, anything trains, and his baby brother!
The LITTLE (OLDER) Brother.....sweetest smile and the best belly laugh. He adores his big brother and does everything Wesley does! He loves playing outside running and jumping, trains, and anything with wheels!

No, typing OLDER brother for Davis was not a mistake! Sometime in the future (we prefer near rather than later), he will become a Big Brother again! He is already a big brother, but he will soon get to experience the joys of having a "younger" sibling living in our home!

Yes, we will hopefully soon be a family of FIVE (or SIX), and we CAN'T WAIT!!!!

And no, I am NOT pregnant this time! We could not be happier or more excited that God has chosen to grow our family again through adoption!! November is national adoption month, and as we have talked a lot about adoption this month, we have also been CRAZY busy getting things started for our new baby. I think it is pretty neat that we heard (well listened to) God leading us to adopt again during the one month of the year that adoption is recognized and given greater support! We are adopting domestically, and have no idea when or where our baby will be born! Once again, we are stepping out on faith, and we could not have a greater peace!

"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me".

Matthew 18:5

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, we have been discussing all of the many things we have to be thankful for. I was sharing with our Sunday School class today, that as sad and hard as this year has been for us, I am still very thankful. There is never a day that goes by that I do not think about and terribly miss our precious baby girl. I get sad, I cry, I miss her. But, THANKFULLY, I serve a God that has provided so much grace, peace and unexplainable JOY over the last 9 months. Rhett and I have a wonderful marriage that has grown and deepened in ways we never imagined over the past year, 2 fabulous and healthy little boys, we have a great home, he has a wonderful job, I have the best job in the world :), we have loving supportive families, awesome friends, a fantastic church family, our health, and most importantly a loving and FORGIVING God! Instead of focusing on what we don't have, we are choosing to be thankful and THANK GOD for all he has so graciously blessed us with!

"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever".

Psalm 30:11-12

So many people want to know how I do it? How do I make it through and "go on" with life. My answer is always the same.....I don't, HE does it for me. Alone, I could never make it without grief and sadness creeping in and eating away at me. Some days are much harder than others, and I do have BAD days.....days where my heart is literally breaking and all I can think about is the "what if's", and just what if I could hold her one more time. Because I am a Christian, and I have a personal relationship with Christ, HE carries me through those days, and I am so very thankful for that!! I can not imagine going through a trial or tragedy without God by my side. I pray for every one that is sad, missing some one, facing tough days..... that you can cling to God and his promises.....and experience His amazing love, grace, and peace.

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you".

1 Thessalonians 3:16

Happy Thanksgiving! Count your many blessings this week.......I promise if you think there are none, when you think about it, you will be able to name many!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever"!

1 Chronicles 16:34

Happy!

I could not find Wesley a few weeks ago. He was quietly sitting in the kitchen, and just "having a snack"....he was chomping on 2 apples and a pear! So Funny! My sweet precious boys, who truly love each other!! I just love them sooo much!!

My little mini-me....he loves driving his trucks all over the yard!

This sweet baby melts my heart, and his smile is just amazing!

I could this little pumpkin up! He is wonderful, and makes his mommy so happy!

A Start Over Day

"Start Over". As a child of God, wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister, etc., there have been many times I just wanted to "start over". We all have those moments, whether it is an argument with your spouse, loosing patience with your children, failing in your Bible study, disagreement with a family member, not being there for a friend, etc, etc....where we just wish we could start over! I will admit I have experienced all of the above, more than one time.

I am not quite sure when this "start over" began in our family? Somewhere in my disciplining of my precious Wesley, I offered him a chance to "start over". I am sure this came about during a fit that was not being stopped by any form of discipline or reasoning with my ever so stubborn preschooler :).....you all know what I am talking about. I was surprised on this particular day that something so simple calmed my precious child, and he once again became rational....forgetting whatever he was so upset about. I have used this several times with him when the situation seemed appropriate, and it seems to work. This morning, as I was hurrying to get out of the house and run errands, and get everything checked off of my list, Wesley was just beside himself! Nothing was right, everything was "not working", he was refusing to listen and obey, was not sharing...etc, etc. Needless to say, we were having a rough morning! I will admit that after too many time outs to count and one spanking my nerves were frazzled, and I was becoming impatient......not how I like to be with my babies. Wesley was once again sitting in time out, when I asked him to come to the kitchen and have a "talk". In his sweet little boy voice, he looked at me with his big brown eyes, and said "Mommy, I am sorry for being ugly, I am just having a bad day. Can I just start over again?, that will make me be good"! He was truly sorry for being ugly, and really wanted to start over! I just grabbed him in my arms and gave him a big hug, and we talked about being kind to each other, obeying, etc, and we were both very glad to just "start over". The rest of our day has been great, and he has been the complete opposite of this morning!

I know there are a lot of days that I need to do the same thing. I am guilty of being selfish, stubborn, angry, worried...........all of the things my Savior does not want me to be. As I sit here and think about my precious little boy, and trying to parent him, I realize that God is teaching me a big lesson too!! I just love the moments when I know He is speaking to me through my children. I have been worried about things that should not worry me, stubborn and trying to make plans, frustrated that my baby girl is not living this life with us, and many more! I know that my God is in control, and He loves me, and His ways are PERFECT. I know that my sweet Caroline is safe in His arms, the same arms that have held me, and will continue to hold me. I know all of this, but I am human; a sinner; and I think I need to "start over". I am so thankful that my God loves me enough, and cares for me enough to let me "start over". This road I am walking is tough, God never said following Him would be easy, but He has promised to walk it with me. So, today, I am going to join my sweet Wesley in "starting over"....giving God my worries, sadness, frustrations, stubbornness and many more. It is my prayer that if you are in a rough spot, that you can give it to God and let Him be in control. I speak from experience that when we do that........everything works out for the best, and life is so much sweeter!

"Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed,
for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning,
great is your faithfulness".

Lamentations 3:21-23

Praising God that HIS mercies are new every morning!!!!

What We've Been Doing!

So, I am behind in updating what we have been doing lately! This blog is intended to tell our sweet little girl's story, but also for me to document what we are doing, since I do not have time to scrapbook. I realize that I have not even put any Easter pictures up, or documented what we did for Easter, so I will just have to back-track!

Wesley, Davis and I have been PLAYING so much! We have been having amazing weather, and we have taken full advantage of it. We have been to several parks with different friends for play-dates, taken a few zoo trips, and played outside almost every day, for many hours! One "new" fun thing we have done this spring is visit the Botanic Gardens. They have an awesome part of the gardens dedicated to children. There are many super fun things to play with, and we have really enjoyed going there with our friends!

We started our Easter weekend with a trip to a local farm. We rode pony's, and the trackless train, visited with the Easter bunny, fed the animals in the petting zoo, and took a hay ride for an Easter Egg hunt. The following pictures are from our fun day at the "farm"! I have more Easter pictures....still on my camera ( I know that is bad), so I will do a separate post later.

We are still doing good, and every day continues to get easier. I have been so blessed lately by a few sweet people and their comments about our blog. I just never imagined how our little Caroline would impact so many, and help make life changes. I am so very thankful God is still reminding me that He is in control, and He is revealing His mighty plan more and more every day. Thanks again to all of you for your sweet notes, and emails, and thank you for reading our blog!!

Sweet Mischief

Here are some recent pictures of my precious boys! They are so much fun, and keep me busy! I am so thankful God is sharing them with us, and I love every second of being their mommy, even if they are a little mischievous :)!!

This has become very common at our house....Davis climbing on the table to finish off any food that might be left up there.......such a funny baby!!!

They were just being super silly and so cute!

On his way to the top of the table......never a dull moment :)!

Wesley can get into our bathtub alone, but Davis has to have help. You can see he pushed my stool over to the tub, and just climbed right in!! They are playing trains "choo-choo"!!

One of many "wrestling matches" to come! They really LOVE each other!!

According to Wesley they were headed to the grocery store to buy grapes and milk!

Wesley is cooking me a surprise, while sporting Rhett's protective glasses

My little climbing monkey!--this is the only way he plays with this toy!

Another favorite of theirs.....climbing and jumping! I give up ;)!!!

Davis is super creative, and uses whatever he can find to make it onto the couch.....this time a toy rocket :)

I found this precious baby in the cabinet (it has safety locks??), and he was saying "nack".....translated to snack!

Pictures

My sweet family: Four days before Caroline was born!

Wesley's smile.....when he does not want to smile

Sweet Brothers in the snow.....they are best buddies!

Precious little angels!

Love this sweet little baby!

They have my heart......and I am pretty sure this will not be such a cute picture in about 14 years......OH MY!!!!

Funny Wesley

Since I try and use this blog to record funny things my sweet kiddos say and do, I figure I should write this one down. Yesterday, Wesley and I were praying, and very sincerely he said:

"Dear God, Oh Lord, thank you for Mommy, Daddy, Davis, and everyone. Thank you, oh God, for Jesus. Thank you for baby sister Caroline, in Mommy's BIG belly. Dear God thank you so much for snow, and snow ice cream, it is so delicious. And God, thank you for lots of coke and chips. The end, Amen!"

This child is so stinkin' funny and he just melts my heart. He truly prays what is on his little mind, and while I think it is super funny and precious, it reminds me of how honest we are supposed to be with God....truly tell Him what is on your mind and in your heart (He already knows anyway). So thank you my sweet precious Wesley for making me laugh, and reminding me in such a sweet simple way how to talk to God! I just love and treasure the sweet little ways God uses my babies to put so many things into perspective........thank you God for my wonderful and amazing children.....all THREE of them!!

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him". Psalm 127:3

Precious Loves

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE My precious and amazing people!! They are the best, and are my precious loves!