Love Him

Hope no one was holding your breath since my last post. Seems as if I don't usually have much uninterrupted free time these days.

"Mom, Mom, MOM...."

"What!?"

"Will you get me a snack/drink/wipe my hiney/nose?"

"Kyler/Arnold/Ellie is bugging me/hitting me/won't share with me!"

"Can I help you do that/see that/eat that/play with that?"

and repeat.

Anyway, I thought it was time to elaborate on my last post just a bit. My good friend Jen called to make sure I wasn't packing my bags and heading to Africa without notice. She knows me well enough to know that I would. (Thanks for your concern Jen, I promise you will won't have to read it on Facebook if/when the time comes!)

Here is what God is teaching me, in a nutshell: That it isn't so important where I am physically as it is where my heart is at. That I need to be serving Him and needing Him and worshiping Him and sharing Him, no matter where on this earth I happen to be. And that at any time He could ask us to sell all that we have and move to Africa or anywhere else and He wants to know that I would say "yes, Lord."

See, selling my things and moving isn't the point, exactly. BUT being truly willing to sell my things if God asks me to and giving all that I have to give of myself, my time and my money no matter where I am is what being a Christian is all about. Loving Him, trusting Him, serving others.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:27

The good life

Two plus months since Arnold Jacob rocked our world with his little African self. Two weeks since Libby Wynn made her fast and furious appearance. Justin has so lovingly assured me that no one has really been missing my blog posts, since all the excitement of bringing Arnold home is over. But, I insist, the excitement is just beginning!

Arnold likes to chew with his mouth open, poo with the door open and laugh like every silly thing is the funniest thing he has ever heard/seen/done. "HA-HA!" he bellows. He is a joy to those he meets and makes friends quickly, with the young and the old. He officially starts preschool tomorrow!

Libby gets more kisses and eats more than any little princess really needs, I am sure. She is beautiful and wonderful and is quickly getting fat.

Kyler and Ellie haven't seemed to notice that things are COMPLETELY different for them then they were as recently as October. They have welcomed the two new additions to our family as if they were meant to be. And they were.

As for Justin and I, we are reading Crazy Love, by Francis Chan, and trying to figure out what God has in store for us and our four priceless children. I can't help but know in the depths of me that He has more for us than just living the good life in America.

See, you really should stay tuned... : )

PS I have very good intentions of posting photos of Arnold's first Christmas with us and of our new little sweetie.

Can it be December?

Well, Arnold has been here for about a month and a half now, and it could have well been years as easily as he has adjusted to his new life and as well as he fits into our growing family! He really is doing remarkably well and as far as we can tell seems to be settling in very well to his new rules, expectations, routine etc.

Of course, there have been adjustments for all of us! The boys could wear anyone out, not to mention a very pregnant mama. They are full of life and energy, and sometimes just plain full of it! I love how all of the kids interact when they are behaving and being sweet, which really is most of the time. Ellie adores Arnold and he still lets her play with his ears if they are watchingtv together! The boys include her in whatever they are doing, and Kyler never asks to have friends over anymore. (He used to ask almost everyday!) Of course, they all enjoy spending time with their cousins and our other extended family and we have had many special moments together including Arnold's first Thanksgiving, gingerbread making, birthday celebrations, and most recently Arnold's first snow!

Arnold will be starting preschool after Christmas, but he is a little worried. He said he will be scared without his Daddy and Mommy there, but I suspect that he will do quite well once he is comfortable in his environment. Next year he will go to kindergarten and Kyler to preschool.

As for me... this very well could be my last post before we are a family of six! I have been neglecting the computer, which is better than neglecting my family, I am sure, but it does feel like my only connection to the outside world some days! Even now I sit here in our usual mid-day mess, thinking of all the things I should be doing in case I have to make an sudden trip to the hospital! At my recent appointment, it didn't seem as though Libby would be waiting until Christmas to make her appearance! Let's hope not!

Thanks for your continued love, prayers and support of our family! We hope to be a blessing to others in our lives, despite our busyness and our unpredictable lives!

The past two weeks

The first full week that Arnold was here, after his travels and after the cabin, we spent at home. On purpose. It was important to me that Arnold started to feel at home in this house, and that we followed our new routine as best we could.

Week two was full of fevers, colds, medicine, deciding which bedroom to put the one humidifier in (gosh, we really need two of those before the next round!) and more staying at home- not by choice! Oh, and in the middle of the week, I thought I was going into pre-term labor! (Please Lord, let number four stay put for a bit!) After the staff at the hospital did all they could to make sure that baby was perfectly fine and not going anywhere, they sent me home blaming dehydration. I was a bit puzzled and lacking a clear reason why I felt like my insides hated me! After looking back on some of their concerns and questions, and after more symptoms developed, I have self-diagnosed gallbladder issues, on top of the dehydration. A clear sign that I will have to take better care of myself for the rest of this pregnancy!!

So, by this week, we were all going a little nuts. Thankfully we are all feeling better! Just a couple lingering coughs and runny noses. We've accomplished a couple of outings to the grocery store, the park, lunch and even went to Red Robin tonight for Kyler's birthday! Arnold is still adjusting wonderfully and seems to enjoy everything about being part of our family. Don't get me wrong, the three kids are still figuring out how to get along, or maybe just settling into normal sibling-rivalry, but they all seem to truly love each other and have very special moments together being just plain precious.

I am behind on laundry, friendships, and sometimes patience, but I am drinking lots of water, trying to rest when I can and I wouldn't trade this crazy time in our lives for anything!