My favorite Thanksgiving photo

What great memories we made this Thanksgiving! We had a house full, which simply consisted of my family and my sister's family.

There's this thing about me and my sister: we are alot alike, right down to the fact that we both have boys. Lots of boys. Droves of cute boys.

From Wednesday night through Sunday morning my house was hoppin' with our seven boys...

And I must share my {as my three year old would say} most favoritest photo from our holiday weekend.

My sister Trish and my baby boy. They bonded big time.

I love it. When I look at this picture I just feel such gratitude. I love these two like crazy.

And now I have a house to clean. ;)

Living abundantly in a house full of walking, running, and grinning boys

I was doing the dishes after supper Tuesday night when I heard Dave coaxing our littlest one to his first independent steps.

To our left was our biggest boy, smiling, listening (and hearing), with a half grin on his face.

Two very active boys, all hyped up on Thanksgiving break giddiness, ran circles around every one of us.

Kai grinned, and giggled, and teetered...

and then he did it.

He’s been on the cusp of walking for a few weeks now, but hasn’t had the courage to release his hold and go for it.

Until that night.

If you are a mom – you know the feeling.

It’s this joy and “wow, he finally did it!” – so quickly followed by an ache.

Because last year at Thanksgiving time, although I was so very sleep deprived, I was in this blissful state of cuddling softness. I had a tiny bundle with the thickest darkest hair, who filled my heart with such a completeness.

But tonight I have a little boy who, like the others before him, is transitioning from complete dependence to navigating his world independently.

 Dave’s big smile clearly spoke of daddy pride. And I worked at keeping tears at bay.

These moments; these all the way happy and partially aching moments, define my joy. It’s the everyday, and the once in a lifetime milestones, and the sharing – being surrounded by the people who mean more to me than I ever thought possible, that seem to most aptly describe the abundant life.

Thank you God.

For showing me what it is to love and to be loved {The real kind}.

For pain.

For humbling me {by way of misspelled words, slow learning, and getting lost in close-by cities} – and then revealing the value in that.

For babies who grow up {gulp}.

For enlightening me in the beauty of changing seasons.

For a man who does not give up.

For coffee {you created the coffee bean and said it was good. I just know it}.

For a history that has been touched with grief {that I may minister to others who grieve}.

For all that you have redeemed, all that you are redeeming, and all that will ultimately be redeemed when the final chapter comes to a close.

You are good. All the time.

And I am thankful.

J family photo shoot

I'm starting out practicing on brave friends. Willing to let me use their families to begin to learn this art form that so intrigues me.

I'm hooked. Like, I can't stop.

Don't let the otter freak you out

It's new and different.

 He picked red and it made me smile. I love red too.


We've done feeding tubes,

and a ventilator,

had a huge oxygen tank in our living room for 5 months,

an apnea monitor,

glasses,

ankle braces,


a walker,

wheel chair,

and a shunt.


But a hearing aid is definitely new.

The first thing we noticed was immediate eye contact. It's not like he didn't make eye contact before, but it would take quite a while for him to focus. Right when the hearing aid was placed into his left ear and he was spoken to - boom -  his eyes were on hers. The audiologist was in love with him. She noticed the change right away too. He got that big trademark grin and said, "hi!". Then he proceeded to say hi in several different tones and volumes, giggling after each one.


We are seeing good things. Very good things.


And really, I didn't quite have enough stuff to keep track of - so yeah, now we have all of this. *wink*

 AND - of course it all came with a stuffed otter - complete with his own set of hearing aids.

Of course it did - 

This week I said good bye to barefeet and baby bottles

The cold is subtly returning to our days

Snow is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

There are aspects of winter that I just love. Of course there are many that I don't, but it's a package deal

As things change and the dynamics of life constantly shift and turn, I am finding out how important it is to keep my balance on the unchangeable. I am learning the value of finding the treasure of contentment in whatever circumstance I am in.

The days where we could run outside in bare feet (we are all perpetually barefooted) and giggle in the warm sun are behind us.

The days of running boys up and down the hills in their sleds and returning in doors for the warm comfort of hot chocolate are so close I can feel them.

Will I miss the summer and all it offers us? Oh my, yes.

Am I leaning forward in my seat in anticipation as I contemplate all that is to come? Yes. The warm glow of Christmas lights, baking with little boys, seeing my family, laughing with Dave during the traditional "Elf" viewing, stolen kisses in the snow.

See? There are good things coming, there are anticipated new experiences on the way. But that doesn't mean the things that are behind us will not be missed and treasured.

On Saturday I went through my kitchen cupboards and cleaned out all of the baby bottles. My cupboards are noticeably roomier now.

We are sleeping through the night for an average of 9 hours now. Every one of us.

Our calendar has at least one event, most days two, scrawled on every single square.

I am pushing through insecurities more and pursuing dreams.

I don't see my husband on Mondays at all.

I am communicating with my husband more than I ever have.

God is prompting me in thinking past myself and my family and he is bringing some very surprising and new ambitions to my heart.

Most of these things signify changes. Shifting of seasons in our family.

There are good circumstances and challenging ones that are altering the outlook of our family.

The two biggest changes right now:

• The baby turning into a toddler, and our leaving all things baby behind.
• Dave becoming a full time student, in addition to his full time job, all that being a husband and father entails, and various ministries.

The last month has looked so different for us. I haven't blogged as much because my whole daily routine has changed so much. Besides that "my" laptop has been stolen by some guy who claims he needs it for school work. Really - what is school work when there are blogs to write and facebook friends to stalk? Geesh, priorities people!

So, as my life adjusts, diversifies, and transitions, I hope to be able to still document what we are learning here and there, as time allows.

The documentation for today is this:

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. "

Philippians 4:11-13

May it be so.

Embracing age 3

It's no secret that I have never been a big fan of age 3.

I can't lie - it's not my favorite.

Not sayin' I don't love the three year old.

Just some of the characteristics of this particular age.

That being said, there is a certain three year old in my life right now whose cuteness is nearly off the charts.

He is definitely at the age where his primary goal often seems to be

toeing the line

whining incessantly

and

frustrating this mommy.

And yet...

His sensitive heart amazes me.

His desire to learn and his intelligence bring a smile to my face.

His gentleness with others is a gift.

Thank you for giving me a moment to focus on my love for Mr. Noe.

We have been given the opportunity of much time together these days as the older two spend their time learning at school.

I don't ever want to wish the days away and not take time to acknowledge this special season.

Even if it does involve age three. *smile*

The treasures of Frankenmuth

Frankenmuth was

Refreshing,


Stroybook-esque,


Challenging,


Connecting,


Eye opening.


What a blessing it was to be able to leave for 24 hours (err... maybe more like 30-ish) and know that the boys would be so well cared for by daddy (for the second weekend in a row!).

-That they would not just have their physical needs met.

-That they would miss mama (and run at me with arms wide open when I returned).

-That my house needs me, and I have job security in the cleaning department (blessing in disguise, this one is).

My time away was great.

There were the fun elements like:

Shopping in the cutest Bavarian down town you ever did see - and then later at a great outlet mall.

Eating. I know - this probably shouldn't be so far up on my list. But it was good food. And I liked it. ;)

Indoor water park. My boys were slightly jealous. A certain 5 year old was beyond slightly.

Laughing with friends. It's my favorite. It reminds me of the non-mommy things about me.

One of the best parts of it all though was letting God speak to my so-much-in-need-of-truth heart. We were all ministered to by an incredible lady who is serving God in full time ministry in Papua New Guinea. She is in the states for a while and we were so blessed to have her with us.

By presenting what God has done, and is doing in her own heart in a raw, honest, and sincere way, she exuded the joy of the Lord.

And beyond that, her words broke down some lies that I was cowardly hiding behind. Not fun to face. More than wonderful to redeem.

Lies that were so easy to believe, like those that hinted at blaming my own, oft experienced, bad attitude and lack of joy on circumstances. Moods, hormones, and negativity causing shifting, doubting... sinning.

Like I said - not fun to admit and tackle. I'm still in the midst of that. But it is so helpful to have some one walk you through their own difficult circumstances and tell you "It is possible to choose joy. It isn't a fake and inauthentic cliche. His divine power has given you everything you need to do this."

Truth.

Want photos?

I have none of the water park. A bunch of women donning swim wear in late autumn = a camera ban. ;)

But here is whimsical Frankenmuth Michigan:

 And dear friends:

 

 

AND - I would be remiss in not giving some blog time to finally finding the boots. :) Remember? I've been shopping for the perfect boots for a couple of months.

♥

Money, turkey, a man who sews, and the spoiled wife

• Dave is doing fantastic with his classes! It has required alot of "family schedule rearranging". So far it's working well. I think we have both been surprised at how much he has been enjoying school this time around. The schedule, not so much. The learning - yes.
• It's hard to pretend that Halloween candy is not there. Because it is. And most of it is really good stuff.
• I greatly enjoyed the relaxation of the Center for Women volunteer's retreat last weekend. I was gone for about 24 hors. It took several people to make it possible for me to go - and I am ever so grateful for their help.
• I will be going on another retreat this weekend. I know, I know! Two weekends in a row - crazy! Maybe even a little bit spoiled... And now I am feeling a little bit guilty.This is so not normal for me at all - and it will likely be a year until I do it again, but opportunity presented itself and everything just happened to fall into place very nicely. I am so excited to spend this weekend with some wonderful friends, enjoy an indoor water park, great food, and devotional times together.
• K is still doing well. It is amazing to see him go day after day with out a migraine! We would appreciate prayers for wisdom as we go to a consultation on his hearing test and hearing aid fitting this Thursday afternoon.
• In the last month I have mentioned some financial changes that have occurred in our family. These changes mostly pertained to K and the help we received for his special needs. I have learned alot about prayer and God's sovereignty through all of this. I prayed often that God would put our situation back to how it was. That we would not lose the help we had been getting. That is not how he chose to answer our prayers. I was absolutely blown away by his answers. One week we received an insurance settlement that we weren't sure would come through. The next week we were gifted unexpectedly with a check. A couple of weeks after that we sold a snow blower that we no longer needed. We were then mailed a letter that a particular bill that had been paid was overpaid and we would receive a significant (to us) amount back. I do not look at any of these things as coincidence or inconsequential. Not at all. I want to be very careful not to proclaim too loudly or exalt ourselves for something that is to be done between us and God - but let me just say that I believe some of our recent blessings are due to our not holding back what is God's even when things were very tight. We are learning so much in the realm of finances and tithing.
• I have been using my crock pot alot lately. I just love having supper taken care of early in the day! It helps my day go smoother and that "high stress time" of early evening become more of a "family togetherness relax time". I can not express how good that change is.
• While I was getting a massage next to a fireplace in a beautiful lodge on a lake last weekend, my husband took all 4 boys into a fabric store, stood in line with fabric, got out of line to take one to the bathroom, finally bought his choices, and then came home and sewed (!) a costume for Jay. That does not need to be followed up with any commentary. I was so impressed when I heard about it I could not speak momentarily.
• I am still waiting to get all of my energy back after being sick for almost an entire week. It's a bit frustrating.
• I can.not.wait to have my sister and her family here for Thanksgiving! It is exciting for us to be branching out and starting some of our very own traditions. I am already planning my menu. I know that my sister and I will have tons of fun in the kitchen and that all NINE of the guys we love will do an awesome job of eating everything we create. ;)

Peace out for now.