Help Bring Sergey Home

have you ever dreamed BIG? wouldn't it be great if you could help a family fulfill their BIG dream of bringing home little Sergey? go here and see how you can be a part of God's work.

Rest in Peace Baby Declan

this week is another heartbreaking one, as another angel has gone home to heaven. we have been following Declan's journey since he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer about 6 months ago. each day would start with a smile or some tears as i read the latest update of this little warrior's battle against this ugly disease. again, the reminder of how blessed we are that our children are healthy and how our normal, mundane lives are such a blessing. thank you God. we can only imagine the pain that this family is feeling as they grieve the loss of this precious baby boy. Lord, please embrace them with your strength, love and peace as they navigate this journey through the loss of a child.

Family Foto (notso) Fun!

are we the only family who can't get a good family photo? today i decided to take only 3 of our 4 children, leaving the one who hates getting pictures taken, at home (figuring i would take him on a trip by himself). here you can see that even with only a partial crew in tow, we can't get a decent family picture.....ugh!

Spring Teaser...

for spring break we headed to virginia beach for a little getaway at turtle cay...wow, did we luck out with tremendously warm beach weather! we also were pleasantly surprised to find that some scout friends were staying at turtle cay, also. we had a great spring break and are counting down to summer.

So Big....

kendal is getting so big! she is 75% for height and 50% for weight! that's significant in a house full of shrimps (babies that were always "under the curve"). she is our only baby that has worn bigger sizes than her age (she is 4 months old wearing 6-9 month clothing). seems like everything is growing on her, except her hair! she is a big sleeper, too! thank you God. we are so blessed by this big, beautiful, baby girl.

Winter Escape

we took a little winter vacation to williamsburg during our "snow break" from school. we only went to school one day in two weeks. needless to say, we were tired of being indoors, so we escaped to great wolf lodge and williamburg plantation. the children loved the waterpark and really just love staying anywhere away from home. they swam a lot. we played a lot of games and enjoyed time together as a family. it was a nice winter excursion, but now we are paying the price with extended days at school!

Baby Blessings

Kendal is such a blessing. she smiles all the time. she squeals and makes happy baby sounds. she sleeps well. she loves bath time. she loves to cuddle and be held. she does spit-up a lot and often on us, but we all still long to just hold her tight. she is perfect. we are blessed.

Snow Blessings

life has been good for our family, yet so painful for others around us. we are so blessed. Bailee and Paityn are enjoying their introduction to basketball through the Upwards program. they are both doing well in school and enjoying time in girl scouts, church and with family and friends. Landon is still in daddy's hip pocket doing all the things that little boys love to do. Kendal is doing so much better on her new formula and has already started sleeping through the night. she is a happy baby and we are so thankful. school is hectic for me, but Marks seems to pass through the day with little distress. we have been engaged with church and small group fellowship and life is just so good for us. praise God.

and yet, the world around us is crumbling for so many people. sadly, a fellow teacher who was only 30 years old, passed away last week leaving behind a wife and two small children. the news from the earthquake in Haiti has been unimaginable. baby Calla has been fighting for her life after being born so early. Drew's cancer came back in November. the Greathouse family lost their brother to a sudden heart attack. Gigi suffered a massive stroke. God, please be with these families. may they know Your love, peace, strength and presence during this difficult time in their lives.

we are blessed and so grateful. let the snow continue to shower all the world with God's love.

Kendal Nicole...

is perfect. she was born on monday, october 26th at 3:46 p.m. we started with induction at 5:00 a.m. and it took several hours for my cervix to start to dialate. the doctor came and broke my water at about 11:30 a.m. and i was still only 2 centimeters dialated! i continued to rest through contractions for 2 more hours and at 1:30 p.m. they placed an epidural. after this, the contractions started to intensify...at 3:00 p.m. i was 5 centimeters and then at 3:25 p.m. i was complete! the doctor came within 5 minutes and i pushed for about 15 minutes until she arrived. she had a "true knot" in her cord, so there was a moment of fear as the doctor worked quickly to get the cord cut and her breathing on her own. she came out a little blue, yet still scored 9 and 9 on her apgar tests. the shocker was seeing all of her dark hair! what a glorious sight, to see a baby that looked like she belonged to me. needless to say, i was exhausted. we spent one night in the hospital and headed home the next day to all the excitement at home as the children met their new baby sister.

Oops...we are so grateful!

so, after all these months i return to blogger to say that we did do it again and got pregnant with our fourth child...a baby girl that is due tomorrow! however, there is not much happening at this time, so it looks like i will make it to my scheduled induction on monday. the last 9 months have been exciting, tiring, relaxing at times (summer break), stressful most recently (at school) and finally as the day draws near...just a huge reminder of how blessed we are. we are so grateful for all that God has blessed us. may this blog be a way for us to praise Him and worship Him for all the amazing things he has done in our lives and others.

Oops I did it again...

can't seem to get that song out of my head lately after the big birthday bash at our house this past sunday. we had twelve of Bailee's friends over for her hannah montanna birthday party...complete with hannah montana guitar hero, twister, truth or dare and karoake! of course the only song they remotely were familiar with was "oops i did it again"! so that was the song of choice, although Bailee and i have been having fun with the karaoke mic ever since the party ended!

but, oops we did do it again. more on this in future postings...

Birthday Bliss

happy birthday Bailee! oh to be 8 years old again. how exciting birthdays are when all you dream of is webkinz, high school musical 3, hannah montana and money (to save for the wii!). it is amazing to see how much she has grown up, not just physically, but wordly. she is such a compassionate and kind soul and seems to be wise beyond her eight years. her little sister really thinks the world of her and has been combing our house these past few weeks looking for treasures to wrap up to give Bailee for her birthday. she even gave her one of her own unopened Christmas gifts! sweet.

Lord, i am so thankful for the children that you have blessed me with. and i am so thankful that Bailee is celebrating another birthday. please help to remind me that everyday for them should feel like their birthday, for i know that they need to feel this special every day of their lives.

we love you Bailee!

Peace

well, it has been a sad week. my heart truly breaks for Cora's family and i have found myself crying at random times throughout the day as i think about what her mom and dad are feeling. i seem to be preoccupied with this and find myself checking their blog site often, just hoping for a small sign that they are surviving the most devastating event of their lives and that they are doing a "little" alright...if that is even possible. just looking for hope, as they seem so strong in their faith. they have truly been an inspiration to me.

while i go through the motions of my day, i am reminded of my many blessings. there are many challenges...teaching adolescents, my children, daily demands of life and household tasks, but i believe that something is changing inside me. not sure what exactly, but there is a small glimpse of peace that once was not there.

i pray that Cora's family will soon feel peace in their broken hearts.

I can only imagine...

Cora went to be with Jesus. please pray for her parents and her family as they navigate a new journey without their baby girl.

i can only imagine the pain they must be feeling.
i can only imagine the release of pain Cora is feeling in the arms of her Savior.
i can only imagine the tears that will be shed with the passing of this child.
i can only imagine the tears that Jesus has shed knowing that his child has suffered.
i can only imagine being torn between the devastation of losing a child and the celebration of her homecoming in heaven.
i can only imagine.

Cold

is how i feel today. not only physically cold, but emotionally cold as we work through some challenges with our oldest daughter and her struggles in second grade. but then i think of Cora and i wonder why these smaller struggles seem to fill us with such disdain.

Bailee is a wonderful child. she is full of love, kindness, playfulness, curiosity, life and vigor. the first 3 years of school (including preschool) were comfortable. she was praised for her well behavior and her teachers all thought the world of her. academically she seemed to be right on target, actually above grade level. and then second grade came and she is struggling. as a teacher, myself, my heart breaks as i observe her defeated and frustrated with school and the tasks that she used to be so eager to explore. what a long, exhausting road to travel if we don't find a way to properly assist her with these challenges.

and then i feel guilty of thinking about long, challenging roads, as baby Cora struggles for her own little life. what a change in perspective. i should be thankful for my own daughter's challenges because they seem so minor in comparison to bigger world issues or even little world issues, like Cora's little world.

hooked up to so many machines
that are breathing life into her as her little body fights
to have a chance at the long, challenging road of life.

i pray for baby Cora's fight against this awful cancer and i pray that i would keep this wordly perspective. i am blessed by the struggles that God has placed in my path.

Beginning

so, today i join the world of blogging. i have been inspired as i have glimpsed into the lives of so many other ordinary people who are doing this thing called life with such elegance, faith, color and strength.

i have been personally moved by cora's story, as i always am when it comes to children and cancer. while i do not know this family and live many miles away, i can't help but imagine their anguish as they navigate this path that life has turned them down... as their daughter is in a fight for her innocent life. i hope that you will join me in praying for a miracle for this baby girl and her family.

i am so thankful to God for all that he has blessed me with.
a wonderful husband,
three beautiful and healthy children,
abundance beyond necessities,
stable employment,
and peaceful sleep at night.

Lord, please restore the innocent peace in cora's life.