happy 3rd birthday, sweet boy

Three years ago today, a woman I had never even met gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on the other side of the country.  The God of the Universe would orchestrate the rest. 

Less than 4 weeks later, we would learn about you and we would choose you to be a part of our family.  Liam, you were the answer to so many prayers… and your timing was nothing short of a miracle.

It’s hard to believe it’s now been 3 years.  You are growing so fast.  The tiny baby that was first placed in my arms is now a little boy.  You’re so smart and funny and keep your daddy and I on our feet!  You are so full of energy (too much at times!) and you define what it means to be “all boy!”  Liam, you have a strong spirit and great determination, and I know that one day God will use that innate character for His great purpose.

I pray that your father and I can be the best parents we can be, directing you to Christ as you continue to grow.  My greatest prayer is that one day you will accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour and live your life according to His will.

I love you so much, sweet boy.  Today, I am thankful you were born.

Love,  Mommy

I am thankful for…

BLUE BELL PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM!!!

Oh boy, Oh boy!  Talk about delicious!  My friend Kimmie Jean introduced me to this ice cream last year, and I was instantly IN LOVE!  Problem is, it’s seasonal, so it won’t be around for long.  I nearly went into depression last year when they quit selling it, so imagine my delight when my sweet husband came home with a tub a couple of weeks ago… and, bless his heart, another tub a few days ago because I inhaled the first one.

Do you see the peppermint chips in there?  Seriously, go buy yourself a tub… or two.  And make sure it’s Blue Bell.  No other brand will do.  God Bless the holidays!

4 years without him

4 years ago today, I held my dad’s hand as he took his final breath here on earth.  It was a bittersweet moment, yet so beautiful.  Bittersweet for obvious reasons:  I knew life on earth with the father I adored was over.  Beautiful because I knew my dad had been healed.  In heaven, his body had been restored, free from injury. 

PHILIPPIANS 3:20-21 NKJ
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, . . .

Praise God for His promises!

good to the last drop

Nadia’s never been one to waste food.  Usually when I feed her cereal, I use the bowls that have the built-in straw because she likes to drink the milk, too.  But this time the handy dandy bowls were all dirty, so I gave her a regular bowl.  But little girl still wanted her milk.  I guess I should mention it was Waffle Crisp which is loaded with sugar.  Maybe that’s why.

You’ll also notice the language Nadia has created.  When she wants something, she uses sentences and words in English… but more often than not, she speaks a language only she can understand.

playhouse before + after

 

I’ve mentioned this playhouse before, but in case you missed it, here’s the story.  My grandfather (my dad’s dad) built this playhouse 40 years ago for my sister and brother to play in.  He built it to match the house my parents lived in at the time.  When I came along, this little house served as a great source of entertainment for me and my friends, too.  Years later, when my parents moved, this house came along.  As a gift, my brother had it painted to match their new house.  After my parents passed away, my brother then had the playhouse moved to his backyard so his girls could enjoy it… and, you guessed it, it’s now in my backyard!  Back in the summer, I painted it to match our house to keep with the tradition.  I also put new black and white linoleum in it and painted the walls pink with red polka dots… with ladybug accents.  It’s furnished with a kitchen set (oven, microwave, dishes) plus a stove and washing machine and a little chair.  I still have some more work I want to do, including putting a picture of my grandfather on the ladybug wall, to honor him for such a fabulous playhouse!  But for now, my kids are loving it… just as I did!

              

give a boy 3 seconds, he’ll use it

I turned my back on Liam for 3 seconds to clean up another mess, and I came back in the living room to this.  BOYS!

take it or leaf it

    

There’s no better way to spend a nice fall afternoon than with your cousins.

how trashy

The other day I kept noticing Nadia going to the trash can in the mud room.  She was being “all quiet” which was my first clue:  either she was pooping… or she was up to no good.  Detective Darla thought it was time to investigate.  Here’s the evidence I found when I took off the lid to the trash can…

Thank goodness I checked.  I would have really missed those Puma’s.

western cowboy

little prayer, big heart

Liam has been saying some of the sweetest prayers lately.  Here’s what he said today at lunch:

“Dear God, thank you for God and for Christmas and that we celebrate.  Thank you for the TV.  Thank you for that bag of toys that I’m gonna take to the kids that don’t have toys.  God saw that it was good.  Amen.”

I love to hear Liam pray.  It makes my heart smile.  This one was so precious because earlier today I gave Liam a bag and asked him to pick out the toys that he didn’t play with anymore and put them in the bag.  I told him we’d give them to kids who didn’t have any toys.  I was pleasantly surprised when Liam immediately starting piling toys in.  We didn’t talk about it anymore that day, but later, I thought it was so sweet that he referenced it in his prayer.  It made me realize he really understood what he was doing.  And as for the “God saw and it was good” part… that’s his Bible Verse at church!  I am amazed at how well he remembers it and that he used it here!