Elijah is Four!

This is hard to believe, but Elijah is turning 4 tomorrow.  It's funny to think that the announcement of our pregnancy with him is how we started this blog of ours.  It's also funny to think how differently I felt about him then.  I was so so so scared to be a mom.  Let alone to be a mom of a boy.  But God, in his grace, has allowed me to not only embrace my role as a mom, but also to truly believe this is who I was meant to be.  This is exactly what God wanted me to be all along.  This may have been my plan B, but it was always God's Plan A.  I am thankful.

Elijah is such a joy.  He is adventurous, imaginative, curious, tenderhearted, and full of life! He is like his daddy in that he loves his life.  He is like his mommy in that he is sensitive and caring.  He keeps us laughing all the time and says some of the funniest things I've ever heard.  

Elijah, may you always know how much you are loved and valued.  May you always know that your life has purpose.  That Jesus loves you more than you could ever imagine.  That your parents will always be here for you.  That you are special. Happy birthday, sweet boy! I pray you will feel celebrated on this birthday and each and every day! You are truly a gift. 

Do a little dance...

If people ever wondered why we had our kids so close in age, this is why.  I just LOVE that these 2 are each other's best friends. They have so much fun together and it is a joy for me to witness.  This had me laughing today.

A little bit of catch up.

I feel like it would be a terrible shame if I didn't post a single thing about the holidays, so I've decided on our Christmas tree farm experience to share with you! This is, by far, my favorite Christmas tradition that our little family has.  Last year, since we were living in my parent's apartment, we didn't really have the space or desire for a tree, so we skipped out and I really missed it! I was excited to find a farm that was close to home, beautiful, and had reasonably priced trees! We had a really good time picking out a tree for our home and since we went on a Friday morning, we had the place to ourselves which was an added bonus.

Emily was all bundled up and carried in the Bjorn.

Daddy filling Leah in on the details of the hunt.

 I just love tree farms. 

 Elijah next to the winning tree...or so we thought. Turns out we didn't get this one because Daddy decided to take one last look around before we chopped and found a better one.

 The actual winner.

 Daddy gets to work! 

 Tried for a family picture but the 2 eldest were not interested.

 Leah helped Daddy out.

 Timber!

 Starting the journey back to the car.

 Love this guy.

 The tree turned out to be the perfect fit for our little living room, even if it was dead as a doornail by the day after Christmas :).

 Group pics are kind of a joke, but I tried :).

Breaking my silence...for my husband.

Well, if ANYONE out there still reads my blog, I'm back.  I'm not promising to be back consistently. I just gonna be honest with you: this blog is not a priority in my life.  3 kids is no joke and mustering up the energy or time to write a blog post is just...well...it hasn't happened in 4 months, so you get the idea.

I know most people who visit my blog want to see pics of the kids and I'm just gonna say it: in this post, you will be disappointed.  The only pics you will see are of me and my man.  And here's why...

On Saturday of this week, Kirk and I will celebrate 5 years of marriage.  5 years! Somehow I feel like time flew while simultaneously feeling like we have been together way longer than that.  On January 12, 2008 I would have never said nor really even believed that 5 years would be that notable.  20 years? 30 years? Sure! That's a celebration...throw a party! 5 just wouldn't have seemed like that big of a deal.  At least not back then.

Now? 5 feels like a really REALLY big deal.  I have experienced more in the last 5 years than in all the 24 years before I was married.  We have moved 5 times.  We have endured 27 months of pregnancy.  We have welcomed 3 beautiful children.  We've been through job loss.  We've been through deaths of family members.  We've cried (ok, I've cried) a lot.  We've laughed more.  We've traveled by car, by plane, by train, by cruise ship, and even by foot (ask Kirk about when he ran out of gas on the way home from our honeymoon.  Whew! It's been 5 years and I've kept that a secret.  Feels good to get that out.  And laugh about it again.).  We've had some really high highs and some really low lows.  We've done it all together.  I feel like the next 5 years will likely not be as eventful as these past 5.  I sort of hope not.

But, and this is a big but, I have to say: I married a really, really good man.  I love him. So much. I know I'm generally considered a likeable person, and I really believe that I am (for the most part).  But Kirk, he's more than likeable.  He is lovable.  Everyone who knows Kirk LOVES him.  He's the real deal.  Who he is in public, he is in our home.  He LOVES life. Even when it's messy.  Even when it's hard (and it's been REALLY hard during certain stretches over the past 2 years).  He still finds a way to make up a stupid game that will make us forget about it for a little while and laugh.  He will still hug me and kiss me everyday and tell me how much I am loved.  He will still dance.  He will still smile.  Man, I love him.

He is an incredible father. I mean...incredible.  I hear other young moms talk about how uncomfortable their husbands are with their kids.  How they couldn't imagine leaving their husbands overnight alone with the children.   I am SO glad that is not me.  I know the Lord knew I wouldn't be able to handle it if that was me.  These 3 kids adore Daddy.  Daddy can do no wrong.  Daddy is a hero.  I can't think of another person, besides Jesus, that I would rather them adore.  He's the right kind of role model.

The reason Kirk is the real deal is because he knows what matters.  In his core, he knows who holds the future.  He knows who numbers our days and directs our steps.  He knows it's not up to him so he might as well enjoy the ride.  He knows Jesus and he wants to be like him.  He's not perfect and he knows that.  But he knows that's ok because Jesus is and he has already covered our inperfections.  I am so glad I married a man who gets that.

I'm sure this seems lovey-dovey or over the top.  But I feel it needed to be said and I am uniquely qualified to say it :).  Marriage has been awesome.  It has also been super hard.  I'm not going to pretend we've been in the clouds every minute of the last 5 years.  But, I know, in my heart, that I married the right man.  I know, without a doubt, God made us for each other.  It might take the rest of our lives to figure out exactly what that should like, but my goodness, we will die trying.  Together.

Happy Anniversary, Babe.  I'm crazy about you.

Resemblance

So, this is a little crazy to me.  A lot of people say to me that the girls look alike.  While I can understand why they say that (they both have dark hair and bright blue eyes), I don't really agree.   I just have a hard time seeing the resemblance.  My sister Jess mentioned a few weeks back that she thought Emily looked a little like Elijah.  At first I didn't see it (probably because of the hair color), but then I went back and looked at pics of E when he was Emily's age. I totally see it now.  Don't you think??

Preschool

I can not believe this, but we officially have a child in school.  Of course, it's only preschool, and it's only 2 days a week, but I am having a hard time getting over the fact that Elijah is now school aged and will never be home with me all day long every day again! I was so happy with how his first day went. He was not timid or nervous at all, but so full of joy! I pray that this year will be a great year of learning and relationship building for him.  Thankfully, he was the first one up on Friday so he and I snapped a few pictures on the front porch before the girls were awake. 

Pretty pumped!

Such a goofball.

I just love this one! I wish it wasn't blurry :(.

He looks like a little boy here, which I love.

He is crazy about his backpack. It is the size of a small elephant, but he doesn't seem to mind.

Doesn't he look like his at least 12 years old here??

This Guy

With Elijah getting ready to start preschool next week (are you KIDDING me? He was JUST born), I've been reflecting a lot on his little life and thinking about how proud I am of him.  The last few months, I have seen so much growth and development in his behavior and character.  He has such a tender heart.  When he hurts someone, either physically or emotionally, he is quick to say he's sorry and I really believe he means it.  He's very inclusive of other children and is quick to engage just about anyone he comes in contact with.  He has an incredibly active imagination and his sounds effect could rival any person's I've ever heard (seriously, yesterday we had him doing helicopter, airplane, car, train, and bike and they were incredible...and hilarious!)!  He is witty and has a really good sense of humor for a 3 year old.  He is kind and gentle to his baby sister.  He is loving and affectionate to his mom and dad.  He is honestly a delight to our hearts.

I was struck today, though, when I was thinking about all of his wonderful characteristics, about how none of his good behavior and positive character traits will mean anything if they aren't used for the Kingdom of God.  None of his kind gestures will matter if he doesn't recognize that he is a sinner and in need of a Savior. It's a tough reality to grasp...MY son is depraved.  MY son needs Jesus or he will have no hope.  I have earnestly prayed for his Salvation.  He is curious about God and about Jesus and he is interested in Scripture. I'm thankful to the Lord for stirring Elijah's curiousity about Spiritual things.  Lord, save him.  May he know deep down in his heart that he has a real need for you in his life. May he come to accept your grace at an early age.  May I constantly and unreservedly point him to you.  Thank you, Lord, for loving him so perfectly! 

4 Months Old!

Hard to believe we celebrated 4 months with our sweet Emily last Tuesday. I have been so blessed with low-key, laid back babies, and Emily is no exception! I call her a dream baby, because she really does have the best disposition.  She is smiley all the time and rarely makes a fuss! We can not imagine our family without her.  

We had her 4 month appt last Wednesday.  She weighed in at 13lbs, 8oz and 24 inches long (75% for both).  The doctor was pleased with her development and we are thankful that her breathing issues were short-lived. 

She is also now a "self-soother". She puts herself to sleep at naptime and night time.  Again, such a sweet, easy baby!!

We celebrated  her 4 month birthday by taking a trip to the park.  Just as I was starting to feel badly that she often is confined to her stroller while the other 2 run around and play, she looked over and shot me this face.  Oh, I love you, Emily.

We all love you, sweet girl!

True Joy

Well, I'm back.  That was quite a long exit from the blogging world, but for anyone out there who still checks it from time to time, I will try to be a little better! We have had a crazy month, moving into a new house, trying to get settled, and going on vacation in the middle of it all! However, we are staying put for a while and going to do our best to make this house a home (and do plenty of documenting too!).  

I had to share these pictures from last weekend.  Kirk was out of town on an annual golfing trip he does with some college buddies and the kids and me were flying solo.  Doylestown holds an event each month called "First Friday" with lots of live music, street vendors, and other special events. A man from our church let us know that the fire trucks would be on display Friday night and Elijah just HAD to be there.  I hesitated going a little bit, since I didn't know if I could wrangle all 3 kids on the busy streets.  I decided to go ahead with it though and I am so glad I did.  The Lord heard my prayers and gave me a great night with my kids.  They were well behaved, polite, and really enjoyed themselves.  Elijah didn't even cry when he had to say goodbye to the fire trucks.  If you know anything about Elijah's love for fire trucks, this is a HUGE deal.  

First, we stopped at a specialty thin crust pizza joint called Jules.  It was our first time there and it was delicious!

I know you can't tell how excited he is to be sitting on a fire truck and talking to a fire fighter, but trust me, the kid was thrilled! This particular fire fighter was so kind to him also and told Elijah all about his job.

Free hat!

Then he tried out the old fashioned fire truck.

This just captures his joy so well! I love this kid and his passion for life!

They were flying the American flag on their ladder truck and Elijah thought it was so cool that the fire fighter was climbing up there.  Leah, on the other hand, thought it was terrifying.

Happy Birthday, Leah Girl!

Last Wednesday, our sweet little baby girl turned 2 years old! It is hard to believe 2 years have gone by, but at the same time it is hard to remember life before her.  Leah brings so much LIFE to our days.  She gives us never a dull moment.  She is a busy beaver, always up to something, and truly loves her life! She is affectionate, sweet, loving, and a bit of a clown! She loves to make people laugh and she accomplishes this every day! I am so thankful that the Lord has allowed me to be her mom.  She is a delight (99% of time :)) and I look forward to many mother/daughter memories to come! Leah, you are loved and valued more than you know.

We had a nice day on her birthday.  The kids and me went for donuts for breakfast and then met my mom up at the country club for a little swimming and lunch. We had a small party with dinner with our family that evening.  

Birthday donut!

Emily wore her cupcake shirt in honor of the special day.

Leah enjoyed opening up her presents! She got so many girly things, like jewelry, dress up shoes, and baby dolls.  She is thrilled with all of it!

Putting on her heels.  ps. she did not take them off the entire next day! Yes, we made a trip to the pool with those on and to Aunt Jess's house.

Girly girl.

I may have made a bit of a selfish choice when I picked a Dairy Queen ice cream cake for her birthday treat.  Yum...my absolute favorite! (forgot to take a picture before Kirk cut into it :)).

Happy Birthday, Leah Doris!