We Begin a New Journey

Many of you might be shocked to actually see an update in my blog! It has been almost a year since I last posted. I needed a break from it and I needed to re-think what I wanted this blog to look like.  As I'm sitting here trying to write this, 2 of my babes are getting out bandaids and chirping in my ear...Oh the delightful sounds of the morning! (sometimes it is very hard to see these sounds as anything other than annoyance!)

We are starting the next chapter in our life journey this fall. Yes, we have the normal things of school starting again for Adrianna...and now Eliza will be going to Preschool 3 days a week.  I am looking forward to having dates with Caleb while the girls are in school.

This fall is going to be one of sacrifice and complete trust in God's provision. Stay tuned for how God reveals Himself to our family!

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Delight of a Boy!

I think back to the day of Caleb's birth and I just remember it being so sweet. I fell in love instantly with that sweet little face. Well...not so little...all 9lbs. 13oz. of him!

If I could describe Caleb in one word it would be delight!  So, Happy Birthday to my sweet son!  You truly show us what God must feel when He delights in us. It is a joy to experience each day with you and see your discovery and your excitment.  We are celebrating God's amazing gift of you to us!

So Many Pumpkins!

I just love fall! The other day we went to this market in Holland and I have never seen so many pumpkins in one place! Pumpkin shortage.....whatever!  We also saw the most beautiful mums and they were humongous!  I had to take pictures of them because they will be the only mums that will stay alive at our house. For some reason every mum that I buy ends up wilting away and dying within a week!
We had a great time enjoying God's beautiful creation!

Apples, Apples, Everywhere!

Happy 4th Birthday Sweet Liza

I wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures of Eliza over these past 4 years. I had to limit myself since there are so many!  If I were to sum up Eliza in one word it would be JOY!  As I was driving to church this morning to play keyboard, I took a little thought journey over my life from where I came from in my personal journey with Christ to where I am now.  I was continually reminded of how much God loves me and how much He desires to give us joy in our lives.  Eliza was given to us as a renewal of God's promises, which is what her name means.   Many years of my life were spent with joylessness. I was in many pits and fought hard to get out.  God showed me today that He gave us Eliza simply for the reason of pure joy. After heartache of losing our baby in 2005, he wanted to show me that life can be full of abundance and love and light.  All I have to do is look at her sweet face, see her smile, and know that God's words are true and faithful. He does not forget about us and leave us in pits. He reaches out His hand, lifts us up, and gives us gifts beyond our wildest desires.  I sit here completely blessed.

This picture sums up Eliza! Always full of smiles and laughter!She is 3 months old here.

Girly is 1 1/2! Can you just see the joy in her eyes?:)

I think she looks a little like Caleb in this pic.

 She is 3 years old here and still loves to dress-up.

 At her Birthday party with family! She chose My Little Pony this year for her
decorations.

Oh sweet Princess!  Such a sweet little pixey!

Today we are celebrating by having Spaghetti for lunch (Eliza's choice), some play time at the park, and maybe a movie.  I am thanking our Heavenly Father for our blessing of Eliza! 

More Family Pictures by Anya

A friend of mine took these beautiful pictures of our family. It was a really relaxing and fun experience which is an amazing thing in and of itself!  We went Downtown GR and I really liked how they turned out. If you ever need a photographer, I would recommend Anya! Let me know if you are interested!

Adrianna- 6 years old

Adrianna has transformed into such a different girl this year. She has always been independent pretty much since birth. This has actually helped her in school I think. She absolutely loves it! She started preschool at 4 1/2 years old and had amazing teachers. She also had a great Kindergarten teacher last year and I think that is foundational for the rest of school.  They helped encourage her and give her confident thoughts about herself. Paired with us at home and she was quite ready for 1st grade!

So far she has made 3 new friends and seems to love Math. She really enjoys taking her lunch to school and also getting hot lunch.
Most days she comes home she is very talkative about her day and that she likes her teacher. I thought she would have a harder adjustment being there all day but it seems to be going well. She does want some alone time when she gets home, so she is like me in that way! She likes her own space and her own things. What 1st grader doesn't!

She is also such a helper. She is always setting the table without being asked, folding laundry or asking is she can do anything to help. She also just learned how to change her own sheets. Yeah for mommy!:)
I have so enjoyed just being able to talk with her and hear her thoughts about things. She is very encouraging most of the time and a lot of fun to do things with.  She also just taught herself how to ride her bike without training wheels.  The sky's the limit for my girl!
I am just so proud of her and I am enjoying seeing her do new things like finally learning how to read. It has been a long struggle with her but I know she will do it eventually. She has really taken a liking to writing and we will often find notes on our dresser or hanging on the fridge that say "I love you mom" or "I love you dad".  So sweet!
I have committed to trying to remember to pray for her every day, especially being at school all day. I pray for her self -esteem that she will be confident, I pray she will remember that God loves her so much and that she will remember to share that with her friends. I pray she will make good choices and know we will always love her no matter what.
Oh, this mama's heart has had to let go of my sweet girl a little bit more. Thank goodness I can place her in the arms of our loving Savior who is right there with her when I can't be. I am beginning to understand that more and more and realize how affirming that is when I have to drop her off and let her walk up to her line all by herself! How God has blessed us!