Four years

Four

Yes our 2nd child (or middle child---though I don't at all like that description because it sounds so negative) is officially 4 years old! And she has been for the past month! So 2 days ago I was officially a  month overdue in writing this post! I'm amazed at how fast the last four years have flown by with her. 

Here is our girl getting ready to go home from the hospital! 

8 months old! A very spunky girl indeed!

This girl is so full of life and zeal.....definitely never a dull moment with her! From constant singing at the top of her lungs the moment she awakes in the morning, to major outbursts of emotions and drama at the siting of an insect/loud noise, etc. She does add so much energy and excitement to our family for sure.

1st birthday---wow how much our family has changed and grown since then! 2 months later (well, a little less than 2 months later) we added Mary Etta to our family--so crazy how fast we changed!

I think one of my favorites---loving every bite of that cupcake at her party!! She still says "she's hungry" after most meals---which really just means she wants some sugar!

 Just recently she had her "testing" for her new preschool she will attend in the fall---she is going to be going to the same school Reed will go to for kindergarten. We had thought we'd just use the same preschool that we used for him but it ended up becoming a very possible option to send them to the same place---which will be so worth it for convenience---and her teacher will be a good friend of ours, so we couldn't be more pleased with this decision! But at her testing the headmistress commented "she is such a delightful child." That pretty much sums her up! She loves life, and definitely soaks up any one-on-one attention she can get! I know this is probably a middle child characteristic unfortunately.

2 years old---again probably another all time favorite photo!

Last year turning 3----just so excited; as this describes her most days!

I wanted to capture where we are at 4 years old...........so thought I would list 4 special things about our "Emmie" (yes I often call her Emery-Claire most of the time; but in our house she is often referred to as Emmie too!).............

1) Loves Life! This child is so full of life and just excited about it most of the time! She constantly expresses her zeal and passion throughout the day in all she does!

2) Has such a sweet heart, and we pray it's being softened daily by the Holy Spirit. She will belt out a version of "joy to the world" or "Jesus loves me" day and night; inside, outside, etc. We've found her multiple times on an outdoor toybox singing at the top of her lungs and calling out our 90something neighbor's name. So maybe a future gifted evangelist like her Daddy!

Definitely our girly girl!

3) Truly loves and craves one-on-one attention! Sometimes it seems like she needs it much more than the other 2, so not sure if this is just her personality or because she quickly grew into the big sister role when she was just a baby herself at mere 14 months. I know this was all God's plan for our family so I can't worry about how our quick change affected her---because at the same time her and her sister adore  each other and play so well together most of the time!

4) She is a blessing and more loved than she really knows! Even though her little personality can often be trying & exhausting we still are ever so thankful for this girl and that she is apart of our family! Since Casey came from a family of mostly boys and really only 1 girl from his dad's side I was so sure that we would just have boys as did his brother. So when we found out we were having her and then to find out she was a girl----I was beyond elated! We are so blessed and thankful that the Lord chose this sweet girl to be our second child, and how much He uses her in our lives as well! Happy 4th birthday Emery-Claire, we love you so much more than you know!!

Our first season of Tee Ball

So this spring we had our first experience with tee ball (or wee ball as they call it for 4 & 5s). Reed's little friend down the street asked him to join the team that his dad was coaching. 

Getting ready for his first game!

the whole team

playing catcher

So for the months of April & May we had a handful of practices and games. He loved every minute of it! It was so fun to see him have so much fun and enjoy it so well. 

We had a lefty batter.....or so his daddy worked hard with him hitting with that left handed swing!

gigi and pops were able to each see reed play 

So proud of our little ball player! 

School year wrap up!

 So at the end of May we finished up our "school"! Which for us was 2 days of preschool for Reed and 1 day a week of Mom's Day Out for Emery-Claire. I realized that this is really huge for us because now Reed is officially a kindergartener!! We have decided to send him to a local classical Christian homeschool----meaning 2 full days a week he will be in a classroom setting with peers and have instruction from a teacher in all his learning; then the other 3 days of the week I will continue his work at home with him. I am excited about this new adventure and obviously we will evaluate and determine if this option is best for our family at then of the kindergarten year. I was really considering buying curriculum and schooling him all on my own----kindergarten, I think I could manage. But being the only boy here and with all these girls, well, I just felt it so important for him to be with some other boys and really have some social time! So this option worked out for us, and I was so excited he would get both a classroom and homeschool experience! We were torn in knowing that the local school we are zoned for is absolutely fabulous! But ultimately, right now at this time, this is just the best decision for our family. And who knows he may attend there for 1st grade if we aren't happy with this fit, but for kindergarten we have felt this is what is best for us all.

4 years old and first day of school August 2011

Reed on last day of PreK May 2012--5 years old

Reed and Ms. Donna

Reed and Ms. Missy

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Reed in his spring performance with all his classmates! He did such a great job!

Emery-Claire first day of MDO September 2011--3 years old

Emery-Claire last day of MDO May 2012--3 1/2 years old (almost 4 years)

Celebrating our Sweet Girl!

So this coming Sunday (May 20th) our sweet girl, Emery-Claire, turns 4 years old! 4 years........wow! As the middle child it seems to feel where have all the years gone?! With the first born you experience all the firsts and with the baby--well, they are the baby. So it was fun this past weekend to celebrate her 4th birthday and make it so special! She loved every minute of it and I think felt very well celebrated!

So since EC has loved ballet so much this past year we decided to have a ballet party. I found ideas on several websites and from friends. And being 4 years old I told her she could have 4 guests (one being her sister)--since we were going to make it more unique and have a tea party using fancy dishes and all seated at the table. So she invited one of her friends from MDO and 2 other church friends.  I made tutus for all the girls to choose from so they could dance in and take home as their party favor. They loved them!

So our "tea party" food included finger sized bagel and cream cheese sandwiches, ballerina shoe cookies, along with several other cookie choices, fresh fruit & of course the cupcakes! We also had a yummy punch that seemed to be a hit with all the girls!

ballerinas in their tutus i made enjoying all the food from the tea party

of course Gigi made her appearance for the birthday girl's tea party! we were so appreciative that she came to celebrate and help make all the decor and details so special!

ballerinas stretching

 Probably the most fun of the day was having our very own sweet, sweet ballerina come and do some ballet with the girls. Sweet Mary Beth is the daughter of Emery-Claire's MDO teacher (and we also go to church with them too). She has been doing ballet since she was 5 and goes to a very good ballet school in town. She just recently started doing Pointe. So she was so sweet to come and bring some old costumes for the girls to try on and do some fun ballet dance moves with them. They all loved every minute of it!! And totally gave her the undivided attention for probably a good 20-30 minutes! Great for 3, 4, and 5 year olds!

Addie, Amelia, Elizabeth, Emery-Claire & Mary Etta ready to dance in first position

sweet big brother made it home from ball practice just in time to sing happy birthday and enjoy a cupcake!

Happy 4th birthday to our sweet girl! We are so thankful for you and you zeal and zest for life! You are a blessing to our family! And we love you so much!

The Generous Life

Photo shoot at a nearby estate this spring

I really have not been on the blog much these days! I am going to preface that the pictures in this post have nothing to do with the blog title. I'm just uploading new photos that I finally downloaded from the past month! We have had lots going on around here lately. Including a big trip for Casey and I this past week. We had the privilege of attending a conference with his boss and his wife and several other employees and friends of them as well. This was unlike any other type of conference I have ever been to before. In fact in hearing we were going to a "giving conference" I really had no idea what this would be like. Now I know that we have been truly blessed since making the move from full-time ministry to this new job that God provided swiftly for Casey.

He first met his new boss through some of our dear friends (who were on CO staff with us). Shane, one of Casey's best friends, met Casey shortly after Casey became a believer in college. He then continued to pour into Casey's life and disciple him over the next 4 years. So when we first started dating they were the couple I was most intrigued to meet. But I quickly fell at ease with both Shane and his wife, Brittany. I spent many weekends at their home while we were dating, we spent a weekend prior to our engagement doing some pre-engagement counseling with them, and over the past  8 years they have become dear friends to me as well! So when Shane left CO staff last spring to begin a new season as a pastor at nearby local church (though about 45 minutes away from where we are) we were glad to know they would still be close! Shane was the one that introduced Casey to his new boss, as he is an active member at their church. So we know we are greatly blessed to have left full-time ministry only for Casey to enter into a new community of believers and who want to make God known and bring Him glory in the business world!

Easter morning 

So when Casey told me his new boss was paying for us to attend this conference I wasn't really quite sure what to expect. Though I know this man is passionate in his love for the Lord, and such a generous and giving man as well.......but still didn't quite know what this whole weekend would be like.

The conference is called Generous Giving.....on their website they have this brief description: "The story of Generous Giving began in the 1990s when five friends came together, challenged by the question of what could happen if Christians weretruly generous with their resources, living out the joy of giving instead of the duty of tithing. They talked with a handful of people who were already experiencing this joy and asked them to share with others how living in faith-driven generosity had brought extreme transformation to their hearts and lives."  

So after arriving in Colorado Springs.....my first trip to Colorado ever! I was very much encouraged, convicted, blessed to be with my husband for 3 days and attend this very unique conference. We heard speakers, worshiped, and heard personal story after story of God's people sharing how the Lord had lead them to give abundantly and sacrificially to His people and for His kingdom out of a generous and humble heart for all the Lord had done for them! I was seriously in awe to realize I never seriously thought about money and the luxuries of the life we all live here in America! We are wealthy and live very well. We indulge our children, we tend to think 90% is ours and the 10% in tithe is the Lord's, we get a salary increase and think that means we increase our standard of living---buying new and bigger cars, houses, vacation homes, designer this or that! And when we truly look at what God's word says about how we are to view money---we come to realize that this American dream we all get so easily swept away with is not at all biblical! For all of what we have--all 100% of it belongs to the Lord!! Mark 10 tells us "how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" One pastor put it that as we increase and feed this deadly desire for possessions/this materialism......well, it's like drinking sea water. The more we drink of the sea water (which is salty as we all know) the more thirsty we become! 

Some of the stories we heard people share varied from men selling off portions of their businesses and giving away the money to someone in need or to a ministry; buying a new car for a woman in need who worked at a local bread store; families who continued to increase their income to triple digits really determining what their needs vs. wants were and caping their lifestyle! One story that really impacted me was a single doctor, who felt after paying off her debt that the Lord told her she needed to work like a doctor but live like a nurse---so living on a nurse's salary and giving away the rest of her income!!! I know to the world all these things would sound extreme and crazy---but as believers we know our joy and our treasure is not found here on earth! All the money and possessions we could possibly attain will never satisfy or fulfill us like our hope found in Christ alone! As CS Lewis said "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

I loved hearing the stories too of how parents were beginning this journey of giving together and working to teaching their children the joy one receives by giving and not the getting. A 15-year-old girl stood up and shared how after a mission trip to Haiti with her parents at age 11, she was so impacted by what she saw and wanted to help the poor and impoverished there in Haiti. So over the past several years (and of course after the earthquake in Haiti) she has since written a song called "Heart for Haiti" and raised $80,000 which is funding the building of 4 orphanages in Haiti!!!! Truly and utterly amazing! And there were many other stories such as money gifts given to children at Christmas to be used to give to others in need---then come to the family Christmas ready to share the story of how your money helped someone else in need. 

Easter morning outside our church

It is interesting coming out of a life of full-time ministry. We all too well know what it is like to be the ones asking those to give, depending on and trusting that somehow God would raise our support and provide for our family. How refreshing for all those in missions and ministry to know those who they were seeking support from had a heart shift of truly desiring to give (and give abundantly) to grow the kingdom! My husband has a big heart to give and always has......but I think this conference was so good for me for my heart to grow in this area as well. One I really just didn't give much thought too except for just following his lead. As Jim Elliott said "He is no fool who gives what he can't keep and keeps what he can't loose." May our family desire to ultimately be satisfied by the one true treasure that is eternal, and grow as we learn to live the generous life!

Spring Break

So this week has been spring break.....however much a couple days of preschool are in need in spring break, right?! But regardless, it was just a break in normal weekly routine. So we tried to find some fun and different things to do this week.

Last weekend we had a visit with my mom as Emery-Claire performed in her 2nd ballet recital. She was so excited to have her Gigi come and watch her dance! We were so proud of her.

So proud of my little ballerina!

EC with her class of ballerinas!

We spent some time in the Chick Fil-A playplace---Monday morning we went for breakfast and Thursday we went for lunch; twice I know, but a break in the routine. Mornings are great there b/c there really aren't any kids! Towards the end of the week it started raining and got chilly---so we spent the past couple days in pjs kinda long and dancing some ballet!

Tuesday we planned an Easter egg hunt with lots of friends! We went to our friends' house who have lots of land to hunt! It was lots of fun, beautiful weather, and so many friends! As you can see from the above picture (and I have about 6 or 7 of these random group shots) but this was the best "group" picture we could get of kids ranging baby-8 year olds!

Mary Etta and her little buddy Caroline all ready to go hunt for some eggs!

Hunting, hunting, hunting!

Seriously the best picture I got of all 3.....oh well. As soon as they sat down with their buckets of goodies they couldn't stop eating all that candy! Glad we'll do another hunt tomorrow after our Easter lunch!

Everyone LOVED sitting in the jeep; and they got a little patriotic with their flags!

A fun spring break I think. We all said after the egg hunt we definitely need to make an annual event! I think all had a great time playing in the Lee's wonderful big backyard, hunting for eggs, and having a picnic lunch! Definitely the highlight of our spring break week! Can't believe tomorrow is Easter.......hope everyone has a blessed day with friends and family. Such a blessing and privilege to be celebrating the resurrection of our precious Savior!

"And now, what is my hope? O Lord, my hope is in you." Psalm 39:8