Cousin time!

Emily

Juliann and GraceAnn

GraceAnn, Aaron, Martin, and Lauren

So sweet - these two!!

Sweet shot of Martin and Lauren ... in the van behind ... Jonathan and Rosalie were fast asleep after a very busy morning of bowling!

Bowling

waiting for a turn ...

Look at my shoes!!

Look at Aaron go!

rolling the ball ...

pushing the ball down the hill!

We had so much fun going bowling last week when we were in Virginia! The little ones got to push their balls down a hill and the older ones played the "real" way!
We all got a good laugh that Rosalie received the highest score(118) of the 7 children ... and Jonathan came in 2nd(117)! What skill it takes to push a ball down a hill, right? The following video is Rosalie's reaction to watching her ball roll down the lane:

Love this sweet dress ...

...that my friend, Laura made!

Rosalie is giving a thumbs up ... her new favorite thing to do!

This is why ...

I thought that in honor of Mother's Day it was worth revisiting this post. Since I became a mother, each year on Mother's Day, I have the urge to go out and buy each of my children a gift because it is such an honor to be their mother. Being a mom is the best thing I've ever done ... and I am so blessed to have these 4 children in my life! Happy Mother's Day to all - to everyone who is a mom and has a mom! :)
This is why ...


This is why my home is also a classroom.

This is why my heart is more full of joy than I could have ever imagined.

This is why my life will never be the same.

This is why I am more exhausted than I ever thought possible.

This is why my reality is greater than my dreams could have ever been.

This is why my ministry is far different than I expected it to be.

This is why my respect and love for my husband has grown even deeper.

This is why.

Help me, Lord, to remember "why" on the difficult days too!

What do the littles do during school?

There are days that Jonathan and Rosalie are fully occupied by activities like this one. They sat at the island four a couple of hours playing with a tiny container of play dough! I love mornings like this one! I would be less than honest if I didn't mention the mornings when Rosalie fusses the entire morning and interrupts me over and over again while I am trying to read to Aaron or Martin.
Almost always Jonathan entertains himself the entire time. Often Jonathan pulls Rosalie into whatever he's doing and plays really well with her. Other times both Jonathan and Rosalie will sit at my feet while I am teaching Martin or Aaron and "read" books. At some point, almost everyday, Jonathan will bring me his preschool workbook and ask if he can do some pages from that book.
Over the last few months, I've noticed that Jonathan and Rosalie have become best buddies because of the time that they spend together every morning while I am teaching Martin and Aaron. I love to watch how nurturing Jonathan is toward Rosalie and how well they play together. Martin and Aaron have always been the best of friends, so it warms my heart that Jonathan is developing that sweet relationship with his sister.
It's always a challenge to figure out what to do with the ones who aren't schooling yet. With each child, there has been a bit of a transition time for them to figure out what to do and how to entertain themselves, but each child has found their niche. We will have yet another transition time in the fall when Rosalie's playmate starts school. I am pretty certain that I am not ready for that!

Martin's Birthday Celebration

Martin is enjoying his new Star Wars legos!

Opening presents ...

...and more presents...

playing with his new legos ...

... how will I ever blow out that many candles???

... and there were too many to blow out in one try!
I can't believe he's 9!!!

Happy 9th Birthday, Martin!!!

My oldest child is turning 9. Why does this seem huge? I'll tell you why! It's half way to 18. I keep asking myself ... how did this happen? How did we get to this point already? Half way to 18 seems to present urgency to me. For the past couple of weeks ... especially as Martin would give me the countdown until his birthday ... I've been thinking about all of the things that I still need to teach him.
I am so thankful for this boy. I am thankful for who he is becoming. I am thankful that I've had him at home with me that past 9 years ... cultivating a precious mother/son relationship.
I am choosing to celebrate his 9 years - and choosing not think about how they passed in the blink of an eye!
Yesterday, Rich took Martin out for lunch. This is a cherished tradition for all of our children. Daddy takes the birthday boy/girl out for lunch on or near the birthday. Today we will celebrate as a family by opening presents, eating yummy marble cake and ice cream, blowing out candles, and singing Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Martin!! You are and always have been a great joy to me and I love watching you grow and change and learn!!