Be Still My Beating Heart

Our house has been full of some momentous events lately.  And this weekend was almost too much for this mama's heart to handle.

My sweet Eveley Joy had her last day of school {pre-K} on Friday and still hasn't recovered.

This was her first year of preschool and, I will admit, I was very nervous about sending her.  But the Lord answered my prayers in unbelievable ways and gave her the best set of teachers out there.

Eveley loved everything about school and was terribly sad to have to say goodbye to her classmates and teachers.  Fortunately, we go to the same church as her head teacher.  And we were able to reassure her that they would see eachother again!

I couldn't believe it, but I had to work hard to hold back the tears when I picked her up for the last time.

First Day of Pre-K (September 2011)

Last Day of Pre-K (May 2012)

Saturday was Robbie's birthday.  7 years.  As I've mentioned before, Eveley is very aware of her big brother Robbie and was so excited to celebrate his birthday.

Robbie's 1st birthday celebration

We spent the afternoon at Red Robin and the playground, and grabbed yogurt at Sweet Frog.  And, per Eveley's wishes, we went to the cemetery to let her "send Robbie a balloon."

While his birthday is always a difficult day because we just aren't sure how to be celebrate him, this day was very sweet.

My big Caleb is having a momentous week as well.  After concluding that he simply did not speak English, I had resigned myself to be the first mom to watch her son accept his high school diploma while wearing a diaper.  We had tried everything.  Yes, we tried that.  And that.  Even tried aiming for cheerios.  Nothing.

But last week it clicked.  So when the little guy needed to make a pit stop at the cemetery, I was so proud.  This was more difficult than passing the bar exam.

After a wonderful Sunday service, we went to pick up all the monkeys from their classes.  Poor Caleb was asleep on the floor and burning up with fever.  He has spent the past two days lying on the couch.  And if you know my Caleb, this is not a regular occurrence.  I assumed he had a virus that would pass in a day or so.

This morning we found his tummy covered in red dots.  Yes, I am fearing it has a little something to do with this.

Please pray I am wrong and this fever passes quickly.

One with the pox is not fun.  Four with the pox will sux.

The Two Become One {Year}

The twinkies turned ONE this past week.  That can't be right, can it?  Hard to believe it has been a year; but it's equally as hard to remember life without them.  They sure bring a lot of smiles and giggles to this home.

WARNING - lots of pictures!!

My sister Carrianna, her hubby Eric, and their sweet 8-month-old boy, Reese, came to visit us last weekend.  

We had a great excuse to party.

We hung up some decorations and made the cutest "smash cakes" for them.

In the past, I have usually offered the birthday baby a cupcake or cookie.  No big deal.  No big mess.  

But this time, I decided to cut loose.  We stripped them down to their diapers, sang a loud "Happy Birthday", presented them with their own cake, and stood back to watch.

They did not disappoint.

The Princess and the Dragon began with a simple inspection.

Ryan wasted no time.

Jack needed to fully investigate.

 

 All it took was one bite.

 

 

Reese was cheering his cousins on.

Jack stayed relatively clean compared to Miss Piggy.  She wanted to roll in it.

 

 

Jack soon had his hands covered in awesome blue icing-ness.  I innocently asked, "Where's Jack?"  And his immediate response was to slap his hands over his face per our usual peek-a-boo routine.

Oops.

As all first birthday parties should, this one ended with baths in the kitchen sink.

Happy sweet {and messy} birthday, Jack and Ryan Elizabeth!  You have brightened our lives.

 

Double Rainbow

Have you ever seen a double rainbow?

A rainbow is beautiful enough.  But a double rainbow can really take your breath away.

The rainbow was a sign given by God as a reminder of His promise to never destroy the earth by water again.  It was a reminder that He had a plan for this world which would involve Redemption through Christ.  It was a reminder that He is holy, that He loves His children, and that He will sacrifice everything to bring them to Himself.

One of the most amazing things about our God is that He is a personal God.  He doesn't just spew out goodness from His throne in heaven, letting it fall wherever it may.  Instead, He knows each of our hearts, hears each cry, and desires to communicate with us specifically and individually.

Here is my double rainbow.



The gift of each of our children has been a beautiful and miraculous thing.  Each one has been intricately woven together by our God and given to us at a specific time and for a specific purpose.

And, for me, another miraculous God-moment was when we welcomed this double blessing into our family.  I have said it before, but the gift of these two munchkins felt like a tangible bear hug from God.

After Robbie went to heaven, I begged God for a "sign."  I understand that may sound weird to some -- and seemed weird to me at the time.  I am well aware that faith is the opposite of sight.  And maybe that shows my weakness at the moment.  But as a mama who had tenderly cared for this little boy for nearly 20 months, I just wanted to be able to rest knowing that Robbie was now in his Father's ultimate care.

I'm not sure what I expected.  It would have been nice for the sky to open up to reveal a glimpse of my little one in all heaven's splendor.  But, even then, I would have probably assumed I had passed out and was dreaming.  I have a tendency to be a bit skeptical and put God in my comfortable box.

But I did begin to pray specifically for twins -- something I had actually prayed for before we ever had children.

On January 19, 2011 -- 4 years to the date of our little boy's funeral in Tennessee -- and 24 weeks into this pregnancy, we were given the awesome news that we were having 2 babies!  Amazing.

My double rainbow.

We have watched the beauty of this double rainbow for a whole year and are still amazed by our personal God and His great love for each of His children.

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months 

10 Months

11 Months

12 Months

"I had heard of you by the hearing of my ear, but now I see you."  Job 42:5

What is your double rainbow?