All about Molly...Happy 9th Birthday!!!

She was the first child to call me "Mama," the first child I recall throwing up on me, the first child I remember holding extensively (until I thought my arms would fall off), the first child to make me realize that God had trusted us with a very precious task in parenting.

To say that Molly makes me a better person would be an understatement. She is so many things that I am not...some good...and some well...we all have areas for growth. We are learning together. She challenges my thoughts and ideas (She is learning to do this respectfully). She is compassionate and has a desire to serve. She knows what it means to sacrifice time and attention. She loves people. She wants to take walks in our neighborhood when she thinks people might be in their yards to talk. She is a strong leader and fierce competitor. We have lots of conversations about the way we "want" to do things versus the way we "should" do things...and she gets it....and is working on it (aren't we all). 

I have a desire to live righteously to please God, but also because I am living life in front of her. I want her to know what it looks like to follow Christ. I want her to know how to handle adversity and disappointment, because we know life is full of both. I also want her to know how to find joy in all things. She is a resilient young woman of God who is willing to express her struggles and share them to gain knowledge of how to grow from them. She desires to be better everyday and that is a lesson for us all. 

Molly is.... 

A great big sister!! She is our Wonder Woman! 

Our hope for the future...yes... she wants to be the President. 

A motivated, high achieving student! 

A Competitor. 

A prayer leader.

An AMAZING daughter. 

I am so thankful for the 9 years I have had with this precious girl. There is no doubt that God has big plans for her life. I am thankful that I have a front row seat to see it unfold. 

Ahhhh...was this really 9 years ago!?!? Those cheeks! 

All about Chancely...Happy 5th Birthday!!!

In honor of Chancely's 5th birthday I thought it was appropriate to dedicate a post to just him.

 Since the boys have been home one of the things we worked on was learning their birth dates. They both knew their ages, but neither could articulate their date of birth. However, since they have learned them they have been anticipating the day of celebration.

As a 4 year old (or really no matter how old), there has been A LOT of adjustment for Chancely over the last 5 months.

He has taken things in stride. He has two speeds. He is typically reserved, however, when things get going he can really get hyped up. Usually he is found observing until he is really comfortable joining in whatever is going on. He has a set of lungs that you can hear a mile a way if he gets upset (this is getting MUCH better) and I would put him up against anyone (except me :-) ) in a staring contest. He also and more importantly is VERY loving. His hugs and snuggles are irresistible. His heart is so giving. I have had to tell him, "No...those are your birthday presents. You can share them, but you can't give them to your brothers and sister."   :-)

This weekend we have seen a new side of him. We celebrated his party on Saturday and made a big deal about it being about him and well...he kind of liked it! He has exuded a lot of confidence and has learned that being the center of attention is pretty fun. He has held his shoulders a little higher as he struts around. It has been fun to watch. No worries about his ego getting too big...his brothers and sister will keep him humble, but there is nothing wrong with a little attention.

Birthdays are important, they are a reminder that we have been given a chance at life. A reminder that we have been given an opportunity to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. I am thankful for the mom who chose to give our sweet boy life and for Chances for Children in Haiti, who celebrated our little man on his first 4 birthdays. Our prayer is that He allows God to use his life in a mighty way.