cuddle bugs

Every family needs a cuddle bug. We are blessed to have Josie, who climbs into our bed every morning at 7 am, dragging her baby and blankie, and cuddles with us until 7:30. (acceptable time to wake in our opinion)
JoJo recently loved being with cousin Evy, who tolerated her cuddling, holding, kissing, and hugging. Evy is a busy little girl but so sweet to cuddle with our Josie-bug. I think they will be great friends.

anticipation

I am feeling really sentimental tonight. And nostalgic. This happens to me a lot after the kids go to bed! I can't wait for them to go to sleep, and then I am just overwhelmed with thankfulness for them. To me, they are beautiful and wonderfully made. Flawed, yet perfect to this mama.
And tonight it is all too real that, in 3 weeks or less, I am going to have another little one to care for and love.....another extension of myself, part of my very heart. We anticipate Sam's birth with excitement! His birth will change us forever and make our family complete. His life will give us new purpose. I know he will bring joy to his siblings. Simply put....today I asked Kate (19 months) if she was a baby. She shook her head "no" and pointed to my tummy. It seems that even she knows that things are changing. Am I sad that she is no longer my baby? Not tonight. As I think about each one in their bed, I know they were each anticipated with this same excitement and that they will each be "my baby" forever....
Here I am with my three at a very windy farm picnic on the porch! Possibly my last photo with just the three of them before Sam's birthday.

wordless wednesday

five little cousins playing at the farm

animal-lover Josie, age 3 1/2

Clay, the character, age 3 1/2

Jack, the gamer, age 5

Kate, toddler on a mission, age 18 months

Evy, sweet attention getter/lover, age 15 months

We spent our spring break at the farm with cousins Clay and Evy. Fun was had by all...including a "Fab Five" party for Jack, feeding the cows/chickens, lots of pretend play, swinging, shopping for Kat and I, painting, blowing bubbles, playing in the sandbox, the list goes on. It is truly my kids favorite place on Earth.
We don't take for granted this time with our family. We are super close but only get to be with each other a few times a year so we take advantage of it! Here's the five little cousins on their spring break! Hard to believe that next year we will have 7 cousins playing at the farm.

kickin' it

It has been fun to watch Jack and Josie (and Coach Daddy) get into soccer the past month. They have been playing in the backyard, at the farm in the barn, in the house (not my first choice) and in the garage! Jack has gone soccer crazy....funny to see him get TOTALLY into sports like his Dad. They are playing on a little team with old friends and new friends. First game was fun and wore them out. My favorite parts were seeing them in their uniforms for the first time, watching Jack celebrate after scoring a goal (in the wrong goal!) and cheering for Jo as she ran back and forth on the court waving to me. I am so proud of these soccer players. Will and I have loved team sports in our lives so it makes me happy to see the kids love it too.

Five Looks Good on You!

Dinner with cousin Clay and friend Ethan

Opening presents from family

Birthday morning

Fun with cousin Connor at the Great Wolf Lodge

Jack and Uncle Sam
Today at 1:31, we officially have a five-year old in the LHIGP.
When he came to wake me up this morning, he asked, "do I look taller, Mommy?"
And, to tell the truth, he does. He also still looks like the little baby boy that changed my life on that Monday in 2004.
Thank you, God, for five years with this boy!
Jack, you are incredible, and we watch you in amazement. We are the lucky ones to get to celebrate your birth and life today.
Here's a few photos of Jack's fun birthday weekend.....

#1. Jack made us a family.

Before Jack, we were missing something.
Before Jack, we were happy but incomplete.
Jack made me a mom and Will a dad, and for this, he will always be special.
When we prayed tonight as a family, I got choked up when Will thanked God for the special gift of our son. We look forward to celebrating 5 years tomorrow!
Thank you for making us a family, son.
Here's the birthday boy at his party last year.
We have been blessed by another year with this kid!

#2. We love that Jack is dependable and predictable.

Jack thrives on a schedule and lives with a "game plan." By the age of 2, part of his bed routine was talking through the next day so he would know what to expect...from breakfast to bathtime! I of course love this about him. The down side is that, when something doesn't happen just right, he is very disappointed. We are working on this and managing our tears.
Jack is dependable at home - to help me, his Dad, and his sisters. He is also a dependable friend. Basically, what you see is what you get with Jack. What a blessing this tried and true boy is to me and so many others. You can count on Jack!
Here he is during his 4th year.

#3. Jack loves his family and friends.

This boy has really unique relationships with his family and friends. His Daddy and his Doc are still his favorites but even us girls are special to Jack! Will and Jack are best buddies. Jack is my helper and daily companion. He and Josie are playmates and roommates. Jack is Kate's hero and superstar.
It has been neat to see him develop this year in his love and care for his friends as well. I like to peek in on his class on Thursdays. He seems to be the peacemaker, a great audience and encourager for others, and everyone's pal. This makes us happy and we look forward to seeing him cultivate neat friendships through the years.
Here's Jack during his third year of life with two of the people he loves the most.

#4. Jack loves life!

We love that Jack is so curious, creative, and a learner of life. We still marvel that, at 18 months, he could do 24-piece puzzles. He has to know the answer to things. He has to figure out things. His mind is constantly turning. He is a book-lover, a pretend play expert, and an engineer of sorts. He can create his own fun in his backyard and his playroom. He loves school and asks daily to do "Mommy school." He is reading, adding, subtracting, spelling and writing! He is looking forward to kindergarten and I am sure that he will come home with even more questions. Jack loves his life.
Here he is, at the farm, during his 2nd year of life. He had just become a big brother!

countdown to FIVE!

We are in birthday mode around here. Can't quite believe it but Jack turns five on Sunday. He is so excited about his birthday campout with his Dad, Uncle Sam, cousin Connor, best friend Ethan, and Ethan's dad Clay. I know they will make lots of memories! So long to the mom-planned, character parties. Hello to boyhood parties!

There are probably 500 things I could say about my firstborn but for the next five days, we will count down with five things we love about him. I am going to post a pic from each year of his life. What a life it has been!

#5. We love Jack's sweet, sensitive spirit. He is very in tune with the needs of others around him. Case in point....just last Sunday, we were driving to church. It was 10:15 and we were stopped at the light at Carrier/I20. He suddenly said to me, "Mommy, I sure hope Doc and Mam are ok. They are driving in bad weather to "Ginia." Do you think they are ok?" I told him not to worry and to pray for their safety. He answered ok. Turns out that, at that very moment, my parents were not ok....long story, but on their long trek to see Clif and co. in DC had been given bad gasoline (non-diesel in their diesel truck!) and their truck had died on the snowy interstate at 10:15. His sweet little prayers were answered with a good Samaritan stopping to tow my parents and their truck/trailer to safety. God heard the prayers of their grandson and protected them! This is not uncommon for Jack to sense the needs of others and we pray that God will use his sweet spirit to encourage and care for others throughout his life.

Here is our sweet Jack during his first year. Have you ever seen a sweeter face?

on my toes....

Jack is all about numbers right now...adding them, subtracting them, and writing them. He surprised me yesterday when he came to wake me up. The first thing he said to me was, "Today is March 1st, Mommy. That means 7 more days until my birthday." We had not started the official countdown yet, but now we have!

Somewhere between pajamas and booktime last Thursday night (6:45-7) Josie called 911. Needless to say, when the cops knocked on our door a few minutes after 7, we were quite surprised and embarrassed! I guess she WAS listening when I was teaching them about 911.

Love these kids, and love how they keep me on my toes!