last week: haircuts and baptisms

School starts back this week for us, so last week was all about making sure we are ready to go!  We went shopping for all of the school supplies and shoes and whatnot, and the kids got some much needed haircuts.  It was the very first one for Makayla!  Bobby has been pretty set against her getting one - I think it was a really big milestone for his baby girl that he just wasn't quite ready for.  But one day he realized how incredibly long her hair actually was, so he finally relented!  She did great, and she got to get a pretty braid and princess crown so she was a happy girl.

The week ended with my baby brother, Christian, being baptized!  Watching him grow up and grow into who he is has been such an incredible privilege.  He is about to go off to college, and I cannot think of a more strong, bold statement for him to make at this point in his life than to proclaim Jesus as his Lord and Savior!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

ballerina girl

Makayla started taking ballet lessons back in the fall, and last month, she had her first recital.  Our sweet girl did such an awesome job and she loved every minute of it!  The recital was incredible, and we are so thankful for the program that she is in.  There are so many dance programs out there, but I love how this one strives to keep God at the forefront of it all.  They began every class, and the recital itself, with prayer, and all throughout the show they displayed various scriptures that reminded them of the fact that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.  One of my greatest hopes as a mama is that my children know this truth in their hearts.

Her class danced to the "Be Our Guest" song from "Beauty and the Beast".   It was absolutely precious, and I may or may not have lost it while she was on stage and bawled my eyes out.  Caleb was so excited for his sister, and it was so sweet how he was encouraging her and watching for her.  After the show, I went to get her while everyone else waited outside.  As soon as we walked out the door and she saw her daddy across the field, she called out to him and ran into his arms.  And I may or may not have lost it once again!  My tear ducts were in overdrive that day!

We just love our ballerina girl!

easter 2015

Another wonderful Easter season is in the books.  This year we decorated eggs like we normally do, and we also did a resurrection garden for the first time.  The kids loved this (don't be fooled by their faces in the pictures - they just don't like posing for pictures these days!), and I'm thinking it will become a yearly tradition for us.  I was afraid the grass wouldn't grow on it since I don't exactly have a green thumb, but the grass actually grew so well that we had to cut it because it was taller than the crosses!  We loved looking every morning to see how much it had grown overnight.

We kept the garden in the center of the kitchen table, and it sparked some great conversations during meal times.  I just love seeing little glimpses into the hearts of these kiddos and being there with them as they are learning, and processing, and growing.  Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm teaching them well - the enemy sure has a way of filling my heart with self-doubt.  But God is so faithful, and the kids will say things that let us know that they really are getting it.  Their childlike faith is such a beautiful and precious gift.  I really do treasure these moments with them.

losing teeth and learning patience

Caleb's tooth finally fell out the other night after being loose for nearly a month.  He had been chomping at the bits for it to come out already!  We got to have a lot of sweet talks together about having patience, and how God's timing is always perfect.  I tried to help him understand that even though sometimes we think we are ready for something, God has wonderful plans for us and everything will happen when it is supposed to.  So when the tooth did fall out, it was so nice to hear him say, in the midst of his excitement, "God just made my tooth ready and now it's out!"

And then the next night, another tooth came out.  It was his first top one that had just barely been loose.  It didn't fall out on its own like the last tooth - this one had a lot of help from a certain five-year-old.  His mouth was bleeding and tender this time, and he had a look on his face that showed he knew he shouldn't have done it.

Patience is such a hard thing to teach.  I suppose it's hard to teach anything that you struggle to learn yourself every day.  Of everything that I pray for and ask God to help me with on a daily basis, having patience is probably at the top of that list.  As wonderful and amazing as this mothering job of mine is, it most definitely requires more patience than anything else I've ever done.  I try to apologize to my kids when I lose it, and I try to let them hear me pray for help.  I try to let them know that we all need patience - it just looks a little different when you're a grown-up than it does when you're a kid.  But going to God for help is always the same.

Loving this sweet boy's smile full of holes.....