Abby and Elijah in New Orleans

at Pop's retirement dinner.

Erik's brother and his wife have the same number of children as we do.  Our first two are a year and a half apart (Caleb and Joshua), but after that all our children are between 4 and 6 months apart.  Jen and I like to think of them in pairs ~ buddies, as we call them.  Abby is 6 months older than Elijah, and they are buddies!!!  

Happy One Month, Miss Em!!

Emery Elaine...

You, my sweet, ushered in springtime.  I was amazed at how lush and green our backyard appeared upon our arrival home from the hospital.  Roses and lilies were in full bloom. And, the beauty that spring brought to our yard couldn't hold a candle to the beauty you brought to our home....

It became apparent about 3 days after your birth that we were going to battle jaundice a bit.  After checking in at the follow up clinic for several days, they surprised me and had to admit you.  Your levels were quite high, and it took them less than 30 minutes to wisk us away from follow up clinic and put you under bili lights.  

We had to stay two nights in the hospital with you under those silly lights.  We were so happy to finally be able to bring you home for good!

Everyone loves to hold you and kiss you and play with you!!  You are peaceful and sweet, and when we talk to you, you will smile at us!!  We love it!  Your big brothers love to try and make you smile!  Here are a few pictures from your first month with us, sweet love...

This made me giggle.... You laying there crossing your legs....

 Baby, we love you so much!  We are so glad that God blessed our family with you!  I cannot wait to watch you grow from month to month and from year to year.  You are precious and beautiful, and you could not be loved more ~ on earth, anyway!

Brandy Jaggers Photography...

Funny Video :-)

One of Erik's good friends (he and his wife have a large family, too :-) sent us a link to this video around the time of Emery's birth.  We watched it while we were in the hospital with Emery under bili lights.  We were deliriously tired, and we needed a good laugh.  We laughed hysterically, and I cannot tell you how good it felt!! :-)

Happy Anniversary, Love...

Photo taken by Brandy Jaggers

I wish I had a few more than 5 minutes.  I'd write you a poem or at the very least a nice long letter.  But, I have only a second.  One of our gifts is squirming on the boppy in my lap, another is playing contentedly in a crib with toys (this will not last long :-), and the other gifts are rounding up cattle (stuffed animals) somewhere in the wild west of our upstairs. The evidence of our love is undeniably wild and loud and may crash through the ceiling onto my computer at any second!

Thirteen years and I still get butterflies...

How do you do that to me????

I am fragile, weak, and easily shaken.  You hold me tight.

My head is in the clouds.  Your feet are firmly planted.

I like the gooey middle.  You like the crust.

I can recall every detail of my past.  You live fully in the present moment.

I am taken by the beauty of the backyard.  You alert me to the fact that I am standing in an ant bed. :-)

I talk incessantly.  You listen and hold your words close.

I like to write and read and think.  You like to watch and play .

My moods change by the hour.  You are calm and steady.

We just work together perfectly ~ crafted by His hands ~ made for one another.

Not many things in life are easy.

I am so thankful that our relationship is.

I love you.

me

Jack's First Birthday

It was a special evening of gathering family and close friends together and celebrating our 5th little man...

Jack with Deana B....

Sean giving Erik a back rub!!  Erik's back had been hurting badly for several days at this point!!

Happy Jack's cakes...

Hmmm.....

It's good!!!!

I could eat you up, sweet Jack Jack!!!

Waving to his adoring fans....

Taking this next picture was my mom's idea, and I am so glad we did it!  We love, love, love our sweet friends!!  As I typed that last line I could hear Sean say his famous line, "Brother, I moved my family 2 states over to be with you!!!!!"

Opening gifts...

Eating Mommy's braid...

There have been very few times in my life when I have had to try harder to hold it together than I did this evening.  The postpartum hormones were raging.  It was the weekend, and we were awaiting Jack's MRI first thing Monday morning.  At this point we did not know if we would find out Monday that our baby had a tumor in his brain.  We were celebrating the first year of his life, and the whole time wondering what his sweet future held.  Would we be at the neurosurgeons office later in the week? Or, St. Jude?  It was hard to sleep, hard to eat....

 And, so much was going on all around us.  I was up with Emery at night ~ doing the newborn thing.  And, this was the weekend of the Easter Musical at our church, and Erik always plays Jesus.  The boys, all of them, were in the musical, as well.  So, we were very busy.  I just kept thinking of Ann Voskamp and being challenged to hold my hands out, palms open in acceptance of whatever God had for us.  Rest and trust.  He is always good, even if life isn't what we expect or plan or desire for it to be.

So, we celebrated our little man amidst all the unknowns.  But, do any of us know?  anything?  ever?  really?  Rest and trust, palms open, it is all we can ever do no matter our circumstance.  The celebration was sweet!  We are so thankful for Jack's sweet little life... so thankful God chose to entrust us with him.  He is a great joy to us!!  We love our Jack Jack!! :-)

And, here is Pop with Emery...

Making Me Smile...

Oh, the things I am hearing around my house these days!!  My heart smiles just thinking of all the comments my boys have made lately that have cracked me up!!!  Here is a sampling...

*  The morning after Erik and I brought our sweet Emery girl home from the hospital, Nana got her up from the bassinet in our room and brought her into the family room.  She began to change her diaper on the ottoman.  Instantly, she had an audience.  All four of Emery's oldest brothers gathered around to watch. :-)  I was in the kitchen pouring that first sweet cup of coffee when I overheard the following...

"Wow! She really doesn't have a po po!!!"

And, then someone else chimed in...

"Why, I've never seen anything like that in my life!!!"

*  Nana took the boys to Sonic for lunch after a morning at the park.  I always order grilled cheese Wacky Packs for the boys.  When Elijah refused to eat his grilled cheese, Nana asked, "But, Elijah, I thought you used to like grilled cheese?"  To which he answered...

"Yes, I used to like it, but that was before I knew what it tasted like!!"

*  My boys have been very interested in cowboys lately.  They have been playing "Western" in the backyard every afternoon.  I was doing school with the big boys when I heard myself say words I never thought I'd hear coming out of my own mouth.  In exasperation I said to James...

"Put the gun down and do your math!!!!"

Ha! :-)

*  Then, this morning I walked in my bedroom and Miss Em's diaper had exploded up her back and all over her outfit and the bassinet sheet.  It was one of those moments where you aren't really sure where to begin...  So, I stood there assessing the situation when Lije walked into the room.  He calmly walked over to the bassinet, and then stunned at what he saw exclaimed...

"Oh! Wow! I did not know girls went poo poo!!  I did not know that!!!!  I thought girls just went TT!!  I didn't know they went poo poo, too!!!"

I have a feeling Emery is going to teach these boys a lot of things they did not know about little girls!!!!

*  I text this picture to Erik the other day because this is one of my favorite expressions that Erik Daniel makes....

He text back, "Looks like he exclaims at a poop so big it came out her back..."

I looked again at the picture.  Well, sure enough she did have a stain on her back.  So, then I looked up from where I was sitting to the real baby girl laying in the Moses basket, and sure enough it was there, too!  I had not even noticed!!!!  Leave it to Erik 5 + miles away at his clinic, to observe something I missed, something right in front of me!! :-)

Life is crazy around here, but it is good.  We have a lot to be thankful for, and a lot of reasons to smile!!! :-)

Thankful!!

Our neurologist called us this afternoon to let us know that Jack's MRI was normal!!  This is a huge relief because this means that a tumor is not causing the seizures.  He simply has seizures, and we will continue to give him medicine to help prevent them.  Thanks to all who have prayed for us during this time.

Prayers for Our Jack Jack...

Four days before my Jack's first birthday he had four seizures in one day.  Needless to say, our life has been turned inside out and upside down since that time, and it was only four days ago.  Since that time we have met with a pediatric neurologist, had an EEG (so not fun), and started our little man on some meds to stop his seizures. So far so good, he hasn't had a seizure since starting his medicine.

Tomorrow we go for an MRI.  Say a prayer, if you will, for the little man, his neurologist, and the radiologist who will read his MRI. Thanks so much.

Today I reread my post on the Daily Bread that I wrote only a few weeks ago.  My, how things change.  I was trusting Him with school stuff, and now He is asking me to trust Him with so much more.  I don't know much, but I know He is good.  And, I know He can be trusted with all things.  One day at a time, He gives our portion, and it is enough.