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he’s strong too.



my husband is great.
and i mean really, really great. 
he supports me in every way.
he has godly insight into every issue 
or problem that comes our way.
and he’s strong, too.


1166. a cute blue and white striped dress
1167. the joy my children have over pencils
1168. what a day of prayer does
1169. red, white and blue
1170. hamburgers + date night

remembering.

i hope and pray 
that you all had a chance to stop yesterday.
just stop and consider the sacrifices 
that the men and women of this country 
have made for you and for me. 





Even though I walk 
   through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, 
   for you are with me; 
your rod and your staff, 
   they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4
1156. flags blowing in the wind
1157. sun peeking through the American flag
1158. kids that begged me to take them to see the flags
1159. no traffic
1160. the chance to get organized

beach shoot.

i so enjoy my little hobby of photography
(as i am sure you can tell)
and i am slowly learning how to shoot in manual.

this past weekend,
i got the privilege to take some photos of some sweet friends.
their first son was born at 27 weeks so
his momma has been such a huge source of wisdom for me.
they are in the process fostering-to-adopt their second son
(which is why i can’t post any photos of his cute face).

she has an avid lover of photography as well,
so the pressure was on
(not from her, but from me).
here are just a few that they haven’t even seen yet!


and i am beyond humbled
to be this week’s featured blog 

1151. God moving
1152. being in the sunshine
1153. soooo much family time
1154. taking photos without my munchkins around
1155. a super short drive to the beach

i like it here.

i am absolutely
honored and humbled
to be guest posting for Kay
for her project,
Inspire Me.

destined, devoted, daring

i’ve read it plenty of times.
i even have it underlined in my Bible.
but not too long ago, this verse hit me.
and i mean really, really hit me.

Everyone who falls on that stone (Christ) 
will be broken to pieces,
but he on whom it falls will be crushed.
Luke 20:18

i am so broken.
and i am so grateful.
oh, so grateful for that brokenness.
or that need for a Savior.
for that need for Christ.
to know Him.
personally.
i am grateful to have fallen on Him.
to be broken to pieces.
rather than being crushed.

without Christ, my life would be 
plain and simple:
awful.
just awful.

i am in such a vulnerable spot.
i have been learning over the past two years
that nothing is up to me.
nothing.
and my little L 
(click here for more info on him + us)
reminds me of that day after day after day.
we give him so much love and 
work with him constantly
and yet his progress is not at all up to us.
He is the one who strings it all together.

Moses said to the LORD, 
“Pardon your servant, Lord. 
I have never been eloquent, 
neither in the past 
nor since you have spoken to your servant. 
I am slow of speech and tongue.”
The LORD said to him, 
“Who gave human beings their mouths? 
Who makes them deaf or mute? 
Who gives them sight or makes them blind? 
Is it not I, the LORD? 
Now go; I will help you speak and 
will teach you what to say.”
Exodus 4:10-12


and you know what?
i like it here.
i like that i can’t do anything on my own. 
i like that i can’t go on at this 
breakneck pace all by my lonesome. 
going on without Him carrying me. 
there is so much more than this.
than this life.


it’s a good thing, too
because i wouldn’t want to.
i wouldn’t want to do all of this 
if it weren’t for something bigger.
something bigger than this life.
if it weren’t for Him orchestrating 
this moment and the next and the next one after that. 
and for Him being glorified in all the moments in between. 

We are hard pressed on every side, 
but not crushed; 
perplexed, but not in despair; 
persecuted, but not abandoned; 
struck down, but not destroyed. 
We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, 
so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
2 Corinthians 4:8-10

1146. time to reflect
1147. fingerprints on the fridge
1148. knowing our mailman
1149. twinkling lights
1150. just ten toes

it was a circus.



on our way to a new park a few weekends ago, 
our neighbor stopped us
to make sure that we knew 
that all of the firehouses in our area 
were having open houses.
what a good neighbor we have.


the bigs got to climb in the trucks, 


and fireman willingly slid down the pole
(at our request).




everyone seemed enthralled. 
everyone except for L.
poor little guy was crying before we made it into the station.
at the mere sight of the truck’s lights on,
he freaked out.

so onward we ventured 
to our 
new 
little 
favorite park.

as you can see, it’s nestled amongst some big buildings.
it reminded me of being in new york.
but we were the only ones there.

matching 
awkward 
food-in-our-mouths 
smiles for the camera.
that boy is mine.


we had so much fun


cartwheeling,


racing


and performing our many circus acts
all over the grass.


i usually can’t pull off such a crazy outfit 
but i was taking K’s wardrobe lead for the day. 
it undoubtedly worked for her.




it felt a bit as though we were performing in a circus.
although there was no audience.
okay, it felt a bit as though we were practicing to perform in a circus.


okay, he was our audience.
and he loved it.

1136. new parks
1137. the joy that comes from 
deliberately sticking to my to do list.
1138. the moments when the kids entertain themselves
1139. what D thinks of making when he does art
1140. not going through the mail for days

music and ring pops.

L’s foot appointment went great yesterday.
other than the fact that 
once they removed the bandages on the left foot, 
he was so happy that 
he kicked and 
he kicked and 
he kicked 
until the end of his toe was bleeding. 
ick.
he now has a sweet little bandaid on his piggies.

and i got brave and took some good looks at the foot.
and i actually saw the foot (and not all of the stitches).
it looked better than what i had imagined. 
and don’t worry. 
i will not be posting any photos of his wounds.


B recently brought his guitar in the house. 


and little L has

loved
seeing it, 
hearing it and 
playing it.
i think i’m going to get him into some music therapy.


and this was a long-awaited ring pop indulgence.


we got them over the weekend and
the bigs couldn’t wait until they could be enjoyed. 

My purpose is that they may be 
encouraged in heart and united in love, 
so that they may have the full riches 
of complete understanding, 
in order that they may know 
the mystery of God, namely, Christ,
in whom are hidden 
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:3-4

1126. not having to rush
(something very new for me)
1127. the joy that stickers bring
1128. a break in a day
where i shouldn’t have gotten a break
1129. the kids seeing God’s blessings
1130. a promised bath 
(rather than sponge-bath) for L

not lonesome.

do you ever wonder what it’s like to be alone?
yeah, me too.

i was talking to a friend yesterday 
who lamented that her only alone time 
was in the bathroom.
i wish i could say the same. 

i feel like the only time my children aren’t yakking my ears off
or hanging off of my every limb
is when it’s dinnertime.
then i can’t seem to get them to come to the table.

i hope that doesn’t have anything to do with my cooking. 
for just last night, i served tacos
(with fresh cilantro from our garden!)
and D would not eat his meat and sour cream filled tortilla.
that was, until he was allowed to dip it in ketchup.
gross.
he may never complain about my cooking again.

i am not a fan of ketchup at all 
(sorry if that offends you)
but i do remember while growing up 
that my cousins would put ketchup on everything.
and i mean everything.
that’s probably why i can’t even stand the smell of it.


i think my children are laughing at me in this photo.
laughing at my dream that i might someday get a photo 
with all three of my children
smiling and
looking at the camera.
don’t you think?


who am i kidding.
that is not going to happen anytime soon.


but he’ll smile for me.
if i beg him.
even though being in front of the camera 
makes him uncomfortable.


and this little man,
he loves it when i take his picture.
actually, it’s sometimes difficult to get a shot of him
when he is not smiling and looking at the camera.
unless, he is with his siblings.
then he never looks and smiles.
not when they do anyway.
i think they’ve formed some sort of pact.


in other news,
L has his first post-op later today.
i am interested in hearing what L 
has to say to the doc 
because he has fully investigated his own wounds. 
yuck.


the past two mornings, 
we have found L without a sock on his right foot 
and he has also now decided to remove the bandage on that foot.
again, i say yuck.


i’m looking forward
and not looking forward 
to the big reveal of his left foot today.
i accidentally saw some of it without a bandage 
when we were in the hospital and 
i think i will be forever scarred by that sighting. 
i don’t remember seeing much foot at all 
but lots and lots of stitches and blood.
i don’t think that L will be phased by any of this 
but i sure have been.

i’ll be sure to keep you posted.
you can count on that. 

fyi, these photos were taken before the operation.

1121. fluid thoughts
1122. a spontaneous visit 
from out of town friends
1123. a fun-packed
full to the brim weekend
(more on that soon)
1124. delicious food 
(even though D doesn’t think so)
1125. soul-stirring photos

grateful.

we have been reading this book a lot lately.


and giving lots of pretend kisses to mr. L’s piggies.
i’m afraid to touch his feet,
although he loves to grab a hold of them once his meds kick in. 
yucko.
i think i’m a good nurse and can handle a lot.
but blood and stitches?
not so much.
i’ll leave that to the doctors.
and K.
she asks to see L’s boo-boos all day long.

for the first time in a long time,
i am able to say that i’m grateful for our trials.
the trials we have endured
and the trials we are enduring. 
the trials that affect our minds and
the trials that leave us with stitches and dried blood.

this is because i know that God is working.
He is working in my life and 
He is growing me and 
He is changing me and 
doing what He does best.
He is showing off
(my sweet friend Katherine Wolf’s husband 
reminds us that God likes to do that).


Rejoice in the Lord always. 
I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,
whenever you face trials of many kinds, 
because you know that 
the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work 
so that you may be mature and complete, 
not lacking anything. 
James 1:2-4

1116. trials
1117. wet sidewalk chalk in a bowl
1118. my sweet sis who designs things for me 
even on her lunch break
1119. what is to come
1120. children who don’t even 
open the front door for the fedex guy
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