My Family, My Mission...

Moving Day

2010-06-22T10:39:00.007-05:00

So we are out of the apartment and actually out of the country by now. The moving truck came on Wednesday and thanks to so many dedicated and very helpful friends, we got all the stuff loaded up and on its way. It is amazing to watch people in action - using their know-how and their experience to assemble our belongings like a game of tetris. Although this huge semi truck came, we only had to pay for the amount of space we used, and these guys help us pack so well that we used a little less than we thought we would. We could not have done it without them all their help. Thanks to every one of you who each played a part in this day. It is kind of a mixed blessing to see friends and good people actually help us with a need that involves and leads to our separation. True friends. Thank-you - we could not have done it without you!

A Very Special Friendship

2010-06-22T10:34:00.002-05:00

Since the beginning of their little lives, my boys have been the best of friends with Kate & Caleb Henderson. They have been closer than cousins - sharing so many life experiences together. They have loved, and fought, like siblings. It will be hard to adjust to life without them side by side. But I am sure that they have already formed the kind of friendship that will last a lifetime!

Thanks kids for giving us something to always smile about!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

What Boxes Can't Contain...

2010-06-14T16:24:00.001-05:00

I am tired of the word "packing" and also tired of the word "good-bye".

As you can see, we are slowly making progress.

We better be.

Our days are less than few.

We had a most amazing celebration yesterday with so many friends. We felt honored and loved. We witnessed God's work. We cried many tears. We ate amazing food. We took a lot of pictures. Gave and recieved a lot of hugs. And. We had a whole lot of fun. Mariachis. Dancing. Laughter. It was incredible and will never be forgotten. Our despedida (good-bye party) will receive its very own post soon.

I am emotional and busy with lots to do. But I also am happy to be reminded that the most important treasures in my life are not needing to be packed in a box, taped and labeled. My great husband and wonderful boys are going with me. And so is a heart full of memories and a great number of real friendships. Those things can't be boxed (except for a few moments of fun!), and that is something to smile about.

Boys Will Be Boys (....sigh...)

2010-06-12T09:11:00.005-05:00

Although I think it is nearly impossible for the female gender to ever truly understand this...

I have come to accept it. To "them" there is fun in it. And as you will notice there are two grown men in this picture (Benjy & James) - having as much fun as the boys. Has it not been said that they never really grow up? Apparently this Lucha Libre thing is a male bonding experience.

What I can't accept, is how at the young age of 3, Pierce is already trying to pass on his "male-ness" to his sweet and innocent baby brother.

And oddly enough...Hudson didn't mind it one bit.

It's gotta be the testosterone!

The World Cup

2010-06-11T22:22:00.001-05:00

So Mexico is going crazy now that the World Cup has begun. They are crazy for their soccer! This morning, Reece & Chase were so so so excited to go to school and watch the game on the big screen that they were gonna set up for all the kids. The government encouraged the schools to let the kids watch the game at school - talk about loyalty - I loved it! However, as Mexico City has proven over and over again, it can't be depended on to have electricity when most needed. The power went out in the middle of the night in our area of the City. No one could believe it!!! The game started at 9 and we just hoped and hoped it would return on time. It didn't. We had planned to watch the game with friends so as we were leaving the apartment to head to their house, we drove by the school. They were lining the kids up to transport them to another nearby school that had electricity. They asked us to help with kids so we piled a couple of loads of 15 or so kids and drove them down the street. It was so fun! All the kids were excited and many wearing soccer jerseys. Go Mexico Go!!!

Here is a snapshot of my 3 Mexican born and/or raised! Pierce was the proudest of his shirt! We were thankful that Mexico came away with a tie against South Africa... Even though a win would have been better...we cheered hard!

Carrots!

2010-06-09T21:41:00.004-05:00

Carrot sticks make a great snack in my opinion. Tasty and healthy...

And obviously very good for teething babies. Check out Hudson as he gnaws on this big carrot.

Littlest brother sets the example for the afternoon on how to have fun while chompin' on a carrot... I tried to capture his perfect and absolutely cute cute little white tooth on the video - didn't get it very easily, but did capture his sweet little giggle...and his latest trick of clicking his tongue! (the clicking is right at the very start)

Before you know it, the big brothers have caught on to how fun eating carrots can be!!!

I caught Reece outside using the carrots as some sort of strange walrus tusks or wolf fangs or something of the sort.

And what Reece leads in is most often followed by the next two as well :) They were chasing all the neighbor kids around with these scarey growling sounds and causing quite the ruckus!

Have you had a healthy and fun snack today?!?!? :)

Sweet Gesture

2010-06-07T08:35:00.003-05:00

We had a lot going on this weekend - all very good stuff - but by Sunday night it was time for everyone to get cleaned up and get into their little beds :)

The three big boys hopped in the shower together (a great thing about having all boys!)...Reece got done and out first and before long he came back into the bathroom carrying his towel...

"Mom, I'll share my towel with Pierce so you don't have as much laundry to do" :)

Sticks & Stones...

2010-06-04T23:51:00.001-05:00

The old saying goes, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me"....

Well in the case of Pierce it is pretty true. His words aren't very hurtful at all actually.

This silly three year old is beginning to learn that words have power and when he tries to "get you" or cause a reaction he is figuring out how to throw an insult - kind of!

It is hilarious! Not sure where my kids come up with half of their crazy ways...

Here are just a couple of his most funniest sayings as of late... (for some reason or another they usually involve food).

* "youwa (you're a) mustard egg"

* "youwa cheese with lettuce on it"

or if he is really slinging mud...

* "I'ma gonna give you pink" ~ ha! apparently in a house full of boys that one has some sting to it :)

This kid makes all of us laugh. Often. We need that!

And I can only hope that he stays at this level of mean-ness all of his sweet life :)

Is That A Challenge???

2010-06-02T23:40:00.002-05:00

The other day I was in one of those parenting situations in which my instruction was not being heeded very well. After repeating myself several times I simply stated,

"Chase, if you are not going to listen to me, I may need to help you obey with a spanking"

This kid cracks me up all the time - this time he very cooly responded. The conversation went like this:

Chase: "That's ok because I know the secret against spankings."

Me: "oh you do do ya - and what is that?"

Chase: "it's easy... if you don't want a spanking to hurt you just close your eyes"

Me: (trying not to smile - but he isn't really looking at me anyway - because, remember, he is too busy engaged in his own activity to be obeying my instruction in the first place) "and who told you this secret"

Chase: "nobody. I just tried it once and it works. You just close your eyes really tight"

Me: "well, maybe we will hafta test out your theory" :)

Note: the conversation distracted him from is disobedience, he soon did what he was asked and no spanking was put into effect to test the theory....this time!

Another Mountain Top Experience!!!

2010-05-31T21:42:00.018-05:00

This little family

climbed

this big mountain

this past weekend!!

Ok, ok - so it was no Izta like Benjy recently climbed, but for all 6 of us to make it to the top it felt like a pretty cool accomplishment....especially for certain little ones who walked each step of the way with their own resolve and determination to make it all the way (more on that to come!)

So...we spent Saturday with some very special friends as we set out to a little town just outside of Mexico City called Tepotzlan. There is a pyramid built on the top of a mountain so we decided to climb it and see it together. It was a super experience for all of us and we shared some special, life lesson applications together throughout the day and the climb!

First things first - strapping Hudson in his comfy backpack.

He did not set one sweet smelling foot on the trail, but he didn't have any complaints about it :) Hudson was completely happy to let someone else do all the work!

But Piersen, on the other hand, was all about doing the work - all on his own - step by step by step. He climbed to the the top of the mountain by himself - slow and steady - even while the others raced on ahead of him, leaving him literally in the dust. He walked at his own pace,slow as it seemed, while his Daddy patiently cheered him on, supporting him as he strived to accomplish his goal of simply getting to the top like everyone else. And he did it! We couldn't believe it when Pierce and Benjy arrived. What an inspiration we received from his sheer will and determination. What a boy!!!

These two big boys, along with all of the kids, lead the group to the top. In fact, they were so full of life and energy (what's new here?!?!?) that we were all left scrambling to keep up with them!

Yes, that's right....James was kind enough to relieve me and my back by carrying Hudson for me - thank. good. ness.

We were blessed to see some beautiful scenery!

The view of Tepotzlan from the top! Yep - we made it!!!

At the top of the mountain is the pyramid. It was very high and rather freakey to watch your young children crawl all over it...I was just a little nervous!

Me and my big boys!

Somewhere on this Where's Waldo picture below...

if you look carefully, you will see Benjy and

Pierce resting from their amazing climb!

Here we are!!!

So proud of our Pierce! A picture of him and his Daddy to always remember this great accomplishment in his 3 year old life!

All of us at the top of the pyramid.

The kids celebrating their victory!!

They wanted their own mountain to climb...and they did it!!

And before we knew it it was time for the journey back down! What a good Daddy - carrying his two little ones!

It was such a great day for all of us. The many similarities of this day - the climb - the effort - the encouraging one another to keep going - the exhaustion - some slipping - some turning back - the hard work - the excitement - the beautiful view at the end of it all - the teamwork - keeping your eye on the goal - and on - and on - and on..... this kind of experience relates to life. The journey isn't always easy....but it is so so worth it!!

Brotherly Combinations

2010-05-27T22:42:00.004-05:00

A man of many companions may come to ruin,

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

We are trying to create in our family an important base of strong brotherly relationships between our boys. Yes, they are brothers, but what I see unfolding before my very eyes is that Reece & Chase & Piersen & Hudson are also friends. I hope they will always stick together because they are brothers...but I also hope they stick together because they are friends. These four have fun together, they fight together, they compete with one another, they protect one another, they try to be like one another and they sometimes gang up together against one another. There are a lot of potential brotherly combinations in this "gang-up" gang :) And every day, heck, sometimes even every few moments, there is a new combination of who is getting along well and who is left out. When Hudson grows just a bit more - he will surely even out the playtime a bit more. Yet at the end of the day, through the highs and lows of male bonding - these boys are true buddies!

A while back, the founder of the kids' school made a comment to me - that to him was likely just a conversation maker. To me, however, it was one of those moments when my heart swelled so big with pride I thought it might explode. I tucked his words into my memory - they made a deep impact on me because it was my boys' behavior away from home - away from our direct instruction - yet being illustrated the way we desire it to be.... He said, "I watched your boys today at recess. You need to know, that although they may fight at home, those two look out for one another. Reece was not gonna let anything happen to his little brother. He was protecting him. It is obvious that they love each other. You've got some good kids."

What a powerful statement - "you've got some good kids!" I so believe that to be true. I have got some good boys! As parents, I think we can get into this bad habit of kind of ranting about our kids - their ages, their stages, their behavior, their discipline issues.... I think our kids sense that. I think they tune into our "adult" conversation much more than we realize. I am not saying that we fake our way through this parenting thing, but when I step back and think of my boys - they surely are not perfect - but they are good, good kids... And if there are some little ears listening around me - I want them to hear me telling my friends in adult conversation that I have some good boys. That I am proud of them. We ought to be speaking positively about our kids when they are listening, and when they aren't. Words are powerful and they influence our attitudes.

So, as a Mom, if my words have the power that I believe they do, I am going to continue on this path of growing a deep, strong, brotherly friendship in each of my guys. I think that involves some intentionality - instructing them how to value one another, how to interact with their friends and their brothers at the same time (keeping priorities straight), and praying for their brotherly friendships to be deep and strong. Every relationship combination, (and mathematically speaking, there are quite a few combinations going on here in our little family) between all of my sons is going to be unique and special in its' own way... but so far, I sure do love what I see (most of the time! ha!)

Ya Gain Some, Ya Lose Some

2010-05-27T22:20:00.001-05:00

Hudson turned 6 months old on the 16th of May! One half of a year! Unbelievable. This sweet boy has taken us on quite a ride and has given us six months of life that we will surely never forget :)

Here is Hudson at his 6 month picture!

We have been seeing a lot of drooling in this little guy as of late. He normally dons a wet shirt and a string of spit hanging out....just like the picture captures!

On Monday, we saw the reason for all that drool - a little white tooth just peeking out from his bottom gumline. A tooth! Oh my - this is going way tooooooo fast! You can't see it in the picture yet but it is there, and I am snapping pictures to document his beautiful - but about to disappear - toothless grin!

And...then we have the other end of the spectrum. Reece has had this very very loose front tooth for a few weeks now. It was being pushed out from the new one growing below - and making his smile look so funny with his crooked tooth. I knew it was about to go any day, so tried to capture his hill-billy smile with that very crooked tooth. I literally snapped this photo seconds before Reece simply took it out of his mouth as he prepared to pose for another pic.

I have this thing for toothless smiles - whether it comes from my baby boys, or from the smile after a lost tooth!

Here is a great picture of the tooth-loser and the tooth-gainer :) They make quite a team!!

Above The Clouds!

2010-05-22T21:35:00.011-05:00

*** many amazing pictures and live video below...

Last weekend, Benjy and 9 of his good friends accomplished their adventurous goal of climbing Iztaccíhuatl (a legendary mountain just outside of Mexico City). This mountain towers over 5000 meters/17,000 feet and is a beautiful and majestic sight to see.

I am filled with pride for these guys and still get shivers and close to tears every time I see the pictures, hear the stories, or reflect on the life lessons that go hand in hand with an accomplishment of this nature.

To be honest, when this idea first surfaced I was just a little nervous about it. After seeing the pictures, my instincts had every right to feel that uneasiness. This was no "hike" - it was the real deal...and the guides that took this group up, applauded them for their courage and determination. "Many set out to reach the top and just cannot make it. It is very common for them to turn back and head down. Even under these weather conditions, you made it to the top and that says a lot about you"

All of us who stayed home and cheered them on had no idea what they were getting themselves into. I don't think they did either :) The pictures will take your breath away - the video will inspire you and allow you to hear and see the conditions they climbed in - the beauty of the mountain will awe you. These men worked together and had an experience that they will never forget and that will serve them in their heart and soul for the rest of their lives. Several, if not all of them, would describe this as the most difficult physical feat they have ever had to overcome. They set out to reach four summits and fought through rain, hail, snow and wind to get to the top of one of the 5000 meter summits. Although they desired to continue on to the following summits, their guides turned them back due to an oncoming storm. They followed their suggestion and headed back down, victorious!

The pictures themselves will speak, and say all that needs to be said about their experience! But I will give a little commentary to guide you through the climb. And for the record, there were many more amazing pics taken... I had a hard time selecting these few (ha,ha) for this post....

The task at hand!

Beginning the climb...

The best of friends...

Approaching snow - changing to warmer gear...

Beginning to get a little steeper...

Keeping hydrated...

(anyone who knows my husband knows that it is a cardinal sin for him to share a drink with anyone - except for me or his boys - but I laughed so hard when he confessed to me that under the intense circumstances of this climb, he felt it unacceptable to refuse the request from his professional guide to share a sip of his gatorade!!!)

Up and up and up....

Keeping their eyes on the goal...

Looking back at how far they'd come...still going up...

They reached this refuge and settled in for the night - the altitude was so high that little sleep occurred - having to remind your own body to breath...many if not all suffered some kind of side effect to the altitude (headaches, exhaustion, vomiting or naseau)

Up at 3am to continue the climb...

Gearing up for the more serious stuff...

Horrible weather acted as an obstacle but didn't stop them....

Almost, almost there....above the clouds!!!

At the top!!

Group shot of this amazing accomplishment!

Attempting to press on to the next summit (a few hundred meters higher) but the guide suggested they head back down due to the extreme weather and oncoming storm. The picture shows the poor visibility.

Congratulations to Benjy, James, Jorge, Cory, Chadd, Alejandro, Lad, Zane, Jose Luis, and Zane for an inspiring job well done. We are so proud of you!!!

Please enjoy this video put together by James!

Iztaccíhuatl and the Shaping Power of Adventure from James Henderson on Vimeo.

Messes

2010-05-19T17:00:00.001-05:00

One brother's mess is another brother's treasure!

Like Father, Like Son - In Orange

2010-05-17T11:07:00.000-05:00

Great minds think alike...and they didn't even talk :)

Aren't they both so handsome!?!?!?!

Introductions!

2010-05-13T22:46:00.001-05:00

Our partnering church in Kentucky asked us to send them a little video to introduce our family to the new members at WRCC that don't know us yet. We put this little one together and I thought I would post it here...just because....my boys are so fun...and...I thought...you might like to meet us too :)

Check it out.

Enough Said!

2010-05-09T22:30:00.003-05:00

4 reasons why I feel blessed to be on the receiving end of this day....

Now if we are going to start talking about the giving end of this.....too many pictures of amazing women who I would celebrate and wish and thank on this Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to all.

Oh My Heart...

2010-05-06T12:02:00.006-05:00

Time is flying.... I look at my little baby and I can't believe how quickly time is passing. I look at my oldest son and can't believe he is 7, or that my next is 5 or that my 3rd is 3. The other day Reece asked me why time seems to go so slow when he is bored, but so fast if he is doing something he likes to do.... "That, my son, is a life lesson: time flies when you are having fun!"

Speaking of fun and yet rapidly passing time.... I cannot believe that we are now looking at "weeks" in regards to how long we have in Mexico. My heart is divided - I know that God is taking care of us and that He is ahead of us, leading and guiding. I believe that this next chapter in our life will be a great one - full of blessings and growth and challenges and new opportunities. I know that we will find new friends, make new memories, be involved in all kinds of new things. Yet, at the same time, I can't believe that we are packing up and leaving Mexico. True - we do not know what the future holds - maybe we will call this place "home" again at some point in our future....but we believe that we need to move on as though this is a final good-bye...for now.

Seven years ago we arrived in this place - we were younger, we were a smaller family (Reece was just 2 and a half months old!), I didn't speak any spanish at all. A whole lot of growth and maturity and life experience and ministry experience and people experience and family experience and marriage experience and parenting experience and team experience and personal experience has been experienced!!! :) We leave this place much fuller and much richer than when we arrived. We have many people to thank for that! In the past days and weeks I have been reflecting about what Mexico means to me, to us. What have I learned from our experiences here? I believe that some of those ideas/concepts/lessons are clear and able to define...and my intention is to process and record them. But I also believe that there are many abstract and valuable things that we cannot yet put a description to - they can't be defined in a bullet point or jotted down in a paragraph. They are much more over-arching and deep reaching. They are truths that have helped to form our identity as individuals, as a family. They are fresh realizations about faith and walking with God. We have been blessed to step outside of our own culture and have been able to learn and see different perspectives and values....and we will carry these things - whether we can define them or not - with us into our next life chapter. We have been changed, I believe, most certainly for the better. I am thankful.

So, although it is quickly becoming a not so favorite thing to do for me - I will begin doing the necessary - the sorting, the sifting, the packing, the organizing...and as I do that, my heart will be full of many memories of this place - this large large City that we have called home for 7 years. Wow. Time flies!

Kids Day/Dia del Nin~o

2010-05-01T21:06:00.006-05:00

In Mexico, April 30 is a day to celebrate kids! The boys had a special day at school....and we planned our very own special but crazy celebration.

I feel blessed to have 4 amazing little boys to call my own and so I tried to think of something unique yet special to let them know that we love and appreciate them. Although there could easily be a thousand ways to express this to a young boy - or four of them in our case - I decided to honor a long standing but never fulfilled request that our crazy, oldest son has had for a few years now. I have no idea where he gets his ideas, but for some strange reason, he has really been intrigued with the fun of a pie-throwing contest. He really wanted it to be a part of his birthday festivities, but I knew that was a little too far out there...and denied his repeated request.

But why not do it for Dia del Nin~o in the privacy of James and Erin's garden so we would not have to face any cross cultural stares or questions???? I tried to drop some hints to the boys but didn't want to out and tell them their "surprise" - they had no idea what was coming....even after we put Reece in "position". The pictures are quite self explanatory and tell the story of our fun afternoon!

Notice Reece's sort-of-confused expression as we tell him to simply "wait"...

Benjy gets the honors to introduce his oldest to a whipped cream pie plate!

"Surprise!!!"

Reece was laughing so hard and just kept saying "thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Before long everyone wanted to participate and lined up to give and receive!

Chase was happily screaming (with a small hint of panic in his voice),

"I can't breathe!"

"I can't see!"

Everyone began chanting for the Daddy's to get involved so James and

Benjy had little choice...

WIth all of the activity, Kate snuck a pie to Pierce and he wasn't very pleased :)

I got it too...

But this kid had an absolute blast!

Other than a few extra showers and some sticky laundry - this was a sweet (literally) and affordable( $4) way to celebrate the craziness of kids!

A fun time was had by all...except maybe Pierce :) Thank you James and Erin for sharing your garden and great afternoon together!

The Shirt Says It All

2010-04-30T09:49:00.005-05:00

My Mommy Loves Me...

~ even though I slobber all over the place (see my shirt!)

~ even though I have not let her have an even close to decent sleep in over 5 months

~ even though I have the strongest and most painful pinch reflex in the world and I tend to utilize it whenever she feeds or holds me (both of those are often!)

~ even though I often add to the noise and craziness of our household!

But she especially loves me because...

~ I have the most amazing and charming smile

~ I am super social and have caused more-than-we- care-to-count over the top goo-goo-gaah-gaah reactions from everyone we encounter

~ I make this little sing-songy sound every time I eat and it kinda melts her heart (or so I have heard her say)

~ I am growing and learning new things - like the fact that I have pretty much mastered sitting up on my own (other than a few balance issues at times), I try to jump, and I love, love, love to stand (with the support of someones fingers, of course)

~ I am so ticklish and she knows exactly how to make me laugh

~ she believes I perfectly complete our family and just fit in so nicely with all of my big brothers

~ she waited and prayed and hoped for me for a long time and I make her utterly thankful that I belong to our family!!

~ I make her so very happy. Just because I am me.

So, ya see, there's a whole lot of love that comes my way!

And that is something to smile about!

"D'ya Wanna Play With Me???"

2010-04-29T21:05:00.005-05:00

There is always something that needs to be done. Always. Too often the things that don't really matter far too easily take priority. Today, I am thankful to say, that I was intentional about how I was going to answer Pierce's question, "d'ya wanna play with me?" After all, what a sweet invitation that won't always be so freely spoken from my children. I set aside the unimportant to sit down on the floor and play with Pierce. We played "pirates" - Playmobil pirates (I love playmobil toys!)...and I love, love, love my Piersen. What a wonderful time we had. We put off getting dressed or combing hair (as the pics indicate!) and instead we just escaped hungry crocodiles, doctored up the pirates who got bitten, shot the cannon gun over and over and over again...getting the most joy out of aiming at Daddy's legs when he came home from work. I love my boy and am so thankful for the invitation to play with him :) It was so fun, just might have to do it again soon!

A Day of Firsts....

2010-04-23T16:37:00.005-05:00

Wednesday began just about the same as every other day....we had just dropped big brother Reece off at school...Hudson was having some tummy time on the floor...when suddenly...

I looked over and this is what I saw! We all missed it but Hudson snuck in a little roll - from tummy to back. We all celebrated...tried to get him to do it again...but he was not interested in performing for us :)

And then later that day... it was decided to give our big, hungry, growing boy his first taste of solids. I know my boys so I held off on this milestone until they were home from school.... and as was expected Reece asked to give the first taste. Chase followed right behind. I love it that they are involved in the milestones. Makes family life so fun! And Hudson...

He was happy...and perhaps a little impatient so he tried to take matters into his own hands!

An empty bowl....a happy smile!

I love this kid!

Sharks Attack While Reece Turns 7

2010-04-22T10:42:00.012-05:00

My handsome 7 year old!

7 swimming fins for our 7 year old shark-lover.

...the half eaten man idea is credited to my childhood friend, Jen...she suggested a Barbie but....we don't have any of those around our home :)

We celebrated Reece last weekend - he turned 7 (sniff, sniff) and we partied with a shark theme! We hoped and prayed for a sunny day as we had water games and water balloons (lots of them!) on the agenda. We did get our warm and sunny morning and thankfully, Benjy had the insight to get on with the water stuff....just in time before the clouds rolled in and it poured!!!

Reece has made a lot of friends in his young life and we felt honored that so many of them came to share the day with him (some 25!) It was a lot of fun and I think each of them had a super great time at this "not so Mexican" birthday party. I was happy that many of the Mom's lightened up and let their kids get in the water!

If you know my boy, you would understand how thrilled he was when we began to fill up some 300 water balloons for pure enjoyment. We dumped all of them in the pool and the kids went crazy!!

Check out that smile :)

They also had a blast on the dash n' splash!!!

Some refreshers from the warm sun...

Then came the rain. It rained hard! Thankfully we had rented a tent in case this happened...so we all huddled inside and waited for this amazing food....tacos al pastor!! (Reece's request!)

Then it was time for songs and cake and the "mordita" of course :) Reecer had it coming to him after his recent role in others' birthday morditas! And of course, he loved it!

And although another downpour came, we were able to quickly attack the shark pin~ata and come away with some candy!!

My boy had a great time with all of his friends. We were thankful to be able to host one last birthday party for him here in Mexico.

I laid my head down on my pillow that night and tears came to my eyes as I reflected on what Reece means to me, to us, to our family, really to everyone who knows him. As he grows older and older (I know, he is only 7 but I simply can't believe how fast time has flown!) I cannot believe my heart hasn't already burst with pride in who he is and who he continues to become...

Dear Reecer,

You have always deserved the grandest of celebrations - your life is so special and you mean so much to so many. Thank you for being who you are and for being a boy that we feel so honored to be able to raise and share life with. You are fun and curious these days - always having more questions come out of your mouth than we can answer. You always seem to be thinking and wondering and discovering...and I hope that aspect of your personality never changes. You are responsible and smart and helpful and patient. You make us proud with how you perform at school and how much you love to read and write and draw....but even more proud at how you interact with your brothers and friends. You have a heart of gold and you have an understanding about what matters - beyond your years, I believe. You have an appetite that never seems to end! You are growing taller and stronger by the day. You have athletic skills in hockey and soccer and you have a desire to try new sports. Like all boys, you love tv, computers, and video games and would play a whole lot more than your Mommy allows you to....but you respond well and want your brain to be smart :) You are a real friend to others and your people skills will take you a long way as we face this life transition of leaving Mexico. Just know, Reece, that you have made a difference to many people already - especially to me and your Daddy. We are much better people - much better parents, and a much better family because you are with us. Never forget how much we love you! Happy 7th birthday...this year holds wonderful adventures in store for you!

Love always,

Mom

On Showering...

2010-04-22T08:28:00.002-05:00

My time for taking a shower is never consistent, often dependent on what my plans for the day are, is usually way too quick for my liking, and sometimes doesn't happen until very late in the day. Don't worry, I don't stay in my pajamas all day (usually - ha!) - but truly "getting myself ready" seems to fall lower on the priority list these days with four little ones.

Perhaps that explains this sweet compliment from my Chase this morning....

(although I had frequent night time meetings with my wonderful Hudson last night - too many to be desired - I knew I needed to "wake myself up" to survive the morning today...so I showered early and quickly)

Chase: (entering the dining room, sees me by the table serving breakfast to his brothers - surprise in his voice) "Mom! Did you have a shower this morning? You look beautiful"

Smile. I think that one will carry me for a little while! And....maybe, just maybe, I oughta take time to shower before breakfast everyday!

"Smart Music"

2010-04-20T22:21:00.002-05:00

As of late I have begun to put on a cd of classical music in the boys bedroom in the evening after tucking them in to help them go to sleep. I guess I must have somewhere in this process introduced the idea that this kind of music makes you smart....

Chase: (with a hint of sassiness in his voice) Mom, isn't it right that kids are smarter than grown ups?

Me: ummm, why do you say that?

Chase: (with that sing songy, sarcasm) because we go to schhooo-oo-l and grown u-ups do-on't.

Me: sure, I guess in that sense, you can say that, but....most grown ups went to school too.

Chase: and...because we listen to "smart music" at bedtime.

Fun in the Sun

2010-04-19T22:37:00.002-05:00

With each day of our warm weather, I realize how much Hudson loves to be outside. These pics are taken in Sam and Ann's beautiful backyard. He loved the swing! I simply cannot believe that my sweet baby is already 5 months old!!!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-19T22:19:00.004-05:00

Here are a few shots of our Easter weekend. We spent a few days in Guadalajara and a few in Morelia with missionary friends. It was such a good time - the kids had fun together and enjoyed hunting their eggs together with other blondies :) Pierce thought he hit the jack-pot when he came across the box with all of the remaining empty eggs in it. He wasn't too concerned that they contained no candy - he robbed them all and loaded up his little bucket with empty eggs and then went on to share them with Hudson. It was pretty cute. The candy was good. The friendships are wonderful. We are truly thankful for our risen Saviour!

Shhhhhhhh - don't tell anyone....

2010-04-14T11:31:00.000-05:00

This culture is crazy about candy! I try to monitor the rotting of my children's teeth...

The stash above are the winnings from one weekend of birthday party pin~atas and goody bags.

We minimized what we would save for our eating and the remaining...the stuff in the pic above....shhhhh....we recycle our candy and put that stuff in our own kids pin~atas!!!

The recycling trend transcends culture!!!

Sunny Days + Reece

2010-04-14T08:36:00.001-05:00

Sunny days + Reece = water balloon fun!

This kid of mine has not lost his love of balloons - only now it is much more exciting if they are filled with water rather than boring, old air. He requests these often and never fails to enjoy himself when we comply with his request.

Picture Help

2010-04-12T22:31:00.003-05:00

Dear friends,

Although I intended to update our last few weeks, instead I got excited about how these shots turned out of my boys today. I did a re-take of the cute circle of their faces b/c I wasn't quite satisfied with how Hudson's smile came out in the shot last month (my current facebook profile pic). Today's was much better. Anyway - I have years and years left of these sweet guys in my house so I have lots of photo opps left :) and won't be repeating that pose monthly - no worries. But I want your help in which of the following three I should enlarge and frame for our home?!? I like black and white, but also like the colored one. Just can't decide either between them in a line or them in a circle. I realize the birth order in a line" one would likely require a special mat and frame but thought it was kinda cool long and rectangular. Help. Help!!! Which would YOU choose? Cast your vote and consider yourself helpful! Thanks!

Play~Doh Progress

2010-03-31T11:11:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, although we can see our babies growing up before our very eyes, it can be easy to get lost in all the duties, responsibilities, disciplining, directing, and so on that you rarely take a step outside of the day to day and see how much you have grown as a Mom (and I am not referring to that extra baby weight). But I mean true growth - things that really matter - such as letting go of the things/standards/ideals that you once held tightly to with little to no reason.

So I am going to do that now because just a few days ago, I had a realization. I have grown! I have grown in matters of Play-Doh! You see, some five or so years ago, when my life as a Mom ran into the fun activity of Play-Doh, I was, shall we say just a little OCD over mixing Play-Doh colors. It was a big deal to me, because naturally, wouldn't anyone feel better about keeping all of the colors separated so that they stayed fresh, and clean and pretty - and in their original state? It was logical. I let Reece play with Play-Doh, and Chase too when he came along - and as he (and later, they) played...I policed. No - not only the potentially huge mess that stuff can make all over your house - but I also policed the color mixing. It was not gonna happen under my watch!

Well, guess what folks! Life happens and through it all, I have learned that I have much bigger fish to fry! (talk about an understatement!)

Pierce got a Play-Doh set for his birthday and I think it might actually have been his first experience with the stuff. And ya know what - we played - all of us together - and I didn't have a care in the world about whether they combined colors. Okay, I'll be honest - I did simplysuggest that they might consider keeping them separate...but that was all. I suggested only once and then let them have at it. That's progress, I'd say. No more policing, just a gentle suggestion. :)

I know, this is just a silly illustration, but the truth is, I think we don't acknowledge our growth enough - as individuals, as Mom's, as wives, whatever it may be. Growth is a big deal. It's something to celebrate. If I look back on how far I have come in nearly 7 years of being a Mom, I must say - I have grown. I have grown in my confidence, in learning to trust my intuition, in prioritizing, in multi-tasking (ha!) I have a long way to go but I have a little better of a grasp on what is a battle worth fighting over (and yet still fail often in this area!) I have several friends who are just beginning this motherhood journey and I try to be a voice of encouragement to them - that they are gonna grow so much and it (the intuition, the confidence, the knowledge) - it is all gonna come together.

It is a fun journey to be on - a challenging and very serious one - but definitely a fun one ~ mixed colors or not!

Would you like to share something that you have "figured out" is not such a big deal as you once thought it was? :)

King Popeye

2010-03-31T10:49:00.000-06:00

Chase called me into Hudson's room the other day to show me who the new King is in our house! (as if Hudson needs a racetrack creatively turned into a crown to convince anyone of that!)

Chase was proud of his new creation. I thought more Popeye than king, but hey...

Cute either way!

And So Now He Understands...Just A Little Better

2010-03-30T22:22:00.003-06:00

Picture a nest full of baby birds... mouths wide open... chirping uncontrollably... the momma bird enters the nest with a worm and the chirping goes up a notch higher.

That scene plays itself out in our home many times a day. We have some hungry little mouths to feed.

Today, in a particularly insane moment (Hudson crying like he hadn't been fed in days and was not going to last a minute longer if he didn't get his milk... now! and the others all equally famished but expressing it in words) my sweet and oldest son came to the rescue. Reece kindly offered to make a jelly sandwich for himself and his little brothers while I took care of Hudson.

I was so thankful. Helped him open the jar of jelly and headed to the other room to save Hudson's life :)

Then I smiled as I listen to this scene unfold. Reece begins to hear the "chirping" from both Pierce and Chase - who needed their sandwich first... how they wanted the jelly spread or not spread... don't cut it don't cut it (Piersen's famous line) ...mine on the blue plate...and so forth. Reece remained calm and began spreading Pierce's sandwich first (good choice I felt - start with the youngest and whiniest in the moment - good strategy). Then as he moved on to Chase I hear Chase begin to express his concern for the amount of jelly that is lacking on the edge of the bread. Reece - simply places the sandwich on the plate and confidently states, "please take what you are given"...smiles and moves on to his own sandwich without another thought.

I began to laugh and gave Reece a hard time about how he can now understand that my job isn't always an easy one. In the next and soon to happen crazy meal or snack time scene, I just may do well to adopt his example and very own words: "please take what you are given"

Confessions of a Not So SuperMom

2010-03-27T13:09:00.001-06:00

***note: this picture was taken, kind of as a joke, at Chase's superhero birthday party...

Let's set the record straight: although I have heard it said to me, about me, and around me as of late, truth be told: I am NOT a SuperMom. I think people say this mainly because I have four little ones in a culture where more than one child means you have a big family. Also because those four little ones are all under the age of 7. When I walked around with my pregnant belly just a few months ago and then as we welcomed the arrival of Hudson, I felt like I could hear the whispers as I passed. We can almost visually see people's heads bobbing as they count the blonde heads in the shopping cart (my favorite is when they notice the two little ones and while they are oooohhhing and awwwwing over them, the older two pop out from behind us - now that can create a memorable reaction! "yes. four. yes. all boys.") Yes, in many ways - we are crazy! Our life is full of noise and action: if not crying there is almost always a small voice pleading for help or requesting a snack or demanding a toy from one of their brothers. There is lots of rough play, lots of commands being repeated, and always activity around us... It is a really "unique" stage of life, shall we say. Although there is much craziness, I like to refer to it as "sweet craziness". I am happy. I am exhausted, yes, but my heart is oh so full!

I have heard several women say to me that they just can't imagine how I have the time to bake a cake or to watch my kids at soccer practice. Like seriously people? I will confess I am not the definition of "organization" and having four kids has definitely been an adjustment, but we haven't stopped living life, we just live it a little crazier :) Oh, I have heard it all...

"How do you do it?"

"I admire you."

"If I were you I would be laid up in my home and wouldn't ever venture out."

"You are always so calm and patient."

"There is always a smile on your face"

OOPS! I only wish my patience lasted longer, my voice was always calm and encouraging, that my directions were always clear and concise and consistent, and that the punishment always fit the crime. I wish that when I start out my day, praying for the right heart and attitude towards all the day has to offer, that I could remain in good standing at least through the breakfast hour. I wish my kids always obeyed "the first time" and that harshness never escaped my lips. I am confessing the obvious here: there is an incongruence between what I want people to see and how I can be behind closed doors. I wish it weren't so, and I have been reflecting on this truth lately. How great would it be if I always lived up to the positive image I want others to see in me as a Mom. Don't my kids always deserve the calm and patience-filled treatment that they most regularly get if we have company or if we are out in public.

If I truly was a SuperMom, here are some things that wouldn't need to be confessed:

~ loud noise absolutely rattles me - I don't know why but I just can't hack it - the tv too loud, the banging of plates or forks at the table (apparently a prerequisite to being a boy!), shaking the stool in rhythm to brushing your teeth, ....ya - you get it?

~ I don't get down on their eye level enough and gently explain my expectation...sadly, it seems way too easy to raise my voice from the other room.

~ I am not the greatest at using my limited but available time well...which leaves me scrambling when things really do need to get done...for example: why don't I pack up the diaper bag the night before? why don't I put the folded laundry away before the big boys get home from school? why don't I sleep when the baby sleeps (ha,ha,ha! - that one is stated with tongue in cheek)

~ I am a horrible judge of time - often thinking I can bake a cake or get something else done before we are supposed to be heading out the door, which then leaves all the other things - like finding Pierce's missing shoe (for the umpteenth time), making sure Hudson's tummy is topped off since we will for sure get stuck in traffic, or putting a few snacks together for the kids - unfinished ahead of time, simply adding to the already existent chaos of getting 4 kids in their car seats :)

~ I can lose my sense of perspective, forget how to "pick my battles" and I can be a little reactionary to the wrong battles - until I step back and wonder who can throw the bigger tantrum in the moment - me or the kid? I mean, in the big scheme of things, is it that big of a deal that they are brushing their teeth walking down the hall instead of in front of the sink?or that they have "forgotten" again to stay at the table when eating a snack? Perspective, Care, perspective!

~ I don't always model very well the behavior I am trying to instill in my kids - especially regarding neatness - as gently pointed out to me by my oldest ("so why do we need to have our clothes picked up off of the floor if there are clothes on the floor in your bedroom?" ouch.)

~ I can be a little rigid on certain rules (how much tv per day, Wii only on the wiikends, etc..) and sometimes forget that breaking free every once and a while is not going to doom them to bad habits forever. Grace, Care, grace :)

~ I can be short on patience in hearing "tattling" from my boys and encourage them to "work it out" (but sometimes I wonder if that is a pretty way of making it seem like they need to solve their own problems when really it is just an excuse for me to shoo them away)

~ I.....okay, okay - enough already - I think I am making my case here, right?!?!

And let me clarify, I am not sitting here looking for a bunch of complimentary comments - I am simply being real. I know I am a good Mom. Sometimes even a great one. I try to be intentional, creative, fun, loving, graceful, and supportive. But I also can be pretty rotten and that's just the truth. Someone joked with me once about how I portray our household on this blog...that we must be so perfect that we don't ever even lose our keys around here. HA! It was said in jest, but I thought it was ironic that that was the chosen example as we are known to actually lose a lot of things.

So bottom line: nope, no SuperMom here. No cape in public. No cape at home (heck, I count it a blessing if I can be showered and dressed by noon these days). Just me reflecting on how far I have to go. Thank God that each day holds new beginnings. Thank God that kids are forgiving. Thank God that we are all on this journey together. And in all honesty, I will confess this too: I don't even want to be a SuperMom. To me, that is the wrong picture. And more than likely, I wouldn't ever remember where I last put my cape.

From Laundry to Laughter

2010-03-24T15:39:00.003-06:00

I was kinda planning on focusing on laundry today...

And I have been...

Sort of.

I am a little distracted by better offers...

Such as making this little man happy with laughter...

Check it out:

*** (please excuse my crazy voices...at this point in my life I am less

concerned about how I look or sound if it means I can get a good

memory captured :) )

Wouldn't you agree that laundry can wait just a bit for that???

I'll confess that sometimes I let things get a little toooooo messy around here, but happy boys are more important than a clean house! Right?!

My Favorite Four Month Old!

2010-03-22T12:25:00.005-06:00

Look at that face ~ don't you just have to smile when you see it?!

Hudson is now 4 months old!!!

The Hudster likes his bathtime (but being the 4th kid means he doesn't get it as many times as he might like - ha,ha). Now that he is a little older and can hold himself a lot stronger...

we decided to answer this request of Pierce's.... to let them bath together! Although there wasn't a whole lot of room left to actually get clean, it sure was fun! (even tho here, Huds looks a little scared, he really wasn't)

As this face shows - we have a happy and healthy boy who we are so thankful for!! Happy 4 months baby boy!

Announcing...

2010-03-20T10:33:00.002-06:00

No friends, I am not announcing a new baby...

But it does involve a major life change for our family...

As you may have heard by now, we are making plans to begin our transition out of Mexico City. Our partnering congregation, the Westport Road Church of Christ in Louisville, Kentucky, has invited us to spend one year with them in Louisville. During this time, we will closely evaluate our 7 year mission in Mexico City - looking at various aspects such as its' strengths, weaknesses, the success of the partnership between missionary and supporting church, and so on. We will also use this time to make decisions about our next life steps - whether we remain in ministry/missions or whether we will shift into secular work. We believe that this upcoming transition will be an important and exciting time in our lives - most certainly bringing blessing and new opportunities. Naturally, since Mexico has been our home for seven years, we do have many mixed emotions about saying good-bye. We have learned, experienced and enjoyed so much about this place. We definitely thank God for how He has walked with us and how He continues to walk ahead of us.

We are very thankful for a partnering church that loves and cares for us as much as they do. They have been so very good to us over these past years and continue to show their love to us during this big change. It is such a blessing to us to be surrounded by so many loving and caring people as we re-adjust and introduce our children to living in an American culture for the first time. Thank you WRCC!

For all of you out there who read this blog, I would ask for your prayers as we face this change. We are making plans to leave towards the end of June or early July. Obviously, we have lots of details to take care of - packing, shipping stuff, finding housing and new schools, finishing ministries and saying good-bye to relationships here. This is our first time to do this as a family - and if anyone out there has any advice - I am all ears! I would especially appreciate any tips on how to help make this a special time for my kids.

Thanks friends!

Inspiration!

2010-03-20T09:22:00.002-06:00

Chess is a difficult game to learn.

Perhaps trying to learn in a different format can be inspiring?!

Pierce seems to think so.

Maybe you oughta try... but no pictures please :)

* I thoughtfully blurred out the

inappropriate aspects of

this photo.

The Toothless Grin!

2010-03-18T13:21:00.004-06:00

Reece lost another tooth! This time the top one. It had been very loose and hanging crooked for days...he had a hard time leaving it alone but he just couldn't wiggle it free. Chase did the honors by elbowing him in the mouth when they were playing on Saturday. I am certain Reece would have retaliated had he not realized that he now had a free tooth... finally! Instead, he said "thanks Chase" All of this happened on the day of Pierce's birthday party, and with all of the chaos, as the day begin to wind down, Reece remembered his tooth. Although it had been set aside earlier in the day, we now realized it had been washed down the drain. No prob! We suggested he write a simple note and off he went to write one all on his own! (personally, I would have been a little more elaborate, but hey - it worked!) I believe I had written on here before that in Mexico the tooth fairy role is filled by the "ratoncito"....and this little mouse is quite gracious. Amazingly, even though there was no tooth under the pillow, the note below was replaced with a little reward - found by a happy boy!

The note translated: "sorry that I lost

the tooth" ~ I guess sometimes you just gotta

tell it like it is!

I love, love, love this picture - captures this

age of his life so beautifully - what a smile!

What a handsome boy!

In What Seems Like A "Snap"....Pierce Turns 3

2010-03-16T19:39:00.000-06:00

The birthday boy!

Working on those 3 fingers!

This weekend we celebrated Piersen Benjamin's third birthday! How can it be?!? We had so much fun and although this little guy is a really happy kid all the time - I honestly felt like time kind of stood still for me at his party and I wondered if I had ever seen him so absolutely full of life and joy. His smile was huge and constant. His laughter precious and from deep within. Running around in the grass - bare footed and free - almost standing with one foot still in toddlerhood and the other boldly planted in being "big" and independent.

The birthday theme??? Crocodiles!!! How did we get to that? Well, Pierce likes crocodiles. He has several toys of them and likes that they snap and eat things. He loves the book Five Little Monkeys (...sitting in a tree, teasing Mr. Crocodile, can't catch me...along comes Mr. Crocodile....snap! oh no, where is he?!)

Months ago, when we celebrated Chase's birthday with a batman theme, Pierce was on a big kick to have the same party. That was not gonna happen :) And then, recently, we went to the zoo and he became quite interested in the.... camel. I think mainly because we talked about how they spit. So....he asked for a spitting camel cake. Ummmm. Sometimes little boys need just a touch of direction. Ha,ha. So - knowing he also likes crocodiles I introduced that idea and he was pleased. Up to and during the party planning, Pierce would talk about his "sock-a-dile" party and cake. And although we gently corrected his cute mispronunciation many times, he continued on until the day of his party - then it all came together and now there is no turning back. It is a "crocodile" not a "sockadile"!

Here are some party pictures!

The cake, the jel-lo and their very proud owner :)

Around here - we celebrate with the theme in every way possible! Even to the extent of having baby Hudson play with a...you guessed it...crocodile toy as he patiently waits for his Mommy!

Not sure who is attacking who here!

And we try to celebrate the things that the birthday boy likes....

So, we've got friends, of course...

We've got face painting...

(surprise, surprise - a crocodile!!)

We've got a nest of crocodile eggs for a water balloon fight...

We've got live music because our boy loves to sing (we invited the very cool music teacher, Alex, from the kids' school) - it was a HUGE hit and all of the kids had so much fun....

We've got games like: the snappy crocodile (remake of hot potato!)...

We've got big brothers! (here they are all three listening intently to the story/song)...

And we've got cake!

Blowing out the candle and the "mordida" (Chase got him good - as you can tell by Chase's excited expression!)

Like I said...we like to celebrate with "themes" so imagine my excitement when we went to get a soccer ball for Pierce's birthday gift and we found one....with a crocodile skin pattern. Whoooo hoooo! Sometimes things just work out so nicely!

On Sunday, the birthday theme continued as we went with our house church to a park, rode some boats through the swampy water...

...and the kids searched the waters....

.... we found a crocodile on the land!

Although it is hard to believe that Pierce is now 3...it sure is fun to watch him grow and develop his personality. And what a personality he has! I must say, this kid is funny. He says often to me, "stop yaffing at me Mom" because I often am! He is a lot like his Daddy - just a natural at making people laugh and smile. He wants to be like his big brothers in so many ways...and although he is small in stature, he doesn't let that stop him. He can be and is feisty in spite of his small body frame. And he can also be a pretty good tease! He knows how to get his brothers irritated (especially Chase!) and seems to take pleasure in getting everything stirred up. Pierce can be more than persistent when he wants something....he loves to eat and can do so many times a day. He rarely tires of asking for something to snack on and the funny thing is that he almost always eats it....even though he eats rather slowly - choosing to nibble and watch the crazy dynamic around the table instead of focusing on his plate. He knows there will be time to request and graze some more in just a little while - he would hate to miss a chance to be silly after all. His most requested thing is see-weee-el (cereal) or pizza. He thinks he is too big for a nap, but if I paraphrase things to "just a rest" and spend some time reading books with him, he almost always crashes into a sweet sleep. Pierce is great at playing by himself and loves to draw or color....or as he puts it "do his homework" with the big boys. He colors well and stays in the lines and uses every crayon in the box! He is a great singer and has an amazing memory - he can learn the words to a song or Bible verse or book quickly. When the boys come home from school our quiet natured little boy changes into a loud and roaring lion - keeping up with the pack. It really is a crazy thing to see. He loves soccer, he loves spiderman and animals. He is already starting to wipe off kisses and laughs really hard when we act disappointed that he does it. He loves his baby brother and tries so hard to be gentle while he teaches him to wrestle and catch a ball :) He is a expert at drawing out bedtime. He wakes up happy. He is a great snuggler and overall just a sweet sweet boy. When he was born we sang to him "his" song and it is still true to this day. It goes like this:"Piersen Benjamin, such a special boy, such a special boy, such a special bo-oy...Piersen Benjamin, such a special boy...such a spec-ial boy - whoooo hoooo!"

Happy birthday little Pierce. We love you to the moon, to the stars, and back-pack :)

These Days: Coloring & Singing

2010-03-11T23:49:00.007-06:00

This is a common scene just outside my front window. A little boy who loves to be outside. A little boy who loves to color and draw. And a little boy who loves to sing. I am so blessed to be able to share these moments with my third and very special boy. We celebrate him today - on his 3rd birthday - and thank God for putting him in our family. Happy birthday Pierce! More birthday stuff to come soon...

Check out this sweet video that captures him doing all three together. His voice is so sweet, I love it! And take note of the ease with which he switches coloring hands from left to right, right to left...and the tongue action :) it is often found keeping rhythm to the flow of his coloring hand. Oh I love this kid!

Tummy Time!

2010-03-05T16:25:00.003-06:00

When tummy time gets a little wild and crazy due to the total participation of the troops.... (wouldn't this scene scare even you?!?)

We just all roll over and make a cute picture! :)

Time: Why Do You Move So Quickly?

2010-03-04T21:38:00.002-06:00

Hudson is 3 and a half months old, growing so much, and is getting more and more active by the day. I am realizing that the wonderful and amazing newborn stage of life is already a distant past... I love the stage Hudson is in (you kind of think whatever stage your kid is in is your favorite, right?) - he is so smiley and interactive and sweet - but my heart is also sentimental about the changes he is already going through. He would much rather be sitting upright, looking outward or be in a standing position than be snuggled in tight and cozy...although we can still find those times now and then! Hudson is a strong, and very alert little man. His bright eyes and his bright smile melt my heart a million times a day.

Believe me, I have had quite a few moments alone with this sweet baby, in the middle of the night, and I have reflected a whole lot on all the little things I love about brand new babes. Inspired by my blogging friend, Devin, I am going to write them down to always remember. It seriously is hard to believe how quickly these first months have passed. Hudson's arrival opened the floodgates of memories with the other three as newborns. Many things are so similar between all of my little ones and I am just so, so, thankful for each of them.

I hope to always remember these special things about my newborn sons:
~ the pride, joy, and sheer happiness of just having one of these perfect blessings in your arms - and the way everyone around you reacts too :)
~ that sweet new baby smell - their skin, their hair, even their drool/spit up kinda has a special smell
~ the waking up stretch where they seem like they are extending themselves completely but really it is just their little bottom and their head that stick way out...everything else is crunched into a little ball, and it takes so much effort to open their eyes
~ the fuzzy white hair along their body
~ the little bit of extra loose skin that is just waiting to be filled out
~ those early days of trying to change a diaper when their natural reflex is to stay in the fetal position and you've gotta pull those little legs down, all the while taking such care around the umbilical chord and circumcision... and trying to hurry before the fountain sprays up and out :) Hudson happened to be the very best at surprising us with the spray.
~ the peaceful sleep - so heavy that you simply cannot seem to have success in waking them up
~ their super warm bodies cuddled close to mine
~ the smile while they sleep - there is nothing as innocent and pure as this...I could watch it for a long, long time without getting bored :)
~ their ability to fall asleep at anytime, anywhere and to just rest deeply - even if they are moved
~ how quickly they began to "chub up" and the adorable little rolls began to form :)
~ the natural sucking reflex - I especially love it when they suck until the pressure forms and then they rest and slowly start sucking again
~ the baby sneezes, and yawns, and the little chin quiver when they cry
~ the absolute sense of awe and love when you hold them and realize they are yours and that they totally depend on you for everything
~ the tiny little sounds that they make when they nurse - pure contentment with a full tummy
~ the rhythm of patting them on the back for the burp - and the way we would always gently lay our boys down and then raise them back up and over the shoulder to help get that air bubble up and out
~ the sitting on your knee burping position - where your hand holds up their little face/cheeks as they rest forward against your hand
~ when the smiles begin to come, my favorite is when they are latched on but smile at the same time...look up at you with their big blue eyes, pause and then continue on sucking
~ how little, in the beginning, their faces look with a pacifier in their mouth - and just how too quickly that all balances out - now, sweet Hudson, specifically, does not care for the thing (the only one of our boys)- and we try and try to make him like it but he will take it - almost only if his Mommy (the only one who knows how to do it just right) will tuck a cozy blanket under his chin and by his cheek to "hold it in place" while he lazily sucks on it
~ I love the sudden jerky arm movements that seem so uncontrolled until they slowly gain that ability and seem to go cross eyed as that huge tightly clenched little fist comes into plain view
~ the long, beautiful eyelashes that so nicely compliment each of their big, bright blue eyes.
~ their oh so soft bald heads
~ the weight of them sleeping in the crook of my arm or on my chest
~ the swaddle!
~ with each additional child my additional clauosterphobic tendencies during nursing times (when it seems like all the brothers want to be near and close and cuddly with new baby and me - ahhhhhhhhhh)
~ and so on......

I know that I don't want time to stand still in reality - of course, I want Hudson to grow and develop and reach milestones....but if time could just slow down a little, I wouldn't complain.

Dear Father in Heaven,
Thank you for the amazing gift of newborn children - for the miracle of allowing us to participate in creation, and to hold and care for and love them from the very beginning. I thank you for Hudson and for the true blessing he is to our family...for the special bond I feel with him as my fourth son. For his smiles that melt my heart so many times a day. I even thank you for his cries that remind me how dependent he is on us. Give us energy and patience and tenderness and so much wisdom to raise him well. I don't want to ever take for granted the gift of each stage of my children's lives - help me to fully cherish each day, each milestone, each new development. And thank You already for the grace that covers and cleanses when we fall short of being the parents, the examples, the models You call us to be. Tonight, I praise You and thank You for my boys. Amen

Its Last Day

2010-03-03T11:15:00.003-06:00

Okay, I am the Mom of 4 boys so, unfortunately for Walmart and Target, I have saved a whole lot of everything over the years to pass along to each of them. It didn't take me long to learn that once hitting the older years - like 3+ it is rather unlikely that anything in the way of shoes, or pants is ever going to survive past even one kid, let alone be used as a hand me down. These boys wear the stuff out! But the younger sizes - oh ya - we use and use and use! So imagine my surprise when I dressed Hudson in this little sleeper and a little later in the evening noticed a few little problems. Not sure how - no walking is happening yet to wear a hole in the toe, but there are some very obvious ones happening! Check out his adorable little curly toes! This hand me down has seen its last day!

These Days: Slobbery Smiles

2010-03-02T13:06:00.001-06:00

We can't get enough of these bubbly, slobbery smiles of our sweet boy!

I Am Proud To Be A Canadian!

2010-02-28T22:31:00.002-06:00

Ever since I can remember I have been a huge fan of the Olympics - both winter and summer, but especially winter! Living in Mexico doesn't lend itself, naturally, to many opportunities to follow Winter Olympic coverage. That made me sad. I love the sports, I love the medal presentations, I love the national anthems, I love the opening and closing ceremonies, I love the flags, I love the human spirit, I love the stories of inspiration behind the athletes, I love the hard work and competition, I love the looks of determination and of victory, I love the information about the culture of the host country...I love it all! A lot of emotions can be experienced during the games :) Although we didn't get great coverage of the events these past 2 weeks...we watched what little we could and felt so thankful today to be able to watch the gold medal hockey game and the closing ceremonies. I am proud to be a Canadian. I am proud of all of our medals and especially the gold ones :) I just think it is pretty cool to remember my great Canada and all it has to offer! Apparently, my son is just like me because tonight Chase literally broke down into a heap of tears. I thought it was because we told him it was bedtime but then he hugged me and blubbered, "but I don't want the Olympics to be over!" Too sweet. My boys loved watching all the winter sports and had more questions to ask than I ever knew possible. It was fun to experience this with them ~ blew my mind when I began to tell them how old they will each be the next time the winter Olympics roll around. Craziness. But until then - good job Team Canada! Love you!

Hide and Seek

2010-02-25T10:27:00.002-06:00

I am so tired this morning....a few bad nights in a row regarding sleep. So imagine my appreciation towards Piersen when, after getting the older two boys out the door and off to school, I begin to tackle the necessary job of bathing Hudson. Thankfully, he loves to be in the water so it was a nice quiet moment between him and I - the door closed, the heater on so it was nice and toasty warm, Hudson was smiling. As quick as it often happens, Pierce barges in so as not to miss any of the action. He wants to crawl up there and be apart of it all...I am wanting to finish before Hudson gets cold. I remind Pierce that he needs to close the door so it stays warm inside when he announces - with his toddler enthusiasm - "let's play hide and seek". Unfortunately, my first response was to interrupt his joy with "not right now buddy I need...." BUT before I could get a word in I heard him announce "I'm gonna hide right here".... (he normally has a pretty accurate concept of the game, so this surprised me). I just went with the flow...continued on with Hudson - taking my turn at announcing my hiding spot (which was exactly where I had been standing this whole time)...Piersen hid his eyes, counted to 10 in spanish, and was soooo very pleased to find me easily before he took his turn hiding again (also, in the same place he had hidden the previous time - which, mind you, required no effort on my part to even turn around!) This went on several rounds and I realized the gift my sweet son gave me this morning - an effortless energy-less game....exactly what I needed...and apparently all he needed too!! Thanks Pierce!

Hungry Hudson

2010-02-19T16:23:00.000-06:00

Hudson received these silver spoons and fork as a baby gift from his Bear & Honey! I snapped a few pics to send them a "thank you" and I thought they turned out soooo cute with his chubby tummy and his serious look about e-a-t-i-n-g...then his content smile. The boy is already a healthy eater (as evidenced by his fine physique!) and as quickly as time seems to be flying it won't be long until he is eating solids.

1 for 4 Fish Update

2010-02-18T17:51:00.003-06:00

For those of you who are curious about our pet fish dilemma, well....it isn't going so well.

Chase's first fish died and was replaced right around the time Reece's fish began to look a little, shall we say, tilted to one side. Reece's fish held on for days but eventually gave up the fight and stopped puckering.

All the while, Pierce's fish swims strong, much to his dismay (simply because he wants the special trip to the pet store to pick out a new one - no loyalty here!)

And within days, Chase's new zippy little fish was apparently too zippy and ran out of zip. Yes, it is true, he died too. So 0 for 2 for Chase! He handled the loss a little better this time around.

All the while, Pierce's fish swims strong, much to his dismay.

My conclusion: I told my sweet husband we would have been financially better off to spend the 85 pesos on the water drops that he refused to purchase when they tried to sell them to us at the pet store - maybe it would have saved us in the long run....but what do I know? :)

Good thing: the "replacing the fish activity" is not mentioned too any times anymore so we haven't made it a priority yet to follow through. In the meantime, Pierce's eats really well and seems just as healthy as can be. Go fish go!

Cute Chaser Quotes

2010-02-17T11:10:00.004-06:00

Here are a few cute things that have been said around here lately....worth remembering! As you will see, Chase is a part of all of these conversations. He is quite the boy!! I am sure there will be many more in the future but enjoy these for now...

Chase: "Mom, me and Hudson are gonna be best brothers forever...wanna know why?...because we rubbed noses" :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me (after the boys had just showered and jammied up): "Wow boys, I love you guys when you are all clean and smell good."

Chase: "So you mean you don't love us when we are dirty?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chase (after receiving repeat instructions too many times without an obedient response on his part....slapping his hand to his head and a pathetic, sad look on his face): "grrrrrr....it's just that my head never remembers to do what it should!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me (after reading the boys a bedtime Bible story of the Prodigal Son): "So, see guys, isn't it so good that even when we do wrong, God is like a Father and still comes to give us a big hug and tell us He loves us?"

Chase: "well Mooooom, how can God give us a hug when we are down here and He is waaaayyyy up there?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chase (cutting out different clothing articles for his homework): "I am gonna cut out this dress"

Pierce: "what's a dress?"

Chase: "its clothes that girls wear. But just girls. Mommy's don't wear dresses, just girls do"

(oops - guess we aren't very formal around here!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chase(at the dinner table, asking in a very sincere way): "Mom, why don't you ever let Dad make our food?"" Ha,ha,ha

Me: "I sure wish he would."

Benjy: "Ummmm, I don't know how to cook anything."

(Riiiigggghhhht - that must be it :)

Love Day!

2010-02-16T16:53:00.006-06:00

We had a fun Valentine's weekend....a nice time with family and friends. Lots of lovin'! The boys are quick learners and have begun to plead for candy or cookies on the basis of what "special" day it is. We didn't have nearly as much sweet stuff around as at Christmas or Easter but they asked their fair share of times anyway. We made some cookies, we made some valentine cards so I grabbed the opportunity to take advantage of this rare occasion to pull out a little bit of pink paper :) We exchanged some small gifts like flowers, chocolate, candy and a little game for the kids. And, as always, I had the camera along to capture the moments.

Flowers from my one true love!

A "hugs and kisses" game for my sweet boys. We have already gotten quite a bit of mileage out of this one! :)

My little "You are mine, Valentine's":

Chase - this is the updated version of his smashed up face - the bruise got quite a bit worse than that first day.

Reece - the strongest boy in our bunch!

Pierce - he requested to do his own hair..."with spikey's like a dinosaur please!"

Hudson - who can be all smiles when he wants to be!

We made some valentine cookies for the boys' teachers....and we snuck a few ourselves too :)

Making valentine cards for the kids in our house church group on Sunday morning.

Hope your day was full of love too! Happy Valentine's Day 2010!!

Not Forgotten

2010-02-12T22:06:00.003-06:00

Just a few short and simple words tonight as I remember that 2 years ago today we learned of the loss of our first baby to miscarriage. That little one forever changed me and has not been forgotten - even in the middle of holding a happy, coo-ing and beautiful baby in our arms tonight. I am thankful that the connection I felt with that unborn child has not been dismissed - that the deep love for a child, appreciation for the miracle of life, and the sting of loss were fully experienced in those days and still linger in my memories and in our hearts.

Just last week Chase had to make a presentation in front of his class about his family tree. He came home from school that day and sadly told me that we had forgotten to put our 2 babies on the poster. It made me smile to realize that those sweet babies even reached into the lives of their older brothers...and I am thankful for that.

Tonight, I remember, with a smile on my face our sweet little one - not known or held, but very, very loved.

In Time for Valentine's Day

2010-02-11T10:25:00.003-06:00

To avoid the CONSTANT disagreement for a certain colored plate or cup at mealtimes I mistakingly shared a childhood rhyming game with my boys that me and my siblings played when we were young. You simply rhyme colors with words, like "white, white - let's not fight".....but, especially with boys, it normally & quickly downslides into something like...."red, red - you peed the bed" or "yellow, yellow - you're a stinky fellow".

Although Pierce is rapidly becoming "all boy" and also giggles at potty humor and even initiates it at times, some sweetness still remains. His favorite "rhyme" as of late is... "pink, pink - I love you!" Smile!

What A Week!!!

2010-02-10T12:19:00.003-06:00

We have had an interesting past few days in respect to health and safety! Things began on a good note for Hudson. We took him in for a check up after just a plain old horrible week of nights with him. He was waking every 1 - 2 hours and I was exhausted by the time the weekend was approaching. We had been suspecting that he maybe had acid reflux, as he was showing some similar signs to what Chase had as a baby. Our good pediatrician confirmed it and assured us that that things would be much better with a bit of medication. Although I feel bad for Hudson, knowing that he wasn't getting good rest due to pain, I m thankful now that he can find some relief and hopefully begin to feel better. By the first night he was doing a whole lot better (like a 4 - 5 hour stretch) of this....

sweet sleep!

Then Sunday morning rolled around and we headed off to church. We meet in the home of Fer and Cristi's and had been all enjoying coffee and sweet bread when we heard "the cry" (you know, the cry in your kid that immediately signals something more serious). Chase left the back room holding his hand above his eye as the blood from his gash spilled into his Daddy's hands. It did not take us long to realize he would need to be seen because it looked pretty deep. There had been some car parts (a motor or brakes or something - metal anyway) and Chase slipped and smashed his forehead into it. Off to the ER we went. Chase stopped crying and by the time we were at the hospital he was a happy boy! They got him set up for stitches and Chase was super duper brave - not a tear shed, even as they stuck the shot in the wound to locally freeze it. We were very proud of him and I believe he walked out of the ER a few inches taller than when he walked in! He needed 2 stitches deep inside and then they sealed it all up with glue. Amazingly, the wound doesn't look too bad.

Fast forward to Tuesday...soccer practice for the boys. Chase is out on the field after warm up, doing their exercises when suddenly - pow - while running he crashes into someones head and requires an ice pack to bring down the bruise and swelling on the other side of his face. He was back on the field before too long.....just looking like a wounded warrior that's all! What a boy!

And guess what tomorrow is???? School pictures!!!! Poor kid - looks pretty rough and tumble!

35 Young

2010-02-10T11:55:00.002-06:00

We celebrated my 35 years of life on the 28th of January. Reflecting on that is actually pretty fun. I have been given a life full of blessings, a great family, many amazing friends, the love of my life and beautiful kids. I have been given many really good life experiences and I just feel rich. The cool thing too, is that I have, hopefully, many great years ahead of me. So, happy birthday to me :)

I had a really special day with my family and friends. I was gifted with some time for me - breakfast with my sweet friend, Erin, and a 1 hour massage (that was a gift certificate from Benjy for Mother's Day in 2008 believe it or not - I guess that shows the busy stage of life I am in - BUT I made time for it on this day and LOVED it!). Also snuck off to the movies with Benj in the eve. Received lots of love from my boys....and a very special gift from Benjy. It is special to me - yes - because of what it is...but even moreso because of the thoughtfulness behind it. Years ago I thought it would be neat to have something for my necklace that represented our little boys. Years later, Benjy remembered that and looked high and low to find the perfect thing....then went and had each of their initials and birth dates engraved on the back. I love it and appreciate it so much. Don't I have a good man?!

Ummmm, Thanks Reece???

2010-02-09T14:24:00.000-06:00

What is happening to our firstborn? His personality continues to develop and it must be said that the boy enjoys joking around. He can be a goof! As of late, he has taught all of his brothers the age old childhood game of "no means yes - yes means no"! The hilarious thing is that Reece is convinced that it was HIS invention and won't be told otherwise.

As if my life isn't crazy enough raising these 4 kids - now I get to decipher their communication games....and I'll just say this, the game doesn't work in all contexts, but they think it does! Pierce is quick to play too so, for example, when I ask..."Piersen, do you need to use the potty?" he quickly responds, "no, but no means yes" Or, Chase "please pick up your toys..." and he responds "I already did but yes means no". So to say the least, we are doing double duty in our communicating these days - just to be sure I am "getting" what they are actually saying. Grrrrr.... Thanks a lot Reece!

Tree Climbin'

2010-02-09T13:42:00.003-06:00

One morning when me and the two little ones were outside enjoying a beautiful day, Pierce decided he was ready to climb a tree! So I told him to choose one to conquer and away he went. The joy on his face and the giggles that came from him were priceless. He needed a small boost at one point but he made it (we won't mention how close to the ground he still remained - ha - because in his little heart he had climbed Mt. Everest)

The Smiley Faces of Hudson

2010-02-09T13:29:00.003-06:00

Life is fun when you have a smiley baby! We have loved this fun stage of interaction with sweet Hudson - the boys love to make him smile and as you can see he doesn't disappoint :)

Here is our boy at his 2 month (January 16th) picture!

A Lot of TLC

2010-02-09T13:09:00.002-06:00

Maybe not so Tender. We may need to change the acronym to Tough but Loving Care as it seems to be a bit of a competition over who can get closer and be more cuddly with little Huds. He will have to be a tough one to endure it all!

Note: there was no small baby hurt in the taking of these photos. I promise :)

He's A Keeper!

2010-02-03T12:27:00.003-06:00

A few days ago Chase came into the room and stated the following:

Chase: "Mom, Hudson is a saver isn't he?"

Me (not sure if he was saying "saver" or "savior"): "what do you mean Chase"

Chase: "Hudson is a saver....like we won't ever give him away, right?"

Me: "aahhhhh, yes, of course - Hudson is a keeper! yes, he is a keeper!

Guess Which Hand?

2010-02-02T12:03:00.001-06:00

Lately, Pierce has been playing "which hand is it in"....the problem is he ALWAYS has something in both hands when he asks...(hasn't quite captured the concept) but this time, it was just toooooo funny!

"You got a fwend in me, yes you do!" Otherwise entitled: when the big boys are away, the little ones play!

2010-02-01T00:25:00.003-06:00

When Reece and Chase headed back to school after Christmas break, Pierce had a little more space to step into his "big brother" role...and oh what fun he has had. While the big boys are away, the little ones play. One of my favorite things as of late is to hear Piersen's little voice (it is the sweetest around!) saying, "Hudson, wanna pway wiff me? wanna pway?" and then if Hudson makes any minimal movement at all (his arm, his head, his foot) Pierce yells - "Mommy, he said yes, he said yes!"

So Pierce pushes all the buttons and does all the entertaining while Hudson smiles and soaks it all in. These two are bound to share a special relationship. I have often caught Pierce singing to him, what he has called "that's my song!"...so I recorded it, check it out!! (in case you can't make out what he is singing, it is "you've got a friend in me, yes you do...you've got a friend in me, yes you do".....)

Our mornings are a little less hectic and crazy and I am thankful for the chance to enjoy my two babies :)

A Tale of 3 Kings, 3 Boys, 3 Fish & 3 Regrets...

2010-01-30T16:53:00.005-06:00

In Mexico, the 6th of January is a special day - it is called Dia de Reyes (Three Kings Day) and it honors the three kings who brought gifts to baby Jesus. The kids look forward to the gifts they will receive from the three kings.

We decided, this year, to give our boys something small from the 3 Kings...BUT although it seemed ideal at the time, I wish the three kings had convinced me of a better idea :) You see, I simply went to the pet store and chose a small betta fish for each of the older three (no basic goldfish available!) I felt that with all of the "taking care of" that I was doing these days...it would be sweet for them to have a little fish to take care of on their own (not that I am equating Hudson to a betta fish or anything!)

Well, as it has turned out, the boys were pretty excited about their little fish and proceeded to ask to feed them, oh, let's say...every 5 minutes (wait....maybe they are just like Hudson - ha,ha) Obviously, I didn't give them free reign on that, but sadly, none of the fish wanted to eat...EVER. So, sadly, we pretty quickly had three disheartened little boys. And...

Meet: Cosmo, Golden, and Spike

...before too long we had our first floating upside down fish (Cosmo) Of course, as fate would have it, it just so happened to be Chase's fish - the kid who would naturally care the most and take it the hardest. He cried his eyes out...he was so heartbroken (yes, they apparently formed an incredibly deep attachment within about 8 days!) Poor kid. He came to grips with it and was comforted by the idea of being able to pick out a new one in the following days.

And the drama continues when Pierce learned that Chase was gonna go to the pet store and select his very own new fish. Whereas Chase developed a very rapid loyalty to his first pet, Piersen had the extreme opposite reaction...eager to flush his alive and healthy fish down the toilet so that he, too, could make that journey to the pet store. He actually cried louder and much, much longer about the reality that that wasn't an option for him.

So, Chase has his new fish - a zippy little thing - named Spikey, I think - and Chase felt like the most special guy on the face of the planet as he marched out of the store with his new fish in hand (the look on his face made this all worth it!).

In other developments...looks like Reece's fish is maybe doing his last laps around the fish bowl - very slowly and in a very vertical like, awkward position. I am expecting a death announcement promptly... Which creates another issue for Pierce - whose fish is eating and looking the best of all three - still, and to his dismay. And I guess can only mean another trip to the pet store for a replacement fish for Reece....aghhhhh.

So my 3 regrets?
1) buying three fish :)
2) starting this whole replacement thing - I think each boy gets one replacement and then the madness stops! wouldn't you agree?
3) having three separate fish bowls to clean out (b/c betta fish can't be together!)

You live and you learn...I seriously think I - scratch that - the 3 Kings- should've gone with the other idea and got them 1 snake!

R, C, P & H

2010-01-27T18:37:00.003-06:00

These have become some of my favorite letters of the alphabet :) Their Auntie Betsy lovingly made them each a monogramed shirt...we ended out 2009 wearing them and celebrating the entrance of 2010. Happy New Year to all - may 2010 be full of growth, grace, and goodness.

"The" Picture

2010-01-26T16:50:00.007-06:00

It's that time again...

When Reece was 6 weeks old we had some family pictures made and we really liked one in particular so we ordered it. When Chase was 6 weeks old we tried to replicate the picture - and Chaser wore the same clothes and lay on the same blanket that had been in the picture with baby Reece. And...you guessed...we did the same with Piersen at 6 weeks old. Same age. Same blanket. Same clothes. (same parents - haha) So...now when Hudson became 6 weeks old it was time to take "the" picture again. I have so enjoyed these pictures and I am thankful I kept up the tradition...it has created a lot of conversation when we have people over...and it is often noted how similar each baby looks at the same age.

First, a candid of the star of the photo and then the crew of boys that I call mine!! Scroll down to see all of the pictures together...

And here we have it: "the" family picture featuring our 6 week old Hudson! Below you can see all of the other pics that preceded this one. What I like to refer to as our collage of the growing family...

The Growing Family...

The new addition: Reece Samuel

The new addition: Chase Lambert

The new addition: Piersen Benjamin

The new addition: Hudson John

We are so incredibly blessed and we recognize that and voice it to God often!

Father,
I thank You today for 4 beautiful, healthy children and for the family I have been given. I am reminded of the honor and joy it is to participate in raising them, alongside the love of my life, to become men of God. I don't think we ever imagined how rich this experience would be - and we ask for wisdom and guidance in our decisions and the way we teach, discipline, and direct their precious lives. Thank You for my incredible husband - for the good father he is to Reece, Chase, Piersen, and Hudson. I give all 5 of them to You today and ask You to give us a long life together as a family.
Amen.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-26T13:43:00.009-06:00

Our Christmas season was full of fun and festivity this year. Although we were not with family during the 24th or 25th - we were oh so very grateful for having both Grandma (before Christmas) and Mimi (after Christmas) to be with us "around" the holiday season. Our Christmas was wonderfully peaceful and cozy. We were thankful to not be traveling (although the down side to that was obviously not being around all of our families). It was nice to be at home and to have a calm and relaxing time with the boys. Without a doubt - we were celebrating that we had our fourth little boy around the tree with us, enjoying his first Christmas - and I think we'd all agree that Hudson is our favorite gift! Although I took a whole lot of pictures in December, here is a small taste of what our holidays looked like. Again, it can not be said enough times that my Mom and Mary Beth were such a blessing and helped make everything a little brighter - and saner - during this crazy time of life :) Thank you beautiful ladies :)

Decorating the tree!

Part of our Christmas fun included making

a gingerbread house...due to a newborn in the

house, this was a project that was done in

steps and the fun lasted several nights

before it was all done!

Our Christmas eve kiddos! My 4, Kate & Caleb.

So thankful to share our traditional Christmas eve dinner with our

dearest friends, James and Erin Henderson (Kate & Caleb)

and Beth (behind the camera in this shot!)

Celebrating with Christmas carols & sparklers.

There is Beth - we were glad she came back to visit!

Baby Hudson's first Christmas! He was alert and smiling about it!

Christmas eve jammies - a special gift

from Auntie Char. The boys were quite excited for all the fun!

Our tradition of Daddy reading his boys

Twas The Night Before Christmas - this

year his lap was nice and full - we are so blessed!!

Christmas morning family snapshot!

In all the excitement of opening gifts, Reecer lost another tooth!!

(I think he was trying to rip open the package containing his lego set!)

Mimi spoiled these boys rotten!

Hope your Christmas was a special time for you and yours and that 2010 brings lots of growth, grace and goodness!

Draw Near To God And He Will Draw Near To You

2010-01-21T22:24:00.003-06:00

I was asked by an old high school friend to write an article for one of our Canadian Christian magazines. I was thankful for the opportunity because I love to write and it helps me to think through things. With the New Year and all the changes in our family, I didn't exactly sit down and write out a specific list of New Year's Resolutions...in fact I am not always sure I like specific resolutions. But, I do like new beginnings (thank God we have them every day if not every minute as I need them a lot!!) and I like any chance to think of how to be better, do better, love better, parent better, share better, apologize better, and so on...

I got to thinking that likely many of you who do read my blog (even though, as I am finding out, don't EVER leave comments - shame on you Beth!) are young Mom's just like me. I thought maybe my thoughts and reflections might encourage you in this New Year. Take a look...

Drawing Near Through the Seasons of Life.

I grew up in Saskatchewan and now that I am away from the definite changing of seasons, I find myself really missing the cold winters, the newness of spring, the warm summers and the beautiful colors of fall. Mexico City stays green all year long and although the temperatures fluctuate some and there is a definite rainy season, it just isn't the same. You may be chuckling at this and wishing you were here with me because you are in the middle of cold, windy, wintery temperatures, but believe me, you too would miss the snow! Sometimes you don't know how much something means to you until it is gone.

This thing called "life" also seems to present us with different seasons. Although I still consider myself quite young and I do recognize that I have many important life stages to yet experience, I feel like I have learned some important things in my young 35 years. The season of life that I am in right now is a rewarding one. I am a young mother - with 4 young children - all boys, believe it or not. Reece (6), Chase (5), Piersen (2) and Hudson (2 months) have given my husband and I the blessing of becoming parents. We are up to our elbows in disciplining, potty training, setting limits, delivering consequences, reinforcing manners, and ref-er-eering wrestling matches. There is no doubt that it is a fun and crazy time of life!

My life was not always filled with this type of responsibility or noise! Not too long ago, as a student, a missionary apprentice, or even a new wife - I had a lot more time to frame and strengthen my faith through the typical "spiritual disciplines". I remember having a Bible reading plan that I was disciplined at sticking with. I remember having quiet time and solitude in prayer. I remember having a circle of friends with whom I studied and talked with and grew spiritually with. I was drawing near to God and He was drawing near to me - just as James 4:8 promises.

Although my season of life has changed since those days - God has not changed from His original desire to be in relationship with me. I must admit that it has not always been an easy journey...but yet I have slowly learned that "drawing near to God" does not always have to look the same in every season of life. God is bigger than any Bible reading plan or regularly scheduled devotional time. Yes - He may use those in our lives to draw us closer to Him - and I believe He does, but I also believe He uses other ways. I am thankful that God's grace looks at our hearts. That He recognizes our desires. That He understands the burdens and obstacles we may have regarding "time" in our day.

I believe that God is pleased with me when I remind myself that I am in a unique and beautiful season of life - that He just might sense me "drawing near to Him" when I have a sink full of dirty dishes - and I simply choose to serve with a humble attitude and sing praises to Him in the quiet of my kitchen as my little ones sleep in their beds. Or maybe He senses me "drawing near to Him" when I arise yet another time in the middle of the night to feed my new baby and I choose to reflect on His goodness to me and the ways He has blessed me. Do I open my Bible regularly these days? Honestly, no. Do I have a regularly carved out time in my day of devotion and prayer? No. Have I studied deeply the Word of God lately. No. But, perhaps, on a more appropriate level for this season of life...I have been called to answer simple questions from my boys about who God is and what He might look like. Or why certain things happened in a particular Bible story. I have more than enough opportunities to pray for patience as I mother them - or to pray for their protection and safety. To ask God for wisdom as we seek to raise them to be solid, good men who love God. Am I drawing near to God in this season? I would have to say "yes!"

Is there room in my spiritual journey to grow in my dependence on Him? Without a doubt! However, this year - 2010 - I am choosing to spend less time evaluating my relationship with God through the same old lense that I used to use and am hoping to redefine spiritual growth in the framework of my current season of life. I believe I am still called to draw near to Him - being a Mom of young children does not excuse that - but it does call me to acknowledge that God is after my heart more than my habits.

Perhaps there is a need for you to do the same for yourself. What unique season of life do you find yourself in? Is there a need for you to redefine your framework for spiritual growth. Might you need to remind yourself that God is a God who desires to draw near to you...and then begin finding fresh and creative ways to challenge yourself to draw near to Him. I hope so. And I hope that you are richly rewarded in your journey with Him in this season, and the next.

The Handsome Hudson

2010-01-19T19:08:00.001-06:00

Yes, he is handsome...but I have also told him more than once...like lots more than once: "looks aren't everything boy, start acting right please." :)

Just Because...

2010-01-19T18:49:00.001-06:00

It is a fairly rare occassion that a Mom shows up in a picture...but this time I did...and I happen to love the picture of me and my Piersen...so I am posting it...just because I want to!

1 Month!

2010-01-19T13:48:00.003-06:00

Little Hudson is already 1 month old (Dec. 16). With each of my boys I took a picture every month of their first year of life beside something special and stationary to show their growth. The "toy" of choice for Hudson is the big yellow dump truck! Here he is...growin' up so fast! What a sweet load he is :)

Adjusting to Four...

2010-01-19T08:00:00.003-06:00

I am the kind of girl who is determined to get a good picture - I love photographing my kids - I usually don't stop until I get one I am happy with (just ask my boys!). I think I deserve some kind of trophy or at least honorable mention for getting all of them to look at the camera and smile their smiles (ha! I have them trained...and they have learned by now that the quicker they co-operate the quicker they run free...it usually happens without bribing, altho I confess that in desperate times I have had to resort to that!)

Adding another boy to our mix has created some really great photo opps. It has not been an adjustment to my camera - it has captured some pretty sweet moments. Such as these...

But...back to the adjustment part...The older three have been very accepting and very sweet to their new baby brother. Sure, we need to remind Pierce he can't lean on him or use Hudson as something to push up off of when he wants to hug or kiss him. But overall, there hasn't been any direct drama from the older ones. Yes, we have noticed that they have had some more sensitive moments - but it is hard to decipher if that is because of Hudson's arrival or because of being on vacation, out of routine, and away from good sleeping hours.

During this pregnancy we had heard from others that the adjustment to four would be no big deal. After all, once you are outnumbered with 3, you hardly notice that there is another one. But...let's be honest...we would have to disagree. Yes, we have had a lot of sweet moments, but in these first weeks of life our little Hudson has been doing a whole lot of this....

And has not been so great at doing this...

So although he has not followed the pattern of the other boys as being "such an easy baby" - I just chalk it up to the fact that he does NOT want to get lost in the shuffle or slip through the cracks. He wants to be sure we know he is around and that he matters. And, oh, yes he does! There is a lot of love for this sweet boy and we are very thankful for him. I am pretty much certain that this adjustment period will pass quickly and the memories that will rise to the surface are going to be ones like these...

Chase is 5!!

2010-01-16T12:55:00.026-06:00

Amidst all of the new baby activity, holiday celebrating, and family visitors....how could we possibly overlook the special celebration of Chase's life!! Our Chaser turned 5 on December 2 - and this super boy is crazy about superheroes!! So we celebrated...as requested by the birthday boy - with a Batman party!

The cake and the jell-o!

We invited all of his classmates and other special friends to party with us! We had a wonderful time - and the kids flew off in a special cape that Grandma lovingly made for Chase and his friends.

The very happy birthday boy!

My favorite superheroes! (as you can see the

birthday boy got the special Batman cape)

Our littlest guy - we just couldn't leave him out

even tho he slept through all of the action!!

The pinata, of course!

And...blowing out the cake!

Mordida, mordida... (for some strange reason,

the highlight to every birthday cake!)

The guilty party smiling on!

Chase is quite the boy! He is unique and passionate and lives life to the fullest. He is sensitive and caring - and also fiery and full of zest. He holds a special place in our family. He is so sweet to his Mommy, looks up to his Daddy, holds his big brother in awe and loves his little brothers unendingly. No, he isn't perfect....he sometimes struggles with sharing...or with listening to instructions the first time. But he receives discipline well and always acts better after. He has a tender heart and in his time recognizes his wrong and sincerely apologizes. He can tease his brothers quite skillfully and when he gets hurt he is rather dramatic. But he is also the first to pick me a flower or to say he likes what I made for dinner. He often wants to hold his baby brother. He doesn't like to get cleaned up in the bath/shower. He is often the last to fall asleep at bedtime and the first awake in the morning. He loves cereal and would eat it at every meal if allowed. He likes space and rockets. He is a perfectionist when it comes to drawing - often gets frustrated with himself it doesn't look just as he wants it to. He likes sports and wants to play them all someday. He runs fast and is built like an athlete. Chase is a bright kid and is learning to read and spell words. It is fun to watch him discover and learn. He has the most contagious laugh and it is not unusual to see him fall on the floor when he really gets laughing. The boy is growing like a weed and is quickly leaving all of his current clothes behind (either because of holes in the knees or because they are just too small). He is famous in our household for not being able to find his shoes. He is also famous for throwing his clothes up in the air and then not being able to locate them. He lives life at his own pace and it does not seem to help anyone to try to prod him along. What else can be said about this sweet little man. He is special. He is very much loved. And he is mine. Happy birthday Chaser!

My New Blanket!

2010-01-16T12:46:00.008-06:00

Not everything is handed down! My Grandma made this very special blanket...just for me! I feel her love from every stitch (or what do you call something that is knitted?!?)

Hand Me Downs?!?!

2010-01-16T12:39:00.001-06:00

Being the fourth boy, Hudson is in for a life of hand-me-downs....but even in diapers?! I think we forgot how fast a newborn flies through these things...realizing one morning that we were out! Luckily, we had an old one of Piersen's still lying around (not used of course - haha)so it did the trick until we could run out and re-stock on the newborn size!

Another Anniversary!

2010-01-16T12:28:00.001-06:00

The one who can make me laugh like no other!

Happy Anniversary!

We celebrated another year of marriage on the 28th...that makes 11 years of mostly ups and a few downs! I am thankful for the journey we have been on...and even more thankful for what lies ahead - I love you babe.

My Mom

2010-01-16T12:20:00.000-06:00

My wonderful Mom came and spent nearly a month with us. The timing was perfect because she was with us just a little bit of time before Hudson arrived - she was here to help with the older boys while we were in the hospital - and she was here for several weeks afterwards as we begin the adjustment to a new baby around the house.

My mom is a special lady - she has so much energy - combined with a work ethic like none other - and so, naturally, we benefited from her servant spirit. She was great with the kids too so we all felt a lot spoiled! Her unending patience and willingness to do whatever needed to be done was so appreciated.

I feel especially blessed when I realize that she has spent this special time with our family during the birth of each of our boys. That is a lot of time added up when you combine them all! Thank you so much Mom - we love you so much and miss you like crazy!

A Thankful Thanksgiving

2010-01-15T22:05:00.009-06:00

This year for American Thanksgiving, we decided to show our gratitude to the many friends that we have grown to love in this big City. In years past, we have usually been out of town for Thanksgiving - at our annual missionary retreat. We were thankful to be able to be here this year and wanted to invite the many people who have touched our lives here in Mexico over the years. The men took care of their traditional turduken (chicken stuffed inside a duck which is stuffed inside a turkey! a ton of work but sooo sooo tasty!)- and made two this year. We believe that we served between 60 and 70 people throughout that night. Many of the other American friends brought their favorite traditional dishes and we had plenty of food to go around. Our Mexican friends seemed to enjoy it all!

And, of course, we were more than thankful to be able to have family with us this year. Benjy's Mom, Mary Beth, and his brother Burke and girlfriend - and our friend - Stacey - were able to join us to celebrate both the arrival of Hudson as well as Thanksgiving. And, my Mom was also still with us. We had a really fun week all of us together - playing games, entertaining the many small children in this household, cooking and just hanging out.

And, of course, I am clearly so very very thankful for my four boys and the good man beside me!

Coming Home!

2010-01-09T00:02:00.003-06:00

After ensuring that this was our baby and filling out all of the paperwork, loading up all of the stuff (we seemed to leave with a whole lot more than we arrived at the hospital with) we brought the little man home! What a feeling - really - to leave the hospital with such a prize! Such a meaningful event for us...celebrating the healthy arrival of our baby...smiling and beaming with pride as we exited those doors.

Pierce was the only big brother at home to receive Hudson since the other two were still in school. He was very interested to see him in the car seat and actually come into our home. Pretty cute!

This boy will surely teach us lots of new things - look at him - he is alert and ready to instruct already :)

So...here we go...family of 6! Four little ones. Four boys. Yeah! Let the crazy bliss begin!

Our first family picture with all of us!

Introductions!

2010-01-08T23:44:00.008-06:00

Due to the hectic circumstances of Hudson's arrival, my first chance to hold my sweet son came in the wee hours of the night...in the nursery (so no cameras allowed). Initially, my nurse told me I was not going to be able to see him until morning...but as nice as a woman who just went through labor and feels the God-given right to see her own child can be...I gently convinced her that...I-was-going-to-see-my-baby-tonight!! Benjy and I were able to spend an hour or so alone with the little guy - holding and feeding him...marvelling at just exactly how he looked and smelled. Precious.

The next morning, when Hudson was released to my room, the camera begin to snap :) Our first officially recorded moments with the newest member of the Brednich gang! The boys were so thrilled to see him and hold him and rub his head. New parents, Grandma and all 3 big brothers are lookin' pretty proud!!

Mommy and her boy!

Daddy and son!

Reece was first in line: "he is cool!"

Chase was too excited to show his affection, rubbing his head a hundred times before he was finally able to wrap his arms around him!

"Hey Hudson John...you just made me a big brother! Thanks a bunch."

Grandma admiring him.

Sweet picture - my fabulous four!

Reece reading Hudson his first story.

This day marks a great one for all of us. Our little family is complete with this sweet boy! Our God, the great provider has blessed us incredibly - praise Him!

The Story of Hudson's Arrival

2009-12-22T10:28:00.023-06:00

Hudson John

11~16~09 9:05pm

7 lbs 11 oz. 21 1/4 inches

I think a birth story is kind of a woman thing. If you have had a baby, are about to have a baby or have even wondered about having a baby - the story is intriguing. We like to hear them. And we love to tell them. It is almost like becoming a part of a "club". I like it and want to tell my story...for me...and for you if you wanna hear it :)

This is a birth story that deserves to be recorded in detail (well, most of them): the fast and furious arrival of our fourth son Hudson John. A boy that has been waited for and anticipated for a long time now. A child that has been loved and cherished and prayed for from the first knowledge of his existence. A baby that completes our family and reminds us of the true miracle of creating and delivering new life. My heart will forever remember the moments of this evening. My mind might somewhat forget the pain of contractions and delivery (yowsers!) But I do know - in my heart and my mind - that I am so humbly thankful that we have this little guy. That he has arrived and that we are holding him. Here is how he came...

Monday, November 16th. When I awoke on this day I was not expecting to actually meet my fourth son. The night before I was relaxing in front of the tv and my belly was in motion - major motion actually. In retrospect I think Hudson was feeling too cramped and was trying to let us know that he was out of room! He must have been preparing himself for the position to escape his cramped quarters and meet the world...because my tummy was in all kinds of strange shapes! Bu I awoke on Monday, feeling a little disappointed that nothing had transpired during the night. I was expecting another normal day and went about the morning as usual. Reece and I followed through with our plans for a date to celebrate him finishing his first chapter book. We left the rest of the family with my Mom and headed off to McDonald's. Reece was beaming with joy and it so quickly confirmed in my heart how important it will be to reserve one on one time with my boys. We ate breakfast and talked about all kinds of things - I loved the time together. Later in the day we all went out for lunch and bi-passed the plan to head too far from home...just in case. The traffic was bad and I had been feeling a little different by midday and didn't think it was worth venturing too far...plus I was rather hungry :) So - we took my Mom for a great hamburger at Chazz's. I have had a harder time reading my body these days - likely because I've been trying so hard to soak up every moment of this pregnancy that I am second guessing a lot of twinges and feelings. I had kind of jumped the gun already in feeling like labor might possibly be beginning so was hesitant to "commit" to the possibility of it this day. Besides, in any of my other labors, I have not been a text book case that labor is beginning. I don't sense contractions early on, etc.. etc.. Anyway - I felt nothing during our entire time at the burger place. On the way home we stopped to pick up a few groceries and I begin to sense that it actually really, possibly, maybe may be happening :) I told Benjy to give me an hour to know for certain but that we might be meeting our son that eve....and so it happened! I gathered the family for our final picture before officially becoming a family of 6 and then began to finalize packing the bag and calling the doc. He asked the typical questions about contractions and I assured him that I was not feeling any but just knew it was happening (I was certain by now - that old familiar feeling down low of pinching and stretching). He suggested I wait at home and I proceeded to tell him that we were leaving for the hospital in about 30 minutes (the quick delivery of Chase coming quickly to mind!)

Family snapshot before heading to the hospital!

So off we went to the hospital. The pain was intensifying and I told Benjy in the car that we were actually going to meet our boy that night. I didn't know but yet I knew that my labor would be quick again. We had called our doc to meet us there but when we arrived he wasn't yet there yet. The nurses received me and had me change into the dreaded gown. They hooked me up to the fetal monitors and assured me that baby's heartbeat was strong and stable. It was 7:20 pm at this point.

Last pregnant belly picture! 39 weeks and 5 days

Getting hooked up to the monitors.

I was feeling the labor pretty good and wanted my doctor to check my dialation - I felt like I needed to know, for my own mental toughness, where I was at in this lovely process called labor. I needed to prepare myself for the endurance that lay ahead of me to deliver this child...and when they finally agreed to check me and stated I was at a 7 - 8...I knew I had it in me to make it without help. I explained to the nursing staff that I did not want an epidural and asked for permission to get out of the bed, walk around, and change positions to ease the pain of labor. Thankfully they agreed. It helped so much to be moving around. It was so so hot in the room so Benjy asked for water for me to drink and began to wipe my face down with a cool paper towel. They sent Benjy downstairs at this point to admit me to the hospital and fill out paperwork. I was alone in the room for sometime....just going through labor and trying to ignore the hard and fast contractions that I was now feeling down low. I got up to use the restroom and my water broke (first time that that has ever happened on its own for me). I told the nurses and I knew that we must be getting close by this point. The doctor (mine had still not arrived) came in again to check me and encouraged me by saying I was now at a 9 - that pretty much when I felt the urge to push I should let them know. They asked if there was anything I needed. Ha! "My husband please" (he was still downstairs and I was not interested in him missing the birth of his son because of paperwork!!!) They called him and as I continued to walk around the room he soon arrived. The nurses asked me to lay back in the bed because they needed to give me the IV. The dreaded IV. I didn't understand why I even needed it but all the more didn't understand why they don;t have nursing staff that know how to put one in!! She tried on my left arm - and happened to do so during the most intense contractions that I had yet experienced. They were coming hard and fast and I was having a hard time laying still for her. Needless to say she stuck me, my vein rolled - or something went wrong so she pulled it out and proceeds to the other side of the bed to get my right arm. She understands that I am at the height of pain so patiently waits for a moment when she can stick me again. It takes her some time again but finally gets it and leaves me alone. Benjy and I are alone again - he is being so kind and trying to help me in any way as I tell him to rub my back or stop rubbing my back or to give me a cool cloth, etc.. etc. (I was a bit agitated at this point - ha!) He patiently reminds me to regain control by breathing when I feel that I am about to throw up - so he holds up the trash can for me and catches my several hurls. The man isn't usually too good with gross stuff like this, but is so graceful and took such good care of me, wiping my face and continuing to rub my back. I was now out of the bed gain - trying to distract myself from the hard and fast contractions that did not seem to let up for much time at all. I was walking, squatting, leaning against the wall or the bed (believe me - this really helps!) The hospital staff were all out in the hall - waiting for my indication that I needed to push so that they could move me over to the delivery room to deliver my boy! They were giving us our privacy and thankfully so. Benj peeked his head out and asked them for another glass of water for me...and for some strange reason, we would later find out that it was my doctor (who by now had arrived by the way) went for the water???? As Benjy turned back around I was squatting down by the bed and suddenly felt like I needed to go to the bathroom. Sparing any more details - lol - I suddenly felt that it was the baby's head between my legs. I yelled it again because I don't think Benjy could believe it and he ran to the door, flung it open and yelled "YA LLEGO EL BEBE - ES SU CABEZA" (the baby is here - it's the baby's head) Immediately the room was a buzz with nurses and doctors all around me. Remember: I am NOT in the delivery room - just a normal hospital room. Remember: my doctor is gone, getting me a glass of water! And remember: I am squatted beside my bed and my baby's head is RIGHT THERE! The anasthesiologist on staff comes running in and tells me to lay on the bed - I should say he yells at me to lay on the bed. I feel panicked and a little confused and a little afraid to change position and climb up on the tall hospital bed for fear of hurting my little baby. So I freeze. The doc pushes me/tackles me to the side of the bed and I simply lift my leg and out comes Hudson John - into the arms of the anasthesiologist!!! It was CRAZINESS. In those few moments, they had brought in a few sterile towels to lay him on and the scissors to cut the chord. I see my baby but to me he looks blue and is not crying. My heart is racing as they cut the chord and begin wrap him in a blue towel and rub him. He begins to cry and they assure me over and over again that he is great and that all is well. It was amazing. He is amazing! Although I did not have a chance to hold him in that moment - I did stop them from whisking him away from me so soon and to allow me to snap a few photos (a far shot from my original plan to video and record his entrance...but as you can see that wasn't very realistic!!) They carried him off to a sterile place to measure, weigh and check him out and Benjy and I were left in a state of shock and awe at what had just transpired. Hudson John had a wild and crazy entrance into our world at 9:05 pm on November 16th, 2009! We are in love!

Finally, our first glance at him and his first cries!

Hudson John Has Arrived...

2009-12-16T22:32:00.002-06:00

If you have not yet heard.....

Hudson John was born to us on November 16th, 2009 - at 9:05 pm weighing 7 lbs 11 oz and measuring 21 1/4 inches long. He is perfect!!

Well, although I am one month late in announcing the arrival of our sweet little Hudson, I do so tonight with no less pride and joy! I cannot believe a month has passed since he entered our world with an adventurous bang! I will share his birth story (the edited version - ha,ha)....and other things about him fitting in and completing our gang...but truth be told - it has been a little difficult to find the time to sit in front of the computer and post about him. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist...and I have so so so so so many amazing pictures - so I don't quite know where to start with the limited "free" time :) Hudson is keeping my arms full and my other boys too....as well as the many, many activities we have had going on since Hudson was born. I do intend to "catch up" someday but until then I can briefly say the following with true confidence....

* we already loved this little guy when he was in utero - but from the moment of seeing his face - we have all been pretty smitten! he is a handsome fella and has already proven to be pretty good at stealing hearts.

* even though it technically has not been that long since Pierce was a little one like this....and having 4 new babies in the span of 6 and a half years....it is strange how quick one forgets how FAST these little things can fly through diapers - crazy!

* love is certainly stronger than sleep - let's just say it like it is: Hudson isn't the greatest sleeper at night but seems to be very gifted at eating - often. this Momma is a little tired from his late night shinanigans - but when I hear his cry and roll (or drop) out of bed and look down at his face - love takes over and I feed him and talk to him and hold him close and realize how blessed I am to have him here. lots of reflecting in those wee hours of the morning. good stuff.

* having a new baby in the house brings out the sweetness in the older siblings....they love Hudson so much and I am amazed at how calm they are with him - even when he is crying...they hold him and don't panic when he is crying and take pride in being able to calm him down. they wanna hold him often (even tho they have been banned form him the last few days due to colds)

* having Hudson here has officially made us a "freak show" when we are out in public - yes, because he now makes a grand total of 4 blonde heads we have to count - but also because we have him out. and. he. is. so. little - not a very common thing in Mexico....and because I don't wrap him in four fleece blankets while the sun is beating down :)

* and let's just end this short list with thanks to all of you who have prayed for us as we have walked this journey of awaiting this child - God has answered our prayers for a healthy child - he is a beautiful gift that we have humbly enjoyed for the last month!

Keep checking back - I do intend to catch this thing up - including pictures you won't want to miss!

Lovin' Books! (dedicated to Mimi)

2009-11-15T11:37:00.004-06:00

This post is dedicated to Mimi - Benjy's Mom. She has been a huge influence on our kids in the way of "reading". She is a big reader herself and from the beginning of my pregnancy with Reece and on through the boys' baby, toddler and preschool years has been providing our kids with books....and books...and more books. Many of the books on these shelves have come from her and we are thankful for that!

Note to everyone else: the rest of this post is a full of a Mommy's pride so....just be warned :)

So, Mimi, I wanted you to see that putting books in the hands of your grandsons has paid off. Reece loves reading - it seems to have come quite naturally for him, in both languages. He has now accepted my challenge to begin reading chapter books. Chase is in the very beginning stages of sounding out words and pulling the concepts together but he is eager. The other night he prayed and asked God to "please help me read". And Pierce loves books. He asks for them regularly before nap and bedtime (sure, I do understand that some of that is a stall tactic - ha!)...but I have often caught him home alone in the mornings just paging through book after book all on his own. He often asks for books about "Jesus" too - I love it! I am thankful that there are now moments when I will simply ask Reece to read to his little brothers and he can do it! Very fun! I took the initiative to record these early reading moments on video because I am learning all too quickly how much these kids learn and transition from one stage of life to another right before my very eyes. I love to capture where they are at and thought this was a great way to share it with you...

This first video is Pierce and I reading his very favorite book - "The Giving Tree" - he requests it over & over & over again. He surprised me one day when he began filling in the blanks....proof that this book has been read A LOT! Note: the video is the whole book so it is a little long, but it IS a good story if you'd like to hear it too :)

This next video is Reece on his first day of tackling, on his own, a book from The Boxcar Children Series. I gave him the "challenge", sort of unsure of how he would react. We all sat down together and made bookmarks and...well - he has taken a hold of it and he finished his first one this morning - 121 pages. Him and I have a milkshake date set for tomorrow to celebrate :) Here is just a short snippet of him reading....

And last we have Chase trying to sound out a few words in one of his favorite books. He is still very much into "guessing" when reading but he has come really far in sounding out words for spelling them out.

We are proud of our boys and of their love for books. Hopefully that love will grow more and more, and they will be good lifelong readers...like their Mimi :)

Who We Are Today!

2009-11-07T14:10:00.003-06:00

Here we are, 11 days away from our official November 18th due date. With the big change about to happen in our sweet family, I captured a few pics to remind us how we look today, waiting for Hudson to arrive. These are precious photos that remind us how blessed we are to have one another and to be awaiting another little one amongst us.

We decided to take advantage of one last "date" opportunity with baby on the "inside".

Here I am at 38 weeks - full term and feeling quite "full".

A whole lot of love awaits baby Huds.

Perhaps one of the last photos of the trio - about to become FOUR BROTHERS!

Happy Halloween! Especially If You are "GREEN"

2009-11-07T13:33:00.004-06:00

These costumes will require a little background information: The boys' school sent home a note explaining that for their Halloween party they would be playing games, etc.. and were not to come in full costume. Rather, they were encouraged to make something from home to create a mask from recycle-able materials or things already at home. Obviously the school is attempting to encourage parent involvement and recycling!

So - when we sat down to "create" their masks...we started with more traditional ideas like ghosts or monsters...but Reece then came up with the plan to become "trash". Honestly, I couldn't have been happier because it involved a few simple steps and "whalll-lllaaaa" - we have two very recycle-oriented masks. Unique. Definitely. Creative. For sure. And...even a little smelly :) Mexico has begun a campaign to separate all of your garbage for reduction. So here we have - organic and inorganic trash. The rest of us joined in the simple theme, mainly because the Mommy didn't have any energy or creative juice to come up with anything else. Pierce loved popping out of his own trash can, being toted by the "white trash" collecter (I know, I know - very lame).

The boys also had opportunity to dress up and "trick or treat" here in our apartment complex. We threw together some quick costumes to play the part and they were excited to go with their neighbor friends, collecting candy!

Curious George!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

A Power Ranger

All the neighborhood kids!

The Birthday Man!

2009-11-07T13:17:00.001-06:00

We celebrated Benjy's 36th birthday on October 28th, here at home with lots of friends (it is almost impossible to have the two words - "party" and "small" go together). It was a fun night honoring a good man who has touched the lives of many people in his young life - some of them with us to celebrate, many of them far away. I prepared some of his favorite foods and desserts and we just hung out. It was a good time.

My husband has many honorable qualities. I appreciate who he is becoming - definitely. He is often self reflective and wanting to grow and change and become better. But I also appreciate who is today. Period. I am thankful for his honest nature, for the friend he is to others. For what he means to me as my best friend and life companion. My husband. The Daddy to our boys. Leader and provider for our family. He is smart. Gifted. Funny. Caring. Perceptive. Fun. Insightful. I appreciate that he is here and engaged and present. He is a very good man - a life worth celebrating.

So happy birthday Benjy!

Sentiments...

2009-11-03T23:35:00.002-06:00

As the big birthday of my fourth son approaches, I sense the desire to record my sentiments, my thoughts, my feelings.... I choose to do so in a letter to my sweet baby boy Hudson who is currently tucked safely under my heart, kicking my ribs and causing my tummy to form into some strange shapes as he nestles in for another night.

Dear Hudson,

We are all anticipating your arrival. Reece specifically asked if you might come tonight because he is so eager to see you and hold you. He asks me if you are going to be chubby and what you are going to look like. Chase often kisses you or pats you through my tummy. He loves to be near you. Piersen says your name numerous times throughout the day...and although he likely doesn't understand what all of this "baby brother" stuff means, I am certain he will be quick to protect you and beam with pride that you are "his" baby. Your Daddy had his hand on you last night, wondering when you were going to make your big appearance. He is anxious for your arrival - ready to have you here. And me....

Well, I love you deeply already and am just so very thankful that God has given us this long journey together to bond and experience life together. You are one special baby - you have given us hope after loss. You have given us joy after sorrow. You have given us thankfulness and appreciation for another experience at being parents. You mean so much to us - so much more to us than just "another boy". You are unique and your arrival to our family is full of celebration! I am excited to meet you here on the outside - to watch you grow and change and to see your personality develop. To get to know just how God has knitted and formed you. I have so enjoyed my pregnancy with you. The adventure has brought many smiles to my face and tears to my eyes. Seems like forever ago that you scared us during the very early ultrasound that questioned your viability. And then each check up, each ultrasound, each pregnancy milestone or movement from you - all so cherished and accepted as real miracles. We are so grateful for you.

As we await the moment when you decide to truly let us know you are ready to come (because there have already been a few questions in my mind since I can't seem to predict much about you these days :) ) I just want to wish you a safe and healthy journey. I want to thank you for giving me one more opportunity to experience the beauty, pain, and miracle of childbirth. I thank our God for giving you to us - just exactly in the timing He saw fit. You are very special, very loved and very much anticipated. We've been waiting for you. Come quickly and come safely. Praying for you to be strong and healthy and ready to steal the hearts of all of us....and to join our family (get ready! it is quite the adventure!)

All my love, Mommy

Really

2009-11-02T17:47:00.005-06:00

I am not so sure our little Pierce truly understands the reality of a new baby entering our family...and our home! Can't say I blame him... I have had my fair share of moments when I have to remind myself that we are really going to have four little boys! That we really are going back to the newborn stage of parenting. That I really won't have to wear "too short in the leg maternity pants that for some unknown reason rarely have pockets" much longer.... That before long we really will be able to hold and know this sweet little baby. It really all is just a little surreal!

But...back to Pierce.... For the past months we have been talking a lot about baby Hudson. He knows his name and we talk and pray openly about him and that he will make Pierce a big brother and all that stuff. But Piersen also knows that this little Hudson creature is inside his Mommy's tummy - no big threat right?! This afternoon I had the baby car seat out - getting it ready to be washed and installed into the car. When Pierce entered the room and saw it his face lit up and he said, "that's my seat". "No, not anymore. Now you are a big boy...that seat is for baby Hudson." Pierce looked up at me with this confused and almost bothered look - as though in slow motion he looked at my tummy and then at the car seat....almost as though it was s-l-o-w-l-y coming together in his mind as to what is about to happen.

I couldn't help but laugh.

This little boy is going to change all of us. Really!

Think On This...

2009-10-26T22:01:00.001-06:00

I wanted to share something I read today. A lot of wisdom and a lot to think on...hopefully it encourages and challenges you like it has me today...
by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, to his young niece

Patient Trust

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually–let them grow,
Let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

Words Worth Remembering...

2009-10-26T12:00:00.002-06:00

We have had some funny and or special moments as of late...ones worth recording :)

I Have Someone Fooled....
A few days ago Benjy took the older boys along with him to help paint the house of some of our friends. While they were working, Reece noticed that Lauren was resting instead of painting. She is in her first trimester of pregnancy, and naturally...tired. When she came into the room, Reece did not hesitate to ask her why she was tired. She explained to him that she had a tiny baby in her tummy and that him/her growing and changing makes her tired. Apparently, Reece looked at her and plainly stated, "hmmm - my Mom has a baby in her tummy too and she is never tired" (yes, I got a good laugh out of that one when it was shared with me - if he only knew!)

A Little Out of Context....
We have been working on learning a few memory verses around here. The boys love it and it serves as a good way to gently remind them what God wants in certain circumstances. A few days ago Reece was sent to his room as a punishment. In fine "sibling rivalry fashion" Chase wanted to know what he did. My response was to protect Reece because really it had nothing to do with Chase and he didn't need to know what had transpired between me and him. Chase asked several times and when I told him that was enough - we weren't talking about it anymore - he looked up at me and said, "well, don't you remember what the verse says....you should do to me what you want me to do to you....so tell me what Reece did cuz I wanna know" :)

When I Am the Playmate of Choice...
Pierce LOVES to play with his big brothers. He gets right in there and plays whatever they are playing and he has a good time. What makes me feel super special is when Piersen come to me (especially when the boys are available and home from school) and he says - "play trains. Me and you. You and me. Come on Mom" He is the sweetest!

Does He Still Believe?....
Mimi (my mother-in-law) commented the other day that she is thankful to be able to spend Christmas with us this year because she fears that this just may be Reece's last year to believe in Santa Clause. Here is some confirmation that she can be sure he still believes.... We were making a "wish list" to honor the requests of Grandparents who are wanting to prepare well for the holiday season. Reece was having a hard time really knowing what he was interested in in asking for. As he thought, it suddenly dawned on him (it really did seem like the light bulb came on in his head) - "I am just going to ask Santa to give me one of those little helper guys...what are they called? " I told him, "elves". He continued, "ya, I am going to ask Santa to give ME one of his elves so he could just build me whatever toy I want whenever I want it!" Not long after that thought came out of his mouth and I tried to hide my smile he had already realized in such a sweet and innocent way, "but I already know he probably won't do that" I reminded him that he probably was right because Santa needs his helpers to make toys for everyone.

Fast like when I was born...
Obviously with the new arrival expected into our family very soon, we have been talking about babies and my boys' when they were babies and where they were born and what they were like and on and on. Chase seemed especially interested about his birth so I told him the story of how quickly he arrived (us making it to the hospital at 3:00am and holding him in our arms at 3:30am). As I have said before, Chase tends to do things in his own time. For whatever reason - he has grabbed a hold of his "birth story" and it has been highly motivational for him. A few days after hearing about his birth story, he told Benjy that he was going to get something (whatever Benjy had asked him to do) fast - fast like he was born - because he was born fast...and Reece wasn't!

Out of context...again...
Reece, being the oldest, has nearly perfected the technique of manipulating certain situations to get things from his little brothers. He isn't always successful but has learned quite skillfully how to make the toy he doesn't want to seem super cool so he can get the toy he really wants. I walked in on him the other day with the toy that Pierce had just been enjoying in his own hand. Reece flashed me a bright smile and said, "Mom, Pierce really understands our memory verse - he is being a peacemaker and just gave me this toy!"

Telling It Like It Is...I Guess...
My boys, like all boys, enjoy being swung with their arms when walking down the street or in a shopping center, etc.. I am not particularly fond of it since it tends to happen suddenly and in unexpected moments. My balance is a little off these days too so although Pierce was happily being swung between Benjy and Reece - I had Chase's hand and he wanted to do likewise. I told him he couldn't and his response: "oh ya, you can't because you are fat." Sure....thanks?!?

Well, that wraps up a few "fun" conversations as of late. Hope you got some smiles from these kiddos of mine. As we say around here, "never a dull moment"!

Pierce & His Potty

2009-10-21T10:53:00.003-05:00

Potty training? Yes...maybe a crazy time to tackle this with just a few weeks until baby Hudson's arrival, but Pierce seems interested and I don't wanna miss the "window of opportunity". I decided to take the "work in progress" approach rather than "we are going to have quick success". Thankfully, Pierce is co-operating quite well, is overjoyed by receiving a sticker and overall is just doing pretty well. He has several fun pair of underwear that makes it more exciting too. Whether it is Elmo, Diego, Cookie Monster or Thomas - he is the cutest when you frequently remind him "now don't pee on Diego" and he says emphatically "IIII nooottttt" (if he knew to roll his eyes I bet he would).

We started out needing a few books to get the timing down right. A lot of hittin' and missin' - literally - those first few attempts.

But by now, as you can see - we are cruising along....with numerous successes of both job #'s under his belt :) He is quite pleased to wear underwear and is indicating when he has to go. He has already learned that it is an effective bedtime stalling technique, because surely any parent trying to get their kid potty trained is not going to deny their countless "crying wolf"s would they? (ha, Pierce - I am onto you!) We are far from perfecting this - especially because it seems to be largely dependent on what our day looks like for being in or out of the house...and my energy level to be on top of it. However, I am quickly learning that he is getting the hang of it and I am going to work hard on consistency on my part. Go Pierce go!

A Hockey Mom AND A Soccer Mom!

2009-10-21T08:06:00.006-05:00

Life is good around here. Our boys are without question....boys. They are active and full of energy and thankfully, at this point in life anyway, interested in sports! We have been spending time outside playing baseball, soccer, football.... and they have also begun this year, to be involved in extracurricular activities!

Reece has made me a hockey Mom and I am pretty excited about that. He is doing so well and the best part about it is that he really has fun. He is by far the youngest on his "team" and I guess the truth be told they aren't really "playing". Sure, they will scrimmage every now and them but really he is just learning basic skills like skating, shooting and puck handling. Reece is one of these kids who loves to learn and we smile as we watch him listen very very attentively to his coach. They just hired a new coach - and the old saying "its a small world" comes to surface again...Francis is a Canadian who went to school in Saskatchewan, close to where I grew up. So we are happy that he is being taught the Canadian game by a Canadian...even though we are in Mexico City! Check out our boy in all his gear - he looks huge out there on the ice - and is gaining skill and confidence every day. Look out NHL (ha,ha).

And Reece and Chase together have made me also a Soccer Mom. We were really thankful for this because the team formed through the boys' school - they get to play on a team with all of their friends. We are especially happy that Chase is old enough to be a part of all of this. He loves it and counts down the days waiting for Tuesdays and Thursdays (I think they may even have now surpassed "Friday" as his favorite day of the week since Fridays he is allowed to bring his favorite toy to school!). The boys run off a lot of energy and are learning important life skills too about working on a team and commitment and hard work. It is nice for our schedule that they are together. Here are some pics of Reecer and Chaser out on the field. Oh, and how could I forget. Pierce doesn't know it, but he thinks he is a part of it all too. We are getting a deal because he runs along the side lines, and occasionally out on the field if he can sneak past us, and kicks the ball like he is on the team.

I realize that these are the first formal sports experiences these boys are having, but I am amazed at how proud it makes you feel to watch your kid simply do his best and have fun.

Something I Have Learned...

2009-10-14T12:56:00.002-05:00

The other day I received a question from a young, single girl that before my journey as a Mom I would have totally related to. She asked me if I was "against" letting my boys play with toy guns. I simply smiled at first....remembering my personal ideas that "guns" just aren't something that I like, or feel send any kind of positive message for play. And then...I birthed boys.

So my answer to her was not what I would have said in my pre "boy" years. Rather I stated that I understood her point but that when you see your "never exposed to guns before" boys making guns out of sticks, books, or even biting their toast or apple slices into gun-like shapes and shooting each other across the breakfast table...you tend to lighten up a little and realize that it really is in their blood.

Don't worry people, my kids aren't violent and other than little water or nerf ball guns they don't have anything that resembles "real" guns...they don't need 'em - they have imaginations!

Thankful

2009-10-12T13:42:00.003-05:00

An international family like ours has more reasons to celebrate! Today is Canadian Thanksgiving and although I miss my Mom's fantastic cooking and wish I could be with all of my family today, I will reflect on the many, many things I have to be thankful for...

* my family - near and far - both immediate and distant - mine and Benjy's - thank you for being a part of my life!
* my good husband who shares the good, bad and the ugly alongside me - and is committed to our life together
* my boys - the very ones that make my life full and adventurous...I am especially thankful for their laughter and their personalities
* this pregnancy and the blessings I have to enjoy new life...that we will soon meet Hudson and be humbly amazed at the way he makes our family complete
* my friends - I have been blessed beyond measure with very good people in many places around the globe - I am grateful that in many ways the distance has not stolen friendship from us and I appreciate all of those who keep in touch
* for those around me in the same stage of life who just plain understand the joy and struggle of trying to raise good kids
* for my kids' school that has been such a good fit for our family
* for growth and trials that provide opportunity for growth
* our house church community - what a blessing to belong with so many good people who love Jesus
* our partnering congregation in Louisville, KY - we have been blessed by you for years now - thank you.
* the simple things that are too easy to take advantage of: a place to live, car to drive, food to eat, clothes to wear
* our health and safety
* for tears,emotions and reflection and how they keep us soft and open
* for memories and how they help form and shape us
* the ability to read, and write and study, and learn new things
* the opportunities to do fun things together as a family that create memories and bonding and deeper relationship
* for the past - that has lead us to today; the present - which I am working at trying to fully live in and enjoy; the future - that is so full of unknown and opportunity
* mostly for a God who gives graciously and who loves unconditionally and who has patience and understanding - that He is the giver of all the good gifts in my life...and there are many!

The list could go on and on - but I realize again today how blessed I am in so many ways. Thankfulness is a major ingredient to a peace-filled life and it NEVER hurts to reflect on all that I have to be thankful for.

Putting A Face With A Name...

2009-10-06T23:15:00.007-05:00

The excitement for our new baby is growing around here. Last week we took the boys along with us to see their baby bro (yes, he most definitely is still a boy!) I think I said this in an earlier post but the little guy is in breech position right now but we are praying and urging him to flip around soon! We got a pretty clear sneak peak at his little profile - looks like he belongs to us as he looks just like my boys! I shortened up the video some so that you could see his face but spare him the embarasment of having his privates shared with the blogging world. This is after all, his first public appearance. The sound is not the best but if you listen carefully you can hear the kids' excitement when they make out what they are seeing on the screen. Check him out, he is absolutely precious!

And since we, and especially the boys, have been openly sharing our name choice with people, I thought it would be cute for the big brothers to announce to you the name and the meanings of the newest of our Brednich clan (as you are about to see, there has been no rehearsal - ha,ha) The way Pierce says his name is way adorable and I just couldn't resist sharing it with you.

So Hudson John Brednich it is. What do you think?! We will likely sometimes call him Huds for short to flow with the name endings of our others boys. As the boys said in the video, "the son of a brave leader" just seems to fit appropriately as Benjy and I face the joys and challenges of leading and raising FOUR BOYS! And I strongly believe that my husband is a good, strong and brave leader of our family and I believe the name honors him. We have had the name "Grace" on our girl name list for a long time - in honor of what grace really means and also to honor my Mom (Grace is her middle name). After the loss of our two little babies to early miscarriage, we feel more than blessed with the gift of this child and choose to praise the truth that "God is gracious" and so John was selected for the significance of its meaning. John is also a family name on Benjy's side of the family....so it all just works so very nicely.

I wonder if anyone thinks as much about baby names as a Mom does when she is pregnant. It is a big job - a lot to consider and include. But I feel so happy with the names of my boys: Reece Samuel, Chase Lambert, Piersen Benjamin, and Hudson John. It has definitely been team effort between Benjy and I - and so I am just going to go ahead and give both of us a pat on our backs and say: job well done - their names are perfect!!

Top Ten Reasons Why Downsizing Has Been Great For Us!

2009-10-05T13:29:00.003-05:00

When we moved at the end of August into this apartment, which happens to be about half the size of our previous house, many thought we were crazy. I am sure that choosing to have a positive attitude about it has made a difference but I feel really really happy here. We are very blessed and have much to be thankful for. Here are some reasons I am thankful for our new spot to call "home": (in no particular order)

1) we have peaceful mornings.
This is the first year we have dealt with 2 different school starting times for the boys - Reece enters at 8, Chase at 9. I can see the entrance to the school out of our living room window...which means that I take a lazy stroll to drop Reece off, come back home and have some time with Chase before we walk across the street and drop him off. I have LOVED not dealing with loading up in the car, seat belts, traffic, etc.. Thinking ahead to a new baby at home makes this option even more wonderful. And can't we all use a little more peace in our mornings?!?!

2) less storage space means more organization required.
I have strangely enjoyed having to be more creative with where to place things, what to keep (and not to keep) and to try and live with a little more organization and a little less clutter.

3) no stairs.
Since I am...ummmm....rather pregnant....I can't tell you how nice it has been to have everything all on one floor. No stairs to climb - especially at the end of a long day when my little boys need a story, or a drink of water, or another tuck in - and during laundry time when all is within easy access for sorting, folding and the dreaded putting away.

4) we are spending more time together.
This is an important one. I just feel like we have spent more time together - especially reading and playing board games - because everything is stored close to where we are hanging out. In our other house we had a "play room" but it was on the top, 3rd floor and its where all of our books and games were - they weren't utilized nearly as much. I have had so much fun in this apartment playing, making puzzles, reading books. It has been a great thing for our relationships with the kids.

5) we have a nice front yard.
Mind you it is not a private yard - it is a common area for all - but it is pretty and has nice lawn and a good spot for the kids to play. There is even a nice little white bench that I can sit on as the boys play, go down their little slide, kick a ball, or....climb trees :)

6) the windows have screens on them.
This is a nice added bonus in any house but especially when you have a husband who is quite freakish about mosquitos. We have been sleeping with the cool breeze flowing through our room.

7) the boys already had friends who lived here.
Both Reece and Chase had classmates that lived in these apartments so it was a relatively easy transition as far as friends were concerned. They seem to have adjusted well.

8) I like my kitchen better.
I have better counter space and I'd have to say the oven is much better (although that didn't take much - ha!)

9) We are paying less money in rent so you just can't complain about that.

10) And last but not least....I am certain that it isn't the house that makes a home anyway!

So there ya have it. We feel more or less settled and I have liked learning that less - at first glance - is not always all that difficult.

Quick Update

2009-10-03T21:54:00.002-05:00

I have been having internet connection issues and realized that several of the recent pictures I had posted were suddenly not showing up. I tried to fix the problem and re-posted them so let's see if they are showing up now. Thanks!

Grrrrrr....now they still aren't showing up. Sorry.

A New Slant On Efficiency

2009-09-30T13:08:00.004-05:00

Chase is 4. He likes to do things in his own sweet time. It tends to be a "button" of mine that I don't even think he pushes intentionally (well, sometimes he certainly does!) He just does things on his own time.

One of the "rules" when the boys get home from school is to change out of their school uniforms and into play clothes - as soon as they get home - before we eat lunch together. This is always frustrating to Chase.

But being the creative little boy he is, he thinks he may have solved the problem this morning. After breakfast, I sent him to the back to brush his teeth and change out of his pj's and into his school uniform. Oddly, he came out very quickly with a smile on his face. Check out the layering of his clothes - he already has his play clothes on underneath his school uniform. Should make for a quicker transition after school. What a boy! What could I say?!

A Boy & A Tree

2009-09-30T12:57:00.005-05:00

I am learning as a Mom that boys & trees make good friends. When we moved over here, the boys were thrilled to finally have a few climbing trees - even though they aren't that big or wonderful, to them it doesn't matter....

On Sunday afternoon as we were relaxing from the post-half marathon (okay, I didn't run it but willingly took advantage of some down time!), the boys were playing outside. We hear a cry - but one of those cries of your kids that you know means something more...it just sounds different. They had been climbing trees and swinging from branches. Reece dropped down and tried to brace his fall with his arms and before you knew it we were investigating the nearest ER to visit. As you can see below, the tree wasn't that big - and the fall not that far - but I guess, leave it to boys to find a way to make anything dangerous! Thankfully, his elbow is not broken, although the doctor was sure it was. The x-ray revealed that nothing was broken, just badly sprained, so Reecer is all wrapped up for a week or so. He was a brave kid and is already figuring out how to do lots of things with one hand...he even attempted to climb that same tree (apparently they are still friends) but I put a hold on that activity for a little longer :)

13.1 Miles

2009-09-30T12:39:00.004-05:00

On Sunday, Benjy accomplished his goal of competing in a half-marathon. We are so proud of him because although he was injured and not feeling the best, he was determined and crossed the finish line! Benj has the worst luck and seems to have many a hurdle to cross when he sets a running goal for himself. About 2 weeks before the race he injured/bruised the bottom of his foot. Although I - thinking big picture - suggested he postpone his race and heal up a bit so he wouldn't further injure himself - he looked at me and said, "I am doing this. Even if I have to walk the whole thing. I am not backing out." And so he ran it and he did well!

The boys were so excited for him to come home and hear how it went. We were all disppointed that we didn't go watch him finish but it is just one of those realities of having 3 little ones, being pregnant and not trusting that scenario alone on public transportation in this big city. So instead, we cheered from a distance. Chaser came up with the clever idea of presenting him with medals...so we went to work cheering for him, praying for his foot, and making homemade medals to hang around his neck.

Unfortunatley, when he arrived home, he was a bit too sweaty and exhausted to pose for any pictures - he wanted a shower and food! But I just want to say how proud I am of Benjy's hard work, dedication and determination. Way to go Babe!

Annual Mexico Missionary Retreat

2009-09-30T10:11:00.006-05:00

We were so blessed to be able to attend the Mexico Missionary Retreat a few weeks ago. It is always such a great time to be renewed, rested and re-connected with great people who are working and sharing Christ in various cities throughout Mexico. This year we all met in Nuevo Vallarta and loved the beach, the pool and the place. Many thanks to Ryan and Amanda Gray for planning the retreat and to Cory and Toni Burns for connecting us with the great hotel.

Of course, the highlights were the great conversations shared between fellow missionaries (many who are old friends) but those don't make for very great pictures. Much more interesting are the kids having fun in the sun!

I was so proud of my older two boys - who, in the past, have been...let's just say, "afraid" of the big ocean. But this time the waves were gentle and shallow and they gave "boogie boarding" a whirl. They had so so much fun - check out their smiles.

While Reece and Chase explored the ocean, Pierce stuck to safer places, spalshed in the pool and napped!

My handsome beach bums!

One of my favorite evenings of the retreat was a family walk down the beach. Pierce was frozen with fear in the beginning but by the end was slowly gaining confidence. The boys collected sea shells and sand dollars...and sticks of course :)

Here is a group picture of most of the MK's (missionary kids). They are a great bunch and are very good friends to my boys. We are thankful for them and their parents who work alongside us in this beautiful country. Unfortunatley we didn't get a group picture of everyone but I believe there were over 60 in attendance.