Spring Update on Adriah

Our dear sweet Adriah Faith.  She is a month away from turning ONE!  Her mother's day gift to me: she blew me kisses all on her own!  As far as I know, no one taught her.  She is at that point where she is learning new things everyday and becoming more like a little person rather than a cooing baby.  It's crazy, and more amazing to me more with each child.
I imagine this to be true for others that have gone through situations where a life was almost lost, but we are so much more thankful that her life was spared now even more than when she was in the hospital back at 2 months old.  Getting to know her more and experience the joy she has brought has made us love her that much more.  Of course, it may also be possible that we are quicker to love her because of almost losing her.
I'm rambling!
Sometimes you meet those babies that are really happy.  I'm so glad to report that Adriah is (for the most part) one of those babies!  She's fairly content, smiley, and bright eyed.
She took her first steps yesterday, and will certainly walk before long.  She loves going up the stairs... if I get distracted downstairs then go to look for her I might find her up in the twin's room or opening the drawers in my bathroom.  I've gotta keep an eye on her!  At least she's cute to look at.   :)

Spring Update on Selah & Jadah

I've forgotten to write for a few Sundays--- and tonight I'm attempting to write while watching Downton Abbey (after all the hype, we decided to give it a try...just started it a few nights ago).  Needless to say, I may sound a bit disconnected.
Selah and Jadah, two peas in a pod.  It'd be pointless to write separate posts about them, they are identical twins after all.  Blue-eyed beauties, both.  Their hair is different: we cut Selah's last summer due to a horrendous rat-tail.  And thanks to Christian's scissor skills, Jadah now gets to try out some bangs.  It's a nice differentiator.
They turned 3 in March.  They chatter and sing and have silly dance moves.  They are very particular about putting on their own clothes, saying good night (a dozen times), giving kisses on one cheek then the other, and having a kleenex to wipe their eyes after they cry: which seems much more often than necessary!
My mom has been able to spend a few weekends with them recently and has taught them the verses that Christian had learned (they also have been hearing him say them for 2 years).  It's so cute to randomly hear them rattle the verses off, even though they miss a word or phrase and are quite mumbly.

Besides normal church goings, they aren't involved in anything "extracurricular."  However, I have a feeling we are in for a lot of new activities with their growing (and more agile) 3 year old bodies.  I looked in the backyard yesterday and saw Christian teaching Selah how to hit a ball, they were using a tennis racket.  It was pretty adorable.  She was also attempting to pitch to him--- I'm surprised how patient he was with her!
Here they are!

Spring Update on Christian

       

Mr. Smug

Christian is four and a half now.  We have to remind ourselves that he is ONLY four, because we usually feel like we are trying to raise a mini-adult (at least he thinks he is!).
He is still very verbal, social, and full of personality.  He memorizes very easily and loves singing and DRUMS.  He goes to sleep every night listening to a Chris Rice cd.  I think this is the longest he's ever used the same cd without getting sick of it.  Yay Chris Rice. :)  Also, our "family song" for the year is "Let My Life Be The Proof" by King and Country.  We love it.
He attends Cubbies every week (his 2nd year).  It is nice to have something organized to drop him off at.  We can't afford preschool, and he seems to get enough social time through church events.  In the fall I started working on teaching him how to write all the letters and his name and such... it's been going well, but it's hard to keep up with since there's 3 others running/crawling around.  We don't plan on sending him to Kindergarten until he is 6, so I still have one more year to slowly teach him to read.

In two weeks he will start T-ball, and Simon will be the team coach.  I'm very excited to see both of them in their roles as player and coach.  (I haven't seen many other 4 year olds play baseball, but I think he's pretty good.  If I play catch with him using a real ball, it stings my hand to catch his throw... he throws hard and hits harder!  I'll have to try to keep up).

Christian and Adriah (he chose her Orioles shirt that day)

He has been in some acting/modeling classes to try to bring out the best of his natural talents.  He got to go to a photoshoot this past weekend in Chicago.  It was a fun experience and he did a great job waiting and waiting, and then coming alive when it was his turn.

Photoshoot Fun

He's the youngest one in this class... so small!

He's a typical boy: loves sports, balls, being rough, making loud sudden noises, climbing, superheros, hitting things (and people), etc etc etc.  I'm pretty sure he makes his sisters scream or cry 3 times per HOUR... each.  But he also makes us laugh a lot, says some really cute things, and is capable of a lot of love.  I pray for God's wisdom to raise him and direct all these traits in a way that honors God rather than pushing him away.  Parenting is no leisure stroll, that's for sure.

Love This Kid!

The Man I Married

Those of you who remember the last 2 years of our lives will know the reason for our somewhat frequent moves was for Simon's quest for the perfect job.  But we all know that finding such a job is a feat few people seem to achieve.
We moved to Indianapolis when Simon joined Truth @ Work, where he had been hired to be the director of a new program for young Christian business-people.  But over the first 3 months working there, it was realized that they had wanted more of a salesman for the new program rather than a director.  Needless to say, they parted ways on good terms, and this event happened the same week that Adriah was born (mid June).  The timing was both good and bad.  Bad because, well, no job.  Good because what mom of 4 wouldn't want another helper around for a few weeks!?
A few odd jobs later, Simon ended up working at Carmax (a nationwide used car dealership) starting in August.  It was good for a time, made ends meet, and was close to home.  But Simon was still searching for more of a long-term job.  He prayed desperately for a new job for the new year, and had been looking at some business opportunities here in Indy.  The same day he realized one job possibility wasn't going to work out, he got a call from his previous boss at Indiana Wesleyan University asking if he was interested in coming back to the admissions office starting January 2?  Oh yes, we've heard it before, God does have a sense of humor!
Simon is enjoying the familiarity of working back in the same office he was in for 4 years.  IWU is a wonderful place to work.  It is a one hour drive, but thankfully there are a few other people in our area with whom he carpools.  He also has a flex-day on Tuesday when he works from home and is also able to watch the kids while I go to IWU to teach my class.  Based on our past, we've learned not to guess at our future, so don't bother asking how long he'll be there or what we want to do next!
Simon is a wonderful father.  He and Christian do a lot together and Christian wants to do everything just like his Daddy.  You can find out what kind of Father he's aspiring to be on the blog he just started writing, Intentional Fatherhood.  I'm glad he's taking the time to write about something that is so important.  He has been very helpful with the children, I don't think I could handle being a single mom--- you're not meant to do it alone!

We love spending our evenings together after the kids are asleep, usually on the sofa catching up on one or two of our favorite shows.  (I'm actually writing this while we are watching The Bible series... what do you think of it? It's like reading the Bible in super fast forward and skipping a whole bunch of stories.  I'm still enjoying it's documentary-type storytelling).
I guess that's the summary of Simon for now.  He's a very supportive and loving husband--- we need each other!

Blog Resurrection

How does a person go about writing a blog in March when the last entry was in August?

Me-oh-my.  I don't want to overwhelm you with an entire life update in one post, so I will take a few entries to recap the lives of each person... not just for your reading, but for my own recording.  I'm afraid with four children, I have all but stopped writing in my journals for them.  The blog is sometimes the easiest way to remember events and special memories in my children's lives.

I'll start by updating about myself:

I love living in Fishers, IN!  I spend most of my time at home with the children--- they provide plenty to keep up with without even leaving the house.  They are lot to keep up with, trying my patience more than I imagined being a mother would.  But I love them so much.  I stay busy with the mundane and never-ending laundry, dishes, toy up-picking, and diaper changing (only one kid though!--- but I'm almost convinced that the time I spend wiping bottoms at the toilet each day takes just as long as diaper changes would.  Thankfully less expensive!).  They are growing fast and learning so much.  I'll tell you about them soon.

In January, I started a new endeavor: I am teaching a college class at Indiana Wesleyan University!  I was thrilled at the opportunity, it is an interior design class called Rendering.  Funny part is, there's only 4 students, but that's perfect for my first time!  I'm hoping it leads to more classes in coming semesters.

I also have about 4 interior design jobs that have come my way, and they are all so different!  God has really opened the doors to some neat opportunities, and I'm putting my faith in Him to help me accomplish what is required.

I enjoy our new church, Trinity (Wesleyan) Church and am starting to get connected by helping out in the nursery and attending Wednesday classes.  I'm also going to transition to the nursery coordinator position over the next few months.  I have been so encouraged and challenged by our pastor's messages that are pulled straight from the Word of God.  I am thankful.

I am quite excited for warmer weather to arrive.  Last spring was a whirlwind of pregnancy and moving, I'm hoping to do a little more yard work and garden prep.  And just to be outside and breath!  Big deep breaths of fresh air!  And SUNSHINE!  All you mommas out there are nodding your heads in agreement, I know.

I can't leave out the fact that I've steadily and slowly been doing house projects!  So far, I've primarily painted the basics to cover what was here when we moved in.  I still have to finish the laundry room, guest bath, and huge 2-story front living room (I'm considering hiring this out?!).  Once all the walls have a nice shade of paint, I will probably start getting a little more creative with embellishing them.  All in time.  I've obviously had to slow down the projects since January (with teaching and designing for others).  But that's okay!  Good things take time.

That's all for now.  Next week, I'll give you the scoop on the man of the house. :)  (and if you feel like reading ahead, check out the blog he just started: www.theintentionaldad.com)!

Blessings!

Hit The Ground...

...RUNNING!

We're still alive, even though my sudden lack of blog posts would indicate otherwise.  Adriah is doing wonderfully.  We treasure her immensely.

I've been crazy busy with these hooligans...

Don't let their cuteness deceive you.  Sweet they can be, but angels they are not.
And I am exhausted.

So thankful for God's grace and encouragement on the tough days.
Blessings!

Hospital Baby: Day 5

It's official: I do NOT like typing on an iPad.

Today's date is 08-10-12. These are the years I've had babies!  (and not planning on another one for year 14, Lord willing).

So are you wondering how my amazing full night of sleep was?  Well, it might have been nice, but at 5am my phone rang.  WHA?!!?  It was a nurse saying to come feed my baby.  Long story short, some new patients had arrived and they changed nurses, and our nurse forgot to pass on the info that Adriah was supposed to get a bottle.  Bah humbug.  I gave the new nurse the instructions, no big deal.  But I really don't like being woken up because it can be hard to go back to sleep.  I was also frustrated because this was the second time I had left instructions to feed her that were not passed on to a new nurse (and the last time she totally missed a feeding because of it).  It took me an hour to fall back to sleep.  Arghhh...that's as long as its would have taken to feed her, but at least I got to lay there instead of getting my 5am workout of 3 stories of stairs.  Going to try again tonight for the full night effect.

Simon came back up for the weekend.  He brought the kids in this morning ... They have been getting to bed late because of VBS, so they're all a little edgy.  But being away from them for a week gives me a renewed energy and determination at being their mom.

So tonight is the last night of our special hospital vacation!  Adriah and I have had such a lovely time together, considering the circumstances.  The thing I'll miss most is having my food brought to me at every meal.  Speaking of food, I think I'll go have some soup I didn't eat at dinner.  

Peace.