Thursday's Thanksgivings

I am very thankful for quality time with friends.  Cultivating friendships is something I find difficult in this stage of life to do.  Mothering two young children takes about all I've got to offer.  I am thankful for the time I was privileged to share with two of my sweet friends yesterday, along with their delightful little ones.

Meet Lucy.

She's a very sweet and content little lady. 

And here's Josiah.

He's all boy . . . so fun and entertaining.

Claire really enjoyed playing with her friends, 

and just getting to mingle with some of "her own kind."

Though a bit on the tired side, Lucy remained content and patiently endured a photo shoot.

The others did too. 

(Our attempt at a group shot :)

All the while, Josiah entertained us with his many expressions.

While the little ones were enjoying each other,

the big kids had fun together too.

John David played with his buddy - cousin Ella - 

and was glad to have her company among the mothers and babies.

Ella's mom and little brother were planning on joining us; 

but due to sickness, they could not. 

You were missed.  Maybe next time.

Thank you, Lord, for time allowing time to be 

refreshed and encouraged by friends.

You are kind.  I am thankful. 

  

Holiday Weekend Recap

While our Labor Day was quite restful,
we've been busy this weekend with many fun-filled events.

And we've done a lot of celebrating!

First of all, we celebrated developmental milestones.

Though it's all relative, 

many may feel 11 months old is kind of late to officially start pulling up.

(She's been attempting for a while and has been making progress.:)

I must confess I've been waiting for that 

"look how I found my baby when I walked in her room this morning" moment.

Friday morning, Claire delivered!

Since then, she's loved practicing her new skill.  

We started getting excited about a weekend of football,

and on Saturday we celebrated the first win of the season!

And we got to do so with good friends. 

We enjoyed waking up Monday without much of an agenda.

Claire and I decided to play around with her hair that doesn't curl 

and is getting long around her ears.

So we celebrated her first pig tails!  

And though Ella was the official birthday girl last Thursday,

she was the "birthday party girl" - as she preferred to be called - on Monday.

We celebrated Ella with an oh-so-fun Princess party!

And everyone had a great time.

John David even left with some great loot!

He's really pumped here . . .  just trying to play the part :)

And then today, it was back to school.

Although David said the school "drop off" was the best yet,

watching my boy walk out the door this morning was extra hard for me. 

I'm not sure why, 

but inevitably there will be many more moments like that down the road . . . 

when seeing my children getting so big makes me so sad; 

but so thankful.

Scripture Memory Monday

David reminded me of the following verse as we wrapped up this Labor Day.

No matter what we do day in and day out,

may we always abound in the work of the Lord.

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast,

immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,

knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV)

At the beginning of the verse - as my husband would say - we must ask, 

"what is the 'therefore' there for?"

The "therefore" is referring to the previous verses regarding 

the resurrection of Christ and His ultimate victory over death. 

That's why our labor is not in vain . . . because Jesus is alive!

Hallelujah!  Amen!

Friday's Photo

A Smile to My Face

I had another mini convo yesterday with my little boy, 

who is still wishing for a change of seasons.   

I have told him on several occasions that Fall will come right before his sister's birthday.  

It will be cooler then and the leaves will change colors.   

He asked again yesterday, "Is it Fall yet?"

I replied - as usual - "No; not yet."

Then he responded in an ever-so-thoughtful tone, 

"Can we paint the leaves?"

Sorry, buddy.  The leaves will change in due time.  And though painting them "orange, red, yellow and blue" - as you cutely suggested - would be fun, our eager/meager attempts would still leave the temperatures unaltered.  We will leave that to the Creator, whose timing is always perfect.  A truth that John David - and many of us - needs to be reminded of. . . no matter what season in life you may be wishing to get out of or transition to next. 

But this conversation did bring a smile to my face. 

Below are a few photos from our first Fall with our precious boy.
I must say, the bluegrass of Kentucky was breathtaking that time of year.

Thursday's Thanksgivings

I am very thankful that 

- 4 years ago today - 

we welcomed little 

Eleanor Lynn 

into our family.

There is something special about your siblings' children,

and when sweet Ella was born, it was a very special time for me.

Ella has proven to be a wonderful friend to John David.

I thank the Lord for this very often. 

Ella is sweet and nurturing,

gentle and perceptive,

fun and energetic, 

and loves to join in with John David, no matter what he's doing.

There have been times where both Ella and John David have talked about marrying the other.  Though we parents would not share in their enthusiasm about this idea, I do pray the Lord brings someone like Ella into my son's life down the road.  I do think she compliments him very well. :)

Here are some pictures of Ella and John David back in April.

I was delighted to look back over these and remember that fun, spring afternoon.

These two sure love each other.

~ We Love You, Ella ~

Happy Birthday!

Rewind Wednesday : A GFCF First!

A while back, David and I began to discuss transitioning John David to a GFCF (Gluten-Free, Casein-Free) diet.  (Basically wheat and dairy free).  This diet is highly recommended for individuals with autism and ADHD.  


I will most likely share more about "the diet" soon and why it is believed to make a difference for these individuals. 


Thankfully, the Lord has given us a great eater; but trying to go gluten free was definitely the biggest challenge.  However, it has been quite easy to stay away from dairy.  (We are big fans of almond milk and calcium supplements!)  And to note - although we haven't noticed much difference in John David regarding gluten removal (nor have we given that one a fair trial), dismissing dairy has made a significant difference.  Again, I will be more specific another day.  


Well, back at the beginning of August, we attempted our first GFCF (and David would add a TF: "taste free") chocolate cake.  I can't remember the brand off the top of my head, though I would recognize it on the shelf at Target.  I'll try to make note of that here, for anyone - unlike my husband! - who may for some reason be interested.  :) 


Here we are mixing the batter

Having a sneaky taste test

And enjoying the finished product

John David would disagree with his daddy's "TF" comment.  So would I.  :)