Not Me Monday...

MckMama is hosting her Not Me Monday blog carnival again...go link up if you wanna join in the fun!!!






I most certainly did not hand this adorable faced girlie a sippy filled with strawbery smoothie and tell her to "suck it up!". I would never speak like that to my kiddos...not me!













I would never take this sweet face on a shopping spree and a train ride and leave all of his brothers behind! That wouldn't be fair!!!

And I would most certainly not spend our family sized clothes budget on said shopping trip buying boy clothes in a size eight...that couldn't have been me!!! This sweet faced boy and his similarly sized brother could not possibly be that big!!!

Not only that...their mommy could not possibly be old enough to have babies that can't shop in the "little" boy section anymore...that's not me, it can't be!

I also would never mistakenly give my lactose intolerant wonder boy Jackson a fruit smoothie with milk as it's main ingredient. I would then never, ever refill his glass after he downed it. I couldn't possibly have misread the label or grabbed the wrong one at the store...not me!!!

And lastly...that wasn't me you heard singing songs of praise and dancing around the house when my mom offered to take a couple of boys off of my hands for a while...nope, not me! I would never rejoice at the thought of a little peace and quiet...definitely NOT ME!!!

Funny Stuff

My last post was a little heavier than usual so how about some fun! These have all been taken in the past week!

For Father's Day Todd and I took the boys to the Infield to ride go-karts and eat pizza. They LOVED it! Finley is still too little to ride at all and that was a bummer but who would have thought this one would want to ride too?

"Daddy, please?"



And then this is what happened when daddy told her that you have to be four years old! She seems to be a determined sort of girl...



On Monday we had some of our family over. This is Finley and his cousin Asher. Asher loves balls! There's a lot that's funny about this picture if you know these two. Asher's face and the way he has his hand out...too much! The really funny part to me is Finley cleaning off the ball with a wet paper towel. The only reason he is doing this is to play keep away from Asher...Finley doesn't clean anything without being threatened!



This is cousin Sam. He announced that he knew the definition of "making out". Oh, Samuel...do tell!!! And I quote..."It's kissing repeatedly." He was so serious and sure of himself. He's 11.



And this is me and my seester Katie or Kiki as the kids call her. We think it's hilarious when people tell us we look so much alike. Honestly, we really look nothing alike. We do, however, end up dressed freakishly similar on any given day without talking about what we're wearing beforehand. Pink shirts, khaki shorts and pink flops...and this is a subtle example.



We have such a fun weekend planned...can't wait!!!

Oh My Darn It!

In my opinion there just isn't a societal label that is "good" enough to describe Jackson. He is not the result of a vaccine, an accident, an illness or injury. He was fearfully, wonderfully, PERFECTLY made by the master creator. God always knew. He knew when he created me and he knew when he created Todd and he knew when he brought us together and made us parents. We don't ask "why us"...God's omniscience and provisions for our lives and hearts are enough. There is a lot of peace in that. Do I ache when Jackson struggles, absolutely. Do I get a little embarrassed when I have to carry a flailing, cursing eight year old away from a very busy swimming pool, sure I do. Do I LOVE that I get to cling to the Lord when I've had more than I think I can handle and he draws me in, refills me, comforts me and sends me back on my way...without a doubt.

God ALWAYS gives us exactly what we need. Peace, strong arms, a sturdy heart, a loving...forgiving spouse, a sense of humor, good birthing hips (thank you Jesus), a life blessed with Jacksonisms like "Oh my darn it!"...He knew, He always knew.


Psalm 139:13-17

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!



Psalm 59:16

16 But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.









GOD CHOOSES A MOM FOR A DISABLED CHILD
by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures, and a couple by habit. This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen? Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

"Armstrong, Beth; son; patron saint, Matthew.

"Forrest, Marjorie; daughter; patron saint, Cecelia.

"Rudledge, Carrie; twins; patron saint.... give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."

Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a handicapped child a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and Independence. She'll have to teach the child to live in her world and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."

God smiles. "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, there is a woman I will bless with a child less then perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word.' She will never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations.

"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see --- ignorance, cruelty, prejudice --- and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."

"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in midair.

God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."

A saint I'm not but a blessed mommy to five beautiful, unique, precious children...now, that's me!!!

A day in the life...

of the squirps! Todd showed me how to use the card thingy (I'm such a techie!!!) and put my phone pics on the computer tonight. They start on March 9th (hooray for new phones!) at the top and go through today. I so very badly want to put commentary next to some of them but I think it will be more fun if I skip it!

Happy Father's Day

We love our dad!!!


You take us on adventures,



and engineer our transportation.



You give us beautiful moments like this



and you do a great job feeding our faces!



You are always up for playing,



you made us cute siblings



but you make cool stuff like this too!



Sometimes you have to untangle our knots



or soothe us when we cry.



And though we have had many joyful moments



you comforted us through some very sad ones too.



You love us through the crazy



and swing with us side by side...



We love that you look at our mommy like this



and strive to heal what's been broken.



You've been there every step of the way



and our family is awesome because of you!



We love you dad!!!
Jackson, Tucker, Cooper, Finley and Campbell Kate

My Darling Todd,
I'm so in love with you as a husband and as a father to our babies. You are such a gift and I know God hand picked you just for us. Your love for the Lord and your strength through all that we have been through is amazing. I pray that our boys grow up to be men who provide love and a Godly example for their families like you do and that our sweet girlie gets a husband who is willing to be a man after God's own heart and follows His plan for his family like you. You're MY best and I could not want for anything else. Love you, love you, love you!!!