my children::fall 2011

i think i initially saw this idea on pinterest - where else would i have gotten it? ;-)

we have these frames that are supposed to hold artwork. but i hardly ever change them out. so there are normally snowmen in it in the summer...or a beautiful fall tree when it is springtime. wasn't working for me.

so. every fall i will replace these. not on their birthdays (i'll always be behind). every fall i will do a new one for all 6 kids! how great will it be to look back through them and see the things they liked a few years ago? to remember. and laugh. LOVE it!

 these are on a wall as you walk from our front door into our kitchen/family room area.

i'm not doing them in birth order - just to keep you guessing :-)

and i'm going to use this opportunity to share a little of where each child is these days...

joshua::
he might always be the one i worry about the most. he's just so quiet, it's hard to know what's going on in there. but i LOVE his smile. and the calmness that he IS. he IS calm. he loves to play soccer at recess and seems to be well-liked by his classmates...even the girls ;-) he wants to be a football player when he grows up. he doesn't mind being by himself - reading or outside with a ball or his bike. oh, his bike! that's the one thing that doesn't seem to go with his personality - and i LOVE that! get that boy on a bike and there is NO fear! he often comes up to me in the late afternoon/evening as says, "mom. can i do anything for you?" sweet. he has handled having 2 more little brothers in stride. he doesn't engage them very much; but if he does, he is kissing levi and asking lincoln if he wants to throw the football with him. he is an AMAZING brother to his sisters. if they find husbands that treat them half as well as he does, they will be blessed! he is my calm.

bailey::
intense. loud. always happy - except when she's not and then EVERYone knows about it! if anyone has exhibited "hard" behavior with adding 2 new brothers, it's her. nothing towards them. just MORE intensity and loudness :-) fun for all of us! but yet the LOVE she has for everyone around her runs deep. the compassion she feels for others is precious (she was SO amazed that people would bring us meals! and use their money to do it! she was TRULY thankful.) her adjustment to all day school (kindergarten is half day) has been totally fine. her teacher (whom she ADORES) is out right now, having just had her first baby, and i see signs that she is missing her. but things are GREAT at school and she still loves it. she loves her new brothers, but i don't think she knows what to DO with that love. levi kind of avoids her - she wants to love him, but ends up smothering him a bit. and lincoln doesn't know what to do with her - or her with him. so they don't interact that much. but she DOES love them and is always finding ways to show them - in true bailey style! she is my joy.

levi::
the baby. OUR baby. is he not the most gorgeous thing you have ever seen? i know! he is pretty quiet. he makes the most noise in his bed. he talks and talks and talks (babbles) for a long time before he falls asleep at night. he is starting to "talk" more around us, too! he says things that WE can tell are: mommy, daddy, night-night, ball/balloon, doggie, rebekah and he can sign "please" (which can mean "more", or "i want") he has a GREAT laugh and loves to be tickled. but he is a pretty serious guy. he loves to dance to music and has quite a little beat in his body! he LOVES rebekah. she can calm him down and care for him almost as well as i can (actually , probably better sometimes!) the kid is STUBBORN. like, REALLY stubborn. it's really hard to look in those amazing eyes of his and know so little of what is going on in there. i mourn that. but also trust that it will change over time. and i am LOVING getting to know him! he is the baby...of my arms.

rebekah::
oh, my eldest. she is changing, getting older. and part of me cringes. and part of me is excited. mostly, i'm excited - because what i am seeing is pure beauty! she is AMAZING!!! when she talks to her Father in prayer - the sweet relationship that is already there is all i desire for my children. she is a GREAT friend to those around her - even when they aren't great back (girls...) she LOVES swimming and we are so glad we are able to let her swim year round this winter. she loves to dance and sing and make things and play games. she is an AMAZING big sister to EACH of her siblings - in ways that love THEM individually. she already has plans for college. and after college. and on and on. they involve: JMU, Africa, orphans and teaching :-) she is a blessing to anyone she comes in contact with. she is always thinking of others. she is my encouragement.

lincoln::
oh, lincoln. you have taken our family to a whole new level, my boy! he is loud. intense. VERY concerned with what everyone around him is doing/getting. he loves to eat...is always asking when we are eating next. he LOVES sawyer - like, the word "love" doesn't seem to capture it. he truly loves ALL his siblings - he does NOT like it if one of them is crying or upset. but sawyer?? he loves sawyer SO deeply. they are inseparable. and they both seem fine with that for now! it takes him a LONG time to fall asleep. he wrestles his thoughts and sheets until he collapses into sleep. he also loves to dance and listen to music. but he doesn't seem to have quite the beat that his other African brother has :-) his smile is ELECTRIC! it will brighten ANY day. he never talks about anything in rwanda - the orphanage, his friends, the nuns - ANY of it. if i show him pictures, i get a blank face. nothing. he is SUCH a great helper! he loves to help and actually does a GREAT job at it! (whereas some kids might want to help, but drop all the groceries on the floor as they bring them in.) he is strong and willing and it is such a positive things for BOTH of us - he can feel good about helping...and i can praise him for doing it! he is my challenge...for now!

sawyer::
he was the baby. and now, technically, he's not. but i've decided i can have 2 babies. and he is still MY baby. i admit to putting my face in his neck when i go in to kiss him goodnight and breathing in that smell of his so deeply...like i want it to reach my heart. i confess to giving him too much grace during these last few months. i've erred on the side of grace as his world has been rocked the hardest. we are seeing the effects of that (and dealing with it now!) and i don't regret it for a second. and now i'm sobbing. i think there is some deep stuff to work through in my own heart with regard to this little boy. but, he is SO happy. he LOVES having a "twin" brother. they {mostly} get along so well and do EVERYTHING together. i can see already that their relationship is going to be so cool to watch grow and develop! he also loves levi - he is always stopping and giving him kisses. so cute. he is a "mama's boy". i know it will have to change...one day. but not today :-) i love his little voice. he is the baby...of my heart.