8 now

we've been "8" for 15 months now.
i guess once we get to 2 years, we'll start counting by years - kind of like when you have a baby, huh?

they are all growing...yet they are still who they are.
rebekah is so helpful...by choice. i need to thank her for WHO SHE IS more often.
joshua continues to exude calmness to a very NOT calm family. except when the Cowboys are playing. or Nationals.
bailey still struggles. yet is so quick to repent. so i can't really ask for more. she is OBSESSED with jump-roping. ??
lincoln. still obsessed with food. but we found something he HATES losing more than food. he gets SO sad if he misses out on "having fun" with the rest of us. (we discovered this during a family movie night a few weeks ago...he was removed for his behavior...and, we thought he was upset because he missed out on popcorn...NO, he was SO upset because he missed out on "having fun". and i'm sure the popcorn didn't help.) he is a SUPER hard worker. we started giving him (and sawyer) chores and he takes it VERY seriously! and he's doing GREAT at school!
sawyer is the sweetest guy. he and levi are forming a very cute, tight relationship in the mornings. i love every moment with him. school is going great with him...he is picking up letter sounds quickly!
levi is so so happy and fun. and still OBSESSED with water. he will drop ANYTHING for some water!

pat and i are GREAT. i'm so thankful for that. for him. for how he loves me and us.

i'm always learning, always struggling. why do the SAME struggles come back over and over and over??!! it can be so discouraging. my biggest struggle continues to be lincoln - and all the issues, circumstances, hurt and history that have built up over the last 15 months. i am tempted at times to cry out to Him, "WHY won't you take this all away?!? isn't it YOUR desire for lincoln and i to have a pure love between us? why won't you grant that?" but i have to trust that He is working. that this is for His glory. i so hope that i get to experience that pure love on this side of heaven. but even if not, i will choose to love - imperfectly as it may be. i so desire to see Him in every moment of my day...to see where He is working. yet i so quickly turn my eyes back on myself...and get caught up in silly, meaningless things.