Sickness has come and gone and come again ...

We had some bad pukers earlier this week and now Gabriel has a whole new kind of cold. We never get sick here.  We try to stay in our little bubble and take good care of our bodies but it just sneaks in.  
  I took Jeremiah and Jonah in for their well being checks today and had the Dr. peek at Gabe.  He has a seal bark cough, fever and no appetite.  He's in a great mood though.

  

Jonah got his shots and his blood taken.  He didn't like that but the others liked being the watchers. 
 Praying for a healthier weekend  and for you all to have a wonderful weekend! 

Happy 11th Birthday Jonah!

 Time always goes so fast....
trying to enjoy every minute of it
you will always be a miracle baby to us
can't wait to see what God's plan is for you
we love you so much!

you and Olivia will always be Irish twins

I can't believe we let you have long hair...

I loved it.... Dave did not

Last years cake..My favorite!!

 You are always sitting totally weird and uncomfortable...

This is the cake he asked for.  Odin made the whole darn thing.  They all argue over who's doing the cake. 

Thank you all for the gifts, cards and birthday wishes.  Jonah loved every bit of it.  He was puking the day before but it looks like it was a 24 hour bug we brought home from running errands on Saturday.  Not fun.  We haven't had any type of flu in this house for over a year.  I hate having sick kiddos and yes I will keep them in a bubble if that means keeping them healthy.
So far we are having an awesome week, and the extra white fluffy stuff outside was an added bonus.  The kids had a blast shoveling and making forts in the snow.
Have a wonderful Tuesday!

My Gentle giant at 12 yrs. old...

 These are the days that I love....
spending days on end with your children.
They are so worth investing all of your energy in.
Odin just has a way about him 
Everyone always goes to him for everything....
hugs
play time
cuddles
nerf gun fights
lego battles 
reading 

he's my guy that is always cleaning up the house

you never need to ask this guy to help you..he's always one step ahead of me

We're sitting in the kitchen area just hanging out after school and he says "Mom, thanks for saying yes"

I said, to what?

To Abraham.  
I said of course sweetie.

He said, I can't imagine our lives without him in it.
This guy always gets me so weepy.  He's one you can just sit and talk and cry with.

We talked about how God intentionally puts his people in situations where they come face to face with their need for him. Completely walking by faith.   In the process he demonstrates his ability to provide everything that his people could ever have imagined.  In the end he brings glory to himself.
In our humanness, we seem to think that he would choose the people with the most money and talents to accomplish his desires.  Those are the people that can get it done. With all the cancer debt we have on paper, a $15,000 adoption wouldn't be what we were ready for.  What I have seen the past few years is that Christ uses the normal people to do Mighty works because in our humanness it seems more of a miracle when we can accomplish something so grand!

Why is it so hard to say yes?

When we think about laying down a life for another we usually think in terms of a singular event.  But it is possible for us to lay down our lives over the course of a lifetime, minute by minute and day by day.  And it is the work of the Spirit to empower us as we seek to lose ourselves in acts of loving kindness and sacrificial living.
 

 Happy 8th Birthday Jeremiah Christian!
(very late..January 8th)
Can you feel the excitement?
One of my favorite pictures of the first  4
 4 kiddos in 5 years
3 in diapers
 was crazy fun. 
Ask Dave!!!
You were an easy baby from what I remember.

you  love to be outside
playing catch with a football, kickball, creating a play fort out of trees and rocks.
  Legos, action figures, baking.  You name it you'll do it.
You're an easy going kid.

you love to  lick the bowls

you love helping others

you are so full of life, so loving and full of joy!

you are loud, crazy
and always smiling

a wee bit stubborn sometimes

you love swimming, camping,
riding your bike, reading  books
and any kind of adventure

We went to Chuck E Cheese for your birthday again.
You love that place.  I love the cheap price, there is something for all ages, and the fact you can just go there and play games rocks! You can stay there for a few hours on $20.

Thank you all for the wonderful gifts and for loving on Jeremiah.  We all had a great day!