I just love to dance.

Ella spun and pranced and jumped around the kitchen this morning. Delighted with her own movements.

"Oh, mom," she sighed, "I just love to dance."

No worries, Jack and Buzz enjoy a good dance break too!

And that is the truth.

She also loves to model the costume :)

Seasons

I love this picture for so many reasons. It seems to capture this season that we're in so completely.

Bo is lost in some deep, deep thought, preparing to share some fact with the rest of us.
I am absolutely amazed at Bo these days. I feel like he's finally found a groove here with school. While I don't think he's necessarily getting the academic depth he needs, I am seeing his tender heart be cultivated in amazing ways. Just the other day he told me that his favorite thing about school is studying his Bible and talking about Jesus in his class. Awesome. He studies things so intently and wants to share things with me! Needless to say, I'm learning a lot about rocks and minerals these days :)

Ella knows she supposed to smile and immediately scrunches her face up but realizes her hair needs to be just right too.
She is the most feminine and dainty thing you can imagine. I watched her today as she rode her bike [without training wheels!] and just marveled at the beauty of her little legs working so hard as her dress billowed in the wind behind her. All that girliness and two minutes later she was crying because she could not find a worm to hold like Jack. She's so excited about starting school and the other night she squealed, "I can hardly think about school, eeeee, I can't wait!!" I am amazed at her creative spirit and her desire to serve her brothers and sisters.

Jack wants to be holding Mae and saying cheese all at once.
Jack is all rough and tumble boy. He wakes up in the morning, bolts out of bed, and runs to find me or J wherever we are. He's tough too. He tries so hard to keep up with his big brother and sister but is fiercely interesting in his younger siblings too. He cannot seem to sit still these days either and loves saying silly things and doing silly "moves" with his body.

Sadie just oozes spunk and is so proud to be up on the bench like the big kids.
I wish I could describe Sadie better, but she has this unbelievable magnetism that I just cannot even begin to describe. She does this little move lately where she puts her hands on her hips just so and I immediately know that she is about to break it down. Dance moves bubble out of her little hips and it is one of my favorite things, ever. Every time her little chest heaves in laughter my throat burns with tears as I think about the scar that will soon be there. We are scheduled for surgery on April 30. Please pray, this is a hard thing to think about.

Mae is not sure she likes Jack's hands on her and is trying to figure out why she has to sit on the bench to begin with.
Mae is like a heavenly wind that blows through this house. The other kids cannot keep their hands off of her!!! Someone is always kissing her, talking to her, making her laugh, and sometimes making her cry. She sleeps, she eats, she snuggles, she coos, and we simply cannot get enough!

It is a busy season, yet quiet, still, and peaceful in a way I can hardly articulate. Amidst the piles of laundry and toothpaste covered sinks and sticky chairs and random toys I find tucked into secret "hiding" places, there is a deep calm that permeates my soul. I feel the days slipping by faster than I can even get my mind around them and yet there are moments that seem to sear my memory and linger.

Thank you for letting me share our lives with you here. We are thankful for God's goodness to us!

My supergirls!

 

 

 

 

The eyes of March!

This little piggy...

Mae's hair is long and fluffy on top, and my friend Rachael's been urging me to "fix" it for some time. Last week we decided to give it a try...

I'd say she was pleased with the results!

Our Little Houdini

Sadie is quite skilled these days at getting herself completely undressed. On the one hand, it's exciting to see her being more independent. On the other hand, when she gets completely undressed during nap time and then fall asleep, this can present some messy problems!

We've tried a few different strategies and finally resolved to use tape around her diaper. It's (mostly) fool proof. One evening not too long ago, Ella came running out of her room to tell me that Sadie had managed to get her clothes off and somehow broke through her packing tape fortress as well.

"Well, aren't you a little Houdini," I remarked as I came to get her redressed.

Ella was quiet for a few minutes and then exclaimed, "wow, Sadie, you are a little genius!"

We has a good laugh about that one.

On a more serious note, we are currently four weeks away from Sadie's tentative surgery date. We are "penciled in" the surgeon's schedule but still waiting for final confirmation based on last minute scheduling requests.

Y'all, pray for me! This is heavy on my heart. Every time I see her precious little chest heave in laughter I am just broken that I will have to see my little girl hurt.

I know this is best.

I know this is what she needs.

I know I am oh-so-very-amazingly-blessed to live in a country where we have access to such unbelievable medical care.

I know I need Jesus and Sadie does too.

I know I am blessed beyond measure.

Yeah, she looks pretty good in a hat!

DIY Laundry

I've been wanting to try making my own laundry soap for a while now, so I decided to give it a go...with all of my special helpers, of course :)

We grated soap..

Measured and mixed...

And ended up with a nice bowl of laundry powder.

And a little bit of a mess on the kitchen table.

The kids were so excited to watch it go in the washing machine.

Look, there's cheese all over our clothes!

Hysterical.