Now for the hard part

We just spoke briefly with the surgeon and the surgery is over! She is in recovery now and we are hoping to get to see her within an hour. The doctor said the surgery went well and they were able to do it entirely with the scope. Amazing. We will be in the ICU tonight so that they can monitor her and hopefully keep her as comfortable as possible. I am just so overwhelmed and thankful that she is moving towards recovery! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! You can continue to pray for... Her comfort and recovery. Mental, emotional, and physical stamina for me and J as well as my parents who are managing other kids. Protection from illness or infection. Thank you, Jesus!

Waiting

We are at the hospital this morning. Waiting now for some news from the operating room about what is going on with out precious Sadie.

I watched her giggle and dance and play with her baby this morning as we waiting and my heart breaks because I know it will be a while before we see that smile again. I know she will hurt and I hurt for her. I hurt for our other kids who wait to know what is going on.

Last night, a dear friend and prayer warrior told me that she (and many others) are storming the throne for us and for Sadie. This stops me. Than you for pleading with Jesus for us. Because for me, right now, my prayers are a whisper. I am not usually short on words, but for weeks now, I am pretty much only able to whisper the name of Jesus as I pray. I offer my silence and my tears as worship and I lift Sadie's spiky ponytail up to the Creator, Author, and Healer of all things.

Sweet Jesus, Name above all other names.

I have a little shadow...

Bo's class had a poetry recital and we got to go see him recite.

First, the class recited most of Romans 12 which they've been working on for scripture memory this year.  Dang, he is one handsome kid.

"I have a little shadow"

"What can be the use of him?"

The bow absolutely stopped me.  So beyond precious.

Love these guys.

We were all pretty excited dad was able to be there.

Great job, Bo!  Ella is already asking about her poetry recital next year. Can't wait for that one :)

Visitors

We got to hang out with some special people last weekend.  My great grandma and Aunt were here.  They are too much fun!

We also got some baby love with Maddox and Truett.  Of course Sarah and Maggie came along too, so it's was lots of fun.

Ella headed straight for the babies.  That girl is full of some serious maternal instincts.  Awesome.

He lost it!

And the other front tooth is on it's way :)

My little monkey is FOUR!

Jack is FOUR!

I can hardly even believe it.  Today as he was swinging in the backyard, he made a comment about being three and then he cracked up laughing and reminded me {and himself] that he's four now.

Goodness, he is one spunky kid.  He wakes up in the morning and starts running.  He basically just runs and jumps and plays until he falls into bed at night.  Love the rough and tumble boy!

We had a park playdate to celebrate him as well as a fun family dinner on his actual birthday.

This boy is more fun than you can imagine.

And he keeps me giggling!

Yep, he's a regular superhero!

Happy Birthday, Jack!  We love you and have so much fun watching you grow.

Easter Fun

We had a fun afternoon with Papa and Gigi for Easter.  The kids were all smiles, and finding the eggs was a blast!

the beach was awesome

There really aren't words that do it justice, so I'm just going to post a few of my favorite shots from our week at the beach!

More updates to come :)

Like a petting zoo, only better!

My sister-in-law invited me and the kids to join her and her kids at an animal rescue/petting zoo/local animal zoo thingy that's not too far from here. I'm so glad we were able to do it! It was awesome.

We were quite a crew!



Sadie was having a good time, I promise.

The bunny pen was the biggest hit and they were all excited to give the rabbits some celery.

Ella, the deer whisperer!

We had a blast seeing goats, pigs, chickens, deer rabbits, and even a few "scary animals" like a bobcat, mountain lion, and bear!

Perfect pictures

There are hoses all over the yard. I think we had four hoses with holes and leaks in them and one afternoon the kids pulled them all out and snaked them all over the yard.

Is that even a verb, snaked? Not sure, but you get the point.

I sneak up to the window and take a picture throught the glass. It's blurry, crooked, and doesn't really work through the glass, but I don't care.

He's out there with them, wrapping up hoses, cleaning up the pieces, and working on the connections. I hear their squeals of delight and their laughter. Mae and I watch them, and I want to get a picture without disturbing the moment. Because this is what I want to remember. These ordinary moments and laughs that make up days and weeks and years.

This is what I want to hold on to in my head and my heart.

Take me out to the ball game.

Uncle Justin is an awesome baseball player and now he gets to coach! I told Maggie we really wanted to come to a game, so we loaded up the sprinter and headed out to the ball field. Despite a late departure and a missed exit, we got to see quite a bit of the game and it was a close one!

It was clear when I looked back at my pictures that it was much more about the babies than it was about the baseball. Oh, well! That Maddox is such a cutie and it was so fun to see the Mills clan and catch up for a little bit!

Butterflies!

We were visiting J's parents not too long ago and took a little field trip to a nearby butterfly house with some cousins. It was such a good time. The kids were a little disappointed that the butterflies would not land all over them, but they really enjoyed seeing them all.

First stop: The Transformation Station

Second Stop: Information Station

And from then on, it was pretty much chaos :)

Hmmmm, Mae is still trying to figure out what she thinks about the butterflies.

Attempt at a group shot. Hysterical.