Our Birthday Girl

Our beautiful red-head turned 5 today. Time is passing by so quickly. I am beginning to forget the sweetness of her childhood. In her 1826 days here on Earth, she has spent most of those with me. The days and memories all run together. She still clings to her childhood innocence. She knows nothing of evil or loss. How I long to shelter her forever from this big bad world- to keep her from knowing heartache or fear. But then she would also miss the beautiful things of life like falling in love or learning she is capable of conquering her fear and uncertainty. She would miss the wonderful discovery of being who God designed her to be.


Today, she awoke early and Daddy and I sang to her in the kitchen in our pjs. I made chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. We played hide & seek for the 1st time in the new house. We also watched my little pony and played dress up. Then, she and I (and Lucy) went to the mall. We bought a new outfit at Gymboree, some new books, and got frozen yoghurt. Lyra also went to build a bear for the first time and picked out a pony.

We had homemade pizza for supper, her favorite meal. She got a Cinderella carriage from Nana & Pop and got a video message from Gammaw. She went to bed tonight after I prayed for her in a new gown, grasping her new pony, and reading her new book.

What a wonderful blessing our Lyra Kate is to us. She longs for beautiful and simple days. I see so much of the best of me in her. I prayed tonight for God to bless her, for her to grow strong and stay healthy, and for her to feel loved.

Bye-Bye House

It's finally here- our move to our new home. This morning we packed up the 3 oldest littles to go to Nana & Pop's until tomorrow night. We explained that this was the last time they would live here and all of their stuff was going to the new house.

It always hurts a bit to say goodbye. We moved here 3 years ago. This was the house we'd been working toward - the big new house, in the right school district, with the beautiful backyard, on the dead-end street, and right down the road from Nana & Pop. Our dream house...or so we thought.

It's funny how things change.

We moved here as a family of four and have grown to a family of six. Lyra offered her first prayers to God in her bedroom. Lila & Tucker learned to walk in our den. Scott stood in our bedroom twice and heard the words "I'm pregnant!" Tucker and Lucy have been brought home from the hospital to this house. Lyra learned to ride her tricycle in the living room. Ive rocked all our babies countless hours in the warmth of this house. We've welcomed numerous friends through our arched oak doors. So many memories have been made here.


Now it's time to leave this house and make memories elsewhere. A small older house, with huge oak trees, small rooms and smaller closets, on a busy country road, with a room for school, and a yard that seems to never end. We've traded our dream house for a house that will let us live our dreams.

I want to remember the sweet memories of our littles we made in this house. Lyra crying as she looked at her room one last time. Lila giggling as she excitedly ran down the hall to go out the door one last time. And our sweet Tucker, standing in the hall in front of his room waving and joyfully saying "bye-bye house!"