Todd and Noelle's Blog: May 2013

Friday, May 17, 2013

Faris Kid Photography

Jack found the big camera and the kids started snapping pictures...

Jack took the above two...I think he's got a good eye!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

O heart bereaved and lonely,
Whose brightest dreams have fled
Whose hopes like summer roses,
Are withered crushed and dead
Though link by link be broken,
And tears unseen may fall
Look up amid thy sorrow,
To Him who knows it all

O cling to thy Redeemer,
Thy Savior, Brother, Friend
Believe and trust His promise,
To keep you till the end
O watch and wait with patience,
And question all you will
His arms of love and mercy,
Are round about thee still

Look up, the clouds are breaking,

The storm will soon be o'er

And thou shall reach the haven,

Where sorrows are no more

Look up, be not discouraged;

Trust on, whate'er befall

Remember, O remember,

Thy Savior knows it all

This song ministered to me so much when our baby girl died, and it still does.

Lucy would have been two this past Sunday. Mother's Day. I wonder what she would have been like; I'm so sad I'll never know a two-year-old Lucy. But I remind myself that my loss is her indescribable gain, and I find a sweet joy in knowing that she is with Jesus. I think about the evil and sadness and sickness in this world, and I have a peace in knowing that she is HOME.

But I miss her. Sometimes I look around the dinner table and feel like someone is missing. We have "her" tiny tree in the backyard , a hibiscus of the variety Lucy, from friends when she was born. I look out every day now hoping to see leaves, tiny buds, signs of life to remind me of the life she has now.

On Sunday the kids and I stayed home from church. We made cupcakes, read, played outside. When Todd got home we all looked at our photos. They are so hard, but so precious. I am so thankful we have them!! We cried a little (Eleanor sweetly wiping away my tears) and talked about Lucy and about that day. The kids were so little! Jack wasn't even two. They experienced so much and God guided them so gently. We visited Lucy's grave with my parents (so glad they were here), took flowers to leave and balloons to let go. We went out to dinner and planted a hydrangea and ate our cupcakes. Max added some humor by stealing Jack's cupcake and stuffing a little in his mouth as quick as he could! It was an emotional day, but not a bad one. A good day to remember not only Lucy, but also all the ways people loved us and ministered to us two years ago. And what a blessing from God to have Max here with us this year, bringing such joy and comfort with his happy little self!

"God will grind sunlight out of your black nights. In the oven of affliction, grace will prepare the bread of delight. Someday you will thank God for all your sadness."
~Spurgeon

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Max at 9 months

This is one happy boy!

Max is crawling expertly, goes from crawling to sitting, and even pulled up to stand a few days ago. Watch out, world! I'm super thankful I've got three big helpers to make sure Legos don't get ingested, books don't get ripped, chairs don't get pulled over on top of the little guy, etc! We sure are having fun together! Max is trying to hard to say "Daddy" and "Doggy", which both sound a lot like "Ga-guy".
He is a great eater now and enjoys such tasty items as meatloaf, french fries, cottage cheese, and cheerios, in addition to the typical repertoire of fruits and vegestables. Just this week he's started to pick up foods and actually get a fair amount into his mouth! If I'm holding him on my hip and eating something he wants to try, he cranes his neck around to see my face, smiles, and sometimes opens his mouth...it is adorable! Max enjoys baths, swinging at the park, playing pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo, and being with his siblings (and of course Daddy and Mommy).

We are thankful to the Lord for our little Maxter!

Friday, May 3, 2013

Sweet Seven

Eleanor turned seven at the end of March, and I'm just now getting around to the birthday blog post!

Eleanor is a truly sweet seven-year-old girl, one who I am so proud and thankful to call my daughter. She is helpful, like when she offers to set the table or do housework or hold Max ("if he's too much for you, Mommy"). She most often does not complain when I say "no" to a request she has. She is kind to her brothers and honestly loves to play with them. Last week at the store she decided to buy Will and Jack a candy bar; she used her own money and took joy in giving them something. She takes great care of baby Max, loves to play with him and schlep him around, and he absolutely loves her. She enjoys playing with her dolls and still has a lot of affection for a couple of her stuffed animals. Eleanor does very well in school and excels in reading and comprehension. She devours chapter books. She shows a love for Jesus and asks some very deep and thought-out spiritual questions. Eleanor is compassionate. On Valentines Day she made an extra special Valentine for a boy in her class who, she told me, often gets ignored by the other kids.

What a blessing from the Lord our daughter is!

This year she finally got to celebrate with a very special birthday twin of hers - her Uncle Mike! We had a big party for both of them with most of the extended family and a couple of friends as well.

One of my favorite moments at the party was when she opened the American Girl doll we bought her (huge splurge, I know!). She looked shocked and like she might cry, and said, "I really really wanted this but I didn't think I would really get it!" She was in awe. It was just really precious to me.

I made Eleanor and Abby matching pillowcase dresses.

The big birthday weekend was also Easter weekend. What a blessing to have so much of our family here to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ! Eleanor especially enjoyed her time with sweet cousin Nora. There were tears when she left!