Meet Him

As of yesterday, the courts in Ghana have officially recognized this sweet Ghanaian boy as our son.

Meet Famous.

From the moment I heard his name, I kept hearing Chris Tomlin's song "Famous One" playing in my head, and I loved it.

I pray that this boy will bring about the fame of the Lord with his life.

He is a precious boy, and we are thankful to introduce his face and name to the world as ours. Doesn't he just have a million dollar smile?!

We won't be able to bring him home for another 6 months or so, but every step that brings us closer to that day is so joyful.  Our love is his already.
"Lord, I have heard of your fame. I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known." Habakkuk 3:2

Marathon

I don't write a lot about what Chris does on this blog, not necessarily because I don't want to but more because I feel like it is his story to tell.  However, there are times that I feel like I cannot possibly not mention it.  And, this is one of those times.

Last summer, Chris got one of his wild ideas that he should plan and bring a marathon + half marathon to Bryan/College Station.  Many people told him he was crazy (including me), and a lot of people doubted that he could pull it off.

But, guess what?  He did it, and it was amazing.  He (along with a couple of amazing friends) put together a quality race in which 1,500 (!!!) runners participated. It was awesome. And crazy. And busy. And stressful. But, we raised a lot of money for Mercy Project.

Fast forward to this year...Chris, along with a committee, organized and put on the Scott and White BCS Marathon + Half Marathon...year two...and 3,500 committed to running the race.

It was pretty much incredible.

My husband is a dreamer--a big dreamer.  It's a God given gift, and one of the ways in which the Lord is most alive in him. 

This gift reminds me that the Lord created all of us with dreams.  It also drives me crazy sometimes because his dreams are big and require lots of hard work, but it's also one of the reasons I love him. (Why does that always happen??)

The marathon was no exception.  It took a crazy amount of preparation.

I was so proud to watch my man and know that all of this was happening because he wasn't afraid to pursue a dream.  Because he wasn't afraid to be the dreamer that God created him to be.

It also doesn't hurt that a lot of money was raised for Mercy Project and two other local charities that benefit children.

Praise God!

The Actual Birthday

{This is officially the last of Micah's 3rd birthday posts.  I just want to remember what we did and how we celebrated her.}

The day after Micah's party was her birthday, and birthdays are a big deal in my book.  My parents always did a fantastic job of making sure we felt celebrated, loved, and special on our birthdays, and I really want to pass that on to my children.

We started the day by revealing her "big" present.  We sawed the legs off of an old table we had to make a table that is just her size.  She is really into coloring these days, so it was the perfect fit.

She was a fan.

So was her brother :)

We also began a new family tradition of birthday cake for breakfast.

She got to be sung to again and loved it, again.

At lunch time, Chris and I took Micah on a special birthday date--just the three of us.  I totally loved doing this.  It was our special time to dote on Micah and focus all of our attention on her.  I'm hoping we can continue to do that with our children for many years.

She chose Double Dave's for lunch, so we enjoyed some pizza, pizza rolls, and Micah's favorite chocolate chip pizza.

The annual BCS Christmas Parade just happened to be on Micah's birthday, so we scouted out a great spot and watched about half of the parade.

Micah really loved dancing to the music.

We ended Micah's birthday at church, which is seriously one of her favorite places.

I can hardly believe that my girl is three.  That three whole years have passed since the first time I held her in my arms and saw her beautiful face.  And, I'm pretty sure that I will remember that moment each year when we celebrate her birthday for the rest of my life.  

So thankful for the three years we've had and prayerful for the many more to come.

A Party Fit for a Princess

Micah loves all things princess, so when she decided she wanted a princess party, I knew she would not be changing her mind.  I had a lot of fun planning the party for her, and I think she and her sweet friends had a good time.

We covered two of the playroom walls in pink streamers, and when Micah saw it before her party, she proclaimed, "it looks like a princess castle." I loved it.

Here's the birthday princess herself.

She chose a new princess dress for her party and was adamant about the Cinderella dress.  It tended to be slightly revealing, but I guess that's okay for a 3 year old!

Micah requested that all of her friends also come dressed as princesses.  There were 9 little girls, and crazy enough, we had 9 different princesses show up to the party.

The party was at 10:00am, so we opted for breakfast type foods {donut holes, fruit kabobs, yogurt parfaits, animal crackers} and cupcakes.

The girls decorated their own crowns, and some precious friends came to paint their faces.

Micah loved having everyone sing to her.  That is one of my favorite things about Micah on her birthday.  She gets the most adorable grin on her face and just watches everyone as they sing to her.

 

It melts me.

After cupcakes, it was present time, and it was fun for the kids to be old enough to really love watching Micah open her gifts.  The girls would ohh and ahh over every present.  So cute.

 It was such a fun party, and I loved seeing all the sweet girls dressed up to celebrate with my girl.

I'm pretty sure the party was approved by our birthday princess.

He is 7

Today, our little boy in Ghana turned 7.

 

He probably doesn't even know that it is his birthday, but we celebrated for him.

Micah and I made chocolate chip cookies.

We sang "Happy Birthday" to him, and Micah blew out a candle on his behalf.

But, all day, I've felt uneasy. And emotional.

Part of my heart is across the ocean, and today was his special day.  I ached to be with him and to celebrate with him.

That day is coming when he will be with us.

His 8th birthday will be one for the record books, that is for sure.

So, December 7 in the Fieldhouse was a day of celebration of the life of a sweet little boy that we claim as ours.  We celebrate the day he was born and that God created every part of him.

Happy Birthday, my boy.

 

Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving.

We tried to be more intentional in focusing on being thankful during the time leading up to Thanksgiving this year.  To aide us in doing that, we made a thanksgiving tree.

I loved hearing from everyone (except Beckett) what they were thankful for each night at dinner.  It's a tradition that Micah has continued!

We began Thanksgiving day with the Turkey Trot that benefits Mercy Project.  The kids and I walked the one mile race with my mom.

We spent Thanksgiving Day celebrating with Chris's family, which consists of about 25 relatives.  It's a big, fun group, but the kids were a bit overwhelmed.  So, they spent a lot of time playing outside in the beautiful weather!




We did Thanksgiving with my family on Friday.  It's a smaller get-together, so it was a little more laid back.  The kids played, adults chatted, and Micah went on her first boat ride on my parents' pond.





We ended the weekend by putting up the tree.  Micah loved doing it this year, and I loved watching her study each ornament and get so excited to find a special place on the tree for each one.



We had a marvelous Thanksgiving.
We have much for which to be thankful.
Joyfully you'll pull up buckets of water from the wells of salvation. And as you do it, you'll say, "Give thanks to God. Call out His name. Ask Him anything! Shout to the nations, tell them what he's done, spread the news of his great reputation!"
Isaiah 12:3-4 (The Message)

Three Years Old

 This sweet girl turned three years old today.

She surprises me every single day in the best possible ways.

Her spirit and zeal are constant reminders to enjoy the littlest things in this life.

Her ability to encourage those around her reminds me that a kind word goes a long way.

Her way of making those around her feel special is a reminder of God's mercy.

The way she loves people gives me hope that her life will be one of justice and kingdom bearing.

I am so thankful for my Micah Elisabeth.

I could never describe the emotion I feel in my heart for you--it just overflows.

Her precious life has given me unexplainable joy and love for the past three years.

She is one of my greatest gifts.

Happy birthday, my beautiful daughter.

I love you, to the moon and back!

15 Months

My boy,

You are fifteen months old, and your personality is really starting to shine.  Your daddy and I are constantly looking at each other in awe as we discover new things about who you are.  One thing I know for sure is that you are a true gift to us.  You never fail to make me smile, even when I'm having a bad day and even when you are throwing a fit (yes, it's true...you have started to do this!). I am so thankful for you, Beckett Lucas, and I am trying to store up all these memories of you in my heart.

I think it would be nearly impossible to describe all of the ways that you have changed in the last three months, so I will try to hit the big ones and include a few of the little ones too.  One big difference is that you are walking and have been almost since your birthday.  You had the most precious Frankenstein-as-an-old-man walk ever.  It was seriously the cutest thing. Watching you learn to balance and become more steady on your feet was so fun, and you are now a speed demon.  I couldn't keep up with you when you were crawling, and I certainly can't keep up with you now that you are walking and running!

Your vocabulary has taken off in the past month.  I could always tell you were intently taking in what we were saying, but you just hadn't quite been ready to try it out for yourself. All of a sudden, you started babbling more, and for a while, it felt like you were trying out a new word every day. Your very favorite word to say is "bubba," and you say it every single time you see Wrigley or hear his collar jingling.  You also say: momma, dada, Micah (more like caca), water (wawa), baby, Mimi, LeeLee, ball, bird, banana (nana), no no, night night, bye bye, and more (meeeee). You can also make noises for a puppy, cow, pig, and duck, and that is how you refer to animals. I love hearing your sweet voice and listening to you discover how to make new sounds and words.

Your sleeping is still great.  You go to bed at 7:00pm and wake up between 6:30am-7:00am. I love how dependable your sleep is, and I am so thankful. Your naps have become a little more tricky in the past month or so.  You have started dropping your afternoon nap every once in a while, which makes you super sleepy by bedtime.  When I've tried to drop your morning nap, you do not like it and get very cranky just to make sure I know about it.  We are still trying to figure out what will be best for you, sweet little man. You always sleep with one of your muslin blankets.  If I replace it with another one, made of another fabric, you will throw it out of your crib immediately.

You eat really well, but you love to feed Wrigley and throw food from your highchair.  Sometimes it is really hard to get frustrated with you about this because you have the sweetest smile on your face while you hurl food across the table.  We are working on it :) You do not love plain milk, and getting you to drink enough dairy has been a challenge. You love your kefir in the mornings, though! You are a fruit kid just like your big sister, and you love most kinds of meat. I think Chick-Fil-A may be your favorite place to eat. You are a smart kiddo!

I want to remember the things that you most love right now.  You still love balls of all kind and can throw scarily well.  You have also developed a love for cars and trucks. You have a newfound love for books as well, and this makes me so happy.  One of the sweetest things you do is get a book, bring it to someone who is sitting on the floor or a chair, and back into a lap so you can be read to. Melt me to a puddle of mush.  At any time during the day, I can find you sitting in one of the little chairs in the playroom with a book or in a big pile of books "reading." You also go into Micah's room, climb onto her bed, and read books there sometimes. You cannot get enough of being outside. I think you would stay out there all day if I would let you.  We love spending our afternoons outside, but I have to watch you...you are not afraid of much of anything! You still love to cuddle and give hugs with the best of them.

 At 15 months, you weigh 23 lbs, 2 oz. (30%), are 31 inches tall (50%), and wear 12-18 month clothes and size 4-5 shoes. Beckett Lucas, you have my heart, and I fall in love with you more every day.  You have brought so much joy and purpose to my life that I had no idea I was missing.  Your life teaches me something new about the Lord every day.  I am so thankful to be your momma and to be on your journey with you.  I pray that the Lord will capture your heart and that you will faithfully and recklessly serve Him each day of your life. I love you deeply, sweet boy. Proud to call you my son.

I love you to the moon and back!
Your Momma