It's been a long time comin'!

It's been over twelve years since we have had a baby girl in the house but it looks like we get to bring out the pink again!!!

We are having a girl!

The Ritual

Every night, before I go to bed, I make my rounds through each of the bedrooms.

Careful to go unnoticed, I tuck and wrap, rearrange little heads and reposition little legs. The chubby baby arms and legs that dangle through the crib slats always get me most.

I bend down low and lay my cheek close to theirs. The methodical sound of their deep rest is so comforting. At the end of hard days, I need this sort of affirmation.

Because it is dark and quiet, I can allow the tears to fall. The day's end is full of exhaustion and the remembering is sometimes overwhelming.

Will they forget my shortcomings? The harsh words or cutting glances?
Will they remember that I praised their efforts and genuinely enjoyed their presence?

So my tears turn to prayer and I am once again begging for grace to fill in the gaps.

These nighttime rituals have been a part of my life for over 14 years. At times I stop at their doorways and with my eyes closed, I visit the day where that room is void of childhood slumber.

I can hardly conjure up the image, but even the glimpse is breathtaking.

And the grace? I thank God it is sufficient.

Bullet Points ...

Hannah

• Turned 14 last month
• Her oral surgery was a smashing success and the once hidden teeth are now exposed and behaving as they should
• Has developed a love for movie-making/editing and really enjoys designing blogs
• Excelling in math
• Margaret Petersen Haddix is currently her favorite author
• Preparing for her piano recital
• Eating us out of house and home
• Wants to redesign *almost* every room in our home
• Very excited about art class that we began this week
  

Emma

• Turns 12 next week
• Loves dance ... her recital is in May
• Has a passion for unloading the dishwasher ... I told her that is a gift from God
• Her guitar playing has improved so much! We love hearing her new songs each week
• Reads with an insatiable appetite ... most recent favorite was The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
  
• Also very excited about art class
• Singing with the girls choir at church
  
• Won't eat the crunch off of any portion of food

Samuel

• Has the worst cowlick this side of the Mississippi
• Started t-ball and therefore the resident expert ... any questions?
• Reading ... what an amazing process. Words come to life everywhere we go
• Makes his bed, cleans his room, feeds the dog ... daily chores
• Art class for him too and he loves it!
• Has adapted well at his new SS class
• Learning that boys were created to be men and therefore given a spirit of courage ... don't be afraid of bugs but instead decide the least messy way to kill them :)

Benjamin

• Trouble
• More trouble
• Eats breakfast twice each day
• Outside is the place to be
• Loves Daddy ... watching that daily reunion will melt your heart
• Vocabulary: Bye-Bye, Momma, Daddy, Dis, Dat,
  
• Signing: Please, More, Bye-Bye
• Gives kisses
• Thinks he plays the Wii, fights with swords, plays ball, and pretends with cars ... Sam is so glad he has a "real" brother now

Mom

• Has decided that if she ever finds out who brought that nasty virus to church a couple of weeks ago ... well ... let's just hope she never finds out
  
• Has also decided that there should be an entire line of disposable towels and clothing for such a virus ... in the meantime she will continue to throw away good beach towels after the third day of such of a virus
  
• Would love to complete a project or two and but today is settling for the enormous mound of laundry in her bedroom to be folded and ... (drum roll please) PUT AWAY
• Is rejoicing over new life being knit together ... a new baby will be here in October! We are expecting!
• Now do I get a total round of pity-applause for mopping up throw-up for an entire week?
  

Dad

• Is thrilled to be a Dad to five but is still perplexed at the idea of having babies in 2008 AND 2009
• Loves to be asked the age-old question: "You know what causes that, right?"
• I am joking about that. We much prefer "Congratulations! Children are a blessing from God!"
  
• Had a birthday this month (post is coming ... it was caught in the crossfire of a stomach virus)
• Ready to fish! The weather is still a bit temperamental around here
• Has taught Benjamin to count to three (sounds a bit like: "unnnnn, toooooo, eeeeeee!")
• Managed to be the only one of our clan to avoid that nasty virus ... this picture gives clear evidence as to how:
• Still did a splendid job taking care of us and made no less than four runs to the store and stayed up until the wee hours cleaning the house ... you have no idea
  

Leftover Snow Pictures