Tuesday, September 29, 2009

It's a Jack E World

Sometimes I play and sometimes I read.
I love my Mommy.

Sometimes me and mom go for a hike {never happened}, and play games {all the time},
and decorate {once, for fall}.
Most times I go to school, and sometimes I do science and exercise and take a rest,
and when I'm done I take a deep breath.

Sometimes I play, and sometimes I have birthdays. Sometimes I go to the park,
and sometimes I go somewhere to eat.
My birthday is October 30th. I will be the big 5 this year.

Here are the rules for my birthday:
1. No breakin'.
2. No messin' up.
3. No openin' other people's presents when it's not time,
and no peekin' inside somebody else's presents.
4. If you want to come to my birthday, you gotta be nice.

5. No scarin' people.
6. No vampires.
7. No muddy people.

8. No frowin' food.
9. No breakin' toys.
10. No frowin' chairs at people.

11. If you want to be a good kid, then you can come to my birthday.
12. No actin' wild.

13. If you have somethin' to say, raise your hand.
14. If you need to go pee-pee and you have an accident on the floor, call somebody to clean it up.

15. Don't ever show somebody your poop. Besides, there is nobody who does that, but if they do, they have to leave my birthday, but if they apologize, they can come back to my next birthday.

16. If you ever bring sticks inside, then frow 'em outside and never come back to my birthday...
unless I say so.
Jack Everett

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Life, Interrupted

I had been married for 7 years, with 3 healthy children and a surprise 4th child on the way. Girl, boy, boy...and we could hardly believe it when the 20 week ultrasound showed a perfectly healthy baby girl! You can imagine how over-the-moon big sister was to finally even the score! Our family of 5.5 was already bursting at the seams as we adjusted to preschool and 1st grade, flashcards, morning {all-day} sickness, school fundraisers, Brownie meetings, ballet lessons, soccer practice, missions meetings, class picnics, playdates, work, church activities...you get the picture! Our busy world was spinning fast and furious.

And on Labor Day of 2006, our world stopped spinning. 24 weeks growing strong...interrupted. No heartbeat. Our baby Ruby was gone. Two days later, the earthly tent that would have been her was born to us, and we spent 6 precious hours holding her before we let her go. One year later, I would write these words:
Seems like if anyone could say it, I could...
after all, I'm the only one who felt your life...
Your kicking and growing...
rolls, hiccups, twitches...
I knew you, felt you,
loved you, wanted you...
weeks of feeling miserable, knowing it would be worth it...
back to nature, midwife and all...
couldn't quit the caffeine, though, brothers and sister to keep up with...
too busy to stop and enjoy,
to stop and feel my Ruby,
to watch my belly roll...
to realize you'd fallen still...
The world keeps turning for everyone else…
mine is still…
still…

This tragic interruption, this insertion of stillness into our lives, was such a paradox. In one sense, the stillness was the worst thing ever. It represented loss and hurt and pain and grief and absolute brokenness and devastation. Our daughter was stillborn. I will never forget her tiny body and the coldness and stillness. Our lives literally became still. I sat on the couch while family and friends swirled around me, taking care of the things that were oh-so-important to me just days before. The kids took turns crawling in my lap while I just sat, mostly in silence. Still. And in those moments, when I could hardly catch my breath in all my stillness, His command became my lifeline. "Be still and know that I am God." I couldn't move. I couldn't do. I couldn't speak. I couldn't pray. I could hardly breathe. But I could be still. And know, in deep places that had never been explored in me before, that He is God.

And as is the normal course in life, days and weeks of stillness slowly gave way to moving, doing, speaking, praying...breathing. That silent desperation, of feeling Him in each breath as He momentarily broke the utter stillness, of being completely dependent on Him to wake me up each morning and get me out of bed, slowly gave way to a new normal. As the hurt began to heal, I began to become more self-reliant again. There is a part of me that longs for the day when I will not only be reunited with my Ruby, my treasure laid up in heaven, but that also longs to live every breath in and for Him, this time without interruption, without tears and heartache. Lord Jesus, interrupt us soon!


Thursday, August 20, 2009

Jack, already this morning

Jack, what do you want to do for your birthday?

"Well, I want to go to Chuck E Cheese, but make sure you don't tell that giant rat about it, because I don't want him there. Technically, I'm afraid of giant rats."


Tuesday, August 18, 2009

He ROCKS!

Noah...

...is a superhero {at least in his own mind}.

...enjoys building science labs and rocket ships...

...and fighting aliens...

...and catching toads and identifying "slug trails".

...lives on meat, peanuts and cheese. No bread for him, give the boy his PROTEIN!

...is excited to be a 2nd grader!

...has a very tender heart and usually responds strongly to the slightest punishment.

...is a reading machine! {brag alert: He recently tested above a 4th grade reading level! However, his handwriting? Not so much!}

...frequently says, "Rock on!", "Yo, dude!" and "Awesome!" {because he has watched too many episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles} and lately poses like this when I turn the camera on him:

...cannot sleep without a prayer and "Sweet dreams!" whispered before bed.

...is a great helper to Daddy, working with the cattle and keeping the farm looking good.

...loves to read the Old Testament--it started with reading the story of Noah, but he has kept reading and really knows a LOT of the Old Testament well, totally on his own.

...has perhaps the cutest crooked grin and random dimples EVER! Love you, Noah-boy!

He knows not what he says

Jack: "We can go to the place where we feed the ducks. Then we can feed the ducks and then see if the fish want what's on our poles. What do fish like to eat? I don't think they like bread. I think fish hate bread. [eyes wide] OH, I didn't know I was going to say "hate"! I'm sorry!"

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

8.11.09 Mommy Moments

Mommy: {to Jack, #3, age 4 and 3/4 yrs} It's time to put your shoes on so we can leave for school.

Jack: {already in the midst of throwing a tantrum for reasons unknown} But I'm not done throwing my fit! Just leave me alone!!
.......................................................................................

I know you're thinking, "That is so like a four year old!" And it is. Unfortunately, all too often, it's so like this 31 year old. In fact, THE NIGHT BEFORE, I read this quote from "Me, Myself, and Lies" by Jennifer Rothschild, p 35:

"We give Satan the greatest weapons he uses against us: bitterness and unforgiveness. Pause and ask God if you would benefit from forgiving someone...or yourself?"

And responded this way [seriously, yall, I WROTE this in my Bible study book. I am just that mature.]: "I want to but I'm not finished throwing my baby fit. SO MATURE."
.......................................................................................

So God has been using many people {including my own 4 yr old} to step all over my toes this week about a couple of issues I need to address in my life. None of them are huge, except that I've been letting them be a foothold for Satan to sneak his way into my life. After periods of feeling like He had nothing to say to me, I'm trying to be grateful for the bloodied toes. But they do make it kind of hard to walk sometimes...
.......................................................................................

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of GRACE and TRUTH...For the law was given through Moses; GRACE and TRUTH came through Jesus Christ." John 1:14, 17 (emphasis mine)

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Darling

Maddy...
...still loves all things fairy.
...is a wonderful helper to me around the house.
...spent most of her summer reading anything she could get her hands on.
...is a good swimmer and has gained a lot of confidence in that this summer.
...loves her some bread. Would live by bread alone if given the option.
...is a little nervous about the new school year but excited to be a 4th grader!
...plays well with her brothers as long as (A) she is in charge and (B) she is in charge, of her own free will and not because I've asked her to "watch" them.
...has earned the nickname "Motor Mouth", lovingly passed down to her from her mama.
...is a better daughter, sister, grandaughter, friend, student than she gives herself credit for. She is her own toughest critic.
...is as non-outdoorsy as her mama...except that she...
...loves working on the farm with Daddy, especially getting to "drive" {O Lord, help us!} tractors and pickups and trailers, OH MY.
...is becoming more and more aware of others' feelings and needs and looks for ways to serve.
...continues to be a wonderful writer and storyteller, with a vivacious vocabulary!

There are a million more things I love about my girl. I'm so blessed and thankful to be her mama!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

He's into the details...

*****Oops! The first link was totally wrong, but is fixed now. Blogging 101: Check your links before you post!!*****

First, read this wonderful post about how God is into the details of our lives. The comments are full of stories of how this is SO true. And then you should read Amanda's hilarious spin on God being into the details for her :-) I snorted when I read it, but you really have to read the first (serious) post first.

After I read the original post, I thought something along the lines of, "Yeah, he's just not that into my details right now." I knew that wasn't true, but I've been feeling sorry for myself lately. There's really no good reason for my attitude (is there ever??) but I think it's the end-of-the-summer overwhelm-ed-ness. I'm feeling guilty for all the things I didn't get to this summer with the kids, all of the playdates we did not make happen, all of the situations in which I did NOT handle myself with grace and patience {that's putting it SO nicely...I was U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi, you ugly, yeah-yeah, you ugly}, etc, etc, etc... {"MommyGuilt"}

And this week has been VBS. I "taught" the 2 year olds, who were wonderful and cute and busy and playful and darling. But something didn't sit right all week. I couldn't get motivated with them. I just wanted to run away. And then it hit me Tuesday night that this was the class Ruby would have been in. These were supposed to be her little buddies. And she was not there. I don't always feel the void so tangibly, but I did this week.

I let myself be sad, cried a while, and felt much better. Somehow I just needed to recognize what was going on with me to be able to get over it. Wednesday night I had a much better attitude and was excited about the last night. {It might have helped that my big 3 had been with Memaw all day...ya think?!}

And God saw fit to send a precious little girl named Kin to our class that night. She had not been there the other nights. Her mama was at church to help translate for a group of refugees from Burma who were at VBS this week. That is a whole other post, but let me just say that being in the presence of souls who are hearing about our Mighty God and Sweet Savior for *the first time* is a pretty powerful thing. {Possibly the biggest understatement ever.}

So this darling little Kin came to class, bringing some {additional} spunk and...um...busy-ness to our little class {of 16 two-year-olds}. We glued cheerios to a picture of a mouth as we learned to thank God who made our mouths and sang "O Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say". Kin preferred eating the cheerios {and who can blame her?}. She was here and there and everywhere, just enjoying herself wherever she went. I loved every minute of watching her be her busy little self.

And then all of a sudden, she was done with the busy-ness. Her little brown eyes turned toward the door and the tears began to flow. I picked her up, assuring her that her mommy would be back soon, and LOOK! Snacktime! But she was done. I held her like I do my one-year old, Luke, and gently laid her head down on my shoulder, just like I do him. But he usually pops his head right back up and wants down. She did not. She laid her sweet head down and fell fast asleep.

And for the rest of the night, I got to hold this darling little sleeping 2 year old ball of life, while I felt my wounded heart heal with every sweet sleepy breath. "He's into the details..."

Monday, July 27, 2009

Praying for Stellan

Updated: Stellan is stable now, doing much better for now, pumped full of drugs to keep his heart beating well. *Probably* moving to Boston soon to *probably* have another surgery that will almost certainly damage his heart and cause him to need a pacemaker for life. Please continue to pray!
Prayers for Stellan

Please pray this morning for Stellan. He is not doing well at all. Mckmama's last "tweets" have said: "I almost can't bring myself to write with more bad news. Stellan is hanging in there, but is deteriorating. It's not good. Dr B is here on the floor, but off conferencing with other cardiologists. He will come back to the bedside shortly & we'll conference. Can I reiterate that these last many hours have not been good!? Stellan is no longer urinating, his Potassium is up, he is still in SVT, very swollen & at midnight he began incessant vomiting."

Friday, June 19, 2009

6.16.09 Mommy Moments

{Jack loves to tell stories! He tells me one--or twelve--every night before bed. I guess
my bedtime stories got too boring, so he's making up his own. Usually they involve him *not* being scared of monsters or the dark or bugs. It always starts with, "Mommy, it's time for me to tell you a story."}
"Mommy, it's time for me to tell you a story. This is a story about something *very* important. This is the story about Jesus." 

{Picture proud Mommy, thrilled to hear my four-year-old "tell me the story of Jesus"}

"One day in the morning, I picked up my room and cleaned the dishes and picked up the laundry. Then, a book was broken and I fixed it with tape. I tested it and it worked-ed. Then, one of the toys was broken and I fixed it with tools. And I squished *all* the flies. The end." 

{At this point, I wonder what happened to the story about Jesus, but I'm thankful it's at least a story about helping instead of being scared monsters...AGAIN. And then, out of the same little mouth that not ten minutes prior had been saying things like, "Noah, you are a stink-brain", he spoke with faith like a child:}

"Mommy, wasn’t that a great story? I did ALL your chores." 

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:4-5

Thursday, June 4, 2009

It just had to be said

"Please don't put your brother's toes in your mouth."

"Please quit saying the word 'hookers' over and over. It's called a 'hook'."

"No, you cannot throw that wrapper out the window."

"No, the police will not send your brother to jail for littering, but he might get a ticket."

"No, not a ticket to the movies, a ticket that says you have to pay $50 to the police."

"No, you do not get a Nintendo DS from the police when you give them $50. You just give them your money to help you remember not to throw trash out the window again."

"No it is not too cold to play outside! It's June!"

"Please don't wipe that on me."

"Yes, that cheese does make you look like you have a mustache."

"Please don't put your feet above your head."

Monday, June 1, 2009

Nothing but the Blood of Jesus

*Update on the update: Please continue to pray for Laura. Today was not good. 1 step forward, 2 steps back. Pray she will be calm and not have to be sedated!*

Wonderful update on Laura, from her mama (Sunday): [but please continue praying for all of them!!]
At 10:00 this morning, the nurse taking care of Laura called me saying, "I've got good news." She said, "I think you're going to like what I have to tell you." She said that on her way in to work this morning she had prayed all the way for Laura and that when she got there Laura had taken a shower, gotten dressed, put on her make-up, and fixed her hair. She said that Laura had told her that she wanted strawberries, bananas, grapefruit, wheat triscuit and a marble cake with whipped chocolate icing like she had on her birthday. I said, "You've got to be kidding!" "You've got to be kidding!" She said, "No, I'm not." "Would you like to talk to Laura?" I said, "No way." She said, "Here she is." Then I said, "Laura Ellen!!!" She said, "Hi mom." I could not believe it. She proceeded to tell me what the nurse had told me she had said she wanted. This is a very long story I'm giving you the abridged version to but I just had to tell you at least this much.

Clinton and I were in disbelief--reluctantly optimistic. So at 2:00 Clinton went to see for himself. He says she is leaps and bounds improved. Even the nurses are amazed. He said he thanked them for letting her "put them through hell." They have been unbelievably patient with her. Never have I heard them complain--not even once. They just say this is what we do. Some of them have done it for over twenty years and they want to.

My sisters yesterday at 5:00 three of us went to pray over Laura. At 2:00 a.m. I called and Laura was violently screaming to the top of her lungs and had had to be moved to another room because she was so violent she pulled the shower head out of the wall. Sometime around that same time I started writing a message, and my friend woke up to find Jeremiah 40:4 which says, "But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists." She believed LAURA (THE CAPTIVE) HAD BEEN SET FREE!!! and my sisters she had. As we were praying over Laura I sang the song, "What Can Wash Away My Sins? Nothing But the Blood of Jesus." "What can make me whole again? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus." Today my sisters, the song Wes led during communion was "What Can Wash Away My Sins?" "Nothing but the blood of Jesus." I looked at clinton and he just looked back at me.
Praise God! Here's another part of a message from Teresa:
If Laura could only comprehend just a fraction of the good her illness has caused she would be in disbelief. I can't imagine what she would do if she knew the rest of the story.

Through all of this, God has been glorified and that is important to me--more important than my prayer being answered just the way I want. Even if I disagree with His answer and my situation, the important thing is God being glorified. Years ago while in the throes of depression I realized what Hebrews 11:6 meant. "But without faith it is impossible to please God: for anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him." After really "getting" this verse I gave God permission to do nothing. I realized that He could do anything He wanted, whether I agreed with him or not. Basically, He could do anything, even though I had given him permission to do nothing. I simply had to believe that He existed and that He would reward me if I diligently sought him. Period. It was at that moment that I gave God permission to be God. My job was to glorify Him. That is what I hope I have done thus far and what I will continue to do in the future. My heart's only desire is to glorify God.

"God does not require of us to have able bodies" is a quote I memorized long ago. It was significant to me, beause I didn't have one. I still don't. If I had to wait to glorify God until my body was able I would never glorify Him. That is why glorifying Him regardless of the situation is so significant to me. Even though Laura's body has been shackled her ability to glorify God has not. Even in her deepest hour, God through Laura brought me the verse that comforted me in my deepest hour. She glorified Him. I pray that by fleshing out the verse "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" I glorified Him also. [Just before being hospitalized, Laura chose this verse for our group's weekly meditation, not knowing what a strength it would be to her mom and all of the rest of us while she was going through all of this.]
God is in control. His timing is perfect. He never makes a mistake. God is good all the time. All the time God is good.


P.S. If you are on Facebook, join us on "The Titus 2 Group". It's a women's group led by Teresa. We are doing weekly meditations, in addition to other devotions. Jump right in!

The difference between 9 and 7

[In the car tonight]

Maddy: Mom, remember that time when our car was breaking down, and you were kind of freaking out? [She's right, I did...not my finest mommy moment!]

Me: Yes, I remember. I should have handled that better. I'm sorry for scaring you.

Noah: Yeah, Mom, you scared her halfway out of her skin!

Maddy: Actually, I think it was only about 1/3.

{This proves that not only does she like to be precisely right, she also has mad fraction skillz.}

The difference between 7 and 4

Noah: Jack, guess which superhero I am…


Jack: Uh, I don't know.


Noah: He's a DC Comics hero.


Jack: What's DC?


Noah: It's the people who make some of the characters. You know, like Spiderman is Marvel?


Jack: [blank stare]


Noah: Okay, here's another hint, he's the leader of Robin.


Jack: Robin!


Noah: No, he's the *leader* of Robin. Not the *answer* is Robin.


Jack: You mean Robin?


Noah: Uhhhhh! Okay, he has a foe named Joker.


Jack: What does "foe" mean?


Noah: "Foe" means someone who's bad and versus the good guy. {Can he verb the word "versus"?}


Jack: Oh, Joker!


Noah: No, his *foe* is Joker. Not the *answer* is Joker!


Jack: It's Joker!


Noah: Come on, Jack, he's the leader of Robin, he has a foe named Joker, and he's active at night.


Jack: You mean Robin's active at night? Or Joker's active at night.


Noah: Jack, his name starts with Bat and ends with Man.


Jack: Ummm….Joker!


Noah: No, it's Cat Woman, come on! {He's obviously inherited his daddy's sarcasm!}


Jack: Oh, Cat Woman! That's what I thought!


Noah: Uhhhhh! Jack, it's not Cat Woman. Is she the leader of Robin? No. He has pointy ears like this…boom!


Jack: Cat Woman!


Noah: HE, Jack, HE has pointy ears! Cat Woman is a SHE, not a HE! Here, I'll show you this action figure that looks like him…[holds up Batman figure] See?


Jack: OH, you mean Batman?!


Noah: Yes! You got it right, Jack! Great job!


Friday, May 29, 2009

Praying for Laura

I'm sorry, dear blog, that I have neglected you. Facebook has been taking up most of my computer time, but I am determined to get back to writing and recording here.

Much of the rest of my time has been spent praying for a friend, Laura, who is very ill and hospitalized, suffering from hypermania. She is literally fighting for her life, and her husband {of less than two years--he could use some extra prayers} and parents are seeking guidance in getting her the best care possible so that she can "turn the corner" and come out of this. She has not slept in thirteen plus days, except for a few short bursts, and her mind will not slow down. She is a danger to herself and has had to be shackled once. The nurses are on guard at all times.

I am embarrassingly naive about spiritual warfare, but I cannot help but believe {as does her mother, at the least} that there is a war going on in her. Maybe not for her soul, because I do know that the Bible says we are "sealed with the Holy Spirit", but for her mind and body. And it seems that the more fiercely she is prayed for, and there are thousands praying for her, the more desperate Satan becomes and the more he throws her way. We are trusting that God has the victory! But that saying about "waiting is the hardest part"? Totally true.

So please join me in praying {for Laura, for her husband Clinton, for her parents, and family} for healing, for guidance, for peace, for patience. However you are led. God is already receiving glory through this situation as SO many are united in prayer and seeking Him more than we had been before. Lord, we know YOU CAN, and we believe You when you say, "I AM".

Wild Olive Tees

Check out the great Tees at Wild Olive! They are a fun way to share scripture and encourage others while looking stylish :) Win-Win!! I heard about them from MckMama, who has her own tee, called "Unfolding" in white and chili. Gotta get me one soon!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

One of those days

Have you ever had one of those days where you went to bed relieved that your house is so totally clean much cleaner than the disaster area it usually is that you actually think you might just manage to keep it that way for more than a few hours minutes?

And then on that very next morning, your husband takes the 2 school-age kids to school without waking you up? And before he leaves, he sets the preschooler up with marathon episodes of educational programming Scooby Doo?

And by some miracle the baby sleeps until 7:00 8:00 9:00? And what are the chances that said preschooler would be quiet and not wake you up asking for a snack, a drink, to help him in the bathroom, to exclaim that Scooby just said, “Ruh-roh!” and isn’t that soooo funny!?

And so after sleeping until NINE in the morning, and waking up to a relatively clean house, and realizing that there is a strange glow streaming in your windows that has not been there for several weeks {hello, sun!}, could you even imagine that both of your boys would take simultaneous naps from 11am-1pm?

Then during that magical 11am-1pm timeframe, you have the luxury of checking email and reading blogs, while eating the last of the delicious tabouli leftover from the weekend {that no one else in the family would touch with a ten foot pole! score!}?

And then you even have time for a nice uninterrupted phone conversation with your husband while he is eating his lunch in his car because it’s nice outside and there’s nowhere else at his office to eat outside?

And then you sit down to do your meditation for today {in peace and quiet, which is kind of important when trying to, you know, meditate} and are totally blessed by studying a single word {praise} for no less than a whole hour?

Have you ever had one of those days where even though your day was surprisingly relaxing and wonderful, you still have no idea what to write about for your first “Mommy Moments” post*?

No? *blush* Umm, me neither…

*If you’re a woman who is on Facebook, please join us in The Titus 2 Group, led by Teresa Kimbel! This was my first “contribution” to the group.

Not Me! Monday

NotMeMondayTime once again to take a look at what for sure did not happen in my world this week! Head over to MckMama’s and read more Not Me! tales

This week I did not agree to start writing a column for a women’s group on Facebook that I’m a part of. Nope, that would be crazy. And I certainly do not have NO idea what I’ll write about this week, or even what this column is going to be in general. And I’m definitely not confessing this on my blog now so that members of said group will now know how clueless I really am! Obviously, I’m totally capable and confident in this venture. I’m not absolutely inadequate and I’m surely not just going to have to totally trust God to lend me some inspiration here!

I have not been so overwhelmed by this precious Mother’s Day gift Jared gave me that I can’t even process it, so I haven’t been trying my best not to get emotional and fall apart. I was not so emotional Thursday night when he surprised me with it early {not because my mama and brother and sister were there} that I totally forgot to even thank him because all I could do was sit there and try not to totally lose it.

IMG_1720

This is a family necklace he got me after Ruby was born, showing 2 parents with 4 children, but he had a jeweler add a RUBY to it, to represent ALL of us. And even more precious that the ruby is right on the daddy’s heart. To say I kinda love it is like saying the grass is kinda green right now in southcentral KY!

I was not giddy with excitement when my friend, Sarah K, after hearing me comment on a friend’s teenage daughter who is the spitting image of her at that age, told me that Maddy would someday be my spitting image. I also do not love love love Maddy’s hair and her gorgeously shaped mouth.

photos 197a

Okay, maybe she already looks a little bit like me!

I did not make approximately 12 trips to 3 different Walmarts this week {okay, only 6} because I did not make any lists for anything and just went whenever I thought of something else I needed. I also did not stop by the town where baby Georgia {and her lovely parents} lives, without having called her lovely parents beforehand, only to find out they weren’t home! And then I did not proceed to drive around that town {where we used to live}, amazed at all the changes, for no less than 2 hours without actually going anywhere! Gas isn’t that cheap!

I did not take this picture fully intending to someday have an entire series of “brothers kissing Maddy” pictures…because I have one of my brothers kissing me like this at my wedding. I also did not make my sister-in-law get one taken with her brothers kissing her at her wedding! And Maddy and I did not spend several minutes plotting how to arrange it next time so that all three of her brothers can be in the picture :)

IMG_1702a And since you’re dying to know, of course, Noah will be behind her kissing the top of her head and Luke will be kissing the cheek. Oh but wait, she forgot that she absolutely hates when her brothers do this! Can’t you tell??