All about him

Today is a pretty big day in our house.  You would think it is Christmas, and I guess you could say, that four years ago, it was like Christmas to Sean and I.  Today we have a FOUR year old.  And today is all about him!

He's so ready to grow up...to be a big boy.  And in many ways he is, but what I remember is the first time I got to kiss his sweet little face.

Not the best picture of me, but to my defense, I had just been knocked out and cut open.  Sorry to be graphic, but it happens.

He wants to be 7 years old, like our neighbor and play with the big boys taking the risk of getting tackled a little too roughly, but what I remember is when at 5 weeks old he was admitted to the hospital with RSV.

He wants to race everyone, everywhere and win.  He likes to run and run and never seems to get tired...even when our babysitter makes him run around a tree 10 times before his nap.  What I remember are the precious first steps he took on his first birthday.

He has a little prophetic gifting (or maybe lucky guesses) that usually comes in the way of saying what team will win in the OU games (so far, he has picked K-State and Notre Dame accurately), but what I remember is him saying Finley was a girl and that he was going to have a baby sister long before we really knew.

He loves adventure and has a spirit of going and doing (much like his daddy).  He loves to be in the middle of any excitement and  often times is the one causing it.  And my heart is touched because I think about the excitement and adventure he creates every day for our family.

I think about his creative and silly spirit that I know the Lord delights in even if in some moments the silliness is a little too much for me to handle, and I have to say "that's enough".  And my mind immediately remembers...

And one of the quickest ways for my eyes to well up with tears is to think about his amazing heart that is full of love for his family, his friends and for God's people.  A pastor's heart is already showing itself to be one of SE's spiritual gifts.  He can remember details of people's hearts that sometimes I forget.  I see him loving people so well.

So today, the obedience and rules went out the window.  He got to do pretty much whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted (that included McDonald's for lunch).  I had a friend joke the other day about one year "forgetting" Sean Edward's birthday to see how he would respond.  I said no way, couldn't do it.  He only gets one day a year where everything is all about him!

Trusting in Him

Earlier in the summer I felt the Lord saying He was going to call me into a season of learning to trust Him in greater measure.  My first response was "God, I feel like I have this trust thing down.  I trust You; of course, I do!".  Only since then, He has done what He has said He's going to do...He has continued to offer situations and circumstances where I can either say "Yes, Lord, I am going to trust you with this" or try to handle it on my own.  One of the things I continually offer up to Him are my kids...to trust Him that He is developing them into mighty warriors for His Kingdom and that He is giving me the wisdom and love I need to raise them.

SE started preschool in August.  Three days a week, we drop him off and watch him confidently walk into his classroom without a glance back at me.  Fin fondly calls after him, "bubba, bubba".  She took his first day harder than I did, crying for her SE from the moment we dropped him off to pretty much the moment we got to pick him up.

I'm thankful he goes to school with such good buddies.  And he's making so many new ones.  One of my heart's desires for him is to be the kid who will seek out the kiddos who are playing alone and invite them into friendship.  Some of the sweet stories he brings home from school tell my heart that is the path he following.

And then there is this little one...she's a powerhouse, that is for sure.  Vivacious, persistent, sweet, fiery, opinionated, and absolutely beautiful.  She has stolen my heart and her daddy's.  Sean and I race to her crib after she's gone to sleep, get her out, put her in bed with us and cuddle her. 

My goal everyday with them is that they would feel loved and poured into...to speak into the places of their hearts that will respond in the knowledge they are loved, they are secured.

When I first heard the Lord speaking about trusting Him in greater measure, I immediately thought of the brother and/or sister Sean and I have been desiring for SE and Fin.  We've been waiting to be pregnant for almost a year now.  As I've been praying for our new little one, the Lord has revealed some sweet things over my kiddos and kiddos to come.  Last week, He spoke over Sean Edward that he was our promise of faithfulness.  When we were trying for SE, we just knew we would be pregnant with him, and after 9 months, we were.

Finley is our promise of hope.  He gave her to us after a sad miscarriage that took me to a place of wondering whether we would ever have another.  Somewhat of a surprise, she came at the perfect time fulfilling the promise of God's hope.

And now we wait for Him to fulfill His promise of trustworthiness (the promise He's spoken over our next little ones).  My trust is in Him because with God, a promise made is a promise kept.