Kailey's Ballet Show

This spring Kailey has had a blast at her first ballet class at a dance studio in Austin. They had a little recital during their lesson the last week of classes. She was quite excited to show off her blossoming dance skills. Kailey is all girl and loves the opportunity to wear pink and dance around with friends. It has been a great blessing to us that God moved us down here with other families with younger kids, including John's boss and his wife. We have known them for years and it has been great to grow closer while watching our little girls form a fast friendship. We have looked forward to our Wednesdays with class then lunch and frozen yogurt downtown! Fun memories to make our first spring in Austin.

I love watching Kailey develop into a tiny, little woman. She is nurturing and loving and desires close relationships. She loves babies and shoes and music and anything pink! She knows all her letters and their sounds and is now working on writing all the letters and doing a great job! Next we're on to reading, and it can't happen quickly enough for her. Anything to do with numbers, however, she would prefer to postpone indefinitely. ;) Kailey has probably missed her extended family the most with this move and it has been sweet to see God putting many things in her life to help her with this transition. She has also learned to treasure those moments with her grandmothers, her cousin, Kyndall, and all the aunts, uncles, cousins, grandfathers, and friends she sees less often these days. She and John have developed a very close friendship over the months since we moved and play for hours a day together in endless imaginary worlds. They also do quite a bit of their school together which is a bond they are really enjoying. She loves to help with laundry but is somehow always too tired to pick up toys. Mommy has suggestions that usually help to remedy this problem quickly, though. :) She has a precious heart for the Lord and her prayers are some of the most precious sounds I have ever been privileged to hear. She constantly tells us that she wishes Jesus would come back and to that we give a resounding, "Amen!" We love our precious princess!

Kailey's first ballet class

Little ballerinas

Our growing family!

There to support Sis (and they were actually enjoying it, just not the pics)

Daddy's tiny dancer

It is so fun to share these girly things with my daughter!

Kailey and Eva on their first play date long before the move

Kailey and her best buddy, Eva, now that they're big girl dancers!

Real flowers sent from Marmee for the ballet girls. All ballet girls get bouquets!

We have had fun Wednesday lunches with our ballet buddies in downtown Austin. Yummy Yo is the favorite destination. While Levi's not usually a big fan, Eva's tasted much better than anyone else's. :)

Kailey already has the feeding with an open mouth thing down.

John's 6th Birthday

John V turned 6 a few weeks ago. 6! It's hard to believe that I became a mommy that long ago. We are so proud of the young man he is becoming. He is funny, kind, and quick to stand alone and stick up for others. He is learning to be wise and make wise choices. He is quick to praise and compliment his sister and brother, sensitive to even my unsaid needs, and adores his dad. He puts a lot of heart into what he does whether it's schoolwork, sports, or pretending. Watching his imagination blossom this past year has been delightful. He and Kailey can often be found "skating" through the house (in house shoes) in a major competition, looking for land from their ship while sailing with Columbus, or using light sabers to defend our family from the numerous agents of evil always on the attack. They have truly become the best of friends and their relationship grows daily. As John V wraps up his kindergarten year, I am so excited for what the 1st grade year holds for us. His math skills surprise me constantly, his reading has turned into less labor and more enjoyment, and when I look at the difference in his handwriting from the beginning of the year until now, I am amazed at the change. He also loves music and history and tolerates things that are art-related. :) Recently, though, he has become most interested in geography, constantly wanting to look at the globe, find countries, and learn about places. That is a subject I have always loved, and I look forward to sharing that with him. Lately I get a lot of, "Mommy, why does a (fill in the blank)? We should get a book about it and find out!" That thirst for learning is beautiful to see. Some of his favorite hours are the ones we spend reading together as a family. We've read several great, long books, and I have a long list of more waiting in the wings!

We had our first Austin birthday party and it reminded us of another of John V's great qualities. He makes friends very easily! His party was full of new buddies - neighbors, T-ball teammates, kids of John's co-workers, and his list was always growing. :) He makes friends at gymnastics, at the pool, in the backyard, and everywhere he goes. He always gives me the count as we leave a place, "Mom, I made two new friends while we were there." :) I love it! Many daily prayers go up that this trait will develop into a mighty tool for the Lord to use to share His gospel with others!

We love our boy! He is the delight of his mommy's heart! As I tell him before bed at night, "John, you are Mommy's precious treasure! I am so glad God gave you to me, and you are perfect for our family! I love everything about the way God made you! I love you SO much!"

John's Super Mario birthday party

A little crew of new buddies

The slip 'n' slide! Later Dad expanded it to make it even bigger.

Lining up for races

Pinata!

This year for his b-day, John's presents were outdoor and sports for some fun things this summer. Here he's getting his much-awaited scooter.

From grandparents and great-grandparents. aunts and uncles, John received new golf clubs and a golf camp, a tennis racquet and tennis lessons, and swimming lessons. It'll be a fun-filled summer!

Marmee sent a cookie bouquet to John and his birthday and he loved having something delivered just for him!

One buddy made the move with us to Austin so we got to have a familiar face from last year's party again this year. That was nice for all of us! Noah also brought John his first bigger Lego set and he and Dad had a great time putting it together.

The finished product! He was very excited! Thanks, Noah!

Kailey's Room Makeover

We did our best to accomplish some things over the long weekend. While there is always much left to do, Kailey does have a finished room and bathroom and an organized closet! She is proud and happy. It's a bit difficult to take pictures in her room because of the way it's shaped, but here it is!

Before bathroom

Before bedroom

After bathroom

After bedroom (personally, I think the girl is the prettiest part, though!)

T-Ball

It's time to play a bit of catch-up. I don't know how far I'll get, but here goes! We just wrapped up John V's second season of T-ball, his first season since we moved. He had a great coach, lots of great dads who helped with the team, and some fun families we were able to meet through these weeks. Baseball is definitely one of his big interests and he thrives in team sport. We were so proud of his attitude throughout the season and the way he encouraged his teammates, listened to his coaches, and learned new skills. He was especially proud of his team because they won the league championship and he got his first trophy!

Our little slugger

Levi would stand at the fence, practice his swing, and yell, "Go, Sea Dogs!"

Supporting the team

Up to bat

At the plate during the championship game

New buddies

Waiting for his trophy

Getting high fives from the big guys

Coach Will did a great job with the team!

The little champ

Go, Sea Dogs!

John is such a super sports dad! So encouraging and involved!

Proud sister!

It rained on and off throughout the game and then this rainbow came out after their win. John V called it their championship rainbow. :)

Who is like God?

Today has been a good day. For some reason it has been a highly emotional week where it seemed the cares of the world pressed in and weighed down. Then I had one of those moments yesterday where you see something and have a moment of realization that might seem like the cheesiest thing in the world to someone else but is just the smack in the head that you needed to get your thinking back on track. I was driving down the freeway and saw this little bird running back and forth dodging the cars hurtling at him at 65 miles per hour. He frantically dodged being smashed like a pancake until he remembered he could fly and went up instead of side to side. This was all a matter of seconds but as I continued driving, mentally remarking to myself on the low mental capacity of my bird friend, I felt that all of the sudden the Lord was nudging me to see myself in his little bird brain. Why do I spend time dodging worries, and stress, and in the borrowing of trouble when all I have to do is go up? And then I began to see all the ways I have been failing to go up lately. It can become so easy to get caught up in the spiritual training and development of my children and then have nothing left to put into my own walk. So, with renewed commitment to my own upward relationship with my Lord, I went into today, one of those days when going upward gets a lot easier.

Today was the big day. I think when you have not reached a mid-pregnancy sonogram five times because of miscarriage and when you have received the dreaded "here's what they found on the sono" call from a brother/sister and a friend, you learn to never take for granted the incredible beauty of a healthy baby on that little black and white screen. It is a moment where time stops and you realize that indeed everything IS okay and your heart can resume normal functioning. And there is also that precious moment as a family (all the kiddos were there) of hearing for the first time who this little person will be. Today it was, "Are you finding out the gender? Good, because he is really not wanting to hide it." :) That has been the same with all of our boys. They're proud males. Watching my kids' faces was priceless. Kailey's first response to a continued reign as the only princess? "I have lots of brothers. I be nice to them." Precious, precious girl. She is our beautiful princess. And she will, just like I did, know the incredible blessing of three brothers surrounding her with love and protection (even when she feels like someone needs to protect her from them). Levi just kept asking the sono technician to use the little wand on his tummy. He's obsessed with tummies and really wants a baby in his right now. Little does he know. John V was hysterical making his observations on the sonogram. "I think it looks like a mole. Or a sleeping bear." And after seeing the little heart pumping, "Look, he's talking to us!" Priceless stuff. We are all thrilled and excited to now be anticipating our little one by name!

God has been so good to provide us each time with a name that was special and had a story. Something to tell our little one that will hopefully show him/her the way God has been at work in his/her story from before the beginning. This one is no different. Back in the fall during the time of the two miscarriages we experienced in a few months, our kids were completely unaware of what was going on. We decided it was best for the time being and when they are older we will share more of that story with them. But during all of this they began praying for a sibling and John V came to me and said that we were going to have a baby, it would be a boy, and his name would be Mitchell. Now, for anyone who hasn't figured this out yet, we're kind of on a roll here with the "J," "K," "L," and now "M" name thing. John V wasn't really clued in on this so we thought it surprising and amazing that he not only suggested a great name but one that started with the correct letter. We thought we liked it only to discover that it means, "Who is like God?" It gives me chills. God declaring to us through our oldest son in the midst of the suffering that there would be another child and his name would declare the greatness of our God. Who says those Old Testament stories can't happen today?! We just have to be watching and listening...even to the least of these little ones. For his middle name we have chosen the name Austin which means, "Worthy of honor." We pray that for him and wherever we go in the years to come we will remember this year of change, of moving to a new city (Austin) and of crying out to the Lord for faith when everything seemed different and some of it painful, and out of that came this precious boy to remind us of where God has brought us. Of His faithfulness.

So, Mitchell Austin will arrive sometime in late August or early September and each time we call his name we will set up our altar to the greatness and faithfulness of our God. Thank you for praising Him and walking this journey with us!

Quick Rant

I'm going to go on a quick rant here. I have never been a fan of Barbie dolls. I don't think the message we really want to send our girls (or boys) is that the ideal of beauty is an impossibly small waist, enormous girls, and legs a mile long. I know I wouldn't measure up to that and feel very grateful for my years of girlhood playing with baby dolls and girl dolls who had no figures and had appropriate clothing (for example, check out the American Girl collection). However, I realize that everyone feels differently about that and many women have fond memories of their Barbie days. However, Mattel has reached a new low. And I do mean low. I don't frequent the Barbie aisle so there may be more just as bad or worse than this one, but check out one of the latest Barbie editions on your local toy aisle. I have to say that I quite agree with this blogger's rant. Seriously? For a child? It's time to really take a good look at the mountains of mixed messages we send our kids. They're not listening half as much to what we say as what we do and buy and approve of. Give me a break, Mattel.

Prayers for Christine - Days 28 & 29

Day 28...I recently read a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that says...'It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself'. I think of all of you who have prayed with us that maybe along the way, you too were blessed in some way. From the time Christine was very little, she had a joyful spirit...she loved sharing her joy with others. My prayer today is that she finds that joy again...that she can go about her life sharing her joy with others and not be continuously confined to bed. I Thessalonians 5:16-18 is a favorite...'be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus'. I continue to believe that there IS a stirring...and I can't wait to see what happens in the coming days and weeks...you are a blessing to our families...

Day 29...Psalm 143:11...'Oh Lord hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness, come to my relief'...we wait for His answer and continue to pray...

I had to dig way back, but I couldn't resist these pics. They reminded me yet again of all the play dates the boys have had when Christine was unable to be there because she was sick or hospitalized. This was the day Jack and John decided to start a band called, "The Crocs" (because they both had crocs). John was the drummer and Jack was the guitarist. Completely awesome.

Prayers for Christine - Catching Up

We had a wonderful weekend back with our families for Valentine's so I was away from my computer and have a bit of catching up to do on these updates from Mindy on our prayers for Christine. I have had a sense of urgency over the last few days as these 30 days of prayer come to a close, feeling strongly that I must pray with expectation of something big, something beyond what we are capable of understanding, and something soon. These verses in Psalm 18 seemed to fit beautifully with this cry, with the enemy being Christine's illness. "He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because HE DELIGHTED IN ME…For You will light my lamp, the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall." (I so wish to see Christine with energy and strength to leap over a wall!) "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him…It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places." Freedom from captivity to this illness for my friend, Lord! Freedom! Please continue to pray!

From Mindy:
Day 20 - Having a chronic illness is not only one of the loneliest things in the world, but also one of the most exhausting. The rest she is getting from this extended stay will hopefully put more distance between the 'spells' and she can enjoy a season of 'good' time. That is my prayer to...day. "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him." Psalm 62:1 Be blessed today.

Day 21 - 'The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.'. Psalm 29:11 Strength and peace...we all need a dose of those right now...God is so good and we know He will provide an extra measure of both strength and peace to Christine, as well as all the family...simply because, in fai...th, we ask; and in faith, we wait. Be blessed today...

Day 22...'Call to me and I will answer you...'. Jeremiah 33:3... So, so, so praying Christine will be home soon. Continuing to believe as the journey continues...

Day 23 - 'It's good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace.' Hebrews 13:9. We continue to be thankful for God's showing of His grace...in Christine's life, but also in the lives of others. We are so glad for the baby steps in Jenny' fight for life...rejoicing as sweet Taylor welcomed her husband, Tyrel, home from... a 7+ month military tour...and today, especially praying for my nephew, Michael, and his 9th grade classmates in Franklin, TN, as they deal with the sudden and tragic deaths of two classmates' fathers. May the grace of God continue to bless Christine, those I've mentioned, and you!

Day 24 - I am amazed at how these days have passed so quickly! And yet, sometimes it seems so long. I was thinking the other day how I long for so many things for Christine...getting to be at home, being with Matt at home and laughing uncontrollably at each others jokes...tucking Sam in and singing his favorite nite ...nite song...sitting with Jack and reading or talking about all the things he is discovering...and someday, getting to hear her lead worship with the praise team. She has always used her gift to worship God...and what a sweet gift He has given her by protecting her voice through so many years of struggle. So my prayer today is one of hope and expectation...'i will sing to the Lord all my life; May my meditation be pleasing to Him, as I rejoice in the Lord.' Psalm 104:33-34. Oh God, please continue to give her strength, as we all wait with hope and expectation...

Day 25 - Praying for Christine, Matt, Jack and Sam that they will be so blessed in knowing that God is totally in control...'i know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His...' Psalm 108:3. We are just a week away from the 2-month mark. Praying for God to intervene so this is a date we won't have to commemorate...be blessed...

Day 26 - 'As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved...Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...' Colossians 3...I love this...dearly loved...today I am praying Christine will feel washed over by His love, and know how much she is loved by everyone...and feel peace...

Prayers for Christine - Day 19

(From Mindy) Prayers for Christine - Day 19...we praise God for Christine's continued improvement. We see progress, for the first time in a long time. God continues to protect her as this illness works her body over...'but You, O Lord, are a shield around me...to the Lord I cry aloud, and He answers." Psalm 3:3-4. God is faithful, and even in her illness, He blesses her over and over again...blessings to you, too!

John and Jack taking in the rodeo. Yeehaw!

Prayers for Christine - Day 18

(From Mindy) Prayers for Christine - Day 18...Psalm 5:3..."in the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation"...Christine continues to ask that you pray for Jenny Bazaillion. We continue to praise God for all the baby steps Christine is taking...today, specifically, we ask that you strengthen her muscles, for even though the PT people work with her, she has been in the hospital for almost 2 months. We also continue to pray for relief from the fluid retention...the medication is helping, but it is uncomfortable. Christine also asked me to convey her deepest appreciation for all your prayers...she is so encouraged by them each day...blessings...

Can you say, "Oh my goodness!" Kailey loves her buddy, Jack, too!

Prayers for Christine - Days 16 & 17

(From Mindy) Day 16...her words... 'yesterday was a pretty good day'...praise God! She is thinking that maybe next week, home will be in the plan...we continue to pray for that...and wait for God to give the answer...

Me (thinking this position looked painful): "Jack, do you want to lie down to rest? Doesn't that hurt your neck?" Jack: "No, I'm not tired at all." Love that kid! Busy afternoon on the boat!

(From Mindy) Day 17...Christine has made a special request today...for now, she would like you to all focus on and pray for Jenny Bazaillion. Jenny is the sister to Josh Ross, and Josh and Kayci are good friends of Christine and Matt. You can link to Jenny's care page by scrolling down where I have posted it. We continue to pray for healing...

https://www.carepages.com/carepages/JennyBizaillionUpdates

Tiny Ballerina

"I love Eva, Mommy!"

Practicing their poses

"Cheese!"

If it's possible for ballet to have been more of a success than Kailey expected, it was. She has asked me constantly since then if we could just PLEASE go back to ballet. She told us all about dancing around like a bee, going under a parachute, and that she was a BIG GIRL! Sweet moments for a mommy of a little girl!