3 + 1 = 4

Well, much to our surprise...we are happy to announce that we are having another baby! We are so excited and terrified and happy and overwhelmed and all of the other emotions that come with the joy of having another child. We honestly had planned on only having one child. It is such a huge responsibility to raise a child correctly...to give them all of the love and support that they deserve, to provide them with the material things that they need, and to give them the attention and time that they deserve, so we had planned on focusing on one and praying that our hard work paid off. However, life has more in store for us. I can truly say though that I now feel a sense of wholeness that I haven't ever felt before. I feel like our family is now complete and that joy will hopefully carry me through nine long months of puking and fatness. I'm glad that God has trusted us to raise another one of His sweet spirits, and I can't wait to see our little miracle.

A Walk to Remember

We LOVE being outdoors!! Every time the skies are clear, we are outside playing, hiking, and riding bikes. It's just so cleansing & invigorating to breathe in the fresh, crisp air. We recently went on a hike to our favorite trail on Monte Sano and took my sisters along with us. We had such a fun time! Drew and Gracie ran the entire time; Sarah and I tried to keep up, and Sean and the dog lead the way. We stopped to look at bugs and flowers, and then got ice cream cones at the little camp supply store. I really enjoyed being able to talk to the kids while we walked. We talked about their friends and their sports and their bullies and their newest knock-knock jokes. We just talked and walked. As I listened, I began taking myself back to their age and thinking of all of the things I wanted to protect them from. If I could, I would just wrap them up and stick them in my pocket, safe from all temptation and worry until they were eighteen or so. Although the pocket idea is rather brilliant, I realized that that isn't my purpose as a mother or as a sister, but instead my job is to love them unconditionally, to be a friend, and teach them right from wrong through example. So, as helpless as I felt while listening to the woes of McKenna calling Drew names at school and Sarah forgetting to put her name on her paper, I realized that I was helping just by listening. So, here's hoping that there's many more days of walking and talking with those I love most.