My Precious Lydi Bug

Lydia celebrated her 4th birthday on April 24th, Easter Sunday. Here is the journal entry I wrote her. A glimpse into our little Buggy=)

My Precious Little Lydi-Bug,

You are such a cute little package! A cute little snugly package too! You love to give daddy, your sisters, your brother and me lots of hugs. You are the first to rise every morning. Daddy and I will be reading downstairs and then we see your little face peek through the railing and down you come to tell us you love us and miss us. We love those early morning snuggles.

You bring lots of laughter to this home with your silly words or faces. You really delight in making others smile and laugh. You say some pretty funny things.=)

You love to sing and will start singing at anytime. Daddy and I really enjoy hearing you sing. My favorite of course is hearing you sing praises to Jesus. You also are such an excellent drawler. I am amazed at the way you draw people's faces. What wonderful talents God has given you, Buggy.

Your favorite thins to do are playing with your sisters and brother, being tickled by daddy, cooking with momma, playing with Gracie your baby doll, doing puzzles, drawing, and playing outside.

You were so excited to share your birthday with Easter Sunday- the day Jesus rose. What an honor! You made an excellent choice for a cake too-a cross cake!

Lydia, I love how forgiving and gracious you are towards others when they have sinned against you. You are very quick to forgive and move on as if it never happened. Daddy and I are so grateful for the precious treasure and blessing we have in you as our little girl. Each day I spend with you is such a joy!

I Love You Past the Heavens,
Momma

We've Been Egged;)

Our friends Niccole, Becky, Rachel, and Rebecca decided to give the kiddos a surprise and hide eggs outside our house one Sunday morning. The girls were so excited and blessed by their thoughtfulness. Very grateful for sweet, thoughtful friends who are full of sweet surprises.
Love you, Ladies!

A Sleepover Celebration

Early morning dancing;)

Breakfast-Chocolate Chip Scones-Yum!

All the girls

Sleeping arrangements

Friends=)

The favors we made, a daisy barrette, a flower cookie (made by grandmom=) and a personal note for each girl from Emme

The Princess Cake for my little princess;)

For Emme's 8th birthday we celebrated with a sleepover. What a fun time she had! Lots of giggles, talking, dancing and just fun. So grateful that each of these girls could come and help us celebrate the gift of Emme Grace in our lives for eight wonderful years!

Sweet Emme Love

Emme turned 8 on the 14th and I wrote her this in her journal.

Dear Emme Loves, Happy Birthday, my sweet eight year old! And how sweet you are! You care so deeply for your family, friends, and people around you. You have such a heart for orphans and tell me how you want to help them. God has given you such a compassionate heart towards others. I love how much you want to tell others about Jesus, too and are sad when you find out someone does not love Him or believe in Him. You are a tremendous helper to me, Em's. You love to help me in the kitchen, and love to help care for your brother and sisters. If I am not feeling well you tell me to go lay down and the next thing I know you have me covered with blankets and a glass of water and a snack are sitting next to me. So caring! You are such an excellent reader. Daddy and I are amazed at how quickly you read through books! And not only do you read quickly through them, you remember everything you read. I love how you diligently read through the Bible each morning and ask questions about what you have read. You are reading Revelation right now and are finding it fascinating. I pray that your love of God's word continues to grow and grow through the years. You are such a sweet encourager to me, Emme. I have notes upon notes taped up on my wall beside my bed that you have written me. Oh how they make me smile! God uses you so many times throughout my days with you to encourage and uplift me. How grateful I am for such a dear daughter and friend! You really are such a treasure to me! God has also blessed you with a talent for music. You fill this house with such wonderful melodies! I love hearing you play old hymns, jigs, fiddle music, classical pieces and whatever else comes to your mind. You can figure out anything it seems. So amazing to me! I love that you are wanting to practice more and seeing the wonderful gift God has given you! You are quite an artist as well. You love to make people cards and pictures to encourage them and use this talent God has given you well. Emme, these eight years with you as my little girl have been so precious. You are an absolute joy and delight to spend my days with! God's kindness abounds in giving me you as my little girl! Happy 8th birthday, Love! I Love You Beyond Words, Momma

Cheerful Helpers

I am so grateful for my four little helpers and they joy they have in serving. Now of course they are not always joyfully serving, just like I do not always joyfully serve, but I see God working that good fruit in them. I am many times humbled by the way they will ask to help me whether I am working in the kitchen or doing other chores. I am so grateful for the way God uses my four little lambs to remind me of the joy that I need to have in all things.

Yeah, I Like My Food.

Family Worship with a New Uncle

Family worship is so fun and it makes it even better when friends join us. Our friend, Jordan, is a really gifted drummer and musician. We have really enjoyed getting to know him. It did not take long before the girls asked him if they could call him Uncle Jordan instead of Mr. Jordan. We loved a time of family worship the other week with him. The kiddos and I even got a chance to play his African drum!=)

Soccer=)

Before

AFTER

Faith started soccer this past week and Damien is her assistant coach which is so fun.=) She really likes it and Damien is really excited for one of his kiddos to be on a sports team. Fun memories for sure.