Sweet Conversations

so...lately, ben david has been coming up with these "big boy" things he can do, all on his own. such as...fastening his own bike helmet (one feat that, i'm afraid, springboarded from the day i accidentally pinched him while trying to fasten the clip), riding a big boy bike, cleaning up after himself, etc.

each time he does one of these things, i'll say: "ben david! you are getting too big. i'm not going to let you get any older!!"

to which he will respond: "no mommy...PLEASE, PLEASE let me get older!!"

and i respond: "no...i want you to be my little boy forever!"

and he'll say..."no...i want to get bigger and bigger...just like my dad!!"

and finally...i say, "ok ben david..i guess i'll just have to let you get older."

and he just smiles:)

so..the other day, i was caught off guard as we were outside playing, just the two of us.

he said, "mommy, this is a special time..just you and me!!"

i said, "it sure is"

ben david: "mommy...i'm not going to let you get any older!"

me: "ok ben david...that sounds great to me!!"

ben david: "i'm going to keep you as my little girl forever and ever!"

wow...what do you say to that:) i'm not quite sure logistically how that would work, but i can say one thing for sure. i am so blessed to be this little boy's mother. these precious moments are ones i hope to remember for a long time...hence, the blog.

on a side note...i would really appreciate any help he can give me with the aging process! i'll take all the help i can get!:)

Springtime Series

i have been wanting to post a bunch of pics on our blog from various random occasions, so here goes:) these are an assortment of shots i've taken over the last month or so...no real rhyme or reason to them! just an effort to keep the blog updated and give you a peek at the kiddos:)

easter blog to come, along with the long afore promised blog on ben's trip.

Here are a few of James and Caroline

note the concerned expression.."mom, why are you leaving me here on this fence?"

this year, ben david requested a robot cake for his 4yo party!! this was my best effort at that. we had a great time with our family celebrating our sweet boy:)we also had a fun birthday party at ben david's preschool. for some reason, all the ladies requested to have their picture taken with him. hmmm...

ben david and sophie (whom ben david has described on multiple occasions as "so beautiful")

ben david and caden

i love these two pics of caroline. she is inside watching the boys play outside, through the window. in the next one, it almost looks like she's waving at them;)

"AH-HA!! you guys have been holding out on me!! a kitchen in here this whole time??"

this is caroline's new favorite place to be:)

and finally, good buds...stella and ben david, practicing their silly faces!!

Gone Fishing!

spring is here, which brings longer days, more sunshine and....FISHING!! more afternoons than not after ben gets home, he loads up the boys in the bike trailer, i pack them a picnic supper and they trek over to our neighborhood pond. it is great fun involving worms, dirt....all the things boys love:) the boys have gotten pretty good...they can cast their own rods and have each caught many fish on their own! below is a pic of ben david's most recent catch!! while james enjoys fishing, and is actually quite patient while waiting for a bite...he favorite part is the worms. he loves to dig for them, hold them....even chase me with them!

here's to a great season...and the one that got away!:)

Celebrating Ben David!

"For the LORD is good

and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues

through all generations."

Psalm 100:5

Four years ago today at 11:20am we welcomed Ben David into this world!!

He weighed 3 lbs. 10.9oz and measured 14.5 inches

He was perfect in every way.

what an amazing gift he has and continues to be to us...gentle, kind, sensitive, thoughtful, creative and loving. when i think back on this day 4 years ago, i am flooded with emotions. most of you if not all have heard the story, but i think it bears repeating every year, as i believe it is a true testimony to the goodness and faithfulness of our God.

for truly, ben david was a gift from the lord.

my pregnancy with Ben David was completely normal, so Ben and i were both shocked when my water unexpectedly broke at 29 weeks. within a matter of hours i was admitted to CMC and was informed i would be on bed rest until the birth of our son. doctors were explaining to me the complications my son might have, the problems with lung development, etc. within a few short hours, my life had ben turned upside down. this was not what we had planned for...this was not the way it was suppose to be. we were overwhelmed, afraid and uncertain.

we have all come to place like this in our lives when we are suddenly and abruptly reminded that we are completely out of control. in times like this, it would seem we have two choices:

1) live in fear of the unknown 2) trust the lord of the unknown.

while we did trust him, it was still hard. those days on bed rest were some of the most difficult of my life. each day was essential and invaluable for the development of our son, but each day i lay in a bed, unable to get up for more than a few minutes at a time, constantly fighting the urge to give in to my own thoughts of fear and anxiety.

no one, not even the "experts" had answers, no one had certainty, no one could give me any absolutes. no human was able to give me what i needed. in those days, i learned many things. one of the most important was this. life often does not go as we expect it will. our plans are often interrupted by things we do not understand, and if we look to the world for answers during these times...we will be disappointed. every time.

it is so easy to think we are in control of our lives until something like this happens. the truth is, we are not in control of our lives. not today, not tomorrow, not yesterday...never.

and the sooner we can understand and embrace this, the quicker we will know the true peace that comes from trusting the "lord of the unknown."

it was a constant battle for me in those days, but yet...there was a constant undercurrent of peace. the lord was in control, he could handle what i could not.

after 2 long, but very needful weeks...we meet our firstborn son...benjamin david wright II. named after his father...it was the name i always wanted to use. it took 48 hours to convince his daddy:) but i think we agree it fits perfectly:)

the days and weeks that followed were not easy. ben david stayed a month in the hospital and i cried every night i had to leave him there. it was a process of him gaining weight, learning to breath and learning to eat on his own.

he was our firstborn and i wanted nothing more than to take him home and care for him. but the lord was faithful. on april 23rd we brought ben david home with us!

my hope is that wherever this blog entry finds you today...you might be encouraged. while we cannot control our lives today anymore than we could yesterday, we can rest in the One who promises to be with us and never leave us. to give us the peace that passes all understanding. to walk with us through the "waters and the fires" of this life.

may each of us choose to trust the lord of the unknown,

for he is good, and his love endures forever, and his faithfulness continues to all generations!!

happy 4th birthday ben david...we love you! you are a continual reminder to us of the lord's faithfulness!

"It's a Great Sunny Day!!"

this is by far one of my favorite quotes from ben david. he will often on days like today, take a peek outside, look up at me with a big smile and say, "Mommy...it is GREAT sunny day!!!" and today i could not agree more. here are a few pics of the crew playing outside...

THANK YOU LORD FOR THIS FINE DAY!!!

One Wild Ride

what can i say...this is yet another of my wonderful husband's great inventions for outdoor playtime.

what you need to replicate this:

-one tupperware storage box

-one rope

-one pair of special FHG saftey glasses

-two very cute passengers

HANG ON FOR A WILD RIDE!!!!!

Going Private

well...after much deliberating, i have finally made the decision to make our blog private. we've had a few too many random comments from total strangers and i'm getting a bit uncomfortable with the fact that just anyone can find us on the internet. so...while i HATE adding an extra step to the process of your viewing our blog, i hope we won't lose you as readers!!

you should just be able to login with no problem, but if that is not the case...please let me know!