Love~ The Best Work In the World

Last Tuesday was our eighth wedding anniversary. 

It was perfect.

Nothing too exciting.....  Grandparents had the girls spend the night at their house.  We went to the movies (and they let us in for free!) then stopped by the grocery store and went home and made dinner together.  It couldn't have been any more wonderful.  I wouldn't have changed a thing.

I am truly married to my best friend. There is no one I would rather have by my side doing anything in the world than him. When I am lonely, he is the one I long to talk to. He makes me smile, he knows all of my quirks and inside jokes. We find joy in each other's interests and love to hear whatever the other one is thinking.  We bare our souls to each other.

(Our engagement photo ~ 17 and 20 years old!)

He is also my lover. He makes my heart skip a beat. In my eyes he really is the strongest, smartest, most handsome man alive. I wake up every morning madly in love with him. He gives me butterflies in my stomach.

(Our wedding day 6/5/04~ 18 and 20 years old)

Most importantly, he loves me sacrificially, and I strive to do the same.  He loves me through the bad times.  When there seems to be no end to the tears.  When I'm grumpy and sullen.  When I'm cold and uncaring.  When I act or speak foolishly.  When I'm sick and unable to serve him.  He faithfully loves me with real Christ-like love.

( 7 months pregnant~ 19 and 21 years old)

Sometimes I feel like I say over and over how much I love my husband.  But the truth is, I could never say it enough.  He is my hero, my lover, my protector, my playmate, my leader, my supporter, my confidant, my heart throb, my inspiration, my best friend. 

But this did not just happen.  I think many people in this world are just waiting for "real love" to strike them.  I cringe when I read people writing about what "love is" when by watching their lives it is obvious that they really have no idea what love is. 

Love is a choice.  Love is work.  But is the most beautiful, worthwhile, rewarding work in the world!  I so look forward to many years of learning to love each other better.

On our wedding day, a friend told me " May today be the day you love each other the least." I've thought of that so many times as I think "And I thought I loved him then!".  I hope with anticipation to look back to now and say the same thing. 

God's ways are good.  And in Him are abundant joys!!!

A Quick Catch Up!!!

I've really missed you all!  I feel like I've barely been poking my head in here often enough for you to remember me.  This blog started out with just a couple family and friends.  I posted pictures of my girls and few thoughts.  That's really all I still do.  For awhile I was amazed at how many of you were stopping by here.  Obviously, I've been so scarce lately that I'm not so sure if anyone is still around.  So here I am.  Back to basics!  Here's some pictures of life to catch up you family and friends who are  still here checking on me!

Two Sundays ago Lydia and Great-Boppa put on their "Sweetheart's Party" that they had been planning.  Lydia is ALWAYS scheming and dreaming some great plan so for Great-Boppa to come along side her and make this party plan a reality was like a dream come true for her.  It was wonderful for the rest of us too!

It was a wonderful day, and we got to spend it with our Caleb boy which made it extra special.  Speaking of Caleb, he got to spend all afternoon with us this past week while his mommy and daddy celebrated their anniversary.  We loved it!  We are all pretty crazy about that boy!

The girls and I planned our Valentine's Day dinner for Monday night.  While we had been decorating and celebrating all month, we pulled out all the stops and had a beautiful dinner together.  The girls loved it!

The next morning I surprised my beloved with breakfast in bed, then he took me out for a wonderful dinner and date that afternoon.  Every moment spent with my man is a good moment for me!  It was a wonderful day.

One new thing that I've enjoyed this past week has been taking this each morning.......

...... and turning it into this!!!

I'm actually loving my veggie juice which astounds me!!!

This past weekend David cut his hand badly with a chainsaw.  (I was going to add pictures here, but they are pretty gory!)  When he called me from the ER I couldn't believe the peace that washed over me.  Isn't it so good to be held in the arms of a loving Father?  Graciously, his fingers are all still intact and should heal completely over time.  Please continue to pray for his healing!

Other than that, we've been living life!  I'm so blessed to live each day with my beautiful family!

 

Rejoice With Me

I started my blog in June of 2008.  Some of you have been here from the beginning.  Sometimes I cringe to think of the things I shared with you, what you might think of me or how crazy you must think I am.  But I have to say, you have always been so supportive and full of encouragement.

In light of that,  I knew that you would love to rejoice with me as this past weekend made me weep and dance with joy! 

First, there is something you may not know about me.  ( Though if you've spent too much time around me in the real world, you probably do!)  While I always had a childlike desire, when I was pregnant with Ella Joy the Lord placed a load like ten tons of bricks on my heart.  This load was called ADOPTION.

The reason I've put off this post for sooooo long, is because I could go on about it  f o r e v e r.  (If you have specific questions for me, please ask.  For now I'll try and keep this "short"!)  Just wrangle me into a conversation about adoption (which wont be too hard!) and I'll probably be weeping in no time!  But here is what made my weekend so incredible.

Two stories~ 

1. You may remember me writing last year around this time about my friend Susanna and her beautiful daughter Verity who was born with Down Syndrome.  Verity was their tenth child and I'm sure "more than they could handle" in the eyes of some.  But these people LOVE the Lord, and trust in His strength and not their own.  As a result, when they felt the Lord calling them towards a special needs adoption, they were obedient.  Beautiful Katerina in nine years old and has down syndrome, but if you get a chance, just look.  It will break you heart.  Katerina with her Mama.  Susanna has gone to see her, and their family has been waiting and waiting to bring her home.

2.  One day as I was reading Susanna's blog, she directed us to http://reecesrainbow.org/ which lists children with special needs who are up for adoption.  I was looking through the children, praying, when a little girl's face stopped me in my tracks.  It made me weep instantly.  She looked like my baby.  Not only did she look like my baby and have the same pajamas, her birthday was only two months apart from her's.  Her name was Elvira.  That was one of the toughest weeks of my life.  I cried morning, noon and night.  I just wanted her in my arms.  I wanted to wipe those tears from her eyes.  Every time I looked at my Ella, I felt like she was missing a twin.  As time passed however, it became unmistakeably clear that the answer was a resounding NO.  My heart slowly began to change to longing for God to bring Elvira's right mommy to her SOON!

All of my girls and I prayed for Katie and Elvira. every. single. prayer time. 

Then came Saturday.  I hadn't really been on the computer much for awhile, so first I decided to check up on Susanna and Katie.  The first thing I saw when I arrived at her blog were the words,  "She is not  an orphan, she is our daughter."  Their adoption is finalized and they are picking her up the middle of next month.

After clearing those tears, I decided to check up on Elvira on the waiting children's list.  I couldn't find her.  My heart leapt as I searched frantically and then I burst into tears again when I found her here;  Elvira for the Ochs Family.


My heart is simply overflowing with joy and praise to the Lord!  Thank you for rejoicing with me and please continue to keep these families and these precious little girls in your prayers!

John 14:18~ "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."


Susanna's Blog
Elvira's Family's Blog

Don't Forget!!!

This is my reminder to me~  Don't forget to be thankful today.  Just don't.  Without thankfulness God's amazing gifts to us slip past unnoticed.  With thankfulness the world's worries and trials shrink and fade.  Here's a quick ten.

I'm thankful~

1.  That I live in Oregon, where everything outside my window is green and gorgeous.
2.  For a husband who listens, learns and loves unconditionally.
3.  For the blessing of free cherries.
4.  For babies who fall asleep in random places (like on the floor next to me!).
5.  For new sheets that feel super luxurious.
6.  For new windows that open.
7.  For silly songs little girls sing.
8.  For disposable wipes, which make the world (and our desk) a less sticky place.
9.  For a God who always forgives.  Completely.
10.  For new mornings with new mercies.

How about you?  What are you thankful for?

A Good Problem

I ran into a problem yesterday that literally left me in tears.  Happy tears.  My friend Alysun came by to drop off the photos she had taken soon after Esther was born.  (If you are local and want beautiful pictures for an amazing price, check out Alysun at http://www.alysunpetersphoto.com/ )  I figured that since I had new pictures I should update my blog pictures and descriptions since it still said David and I had been married for five years and Ella was a newborn. 

Here was my trouble.  As I tried to think of what to write about my girls, it went something like this~

"Lydia is the most wonderful girl I could ever imagine.  She is the sunshine of our home."  "Bethany is also the most wonderful girl I could ever imagine.  Come to think of it, so is Havilah.  And of course Ella Joy.  Esther?  Yeah, most wonderful baby I could EVER imagine.  And sunshine?  When I think of sunshine I think of Havi.  And Esther.  And Bethany.  And obviously Ella Joy." 

You see my dilemma?  If there was too much of a good thing, I would have it.  There are times that I simply can't believe how abundantly blessed I am.  Times that I feel like I can truly grasp just a glimpse of how good God is.  The tears just come. 

My girls are incredibly individual and unique.  So much that it blows me away.  But they are all so amazing I can't even begin to describe it. 

Sometimes I feel like there is no way to truly convince people that we are NOT disappointed to have all girls.  We say it all the time but people just don't really believe it.  When I look at these faces though, I can't fathom how someone could think I would wish I had someone else instead.  I think God's plans are pretty fantastic.

Life is not as pristine as it looks in these photos.  As I'm writing this Ella came out of bed stripped of       everything.  But she came down in the arms of her big sister who was laughing hysterically at her.  Remember to really see your children today.  Enjoy them.  Not for what they do, but for who the Lord made them to be.  Be blessed!  I know I am!

I should have.....

I should have planned better for my future.

Gone to college.

Dated different guys.

Experienced being self-sufficient.

Not gotten married so young.

Worked to make more money.

Waited to have children.

Spaced my children.

Stopped having children.

And many more things.  At least this is what I'm told.  Often.  If not in blunt words, in furrowed brows or quizzical looks.  It's not always easy to feel like such an odd person.  Sometimes it seems like it would be easier to have done what I was "supposed" to do. 

But then again, if I had......

I wouldn't have been woken up this morning by my six year old who was ready to read her Bible and drink tea with me.

I wouldn't be able to kiss my husband knowing he's the only man I've ever kissed, held hands with or loved.

I wouldn't have laughter and total fulfillment. every. single. day.

I wouldn't have the total joy of watching my five beautiful daughters completely delighting in each other and totally adoring and being adored by their incredible daddy.

I wouldn't have been here with my four year old yesterday as she came to me with joy and said, "I'm ready to ask Jesus into my heart!".

I would never trade what I've gained for what I've lost.  My life looks like a disappointment to some.  I see it as a complete gift from the Lord. 

Here's the story!

"With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack? Surely we are the most favored of all creatures." A.W. Tozer

One of my favorite parts of life is looking back and seeing how truly good and awesome my God is.  I really can't imagine believing in "luck".  Only a God who is all-knowing and all-loving could do such personal and amazing things in my life.  This birth was one of those times.

As most of you probably remember, for the majority of this pregnancy I thought I was due in the middle of June, but come April I found out I was due June 1st (which I was ecstatic about!).  By mid May, I was R E A D Y for baby to come!  I was really hoping that I would go just a little early, but as the days ticked away I began to pray for a specific day.  June 3rd.  June 3rd is my grandma's birthday and as we got closer we were pretty sure that if we had a girl she would have her great-grandma's name for her middle name. 

When I finally got out of bed the morning of June 3rd, I had my first contraction.  I really didn't believe it.  About ten minutes later I had another one.  I try not to believe it.  A while later there was another one.  I finally told my sister Anna who had spent the night about them.  The problem was, they were all over the place.  Some were ten minutes apart, some were almost an hour apart.  When I rested on the couch, they basically stopped. 

The day slowly dragged by and while I really, really, really wanted to have the baby that day, I began to realize that maybe this was really not going to be anything.  David came home around 4:30 and encouraged me to lay down for a nap.  I pouted.  I really didn't want to because I was afraid of making everything stop.  But my wise and loving husband convinced me that it would be a good idea.  As I laid there thinking that there was now no way baby was coming that day, God had another surprise in store for me.  Contractions,  STRONG ones, started coming.  Regularly. 

I got up around 5:30 and went to tell David that it looked like we might be going to the hospital that night after all.  Next I called my midwife to get her opinion.  After hearing me describe my contractions and knowing how far we are from the hospital, she said to go on in.  I walked outside to tell David and by the time I got to him, I knew it was time to go soon.  Very soon.

Always before when we've been headed to the hospital I've been praying the whole way, "Lord, please don't let these contractions stop!".  This time however I was praying, "Lord PLEASE don't let these contractions come too fast!!!".  The hospital we go to is an hour away and I was praising the Lord when we pulled into that parking lot!

Now you have to realize, I'm a SLOW laborer.  My time in the hospital before giving birth has ranged from 6 to 22 hours.  Three times I've had to go on pitocin to keep things moving.  Usually we walk and walk and walk and walk the halls.  This time however, even though I was at 6 cm when I arrived, after about two contractions I told David that I was feeling pressure.  I asked my beautiful nurse Tamara, (who we found out is an old King family friend!) to get into the jacuzzi so she went to fill it.

The entire time I was praying for three specific things.  Peace.  Encouragement.  For things to progress.  I've never seen God answer my specific prayers so completely and perfectly.  Before getting into the tub, my midwife arrived and checked me.  In the hour I had sat there, I had progressed all the way to 10 cm.!  "You're not going in the tub!" my midwife said.  With permission to push I settled into my husband's arms and waited to have this baby!

While I felt like I "could" push, I didn't necessarily feel like I "needed" to push.  I knew I didn't want to wear myself out so I continued to just breathe through the contractions, often pushing a little just at the end of them.  I really expected to be there for quite a while, but there was such peace.  Overwhelming calm.  All of the sudden, my water broke!  An instant later, I felt the head.  I closed my eyes, pushed, and then I was holding my beautiful little daughter!  We were in total shock!  For hours I kept looking at David and saying, "I can't believe she's here!  I can't believe we're done!".

Right away I knew she was a pudgy little thing!  "Chubalicious" is what one friend said.  At 8lb. 3 oz. and 19 in. she was our heaviest but almost our shortest!

Remember this baby with the chubby cheeks?

That's really who we had!

Esther was one of David's favorite names from before we had any children, but I was the one who always vetoed it.  This time however it really grew on me and after rejecting name after name it soon settled in as the perfect name for this sweet little girl.

One of the greatest blessings of the birth was that she WAS born on Great-grandma Marjorie's 89th birthday.  Now we will always celebrate Marjorie Alice's and Esther Marjorie's birthdays on June 3rd.

The sisters came to visit the next day.

While Esther is adored by many, never have I seen a prouder big sister than Ella.

We got to go home only 22 hours after first arriving at the hospital.

Esther is the sweetest baby I could imagine.  She is a CHAMPION eater and so contented all the time.  We are all completely smitten with her.  What a treasure the Lord has blessed us with.  In our home we don't believe we have to spread out our love to each new one who comes.  We believe that the Lord abundantly pours out an extra portion of love with each one.  That has definitely been true here!

Highlights of 2010

Today is a slow and sleepy day for us, so I took this opportunity to look back through my whole blogging year.  What a year it's been!  I'll try not to drag this out too long, but I thought I would cruise through just a few things that made this year extra special and a clear sign of God's blessings in our life.

Our year started out with a bang. Our fourth beautiful daughter was born mid January and has brought nothing but pure joy to our family!

There have been several new beginnings this year.  February brought the union of my sister Mary to her wonderful husband Peter,

and now, their family has grown even again as we all welcomed to the world this week our very first NEPHEW Caleb Jerry. Did you hear that?  They still make boys around here!  This little man has stolen our hearts!

 
We were able to celebrate again this Fall as David's brother Benjamin married his beautiful bride Melissa.
 

Having Benjamin and Melissa live near us these last few months have been a joy and we are going to miss them soooooo much as they move to WA for seminary!
 
Not long after having Melissa join the family, we were blessed to meet the next beautiful girl to soon become a King. 

Andrew met the love of his life down at college and we have been DELIGHTED to get to know dear Hannah more.  They are planning a summer wedding and we could not be happier to watch what the Lord is doing in their lives!

Some of the blessings have not been as clearly defined.

Most were just a part of every day life,

But they were all special nonetheless!

Being the parents of our girls is more of a blessing than I ever could have imagined, and it only gets better every day!

Oh yes, and then there is this guy!

It amazes me to look at this past year, see where we are now and say with all my heart, as honest as can be, I love this man more than I ever have in my life.  He's amazing. A M A Z I N G.  I cannot even begin to tell you.  Not only is he the man I respect more than any man alive, he's the man who holds my heart.   Completely.

2011 looks good. 

I know that there will be many surprises.  Some so good they will blow my socks off.  Some so bad they could break my heart.  But my God is good!  And 2011 is in His hands!

I wouldn't miss it!

One of my more brilliant additions to our Fall schedule (full schedule details to arrive next week!) has been the generous allotment of time devoted for naps.  We're all getting up earlier, we're all more tired!  On Monday, I was more than ready to catch a quick nap with the girls!  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday found me feeling much perkier and able to carry on without one.  Today however, my sleeping adjustments had caught up to me and I was counting down to nap time all day!  Unfortunately, while my middle two were as tired as I was, My oldest and my youngest really weren't buying it.

After trying very unsuccessfully to rest with a squirming eight month old, I thought of something brilliant!  "Lydia, would you quietly play with Ella while Mommy rests?".  "Sure!!!".

It was such a grand idea!  The two played happily and silently five feet away from me.  But there was a problem I hadn't counted on.  I couldn't keep my eyes off of them!  They were so precious, that I knew this was a moment I didn't want to miss!

Life is speeding by.  Some opportunities are simply too priceless to sleep through!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

What a wonderful weekend!!  On Thursday we headed back down to Redding to celebrate the marriage of David's brother Benjamin and his beautiful fiance Melissa.  It was such a joyous and blessed time!  What a privilege it was to watch the Lord work in their lives, bringing them together and bringing glory to Himself through them. 

Lydia and Melissa's niece, Aleah.  New buddies!

The bride with her sisters and future sisters!

All the nieces and nephews! 

Delicious cake balls!

Good-bye Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin King!

It truly was a beautiful day!  I was incredibly blessed to get to know the Brink and extended family.  I felt like I was saying  good-bye to my own family when it was over. 

Praise the Lord for His faithfulness!  Praise the Lord for proving once again that not only can He be trusted, but that His plans are far superior to anything we could ask or imagine!