Love My Girl!!!

I feel like I have so much to catch up on!  Last week was Havilah's birthday, I still haven't posted Esther's 10 month pictures and (HOORAY!!!) one of the long awaited cousins has been born!!!!  But for today, I'll just write about the wonderful birthday date I had with Miss Lydia last night.

Lydia's birthday is next week and since she is growing up soooo fast and LOVES to have "big girl time" with Mommy, I thought it would be fun to take her out for a special date. 

First we went to Once Upon A Child which is a fabulous second hand store and we stocked up on summer clothes.  She had so much fun trying things on and giving her own opinion on what she liked.  It astounded me how fast she is growing into a beautiful little lady.  Her taste in clothing and her wisdom in make good decisions made my heart so proud.

Next we went over to the mall where of course we had to dash in the photo booth!

Then we headed down to Claire's where she picked out a necklace, some bracelets and a new head band.  (She told be later on that this was her favorite part of the date.  Never have a I met a girl who didn't like Claire's!)

Finally, she got all dressed up in her new stuff and we went out for dinner at Olive Garden.

Mmmmmmm, bread sticks!!!

It was so precious to have this time with my sweet daughter.  I hope I can always take the time to show her how important and priceless she is to me.

There's a new kid on the block......

..... And we think she's pretty FANTASTIC!!!!

Someday

Dear Grace,

       Remember when You put your ballet clothes away dreaming of someday when you might have a little girl who would dance and twirl? 

 "Someday" was today.



10 Months Old (and back to the blogging world!!!)

I think I'm actually back for good!  It has been so sad this past month  to stop by my blog and see the same old writing that has sat there for weeks!  Hopefully some of you still remember me and will stop back by and give me a wave.

First order of business, Ella is now officially 10 months old!

Her biggest changes this month have been learning to wave (she now crawls up on the back of the couch and waves like no tomorrow with her sisters!), standing on her own for long periods of time (Will we have one who walks "on time"?  With her sisters not walking until 13, 14 and 16 months, I'm not holding my breath!) and becoming a total ham.  She has always had a goofy side, but she is now a total cheese ball that keeps us constantly in stitches!

We adore her.  Every single one of us.  What would life be like without out sweet Ella Joy?

Since writing last, Bethany has turned four (birthday pictures to come soon!), we got our Christmas tree, I've been working hard on a "secret project" (Just be patient! You'll find out soon!) and our tiny little one has been growing rapidly throwing me into that lovely stage of "too early for maternity clothes/ too big for regular".  Pretty soon I'll start making Christmas candy though, and that should help push me over the edge!

Last night was Lydia's first piano recital.  She started lessons back in October with my sister, Mary and has LOVED it!  The recital was only for six students (of which Lydia was by far the youngest!), so it was perfect for a first time.  We were so proud of our little baby! 



Well, it's good to be back!  I can't wait to catch up with all of you!

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!

Just the beginning

Get ready world!  A beautiful new musician is in the works!

Lydia is Five!!!

May 6, was Lydia's fifth birthday. We were taking off for California that day so I didn't get a chance to write about her. Sitting here now I feel a bit overwhelmed trying to imagine how I can explain to you what a tremendous blessing she is to us!

Lydia is our oldest. I remember the day I found out I was expecting. September 1, 2004. We had only been married for three months but I was sooooo anxious for a baby. As soon as that pink line appeared I burst into tears. I was going to have my own baby! We decided not to find out what we were having, but were both 100% positive that we were having a boy. Seeing my baby girl for the first time was the biggest surprise of my entire life. But oh was I happy!! Laying in the hospital bed that night with my baby girl in my arms and my amazing husband on the couch beside me, I knew I was the most blessed of all women!

The name Benjamin means "Son of my right hand". Lydia should have been named the feminine version of that! She truly is my right hand. I don't know what I would do without her. From her cheerful smile to her comforting embraces. From her silly playfulness to her amazing wisdom. From her childlike dancing to her motherly comfort. From her goofy sense of humor to her heart for the lost. She is an absolute gift from the Lord, perfectly created with amazing purpose!

Every now and then, a post comes along that fills me with emotion. This is one of them. I'm so thankful that God's plans are not our plans. I'm so thankful that He in His wisdom gave me my Lydia Grace. I'm so thankful for every moment I have with her. To God be the glory! 

A Special Kind of Birthday!

Last Tuesday was Lydia's first spiritual birthday. I can't believe it's already been a year since that morning that she chose to put her faith in Jesus and asked Him to wash away her sins. We had a small celebration topped with frosted brownies and Christmas sprinkles. We prayed for Lydia and each shared some way that we've seen her become more like Jesus this year.

It has been such a joy to watch her grow this last year. It is so amazing to watch the Holy Spirit work in one this young, convicting her of sin and prompting her towards obedience and love.  I often hear her challenging herself (or her sisters) " Does this attitude make Jesus happy or Satan happy?". Lydia is a joy and loves deeply those around her. What a beautiful thing it is to have your child be a child of the King!

Today I'm thankful for......

2. My First Born

____

Lately I've just been reminded again how thankful I am that God truly does "know best" all of the time. When Lydia was born, it was the greatest shock of my life. I was POSITIVE I was having a boy!!! I thought that I wanted a boy. It took me all of .0009 seconds to fall desperately in love with this beautiful little girl though.

Over and over I ask Lydia, " What would I do without you?". And I mean it! She is an amazing help and encouragement to me. Not only does she delight in taking care of her younger sisters and helping me do household chores, she also verbally encourages me so faithfully. Not a day goes by that I don't receive some precious gift, whether it's a lovingly made card or a bouquet of weeds.

Praise the Lord that He gave me this precious young lady. I'm so thankful for her and can't wait to see the amazing plans in store for her!

King Family Update~ Part 2

So next in line is our lovely Miss Lydia. Lydia is almost 4 1/2. She is my right-hand helper, my clothing advisor, my kitchen assistant, my menu planner, my mini babysitter and my willing student. She has such an optimistic attitude about life and her faith in our great and faithful God helps remind me who really is in control of our lives.


We started homeschooling "officially" a few weeks ago, and she absolutely loves it! Last week she passed a huge milestone as she read her first sentence. " Sam met Tom". She says that math is her favorite though.
She is very excited about this new baby coming and loves to dream about everything she will be able to do with it. She was convinced it was going to be a girl, but as soon as she saw it on the ultrasound she said, "That looks like a boy to me!" and hasn't gone back yet. We now have major "She/He" battles as our house is evenly divided about what we think it will be.

I am so blessed by my sweet girl. God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave her to our family as our first born!

One lesson down. Many more to come!

The other night I got the urge to teach Lydia some more skills that will benefit her ( and me (sheepish grin!)) in the future. I decided to tackle the dreaded "knife lesson", with the firm resolution that if things didn't go well ( you know, blood, missing fingers etc.) we would stop.

My first born displayed her first born qualities and took to it amazingly well. She was very cautious and meticulous as she sliced her strawberries and celery into perfect, uniform pieces. I also let her have a hand in grating the cheese. It was such a fun evening and she was so proud of herself!

Bethany got to be the official "Pick up the celery and put it in the bowl girl". Anything to make her feel important and as far away from a knife as I can get her!

The next task that I'm dreading to teach: "How to crack an egg". I don't even know where to begin!

Happy Birthday Lydia!

Lydia celebrated her fourth birthday last week. I'm finding this harder and harder to do! I could write a book about my sweet little girl and still not feel like I've given you an accurate portrayal of her! Nevertheless I will attempt to do my best.

I got pregnant with Lydia after being married for two months. I was so excited! I have wanted to be a mom all of my life! My husband, David, comes from a family of eight boys and one girl so I naturally assumed that we would have a houseful of boys too. We were positive we were having a boy and actually called her a "him" the duration of my pregnancy, but the Lord was working on my heart! I remember getting a bag of hand me down clothes, looking at the girl clothes and actually crying while praying " Lord, please give me a girl someday!". Maybe I need to reverse my prayer now!

My labor was incredibly long with her, lasting 49 1/2 hours, but finally Lydia Grace was born. I couldn't believe she was a girl. We were both overjoyed even though we both would have said previously that we wanted a boy.

Lydia has been a joy and a blessing every moment of her life. I am so amazed at God's blessing towards me in giving her to me. She is such a little mommy and loves taking care of her sisters. She talks about getting married all the time. She also loves to sing and always has a song in her heart. A few months ago she let us know that she wanted to pray to ask Jesus to come in her heart and she loves being a child of God and finding out all of the brothers and sisters in Christ she has!

I am so excited to see all that the Lord has in store for her. I also tremble at the thought of being responsible for raising her in a way that honors the Lord. What a challenge that is! It is so rewarding though to see the fruit in such a little life. I love you Baby Girl!

Silly Times!

Yeah. Not much explanation. Just another one of my 100,000,001 reasons why I love being a mom!

More good news from Lydia!

Lydia rushed into the kitchen about ten minutes ago bursting to tell me something exciting! This was her story: "Mom! I have good news! I went to a casserole ( castle) and I met a prince and he said, " I want to marry you" and I said, " Hmm, your beautiful. I want to marry you too." so we got married in our casserole and now we spend together. Isn't that good news?

A perfect child!

Lydia had some good news for us yesterday! She informed us that she is not going to be naughty anymore and so was no longer in need of any spankings! Unfortunately her memory is not quite as perfect as her new resolve and had to be reminded of that fact several times!

Becoming a REAL helper!

Last night Lydia husked all of our corn for dinner ( and did a very good job!), brought me the corn, put on her boots, took to rest out to the burn pile (we don't have a compost yet, or a cow, or chickens!), then brought the bowl back to me. It is so fun for me to see her not only learning, but really able to accomplish tasks completely. Boy, was she proud too! Bethany would like to take some credit, but all she did was sit and suck on her ice cube!

Lydia's bedtime prayer

Thank you for Daddy and Mommy and Bethany and Havilah and Jonathan and Laura and Cindy and that little boy who is my cousin now, and Grandma and Boppa and Jonathan and Laura and my aunties and my uncles and Seulgi and Florian and Rosie and Aunt Cheryl and my real Pheobe and my fake Pheobe ( her doll) and Devon and Sarah and Jonathan and Laura and my Elly andhelp us to obey very good and go swimming tomorrow. Amen.