Catching Up

We've been out of blog-land for far too long, but lots has been happening in our neck of the woods. Here are a few highlights...

* * * * *

Our house is finally on the market. If you know of anyone who would like to relocate to lovely Camano Island, we know just the spot...

The view from the 'hood is awesome...kids not included...

* * * * *

We are proud to announce our most recent diaper graduate. And when you have such cool underwear, why not wear three pair at a time? I always love an excuse for more laundry...

Three down and some pennies in our pocket...

* * * * *

Lydie-Bitty has started on solids... ...And popped her two bottom teeth. No pictures of those yet, but believe me, they're there...

* * * * *

My sister-in-love, Ruth, niece Rachel and nephew Matt came to visit from Florida so Steve and I could attend a homeschool conference (that's true love and dedication). We visited the Space Needle...

And Pike Place Market... Rode the iconic monorail...
And had a fun afternoon at beautiful Deception Pass...

White sand is nowhere to be found on Washington's beaches, but we have killer rocks and driftwood...

Even a see-saw...

Can you tell which side of the family Lydia's ice blue eyes come from?

* * * * *

We think spring is finally here. Last year for his birthday, Grandpa and Grandma gave AJ this...

Fortunately, it rained most of the summer, so he never actually used it. Last week it was sunny and warm. Grandpa broke out his Hog and AJ broke in his helmet. Well, actually, Grandma's helmet has a cool headset in it for two-way communication, so he used that instead...

And they were off (if this makes you shudder, just be glad I didn't include a sound clip)...

Of course, then everyone wanted a turn...
But after it was all said and done, my children were still alive and AJ wrote this with sidewalk chalk:

Yep, that says 'I (heart) U Mom' and the pink cake-looking thing on top is a queen. This, of course, made the fifteen minute breath-hold totally worth it...

* * * * *

And finally, for a number of reasons, we're moving our blog next week. If you'd like to follow us to our new address, please send me an email (housefullofgrace@gmail.com). We'd love to have you join us, and will tell you more about why we've moved when we get off the ground!

We Did It! Wednesday

Becky at Holiday in the Sun is the fabulous host of "We Did It! Wednesday." "We Did It! Wednesday" is all about quality one-on-one time with our children and grandchildren, and sharing ideas of fun things to do together!! You can click on over to Becky and see what others are doing to pick up a few ideas.

A friend of mine recently took her children to their local Children's Museum, which sparked a memory that we hadn't visited ours in a very long time. It moved to it's new, larger location last fall, so everything old seemed new again.

AJ explains the law of gravity to his younger siblings...

And masters the climbing wall in no time flat...

Avery is the creative genius of the family and was in her element with the arts and crafts...

Aiden loved painting too...

Sigourney just ran from one station to the next, to the next, overwhelmed by all the fun activities!

"Is there gluten in any of these items I've selected? Mommy will make me put them back if there is!..."

And who lets their daughter out in public with this much eye make-up anyway?

Washington State beaches are wonderful for driftwood and skipping rocks, but nice sand is a rarity. This is a real treat...

Even Lydia got in on the action (wearing her new favorite outfit from a little girl we love who lives very far away).

"Look at all this cool stuff for babies just learning to sit up...and can you tell I'm still working on those bottom teeth?"

I'm not great with inviting messes into the house, so this was a wonderful opportunity for painting and crafting especially. Their ideas, their supplies, their mess, it's a beautiful thing! And because we homeschool, we were able to go on a weekday morning and practically had the place to ourselves.

Yearly memberships are a bargain for families the size of ours -- it's almost as reasonable to go for a year as it is to go once when you calculate the per visit cost per-person. We upgraded to an annual pass so we can go back again and again. The kids gleefully shared the details of their morning with Daddy when he got home from work and said, "Dad, we can go anytime we want because now it's free!"

Next lesson: economics.

Davy Crockett and Popcorn

Yesterday was Little Man's 3rd birthday. But, shhhh!, if he finds out I just called him Little Man, he'll emphatically state "I'm not little, I'm BIG!" It has become very important for him to distance himself from his "little" sisters and join the "big" pack on top. Aiden is definitely confident in who he is.

He's Davy Crockett (and all boy...notice the goose-egg on his forehead).

For the past year, if we (or anyone else for that matter) ask Aiden his name, he summons a mischievous grin and lowers his voice a few octaves: "I'm Davy Crockett." It doesn't matter if it's the grocery clerk, his pediatrician, or a new friend. He is not Aiden. He's Davy Crockett. And he's not little. He's big.

For his birthday, we went to the store to get donuts for breakfast and Davy Crockett took a ride on the bulldozer out front. It was a special treat; I don't think he's ever ridden one of those money-sucking contraptions before!

And his birthday dinner? Steak, fries, oranges and popcorn. All his requests, of course. See the look on his face? It says, "I can't believe Mom gave in and let me have all these treats for dinner! The funniest part is that the rest of my family has to eat them too because it's MY day!"

This is a boy who loves the spotlight.

Davy Crockett, you bring much joy and laughter to our home. We are so thankful for you and can't wait to see what the coming year holds.

Testimony Friday

Next week is Aiden's third birthday, so it seems appropriate to share the testimony of his beginnings today. All of our kids have a unique story, but Aiden was our miracle baby. In more ways than one.

Our marriage had crumbled to pieces in the summer of 2005. Three weeks after Steve and I separated, the little white stick revealed our third bundle of joy was on his way. I felt God had given me a rainbow in the midst of the storm: "Hang on. I'm not finished. There is still a family here."

I knew something was wrong when I went in for my routine 20-week ultrasound and after an hour the technician wouldn't say anything. I was soon informed that Aiden (who we didn't know was Aiden yet!) had some sort of growth on his right lung and I'd need to see a specialist.

We discovered that he had a congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM), which is a benign mass of abnormal lung tissue, in the lower lobe of his right lung. It was expected to grow at a rapid pace between weeks 20 and 28 of my pregnancy and could ultimately result in squeezing his little heart into failure.

God used this crisis to nudge Steve and I toward reconciliation. We were both in individual counseling and it became apparent that it was time to start working on our marriage. God had given us this baby and there was no reason I needed to walk the road of uncertainty alone.

We faced the possibility of in-utero surgery and talked to doctors in San Francisco and Denver about our options in case this became necessary. If we didn't have to intervene before he was delivered, his birth would potentially be traumatic and we certainly faced surgery post-delivery.

I went to the specialist twice a week for the next 8 weeks for ultrasounds and stress tests to monitor the CCAM's growth and to make sure our little buddy was hanging in there. For two of those weeks tensions ran high as the mass was growing too quickly and Aiden was developing hydrops.

God intervened. By the 28th week it appeared the CCAM had indeed stopped growing and it seemed like we were in the clear. Relief.

But two weeks later I went into pre-term labor and began to dilate. We needed to keep that baby safe and warm for at least another six weeks so his lungs would have as much time as possible to develop. I was put on bed rest and sent home to do nothing but lay flat on my back for 23 hours a day!

God had been doing a great work in our hearts toward one another. Together with our counselors, Steve and I had been praying that God would show us His perfect timing for reconciliation. It became apparent that this mommy of two preschoolers was going to need some help. And I had help. He was my husband. Steve moved home and we began the process of becoming a family again.

God is so good. With Steve by my side in the delivery room, Aiden entered the world just two weeks early, screaming like a banshee. There was much concern that his lung would not retain oxygen and that he wouldn't be able to support himself. We had a team of specialists standing by and an ambulance waiting to transport him to Children's Hospital, but the volume of his screams indicated his lungs were obviously working! It was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard.

He was taken to the NICU for all of two hours for a thorough checking out. There was shock and amazement among the staff as they kept trying to find something wrong. He was strong and stable. A CT scan showed that the mass was still there, but it wasn't threatening his life.

He underwent surgery to remove the bottom third of his lung when we was three months old. He sailed through beautifully and a week later we were sent home with our precious baby boy.

As God would so amazingly orchestrate, the lungs regenerate themselves for the first eight years of a child's life. Aiden was given a clean bill of health by his surgeon last summer and by the time he is in second grade, a radiologist who doesn't know what he's looking at will never know he was missing part of a vital organ!

We've always prayed about our children's names. When I first suspected I was pregnant I felt God whisper that our baby would be named Aiden. It means "fiery" and I just didn't think that was something I wanted to tag a little boy with, but "Aiden" prevailed and he has certainly lived up to his name.

He doesn't let anything get him down. He is funny, enthusiastic and passionate about life. He has been lovingly nicknamed "the reverend" because he has a heart to pray for anything and everything all the time. He teaches us so much.

I can't help but imagine that during those months, as God was uniquely knitting him together, our little fireball was aware of and impressed by the power of the Almighty, forming a special bond with his Creator. A Creator who, as is so often the case with our Mighty God, was doing much more than forming the life of a child. He was also transforming the hearts of that child's parents and restoring his family.

We Did It! Wednesday

Becky at Holiday in the Sun is the fabulous host of "We Did It! Wednesday." "We Did It! Wednesday" is all about quality one-on-one time with our children and grandchildren, and sharing ideas of fun things to do together!! You can click on over to Becky and see what others are doing and pick up a few ideas.

If you've read my recent posts, you know we have been in desperate need of crazy fun at our house, so when the kids asked if they could build a fort last Friday afternoon, I thought yep! that's exactly what we'll do. And we did it!

Personal insight: this goes completely contrary to my "need for control" nature. Our house is residence to five kids under the age of seven, and extra chaos is not usually something I am open to having more of. During the day we co-exist with pillow trampoline piles, block towers, arts and crafts centers, Lego super-structures, baby doll hospitals and car parades in seemingly every corner of the house. Having a picked up living room in the evening helps preserve my sanity.

A Friday night fort was a big step...but I closed my eyes and took the plunge. Did I mention that was last Friday?!?! Each morning the kids begged for one more day. After all, what good is a fort if you can't play in it? And play they have. For five days and nights this lovely fort has been the focal point in our house. It has been made and remade many, many times and we're pretty sure we now have the perfect model.

Even the stuffed animals were considered...

The most amazing part to me is that the kids have actually slept. Really well. Maybe we're on to something. Except for the aforementioned sanity factor, bedrooms could be highly overrated! (Note: Aiden's "Davy Crockett" hat because every fort needs a real pioneer).

As with most excitement in life, all good things must come to an end, so our fort is being disassembled this morning. But you know what? It's been really fun. It was just what we needed. And I haven't gone crazy!