2 for the price of 1...

Two posts wrapped in one (hence the title).  I actually wrote a post last Thursday and when I went to add pictures, I must have hit a wrong button because the entire post deleted...oops.  So I will wrap up two in one here.  

The first post is entitled, "And...she speaks..."  So after 3 days of silence after getting Cyniya (silence with me, that is), my wife got the idea from a dear friend to select an activity that Cyniya and I could do together in hopes that might break the silence.  For those who know me well, know that I LOVE children and have never met a child yet that I couldn't connect with.  So this was a challenge for me to say the least.  I thought I had lost my touch (Ok, so I'm kidding).  We both knew this would be difficult.  So Lauren made sugar cookies with the kids and asked Cyniya if it would be OK for me to help them decorate to which she got a resounding, "Yes!"  Praise God, the doors of conversation opened up and I learned a little bit about my new little girl.  I learned that, "She 'yikes' 'chockit'" Just imagine that coming out of a 3 year old's mouth and I dare you NOT to smile.  I also learned that she is a very neat and tidy little girl (I think Lauren is in LOVE!) She told me that the boys were messy (which I already knew) and that Mimi's favorite cookies are "chockit" with sprinkles.  (Hmmm...I wonder who's favorite that really is???)

I have enjoyed watching her interact with Lauren and the boys.  She will have full out conversations with Lauren which are too cute for words.  She absolutely adores our two boys.  In those tearful moments that come, Colin can always pull her out of her sadness by making faces.  She just giggles.  It is so wonderful to watch their sweet, little, innocent connection.  She has so drastically changed the dynamic of our family for the better.  What a sweet time this has been!  

I wanted to share a few pictures of our cookie making...it was a TOTAL mess but it was fun just the same.  

Now for the second post..."HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY".  SInce Sundays are a mad dash to get out the door for church (even though our church starts at 11:00 am) our day usually starts between 6:30 and 7:00.  For those that live in a smaller town, you may ask yourself why in the world it takes so long to get out the door for such a late service.  Well let me first say that our church is a 45 minute drive from home.  For a small town that is HUGE, however for Houston, that is nothing especially when it takes 20 minutes to get anywhere; even just around the corner.  But add to the commute, getting 5 little ones dressed and ready to (even though we do as much prep the night before) and having breakfast and getting ourselves ready it is almost orchestrated chaos.  We know many families that have this down to a choreographed dance.  We will get there.

So all of that being said, we decided to celebrate Mother's Day a day early with a special breakfast for Lauren...in bed.  Our menu was simple and consisted of waffles with fresh whipped cream, strawberries and almond slices; a nice hot cup of Earl Grey (her favorite) and a little company.  Yep, we had a master bedroom picnic complete with a plastic tablecloth on the bed and everything.  All but Caitlyn was able to participate.  She had an important date with a nap.  :)  What a wonderful time we had laughing and eating. 

Breakfast of champions!!!  

Somebody likes whipped cream!!!

...and waffles...

Mother's Day has such a different meaning for us this year. It is a time for us to reflect on how different things were this time last year.  We had two beautiful boys, for which we are grateful, and a stack of paperwork sitting on the counter which was the only image of a little girl we were pursuing an ocean and several continents away.  We knew nothing of the three beautiful baby girls with whom we would celebrate this year.  God is amazing and has blessed us far beyond what we deserve.  We are so grateful for his mercy and grace!

Soli Deo Gloria