The project...

The project...and the story...

We decided a while back that we probably oughtta be thinking about moving little R out of his crib, but I have been so leary about it. He LOVES his crib...he always has! He actually looks forward to going to bed, and sometimes if he gets really upset or just needs a moment to regroup, he will ask if he can go to his bed. So I haven't wanted to do anything to disrupt his love of going to bed. And then add to that fact that I know this is my last baby, and I want to hang onto everything that will keep him little just a while longer, and you have a 2 1/2 year old boy who is still in a crib.

I know that he needs to get a "big boy" bed. I know that as we look at potty training in the next couple of months that he needs to be able to get out of his bed and go potty if he needs to. I know these things. But then I look at his crib, and all the memories come back to me. There's a story there...I remember how friends in GA bought this crib from a friend, and gave it to us. I remember setting this crib up in a room, having no idea when (or if) it would be used. I remember going in that room for months, dreaming about the baby that would (hopefully) someday sleep in that bed. I remember thinking things like "what would he look like", "where would he come from", "what would be his story"....and dreaming of the day I would hold this unknown baby boy from some unknown place in my arms, and call him my own.

The last thing I do before I go to bed each night is go in little R's room, and look down at this precious baby boy (who's not really such a baby anymore) and I tuck him back in, and I thank God for bringing this wonderful little guy into my life. I don't deserve him, I'm not any better qualified than any of the other people who could have raised him. But somehow God moved (and if you know the story, you know He moved in a mighty way) and put things into motion to bring THIS boy to us, and what a blessing it has been! So tonight before I go to bed, I will go to little R's room, tuck him in, and thank God for the blessing of this baby boy.

And then tomorrow, I will go back out in the garage and work on my new project....little R's "big boy" bed!! And I will know that someday very soon we will move that bed into his room, and he will begin to sleep in it (hopefully)! And I hope that as we watch him grow through the years, in this bed, we will have tons of memories to go along with it, too. And I hope those memories are so great and so dear to me that I will be in tears blogging about it, just like today.

And because I like to think that little R has always loved his bed because he feels our love there, I hope that he feels that same love in his "big boy" bed. R and I both have put a lot of time into this project, trying to make it special just for our little guy! We bought this loft bed set used...well used! But we got a great deal on it (from Craigslist, of course), and R sanded it all down, and now I am painting it all black. So soon it will be just like new, ready for our little R to make his mark on it through the years. And I really am excited about it...but also a little sad at the same time!

AFTER sanding, BEFORE painting

AFTER painting...soon it will all look like this!

Coloring Easter Eggs

This year was the first time that R was really able to enjoy the Easter activities. He helped the girls color Easter eggs, and he had his first Easter Egg Hunt! He enjoyed both A LOT. The video shows the fun coloring eggs, but you can also hear how his speech is developing so much!!

He got a little tuckered out during the egg hunt. Grandma & Grandpa Willis' back yard is HUGE!!

What gives you hope??

Easter weekend was amazing! We went to a great church service on Saturday evening. We colored eggs with the kids. We spent a great Easter Sunday with family...good times and good food. Memories were made! I spent a lot of time this weekend so grateful for the death and resurrection of Jesus. It was a great Easter!! I felt joy in the fact that we have family and friends and Jesus in our lives.

Then came Monday, and that joy just seemed to be sucked away. Monday I faced orthodontist appts. with the girls. Result: Over $5000 worth of braces needed SOON for T. Since we don't have $5000 laying around unused, that equals $230/month for braces! I am still stressing over where we can possibly make enough cuts in our budget to cover $230/month for braces. Then I had to go to school on Monday evening and face a midterm that I knew I had done poorly on. This is my first semester back in school, and it is tough! And, I was right...I did not do well! So by last night when I got home at 10:00, I was pretty defeated. My joy from just one day before was buried in the worries of my world right now.

But then this morning, I see this:

And I have HOPE!! We have been watching this little tree that sits outside little R's window all winter! He has grown fond of this tree, and we have just been waiting for some sign of life from it. And the pink flowers belong to our neighbor, but they still bring me hope! These are signs of life!! They bring me hope that this long, hard winter is finally coming to end! And that may sound overly dramatic, but it HAS been long and hard!! These small signs of life in the trees and bushes are proof to me that they were watched over through this long winter. And that gives me hope that I am being watched over, too! Even through financial concerns and school concerns and family concerns, I have hope!! Warmer days are coming (literally and figuratively) and we will come out blooming, too!!

So for today, I am not defeated! I have hope! Hope that we will find the money to pay for braces. Hope that I will do better on my final, and my grade will be fine. Hope that little R's tree will grow and thrive. Hope that soon I will be enjoying the sunny days with all my kids at home with me. I have hope!

Look Who's Talking!

R has really been talking a lot lately, and his speech is so much different than the girls' was at this age! He has so many funny ways of saying certain words and letters, but it doesn't keep him from trying! He and Daddy have really gotten into the NBA team here (the OKC Thunder), so he likes to cheer the Thunder on with Daddy quite often! Anyway, here are a few short clips of some his favorite things to talk about!