Two Precious People (& Baby Names Announcement)

I want to take this opportunity to share with all of you how thankful I am that I have had two little darling people to spend the last 16 days with. Though my husband and oldest son have been gone, our home has still been full of love, fun, and laughter.

You guys know I don't normally do "mom" posts. I write about issues here, and we have a family blog elsewhere where I typically share family stories, etc. But this last 16 days, I've spent all day every day with 2 little people, and I am so grateful. They are so much fun; I just have to tell you about it!!!

First, I want to tell you about my three year old son, Baxter. Oh what a funny little man he is. He is so sweet and sensitive, and if you need a snuggle, there is NO better candidate! I'm not a co-sleeping mom, never have been, and hopefully never will be (hey- I need my sleep at night in order to stay sane throughout the day!), but Baxter has slept with me over the last 16 days. The stress of Daddy and Ethan leaving would have been, I think, too much- so we have played together by day and snuggled together by night. I have, basically, had a built in back massager... his little feet and arms wiggle and flail more than I realized was possible while still being asleep. But his warm hugs and sweet "I love you so much, momma"s have been so precious. I'm so thankful we had this time together to enjoy each others' company.

The other thing I MUST tell you is what an absolute HELPER he has been around here in Daddy's absence. Doug specifically told him, "you'll be the man of the house while daddy's gone, so you'll have to take care of mommy and Maranatha while I'm gone", and that is precisely what Baxter has done. He has consistently helped take diapers to the sink to wait to be rinsed out, helped me cook, set the table, cleared dishes, hang laundry, and many other household tasks.

But the most fun thing, to me, has been seeing him love and serve his little sister. He has brought her toys just out of the kindness of his heart, fed her snacks while in the shopping cart so that I could focus on getting in, shopping, and getting out, and even pushed her around the living room in a box (mind you, they're within 10 pounds or so of each other; this is no easy feat!). She loved getting the box tour of the living room, and he was so sweet to continue pushing her even when I know he was tired. This little man LOVES... and it is so precious to see him already taking such delight in the joy he can give to others. I am so thrilled to have him as my son.

And now, onto Maranatha.

Let me just say that I used to say I wanted 5 boys, and I am so GLAD that God knew better than I did what I would need!!! This precious little girl already has such a funny sense of humor and is such a sweet companion. She watches me so carefully (truthfully, she watches everyone quite carefully) and imitates what I do. I am beginning to sense so much more strongly the importance of BEING the woman that I want her to learn from and imitate.

If I'm not in the Word, and if I don't love and joyfully serve my family and joyfully love and serve others and welcome them into our home, why would I expect for her to do any of those things? If I'm not a woman of prayer who delights in communing with God, why would I expect her to grow up with sense of dependence of God?

During this last 16 days, she has started saying some new things-- all very cute and sweet... "teh-too" for "thank you", "jee!" for "cheers!" (the boys have always like to clank their cups together and get a real kick out of it- now Maranatha does too!), and she even got to experience something new! Mommy painted her toes 2 days ago, and she sat so sweet and still the entire time. (Afterwards, she kept coming over and showing me again and again... what a little sweetheart!)

I'm telling you, this is a girl after my own heart... able to play silly and act like a goofball with her brothers, but then also ready to kick off her shoes and paint her toenails, or literally RUN to the dresser cause she's so excited to get to wear a pretty new skirt... this child is absolutely a delight to my heart. We're gonna have some good times getting pedicures and foot massages together as she gets older, I can tell you that RIGHT now.

There is just something so innocent, precious and sweet about having a little girl. Though she acts like she's tough, she is very sensitive and sweet, and I love that about her. I love the emotional vulnerability that has come with the addition of Maranatha to our family.

To those who would ask why we "keep on having babies", or "don't we know what causes that (chuckle chuckle chuckle)?", I would just say this: each precious life that God has added to our family has not only ADDED to our joy and fun as a family... it MULTIPLIES our joy and fun as a family.

Witnessing each precious child and the relationship he/she forms with older siblings is such a thrill. It not only increases my own joy in just getting to know a new little person and all that comes with that. It also increases my joy to see my children loving each other, playing together, serving each other with joy, and even encouraging each other to love Jesus, which has begun in the last year or so as Ethan and Baxter have begun praying for each other and for younger siblings to love Jesus and serve Him with their lives.

What a thrill! I cannot imagine life without one of these precious ones God has given us, and I know I will feel that way with each additional person God adds to our family. I can't wait to meet this new little person that is growing inside of me...

And speaking of that, let me joyfully announce the names we have chosen for this child, whether he's a boy or she's a girl:

VERA GRACE if she's a little girl- which means "truth and grace", two things that Jesus Himself was filled with. We want her to be filled with those two things too. Oh, and Grace is my middle name, so that makes it special for that reason too! :)

SILAS JAMES if he's a little boy. Silas was a great servant of God who faithfully told people about Jesus, and James is a family name - it's my dad's name, my brother's middle name, and Doug's dad's dad's name (not to mention my favorite book of the Bible).

And with that joyful announcement, I'll wrap up this post with an affirmation of Psalm 127: Children TRULY ARE a blessing!