Children Are A Blessing from God...

Lately, I've been thinking about this verse and I thought how it doesn't end with "ONLY TO THE PARENTS WHO BORE THEM". I think for the longest time, I have been thinking this verse would apply to me just slightly since I had only one child. I wanted so badly to have more and to receive additional blessings from God. BUT, I realized that I am blessed EVERY time I am with other children besides my own. Are they not a blessing to me when I am in their presence? The blessing does not stop at the front door step of the house they were born into. I think of all the times Josh has made someone smile or laugh when he is out with other people. Derek and I are so blessed to have Josh. And often times we'll find other children bless us too.

Yesterday was such an occasion while Josh had a play date with Seth and Jude, Adelee and I had a tea party. She is too cute for words and OF COURSE... such a blessing. Adelee does this thing where she shrugs her shoulders and turns her head toward one shoulder and smiles at you. How can you not just melt? Here are some pictures of our tea party.

Bethany, thank you for letting me play with Adelee. Your children are a blessing to us. Indeed, we were blessed!

Going for the ride...

Many of you know Brownby is Josh's favorite bear. He has been such a blessing to Josh. At times I think I have my own little Calvin and Hobbes... except I have Josh and Brownby. He is so much a part of our lives that we've been taking pictures of him too. : ) Here is a recent favorite.

Josh, you have a bear collection full of personality. At first Green bear was your favorite. And clearly she was the mommy of your clan of bears. Big Brown Bear was the daddy bear and little brown bear now Brownby was the baby. You have toted Brownby EVERYWHERE. He has sat with us for many meals. He has been buckled in with you in your car seat for adventurous trips. He has stowed away in my purse for many journeys from the grocery store to longer trips and even sleep overs. I think it's sweet how you include him in so many of our daily activities. When I offer you a snack, you gratefully accept and inform me that Brownby is just as hungry. You have held him tightly when you were upset. And have swung him, thrown him, paraded him and flown him all around the house. It's great to see how God provides, even in really small packages.

First Crush?

About a month ago while Josh and I were leaving his preschool, I blurted out that one of the little girls in his class was cute. She had just waved good bye to Josh and I said, "She's so cute!" Well, Josh's response was, "Yeah, she's cute; but, Cameron is cuter than ANY one." Really, I thought. A couple of weeks later while playing with his legos, he seemed frustrated that one of the lego figures would not fit into his spaceship so he exclaimed, "I DON'T LIKE GIRLS! I thought this would be a perfect time to ask him a question. I asked, "So, what are your thoughts on Cameron Bender then?" He replied with a smile, "Lovee". Then I continued with, "What other words would you use to describe your little friend Cameron?" His response was, "soft, snuggly".

Here are some pics of this special girl and some pics that reveal Josh's little crush on his friend. It's written on his face! So cute! Derek says that there ain't nothing wrong with our boy.

Feelin' the Force

At first Josh wanted to be the red power ranger even though he had never even seen it. But when we brought it home, he realized he didn't really care for it because it was so tight fitting. That's when I showed him we had a jedi costume for him. He loved it! Derek and I attended a costume party the week before and I was Princess Leia and Derek was the coolest Storm trooper. He even won for Best Costume for the night. In this picture, Derek is... oh, I can't remember. I'll have to brush up on my Star Wars lingo.

Josh had a great time trick or treating around our neighborhood with some friends on Halloween night. He fell several times tripping as he ran toward the door for "CANDY"! I'm so bummed we didn't video tape it. He was so excited and so cute! I would imagine we won't be able to do the family themed costumes for much longer so I'll enjoy it while it lasts.