Like a Flood

I have met a lot of amazing women and gotten to share a lot of hopes and heartaches. I love how God has used our hurts for good. It is so comforting to find His grace in all of the heartache. A lot of the time I get to rejoice with women as they bring their babies into this world and get to take them home. Today was not so lucky. A women I met through an incompetent cervix support group asked for prayers last week because she was dilated and her water had broken. I admit when I heard this I thought the worse. I expected she would deliver within 24 hours. Fast forward to this week and she was still holding on to her baby with all of her might. But as I have found out from personal experience, you cannot carry a baby to term by sheer will itself. Today she delivered her baby way too soon. Her daughter's heart beat for an hour and a half and then she was gone.

I am still surprised at the rush of anger, grief, hurt, and sorrow that overcome me when this happens to others. It brings back my hurts, but it also makes me feel an almost physical pain when I think back to the day we lost Mason and think of all this woman will have to endure in the coming days.

Unless you have not been there, you cannot imagine the overwhelming pain that comes with having to pick an infant sized casket for one of your babies. The pain of picking music for the funeral when you can't think clearly, but you want so badly to convey everything this child meant to you and the change in your life because of them. The emptiness that comes in the days after the funeral when you wish a person could simply will themselves to pass away so you can be reunited with your child. The hole in your heart that feels so big and raw that you don't understand how everyone is not able to see it. The effort it takes just to go to work, church, family functions and try to put on a normal facade. The anger that comes because you expected to have a normal facade. All of this is something I hope to never have to go through again. I would not wish it on anyone, and yet here is a woman who through no fault of her own will have to endure it. My heart hurts for her and my prayers go out to her. Please ask pray for her as well in your prayers tonight. She is going to feel like she is drowning in a flood of emotions, but I hope in the midst of it she reaches for the only lifeline available. The love and peace of our Savior Jesus.

Bacon Racin!

Hmmm, what do you do when you have four bored kids and a very bored husband? How about pot-belly pig races! That's right, the county fair was a few weeks ago and we took the kids to see all of the sight. However, by far the most the exciting part for the kids were the pig races. They laughed so hard at the sight of the pigs racing for the grand prize (a cookie). Here are some pics of the event.

The Announcer (note the overalls)


The Pigs Running for the Cookie

Samson

I have been so busy that I have not had time to write about my 30th birthday present from Jake. He surprised me with a kitten! Well kind if, we had to wait for the kitten to be old enough to come home so last month we went by Chicago and picked him up. I really wanted another Persian, but Jake wanted something easier to care for. After doing a lot of research, I fell in love with the British Shorthair. The British Shorthair is a rare breed in America, but is growing in popularity. They are also known as British Blues because that is the most popular color. The males average 18-20 lbs.! They are called the bulldog of the cat world. The are wide, strong, and plush cats. They have the plushest hair of all of the cat breeds, but it is still short. After much thought, I decided to go with the blue coat (a shimmery grey). The Blues have eyes that will be a bright coppery-orange color when he is grown. They have a very round, chubby face that is a little flat, but not as much as the persian. They are the cat that the Cheshire Cat was designed after in Alice in Wonderland.

He is the sweetest baby. Very cuddly and patient. We decided to name him Samson because of how huge he will grow up to be. Right now we just call him Sammy. It cracks me up because Tasha our other cat is grey, so Noah and Mina call him "Baby Tasha". They are so smart! He is a great addition to our family and I have to say thank you to my wonderful husband who knew just what to get me. I love you Jake!

Here is some picture of what Samson will look like all grown up:




Here is what he looks like now:

Quadruple the Trouble

Nowadays four is considered a big family. We seem to attract attention everywhere we go. People are amazed when they find out we have two sets of twins, and I love when total strangers walk up and compliment us on how well behaved our kids are. After one such outing, I was laying in bed thinking about each of my four children is so different. Each on has their own unique features. For instance:

James-Jamie loves to read, loves to talk to adults, and loves to please. He can occasionally pick on Linda, but for the most part is a helpful easy going kid. He loves Science Fiction and video games.

Linda-Linda is the most difficult of my children. If she wants to do something she does it, regardless of right or wrong. She hates to read, and has little patience for video games. She prefers to play in her own little world where she can control all aspects. She is very imaginative and definitely and individual.

Noah-Noah is my little tank. He is all boy. He is rambunctious, curious, and very bright. He loves to be read to and loves to act out what happens in his books. He likes to snuggle, but after a while will want to rough house instead. He has a little bit of an ornery streak, but only he is allowed to pick on his Mina. He is so much fun.

Mina-Now Mina. Mina is my little peanut. She is sweetness and spunk wrapped in a small package. She is light and petite in stature, but fierce in personality. She is my biggest snuggler and gives the best hugs. She also has a fierce temper when it goes that makes the boys in my house cower. She is a little firecracker, but the next minute will crawl in your lap to snuggle and make you forget all about it.

So you see, each one of my kids is so different. I am always entertained and I cannot wait to see what they are going to grow up into. One thing is for sure, it will not be a boring road.