Us Lately

Time just gets away from me these days.  I have so much I want to say or document here in this little corner of my world but somehow one day leads to the next and I don't get to it.  Finally, I'm dedicating a few minutes just to reflect and write...

I'm officially 22 weeks pregnant today.  I'm really starting to feel this little boy's kicks and movements.  He's active at different times throughout the day or evenings.  Last night, Tyson got to feel two really strong kicks for the first time.  Makes it so real for him.  He got all excited and initiated a lengthy conversation with baby boy.  Speaking of Baby Boy, that's his name at this point.  With Samuel we knew from the start what we wanted to name him, but this time around we don't have a name chosen yet.  We've thrown out a couple of ideas, but we are really praying into it and believing God knows his name and we'll know too by the time he's born or shortly there after.
Samuel has a little guitar and he's initiated singing "lullabye's" to the baby.  It's the sweetest thing.  I don't know where he heard it, but he sings "lullabye and goodnight, go to sleep little baby" real slow while strumming his guitar.  Oh my goodness.  Last night, he got down and said, "I love you, baby brother."  Oh, I hope this affection continues for years to come.  He also asked for a pacifier over the weekend.  Hmmm... He said he was a baby now.  Oookaay.  We obliged him and found a pacifier he could carry around.   He didn't really want it because he lost interest very quickly.

I'm slim on photos (not slim in photos though :).  I haven't taken hardly any belly pics this time around and not to many of Samuel this month.  Consequently, I don't have a picture of it but Samuel has been enjoying helping me wash the dishes lately.  Our dishwasher isn't working right now, so I've been doing a lot of hand washing.  He pulls a chair up to the sink next to me and does his "water work."  I put soapy water in a large bowl with a few plastic dishes and it keeps him busy.  Actually he's right there with me and I'm getting dishes washed.  It's a win/win.  I don't have to stand there at the sink and wonder if he's decorating something with a Sharpie or digging through my jewelry box.  Of course, I have to strip his clothes off first in order to salvage them from the copious amounts of water that makes its way out of the sink.

Hide and seek is a big deal right now too.  It goes like this...Samuel says to one of us (usually Tyson), "let's play hide and seek.  Go hide, Daddy!"  However, what he really means is I'm going to hide and you find me.  Every time.  This could be very confusing to the outsider.  The other funny piece of information is that the child hides in the exact.same.spot.every.time.  That special spot would be in his bed.  He runs to his room and hides in his bed as if it's the first time he's thought of that spot.  We count, go look, and he screams and squeals with delight when we find him.  Over and over.  He loves it.  I do have a picture of this...
Another game of hide and seek went on tonight which is when I asked Tyson if he noticed that Samuel never wants to find us.  He always wants to be found.  He especially wants to be found by Daddy.  We talked about how that's so true with us.  Don't we all want to be found?  We all want to be wanted, pursued, sought after...found...ultimately by our Father God.  The ultimate lover of our souls.

What about Africa?
It's been six months already since we've been back.  I've personally done a lot of processing, reflecting, and wrestling with God since we've been home.  There's been a big battle of the flesh and the spirit in this heart of mine.  Thankfully God can handle it.  Long story short, ultimately we believe going back to Africa is for us.  We are praying and seeking God for His timing in all of this.  We would appreciate your prayers for us too.   We're looking ahead and trying to live in this present moment at the same time.

Well, that's all the musings this pregnant brain can jot down for now.     Good night!

Boy Oh Boy!!

Dear Baby,

I wanted to tell you about the day we found out you were a boy.  We were so excited for that day to come.  There you are right there in that picture below.   We love you so much already and can't wait to meet you in person.  We think having another boy in our family will bring great fun and excitement.  That January afternoon couldn't have been more perfect.  It was beautiful and sunny outside.  Your big brother Samuel stayed with some friends while Daddy and I went to check in on you.  

We celebrated afterwards with a Sonic drink!  Daddy and I got talk about what life would soon be like with you in our family.  We think you will love your big brother, and you guys will have so much fun playing together one day.   

Daddy was really excited to be having another boy.  He can hardly wait to meet you.

We went and picked up your big brother and took him to the park to play.  He knows you're in my tummy and talks to you all the time.  He mostly says, "Hi Baby!"  We told him he was going to have a baby brother.  We're not sure he understands yet, but he'll be plenty excited when he sees you.

I think Daddy was having a lot of fun at the park too.  You'll find out soon enough that he's great fun to play with.

Your big brother will have lots of things to teach you, like how to dig in the sandbox and climb on things.

Mommy's belly is growing bigger all the time.  That's because you are busy growing and changing inside of me.  We pray for you daily and know that God is knitting you together right now by his perfect design.  He knew you way before we did and has a great plan for your life.

You have many adventures ahead of you with your dad and your brother.   It won't be long until you'll be right in there with them sharing in the fun stuff that they do like climbing, wrestling, and playing chase.  Well, sometimes mommy participates too. :)

We topped off  our day of celebrating you by eating one of our favorites: Mexican Food!

We love you, our sweet baby boy!