Five Years Old

To My Dearest Baby Girl on Her Fifth Birthday,
Sweet, sweet Molly..there are really no words for the absolute JOY you bring into our lives everyday.  From the beginning, you have been so full of love for us, and we absolutely adore you!  You have grown up so much this year, but still spend lots of time asking if you are still my baby.  I assure you that you will always be my baby!  You continue to be a jokester whose silliness has us laughing all day long.  You love your sister, Anna Mei ,fiercely as she is your favorite playmate and best friend.  You never pass up a chance to snuggle with Emily, can't wait to have everyone at home together, greet your Daddy with the biggest love, and are so excited to be a big sister again!  You can read well, and love doing it.  You often spend a good deal of time every night reading to us from your sight word readers!  You are so proud to be able to do it.  You also love writing and spelling!  For ninety minutes, you used your talker the other day to find words to categorize by beginning sound in the new journal I bought you.  When you found octagon to record on the "o" page, you were ecstatic!  You Love all things learning for sure!  You can now pedal your bike all the way around the block faster than your sisters, and run the whole time you are out jogging with Daddy.  You are such an athlete!  Recently, you received your first love letter in the mail from a boy in your preschool class.  Daddy did not think this was near as cute as mommy did when I read it.  You seem to be keeping your options open though as you have new friends you love everyday that you come home.   Everyday you are full of life!   You never stop going, and require much less sleep than our other girls.
You have the latest bedtime as you just don't need to go to sleep as early as the other girls.  If we put you down at *:00, we often find you up playing in your kitchen in the dark bedroom hours later.  You enjoy being up later so much as each night at bedtime you ask..Molly stay up?...and we like the extra snuggles with you too.  You amaze us at all you can do, and you continue to surprise everyone around you!  I can't wait to homeschool you in Kindergarten next year, and watch how your mind grows!  I love, love, love you with all my heart!  You are just a GREAT JOY and wonderful kid!

Happy fifth birthday my big girl!
Momma

Her WeGO Talker

Our Molly really is amazing.  Though she is missing her radial bones, can't rotate her wrists, use most of her fingers, and has no thumbs, this girl can do anything using her hands that any other four year old can.  She has beautiful handwriting, can cut out any shape with regular scissors, can dress herself, eat, get her own water...and the list could go on and on.  Truly, she amazes those around her daily as she is one determined little peanut.

Despite being gifted with most all motor tasks and being cognitively on target for her age , she really struggles with articulation of her speech.  It is still very, very hard to understand her.  Officially, she has an apraxia diagnosis because her difficulty seems to be related to motor functioning in her mouth and not her hearing.  Recently, we were able to get her a talker like her sister Jillian, who is almost completely nonverbal, has, and boy has it been a game changer!  She is very, very bright our Molly, and using this thing to build sentences of all kind is a breeze.  Finally, she is understood, and it is huge for her!  She uses her talker all day long, and especially loves to chatter away at dinner.  We are absolutely grateful that she has access to this technology, and that she is making such huge strides with it!

What a precious gift this girl is to our family!

The New Donut Shop

School is out for spring break, and so we have enjoyed every single day of freedom.

Recently, we checked on the new donut shop in town and it was so much fun!

You can customize your donut to your liking, and watch them make it before your eyes.

It was also really affordable at just over $7.00 for a half dozen.  Since Ellie is not eating donuts and we had Em with us, a half dozen suited us perfectly, and we thought they were delicious.  My girls love donut dates!

The Lion King

The girls and I enjoyed The Lion King Jr on stage as part of the Playtime Poppy series before Christmas.  Molly loved the flying bird kites, the costumes, and the music.  Jillian always loves the dancing, and choreographed movement of the groups, and Anna Mei loved the story line.  I am so thankful for this series as it is top notched theater for my girls, but costs only a few dollars to attend.

Molly even went up on stage as she is my most outgoing...

Maybe she has a future in theater.

Her Hearing Loss Test Results

At 4:00 AM this morning, I dragged myself out of bed to face the still dark day.  Starting a load of towels, and brewing a strong cup of green tea from my daughter's birth country, I prepared to wake my little one for a trip to the U to have a sedated procedure in an attempt to gauge the progression of her hearing loss.  Progressive Hearing Loss..those words sting as I type them.  They have caused me sleepless nights, worry, and tears over the last few months.  They have haunted me..causing me to take my eyes off the cross, and forget just how faithful my God has been.  How could I let mere words have such power over me?  Today, I was a bit nervous, but couldn't wait to face the results of this test head on.  At least, after today, I could be sure what we were up against.  I could be armed with information used to get the next ball rolling if need be.  If, indeed, her loss had progressed to a severe..almost deaf status as her behavioral booth results had been suggesting..I would know and could walk on clinging to the HOPE that I have in Christ.  I held her as she was poked, and the IV was inserted.  I walked beside her bed, and then settled her in the sound booth.  I stroked her while she was given the sleeping meds, and I watched her go to sleep so quickly that I wished we could give her some of those meds at home when I was particularly anxious to get her to sleep so I could  watch the next episode of This is Us.  ☺  Then, I waited with a wonderful friend from church as Daddy had home duty.  She prayed over Molly asking for Him to perform a miracle and heal her.  Then our little princess came back to me an hour later, and close behind her were those ABR results I had been anticipating all these months.  Her hearing has not changed!!  Her loss is still mostly moderate with a pocket of severe in some tones and a few moderate in others.  This is unbelievable news!  I am absolutely praising God for this great news!  God does not change because this good is what I had hoped for.  He isn't any better or worse because of it, because either way He will be glorified.  Either way He has a plan for good, but what a relief to this momma that our merciful God has spared Molly at this time from loosing more of her hearing!  We are grateful for so much after today.  Grateful for a day spent with a church friend, and the many who have been praying for her.  Grateful for the dozens of wonderful medical professionals who so compassionately cared for my baby girl, and for the state of the art facility that she was treated in.  Beyond grateful that our dear audiologist met us at her office @ Wendel and reprogrammed Molly's aids saving us another trip to the U, and making sure that her aids match her need perfectly!  Above all, I am grateful for Molly's life and the future that lies ahead of her as I anxiously anticipate all that God could use her to do!  Thank you to those who have been praying!

Serving With My Babies

Our youth group serves a free meal downtown a few times a year, and it is my favorite place to take my babies to serve.  It is a tangible way for them to understand that others don't have all that we do..abundant food, shelter, the love of the Lord are so lacking to so many in this world.

They feel so good that they can be a part of "working for the Lord", as my Anna Mei always calls it, to serve the poor.

It is always crazy having four littles in tow while trying to accomplish work, but it is so very worth it as they get to experience the Lord for themselves as they meet people and serve them.  It is so refreshing too that children have no barriers to just sitting right down to talk with someone regardless of how different they might look.  This time there were also many children at the meal, and to watch my babies sharing their toys and playing on the floor alongside those precious babes who came to get their bellies full when they otherwise might have been empty was so beautiful.  What a blessing being able to serve with this crazy crew during this meal has been to me!  I pray these times have a lasting impact on my little ones.

Playing in the Leaves

I didn't post these yet, and, because I will want to look back and remember 8, 6, and 4, these deserve some space.

Love, love these babies!

Bloomsbury Farm 2017

Another year of great memories at Bloomsbury!

It was homeschool day which makes the farm affordable to visit.

We all love the jumping pillow every year!

The girls were so small the first year we starting coming.

They just keep growing up.

They still love coming though.

It was Ellie's first year on the farm, and she loved being carried in the ergo.

Water...need I say more.

It was a sunny warm fall day.

The corn maze was a hit as usual..

Swinging galore.

and  a quick pose at the truck on the way out make for a fun filled day.

Happy, tired girls left the farm as 2, 4, 6, and 8 year olds.

Next year will probably be here before we know it, but for now..I will savor 2, 4, 6, and 8.

My Runner

As a former track coach and runner, I am pleased to announce

that my Molly ran five (YES THAT IS FIVE) laps at the red black track attack at her school last week.  It was ninety degrees and she looked like a hot mess when she came home, but she was so very proud of herself.

I was told she was a machine.  I honestly just said to Sean that she would be my runner.  Her legs are pure muscle, and she is our best natural athlete.  Watch out track world..there is new girl in town.

Experiment Devotion

When Daddy found this experiment to illustrate Colossians 2 to use at Youth Group last week, he wanted to try it out with the little girls first.

They were thrilled to help Daddy of course.

Just look at my Jilly!  She is so engaged, so connected, and smiling at the camera.  In the beginning there were many dark days that I never could have dreamed this was possible.  All the more reason to praise God! 

My Anna Mei is obsessed with Jesus right now.  It is a beautiful thing, and I pray she keeps Him at the head of her life all her days.  She loves having  "preaching meetings" where she shares the gospel with her sisters.  Last week, she drew pictures of Jesus and wrote sentences about his dying on the cross to save the lost.  She took the pictures to the beach and hung them up in the restroom for all to see.  She loves Him with her whole heart so she was anxious to explain the illustration to us....

My days are so busy, but I love this life!  It is full of so much that makes each moment so much richer and more abundant than I could have ever imagined!  I am just so very thankful!

Cutting

Molly's teacher caught her on video today cutting.  She has been working so, so hard all summer cutting.  Anna Mei loves to art, cut, and create so as she sat at the table so did my Molly...cutting.  Molly was born without functioning thumbs.  Her fingers, and wrists are not formed typically either, but this girl is determined..and AMAZING!  She is using regular preschool scissors with her fingers to open and close them while cutting a perfect triangle with standard sized lines to cut on.  This girl is absolutely incredible and we are beyond blessed to call her our daughter.

First Days of School

As of today, all of my babies are back in school!  We are all trying our best to adjust to our new schedule, but with different starting times, buildings, and therapies all over town, it can be tricky.

Jillian is in third grade and started last Wednesday.  She has her Miss Debbie back this year, and we are so grateful for the support she gives our special girl.

It is freshman year again for our dear Emily.  This time she is far from home on her first grown up adventure.

Four year old preschool  was the destination today for our tiny, but mighty Molly.  She has the same teacher this year too which always makes the transition so much easier on all of us.

First grade started today for my Anna Mei who is in her second year of home school.  I love having her with me, and she still needs to be close so it works out for both of us.  I can't wait to see where this year takes us, and all that we learn.  Eighteen, eight, six, four, and two will never happen again around here so I am determined to savor it!

City Park Fun

After donuts, we headed to a city park.  The park has some vintage carnival rides which, for less than 75 cents a ride, where the greatest thing ever for our little girls!

They loved them!

You would think we were on the tallest, fastest roller coaster in the world.

It was pure, simple fun!

Ellie Grace enjoyed strolling in the stroller with Daddy throughout the park while the girls rode, and I didn't get one picture of that sweet thing.

The end of summer is so near which always makes me sad.  Oh that summer could last forever somehow!

The End of Preschool

This little lady has grown so much this year.  We are so grateful for her incredible teacher, and all she has learned at school as a three year old.  She is writing her name, knows all of her uppercase letters, most of her lowercase letters, some sounds, and about thirty sightwords.  She is doing great, and her teachers were amazing!  They put together a little program to celebrate the end of the school year, and our Molly performed for everyone.

Two Years Home

We brought home a new baby, had this girl's end of the year preschool program, hosted a party for 300 for my oldest's graduation, and then collapsed into a heap of exhaustion.  Needless to say, I am just catching up with life.

At the end of May, we celebrated two years with our spunky Miss Molly.

My has she grown in the last two years.

She is still tiny for her age, but she is mighty.

She is the most determined, and independent little one I have ever had.

We certainly love this crazy, silly little peanut.  Happy two years home my amazing girl!