Little lives.

First came our first precious gift from the Lord.

In case you didn't know our story, we were told before we got married that Tim and I would most likely not have children. The doctors said that even if I did manage to get pregnant that the risk of miscarriage would be astronomically high.

Tim married me anyway and we prayed....and prayed....and felt strongly as though the Lord would give us children in some miraculous way.....we thought perhaps adoption....when all of our friends and sisters were having babies, we prayed harder.....then God said, "Go".

So after 6 years of marriage, we moved to the Philippines to follow God's commands.

Six months later, we found out God had placed Promise in my womb.

Amazed and unprepared, we welcomed with deep gratefulness this precious girl into our lives.

Then, I prayed again....this time I prayed the prayer of Hannah....to open my womb.....one more time....
And the Lord gave us Tobias. Our miracle boy and precious joy. Two babies in less than 3 years! What a MIGHTY GOD we serve! Two babies born overseas amidst hardship and loneliness.....our greatest treasures and joy within our most difficult years.

And now, as we heal from the past, God has surprised us with another miracle. He decided to open my womb once more for miracle baby #3! It's true.

As Tim and I celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary this year, we will also welcome our third child into the world.

Only about 6 weeks along, baby #3 is making his/her presence known with cramps, constipation, and nausea.....I am thankful for every sign.

Promise is thrilled to have a baby sister (so she has decided it MUST be) and Toby is blissfully unaware.

The coming months may prove to be a challenge as my pregnancies have not been easy, but this being our first baby in our home country surrounded by our families, we are anticipating great things.

God has a funny way of surprising us with His gifts.

We are praying for a safe and peaceful pregnancy and transition for all. Adding another into our basement suite alone will be a creative challenge....he we go!

Be blessed.

A bit of Spring in our step.....

Happy Monday to all! Tim's day off is Monday so we decided to go to our favorite local park, Mill Lake. Tim took the camera and we had a wonderful morning together. The sun was warm, the air was chilled....spring is on its way.




This is Promise's favorite place in the park. She serves "ice cream" from this little counter....not worms. The ice cream bears a strange resemblance to bark dust.
And then we came home to sweep the driveway of all the cedar needles from when Daddy and Uncle Andy took the cedars to the dump.
Big sister, Promise, always lending Toby a hand.....
And my precious boy during our daily wrestling match.....I always win...the prize?...well, it's cuddles and kisses!

Life has been busy these days. Two weeks ago, my brother, Andy, and his amazing family came up for a 5-day vacation. This is the second visit up to Canada in well over 8 years! Of course, 3 of those years were spent in the Philippines.

With 3 kids in tow, we had an incredible time together. They were a delight and Promise and Toby still talk of their cousins' visit. I will have to post some pics of all that soon....I have to steal them from Ruth's blog. :)

After a long season of sickness, Promise and Toby have been seeing a naturopath and are undergoing extreme dietary changes along with some new naturopathic meds. Already, we are noticing a decrease in Promise's belly aches and an increase in her appetite. She seems to be trying new things without as much caution and timidity as well. Her playful side is coming out more and we are delighting in seeing her spark! She LOVES to sing and the song of the year is "Somewhere out there" from the movie, "An American Tale"....which happens to be among her top 10 movies. She sings the song in the bath tub, in the car, at church....she stays in tune, too! Her second current infatuation is her "ballerina shirt". This shirt is simply a pink, long-sleeve, drop waist shirt with ruffles and a hood....but apparently to Promise, it transforms her into a Ballerina Princess. LOVE IT....except when she gets food on it and it has to be washed, which leads to tears. :)

Toby has discovered how to annoy people. He is just too cute to get angry at, but requires consistent discipline....if we turn our backs for a slight second he is into the toilet water, the trash, Promise's treasured toys, and anything else he can get his fingers into....all with a very BIG smile on his face.

His current favorite things are dogs....and balls....he will follow them without any hesitation to the ends of the earth. He says "thank you" without being asked and loves to show you his gratefulness with kisses and hugs.

We have amazing kids. I am so thankful for them. And they LOVE having daddy home. We like Mondays these days.

Be blessed.