Beautiful kids.

 Preschool has started and my precious 4 year-old is now occupied twice a week for 2.5 hours apart from me. She has finally learned to pee and wipe without help (mostly) and is happy to announce to strangers that she is "grown up". She also started ballet once a week. My beautiful girl is also a ballerina and can't wait to make it on stage in December for her recital.

Meanwhile, Toby and I prepare for baby #3....3 more weeks and she is full term. We are praying she decides to come the weekend of October 12th. :) I am getting tired....and very large in the front. And I fell down the outside stairs to our basement suite while holding Toby....he split his lip, I hurt my hip and Promise skinned a knee....God was so good at protecting us, though! It could have been so much worse or even induced premature labor!

 So here is my constant companion....he is a bit of a "cling-on"....can't bear to be without me....a real booger of a toddler, spitting for fun, making messes and breaking toys in sheer joy....ALL BOY. But he's cuddly and cute, always willing to say "sorry" (then repeat the offense again) and happy to give mommy a hug.....at 3 am. He's destroyed the couch, broken most of the toys (which is why we keep super glue in the top drawer at all times), put several holes in the wall, and now has returned to his "pack n play" for sleeping instead of his "big boy bed" because his escape attempts are disrupting the whole house....sly little monkey. His energy and zeal for life is evident and cannot be contained....even in the pack 'n play. Too bad his mommy is pregnant and needs more than 2 hours of sleep per night....
He and baby #3 can party together in the wee hours soon.

And the classic Promise pout is a daily event....we wait with bating breath for it and dance around it with such skilled avoidance....we're learning that every tantrum has a reason....and only few deserve intense discipline....the others melt with slow speech/calm voice/holding and comforting, understanding and grace (which is not always easy when you want to hang her up by her toenails!).

I love my precious kids and I am daily reminded of the miraculous gift they are....being told we'd never have our own kids and now....3 precious miracles...I am so humbled to have the privilege of being with them every day....every one different....unique....beautiful....challenging and every one called of God....as I pray for Toby every night..."May you grow to be a man of integrity, honor, wisdom and valor...a man that loves Jesus with ALL of his heart in Jesus' Name, Amen!" And for Promise, "May you develop into a compassionate, joyful warrior who fights in love for justice and peace wherever you go and may you walk in obedience to Jesus no matter the cost, in Jesus' Name, Amen."

We are blessed.