Prayer request

I need to reach out and ask for prayer. Matthew is developing some high blood pressure and there may be complications with his previous surgery that will require more procedures. He is not in any discomfort or distress and the doctors want him to play ball and exercise as tolerated, that will help keep his heart muscle strong, but not to do any lifting or straining. He will be having a cardiac MRI (we are fortunate to live not far from state of the art equipment) on January 9th which will tell us much more about his condition. He is a wonderful patient and is showing no worry or anxiety, just going along enjoying each day as it comes.

His mommy, a doctor at that, is supposed to be able to fix everything. I can't fix this, but
Matthew has shown us the infinite power of God's grace and the power of prayer. So I know that what I can do is to ask you to take my son into your heart and pray that He lifts us up and holds us in the palm of His hand. I know that through this I can find that peace that passes all understanding that I see in my son's eyes already.

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

Hope you are having a blessed Christmas!

Wishing you. . .

Wonder

Joy

Brotherly Love

What did you think of the hair?

Did anyone notice the hair on Tucker in the basketball post? We had a Parents' Night Out fundraiser at school the other night and one of the activities was "Makeovers and Updos". Tucker and his friends decided they did not want to be left out, so thanks to Ms. Tammy and a lot of hairspray, he got a mohawk!

Guess that is as close as I am going to get to one of mine getting a fancy updo:)

Not Me!

I am so proud of Jack's achievements in potty training! It has been my honor and pleasure to care for my precious little boys in every way, including changing diapers. The thing is, it has been FOURTEEN YEARS of changing diapers, so I am not too torn up (actually I would say I am downright giddy) about giving up this particular aspect of care. I don't know if it is habit or not wanting to tempt fate, but we still put a pullup on him at times, just IN CASE. Jeff was holding him in his lap tonight and mentioned to me across the room,

"It feels like someone may have used their pullup. . ."

Indignant little voice responds,

"Well, it wasn't ME!!"

Now, I ask you, who else in this house is wearing a pullup?

We may be older parents but we are not to the point of wearing diapers before all the kids are out of them:)!

A Little Hoops Action. . .

It has been a busy week so I haven't gotten to blog! You could say I have been "jumping through hoops" myself! Tucker had a game this morning and this evening the guys are at their first real college basketball game (can you guess which team they are going for?)!

Thankful for Thanksgiving!

Our Lovely Hostess!
Awesome Cooks!

Great Company!

Our Beautiful Libby, 98 years young!

Lots of hugs!

Love this Baby Girl and Her Sprout!

Precious Cousins!

Even a Welcome Sign for our arrival!

All Smiles!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, giving us even more to be thankful for!

Three Men and . . .

One Proud Lady!

Happy Thanksgiving!

So much to be thankful to Him for, including you!

Rock and Roll All Night

Well, maybe not ALL night for some!

Biggest and Littlest Brothers

Should I be worried?

My precious preschooler is not fond of cleaning up. So when he wanted to go get a drink today at the water fountain, his sweet teacher told him he could go as soon as he finished picking up the toys he was supposed to be putting away.

My little sweetheart's response?

"What if I give you ten bucks?"

Teacher: "Do you have ten bucks?"

My boy: "I'll get you ten bucks and you can buy some Barbies!" (Because apparently no matter what our age, we girls love to buy Barbies, according to Jack)

So....three years old......trying to buy off the teacher.......making it worth her while to look the other way........I'm worried.

A Match Made In Heaven!

Happy Anniversary to the cutest couple around!

Happy Birthday, Baby Sister!

What a beautiful baby!

What a beautiful lady!

Happy Birthday to my first "little girl" who gave me two more precious little girls in my life! We are all so blessed to have you in our lives and I am so very grateful for your arrival, our special relationship as we grew up together, and so full of admiration for the beautiful woman (inside and out) that you have grown into. I am very lucky to have such a special best friend and that my special girls have such a lovely mommy. Not to mention that big brother I got in the deal, pretty sweet, as Nick would say. Enjoy your day and year! ('Cause next year will not be pretty. . .:)!

What are we SUPPOSED to do?

Ok, this might be a little long but here are my thoughts as they roll out. Last week I was watching another middle school boys' basketball game, enjoying visiting with my friends, the other parents and watching our kids. That's what moms are SUPPOSED to do. But then I started crying, which moms do a lot, but are not SUPPOSED to do at the first game of the season, even if our little Christian school was getting stomped because we knew we would get stomped. I was crying because my Matthew was playing his first official basketball game ever. Is he a star player? No. But Matthew was never SUPPOSED to be able to play at recess like the other kids, much less do what he was doing that night. With his congenital heart condition and surgery, there was a time he was not SUPPOSED to live, much less thrive. His MRI of the brain showed that he was SUPPOSED to be clumsy, uncoordinated, and have learning issues. His daddy and I, being doctors, knew that the experts were SUPPOSED to counsel us this way.

But all we knew for sure was that he was God's gift, here to pursue His purpose, for however long we were SUPPOSED to care for him here on earth. But Matthew didn't know how normal little boys were SUPPOSED to feel or act. He just knew he would get tired easy and struggled to do some things. But he has always been joyful, ready to hug, pray for, and cheer on anyone he thought needed it. He would swing for hours when he couldn't run much. He told me as a preschooler that he was SUPPOSED to go Home before the rest of us, he just wanted me to be okay because he was. At eight, he said he was SUPPOSED to go Home but God was letting him stay awhile because we would miss him so much but he didn't know how long. We have done what we thought we were SUPPOSED to do. We have worried and hovered and protected and checked and rechecked and prayed and prayed and prayed about how much we should let him do. We were SUPPOSED to teach him and lift him up but he ended up teaching us more and lifting us up.

So why was I crying? Because Matthew was running and playing and enjoying himself because he has always known we are just SUPPOSED to pray, to put it in God's hands, knowing through Him all things are possible, and that only He knows what is SUPPOSED to happen.

Veterans Day

On this day, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude and admiration for the men and women who have sacrificed more than I can imagine serving our country and preserving our freedoms, including my ability to profess my faith and express myself on a site such as this one. Those men and women I admire include the parents and spouses and family of those that have been or are currently in service because now that I am married and raising children, I realize how difficult it must be to watch them leave and worry about their welfare. I cannot fathom the ultimate sacrifice many, many have gone through for generations before me.

Thank you and God Bless You!

Now don't you just feel safer. . . .

Knowing this little super hero is out there?

Jack's newest phrase is "That looks familiar"

And that was my exact thought when I looked at these little faces:)

It is Monday, so the question around here is. . . .

Are you ready for some football?

The Lady and the Tramp

Our Version

Thanks for the cool shirt, Aunt Patti!

ROCK ON!

Can you name these characters?

Welcome!

This is my newest adventure (because I guess I just don't have enough going on in my life:)! I am excited about being able to create a home for memories, sharing, and visiting! And since my life revolves around four growing boys who look a lot alike but are completely different little people, hence the title. I will try to keep up with the latest developments, the moments that make me smile, the photos I hardly ever take (stop laughing!), and the survival tips I have figured out through "experience". I would love for you to visit often and share your thoughts!