Play

The theme for I Heart Faces this week is play! So much fun! I love taking pictures of my boys playing and today they gave me the perfect opportunity. Each in a different ninja costume they took to the deck for a show down! This is Isaiah as he was sneaking up on his older brother. I ruined the surprise but I love the picture anyway!



Click on the I Heart Faces logo to see more great play photos!

In the Brink

Don't they all look calm and at peace?

This is not a good picture of how things are here at Camp Thompson right now. There has been more chaos in our home than I can ever remember. We are in the brink of Summer and school is all but done. It seems even Judah understands this pent up excitement and the feeling of not being able to wait another minute for freedom. The noise level in our modest sized home is almost unbearable at times and the boys are pushing the boundary lines on every issue. Wrestling has become a way of life and day after day of rain and wet ground is wearing thin on my nerves. I need these boys to be able to get outside for a while! I took a picture of Judah this morning that I feel is a much more accurate depiction of how our days have been looking (and sounding) lately.



Elijah and Isaiah only have a week left of school and they get crazier every day with excitement. They pick at each other and argue and tattle and wrestle and - I think you get the idea!

Josiah had his tonsils and adenoids removed in the middle of May. I can assure you he is perfectly healed and, on top of it, is like a new child with a new attitude. He used to be tired all day (from sleep apnea) but now that he is sleeping soundly, he has a new found energy. He also seems to have a new intensity and insistence that he get his way all the time!

Judah is, well, 18 months. He screams when he doesn't get what he wants; which is more often than not considering he can't communicate like the rest of us. He knows exactly what he wants but just can't get us to understand. He is trying very hard to talk and he does say some words but he usually gives up and starts biting out of frustration. He then ends up on the floor rolling around with very large crocodile tears. (As evident from the above picture!)

Through it all we are also playing, and dancing, and laughing and loving as hard as we can! These are times that will pass all too quickly and I wish I could remember every moment - chaos or not. Soon enough we will be enjoying the lazy Summer days; until then I will wait, in the brink, praising God I have ears to hear all the noise and eyes to see all the chaos and arms to hold my boys tight.

The Ladies

Me, my Mom, and sister, Kaitlin, just because I like this picture.

Seven

This past Monday my Isaiah had his 7th birthday. Really, 7 already? Wasn't it just yesterday I was holding him in my arms so happy to have two? Isaiah is sunny and funny and isn't really bothered by what other people think. He is so happy - until he's not and then you know he is mad or sad or whatever it is. There is just no guessing - you always know how he is feeling and he is always trying to make the best of everything. He has taught me to be more optimistic and I have learned from him that sometimes 'oh well' really is enough. He is sneaky and I love it because he thinks he gets so much past me but, in the end, always comes clean. There is an ease about him that draws people in and he always seems to have a little girl chasing him around! He loves his family with all his heart and loves to learn about God and the profit he shares a name with. I am blessed to have him as my second born. Isaiah may look like his momma but he is all his daddy in personality!

Smiles

The theme at I Heart Faces this week is smiles. I had a heck of a time trying to decide on one picture but I kept coming back to this one. I love this picture. I love the moment it captured. These boys are usually running and wrestling and jumping and going crazy when they are together. Not in this picture! This is the more subdued and quiet side of these cousins and their smiles and body language show just how content they are to be together.



Please take some time to check out the other "smiles" at I Heart Faces - it will make your day!

Life Skills

This boy LOOOVES to feed himself!!!








Learning new life skills is so much fun!

Don't Blink

On Thursday my Elijah Boy turned 9. Wow. I can't believe that he is 9 already - where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday I was crying and scared in the hospital as I was being wheeled away to have an emergency c-section. It was a crazy first birth experience but it brought me Elijah and he was healthy and perfect. My life changed forever on that Monday afternoon and I had never known love like that before. I have learned and grown so much by being a mother, but I have also learned so much by being this boy's mother. He has such a kind and tender heart and he would give you the food from his plate if you asked. He loves God and prays that all his friends do too. He loves and worries and gives and just experiences life to the fullest and I am amazingly blessed that God chose me to be his mom. It is so true what they say - DON"T BLINK it goes by too fast.

Happy Birthday Elijah! You changed my life nine years ago and taught me what it was to be a mother and you are still teaching me new things today. I love the boy you are and I am thrilled with the young man you are becoming.