In a nutshell

Daniel is back on the campuses in full force and loving it. Last Thursday was the first official day of incontro '09 and there haven't been a whole lot of spare minutes since. In these first 2 weeks of school, the goal is to meet and interact with the majority (all?!) of the thousands of college students who flood our area each year. I'm not sure how many packs of gum, water bottles (all with incontro 09 labels fixed onto them), and church cards have been handed out so far, but I know it's lots.

As a family, we're really blessed that when Daniel does get a chance to come up for air, he spends it completely on us and not at all on himself.

I'm enjoying our return to our own homeschooling routine and the order and predictability that comes with that. When we began our school year a little over 2 weeks ago, I did so with the intention of being able to take a several weeks long break in October when the new baby arrives and not so that we could already be taking a break due to an outbreak of atypical (aka "walking") pneumonia in our home (that now includes me in the sick bunch), but sometimes life throws curve balls!

I won't lie: I've struggled with my share of Beginning-of-the-Semester blues in the past week (I keep wondering when I won't mind "sharing" Daniel several evenings each week throughout the school year), but I'm also seeing how God is calling me to a more generous and global perspective through such a small thing as learning to find joy in the little sacrifices. And I'm glad-- really and truly glad-- that He doesn't stop chipping away at my selfishness so that His light can shine through more clearly.


Gabriel is just, well, old these days. His most frequent infraction around the house is being the Third Parent, if you know what I mean. Sometimes I stop and think about the little boy who used to daily bring me to tears because of his complete disregard to authority and house rules, and I wonder how that 3-year-old could so quickly turn into a Rule Enforcer himself!

Poor guy was the first to come down with pneumonia and, consequently, he has been sick for a good 10 days by now. Aside from a rib cage that's protruding more than it was 2 weeks ago and a bit of a hoarse voice from coughing, he seems to generally be no worse for the wear. And only 1 day after getting proper medication, he is already dramatically improved. Kids sure do bounce back fast.

Bronwyn is the healthy one of the bunch at this point. Well, she and Daniel. We have often joked over the years about how Bronwyn inherited Daniel's constitution of steel, but it seems to be true! This little girl doesn't get knocked down by much. She continues to have energy, enthusiasm, attitude, and drama in abundance, even while the rest of us struggle.

And she groans each morning this week when I tell her we aren't going to sit at the table and do school, because she loves school. I have to admit that she's learning very quickly, much more quickly than I ever anticipated. Last week she read a small reader to Daniel with only a tiny bit of assistance here and there. Yesterday I realized she was reading the label on the orange juice and only getting hung up on certain vowel combinations because we haven't covered them yet (like "ea"). She is a sponge!

Jackson is the most affectionate preschooler I have ever met. The boy loves giving hugs, and he is especially partial to Daddy, Papa, and Uncle Rick. I feel so blessed that he is surrounded by men who will let him climb up on their laps, ride on their shoulders, and wrestle them to the ground. He thrives on such interaction.

He is a dream during our school time. He plays quietly and contentedly for the entire 60-70 minutes that the older 2 kids and I are at working together and has yet to interrupt us even once. And then, when it's time to be done playing so we can work on our daily chores together, he jumps right up and dives in (it's amazing what a 3-year-old will do for a checkmark on a chore chart!).

It's pretty unusual to see Jackson turning down food the way he has lately thanks to pneumonia and an ear infection, but I know that in a few short days, he'll be right back to his normal self.

Aubrey is a firecracker! She is a busy, busy girl. If Gabriel's our melancholic, Bronwyn our sanguine, and Jackson our phlegmatic, Aubrey is definitely our choleric. [see Four Temperaments] She has opinions by the dozen, lots of independence, and drive. She doesn't watch any movies/TV, has only recently learned to sit still through an entire story book (thanks to Mama and Daddy insisting that she do so), snuggles just long enough to nurse a couple times a day before jumping down and running some more, and wants to go everywhere/do everything she sees other people going/doing. I guess with that sort of activity it's no wonder she just weighed in at only 22lbs2oz, clothes and all.

She amazes the medical community. Up until going in yesterday due to the pneumonia we're dealing with, it's been several months since she last saw a doctor, and even now, this sickness hasn't made her skip a beat. The cardiologists are sure surgery is still in her future, but they are astounded-- and thrilled-- that she remains as healthy as she is without it. We never stop praying that God will supernaturally uphold her (as He has!) and that her life will continue to be a marvel to many!

Paladin #5 is well on his/her way and I can hardly believe it. This summer has flown by and, with it, the pregnancy. In 7 short weeks or so, we'll be meeting this new little one. I've said "boy" all along and some recent prophetic ministry seemed to confirm that, so for the first time (!), I might just be right. My doctor is convinced this baby isn't going to be as big as the others because I've measured very small so far, but having had prior experience with measuring small and then still delivering 8-1/2lb+ babies, I am absolutely convinced otherwise and am guessing that Baby already weighs about 4-1/2lbs.

Several weeks ago, we were looking dreadfully unprepared for the baby's arrival (by our culture's standards, anyway!), but God has completely provided for us through others' generosity, and it has been an awesome testimony to me of His faithfulness when we are open to His call. We were given a used-once car seat for just the price of S&H to get it to us, my aunt gave us some of her baby gear that she is no longer using, Danica is lending me her entire newborn diaper stash, and this past Sunday a mom in the church gave me her Ergo because she had been praying and felt like the Lord told her she should.

Now we just need a name! The front runners are Thaddeus (Thad-- pronounced Tad-- for short) or Claire. Those aren't for sure yet so I haven't bothered spending oodles of time matching middle names, but we'll get there.

And that's our family, in a nutshell!