Happy 7th birthday Gavin!

I can't believe in a matter of weeks by boys went from 6 and 4 to 7 and 5! 

This week it's finally Gavin's turn! The boys countdown to their birthdays each year. Gavin was so excited when I told him this morning that today we got to celebrate him with cupcakes in the park and that tomorrow he would officially be 7! I remember his birthday vividly. Boy was that a difficult time for our family. An emergency c-section followed by a 2 week hospital stay with a mysterious infection not even the infectious disease dr could figure out. I didn't know if I would make it through that time, but here we are seven years later with our bright, creative, funny little guy. Gavin taught me to be a parent and got to be my only child for a whole 23 months. Not only did he teach me to be a mom, but he taught me how powerful the love for your child can be. Gavin hasn't changed a lot over the years. He has always been kind and loving. He is so sweet to his brother and sister and will help me out in a minute. He is a rule follower who strives to please and please he does. I am so very proud of him! His love for his brother runs deep and that makes my heart so happy.

 His patience for Chloe is like no other and I know God meant for him to be the oldest. 

And most important -He loves Legos! I mean really, really loves them! His friend Luke introduced him to the Mixels last year and the boy is obsessed!

Here are a few pics from his cupcake celebration yesterday afterschool with his best buds (and a gal). 

Last night of being a six year old!

 I am certainly am blessed beyond measure to call this blonde haired, blue eyed cutie my son! Happy 7th birthday Gavin Nicolas!

Halloween 2014

Still playing blog catch up here! I am sure I have said this before but I am not a scrapbooker. The thought of scrapbooking completely overwhelmes me, so I blog. I love that my family can look back on these posts one day and read my words and look at our photos and see the fun we have had. Speaking of fun, Halloween this year was so great. I invited many of our neighbors and hosted a little gathering in our driveway before we all went trick or treating. Each year it gets a little bigger! My little spider man didn't make the photos...I was so busy I didn't take many:( Gavin decided he wanted to be a ghost. Chloe wasn't into anything at the time so I just bought her a cute themed outfit. And Ethan was our superhero! Love that my kids are all so different! It was a great Halloween:) 

Easter weekend 2015

We had a fabulous Easter weekend. We usually stay in Orlando and I host some families at our home, but this year we decided to go to my parents for the weekend. With so much loss in our family in such a short time it was nice to spend time with family. It's always a bonus to visit Sebring now that our dear friends, the Julianos, are living there now as well. My friend Alison is one incredible woman...she is fighting cancer and raising five children in a new small town without any family. Her strength amazes me! She invited my whole family over to her house to celebrate together. It was such a great afternoon celebrating our risen Savior with the Juliano's and the Altman's. I love how God orchestrated all of our friendships and love even more that our daughters have each other. 

Happy 5th birthday Ethan Paul!

My sweet boy is 5 today! It seems like yesterday I was coming home from the hospital with him to celebrate Easter! He was such a good baby and that hasn't changed as he has grown. 

He is so kind hearted and love his friends. He is a little shy, but enjoys school. Though he says he is not excited that turning 5 means he will have to go everyday. He hardly ever gets in trouble, uses his manners all the time, and thanks me for dinner every single night. 

His love for basketball runs deep. We have known he would love playing this game since he was almost two....he wanted to play with the little tykes hoop for hours. Now that he is big he plays on our YMCA league and counts down to practice and game day each week. He just finished the season and has moved on to karate which is loves. He has a natural athletic ability and has picked up on skills quickly. He loves the ninja turtles so this might be why he is finally interested in karate. Nick is so happy!!!!

Ethan loves performing which is crazy since he is fairly shy! He sings the loudest anytime he has a preschool performance. It's so cute his face turns bright red he is singing to hard! 

The joy he brings to our family is truly beyond measure. I can't imagine one day without him. He is a gift to me and the rest of our family. A true treasure. I know God had big things in store for his sweet soul! Love you baby Ethan!!!! Happy birthday!!!! 

Referral Anniversary

How can it be possible that we saw this face two years ago?

It was an evening I will never, ever forget and always wish I could relive. After two highs and then extreme lows of file reviews that didn't match our requirements this face was the one. On the night of March 13th we would open our final file review and find our daughter. Two years have passed since that life changing evening....730 days! I can't remember what like was even like without her. It's crazy how her little personality has gone from somber and stoic to silly and sassy! On most days, she exhausts me with her energetic spirit and crazy curiousity. It is hard to keep up, but I love that she has the confidence to be herself and explore the world she didn't have access to for 13 months of her life. I love that she has such a kind heart (mostly) and is sensitive and caring. When I am sick or hurt I have to be careful how I express it to her or she will lose it. Her little lip will begin to move to the saddest little pout and the tears will flow while she can barely catch her breath. It's one of those cries that is different and I often wonder if it was a cry from her first days. It is heart breaking to hear.

 But more than cries we here her giggle and laugh. She loves her brothers and if they aren't in the car she will ask "where's Efan?" (Ethan) or "Where's Gabin?" (Gavin). She is talking up a storm...music to her SLP mamas ears. I have to remind myself that I prayed for this language and speech explosion on the rare day I am trying to catch up with a friend on the phone and she wants me to acknowledge every.word.she.says!!!  And I mentioned she is sassy....seriously let the camera roll be the evidence:)

She is beginning to play appropriately (minus this picture of her in her baby's pack and play) which is a welcomed treat and a skill that hasn't come naturally at all for her. 

She adores swimming! Her refresher lessons just started for the season and this was the tantrum that ensued when we had to leave her instructors pool. I know God always planned for her to live in Florida:)

She doesn't miss a beat and picks up on everything. One day while outside she noticed Nicks ice packs laying on the table and sat right down and iced her knees like she has seen daddy do so many times before.

This little girl who has changed our lives and given us more joy (and calories burned-lol) than we could ever dream looked out to us for the first time March 13, 2013. I am thankful everyday for this journey. When I need a reminder of God's providence and sovereignty...I take a little look at this face.

Christmas Happenings 2014

I am so overdue on blog updates I am trying to do several all at once today while I lay in bed feeling under the weather. I am not a scrapbooker so this blog is a way for me to keep my pictures organized and my thoughts on each special event documented. 

Now back to my catch up thoughts on Christmas...we had a great rims celebrating Christ's birth. Chloe and Ethan performed in their preschool Christmas program which was awesome. Both of them were stars of the show. We spent some time at the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party with Papa and Em, managed a trip to see the famous Mall at Millenia Santa, and made a trip to Sebring. The boys believe we spend actual Christmas in Sebring because Papa and Em have a chimney and we do not:) In actuality we spend it there so we can be with my entire family and I personally think Em's house is the most festive, cozy place to spend Christmas.