NC Zoo Dino Exhibit

Before Titus was born, to celebrate our five year anniversary, and to get out of the house, we went to the Zoo (isn't that what you do for anniversaries...take your kids some place fun?:)).  They had a dinosaur exhibit that I knew the boys would love, so we packed a cooler and left early one Saturday morning.

Typically, since the NC Zoo is so big and spread out, to prevent any major breakdowns from our boys, we only tackle one continent and that's usually Africa- lions beat polar bears any day.  Plus I was 39 weeks pregnant, all the more reason to walk less.

 Family photo.

 paleontologist speirs

 he was so excited he decided to dance in front of each dinosaur.

 what's that you ask? a triceratops of course.

 who doesn't want to ride a t-rex?

 checking out the directions.

talking with daddy about all the animals

Preparing for Change

There is a change a comin'.

Our best friends you see....are moving....15 hours away....at the end of this month. I am both thrilled for them and the opportunities that this move will mean, but also really sad.  Craig and I have learned with certainty, since we have been married, what a friend is and what a friend is not, and there is no doubt in my mind that this couple has been the best for some time now.

They have celebrated with us each time we welcomed another son into our tribe, we've been on vacations together, attended the theatre, festivals, and baseball games, we've rung in new years, had Christmas morning breakfast, broke bread at Thanksgiving, celebrated birthdays, Easter, played Rock Band and Mario Kart, sung songs loud and ridiculously together and  have walked through trials together. We had the opportunity to walk with them through the crazy, long, up and down adoption process, and then with such sweetness welcome them home from Uganda, a family of four. I could expand on this list for some time, but most of all we have shared the Word of God and prayer on a regular basis at our dining room table over coffee and breakfast.

Community has truly happened between our two families.  Confessing sin to one another, praying for each other and holding each other accountable.  There is such sweetness, growth, and an ever increasing dependence on the Gospel that comes when you can do life together with another family or families.  We are incredibly thankful for the past four years with Gene and Loren and the past few months with Joan and Angel.  Schlesinger's, you will be missed by Greensboro and the West's but Milwaukee is getting a gem of a family.  We love you guys!

 good times.

 friends.

 one of my favorites.

 the women and children

 just the ladies

 smores.

 ring around the rosie

 our trip to the mountains

 they are home!

 athletic prowess in Boston

 Boston Pizza

MIT. hilarious.

My Gold Star

Three kids must be the tipping point.  The point where you feel out of control and can't quite manage to get your ducks in a row- even if you try really really hard.  Inevitably, the newborn will awaken early from a nap, making it quite apparent that feeding him is what's next on your plate.  Or perhaps you are already sitting there feeding that said newborn and one of the older ones calls from the bathroom that they are "all done." Sigh.  That is what my past couple of weeks have been like.  I haven't quite been able to get it together.  We are sort of surviving around here- at least that's what I feel like.  OR perhaps my expectations are too high.  I have yet to give myself grace on balancing a newborn, two big boys, and a clean home.  I have yet to just give myself a pass.  I am a control freak at heart and want everything to go smoothly and honestly I dream about days when I can do crafts, teach, run around with, and invest in my children in my sparkly clean home and put something really delicious on the table that night. Yes, I strive for that.  I'm ridiculous.

My husband has been sensing my angst about not having it together and this morning said one of the most freeing things to me.  As I feel like I have been failing in the mommy department, he proceeds to tell me something like this.  "You have been wanting me to remind you of the Gospel, so here it is, you already have your gold star. You are accepted. You don't have to be supermom.  You don't have to do 8 different crafts with the kids or cook something from the eat like a dinosaur cookbook.  If you stay at home all day and the boys watch a little more TV than normal and nothing gets cleaned....THAT'S OKAY...I love you."   Thank you Craig.

Introducing Titus Harding West

I was all too anxious this go around, so I am so thankful that Titus is here and healthy and that I made it one more time through labor and delivery. That's a lot of work! Here are a few pics of our newest addition. When he came out, I must have been hallucinating or something because I said, "he's so small!" while the nurses- who have seen a lot more babies than I, were exclaiming that's a BIG boy! My jaw dropped when I found out he was 9 lbs and 22 inches long! He outweighed his big brothers both by almost a pound and was 1 to 1.5 inches bigger than them too.  

Speirs and Wyatt are excited about being big brothers again and for the first time.  Speirs eyes literally lit up when he came back to meet Titus late Friday night and Wyatt was intrigued for about 15 seconds and then went back to his own little world:) 

May 25, 2012 what a day!

He's here!

And Happy.

I certainly am.

We are finally home.

Laying on the really cute blanket my mom made

Anxious

Just a bit anxious today. Perhaps its the almost 38 week pregnancy emotions? I'm thankful for the reminder that God's ways are "inscrutable" and that "from him and through him and to him are ALL things"- even labor and delivery and the child being knit together within me.   

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Phil 4:4-6

"Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?' Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen"

Romans 11:33-36

"Broken Homes in the Bible" by Richard Pratt Jr.

I stumbled across this article that is certainly worth your time reading if you so choose. It seems fitting to post during this time when Craig and I are celebrating five years of marriage.

"No family is “fine,” “without problems,” or “great” until someone destroys it. Every home is broken from the day it begins."

"He can turn mourning into dancing; He can create praise out of despair. He can bind the wounds of the brokenhearted and set free those imprisoned in darkness. God can restore families and use the tragedies that so deeply hurt us now to move us forward in the purposes for which He created us. So call out to Him as your Father, and pray for His mercy on you and your home. Trust in His love for you and never give up. Our Father sent His only Son to die and rise again to forgive our sins and heal our shame. He is our hope in all the brokenness we face in our lives."

The Union- Celebrating 5 Years

The Real Marriage Conference was amazing and refreshing and I am so thankful that my dad and mom were willing and able to keep the boys while we traveled to Anderson, SC.  

On May 19, 2007, I never could have imagined that my union with Craig could be what it is today, almost five years later.  Although we wanted to get married, we didn't really know how difficult it could be.  We simply knew that we wanted something different from the divorce and decay of marriages around us-and we didn't have a clue as to how to get there- even as believers.  We were selfish.  It was tumultuous. It was lonely at times. Until we heard Tim Keller's sermons on marriage, we had absolutely no clue what we were doing or where we were going. Until we experienced gospel community and accountability we were left on our own.

I do not take for granted that first year of marriage, we learned a lot. Our days look different now, though.  Sure we still have squabbles- we are human and sinners and selfish.  But it is clinging to the Word, repenting, forgiving and letting go of the "me" that grows us.  God has been so incredibly gracious to our family.  At the Real Marriage conference (and daily) we heard stories of adultery, emotional absence and role confusion that were  absolutely running marriages into the ground-or that were already there. It broke my heart and breaks my heart to hear of severed marriages. Let me be clear in saying that Craig and I are not above those things. We are not above that demise and to think we were would be absolute folly.  

We have to create war with the sin in our life, and the little foxes that ruin the vineyard of our marriage are no different. We have to be intentional about the time we have together, invest, sacrifice, serve, love, and forgive. 

"We do not forgive our spouses because they are good or deserving, but rather because God is good and deserving." Real Marriage

"As an act of worship, we must respond to our sinful spouses as God has responded to our sin-with forgiveness. " Real Marriage

I am so grateful for five years of marriage, a loving husband, God's perfect design for marriage, forgiveness and mercy, and the strong desire given us by the Holy Spirit to make war with the sin in our life.  To God be the Glory!