Multitudes on Thanksgiving

I simply love Thanksgiving. The food, the company, and the reflections of thanks from those closest to me.

1431. cooking the turkey with my mom and learning all of the delicious secrets to make it the best

1432. scurrying around finding ingredients for the homemade sweet potato pies

1433. Ella Beth's excitement to help with anything in the kitchen

1434. Christmas trees adorned in sparkling lights

1435. spending a day Christmas shopping with Scott for the kiddos

1436. figuring out plans together for homemade gifts

1437. kissing under the mistletoe

1438. Porter {finally} filling out his 0-3 month clothes

1439. Hallmark ornaments

1440. giving grandparents new ornaments with Porter added to the grandchildren

1441. Porter's first Christmas ornament

1442. the love and salvation from Jesus Christ

1443. rearing our children through the love of God

1444. rearing our children to grow in the knowledge that salvation is meant for them

1445. being Scott's wife and mother to his children - there is no one I would rather share my life with

Hebrews 12:28-29, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."

Multitudes on Monday

1416. Porter being able to eat and digest oatmeal. God works in amazing ways, and sometimes when you pray He answers very specifically. :)

1417. standing in the back of the auditorium at church during worship and watching others fully give of themselves as they praise our Great God

1418. family movie night for Sophia the First.......that has been advertised for TWO months

1419. fun field trips on a Monday that had the potential to be a very wasted day

1420. watching the kiddos play "Fox and Rabbit" with new friends

1421. Ella Beth being the "fox" and being determined to get the big kids out

1422. a long nap for Porter  - since I was beginning to think he'd forgotten how

1423. loud squeals out of nowhere and Porter's smile when we turn around (the fella l-o-v-e-s attention!!)

1424. stopping for coffee to keep me warm when I know I'm going to be outside for a little while

1425. the sounds of Porter playing in his bed after he wakes up

1426. secret notes from the kiddos left for Scott and me to find

1427. Muddy Buddies/Puppy Chow/Garbage Bag Candy - whatever it's called, it's delicious :)

1428. Landon running around the house for a good 30 minutes completely naked after his shower. Every night. As if it's the most natural thing.

1429. walking into the living room after laying Porter down for bed and seeing Landon eating a bed time snack. Naked. With his PJs and under-roos laying next to him on the floor.

1430. the constant surprises from my children

1 Timothy 4:4, "Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks."

Failure to Thrive

I took Porter for his well-baby appointment on Monday of this week. To say that the visit didn't go well would be an understatement. At 7 1/2 months Porter weighed in at 11 lbs, 1 oz. He has fallen way off the Preemie Growth Chart, and to say that our pediatrician was concerned would also be an understatement. Thus, Porter was labeled "Failure to Thrive."And on top of that, Porter has prominent ridges on the sides of his skull that are now of concern.

As his Mama, that is simply hard to take. He is a very sweet and happy baby with quite a personality, and to me he's just perfect.

This is Porter's "thing." We call it his pencil, and he will even do it on cue because we all laugh hysterically at him when he does it. He's not shy on being the center of attention. ;)

He has learned to blow raspberries (aka, run his motor), and he crinkles his nose when he does it which I adore.

He L-O-V-E-S his toes!!! Neither one of my other kiddos ever played with their toes much, but Porter's favorite "toys" would be his sweet feet.  

 

The whole "failure to thrive" is just throwing me for a loop. It's messing with my head and heart because I pour all of me into my babies. When something is going "wrong" it feels like it's my fault.

We go for ultrasounds and testing at Scottish Rite and then back to the GI specialist in a couple of weeks. I'm trying not to let my mind "go there," but I'm a mama and it's hard not to.

But then I look at these pictures, taken just two days before his appointment, and they give me hope. He's a happy baby. Rotten, too, ahem. But happy. :)

And no matter what the outcomes of our appointments may bring, I trust that God is in control.

Psalm 139:14, "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Multitudes on Monday

1401. Hyland's teething tablets for a fussy, fussy teething baby boy

1402. the sweetest little tooth in Porter's little mouth

1403. soft PJs for all three of my babies

1404. taking Christmas pictures and having them turn out really well

1405. giving Scott and the two bigger kiddos a grocery list and letting them go to the grocery for me

1406. Scott not deviating from the list...too much ;)

1407. visiting the lake with my mom - too cold to swim, but never too cold to enjoy the view

1408. sharing a bed with Porter while the rest of the family "camps out" in the basement (despite there being enough beds for everyone!)

1409. stories about my grandparents to make them feel close to my heart

1410. yummy dessert recipes that I can make dairy free and enjoy with everyone

1411. listening to Ella Beth and Landon talk about picking out Christmas gifts for others

1412. hearing Ella Beth talk about how much she would like Legos for Christmas and knowing that she will be getting a lot of them :)

1413. knowing that Landon will be happy with anything that he gets for Christmas

1414. my mouth watering just coming up with items for our Thanksgiving menu

1415. cute and colorful toboggans to keep little heads and ears warm on cold, windy days

Psalm 69:30, "I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving."

7:09 p.m.

7 months, 2 weeks, 4 days and Porter has his first tooth! And a fever. And lots of drool.

Multitudes on Monday

There's this thing about the "Publish" button...you have to push it. Oh what 3 kiddos has done to my brain!


1389. starting my day off with the reminder that I am a small part of God's master plan

1390. listening to Ella Beth read her Bible to start off our school day

1391. the excitement the kiddos have about going to the dentist today...I'm just hoping it lasts once we are there

1392. Landon's enthusiasm for learning

1393. making simple Christmas lists

1394. making homemade Christmas gifts for the homes of family members

1395. the breathtaking BEAUTY of Fall leaves in the mountains

1396. enjoying our "magic doors" fully while getting in and out during a rain storm

1397. delicious food that I don't have to cook or clean up after

1398. good company over delicious food that I don't have to cook or clean up after

1399. fun colored folders to make school work even more fun

1400. starting our new Study of the USA...and knowing I will learn a lot right along with Ella Beth

2 Corinthians 4:15, "All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God."

BOO! to you

We had a wonderful time celebrating Halloween this year. The best part of any holiday is watching the kiddos enjoy themselves, and this year was just So Much Fun!!

There was the pumpkin carving - which the kiddos really get into, and this mama really doesn't.

Landon was an Arrgh, Pirate. Ella Beth was Lemon Meringue (from Strawberry Shortcake). Porter was a Leopard. 

Scott's family met at his Grandma's new assisted living to trick-or-treat with the residents there.

This little fella can't wait until next year when he can have his fair share of the loot!

All of the adults were required to dress up this year -  

The cousins -

Our family - Scott was "Turtleman" and I was a Farm Girl.

It was quite a chilly night for trick-or-treating, but once the kiddos were bundled up they didn't notice!

Ella Beth trick-or-treated with Kaitlin and Riley -

And Landon trick-or-treated with Hayden. These two little boys are best buds and super silly when they are together. :)

Fun memories and more candy than we can eat!!