Life On Lisburn

Trick or treat night here and sometimes I think my heart won’t ever get over the break every time Jamesey doesn’t do the typical.  He doesn’t care about candy.  He doesn’t care about the dressing up.  He only wanted to ride in the stroller.  I suppose there is a part of me that’s grateful - some children can’t even tolerate that.  There’s also the fact that his 2 year old brother has surpassed Jamesey in ability and skills (at this point but hope says Jamesey May catch up yet.  Be faithful in prayer...). It’s not fair.  It’s not what I pictured.  Not what I planned for.  I am a planner - I like things to be ordered and to be fair and to work out as I think is deserved.  But, someone who sees more than me is writing our stories.  He’s the divine author, Creator of our dreams and our sorrows.  But, it’s trick or treat night, and D and Anna had so much fun.  It was sweet to see them together with our friends.  To see the...

Last night the rascals and I decided an epic outing was in order since Daddy was at a show.  So, Chick Fil-A it would be.  What I never expected happened in the play area.  I've never thought twice about having to urge my kids to play, but Jamesey plays differently.  This time he proved me wrong.  He's never shown much interest in the play area but last night my heart celebrated as he explored! He appreciated the texture of the floor, he checked out the slide and the steps and the toddler zone (always darting back to me for hugs).  His hands were always moving, he had such a smile on his face and the giggles -oh, the giggles!!! It was a delight to watch - it also changed my perspective on watching Anna and D play.  It was beautiful to watch kids just BE! It was such a reminder for me that I often underestimate what J is capable of.  He just does things on his own time frame and we don't know what his limits will be, and I need to stop assuming lim...

Well it's the day before Jamesey's birthday - Little Man is turning 4! Tonight as I rocked him to sleep he really wanted extra snuggles and I felt compelled to pray over him.  I have to admit, I'm terrible at remembering to pray over my children, but this time I had a good heart to heart with God.  There's a picture that haunts me from the day Jamesey was born.  It shows Anna meeting Jamesey for the first time and as I look at it there is both joy and pain.  The family in that picture had no idea the challenges that would be faced in the coming hours, days, weeks and years - but we also didn't know the happiness that we could experience.  He's a happy little man, he's a mostly healthy little man, and he's wonderful.

Well here in South Central PA, it's been rainy and a little chilly.  But, yesterday was gorgeous and so we popped the kids in the car and headed to Baltimore's Inner Harbor.  We feel very fortunate to have such amazing family resources so nearby.  The Inner Harbor houses great sites like the Baltimore Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center & Port Discovery - just to name a few amazing and kid-friendly locations.  The aquarium was our first stop.  It's always a little treacherous navigating through the parking garages (lol) but we made it.  We were gifted a family pass to the aquarium by my amazing Aunt and Uncle and having that makes our trips both affordable and a whole lot less stressful! It means we can pop into the exhibits we want to check out and if it's too crowded or the kids are out of sorts we can shorten our stay without feeling wasteful.  I have to say the highlight of my day was watching the kids reactions to the jellyfish exhibit....