Emma

Emma is our imp, our quick-to-smile, loving little girl who is always trying to keep Sammi happy. Emma is generous, preferring for everyone to be happy, and quick to think of people that need a card or an extra hug. This little extrovert loves Sundays, having people over and babysitters. Emma is detail-oriented, quickly noticing the difference between a 'Q' and 'O', and has picked up on her letters quickly and easily, without even seeming to try.

Emma loves getting her picture taken, often asking for a picture and then giving this huge cheesy grin. She has been wearing this princess dress for the last 6 days, taking it off only for meals. She talks with her hands, and loves to take care of her 'babies', teaching them bible stories and singing songs to them. She prefers apples to brownies, and would rather talk than eat. She is a lover of books and legos and letters. We love you Emma!

Jessie

I know I've been posting a lot about Jessie lately. No, she's not our favorite :) (we don't have one!) It's just because I've been working on her baby album, and the deadline is Saturday so I've been pouring over 22 months of pictures mixed with medical records, weight gains, calendars of first steps and words, and I'm amazed at God's goodness. As with all our kids, it continues to boggle my mind that our great God would bless us with three wonderful, healthy girls. It amazes me that from day 1 God provides in amazing ways, allowing them to grow and providing us with the strength to parent them in the good and the difficult ways. Parenting Jessie has made me far more aware of my weakness and sinfulness. She has humbled me and made me pray often, and I'm thankful for it. For this kind of parenting reminds me over and over again of 2 Corinthians 12:9:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Thank you Lord for my weakness and your power, so God is glorified and I am strengthened.

God is good!

Bok choy, tatsoi and turnips -oh my!

So, we've decided to participate in something called a CSA, or community sponsored agriculture. Basically the farm down the road sells shares, and every week we get 1/352 of the weekly produce the farm pulls out of the fields. Normally CSA's run for around 25 weeks during the spring/summer, and this farm does that as well, but they offer an additional 6 week extension, and I thought it would be a great trial to see if I liked the weekly commitment and the prescribed foods. And I do.

Cooking with mizuna and lemon grass makes me feel brave.

Carrying a large box of veggies home every week makes me feel healthy.

Even if neither are true :)

And while I think of taking a picture every week, I haven't. So instead, I'll end with a picture of my girls.

Jessie

Our little Jess-meister. Is. A. Ham. A quick to giggle, grab her sisters by the waist to physically remove the obstacle, disliker-of-sleep little girl. Her grin is infectious. A mere 9 lbs lighter than her older sisters, she keeps up with them more and more by the day. And they love her, calling her "Jessa", "Jess", "Jessie-Lynn" and "Jessie-Jessie". This little tornado has more nick-names than I could have thought possible when naming her, but her personality is big enough to handle the multiple names. And we love her to bits! She currently loves animals and babies, and going for walks. She loves fairy wings, and is a sugar-jukie. She begs to sleep with her sisters, but often is awake long after they our. She is the feeder of Jack, the instigator of trouble and a perpetual joy.

These little girls are so full of joy. We decided to take the kids around the cul-de-sac for trick-or-treating, and then have them help us hand out candy. This was something I wrestled with, for I know the many arguments against it. After wrestling with it, I was so glad we did it. We got to meet so many of the neighbors, and spent time talking with them. Our neighborhood is known to be a good place to go, so we got lots of visitors, and ended up talking with many of the parents as we sat on the front porch. The girls did a great job of handing out candy, and only handed it to us to hand out when the really scary people came around :) Most of our guests were little kids and parents, and we saw many fairies, princesses and super heros. And the girls loved it, and did a great job of being generous. What an opportunity we would have missed, and we look forward to seeing these neighbors again. What a unique community God has placed us in! Many people who have no family around and are desperate for community. What an opportunity! Now just to get to work!