I’ve been photographing the G family since this crazy guy was just a few months old!

That pretty lady on the right there…I love her to pieces.  And that lucky guy on the left?  He’s my hubby’s best friend.

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And together they made these gorgeous kiddos!  Who just so happen to be the same genders and same ages as my own kiddos.  Pretty much a best case scenario all around, being besties with these guys!

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Because while they are clearly beautiful on the outside…

I know that their insides are even more stunning.

Insides full of grace, compassion, hospitality, integrity, love.

It is such a blessing to do life alongside these guys!

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Love you, G Family!

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Without going into detail that might one day embarrass her…let me just say that the last few weeks have not been easy for us.  She’s made poor choices.  She’s been warned.  She’s made those poor choices again.  She’s suffered consequences.  She’s pretended they didn’t affect her, even though I know they did.  She is her mother’s daughter after all.

And I’m honestly not sure if the battle is getting through to her yet.  I’m not sure if the truth I’m trying to impart on her is sinking in.  I’m not sure if my urging her to consider others first is making any sense to her.

But what I am sure of, is that parenting is hard.  I’ve never parented a nearly-7-year-old before and I am making mistakes.

Parenting is humbling.  I make poor choices.  I overreact.  I raise my voice.  I hold grudges.  I become bitter.

And parenting is sanctifying.

The thought that keeps coming to mind lately is that Justin and I are the ones who get to teach her what love is.  We get to demonstrate the love of Jesus to her more tangibly than anyone else.  We get to demonstrate mercy, grace, forgiveness.  But sometimes I’m not good at love and mercy and grace and forgiveness.  Especially when parenting is as challenging as it has been recently.

Yesterday was her first day of first grade.  And I had a hard time sending her off, feeling like things weren’t quite right between us.  So after we had breakfast, packed lunch, got dressed, and took the obligatory first day of school photos…I needed a moment with her.  Just to connect.  So we sat on the porch, and she snuggled up on my lap.  And I ran my fingers through her golden hair and told her that I was sorry.  I was sorry for being impatient.  Sorry for losing my temper.

And do you know what she said?

“Everyone makes bad choices, Mom.  Even parents sometimes.”  Grace.  Mercy.  Forgiveness.  LOVE.

I know I feel like it’s my job to teach her these things.  But in reality, a lot of the time, it’s her teaching me those things.  That God would use our children to urge us closer to Him…that He would use little ones to refine us, mold us, shape us…that’s just so like Him.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  (Lamentations 3:22-23)

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A year ago, I had just completed Jennie Allen’s “Restless” study.  The tagline of her study is “because you were made for more,” and the goal of the study was for us to learn more about the “more” that we were made for.  It forced me to take a deeper look at the things in my life that were special to me…the unique array of people, places, passions, sufferings, and gifts that God has given me…and then try to figure out how God wanted me to use them for Him.

What makes your heart race?  For me, it basically comes down to three things.  Families who live with type 1 diabetes and advocating for our t1d heroes.  Photography.  And Jesus.  Such a random little list of passions, and I didn’t understand how the Lord would be able to string them together in a way that made sense to me and would bring glory to Him.  And that’s kind of how this blog began in the first place.  One step at a time…trusting Him with the process while not able to see the big picture.  (You can read more about that here and here.)

Evidence that God can weave together random passions?  This photo shoot, and this family.  Our lives intersected when they signed their triplets up for VBS at our church.  One of their little ones is a t1d hero and so I got to be their small group leader for a week.  We managed t1d and talked about Jesus and formed a relationship that is so special.  And then their mom asked about setting up a photo shoot!  AH!  Just like that, He did it!  Jesus, t1d, and photography…in relationship!  Passions collided.  To Him be the glory.

Now, would you LOOK at these gorgeous kids!

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  • Bo Moore

    We are so blessed to have met you all. God certainly had a plan for us to meet. Not only as support for each other while our daughters live with T1D, but also to be friends. Thank you so much for capturing such beautiful moments in the pictures you took. Their individual personalities shine through your amazing work. God Bless ??ReplyCancel

This is my gorgeous niece, Baby H.  She is seriously one of the happiest babies I have ever met.  And in her short eight months of life so far, she has been through a LOT.  She is a little fighter, this one.  A lover of life and love and family.  She had a mountain to climb and she did it with her smile and joyful spirit totally intact.

And because I know what it’s like to be the mommy of a little one with seemingly insurmountable challenges in front of her, and I know what it’s like to worry and pray your heart out and beg to take her place… What I said about Baby H is also true for her mama.  She is a fighter.  She is a lover of life and love and family.  She had a mountain to climb, and she did it with her smile and joyful spirit intact.

Isn’t it amazing how much we learn about life and faith when we become parents?  We see our very hearts in the lives of these little children and watching them endure REALLY hard things seems impossible.  But with God’s grace and strength and comfort, we watch them do the hard things they must do.  And we become better.  We experience in tangible ways, that He is trustworthy, and He loves His children and we cannot help but love Him more.  Trust Him more.

Baby H…you are SO loved.  By your family, yes.  By your Heavenly Father, so immensely!

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Oh sweet boy.

Before you were even born I recognized your life as a miracle.  Your very existence in my womb was a life loved and protected by the One who put you there. Your kicks in my belly reminded me that God is good.  And He has a plan.  And He is trustworthy.

And then you officially joined our family in August of 2013.  In the middle of the most difficult time in our young family’s history, you came.  You came and you renewed our joy.  You brightened a dark time.  You reminded me again that God is good.  And He has a plan.  And He is trustworthy.  The timing of your birth, a few short months after Mackenna’s diagnosis, was perfect.  We needed your sweet newborn snuggles and fresh baby smiles.  God gave us you at just the right time.

I cannot believe you are already two!  My last baby, no longer a baby.  I have treasured and loved and soaked up every milestone of yours.  I love watching you grow and change and learn.

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You melt my heart with your big toothy smile and that dimple on your left cheek.

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I love your silly side…which you get from your daddy.

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I love that you lay yourself in my arms and say, “I da baby” so I will rock you and sing to you.

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You’re a stinker.  You instigate.  You aggravate.  You push my buttons.  But you can turn on a dime into the sweetest little thing.

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You are a snuggler.  With me, with daddy, with friends and even people you don’t know very well.  But perhaps your favorite snuggle buddy is your giraffe.  Most loved giraffe ever right there.

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We laugh at your words that sound the same.  “Ah-nan” means “all done” and “again” which can be pretty confusing.  “Nack” can mean “snack” or “drink” or “walk”… but usually you are patient with us and eventually we get it right.

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You love your choo-choo, except when it falls off the track resulting in instant tragedy!

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You are the best at welcoming someone home.  Every evening when you hear the garage door go up, you stop what you’re doing and head toward the door.  With arms wide open, you exclaim, “Dad!” and totally make his day.

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Your favorite songs are: Happy Birthday…Row, row, row…Jesus loves me…and The wheels on the bus

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And the phrase we hear all. day. long.  “Come with me.” I know I get tired of hearing it sometimes, but I love that you want me to be a part of your fun and I hope you keep asking me to come along with you.

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Because I’m your mom, I can’t write you a letter without adding a little bit of advice.  I’ll keep it simple.  Lucas, I love you a ton.  But Jesus loves you WAY more than I do.  As you grow and learn over the next year, I pray that you will know and feel the love Jesus has for you.  Learn it as a simple and absolute truth.  Because it is not complicated.  “Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so.”

Happy Birthday, Lukey!

Love, Mommy

 

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