A reintroduction.

I have a few drafts saved up that I never have published. One is entitled "Asher" and I've added to it with long breaks in between additions. Asher is our baby son who died the August after my last post. There were complications during his birth and he ultimately didn't survive. My post about him is long and detailed, but still incomplete. I will publish it when I feel I'm done with it. 

Until then, let me catch you up on our family! The "Four Small Boys" who were the originals on this blog are growing up. Jack will be 18 next month, Taylor will be 17 in July, Noah 16 in September, and Austin is 14. Adam, whose birth was announced long ago in a post is 12, Jane is 10, and Caleb (still Cubby) is 8. 

Asher would be turning 7 this year. It's crazy for me to consider that.

Lia is almost four and Ezra, our caboose, is 20 months. They are pretty awesome little humans and I'm excited to introduce them as pivotal players in this spotty little history. 

We moved 5 years ago, but not far. My parents moved in across the street 2 years ago, which was an incredible and unexpected blessing.

Our life when I started this blog felt as demanding as can be. Kevin and I still look back on the year we had Austin as one of the hardest ever. We pretty much had 4 babies, with our boys being 3, 2, 1, and 0. Life now, though, is stretching in a different way. We have such a range of ages and so many unique personalities that we are trying to help navigate toward adulthood and various stages. I'm up late talking to my older ones, up in the night with Ezra and even Lia, then up and going to help my elementary kids get fed and out the door on time. Lia and Ez are usually up by then and my day is well underway.

As a way to sort of focus this "coming back" post, here are some of the things I love about each of my kids:

Jack is loyal, compassionate, and disciplined. He is a hard worker and knows how to get a job done well. He balances school, a job, friends, a girlfriend, and family life and manages to be successful and happy. He's not gregarious, but he's a natural leader wherever he goes. He's a great singer and one of my favorite things is hearing him sing while he loads up the dishwasher.

Taylor is kind, grateful, low key and talented. He's taught himself the guitar and is pretty amazing, but he has yet to perform in any way, even for me! He's patient and loving with his youngest siblings. I love going for walks with him because he is so interesting to talk to. He just has great insights about life, but he's not one to volunteer his opinions so it takes some digging.

Noah is all the good things. He's totally selfless and chronically cheerful. He's the one who makes sure we pray together each night and is usually the first one awake, making sure everyone is getting up. He makes things happen in his life and is pretty on the ball.

Austin is organized, dependable, friendly and fun. He gets along with all his siblings, though he likes bantering a lot. He can organize a pantry like no other and although he is short, but compensates by being hard-working and competitive in sports. It's always fun watching him compete.

Adam is funny, helpful, ambitious, and loving. Lia loves him so much because he has been such a kind and solicitous brother to her. He is incredibly creative and that manifests itself in the kitchen pretty often. He is a good friend and well-liked by others. He's always thinking about how he can earn money.

Jane is sweet, happy, thoughtful and dynamic. She's got lots of friends and it's important to her that people don't feel left out. She comes up with fun activities, writes books and plays, is an enthusiastic supporter of plans that don't involve cleaning, and is the perfect big sister to Lia. When she found out Lia was going to be a girl she literally cried tears of joy.

Cubby is smart, engaging, happy, and driven. He is a bit of a teaser at the moment, and can be tenacious when he wants something, but overall he's really pleasant to live with. He's quick to apologize and easy to teach. I love playing games with him because he catches on quickly and usually ends up winning.

Lia is pretty magical. She has a strong little personality that was a mix of sweet and sour not long ago, but is far more sweet now. She is enthusiastic and imaginative. She LOVES babies. She is so kind and caring toward Ezra. She is very talkative and says funny and cute and weird things constantly. 

Ezra is far less talkative. He is mostly quiet and can't be bothered to say words most of the time, though he knows a handful. He is very expressive with his emotions though. He beams when he's happy, pouts out his lip when he's sad, furrows his brows when he's angry, shakes when he's excited. Mostly, though, he's chill and content. He is a light and a joy and we're so happy he's ours.

Our dog, Toto, died of old age earlier this year. She was a great dog and it was sad for all of us. We technically have a pet bunny, though he just roams around our property and we never hold him or even bother to chase him anymore. Last month we saw him in the yard and were watching him when another bunny came hopping out, too! We've since seen that bunny a lot, so I guess we "have" 2 bunnies now. Jack has a goldfish. And we currently have 16 4-week-old chicks. We'll see how that goes.

Kevin and I are going strong...though his back is pretty weak and my neck has issues. Haha:) With Ezra being nearly 2 and our last, I feel like I am coming into new territory. I'm neither expecting a baby nor grieving a loss. There's space there that there hasn't ever been before, though I'm not sure for what. Maybe this? We'll see. Kevin is still self-employed as a financial planner and recently bought part of a building. He is officing with people he really enjoys and generally loving life, as is his nature. 

So, there it is. Our big old family in a wordy nutshell. 

The boys

The girls