Nine years ago, our Sweetpea was born…the smallest of all of my babies.  Now, she is taller than Ava, strong, independent, helpful and persistent.  While she was also the least interested of all her siblings to become mobile as a baby, she is now the one least likely to be sitting for any length of time.  Isabelle regularly finds excuses to be moving around when we’re watching a movie together.  Schoolwork is a challenge many days simply because she doesn’t feel like she’s doing anything.  She literally wanders around the house looking for tasks she can “help” with so that she doesn’t have to sit down and attend to her schoolwork.

The plus side of this is that she is quite proficient at many things.  She makes breakfast, does laundry, vacuums, cleans bathrooms, pulls weeds, helps Tim fix things, preps vegetables, waters plants, and so much more.  She is endlessly inquisitive and also loves to explain things to others.  When given the option, Isabelle will always choose to work alongside someone rather than work alone.  She seeks out interaction in almost any endeavor and just gets such joy out of being around people.

Isabelle is nurturing and compassionate.  She has the best giggle, still, and the biggest eyes that show every emotion so clearly.  She is often ready with a word of encouragement, and is particularly benefited by words of encouragement herself.  She is thoughtful and exuberant and literally bounces with excitement at times.  She brings light and optimism with her wherever she goes.

I love this youngest girl of mine with all my heart.  She is a unique, precious treasure to my heart…one of God’s very best gifts to me…and I am so thankful for the chance to celebrate her 9 years today.

Lucas is six years old today.  On any given day, he can be my biggest challenge or my greatest blessing, or both mere minutes apart.

He’s almost done with kindergarten, which I’m sure he’d tell you can’t end soon enough.  He HATES schoolwork…like, throws a mini-tantrum at least half the mornings when he’s reminded there’s schoolwork to be done.  And, to be fair, I’m still trying to figure out how he learns best, which means he’s had to do a lot of learning in ways that don’t come easily for him.  BUT, he started the school year not even really knowing the alphabet or numbers (due to lack of interest and motivation on both my part and his), and can now read enough to figure out most words, and though his math progress is slow, progress IS being made, and he is still far beyond where he started.

In other areas, though, he is exceptional.  He regularly surprises me with his listening comprehension and verbal communication skills.  He loves drawing, and his ability to memorize facts is impressive.  He can follow LEGO instructions for sets that should be too complicated for him, and can come up with his own detailed and functional creations.  As always, he is constantly trying to keep up with his older siblings, so his strength and coordination continue to improve at an accelerated pace.

The thing I find most remarkable about Lucas, though, is the way he observes and cares for people.  In spite of a particular selfish bent that might be magnified because he is the “baby”, he is very concerned with the well-being of those around him.  He is a protector of his sisters, he reminds his brothers of things when he thinks they might have forgotten, he prays for me if I’m hurt and hugs me if I’m sad.  He randomly writes notes telling me, Tim, or his siblings that he loves us, and he likes nothing better than to make someone laugh.

He has a lot of preferences, from not liking to wear pants that touch the floor at all, to preferring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches over almost any other food.  He likes to do tricks on his bike, and play stratego, and eat candy, and climb on everything, and sing like a heavy metal rocker.  Lucas is full of personality and energy and passion.  Still a force to be reckoned with in so many ways, but he brings joy to my heart even so.  He is a treasure and blessing to our home, and I am thankful beyond words for this six year old kid.