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We had a very relaxing day on Monday (Labor Day). We slept in, took a 3 mile walk with the three youngest, and Jesse took me to a place that sells coconut water in real coconuts!
The weather has been so beautiful many days recently and we’ve been loving getting in lots of walks. The babies LOVE walks, too!
Silas had multiple baseball games this past week. He’s so happy to be back to baseball and Jesse is loving helping out as an assistant coach.
The babies and I spend lots of time on the sidelines cheering him on. (Though Kaitlynn doesn’t look too thrilled about it in this photo! ;))
She is looking more and more grown up!! She’s so expressive and just loves life!
The kids’ school had their first football game and it was Kaitlynn’s first game to get to cheer at. She’s loving doing cheer this year!
The babies have started really interacting with toys, playing with toys, and holding onto/playing with stuffed animals. It’s so cute to watch!
Jesse turned 40 this past week. We celebrated with a double date with good friends at Ted’s Montana Grill (one of Jesse’s favorites). And then we spent the day of his birthday listening to the 9/11 radio real-time radio coverage (so sobering) and at an online foster care conference and watching Kaitlynn cheer at the football game.
Jesse, I looked through hundreds of photos to pick the perfect one to capture who you are… and this is it: you carrying a baby in the car seat, a diaper bag on your back, and two stuffed bags in another hand — all with a smile on your face.
Last year on your birthday, we had just found out we were expecting. We knew the next year was going to be wild and unexpected and would include having a baby and me writing a book, but we had no idea it was also going to include a global pandemic, taking in a sibling group of 3 for a short time, Kathrynne getting stuck in Suriname, and the beautiful opportunity to love on and care for Champ (for almost half a year so far!).
I have gotten the amazing privilege of watching you behind-the-scenes through all these things.
No one else has seen the hours upon hours you’ve spent taking Champ to doctor’s appointments, or the long heart-to-heart conversations you’ve had with our older three, or the many rounds of catch you’ve played with Silas, or the way you have reached out and helped Champ’s mom, or the hours you’ve spent on the phone giving pro bono legal advice to friends, or the hours you’ve spent teaching Kathrynne to drive and driving her to work and countless social engagements, or the hours you’ve spent talking to, holding, reading, and singing to the babies, or the months of you waking up every single night to take care of Champ and/or Kierstyn, or the countless bottles you’ve made and diapers you’ve changed, or the shopping you’ve done with Kaitlynn, or the hours you’ve invested serving are church in the men’s discipleship program, the children’s ministry, the youth group, and running the coffee bar, or the many, many, many times you’ve ran errands or cleaned the house or made phone calls or taken both babies so I could work or write or sleep.
No one else has seen this, but I have — and God has. Your continual giving of yourself for us and others is a constant picture of Christ and how He laid down His life for those he loved.
There is no one else I’d rather be on this adventure of life with. I love you so much and would marry you all over again. Happy 40th birthday!
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