Daddy and Daughter Tickle-Fest

When Jillian tried to climb her daddy, he got her with some serious tickling, which they both thoroughly enjoyed!

And then they were tickled out.

By this time, Daddy was tired,,,

...as was his littlest girl.

Jillian is too far young to remember this riotous tickle time, but I'm guessing that Aaron won't soon forget this very special evening with his 13-month-old just days before his first son was born. God gives such good gifts!

Her Creativity Makes Up for Her Youth

Anna has an ingenious 2-1/2 year old. With greater accessibility to Mom's make-up while staying in our home, she decided to use Mommy's mascara wand to stir her Mommy's foundation. And, all of this while she was supposedly napping.

But Evelyn quickly learned that the act of experimentation then requires clean-up.

In this case, the clean-up meant a whole lot of scrubbing...

...and scrubbing.

You might notice in this photo that Anna is sporting a baby bump. She's due in mid July with their fourth child. Hmmm...I wonder what antics number 4 will think up...

Evelyn was very patient with the scrub down...

...which went on...

...and on...

...and on.

Until Mom reached the best part, Evelyn's exceedingly ticklish neck! This step resulted in uncontrollable laughter for the miscreant.

One would think that this long scrub would bring an end to Evelyn's interest in experimenting with her mommy's make-up. But, no. Anna put her toddler back down for a nap and returned to discover that Evelyn had colored herself with Anna's lip gloss. I do believe that all of Anna's make-up is being stored on the top bunk in the family's temporary quarters. Just writing this gives me the sudden urge to go check on the location of all the permanent markers in the house. Ta ta for now, dear readers!

Big Strong Will

Recently I had the chance to visit Eric and Alison in order to babysit Will for them. Having an overnight sitter gave Alison the chance to go with Eric on his first-ever business trip. (They took 7-week-old Emee with them so that Alison could nurse her).

As soon as Will's mommy left for the get away, Will and I headed outside. After all, a 60-degree day in Boston in early April is not to be missed!

As soon as Will entered the garage, he had a twinkle in his happy blue eyes. At a mere 18-months, our first grandson is already one of those kids who could simply pitch a tent and live outside for the rest of his days. Part of the reason is probably his passion for imitating the things he has seen his father do in the great outdoors.

So on this lovely late afternoon, Will went from this brief glance from the garage into the warm afternoon and turned around to grab his shovel. Here's what his grandpa thinks ran through his young mind:

"Let's see... how can I be like Daddy today?"

"I know... I'll do some shoveling!"

"The driveway must need something shoveled..."

"I can shovel snow..."

"... I can even shovel rocks!"

"Hmmm... that was fun, but how can I be like Daddy next?"

"The best way to be like Daddy is to put my shovel away before I start something else!"

Such Cuteness!

Months have passed since I last posted, but a recent trip to see Anna's family has given me the perfect reason to begin again. I got the chance to take some pictures of Aaron and Anna's third little girl just after Jillian finished lunch one day.

Who could resist this smile?

I think this is peek-a-boo, seven-month-old style!

This sweet little girl started smiling real earnest smiles before she was even a week old, and she's been smiling ever since. Jillian is one happy baby and a true blessing to all. We're all thankful to God for such a loving gift.

A Sweet day Day to Celebrate

Today was a very happy one for our family. Anna, who's in a wedding here this weekend, flew in for a long weekend.

She couldn't bring the whole family, but she brought the newest member of our tribe, six-week-old Jillian. The little one had quite a fan club meet her at the airport!

And here was Jillian's reaction to meeting her many aunties and uncles as her Uncle Matthew held her still tiny hand.

Jillian's Auntie Zhenya (on the left), who held her so often during her first week of life when the two of us flew out to help Anna and her family, was immediately able to coax smiles out of her niece.

Uncle Matthew was the first to get to hold this precious gift from God.

As soon as Jillian was born I felt certain that this third girl in Aaron and Anna's family was going to have blue eyes like her sisters. Getting to see this grandtreasure again served only to confirm my suspicion. Such blue eyes, just like her daddy!

Not all of us were able to make the two-hour trip to the airport. Sarah, who has her own cake making business, is supplying cupcakes for the wedding of the family friend who is getting married this weekend. Here she's creating the candy ornaments with which she'll decorate each of the cupcakes.

These aren't just any cupcakes, however. These are cupcakes with a sweet purpose. The money Sarah earns from this job will go straight into the fund she is building to return to Zambia, Lord willing. She hopes to go back to the Kazembe orphanage in 2016 to work for a couple of years this time around.

I just want to finish this post by saying that this day was overflowing with yummy family time, including the joy of watching our children meet their newest niece. The day was extra sweet because 32 years ago today, Mr R proposed to me (and I immediately said YES!!!). We are both profoundly grateful to God for allowing us the wonder of walking the narrow road TOGETHER. There have been so many twists we never expected on July 30, 1983 when we agreed to marry one another.

The first upheaval to our dream life was not just infertility but barrenness. Multiple fertility specialists told us we would NEVER get pregnant. That news turned us toward adoption. And God blessed us above and beyond anything we would have dared to hope for by placing Anna in our arms within a few hours of her birth. Oh, how we thank God for the courage of her birthmother to go through with her pregnancy rather than aborting Anna! And, as it turns out, Anna has been the perfect leader of her 11 siblings. She loves Jesus deeply and seeks to serve Him. She is a blessed influence on the rest of her sisters and brothers. God's plan was so much better than our dream! What a glorious 32 years our journey has been, and today was a sweet day to celebrate.

Curious William

Our grandson is oh-so loved! This is childhood as God intended. This tender care is what millions fatherless children around the world completely miss out on. They are profoundly scarred as a result, but their lives CAN be redeemed when they have a loving home, are taught the gospel, and, by God's grace, eventually find their identity in Christ. Orphans must not be considered castaways! Please, dear friends, would you pray about entering the orphan care fray through adoption or foster care? All we ask is that you seek the Lord. Please go to His word and ask Him to show you His heart for the most vulnerable. If you take the step into orphan care, your life will be raw, hard and more blessed than you could ever have imagined!!! God cares for and leads those who care for the orphaned! We've experienced this 10 times over! He is so good!

(If you'd like to talk to me about adoption, my email is barrennomore@gmail.com -- Please be aware, I'm not always quick to respond, life continues to be wonderfully crazy in our home with 10 children still living with us.)

William the Wonder (9 months)