Livin' the Good Life...

Sometimes I can't even put into words how much I adore my life. My dear friends, I am livin' the good life. Yes, my days are not always easy...my little rascals can be toots...the hubs and I don't have a perfect marriage...I get overwhelmed at times with the life of a special needs child...but when I stop among the chaos of my life and take a deep breath in, I am filled with awe that I am livin' the good life. I love my people fiercely, and I am dearly loved in return. I have often found myself while praying more recently just thanking God for this richly blessed life that is beyond what I deserve. No matter what, He has been faithful to our little family and for that, I am grateful. I am grateful to have Saturdays to spend time exploring this really cool area of Texas we live in. This outdoor family has enjoyed spending a few Saturdays hiking together...

 We have even learned that Max digs this hiking business when it is colder weather :). Which was very encouraging for me because sometimes our outings with him are a lot of work and not always pleasant, but we keep on chugging away working with him to experience as normal of a childhood as possible. As for the other two, well they are definitely happy campers in nature no matter the weather...

Hiking, exploring, having a picnic, are all at the top of their favorites list! Daniel and I work on preserving as much family time as possible. While we spend most of our time just chillin' at home: having free play, riding bikes, working on projects, relaxing...

playing games...

basically soaking up each other's company...we also are spontaneous. Most of the outings I blog about, we came up with the day of. Daniel and I aren't real big on schedules during our free times...we just like to roll with it. We enjoy waking up, smiling at each other while our bed fills up with munchkins, asking each other what we want to do that day. It's fun to take a gamble and see what's in store. Like when we randomly stumbled upon this incredible old-time general hardware store in southeast Austin. I mean, there was a blue grass band playing when we walked in, all kinds of animals scattered around the store...

the kids had a great time. Another spontaneous adventure was when we loaded up and headed downtown to the boat and travel trailer show. I know, I know...you are probably thinking that is a little strange...but our kids were in heaven!

They love, LOVE going out on boats and camping...so we had a difficult time wrangling them in and not going crazy :). As you can imagine, they wanted to run all over the conference center, checking out each new feature they could find. All of us enjoyed dreaming about these toys and where all we would go together...

Ahhh, yes...the good life. I'm beyond grateful for the little tooters I have the privilege of raising. Our oldest son is the most amazing brother. I know I gush about him all the time, but I seriously can't get over the way God is molding him right in front of our eyes. You will often find one of the littles peaking over Kason's shoulders to see what he's up too...

or giggling up a storm trying to have a tickle war. They can't seem to get enough of him either :). Like I've said in the previous post, he is working hard at this learning gig and doing really well...

Daniel and I love to surprise and reward him with little treats for his hard work. One Sunday afternoon, we went on a mother/son double date...

My good friend and I took the boys to a swanky theater, they propped their feet up, and ordered popcorn and cookies to share!

 The main feature was of course Star Wars. As you can already tell, Daniel and I are beyond proud of this fella. Another rascal we are grateful for is our little lady. It isn't easy having a special needs brother who requires a lot of time and attention. Rather than throwing tantrums or acting jealous, these two just roll with it. I mean, how many kids do you know that get excited over pretending to give each other MRI's while we wait for brother's MRI appointment?

 Seriously, these two love playing doctor and it's just precious. Zoe is really stepping into the baby sister roll around our house...

she is spunky, goofy...

and LOVES to be the center of attention! In fact, she has been trying her hand at being a jokester more recently and has this new fake laugh that resembles Janice off of Friends. It's a little funny and unnerving all at the same time! She is still 100% a little momma and is really inventive in the way she takes care of her babies...

I'm still working on brain washing her into sports and may or may not be coaching her up on a personal favorite, softball :).

Just like with Kason, I am tickled to see the way God is working on her heart. She is seriously all about this lovin' Jesus business lately. When we pretend cook and have a picnic by her kitchen, we always pray before eating and she "blesses" the food. The other day she even sat me down right in front of her and said, "let me tell you all about Jesus".

I obliged with a HUGE smile while replying, "preach it sister". Oh yes, I'm always up for a little gospel meeting with my kids! This little fireball is a glorious handful and I wouldn't have it any other way. Last, but not least is our little miracle in which I'm beyond grateful for...

 our little charmer, Max. Wow...this kid is going places. He is growing in every way. I can't even count the amount of times his teacher and therapist have gushed over how determined Max is and how much he perserveres and works toward his goals. I have a feeling he is going to go places Daniel and I can't even imagine!

He is a joy to live with while also being a handful at the same time :). While I'm being honest here, I must confess that I may or may not have shared a little Dr. Pepper with him. Let's just say, he definitely came back for more...haha! Just to remind you, Max doesn't eat anything by mouth, he is completely g-tube fed. He is starting to do very well at drinking small sips of water or juice here or there...we even convinced him to try soup one time. But, he takes after his momma and loves him some DP. One time when signing for a drink I spilled a little bit of the DP on the counter while trying to share with him and that kid totally started licking the table! The other day, I caught the little toot trying to sneak a sip...

 He can't actually drink through a straw, but I was so proud that he tried and kept coming back for more. I feel like I could write a book right now sharing with you all the inchstones this guy has conquered, but I think the most important characteristic of Max is that God is alive in him. We experience His joy, love, and presence in the simplicity of Max's life.

Just like the other two, God is working on him in big ways and I'm honored to go along with the adventure. Here is my challenge for you my friends. Stop what you are doing, look around, and soak up God's glory in what He is doing in your life. I would venture to say that you are also probably livin' the good life. There is a beauty in the most mundane and most chaotic aspects of life...just don't forget to take it all in and cling to the good life He has provided. I know I'm not going to pass up the joy or allow exhaustion to overshadow my gratefulness to live life with these three loud, energetic, giggling, chatter boxes!