If You Give Your Son a Book of Comic Strips for His Birthday....

~the men will want to lounge around reading it together late at night

~You'll hear over and over, "Listen to this one...."

~the laughter will pour forth like water

~one will find the strips so funny that he'll drop his glasses to the floor and laugh even harder because he dropped his glasses to the floor

~your son will be relentless, causing bellyache after bellyache

~Your Beloved will find he has to listen to just one more

~and your sweet littlest princess will wonder what in the world these guys find so funny and, really, isn't it way past their bedtime (never mind hers...):)

And if you're Mama, you'll have the biggest grin on your face while you're earnestly snapping pictures because you love the laughter and you wish you could bottle up these moments....

Good Medicine

One of my love languages is gifts, and today there was a lot of love in the mailbox!  Several sweet friends have asked me if I've started feeling any baby blues, and the answer is "no."  BUT, I have been feeling the sadness of being so far away from our families...none of them here to love on Jedediah or rejoice with us.  It's a disconnectedness that has me wishing circumstances were different...that we had family close-by who would just pop in for a visit.

So, I was so blessed to receive these wonderful surprises from my cousin in GA....she speaks my love language really well, and she always seems to know just the perfect gift for me and for my family.

(I have to say....I think I have the cutest models in the world!)

~My Sweet Cuz sent this wonderful bag and a much-needed collection of baby goodies

~We LOVE playing games, and we can't wait to try this version of UNO.  Little Big Man was sweet enough to give us his "goofy game show host" face. :)

~She also included a daily devotional that I'm eager to start reading....it's even more special because of the inscription.  Don't you love getting books with sweet messages written at the front?

~Isn't this bag amazing?  This Poff Clan will be happily using this to tote our picnic supplies and other goodies wherever we go.  We LOVE it!

Thank you, dear Michele, for the good medicine you gave all of us today.  We are so touched by your thoughtfulness! 

Love,

By the way...if you're thinking, where can I get those adorable bags, please check out my cousin's site at

Thirty One.  :)

Happy 13th Birthday, Little Big Man!

Oh my, second son is now 13!  I look at sweet Jedediah, and it seems like it was just yesterday that we were bringing Jake home.  How do the years move so quickly?  How do we forget so much even when we try to enjoy the moments to the fullest?

We had a sweet time celebrating Little Big Man's birthday today.  It was french toast once again, and we later enjoyed a spaghetti dinner.  Jake is our resident comedian.  He's rarely in a bad mood, and God's blessed him with the ability to make this Mama smile even in the midst of a growly-bug infestation. 

Jake..our most favorite and most handsome redhead.  And just what else do we love about Little Big Man?

1)  He's dependable, responsible, and mature.

2)  He faithfully reads his Bible daily and loves reading books about discipleship and Christian living.

3)  He always finds something to laugh about and makes us laugh, too.

4)  He loves sports and competition.

5)  He loves reading about history.

6)  He has really taken to guitar playing and has written some of his own compositions, including a lullaby for Jedidiah. :)

7)  He has a sweet tooth.  (Hmm....where did that come from?)

8)  He's great with his younger siblings and a favorite playmate for them.

9)  He's become more independent in and responsible for his studies.

10)  He gives great good-morning hugs and wakes up with a smile on his face.

11)  He's a great jam-partner for Mountain Man and Scribe.

12)  He loves guns, shooting, and throwing edged weapons. :)

13)  He has a teachable spirit.

~The favorite event....opening the gifts

~There were Legos, Tolkien books, a movie, and a comic strip book.  He's awaiting his practice battle swords. :)

~This Little One LOVES her big brother

~These two keep me up at night and keep those late nights quite interesting! :) 

~Claire decided we needed some birthday bows in our hair

~Jedediah can't believe he's seen so much partying in the few days he's been home. 

~Jake opted for strawberry cupcakes with vanilla frosting

We love you, Jake, and we're so thankful for each day of these past 13 years with you! 

Happy 5th Birthday, Ella!

Today is sweet Boo's 5th birthday!  We started this special day with french toast for breakfast....and, yes, Claire thought it to be especially good.

What do we love about our sweet Ella Grace?

1)  She has that infectious smile that brightens the gloomiest days and reminds us to be so thankful for each day God has given us.

2)  She's the expert at, "Yes, Maam, I'd be happy to..." when asked to do something.

3)  She loves to help her younger siblings.

4)  She has a tender heart and is very sensitive to correction.

5)  She loves to run.

6)  She draws the cutest stick persons ever!

7)  She enjoys helping Mommy around the house.

8)  She loves to bake.

9) She loves her Bible and loves the LORD.

10)  Her sweet words  "I'm so glad you're my Mommy" echo daily in my ear as she waits to hear, in reply, "I'm so glad you're my Boo."

~Ella and Little Bit had fun decorating the birthday cupcakes.  How thankful this recovering Mama is for cake mixes and canned frosting.  I'm even more thankful for children who consider that just fine for their birthday!

~Ah, a daughter after my own heart.  Sweet Boo chose pizza for her birthday dinner.

~The Princesses get ready for the opening of the gifts.  We loved watching Ella....you could see the delight in each and every moment.

~Big Sister Emma crocheted Ella a necklace and a bracelet.

~She was excited to get a book about butterflies and moths.

~There were ABC stamps and a big coloring book, too.

~And, she was very happy to see the much requested stroller. 

~Happy Birthday, dear Daughter.  You truly are a picture of God's grace to us.  We love you, and we're so thankful God chose us to be your family.

Happy One Week, Jedediah

With all of our family so far away, you know the pictures have to keep coming....here's sweet Jedediah today at one week old already!  Oh, he does look so serious..."Beauclerc" for sure, which means "handsome scholar." :)

~I LOVE this close-up Scribe got!

~Our full-of-energy Little Bit is also full of surprises....she's been quite the loving and gentle big sister when holding her tiny brother.

Deliverance

It's so good to be home and catheter-free! :)  And, it's hard to believe almost a week has passed since God brought Jedediah David safely into this world.

When Mountain Man and I headed to the hospital last Wednesday morning, I was quite calm.  I knew many were praying, and I had the peace that only He can give.  We had a smooth check-in, and thankfully, I was blessed with a very kind nurse who took care of prepping me for surgery.  She even loved large families and was very positive about the fact that this would be our eighth blessing here on earth.

Because of an emergency, my surgery was delayed for almost 2 hours, and during that time I did start to get apprehensive.  Mountain Man prayed with me, though, and I felt calmer as they took me back to the operating room.

The spinal went in successfully on the first try, and Mountain Man was brought into the room.  However, the spinal wasn't taking as quickly on the upper part of my body, and I did experience more pain during this section.  My pressure dropped very fast, and I was immediately sick as they began the section .  It was a very disturbing and helpless feeling.  I remember just trying to call out to Mountain Man but the words wouldn't come...I just felt so sick.  The anesthesiologist got my pressure back up, and I made it through the rest of the surgery without getting sick.

Jedediah David was born about 25 minutes after going to the operating room, and he had a wonderful, strong cry!  The hospital no longer has a nursery, so the babies are kept with the Moms the during the entire stay at the hospital.  So, the nurse actually brought Jedediah up to me and kept him by my side for about 15-20 minutes.  What a blessing! And, he is our biggest baby, weighing in at 6 lbs. 13 ounces.  I had been worried about his weight since we were delivering early, and God answered yet another prayer.

Mountain Man and the nurses then took Jedediah to my recovery room while my doctor finished the surgery.  Of course, the burning question was, "How is my bladder?" and my doctor kept saying, keeping me in suspense, "It's there."  God gave him the wisdom to approach the surgery in a way that kept my bladder in tact, and I was so grateful to hear him say that there were NO tears!  After two previous tears, that is amazing, and we are unspeakably grateful to God for His mercy!

I was taken to recovery, and I did have a very kind nurse during that time.  We thought I was past the getting sick phase, but as soon as she gave me a dose of Morphine, it was downhill from there.  I was sick the rest of the day....all day.  BUT, I was able to nurse Jedediah in recovery, and he did great, a champion nurser he is.  That was a huge blessing in itself, and it made the being sick part much more bearable.

The nurse finally bathed Jedediah about seven hours after delivery, and we noticed that what was described as strawberry-blonde hair was actually brown hair.  After all these sweet light-haired babies, we had been hoping for some darker hair, and we must say, Jedediah does look like Mountain Man.  Scribe is particularly happy.

I was able to leave the hospital Friday and was glad to get home.  However, I started getting a headache at the hospital early Thursday morning.  I mentioned it to my doctor before leaving, and he said the risk of a spinal headache was so low that he was sure it wasn't that and it would go away on its own.  Well, after a couple more days of it, I knew that it was a spinal headache, and I called the hospital Sunday morning to see if I should go to the ER.

I won't bore you with the details, but we'll just say the biggest hurdle was getting someone to believe that I actually could have a spinal headache.  (By the way, I had one with Little Big Man's delivery, and that kind of headache is not something you forget.)  Praise the LORD, I was finally able to get in to have a blood patch done (they actually had to admit me, put in an IV, and then do the procedure).  It was not fun, and there was a point when I just said, "Lord, I cannot do this."  But He is so good, and He got me through it and within 15 minutes of the patch, my horrible headache was gone!

So now, after dealing with several doctor's appointments over the next couple weeks as well as celebrating both Boo's and Little Big Man's birthdays this week, we're looking forward to just enjoying this precious baby boy, savoring the moments of just being together.

God's preservation of me during this entire time is so humbling and amazing.  What a blessing it is to see Him working all things for good....learning to trust Him and walk by faith instead of by sight. 

Thank you for all of your prayers and your continued prayers for my complete healing.  We are so grateful!

Here are some more pictures from the past few days...

~Can you believe we've never gotten a picture of my doctor with any of the other children? 

~Here's Mountain Man with Jedediah the day we were leaving the hospital

~Everyone was delighted to see Jedediah and be able to hold him

~Sweet Claire has had the hardest time adjusting to the new Guy, but last night she spent several minutes just smothering him with tender kisses.  Look at the contrast between the fair-haired sister and her darker brother.  So sweet.

Praising God for His many mercies,