Baby Brewer is here!!

I woke up this morning, annoyed with my alarm clock as usual...until I realized that today was the DAY! My nephew was coming! It's amazing how quickly I will jump out of bed for that!

As we were getting ready, my sister and I were debating what time we should aim to arrive at the hospital. Avery came really fast {as in, no-time-for-an-epidural-here-in-30-minutes fast}, so we knew this could happen again. But, then again, it could take a while since she was being induced.

I got ready and hoped that Mr. Brewer would take a little bit of time while I drop my kids off at my sweet, amazing friend, Krista's house, and get a little Chick-fil-a...you know I've got to have my big tea for a whole day of waiting!

As I exit to get to Chick-fil-a, Cassie calls to tell me that Cortni is already at a NINE and is going to be pushing soon. This was at 8:55 am.

She started pitocin at 7:00 am. Got her epidural at 8:30 am. And, now she is pushing??

I do what no reponsible mini-van driving mom should do. I hop the curb back up onto the freeway and skip the tea. I literally throw my kids out of the van at Krista's, and honk my way to the hospital, through a shut-down freeway {for useless construction, of course}. As I'm sitting in the traffic, hoping and praying that Brewer waited just a FEW minutes for me to get there, I text Cassie to say that I'm just going to come straight back when I get there, even though she'll be in the middle of pushing.

Cassie's response: She just had him.

Ahhhhh!!!! How did that boy come SO FAST??

I parked the car and ran inside, as if there was something I was going to miss if I didn't hurry. It was pretty funny. He was already here. There wasn't anything I could miss. Except extra time to cuddle the cutest little butterball ever!

I found out after I came in that Cortni pushed twice. And, out popped a NINE POUND ELEVEN OUNCE cutie. My sister is literally amazing. She was meant to have babies. And, she does it so gracefully. It kind of makes me sick. :)

{Disclaimer: The flash on my camera is broken, so better pictures of this cutie will be available on my sister's blog soon.}

So, needless to say, we were all SO happy to meet yet another happy, healthy, precious baby. And, we enjoyed a whole day of loving on him, and ooo-ing and aww-ing over all his smushy parts. The cheeks are literally irresistible. Pictures don't even do them justice. :)

Throughout the day, I kept thinking how richly and lavishly God pours out His blessings on our family. Sure, we've had our times of loss and grief and we miss our little Chase who isn't here to hang with his boy cousins. But, what I kept being struck by was how much MORE God has given than He has taken away. He gives, and gives, and gives. And, blesses and blesses and blesses. I think our family even more gratefully notices each and every amazing miracle in a little body like this one:

Oh, I love him so much! And, I'm so happy for this family of five.

Avery and Braden were so precious meeting their little brother, and asking all their questions about what the nurses were doing to their "baby brudder". My favorite quote from Braden was "I wuv my baby brother". And, Avery's quote was: "Baby Brewer....is awesome!"

I loved watching the two of them take this all in and get to know their baby brother {and play with the hospital remote and watch cartoons and sit with their momma}. As they said goodbye, they hugged and kissed on him. I just said a little silent prayer over their little sibling friendships, knowing what a powerful thing it will be in their lives.

I know this, firsthand. Because I love these three girls---my friends, my sisters---SO much.

And, we really love celebrating every time we are given the "Aunt" title again:

I also, of course, love watching some cousin lovin' from my girls as well. They got to come up this afternoon and love on Brewer. The pictures speak for themselves. I love my girls. And, they love their cousin.

We love you, Cortni and Adam, and you make some CUTIE PATOOTIE kids. :)

Don't worry. I'll be back tomorrow for more lovin'. Until then, don't let Brewer forget who his favorite aunt is. :)

Get In On The Action!!

Springtime is always packed with activity. Sports pick up pace. Events are planned every weekend. School is busy. Families are eager to get outside and enjoy the spring air before the summer heat hits. And, we are all thinking of ways we can help orphans.

Oh. Oops. Maybe that last one isn't USUALLY on the springtime list. But, it should be!!

This spring is bringing all kinds of opportunities for getting involved in taking care of orphans, and I want to share a couple with you! {with even more to come in future weeks!}

First, if you live anywhere near the Dallas/Fort Worth area (or if you like a fun road trip with your kids!) you {and your kids!} won't want to miss the Touch a Life bike-a-thon next weekend!!

On April 30, your kids will have the opportunity to bike a 10K in support of a child in Ghana, who has been rescued from slavery. Each participant will be matched up with a specific TAL child, and will have a direct connection to the precious one he or she is riding for!

There is also a BBQ lunch immediately following the ride for all participants. Sounds like a party to me!

What a perfect springtime activity for you and your kids!! For more information, and to register for the bike-a-thon, go to www.touchalifekids.org or email Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@touchalifekids.org.

AND...

After you ride in the bike-a-thon THIS weekend, you'll need something to do NEXT weekend too, right?

Oh, wait.

That's Mother's Day. So, don't do anything except honor your mom, okay?

What?

You need some help with what to give her?

Oh, I'm glad you asked! We have the perfect thing!!

What better way to honor your mom or grandmother than with the gift of LIFE for children in need across the world? Donate through His Chase, and we will send your mother a beautiful Mother's Day card, as well as more information about His Chase and the children their gift has blessed. {Just enter her name and mailing information when you check the box "In Honor Of"!}

Did you know you can feed a child at Noel Orphanage for $1 a day? For $30, a child eats a healthy diet every day for a month. That is LIFE giving.

Did you know that a mosquito net for a family costs $8? For $40, you can bless five families with LIFE.

Did you know that a can of formula for infants in orphanages in Rwanda costs $6? For $60, you have given LIFE to tiny babies who desperately need the nutrition found in a bottle of formula.

Give LIFE today!! Go HERE to donate and honor your mom in a way that lasts.

So, there. You have two opportunities to get in on the {orphan} action. The fact is you don't have to go far to find ways to get involved. We're excited to keep the ideas comin' and we hope you'll join in the fun!

Easter 2011

First, before we get into this Easter thing, how are my little girls this big? It keeps hitting me when I see pictures of them together.

Well, as I start this blog, I'm a little bogged down by the whole subject of "we had an easter egg hunt" and "here are our girls in their dresses"...but I know that's part of the deal. I do enjoy looking back at the pictures from past years as I did just today, actually.

So, here we go with Easter 2011!

We started our Easter fun this year with a Passover Seder meal at The Upper Room church. It was amazing. VERY neat way to start our Easter weekend, and was a great experience for our kids, especially. Even Abby Kate enjoyed it and followed along with the different parts!

(This is a borrowed pic of what a passover seder plate looks like, by the way. I didn't actually take pics Friday night.) We all learned so much about Passover and the symbols that Jesus Himself was taking the very night before He was crucified. And, it really hit home that Jesus was truly our Passover Lamb, taking the place of what had been celebrated as God's Deliverance for years and years before.

Then, Saturday morning was spent decorating eggs together. I have to admit that I have conveniently "skipped" this ALWAYS. But, it really was so fun. And, the girls got very into the creative part of this.

We tried some new tricks, including melting shaved crayon wax on hot eggs. It was pretty cool!

And, then, of course the old school dyeing method was also a popular one with the girls. You can't go wrong with the classic method.

Then, we headed over to Grandad and Grankay's house for lunch and our big cousin egg hunt, which was quite successful for all!

The youngest hunter began the fun

...although he really just played with the dogs, while the rest of them went hunting for as many eggs as they could possibly fit in their baskets.

Then, we did some picture taking. :) Did I mention that Cassie is always so sweet to do this for the family?

Isn't my prego sister {and her family!} so cute?

The little man Brewer will be here on Wednesday, since he decided coming last week just didn't sound that great. I can't wait! (and neither can Cortni.)

Just being with family, eating, resting, chatting...it was all so great. And, gave us a relaxing day in preparation for Easter Sunday. Here are the girls before bed, setting out decorated eggs for the Easter Bunny and notes they wanted him to have.

This was NOT our idea. And, this officially means E.B. is totally out of control. (And, we took care of that today. More on that later...)

We woke up today and did the basket thing. Mark and I both had a hard time with it...but that's another story. The girls had fun collecting their trail of peeps and seeing what treasures awaited them in their baskets. And, we do love watching them enjoy the traditions. :)

Then it was off to church! Mark had the idea to take this picture outside showing our little symbol of Rwanda, representing our little one who we PRAY is in our Easter picture next year.This year, I was thinking of our baby all day, and wore my Rwanda necklace as a symbol that he/she was with us in heart this year!

Our time of worship this morning at church was absolutely amazing. Worship was beautiful and I sat with tears streaming down my face as we had communion and experienced the heaviness of the cross---and the triumph of the tomb---with Jesus. SUCH a powerful reminder of the glorious day of celebration this really is!

We then had the blessing of a restful quiet afternoon together, fishing at the pond and hunting eggs again and again...and again. :)

After naps and Easter candy, we had "the talk". We have always celebrated Easter with eggs and baskets and Easter bunny visits. But, we were just feeling more and more like it was time to let that go. We had quite a few questions this year from our two big girls, including if the Easter Bunny had a sleigh and if he hopped on two feet or four. Oh my, we just didn't feel like we needed to continue the story anymore. We also had really begun to think: How will our kids truly KNOW the unique power of the resurrection---of the stone rolling away and Jesus being victorious over death---if they also think that bunnies deliver baskets and have magical powers too? It was making my stomach sick to think that in their little minds, one power may not be bigger than the other.

So, it was SUCH a great talk with Kendyll and Carlie today. We talked about holiday traditions and legends and where the Easter Bunny came from (the goddess, Eastre, who brought spring always had a hare with her for good luck), and where Santa Claus came from (St. Nicholas' generosity)...and that we KNOW the only One with true miraculous power is God! They knew this, but it was so good to just get it out there in the open and see them understand. And, they were totally okay with it all! I feel much better now. It was really weighing heavy on my heart, and although we will always have gifts at Christmas, and egg hunts at Easter, I don't want there to be any doubt where the true Power comes from!

So, our Easter weekend was wonderful. We ended it with dinner with friends tonight, and we all talked about what a powerful day this was.

In fact, with each passing year, the power of the resurrection becomes more amazing to me. For obvious reasons, these last two years have been especially filled with a deeper gratitude for the HOPE we have through Jesus. Victorious LIFE that is for all people and that never ends--not even at the grave--because of Jesus.But, this year I have been struck again and again by God's great love in it all. I know that sounds obvious. But, He shared that with me in new ways this year. And, it's brought me to tears more than once.

In school, the girls learned How Deep the Father's Love and Just As I Am as our hymns this month, focusing on what a GIFT the cross is for us...what a gift salvation is, that covers us "just as we are". And, there was hardly a day that we sang that my voice didn't quiver. The love is SO deep. SO hard to truly comprehend.

And, to know that God longs for ALL people to know this love. How does He watch us go about our day, ignoring it? Feeling like we don't need it or being so distracted we don't even realize we're missing it? He gave up everything. He took our sin upon His son. It cost Him alot to free us. Yet, it takes a special holiday for us to stop and truly give thanks for it.

I have to say, I'm thankful for Easter where we stop and let it soak in a little deeper. But, I sure hope my Monday has just as much passion and gratitude for God's love as my Sunday did. :)

Happy Easter, everyone!

Pastries, Palm Sunday, and Pedicures

How's that for a multipurpose blog title? I know. I'm cramming things into one blog that each deserve their own. But, hey, at least I did the alliteration thing to unite them!

Thursday night, a group gathered at the Henley's home eager to learn some secrets. Cinnamon roll secrets! And, although I haven't tried them on my own yet, I do feel rather confident that I could now watch yeast rise, roll dough, and make cinnamon filling without breaking into hives.

Suzanne did a great job of sharing her skills in the kitchen, and was the perfect hostess for our His Chase fundraiser too.

Some of my favorite friends were there, and we all enjoyed an evening to talk and catch up. We were laughing at how many of us showed up in the same "I {heart} Africa" tshirt. Well, because we do. :)

It was also a great opportunity for sharing His Chase with those who had never heard about our ministry before! I met many new friends and received so much support throughout the evening! By the end of the night, I was holding $1700 for orphans in Rwanda. Now, that's a night packed with good stuff! In every way, I got to "taste and see that the Lord is good"!

I was also very excited to see my friend Shannon's debut of her cute, adorable, loveable African dolls! (along with all of her other cute items including everything from camera straps to keychains!) I know you're all going to want her creative craftiness in your home. Be looking for ways to order coming soon!

And, THANK YOU, Suzanne, for such a fun Cinnamon Rolls for Children evening! These little ones in Rwanda are SO blessed because of you!

This weekend, I was also able to set up our His Chase table at the Prestoncrest ladies retreat and share more about our projects with all of them.

It was once again so humbling to be among women who are so supportive of what we're doing, and so willing to join in. Thank you to all who offered an encouraging word, a hug, a financial donation...every single act of love is treasured. :)

Then, today was Palm Sunday. Our family talked last night and this morning about what this day was like so many years ago. And, then got to worship together this morning to celebrate the King!

We were so proud of our Miss Kendyll, who got to sing the lead girl's part with all the children.

She said "yes" immediately a few weeks ago, and I was a bit surprised! But, I was so glad she was excited to sing. This morning, she said her knees were knocking and she felt dizzy from singing Hosanna so many times, but she did GREAT. There is nothing I love more than watching children worship. So, it was a great morning. I'm so proud of my girls. :)

{To see the video, pause my blog music first!}

After church and lunch together, my mom and sisters and I got to get pampered for a while! Tomorrow is my mom's {fifty-something} birthday, and we're hoping this is the week baby Brewer {my nephew} also arrives. Cailee was also in town from Abilene. So, there was much to celebrate. And, pedicures are always the way we choose.

Doesn't it look like Cailee is on the beach?

Oh, the beauty of the wallpaper scenes in nail salons. And, then here is a somewhat dark picture of the mommy-to-be! I think she's somewhere in the middle of the ocean, judging from her background scene.

I can't WAIT to be an aunt again and have a baby nephew to cuddle! I was rubbing that cute tummy today! We're praying constantly for Brewer, Cortni, Adam, Braden, and Avery as their family grows by two adorably cute {and probably pudgy} feet...that all will go smoothly and Brewer will be healthy! {and that Cortni gets to the hospital in time!!}

It was a great few days. SO full. SO blessed!

Cinnamon Rolls for Children!

You know how it is to have something hanging over your head? It just lingers there as a constant reminder that you haven't quite caught up.

Well, that's how I feel about blogging these days.

I have so many blogs to write, so much to catch up on.

So, I'm planning to do a blog every day for 5 days straight, in order to share all that is going on in our little world.

So, here's day one. :) And, it's a scrumptiously GOOD one!!!

One of the privileges Mark and I have in our work with His Chase is witnessing firsthand the use of SO many amazing talents to bless orphans in need. We have countless stories of people thinking of creative ways to use the gifts they've been given to give LIFE to children.

And, Suzanne Henley is doing just that.

This week, on Thursday evening (April 14th), Suzanne is sharing her AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS cinnamon rolls with anyone and everyone who would like to participate. And, believe me, you WANT to participate! She will be offering cooking demonstrations, as well as activities for kids, and opportunities to support His Chase and the children of Noel.

I have been feasting on Suzanne's delicious bakery treats for years, and can eat a whole pan full in one sitting. And, now, I am so excited to be learning to bake them myself!

Won't you join me?

If you live in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex, join us on Thursday evening for Cinnamon Rolls for Children! Come learn to bake at any three of the demonstration times (4:30, 6:00, or 7:30), and also spend time shopping for all kinds of cute things that benefit children in need...tshirts, paper bead jewelry, bags, dolls, scripture canvases, and more!

If you'd like directions and more info, email me at chelsea@hischase.org! You don't want to miss this!!

And, thank you to Suzanne for opening her home, her heart, and her recipe secrets to us all. May the children of Noel be GREATLY blessed from these efforts!