Shadow

My husband never was a cat person. Some people just don't like cats and Ian, was one of them. That all changed one day when a friend told us she had kittens that needed a home.

"We'll just go look", we said.

You know how that goes. That day, we came home with the cutest little kitten. She was the least shy of the bunch and had the cutest spots on her coat, hence her name "Shadow".

Sadly, Shadow is gone now. One day we realized, we hadn't seen her in some time. It's not unusual for her to hide most of the day. Or to spend some time playing outside in the backyard. When we realized we hadn't seen her in a while, she was already gone. We're not sure what happened but we know we miss her.

She was a GREAT cat! She wasn't mischievousness. She was sociable and liked to be wherever the family was. Sometimes, she slept with Jacob at night, and he loved it, until she would scratch his head to let him know she wanted out of their room. She tolerated the puppy as much as she could.

The boys ask us if we can get another cat but we know that it is difficult to get a good cat. It's been difficult for them to loose another pet but the loss has allowed us to have a lot of heart-to-heart conversations about loss. We remind them that for those who believe and trust in Jesus, there will be a day when there is not more pain, tears or suffering!

We all miss you Shadow, you were a very special friend!

Double Digits

 

My first baby turns double digits today, 10 years old! Where did the time go?

Wasn’t this just yesterday?

God is glorious in His creation. The boys love for me to tell them the stories of when they were born. One of the most important parts of Jacob’s story is how long we prayed for this child. How much we desired to have children before God gave us this special boy. We tell him about what a delight he has been to have as a son and what a joy he is to his brothers.

This birthday will go down as one of my favorite milestones of his. Just a few weeks ago, Jacob made a decision that we have been praying for since before he was born. Jacob put his faith in Jesus Christ. We firmly believe that each of our children’s greatest need is for salvation. The Bible tells us that all who put their faith in Christ alone will be saved. We talk about Jesus freely in our home. We talk about our need for Him and what He has done for us and we pray that God will call each of our boys to Himself as He did with Ian and I.

God used the loss of our beloved pet cat Shadow, to show Jacob of his need for a Savior. One night while we were praying before bedtime, Jacob surprised us all as he genuinely prayed for the forgiveness of his sins and placed his hope in the work of the cross. It was spontaneous, it was heartfelt and it moved us all. Since then, we’ve noticed a change in him. The foolish young boy is being transformed into this responsible, thoughtful and loving young man. We are so delighted that God directed his path towards Him. We have much to praise Him for!

Happy Birthday Jacob. We are so proud of you and love you more than you will ever know!

Little Man Turns One

Happy Birthday Evan!

One year ago today, these words were heard around our house, “Ian…my water broke!” and a few short hours later this beautiful boy was born. We didn’t know whether he was a he or a she, and we didn’t care. But I must say, he fits in nicely with all his big brothers.

Now 1 year old, Evan is very close to walking. He cruises on everything. Not long and he’ll be chasing after his brothers. He is learning to communicate through a few words like “mama” and “baba” (bottle) and some sign language such as “all done” and “more”.

Just last week he was at the doctor’s office with a double ear infection and his weight was 24lbs 7oz! He’s a big boy indeed. He fits into most 24months size clothing. He wasn’t a little baby for very long. Evan is a precious gift to us all. We are so thankful for this little boy and hope to celebrate many more wonderful years with him.