A few family photos

I always love getting family pictures taken in the fall with all of the beautiful colors. My wonderful sister-in-law offered (again) to snap some pictures of us with her fancy camera. And I am so thankful we didn't have to hand over a big fat check to a professional this year because it was pretty much chaos and pit stains from the word go. It is hard work to capture our 3 lovely children sitting poetically still with actual (not CHEESE) smiles, looking remotely in the same direction at the same time. But Rebecca was patient with us and managed to grab a few precious moments in time at this busy phase of our lives. Thank you, my friend, we don't deserve you.

4 months

Today marked Gavin's 4 month hearing birthday. Hard to believe its already been that long. His activation day is still so clear and fresh in my mind. Unless you have lived through the experience of a diagnosis of deafness over your child, the uphill battle of an entire year of pain and unbearable silence and so many appointments and so. much. waiting- it is impossible to appreciate the hundreds of tiny miracles and bursts of joy that occur here every day now. Gavin is hearing. Praise God! Progress is slow and even tedious sometimes, but every day he is discovering something new about his world. Hearing his squeals and baby babbles is a healing ointment to my soul.

Yesterday, while outside playing, as a gift to me to mark his 4 months of hearing, he whipped his little face up to the sky at the gentle rumble of an airplane flying far overhead and watched it, mesmerized until it disappeared out of sight. And then I called his name and he came crawling happily, chubby-cheeked back to me to finish our game of bubbles. What a kind and generous God we serve.