After getting home from Illinois this last time, I have been trying to be diligent to catch up on all the things.

They are little things that have made a big pile!

Things like writing in Tate and Eliza’s medical journals.

Their check-up appointments were way back at the beginning of October, and I have yet to journal about all that we need to remember.

I better put that on tomorrow’s list!

We also had not enjoyed Grant’s birthday meal yet.

His birthday was way back at the end of August – but it was also the day that the flooding happened here in our area and Grant was driving relief truck that day and night.

It has not been easy to get everyone around our dinner table all at one time, or someone home early enough to grill those steaks that have been waiting in the freezer for us!

On date night last Friday night, Blake and I planned to surprise everyone with Grant’s birthday celebration the next night.

YES!

We had a Friday night date night this past weekend!

Did my heart SO good.

I was SO excited about finally having Grant’s birthday meal!

SO….we left the coffee shop and went shopping for birthday gifts! For Grant and for Addie Mae!

Fast forward to the next evening.

We surprised them with these gifts and they were rather confused.

Apparently I need to read my own blog – because we already gave them gifts – back at the end of August when we had Addie’s birthday meal.

Yep. We really did.

Good Grief!

See why I need to keep medical journals for Tate and Eliza?!

Thankfully no one was hurt in the making of this second birthday party.

WHEW.

And the steak dinner was REALLY good!!

In the midst of celebrating birthdays twice and catching up on all the things, we have been doing all of our normal day-to-day favorites too!

Like being at Shiloh Valley Farm! Or the library! Making crafts! Doing school!

We also have some elves that live here now, so we put up our Christmas tree!

We put up a second tree in the family room downstairs, but I did not take a photo of it yet!

My quiet time is all the sweeter with the glow of those beautiful lights!

Speaking of beautiful things, even in the catching up around here, a sunrise or sunset is never lost on me.

I took those first two sunset photos the day I bundled up and headed outside to watch the kiddos practice shooting their bows!

The boys help the littles do it too – and it just makes my heart sing to see how they pour into their lives.

I took this photo after lunch yesterday when I asked Tate to come back to the counter and drink some water.

It is a constant hydration battle with this one!

He told me, “MOM! Chinese people can go two days without water.”

Nice try, cute boy.

I have been making lots of new recipes this week!

This tomato soup was a hit.

The first ingredient was bacon – need I say more?

This was my go-to snack while I was in Illinois and I just had to make them again this week!

They are that good!

Grain-free ginger snap cookies with coconut cream on top.

Now I need another one!

Our sweet girl is getting SO BIG.

And acts SO GROWN-UP.

Cue all the tears.

She knows what she needs these days to handle her sensory needs.

I love that she can verbalize it now!!

That took lots of prayers – and the Lord has greatly blessed our efforts with the therapy, oils, and super clean diet that we have done with Eliza.

Here Eliza is doing what we call “unwinding.”

It’s one of the new things she does that has the same effect as jumping, swinging or bouncing, believe it or not!

There are so many other day to day things that I never take photos of, but I wish I did!

They are my favorite kind of memories to keep!

To close this humbly written post about how dead my brain is, let me just shout out some praise to the Lord we love.

What Blake and I have asked of these kiddos of ours this last month was A LOT.

We would pray fervently over them for unity, grace, strength, safety and protection, and that memories would be made that they would never forget.

GOD ANSWERED IT ALL – beyond what we even asked.

Especially for our precious Chinese cherubs, who still deal with SO much.

We are humbled.

And grateful, grateful.

There is SO very much we are looking forward to, and it just makes me teary eyed as I think of it all as I typed those words!

First up – date night, and then opening weekend of hunting for the guys, and some very intentional time for me and two little people.

Unless a grand baby decides to trump all those plans – which would be GREAT WITH US!!

Have a great weekend, friends!!

Don’t forget to give praise to the one who gave you breath today!!