Is the loss of landing in Italy a real, significant loss that from time to time surfaces pain, hurt, and frustration?
Yes. Yes it is.
Is Holland different?
Yes. Quite different actually.
But is Holland beautiful?
Yes. Oh yes it is.
Oh so very beautiful.
So despite some of that pain, hurt, and frustration that creeps in every now and then there is still smiles to be had. . . because Holland. Wow. Oh how lucky some of us are to experience the joys & blessings of Holland.
Our small group from church met up at the Houston zoo Saturday early evening. It was a lot of fun and the first time we have ever taken Clara there (read: slacker parents)! We were not sure if she would really be into it or not. She seemed to really enjoy being outdoors and looking around, although since most of the animals were so far in the distance, it was hard to point out and really show her what she was looking at, at any moment. But we will for sure take the kids back at some point (hopefully before Clara turns 4 since it took us almost 2 years to get there the first time), and maybe actually take at least one picture of an animal next time.
At home before we headed out. . .
Fiona was loving this ice cream cone . .
Getting her walk on. . .
My matching girls. . . (my mother in law bought this outfit for Clara for Easter and I loved it so much I had to go back and get one for little sis)
Clara loved walking around on this soft padded area & all the kids had fun in the caves. . .
Parker and Jake rocking out. . .
Rocking out continues. . .
Sweet Parker (aka Clara's future husband). . . love this little face. . .
"At the very least Gideon has become a sign to me, to my husband, to our children, family and friends. Gideon has become a sign to us that God is real, and that He does what He says He will do. A sign that God can be trusted, even with our deepest darkest fears. A sign that even in death, there is hope. A sign true peace can be realized, even in the midst of great pain and hurt. A sign that though this life brings great pain and loss, there is an even greater life to come." - So inspiring.
And now a little photo action of Ms. Camille. . . aka our littlest baby who is actually not so little anymore. I may or may not have had to CUT OFF her outfit yesterday (not the one she's sporting here) because I literally could not get her arms out. As in, I tried for FIVE solid minutes to get her arms out with no luck and with her screaming. Ain't nobody got time for that. Scissors to the rescue. Bye-bye cute little Carters blue striped dress. Nice knowing you.
And then on Tuesday morning Clara's Mothers Day Out teacher sent me this video of Clara in music class. Music class usually = major meltdowns. . . but not on Tuesday. My heart exploded when I saw this video.
We are so very proud of Clara. Thank you ALL for your constant love, support, prayers, and encouragement! Time to update the baby book. . .
