Miss Molly's Tea Room

This past Saturday we headed down to Medina for our 1st Annual Mother/Daughter Tea Room day at Miss Molly's. There is something that simply melts your heart while watching your 4 year old pour her own china tea pot (full of lemondade) and sip out of a very tiny tea cup. The weather was amazing ~ so we were able to tour the town's charming stores and soak in the gorgeous day. I am thankful for so many things this year ~ mostly family and the support and love I recieve from each of them. It was a huge blessing that Heather was feeling great on Saturday and I just have to say how proud I am of my big sis!! I feel like I am walking through this with her and yet realize that it is her getting the chemo treatments, it is her feeling sick and exhausted, it is her loosing her beautiful hair and it is her that each day chooses to surrender to the Lord and make the very best of the day she has been given. God was merciful to give us a wonderful day and I will always treasure this day!!

"You don't choose your family ~ they are God's gift to you, as you are to them" Desmond Tutu

Mercy Lynn DuRoss

I can hardly believe our sweet baby girl is already one month old ~ where has the time gone! Sorry to have taken so very long to post pictures, life has been a bit crazed to say the least. So, lets go back to that memorable day on October 1st when Mercy Lynn DuRoss brought tears of joy to our eyes. That morning I woke up and realized very quickly that "today was the day"! It really was a picture perfect labor and delivery ~ and for our last child, I was so thankful for a wonderful birthing experience. I labored a bit throughout the day at home, stopped in at the Hairnook to have my hair braided (yes, in labor I still cared about my hair!), got to the hospital and within 3 hours she was born ~ in only 4 pushes. I have to say the moment they said she was a girl, my heart just melted and I fell deeply in love with her just like our other two.

We were beyond thrilled and blest to have my mom, Heather and Joanie in the delivery room with us for the big event!

I remember thinking throughout the day that it seemed so odd to be going into labor 9 days early and for it to be moving along as quickly and easily as it did ~ it took only one week to realize why the Lord had been so merciful to us that day. It was exactly one week after Mercy was born that we were given the very sad news that Heather (my big sis) has Non-Hotchkins Lymphoma. Although our world seems to have been turned upside down with this sadness ~ I do know this, that the Lord gave us this time to be filled with joy in our new baby and He is not at all surprised by the timing of all these events. He is sovereign, He has a plan and purpose, and He will love us through this storm of life. There is a song that I cling to that simply states my core belief "I believe, He is the Christ, Son of the Living God" ~ and in that statement I place my every hope.

As we look into our little girl's eyes ~ we feel our family complete!

Seriously ~ could there be two more handsome men in my life???

As we brought Mercy home from the hospital ~ we couldn't stop laughing at just how much she reminds us of Selah. If you could see this same shot of Selah when she was born, it is scary how identical they look!

Selah and Judah have been amazing with their little sister. Each night wanting to take turns holding her, kissing her, helping out with bath time and for some reason ~ getting really excited when it's time to change her "poops"!!

So Mercy Lynn ~ Happy 1 Month Birthday, we love you!!