He's HOME!

That's right, our precious baby is home!

Noah Matthew, who was born on Wednesday, May 26th, arrived home on Saturday, July 24th - just two days shy of being two months old! We are so enjoying having him with us all the time!

Here are just a few snapshots of his first days at home . . .

Our final moments in the NICU! Yay!

In the car seat, ready for his first car ride - straight to our house!
And here it is . . . the long-awaited, first family picture in our living room - with all FIVE of us! All glory and praise to God for His awesome work in Noah's life!!!

We enjoyed introducing Noah to Aunt Becca . . .

. . . and Noah enjoyed napping with Uncle Brock! ;)

Welcome home, sweet Noah! We all love you so very much!

Brothers

Whether it's reading to him . . .

. . . or holding him,

Noah couldn't ask for a better big brother than Jaden!

Sibling snuggles!

Lael, Jaden and I headed in to see Noah today . . . a regular happening these days. But they were so excited when they found out that they would BOTH be able to hold Noah! As you might imagine, it was such a special time!

Lael is a pro at this -- she's already held Noah once . . .

. . . but this was Jaden's first time to cuddle his brother - and as you can tell, he absolutely loved it!

In fact, Jaden told me afterwards that holding Noah "is way better than playing computer games"! So there you have it!

(Oh, and by the way, Noah is now 3 pounds, 6 ounces and 16 inches long . . . for those of you who are keeping track of those kinds of things!)

So happy together!

Time is racing by . . . Noah is already 5 weeks old and has reached what would have been 32 weeks gestation if he hadn't been in such a hurry to meet us! He's 3 pounds, 1 ounce and gets cuter every day!

I got to spend time this afternoon with my three kids . . . cuddling the youngest with the other two close by! It was a tiny taste of what life will be like when Noah comes home - minus nurses (although ours are wonderful), monitors, and isolettes! I'm getting oh so excited and looking forward to that time!

I have such precious children -- all three of them! While we were visiting this afternoon, Noah brought his hands together in his sleep . . . Jaden decided he was praying that he'd soon be big enough to come home, and Lael agreed! They insisted that I take a picture of it!

Noah, we're praying that you'll be big enough to come home soon, too! We love you!

Someone LOVES being a big sister!

Can you tell? Lael had a special treat yesterday when she went to visit Noah . . . she got to hold her baby brother for the first time! She also read some books to him, which he seemed to really enjoy!

One month old!

The newest addition to our family is one month old today!

Happy birthday, Noah!
We are so glad that God sent you to us, and we are counting down the days until you can come home!

Pumpkin smile!

I can't believe it!

My big boy has lost his first tooth!

I still remember when he got his first tooth . . . has it really been that long?

He's growing up sooooo fast!

Snuggling with Noah

In case you weren't sure, I love having times to snuggle with Noah! I would sit and hold him all day, every day if I could!

Here are some more pictures of our big boy -- he's getting so much more alert!

Mommy-Noah time!

I absolutely love times when I can go in and snuggle with Noah. It's not the same as holding your baby at home . . . with all the wires and monitors, but it's still oh, so sweet!

Such tiny fingers . . .
. . . and toes!

Sweet baby face!

You have to love this sweet baby face!

(And is he sucking his thumb???)

Snuggles with Noah

Every parent looks forward to having their baby placed in their arms for the first time. We had to wait a little longer than most, but that only made the moment sweeter!

Mommy first held Noah on June 1st - he was 6 days old!

And Daddy's turn came four days later, on June 5th!
Lael and Jaden were there to see Noah snuggled in Daddy's arms . . .

Daddy with his two boys

Now we're all the more eager for those wonderful snuggle times once we get to bring Noah home!

Isn't he handsome!

This morning while the nurse was changing Noah's "gear", I was able to snap a quick picture of his handsome face with no breathing equipment . . . doesn't he look wonderful?!

He's my handsome youngest son!

The Slingshot Heard Round the World!

Recently, Lael and Jaden participated in their very first church musical - entitled "The Slingshot Heard Round the World" . . . otherwise known as the story of David and Goliath. They worked so very hard to prepare for this musical, including many weeks of practices. And they did a GREAT job! (Spoken as a proud mommy!)

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend in person - because of being in the hospital on bedrest - but Daddy got some pictures, and friends from church videotaped it so I could see it right away. (The official video won't be ready for a few weeks.)

So, here they are in their stage debut . . .

Jaden had a speaking part - as Eliab, David's older brother!

Lael had some speaking parts AND a solo!

They both love to worship with flags! Great job, Lael and Jaden!!!

Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you for using your gifts to serve Jesus!

Family pictures!

Here's our first family picture - as a family of five!

Lael and Jaden were so excited to meet baby Noah!

Lael was fascinated with the tiny diapers, while Jaden was curious about all the tubes and wires that were attached to his little brother.

Both of them are so proud to be the "big" kids of the family!

Mommy was just thankful to have all three of my children together in the same room!

I soaked up lots of hugs from Lael and Jaden.

Aunt Cherie came up for the day to spend time with Lael and Jaden -

and then she met Noah too!

Lael and Jaden enjoyed playing with Aunt Cherie and cousin Carrie! They also had fun shopping for gifts for their brother. And they were so surprised to find out that Noah had gifts for them too! How did he know how much Jaden loves legos . . . or that his big sister needed a new bike helmet? He's going to be a great little brother!

Introducing our newest addition!

In case you haven't heard, we are now a family of 5! Noah Matthew was born on Wednesday -- weighing in at 2 pounds, 2 ounces and measuring 14 inches long! He is absolutely perfect, but still tiny.

Here are some of his first photos:

Thanks so much to all who have been praying for us during this time of bedrest and the birth of our son! Continued prayers would be appreciated - for health and strength for Noah, for healing for Lisa from surgery, and that we will soon be able to all be under the same roof - all 5 of us!

Things I'm pondering . . .

"The pressure of hard places makes us value life. Every time our life is given back to us from such a trial, it is like a new beginning, and we learn better how much it is worth, and make more of it for God and man. The pressure helps us to understand the trials of others, and fits us to help and sympathize with them."

A. B. Simpson

We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it . . . . But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselved and learned how to rely only on God, who raises the dead.

(2 Corinthians 1:8-9)

Sunday, April 4, 1999

Do you remember what you were doing exactly 11 years ago -- on Sunday, April 4, 1999? I do! It's a date I will never forget . . . and here's why:

Eleven years ago, this young man

made this young woman (which happens to be me)
the happiest person in the world when he asked me to be his wife! He proposed on the beach in Ocean City, Maryland, as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday morning.

(I apologize for the quality of the above picture . . . this was before the days of digital cameras, and we had to rely on the kindness of strangers who happened to be walking on the beach at sunrise to capture this memory on film!)

Later in the day, we celebrated with an Easter dinner and special cake with Brent's family.

Thank you, Brent, for stepping out in faith and obeying God eleven years ago! Thank you for the many wonderful memories over the years of our life together! I cannot imagine my life without you in it! And thank You, God, for the precious gift You gave to me in my husband!

Happy engagement anniversary, Brent! I love you so much!

Co-op Speech Meet, Part 2

And here is Lael sharing her poem, a cinquain about the Winter Olympics:

Olympic Games by Lael Martin

Vancouver

Crowded, competative

Skiing, skating, snowboarding

Hoping for a medal

Olympics

Lael and Jaden, you both did a great job! Mommy and Daddy are so very proud of you!!!

Co-op Speech Meet, Part 1

Public speaking is pretty new to our kids . . . they haven't had much experience with it. So that made this semester's co-op closing exercises more intimidating for Lael and Jaden. Each student was asked to share a poem - Lael and Jaden each shared poems that they had written themselves!

Here is Jaden sharing his poem:

And in case you couldn't make out all the words, here they are:

Seasons by Jaden Martin

I like to play in the cold winter breeze.

In the fall I like seeing the leaves roll off the trees.

In spring I like sitting on the beach.

In the summer I like hiding out of reach.