The Handmade Dress

To the orthopedic doctor that is! When you have five kids you are bound to have a few casts, right? This little lady climbed on the coffee table while I was in the restroom and jumped off. She broke the biggest bone in her foot and she is in a good bit of pain. "Mommy, it hurts yeally yeally bad mommy." So sad! The doctor said that it may be a rough weekend, and she can't walk on it for 10 days! Oh Heavenly Father, help us keep this child still! Luckily I have a lot of willing hands! Prayers through this weekend would be greatly appreciated sweet friends! xo, Sam  

Brought to you by, what I like to call, a HOT MESS!! She was hamming it up at church yesterday so I snapped a few pictures with my phone. Oh this girl of mine is a mess. She has the funniest personality and the sweetest heart. We call her Claire Bells, even though Bells isn't even part of her name. My Uncle Sterling, who I was very close to, use to walk around singing that old gospel song "Prayer Bells of Heaven..... oh how sweetly they ring!" He died just days before I found out that Claire was coming into the world, so I never got to tell him that all of our prayers had been answered. I like to imagine that they passed each other on the way in and out of heaven. He prayed hard for me during that time and always told me that God would give me more children. He wasn't just my uncle, he was my pastor too. The day she was born for some reason the song kept playing through my mind like this "Claire Bells of Heaven oh how sweetly they ring!" I sang it to her a

After a very rough start, weeks of not knowing, and a cancelled D&C, we are now firmly settled into the second trimester! Yes, in late winter we expect to be holding a new miracle in our arms! We feel so very blessed! And my fingers are just itching to start baby knitting!! <3 God is so so good, after years in the valley, we have found a well!!!! (Psalm 84:6) He is so faithful! xo, Sam P.S. One translation of that verse goes like this "As they walk through the Valley of Baca ( the valley of weeping ) He will make there a well..." *Love*  

We've had a full Summer, in every way possible. We've had good news and bad news, I've had the honor of being called "mommy" by the beautiful girls in the photo below (oh my heart!), I let them go when the time came with many tears, we've had lots and lots of doctor visits, we have pulled together as a family while Daniel (Ben's brother) started chemo (1 week down only 8 more to go!!!), I've thought about giving up writing this blog because I felt like I was doing a terrible job but was encouraged to keep at it by some beautiful mamas....we have been really living. Boy this summer stretched me out of my comfort zone! Several foster children, cancer, my children growing up into new things and new independent people, helping mamas get their children back, being present as a heartbroken mother accepted Christ, I've witnessed God's faithfulness, received His grace, felt His Love and peace in my heart and family, and I've seen miracles with m