Show and Tell: My Loves...

Excited to read everyone's love stories today for Andrea's link-up... almost as excited as I am to share mine. I do need to admit that Valentine's Day isn't really that big of a deal to me - Ryan and I haven't exchanged gifts in I don't know how long. We usually get the kids tiny things and I really work to make the school parties as simple and painless as possible. So, yeah... I'm that Mom.

But, I do LOVE to talk about my crew. My people. My loves of my life for all the days of my life.

Radley... 

this boy is kind and caring, sensitive and strong, smart and vulnerable. His eagerness to learn, desire to please, and commitment to be an amazing big brother is such a gift! He teaches us constantly the meaning of love and the significance of grace. He has made every day since the day he arrived one blessing after another. If I had to pick my favorite thing about Radley, goodness... his sensitive heart. He really does want to love people well and he is so eager to serve. The moments we have spent reading through Harry Potter have been such a fun experience for us. I love that he will still lay next to me, hold my hand in public or ask me to stay a little longer after I tell him good night. These moments are fleeting and I want to bottle them up. 

Emersyn...

She is every bit as sassy as sweet. She is like that moment when a sparkler first ignites - so bright that it's blinding. Her stature may be small but she brings a mighty presence to everything she does. She can work any room she enters and I pray that she always keeps that confidence. She is delightful and smart. She is beautiful inside and out. She is our miracle baby, a true message that God designs our families perfectly. And while every moment isn't perfection, every day spent with her is. I love her creativity - in each and every thing she finds beauty and design. She gets lost in her ideas and can create entire worlds out of the smallest materials. She tells people that she is an artist and I want to cultivate in her an appreciation and respect for the beauties of this world. She is fearless and faithful. No matter if Radley or Landry is mean to her, she always defends them, always protects them, always always always reminds us to be gentle in our love. To forgive. She is a peacekeeper. A beautiful soul that I don't deserve.

Landry...

A little after Emmy's first birthday, we discovered that God had mighty plans for us. We had experienced a tough year and our grace was in the miracle of life. She arrived a day late, but was more than worth the wait. The world is a better place because of her spirit. She is determined, she is strong and she may have a slight stubborn in her, too. More than anything - she is a delight. A precious, joyful, loveable, full-of-life ending to our fairy tale. Our baby. Our surprise. Our grace. She still fits perfectly in my arms and tells me all the time that she is going to try to stay little. She made so much room in our hearts that we still feel her arrival today. She is such a combination of Radley and Emersyn in the most extreme ways. There is no putting a definition on this one because she is a game changer. She has never faced a problem that she can't solve and my prayer is that she keeps that resiliency and persistence. That she never gives up until she's satisfied. She is loyal. So very loyal. She is kind and loving and the best snuggler of the group. She loves to be anywhere that her big sister is but she also wants to play football with the boys. She is sugar and spice and dirt and bugs. She is fearless. And she is as lovely as they come. 

These three moments in time define so much of my life. A piece of my heart was given away to each of them - I told them that. They walk around with a bit of Mommy's heart so that even when we aren't together, we are still connected. They love hearing that. They love looking at their belly buttons and pointing to mine. They just love me. Unquestionably. Unequivocally. Undeservingly. 

But there stories wouldn't be possible without his. 

Ryan...

Gosh, what to even say. So much. We have lived a lifetime together, or so it seems. But we still have a lifetime to go. In these 17 (almost 18!) years that we've been together, his love for me has never failed. We have been stubborn and angry and harsh and uncompromising but each time our grace has overcome. We have grown together and we continue to do so. This married life is no joke - and while it may seem like ours is a fairy tale of smiles and laughter, real life happens between these posts. His job has added so much stress and work to our lives these past two years and there is no real ending in sight to his commuting days. We are tired and frustrated and high and low. 

The fact is, I can handle this gig alone. I can do the carpool and homework. The tutoring and soccer. The dance and birthdays. I can bring the teacher gifts and volunteer for the school festival. I can go and do and be and serve. But the truth is. I don't want to. Not without him. And he doesn't want to. Not without me. 

And that is when a love story is born.

When you can do it all alone. But you don't want to. 

This picture is everything to me. I'm not in it, and I wasn't even there to see it happen. I saw it hours later when we were alone in the hospital room with Landry while the bigs were back at the house with Gigi and Pops. I can imagine how he must have felt - carrying his baby to meet his babies. What a joyous thrill to kneel down and say, "Meet your sister." 

I see love. Because my love starts and ends with him. 

Also linking up with Tuesday Talk today!