Surgery and the return of Bear-Bear

Genevieve had surgery three weeks ago to correct a deformity in her left thumb. It went shockingly well, so much that, not a tear was shed from the time we entered the hospital to when we arrived home. God was so good to spare Genevieve from a traumatic experience! The surgeon informed us that she apparently walked herself into the O.R. and even laid herself down on the operating table before being put under. Pretty amazing, this girl is! Apparently she is such an extrovert that she'd go and hang out with the strange-looking grown-ups in green pajamas and masks, rather than stay with her own parents!

As you can see in the picture, her little hand had to be wrapped up until the stitches healed. Unfortunately, about an hour of getting home from the hospital, with her hand still totally numbed up, Genevieve deftly unwrapped it, and plucked a stitch right out. Back to the doctor we went!

And through it all, you know who was always there for Genevieve? (Assuming her Almighty Father in Heaven, of course!), her trusty and faithful Bear-Bear. . .. A floppy little pink bear whom Genevieve sleeps next to, shares her breakfast with, puts under her shirt and pretends is her unborn baby. And dear Bear-Bear, though Philip and I couldn't, accompanied her into the operating room and comforted her when we couldnt. I'm deeply grateful for him, though he causes me much trouble. . . . i.e. losing approximately one hour of my every-day searching for him under our couch cushions, in kitchen cabinets and our bushes outside when he's been misplaced.

Poor, dear bear-bear...We lost him at the orthopaedist's office just two weeks after Eve's surgery. I really cant even go into the details of how heart-wrenching this was for Genevieve, because its possible I'll start crying (again). But amazingly, after a week of searching, I found a new and identical Bear online!

We told her he would be arriving in the mail, and as we ran today to the mailbox to get him, Eve began chanting as we went, "I tiss Bear. I tiss Bear" (Her "k"s come out as "t"s.) :-)

And here's their sweet, long-awaited reunion:

A joyous day indeed!

Books and Music

Marielle attempting to impart her love of books on her baby brother.

A few weeks ago, Marielle began expressing a desire to "fly into the book" she is reading. This girl loves books, to be sure. And I think she reads them not just for the enjoyment of a good story, but also as direct fuel for her imagination. Yesterday, as we were reading Blueberries for Sal, which is illustrated in black-and-white, she very seriously informed me, "Its just a book; if you fly into it, it wont be black-and-white anymore".

Lately in her pretend world, Marielle has take on the roles of:
-an "angel of the Lord"
-a brave, young girl who walks on a high-wire (we can only hope that she keeps reality in check with this one!)
-a princess-wife (a phrase she coined herself),
-Mary-the-mother-of-Jesus (thus her doll has permanently taken the name of Jesus, in which someone is regularly wondering around calling out, "Where is baby Jesus!?";
-various older girl cousins whom she greatly admires;

-and often goes to a "land of horses called Christophi", and rides her favorite horse that she calls "Chumby".

Marielle also is spending much of her days donned in hand-me-down ballet costumes, and had the honor of attending her first dance class with her cousin Isabelle, on a bring-a-friend day. She was so full of fierce joy when she came home that she was actually speechless. Everytime I asked her about it, she would grab me and hug me choke-hold around the neck, but not utter even a word about it! I'm assuming she had a life-changing time at this ballet class.

Marielle has very eclectic taste for her dancing-music. From "Everything that has breath praise the Lord", to "Friday I'm in Love" by The Cure, she is often found dancing wildly and hopping around the room with remarkably-fast and coordinated footwork that seems more akin to Irish folk dancing (think Riverdance) than actual ballet. Recently during her weekly dance to the aforementioned "Friday I'm in Love" she called out vehemently, "This is what Ballerinas LOOOOVE to Dance to!". . . . I'm inclined to agree..at least the ballerinas in this household. :-)

What'a you lookin' at?

Tough guy.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Genevieve!

Genevieve is 2! She has been patiently waiting for her birthday for weeks now...well, someone's birthday, at least. This girl looooves birthdays...Loves singing about them, loves blowing out pretend-candles, loves birthday cakes. And I, as any doting mother would, wanted to make her birthday special while still keeping things simple, as she is just 2!

Enjoying her birthday breakfast of:

Baked Oatmeal Brulee. This was an AMAZING birthday-cake subsitute, since we were celebrating in the morning before Philip left for work. It had sliced bananas (Genevieve's favorite), with a sprinkling of brown sugar put under the broiler (hence, the Brulee), and a Peanut-Butter "Icing" on top, made of plain yogurt, maple sugar and peanut butter. Boy, was it gooood. And quite a hit with the girlies.

Showing off her new jewelry to dad. Yes, I broke down and bought her silly bands and kid's necklaces and bracelets so she would stop putting tiny hair-bands around her wrists and cutting off the circulation! All that to say, when she opened this gift she gleefully shouted "Rubber Bands!".

Enjoying her new wooden birthday-cake set, complete with candles and toppings. The girls have already had countless birthday-parties all over the house since this little gift came along. :-)

The birthday girl in her birthday-hat, with her sweet cousin Isabelle who came over later in the day to wish her a happy birthday and bring a present. Thanks, Isabelle!

And to conclude: some sweet and true words about little Eve that her father wrote in a letter to her to commemorate her 2nd birthday:

"Yesterday was your birthday. You turned two - a girl with a proper head of yellow hair, now, and opinions of your own, even if, to me, you still feel like a little bag of apples when I pick you up. I remember when you were born. You were a month early, and I think I got used to thinking of you in those first days as so fragile and delicate that I’ve never quite been able to shake that image, even as you tear around the house, now, climbing any and everything, and fearlessly thwarting whatever plans your sister has for you at a

particular moment."

Yes, you are our dear, opinionated, social, extroverted, joyful little girl. You find friends everywhere you go and are always eager to charm strangers, family, and friends alike. Rather than play with toys, you are much more interested in chatting with me, telling me everything that comes into your little mind (of which there is much!). You know how to make people laugh, and even at 2, you know you can, and relish it. We are so grateful that God gave you to our family, and your sweet and cheerful disposition is a daily blessing to all of us.

All my love,

Mommy

3 months old!

August is now officially out of the sleepy-all-the-time newborn stage, and has assumed his role as dear brother and resident-baby of the family. He continues to be an incredibly laid-back, content and cuddly little boy. We are so thankful for this! Serene, is another word, that fits him quite well. Dream-baby is another that comes to mind. :-) God apparently knew my limitations, and thus mercifully gave me an EASY third child.

At three months old, August enjoys the following:


*rolling over
















































































*smiling and cooing






















*playing on his "activity" mat



















*gazing at his sisters





























*sleeping---you have no idea how much he enjoys this one in particular! He pretty much keeps himself on a three hour routine: he wakes up to eat, stays awake for about an hour, and then conks out for the next two hours, only to start the routine over again, and again. Like I said, he is an easy-peasy baby. Hallelujah!



















We thank God for you, August. You bring sweetness, simplicity, cuddles, and great joy to our lives everyday!

"What have the girls been up to?", you may ask....

for these past two months since baby August came on the scene, and their lives are now forever changed by a sweet baby brother??

Well then, here's a few snapshots to give it to you in a nutshell (since I do have two months to catch you up on).

playing in the rain....


holding baby August...alot

tromping around (alot) in new, authentically-French rain boots

(thank you to jess and joel!)

playing dress-up while watching (probably too much!) tv....yikes.

and, going to church! This is often the big outing of the week, since its still pretty crazy taking all three kiddos out together.

I think we've finally finding our groove these past two weeks, and we're learning how to live life well with three. (The answer is: Doing anything takes a shockingly-long amount of time!) I am definitely reminding myself, "My hands are full - full of blessings." . . . And they are. :-)

Thomas August Sasser

born September 21st, 2010

7 lbs. 7 oz. 19 1/2 inches

Melts my heart!