Well, there’s me. I already do all the talking. Read my posts, and you’ll get to know me.

Then, there’s Rick. The rock. Autocorrect on my phone constantly tries to change Rick to rock, and I think it’s pretty appropriate. He’s also incredibly patient, full of compassion, and hilarious. Shortly after we were married, my gramma said, “Oh, Rick must be so much fun to live with.” Yes, he is!

Now, here are the kids:

EmzeDoodle

EmzeDoodle is the oldest. We waited a long time for her and spent many hours praying. Then we finally held her in our arms, and all was well, or so we thought. When she was five months old, she was diagnosed with infantile spasms, a devastating seizure disorder, and an MRI revealed that she had a stroke around the time she was born.

So, with cerebral palsy, Emze has had to work a little — or a lot — harder for every accomplishment. But she’s up to the challenge.

Loo Loo Lizard

Loo joined us less than two years after Emze was born. Loo was a crabby baby. I was overwhelmed. I wanted to be a mom so badly, and it wasn’t all I had dreamt of. She was rarely happy and usually overly emotional. 

And then, she grew into her emotions and became the sweetest girl. She strives to do right and follow the Lord. She’s my right hand, always cleaning, babysitting, and caring. I always tell people not to despair if their baby is a challenge. Loo has shown me what can be. 

Jellybean

Oh, little Jelly. We welcomed our little Christmas gift four and a half years after Loo was born. She surprised me and was born two weeks early. Loo was born eight days late, so I was severely underprepared for Jelly’s early arrival.

She was a tiny little babe, and she’s still a little bean. She’s full of spunk, has excellent comedic timing, and likes to be in charge. She’s like the oldest child of my younger three. That means she and Emze butt heads with their oldest child personalities.

Wrenny Penny Poo Poo Poo

Yes, we actually call her that. And she has made lifelong friends by introducing herself as such. People know Wrenny Penny. When we go camping, she makes an impression on the other campers, and on more than one occasion, I’ve met people in the bathroom who have asked if I’m Wrenny Penny’s mom.

Her three older sisters have all been in speech therapy, but I haven’t had any speech concerns with this talker. In fact, the pediatrician said, “Well, I’m going to assume you don’t have any worries about her speech,” as she gave a full story as an answer to every yes or no question he asked. 

Buddy Boy

Buddy Boy. Our baby. He was a complete surprise, but sometime after Jelly was born, I stopped being overwhelmed by motherhood and embraced it wholeheartedly. So, I was thrilled to learn about our unplanned addition.

I had never known our children’s sex before they were born, so I didn’t find out officially with Bud, either. But I knew 100% in my heart that I would be having another girl. I only had dreams of glitter and lace. Turns out, you can’t trust your heart. He’s all boy! And when I first realized it, I was utterly speechless.