(Almost) Finished!

These pictures are a little fuzzy for some reason, but here are our "new" cabinets!!! I'm going to have to look through pictures on our old computer and find some before pics- but I love the difference. It's amazing what $40 of gel stain and $75 of new hardware will do! I still need to touch up a couple of places and add a coat or two of polyurethane (sp?). Does anyone have any experience with that? The stuff seems so runny- I'm afraid I'm gonna mess them up by leaving drips all over the place. I'd love some tips, if you have em!

Recent Conversations

Some sweet/funny recent conversations in the Broome house:

**AB has had some behavior issues at school lately...ugh- you wouldn't think that a 23 pound three year old would take it upon herself to be the class bully, but I guess she has. We're working on it. (Any godly advice would be appreciated.)

Me (on the way home from school): Anna Bell, did you have a good day at school?

Anna Bell: yes mommy.

Me: Did you obey your teachers and were you kind to your friends?

Anna Bell: ummmm....no- i went to time out.

Me: And why did you have to go to timeout today?

Anna Bell: I took toys from Sarah and pushed her. (*Sarah is one of her dearest friends...and thankfully Sarah's mommy is one of my dearest friends who understands and loves my little darling AB)

Joshua (has been listening intently up to this point, but now decides to chime in with a stern voice): Anna Bell! That is NOT good and that does NOT honor God!

...oh boy.


**Anna Bell is seriously the BEST daddy greeter in the world! I mean, we're talkin no matter where that child is in the house or what she is busy doing, when she hears her daddy walk through the door, it's over. She RUNS and yells "DAAAADDYYYYYYYY!!!!!" until she sees him and then proceeds to leap into his arms. It's great. I love that she adores her daddy like that. Lately, after the initial greeting, while softly patting Fred's face, she then says things like:

"So. How was your day at work, dad?"

Or, while laying her head on his chest, closing her eyes, and sighing:

"I sure love you daddy."

She may be a bully at school, but she sure knows how to sweet talk her daddy.



**Last night, as Fred was talking with Joshua before bedtime.

Joshua: Daddy, I don't want to get any bigger.

Fred: Why not buddy?

Joshua: Because I DO NOT want to start loosing all my teeth!

(This was after we stopped by our 5 year old neighbor's house who had just lost her first tooth. This was very disturbing to Joshua...I guess we've never explained that process to him!)

If only it could be that simple

Like many of you, we have been greatly burdened for the people of Haiti since the earthquake. We've had a lot of conversations (especially with Joshua) about how we can help and what the needs are of the people there. We've been praying that the people would receive needed food and water, for the many children that are orphans, and that these people would know the love of Christ for them. After one such conversation, here was Joshua's matter-of-fact response:
"Well, why don't they just go to IKEA and get the things that they need when their houses fell down? ...and they even have food there for them too!"
I wish it was that easy, buddy.

What Great Weekends Are Made Of

*Dinner with friends followed by the guys and bigger kids

roasting s'mores out back in the fire pit.

*Starting a trial membership at the gym. I don't know if we'll join, but it sure makes working out better when you have childcare and all that fancy equipment at your fingertips:)

*Playing outside while daddy mows up leaves and fixes things with his new nail gun.

*Running errands that aren't necessary at that very moment but still productive.

*Buying a new computer. (Yay!!!! We've put it off forever and used the other one that hasn't really worked well in years-- wow, it's nice to be able to just turn it on and be ready to go!)

*Daddy and big kids going to get doughnuts for breakfast. (and even bringing one home for mommy!)

*Getting a lot accomplished on refinishing the kitchen cabinets. (I love them! Pictures soon to follow!)

*Reading/telling accounts from the Bible with the kids in bed.

*Lots of playdough creations.

*Movies on rainy afternoons.

*Sitting under Fred's teaching at church on Sunday morning. And hearing what the kids learned about in their classes.

*Sunday lunch at Firehouse. (Kids eat free and Fred and I split a combo- so it's less than $10 for us all to eat plenty...and I don't have to rush around cooking when everyone is starving!)

*Sunday evening Bible Study with dear friends-- challenging and encouraging one another in the way that we love/discipline our children.

*2 hour premier of this season's 24...so exciting...go Jack!

*And I know that Monday doesn't count as the weekend, but we played hard for a good 4 hours outside-- which always makes for a great day!

Cookbooks Are In!

Most of you know that my sister and her husband are in the process of adopting children from Ethiopia. They have completed all of the paperwork and are about 5 months into the period of waiting for a referral. We are beyond excited as we think about our sweet little babies coming home! If you think of it, please pray for Luke, Laura, and Maddie Grace during this time of waiting and preparation. They have walked a difficult road to get to this place of, but have walked it with grace and trust in the Lord and His provision.


I'm writing this blog to let you know about another way that you can help. As you can imagine, international adoptions are very costly. It has been amazing to watch the Lord provide for Luke and Laura as they step out in faith and completely trust the He will provide the finances thus far. Laura has put together a fabulous cookbook for which all of the proceeds go towards the adoption. They are $15 (shipping included). Please let me know if you are interested in getting one. The best way would probably be to email me at lindseypbroome@yahoo.com. Please include your address so that we get it to the correct place.

Just to give you a window into Luke and Laura's heart, here is an excerpt from the forward of the cookbook:
"It is because of His faithfulness that Luke and I walk on this side of infertility- grateful for the ways that the Lord has taken care of us. Not only is He healing our hearts, but He has provided for us a passion for adoption- something that could only have come from Him as we were originally quite opposed to the idea! While we wait for our children, it is my desire that our adoption story be a testimony of how graciously the Lord has taken care of and blessed our family."

Thanks everyone! I CANNOT wait to be able to post pictures of our sweet babies on this blog!!!

Caleb Judson

Our littlest baby turned one on Thursday. Unfortunately, he woke up with a cold/teething issues that morning so we barely made it through dinner let alone birthday cake. After the first official Broome birthday party for Joshua in September, we've pretty much decided that parties aren't for us. From now on (at least in this stage of life) birthdays are pretty low key around here. Now don't get me wrong, birthdays are still a huge deal and we greatly celebrate in our home...just without all the hoopla of cleaning the house, sending invites, decorating...and so on. So Caleb spent his first birthday playing at home, eating lunch out, taking two good naps (poor guy was sleepy all day) sharing a spaghetti dinner with the fam, playing with the balloons that daddy brought home, and tasting a couple of bites of cake (before his head practically fell asleep in it!!!:)

Here are just a few descriptions of our little guy:

*Caleb Judson is pretty easy-going so far. (I say that, yet I'm remembering the little fit that he threw at dinner tonight when I was placing cheese in front of him when he'd already seen the grapes that I pulled out of the fridge and continued squawking until I got him the grapes!)

*He is definitely a mommy's boy at this stage. I think it's because with the third, I've 1. realized that this stage of having a baby is so fleeting and I don't have the feeling of needing a break as much and 2. taking just one to the store or out to eat is a break!!!!

*Caleb is a really good eater. I've mentioned in a previous post that we didn't do baby food with him. I did steam and blend some things at first, but he quickly got to where he could just eat normal soft foods like avocado, sweet potato, beans, peas, small pieces of chicken, bananas, peaches, and so on. Now, he's able to eat most anything and seems to enjoy most foods. I'm sure we'll hit picky stages with him, but I feel like he's off to a good start.

*Caleb is crawling, pulling up, cruising, and beginning to stand for a bit on his own. I would guess it will still be a few weeks before he walks, but once he does, he'll be all over the place!

*He loves his brother and sister. And they love him. Joshua is a big helper and very loving towards Caleb. There is no question that Anna Bell adores him too...she just has a more "hands-on" way of showing her affection-- like by trying to push his face into the carpet or attempting to pull his arms off. We're working on it. He loves his daddy too-- his face completely lights up when Fred walks through the door after work. He's also getting into the mix when Fred wrestles with Joshua. Probably like most younger siblings, he thinks he's just as big as his brother.

*Caleb is a good sleeper. Not fabulous but pretty good. He goes to bed around 7-7:15 and wakes at 6:45 to nurse then goes right back to sleep until around 7:45-8. I think that I could have stretched him to wait and eat at 8, but our house is pretty crazy by that time, so that routine worked for us. Now that we're weaning, I'll probably stretch him to drink his cup of milk with breakfast at 8ish. He still takes two naps at 9:30 and 1:30. The first is between 1-2 hours and the second is 2.

*Caleb is affectionate. He gives kisses, hugs and really loves to cuddle. It takes him longer than J and AB to warm up to people....which is hard when grandparents/aunts/uncles live far away (sorry grandpa--we will be talking to a picture of you everyday from now until Christmas!!:))

*He still rides in his sling when we are at church, occasionally at a store or somewhere that I need my hands free. People are starting to give me a hard time about it at church, but he's still pretty content as long as I keep moving. It works for us.

*Caleb's words are "momma" "dada" "bubba" (joshua) "dankdu" (thankyou i think) "bye bye" and "more" He can sign "all done" and "more."

*He has 6 teeth so far- two on bottom and just got all four on top in the last few weeks

*Like each of our children, our name for Caleb is intentional: a biblical hero for the first name and a missionary/modern hero of the faith for the middle.

Caleb

"Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, 'we should by all means go up and take possession of it (the promise land), for we shall surely overcome it.'" Number 13:30

"But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it."

Numbers 14:24

Judson

Named after one of the first missionaries to the people in Burma, Adoniram Judson. He was a man whose passion to share the love of Christ with people who didn't know Him was second only to his passion for Christ Himself.

Here's a little info on Adoniram from a manuscript by John Piper. (You can read the rest at desiringgod.org)

When Adoniram Judson entered Burma in July, 1813 it was a hostile and utterly unreached place. William Carey had told Judson in India a few months earlier not to go there. It probably would have been considered a closed country today - with anarchic despotism, fierce war with Siam, enemy raids, constant rebellion, no religious toleration. All the previous missionaries had died or left.
But Judson went there with his 23-year-old wife of 17 months. He was 24 years old and he worked there for 38 years until his death at age 61, with one trip home to New England after 33 years. The price he paid was immense. He was a seed that fell into the ground and died. And the fruit God gave is celebrated even in scholarly works like David Barrett's World Christian Encyclopedia: "The largest Christian force in Burma is the Burma Baptist Convention, which owes its origin to the pioneering activity of the American Baptist missionary Adoniram Judson"

Adoniram Judson "hated his life in this world" and was a "seed that fell into the ground and died." In his sufferings "he filled up what was lacking in Christ's afflictions" in unreached Burma. Therefore his life bore much fruit and he lives to enjoy it today and forever. He would, no doubt, say: It was worth it.

Caleb, We pray that you would be bold and have a "different spirit" that follows God fully like Caleb (the son of Jephunneh) and possess the passion and single-mindedness of Adoniram to obey our Saviour in life or death- whatever He calls you to. We love you, sweet son. It is a privilege and blessing to be your mommy. Happy Birthday. Love, Mama

You have GOT to be kidding me...

All I want to know is HOW HARD could it be to get ONE good picture of three kids....apparently it's next to impossible for the Broome gang. Here a few pics that didn't make the Christmas card cut.

TAKE ONE

yeah...I thought that suckers might keep them put and end up being kind of cute...hmmm...not so much. (check out the massive amount of drool on Caleb!)

TAKE TWO

TAKE THREE

TAKE FOUR

Maybe I'm being too picky, but I kind of think that if I'm going to spend the time and money to send out cards, I'd like it to be a good pic. Does anyone agree? Any solutions? ...I ended up just doing 3 separate shots. BTW: for those of you who have moved recently, PLEASE email me new addresses!

For This I Pray

At about this time last year, I gathered all of the nativity Little People (from the massive collection of these beloved figures that we have collected!) and arranged them on a cabinet at the top of our stairs. And naturally, I placed them in the traditional order: Mary and Joseph on either side of baby Jesus, with the angel above and the other characters spread out on each side. However, this is the order that I found them in after Joshua and Anna Bell had played with them. I was in complete awe and amazement as I sat there wondering what was going through their little minds as they arranged those figures. I know that they probably didn't fully understand what they were doing when they placed each figure focused completely on Jesus, but it sure did challenge me! *This is my prayer for this Christmas season and every one the follows in the Broome household- that we would train and model and teach our children that amidst such tradition, Christ is Who we celebrate! He is God with us! He humbled Himself and came here as a baby, and (in the words of Shane & Shane in my favorite modern Christmas carol) He was born to die.

In My Opinion...

...Sand angels beat out snow angels any day.

What's Been Goin On...

I finally transferred pictures to the computer this morning, and realized that I have missed posting a lot of blog-worthy pics. Our computer is sadly dying. She's been a good ol girl-- nearly 9 years old which is apparently ancient where technology is concerned. All that to say, it took me FOREVER and a year to download all of these shots. (thankfully, I had an endless supply of laundry to fold while waiting. lucky me.)
So...in no particular order whatsoever...

I actually took these this morning. Look at that sweet little boy! Overalls, camo shirt, and cord hat. You really can't beat that.

Joshua and I went on our first official field trip last week with his preschool class. I have to be honest and admit that I wasn't totally looking forward to the trip. This may make me sound like a really bad and ungrateful mommy, but j and ab going to school 2 mornings a week is just as much for me as it is for them. The break does me good. I get things done. I rest and relax and by noon I usually really miss them and am ready to see their sweet shining faces. However, we ended up having a wonderful time and I'm really glad that I got to go with him and his class. I was able to meet some of the other parents. I got to see how he interacts with his teachers and classmates. It was really fun. Here are just a few pics of me and my Joshua...and sweet Caleb tagged along too.




This is Fred's intern. Do you think that he knew that loving our kids was in the job description when he got the job? They adore him and love it when he comes to our house.


One thing we have learned about our sweet AB is that if it's really quiet she's definitely doing something she's not supposed to. ...Like getting an entire batch of cupcakes off of the counter and plopping down to eat as many as she can. ...And like the good mother and discipliner that I am, I stopped to take a picture before we had a little chat:)


Who needs Disney World when you have a big hill and a stroller? Seriously one of our kids' favorite things to do. And it's a really good work out too!



I LOVE it when they show love to each other!


This is just one of the MANY piles of sheets/towels that I washed 2 weeks ago...when all five of us got a stomach bug. It was terrible. I've never done so many loads of laundry or sprayed so much Lysol in my life!!!


I love rainy days. I really do. They're so relaxing- we've had tons of rain lately but it hasn't really kept us inside. We've spent many mornings in and out of the garage in our messiest play clothes. I love it!






My kids love anything having to do with water. And they're really smart...because when they ask "mommy, can we wash each other's feet like Jesus did?" how can I refuse?!!?


My friend Becky blogged about doing cheerio art at her house so we gave it a try one morning. J and AB loved it! Thanks for the idea, Becky!



J has become obsessed with letters, words, sounds, spelling-- anything pre-reading really. So we pulled out a big pan and some cous cous (sp?) and spelled things out. It was really fun!


Whew...sorry about the long post, people. But like many of you, I want to be able to look back on all of these entries in the years to come and remember what life was like. I think that if I don't blog about it, I'll forget so many of these sweet treasured moments with our little family. And I don't want to forget any of it...even when I washed a bazillion towels in one week:)

What's Worse Than Diarrhea?

Two year old's diarrhea...

In the little potty...

That we keep in the minivan...

While sitting in the Chick-fil-A parking lot...

On the way to church...

That was then spilled all over said two year old...

Needless to say, we didn't make it to church tonight.

FOUR

My baby turned four on Friday. FOUR. It sounds so old. I was going through some clothes for Caleb tonight and was reminded again of how fast time flies. Wasn't Joshua wearing those 12 month track pants LAST WEEK?!!?



Our prayer for Joshua is that he would be bold and courageous for the LORD. Another prayer that I have been praying for him lately is that he would be tenderhearted towards others and broken over his own sinfulness. There are a lot of wonderful things that I could write here about my precious little boy- but instead, here are two bedtime conversations with Joshua that we've had lately that I DO NOT want to EVER forget:



(*It's so amazing to see God answer our prayers and watch Him develop character in our little boy)





*My mom was visiting with us last month and one evening Joshua was having a particularly difficult time falling asleep (this isn't that abnormal with Joshua!) My mom finally went up to chat with him (that's what grandma's do, right?!) and the conversation went something like this:





Mom: Joshua, what's wrong, buddy?



Joshua: I'm going to die soon.



Mom: (naturally, quite concerned) Why do you think that you're going to die soon?



Joshua: Because I hit Anna Bell. And I'm going to die.




This is how "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" connects in a 4 year old's mind. He had just memorized this verse a few weeks before that. Praise God for the glimpse that Joshua got of the depravity of his own sin.





*For those of you who don't know my family, my sister and brother are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Joshua and I were talking about the adoption and all the steps that have to happen before we get to meet our new neices/nephews. It is not natural for Joshua to have compassion for others. He is not a people pleaser, so you know that whatever comes out of that boy's mouth is genuine. With all that said, this is what he prayed unprompted over the weekend:




"Dear Jesus, Please help Aunt Laura and Uncle Luke and Maddie to get their babies soon because they miss them very much and are crying everyday. And I really want to see them because I love them a lot."





...AMEN!



...I love you Joshua Baker

Chucks N Leggings...

...should be an essential to every girl's wardrobe

"I Already Love Her"

I was putting Joshua to bed tonight and we somehow got on the topic of the names of each finger. When we got to his ring finger, the conversation went something like this...

Me: You see how mommy has the ring that daddy gave me on this finger? Someday, you will probably meet a girl that loves Jesus and loves you and you will decide that you want to marry her. So you will get her a ring and ask her to marry you. Then you will put a ring on her ring finger.

Joshua: ...And I think that I will pick Anna Bell. I already love her...

Talk about meltin' this mama's heart...

Caleb's First Buddy