A Full(er) House

On Monday, July 7 (exactly one month since IG moved in), the Liddell house will be getting our third boy! KS will be here, and we are so excited! He will be sharing a room with IG, as they are almost the same age and will be going into the same grade when school starts next month. Please be in prayer for KS (I am not sure if his name starts with a C or a K, as I haven't seen the official form for him yet; bear in mind his initials may change :P) as he moves in and begins adjusting to life on the ranch. He has never lived at the ranch before, but has visited several times and is already somewhat familiar with it; I think this could help him adjust. Also, please pray that he and IG will hit it off well; they could potentially be really great influences on each other, or end up being really competitive because they are so close in age.

Something I said in the above paragraph has just really occurred to me--that the boys will be back in school next month! Where has the summer gone? There have been a few extra long days here and there, but the weeks have been short. We work hard and we play hard. The summer has been a great time of learning to work together as a family to get things done, and learning to have fun together when the work is finished.

I have been asked frequently what it is like to have rambunctious older boys and a toddler all in one house. Our one-year-old daughter, Adeline, has played a very special role in our ministry at WSBR. What a blessing it is that even at her young age, I already see how God can use her to minister to others (obviously she isn't aware of this--but her mother is). The way her eyes light up and she smiles or laughs when she sees TJ or IG seems to fill them instantly with joy. They will just chase her in the living room or try to coax her to walk or do everything they can to get giggles out of her for hours! It seems like she is good medicine for the wounds they have endured in their lives before moving to WSBR. As for how the boys are for her, I was worried for quite a while before we moved to the ranch that I would have to constantly run damage control, but I knew that God would protect Adeline more than I ever feasibly could. The boys are absolutely wonderful with her--we seldom need to remind them to be gentle with her. They are extremely protective of her, and always hate when it's her naptime or bedtime because they want to keep playing. However, neither of them ever seem to be around if she needs a new diaper. ;) I am confident that, even if it doesn't happen as quickly as it has with TJ or IG, that KS will also adore Addie, and that she will love him just as much. :)

Here is a list of prayer requests and needs you can be aware of if you wish to be a part of what God is doing here at WSBR:

• As stated in the first paragraph, please especially be in prayer for KS this week as he moves into our house.
• Prayer for TJ and IG to remain open and welcoming as they adjust to KS becoming a part of the family. 
• It isn't really a ranch thing, but we are weaning Adeline off of her pacifiers. She may still need to take one to the nursery at church, though, or I have a feeling she will borrow one from another baby. :/
• For good attitudes about the balance of work and play and being a family to continue, and on some days improve ;)
• For whatever future boys God will bring to either the Mac house or the Liddell house. When KS moves in, there will be three boys in each house--so there is definitely room for more. :)

Some needs which you may consider donating:

• As always, if you would like to give financially to WSBR, you can go here. 
• We had one bicycle for a while that was quite old that our boys used to all share, but it was already on its last leg and quickly became unrideable. There is lots of room for riding bikes at the ranch, and I know the boys would just love if a bicycle (or bicycles, plural) were donated. If you have a bike sitting in your garage that is taking up space, we would love if you considered giving it to WSBR. 
• Our relief house parents just had a baby girl a few months ago, and have two young boys as well. All of them share our guest room when they come to do relief for our days off once a week. The bed in our guest room is fairly old, and is only a full size bed. If you or someone you know has a queen sized bed in good condition they could donate, it would certainly be well received! 
• This isn't really a need, but if you're one of those women I envy who have a talent for embroidery, Blake and I thought it would be really neat if the boys had two or three towels with their initials, name, or a monogram of their initials embroidered on it so that they could always see whose was whose. Just an idea :)

If you are reading this, thank you, thank you, thank you for investing your time in these boys and in the ministry of WSBR to catch up and be aware of what God is doing, and of needs that need to be met. Yours prayers are coveted and appreciated!