Happy Happy 4th!

I am writing this post right now with 4 out of 5 children standing around me. I can hear one child singing at the top of her lungs, "Wilkenson, dance with me!" . . . another child saying firmly but with a smile on his face, "Stop it!" . . . another one saying in an accented voice, " Mama, gade gade," . . . another one is quiet but not for long and the youngest's wearabouts in the house are unknown but you can hear him yelling, "MOMMA!" This is the choas that I am learning to enjoy and embrace. I have a long way to go but I ask the Lord continuously to help me understand what it means to really enjoy my children and not just survive till bedtime. My goal as their parent is not to just teach, protect, take care of and train them but to Love, Honor, Respect, Cherish and Value them as individuals that God created in His image.
I now must go ~ Bella just informed me that Asher was standing on the toilet in order to pee and there was gum stuck to his rear and he has flicked and she is not sure if he is trying to get it back out of the toilet :-)

We left that morning of the 4th to ride our bikes to the donut shop and get Korean made donuts, then we rode over to the park to watch the parade. This is a tradition that we have come to enjoy. Although we missed Daddy very much, we were glad to have Aunt Tina join us.

Waiting patiently for the parade to start.

Celebrating the 4th with my brother and his family. Aunt Tina was here too but left for a bit with Asher to attend another party.

Matching July 4th outfits.

I am not only a proud citizen of America but this holiday was my dad's favorite and it makes me miss him that much more. Knowing that my dad walks with Jesus and sees God's face, I would never want him back but the pains of missing him are still very real. I am so glad that I will see him again one day!

We are so ready for Daddy to come home. The kids and I put together this sign today to welcome him home ~ each child took a letter and decorated it with colors. It was a great way for each of them to get involved!