#elijahjames

#day5 is a reminder of why I do this. So that this #wildbunch has the freedom to grow up as smart and loud and creative and bossy and curious and adventurous as they want to be. #coriannarowen #elijahjames #lookatthecameraSage! @sunka_sage #howimissthem #armycampingtrip #alwaysengaged19 https://www.instagram.com/p/Byt-q9TAqtV/?igshid=mtfwdf1o6qh2

“Are we cousins?” Um, kinda? Sure. #lizardhunters #niblets #coriannarowen #elijahjames #fionabug

HE’S RIGHT THERE!!!! #coyotepeterson #elijahjames #SOEXCITED

It’s hard to tell who’s more excited for #coyotepeterson, me or #elijahjames! #bestkidever

Two #roadtrips are gonna meet in the middle!! #coyotepeterson #elijahjames #bestkid

So, this isn’t the best picture of me. But it is a #moment that I treasure and will hold in my heart forever. #littlelionpopovich, Mr. Abraham himself, was in my arms, and he reached up and touched my face, leaning forward and giggling as he looked into my eyes with big, beautiful blue eyes that are wide and happy and full of life and love. This was one of those moments that Mary was referring to, those moments that a mother holds forever. For a long time, I’ve prayed over and struggled with my decision not to have a family of my own, but I’ve learned that in so many ways, I am a mother. This was a mother moment. Seeing this little boy, for whom I have prayed for so long and loved so very very much, lean forward to chatter and laugh and share a private moment just for me, was a mother moment. Teaching Miss Eden that when someone says she is a “weirdo,” clearly they mean that she is a unique and special creation of God and she should absolutely say “Thank you!!” That was a mother moment. Making #coriannarowen a traditional Lakota ribbon skirt to honor the great grandmother she never knew, holding a terrified #elijahjames in my lap for two hours as he got a big boy haircut by the most patient barber in town, being the first loved one to see #levonalcinious little smushy face as he came into the world, praying over #zoeesther before she was bigger than a pea, these were all mother moments. Yes, even sitting up with my four-legged kid and making sure he recovers from a sick tummy, that is a mother moment too. I am blessed with a heart so full of KIDS, a life so abundant in family, that I will never be short of those moments that Mary kept close. I am a mother, in all the best ways. I will never have children with my own DNA, but I have so many kids already, who needs any more??!! Thank you, Mothers. All of you, who’ve honored me by trusting me with your children, who’ve blessed me with their time and their tiny little selves. Thank you, for being strong and gorgeous and amazing!! I ❤️❤️ you!!

8 cm down to more 2 more to go #proudauntie #ElijahJames (at Adventist Health Lodi Memorial)

Got admitted to the hospital tonight #proudauntie #1stbaby #ElijahJames (at Lodi Memorial Hospital Ob Clinic)