a nephew, a niece and another nephew

in the years since thier wedding day, july 5, 2003, my brother and sister-in-law have produced three offspring. in case you have been living under a rock, or are otherwise calendar deficient, today is sept. 3, 2007, only four years and two months-ish of marriage. so, nathan turned three on August "firty-first," and is having a fire truck at his birthday party on Saturday. Raeanne will be 19 months old on Sept 15, and Trey is about six weeks old. Three kids-- three and under.

so although i think they are a tad bit on the crazy side, i am also so lucky that they are very good at baby making. here's why: i have been so amazingly and abundantly blessed by these three kids, that i could never have even imagined it or thought to ask, hope, or wish for it.

nathan is one of the sweetest kids ever; he is smart too. he remembers everything. he knows who gave him what when and for what occassion. he said when he grows up, he wants to be a doctor. he is obsessed with making sure i am ok--checking my blood pressure, listening to my heart (he always says, "take a deep breath in"), and giving me shots (those plastic toy syringes are no joke--they hurt). he also takes good care of his little sister and brother. the other day, raerae was upset because her bottle was empty, and she wanted a drink. she was screaming and crying while my brother quickly prepared her refill. nathan gently and graciously walked over to her, grabbed her hand, and led her to the kitchen. he pointed to his daddy, and said, "look raerae. it's ok. see. daddy is fixing your drink." as david walked to the couch with her bottle, in an attempt to get her to nap, nathan followed behind, still holding his sister's hand leading her to her daddy's arms. it was so sweet. ok, one more. on the day carri and david brought trey home from the hospital, we all went up there to film the event. carri and david brought trey in his carrier into the waiting room. we all left, my dad (poppy) leading the way, walking backward with the camera. david carried the weight of the carrier, but nathan would simply NOT let go of it, even for a second. and as we turned the corner down the long hallway to the elevator, nathan stopped -- careful not to lose contact with his baby brother's carrier, looked in at him, looked at us, and began to gingerly jumo up and down repeating emphatically, "i love him! i love him! i love him!"

raeanne is a piece of work. sometimes i think she may be even smarter than nathan. she is gonna be trouble. in a good way. she has such a strong, outgoing, and hilarious personality. and she ain't scared of nothing. she loves to put the big flamingo pillow on the floor in front of her bed and just faceplant, falling off the bed into the pillow. tonight, we went to eat at Steak and Shake. she greeted every single person who came in, walked by, came over. she also bid them adieu. as we left, one of the other patrons suggested we enter her in a pageant. "she has the wave," she said. i replied, "don't let her mother hear you say that. she already put big brother in one, and he won."

trey. what can i say? so far, all he does is eat, sleep and poo. but i have to give him credit. he is the best baby. he is so content. unless he is seriously hungry, he NEVER cries. he is amazing. the best. i can't wait to watch his little personality develop like his brother and sister.

so basically, thanks dave and carri, for making me an auntie. they are the best kids. i love them so much.

Father God, thank you for blessing my family with these three children. i pray, God, they will know you, their lives will be enriched, and that you will be glorifir in the process. God, let your will be done in their lives.