All I can do is say thank you....

Hello friends! This post is very over due!!

I wanted to take some time away from our very full and busy life to share our sweet little girl with you. I know many of you have probably wondered "what happened" to us and I apologize for that.. To put it honestly, I just haven't had any extra time to blog!! I've been so busy raising up my four beautiful children that writing just had to be pushed to the back burner for a little while. Also, we had an incident shortly after Emmaline was born where someone was stealing her pictures and posing our sweet girl as her own. That was really hard on me so I took some time to just enjoy my love and keep her to myself. I'm thankful that is behind me.

Since Emmaline has been born, everything has been great! She has been the sweetest addition to our family and has healed our hearts in ways we never imagined. There's not a day that goes by that I don't cry tears of joy over her. She is the sweetest blessing and she helps me so very much. I want to share our birth story with you.. and everything that has happened since and plan to do so in the upcoming posts. I'm going to do my best to catch you all up on the months since our sweet Em was born..

But first things first!!! Here is a picture of me holding my sweet love for the first time.
She absolutely took my breath away!

I held my baby girl in my arms on April 17th and have been in complete bliss ever since… The tears in my eyes are a complete testament to the Lords amazing mercy on our lives.. He truly gave us a special gift in giving us our sweet mercy girl. All I can do is thank Him over and over again for this sweet blessing!

Since that moment I first held her, so many fulfilling moments have taken place.

The boys became big brothers to a much prayed for "little sister."
Watching their sweet little faces meet her for the first time was something I'll never forget.

They are the best big brothers and have been so wonderful with their sweet little sis.

Introducing my daughter to my friends and family and honesty just getting to say her name every day has been beyond healing for me.

I'll share all about our Em's birth and our hospital stay in the next post. =)

Bringing home our bundle of pink has been so amazing.. Every day since there has been a new adventure, a new "first" and a new memory we've made.. Don't worry, I've documented and photographed all of it! =)

As soon as we got home, it was Easter the next day. I got to dress Emmaline up for her first Easter Sunday and it was so very special. My Mom came over to be a part of it and we were both in tears standing over her changing table, as I put my daughter in her very first dress. I can't explain to you the emotion I felt in my heart. My mom still buys me my Easter dress each year and I can't wait to do that for little Emmaline for years and years to come!!!

Here are a few pics of our sweet Easter blessing. She will always be our little "bunny."

Watching Rick hold Emmaline and sing to her absolutely melts my heart and gives my heart such a "whole" feeling again. He was meant to parent a little girl, he is absolutely amazing with her and I'm so thankful I get to experience seeing my sweet Husband with our daughter. I'll never forget him introducing her to her room… something we never got to do with Madeline. From that moment on, I knew everything we did would be an extra blessing because it would be something we only dreamed of with our sweet Maddie Grace. God has been so good.

Seeing Madeline in Emmaline's cheeks and little dimple chin makes me hopeful. And it reminds me that she is with us every single day; in the faces of my babies and in the chirps of every bird outside my window. I feel so much like Maddie is still a part of this family.. And having Emme just confirms that for me.

We've had quite a few photo sessions done since Emmaline has arrived and I'm loving it so much.  I love having beautiful family photographs together, oh how much joy it brings to my soul.. Seeing a little splash of pink along with Madeline's shoes now in our photographs... there are just no words for the way my heart soars during these moments..

Our boys are completely smitten over her. She gets many hugs and kisses all day long..
And I'm loving watching each of them interact with her and create bonds and relationships.
I've waited so very long for moments like these and each one brings me to tears!

Every day the Lord continues to heal and bless me.. Every day I am grateful.

Emma Mercy has been the perfect addition to our family and has truly made us all feel "whole and entire" again.

Every day Rick and I still say that we can't believe we have a little girl and we praise God for his blessings.

Every smile, every new face she makes, every day she grows a little more it is such a gift and we are beyond grateful.

Some days I just sit and hold her and smell her hair and kiss her cheeks. She is like a breath of Heaven sent strait for us from the Lord.  And from her big sister. =)

I now find myself just smiling all the time.. Full of the comfort of God's grace and mercy. He has been so very good in blessing us with this sweet gift. She fulfills us in ways we never imagined. She blesses us to the fullest.

She truly is a dream come true.

This little girl is proof that no mater how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, a dream that you wish will come true. <3

I'm so very grateful that the Lord has given us another sweet baby girl. And I never take one day with her for granted.. life is just to brief for that.. Maddie Grace taught me that.


So today, we will snuggle and she will nurse and we will continue to grow in love as an earthly family of 6. I'm so thankful for the beautiful blessing God has given us....


And as the song says..


All I can do is thank you for this life I never deserved...
Wanna thank you for the grace I know I don't have to earn.
You love me, you love me your mercy is proof.
All I can do, is say Thank you... All I can do is say thank you!


Thank you Lord for your everlasting grace and mercy on our lives. We are so grateful.


Much love,
Natalie

We just returned home from our first family vacation with Emmaline and we headed back to Disney World!!! I honestly can't wait to blog about it. I promise to catch you all up with our lives the last 6 months and I pray that now that winter is coming and we will be "In" a little more, I can do just that. Thank you for loving us and praying for us from afar. We love you all!