Hope you enjoy the pics of my cutie pies! I almost collapsed in exhaustion when we finally got home. You have no idea how much twin chasing I had to do to get these shots AND keep both boys safe at the same time…

This is far and away my favorite weeknight recipe right now. You get all of the wonderful meaty, cheesy, tomatoey flavors of lasagna with a fraction of the work.

I wholeheartedly recommend that parents of boys read How to Raise a Boy as a starting point to think about the ways different corners of our society impose broken versions of maleness upon our sons. I am humbled by the profound importance of the mother-son bond demonstrated in the book’s pages time and time again. I know I will make countless mistakes as a mother and most days I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing but I am comforted by the fact that love covers over a multitude of sins.

Ellynn - your life was too short, and it’s not fair. I’ll never understand, but with God’s grace, I am trying to live my life by your godly example to try to soften the blow to the world when it lost you too soon. Thank you for being the real you - may we all learn to be the versions of ourselves that the Lord created us to be. I can’t wait to see you again someday.

Certain objects (such as a tiny wobbly owl) have become prized objects of possession - but only if the other brother has the owl. My darling, innocent, good-natured Toby decided that he HAD to have the owl that Theo was playing with one morning. So being the big, strong, handsome baby that he is, he reached over and took it! Theo was displeased, and it seemed clear that Toby was in the wrong, so the adults in the room returned the owl to its temporary rightful owner. This resulted in Toby becoming inconsolable, literally shrieking for the owl that he usually cares nothing for on ordinary mornings. And that’s when it hit me - my precious angel child is a sinner!

When I get up in the morning and pop the bottles in the warmers as if on auto-pilot, my spirit rejoices that before me lies another day to sit at the Lord’s feet, and listen to what He has to say. And after the fourth dirty diaper, the changing table tantrum and the feed-me-dinner-faster meltdown, the Holy Spirit prompts my running-low-on-gas heart to remember, these days are about experiencing His presence while giving my precious children the gift of myself. The dishwasher can wait!

I originally felt called by God to go to medical school. This begs the question - am I missing my calling? Am I making an irreversible mistake? I rest easy in the truth that it is for freedom that Christ has set me free, that there is grace upon grace for my failures, that if God wants me to return to residency one day, He will make my path straight. There will always be physicians doing the noble work of the Lord in hospitals and clinics, but I am the only person in the world uniquely qualified to be my children’s mother. I’m not sure that I have ever been happier, and it is out of this joy that I resigned from residency yesterday.