So this is the Gunnink family...our last 'formal' family photo in December 2012 shortly after we got our first ever pet, a yellow Labrador named Tabitha (Tabbie is her nickname). The kids have grown leaps and bounds since then! Brad and I have been married since 2000 and we have 4 very great kids at our house, and everyone is very excited to soon welcome our 5th child, a son (I will talk more about him later).
Ella, our oldest, is 11 years old. She has a heart of gold, very thoughtful, loving, honest and creative. She has strong convictions and tries to stick to them. She definitely is the leader of the bunch around here! After me, the other kids look to her to organize the fun and keep things rolling.
Jonah, our 9 year old, is such a lovable kid. He is very sensitive and humble, always putting others ahead of himself. He definitely is the analytical one and if he isn't trying to figure out how things work, he is building something or reconfiguring something. Always moving, this boy!
Then comes our twins, Elijah and Lila, who are 7 years old. What a surprise to find out we were having twins! Even though it brought some incredibly crazy, hectic years, we would never trade all of that for anything. Love having kids so close in age!
Elijah is a huge sweetie. He has a gentle personality. He is so kind and really tries to be a good friend to everyone. Love that he can just go with the flow. He is the peacemaker for sure around here.
Lila is a very passionate little girl. She has strong desires and strong convictions and lets us know them regularly, actually many times a day. She is very determined and likes to work hard and accomplish a lot. She will stop anything, though, to help anyone who is hurt or upset. Love that about her!
And here is a photo of where the kids spend most of their free time...THE POOL!
All 4 kids are great swimmers and swim on a swim team most of the year. They dabble in lots of other activities too - music, writing class, football, basketball, soccer, dance, biking, running, triathlons - but most often you will find them - and Brad & me as the chauffeurs - at the pool.
And since I am talking about my family, I cannot leave out my amazing husband! Brad was single until he was 34, so after all those years of single life, things quickly changed for him after we got married. He so can go with the flow (Elijah gets it from him), and that has enabled him to survive 4 kids in 4 years quite well! He is so fun-loving and addicted to adventure, so God gave him the perfect family for him!
I am a stay-at-home mom who home schools our 4 kids. This is our 6th year home schooling, so it comes pretty natural now for all of us. It still can get hectic, and I definitely have those want to 'pull my hair out' kinds of days. But we just pray, regroup, and start fresh the next day!
The bottom line...I am blessed. I am in awe of the family God has entrusted to me. I sometimes can't figure out why He has, but then decide to just lean that much more into His strength and His love, and then it all makes sense again.
We are about to embark on a whole new journey as a family...the beautiful, yet sometimes overwhelming and heart-wrenching journey of adoption. We have no doubt God has led us to this place. Again in awe that He has chosen us for this privilege. All we had to do was say yes to the call. And then let him work and orchestrate, and change our hearts as He takes us through each step. It has been humbling for sure, but not a journey I would have wanted to miss. Our adoption journey...the subject of my next post! :)
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