Doin' it with a Dozen

28/07/2024

Happy birthday to my best friend. ❤️

To the man I never knew I needed, but man did I!
The one who checked all the boxes off the list I never knew to write. The man who took the broken hearts of one woman and four boys, and made them his own, holding them delicately and leading them with intention and grace.

I certainly never saw you coming, Caleb. I definitely never imagined that our hearts could be restored, and that I could love like I love you. Little did I know that the man who took me by complete surprise would become the greatest surprise of my life! What a blessing you are.

I don’t know how you do the things you do.
I’m constantly amazed at how intentional you are with your time and how you spend it.
You’re productive with projects, yes, but you’re even more productive with all of the hearts you’ve been given to carry, and you do it with such intention and confidence, knowing in Whom you trust and to where you’re leading us. How one man can lead a wife and TWELVE children so beautifully, making everything so much fun, and with such patience… it just blows my mind! The grace of God is so evident in all you do.

This big ol’ family, the one we never planned on having, turned out to be the blessing of a lifetime, didn’t it? Only God could have orchestrated such a thing, and man am I grateful He did… for me, for you, and for our children.

Today is a special day because today we celebrate the gift of Caleb!!! The joy you bring, the example you’ve set, and the abundant love you share — those are all things that set you apart and make you a treasure to all who get to know you. You’re a blessing to this world, and I’m grateful to get to stand beside you as we traverse it.

I love you so much, sweet husband.
Happy birthday to my best friend.
Let’s laugh a lot today, ok?

28/07/2024

Our home renovation is in full swing!

This man doesn’t stop, y’all! 💪 From hanging lights, to removing wallpaper, to shiplapping walls, he’s always working hard to get our house one step closer to the dream. He’s got lots of great helpers, too!

Pretty sure I’m the luckiest lady in all the land. ❤️

27/07/2024

Out with the track lights, in with the pendant lights. We are remodeling our kitchen, and lighting is well underway. Lowe's Home Improvement

26/07/2024

We set off for Texas with the intent to camp for a few nights at Guadalupe River State Park Texas State Parks ‪and then enjoy a few nights in Galveston on the beach, but our pre-term daughter had other plans! She surprised us the first night — Tamara's water broke in the tent at only 35 weeks!

Here’s a clip from our chaotic adventures while Tamara and baby Evelyn were in the hospital.

Stay tuned for our next REAL TALK video discussing the birthing story of our little yellow rose of Texas.

You can watch our full day’s adventure on our YouTube channel, here:
https://youtu.be/HnHV7DTXUR8?si=-r-hlHnBDHJYuyBy

👍🔔 Be sure to like, subscribe, and hit that bell to get notifications for all of our future videos. We are so grateful to be able to share with y’all, and so glad you’re here!

22/07/2024

UPDATE: Tonight, I added “cracks” with the angle grinder (to mimic weathered barn wood), sanded it a ton, and applied two colors of stain — Greige and Holly Leaf by Valspar.

What do you think?

21/07/2024

The boys and I have been updating our dated home. The red brick and white mantle had to go.

Tamara and I wanted a more rustic feel so I painted the bricks, and a few of the dudes and I took a stab at fabricating a faux wood mantle. We built it out of 1x8 lumber and then distressed it with hatchets, grinders, nails, and more. The goal is to mimick an old barn beam.

We still need to sand it and do a little more distressing before staining. These photos show our current status. We tested it to make sure it fit snug on the mantle. Can’t wait to stain it.

What do you think? Improvement?

15/07/2024

On the way down to Texas, a trip that we’ve been planning for months, Caleb said these words:

“Boys, pay attention. It’s trips like these that you will remember for the rest of your life. You may not remember every detail of the trip, but little and even big things will happen on this trip that you’ll look back on and remember forever. Don’t miss them!”

What we thought would be a vacation filled with camping on the river and then hangin’ on the beach, turned out to be dropping mom off at the hospital with an unexpected preterm labor and days of waiting and praying for good news.

We’re no strangers to hospital stays.
We’ve certainly had our fair share of tests and scans and scares, realizing how little control we actually have.
We’ve all spent days wondering, waiting, and praying for good news, knowing the worst could happen.
We’ve seen many victories, and we’ve faced the greatest losses, too.

This time, although our vacation was flipped upside down, even though we didn’t get to camp much, and even though we never made it to the beach, all of the waiting and praying was met with the greatest news. Dad was right… this trip is one we will never, ever forget. We won’t remember every detail, no, but we’ll always remember how our family vacation to Texas changed our family forever.

At 35 weeks and 1 day, God ordained that it was time for our sweet Evelyn to join us. It definitely wasn’t in our plans, as we were certain we had at least a month more. But she came, she struggled, and she fought hard to stay with us. I sat by her bedside in the NICU for days on end, surrounded by other mamas who were praying the same prayer I was. I watched her struggle to breathe and just waited and prayed. We all did. And with time and lots of great care, she got stronger. And now, by God’s grace, she’s home! We are officially a family of fourteen, and we couldn’t be more grateful.

Evelyn Joy, you sure do know how to make an entrance, sister! I’m certain this won’t be the last time your brothers have to wait on you, but boy oh boy do they love you, sweet girl!

The icing on the cake — that’s what you are. The cake itself was sweet and sufficient, and we were so grateful for it. But you make it even sweeter, even more beautiful. You’re the daughter that both Dad and I never thought we’d get to have. The sister that eleven boys never knew they needed. You’re the glue that seals our bonded hearts, and man do we love you like crazy! Our Evelyn, our joy.

God is the redeemer of hearts — you’re proof of that, Evie girl. You have no idea how much joy you bring us. So much JOY.

And to think, God had a plan for you all along. ❤️

07/07/2024

Morning, Evie.

06/07/2024

Mini-Wheat
has left NICU & is
leaving w/her family
in mere moments!!!

03/07/2024

Y’all!

We are camping in Texas this week. Today, we were set to hit the river 🏞️ and let the boys play all day, but their sister had OTHER PLANS.

You heard correctly. At 35 weeks 1 day, our little girl finished off our dozen. She is a native TEXAN, and we’re completely in love with her! 🤠👢

Mama and baby are doing well.

01/07/2024

Where are we? If you know, you know! It’s vacay week for the DIWD crew!

23/06/2024

We’re feeling a bit under the weather today, and I’ve been struggling with my blood sugar levels (gestational diabetes 🥺), so Caleb made us an EPIC breakfast.

Not sure what the fancy name for this is, but it’s basically avocado/cottage cheese/egg bread with an egg, canadian bacon, homegrown tomato, and red onion sandwiched in the middle. Oh! And our favorite homemade chili sauce on top.

EPIC. Delicious. High in protein.
I have the best husband. 🥹❤️

22/06/2024

We took our eleven boys to Silver Dollar City (in the blistering heat) to see one of our favorite bands, the newsboys (official)!

I may or may not have gracefully mentioned how incredibly hot it was more times than I can admit… 🥵. But hey, I’m super pregnant. I get a pass to complain about how miserably hot and humid it was, right?! Did I mention it was HOT?! 😂

You can watch our full day’s adventure on our YouTube channel, here: https://youtu.be/lKSIEEMrdyo?si=bEmomqu9xIyWPpq0

👍🔔 Be sure to like, subscribe, and hit that bell to get notifications for all of our future videos. We are so grateful to be able to share with y’all, and so glad you’re here!

21/06/2024

Hey friends, if you haven’t already, please check out our YouTube page and like and subscribe. We are almost to 10,000 subscribers and would appreciate your support! We are incredibly humbled that you are here and following our story. 👊👍

https://youtube.com/

20/06/2024

Believe it or not, our 15 passenger van is not large enough for gathering groceries. There is not enough space between seats. Recently, we solved that problem and purchased a cargo trailer. Until further notice, it will be named, “The Grocery Getter”.

Stay tuned for epic grocery hauls. 🛒

19/06/2024

I ain’t judging. When mama asks me for a snack, mama gets a snack. 🍦🍨🍧🥶

16/06/2024

Happy Father’s Day to our hero! ❤️

Leader.
Protector.
Provider.
Encourager.
Example.

Those are just a few words to describe the dad that Caleb is to these eleven boys he’s been given. This man was already blessed with seven sons of his own, who he was loving and raising up so intentionally, despite his circumstances. And then he chose to take on four more boys as his own sons, too. And man does he love and lead them all so well.

It takes a special man to lead a family of eleven boys, let alone eleven boys who have walked through such loss and grief. It takes a strong man of God to point them all to Christ every day, showing them how to trust Him and walk in His ways. It takes a man who has lost a whole lot to be able to treasure time and family like he does. And it takes a truly humble man to submit to Christ daily and lead his family like Caleb does. He knows who he is, and he knows whose he is, too.

Today we honor the man who loves us in the most beautiful way. The man who shows us the love of God, tangibly — with grace and patience and such joy. We thank God for the man who knows that our time is such a treasure, and makes it such an epic adventure. He’s the one who makes us laugh every day, even on the hard days, and even if it’s with ridiculous dad jokes. 😉

I love you, Caleb. Thank you for loving us so intentionally, sweet husband. You’re an answer to the prayer I didn’t even know to pray, and proof that the Lord’s plans are always best. The boys and I are blessed to call you ours. ❤️

16/06/2024

God’s Not Dead!!!

newsboys (official) Silver Dollar City

15/06/2024

Early voting results are in from our YouTube poll. It’s overwhelmingly apparent that I have red hair.

Red (or a version of red):
4,235,001 votes

Some other color:
3 (I think Tamara voted 3 times)

Okay, maybe these numbers aren’t real, but still it is obvious the gingers have showed up to show their support. Thanks fellow redheads. 🫚

(Full video over on our YouTube channel!)

15/06/2024

Is anyone heading to Silver Dollar City this weekend? We're planning to take the dozen to see the newsboys (official) perform "God’s Not Dead"!

I don't want to give too much away, but I have a special connection to the band. Back in 1999, I had the chance to sing with Michael Tait at a Carthage for Jesus rally when he was still part of DC Talk.

I've been telling the boys that he might remember our performance of "In the Light" and invite me on stage this Saturday for an encore!

Probably. Maybe. He remembers me, right?



-Caleb

14/06/2024

In today's video, we see Caleb's eyes for the first time. 😎

But then we talk about cancer. It's the roller coaster we each walked through with our spouses, and the experience that tied our hearts together instantly. We talk about the hard stuff, the victories, and everything in between.

Thank you so much for being here, friends. You can watch the full video over on out YouTube Channel, here: https://youtu.be/f0lR-bfOIMo?si=_b4myvNl8kCtbNHK

👍🔔 Be sure to like and subscribe over there to stay up to date on all the things!

14/06/2024

These bullfrogs are prolific on the pond. Love their noises at night. 🐸

11/06/2024

Weekend photo dump. ☀️

We went out on an adventure and found an epic swim hole. A fun time was had by all! Can’t wait to go back.

How was your weekend, friends?

11/06/2024

Tonight we ate shish kabobs at the pond. Love our family times.

06/06/2024

Weekend photo dump. We love our farm.

04/06/2024

Our journeys leading up to this moment were not easy ones. Both Caleb and I could write a book on the roller coasters we had each been on as we walked the road of cancer with our spouses.

Roller coaster... words we both used often to describe our journeys of cancer, not knowing that someday God would orchestrate that an actual roller coaster would be the place that we'd meet, the moment that would change the course of our families lives forever. We had no idea what He had in store for us, but looking back on our story and how He used each and every step to bring us to this place is pretty special.

From one roller coaster to the next, it's been humbling and amazing to see the hand of God in our lives. He was good then, and He's good now, through every twist and turn.

This is our story, friends. Thanks for coming along for the journey. ♥

Thank you, Silver Dollar City, for the honor of sharing our story.

“Needless to say, Silver Dollar City is our family’s special place,” Tamara says. “Now every trip there is not only a fun day of adventure, but a reminder of how God is always orchestrating each and every step we take and turn we make!”

FULL STORY https://bit.ly/4e58wIh

03/06/2024

Quite the guard dog. 🫣😂

31/05/2024

Last time they knocked on the window for me to look, it was a tarantula. So this was a nice surprise. 😅😂

30/05/2024

How Old Are Your Boys 👦 and What Are Their Names?

We answer this and many more of your questions below!

https://youtu.be/0nQfKh8iO0o?si=8v55uZ7riLiaeN4S

30/05/2024

New video drops soon on our YouTube channel! Make sure to like, subscribe, and click the bell to be notified each time we upload. This is going to be a good one, y’all! Tamara and I answer your questions, but not without more interruptions and laughs! See you soon! 👊🤣🐾

(It’s almost an hour long!)

https://youtube.com/