And then it hit me...

Alice is TWO AND A HALF YEARS OLD today. Her favorite thing lately is "Mama, play? Mama, play?" which means she wants me to chase her, let her get away, hide, wait for her to come looking for me and then jump out and scare her. Like really scare her. It's best if she thinks I'm in one place and then I catch her from behind. She freaks out and throws herself into my arms and says "Again?" Okay, in all honesty it sounds more like "Mama, pay?" and "Na?"

When we're driving somewhere Alice likes to point out all the vehicles she sees, and sounds genuinely surprised when she sees anything that she can tell me about (which is constantly). She says "Oh! White car! Oh! Green car! Oh! Orange truck! Oh! Blue bus!" This, however, also requires a trained ear because it sounds more like "Ah! Whitey daw! Ah! Deen daw! Ah! Ahn duh! Ah! Boo buh!" And I'd prefer this over the constant "Doh! Doh! Doh!" (translation: "Go! Go! Go!") every time I'm stopped at a red light. We're trying to explain that when the light is red we have to stop and wait patiently (read: QUIETLY) for it to turn green, at which point we may proceed. It's a process.

We've taken a step backwards in potty training. Up to the last month or so Alice would periodically get on the toilet herself. Now she screams like I'm causing her bodily harm if I try to... gasp... put her on the potty! So my brilliant attempt at moving away from this tonight was to offer stickers. I put one on her hand after she used the potty and then taped a piece of paper on the door for her to put another sticker on. Yeah, that was pretty much the end of the world. Tantrum galore. Once she finally calmed down I explained that the paper will stay there for her to put another sticker on when she uses the potty again. Another tantrum. Oi. Then came the book-reading distraction. So thankful that sometimes distractions still work on this girl.

Emma will be TEN months on Friday. She's still comfortably wearing her 6 month sized clothes. A few 3 month items still fit too. BUT, there are some 9 month sized clothes that don't completely drown her! She's quite petite. And I love it. I'm thankful that my first baby was on the "bigger" side so both Andrew & I could get used to a baby without worrying about breaking her. And I'm thankful that my second baby is on the "smaller" side because I'm not worried that I'm doing something wrong based on her size. She's just little.

But her size does not slow her down at all. She's constantly on the move, looking for something else to put in her mouth. Today she figured out how to climb up the stairs and then was laughing hysterically watching Alice go up and down ahead of her. So cute. Emma is really starting to enjoy watching and learning from her big sister. She also responds incredibly well to Alice's "hugs" which may be more accurately described as "tackles."

Pictures from the first half-ish of November here. This includes Emma's first time meeting Grandpa Bill & Mimi. So fun!

Tonight they enjoyed their second bath together in the big tub. Emma LOVES when Alice splashes and Alice loves that her own splashing encourages Emma to join in. Stark contrast to the usual Alice repeatedly wrenching toy after toy from Emma's grasp exclaiming "Mine!" and causing the most horrible wail to escape from an otherwise mild-tempered baby. Ah, motherhood. Wouldn't trade this for the world.

A Good Mother

This post brought tears to my eyes. What a gracious God we serve! Thankful that He strongest in my life when I acknowledge my weakness and rely on Him.

Election 2012

Today is the election. It looks like President Obama will be holding his office. I'm glad that the Lord already knew the outcome of this election and isn't surprised. Also glad that the Lord has given us a hope that's bigger than the next president.

Today's episode of the Gilmore girls ended at the mall (again). Mom needed to take a walk, but the un-air conditioned out-of-doors wasn't too welcoming. During the 30 minutes of laps around the second level Emma snoozed for perhaps 10 minutes and then thoroughly enjoyed watching Alice play at the kids' "Playtown." It would've been excellent to videotape Alice playing with the other kids, if the video camera was in attendance. Alas, it was not. One little girl in particular really wanted to hold Alice's hand and drag her around the place. Alice complied for a little while and then got fed up with someone telling her what to do. Eventually she just ran away any time the girl came near. Oh yeah, it was a proud Mom moment for sure.

Today marks the fourth day of the maintenance guy (who doesn't work weekends) not fixing our screens from the break-in on Halloween night. Don't worry, as far as we can tell, only a few small things were taken--most noteworthy being our checkbook (the account has since been changed and put on alert) and Andrew's iPod. Bummer, but thankful nothing too sentimental was taken. I randomly walked by one of the managers today who told me that he fixed one of the screens but not the other. Yeah, that was incorrect. They both still have slits in them. She did assure me he'd be by first thing in the morning to fix the front one, which I kind of don't believe. Ah, apartment life!

Today is also November 6, which means in one week Alice will be exactly two and a half. Holy moly. She's been talking in sentences lately, but it takes a highly trained ear to decipher them. Even mommy's ear is sometimes insufficient. I'm told that one day language just "clicks" and they start speaking real words that normal people understand. Not to say mommy is abnormal. Well, I guess that's debatable.

And on that note, I must sleep!

Alice in Wonderland

Love these adorable girls! More pictures of Halloween & October here.

Happy Halloween!

My Halloween treat is simultaneous naps. LOVE them... love the girls too ;-)

I've finished Alice's costume which she will wear to Awana tonight at church since daddy is teaching the lesson. I'll stay home with Emma. I should probably have candy to hand out... I haven't gotten them both in their costumes yet because I still have a few things left to finish Emma's. Pictures will be coming, I promise!

So the last several weeks we've all been on and off sick, which has meant not good sleep all around. Last night the girls didn't make a peep from 8PM-6AM. Okay, I think it was 5:58 when Alice came in our room. It. Was. Awesome.

And now I hear Emma playing, which is better than screaming. But if I don't go get her soon it will become screaming.

Happy Birthday!

To my brother, Dan! Today he's 17, which means I'm... older. And feeling REALLY older knowing he's only one year away from 18: a legal ADULT. Weird.

Emma is also a nine months old (as of last week), which meant another well-baby check-up. This time, thankfully, without any shots. Alice came with me because our appointment time ran into Andrew's class time. That was exciting. She definitely remembered her last visit there and had several freak-out moments at a few key points in the doctor's office. Awesome.

But Emma is nine months old! HOLY MOLY where does the time go? Sure, she still looks like a six month old, but she's started pulling up on everything. Today she shuffled her feet while standing precariously perched alongside a semi-sturdy toy bin. She's way too independent for a nine month old.

Nine months old! Yep. She's 16 lbs. 5 oz and 26.5" long. Her head is 44 cm around. This may mean nothing to you if you don't have a baby in your life so I'll break it down with percentiles. Her head is in the 49th percentile (down from 69th at her 6 month visit). Her length percentile has also decreased. She's currently the 15th percentile, down from 65th. Weight? Yeah, last time was the 13th percentile but this time is the 9th percentile. So, that's the smallest change from last time! But, yeah, she's quite petite. Probably not a future basketball star.

No teeth yet. I'm fine with that.

She's definitely crawling on her knees more. Not completely done with the army crawl, but realizing that knees can be very helpful in seeing things up higher. I'm a little nervous that she'll be the kid who scales our entertainment center when I've got my head turned. Oh, and the doctor said she's going to be a dancer or a gymnast because she's incredibly flexible. Spiderbaby?

What's on the ground?

This morning when I woke up it was overcast. Oh. Yes. Water even fell from the sky. Sure, it was in very tiny mist-like droplets, but it was water. From the sky. Otherwise known as RAIN.

For this reason I decided to make comfort food for dinner: spaetzle (egg noodles) and lentil soup. So thankful for my spaetzle maker!

I intended to take a picture of my plate but I couldn't reach the camera from where I sat. And you just can't let spaetzle and lentil soup get cold. Maybe when I have the leftovers I'll take a picture. If I remember.

The past few nights we've been putting the girls to bed at the same time and it's been going fairly well. Before that I'd put Emma down and then Alice once Emma started quieting down. Inevitably Alice would be past tired when she finally made it to bed and Emma would wake up and re-start her before-bed-squealing. This then turned into a cycle of Alice screeching, Emma crying, Alice wailing, Emma banging her legs on the mattress, Alice sobbing. You get the idea. Not the most pleasant for anyone really. Tonight marks the third night in a row of girls getting to bed without excessive amounts of screaming. Just to clarify, the screaming comes from them, not Andrew & me. At least, not audible screaming from us...

I'm optimistic that we've turned over a new leaf (HA, get the autumn reference?!?) with the girls and they'll do much better sharing a room from here on out. I'm not being sarcastic.

The dishes are calling. You know what they're saying? "Where did the counter go?"

Restoration

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23

This psalm has been on my mind a lot today. Mostly "my cup overflows." I am so thankful for my husband, our children, our church, our home, our friends. Often I feel like a roller coaster of emotions but I think it's a girl thing. And God made me with these emotions to serve Him in and through them. I am overwhelmed at how He works in and through His children.

One of my annual struggles which happens around this time of year is missing the autumn leaves of New England where I grew up. This was always my favorite time of year. I loved the cool, crisp, quiet mornings. I loved crunching through the leaves in the woods and the overwhelming aroma of "fall" when you walked outside. I loved wearing sweaters, scarves and hats. I loved apple picking and spiced cider and pumpkin carving. And almost none of that happens the same way in southern California.

But I can still rest in the Lord as my shepherd. He restores my soul even when it doesn't feel possible in the hustle and bustle of my life.

All Things

Today was one of those days when I found a plethora of misfortunes to grumble about. As much as I want to list all those things right now, it occurs to me that perhaps it won't help anyone (myself included).

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing," Philippians 2:14

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13

Oh how this attitude eludes me! I want to curse all the circumstances around me rather than admit the problem is actually within me. I am the one who needs to change. And often times I just don't want to. I want the problem to be everyone and everything around me because it's easier. To face the fact that my sin actually prevents me from experiencing joy in life... It's too humiliating. I like thinking I'm doing "okay." I'm an American. It's not my fault. I don't like free grace.

But that's just it. Grace. Forgiveness. Acceptance. They are free. They're not cheap, but they are free. Jesus spilled his blood, gave His life, took the payment for my sins upon Himself. I deserve the death that He experienced.

Now I can see my sin before a Holy God. I see how ugly it is and how beautiful Jesus is as He washes me whiter than snow. I am redeemed.

I know this will step on toes. It's not popular to tell people they're sinners, even if you lump yourself in there. It's not popular talking about death or what may or may not happen afterwards. But I also know that it is this Jesus who saves. It is this Jesus who gives life and hope and peace. It is this Jesus who strengthens me to be content in all things on days like today.

I pray that some day Paul's attitude of contentment doesn't elude me. In the meantime, I pray that I will live like the gospel actually matters.

Gilmore Good Time

It's true. We have a family theme song. Alice frequently asks for music and then proceeds to explain which music "Ah-ah-ah?" The fun never ends in our abode.

Family Pictures

A very good friend of ours took family pictures for us. For the non-facebookers out there, you can check them out here. Though we did get a small handful of "good" ones, I think the bloopers are quite excellent. Thank you Lauren!

Ten Day Forecast

Shows NO temperatures in the 90s! In fact there are FOUR days with the high in the 70s. SO THANKFUL.

Lately I keep thinking that being a parent (especially of young children-since I don't know what it's like to be a parent of older children) is more about teaching me patience and consistency than it is about actually teaching my children anything. This isn't a new revelation, just back in my mind for the ba-zillionth time. Sure, I'd like to think that on some level they are learning obedience which will some day teach them how to be respectful to any authority God places over them; but really I'm realizing that I still have a long way to go in becoming Christ-like. A. Long. Way.

Why is it so hard to show people that I don't have it all together? What is it about appearing "in control" that is so important? In talking with other moms who are willing to be open about their own struggles, I have yet to find ANYONE who has it all together. There are days that go great, but everyone has those days that they want to pretend didn't happen. It could be the kids were absolute disasters, or it could be that I had a horrible (SINFUL) attitude and took it out on those I love most.

I don't know how to balance sharing my struggles in a productive, please-pray-for-me sort of way. I don't know how to say that it's hard and I fail and sometimes I don't like my kids without it sounding like complaining. I don't want people to feel like they have to tell me to "hang in there" (because, really, what does that even mean?) or "this too shall pass." If I'm honest with myself, I know it won't be like this forever. I want to be able to look back on these times with fondness rather than thinking "Phew! I made it!"

I want to be able to encourage others that are a few steps behind me in this raising-a-family business. I want to listen, really listen, when another young mom is sharing her own struggles. I want to tell her that I've been there and there is a way to please God in the midst of it. I want to remind her to find ways to be thankful and to dwell on the good things. It's way too easy to find things to complain about or make my life seem hardest or to think no one understands. In fact, my life is not the hardest and my God has abundantly blessed me and HE understands.

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10:13).

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).

October. For real.

Can't really believe this is October. Maybe it's the 100 degree weather. Or maybe... No, it's the 100 degree weather.

Can't stand their cute-ness in this picture. See the toys in the background? That's pretty tame.

Emma is clapping a lot these days and dancing whenever she hears music. Actually, any time she hears any kind of rhythm she moves. For example, she often starts to bob her head while I'm burping her. Hilarious. She's super smiley, very ticklish, and loves playing peek-a-boo. Though she's not too fond of using her knees to get around, she's got no trouble getting where she wants to go by army crawling on her belly. She will also play by herself forever, unless she gets hungry. But at that point she just crawls over to me and tries to crawl up my legs. So cute.

Alice spends much of her time (when not throwing a tantrum) playing with "Doll" and "Baby" (I get real creative with naming dolls...) and having tea parties with her stuffed animals. Today we made diapers for doll (out of old socks-thanks Mike!) in mommy's attempt to distract Alice. It lasted maybe two minutes. Ah well, I tried. She's also a book-a-holic, like her daddy. When tea parties get old, she'll bring book after book after book for mommy to read. I'd prefer this over watching Elmo sing songs on YouTube, which is perhaps her most favorite thing in the world. This activity, however, is reserved for when mommy needs to take a shower and keep Alice in one place (and doesn't have to listen to Elmo singing songs that have the ability to get stuck in your head for the next month).

Now I go to bed. Hopefully our room has cooled off a bit, even though the thermometer is claiming 80 degrees.

The Temperature Started with a 7

Yes, that's right. Today's high was 79 degrees. Even though we'll be back up into the 90s within a week, it was still really REALLY awesome.

Woke up this morning with a sore throat. After a cup of hot water/lemon/honey, I've been drinking water like it's my job. The girls are in bed. Asleep even! I think the baby crazies have been largely weather related. Good to know what I have to look forward to with the warmer weather making a comeback.

Why does bleach burn in your nostrils? I can still smell it, more than 5 hours later.

Tonight Alice is wearing pants to bed (pink ones with strawberries all over, which she loves) and Emma is wearing footie pjs (size 3-6 months, which are finally getting a little snug on her). These girls are so cute.

It's starting to become apparent that Alice is perhaps leaning towards becoming a girly girl. Every day she wants to wear a dress. To be exact, she wants to wear her fancy Easter dress (pictured here --> ). Once dressed she literally takes two or three minutes (an eternity for a two year old) deciding which shoes she wants to wear. Often she'll get one pair on, then take them off and get another pair to wear instead. Then I need to fix her ponytails. Usually she opts for two ponytails, not just one. Or, she changes her mind when I'm halfway through, exclaiming "Done, done, done, done!" (Translation: "One, one, one, one!") Am I headed down the path of a frilly, indecisive girly girl? Will she love PINK?!?!

I try to comfort myself with the fact that she's kind of a bruiser, frequently sporting bruises, cuts and bumps. This is probably more owing to her being a two year old. I know. I'm grasping at straws. I don't stand a chance.

I made some banana oatmeal cookies and they're kind of delicious. They taste like banana bread, but with oatmeal and cinnamon spectacular-ness.

Sometimes when I re-read my posts I realize how tired I am. This is one of those times. I think I'll go to bed early since it seems I might have the opportunity.

THIS is Autumn?

I've lived in southern California for ten years. (Whoa.) I hear that it's normal for September to be hot. I'm still not used to it. I think last year I broke out my "autumn" decorations on August 31. This year the boxes haven't even made it out of storage. BUT, at least our blog represents what I know and love to be autumn: fall foliage!

That said, I finally uploaded our July & August pictures to the web album (though I did manage to get them on Facebook a few weeks ago).

This may end up being my lonely September post, but who knows? Maybe Alice & Emma will decide to nap at the same time next week. On a good day their naps are almost completely staggered. After this week I'd love to have a "good day" like that next week.

Terrible twos are in full-swing in the world of Alice. She really doesn't like using words, though she does talk. All. The. Time. Right now I can't get much done without listening to whining and crying from her direction. So, not much is getting done. She definitely has the word "hungry" (even though it sounds more like "honey") down, and tells me that she's hungry every moment of the day unless I've distracted her with something else. Then at meal times she doesn't want to eat anything but raisins ("da-deen") or grapes ("bite-ee"). Sigh. At least we're almost halfway to three. Then again, I've been told that it's the "terrible threes" for some. Please, Lord, let that not be Alice.

Army crawling is Emma's favorite thing. She especially likes army crawling to daddy's books on the lowest bookshelf and eating them when mommy's not looking. The cord to the floor lamp is also a popular chew toy.

Speaking of which, I definitely bought my children dog toys from the Target clearance section yesterday. And I didn't even realize they were dog toys (Warning label reading: For Dog Use Only. Not for Children), until I gave them to Alice in the car. So now she has three colorful rubber balls that squeak and a green frisbee which she has no clue how to use. HA. I'm such a good mom :-)

I hope you enjoyed these pictures of my charming daughters. Clearly they will be the epitome of "ladies" as they grow.

Well, it's been fun, but the fireworks are going off (thank you Disneyland), which means I need to get the bedtime routine going before it's 11 and I'm still awake. Good night and good luck.

The Lonesome August Post

Lots to write about, but I need to start with my near heart attack today.

It was time for Emma to eat and take a nap so I told Alice to stay downstairs and play while mommy put Emma to bed. Of course, she climbed the stairs after 10 minutes or so, right when Emma was starting to nod off. Once she reached the top step I started shaking my head "no" so she wouldn't come in and make a bunch of noise to distract Emma and wake her up. At that moment I blinked and saw her feet fly up into the air...

It didn't matter that Emma was almost asleep or in the middle of eating. I gently threw her into the center of our bed and RAN to the stairs to see what had become of my firstborn. All of this probably only took seconds, but it felt like I was moving in slow motion. When I got to the top of the stairs I saw Alice only 4 or 5 stairs from the top, clutching the stair she'd grabbed mid-fall and screaming. She was, apparently, freaked out by the ordeal as well. After a quick inspection I found no blood or bumps and held her until she calmed down, reminding her to be careful on the stairs.

My heart didn't stop racing for at least 15 minutes. In fact, writing the experience out has made it start racing again... and she didn't even get hurt!

...breathe...

Before today's excitement came vacation excitement. We spent 4 nights camping with Andrew's family (sans his youngest brother who couldn't get off work... as John would say, "bummah"). After camping we stayed a week at a friend's lake house at Bass Lake during a serious heat wave, followed by two nights in Santa Maria visiting family. I'll attempt some summaries of each leg of the trip:

Camping: First time with all four of us in a tent. By the second morning wasn't sure I'd make it another two nights. Third morning proved that it was possible. Was really hot during the day and pleasantly cold at night. Slightly concerned with keeping warm the babies who don't stay under their covers.

Bass Lake: Since Alice & Emma were forced to sleep "in the same room" camping, we kept it going. Kind of awesome. Spent lots of time at the lake. Over 100 degrees EVERY DAY. Alice & Emma both loved the water. Started a "Gilmore Buoy Swim" tradition. Yeah, we're that cool.

Santa Maria: Introduced Emma to her second cousin, Miles, for the first time. He's 18 days older and ridiculously cute. Lots of photos (which haven't made it off the camera) were taken. Ate much delicious food.

And now we're home and Andrew started school this morning at 8AM, with his LAST semester of Hebrew. No, not his last semester of seminary, but (Lord-willing) only three more semesters and an anticipated graduation date of December 2013.

Can't. Wait.

The girls have been sleeping in Alice's room since we returned and yesterday we finally determined how we could get all things baby-related into their room. Okay, most things baby-related. It's sort of impossible to contain all things baby in one place. You understand if you have a baby. Even more so if you have a toddler. I spent a good three hours this morning re-organizing clothing: boxing up clothes that Emma has grown out of (I think she's FINALLY past her three month clothes... yeah, she's seven months old), boxing up clothes that Alice has grown out of, getting out clothes that now fit each girl, sorting, folding, sorting, folding again after one of them grabbed a stack and dumped it. But they've both been pretty excellent in allowing me to get things done while they play "together."

Alice had her first real explosion at Emma yesterday. There was lots of screaming (on Alice's part) and a toy was thrown (at Emma). No one was seriously injured. Apparently Emma had shown interest in sucking the wheel of Alice's doll stroller. Not. Okay. I think it was a small taste of what is to come. Ah sisters.

There's probably more to write about. Losing brain power. Pictures might come soon, but they will come eventually. It was kind of nice being away from all technology for two weeks.

Where did June go?

I admit blogging has not been high on my priority list as of late. Not to make excuses but our June was a little busy. One or all of us attended three graduations, seven graduation parties, one BBQ, one bridal shower, one wedding, and one day of paintball. Not to mention the "normal" things on our schedule. AND, Andrew went to Israel from June 19-29. I wasn't home for part of that, so that certainly doesn't help my motivation to blog. I digress...

Here's my attempt at a "quick" update on the last two months!

Andrew finished his eighth semester and did better than he thought as far as grades go. I don't actually remember what they were, so I'll let him share if he so desires. He's busy with summer youth events at church, but we are both thankful for the summer break after a LONG school year. We're anticipating his last semester, Lord-willing, being Fall 2013. SO CLOSE.

Alice is a full-blown two year old. She talks constantly (a few English words now), swims with her "muscles" (arm floaties) all by herself, helps mommy water the garden with her watering can (thank you Grandma!), hugs and kisses EVERYthing and asks for it to sit on her lap, and SO MUCH MORE. She keeps me going all. day. long. She's also mastered the tantrum. I thought she had it down long ago, but no. I was sorely mistaken. It's a fine art and she's got the gift.

Emma is six months old as of yesterday. I found some clay to make her hand print (like the one we have when Alice was six months old) and it came out great. Her hand is smaller than Alice's was at six months. You can tell that Alice had more meat on her bones. I don't have new stats for Emma yet (her next dr appt is on Monday), but at four months she was in the 30th percentile for weight, 75th for length, and 57th for head circumference. I think she was just under 13 lbs and something like 25 inches. She also started eating solids (meaning rice cereal mixed with mommy's milk) a few days ago. So far she's crazy messy and sucks her thumb or hand or fist or all of the above after EVERY single bite. I'm pretty sure some of it actually gets down her throat, but it's sort of hard to tell when you see the aftermath. She's rolling from tummy to back like a pro and getting really close to rolling back to tummy. Seems to be baffled by sitting up. Either she just folds right in half and sucks on her toes or will not be bent in the middle. She'll let you hold her standing. Emma is also quite the talker and I frequently wonder how I ended up with TWO loud girls?! Recently her "singing" has come out a few times as "ma ma ma" and that's pretty excellent.

Amy (that's me) likes being a stay-at-home mom. It seems like I always have a to-do list that's a mile long, but I'd rather play with my girls and let the dishes pile up. That said, I did just spend almost an hour cleaning up the dishes and kitchen. Oi. Worth waiting though. Alice & I had a great day playing together and reading LOTS of books. Her current favorite is a book about farms. She's also loving a recent addition "Little Blue Truck" with lots of animal noises and another book with songs we sing together. She LOVES Itsy Bitsy Spider and Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Oh, and of course the Wheels on the Bus. Reading books with Alice helped me rediscover joy in reading (not aloud to her), finally finishing the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Then The Princess Bride. Now reading Wuthering Heights. Can't forget... I have a garden too! We've got two different tomato plants, cucumbers, green beans, basil and cilantro (re-planted after the first batch I killed). Check out pictures here.

We celebrated our sixth anniversary on July 8th and were able to spend a night away without children, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa. It was weird at first, but so incredibly wonderful. Even though it was less than 24 hours, it was so refreshing and reminded me how blessed I am to have a hard-working husband who sees the benefit of having his wife home raising their children. I kind of can't believe we've been married six years already! Praying the Lord allows us many decades more!

So, now we're caught up. Here are pictures of May and June!

Verdict on my "quick"ness? Fail. Good night!

Fun Times

Alice is two. Emma is four months tomorrow. Andrew is ten days away from finishing his eighth semester of seminary.

Pictures of April(ish) here.

We made an epic trip to IKEA last week which involved the purchasing of birthday gifts for a certain 2 year old. Within about five steps from the car I felt something splat on my flip-flopped foot. Yes, it was baby poo. Thank you Emma for exploding through your diaper and saturating the strap of your car seat enough for it to drip out the other side. Andrew changed the diaper while I proceeded to use at least 20 wipes to clean off the car seat. I won't soon forget that awesomeness.

The smoke detector in our apartment is in tip-top shape. After our downstairs toilet overflowed (again) and I was sopping up the water from the floor (again), I was reminded of the tortillas in the toaster oven by the distinct burning smell wafting from the kitchen. Upon entering said kitchen I was greeted by smoke billowing from the toaster oven and two corn tortillas completely burnt and on fire. Not knowing if there was grease in the toaster oven, my first reaction was to move nearby papers and blow, hard, to put out the fire instead of throwing water in there. This caused the fire to grow at first, but eventually did go out. I'm not sure if it was my blowing that helped or the fact that there was nothing left of the tortillas to burn. Either way, fire was gone, but smoke was now headed upstairs to the smoke detector and sleeping Emma. Needless to say, she woke quickly. After opening all windows, the girls and their shaking mommy sat outside for a while, enjoying the night air and then a visit to our friend a few doors down. Our apartment smells a bit like a campfire, but the candles are working their magic. And we have a pretty cool smoke detector. It talks to you and lets you know when you need to evacuate.

Alice is officially 30 pounds and in the 86th percentile for weight. Length is in the 49th percentile and her head circumference (shocker) is in the 85th percentile. She's got a big head--for all her brains, of course. On the "Weight for Recumbent Length" chart, she's in the 94th percentile. She in the growing phase I like to call "porking out" before she grows a bit taller.

Emma's four month visit to the doctor is next week, but I suspect she's quite the opposite of her sister. Except for head circumference. Apparently our children have big heads. Emma, however, is mostly petite. Small hands, small feet, long and thin. But we'll have official stats on Monday. She has also now slept until 6 or 6:30 for two nights in a row. This makes mommy and daddy exceedingly joyful.

But now it's almost 10PM and my neck (with a giant knot in it) is telling me to take a hot shower and go to bed. And I will listen.

Cookies?

I just looked at the calendar and said "Holy moly! Where did this month go?" I think this will happen more and more as I get older and my children grow. I remember being a kid and thinking that a day took FOREVER. Granted, that was on Christmas Eve when I was anticipating opening presents in the morning. But still. I guess a day when I was eight was a larger percentage of my life than a day when I'm 28.

So. I'm way more sleep deprived than normal, if that explains anything. Alice was sick from Friday night until Sunday-ish, throwing up and slightly fever-ish. No fun. We had driven up to visit grandma & grandpa for the weekend too. It was kind of a bummer, but I'm still so thankful I was there instead of home while Andrew was in Mexico. Being alone taking care of a puking toddler and a three month old for a weekend would have been... rough. Yes, very rough.

Other news: Emma is a real person now! She has a social security number AND we finally got her birth certificate. I was prompted to get my act together and get it when I won a monetary prize because I have a daughter named Emma. Funny, they want proof before sending money. I guess that's okay.

Andrew had his spring break two weeks ago, which he determined was a good time to have mouth surgery to remove an infection. He goes back this Thursday for a follow up appointment, but things seem to be healing nicely. He showed it to me a few times. I had to look away and make him stop talking about it so I didn't toss my cookies. Ew.

We took some ridiculously cute pictures of Alice & Emma for Easter. You should check them out if you haven't already seen them on Facebook. But if you've already seen them on Facebook, there's no shame in looking at them again here.

Alice is almost two.
Emma has started laughing.
I still really love being a stay-at-home mom.

The Bible, Bibs and Boxes

This morning Alice and I enjoyed a cup of tea and read the Bible together. True, hers was a sippy and she didn't share much of the actual reading, but it was an excellent way to start our day. I think I'd like to make a habit of this with her, especially since I can't enjoy my own cup of tea without her wanting some. I figured it's probably better to just plan to share it with her and make the most of the time she sits and gulps it down. So, ask me how it's going in a few days or weeks...

Her new favorite thing is emptying the drawer of bibs and "packing" them into different boxes. Yes, we have a drawer dedicated to bibs with a few oven mitts sharing the space. I suppose Alice has seen mommy packing boxes quite a bit and wants to help. But, the bibs don't stay packed. We'll see how she likes it when they DO stay packed. I'll just have to make sure I know where they are so I can make a new bib drawer for her to discover ASAP. She's rounding out the second hour of her nap (YAY!) and I'm looking at a living room strewn with probably 30 bibs as I bounce Emma in her seat using my foot. What a life :-)

We've now got five days until the move, but really only four left to pack. Wow. Haven't thought of it in those terms until now. Today I've gotten three boxes packed. Part of the problem is the loud tape dispenser. I think I just need to put together a bunch of boxes (most of them are flat at the moment) while everyone's awake. Then I can pack while Emma sleeps and tape the boxes closed once she wakes again. In theory, that should work. We'll see how the next four days go.

Well, Alice must have sensed that I was noticing how long she'd been asleep because she's awake now. And Emma is falling asleep. I guess I won't be taping boxes just yet.

And I love this weather.

Contentment

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Philippians 4:11

I struggle with the fact that the Lord brought me to California and seems to actually want to keep me here. Today I was talking with a dear friend and the Lord brought to mind Paul's attitude mentioned here. I wonder if Paul ever wished he had a home or a family? Did he ever wish that he had ONE local church to which he belonged and lived life with? No one is perfect, but I suspect he actually WAS content with the life God gave him.

Recently I left the girls home with my wonderful husband and took a walk by myself to clear my head. I walked for two hours and realized about 30 minutes into the walk that I was looking for a place to be alone with the Lord. Everywhere I went I saw people and cars and busyness. I finally ended up at a park where I sat and attempted to block out all the other noise around me and focus on God's creation. It was SO HARD. Discouraged and frustrated, I got up and went home.

When I first became a Christian I spent a good deal of my time in the woods behind my house in New Hampshire. I read my Bible, prayed, wrote in my journal and marveled at God. Those times were so sweet. Almost 13 years later I still remember my "spot" in those woods.

So. Now what?

Life doesn't look like that anymore. I live in southern California only miles away from Disneyland. God put me here intentionally. He knows how hard it is to find time away from the hustle and bustle, but He still wants to meet with me. He wants me to sacrifice my preferences and learn to silence the noise around me so I can become more like His Son. Right here. Right now.

Moving

As I mentioned in the last post, we're moving. It's less than two weeks away now and thanks to my wonderful husband and my awesome mom-in-law, we have started packing! Last week we finally were able to go into a two bedroom apartment at the complex we're moving to. It wasn't our apartment, but it had the same (actually mirror image) floor plan. We took measurements so I could make my graph paper, to-scale apartment drawing. Yes, I'm that cool. I do this with every apartment and have made little cut outs of each piece of furniture we own (which are also to scale) so I can "rearrange" the rooms without actually moving anything heavy. I think it's smart, but some think it's a little OCD. I'm okay with that.

The night before we measured the apartment I could hardly sleep because I was so anxious about our furniture fitting. The night after we measured the apartment I could hardly sleep because I was so anxious about our furniture fitting--it apparently didn't fit. The night after the night after we measured the apartment I could hardly sleep because I was so anxious about our furniture fitting--we might have found a way.

Three nights of interrupted, unsettled sleep is not good. Then I got two more nights of less-than-good sleep while attending our church's women's retreat. Silly me, I thought bringing Emma wouldn't be a big deal. Oi.

Today Emma got her first round of vaccines and turned into a NIGHTMARE this afternoon, fever and all. Alice was a peach too. Granted, I got more sleep last night than the whole weekend combined; but it's interesting what two screaming babies will do to a severely sleep-deprived person.

Okay. I cried.

But the Lord keeps bringing to mind Philippians 4:6-7...

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Honestly, I haven't had much peace in the past week. The retreat this weekend was all about finding Joy in the Journey. What I heard of it (when Emma cooperated) challenged me to look for the joy of each day, even when at the end of that day my head is pounding and I can't remember if I ate or drank anything at all. At the end of those days I'm blessed to have two beautiful girls who are growing and learning and giving their mommy so many reasons to smile. And I have a hard-working husband who sacrificially gives us everything he's got. So after we get both girls to bed and he's got homework to do, we decide tonight is a good night for a card game.

He's going down.

Twenty-two (Months)

It's very important when you're two months away from your second birthday to learn how to do things on your own. Alice actually discovered the importance of this before she was 22 months old, but it's really taking hold these days. This is how I found her after her nap last week. She was trying to take off her shirt. Clearly that was an unsuccessful attempt. It looks like she put her arm in the bottom and brought it out of the hole for her head. She didn't get the fact that she needs to remove her arm from the sleeve first. Sleeves are a bit much for her still.

She's also becoming proficient (ish) with using utensils. Here she was thoroughly enjoying her yogurt. I'm learning that it's best to remove her shirt (sometimes her pants as well), just so I don't freak out as much as she's learning. Is this a common strategy? I feel like the moms who leave the kids clothing on while they learn to feed themselves with utensils must have their own washer and dryer. It's just easier for me to have less food dried and crusty on her clothes. I must say, yogurt is actually fairly new-user-friendly when it comes to eating it with a spoon. Aside from the streak in her hair, she did a pretty good job keeping it generally in the same mouth-chest area.

Then of course we had a warm day and, smart mommy that I am, I decided Alice would LOVE to play in a bin of water on our balcony since we couldn't really go outside while Emma was napping. She had a blast. I filled our dish bin with water and gave her two plastic cups and her sand toys. Then I took pictures as she splashed around in it. I'm not really sure why, but it didn't occur to me that she'd dump it over her head and on herself. Seeing as how this is her favorite activity in the bathtub, it really should have dawned on me that this might happen. Eventually she picked up the whole bin and dumped it all over the place. In hindsight, that would have been a good "ending" time to her fun. Nope, I got her more water and then tried to bring her inside before she'd dumped all the water out. Bad move. Tantrum extraordinaire. Plus, it was lunch time and then nap time. She was ready for bed. But, we all survived.

Her new favorite toy is her pirate turtle sandbox, which we purchased off craigslist (ironically from a Biola grad) for $15. I call the turtle a pirate because, well, he's missing an eye. I think we might make an eye patch for him. Seems appropriate. Right now there's no sand in him, but that doesn't seem to bother Alice. We'll probably wait to get some sand until after we move in two and a half weeks!

Bunny trail... Yes, we're moving again. This will be our fifth apartment in five and a half years. Sigh. Moving is getting old. Hopefully we can stay at this one for a while. It's about a mile and a half down the street and we have some friends already living in the complex, which is really nice. We'll also save $300/month on rent, which is REALLY nice. The new apartment is a townhouse style, which means indoor stairs and first level entry! YAY! We've always lived on a second level apartment (I don't like having people above me), but it's a little harder to deal with when you have two little ones to carry up and down the stairs along with all the groceries. We'll also have a bigger patio where the sandbox should fit nicely. One bummer: no barbeques allowed. We're not sure what we'll do with ours yet, but I don't think we want to get rid of it.

Return from bunny trail... After we got the turtle (in Huntington Beach), we decided to have a picnic dinner on the beach. It was Emma's first trip to the beach. Not sure she was impressed, but her sister certainly was! It was pretty cold and getting late so we didn't stick around long, but we decided picnic dinners on the beach needed to happen more often... and earlier in the evening.

Last, but not least, more pictures of the aforementioned events have been uploaded to the web album. There's also an excellent album of Alice's Bows, which you should check out. We put EVERY bow in Alice's hair after her bath the other night. She really loves her bows. For those of you that may be inspired to purchase more bows because of this... Well, I probably can't stop you, but we don't need any more pink ones. Just saying.

p.s. Children don't understand this whole daylight savings adjustment. Alice has been "napping" (i.e. playing in her crib) for over an hour. Sounds like she might be close to napping soon...

He Knows

"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust." Psalm 103:8-14

This passage came to mind as I was thinking about the last several rough nights with Emma. Yesterday I felt like I was at the end of my rope and then last night Emma slept, ate, and slept again like a champ! I know sleep won't fix a bad attitude, but I'm pretty sure it gives me more patience. It also helps me to see and appreciate how the Lord is at work in our growing family--and in my own heart. He is merciful and gracious and compassionate and doesn't treat us as we "deserve." I don't "deserve" to have easy days raising these girls, but He gives them to me joyfully and lovingly. He also lovingly gives the hard days to me as He desires for me to be made more like His Son. No, that's not the first thing in my mind at the end of a hard day, but He is faithful to teach me and remind me. Praise the Lord!

Huh?

All I can think of to write, as I listen to Emma screaming from her swing (so mommy can get a break from the screaming in her ear), is that I'm sure this isn't going to last forever. I'm also totally jealous of women who have easy babies. So far I'm two for two on the other end of the spectrum. Unfortunately, Emma makes me seem like a liar unless you're here from now (sometimes earlier!) until about 11PM. At least, this has been the pattern for the past three nights and many others interspersed in the weeks beforehand. Praying tonight I could maybe be in bed by 10PM. At the rate she's going, that's looking like wishful thinking.

I did just read a blog post which a friend of mine linked to that was an excellent reminder. It's here if you'd like to check it out (particularly if your kids have been less than perfect lately).

But, Emma is still crying and seems to persist in keeping mommy and daddy from getting sleep in the evening hours.

I'm. So. Tired.

Lazy Saturday

Some February pictures here if you haven't already seen them on Facebook. Love this one of Emma.

We're having a lovely "lazy" Saturday, which means we don't have much planned for the day. We went on a family walk this morning. Andrew's been busy this afternoon reading for his class. Alice & Emma are just finishing their naps. I got to shower.

Awesome. Day.

Something in the Air...

Emma is in her bouncy seat, where she's been for almost two hours. Alice is in her crib, where she's been for almost an hour and a half. The difference? Alice is SCREAMING HER HEAD OFF and Emma is sleeping.

I just found myself wondering "Did God create screaming or is it a result of the fall?"

Plus Two

If you've been reading our blog since before kids, thank you! Also, you may (or may not) have noticed that as we've added kids, the blog name changed from "The Happy Couple" to "The Happy Couple +1" and now "The Happy Couple +2." Yes, we are now blessed with two little girls. Right now, I can honestly say they are a blessing, though there are certainly times when I lose sight of that.

Lately I've been realizing that I had NO idea what it would be like having two kids under two. While mine are certainly no more difficult (or easy) than many others that have experienced the same thing, it's stinking hard. Even on the "good" days, it's hard. On the "bad" days, it's REALLY hard. But God is faithful. I won't say I've always responded well in the midst of two screaming children and a month's worth of sleep deprivation under my belt; but I know the Lord is with me. Sometimes I just want to scream back at them and accomplish absolutely nothing. Yet there have been so many things that the Lord has provided to help me keep my sanity: my mom, my mom-in-law & dad-in-law, women at my church, good friends... baby gear where I can leave my baby safely while I step away from her wailing... But most importantly, and most wonderfully (second only to Jesus) the Lord has given me my husband. I am incredibly blessed to have a husband who patiently sacrifices himself and his desires to help his wife on days when she feels like she's lost it. Even if he has to stay up even later to finish a sermon or Hebrew homework, he'll help me get Alice to bed or hold Emma in a number of different positions to keep her calm so I can get a little break. Not only does he help with the girls, but he also helps keep our apartment clean when he can. He prays for me, encourages me, loves me, and seeks to follow Jesus' example in all he does. I know this makes him sound pretty amazing (which he is), but he's not perfect--just perfect for me.

But again I say, having two kids under two is hard. I can't imagine how women have multiples (twins, triplets?? HOLY COW!) or more than two that are very close in age. How do you make a phone call? How do you get dinner ready? How do you manage to clean the bathrooms or vacuum or dust? How do you grocery shop or run other errands? Right now those are ALL things that are falling by the wayside in my life and I just have two. Whenever they both sleep at the same time (rarely), the ONLY thing I want to do is sleep. I keep reminding myself that this stage will not last forever. Alice is learning to talk more, which will help tremendously. Eventually, I'm sure, Emma's wailing for hours and hours will go away. Things will settle down and we'll get a routine and I'll love being a mom of two girls that are so close in age. Right now I don't always love it and sometimes I think it'd be "easier" to get a job outside the home and let someone else go through these days other than me. But then I remember how badly I wanted to be home with Alice when I couldn't be. And God reminds me that THIS is a high calling--to raise these two little girls. I pray they will come to know Jesus as their Savior at a young age. I pray that they will follow Him faithfully throughout their lives and go where He leads. I pray that on the days when I want to throw something or scream that God would remind me that He's there, leading me as I seek to follow Him faithfully throughout my life. I pray that I don't look at this stage of life as something to "get through," but see each day and every breath as a gift from God and find joy in knowing He's using this to make me more like Jesus.

Propose-i-versary

Saturday was our Propose-i-versary. That's our made up word to celebrate the day I asked Amy to marry me (she said yes!). It also allows us to kind of celebrate Valentine's Day early and miss the insane rush to restaurants and their ilk three days later.

This year we left the girls with Amy's mom (thanks Mom!) and went to Demiceli's, an Italian restaurant in Anaheim. Armed with a coupon and a month's worth of sleep deprivation, we ate good Italian food, talked and enjoyed each other's presence. Then, we went to Stoddard park and walked around together. We avoided getting hit by the baseballs some guys were hitting and watched a bunch of little kids viciously attack a pinata. It was great!

I also shared the song "Dancing In the Minefields" by Andrew Peterson. I shared the video on facebook and said

"Six years ago yesterday, Amy Godwin Gilmore said 'yes!' This video doesn't get the specifics right, but it gets to the heart of our marriage. Yeah, 'I'll walk with you in the shadow lands.'"

I hope you also enjoy it!

Count Your Blessings

Emma is here. Actually, she's been here for three weeks today. It's gone by really fast, but at the same time I still wonder, "When will we sleep again?" I think all parents with new babies think this, so we are certainly no exception.

Normally we would have our community group Bible study meeting here in a little over an hour, but we cancelled it. Andrew started school last week and Alice & I are (still) sick. Needless to say, we could all use a bit of a break. Please pray for us! It's often hard to have a good attitude and remember that the Lord has a plan for all the challenges--especially when you haven't slept properly in quite a while.

I do want to say that I have a wonderful, patient, hard-working, self-sacrificing husband who challenges me every day with his diligence and love for the Lord and his wife and his two little girls. He's not perfect. He makes mistakes. He doesn't always say the "right" things, but he tries SO hard to love his sinful wife. I am blessed. I don't deserve him. Days like today are good days to remember how blessed I am.

T minus 1....... ish

Alice is in bed. Andrew is at a meeting. Amy is home. Emma is too--inside her mommy.

Today at church was a bittersweet day as we sent off to the mission field a young woman who has attended Village since she was born. Obviously I haven't known her that long since I grew up 3,000 miles away, but since moving to Orange County and becoming a part of this church I have been so blessed by her friendship. I can't imagine how hard it must be to leave, yet how exciting to know that the Lord has prepared her for this purpose. Having grown in the Lord alongside her for the past several years has been such an encouragement that it will be hard not seeing her regularly. But I count it a privilege to be able to pray for her as she goes. Part of those prayers I hope will include keeping each other updated on how the Lord is at work in each of our lives, no matter how many thousands of miles apart we are. Ironically, she leaves tomorrow, which is my due date. So we've been "counting down" to the same day for different reasons for quite a while. I'm sad that Emma didn't make it for her departure, but am so thankful for technology that allows us to send pictures & emails and even SEE each other "live" on Skype. Can't wait to hear how the Lord uses her!

Before I lose it completely, a quick update. Tomorrow morning we have another appointment and I'm praying there will be some progress. Friday night I was up from about 2-3AM with regular contractions (about 6-7 minutes apart). Around 3AM I decided to type out instructions for anyone taking over the "Alice Routine." I wasn't keeping track of the contractions at that point, but by Saturday morning they'd basically stopped. Unfortunately I didn't actually fall back asleep until around 5:30 or 6AM. Bummer. Last night I slept better though. Tonight I hope to do the same. Unless Emma has other plans. I wouldn't mind. As if there were any doubts.

Well?

I'm listening to Alice playing with the pig she discovered she could reach from inside her crib. I only know she's playing with the pig because all of a sudden I heard oinking over the monitor. She's stealthy. I didn't hear a peep until the pig. Now she's back to her typical pre-nap noises. I'm assuming the pig was thrown across the room.

Today it was supposed to be really windy, but I think they were wrong... It's also supposed to get into the upper 70s. I think they hit the nail on the head there.

How's this for the most boring post EVER? This is about how I feel today.

Just. Waiting.

Christmas Movie!

It finally worked! Yes, it's 8 minutes long and it's not the most thrilling "movie" ever made, but we think the main subject is the cutest almost 20 month old!

Pregnant

Yup. Still. I'm dilated 1 cm, but no signs of labor starting any time soon. Today I finally got to some of our (overdue) laundry and hiked up and down the stairs about a half dozen times carrying stuff. I know I can't make labor start, but I'm certainly not opposed to trying to help it along!

On Sunday Andrew preached on Mark 11:20-25 "As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, 'Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.' And Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be taken up and thrown into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.'” It was really challenging. I cried. I was humbled by Andrew's heart as he preached and reminded again how blessed I am to be married to a man who loves the Lord and His Word. If you'd like to hear his message, check it out here.

Alice is waking up from her 2.5 hour nap... "DA DA DA DA DA DA DA.......BUH BYE! BUH BYE!" She's been doing so well lately. It feels a little like the calm before the storm. An Alice Christmas video is in process, though it's long and is taking quite a while to upload.... 29% complete with approximately 184 minutes remaining. Yikes. I'll be sure to post when it's ready. Off to get the girl.

2011 Book List

Below is my 2011 reading list. The titles in bold were my favorites. Feel free to comment or ask questions.

Reading List 2011
Goal: 60 books

1. Decision Points by George W. Bush
2. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
3. Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn
4. Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor
5. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
6. Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament by John Walton
7. The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God by D.A. Carson
8. Church Planting is for Wimps by Mike McKinley
9. American Assassin by Vince Flynn
10 Cyndere’s Midnight by Jeffrey Overstreet
11. Raven’s Ladder by Jeffrey Overstreet
12. The Unexpected Journey by Thom Rainer
13. Upside Down by Stacy Rinehart
14. Evangelism: A Biblical Approach by G. Michael Cocoris
15. The Ale Boy’s Feast by Jeffrey Overstreet
16. Becoming a Contagious Christian by Bill Hybels
17. Business As Usual in the Missions Enterprise? by Tom Steffen
18. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy
19. The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
20. Ministering Cross-Culturally by Sherwood Lingenfelter
21. Perspectives on the World Christian Movement ed. by Ralph Winter and Steven Hawthorne
22. The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by H.W. Brands
23. John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock by Iain Murray
24. Serving with Eyes Wide Open by David Livermore
25. Golf’s Sacred Journey by David L. Cook
26. The Searchers by Alan LeMay
27. Slave by John MacArthur
28. Erasing Hell by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle
29. The Purity Principle by Randy Alcorn
30. Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church by Michael Lawrence
31. Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy
32. I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris
33. The Next Story by Tim Challies
34. Teach as Jesus Taught by Roy Zuck
35. A God-Sized Vision by Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge
36. Don’t Call It a Comeback ed. by Kevin DeYoung
37. The Mission of the Church by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert
38. Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas
39. Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris
40. Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism
41. The Cross of Christ by John Stott
42. Did Adam and Eve Really Exist? by C. John Collins


Fiction: 13
Non-fiction: 29

Phew...

Alice did go back to sleep this afternoon and then really woke up after two hours, like usual. Very thankful.

I added some pictures to our web album from the Christmas season. Here's one that didn't make it onto an album yet. She's so put together. Such a classy young lady. So much potential. That's my girl!

Still There?

 Just checking... I haven't been able to see them from this angle for quite a while so it seemed appropriate to take a picture to make sure. Yes, I'm still pregnant. No, there have been no signs of labor starting. At our doctor appointment on Tuesday we didn't actually get to see the doctor because he had to go deliver a baby. So, I will know if there is progress at our next appointment on Monday. Emma's heart beat still sounds great. That's the only update.

Alice is napping and I'm tempted to do the same. I think my stuffy nose for the past few days has been allergies since my allergy medicine seems to help. Perhaps the warmer weather just threw my nose for a loop. Seriously, it's supposed to get to 85 degrees today! I think it was cooler during the May when Alice was born than it has been this January so far.

Uh... Now Alice is crying........ She's been asleep for 35 minutes. This is not okay.