Or this cool...
But I'm pretty sure he is...
I love my family :-)
3.26.2013
3.12.2013
These Days
Today has been a hard day. I woke feeling out of it and needing to get out the door. Struggled to keep my heart in whatever it was I was doing. Felt frustrated, tired, annoyed, overwhelmed, like a failure. Didn't want to read my bible. Didn't want to pray. Didn't want to ask the Lord's help for my stinky attitude.
Now the girls are in bed and I "made it" through the day and am looking forward to going to bed soon.
I just had two weekends in a row of some really wonderful spiritual enrichment: our church's women's retreat and a conference with our high school girls. Both weekends provided me with opportunities to be reminded of God's work in and through me. He reminded me that He's got it under control and He wants me to trust Him.
But today? Uh. Fail.
Thinking of Psalm 51 (I know this is about David's sin with Bathsheeba, but how often do we grieve over "little" sins??)
Now the girls are in bed and I "made it" through the day and am looking forward to going to bed soon.
I just had two weekends in a row of some really wonderful spiritual enrichment: our church's women's retreat and a conference with our high school girls. Both weekends provided me with opportunities to be reminded of God's work in and through me. He reminded me that He's got it under control and He wants me to trust Him.
But today? Uh. Fail.
Thinking of Psalm 51 (I know this is about David's sin with Bathsheeba, but how often do we grieve over "little" sins??)
"Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit" (vs. 9-12).Today I'm reminded that I'm not home yet. But I so look forward to heaven.
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.' And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true'" (Revelation 21:3-5).Until that day, I pray that on these days I'll get my bad attitude out of the way and let God use me for His glory.
2.01.2013
Friday Night
Some times I start a blog post and don't really know what I'm going to end up writing about. I have a few things in my head that may end up in the post, but maybe not. Not sure if that's good or bad, but it usually means I can't give the post a title until the end. Which means that some times I publish the post without a title, realize (hopefully quickly) what I've done, and then re-publish with some title that is at least remotely related to the post. So. Now you know.
Yesterday the girls and I visited two playgrounds. Mainly I wanted to test out our new camera, but I did honestly want to get them outside for their own good. It was fun. The whole day was fun. Sure, there was a little whining, but it was less than normal. Alice even left the playgrounds without crying. Yes, playgroundS. She didn't cry when we left either one. Made me think I might be doing something right. Y'know that verse about pride going before a fall? "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" Prov. 16:18. If you've never read that verse, there you go. Kinda felt like that today. Bummer.
Right now I'm posting while Alice finishes her dinner. She's been eating for an HOUR. Good news is that now she actually appears to be consistently eating rather than playing. Emma's just sitting in her chair happily watching Alice and playing with her tongue. Feels funny if you think about it. Can you imagine if you didn't know what your tongue felt like and then discovered it? Pretty amazing.
My new goal is to be in bed by 9PM every night. I may not be ready to fall asleep (though some nights I am for sure), but at least be in bed and asleep before 10PM. The goal being that I can wake before Emma and read my bible and exercise and maybe even SHOWER before she is out of bed. Hasn't happened yet, but I'm headed there. I can feel it.
Okay, Alice is "Done! Done! Done! Done!" so I'd better get going. Happy weekend!
p.s. For those non-Facebookers... Pictures HERE!
Right now I'm posting while Alice finishes her dinner. She's been eating for an HOUR. Good news is that now she actually appears to be consistently eating rather than playing. Emma's just sitting in her chair happily watching Alice and playing with her tongue. Feels funny if you think about it. Can you imagine if you didn't know what your tongue felt like and then discovered it? Pretty amazing.
My new goal is to be in bed by 9PM every night. I may not be ready to fall asleep (though some nights I am for sure), but at least be in bed and asleep before 10PM. The goal being that I can wake before Emma and read my bible and exercise and maybe even SHOWER before she is out of bed. Hasn't happened yet, but I'm headed there. I can feel it.
Okay, Alice is "Done! Done! Done! Done!" so I'd better get going. Happy weekend!
p.s. For those non-Facebookers... Pictures HERE!
1.26.2013
It's 2013
Most people have lots going on during December and we are no exception. This year we were able to visit my family on the East coast for almost two weeks. It feels like we've been going non-stop, but I've also had so much in my mind that actually writing it down seemed near impossible. I'm back to normal life these days, which reminded me that we have a blog!
Emma is ONE year old. I realize I'm a little late posting about this since her birthday was the 16th. Ten days. Not so bad. At her one year appointment on Monday she weighed a whopping 18.3 lbs, putting her in the 8th percentile. The pediatrician finally acknowledged that, yes, she's just petite. Believe it or not, he wasn't telling me anything new.
Alice and Emma have also begun taking simultaneous naps, meaning Emma's only doing one nap a day. I'm loving the time to read my bible without distraction and then simply enjoy the quiet. As of Sunday they've been napping in the same room, which was only successful for one day and then has been somewhat of a battle... until today! It didn't occur to me until today that maybe if Emma had already succumbed to her exhaustion when Alice got in her bed they wouldn't distract each other from falling asleep. Worked like a charm. Emma took way less time to fall asleep than normal, which meant Alice was tired enough after waiting for Emma to fall asleep that she got right in bed and fell asleep quickly. Love when parenting efforts "work."
Can't seem to decide lately which book to read, so I'm reading three at a time (four if you count the one Andrew & I are reading together). Today has been Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic. It's concise and often feels like someone just dumped a cup of ice water over my head. The chapter I just read is called "Watch Your Language." Here's a sample of what I mean about the ice water:
And now that it's quiet around here (assuming I choose to block out the thumping music from next door), I will read my bible! Happy Saturday!
Emma is ONE year old. I realize I'm a little late posting about this since her birthday was the 16th. Ten days. Not so bad. At her one year appointment on Monday she weighed a whopping 18.3 lbs, putting her in the 8th percentile. The pediatrician finally acknowledged that, yes, she's just petite. Believe it or not, he wasn't telling me anything new.
Alice and Emma have also begun taking simultaneous naps, meaning Emma's only doing one nap a day. I'm loving the time to read my bible without distraction and then simply enjoy the quiet. As of Sunday they've been napping in the same room, which was only successful for one day and then has been somewhat of a battle... until today! It didn't occur to me until today that maybe if Emma had already succumbed to her exhaustion when Alice got in her bed they wouldn't distract each other from falling asleep. Worked like a charm. Emma took way less time to fall asleep than normal, which meant Alice was tired enough after waiting for Emma to fall asleep that she got right in bed and fell asleep quickly. Love when parenting efforts "work."
Can't seem to decide lately which book to read, so I'm reading three at a time (four if you count the one Andrew & I are reading together). Today has been Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic. It's concise and often feels like someone just dumped a cup of ice water over my head. The chapter I just read is called "Watch Your Language." Here's a sample of what I mean about the ice water:
Another way in which we can do damage to ourselves is through the use of totally innocent words that we use to allow ourselves something. I remember thinking sometimes when the twins were little that I had better stop being overwhelmed... God gave me this to do. I may not be overwhelmed about it. I can try as hard as I can, and maybe fail sometimes. I can try as hard as I can and fall asleep at the dinner table. I can try as hard as I can and be completely burned out at the end of the day. But I may not be overwhelmed. Actually, I may be overwhelmed, but I may not say that I am overwhelmed! The words have a real power over us. If you say it, you allow it for yourself. You give yourself that little bit of room to say, "But I can't!"... Deciding not to say it is different than never actually being in over your head. But God loves a cheerful worker. I am still frequently in over my head. Actually, most of the time! But deciding not to wallow in that fact has removed one of the biggest obstacles to my work--my own calculations of how hard the job is.I probably could have quoted the whole chapter. For any of you out there who are moms of little ones, this books is a MUST read. This chapter was a longer one, 5 pages, so it's easy to read a chapter in between diaper changing and reading a book to your toddler, for example :-)
And now that it's quiet around here (assuming I choose to block out the thumping music from next door), I will read my bible! Happy Saturday!
11.13.2012
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.
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!
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.
11.06.2012
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!
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!
10.31.2012
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.
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.
10.23.2012
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?
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?
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