Today

Today, I'm reflective. For the better part of 8 months, I feel I'm at a really good place with motherhood. Sure, I have tough days, but I feel I've finally come into my own which includes accepting my limitations, knowing what I need to stay refreshed (i.e. good self-care), and overall, really enjoying my kids. And being OK with the process of parenting, both in me and in them.

Yet, there are days like today, days that dawn gorgeous and bright and the beach beckons and I want to LOVE this day, but I do not. My oldest is in a tough spot at the moment, battling areas of grumbling and complaining, and general moodiness. In tears during lunch, I called my husband, expressing feelings of defeat, not a place I've been in a long time. He listened, encouraged, and prayed for me. I love that man with all my heart. And sweet little baby girl is getting in all 4 top teeth, yes, at once. All but 1 have finally popped through, but my usual very, very happy, best-sleeper-baby has not napped well today, was up at night, and up early. Sigh. My friend, Katchen, had a terrific picture-post on the joys and sorrows of motherhood that I related with.

I'm choosing joy today. I'm choosing gratitude. And I'm choosing to focus on the good things happening, too.

My sweet boy is now 2 nights in his big boy bed and has done amazingly. Better than I ever thought possible. He is also staying in bed until we come get him, a family rule we have. I'm hopeful it will continue. On Sunday before church he grabbed these 2 dolls and proceeded to park them in the shopping cart and wheel them around the back yard. He can be quite the gentle-spirited one!

I'm prepping for a visit from some seminary friends. We LOVE this family, they were some of our closest friends while living on campus in Dallas. Maggie and Avery are going to have a ball together, as they haven't seen eachother since they were 2 years old (they are 4 weeks apart in age). We made a paper chain and are counting down the days until she arrives (I did green and purple to distinguish the weekend days). Also, this was Maggie's verse from school last week and it's a verse that has come in handy lately!

I am reading an incredible book on discerning making big choices, even when the odds are not stacked in your favor. We are in the brink of some GREAT changes in our lives, and this book is bolstering my faith in the sovereignty of God when it comes to the choices we make. In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day may be one of the best books I've read when it comes to taking opportunities and stepping out in faith.

Aron and I enjoyed a date morning on Saturday, coffee and a movie. Later that night with his encouragement and help, we spent 3 hours cleaning out all our stuff we've been storing in boxes through the last several moves. I knew we'd get rid of some things, surely, but 30 boxes?? I'm stunned at how much we are "letting go of." It's freeing. I love, love my husband. And I'm terribly excited for what this next season of life holds for us.

I really do love this sweet girl, even when she is not sleeping her best. Hard to believe she is already 8 months old. Those blue eyes are so lovely.

And I really do love this sweet girl, even when she seems pre-pubescent in emotion. She is so creative! We played a matching game the other day and she then created her own game! She drew matching pictures in different colors and everything.

I'm getting my hair cut and colored tonight. That should lift any woman's spirits, right?

Kate Evangeline: Month 7

Our little sweetie turned 7 months old on the 3rd of this month. She is an amazing baby, so full of joy and life. I want 3 more! :)

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This sweet girl is so incredibly articulate it blows my mind some days. She makes up hilarious stories, still loves to play "voices" (where we imitate a character in a show/book and "talk" to her in that voice), and has her first loose tooth! She is so excited and yes, it's very early for this (she is just 4, but apparently, those who teethe early, lose early).
This boy is always singing, and I do mean always: when he wakes up it's either his FAVORITE David Crowder song, "Oh, Happiness," "All Creatures of Our God and King," or U2's "Beautiful Day." If you start a song, he can finish it. He sings loudly in public now, too. For example, he was belting out "How He Loves" (a David Crowder cover song) in Target yesterday. He likes to play chase and hide-and-seek with his sister, even hiding his bear under the table yesterday, then racing to the wall to cover his eyes and count. How cute is that?! He accidently locked himself in the bathroom on Sunday afternoon and I had Maggie feed him chocolate chips, one at a time, under the door to pass the time while we waited for the locksmith. He LOVES chocolate and after he was freed he was begging for more "choco!"

This little girl is eating lots of solid foods: sweet potatoes, bananas, pears, green beans, squash, avocado. Her 3rd tooth is coming in, I'm sure of it. She rolls everywhere (and has rolls everywhere-ha!), still sleeps like a champ, loves to be cuddled, and always finds a way to take her socks off and eat them.