8 months

Miss T is growing and changing more each day. Her personality keeps coming out more and more too...such a little ham. :) Here are a few things she has been doing this past month:

~crawling everywhere

~pulling herself up

~trying new foods

~ECFE class--she loves seeing new people and playing with the new toys

~new sounds and noises (many resemble spitting....oh dear!)

~She has been saying "da-da" for quite a while now, but has recently said it a few times actually TOO Kyle--yay!!!

~She is also starting to do the sign for milk when she wants her bottle

She's SO busy, and SO much fun! :)

Thanksgiving

So I'm sure you're thinking that motherhood has really gotten to my head--we just celebrated the 4th of July, not Thanksgiving! Well, it may have gotten to my head :) but "Thanksgiving" describes a common theme popping up in my life right now. I've been reading and studying the discipline of gratitude with my small group girls in the book One Thousand Gifts. At first it was really hard for me to get into the book because the author is so gifted at writing poetically, and I am...well....not gifted in that way. I found myself having to read, and re-read things and becoming more frustrated than grateful. But with the help and accountability of my lovely sg ladies I've gotten into further chapters and it is truly changing how I see the daily happenings of my life.

Then, while enjoying some time up in Breezy this past weekend, out of the blue, someone mentions this great new book they've been reading about how to be thankful for all of the "little things". How doing this has helped them not to worry so much, and to really see the blessings in every sitaution. "What book?", someone asks....."One Thousand Gifts. Ha! There it is again!

This morning, I was writing down a memory verse for the "Siesta Sisters Memory Verse Challenge" that I'm doing with my mom (Beth Moore, Living Proof Ministries blog). Honestly, I've gotten a little behind in memorizing some of the longer/newer verses I chose so I was looking for an "easy one" this morning. Pathetic, I know, but that's for another time. :) I decided to post a verse that has become somewhat of an anthem for my life the past 5-6 years, Philippians 4:6-7. I started writing the verse from memory (yes, I'm sure it's against the rules to post a memory verse that you have already memorized--don't tell Beth!) "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." As I finished writing I thought I'd better double check my verse, just to be sure I quoted it correctly. Low and behold, I discovered that I had missed 2 very important words right in the middle of the verse. "...by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God..." No way! I have known this verse for years! I even knew that those 2 words were in there, but for some reason this morning I just skipped right over them. And yet they are really the heart of the whole verse. Whatever I am going through in life....big, small, happy, sad, scary, new, alone, together, exciting,....when I bring my requests about a situation to my Heavenly Father, I need to do it with THANKSGIVING. That is when the peace will come. Wow. So I guess I've gotten a few reminders that I need to keep working on this gratitude thing! :) I'm excited to see how it will continue to change my outlook, and to truly know how much I DO have to be thankful for. How 'bout you.... ;)