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.... ;)

7 months

Sitting up for her pictures--what a big girl!

We're already more than half done with Miss T's first year....wow! She is SO MUCH FUN! I am realizing how much I love this stage, and just how fast it will go. Here are a few things she has done in the past month...
~sitting independently

~rocking (almost crawling--yikes!)

~new sounds "dada, gaga, etc..."

~trying more new foods and liking them ALL :) (peaches and pears are the most recent)

~fake coughing (hilarious)

~"hamming" for the camera....pretty sure she's not going to be a shy one ;)

~getting into everything! We have moved all of our tables and shelves downstairs--bring on the baby gates!

~chewing on crushed ice--no teeth yet, but maybe coming?!?

~into "cat napping".....I'm trying to nip this in the bud with a new nap routine/schedule...prayers appreciated--ha!

~She also took in her first 2 Twin's games, even surviving one in the rain by sleeping under my poncho :)

There is so much more, but we are just loving her more each day. She is busy, energetic, full of joy, and we are so thankful to God for each day we get to spend with His precious blessing to us.

trying to crawl to the ball...so close!

Enjoying the Twin's Game on Father's Day in the RBC Suite

Tribute to Dads

Well, motherhood is an interesting thing. Like feeling SO frustrated and SO in love with this little person all at the same time. Or the protective instinct that arises in different situations. Or the things I say and do, or FORGET to do now that she is vying for all of my attention and time. All of the laundry, hugs and kisses, boundary setting, picking up, rocking, etc... is an endless but TOTALLY GRATIFYING job. However, today I want to write about Dads....actually, a few specific Dads.

First, my hubby! He is such an incredible Dad! It blesses me to watch him love our daughter. To pray for her and with her, to take care of her and play with her in different ways that I do (which is SO good for her), to protect her, and teach her. I am so thankful for the ways that he has been an "involved Daddy" from day 1. Changing diapers, washing bottles, up for middle of the night feedings, doing her luandry, staying home with her so I can get out,...the list could go on and on. Kyle, I am so thankful that you are T's Daddy. Next, my Father-in-law, Dave. He has welcomed me into the family from the very beginning! He is so fun to watch as a Grandpa ;) He is generous with his time, gifts, and talents not just to Kyle and I, but to ANYONE! He is so willing to serve. I am thankful for the relationship he has with Kyle, and had when Kyle was growing up to mold and shape him into the husband and father that he is. I'm so blessed to Dave as father-in law.Finally, my Dad. How can I even put into words the way I feel about my Dad? He has seen me through the best and worst of times. He is such a godly influence on my life. Growing up, I knew I could go to him for anything, and still can. He is so wise, loving, and giving. He was "Dr. Dad", Mr. Fixit, Driver's Ed. helper, Youth Sponser at Youth Group, and always there to support me in sports, music, or whatever I was undertaking. I can tear up just thinking about how much I love him and am thankful for him in my life. I know that this life is so short, and things can change so fast, so I am thankful for each moment that I get to spend with my Dad.Whether you have your Dad with you or not, whether your Dad is a great dad or not-so-much, I pray that you have a "Dad" in your life that you can celebrate this weekend.

6 months

We can't believe that our little baby is already 6 months old! It truly does happen as fast as people say it does. She is rolling all over the place, talking up a storm, recognizing people (and aware when she doesn't know people), grabbing everything (as I type this she's trying to put my shoe in her mouth--gross), eating new foods, and just smiling as much as ever! We love her so much! She also had her first "accident" this week. She fell off of a chair (actually, the red one that is in the picture below) and broke her fall with her head. Nice. She has a goose-egg, and a skinned knee, but otherwise is no worse for the wear. :) Praise the Lord! It is one of those moments where you praise God for his protection each day, even in the small things.

We can't wait to see what she learns to do in this next month, and how much she grows. We are looking forward to summer and more time spent with family and friends.

We are also very excited because Mel only has 2 weeks left of school, and then she will be taking the next year off of teaching to stay home with Teigan. She is adding 11 new piano students to her evenings, which we are very thankful for. It will be an adventure, and a leap of faith as far as finances go, but we are thankful for the chance for her to stay home with Teigan for at least the next year. We have been so blessed to have family and friends watching over her while Mel has been at work these past 3 months as well....if that's you....THANK YOU!!!

Mother's Day Musings...

Well, I've always said that I learn a lot from the kiddos in my class, and this year is no different. We had been working very hard on our sweet Mother's Day projects this past week. Part of this project was for each kiddo to fill out a questionaire called "How Well Do I Know My Mom". Below I included a few of the questions and answers (in the kids' spelling, of course).
What is your mom's favorite outfit? ~Wading jrase (wedding dress) ~Comfy Pants
What do you wish she would wear more? ~White jres (dress) and a krwn ~Her blue shirt because it's fancy ~Shirts (ha!!!)
What is her favorite kind of music? ~Slow mochen, when she dances with my dad (I asked her to tell more more about this and she said that her parents had just put a bunch of "slow motion" songs on the iPod and the kids caught them dancing in the kitchen the other day--how sweet!)
What is your mom's biggest pet peeve? ~When I don't pick up my messes ~When Daddy forgets to take our the garbage ~High heels :)
What is her favorite TV show? ~Jary Spinger (Jerry Springer...WOW...) ~The Kissing Show (when I asked him to tell me more he said" it's the show where they kiss a lot and then at the end I think they get married"..I'm guess The Bachelor)
What does she like to do in her free time? ~Get a misogh (massage) ~Spend time with me ~Be alon ~Be lazy and wach TV ~Work on her school stuff
What is your mom's wish? ~To have a good family ~To be free (when I asked what this meant he said "on vacation without us kids") ~To not have so much work ~To have "a thousand bucks" ~To have more money ~To be skinny ~To be prettier ~To have a bigger house with a movie theater
So many of the responses were adorable and hilarious, but as we got toward the end about "mom's wish" I started thinking about just how much these little ones are picking up on. I'm sure none of their moms walk around intentionally saying "I wish I was skinnier, prettier, had more money, had a bigger house" etc... but kids catch onto those things so quickly. As I have entered into this crazy journey of parenthood, this made me think about what messages I am already sending to my little one. Does she sense that I love her Daddy? That I love her? That we have all we need and more? Or is she sensing that I want more clothes....wish I looked differently....or even that I worry too much instead of trusting the Lord. I guess time will tell (I'm already a little nervous for her Mother's Day card from 1st grade--ha!) I am so grateful for the example my Mom has set for me, and I'm just praying that I am already setting a good example for my little one....and that she will have grace and forgiveness on the days when I fall short. :)

5 months (and 1 week)

Whoa! So I'm a bit behind on this post...sorry! We are just LOVING her more every day, and it is so fun to see all of the things she is observing, taking in, mimicking, etc... Her personality is becoming more evident with each day (even the stubbornness--hehe!). Some new things she is doing this month are:

~rolling from back to tummy BOTH ways

~squealing

~copying noises that people make

~whining....not crying or fussing, but truly whining...oh dear!

~eating more food--so far her favs are peas, green beans, and squash. When she eats she already wants to be in control of the spoon, which makes for a lot of messes, but it's so cute :)

~I think we FINALLY (dare I say) have this colic/acid reflux stuff more under control...she's eating like a champ, and her nights are MUCH better. She's even moved out of sleeping in her carseat at night to sleeping in her crib--YAY!

Here are a few favorite pics from the past month. We are so thankful to God for this blessing, and the things He continues to teach us about Himself through our journey as parents.