Ben puts the tree up and it's time for the angel topper!
Hi, everyone,
Well, mittens are put away, the washing machine is running, the snow is melting a tad, and I'm sitting down to catch up on Christmas posting and pictures! I appreciate everyone's patience as I've been a little "snowed under" lately with just the goings-on of daily life with a 2 1/2 year old and a 9 month old running and crawling circles around me!
Like you, I'm regrouping for the New Year, ever mindful of my brokeness and ever mindful of the chisel that the Lord is using to hammer away impurities and shape me into more of the likeness of Jesus. I'm a willing participant in the chiseling on most days as I try to put off the old self more to make room for the new. There are days when the old self (flesh) bullies its way through, and then there's the victorious days when the Spirit wins! Wish I could have those days every day, but ah, the Lord is so patient with this daughter. He never gives up or condemns me. He just says, "Get back up and keep going, daughter of Mine." That brings me great comfort because I can have some very ugly heart days. Anybody?
Ava and Maia are growing up way too fast, and they are still two peas in a pod and get along great most days.
Ava is now 28 months old and is a little firecracker most of the time. She explodes onto most every scene with enthusiasm, exclamations and a fervent curiosity. She is a bubbly, energetic little girl who loves activity of any kind! She has the most adventurous spirit and loves to play outside. She's very independent right now, (hello two year old!) and her favorite expression these days is "Ava do it!" Like I said, she's adventurous to the core of her little being, and any opportunity to climb, dance, sing, play with water, or go anywhere in the car, even to the dump, is met with, "I'm SO excited," or "I'm having FUN!" With all her newfound independence, she is still dependent and looks to Ben and me for snuggles, safety and comfort, assurance, hugs and kisses, tenderness and storytime cuddling. I wonder all the time what God has in store for her little life. She's pretty strong-willed and very determined and likes to "study" things around her, be it a bug, a piece of lint, or a Vermont Country Store magazine! She has a kind and compassionate heart and will check to be sure Mommy, Daddy and Maia are ok if we get hurt or are crying. Just today, I bumped my elbow on the corner of a wall and she heard me say, "Oww!" from two rooms away. Soon, I heard, "I'm coming! Want to kiss it.) She's tenderhearted and gentle with Maia (most days) and will come out of nowhere and give her a hug, a pat on the head or ask, "Maia, you ok?" She also loves to help me around the house, and one of her favorite times to help is when I clean out the dishwasher or we set the table or clear the table. We've only broken two dishes so far! She has a giving heart and often shares her food or toys with others. The other day, we had a popcorn party, and I ran out of popcorn. She noticed and gave me all of the popcorn she had left in her bowl. Ava attends the Learning Tree preschool two days a week right now and loves her teachers and her new friends. They still describe her as "busy" and we would totally agree with that. She's a busy little bee!
Every single night, I creep into her room after she's asleep and just watch her sleep, at peace from a very full day. I've started praying over her, for her sleep and a million other things that mommas pray for. I'm already feeling that desire to shield her from the pain of this world, especially as the little girl in me still encounters it, but I know that I can't and really, I shouldn't, so I pray that God will be her strength when her heart is in the midst of it, knowing that He'll be with her just as He's been with me. Hope, effervescent, I pray, will come bubbling up in those times, and I pray that she will grow up to depend on Him as her everlasting Father who has the power to transform her heart. In this world, she will have trouble, but I pray that she'll take heart that He has overcome the world!
Wearing Granny's apron. Granny was my great-grandmother, and yes, dadgummit, she made this apron!
Miss Maia (Little Ti or Ti Ti) has a few nicknames in the short time we've been home, and one of them is "giggle girl." She is an asbolute hoot, and she cracks herself and us up all the time. She will belly-laugh over seemingly nothing and is full of smiles. She has a very determined little spirit and is on the go when those eyes are open! I marvel at how quickly she can get across the room and into something. One of her favorite daily activities is to find the tiniest piece of dirt, woodchip, leftover crumb or piece of a house fly and try to eat it! To most, I would probably seem obessive compulsive about vaccuming but I'm telling you, if there's something on the floor that my vaccum missed, she'll find it! I don't even want to think about how many pine needles she ate at Christmas. Since we've been home, she has reached a few little milestones, within a few days of eachother. On December 4th, she crawled for the very first time toward my Shark vacuum cleaner. Now, she can almost keep up with me! She uses one foot to propel herself and boy, can she go! On that same day, I found her first tooth, and she now has two that she's very excited to use for all kinds of new foods. She LOVES to eat and is very serious about her food! The following day, she said, "mama" for the first time. She had been saying "dada" for awhile, so I was thrilled to finally hear her say, "mama!" Another nickname we have for her is the Nuzzler. She has this really cute habit of grabbing any cloth around her or a ribbon or fabric and nuzzling in our necks. She'll instantly put her index finger in her mouth when she does it. It's so sweet. Attachment and bonding is going well, and I've tried so hard to follow the advice of people that know a lot more than me! It's been three months, and folks are beginning to hold her a little more, especially grandparents. She's now nine months old as I post this!
Note the speck of dirt that she's going after!
So, I'm now going to upload pics and go and take a shower! I'm sure there's yogurt or mac and cheese in my hair! The cats are cleaner than I am most days. :) Love to you all, and I'm stil here, the same old me, trying to be real and authentic in life and in this blog. My life isn't perfect, so don't let me ever fool you into thinking it is!
I'm a sojourner with you, trying my best to walk it out most every day with God's help.
Dependent on Him, I am.
