P.R.A.Y.

This mommy blogger of six beautiful children at Our Family for His Glory is changing my life and my children's lives more than I have the words to even describe it.  She introduced me to this wonderful prayer acronym to help me and my children pray just as Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord's Prayer.

Even little Sophia is somewhat getting it though when prompted "Please forgive me for...", she usually responds with "Mommy and Daddy and Ambelle [Annabelle]."  Perhaps she is actually asking forgiveness for our sins for us!

This evening when prompted "Thank you for...", Sophia responded with "Mommy, Daddy, Annabelle."  And then there was a long pause, so I ended it for her with "Amen."  This was the conversation that followed.

Sophia:  We forgot someting!

Mommy:  Oh, okay.  What did we forget?

Sophia:  Adam

Mommy:  Adam?

Sophia:  and Eve!

Daddy:  Who is Eve?  [Daddy was being silly with her!]

Sophia:  [insert giggle]  Daddy!  You know!  At da Bible!


That silly goose was thanking God for Adam and Eve!  I think she loves reading the Bible as much as her big sister!

Strep Throat

Annabelle and I both have strep throat.  This is yet another first for Annabelle (and I wish last, but that is doubtful)!  Annabelle has apparently had it since last Saturday or at least that is when the symptoms began to show.  Though I didn't realize until yesterday when my own sore throat and fever were not lessening that we both probably had strep.  (I started getting sick myself on Wednesday).  I checked her throat and noticed it was red and swollen with white spots and I was completely convinced.  I called the doctor immediately without hesitation which is very odd for me to do as I very much do not like to spend $80+ to find out my children have a virus.

I forgot how absolutely horrible and painful this can be.  Though apparently I am the only one in complete misery!  If only adults could fight illnesses like a child...running full speed ahead with a temperature of 100+ degrees with only the occasional complaint of a sore throat.

Annabelle's symptoms started last Saturday when she woke up at 4 a.m. complaining of a tummy ache and sore throat.  She then spent the next six hours vomiting.  And then she seemed fine besides the typical puniness.  I thought her throat had been sore from the vomiting since she only had acid on her stomach when she first started vomiting.  Apparently I was wrong!

She gradually got better, then she got puny again after her ballet dress rehearsal on Wednesday.  But she still didn't complain of a sore throat again.  She even performed beautifully for her ballet recital on Thursday!  I guess the dose of Tylenol an hour before the recital did the trick.  I never would have exposed all of those children if I had known she had strep throat!  I really didn't understand what was going on because the only time I ever noticed a fever was Saturday night when she woke up from a night terror.

But now we are both attempting to recover with our free meds of Amoxicillin from Publix!  Thank goodness for free prescriptions!  There is nothing worse than paying $118.45 for a visit to the doctor for yourself to get a prescription when you already know you have strep throat because your daughter was already diagnosed earlier that morning.  The kicker is that my rapid strep test actually showed up negative!  Fortunately the doctor still prescribed the meds since he said it looked just like strep throat.

Annabelle's pediatrician also checked Sophia which I wasn't counting on.  The rapid strep test showed up negative for her.  I should have just refused as that will just cost me another office visit for her as well.  Apparently, children under the age of 3 rarely get strep throat.  It is more common in children between the ages of 5 and 10 years of age.

Aaahhh!  The joys of a school age child!  $250+ later!

Though I sound like I am complaining the entire post, I do actually see the silver lining.  I am still in a lot of pain myself and my patience with the kids is absolutely horrible, but I know if Annabelle had not shared the love (as the lab tech at the pediatrician's office asked her), I would have never known she had strep throat until she only got worse.  I guess God does work in mysterious ways!

LHTH Unit 4 - Isaac and His Sons

I finally feel like we are in a routine! I know, it has only taken me months to figure this out! The peace I feel with this curriculum is absolutely amazing. I had my mind set on using Heart of Dakota for Annabelle's Pre-K year only, and then I planned to switch to My Father's World in the Fall 2012 for her Kindergarten year. I originally wanted to use My Father's World from the beginning for even her Pre-K year, but I truly think God had other plans for us.

When we first started using the Little Hands to Heaven guide back in the Fall, I began every lesson reading the Bible scripture listed from The New Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes, The Beginner's Bible AND my NIV Life Application Study Bible. And then somewhere along the way I decided to add my new favorite Bible, The Message. But then I realized we were never able to get through the lessons within the 30 minutes or less average time because we had so much to read! It probably took 30 minutes alone to read all of the different versions of the Bible. Of course, she loved reading all of the different versions, and she truly understands so much even from my NIV version. I am actually quite concerned that her favorite story when we first started was Cain and Abel from my NIV Life Application Study Bible.

So I changed the scope this week and last, and we only read from her "school Bible" (The New Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes). Until I realized that she remembered more about the Bible than I did! We were reading "Jacob Lies to His Father," and I was trying to explain the picture to her. This was another one of those cases where Mommy was talking too much. I pointed at the goat skins that had been placed on Jacob's arms and told Annabelle that his arms were probably not that hairy as it was probably just part of his clothing. "I know Mommy," she said as she began to rattle something else off that I dismissed. "I'll show you Mommy. It is in my other Bible. Can I show you?" I agreed. She brought the Bible to me and I learned that Jacob's mother, Rebekah, had tied goatskins around Jacob's arms so that Isaac would think Jacob was Esau. And I just read Genesis back in September in our Disciple I Bible Study! If only I had the memory of a child!

So this morning (Wednesday) we changed things up a bit. Last night (Tuesday), I read through the Bible passage in my NIV Life Application Study Bible first just so I was completely familiar with the lesson again. Then this morning (Wednesday) during breakfast, I read the previous day's lesson from the NIV Life Application Study Bible to her. She listened intently, and she truly seemed to follow what I was reading. And then again on Friday, I tweaked our routine again. I made sure I had my breakfast before the girls, so while they ate, I read the scripture from all 3 Bibles. That really seemed to work the best despite the fact that the little one cannot keep her mouth shut at all while I am reading anything. And she is so loud! Very, very different from Annabelle at this age!

We worked again on our number page that I designed for Annabelle to trace the number for the unit we are studying as well as the written form of the number. This helps not only with number formation (which she really already has down pat), but it also helps her develop some sight words along the way. She already knows how to spell the numbers one, two and now four. Yes, we skipped three as I didn't actually think of encouraging this until I read this suggestion while working on phonics using The Reading Lesson. She is anxious to learn how to spell the number three now.

She also cut out a picture of two women, one man and one boy. The activity in the LHTH guide called for four women, but Annabelle decided to use the aforementioned to resemble Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah.


And wearing her tea party hat during school is yet another joy of homeschooling!


She decided to copy the words from one of the school workbooks used with the K curriculum titled "Do It Carefully." She has loved to write ever since she learned how to form letters at the age of 3 years.

We wrote our names and then tried to hide them as Jacob had done when he pretended to be Esau to get Esau's blessings from their father Isaac. We learned that it is better to just be ourselves! I can already tell who is going to be the better liar of my two girls. As you can see, I never was a good liar at anything! That explains why I kicked the windshield out of my parent's car as a teenager with my mom sitting in the backseat and immediately said, "A rock hit it! But I'll pay for it!"  Believe me, I paid for it alright! My measly savings was depleted, and I do believe I received the silent treatment from my mom for a week! She doesn't remember giving me the silent treatment though. But I forgive her and thank her for a lesson learned!  And just for the record, there is much, much more to that story as I was actually a very, very good teenager.  My parents do not even know how good they really had it!


For one of the math activities this week, we pretended to be Jacob and jumped from our masking tape D's to Rachel (aka Big Girl) to see who could jump the farthest. This activity was written to compare the jumps using words such as shorter, farther, and closest. Key Idea from the LHTH guide: "Jacob traveled a long distance before he met Rachel." She is already very familiar with these words, but she still really enjoyed the activity, and I think it drove home the Bible story even more. We used different colored Legos to mark our jumps. It was Annabelle's idea to use the Legos.



And Sophia joined in on the fun too! And the best part, I just noticed this week that Sophia has actually started jumping with her feet actually leaving the floor! So I was able to capture one of her firsts for this week on camera.




And we pretended to be Jacob and the angel by wrestling an inflated balloon back and forth. We tried it first standing up, and we then tried it sitting down to illustrate how hard it was for Jacob to wrestle with God after his leg had been injured. Oh the joy in her eyes was wonderful!


And she thought it was hilarious that I captured an up close picture of the balloon, so she insisted that I get an even more up close and personal picture. Crazy girl!


And Jacob (aka Raggedy Andy) wrestled with the angel (aka Bunny). Annabelle chose Raggedy Andy to be her Jacob because she needed a boy for Jacob.  Her Raggedy Ann (compliments of Nonnie) and Raggedy Andy (compliments of Grandmama) have become favorites in our household in the last month. We have just recently completed reading Raggedy Ann Stories by Johnny Gruelle and have moved onto Raggedy Andy Stories by Johnny Gruelle to use as our daily read aloud. We read a story from the book a day during Sophia's naptime though she often begs for more. These are truly wonderful classics to be loved by all little girls!


And Sophia got to do the simple joy of ripping up the masking tape D's and C off the carpet. She ripped these up for me on Saturday, and Sissy has yet to notice!

Callaway Gardens

We visited Callaway Gardens today as I had learned from a neighbor that admission was free during the months of January and February. We all had a blast despite the drizzly weather. Sophia did not nap until we were exiting the park. And we also got gated in (dead bolt and all) as we didn't leave the park until after 6 p.m. Fortunately, we found a phone number on a pamphlet, so hubby called to get help. They directed us to another exit with a gate arm that lifted.

I learned later in the week that Annabelle was actually worried that we would not be able to exit the park. On the Wednesday following our Callaway Gardens adventure on Tuesday, Annabelle attended a Bible Study at the church where she learned that she needed to let God do the worrying. They asked the children what worries were on their mind, and Annabelle had told them that she was worried that we would be stuck in the park last night. Neither hubby or I had a clue that she was actually worried.

On the way to Callaway Gardens, we played a game to determine who could identify the most objects along the way that began with the letter B. Hubby took the gold! And now I cannot even remember who came in second as it was definitely a close run between Annabelle and me. On the way home, we changed the letter to C. It was dark by this point though, so it was definitely more challenging. I was quite amazed at the things Annabelle identified for both letters.

Here is one of my favorite pictures from our visit. It is definitely a beautiful place! I would love to visit again soon when the azaleas are in full bloom!


And you cannot tell from the picture, but Sophia is actually wearing Annabelle's fleece. It was supposed to be in the 70's, but it was actually a bit chilly. We visited the Butterfly Center first. Sophia found some water to splash in and before I even thought twice she had soaked herself including her own fleece coat and long-sleeve onesie. Since I expected a high in the 70's, I only brought another short-sleeve onesie and jeans. So, we had to improvise. Sophia borrowed Annabelle's fleece jacket and Annabelle borrowed mine. I stayed cold most of the time because hubby decided to not bring a coat at all so he didn't have anything to pass down to me! By the looks of this picture though, I had apparently selfishly snagged my own fleece jacket for the moment.

Just Chillin'

This picture is so fitting for my usually sweet Sophia. She is typically my very mellow child, especially compared to my high energy first child!


Though when she gets mad, she makes sure that everyone knows it!

The Reading Lesson

I know, I've appeared from absolutely nowhere! I guess I took a sabbatical from blogging.

I decided that perhaps I should start teaching Annabelle a little more to get her ready for reading. So we started using The Reading Lesson today. It went well, though I'm not sure it was entirely worth the money. We will see.

I have learned that I need to focus more on the short vowel sounds. She has the -a- as in alligator down pat, but she struggles with the other vowels. Vowels are hard to teach! She used to know most of her consonants, but based on discussions with her lately, I can tell she needs a refresher course. Our first lesson in Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven focuses on A as in -a-a-Adam. Even little Sophia has the -a- sound down pat! She places her hands on her cheeks and says, "A-A-Adam." So cute!

Here is the first stanza of the fingerplay from Heart of Dakota so you'll know what I'm talking about:

A-A-Adam! Hands on cheeks in surprise
Can you believe? Hands out, palms up
God made animals Point out sweeping arm across
And you and me? Point out and then to yourself

I've been questioning whether the Little Hands to Heaven guide is too simple for Annabelle's age, but I am feeling more confident that it is the right fit for her now. Some things are obviously too simple, but I don't think the reinforcement can do any harm, and I LOVE how she's learning to hide God's word in her heart through the lessons. Honestly, I am learning how to hide God's word in my heart alongside her.

I think I am going to switch gears with using The Reading Lesson though. I may pick it up occasionally, but my heart has found another method that I absolutely love. Though I haven't purchased anything to use this particular method yet. I don't plan to start more formal reading lessons until she is 6 years old. My heart is telling me to follow the Charlotte Mason approach and use Delightful Reading. It just makes so much sense to me! In the mean time, I am going to approach reading readiness using the methods explained in these blog posts from Simply Charlotte Mason.

It's Spooky to be Hungry

Our church held a food drive this weekend. We distributed the bags last weekend to 50 of our fellow neighbors. We collected any filled bags this weekend. Annabelle had an absolute blast! Though she's still learning to not ask the neighbors if they are planning to participate.


We collected 10 filled bags, and most of them were actually from neighbors we don't even know! That is awesome! Annabelle and hubby have gone to the church this afternoon to work the food drive. This is Annabelle's very first community service project.

This is homeschooling at its best! I enjoyed the service projects I participated in during high school and college more than anything. They both can learn so much from helping others!

Milestones

11 hours! 11 hours folks! Sophia slept 11 hours straight through last night (Friday night)! From 8:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m.! She has NEVER slept 11 hours straight through the night! EVER! And she's 18 months old TODAY!

AND, she is completely weaned! COMPLETELY weaned! She hasn't nursed since last Sunday evening! If she acts as if she wants to nurse, I just get up and pour her a sipee cup full of milk. And that is it!

I'm free! Free at last!!!

Hmmm. Am I supposed to be a little sad that my baby isn't nursing any more? Perhaps I would be if I were convinced she were my last. Or if I hadn't nursed Annabelle for so terribly long! I think I'm kicking the attachment parenting method of child rearing to the side! This is bliss!

I owe her sleepful night to Tracy Hogg, The Baby Whisperer! Her approach is MUCH more gentler than the Ferber method. I followed her method somewhat when Annabelle was a tiny baby. Of course, I messed up on Annabelle by rocking her to sleep every night, but at least she was sleeping through the night (12 hours+) VERY early on.

Actually, I owe Sophia's sleepful night to God, first and foremost. Our Disciple I class has been praying for Sophia and me since I attempted to try the Ferber method a month or so ago. That was a mistake! And then after I prayed one evening, God led me to find a copy of "The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems" by Tracy Hogg. I read her recommendations for getting an "accidentally parented" toddler to sleep through the night. The first night Sophia only cried 30 minutes! That is unbelievable compared to the 4 hours she did using the Ferber method!

I am planning to keep my Tracy Hogg books to pass down to my girls when they have babies of their own. That is assuming I can find them!

Praise God! Hopefully this will last and I can get that much needed sleep so I can focus a little more on homeschooling Annabelle.

Gymnast

Perhaps I'll be signing this one up for gymnastics in a few short years. Random!

I HATE this!

It is 12:43 a.m. I left Sophia's room at 8:45 p.m. And she is STILL awake and crying! We have checked on her numerous times though just enough times to make sure she does not have a dirty diaper.

I feel like I have completely abandoned her! I am at a loss, and I don't know what else to do! Most people I talk to say that their child cried for an hour (as if an hour is an eternity). What about 4 hours?!?! Has anyone had a child cry for 4 hours? If so, HELP! I need some advice, reassurance, something.

I've even given her a dose of Tylenol just in case those stinkin' molars are bothering her.

And our entire Bible Study group is praying for us! I need an answer to some prayers!!!

Accessorized

Earlier this year I purchased a Groupon for Gymboree for 4 weeks for both girls. The classes, in my opinion, were not all that great, but the 8 passes for open gym time was well worth the money! Both girls had a blast! During this 4 week period from August 11 - September 8, Sophia started finding it necessary to always bring a purse of some sort with her. The first time she felt the need to bring a purse, she grabbed a bag that once held several cans of sunscreen that we had purchased during Costco this summer. She gradually graduated to a purse true in its form.

But during our last week of Gymboree, she also found it necessary to accessorize. We were preparing to walk out the door, and I asked Annabelle, "Where is Sophia?" She was found leaving Annabelle's room with a headband on her head and a purse on her arm.

Perhaps Sophia is going to be my girly girl! Girls are so much fun!

Busy

I feel like a stranger to my own blog! I almost forgot my own login and password since it has been so long since I posted.

We've been blessed with a busy life, though I often think I have overextended myself. And there is a tiny piece of me that still wants more kids. Though I'm not sure why as I often finish the day thinking I'm not made for this job. Maybe I'm hoping I can get it "right" the third or even fourth time around!

I'm blogging this evening because I finally couldn't take any more and decided it was time to let Sophia cry it out. My sweet Sophia! I love that girl! She is truly my sunshine! Annabelle is my joy! But, Sophia, she is my sunshine!

Annabelle and I are like two peas in a pod. But Sophia and I are like night and day. Neither Annabelle nor I really dig the mornings. But that Sophia is ready to hit the ground running first thing in the morning if anyone else is willing. Of my two children, Annabelle is the least affectionate (much like myself). But not my Sophia. She loves to snuggle. She will snuggle with me in bed in the morning until she hears her sister's bedroom door open. Then she immediately wants to jump down to find Annabelle. Annabelle completely ignores her. I know that feeling of not wanting to talk to anyone in the morning. Annabelle asked me just yesterday why Sophia always cries when Annabelle shuts her bedroom door behind her in the morning after Annabelle has used the restroom first thing in the morning and goes back to her bedroom to make her bed. I told her it was because she didn't even say "Good morning Sophia!" Annabelle said, "Why is she so happy in the morning?" I don't understand it myself, Annabelle. But, she's about the only cheery person I've ever been able to stand in the morning. Annabelle has never been cheery in the morning! Just this morning Annabelle changed her tune and sweetly said, "Good morning Sophia!" as she hugged her sister. They are so sweet to each other. Strike that! Annabelle is so sweet to Sophia! Sophia is a bit of an affectionate trouble maker. Hence the fact that she threw sand at her sister several times today after being instructed not to do so. Hubby and I had to turn our heads and giggle a bit. Annabelle just takes the beatings with stride!

So, I'm rambling. Letting Sophia cry was not nearly as hard as letting Annabelle cry when she was 18 months old. Though I have really been lacking in the sleep department with Sophia. She has pretty much always woken up every 3-4 hours. It is as if we have had a newborn baby for 17 months straight! She feels the need to nurse 2 or 3 times during the night as well. (Yes, I'm still nursing). I am sure the nighttime wakings are not going to stop immediately either, but we're going to take it in stride. Unlike Annabelle, Sophia cried for a good 45 minutes straight this evening, and I didn't hear her last whimper until around 9:55 p.m. Strike that! She just started crying again at 10:34 p.m. I left her room at 8:35 p.m. Though her cries so far are strictly cries and not screams, so that is definitely comforting.

Besides the lack of sleep, here is what we've been up to lately.

1. We started teaching Annabelle's Sunday School Class back in August. Though we've only taught one Sunday so far. We teach again this coming Sunday.

2. Annabelle started ballet at the Decatur School of Ballet on Wednesday, September 7. She seems to be enjoying herself after only two classes. Though I am having a hard time adjusting to a new schedule. She is currently learning to spin and skip. Who knew skipping could be so hard? Not that we haven't practiced ourselves before, but skipping is a hard gross motor skill to master. I've actually read somewhere that a child isn't ready to read until they can sway their arms in an opposite direction from the leg skipping forward. Or something like that.

3. Hubby and I started a pretty intense Bible Study on Wednesday evenings for 2.5 hours. It is a 34 week commitment. I need prayers that the girls can tough through these long days and stay healthy. Perhaps I can convince my sweet parents to watch them on Wednesday nights so they can stay free and clear of hand, foot and mouth disease! Yuck! Apparently it has been making its way through the daycare center run by our church.

4. I agreed to work one day a weekend through October 15 at the public accounting firm I have been working at since I graduated from college. The extra cash is definitely a plus, especially during these economic times, but it definitely adds a bit of stress to our household.

5. Annabelle started her second year of choir on Wednesday, September 14. Hubby and I were attending the Bible Study during this hour, so my parents picked her up from choir and took the girls home for a normal bedtime. But the next day she was already singing several of the songs to me. She really seems to enjoy choir too.

6. We officially started our first day of Homeschool Pre-K yesterday. The curriculum I chose is centered completely around God. I doubt myself constantly in this role as teacher that I feel God has chosen us to take on in the coming years (if it works for us), so I need prayers that we are truly following God's will. And I especially need prayers that God will provide me with the patience I need to educate this strong-willed, must do it her way, child. I can see that after only one day she is going to be a challenge!!!

I hope you all haven't given up on me yet since I haven't posted since July! If you haven't, please feel free to leave a comment!

The High Chair Summit

Need I say more?
Hubby snapped this picture this evening shortly after dinner while we were all still sitting around the kitchen table. This wasn't the first time today that she climbed into the high chair all by herself. The first time was at breakfast this morning when I wasn't around to see. Annabelle and I were in the kitchen discussing her breakfast options. I had just asked the girls if they were hungry for breakfast. Apparently Sophia was as I found her sitting properly in her high chair waiting on me to bring her tray and food. Pretty much just like this next picture.

What 15 month old climbs into her high chair all by herself? I thought "Annabelle never climbed this much at 15 months," until I looked back at old blog posts from back then. Apparently, this household is full of climbers. Though Sophia seems to be a little more advanced in her climbing capabilities.

Lazy

Sophia is definitely my lazy child. She let that be known before birth when she decided to make her grand appearance 6 days late! Annabelle was 5 days early.

Sophia has started something new when she cries out for me at night and after she has woken up from her naps. She stands up in the crib crying (that is nothing new by any means). But, as I near her crib, she continues to cry and then points to her paci. Lazy little thing wants me to pick it up for her! I mean my goodness, the poor baby would have to bend down a whole whopping one foot to retreive the thing! Poor baby!

Being the stubborn mommy that I am though, I don't typically give in to this particular behavior. Isn't responding to her beck and call enough? Instead, I tell her that she can get her paci if she wants it. She plops her self down in the crib bottom first to retreive it, and then she stumbles back up to the crib rail for me to pick her up.

She definitely is her Daddy's child! Hee, hee! I may get in trouble for that comment!

First Steps!

Sophia took her first steps on Saturday, May 7th. She walked across the living room floor over and over again as Annabelle kept carrying her back to her original starting point to make her try again. She didn't get discouraged despite Annabelle's antics. And the best part, we were ALL (Andy too) home to watch her take her first steps. Annabelle was so excited! She cheered her on more than any of us. She's such an awesome big sister! She even joined in on the fun of video taping Sophia. And after the fun had worn off for us, Annabelle was anxious to grab the video camera each and every time Sophia took more steps for the remainder of the day (and weekend for that matter).

Sophia started taking a step here and a step there shortly before her first birthday, but she finally took the initiative to move forward on Saturday. Since then I've watched her toddle around just to practice as she knows she can get anywhere she wants to get much faster by simply crawling at her lightening speed.

My baby is no longer a baby! If only she'd learn to sleep through the night! We're going to battle that one in a few weeks once the doctor provides me with certainty that the double ear infection is no longer.

Psalm 100:2

"Serve the Lord with gladness." - Psalm 100:2

I've been trying to incorporate more Bible reading into our day with Annabelle (and Sophia, of course, assuming she is awake). My parents used to read stories from the books, "Little Visits with God," and "More Little Visits with God," when my brother and I were younger. I asked my mom for those books when I was pregnant with Annabelle. And now I read those same books to her.

Each story includes a Bible verse with a real life application story involving young children. Annabelle is at a great age for these books, and she follows the story and meaning very well.

Earlier this week we read the story titled, "Service with a Smile." The story was about a little girl who was complaining about having to dry the dishes. It was the perfect story for the week as Annabelle does a lot of complaining and whining every morning when she has to make her bed and empty the dishwasher. For those of you with younger children, I would highly recommend assigning your child a daily chore at the ripe old age of three years old and not much later as they are much more willing and enthusiastic at that age versus four years old.

Annabelle is responsible every morning for unloading the silverware and plastics. And she isn't allowed to play until she has finished her chores for the morning. So, I often hear a lot of whining and complaining. So, yesterday, when she complained and whined about having to unload the dishwasher before she could play, I reminded her to "Serve the Lord with gladness," as we had just read "Service with a Smile" the day before and discussed how we should smile as we complete our daily chores in order to make God happy and serve Him.

Well, I have been very much lacking in the sleep department lately. Sophia's sleep habits have gradually gotten worse and what used to be 3 hours between wakings has turned into 1 hour between wakings unless of course she's sleeping in my arms at night. She was diagnosed with a double ear infection on Tuesday. She had an ear infection in her right ear at her 12 month check up. I literally had no idea she had an ear infection when I took her in as she hasn't fussed very much, and she doesn't pull on her ears. The doctor told me I could either begin the prescription immediately or hold off until he saw her again in 2 weeks as he wanted me to schedule a follow-up appointment. I opted to hold off on the antibiotics. Hence the double ear infection on Tuesday. And, she's teething with another top front tooth, and I suspect her molars are pushing through as well because she's stuffing her fingers into the back of her mouth.

So, this Mommy is very tired! And, I wasn't in a very good mood today. So, as I fussed at Annabelle this morning, she looked at me and so sweetly replied, "Mommy, serve the Lord with gladness!" I couldn't help but laugh! If only I could always remember her tone as it was so matter of fact. She literally brought a smile to my face with that comment. And she recited the verse to me several times during the day when I was obviously not very happy. Every time I smiled and chuckled a little.

God works through children in mysterious ways!

Ready to Cruise

Even though Sophia pulls up on everything and has been for awhile now, she isn't much of a cruiser yet. This evening I sat down next to her, and I was trying to encourage her to crawl to me. She misunderstood and wanted to let go and take a step toward me so bad! She moved a foot while holding on, but she didn't attempt those first steps. I am glad as she would have most definitely fallen on the slate floors in the kitchen if she had. She needs to get comfortable with cruising first.

When Annabelle was this age, she was already standing up in the middle of the floor without holding onto anything. And she took her first steps shortly before she turned 11 months. But, I'll keep my Sophia little as long as she'll let me! I just wish the first year hadn't flown by so fast.

Hormones

Mood swings, facial bumps, drier eyes and migraines! My baby is growing up and doesn't need me as much as she did 10 months ago. My heart aches. Seriously. It truly aches right now.

I had these same feelings when Annabelle was this age. Very strong feelings. I thought for sure it was a first child thing. Apparently not. Apparently it is a hormone thing.

But this time, this time, my heart longs for another baby even though I don't anticipate that in the very near future.

And oddly, I don't know why I long so much for another baby. It isn't because I want to try for a boy because I honestly would be happy with a house full of girls. And it certainly isn't because I think I am a wonderful mother because there are many days that I even struggle with feeling that I'm a good mother.

Perhaps I hope I can do it better the next time around if God so allows. Or perhaps it is because I am growing so much through my children. I thought I was a very mature adult until I had children. But then I realized just how immature I really am. But, my children are teaching me so much about life if I'd just take the time to watch and listen.

Annabelle will always be my first. And she is truly teaching me how to love. She is teaching me to love as God intends us to love. Yesterday as I cried in the car over something that will be so insignificant in our next life in heaven or next year for that matter, Annabelle said, "Mommy, are you sad? I bet I know what I can do when we get home!!!" As we pulled in the driveway, Annabelle immediately unbuckled herself and climbed in the front seat with me and placed those sweet arms around my neck. God love her!

I suspect that Sophia will be my spunky child with lots of personality filling my days with laughter. She is definitely the more laid back of the two. I am learning from my Sophia to not sweat the small stuff and to laugh a lot more. Of course, I have a ways to go.

With the help of my children I am growing wiser every day. And for that I am truly blessed.

And with the help of my very sweet and loving husband, I am standing up, dusting off and picking up the pieces to move forward full speed ahead. I cannot change the past, but I can make a huge dent in my future. Thank you hubby for loving me despite my imperfections!

Slow down!

And put a bow in your hair girl! How do you see a thing?

Miss No Fear is going to turn into a cruiser in just a matter of time! Today I watched her as she practiced lifting her left foot over and over again. She is getting ready to take off!

Christmas 2010 Highlights

1. Annabelle's favorite book was "Sheila Rae's Peppermint Stick" by Kevin Henkes. It was a hand-me-down from "the little girls" next door, Chloe and Camille. She could recite many of the pages from memory. She was so good at it that hubby thought she was actually reading it one night.

2. Annabelle referred to angels as fairies.

3. At Oak Grove UMC's Family Fun Night/Birthday Party for Jesus, Annabelle decorated a white gift bag with nativity stickers. She set up the nativity scene at the bottom of the gift bag with Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, a cow, a donkey and a palm tree. She even found a random piece that wasn't an actual sticker, but held the stickers together, and placed it on top of Jesus' head. She said it was Baby Jesus' party hat. It was shaped somewhat like a triangle. She placed stars in the sky and colored the sky blue with a blue marker. She placed an angel above Baby Jesus, and outlined the angel sticker with a pink marker. Then, above the angel (as if off in the distance), she placed her three wise men. She gave each wise man a camel to ride on as they were each standing on their respective camel. Somehow the shepherd became a wise man, but she realized later she had done that without anyone else pointing it out. It is amazing how children this young picture the Christmas Story. The visual image in her mind is more accurate than the nativity scene that we all set out every Christmas.