Daddy-Daughter Time

Soon after Addie was born, Miller began a special daddy-daughter time just with Eliana. Every Saturday morning, the two of them make biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Each and every Saturday. Just the two of them- I'm not allowed to help. It's a really sweet tradition that I hope they continue as she grows older. Now that Addie's getting older, she might be joining them on Saturday mornings as well (that would be lovely for me, so that I could sleep in), or Miller might decide to do something special just with Addie. Either way, I think it's so awesome that he makes the effort to spend quality time with our girls, and realizes how important and special their bond is. I'm so glad he doesn't feel like he needs to have a little boy to hang out with. He's a wonderful daddy and our girls are truly blessed.

The Greatest Gift

I'd like to ask you to take a moment this Christmas season to think about what we are celebrating. Can you imagine that the awesome God of our universe, the One who spoke the world into existence, the God who breathed life into the first man, the King of Kings humbled himself to become a tiny, helpless baby, born in a filthy manger among animals, all for one purpose: to die. Consider the lyrics to the Christmas hymn, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,"

Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

We have a merciful, gracious God who loves us so much that he would come to suffer for you and for me.

Thank you, Lord, for your sacrifice, that we may one day be in your presence, among the angels singing praises to you.

School Carnival

Miller's school had a carnival last week, and he took Eliana with him. I decided to stay home with Addie, but I just had to put up these pictures of Eliana. This one makes me a little sad, because it reminds me that pretty soon she'll be old enough to go to school herself, and I can just picture her walking into her classroom with her little backpack on. *sniff, sniff* Here she is painting a Christmas ornament.

This next one is pretty hilarious because she was really excited about getting to ride a horse, but Miller said once she got on, she couldn't believe how stinky horses are!

And....she's off!

Addie is 18 months old now, and for a while we were a little concerned with her not talking. Well, she is talking, but we weren't sure if she was where she was supposed to be. We weren't trying to compare her to Eliana, but we knew she wasn't talking nearly as much as Eliana did at this age, and we just wanted to make sure that she wasn't delayed. I took Addie to her 18 month well-check a couple weeks ago, and her pediatrician told me that she is actually advanced. At the appointment, she was up to about 40 words. Well, just last week, she suddenly started talking a lot. Last week alone, she learned the words please, thank you, toe, nose, happy, snow, blue, and hat. She's even trying to sing songs and babbles a lot when Miller comes home, as if telling him about her day. It's really cute. Now I feel bad for thinking she was delayed, but she had several ear infections before her 1st birthday, and I thought maybe it had affected her hearing. She'll be a chatter box like her sister before long.

I also have to throw in a cute story about something Eliana said the other day. It was pretty cloudy outside, so the sun would be out one minute, and then disappear behind the clouds the next minute. Eliana asked, "Why is the sun turning on and off?"

I laughed, "No, honey. The sun is going behind the clouds."

She nodded as if content with my answer, "Oh, it's just playing hide-and-seek," she confirmed.

Kids are so funny!

A Little Grinch

Remember in the story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas how the Grinch went to everyone's houses stealing their Christmas trees, ornaments, decorations, stockings, food, etc? Well, do you notice anything strange about our tree?

Like how only the top half of the tree is decorated and how the bottom portion is bare? Do you also notice the little ornament thief trying to snatch another ornament, without realizing that she's being caught on camera? Yes, we have a little Grinch in our house, trying to rid all evidence of Christmas. She also managed to break one of my snowman decorations I was going to put up on the mantle.

Little does this Grinch know that Christmas lies in our hearts, and not in all the material stuff she is attempting to discard of.
In all seriousness, the girls absolutely love this time of year. Christmas is also my favorite time of year, and it's even more amazing to watch the wonder and enjoyment of the season through my children's eyes. Every time Addie sees a snowman, she yells, "Maman! Maman!" Truly her favorite winter symbol. We also love driving around the neighborhood at night to see all the lights, and listen to the girls "Ooh" and "Aah" at the decorations. Just the other day, Eliana said, "I wish it could snow, but we just have to wait." That would be the icing on the cake! Still, with all the wonderful things that make Christmas such a warm and festive time of year: caroling, Christmas cookies, family, hot cocoa, shopping, warm sweaters, twinkling lights and glitter... it's easy to get caught up in all the sights and sounds of the holidays and forget the true reason for the season. Whenever the girls get giddy and excited about all these fun things, we try to remind them that Christmas is the time of year when we remember the birth of our dear Savior, Jesus, an event that should be celebrated year-round.

Tiny Toes

Eliana modeling her snowman painted toes and sparkly fingernails.

I love having little girls! Maybe I'm trying to compensate for growing up with 2 brothers. As a little girl, all I ever wanted was a sister. A big sister or a little sister, I didn't care. I just wanted someone to do girly things with. (Thank God for my neighbor, Shannon- the next best thing to a sister!) I used to beg my parents to adopt a sister for me, and convinced myself that they were going to do it. I even announced to people that I was going to have a sister, and then people would ask my mom when she was due... That didn't go over very well with her. Anyway, now God has blessed me with 2 beautiful girls, and our days are filled with tea parties, dress-up, dolls, and everything pink. Sometimes I let Eliana skip her nap, and while Addie's sleeping, we just hang out. I read to her, we put together puzzles (an impossible task when Addie is awake. That girls loves to destruct!) , we draw, sometimes I just hold her like a baby. Then I tell her that I don't want her to get any bigger and she says, "Look Mommy, I'm getting smaller!" Today I painted her toenails, something she loves to do. For my birthday, I even took her with me to get a pedicure. Having girls is fun, and I'm so thankful for them... Just wait until we have to pay for their weddings, right?

Addie is an artist

Yes, Addie is an artist and the world is her canvas. She doesn't discriminate where her masterpieces will take place. Any surface will do. By this, I mean she will draw on walls, furniture, her clothes, her skin, the carpet, ME... She also uses a variety of mediums. She dabbles in crayon, marker, paint, pens, pencils, dirty fingerprints. Basically any object that will leave a mark becomes her paintbrush. Yeah.... this isn't so great when you're trying to sell your house. I spend my days scrubbing, erasing, wiping, and repainting. I know the solution seems simple enough. Remove the art-making materials from her reach. Well, Eliana also loves to draw, so drawing utensils are almost always out. Besides, a true artist will not be stopped by a lack of art supplies! This is one phase that I am hoping she will grow out of quickly.



Notice the marked wall behind her.



You gotta love bath crayons!

Priorities

Okay, as soon as I posted that first blog, I was thinking that I hope I find the time to add entries regularly. Then I thought about the last line that I wrote.

"Lastly, I hope this blog will honor God and will be a testimony of how our family seeks to bring glory to Him."

I have this all wrong.

First, and foremost, I want this blog to glorify Christ. Before I make time to post blogs, I need to spend time with the Lord- something I have definitely been neglecting. Time to dust off the Bible (no, it's not really dusty), and start reading daily. This is a goal I've had for a while, but really need to stick to. I'll only be better for it, and hopefully doing so will make my blog entries more meaningful to anyone who decides to read about our family.

One more thing, please pray for Miller's dad. We just found out that he has a brain tumor. That's really all we know right now, but I'll update details as we find out more. Thanks and God bless!

Ready, Set, Blog

I decided that I should start blogging because despite what I expected, being a stay-at-home mom gives me very little free time. I've been appointed as my dad's Realtor, I'm working for my sister-in-law part time, I carpool 5 days a week, we have church, doctors appointments, family functions, etc. etc. Eliana has a baby book full of entries about her "firsts," a scrapbook that is about 1/3 finished, and tons of developed pictures. Poor Addie has a bad case of second-child syndrome. She has a baby book that I have jotted a few notes in, NO scrapbook, and virtually NO developed pictures. The days are slipping by so quickly, and I can't believe how fast they grow. I need some way to quickly document the funny things that Eliana says, the milestones that Addie reaches, "firsts" (or seconds or thirds), and all those other memorable moments. If we plan on adding to the family (and God-willing, we do), then I'll find myself even busier, and I don't want to forget these precious moments that will soon be long gone. Lastly, I hope this blog will honor God and will be a testimony of how our family seeks to honor Him.