Being Momma....

We finally got my old play furniture out of storage at my parents and into Abby Kate's room. It is beautiful and has been so fun to watch her play Momma to her dolls. She pushes the carriage all the time and tries to feed the babies in the high chair. Interesting how mothering is so instinctive. I did not show her how to play this way.

We went back to Little Gym today and I was amazed. She said "GYM, GYM!" the whole way. During the introduction as all the children were sitting in their parents laps, our little girl danced and jumped and squealed. It was beautifully uninhibited. She was blissfully aware but uncaring that all eyes were upon her. Though she likes attention, watching her it was clear her movement and squeals of delight was simply her joy that could not be contained. I watched partially neurotic wondering if the other Moms were judging her as a show-off and the other part laughing with tears at my child's beauty.

Oh how I wish we could bottle up childhood and save it for our children. We all as parents, I presume, desire our children to grow up and still be comfortable in their skin. To be able to express joy simply and easily. To have few relational hang-ups and see the world with wise eyes yet still be grateful. Watching her today made me realize why God says “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."

I know the world steals our innocence. Our trust. Our joy. But oh how as a parent I will now pray, preserve her childhood. It truly is breathtaking, compelling and an incredible teacher.

Updates and such....

Well, at 20.5 months and counting...much has...and is happening. Oh gosh so much. B and I were talking this morning at how it seems she has truly AGED over night. I had read that this time (18-24 mo) has some of the most rapid growth that you can see in a child. How true, oh how true. First of all, her vocabulary has exploded. Things I had no idea she had picked up is coming out of her mouth faster that I can compute. Today, for instance, we were reading a book that had little pictures for every 10 words. She knew 90% of them. Like house, trees, hand, finger, hot (for fire), ring, apples, water, fish, bow (this was the fish's tale but it did look like a bow) and so on. One of the things that literally had me fall over was a few weeks ago, we were playing as she was taking a bath and she has these wonderfully colored stackable cups. She kept saying something over and over and when I finally tuned in, I realized she was saying blue. I proceeded to point to each cup and she knew blue, green, yellow and pink. I was floored. This has become something we do all the time, "what color is this?" Sometimes she gets it, sometimes she doesn't. But it is fun!

The sweetest thing that she has learned is to say "i love you" and climbed in my lap a few weeks ago and gave me a kiss and said, "luv you Momma." All unpromted! I would have given her a car at that moment. Oh yes I would have...had she asked.

Another huge milestone, we had started acclimating her to the potty. Last night she actually went! We shouted and cheered and danced! She loves sitting on her potty now and are working on getting her to go each time instead of in the floor. She likes to hold it until I take her diaper off and then run away from me and go. I have been grabbing her midstream and sitting her on the potty. Last night was the first time she has actually gone in it. Oh this should be fun!

Finally, I would LOVE your opinions/advice on this. I know they range so much but I know there are several readers of this blog that have children around the same age as Abby Kate so your two cents could really help us. I have been kicking around the idea of moving her to a toddler bed. The one piece of advice that I have gotten consistently was do it before they can open the door. Most everyone has said do it by two. Yesterday, our parents as teachers consultant said she really thought I should do it soon. We will eventually put her in a queen but her bed converts to a toddler bed. I am thinking about letting her sleep in the toddler bed for 2 months and then putting the queen mattress on the floor? And then in a month put it on the low frame and putting the rails on? I just not sure how to do this. I would LOVE your input.

Lots of milestones, lots of fun!

Jumping! With Friends....

My college friends are reuniting this weekend and my friends Lindsey and Kizzy came over yesterday for a planning session. Our kiddos wanted to jump, in 101 degree heat no less. But I am not an entirely bad parent, I let them wear their shoes. No hospital visits for scaldings for these kids. No way.

Peek-a-boo Poppy!

Abby Kate LOVES to be scared. This was cracking us up!

Abby Kate and Max

Sorry again for the long absence. We have been traveling and are now finally home after 10 days!

I loved this pic. Max comes every M,W,F with Laura to pick up his brother and AK adores him (she says his name over and over after he leaves). Laura and I, as usual, had gotten into a chat and we look over and these two sitting raptly watching Veggie Tales. Thought it was cute!

Splash Park with Channing

We went to play at a splash park last week with our friends Channing and her mom Lacie (my friend). We had so much fun! AK was not crazy about the water (weird b/c other times I cannot get her out) but I think it was b/c she could not keep it out of her face. We went to feed the ducks though and made it all better! *AK is the one in the tutu bathing suit!

Abby Kate and Sutton

I don't know if I have shared this with most of you but I am watching Sutton, one of my best friends son (Laura and Greg....they are who B works with) on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. It has been SO great. He is a precious child (12 months) and it has been SO good for AK to learn she is NOT the center of the universe. Great prep for a sibling!

Dancing Video

I had promised to post AK and Kourtney's dancing video from a while back. It WILL NOT post on this blog for some reason. So if you want to watch it, you can go to my personal blog at www.breatheholyonthisrust.blogspot.com

Poppy's Future Partner

Poppy gave Abby Kate one of his old stethoscopes and it has become her favorite new toy. This morning, I walked in from feeding the dogs and she was examining Tigger.

She is as accident prone as I am. She fell Monday face first into the tile and possibly broke her nose. They cannot do anything about it until she is older. I broke mine 3 times but she is starting a little sooner than I did. She is a kamikaze child. Just acts, doesn't think too much. Adventurer like her Daddy, klutzy like me. Not a good combination.

Neannie and her girls

I ADORE this picture. We went with the Q family to Branson for the 4th and then Neannie and Pop came for the weekend. Neannie took the girls to Build a Bear and they both built adorable bunnies. They loved it!

Time with "Ney"

I know you all think I fell off the face of the earth. In a way, I feel like I did. Thanks to so many of you for checking on me. We are just in the throws of summer and time has escaped me. We just got to have Kourtney spend a week with us and we had a ball! Another reason for my delayed posts is the card in my camera is full. I know, delete already. I plan to tonight. I promise. So I did not get as many pics I as would have liked, we went to Incredible Pizza and swam in AK's baby pool and went to the mall. AK is crazy about Ney (her name for Kourtney). She simply tried to mimic everything she did. We dropped her off today and AK has been calling for her all evening. I know it is going to take some time to re-acclimate her to no 9 year old cool playmate. I will download the video of them dancing later. It is classic.

Pool Party!

The fun started with Aunt Ashley and then to her delight, Daddy jumped in with his clothes on! They played and played until the shivering got the best of them!

Father's Day Fun....

Peek-a-boo!

We had a mad game of peek-a-boo going on around the couch. Seriously, this went on for at least, 30 minutes. And they say toddlers have short attention spans. I got bored before she did...hmmm, what does that say about me?

Crazy Hair

This was after taking a rubber band out of her hair after a long day. Classic.

Happy Father's Day!

Dear Daddy,
I asked Momma to write this for me….because…well, lets face it, I am smart but not smart enough to read and write before I am two. So, Momma said she would do it…tell you how I feel. She knows too! She is a girl just like me and loves girls enough to know their hearts. So she is going to tell you, even in adult words, just how much I love you.
Daddy, I know you know this a little bit, and will know it more as I grow, but girls love to be loved. You are so good at loving me! I anxiously await your coming home at night because I know you will drop everything when you walk in the door, just to play with me. You play like a child, just like me! Your imagination and games always make me giggle. You can play forever…unlike most grown-ups. You are special Daddy. You tell me how much you love me all the time. I will never get tired of hearing this Daddy. You whisper that I am beautiful….but even when you whisper, I hear you. Those words will shape me. Those words will be etched upon my little girl heart and I will need to hear them even more as I grow. You make me feel like a Princess,
You are such a hard worker Daddy. In a grown up world that has become different than what Jesus intended, you still hold to the value systems of worth. You are teaching me by example already. And I am so proud of you Daddy.
You are a believer! You still believe in right and wrong, black and white, good and evil and you never waiver. I am watching Daddy. And you are teaching me things the grown up world has forgotten. Thank you.
So many little girls don’t even have fathers. I know how much my Jesus loves me by looking to you. He did not give me a father, he gave me a Daddy that loves me and protects me and honors me and forgives me. He gave me a Daddy that looks like Him! I would say that I am lucky, but Momma says the word is blessed. So I am blessed Daddy. You are the best Daddy on earth and Momma says you are doing what God made you to do. I am so glad! He made you to be my Daddy and nothing else matters. Happy DADDY day!
I love you bunches and bunches,
Abby Kate

HELP!

Okay, I meant to post about this when I posted the Poop story but forgot. I am in DESPERATE need of help. I know I have a ton of great friends that are great Moms/aunts/grandmothers that read this that can help me out. Even if you have never posted before, I beg of you to post any ideas. It is easy, I promise.
Okay, it is getting H-O-T. We have been enjoying the outdoors to pass a lot of time and, well, lets face it, it is getting hot. I can handle a little sweat but not the kind that soaks you through in the first 15 minutes. Abby Kate is sick of her toys. She is so bored and frankly, so am I. Do any of you have fun activities for toddlers. I really need to invest in new toys but would love some recommendations. If anyone wants to trade out toys for a while, I would LOVE that too. PLEASE HELP ME!

Bathroom Mishaps (and other adventures)

So I promised to post the now infamous Poop story and so true to my word, here it is (with other crazy additions)...
AK and I had gone swimming at our neighborhood pool. Upon our return, we were both wet, sweaty and happy. I changed her out of her swim diaper and bathing suit and put on the diaper she had on before going to the pool (it was clean and fresh and had been on about 10 min before deciding to go swim). As we all know, the tabs do not stick so well the second time around...this bit of info will be important in a moment.
So Daddy gets home and as always, they play and play and jump and spin and play some more. I then suggested we all go outside so in her diaper, we proceed to the backyard for more play. She slides and swings and climbs as usual and then begins to chase the dogs around the yard. B and I sat in the swing laughing at her. I then look over to her bare bottomed. The second-time-around tabs had given way and like her dogs, our little lady (I use that term loosely) was squatting in the yard tinkling (sorry, I cannot use the "p" word....I guess I am too southern, just a little crass for me), anywho, we laugh and watch her start chasing again. Then she comes running toward us with "stuff" falling out of her behind. It takes me a few seconds to realize the child is pooping and running. Now, to paint the most vivid picture I can for you at the hilarity of the moment, I need to tell you that my husband HATES, and I mean HATES anything from the body that is not clean. He is as rugged as any man I have known. He comes in filthy from work, covered head to toe in mud from 4-wheeling, reeking of deer urine after hunting but there is something about the dirty things of humans that sends him into orbit. He even gags his face off if he gets a hair, yes a hair, in his mouth. So anyway, I scream, "SHE IS POOPING!!!!" and start dying laughing. Our dogs are anxiously hovering behind her to do what dogs do and B goes into freak out mode. He yells, "GET HER!" and runs to grab the dogs. At his anxiousness, AK freaks and runs up on the porch, poop still flying. She now notices there is no diaper to catch it and bends down to play in it before I can stop her. Well this really bothers B and he yells for me to "GETSOMETHINGTOCLEANITUP!" I run in and grab a roll of paper towels and hand them off as I scoop up my poop covered child and head for the outdoor facet. I promptly put her under the freezing water as she starts to scream, I now notice that I too am covered in poop. B yells again "TAKEHERINANDPUTHERINTHETUB!" and while this makes sense to me, I, being the practical housekeeper I am, want to get as much feces off of her before I go dunking her in the very tub that cleans her each night. But B will have none of it and orders me inside. I put her in the tub screaming and flailing (and consequently getting it all over the rug and tub side) and manage to hose her down. I then get bleach and fill the tub up with hot water before placing her back in to REALLY clean. Ridiculous.
Then today, we are in AK's closet playing with her awesome bubble machine. I am changing her out of her pj's and into a clean diaper. She is laying on the floor and before I can catch her, she has grabbed the bubble machine and poured all the bubble solution in her hair and ears. I tried to clean her up but as in all soap based products, the suds got bigger and bigger. I went to start the bath and she takes off for the kitchen. In the time it takes me to walk in our tiny guest bath, pull back the shower curtain and turn on the water, I hear my child fall and start to cry. I run around the corner to see a huge yellow-tinted puddle she is skating on and that she had fallen and promptly falls again. Now I have urine all over my kitchen floor and a child covered in it and bubble solution. Welcome to toddlerhood.

Born to be WILD!

New favorite picture. Enough said.

Time with Pop

Pop came to visit this weekend and he never got a break. Abby Kate would not even let him eat but would pull him around by his hand. Neannie had to work but AK called out for her the entire weekend. She has all of her grandparents wrapped around her fingers :) (and they have her adoration!)

He even walked the sidewalks in our neighborhood for an hour, barefooted no less in intolerable humitity after a storm this morning! Thanks for the visit Pop!

18 months

I am back. I know the blog laid dormant for a while. I know most of you read both of my blogs but I had a rough few weeks following a miscarriage. But I am back. And as God intends through pain, better than ever.

Today marks 18 months of life. Crazy how a year and a half can seem like a lifetime and a heartbeat at the same time. Daily, I cannot believe I have been a mother so long. And daily I remember something I did a year and a half ago and think to myself, "why was that so easy?...oh yeah, I wasn't a mother." I read an incredible post on Beth Moore's blog authored by her daughter Amanda who also is the mother of a toddler. I loved her description of the freedoms you lose when you become a mother. Not selfish freedoms (though you DO certainly lose those) but freedoms in ministry, in relationships. Freedom of time and energy and passion. Freedom to sit for long hours and listen to someone elses heart. Those were the freedoms I grieved the most too.

But I am finding such sweetness in stolen moments with friends while our children play. Motherhood truly rewrites life.

Abby Kate has been the sweetest blessing of my life. She daily reminds me of my Father's love for me. He entrusted her to us...what love.

As for an update on her life, which is what this blog is about, obviously....

can be summed up in one sentence...a daily prayer for patience, energy and creativity. If you ever want to watch someone truly take in LIFE, pull up a chair and observe a toddler. I am constantly moving. I have a child that does NOT like to play alone (I am working on this) so if I sit, she comes and grabs my hand (even if I sit on it...evil, I know) and starts to pull. When I say, "no Mama is going to sit here for a second" she will look up and sweetly say "please?" and I can hardly refuse (I mean come on, I am teaching manners here ya'll and PLEASE has to be rewarded). But really, I am working to show our little bundle of joy and the world does NOT revolve around her. She still has an extensive vocabulary and constantly walks on her tip toes, as if already practicing for her lead in The Nutcracker. She loves the water, hates green vegetables and loves to pet dogs. She loves her babies and stuffed animals, loves to read and loves my jewelry. She loves Backyardigans and Veggie Tales more than life itself. She loves cold milk and she loves to snuggle. She loves to make animal noises and learn new ones (this week was elephant...and she uses her arm as the trunk). She is the pick est eater I have ever met. She loves to play "tea" and loves to take a bath with bubbles (she shouts "WHOA, BUBLES! BUBLES! over and over). She has no fear and will try anything. She is super tough and rarely cries when she falls. She is the light of our lives.

Thanks for listening to me gush but also know, I am daily praying for wisdom. I am tough on boundaries and sometimes feel my day consists of constant battles. We are dealing with fits (frustration and anger are great, we are just learning how to express them) and her neediness have been the hardest things lately. We are also playing with other kids a lot so the age old battle of sharing has begun. I know this will be a long process.

So anyway, that is an update. Remind me to post later the Poop story. It truly would have won $10,000 on Funniest Home Videos. It was classic. Love you all....

Little Gym Award Ceremony!

Abby Kate's last Little Gym class was today until the fall. She began this class when she was 7 months and has LOVED every time. Our teacher, Ms. Tammy (first pic) is one of AK's favorite people. She is a precious Godly woman that we are so thankful for! We have BOTH made many sweet friends through this class. My dear friend Kizzy and her little boy Everett is in AK's class too (3rd pic) and AK loves him (she says "Ev, Ev!"). They are only 2 months apart so I anticipate a fun friendship! I got all of this on video too. Maybe someday I will load it.

I woke up this morning and had an amazing quiet time on my porch. I came in and it was just 6:45 so I started a load of laundry, watered my plants and started the dishwasher. AK was STILL not up so I made the bed and fixed breakfast and then B brought her in to me with crazy hair and sleepy eyes and as I sang our good morning song to her, she squealed Momma! and leaned to me. My heart, yet once again, felt like it would burst. I dressed her and started to fold some laundry. When I looked at her playing in the living room, I noticed her once short, chubby baby legs were now long and lean. I noticed her little pot belly had flattened. I noticed her hair, now up in pig tails and I realized how quickly time has flown. I wanted to freeze the moment. Our quiet little morning with her toddlerhood so evident and her babyhood still such a strong, sweet memory.

Smile!

More Outdoor Fun!

It was such a pretty day. First day in a while with no rain and we enjoyed! This child is FEARLESS! She climbs her rock wall on her swing set all by herself and will go down her big slide...she wants no help (I promise I am there close to step in if need be!). We are spending hours outdoors! I LOVE SUMMER!

Sprinkler Fun!

Future Blogger

I went to check on my quiet child and found her typing away. Stay tuned for her posts.

Abby Kate and Isabella

This is obviously not the best picture of AK but I had to post it seeing as how we don't get together as often as we would all like. Isabella is my oldest and dearest friend, Jocelyn's daughter. And she is a delight! I love her like my own. She is so fun and witty. She even put on a concert for me in her bedroom...singing Wide Open Spaces with a microphone in perfect tune no less! She is a girl after my own heart! Her Momma and I spent many an hour singing at the top of our lungs on my karoke machine. We have many tapes that could be used as major blackmail of our amazing vocal talents. Don't worry Joce, they are well hidden!

Memorial Day Weekend

It was our 7th Memorial Day weekend celebrated with our dear friends Trey and Christina. We always canoe the river (we actually have a kayak which I found is much more stable than the canoe, which B and I used this year...yes, I found this out in rapids and snake infested waters). Anyway, we also get to swim and play at Neannie and Pop's. We grilled out and had a ball. AK got to spend a couple of nights with them and Trey, Christina, B and I got to spend some time in Sallisaw in my parent's vacant house (they were on vacation). We stayed up so late just talking. This says a lot about how much I love them due to my 9 pm bedtime being missed. Hehe!
We also had a special time planning for the future Memorial Days seeing as Trey and Christina will have a baby!!!! next year! We are SO excited for them and cannot wait to keep adding kiddos to our great get togethers (we both want 4 kids so get togethers and vacations with 8 kids will sure to be memorable!)