Sunday Morning

Gosh, I can't believe it's been SO long since I've blogged! It seems like the days and weeks slip by so quickly and before I can blink, several months have gone by. So.... what have we been up to? Well quite a bit actually... between the holidays and the start of a new year and Kyleigh's first birthday (yes, she's one already. I can hardly  believe it's been a year already!) our lives have been action packed. Sometimes in the business of day to day life, I forget to stop. take a breath. and enjoy the best moments of my life. The girls are growing up so quickly. TOO quickly. I love each stage they go through and sometimes find myself sad to see how grown-up they are (I know... I'm being slightly irrational... because they are only 1 and 3) BUT it really does seem like just yesterday they were so small and dependent on Dan and me. God has a funny way of reminding me that they are precious in each stage and are supposed to grow and change. Hmmm... that word change has a negative connotation in my mind. I'm working on that though ;) So here are a few of my favorite things they've been doing lately. Madison, views herself as momma jr here. She LOVES LOVES her sister and is constantly kissing and hugging and begging Kyleigh to play with her. To be honest, Kyleigh get's a little annoyed with it but it's the sweetest thing to see Madison love her sister so much. Madison's recent interest have been barbie dolls. Yes, really. I wasn't prepared for her to be so interested already... I thought they were for BIG kids, right? She loves using her imagination which has grown quite a bit over the past few months. I should take the time to right down more of the things she says because I am constantly laughing at the outlandish things that come from her mouth. oh, and she is FINALLY potty trained. Yes- I'm giving full credit to the Lord for this one. I'll give the semi-short story on this... Last spring she was ready to potty train but got a UTI which set us back majorly in potty training! So we took several months off. Late fall we started again, but she still cried and put up a fight every time. I heard out pastor say months before they went through a very hard time with his son and he finally out of desperation prayed the Lord would give him wisdom on how to get him potty trained. crazy, right? Who prays that their child would potty train?? At least that's what I thought. Interestingly enough, my judgmental attitude made me eat my words because last fall I found myself praying and pleading with God. "PLEASE, just let her get the hang of it." and she did! She would pee in the potty and had very few accidents. But we still couldn't get her to poop. And then again about a month ago, I found myself praying the same thing! And again thought, "who prays that their child will poop on the potty??" Oh the things you ask God for as a parent... because that's exactly what I did! ha. laugh if you want but it's true!:) So what exactly did I learn from this? A few things... God is faithful. In the the smallest most insignificant areas of your life. He cares. and He always hears our prayers. He want to give us what we ask for.  and He has WAY more wisdom on training and teaching your child than you do. I realize this was a rabbit trail.. but it's important for me to remember these things. I never want to forget how He answers prayers! Now... back to the what the girls have been up to.... Kyleigh is walking all over the place. and rather quickly! She's fast... so fast that if she knows you're coming to take something she isn't supposed to have, she bolts. Ha. it makes me laugh every time! She's also started to dance a little. Sometimes I'll catch her bouncing to the Dora theme song which she probably hears multiple times a day. (yes, my kids watch tv.... probably more than they should. judge me if you'd like... but often it's the only chance I have to laundry/cleaning done. plus, it's somewhat educational, right?). Kyleigh is also a daddy's girl. all the way. I hate to admit it... but it's true. She loves her daddy like crazy. The sight of Dan instantly makes her smile, laugh, and take off running towards him. And of course, he just eats it up. I keep telling him to enjoy it while it last because she eventually will be a momma's girl, just like her sister. ;)
Aside from the kids, we stay pretty busy with work. Dan's been working days for about 7 or 8 months now. It was a big change but it's been good. I feel like we have a normal schedule and it's easier to plan for the week since his hours aren't varying from day to day. I'm pretty excited for spring and summer this year. We've had beautiful weather for the past two weeks and now I've got ants in my pants because I'm ready for parks, and picnics, and the pool. I really think this year is going to be amazing. Something about the beautiful spring like weather the past two weeks has given me a sense of renewal and the feeling of a fresh start. The girls are getting big enough to enjoy some fun activities we want to plan. And with Dan's career changing very soon, we will (hopefully) have  some spare time to take a few trips this year. As for the quite moments, which are few and far between, I'm trying to remind myself that life is good. really really good. At times it may seem hard but it really isn't hard as it may feel in the moment. Because God has been so good to me and my family. When I'm feeling overwelmed or stressed or forgotten, I just try to bask in His love. I'll end with this (a few of my favorite scripture's right now): Jeremiah 31:3 "The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfullness to you." Psalm 27:14 "Wait for the Lord; be strong and let you heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"