Writing

Toddler Activity of the Week: Pedicures

I’m learning more and more that while Cloud Dough is a blast and the Good Night Moon Game is a favorite,  the girls’ favorite activities are the simplest ones.

All I have to say about my own pedicure: I’m glad that was peel off sparkly polish.   I had very glittery toes and nails for 18 hours :-p

Home-Life Project 52: Week 20

7 Months

Oh, Sedryn, a few days ago I just started to weep over your beautiful joyful face.

You’re an easy baby with some very rough spots (namely sleep predictability… which isn’t entirely your fault…), but you were a surprise.

A surprise that we didn’t want in the timing that God chose to give you to us.

I must confess: I’ve spent the better part of the year since you were conceived not sure if I really wanted you.

I’m not saying I didn’t love you because you’re very easy to love 🙂

But you were given to me to purge some very specific and very deep set sins in my heart.  Sins I don’t like facing and, as you’re so young, it’s easy to make you the scapegoat for the mess I create.

But, Sedryn, you’re an unbelievably beautiful joy.  One I’ve often taken for granted.  I apologize.

That said, let me tell you about who you’ve become this month.

I keep telling your daddy that you’re going to become a soccer-playing engineer.  Here’s why:

You still absolutely adore your feet.  You eat them.  You kick things with them. You rub ankles together.  You use them to push you across the room (yes, you’re mobile… I’m in denial).  And craziest of all, you’ll actually pick things up with your feet.  It’s ridiculous!

You are very attuned to detail.  Even more so than Aeralind was.  Especially when it comes to all things edible (or your perception of edible). You scoot across the floor in search of fabric bits, tracked in leaves, and anything paper.  You pick it up.  Study it.  Gnaw on it… for hours.  I pulled a leaf out of your mouth a whole hour after we left the house one day.  Still intact.  This makes me slightly better at keeping up with vacuuming 🙂 But it’s funny how you ignore all the big toys and go for those tiny bits.

We started you on solids this last month.  For about 8 days you hated them.  And then one night at shepherding group, in desperate attempt to eat my own dinner before having to feed you, I started giving you some sweet potato chunks off my plate.  Chili powder encrusted sweet potato bites.  You LOVED it.  You loved real flavor and you loved the texture.  You tolerate spoon feeding, but what you really want is to be able to feed yourself real food.  Here’s hoping your pincher grasp catches up to your culinary desires in the next month!

The other thing that makes me laugh is how much you want to move.  Like I said, I’m in denial that you’re moving at all!  But you will not sit.  You have the muscle tone to do so; I’ve seen you sit up through the restraints in your car seat, a feat the girls never managed!  Yet, you have no desire to sit at all!  If I sit you down to practice, you’ll immediately face plant and roll/scoot/snake slither to the nearest object of desire.  This movement focus is astounding and must be very boyish!  Even Aeralind, who crawled earliest, spent less time moving and more time practicing her rocking until she mastered the skill.  You don’t seem to care about the skill/art of moving at all, as long as you’re doing it every waking moment!

Toddler Activity of the Week: Cooking

There’s something magic that occurs when you toss a toddler in the kitchen.

Some might call that magic mess.  :-p

I think the mess and the wonder creates beauty.  Beauty that’s edible.

Last week the girls and I made a carrot cake together (Gluten-free even!)

They helped me stir sauteing mushrooms.

They picked and cut up strawberries.

There’s something beautiful about including them in daily activities like dinner.

Something in my heart that says “I need help.”  and something in their hearts that says “I can be helpful.  God can use me.”  Both of these so very simply affirming for all parties involved.

When the Thanksgiving is Hard

Last week I wrote:

These blessings (children), they’re not here to make us happy. No, they’re here to grow us into stronger joy.  And joy, it’s wrought through suffering, through growing pains, through labor.

The much celebrated baby of the friend that I wrote about… that sweet baby is already gone to be with Jesus.  Her momma’s arms left empty.  Again.

These blessings, they’re not here to make us happy.  No, they’re here (even momentarily) to grow us into stronger joy.  And joy, it’s wrought through suffering, through growing pains, through labor.

There have been tears this week.  Hugs of a different nature altogether.

Hard Eucharisteo (thanksgiving).

Oh, but how filled with God’s providence.

Our church body studied Philippians 4:4-7 this week.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.  The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We wrestled with it in Shepherding group on Wednesday.  We were filled with it’s truth and promise on Sunday.  And the Lord was at hand through it all.

I could tell you story after story of the encouragement in Jesus Christ that I’ve had throughout this week.  To see Philippians 4:4-7 lived out in a real, raw way.  But these aren’t my stories to tell (except where they overlap mine).

Derek is being laid off in a little over two weeks.  The Lord has already provided a generous severance package, wonderful timing on refinancing our house, and just a sense of peace (at least in my heart) about the whole circumstance.

Watching our friends walk this hard eucharisteo before us is so encouraging.  And knowing that God will redeem this time unemployed to do utterly amazing works in the lives of people around us in the same way that God is using our friends in ours…

Well, friends, that is grace. Humbling and beautiful grace.

Here’s a few more graces (#3278-3300)

  • Karen’s hug
  • Eating strawberries out of the bucket together
  • Sedryn playing hard core with a straw
  • How Aerie insists on calling Tigger “Tiger”
  • How Sedryn flirts with me and then puts his head down shyly
  • Karen patting Sedryn’s bottom
  • Mastitis again.  Slowing my pace. Letting me savor.
  • Gluten free cake experiment coming out okay
  • Homemade yogurt
  • Holding little hads
  • Mother’s Day Vases
  • Fight Club
  • Connie’s humble gratefulness
  • Becky’s genuine apology
  • Silly girls squealing
  • Bronwyn rubbing daddy’s rough cheeks
  • Potty training finally going well
  • Buying my first studio lights
  • Looking forward to 3 newborns
  • A & B singing and reciting Pete the Cat
  • Comforting our sweet friend (and being inspired by them)
  • How the girls adore Mrs. Karen
  • Celebrating Ben’s birthday with him.