Blessings

Praise God! We are beyond thrilled for this new addition to our family, though I'm suffering from the disillusionment that comes with nausea. We have been waiting for this for a long time, and it was beginning to be a struggle to trust in God's timing for this. But, He is ever faithful. And his blessings have abounded far beyond what I could expect, allowing so much joy in this pregnancy as I travel through it with two good friends, all of us due within a couple weeks of each other. We found out over New Year's, and it was the best way to end one year and start another. We had our first doctor appointment today - everything looks great, and I'm due September 10. I have been feeling worse than I did with Avery, who blessed me with beyond mild morning sickness for a mere week-and-a-half. This kiddo has decided that I need a stronger taste of what it means to feel nauseous, though thankfully at this point I've been able to keep it all down. However, I've been living on saltines and apples, with the occasional Taco Bell bean burrito with spicy green sauce (which, ironically enough, my mother craved and ate constantly with me). So, if you haven't seen me around in awhile, that's probably why.

And, I couldn't wait too much longer to tell, because my body is starting to betray me, showing super early this time around. Avery will also point to my stomach when we ask her where the baby is, although we wonder if she expects the baby to come out plastic looking like her baby dolls. Let's just hope she doesn't try to drag the baby by the leg, like I did with my sister.

This Got Me Thinking...

I'm going to stray from my usual content of featuring Avery for a couple posts. I've run across some things in the past week that have stuck with me.

Have you read this article yet? If not, go read it first. It popped up on the web last week, and I keep going back to it. As a mom, a stay-at-home mom, my job is centralized around my daughter, on raising her and shepherding her and training her up for the Lord. This will encompass many aspects of her life over the years, socially, emotionally, academically, etc. It's an overwhelming task at times, and we're still within the first 2 years. I don't yet know how we will approach schooling, or friends, or sleepovers, or weekend trips away, or extracurricular activities...the list goes on. She's already displaying independence and trying to enforce her will over mine. It is easy enough to break that will at almost-2. It will become increasingly harder as she grows, and I also want to learn temperance, where she is able to learn and grow and express herself, while keeping her under the command of God and us, her parents, to live respectfully and graciously. Oy - what a task that lies ahead of us!

So - enter this article. I think every parent wants their child to succeed, to do well, to learn and thrive and love it too. But this sounds so extreme to me! And maybe that is why Westerners tend to not do as well, or be as driven. Maybe they have it figured out. At least, in the sense that they churn out the smartest and most skilled. Is it simply perseverance that produces greatness?

What strikes me, though, is the lack of hope. Granted, this isn't a Christian-based article, or a Christian-based approach to parenting. But when I read something like this, absorbing it and pondering it, turning it over and over in my mind, I have to pass it through the filter of what God is calling me to do in response, with my own parenting. While having children that succeed academically or musically would be a blessing, it's not the most important thing. We must remember that "whatever [we] do, work at it with all [our] hearts, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" (Col. 3:23). It is well and good to work hard, but we must think of our motive. What is driving us? For those in this article, it is simply personal acclaim. May I remember that whatever I do as a parent, and whatever Avery does, if it does not have Love, then it is nothing.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

SIMPLIFY

The big thing on everyone's minds in January is resolutions. I never make resolutions because I never can follow through with them. And, I feel that if one truly wants to change something, they shouldn't have to wait until January 1st to do so. Diets can start any day. When you're a mom, your calendar year starts in August or September. Some people can resolve to work out more before the next swimsuit season rolls around. Whatever your fancy, you can resolve to change any ol' day, so why force it and stress over it at the beginning of a new year?

But. BUT. I'm hopping on the bandwagon this year. In a new sorta way. A friend mentioned that she and her husband each picked a word for the year. I've been reading about this idea for a couple years now, found first over at Ali Edwards' blog. (That's the link to her word for this year.) So then a friend mentioned that she was choosing a word, and it got me thinking again...every year I hope a word will find me, but nothing struck me last year or the year before. Now, 11 days late, I think a word has found me.

SIMPLIFY.

We're in a tiny space right now, overwhelmed by things I can't bear to let go of, because I just *know* that we'll use them when we buy a house and I won't want to shell the money out for them a second time. It's hard when you downsize your space temporarily. Only this has become a longer temporary than I first anticipated. I tend to struggle with contentment (another option for this year's word, but it's not broad enough for me). I think to reach contentment, I need to simplify first. To let go of the so-called need for stuff. I want to simplify my activities at home, so that I get a system in order that keeps me from feeling overwhelmed, that allows me more time with Avery. If I can simplify, downsize, let go of the non-eternal, then perhaps I can grasp more tightly onto the eternal. Get rid of the excess in our lives. Give. Be thankful.

Plus, I know it will make my husband happy.

End of Year

Did I mention that we'd be gone 3 full weeks? Yep - I haven't been home in 3 weeks. We pulled in tonight, dumped everything in the living room, put Avery to bed, and have crashed in our respective favorite spots in the house, to think about and do nothing. We spent a week at Luke's parents, visiting with family and celebrating Christmas. From there we went to my parents for 2 weeks for more Christmas celebration and prep for my little sister Brittany's wedding.

The wedding was last night - I'd love to say that it went off without a hitch, but not exactly! We had some panicked moments when we realized one of the other bridesmaid's cars was broken into at our hotel. We had been inside for 30 minutes to change before the rehearsal, and came out to find the lock broken and her camera and the bride's laptop stolen. We were 45 minutes late to the rehearsal so we could fill out the police report. But, the wedding day went near perfectly, the weather was gorgeous, Avery only broke down during the extended pictures after the ceremony because she was hungry, and then the bride and groom left for the honeymoon.

We are so happy for Brit and Dane. She made the most beautiful bride, and it was an honor to stand next to her. I was having too much fun partying to get good pictures, so hopefully the professional ones will come in soon. Love you Aunt Bean!!!

21 Months

Avery is talking up a storm this month - we can barely keep up with her word discoveries. There is still a lot of babbling on her end, but we're trying our hardest to decipher it. We love all of the names she's given the family members, especially Aunt Bean and Aunt Dell (Bri and Shell), and we love that she points everyone out in photos. She is so polite and tells everyone "thank you" when they give her something, and "thank you?" when she wants something. "Help you" is another favorite - it means she wants us to help her with something. 

She dances constantly, to any kind of music. She claps along to songs, calls movies "moo-moos", and spends as much time as possible running around outside. She continues to be a picky eater, but if there is ketchup in sight, you can get just about anything down the gullet (not that I actually let her have ketchup with everything). 

She got a tee-pee for Christmas, and I caught Daddy sitting in it with her, playing dress-up. So cute!! I couldn't find the camera before she noticed me, but I'm determined to get a shot of this one day. 

She went through 2 solid weeks of fighting bedtime, and eventually nap-time. I feared that our perfect sleeper had officially left us. We spent some nights still hanging out with her close to midnight, and we were both a little grumpy over Christmas travels thanks to darling daughter's bad sleep habits. But, praise God, she's back to her normal self, much to our delight. 

I'm so glad to start a new year with this sweet, precious girl!