Tuesday, December 14, 2010

my girl's giggles






allow me to take a moment to delight in my daughter.






for she is precious, adorable, and worthy of celebration.






i am so blessed to be the mama to this sweet little baby girl. ayla jo is four months old, and her whole family is absolutely in love with her. we think her smiles beyond cute, her coos darling, and her newly found giggles so sweet! thought it still takes some effort to get those little baby laughs out, they are well worth it! the boys are enjoying interacting with their baby sis a little more. she is reaching for toys and rewarding the boys for their attention with responses that they run and tell me about. brad is so enjoying being a daddy to a lovely little girl, already she has captivated her dad and he is determined to be her protector.



i do feel a little badly for innocent passers by who so much as take a second glance over at my little ayla jo, for i assault them with information about the little bundle i carry in my sling hither and yon. "this is ayla jo. she has two older brothers and wow am i loving all this pink! see this cute little shirt? well my dear friend is letting me borrow this. and this hat, i know, functional and adorable! she loves shopping with her mama...." typically at this point, the stranger starts inching away and i tear myself away from the conversation to continue with my task at hand. i realize the awkward positions i put people in, but i just cannot help myself. my love for ayla overwhelms me and has to escape somehow!

dressing her this holiday season is pure enjoyment. there are dresses with frills, headbands, and shoes, oh my! though she rarely is seen in public out of one of her pink little snowsuits, i know that she is rockin a baby girl dress and that is all that matters. at church on sunday i about pulled a muscle trying to wrench ayla free of her cute coat in order to show off her darling dress. as the ridge pointer had already moved on, i just showed brad again. he responded equally kindly the third time i showed him her outfit.

i cherish my morning time alone with ayla and the lord. every morning i pray that god equips me to demonstrate to all my children what it is to know him. these babes of mine are such beautiful gifts, i want to do all in my power to give them right back to Him.

Friday, December 10, 2010

god is good, god is great

this proclamation begins our every mealtime and bedtimes. simple enough for the boys to remember, yet profound enough to remind all who hear just how awesome our god is.


god is good.
his love endures forever.
he sent his only son to die for me.
he is with us, in sorrow and in joy.
he is merciful and gracious far beyond what we deserve.



god is great.
he is mighty to save.
he is our creator, and our deliverer.
victorious over the powers of darkness.
in his hand is the life of every creature, and the breath of all mankind.




i love praying with my family, for these truths are worthy of speaking aloud time and again throughout our days. these words are just beginning to take on the gravity of their meaning in the lives of my children, but we have long ways to go. after maxer and bear begin their prayers, they then start praising jesus for his blessings by thanking him for all he has given.




in order to keep the boys focused on the task at hand, brad devised a little method of grabbing their attention. when brad mentions the child's name for which he is praising god, he would jostle his hand, startling him into paying attention. this became a game, the boys anticipating daddy thanking jesus for him by name and reacting boisterously when brad did just that. the boys soon incorporated this ritual during their prayers. brad and i responded with delighted cheers when bear or max would thank jesus for us. this has become a cherished time together.




when we happen to have others join us for a meal, the prayers are much the same much to the surprise of our guests. when max or wes says thank you jesus for GRANDMA and jerks her arm her frightened and confused response is genuine and the whole table attempts to withhold their laughter at the cuteness.




last evening, bear seemed to run out of things for which to be thankful. he began having long pauses and umm's between his utterances. finally, he would squint, sneaking a peek around the table looking for suggestions. the result was a lengthy prayer thanking jesus for butter, sticky, pop, hot, and all gone.




our laughter and adoration was surely echoed in heaven after that sweet prayer. thank you jesus for the beauty of children.

Monday, December 6, 2010

adventures in mommyhood

there is never a dull moment in this household. and at times, we bring the party to the public. this morning, the endeavor entailed bundling three of the cutest little babes up, loading up the veen with said children and library books/dvds, and hitting the snow covered roads to bombard herrick public library with meistes.

we have a routine at the library. it involves shoving the books through the return slots, running upstairs to visit with the fish and turtles, selecting books/dvds, riding the elevator back downstairs, rocking on the gaming chairs while i desperately snatch a few books of my own, and checking out items out.

the final step, without fail, is usually a bathroom break or diaper change depending on the child. today maxer had to go pee. not a problem, herrick is well equipped for this sort of emergency. we shuffled into the restroom, me carrying all our books/movies, coats, hats, and ayla. max went right to work, much to the dismay of a fellow patron.

she yelled "close the door little man". i, being 1/2 a second behind him, assured the woman i would shield her from witnessing my small son standing at the potty. this woman unknowingly caused more drama as she used the blow dryer for her hands. i am very glad she washed her hands, and drying them is a part of the process, but the loud dryers freak my boys out. max turned in the stall, while still peeing i am afraid, and tried in vain to open the door i was holding shut for his privacy. while i was trying to get him to either stop peeing on the floor, bear ran out of the bathroom, away from the hand drier.

terrified.

i ran after bear, went back to check on maxer who was having additional hysterics because of the automatic toilet flushing. bear began screaming "to loud, to loud!", ayla startled repeatedly, and max told me how he did not like that and next time he wants to pee outside on a tree. finally the lady left the bathroom with a disgusted look on her face and i was able to calm my children down and started stuffing their arms into their coats. i do not wear a coat, though it is 23 degrees out, as i have learned these sorts of occurrences are bound to happen and my body's response is to generate heat. snow all around me melted into puddles as we trudged back to the veen, the beacon of silver in that parking lot.

this story has a happy ending. we made it home safely, i utilized the commute to talk with my dear friend on the phone with children restrained in their seats, undies remained dry for the remainder of the outing, and now the house is still with little boys reading books and deciding between a dvd about tractors or loaders.

i think we will be staying home tomorrow.