20 months and more precious than ever...

Here's our little cutie at 20 months! It's just unbelievable how fast time has passed! In this picture she had loaded up a bag, put on her hat and my shoes and announced, "Bye-Bye!"

One of the most precious things Ivy has ever said came last weekend. Standing outside at dusk, the moon was out. As most of you know, the moon is not something that Ivy is well acquainted with since she goes to bed so early, but she knew what it was and kept repeating "Moon, Moon!" I said, "Yes, Ivy, I see the moon." "Moon, Reach, Reach" she replied as she tip-toed and stretched both arms to the sky. I hope she never stops reaching for the moon...

It's not quite the moon, but she certainly wanted to reach the paint when her Papa was painting the deck this week... she's has no fear when it comes to climbing!This week we said good-bye to a dear friend who is beginning an unexpected new adventure in Mississippi. We had a going away get-together for her on Friday night... we'll certainly miss our friend, Shannon. Saturday we journeyed to Charlotte. We don't often go on long car trips, but Ivy handled it better than I could've ever expected! I was so proud of her!! (And grateful to God!) While we were there we went to the Concord Mills mall and I let her stretch her legs in the kids' play place. She'd never been in one before, but it didn't take her long to figure out how to have f-u-n!

He's Always There...

This week, Ivy has shown us in little ways that she knows God is there.

She was on the potty one afternoon looking through a Christmas book that we've looked at more than a hundred times, and when we got the page of the Three Wise Men, she pointed to the bearded one in middle and said, "Oh! Jesus!" With my adult eyes, I've never more than glanced at the 3 men in the picture, but when she pointed him out to me, I could see that yes, indeed, the middle one could've been the Jesus from any number of Sunday School lessons I remember seeing as a kid. Ivy saw what I could not... Jesus was there.

Ivy's been afraid of airplanes for the last couple of months and so, when we hear one we say a prayer that Jesus will keep the travelers safe. Yesterday an airplane went over, and even though we were inside, we could hear it. She ran to me with arms wide open, squeezed my leg and said, "Air-pane! Jesus! Jesus!" We said our little prayer, and she went back to play. She knows He's there.

When I put Ivy down to bed at night, she lays her head on my shoulder and I stand by her bed and sway as we say our prayers. When I put her down for a nap this weekend, I was standing by her crib swaying her like I do at night. I never thought to say a prayer, it was just a nap. Then Ivy whispered, "wishawishawisha. mamumam. geshimina. Amen." I only understood one word of what she said, but it told me all I needed to know. She was saying her prayers before her nap... God isn't just there to listen to us at nighttime... He's always there. I am in awe of the blessings he sends through this little girl everday.

How We Passed the Time during July 4th Week...

Well, last week I worried about how we would pass the time, and in the end the time flew by! This is the precious face that greated me every morning, and here are a few snapshots of each day, and how we passed the time...

Monday
We started the week off with twirling. Madrina, back from the beach and brown as can be, spent most of the day with us and she helped me keep an eye on Ivy while I twirled with the girls. We had lunch with friends and then had a nap. Papa was home when Ivy woke, so we got ready and went swimming!


Tuesday

We began the day with a little picnic breakfast. Ivy experimented with accessories, and then we ran errands for Papa. I'd talked to my Texas family Monday night and it made me a little homesick, so I decided to cook pinto beans and cornbread for supper. Madrina came over to eat with us and to spend a little more time with Ivy.

Wednesday
Ivy had been home with me for 5 days, and I thought she might like to see other little folks, so I took her to Child Watch at the gym... that meant I got to sleep in and run later in the day! She had a great time...

Thursday
In the morning, Ivy stayed with Aunt Shirley and Uncle Jack who missed her. I ran some errands with Brooke and then when Alex got home we went over to visit Jayme, Los, and Annie. Ivy hung out with her Madrina before we left...
When we got to our friends' house, girls played (Annie cried while Ivy ran around like a crazy woman) and then they hung out with their dads for a bit... The "reason" for the visit was to play some serious Aerosmith Guitar Hero... and have some good food. We also got the added exercise benefit of chasing Ivy all over their house to keep her from rearranging everything within her reach! Then, Annie and Ivy shared a bath, and we put them in their p.j.'s because we were out LATE (8:30)!

As it was dark when we got home... Alex introduced Ivy to "nighttime" and to sparklers to celebrate the 4th of July! Unfortunately, with me holding Ivy and him holding the sparklers, we couldn't take any pictures. :(

Friday
We've been planning to stain our deck and fences this summer, so Alex was pressure washing the deck when Ivy woke up. She had her breakfast in front of the backdoor so she could keep an eye on him.
Come snack time, he was still outside, so we had a snack picnic in front of the backdoor as well. That girl does LOVE her papa!
After snack Ivy crawled up on the couch, covered herself up, and said..."Pooh"... I guess she was still trying to recover from Thursday's late night!


Saturday
More fun was to be had on Saturday! We went to our friends' house and had a little cookout. The problem? It started raining about 30 minutes before we got there, and then it thundered a bit and the power went out! No worries, we had a good time laughing at our precious babies. Leah and Mark and Jennifer and Scott each have 2 kids, so there are 5 babies (the oldest at 20 months) for 6 parents. It's amazing we get anything accomplished when we're together, and yet, we have a great time! Apparently "Picnic Fever" is sweeping the toddler world. Ben has been really into picnics, and so the four of them had dinner on the floor!

When the weather cleared up we sent them out to run off some energy, even if it meant wet kids! I promise, the fun wasn't a violent as it looks in this picture!

Sunday

Hey, that brings us back to today! A week that went full-circle in a flash!

We went to church this morning, had a great surprise visit from my dad's girlfriend, and then had a visit from Sissy and Pa who just returned from Nanny's house in Texas. For dinner Papa made some impressive kabobs, and we enjoyed yummy watermelon thanks to The Cannons!

The one feeling I'm left with after this week is gratitude. I'm thankful for family, friends, and yes, for freedom, too. I'm thankful for the love that is all around my little family, and to say that Ivy is blessed to know this love is quite an understatement. The miracle of the way that God's hand shapes our lives, and winds our stories in and out with the dear people around us is one of the most beautiful gifts of life...