Jesus

So, Ivy and I have fallen into a little bit of a routine when it comes to her naptime. That's sort of new for us... now, she actually WANTS to come home after school and I think part of that is because she knows what to expect from the afternoon, and she likes it. So typically we come home, we use "teamwork" to make a snack and she {gasp} checks out one of her favorite 30 minute shows. This gives me some uninterrupted time to unpack her bags and go through the mail we collected on our way in. She knows that when the credits roll, it's time to potty, change, and take a rest.

She does great until we get to the rest part...and then she can stall like no two year old before her! She will sit on the potty for eternity, do whatever she can to prolong handwashing, require a selection of outfits for napping, take her sweet time choosing, ask a MILLION really good questions that I find it difficult to resist, and so on...and the beauty of her stalling is that I am loath to pick her up and put her squarely in the bed because I know that unless she gets there in her own time, it does more harm than good. So what does that have to do with Jesus?

Well, just now, she's been in her room for about 25 minutes and while I've heard her bumping around, I don't go check on her because our deal is and always has been that she doesn't have to sleep, but she does have to occupy yourself quietly- in her room- for an hour. This time she called me back to her room. Here's our conversation that I oh-so-impatiently participated in, seeing it only as a stall tactic until it became so much more...

I: Look, I found Mary! Come see!
M: Oh, I do see...
I: And I found Adam and Eve in the front...
M: That's great...
I: (turning pages) And here's Abraham and Rebekkah and Baby Moses and Joshua and Goliath!
M: Yes, I see...
I: Why Goliath was being mean?
M: Well, because he didn't have Jesus in his heart, so he didn't think it was important to be kind to others. He didn't love God, but David did.

Now...I should tell you the following part of our conversation has happened many, many times...to a certain extent.

I: David has Jesus in his heart but I don't.
M: Well, Jesus gives us a choice. He wants us to WANT him in our hearts, so we have to ask him to live in our heart and to help us be the good person he wants us to be. Jesus helped David because David needed him, and if He is in your heart he can help you, too.
I: And Jesus will be in my heart when I ask him...
M: That's right.

Now, this is the part that's different than before, and how glad I am that my impatience didn't get in the way.

I: (big breath, big smile) Jesus, will you come mumm-mmumum-mmm.
M: Ivy, sweetheart, you don't have to hide your face in the bed when you talk to Jesus. You don't have to be embarrassed or bashful. Jesus loves, you and He is SO glad to talk to you.
I: (sits up straight, lifts her hands and her face to heaven, smiles, and LOUDLY says) Dear, Jesus, will you please come and live in my heart and I can do the right thing, please ma'am?

Now, I know that this isn't the same as an older youth who really "understands" what salvation is all about. But because of the bashfulness of a usually bold little girl, and the grin that went from ear to ear, I also know what a truly special moment this was...and as if I needed validation, when her papa came home two hours later and asked if she napped or just rested she replied, "Well, I asked Jesus to live in my heart!"

By the way, I updated the blog with our weekly post this morning, so scroll on down for a little update...

Rain or Shine

Rain or shine, we have spent the last week enjoying one of my favorite seasons, Autumn! It's a wonderful time to admire God's handiwork as the everyday scenery becomes something more when bathed in reds, oranges, and yellows...

This weekend, thanks to a little more water from the heavens, we spent most of our time indoors...so we decided to bring a little of the outdoors in! Thanks to our friends at Three Simple Girls for the reminder of something so simple and fun!
We made our Autumn Hand Art on wax paper so that after it dried it could be cut out to make a sun-catcher in the window...
Monday, beautiful Monday! The week started with sunshine and warm weather, and we spent every possible minute outside! We hung out with our Halloween Friends...
We hula-hooped to our hearts content... (Well, this little girl named Mary/Camila/Tarrin/Landyn/Samantha did...)
And everyday, we waited for that joyous moment when Papa would be home to share the sunshine with us! Here she has just spied his truck coming down the road. Have you ever seen a happier girl?


And for a little update on the other girl in our lives: I developed an ear infection, probably from water in my ear during a shower, and went to the doctor a day earlier than usual. Isabella is sitting about as low as she can without tumbling out! Literally. The doctor said that it could be any day now with no worries as I made it to "term" on Tuesday when I hit 37 weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if I don't end up with an induction as I had with Ivy, but as long as she's happily baking away, I'm content to let her be. I feel great, and know that we are truly, truly blessed...

Showers of Blessings...

Last Sunday our dear friend Brooke hosted a shower for Isabella... the shower favors were "to-go" sippy cups filled with treats from the candy bar. It was only one of the many special touches that Brooke created...

We had some really fun moments, and received many, much appreciated, gifts for Isa...

It was a terrific time of fellowship with friends and family (my sister and aunt joined us). We are truly blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

We know that Isabella will be joining us sooner rather than later, so we've been tackling the to-do list...finally completing her nursery...

and practicing for her arrival. Here Ivy is sporting a pouch-style baby sling that I made for her! She has been intrigued by my sling since it arrived in the mail one day, but of course it's WAY too big for her...so now she has one that is just right for her and baby Mimi.

I'm a little bigger at 36 weeks than I was when we started this journey, but I cannot complain! I have been so lucky to have had another healthy pregnancy. For those keeping track, yes! I've gained more weight this time (11-13 lbs, depending on the day).

Ivy, who never wants to have her picture made these days, wanted to show of her belly too!

And since we know that our days as a family of three are numbered, we're trying to spend special time with Ivy in the hopes that she'll feel secure about her place in this family, and in our hearts, when our attention and sleep-deprived thoughts are a bit more scattered. On Friday we took advantage of the beautiful afternoon and went to play our first round of putt-putt. Papa taught her proper form, and... as you can see, she was a natural!

Growing Up!

Happy Fall! Here's Ivy sporting one of her new "fall" looks on the kitchen runway. She is wearing an ensemble of light weight pants suitable for the morning chill and the afternoon sun, along with a t-shirt which will be paired with that lovely pink Dora jacket....

Oh, how our girl is growing up! She has always been Miss Independent, even in utero, but now you can see her maturity in other ways... her concern for others, her determination, her curiosity, her razor sharp memory (Who else would remember the name of the photographer whom she met once three months ago? Not I. I had to request clarification when she asked me where Stacy was...)!

As a part of this growing up, we are doing more and more "big girl" things. For instance, Ivy has now had her first real haircut, complete with a shampoo in Ms. Debby's recliner.

And she's also working to give up her finger-sucking when she's sleeping. Thanks to some waterproof bandaids that stick like the dickens, and the promise of reward, she's made it through the night without her fingers for almost a week now!

Her reward was an Ivy-style evening. Chucky Cheese for games...

Dinner at Wild Wok, and dessert from Cold Stone!

She tells us all of the ways she's going to help Isa when she gets here, and how she'll teach her to do so many things, and when the carwash scares Isabella and she cries, Ivy will sing "Hush, little baby" to her and she'll feel all better! Oh, I cannot wait to see that sisterly love!!

According to the doctor this week, Isa will probably be joining us sometime this month. It's been a while since I've done a belly pic...mostly because I rarely get dressed any more! Here's one at 33 weeks.