Moriah Is Two!

I can't believe it. As I was watching her play with her new toys and gifts yesterday, it really hit me that she is not a baby anymore. With this grasp of reality it also occurred to me that growth is like a promise from God. These difficult days of misunderstanding toddler talk, potty training, spankings, defiance, whining and tantrums really will end. I remember getting so frustrated breastfeeding Moriah and she was only 2 months old! Those days are gone. I remember getting frustrated when she would appear to cry and whine for no reason. But now she can say or motion toward the object or person she wants and it's no longer a mystery (well, mostly). In a year or less she will be able to say most any word and will be able to understand the things I tell her. It's amazing.

In a way, I'm very glad that communication and obedience has and will get better over time. :-) But on the other hand, it's sad. She doesn't fit so easily in my arms anymore. She's old enough to push away my embraces for an activity she would rather do. Rarely does she cry when I leave but she will for Daddy or Grandma. I had better enjoy these days because, truly, they are short.

In any event, Moriah seemed to have a wonderful birthday yesterday. The morning was spent cooking and preparing for Thanksgiving Dinner. After dinner she opened presents and then Grandma Wanda brought her an ice cream cake and she blew out her own candle! Last year she cried when we sang, "Happy Birthday" to her and this year she danced. :-) Last year she couldn't open her gifts, but this year she happily tore open the wrappings. Last year she stuck her whole face into the cake! :-D This year just a finger then a spoon.

The Grandparents showered her with gifts: Mr. Potato Head, an erasable magnetic writing pad with a chalkboard on the opposite side, a Bumble Bee Buggy, a bedtime rhymes book, some clothes and snacks.

Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the God of gods,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Psalm 136:1-3

On this Thanksgiving Day I would like to continue with an overview of blessings from this year. There is much for me to be thankful for. My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness (an upbeat version) and click here for the Getty version.

I am thankful for the following:

101. A safe a healthy pregnancy with Lily.

102. For insurance purposes, Lily was born after January 1st.

103. A quick and safe delivery with Lily.

104. The joy that immediately, unexpectedly flooded my heart when Lily was born.

105. A better job for Jeramy where he has a regular, weekly schedule.

106. God's grace to breastfeed for nine months.

107. The wonderful blessing of a first home.

108. The wonderful blessing of a Christ-centered church.

109. The weight loss benefits that accompanied disciplined eating and exercise.

110. That my Mom could move down to GA, closer to me, her only child.

111. Celebrating another year of marriage.

112. Pain-free running.

113. The early morning sunshine that turns the trees a beautiful gold color.

114. The ability to child-proof our new home that I could parent with less stress and anxiety.

115. For all the sanctification received this year, making me more and more into the image of Christ.

116. The walks with girlfriends in the park.

117. Lily's health: that her bronchiolitis has not returned.

118. Moriah's health. She has been minimally sick this year.

119. My personal health.

120. A safer and more secure neighborhood in which to live, run and raise our children.

What are you thankful for this year?

Update: Excitement's in the Air!

I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it!

First, my in-laws are coming tomorrow and will see the house for the first time, live, in-person. They live out in the country and they have a great appreciation for the outdoors (of course). Our cute little rustic home with our tree-filled lot fits as an oasis from city life for my country-raised husband, but is so close to please this city girl. I'm really anticipating that they will fall in love with our new place.

Second, Thanksgiving Day will have all kinds of wonderfully yummy foods: Roast Turkey, homemade dressing and gravy, squash casserole, sweet potatoes, homemade mac and cheese, yeast rolls, mixed greens, ham, creamed corn, blueberry cake, sweet potato pie, and triple chocolate cake! Mmmm Yummy!!

Third, Moriah will be 2 years old! Yay! I can't believe it! It seems like I was just pregnant with her. Didn't I just get sick, yesterday?! Wasn't I on my way to the delivery room with her the other day?! Now she's walking and talking and she's got a mouth full of teeth and she's repeating short complete sentences!

Fourth, I'm hosting the women of my small group and their families the Monday night following! Pot luck Party!

Fifth, the Girls' Joint Birthday Party! I'm so very excited about that! Much of Jeramy's family is planning on coming and we invited half of our Church family! :-D In all we invited about 80 people! Casa fiesta!!!

Woo hoo! Par-tay!!!

Multitude Monday

Today I'm thankful for:

81. A cup of Breyer's Vanilla Fudge Brownie Ice Cream savored in silence over a Psalm.

82. God's grace to get out of bed to attend to teething little ones.

83. An appointment at the doctor's office for a 10-year malady.

84. The blessing of witnessing a baptism.

85. The excitement of coming visitors.

86. God's grace in changing the motives of my heart.

87. More joyful daily worship. Romans 12:1-2

88. Saving money at the grocery store.

89. Sharing a nap on a comfy couch.

90. Gentle ear nibbles from my Honey. :-)

91. God's provision of a job.

92. The blessing to stay home, "unemployed".

93. God's commandment of financial stewardship and delayed gratification.

94. God's provision and ability to pay the bills.

95. Reclaiming the joy of a previously grueling task of raking leaves. :-)

96. Fresh, outside autumn air.

97. The hope of an early morning run.

98. The way of escape in temptation. 1 Corinthians 10:13

99. A party house.

100. Conversations with other believing women that are centered on Christ's work of sanctification.

What are you thankful for today?

A Song for Saturday

This song reminds me of God's sovereignty in all His works. Jeramy has said this to me and I think it is true, that when people are confronted with the sovereignty of God, they either accept it in joy or respond in bitterness. It is easy to accept the things He does that we agree are good, but very difficult to cope with those things we consider evil or various trials of our circumstances. It is through the lens faith that we can find the good in evil circumstances. Romans 8:28.

Funny Friday: Roses or Bacon?

Dear husband leaves Darling wife and cute kids at home to go run an errand.

While Dear is out, he decides to do something romantic for his Darling.

He arrives at Sam's Club and faces a tough decision:

Roses? or Bacon?

Dear Hubby elects bacon.

But he doesn't stop there. He goes on to buy eggs (needed anyway) and Tropicana OJ (luxury item).

Dear Hubby returns home and prepares a lovely breakfast dinner of fluffy golden brown pancakes, perfectly scrambled eggs and crispy bacon for his Darling Wife and cute kids.

Wife is elated. :-)

Afterwards Hubby tells Wife about the debate earlier in the store.

"Which would you have preferred?" Hubby asks, desiring to know if he, indeed, made the right decision that would please his Darling Wife.

"Hmm . . ." she pauses, "That's a tough call."

Then after another moment responds, "Roses are pretty. But 10 POUNDS of BACON lasts longer and it's much tastier! Yeah, go with the bacon!" :-D

Which would you have chosen, ladies?

Submit With Joy

An excellent wife, who can find?

For her worth is far above jewels.

The heart of her husband trusts in her,

And he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good and not evil

All the days of her life.

Proverbs 31:10-12

The other day I was meditating on this passage and it struck me how crystal clear God's definition of "good" and "evil" are, like night and day, black and white, and sometimes my definitions don't line up so clearly with the words and intent of God's own heart.

Sometimes there are things I do that I might consider good but God considers evil and vice versa. I consider it good to clean up clothes lying hap-hazardly on the floor whereas my husband now cannot find his uniform for work.

The area where this struck me the hardest was in joyful submission to my husband's headship. I can submit, sure. It's easy to physically carry out my husband's wishes. But if I do so without joy then it is evil because my heart is not in it. It's like a white washed tomb, pretty on the outside and full of dead bones. Instead of joyfully submitting I might (knowingly or unknowingly) engage in a subtle form of manipulation and passive aggression, like angry silence for example. Sure I could throw pots and pans at him, but let's not resort to violence. :-) Nagging is a form of manipulation, persistently arguing for him to replace his priorities with mine. Sometimes my bitter objection is even just in my tone of voice or lack of gentleness.

And sometimes I think, "Yeah, I do submit, at least better than I did." (Read here.) Or, "I want to submit, but my husband just doesn't lead. He's not proactive." Or even, "I want to submit joyfully, but my husband gives me a lot of leeway, knowing that I am a strong-willed woman with strong opinions. If he asks me my opinion, he's more likely to do that and forfeit his own inclinations."

When it's time to make a decision, I ask him what his preferences are or what he understands is best and I attempt to joyfully concur. If I have any contributing ideas, I try to voice them humbly and with an attitude that conveys trust and a willingness to give up my own preferences, if I have them. And when he does decide something that is contrary to my better judgement, then I ask for grace to submit and not be bitter, leaving the consequences and responsibility of the decision to rest on his head. :-) The main conviction I received from the Holy Spirit regarding submission is this: to submit with any attitude other than a joyful one is evil in His sight.

I'm still working on this.

Multitude Monday

71. Lily finally sleeping 9-10 hours consecutively at night!!

72. Warm apple cider on a chilly morning.

73. Fewer allergic reactions.

74. Fewer carpet stains.

75. The laughter between young sisters.

76. All the times Moriah is obedient and happy.

77. Every time Lily eats all her food.

78. Moriah sipping a milkshake contentedly.

79. Romans 8:1

80. Cooler days with sunshine and blue skies.

What are you thankful for today?

Funny Friday: Banana Morphosis

Moriah, "Na na."

"Na nuh."

"Na nee."

"BO na nuh."

:-)


See updated photos in the right sidebar.

House Update in Pictures

Lily Is Ten Months

I haven't forgotten to update you all on Lily turning 10 months. I haven't taken as many pictures because of our move. :-)

Lily turned 10 months last week! She has really come a long way with self-feeding and pulling up to stand on anything. Her favorite things to pull up on are my legs. :-) If I stand still for too long, there she is! She has also begun to walk while holding on to our hands. She is doing really well.

Her appetite is still very strong and she eats very consistently. Jeramy and I used to fight her to take the last couple of ounces in her bottle, but she has now increased her volume a little. :-)

Lily has transitioned to sleeping with Moriah in the same room and she is doing great with that also. Last night (this is rare) she slept 8 consecutive hours! It was awesome! I know that Moriah was appreciative.

Lily loves to be with people. She really adores her sister. It is very easy now to get her to laugh. And she still maintains a sweet disposition over all. Since our move she has been introduced to leaves and seems to like the taste! :-)

I'll find the time to post some updated photos soon.

Multitude Monday

After our house ordeal I have a lot to be thankful for.

51. We were FINALLY able to go to closing after WAY too much drama.

52. We actually did sign the papers.

53. We received our keys.

54. The lawyers office had lots of chocolate and bottled water. :-)

55. The girls were well taken care of during our signing.

(Yay Roses!)

56. The girls were well taken care of during our moving day.

(Yay Fricks!)

57. There were many wonderful, able-bodied men who sacrificed a day with their families to help us move. (Mike, Theron, Roberto and Lutfi = The Fantastic Four).

58. I had all day to clean our townhouse and not just until 5 p.m. like I originally thought.

59. There was electricity at our new house.

60. There was enough time to vacuum the carpet of the cat hair before the truck arrived.

61. Memphis BBQ chicken pizza from Domino's.

62. Jeramy and I were able to fit every last thing left inside our townhouse into two vehicles when things looked like all that couldn't possibly fit!

63. A comfortable and familiar place to stay while we waited.

(Yay Mom)

64. The ability to help Mom out after her surgery and still have my family with me.

65. Internet and telephone service restored.

66. The luxury and convenience of indoor plumbing.

67. Hot water and heat!!

68. A new refrigerator with water and ice on the door.

69. Delayed gratification.

70. My not-so-firm mattress.

What are you thankful for today?

Update: Unpacking & Transitions

Unpacking and cleaning are steady going with the most significant progress whenever the girls are asleep. :-) There may be some help coming this week and it should all be done by next week. Jeramy and I are thoroughly enjoying our new fridge! There's a deep sense of satisfaction when we can just walk up, punch our glass and . . . ahh, fresh, cold, filtered water! It is with joy that I'm giving away our extra Brita filters!

Yesterday I went out and bought Moriah a new mattress. Last night she and Lily slept in the same room! Everything went beautifully at first. I got Moriah her snack, brushed her teeth and laid her down. Then I made Lily's bottle, brushed her teeth and laid her in the crib. When I put Lily down Moriah didn't even make a peep! It was great!

I knew their first night together would be an adventure. About 2:30 a.m. Lily awoke a little but quickly went back to sleep. Again at 4:40 a.m. she awoke again with significantly more noise. I then took her back to Jeramy's and my bedroom where she slept again until 6:40 a.m. when she received a bottle. I attempted to lay her back down in the crib but Moriah awoke and began to play until Jeramy went to get her for breakfast about 7:15 a.m. When Jeramy walked in to get Moriah she sat up on the bed (normally she jumps up smiling) and said, "Baby . . . waah". It made Jeramy laugh. :-)

We've Officially Moved In

Tonight will be the first night we spend in our new home! Sometime in the next few hours the Gas man (hee hee) will be here to hook us up with some heat. Yay!

I went out for a quick errand run and found the Sam's Club and Walmart and a really nice public park where I can take the girls!

When I got back Jeramy had met one of our neighbors, Brett and his dog, Chase. Mail is coming also.

Now I'm off to clean our kitchen cabinets before the girls wake up from their nap. Any volunteers? :-)

Note to self: Don't move dirty cloth diapers! Wash them and use disposables until the washer and dryer get hooked up. :-P

House Update

With the help of many wonderful workers we've been able to get all of our stuff to our new house in Lawrenceville. :-) This week we've been making phone calls to get our utilities set up: water, electricity, gas, phone & internet, and waste removal. We've been staying with my Mom since Saturday until our utilities come on. This has actually been a convenient way to help out since her *hmm* surgery. She is recovering well although she is in a lot of pain.

We purchased a refrigerator that was delivered today! A wonderful side-by-side, stainless steel, LG model with ice and water on the door. :-) Then we realized that we needed a plumber to create a water hook-up in the fridge's hole. That's a pretty penny. But we're glad it's just a one time expense.

Yesterday, with some more wonderful help, I was relieved of my mother responsibilities for a few hours to thoroughly clean the bathrooms, sweep and vacuum. Jeramy has been able to set up our washer, dryer, dining table and bed. Today he moved our boxes and rearranged the garage. There is more cleaning that needs to be done before we can get down to unpacking.

There are so many leaves in our yard! My parents had a big yard with LOTS of leaves and it was always a huge burden and task to take care of them. The sound of dried leaves rustling under our feet at that time brought feelings of burden and a sense of overwhelming despair because there was so much yardwork that needed to be done. Well . . . now . . . these are my leaves rustling under my footsteps and it doesn't sound like a burden. I'm excited, for once, to rake leaves because it's in our yard! I guess we'll have to buy a rake. :-) Maybe later we can get a leaf blower.