Who Needs Toys?

It's funny what we think we need.
I find during pregnancy that I am especially susceptible to creative advertising. If some entree has 4-point vocab words in its description, I'm going for it. If a box says this product will replace 4 in your kitchen, I'll want it (despite the fact that I don't even have / use the 4 items it would be replacing....) And man oh man am I in trouble if the late night info-mercials start rolling. Take away the phone!

E has definitely inherited this not-so-wonderful trait from me. She could have finished a 3 course meal and be saying "all done all done" with smiles and and a protruding belly, but if 15 minutes later some one else is must eat now too. Or the world will end. Violently. When she was littler, she would have a paci in her mouth, but if she spotted another one, she craved it as well. You never know when the paci in your mouth just wont satisfy anymore and it's always good to have a spare I suppose.
eating, she is whole heatedly convinced that she

Spoiled is an adequate term for E. She has very generous grandparents who have showered her with toys. Some of them are quite fun - she has this vacuum which sings as you push it along. E will walk it a few feet, then stop to dance to the music. Video to come later. With all the toys, you'd think she'd be content always. But the highlight of this child's week was going to Costco and getting a giant box. There are so many uses for a box- it's a hiding place, it's a stage, it's a reading corner, it's a climbing station, it's a great dog chaser... the uses go on and on!

Lesson being, we think we have need of many things. We crave. We've been taught to seek more and more and more, even past what we know we need. Stockpile. Hoard. Approach life with a "what can I get" mentality. When the truth is, there's only one thing, one Person, who will truly and fully satisfy those deep longings. Jesus. Matthew 6:8 "your Father knows what you need before you ask Him". What would we look like if instead we sought more and more stuff we worked to have deeper relationships, first with Christ then with others? I'm surprised by the life lessons I learn from watching E. She would rather play with mommy and a box than all the noise-making-light-flashing toys in existence. Would I rather spend time with Jesus and being like Him than at the pool, watching a movie, etc?

Lizards, Goose Eggs and Other Summer Festivities

The more Eliaya grows up, the more Jarrod I see in her. She may look like me, but her little adventuring heart is 100% daddy.

Example:
This past weekend Jarrod headed to the office to get some work done (somehow our house is just never quiet... hmmm). E and I were going about our day, breakfast, dressed, dishes... the usual. As we packed up the diaper bag to head to the grandparents, E picked up her shoes then stood, very focused, by the front door. I tried calling a few times, but what ever had captivated her was not letting go any time soon. Getting my own stuff together and wandering to see what was so fascinating, I screamed. Lizard. On a shoe. In the house. Meanwhile E is all smiles and waddles over in attempts to catch the crawler. She misses, of course, and the little guy scaled up the blinds. While I frantically call Jarrod in hopes he'll have some miraculous ability to speak and have the lizard leave the premises, E is picking up the other shoes. Long story short... Jarrod did not have any wonderful advice but did have quite a good laugh at my predicament. With the front door open we managed to "shoo" the reptile out the door and E handed a shoe up to me with what else.... another lizard on top! Poor guy went flying through the air as I hurled the show into the grass. In retrospect... the throw was probably unnecessary, but it made me feel better. When we finally made it outside to leave, Eliaya squats right next to the grass and starts chatting, I think she was telling her friends to come back later :)

pushing the watermelon around the room

We've had a walker on our hands now for a few months, and she's gotten pretty good. E can go over pillows, backwards, spin in a circle- her resume abounds with talent. But for some reason, the past 3 days have been accident city! Yesterday afternoon I was making lunch in the kitchen and she was singing to the radio. I heard her coming towards me so I peered around the corner and WHACK. Head into the corner of the wall. She's made this turn a thousand times, and the corner hasn't moved... Regardless of reasons, she got her first goose egg on the noggin. Perhaps this is a dual reminder from the Lord that I'm not a perfect mom and E is still a bit clumsy. She didn't even cry really, just hung out on the floor till I came and picked her up. When I had a small ice bag on her forehead, she thought it was a game and would push it off an hold it on her stuffed animal's head for a second too.

Another way she's like daddy: while Jarrod was sitting at the kitchen table reading for school, E crawled through chairs to get to the bookshelf. She picked up a good book (Michael Crichton, can't go wrong), opened it and started talking as she turned the page. She just wanted to be doing what daddy was doing. Sweet.

we LOVED playing the pool with cousin Emma!

 Moment of confession: I've had a really grouchy past few days. If you've tried to call me and I avoided you... sorry. I'm not 100% sure what my deal is, but I've definitely been in a funk. I think it's feeling like I'm in a constant state of transiency. Not knowing where we're going to be or what we'll be doing this time next year. I need to be okay with not knowing. I've been reading Acts and I can't ever imagine the sense of loneliness / transiency that Paul must have felt. Never being in one place "permanently" and not being entirely sure where he was heading next at times. I think the Lord is rooting out an idol of comfort in me. Growing in hard, but I know the end product is so worth it. So, again. Sorry if you've had the unfortunate opportunity to be in my rampage path.... things will get better because the Lord is good and He will finish what He starts. Amen!

   

Definitely a water baby :)

4 Highlights of Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! I hope all of you had a great time celebrating with the mothers in your life. I had an especially good day and wanted to share just a peek of the best parts:

1) Breakfast. With working nights.... I am even more so not a morning person anymore. At all. I really would prefer for my day to start around 9, but with a 1 year old that's nearly impossible. So, I woke up yesterday around 7 to clanking coming from the kitchen, "aw, how sweet, Jarrod's cooking" I thought, then promptly hit my internal snooze button. 730 rolls around and I can hear E stirring in her crib, and this delightful smell wafts up the stairs.... mmmmm, Jarrod's cooking something good! We headed downstairs and had a feast of pumpkin pancakes and fruit. Delicious. He knows all my favorites

2) Celebrating with family lunch. We had 4 generations around for the afternoon and it really hit me that this is no small deal. How rare is it to get 4 generations in one place, and for us to do it often??? We're very blessed. I learned that E really likes laying in a hammock that afternoon too. We swayed back and forth under a canopy and birds flitted from branch to branch. With eyes half closed she would reach her hand up and wave to the birds, then snuggle back up beside me and we just enjoyed listening to the party and being close. She's so active, inquisitive and talkative now that moments of snuggling are few and far between. I will remember and treasure this one.

3) New friends! We had dinner with new friends from church, and as silly as it sounds were reminded that everyone, myself chiefly of all, likes to be liked. I'm not quite sure what the sociological term is, but in a group more often than not everyone feels they are outside of the "cool kid" group, waiting to be invited in. Even those who others would say they are the leaders of the cool group feel like outsiders sometimes. It's so so important to be intentional, to be perceptive, to care about others. Even in a smaller church where one could realistically know everyone, making an effort to spend time with some one, to show them that you want to invest in their life and vice-versa, is vital.

4) Crossing off one of my man-this-would-be-awesome-someday's. Jarrod hooked up one of those rainfall shower heads and while I'm fully aware that it is entirely frivolous and one can easily get just as clean with a traditional shower head..... whoa. Best shower ever. I'm sure I racked up the water bill on that first one, but it was quite possibly to most relaxing 15 minutes of the past year. Can't wait to take another one. Thank you Jarrod!