Childhood

I love hearing stories of Wesley's quintessential childhood. Brothers, camping, fishing, beloved pets (Tiki, Thunder, Kelsey), best friends that lived on his dead-end street, swimming, playing in the band. Every child deserves a wonderful childhood. I'm thankful for my own laid-back childhood filled with hours of time to do whatever a kid wants. Cucumber boats in the ditch, night games at Grandma Ruth's, homemade icecream, ceramic class during the summer, night swimming at the local pool. That's what I want to give my children.

Hairdos

Norah had her first hairdo the other day! Time ticks by all to quickly in some respects! Although I thought she was very cute with her hairdo, I quickly took it out. It made her look too old.


Caleb often does his own hair. It takes a great amount of effort on my part to let him out of the house with one of his hairdos. I often slick things down as he heads out the door for school, hoping he doesn't notice. This hairdo went with him to Kindergarten. He reported later that one of the kids commented on his "mohawk". Yikes.

Loving My Baby

One of my dearest friends is considering adoption. She has 3 beautiful biological children and wants another. But she can’t due to some strong meds she’s taking. My friend is one that I want my children to know. She is charitable, inventive, sincere, honest, prayerful, FUN, unique, organized, kind, close to the Spirit, determined, a perfect friend, and wonderful mother. The other day, she called to ask if I’d be a reference for her. “Sure! For what?” I say, wondering if she’s decided to get a job and what kind of job allows friends as references. “Well, we’ve decided to adopt!” she says in her smiley voice. “And I have to tell you that your little Norah is one of the reasons we came to this decision. It’s like she’s talking to me, communicating with me. I just know there’s another baby to come into our lives.”

Of course every parent thinks their children are something special, but it’s fabulous to hear that someone else thinks so too.

Following are some of the things I love about Norah Faith.

I love…
How Norah hums when she nurses
When she wrinkles her nose as she smiles
The thump thump sound of her kicking in excitement when I go to get her out of her crib
That her daddy chose her first name and her second came about because of an answered prayer
Watching her try to hold water
That I feel the Spirit when I am with her
Kissing her soft, warm neck
That she is peaceful, mild, quiet (I secretly wished for a quiet child)
That she is still most at home in my arms, cuddling and nursing
To watch and hold her soft, warm, tiny hands
That I have the presence of mind enough to savor her babyhood
That she will be a part of our family forever

Snowblowers are for wimps

I think snowblowers are for wimps. The only way it would be justified to own one is if you have a 1/2 mile long driveway like my Dad or you consistently used it to clear your neighbor's walks in addition to your own. But then you would be denying your neighbors the JOY of shoveling snow! I LOVE to shovel snow. What a great excuse to get outside, move our winterized muscles, enjoy a white world, and maybe sweat a little under the down coat.


What isn't FABULOUS about this?

Parks in Winter

Have you ever been to a park in the winter? It is a must-do. About dinnertime, I found myself barking at my kids. Red Flag. Time to go outside, but it was dark and snowy. No matter! I bundled up the kids, put Norah in the sling and pulled Ivie and Caleb on the sled to the park. They cruised down the hill a few times, but then discovered the wonder of the park when covered in snow. Imagine how slippery the slide was when wearing snow pants! There was soft fluffy snow to land in when they came shooting out. I pushed them in the swings and watched them laugh as they jumped out into the fluff. The snow was beautiful--the kind that had such big flakes that you could see them individually.

We returned home and devoured Chex mix and hot chocolate. We were all invigorated, had fresh perspectives and happy attitudes. Snow--one of God's many gifts to mankind!

I've succumbed!

I gave into the blogging craze and here are my reasons. I am a mother and wife and my days are filled with things I hope never to forget. Change is the only constant in our lives and I want to always remember my baby's crinkled-nosed smile, my 4 year old's vibrato, and my 6 year old's genius inventions. I want to remember the way my husband loves me day in and day out and what a special father he is to our children. I want to remember those people who touch my life deeply and become part of me. This blog is not necessarily for others to read, in fact, I'm the only one that can view the blog at present. Maybe I'll put it in cyberspace someday, but for now, I'm content having a reason and a way to record precious moments in my life.