March Madness [The Beginning]

For us Racers fans, March Madness got off to a good start. Having lost just one conference game, Murray State played its ugliest basketball of the season and managed to win the Ohio Valley Conference, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. [Yes, yes, we all have hopes of being the 12-seeded Cinderella in the tournament this year ...]

Yes, we took our two kids to the tournament. And everybody had a good time.

[Ben slept through portions of each of the two games we watched. This was just before he drifted off to sleep on my shoulder one of the times.]

[Cate didn't want to be in our family picture, during Ben was still napping. Oh, to be 2 and have a head full of plans ...]

[And this is my favorite snapshot from the weekend. Ben had something to tell Daddy.]

In addition to watching basketball, we also ate at Rainforest Cafe, shopped at Opry Mills and ate at Caney Fork Fish Camp, which I highly recommend. Ben and I also squeezed in a trip to Target while Cate napped in preparation for the OVC Championship.

Want to see more of our weekend? Well, then, go look at the pictures I posted on Facebook.

a new view

Ben had a new view of his world today ...

... from a little higher up ...

... with new sites and noises.

No, his feet do not touch the ground ...

... but he liked it anyway.

This is why I love Facebook ...

This was my Facebook status yesterday afternoon:

Kristin Hill Taylor wonders why Ben doesn't nap well in his crib, a place he sleeps well for seven to nine hours nightly.

Then the discussion began ...

Courtney Kindle French: Both of my kids did the same thing. So they started taking naps on my bed where the slept much better, and at night slept in their crib. Weird.

Leanne Clark Trumper: Anna is the same. She naps in the nursing pillow on the bed.

Kristin Hill Taylor: Courtney, did you have a hard time getting them to transition back to their beds for naps when they got older?

Courtney Kindle French: No, I guess because they switched to a "big" bed so early, that it really wasn't a big deal. Actually a few times they would lay on a pallet (sp?) in the floor at nap time. Weird, I know! :)

Kristin Hill Taylor: Well, you girls inspired me to try. He's currently laying on the guest bed. And because of the guys working, Cate's in my bed. I feel like it's musical beds today. :)

I just remember with Cate, there was a brief phase of when she needed to be in a crib because she'd play around and roll around and not be able to really sleep on a bed that wasn't enclosed.

When did your kids switch to a big bed, Courtney?

Angela Taylor: All of my kids have done the same thing. For some reason they napped better on my bed (surrounded by pillows) and then they happily slept throughout the night in their own beds. As we speak (or type) Evelyn is napping in my bed. Come bedtime, she'll be in her crib. Weird, but whatever works! Oh, the contractor dude came out today and he might be able to start on closing in our garage on MONDAY!!!! WooHoo!

Courtney Kindle French: Noah was a little over a year...maybe 14-15 mos? Emma was about 18 mos. Pretty early, but they slept SO much better in a big bed than in the crib.

Yes, it was tricky when they started crawling, but I put a monitor in my bedroom and the big pillows (king size pillows) around them when they were those ages.

Courtney Kindle French: And, I know, sometimes it seemed like musical beds...sometimes Noah would be asleep on my bed and Emma on his bed...but whatever...I was just happy it worked for them to get a good nap!!!

Kristin Hill Taylor: Part of me agrees with "do what works," but I also think that's how hard-to-break habits are formed. I'm torn with how to handle it, but we're seeing how this guest bed thing works for him this afternoon. I'm thankful he sleeps through the night in his crib. Those of you who know me, know I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

And has he gets older, he's more likely to take longer naps anyway, but he sleeps so much longer in his swing than his crib. And he doesn't even take that many naps in his swing. Cate switched to a big bed when she was a couple months shy of 2. And really that was just a toddler bed that had been her crib. She didn't move to an actual big bed until we moved in here Oct. 31. So she was 2 1/2.

Angela - That's exciting about your garage. I'm glad you all are able to move forward with that project.

Angela Taylor: Hey, a good thing to remember with kiddos is that "whatever works" usually doesn't work for long and "habits" change quickly too. That's why I was willing to change things as needed or try different stuff. As soon as we got into a routine, they would hit a growth spurt, start teething, we moved, or whatever. So, I just tried to do the best I could. I know that you are too. You know your family best and what's best for them. It'll be OK. As Mrs. Reinhardt says (and I'm paraphrasing), our kids will turn out fine despite our parenting skills.

Courtney Kindle French: Yeah, well I know our sleeping habit ideas are a little different, so you just have to do what you're comfortable with. I personally didn't like for the kids to sleep in their swing for some reason, so we started trying my bed and it worked okay. And amazingly enough, they slept okay in their crib until they got around a year old or somewhere close to that. Anyway, I hope you get it figured out! I'm sure you will. :)

Kristin Hill Taylor: Oh, I agree, Angela. I think I'm just a little obsessive about sleep and training kids to sleep. :) So, needless to say, I've spent a lot of time thinking about how to best foster good sleep habits. Ben has definitely been the child that has kept me on my toes ... rashes, teething early, prompting me to take the pacifier away after three weeks of using it, spitting up ...

Kristin Hill Taylor: I usually don't let Ben take more than one nap a day in his swing. And usually that's his early morning nap while I'm showering and getting Cate ready for the day.

Angela Taylor: How's his puking? Has he been improving? I know we talked about his formula stuff and that the meds they gave you didn't help. But, has anything helped? I know it's had to have been such a frustrating thing to deal with.

Angela Taylor: Evelyn would only nap in her swing when she was first born. I guess it felt more like floating in my womb or something (or maybe she just liked it). I don't remember how we got her in a bed instead. Somedays, the swing was the only way I got a shower!

Kristin Hill Taylor: The formula has helped compared to the regular formula. The spitting up had eased up some, and now lately it seems to be increasing again. The medicine (Zantac) seemed to make him irritable and didn't really stop him from spitting up. So, some days are better than others. More than anything, I just have learned to carry extra outfits and do his wash more than once a week. :)

Kristin Hill Taylor: The swing is a must-have baby accessory in my world. :) Both Cate and Ben have LOVED it.

Courtney Kindle French: I'm not criticizing YOU about the swing, I just personally didn't like them sleeping in it :) Sometimes they slept in the bouncy seat in the morning...I would put it right by the bathroom so they would be close to me...especially Emma when I couldn't guarantee that Noah would not touch her while I was showering. :)

Kristin Hill Taylor: Oh, I didn't think you were criticizing me. I was just saying, I'm obsessive about sleep, but I can't just throw him in the swing either. :) I am thankful Cate and I have built up trust with the showering routine. I was thinking this morning, I have showered EVERY MORNING since Ben has been born. [Yes, I wondered if that would happen ...]

Angela Taylor: I'm ashamed to say that I have not showered everyday since Evelyn was born. Yes, I am a gross person! LOL!

Kristin Hill Taylor: I don't think it's gross. Like I said, I had my doubts it would happen here. :)

Courtney Kindle Frenchh: Angela: No, you're not gross!! You're just BUSY!!

Yes, it's good to build up the trust with the showering thing! I'm glad Cate is so good about that. I also think it's different when the oldest is a boy, too. Noah wanted to touch, squeeze, whatever CONSTANTLY to Emma. I felt like she was attached to me for the first several months! So the bouncy seat was out, unless it was near me...the swing was out, because he kept wanting to push it if I wasn't around, the crib was even out, because he would climb in it with her if I wasn't around. Needless to say it was a little crazy around here for awhile!

Kristin Hill Taylor: I have thanked God many, many times for Cate and the way she treats Ben. It helps that she thrives on routine, so we pretty much do the same things every morning.

Courtney Kindle French: Noah had such a hard time adjusting...even with routine, or whatever we tried. It was really hard for awhile. I didn't even go to Wal-mart with both of them until Emma was around 4-5 months old! I'm thankful that we finally got past that...some days I didn't know if we would make it or not!

Kristin Hill Taylor: Proof that every kid is indeed, different. I'm surprised in some ways how well Cate has done. She notices when I move something in the kitchen to a different place or anything like that. And she usually wants it back to where it "belongs." Now, it might be a whole 'nother story when Ben is crawling around wanting to play with her toys. :)

Audrey Grey Denney: Neither of my kids napped well in the crib as babies, and the both slept 7-8 hrs a night at 5 and 6 wks old. About drove me insane with Annika but with Asher I have relaxed and am just happy for him to nap wherever that may be. We actually don't have a swing either. Babies just seem so much more wakeful during the day but once Annika went down to one nap a day she started napping like a champ, even in her crib.

Kristin Hill Taylor: Good to hear, Audrey! Having a second baby has taught me how spoiled I was with Cate being such an easy, by-the-book baby. But, hey, life would be boring if it was all scripted like we expected.

Alyssa Brown: Phew! Well upon reading all that, I wanted to tell Kristin that Emaline mostly stopped spitting up around 4 months! So hopefully Ben only has a couple weeks to go. AND Emaline is the opposite, she's good about napping in her crib during the day but has never slept in it at night. She's always seemed sensitive to it being nightime...

Angela Collins: After all that, I thank God my kids are grown. I will tell you this, Kristin, all three of my kids were toilet-trained, slept all night and had given up their pacifiers by the time they went off to college. . . so stop worrying!

Kristin Hill Taylor: Well, Angela, it isn't a worry as much as trying to figure out how I can get some down time in the afternoon while not messing up his sleeping through the night! :) And, thanks for the encouragement, Alyssa. I would love for him to stop spitting up, but I can live with it, especially if he is sleeping ...

JacknMisty Lindsey: hey girl. wow lots of info. i didn't read it all but wanted to mention something. we have also moved our kids around..whatever to get them to sleep better. ...especially since they've all had reflux & trouble sleeping. glad he is sleeping through the night already. THAT'S AMAZING!! & such a blessing. Praise GOD!! we have let our kiddos nap ... See Morein different places...but one time at a friends house...when sophia was about 3 mths, we put her on our friends bed...surrounded by pillows. Somehow she pushed herself UNDER the pillow. When we found her she was SCREAMING & so hot. She was fine...but we were really scared. ...definitely don't want to scare you...but just wanted to pass that on. we didn't think she could scoot herself...but she probably could have scooted off the bed. maybe put him in a positioner in the bed or something. love ya!! :) Misty

Kristin Hill Taylor: You know, I love this. I love talking about this and hearing people's experiences. I wasn't really expecting all this dialogue, but I will take it. And to think I was just airing my wish for a longer afternoon nap. :)

Feel free to continue with the comments here. As moms, we definitely have ideas of how we want to do things. And we think what we are doing is right (or at least working ...) or we wouldn't be doing it. But, you never know, someone might just say something that fits with your philosophy or seems to be a good idea.

Worth Repeating Wednesday:Mirroring Me

Greg shared with me this sermon from Richard A. Jordan he read online this morning. It's worth sharing with you, and, more importantly, digesting deep into my heart, especially as a mother.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." --Lamentations 3:22-24

Children are mirrors of ourselves, if we have the eyes to see it, and the ears to hear it. What a child when they are angry, and you may catch a glimpse at a parent. You see, children don’t know how to be angry by themselves, they learn it. Do you stamp your foot, do you put your hand on your hips, do you shake your finger, do you reason softly? Children are taught many things, some things we may have to teach them, like tying their shoes, but many things are learned as they watch what we do, and hear what we say.

And while in some ways children are a lot like us, there are other ways in which they are completely different. Children have a faith which is different than ours. Children trust in a way which is different than us. And children forgive in a way which is different that we do. For example, two children are fighting, and are stopped, 10 minutes pass, and they forget that they were fighting, and are friends again playing nicely. How can this be? It seems that children are taught to remember, and are taught what they should remember. They are taught about revenge and getting even. Who would teach such things?

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. --Matthew 18:2-3

For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. --Matthew 17:20

Why is this important? Well, I keep people saying we are too old to change. Yet this is exactly what God works in us in Baptism, he works change, it is a new beginning, we are born again … so that by the power of God we can become the children of God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. What we cannot do, God does for us. And so it is, that by the grace of God, every morning is a new beginning. It is possible because God forgives and forgets.

The only thing that keeps us from the steadfast love of the lord and his mercy, is us. Sometimes we are unwilling to let go of our sins, or our guilt. Holding on to the past, we find ourselves more and more burdened with all sort of things we should and ought do, and never enough time to get it done, and it paralyzes us, preventing us from doing anything. And then we feel sorry for ourselves, forgetting that we were the ones who held up the umbrella to prevent the mercy and grace of God from raining into our lives. It wasn’t the devil who did it to us, not that he didn’t encourage us, but we are the ones who are blocking the grace of God from entering our lives.

And without the grace of God, and his mercy new every day, we loose hope, and are discouraged. So perhaps we ought put away the umbrella, and invite God into our life, and allow his grace, mercy and love to fill our hearts and lives. For our faithful God who loves us greatly has given us an everlasting hope, and each day, a new beginning.

Now if this is good for us, why would we try to pull other back to a life of slavery? For it is one thing, when we hold the grace of God from us alone. It is another thing when we with old the grace of God from others, reminding them of the past, and bringing up the burdens that were cast on the Lord, telling them that they should carry their own load. And not only do we do this to others intentionally, but by our example we teach others to remember sins and to forget about God and his mercy.

Seems like we’ve got it backwards. We bring our sins to God, so that he can help us overcome them, and that they may be forgiven and forgotten, according to God’s plan the only thing we are to remember is the forgiveness that is ours in Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the grace and mercy which are new every morning. This is what we have hope, and this is the faith that leads us to life everlasting in Jesus Christ.

Today ...

... energy has abounded in my house. This is [mostly] a good thing, although I felt like Cate was having some regression moments with her curiosity and getting into things she usually completely ignores.

... started with an electrician coming to install a ceiling fan in our bedroom. He rang the doorbell at 7:30 a.m., and while I was glad for him to be here to help us, I wish there was a universal rule about ringing the doorbell before 8 a.m. Thankfully, Cate slept through the ringing. And I'll likely sleep better tonight with air flow on my face.

... Ben must have needed to block out some of the energy that was abounding around him. The picture above is how I found him sleeping. Speaking Ben and his sleeping ... I wonder why he doesn't nap well in his crib, but he'll nap for hours in his swing. The weird part is that he sleeps well (7-9 hours) at night in his crib. Hey, at least he sleeps through the night, right?

... I was reminded how thankful I am to have two close friends here who have kids who have become Cate's friends. It's so worth the extra noise and commotion.

... I woke up with lots of unrelated things [ideas, projects, chores ...] on my mind. I've accomplished some and written down others so they don't escape my momma-mushy mind.

... I'm noticing Ben likes to hold toys [near his mouth so he can chew] and reach for toys even more. These early months are interesting because babies are always noticing something new and keeping their mommas on their toes with their ever-changing little lives.

So, now, enjoy another small snapshot of one of the little people who makes today what it is for me ... every day.

Cate @ almost 34 months

I don't really like counting her age in months anymore. I usually think of her as being 2 1/2, but she turns 3 in two months and a week or so. [Not that I'm keeping count ...] So, there you have it, almost 34 months. I guess I could have said 2 5/6 years.

Independent and stubborn, Cate reminds me a lot of myself. She has a plan of how she wants something done and gets frustrated when it doesn't work how she sees it in her mind. But she's sweet and funny too. She thanks me washing her clothes "in the circle" and randomly will say, "I love you so much," with "so much" said with a strung-out emphasis ... s ... o ... m ... u ... c ... h ... She [usually] hugs and kisses her friends when we part ways.

And, you know, she cracks me up. I've been keeping track of some of the funny things she says. She calls toilet paper and Kleenex "white paper." Hearts are "harps," and she's a tad obsessed with the shape itself right now. She likes Laffy Taffy, which she calls "Happy." Hey, it makes me happy too. When I'm putting on her shoes, we'll talk about her right foot and her left foot, but she usually says, "wrong foot." I've learned words that have multiple meanings are harder for toddlers to grasp, but I love the way she thinks!

She's been into Play-Doh these days. Sometimes she makes worms. The day I took this picture she was making a cup.

We discovered indoor entertainment this week with these bouncy things. As you can see, she likes it. Of course, remember, too, that she likes to jump around.

Also this week, we had swim lessons ...

She did well most of the days. She even went under water a couple of times with no real opposition. Her favorite part is kicking around while holding onto the noodle.

Once upon a time ...

... Ben had a story to tell.

Apparently, it was a really good story.

"Didn't you like it, momma?"

"Oh, you didn't get it?"

"Oh, well, I'll just go back to playing with my hands ...

... and drooling."

Ben's new friend

This is Ben with his comfort The Taggie, who seems to be doing a decent job replacing The Pacifier.

He likes The Taggie to be close to his face ...

This is actually the back-up Taggie. The favorite one was hand-made by Emily, who also made the beautiful blanket for Ben.

January

I know next week is March. February has really gotten away from me. Last night while laying in bed, I was thinking about how January continues to be packed with significant dates in our life. I've posted about this before. But I wanted to add Ben's adoption finalization to the ever-growing list ...

Jan. 23, 2002 - Greg proposed.

Jan. 28, 2004 - I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

Jan. 20, 2006 - I was diagnosed with endometriosis, one of the complications in why we couldn't/haven't gotten pregnant, after a minimally-invasive laparoscopy surgery.

Jan. 18, 2007 - We met Cate's birth mother for the first time at a doctor's office in Bloomington, Ind., and saw Cate for the first time on an ultrasound.

Jan. 27, 2010 - Ben's adoption was finalized two months and four days after he was born.

And, now, back to February ...

Worth Repeating Wednesday

I am far more interested in jumping than I am in arguing about whose trampoline is better. You rarely defend the things you love. You enjoy them and tell others about them and invite others to enjoy them with you.

--Rob Bell in "Velvet Elvis"

Ben @ 3 months

* Smiles and coos, especially when he has a full belly
* Often sleeps 7 hours at night and even gave us a 9-hour night earlier this week
* Is still working on some teeth
* Has become fond of sleeping with a small Taggies blanket, especially since we got rid of his pacifier
* Often sucks on his pointer finger or thumb when his right hand is in a fist {see photo above!}


My dear friend Courtney took these photos of Ben last week when she was watching him ... and Cate, along with her own two children. I love them. And I love our friendship with her and her kids.

Beloved

I had Ben's adoption story book nearly finished before I found the name I wanted. But when I found the name, I realized it was perfect. And, of course, there is a story behind it.

Backing up ... I named Cate's adoption story "Chosen." It came to be easily, before I even started the content of the book. Of course, Ben's didn't come together quite like that.

I asked Greg for some suggestions and he rattled off a few that weren't meaningful enough to me. Then later, when I was bugging him again, he said, "What about beloved?"

Beloved.

Yes, that fits.

Then I was Googling Bible verses that used the word "beloved" that I could incorporate onto the title page of Ben's book. I skipped over several from Song of Solomon.

And then I read this:

About Benjamin he said: "Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders." -Deuteronomy 33:12

I was thinking, SERIOUSLY? "About Benjamin ..." Really could it be more perfect? And the message is one I want Ben to know. He can rest secure in the Lord, who protects him.

Yes, seriously.

God is definitely in the details.

Go Racers!

Have you heard about our Murray State Racers? They have won 17 straight games, breaking a school record and giving them the nation's longest winning streak. With two games to go, MSU (26-3) already clinched the regular-season conference championship. In fact, so far Murray State is undefeated in the Ohio Valley Conference. People are starting to notice as the Racers received a couple votes in this week's AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll.

Needless to say, they have been fun to watch this season.

[OK, so, Ben prefers napping ...]

1994

Most days 1994 doesn't seem that long ago.

But it was. Really. It was 16 years ago. That's slightly more than a decade and a half. It's slightly more than half my life.

I've been watching "Party of Five," a show that debuted in 1994, thanks to the way shows I watched then are on DVD now. Ah, technology ...

Then a conversation about "All Dogs Go to Heaven," a movie my sister kept on repeat most of her early childhood, led to a quick listing of movies I watched over and over again when I was younger ... in no particular order ...

Dirty Dancing
Splash
Flight of the Navigator
Funny Farm
Major League

Then, randomly, Amazon.com was offering a free -- yes, FREE -- download of Sister Hazel's new digital collection. Oh, Sister Hazel, you take me back to high school, in a good way ...


Anyway, so I just learned -- Thanks, Wikipedia! -- that Sister Hazel debuted in 1994 too. But "All for You" came a few years later, approximately the same year I graduated from high school and came to Murray State.

Now, I'm wondering what else happened in 1994 ...

The Buffalo Bills lost their fourth straight Super Bowl. And I remember watching this at my house with my then-boyfriend Jonathan. We thought it was really great he got to hang out so late on a school night.

Kurt Cobain died. Oh, yes, my friend Elliott inspired us, somehow, to make Cobain the focus of an English class group project. I have no idea what the assignment was or how the lead singer of Nirvana was relevant.

O.J. led police on that chase in his white Bronco you may have seen on TV. Jonathan was at my house for this television entertainment as well.

There was crisis unrest in Iraq. Yeah, surprise, I know.

"Forest Gump" and "Shawshank Redemption" came out. I remember seeing at least "Forest Gump" in the theater. And I know I've watched "Shawshank Redemption" countless times since.

Oh, 1994, some moments with you feel like they happened just the other day. I know I've changed some, but I'm certain we'd still recognize each other. I haven't forgotten about you, but I'm happy where I am, in case you were wondering.

Worth Repeating Wednesday

Our faith is not about magic, it’s about partnering with God to see remarkable things happen through faithfulness and consistency over a long-period of time.

--Donald Miller on his blog earlier this week.

Happy Valentine's Day

Yes, I'm surprised I like dressing my kids in holiday attire as much as
I do. But, hey, I might as well do it before they decide it's too dorky.

I've decided holidays are more fun with a toddler in the house. Cate is especially loving Valentine's Day because it involves hearts and making cards for all her friends. "All my friends" is a popular phrase around here. And, to be fair, it refers to everyone we know, including but not limited to fellow toddlers. Thinking about this has made me thankful, once again, for our community of friends. Our family is friends with other families, and I think that's a special environment for our kids to have.

With that said, I'm glad our 5-year-old friend Tuvia wanted to have a Valentine's Day party on Saturday. Cate had a grand time picking out Handy Manny [Yes, seriously, over Disney princesses and Mickey Mouse ...] cards, writing "her name," sealing them closed with a heart sticker and putting the cards along with some mini M&Ms in Zip-locs for "all the friends." [In this case, "friends" was limited to those 5 and younger.]

So onto the actual party, where there were heart-shaped pepperonis and pink-colored, heart-shaped Rice Krispy treats ...

_____
Here is me and my smallest Valentine ...

Pacifying

I've never been a fan of pacifiers. They're one more thing to make sure you have in the diaper bag before you leave the house. And it's quite some time before a baby has enough coordination to re-insert them independently. [Don't get me started on toddlers talking with pacifiers in their mouths!]

But Ben was teething and cranky, and he found a friend. [I actually saw early signs of him being a thumb-sucker.] And then his friend The Pacifier ended up helping him sleep "through the night," a term I use loosely but a concept about which I put a great deal of hope.

We had a good week, well, actually, eight days, of this "through the night" [albeit short nights, not that I'm keeping count ...] and then the last five nights have been more up and down [literally, at least for Greg and me ...]. Ben doesn't want to eat in the middle of the night anymore, which is good, but he has been waking up every couple hours [sometimes even more frequently] wanting The Pacifier put back in his mouth, where he decided it needs to be, if he's sleeping.

You see, we already had a rule that pacifiers were made for sleep aids, not all-day distractions.

Yet continually re-inserting The Pacifier wasn't really helping anyone sleep well. And if you know anything about our parenting philosophy, then you know we are advocates of everyone sleeping well.

So we decided this morning -- after I told Greg that my eyes hurt from trying to keep them open after we each were up multiple times pacifying our son -- that The Pacifier was more trouble than it was worth. All four versions of Ben's new friend have been stored away.

Maybe he'll find his thumb. Maybe he'll just cuddle with his blankets. Either way, we have a new plan that [hopefully] will leave everyone feeling more rested, even if it takes a few days to get there.

It snowed ... again, really ...

I am really surprised it snowed here, again. There seems to be as much, if not more, than it was 10 days ago. I'd say five or six inches currently is on the ground.

Today

We were so happy to see Holly for a short visit Thursday and Friday.

I discovered a new blog last week, and I'm already borrowing a blogging prompt, which apparently actually came from yet another blog.

Outside my window ... there are snow flurries, believe it or not.

I am thankful for ... being able to stay home with my kids and have friends who are in the same season of life.

I am wearing ... jeans, a favorite T-shirt and socks.

I am remembering ... Party of Five, thanks to my early First-Date Day present from Greg.

I am going ... to stay home the rest of the day.

I am currently reading ... "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.

I am hoping ... for continued peace as I settle into mothering two kids.

On my mind ... is not much of anything, actually.

Noticing that ... I'm feeling more simple than usual today.

Pondering these words ... It’s your life/What you gonna do?/The world is watching you by from the song "It's Your Life" by Francesca Battistelli.

From the kitchen ... I have broccoli cheese soup cooking in the Crock Pot and am stocked up on groceries that I just put away.

Around the house ... Laundry is washing and drying, children are sleeping and I am mentally resting.

One of my favorite things ... is my community of girl friends. And one of those who [unfortunately] doesn't live in Murray anymore visited us last week. [See picture above.]

Ben and his friend

The other day when our 3-month-old friend Davey wore a dinosaur outfit I recognized from Ben's drawer, Davey's mom, Sarah, and I decided we should have a photo shoot of our matching boys. Davey is 3 1/2 weeks older than Ben, who is now 10 weeks old. Aren't the cute?

Apparently, Ben is thinking about escaping ...

These days ...

... Ben enjoys looking at his mobile and his fist.

... Cate still likes accessories. [This picture is courtesy Greg's iPhone.]

Worth Repeating Wednesday

We don’t get to decide who God is. "God said to Moses, 'I am who I am.'" (Ex. 3:14). We don’t change that. ... Not being able to fully understand God is frustrating, but it is ridiculous for us to think we have the right to limit God to something we are capable of comprehending.

--From "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan

To the dentist we go ...

Cate and Ben accompanied me to my teeth-cleaning appointment this morning. I thought about getting a babysitter, but then I thought it would be good for Cate to go with me so it wouldn't be such a strange place when I took her for her own first appointment in a few months. [And, hey, Ben was fed, so he was easy company.] I told the hygienist I thought I'd bring Cate when she was 3, but she volunteered to clean Cate's teeth today ...

Usually I have my camera in the diaper bag, but I had it out at home yesterday and I hadn't put it back. Thankfully, my iPhone came through for me. I wouldn't want Cate's first teeth cleaning to go undocumented!