Messy Party!

I've been dying to do this since Mercy was a wee little one.  We had an absolute blast!

"Spray Painting"

This was full of noodles

Pudding was the biggest  hit

What a fun party!

She already knows how to work a crowd

I'm fairly certain this is a rendition of "Jesus Loves Me" and "I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee". Isn't it a blessed thing when kids are so comfortable in their church home?

In My Own Little Corner

I know what this looks like and I can assure you that I have not turned M into my little Cinderella slave girl (just ignore me typing in the background).   

As I've been perusing the internet for preschool skills and activities I've been shying away from the letters/numbers/cutsie-wootsie stuff (that's right, I said cutsie wootsie) and leaning more towards the Montessori style of preschool activities. Mercy already knows her letters and letter sounds thanks to Leap Frog Letter Factory (you didn't hear that Dr. Montessori, I don't intend for my child's entire education to be via cartoons) but there are many skills and activities I would like M to master.

Montessori puts an emphasis on practical life skills and keeping one's environment.  We found this vacuum at Wal-Mart for $15 and it has been proven as a perfect tool for Mercy to pitch in with!  True Montessori uses a carpet sweeper, but Dr. Montessori left this earth before the invention of vacuums s I think this will pass!

getting in shape

Putting this out there for some accountability.  I recently weighed myself and the number was very similar to the number I was at when I delivered Mercy (read: 9 months pregnant).  So, I'm doing something about it.  Making some healthier choices and doing the wii fit every day.  Kevin's doing the wii fit with me.  I'll check in on occasion to tell you what's going on.  Wish me luck!

:)

I love my husband.

Church nursery

I think  it's far more important than most would credit it. The nursery was designed, most likely, for the parent's and others sake so that one could hear and focus on a sermon without little ones circling their feet.  And...most any church can provide a place to house potentially distractible children, but a church's goal should be to nourish the soul of the youngest congregants.

I have a special soft spot for church nurseries.  I have vivid memories of my church nursery, the rocking chairs with yellow cushions, mickey mouse on the end of the cribs, orange indoor/outdoor carpet and sturdy wooden painted chairs.  I remember the older couple that crawled around on the floor with me,  rehearsing "here is the church, here is the steeple", coloring with friends, hearing Bible stories, and eating those animal crackers with pink icing that were always cold because they were stored in the refrigerator.

How grounding is that?  For your very earliest memories to be in God's house and the memories to be so sweet and pleasant.  Did those working with me know that supervising my play would have a lifelong impact?  I now have the position of nursery coordinator at our church and I feel so  blessed to have been given this role that I feel is so very important.

Picture of my friends and I in 3 year old Sunday School.  I still have regular contact with 2 people in the picture and both of them were in my wedding!

Love grows best in little houses

We live in a tiny house, my parent's house, the one in which I was raised.  2 bedrooms and one bath, a kitchen and a living room.  There are times when I hear my mother's frustrated voice resonating in my head as I attempt to retrieve a pot or pan without causing everything else in the kitchen to to cascade into an avalanche, "This place is too small!"  I have gained a forever respect for my mother and her ability to take care of two girls in this small place. But, the longer I live here the more blesssed I feel by the little things.

Watching my daughter dance in front of the stove to see her reflection-I remember doing the same thing.

Seeing her circle a majestic tall tree that I watched my father plant as a tiny seedling.

Having the ability to see and hear everyone from just about every room in the house

Keeping both girls close together for playing, sleeping and eating.  My sister was always nearby and I'm glad my girls will have the same experience.

But you know, love grows best in little houses,

  With fewer walls to separate,

 Where you eat and sleep so close together.

 You can't help but communicate,  

Oh, and if we had more room between us,

 think of all we'd miss.

 Love grows best, in houses just like this.

(Doug Stone)

My Saving Grace

My playgroup.

About two years ago I nervously shuffled into the brightly colored story time room at our local library.  Not knowing what to expect, but hoping for something or someone to make this new mom thing easier.  We each eyed each other nervously, hoping to find something in common. The librarian instructed us to introduce ourselves and our babies, through that I made a connection with a mom who had a girl almost exactly Mercy's age.  We picked up others along the way and eventually formed a casual playgroup.

I've come to feel that God placed these people in my life.  So many times and so many reasons have theses ladies helped me out.

Commiserated when babies wouldn't sleep

Climbed playground equipment with Mercy when I was too pregnant to do so

Brought dinner when the new baby came

Acted as an extra pair of arms so that I can tend to one or the other

Talked potty training, snacks, clothes, recipes and bargains that may be quite a boring topic to non-stay at home moms

Women need other women-it's an anthropological fact.  In the stone-age model, men head out to hunt and the women huddle together.  Keeping a watchful eye on each others children, picking up the slack when our bodies are not up to the challenge, passing on tips and wisdom that we learn from each other.  I'm an introvert, but I need these ladies.  They give us motivation to be up and dressed in the morning and if nothing else gets done that day, at least we went to playgroup!

Mercy and her best friend at the zoo when the playgroup first started, a sea turtle passing by

Here it is

While it was optimal to have our family blog on our family website, I found that it was not practical.  So, here begins what I hope will be a very frequently updated blog!