Light Handed Laney

This being a Monday, Elena and Evan went to Kids Day Out today. Well, after she came back home this afternoon, Elena ran upstairs and came down a few moments later wearing not one but two never-before-seen hair clips. While her hands were empty leaving school, her pockets apparently weren't. Furthermore, I could immediately tell from the look on her face that she had deliberately snuck them out of school.

I asked her, "Elena wear did you get those?" She replied with a story about how the squirrel on the playground told her she could have them.

Hmmm, it may be difficult to catch her in a lie when she gets older, but at this age... I feel pretty confident on making the call.

We had a little lesson on telling the truth and then I got more of the story; how she did find them on the playground, but that they belong to another girl, but the girl said Elena could have them. Then Elena closed her story with a dramatic plea, "Please Mom, it's my only chance!"

Huh? Only chance for what? Hair bows? Does my daughter feel that desperate for accessories that she feels like she has to lift them off of unsuspecting girls at the playground? Where, oh where, have I gone wrong (umm, actually don't answer that).

It Suits Her

I was shopping for swimsuits yesterday at the nearby children's resale shop. I found great trunks for the boys, but wasn't seeing anything in Elena's size until I came upon this one. She is SO pleased with it and has been wearing it since we got home... yesterday. :)

Asher - 3 Months

There is something magical about the three month point, don't ya think? Everything that you want to be predictable, now is. At this point Asher only cries if he's hungry, tired, or sitting in a poopy diaper; and I can pretty much tell you when each of those events will happen in any given day. He is such a sweet baby. He loves to hear us talk and sing to him, and it seems like he tries to sing back. He gets a lot of compliments on how well he holds his head up and how "strong he is!" We're borrowing a little bouncy seat with a bubbling aquatic scene. He will stare and stare at it. He usually nurses between 6 and 7pm then goes to bed between 7 and 8pm. He can usually make it until about 5am until he's ready to eat again. We put him in the church nursery for the first time a couple weeks ago and all went well. He's growing so quickly. It's once again time to go through his clothes and pull out everything he's outgrown, which at this point is anything that's not 3-6 months.

We love you, Asher Martin; and we can't wait to see what the next month holds for you!

Structure

That has been my "buzz word" the past few months. The Lord has really been speaking to me about discipline; specifically discipline with my time in the home. I'm typically a pretty "go with the flow" kind of girl, and I have had this attitude when it came to managing the home. On the upside, I don't get too ruffled when unexpected things come up. The downside; important things get pushed to the wayside because I'm spending my entire day reacting to things I that I don't see coming.

God has made it clear (especially with the arrival of our sweet Asher) that it's time for me to change the way I spend my days. I think I've felt a reluctance to change all this time because I don't want to be reminded that I am accountable for my time... all of it.

I'm now choosing obedience, and with that, I've been getting advice from others and reading books on the subject. I've spent the past couple of weeks working on a schedule for our family and last week I began implementing it.

I am amazed at how differently and wonderfully our days now flow! Seriously, why didn't I do this sooner??? I'm now getting up at the same time every day; having daily devotionals, "school time", and couch time (reading with the kids); lunch, nap, and room times have a consistent start time; and dinner is getting on the table!

Even though I'm enthusiastic about the changes now, I know it's going to require continued discipline in the future to stay the course or make needed adjustments as this stage of life changes. I'm praying that I will live out the knowledge that there is joy in obedience and remember that sometimes the most beneficial way to show love to my family is by getting out of bed when the alarm goes off.

Overwhelmed with Love

Asher is a pretty popular dude. He gets nonstop attention from his big brother and sister...

...and sometimes it can be a little much.

Elena will read to him and share her stickers.

Evan will communicate love the way he knows best... sharing Hotwheels.

They just want to make sure he gets the message that he is LOVED!

Meeting Baby Lizzie

We drove to Houston this past weekend to see our new niece, Elizabeth Hannah! Isn't she precious?

Elena loved talking to Lizzie and even got a smile out of her!

Uncle Nate reading to the "big kids" as we'll now refer to those three. When it comes to entertaining the kids, Uncle Nate always pulls more than his share of the weight!

All the cousins... and Grandma!