Sunshines

These two brighten my day...

Teething

Ainsley is teething, at last I hope! She is struggling the most at night. She starts to fall asleep and wakes up screaming, I feel so bad for her. She has also started to wake up in the middle of the night, I feel bad for me. I usually will either rock her back to sleep or nurse her... hopefully this won't cause permanent damage to her otherwise amazing sleeping through the night. She definitely is a lot more fussy and whiny during the day then her normal self (which is never unless she's hungry or tired). Ellie thinks she is teething too...

Are Working Mothers Biblical?

The other day, John Piper answered a question concerning if it is biblical for mothers to hold full time jobs outside of the home. I know that a lot of women out there have this question, and a lot of times as Christians we feel conflicted on this issue. Our church seems to have an answer but our society has a different one. It sometimes is hard to discern what is biblical and what is not. John Piper did a decent job at answering the question. Love, love, love this part of his response:
"It is a great and glorious calling to be a mother and a homemaker and a wife and a neighborhood make-it-happen kind of person and a church minister. Who knows what God might be pleased to do."
I am always refreshed and encouraged when I am reminded of what being a stay at home mom is.

Here is Piper's full response:


So I know some of you who read this blog might actually be interested in this question a bit more. Although I loved Piper's response because it encouraged me, I think Doug Wilson answers it better. Doug answers a more general question, should women work outside of the home at all? Check his answer out, he explains a lot more:

Ask Doug: Women working outside the home from Canon Wired on Vimeo.

Rub a Dub Dub

Since Ainsley is now able to sit up, we sometimes let the girls take a bath together. The first time we did this, Ainsley didn't last very long. She was tired and hungry, and did not want to deal with her sister. We tried a second time a few days ago, this time Ainsley did a little bit better.
She shows us that she does not love her sister in the tub at some moments, although she does put up with her extremely well.
I don't blame her though for not being happy with Ellie, I wouldn't want anyone to do this to me either:
Poor thing.

Spaghetti Night

I just love spaghetti! That's what's for dinner tonight. We remove all of Ellie's clothes because the tomato sauce definitely stains. She sure finds it delicious...
Too bad Annie can't have any yet. She sure is cute though:

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Our new favorite dessert in our house is Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. The first time a friend brought it over a few months ago, we loved it. After that another friend made it for dessert after dinner, and again we LOVED it (even got seconds).

Well I was trying to think of something I could make for dessert for my dad for a father's day dinner I was cooking him. He doesn't like chocolate, so I decided to make him this pie. It was delicious. You must try it!

Here's a recipe I used but modified a bit: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-challenge/grandmas-strawberry-rhubarb-pie-recipe/index.html

6 months

Ainsley turned 6 months last Wednesday, I love, love, love this age! She went to the doctor on Monday and weighed in at 18 lbs 5 oz (85%), measured 26 in long (55%), measured 14.6cm around her head (90%). She still is our little chunky baby which I adore! I just love all the rolls and never having to worry about how much she eats! She is just so precious :)

What Ainsley is up to:
-says mama and dada, along with a lot of other babbles. She has just started blabbing this past week and it is so cute. She loves experimenting with her new words and I love listening to it. When she gets upset she always starts yelling mamama.
-sticks out her tongue and blows, blows bubbles
-still a mommy's girl, but enjoys other people as well. If she is hungry or tired, she must have mommy. If she wakes up in the night, who must she have... mommy. If she has trouble going to sleep, who must rock her? mommy. I don't mind, I actually feel really special :)
-rolls from belly to back, still not making it from her back to belly although she tries occasionally.
-reaches for objects, she is a grabber. She tries to grab anything in sight. If you are holding her she will grab your fork, your drink, your plate, your food, your hair, your sunglasses, your face... anything.
-moves objects from one hand to the other
-can pinch small objects (pincher grasp)
-eats anything you put in her mouth.
-sleeps 11-12 hours at night
-has found her toes, she doesn't like to chew on them very much only hold them.
-her favorite things are Ellie and our dog, Kayla. No matter how mad she is, those two will make her smile instantly.
-chews on everything, still no teeth.
-size 3 diapers, wearing 6 months clothes.
-usually has congestion when she wakes up in the morning or from naps. We prop her bed up, but still doesn't help much. Maybe from teething or allergies?
-loves the tv and just stares. It rarely is on, maybe a few time during the week. But if she is can see it, she is enthralled. Not so much with Ellie (Ellie won't sit still, but even as a baby she wasn't interested in the tv).
-still loves her exersaucer. She lights up when she sees it.
-very easy going. She doesn't have much care about anything unless she is hungry or tired. She loves to be held, doesn't mind people touching, talking, blowing, or kissing her. Most of the time she can be tired but won't make much of a fuss and just falls asleep, other times she must be in the car or in her crib.
-thumb sucker to the extreme. Hates the paci, but did take it the other day at church for about 30 seconds. She sucks her thumb a lot during the day, while she is eating, and definitely to go to sleep.
-loves being outdoors. She always likes to swing at the park.
-loves the water. Bath, pool, ocean... loves it.
-very expressive. You can definitely tell what mood she is in by her face. Serious, happy, sad, frustrated... it shows just in her face!
-nurses 5-6 times a day about every 3 hours, no set schedule. She will still take a bottle, just a particular one about 1-2 times a week.
-naps are very inconsistent except for the afternoon nap with Ellie. She almost always will nap 2 hours then. She wakes up around 6:30 or 7:30am and takes a nap after that before Ellie and I head out for the morning. Usually we have to cut it short and wake her up, poor thing. She doesn't seem to mind too much.

I think that's about all. I love this little one so, so dearly. I can't help but shower her with kisses everyday. I'm definitely soaking each moment with her all up because let me tell you, this 2 year old stage is dreadful! Maybe she'll skip it? Only in my dreams...

Enjoy some more pictures:

Don't you just love these cheeks?

Look at the chub, love it!
Sad eyes:
So happy when I wake up:
Chewing:

Love you Annie Boo Boo!

3 Years!

Today is our three year anniversary! It's kinda crazy to think that we have been only married three years, I mean we already have 2 kids! It definitely seems like forever ago when we said our I do's and moved into our 1 bedroom apartment. Times have changed, and so has our love for each other. We have had some major life events happen these past 3 years, but we have only continued to get closer and closer. Our love has grown and I am so glad I get to share my life with this man.

Potty Training Regress

Our cute little Ellie WAS doing wonderfully at potty training, everything but the poo-poo. Now she has taken a step back, which is somewhat too much for us to handle. She would do great for about 4 days, then do terrible for the next 3, then do great again. When she's not doing well, she has an accident almost every time she needs to potty. It's getting too much for me to handle and I don't want to get frustrated with her anymore than I already have to.

We decided to just stick her back into diapers Sunday afternoon after her fourth accident. I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do, but she hasn't complained yet about how we won't let her go potty. I thought she was ready with how well she did, but maybe not? She was doing great and was basically accident free (excluding poo-poo and at night), but something changed. She's so young that I don't care if she still is in diapers, I wasn't ready anyways because it sure is A LOT of work! We'll see how it goes...

Beach Trip

Last week we went to the beach with Zach's family. It was very last minute and we slept on a sleeper sofa, but we had tons of fun! It was great to spend time with family and have fun in the sun. The girls did great and loved it. We went to the beach and the pool, my favorite was definitely the beach. Ellie was a little hesitant at first with the waves, but I think loved it after she got used to them. Ainsley enjoyed watching the waves and sleeping in her tent, she did absolutely wonderful. Here are some pictures of the week:

Ellie styling her glasses with her cousins:

The girls who LOVE the beach and sitting in the water:

Ainsley chilling on the towel while daddy and Ellie sit in the water:

Playing in the sand, which she LOVED:

Ellie and Evan playing with phones:

Ellie swimming all by herself:

Aunt Andi and Ainsley:

Ellie and Gigi having fun in the pool:

Ainsley playing with cousin Grace:

Happy Father's Day

I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful father. I truly feel that my girls have one of the best dads on earth, I wouldn't trade him for anything! I am proud to have a family with this man. He's a FABULOUS father, a wonderful husband, and my best friend.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY HONEY.

Here is part of his gift, Tiramisu Ice Cream Parfaits and a card with the girls' handprints:

Annie Boo Boo

Ellie calls Ainsley, Annie Boo Boo. I sing a song with her name, Ainsley Ruth, and I think that where she get it. It started out as Annie RuRu, and now it's Annie Boo Boo. She might also get it from me since I call her that too sometimes. I make up a lot of names for the girls, and they never really are consistent. It's just whatever comes out of my mouth.

She's been sitting up for a few weeks now completely by herself until she reaches for something and falls over. She usually catches herself when she leans to the side and sometimes when she leans forward. I think most of the time she falls over because Ellie comes up and pushes her over, which is not happening anymore... we fixed that! She absolutely loves being able to sit up now by herself, she likes the new perspective on things.

Super Why

Ellie's favorite show on TV is Super Why. I have no idea why she likes the show so much, maybe because of the super flyers and the music? It's funny how kids have their favorites for no apparent reason. She's loved this show since she she started watching tv, and continues to ask for it. I found out a few months back that Super Why was coming to visit the Holly Springs Library, so I registered for the event and marked it on our calendar. We were all super excited to get to meet Super Why, actually Zach was bummed he was going to miss it because he was out of town.

The day and morning of, we got all pumped up and showed up early (which is very rare for us)! We ended up having to wait 10 minutes in line to get into the small theater and then wait 20 minutes (15 minutes more than scheduled because they started late) to see Super Why. Ellie was the most patient I have seen her EVER! She stayed right next to me in line and sat in her chair waiting patiently for Super Why. Then finally the came on stage:


I was very disappointed in the event, it was basically only the characters up on stage waving. No music, no action, just some older lady who talked a few minutes about some event for the summer and then sang a few songs (ABC's and hokey pokey). Terrible. Here is a picture of Ellie doing the hokey pokey in her seat:

This all took about 10 minutes and then it was time for pictures with Super Why. Since we arrived early, we were on the front row. They didn't let the people who got there first to take pictures first, no no they let the people who arrived late. Bummer, and Ainsley was done. Here is Ainsley once she saw those weird looking creatures on stage and some loud lady singing songs:

I put her in the car seat because I thought maybe they scared her or it would drown out that lady's voice. No so much. We left, no more waiting. So no picture with Super Why. I'm not sure if Ellie would have gone near him anyways, so not too much of a loss. Although I thought it was terrible, Ellie loved it. She continues to ask me to go to the library to see Super Why and after I tell her he's not there she asks, "where is he?". Glad she loved it, that was the point!

Why Have Kids?

Zach and I always understood that we were going to have kids, we never questioned it, it was expected. While we were engaged we had the conversation of how long will we wait to have kids. We knew we wanted to have them before 5 years of marriage, definitely not the first year of marriage, but we decided to take it year by year. As you know, planning didn't go our way and low and behold we had a baby before our first year of marriage and two before three years! Although we were thrown into parenthood, I find it beneficial to know why we have (wanted) kids.

This is something we never talked about. We both agreed that children were a blessing and that one reason for marriage is procreation, but we never went further than that. Not that we really needed to, but there is a lot more to it. We hear a lot of people talk about reasons why not to have kids, but never really why to have kids. Therefore, I want to explain why we have kids, why you should have kids, and encourage others who have kids.

The first reason we have children is that it rocks your world. Not in the way that it knocks your socks off amazing because let me tell you, it is very grueling... but in that it shapes your soul. I know I have talked about this before, but you change, for the better. You become more selfless and other-centered. Your view of life changes. You view culture, society, family, work, friends, pets, almost everything differently. There was an article recently that Al Mohler wrote titled Pornography-The Difference Being a Parent Makes. One of the head guys at Apple, Steve Jobs, was arguing why they do not sell pornography applications with a guy named Ryan Tate. Tate was arguing that there is no freedom when placing restrictions on what Apple sells, but Jobs argued there is freedom, freedom from bad things, such as porn. Tate wasn't buying it, so Jobs replied with "you might care more about porn when you have kids." He's completely right. Those that even think pornography isn't bad before kids, think differently once they have kids because they don't want their kids watching it. Personally I think that having kids shapes you into the person that God has designed us to be.

Second reason, children are priceless. Nothing compares to the joy your kids bring to your life. They do have the fair share of stress, but their smiles, the laughs, the love... priceless. We tend to look at children as a major expense. They definitely are an expense, but through having to adjust your financial situation to fit these little bundles into your life, you learn to value other things. You learn that having "nice" things doesn't really matter, you get to share life, teach life, and love a person instead. This is a much greater reward than material things. Children are far more valuable than riches.

Third reason, children bring hope to a hopeless world. Let's be honest, this is not a happy place. There is so much evil in this world, it truly saddens me. I hear so many stories, and even after teaching in a public high school, I am saddened by what I see. I can't wait to leave this place, but I know more work needs to be done. I have definitely felt sad to bring children into this fallen world, but then I think of the purpose of having children. God calls us to "be fruitful and multiply." One reason being that we bring and raise children up in the Lord, and fill the world with children of God. This is what brings me hope. I hope that I will raise up children who love and glorify our Lord. Who will shout His name to those who do not know Him. Children that will count all thing loss compared to knowing our Savior, who will not look at this earth as their home. I have hope that my kids will bring Him glory and leave a legacy... making this world a better place because of them.

My final reason for having kids, they are just so darn cute!
It's awesome to look at another human being and say that they are part of you. They have my DNA, I taught them what they know, I've helped shaped them in who they are. Kids are pretty much amazing, that's why I have kids!