Times are Changing

So it hit me the other day when I started the bath water and my son ran into his room, stripped off all of his clothes and came and stood by the tub, excitedly chatting his chibberish and pointing at the running water- that my son is not so much my baby anymore. He's a little boy! He's going to be 2 in June and he is starting to do 2 year old things, like mimic everything his sisters do! He tries to join them in performing their "shows" of singing and dancing, he successfully dressed a barbie doll the other day, he attempts to play Simon Says, and pretty much shadows them a good portion of the day. Of course, he does his own stuff too. He loves our slide/fort right now and he collects all of his things- his blankie, his baseball tee, ball and bat, shoves them all in there, and then proceeds to move them from the top of the ledge to the underneath part over and over again. He still enjoys getting into cupboards and making messes, but he is also learning the art of playing.

Last Saturday it really hit me that times are truly changing as I sat in a movie theater with my husband and all 3 kids! We attempted to take Lincoln to his first movie, and he did fairly well. He loves animals, so we went and watched Disney's Oceans. For the previews and nearly an hour of the movie, he happily sat pointing at the animals on the big screen while diving both hands into the popcorn bucket. As I watched him shove both of his fists into his mouth, I was utterly amazed at the family God has blessed me with! I also silently laughed to myself when Lincoln attempted to pick up the bucket and drink the popcorn, and then chuck his napkin at the poor guy in front of us. Times are changing, burp cloths and bibs are a thing of the past and I so look forward to growing with our family! We later enjoyed a family bike ride as Kacia was able to ride 3 1/2 miles on her own while Kevin pulled the other 2 in the trailer. I get excited just thinking about how as we close this door of "babyhood" and enter a new phase, it means that our family is going to be able to enjoy doing things together- all 5 of us. ( I have to focus on the positive, otherwise, I get a little sad- but hey pretty soon I will get my babyfix from Kaitlin's little guy!)

This One Hurt!

The Tooth Fairy's Amazon order finally arrived and she received the 2nd book she has been wanting!

The gap on the bottom is from the tooth she pulled out on Easter. I tried to not get too close since the top gap is still very fresh!

Losing this tooth hurt a little more than the others- not for Kacia but for us! There is just something different about losing a top front tooth! That big hole in her mouth just screams "I'm growing up and you can't stop me!" I am so glad she has eased us into this losing teeth process a little by starting off with the bottom teeth. This now marks her 4th baby tooth that we have said goodbye to, and there are still 2 more that are loose!

Last night she got out of bed and asked Kevin to see if it was ready. After having already been told more than once to stay in bed, he told her he would try in the morning. So about an hour passes and my daughter comes out totally thrilled holding her tooth. After rinsing and checking the mirror, she went and sat on Kevin's lap for a little while. Being my "know-it-all" she has to add, "See Dad, I told you I thought it was ready!" To which he replies, "I know. I just didn't want it to come out. I want to superglue all your teeth so they never come out!" This brought about an interesting conversation about what it would look like if adults still had all their baby teeth. Obviously, she kinda missed the point- to Dad, the teeth symbolize growing up, so maybe if he can stop the teeth, he can stop the growing up part too!

Survival

Survival- this has been my goal the last few days. Horrible sleep + cranky miserable toddler= just get through the day.

I hate days like this. I hate feeling so tired that it takes all my self-control to not just yell all day or break down in tears. I hate feeling like the day is about making it to bedtime rather than rejoicing in the gift of a new day. But this is where I find myself.

Lincoln has ear infections, which has caused him to wake up a ton, Rylin has an annoying cough that wakes her up even more than usual, which when you put the two of those together, it means I'm getting up 12+ times a night. I am completely and totally sleep deprived. And yet today, I'm finding myself in deep thought (which is kinda scary) and I'm desperately trying to be a mom that is not relying on my own strength- because let's face it- I'm out, and is rather continually looking to my Lord for strength. It's a somewhat harsh reality- but I really do believe that God in His complete sovereignty purposefully puts me into survival mode to get my attention refocused on Him. I so want each and every day about bringing glory to my God and Savior but it seems so easy to get lost and caught up in the day to day chores.

So today I'm thankful. Thankful that God continually breaks my pride down so that I can again find my roots in Him. (I'm also thankful for caffeine and the antibiotics which should start working in the next couple of days for my sweet, snotty little guy!)