A BABY BOY IS SUCH A JOY!

George will be a year old at the end of May -- how did the time go by so fast?! It seems like only a short while ago that I took Jane to the hospital to meet her brand new baby brother. And there he was -- with ten tiny fingers & toes, a sweet baby smile, and soft brown hair -- surrounded by his proud parents & grandparents. What a wonderful celebration!!

It has been so much fun for me to watch George over the past year & see his little personality unfold! He is happy & laid-back, so delighted with every new discovery. He loves books & balls & music & swinging & going for walks in the stroller with Jane. He loves his bottle & snuggling down with "lambie" for a nap. He loves waking up & seeing what the rest of the family is doing. George thinks it's big fun to roll & roll across the floor, to do the "Army crawl" on his tummy, or to stand up with help and bounce on his tiptoes. A cat is to chase. A basket of toys is to dump. A cat dish is to splash in. A book is to chew on. A sister is to laugh with!...

George, what a gift you are to us all! Happy, happy birthday, sweet boy!!!

Written 5/10/06

ARTIST

I found this quote today, and wanted to pass it on:

A woman who works with her hands is only a laborer.
The woman who works with her hands and her head is a craft woman.
The woman who works with her hands, her head and her heart is an ARTIST.
Author: unknown

PRESCHOOL DAYS

Jane goes to preschool today. She has LOVED it from the very first day! Most mornings, she takes me by the hand & leads me down the hallway to her classroom to see "Miss Jeannie" & "Miss Cathy." Without any hesitation, she gets right down to the business of being a two year old -- playing! No clinginess. No tears. No "I want my Mommy!" She has "cooking" to do in the plastic kitchen, legos to build, and puzzles to do...

More than that, she has friends to hang out with -- Jesse & Andrew & Lucy & Jonah. Each child is so unique, & Jane seems to love them all equally well. When I ask her on the way to school who she's going to play with, she happily recites the litany of all her friends' names -- in no particular order. She is glad to see them all!

School has provided Jane with lots of new opportunities; but by far her favorites have been playing on the playground & painting.

On sunny days, Jane's class spends lots of time swinging & sliding & climbing on the pint-sized play equipment. Jane loves the little cars that she can "drive." Here, I can see that Jane is learning to take turns & share -- big lessons for a little girl!

Last Tuesday when I came to pick Jane up from school, she proudly showed me an ENORMOUS picture she'd made that day. It had red scribbles all over it and a big blotch of yellow paint in the corner. "The sun!!" she told me with a big grin. A preschool masterpiece from a tiny Picasso!

I get so much joy from being with these little ones, Lord! It's so surprising to me that, at 50 years old with my own children grown up, I get to enjoy the sweet, simple moments of preschool again. What a gift to me!...

I AM SO GRATEFUL!!!

Written 5/4/06

TREASURES

Abby and Andy recently put a new swingset in the backyard for Jane & George. It has a "fort" with ladders & climbing handholds on both sides that lead to a platform & a slide. Very cool!!! Jane spent the first days it was up learning to climb to the top, and then happily sliding down -- over & over again!

One day recently when I arrived at the house in the morning, Jane had some new "treasures" she was excited about -- a Princess fanny pack, a sparkly pink purse shaped like a crown, and an assortment of make-believe makeup. She spread these on the coffee table in the family room (along with "Bate", her special blanket), and admired each piece. Jane was absorbed for a long while with her task of packing her purse, unpacking it, trying out the makeup, and packing it all over again.

When it was time to go outside to play on the swings (wheeeeeee's!! in Jane-speak), nothing would do but to also take "Bate", the purse, the fanny pack, and all the other paraphanelia out with us as well. I was less than enthused about this idea; but I decided to let Jane go ahead with her plan and see what happened. This would be interesting!...

I had to laugh to myself as Jane attempted to climb to the top of the fort with "Bate" in one hand, the purse in the other, and the fanny pack slung around her neck! She was sooooo determined, but kept being tripped up and weighed down by all her many "treasures."

At that point, I had one of those "God moments" that sometimes comes my way. "I get it, Lord! I also struggle with getting weighed down by all my 'stuff.' Please help me to keep choosing to live simply so I can be free to follow You."

Written 4/18/06