12.16.2011

Big girl steps

I have been wanting to write an entry for a while now about Addy, my niece, that stays with us every day now.  I guess you could say we've been a little too busy enjoying her for me to get the chance to sit own and write some of my favorite things about getting to watch her grow and learn this year.  It's been life changing for us to have her in our home every day, she quickly went from a little baby girl who loves to be held and was kind of quiet and sweet as ever to a little bit bigger baby girl who will tell you when she wants a "nack" and point to her mouth for water.  Want to go "as-side" and play, or get "up" and boogie to some jams shes heard.  Shaking her head like crazy and now stomp hopping one foot and power fisting it in the air lol.  She holds one of Sadie's dinosaurs and hollers "oh noooo" and acts like its chasing us.  She loves Bubble Guppies with a passion (well, they all do!) and sings the song to her self. Sitting in her high chair she will talk jibber jabber to herself and everyone who will hear, very loudly, and with much feeling, lol.  She is getting so confident today we went to MCMall with a few mama friends for a play date and Addy was SO cute she would run to find me and then run and go play totally confident in her little self for a long time, the ruuun to find me, make sure i was still around and then run off to play.  We  road the carousel and she was pretty nervous about it at first but i kept comforting her telling her she was safe and she let go and enjoyed the rest of the ride lol.  Its been so fun to see her get her own little personality, she loves to make others laugh... she wants to be the jokester and she laughs at herself a lot.  Her scratchy voice saying "was-zat" has developed to "was-zat was-zat was-zat' over and over until you explain whatever shes wanting to know all about ;)  She'll see a truck anywhere we go and immediately say "daddy, where r u?"  so cute. She puts her passie to sleep in her bag and without any hesitation leaves it there til her nap time.  She will say please and sorry and thank you without being asked now and she will give love to Sadie and "sissy" as she calls Kehnley too. SO CUTE!  I miss her on days she is away and I love her toothy grin.  I've never been an aunt before, its not the same as your own...but its pretty stinkin close!  Kehnley said she needed to have a sleep over and addy stay all night some time, to me today lol...I am sure her mama and daddy would miss her but it was sweet of her to think that way. 

You always wonder as a parent if you make the right choices and when you look back if you will be glad you have done certain things.  I know that its been a transition and poor sadie still struggles to "chare" all her toys, but they really do love having her here and for Kehnley to ask that and Sadie to look for her in the mornings even on a Saturday tells me that it was a good choice. 

I have learned more dependence on the Lord, more creative ways to redirect, more need for less laundry and more loving, more compassion for the woman at walmart with a basket full of crying children, the reason God didn't give me twins when i asked for them for 5 years, the deep desire I have to parent and parent well comes from Him alone, and the grace that follows me every day.  I am so grateful for all these lessons and more, that having these girls by my side pulling on my legs  and running in between them everyday teaching me how to do it better.

One of our most precious times of the day is right at breakfast time before we watch a show while everyone is sitting in their seats starting to eat breakfast, we pray together for a certain godly character to develop in our hearts that day, sometimes kehnley prays but I always close praying for each of them where they are, and we read a bible verse about that character...hearing their "amen"s and seeing the smiles on their faces when we open the bible (and thanks to Sadie sing the B-I-B-L-E every time) makes anything else that we may face in the day pale in comparison.  They give me a deep desire to be closer to the Lord every day and pursue joy with true intention. 

Here are some of my fav. Addy shots from this year together so far... ;)

IMG_3707 IMG_2917 IMG_2924
IMG_2914

IMG_2814 IMG_2749  IMG_2744
addy ks    IMG_2944   IMG_3547  IMG_3367 IMG_3357
IMG_3373    IMG_2648


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