Just remembering...

...what happened eight years ago today.  I wish I had the time to write more, but little ones are beckoning :)  Apparently, I had more time on my hands last year at this time :)  heehee...  To find out what happened (I know you're ALL on the edge of your seats!!!), you can read about it here.  I love you, J!!!

The big 18

Thankfully, we're not talking years.  Yet.  If these last 18 months are any indication of the next 16.5 years, we'll be talking "years" in no time.  Elyse is entering the toddler realm (though still not toddling on her own YET) and seems to be enjoying life.  Her new exclamation is "YAY!" most of the day, and it can be exclaimed over nap time, applesauce, milk, or the prospect of going bye-bye.  We hear "YAY!" non-stop.  I hear "YAY!" when I'm reminding her to obey after a mommy pow-wow.  Encouraging.  :)  No, she's not walking.  I repeat, still not walking.  I am learning that kids do things whenever they're ready, so she just must not be ready! :)  When she is ready, however, I just might give her a bowl of ice cream.  Okay, maybe not a whole bowl...  It's hard to sum up what Elyse is into these days, because she is learning and growing so much!  Her new love is music.  She still loves her books, but music is encroaching.  She has only a few cd's that we put on in her room during "playtime" (which consists of puttin' up the baby gate so mommy can do all the things she can't do when the baby gate isn't up), but she is obsessed with them.  In fact, every time we put her down for a nap, get her up from a nap, go into her room, leave her room, and numerous other occasions, she points to her cd player and asks for a "D.D."  I need to get some new music.  I hear these songs in my dreams, sing them in the shower, find myself writing new words for them... In fact, as I am typing this, Elyse woke traumatized because her arm was awkwardly stuck in the slats of her crib, and when I went in and picked her up, she asked for a "D.D."  *sigh*

She is still taking a morning nap, and I am thankful that she allows me that extra time during the day.  I have a feeling it will be gone soon, but I won't wish it away right now.  She is trying so hard to say whatever we say, but it just comes out hilarious.  Her version of "butterfly" is "peeappee" (?), and "water" is "waywee"...  I don't know where she comes up with this stuff, but it's quite funny.  Most meals we eat together consist of Elyse saying "Mommy?" and "Daddy?" over and over again as she looks back and forth between us.  She's mostly transitioned out of signing, but some of those words are still a mystery :)  She loves to find her bellybutton randomly throughout the day, and she still loves to brush her teeth, thankfully.  She loves to cruise around the house uttering jibberish in a sing-songy voice and sort of gallops like a horse as she crawls around the house.  It's bizarre.

Elyse is now doing very well with Emily, and we're thankful for that.  We've had a great week or so without much jealousy, and Elyse really seems to enjoy watching Emily.  I'll try to narrow down a few of my fun's for this age, and I guess I should include my not-so-fun's, too :)  I'm not going to lie, I am amazed at how incredibly fun and incredibly difficult this age for Elyse is.  We still have some communication barriers, to put it mildly, and a certain little girl is apparently just as stubborn as her parents are!  She is such a joy to us, though, and we're so thankful for the privilege it is to parent her.  I'm still amazed at how much we can love these little girls!

fun's:

* hearing Elyse shout "Emmie" as she plows over to wherever Emily is

* the crazy, goofy facial expressions this girl makes as she eats (just to get our attention)

* hearing "Mommy" when she wants my attention

* singing and praying with her before bed, watching her try to fold her hands

* as we pray at night for our family, seeing her perk up and say "Daddy?" just in case I might forget

* seeing her "that's icky" face as she tries something she hates (I never laugh :) 

* peeking in room during her playtime and seeing her flipping through her books, talking in a sing-songy voice

* watching her laugh and play with Daddy
* watching her dance in her crib (a trick Daddy taught her)

* watching her try to get every last speck of her yogurt out of the bowl
* seeing her take a drink of her milk every time she sees me take a drink of my water

* somehow, she thinks "up" means "please."  We hear "UP" all day :) 

not-so-fun's:

* tantrums.  I'll leave it at that.  I'm so thankful God promises to give wisdom and grace!

* having her say "up" and having NO IDEA what she wants

* she seems to get quite attached to random toys, and more power to the person who attempts to take them away from her!

* she now hates to get her hair washed at bath time.  Ug.

* for some reason, diaper changing is the new form of torture :) 

* peeking into her room as she's sleeping and getting sad just thinking about how soon it will be before she's all grown up.  I love this girl!

Sisters, Sisters...

Do you think Emily looks like Elyse?

Elyse                             Emily

Elyse

Emily

Elyse

 Emily

Elyse

Emily

Elyse

Emily

Happy Father's Day!

I'm so thankful that this day really does make me truly thankful. It's not a thankfulness I have to "muster up," since I am truly blessed beyond words to have such a great dad and to be married to such a great dad. A good man is hard to find :) Elyse has a book about daddies, and it lists all the great things daddies do. I could go on and on listing all the amazing things that the dads in my life do, but more importantly, it's who they are that means so much more. I'm so thankful that our daughters will grow up knowing that their daddy is honest, trustworthy, faithful, loving, godly, hard-working, etc... Knowing how much that means to me as a daughter makes me all the more excited for the day that our girls see it for themselves. The older I get, the more I realize how precious and rare those traits are. I have a feeling that two certain little girls in this home will definitely want to marry Daddy when they grow up :)

We love you, Daddy!

ONE month old!

Emily Mae is one month old today. What in the world? I know this is only the beginning of how fast she will grow up, and I am determined to enjoy every moment. I don't always succeed, but I keep determining to succeed :) Emily is still quite tiny, and I really have no idea what she weighs... at her 2 week appointment, she was 7.5 pounds, but I can definitely see that she's filling out! I'm enjoying the fact that she is actually awake after eating, and I love to see her look around and check out her surroundings. She LOVES to be held, and, I admit, we indulge her a lot. Most of the time, it's easier to tote her around the house as I care for Elyse, and Em is just fine with that. Yes, it will probably come back to bite us! Emily, from birth, was quite a night owl. We have spent many a night roaming the house with her, praying she will doze off. This is new for us, as Elyse seemed to love sleeping at night (though we had a few really exciting nights with her, too), but I really am learning to nap when and where I can. Each week seems to get better, though, and I think she's getting the hang of this whole sleeping-at-night thing. As desperate as I am for a routine, I will desperately miss having my little girl doze off on my tummy or in my arms. These weeks are so precious! Sleep will come later, right? :) My husband has been a lifesaver in every sense of the word, and there is NO way I can fathom how mommies manage 2 little ones with no help. He has patiently stepped into every realm of this household, including the realm of diapers, cooking, shopping, bathing the girls, and the list could go on. I have truly seen the love of Christ in the love of my husband. We've had lots of quality bonding time. Parenting two really does redefine parenting! Funny story: we were leaving church the very first Sunday we had 2 girls, and we had yet to get a double stroller. I was pushing one girl, and Jordan was pushing the other. He sweetly looked over at me and commented that parenting with me was pretty fun. In many ways, it really does feel like we just started this game :) These girls are so blessed to have such a wonderful dad. Well, I should type out a few of my "fun's" and "not-so-fun's" for Emily to have for posterity's sake...

fun's:

* the dreamy smiles are seriously the cutest thing in the world

* the smell of a newborn

* the way her lips form a little "o" as if she's deep in thought

* the sleepy looks she gives me in the middle of the night when I'm barely conscious

* the REAL smiles I've started to get- can't wait for more!

* tiny fingers and toes

* soft, fuzzy hair

* imagining what fun these two girls will have together in a couple of years

not-so-fun's:

* I miss sleep.

* a lot.

* hiccups that brutally disturb the deepest of Emily's sleep

* flying by the seat of my pants :)

* our car is seriously a baby-mobile. I see the need for a minivan.

* hearing Emily scream after she hears her sister scream... in a totally different way :-/

* waking up and having my first thought be, "am I going to have time for a shower today?"

* I still haven't been able to mesh the girls' schedules... project #1 for this month!

We love you, Emily! I promise, you won't always have to live in a messy house and wear the same outfit two days in a row. Mommy will get her act together sometime! This IS temporary!

The "not-so-careful" family

I came home from a quick grocery trip yesterday to find this picture on my camera. ONLY when Daddy is babysitting would a stunt like this take place, and I absolutely LOVE it. You see, I come from the careful family (a long-standing joke), and a member of the careful family would never do something so foolish as to prop up a newborn baby against a very squirmy toddler (even if Daddy's careful hands are within inches of this frame). You see, Elyse hasn't even really held her sister yet. I know, I know, I'm probably a bit extreme, but if you saw what this girl does to her baby doll, you'd make the same decision. I promise. I'm telling you, she's brutal. Her poor doll. It's just simply not a good idea to have her holding Emily right now. But, that is why it is so important that a member of the careful family marry a normal person: so we can get really cute pictures (and a myriad of other reasons). I love these two pumpkins, and I love their daddy who made this picture possible.

P.S. I also love this picture because Elyse is holding the remote (a known "no-no" in our home) while she watches her favorite movie. Deep down, I couldn't give a rip, but you see now why mommies just aren't as fun, right? :) Stay tuned: you just might see a picture of Elyse holding Emily next :)

Perfection

Well, actually... spiritual perfection. That's what "seven" in biblical numerology stands for. I wouldn't exactly say that we've hit that mark in our seven years of marriage, but these seven years have been perfect in so many ways. Jordan, you continue to keep your vows to me every day of our marriage, and I don't think I'll ever be able to listen to this song without tearing up. Just as we stood in front of family and friends seven years ago tonight and listened to this song, I'm replaying the words in my head today. May we have many, many more years of

being there for each other. Happy Seventh!

I Will Be Here

Steven Curtis Chapman

Tomorrow morning if you wake up,

And the sun does not appear,

I will be here.

If in the dark, we lose sight of love

Hold my hand, and have no fear

'Cause I will be here.

I will be here

When you feel like being quiet,

When you need to speak your mind,

I will listen,

And I will be here.

When the laughter turns to cryin'

Through the winning, losing and trying

We'll be together-

I will be here.

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up ,

And the future is unclear,

I will be here.

Just as sure as seasons were made for change

Our lifetimes were made for these years,

So I will be here.

I will be here,

And you can cry on my shoulder

When the mirror tells us we're older

I will hold you,

And I will be here

To watch you grow in beauty

And tell you all the things you are to me-

I will be here.

I will be true to the promise I have made

To you and to the One who gave you to me.

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up,

And the sun does not appear,

I will be here.

Oh, I will be here.

10 things I love about you:

To my dear Emily,

1. I love your smell. I had almost forgotten how beautiful a newborn person smells.

2. I love the way you sleep on my stomach. Your sister does her best to wake you at times, but you sleep so deeply.

3. I love the dreamy smiles you bless me with in your sleep. Please keep smiling!

4. I love your tiny toes and fingers. You are wonderfully made.

5. I love hearing your little noises (at least the ones you make with your mouth). They are so cute, I could just squeeze you.

6. I love when your eyes are open. You're only two weeks old, so I'll cut you some slack, but please let me see more of those baby blues!

7. I love your fuzzy hair. I love it, love it, love it.

8. I love your squishy temples. I could kiss them all day.

9. I love how sweet and easy you are to please!

10. I love looking at you and being reminded that your Daddy and I are in love for life. We love you to pieces, too!

I made your sister promise in the hospital when she was 1 day old that she would never grow up. She obviously hasn't kept her promise. I don't expect you to keep this promise either, but I'll still ask that you stay newborn forever. I have to at least ask.