Auburn Grace is 4 Months Old!

She is the sweetest things since chocolate pie, and she is adorable as a cuddly little panda bear- that's our little Auburn Grace.  My how she has grown!  Some of her nicknames: Sweet Thing, Babycakes, Sweet Girl.  She loves to smile, coo, and play in the bathtub (after months of hating it!).  She loves to watch Elijah play, and smiles at us whenever we look at her.  She sleeps well, eats well, and still spits up after just about every meal.  She has the roundest little tummy and the most petite little feet.  She is beautiful in so many ways, and she is a joy to have in our lives. Weight- 14 lbs 6 oz   Height- 25.5 inches

My dearest Auburn Grace,
   Words cannot describe how much I love you and how much of a blessing you are in my life.  Your smile brings joy to my heart, your sweet face melts my heart, and your very being tells me that we serve a loving and good God.  I am so proud of you and so thankful you are my daughter.  I cannot wait for the days when we will have long, late night talks, share desserts while laughing out loud, and of course have shop 'til you drop shopping trips.  Until then, I'll keep snuggling you, cuddling you, and loving on you as much as possible.  I love you so very much.
                                                                                                     Mom

Today's Photoshoot

I tried to get these two little rascals to pose for some pictures
and after about 15 shots, we finally got a decent shot!

Auburn Grace loves her little baby doll that Daddy brought her.

Elijah is such a sweet big brother and loves to give AG kisses!

She always has those hands in her mouth!

Cutie Patootie

Auburn Grace makes a new friend!

Some of our dearest friends were able to come for a visit last week, and we had such an amazing time with them.  They have three children, the youngest of whom is 6 months old- Tobin.  Auburn Grace was mezmorized by him and really loved "talking" to him and staring at him.  Tobin seemed to really be fond of AG as well!



The Fallacy of Fulfillment

So one night last week, I laid in the bed whining to David (I do that sometimes, and he really is always so good to give me wise, Biblical counsel) about my lacking fulfillment in my role as a wife and mom that week.  Some weeks I feel good about things- like I am doing my job and that everything is going as it should.  And some weeks I just feel like I should be doing more, and I want to.

So there I was, whining about how I was not feeling fulfilled in living out recycled weeks cluttered with the mundane tasks of changing diapers, washing clothes, cooking meals, and disciplining children.  I felt like I should be out there changing the world, sharing life giving truths with others, and moving mountains.  I should be making a difference in the lives of others.  Because if I were out there doing that I would certainly feel fulfilled.  Or would I? 

After pondering this overnight and praying for God's perspective He gave me a heaping dose of it.  Fulfilliment, at least in the way I often think of it, is a fallacy.  Basically what He helped me to see is that the only true fulfillment comes from being "filled-full" of Christ alone.  My joy must be complete in Him and only Him.

I can be busy from morning until night doing all kinds of things that I deem as worthy tasks and yet I can continue to go through life each day lacking a real filling full of Jesus.

In all actuality, fulfillment is not a worthy goal to strive for.  Feeling fulfilled is not what my aim should be.  As Piper reminds us, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."  So what should my ultimate goal and purpose each day be?  God's glory.  God's fame.  And what of my need to be fulfilled?  Like so many other things, it must be put to death so that Christ can truly dwell in and through me.  And as He does this, and as I choose to walk in this, I will delight in the tasks He has ordained for me daily as I love Him more, serve Him more, find more joy in Him, and am filled full of Him.

It's Official!

Well, we are officially potty training Elijah now, and we are well on our way.  When he turned 2 we bought him a little potty that sings and put it in the bathroom for him to familiarize himself with.  At first he wouldn't even go near the potty.  Then he decided that it was fun to sit on it with his pants on. Then he started carrying it around the house and playing with it- taking it apart, standing on it, etc. Obviously, he was not quite ready learning to use the potty in its proper state so we put off potty training for a while. 

I read a few articles and a chapter from several books on potty training to try to get a better grasp on the different methods there are out there, and to see which one might work best for Elijah.  Many of our friends put their child through potty training "boot camp" which definitely did not seem like the method of choice for Elijah.  Others had a "potty party" to kick off the training time.  I do love parties, but I decided not to go that route either.  In the end, we decided to take a laid back approach letting him use the potty as he would and encouraging him with little treats.  This has definitely worked well for Elijah.

He has been using his potty full-time for the past 2 weeks, and has made great improvements during that time.  He has mastered pooping in our potty, and always tells us when he needs to go.  Peeing is a different story as he often will still just go in his pull-up if he is busy playing or simply not thinking about it.  But when we remind him, he does a super job everytime.  Gummy bears are his treat of choice for peeing and chocolate kisses for pooping.  I think we will work with him another week or so, and then probably try putting him in his new Cars underwear to see if he will learn to hold it a little better. 

So I definitely would not say we are all the way there yet, but he is doing great, and we are great with this slower, more laid back, no messes approach.

Aaaahhhh-Gooooo

Auburn Grace has really started talking now, and it is just so precious to us.  I think those first little sounds are such a wonderful momen to hold on to in our children's lives.  These first "words" spoken signifying the first ideas going through their minds and maybe even the first feelings running through their hearts.  These are the things to treasure.