First Month of Thankful

Posted on May 6, 2014 by justeeni

It has already been more than a month since I started keeping track of a blessing-a-day, and what a month it has been! Little did I know when I started this project that I would wrap up my first month living in a new home and house-hunting. The past week has been very busy with last minute packing, moving, cleaning, rearranging, and unpacking, but I’ve managed to keep my resolution so far and I thought it would be fun to share some of the things I’ve been learning along the way.

1. I am so very thankful for my husband and kiddos. Can you tell? The munchkins make it in to the majority of my pictures and even the ones that don’t include a munchkin usually represent a moment that did involve one or both of them. While two little ones make life busy and sometimes overwhelming, I certainly am grateful for my girls and wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. Not clean floors or grown-up conversation or free time or sleep or anything else! As for Dan, I’ve been resisting the urge to write down “Dan” or “time with Dan” or anything of the sort, saving those ones for special days. No repeats allowed, you know.

2. I love weekends! I actually keep a journal and during my quiet time each day I try to write down at least three things I’m thankful for. One Friday I looked back and realized that “Friday!” was making the list over and over (exclamation mark and all). I love Fridays because once Dan comes home from work, he doesn’t leave me until Monday. (I do not love Mondays). Saturdays are my Dan day. Sundays are nice too, but with church we spend more time talking to others. My “Fridays” haven’t made it into a picture yet because it feels too easy. I’m trying to make myself be specific.

3. The real lesson I’ve been learning is that it’s just not enough to be thankful for one thing a day. I can quite vividly recall fuming in frustration one afternoon. I was standing in my kitchen looking out at the messy living room, upset that the day had gone so terribly. There was not a grateful bone in my body as I stood there and this lesson hit me. It wasn’t working. Not that day anyway. And I realized that it’s not enough to make a little list of blessings, even if you do it every day. I want my life to be one of continual gratitude and joy, in each moment, in each difficulty, trusting God and rejoicing in the blessings He’s given me. I am learning to count my blessings and trust God’s long-term plan. It’s not quick or clean or easy, but I can see that God is making me a more grateful person. But I always come back to the place where I am so thankful that it’s not based on me at all but on what Jesus did for me. I’ll never be good enough. This project is just another way that God is showing me I’m not and never will be. Thank God I don’t have to be. He is.

And so wraps up one month of twelve. One month closer to my 27th birthday. One month behind me filled with little happy moments. Eleven months to go.

Easter According to Lydia

Posted on April 22, 2014 by justeeni

We had a wonderful Easter spending time together as a family and with friends, celebrating the resurrection of our Savior. There were new and pretty dresses. There was a potluck breakfast. There was a joyous Easter service. There were lots and lots of pictures. It was, indeed, a celebration. And on Monday, when all the festivities were over, Lydia agreed to share with you all what she has learned about Easter.

“We Got To Love One Another”

Posted on April 17, 2014 by justeeni

During lunch the other day Lydia and I were discussing Easter.

We learned that Good Friday is when we remember “Jesus died” (imagine an adorable two-year-old voice saying that part). Easter is when we remember “Jesus alive!”. I went on to inform Lydia that on Sunday a lot of people will be saying “He is risen” and the proper response would be “He is risen indeed!”. Suddenly Lydia beamed a smile and said, “Plam bracks!”.

“Plam bracks!”…

“Plum bracks!”…

“Plan tree?”…

She was so excited but I didn’t know what she was talking about. We puzzled together for a few moments before I figured it out: “Palm branches!”.

“Yes, we got to wave palm branches on Sunday because it was Palm Sunday.”

I have always enjoyed the week between Palm Sunday and Easter. I set aside my current Bible reading to slowly read through the last week of Jesus’ life in Luke, starting with Palm Sunday. It’s a time to remember, reflect, and be thankful.

I have always enjoyed the Good Friday service. When I lived in Arkansas for two years I was disappointed to learn that the churches in the area didn’t do anything for Good Friday. Here in Michigan I enjoy Good Friday: the hymns, the communion, the story of the cross, and the quiet way everyone leaves knowing that the next time we see each other will be in joyful celebration.

This year I’m remembering and celebrating Good Friday and Easter with a new joy: the joy of teaching the wonderful story to Lydia. We picked up The Very First Easter from the library on Saturday and each day I read a couple of pages to Lydia. There’s a lot of writing for a two-year-old, so we’re spreading the book out to last until Easter Sunday. After our two-pages, we look at the rest of the pictures in the book and I tell her the story.

We’re learning a new memory verse this week too:

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ lay down His life for us. And we ought to lay down out lives for our brothers. 1 John 3:16

I tried to put it to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and it sort of evolved into it’s own song. The only problem is that Lydia sings, “And we got to lay down our lives…”

I don’t know how much she gets just yet. But she can remember that Good Friday is when “Jesus died”, she can remember waving the “plam tree” on Palm Sunday, and she can say with enthusiasm “Jesus alive!”. And she’s learning that “We got to love one another”. It does this Mommy’s heart good to teach my girl some truth and celebrate together.

Happy early Easter. He is risen indeed!

Abby Update: 7 Months Old

Posted on April 15, 2014 by justeeni

Weight: 12 pounds, 11 ounces

This month, Abby learned how to roll from her tummy to her back! Although she can now roll anywhere she wants, she remains pretty content on her back or tummy most of the time. When she does want to move, she rotates in a circle and can make it more than halfway around.

Abby has also learned how to hold on to things and grab. She likes to hold on to blankets, toys, and her sister’s clothing. She, like her sister, loves to hold my hair.

Abby has the most squishable chubby cheeks and amazing blue eyes. I don’t remember Lydia’s eyes ever being so brilliantly blue and I am secretly hoping the blue eyes and reddish hair are here to stay. But we’ll see.

Can you believe she used to be the same size as that doll?

Abby has no teeth yet and we are really enjoying her happy toothless grin. I’ve mentioned, occasionally, that I don’t want the toothless grin to ever go away, but Dan assures me it would eventually cease to be so cute. I guess he’s right. She is often very smiley, but occasionally gets in moods where nothing anyone can do will get her to smile.

Abby is a conundrum when it comes to sleeping at night. Some weeks she’ll sleep until 7 AM every single day. Other weeks she gets up once or twice. She almost always will go right back to sleep, so I’m still a happy mommy. And, even though we can’t get her on a consistent schedule during the day, she always lets me get a nap so I am, again, a happy mommy.

It is hard to believe that Abigail is now over half a year old. The first months were slow and long and hard, but since she has been home the time has flown and she just keeps growing bigger and happier and more and more loved.

Lydia’s Room Redo

Posted on April 8, 2014 by justeeni

Last month I spent a day organizing and rearranging our master bedroom. It was a lot of work but instantly worth it! Our room remains clean and happy and is my little haven in our home. I had so much fun doing it and have so enjoyed the results, that I decided to set apart every other Friday for big projects like this one. Then, illness, travel, and birthdays messed up my plans and it took much more than two weeks for me to enjoy another “Big Project Friday” (as I’ve started to call them). But, at last, it happened.

And, no, I still haven’t gotten to the laundry room.

The higher priority this time was Lydia’s room. It wasn’t really a disaster. There was just one problem: toys, and lots of them. Too many toys. And stuffed animals. And books. Everywhere.

I thought I could take care of Lydia’s room and the linen closet and the laundry room, but Lydia’s room alone turned out to be just enough to fill a whole day. I must say, I’m particularly pleased with this redo. I sorted through piles of clothes from newborn to 18 month and ended up with two huge bags of clothing to give away and share with friends. I went through all of Lydia’s book and toys and determined that we really did lose her pink flower sunglasses. I found her missing baby doll bottle. Now I know where all of Lydia’s stuff is and where it belongs. And, like all of my organizing projects, this one got a lot worse before it got better.

So, without further ado, here are the pictures. (I apologize for the quality of these pictures. Lydia’s room doesn’t have a lot of natural or artificial lighting. It’s fine in real life, but not great for pictures.)

Lydia loves it. I love it. And, I’m pretty sure Dan loves it too. Lydia spends much more time playing in her room than she used to. The light switch on the wall actually turns on her lamp. And there’s a place for everything sorted and neatly put away into boxes and bins in the closet or under the bed (or in the bag next to the kitchen for easy access to the toy food, pots, pans, and aprons). At first I was afraid Lydia was too young to remember where things went. She was busily cooking some pretend soup and pulling out toys one after another. Later, she came out into the living room and I poked my head in to find that she had put (almost) everything away in its place. This is one happy Mommy with two happy rooms in this house.

Perhaps I shall tackle the laundry room next?

(A Little More Than) 30,000 Words

Posted on April 3, 2014 by justeeni

Our little Abby-girl is getting so big and chubby and strong.

and cute.

and smart.

Oh and, don’t forget about this little munchkin!

I recently promised her a tea party.

Abby, can I get a smile out of you?

Hey there!

I think you are a…

Pretty girl.

Aren’t we charming?

Abby too.

Lydia is still bigger.

Let’s hope she doesn’t take advantage of that.

Abby, smile! Lydia, smile for real!

Oh dear.

A little better but we had to leave one out.

Lydia sometimes asks to hold Abby.

Ok girls, lets wrap this up with a picture of you both. Smile.

Abby, you too.

Now both…

Close enough.

Munchkin Update: 2 Years, 10 Months

Posted on April 1, 2014 by justeeni

Sometimes when Lydia is sleepy, all curled up in my arms with her hair in one hand and her thumb in her mouth, and I’m just holding her as she absentmindedly plays with that hair and sucks that thumb, I think “I don’t ever want to let go”.

This kid is full of

fun.

energy.

sweetness.

spunk.

joy.

The other day Lydia disappeared into her bedroom. When she walked out again she had on a bracelet rattle, a talking toy purse, and a pair of pajama pants on her head. She said, “I’m Mary.” We still haven’t figured out if she is Mary from the Bible or someone we know named Mary.

Later Dan took Lydia to Meijer. We always stop to let her look at the fish, and the last time we visited them she said goodbye to every fish tank before leaving. When she got home from Meijer she promptly went back to her room and put the pajama pants back on her head.

Lydia has been mastering Bible memory verses little by little. We are currently working on John 3:16 (to the tune of Silent Night). I added hand motions this time and was extremely confused when we had a visitor one day and Lydia kept telling her she liked the “lotion”. We finally figured out that she wanted to sing the song with the motions.

Speaking of visitors, one of Lydia’s favorite things to do when we have a visitor is fetch them their shoes when they are getting ready to leave. We never told her to do it, she just figured out that when people leave they need shoes, and she decided to be helpful. Now she fetches their shoes, will give them their purse if they have one, and often insists on a hug before they leave.

Dan’s current favorite though, is at bedtime. After Dan spends a few minutes laying on “the green bed” with Lydia, he wishes her goodnight and gets up to leave. She stops him and insists, “No, no, stay for a while!”

We’re Going to the Mountains

Posted on March 27, 2014 by justeeni

A couple of weeks ago we took a trip to the mountains. It was inspired by a book of Lydia’s and by her incessant chanting of “We’re going to the mountains!”. We don’t always do everything our almost-three-year-old tells us to do, but in this case, we did.

We packed our bags. They included: a toy camera, sunflower seeds and raisins (trail-mix, of course), hats, scarves, and a baseball glove and ball. We loaded up the car and headed out.

Little brother and Abigail had a few arguments during the drive and there were a few “Are we there yet?”s, but it wasn’t too bad in all. We listened to music, read a picture book, took turns driving, and avoided taking a single bathroom break. Abby slept almost the whole time and we managed to make it all the way to the Grand Himalayan Alps in what really felt like just a few minutes.

Since Abby was still sleeping, we decided to just leave her in the car. Please don’t judge our parenting decisions. The parking lot was practically empty anyway.

Then we headed out to climb the biggest mountain we could find. We took a break about halfway up on a nice grassy plateou, where Lydia took a short nap. Then we resumed our climbing.

Near the top we had a close encounter with a bear. By ringing a bell and shouting at it, we managed to scare him away. Then we ascended the very highest peak. We stopped to munch on trail mix and enjoy the view.

No one felt like playing ball just then, so I guess it was good that we had left our bag in the car with Abigail. Lydia didn’t take any pictures either, but I brought my camera along so that turned out ok too. After soaking in all the beauty surrounding us from that height, we made our way back down the mountain and back to the car. Abby was safe and sound and still sleeping. The drive home felt longer but was actually shorter. lydia made good time.

It was a great trip. I know not everyone has the time and resources to drop everything and drive to the Alps, but, for those who do, I highly recommend it.

Apple Pie for Breakfast

Posted on March 25, 2014 by justeeni

We had apple pie for breakfast last week and I don’t even feel bad about it.

You see, we have been trying to help Lydia memorize Bible verses for a while now. She has a great memory, especially when things are put to music. I’m not great at making up my own tunes (I can never remember the tune once I’ve made it up), but I’m not too shabby at taking old tunes and giving them new words.

So our first Bible memory song was Acts 16:31 set to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”. It went like so:

Acts sixteen thirty one
They replied, “Believe
in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved,
you and your household.

The “you and your household” didn’t fit so we just sort of chant it quickly at the end and Lydia thought that was great.

Well, as awesome as that was, I couldn’t get Lydia to prove to me that she had learned it. I was sure she had because we had sung it so many times I found myself humming it frequently when no one else was even around. But, how to get her to recite for me?

Enter apple pie. I had the bright idea of offering Lydia dessert if she could sing her song for Daddy. Throughout the day, Lydia would ask me and I would remind her that I would make her an apple pie if she could sing the song all by herself in front of Daddy. No sooner did he walk in the door that afternoon and she burst into song.

That night happened to be terribly busy and I eventually had to apologize to Lydia and tell her the pie wouldn’t be done baking until too late. Instead, we would be having apple pie for breakfast. And the reason I could do so is that this pie wasn’t laden with sugary, buttery goodness. In fact, if you could see the recipe, you might realize that it wasn’t a whole lot different from sliced apples and toast as far as ingredients go.

And because I think everybody should get to have apple pie for breakfast, here is the recipe for you all to enjoy.

Breakfast Apple Pie
Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup coconut oil
6 to 7 tablespoons cold water
6 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced
10 dates
cinnamon

1. In a small bowl, combine flour and salt; mix in coconut oil until mixture is crumbly. Gradually stir in water until a ball forms.
2. Divide dough in half so that one ball is slightly larger than the other. Roll out larger ball on a lightly floured surface to fit your pie plate. Transfer to plate.
3. Grind up dates in a food processor. You’ll end up with small sticky chunks of date mush.
4. Layer pie with half of your apples. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Evenly distribute date mush balls. Cover with the other half of your apples and sprinkle generously with more cinnamon.
5. Roll out second dough ball to fit top of pie. Place over filling. Cut slits in top, and shape extra dough into a pretty heart to put in the center.
6. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 55-60 minutes or until apples are tender. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator.

The date mush balls are yummier than they sound. After enjoying pie for breakfast and more for dessert after dinner, Lydia was given a new Bible verse. She wasn’t too enthused about this one (1 Thessalonians 5:16) until we offered her chocolate banana “ice cream” as a reward. Then she learned it in about two days.

Abby Update: 6 Months Old

Posted on March 20, 2014 by justeeni

Weight: 11 pounds, 14 ounces

Yesterday Abby had her 6 month check up and she’s doing great. Her iron, which has been very low ever since she was born, and especially since the UofM incident, is finally up above the normal threshold. Her weight is increasing at a happy rate and she’s closing in on first percentile (which, for us, is a big deal). Her left foot, which has been turned in since before she was born, most likely due to her breech position is improving, but still turned in enough for us to be doing some work on it at home. She may or may not need to see orthopedics in a few months.

This month Abby started out waking up during some nights, but now is consistently sleeping about 7-9 hours a night. Even during our trip up north, she kept sleeping through. On the other hand, we haven’t been able to get her on any sort of predictable eating/sleeping routine or schedule. Until a couple of days ago, that is, when she suddenly started eating and napping about every three hours with one extra snack in the morning. We’ll see how long this lasts.

Abby rolled over this month, from her tummy to her back. She smiles a lot, and loves to be talked to (probably due to a lack of attention which is definitely due to a needy older sister who shall remain nameless). She started laughing recently which is so much fun.

One of Abby’s favorite things is what we call the baby blimp. Even when she’ll in an all-out crying fit, we can usually get a smile out of her using this little technique. Lydia calls it the baby balloon.

This month Abby starred in our Church’s talent show: Fur Rondezvous, in “The Story of Abigail“.

Abby still loves to bounce. She loves her bouncy seat and is in the process of learning to fall asleep without Mom or Dad bouncing her into sleep. She’s getting close to being able to hold onto things, which will be especially fun as Lydia always wants to give her toys to hold. She’s looking more like her older sister. Every day we love her more and couldn’t imagine life without our Abigail.

MI Taylor Family

We live in Michigan.

Tag Archives: family