 |
| Bath time! |
 |
| Gabe's favorite seat: waiting on food! |
 |
| Chase, Daddy, and their Mini Snowman |
 |
| Snow Dusting in our Backyard |
 |
| 9 Months Old and Ready for Church! |
 |
| "Spiderman" and His Sidekick Gabe |
We’re well into 2013 and over halfway through winter. I have to admit this has been a hard year so far. I always find this time of year to be dreary with the cold weather and short days. I’ve personally experienced a lot of spiritual warfare over the past couple of months—I won’t go into great detail with personal issues because I like to keep the tone of this blog positive. I’ll just leave it at I’m looking forward to better days ahead and thankful to see God at work in my life. One thing is for sure, every Christian experiences seasons of hardship in their life; although it’s often hard to understand why we go through these painful times, we have to trust that God is molding us into better people through these encounters. With that said, I open this blog post with the theme that I’m trying to turn my winter woes into spring joys.
Even though raising two boys isn’t a cakewalk, it keeps Tim and me laughing (when we’re not pulling our hair out) and helps keep our focus optimistic. Gabriel is growing incredibly fast—is it just me or does it seem like the second child grows up quicker? Gabe is 9 ½ months old and not only crawling all over the house, but he’s pulling up on his own. The baby gates are being put to use, but that still doesn’t stop him from getting into mischief. He’s exploring everything and can be brazen at times, which means we have to watch him like a hawk to prevent him from getting hurt (doesn’t always work, but we try). He still has his hearty appetite, but crawling and constant activities keep him long and lean. He weighed in at just over 19 pounds at his 9 month check-up, which puts him in the lower percentile for weight, but he’s just the opposite for height (much like Chase). There are two new additions to his dimply grin: both upper front teeth. I was up at 5 in the morning today thanks to those two little rascals cutting the surface. Some blondish shade of hair is starting to grow—looks darker on the sides and lighter on the top. His eyes are a dark shade of blue and look to have a touch of gray and hazel; without good lighting it’s hard to tell they’re blue, but they are. Mornings often come too soon with him (teething may be to blame), and it’s easy to tell when he’s ready to take a nap or turn in for the night because he starts sucking his thumb.
Chase is still as rambunctious as ever, but I’m proud of him for learning so much in school. He’s had wonderful reports from his teacher. Mrs. Urquhart describes Chase as a very outgoing, fun-loving kid. His vocabulary has expanded and he talks so much more clearly now. He still has the same infectious smile, but behind that smile are habits that still need to be corrected. I know some people leave out anything negative about their kids and act like they’re angels, but I prefer to keep it real. Chase’s biggest challenges right now are: not wanting to share toys with Gabe and retaliating by hitting or pushing; interrupting Tim and me when we try to talk; stalling for bedtime and not cooperating in the mornings; not always using manners. None of this is out of the ordinary for a 3 year old, but we’re still trying to nip these bad habits in the bud and discipline accordingly. Overall, he’s still an “awesome” kid (he uses the word “awesome” to describe his favorite things). And, everything is still all about Spiderman in Chase’s world. He likes to wear his Spiderman costume (the one from Halloween and another one he got for Christmas) and pretend he’s conquering all of the bad guys in the world. I’d like to thank my sister for getting him a Spiderman drum for Christmas (sarcasm intended). On the flip side of his boyish hobbies, he still enjoys baking cookies and cupcakes with me—especially the part when he gets to use the sprinkles!
Tim and I are still struggling to figure out the perfect balance between work, spending time with the kids and time with just the two of us, keeping up with the house, cars, etc. We also had sickness mixed in with the daily grind to make it even more challenging during January. I had a nasty sinus infection and bronchitis and the kids had something similar. We’re attending a seminar at church on Wednesday nights called “Real Marriage,” and we’ve learned many “dos” and “don’ts” from a biblical perspective, but I’ll be the first to admit that consistently putting these principals into practice is easier said than done. As Valentine’s Day approaches, my personal goal is to try to show others the same love that God shows me everyday; that’s unconditional love for imperfect people—after all, I’m one of those imperfect people too! Thank God for loving us in spite of our flaws! Happy Valentine's Day!
