Oh Mali

I thought I needed a little update on Mali. She is really doing good, just as smart as can be...sometimes that is great and sometimes it is challenging. Mali is pretending to speak Spanish and it is pretty entertaining. Uncle Brandon says that we need to expose her to as much Spanish as possible right now!:) The "Lizzy" doll that he gave her that speaks Spanish is coming in really handy right now. Mali loves to play. I've really enjoyed watching her play and giving her the gift of free time during the summer. We've been swimming a lot at the Town Club and playing on the big slide up at Paramount Baptist with her preschool friends. Mali absolutely adores her daddy! She wants to be just like him, even down to sleeping only in shorts! I've tried to explain to her that little girls don't do that, but I love watching how she admires her daddy.
On the other hand, we have been engaged in battle. Over the last few weeks, Mali has decided to go to battle with us. I'm determined to win, not in a bad way, but I really hope that if we establish ourselves as the authority right now, then maybe she won't challenge us as much in the future, and if she does she does, but right now I think it is vital that Eric and I establish our authority with her. After going to bed at night for four years with very little problems, suddenly we have been fighting nightly battles with her. She wants to sleep in our room. That is a big no no in my book, however we have let it slide on occasion when we've been so tired from having a new baby, hence the battle. This girl, once you give in ONE TIME, it is an expectation and battle after that. I have known this from the beginning and been strong enough to mostly avoid it, but then a baby came along! Some nights she has been disciplined over and over to no avail. Other nights she has been bribed, and she has even "complied" just for me to end up stepping on her when I get up with Eleri! Last night she went to her own bed and then ended up on the couch. Our other new battle has been eating. She has decided that she wants to have something different at dinner than what I have prepared for our family (never a healthy substitute I might add). This is also something on my list that is worth battling over. I never have fought her on how much she eats, but she will be served what the rest of us eat. On and off there has been some whiny-ness about eating what I make, but now it has become a battle. I'm determined to win, and hoping to get enough sleep to stay determined.
I love her so much! I love her beautiful blue eyes and sweet smile, I love that God made her strong-willed....He knows the future and He created her this way. I love that she is witty and funny, just like her Daddy. I love that she is asking questions and learning about Jesus. I love that she wants to be good, but it is just so tough! I love watching her relationship with her Uncle Brandon. I love the moments when she is a sweet, big sister. I am so proud of her heart to be a friend to every child! I love her love her love her, but because of her I know that when I AM WEAK HE IS STRONG!

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The most important decision

I wanted to blog about this so that I have these sweet, special moments documented. Because, really this is the most important decision our girls will make. In the last few months, Mali has begun to ask lots of questions about Jesus and what it means to ask Him "into her heart." We talk about how if Jesus isn't in our heart, our hearts are "ugly". I've done my best, or at least I hope, to explain what I can, while veering away from cliche, "Christian" terminology and really stick with Truth from Romans 10:9-10 "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Mali has had some fear that if she asks Jesus to live in her heart then she will die. I hope that we've talked through that enough though. The other day, Mali saw a picture of Nana being baptized in the Jordan River so we talked about baptisms. She also was able to see a few baptisms when she has gone to church with us. Anyway, that night she asked me when she would get to be baptized. I do not believe so much that this is a one time decision, but a daily, even hourly, choice to walk with Jesus and choose His path over her own path. She has also been wanting to "play out" the empty tomb and Jesus not being there. All of my play therapist friends understand the importance of this too. Mali will pretend to be the angel at the tomb and has me pretend to be a woman at the tomb looking for Jesus. Sometimes, Mali also pretends to be Jesus. That could be an entirely different post. Mali is not there yet, or at least I don't know that she truly grasps it, but the wonderful thing to know is that seeds are being planted all around her and she is interested! Most often it is when we are sitting down to eat lunch or breakfast (another reason why sitting down at meals is soooo important for families). I feel so inadequate and wonder if my relationship and love for Jesus really does show through to her, or just the ugliness in my heart; but I have prayed since I found out I was pregnant with Mali that she walk with God all the days of her life. And since I'm blogging about this, I also want to celebrate the decision of her best friends, Zach and Calyn, as they did ask Jesus "into their hearts" and have gone in front of their church to share their decision. So, any advice from you seasoned moms out there is also greatly appreciated. I've decided that I definitely need to be more intentional in having a daily time with her that we read scripture. But as my good friend Carrie reminded me, accepting Jesus as our Savior is all related to seeing our need for a Savior. We laughed at how we constantly fail as mom's and we surely can teach our children to turn to Christ because we can't do it and desperately need a Savior!:)

My Sweet Daisies!

While we were at the cabin over the 4th of July, we came across a beautiful grove (if that is the appropriate word) of daisies! Brandon took our family pictures and pictures of the girls. It was beautiful. I could have stayed there all day!

This is my prayer for my girls, that they would honor the King and know Him as Lord, who has created their beauty:
"The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord". Psalm 45:11

From the mouths of babes...or one at least

Mali and I have spent a lot of time talking about Jesus in the last few months and she has asked a lot of questions, and hopefully I've answered them with wisdom.  Out of those conversations have come the following cute sayings:

We went to the doctor with Eric for his checkup the other day, and there was a cross section model of a heart.  She brought it to me and asked "So where is Jesus?" I tried to explain you couldn't see him in your heart, just feel Him in your heart. She then said "I think he's there is the web part."

The other night, her and Eric were reading, and she said "Know what my favorite book is?  It's the Bible." (Said very matter-of-fact.  And I wish that were really true for me and her!).

I won't include the OTHER sayings Mali has come up, I'd rather forget those.  But lets just say she repeats what she hears and is very honest!  It just reminds me that we can not take credit for the good in our kids, or we have to take credit for the bad too!  Everything good in both of my girls is through God and His great mercy!  And, honestly, the bad is probably my fault, or at least some kind of reaping what you sow from when I was a child!:) (Not really, I DO NOT believe God works that way.)

Home

Two years ago today, Amarillo became our home.  We packed up all of our belongings in our first home, closed on that house and made the drive to Amarillo.  It certainly was bittersweet.  But now Amarillo does feel like home, it doesn't feel like only two years that we have lived here!

 So in honor of our anniversary in Amarillo, here is what I like about Amarillo:

1. Quick drive to the cabin, which means we can go more frequently AND that we don't have to leave at 10am to come home.

2. Our neighborhood

3. Our house....we drove past our house in Lubbock last time we were there, and I have to say I don't miss what they neighborhood had become.  We are so blessed to live where we do!

4. Our flowerbeds in the front.

5. Hillside Christian Church and the kids ministry there (where we go to church).

6. Amarillo High Football

7.  The work that I get to do and how God has blessed me tremendously through it!

8.  BSA and my OB who was wonderful for Eleri's birth, and who also diagnosed my molar pregnancy and cared for me so well during that time.

9. Being so close to Brandon that we get to hang out with him nearly every weekend or just an evening visit.

10.  Dinners with Chris and Megan and how great they are to our girls.

11. ChickFilA (I think it is a better environment here than in Lubbock).

12.  Amarillo College kids classes...ballet is only about $40/semester....SOOO affordable.

13.  Although I don't have a plethora of friends here yet, I am thankful for those that God has brought into my life.  And quite honestly, I'm not sure I have all that much time for lots of friends!  

There may be more, but I think a list of 13 things is pretty good for a place that I thought I would hate!

Let Freedom Ring

We celebrated the 4th of July at the cabin again this year. It really is one of my favorite traditions, because I love the cabin and because we've been celebrating there for at least the last 18 years. Not many holidays were consistent for me growing up, but 4th of July was one that was, and I love it! Anyway, we drove up Thursday afternoon and stopped at Cougar Canyon Golf Resort in Trinidad, CO. It is a links course designed by Jack Nicklaus and Eric played as his Father's Day gift. We rode along with him and enjoyed watching him play. He will have to go back when he can play by himself and not worry about his 3 girls. We got the cabin late that night.

Friday, we enjoyed hiking around the resort and enjoying the cool mountain air. Brandon took some pictures of us and the girls in a beautiful daisy patch we stumbled upon. I'm hoping pictures in the daisies will become a new tradition as well. We got to eat lunch at the Dog Bar, another one of our new traditions. After that, the guys prepared for their annual entry in the parade. Again, Eric and Brandon dressed up, this time with the added moustaches, and Brandon pulled Eric on his skis. They were a hit again, and we enjoyed the parade. I heard several people commenting on their entry being their favorite! It is funny to see! I made the girls matching tutus, but of course Mali wouldn't wear hers to the parade! Eleri slept in my arms and Mali caught plenty of candy, especially from her Daddy. Mali was a little sad to not be in the parade this year, but we may have Grandpa convinced to enter with all his grandkids (something we used to joke-ingly talk about doing, and now there are 6 grandkids!) We enjoyed some time outdoors; playing in the stream, swinging in the hammock, and just taking in the beauty. Eleri did not sleep good at the cabin, or since we've returned for that matter, so I look forward to next year when she is a little older!
Lastly, this year, for some reason, I just realized that 4th of July is a time to celebrate freedom. I'm thankful for freedom as an American, but more importantly freedom as a Christian. I spent many years not walking in freedom and am so very thankful for the freedom that I have through Christ! I try to walk in this freedom each day!
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17




the above pictures were Terry's To see more pictures, look on my facebook.

"Clean up, clean up, every body every where.."

Clean up clean up, every body every where, clean up clean up, every body do your share! Well, Mali has not been doing her share of cleaning up her room. It has been a battle for a long time. I've tried spanking her, sitting in there with her, and even promising a large reward (AND following through on it). I've taken things away like going swimming, not playing with friends, and not going to the movie theatre. We've tried not allowing her to do anything until her room is clean and spanking her if she comes out. None of this has worked, and when it has worked it has only been temporary and has not motivated her to keep it clean. When I give her tokens for each item she picks up, that works, but I have to be in there and have to stay on top of her...not always possible between feedings and putting Eleri down for naps. I also tried making it a game of see how fast you can go, how much you can pick up in 15 minutes, and beat Mommy...none of these worked. Positive reinforcement definitely works better with Mali and I can tell that she gets so overwhelmed with how much she has to do, so she just lays around and cries. BUT, I want her to be intrinsically motivated to clean her room, but maybe that won't happen until SHE is 29!:) Yesterday, Eleri was taking a good nap and I was in picking up Mali's room with her and she wasn't helping, so I decided to heed the advice of several friends, and my dad, and take away all of her toys. I put some in the attic but most in their baskets in our closet. I took Eric's shoes down so the toys could fit. I thought that if they were visible to her, it could be continued motivation to keep her room clean to get them back. So in the process of me taking up the toys, Mali said "thats okay you can take them away and give them to kids that don't have toys", and "I don't want them anyway" and "here's this one, I don't like it anyway." AND, she scavenged the toys she liked and hid them in the living room. However, I took those away too. She was allowed to keep 4 toys...three stuffed animals and a Littlest Pet shop toy that was actually where it was supposed to be. So it pretty much didn't phase her. At one point she asked for Big Bunny because she needed to marry him, and I explained to her when she could keep her room picked up she could have him back first. She had a few tears, but that has been it so far. Eric asked if her room was now spotless, the answer is NO. She is also making a mess with clothes and is changing several times a day. While I was working, Mali changed outfits 6 times and got out a lot of books too. I'm trying to follow the advice of a friend...Mali gets two tokens to change clothes and once she uses the tokens she can't change anymore. I hope it works, but I'm sure when I go to work or feed Eleri she will sneak in a clothes changes.

So today we are headed to the movie theatre without drama, and I ask myself, "wouldn't it just be easier if she took the 10 minutes to pick up her room?"

Sorry grandparents for all the toys you've given her, they are taking a much needed vacation and will hopefully return soon!