Count it All Joy

Moments from my day... Finding a cheerio in my oven mitt Baking cookies Jackie taking a 3 hour nap Abby eating her cookie Cookie Monster 

This afternoon Rachel and I took Jacqueline and Abigail over to visit our neighbors, the Phillips, who have lived on our street for over 50 years. We went over to thank them for some books they gave to the girls. They are elderly and don't get out of the house much, so the other day their cook, Angela, delivered some books to us. I was very thankful that Rachel joined me so that I could visit with Marilyn a little while Rachel kept tabs on the girls. They liked exploring the Phillips' home! One thing I'd really like to do as a family is commit each week to visiting at least one neighbor. It meant so much to Tom and Marilyn to have us there today. None of their kids or grand kids live in town. They had fun watching the girls dance, give "loves" (snuggles) to a stuffed bunny. and show off their vocabulary and sign language. Abby spotted some bananas in the kitchen and started signing "please." Angela grabbed a banana for the girls to share. After our visit

Hume is a beautiful place that reflects God's glory in the mountain peaks, rustling trees, and the shimmering lake. For me, Hume is a place full of precious childhood memories and meaningful milestones. As a kid, I remember waking up early for morning hikes with my dad, learning to play Rook, climbing up and balancing on the giant log at the cove, and eating McElroy french toast. Sometimes I got to bring friends along. My friend Melanie and I slept out on the front deck one night and woke up to raccoons staring at us. My dad liked to take all the kids on "bear hunts" and sit with us out in the deck at night watching bats fly around us.  As I grew older, our family spent every afternoon on the volleyball court and had the most fun when good competition showed up! For a while I worked weekends up at Hume, serving and working in the kitchen for retreats.  The most memorable Hume experience started after church on Sunday, August 1, 2010.  My boyfriend Micah insisted he dr

I wrote this a couple weeks ago, but never published it...      Abby has been fighting a fever for the last day or so. Even though I had a lot to get done today to get ready for Hume, I'm thankful that I set aside my list and shared sweet moments with my baby girl. We snuggled on the couch and watched Curious George. She "helped" me pack for Hume by getting out shoes out for me to try on. We had a little outdoor adventure where she enjoyed taking the petals off the flowers and throwing them on the ground. My poor baby had a hard time sleeping today, but I treasured her awake moments--even the fussy ones. I pray she rests well and feels better tomorrow. I love you little Abby goose.

Some of my favorite moments from today... 1. Jacqueline walking around the beach so independently and showing such delight at the kids playing around her. It was as if she thought they were all her new friends.  2. Abby walking out into the ocean holding onto my fingers. Abby loves the water!  3. Usually when I'm at the beach I'm just overwhelmed by the beautiful creation all around me. This time I had to consciously shift my gaze from my amazing family to the expanse of water at my feet. Both fill my heart with joy and thanksgiving.  4. Jackie tasting sand for the first, second and third times. She must like it!  5. A little girl at the YMCA day camp who befriended the girls and chatted with Micah and me. She was quite the conversationalist! And J and A loved having a "big kid" show interest in them.  6. Delicious clam chowder bread bowls on the patio while live music played nearby. The girls danced while we ate.  7. Sitting in the backseat squished between two car s

Jacqueline likes her alone time. At least once a day she'll go to her room and close the door and play--usually she's taking clothes out of the drawers. This evening after dinner she went back there and Micah went to check on her. Rachel, mom, dad, Abby and I were in the living room. Soon Jacqueline walks in (all the way from her room!) holding Abby's pacifier. Jackie and Abby have different preferences when it comes to pacifiers, so J doesn't like sucking on A's. I guess Jacqueline thought Abby needed it, because she brought it over to her and reached up to put the pacifier in Abby's mouth. It was so cute how Jacqueline's mouth opened while she was trying to get Abby to take the pacifier. She was really concentrating. We all clapped for Jacqueline when she had successfully delivered Abby's pacifier--what a joy to see the kindness and thoughtfulness in her young soul.

Monkeys swinging, birds talking, tigers drinking, elephants eating, seals swimming--Jacqueline and Abigail were amazed at the sights and sounds of the zoo. They waved constantly and made little squeals of delight as they watched the animals. At the petting zoo, they even got to touch some animals. Jacqueline was eager to pet the goats, while Abby kept putting her hand towards the goats and pulling it away. I think Abby is more cautious than Jacqueline. After exploring the zoo exhibits, we had a picnic at the park. The girls were being so silly waving their arms and making this grunting noise. They learned that if they make a silly sound then papa will imitate them and he makes them laugh. Our outing today brought me so much joy--great weather, wonderful family, beautiful animals--God's creation is truly magnificent.  my favorite animal  Our "selfie" 

There was a video on facebook recently that I could really identify with. A mom is doing various tasks around the house--laundry, unloading the dishwasher, etc, and her baby is following her and "helping" (by taking all the clothes out of the drawers and crawling into the dishwasher). Today as I prepared to host people for dinner, I laughed at the reality of this video in my life. I picked up the girls room and vacuumed and moments later Jacqueline started throwing all the clothes out of a drawer. Then she and Abby moved on to the dining room where they started moving chairs all around. The living room had toys strewn everywhere, but we were expecting more children, so I wasn't too worried about those. I've learned to "let it go." While working around the house today, I noticed that my girls started getting fussy and clingy. They needed me to stop for a moment and sit with them. I picked up a book to read and I'm so glad I did. I loved what happened next

Stomping feet, bouncing knees, waving arms--these girls can dance! When I turn on the Wheels on the Bus Pandora station, Jacqueline and Abigail crawl as close as they can get to the TV (the gate surrounding Champ's bed), and stand up and start to wiggle to the beat. Watching them dance brings JOY to me--they are so free! You'll notice in this photo that Abby is wearing the purple bloomers from Jacqueline's dress over her romper. The girls are already starting to love "dress up." What do you see, little J? Trees blowing in the wind? A squirrel scurrying across the fence? Champ snoozing in the shade? Dead grass? ;) I hope your curiosity and love for nature continue to grow. And I hope that you eventually stop trying to eat leaves. In addition to Abby's dress up shorts, she wanted to wear this headband. When the headband fell down over her eyes, she left it there for awhile. She has the mask on and undies over her clothes...now all she needs is a cape an

"Endless hours of what-causes-what-to-happen experimenting--pushing, pulling, turning, twisting, and touching things--helps a child figure out how and why things work...I think it's nothing short of magical to watch this learning-through-play in action."  -- Jill Stamm, Ph.D., Bright from the Start I was so thankful for the nice weather today. 90s with a breeze is nice when it's July and it could be 110 degrees (with no breeze). Jacqueline and Abigail enjoy playing outside, and they learn so much from outdoor exploration. Earlier this summer I purchased a couple water activity tables and had to return them because they leaked. Today we got creative and just used big bowls of water for our play time. I put bath toys in the bowls, some leaves and also some ice cubes. Jacqueline and Abigail liked the ice cubes--I'm sure they felt good on their teething gums! As I observed the girls, I noticed them taking the animals out of the bowls, putting them in the