Count it All Joy

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 betwee...

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...