Happy 3rd Birthday, Kiera!

Dear Kiera,

It’s hard for me to believe that you’re 3 years old today!  I so clearly remember lying on the operating room table (they had to use forceps) and you came out screaming.  After cleaning you up, they placed you in your Daddy’s arms (still screaming) and we both thought, “Now what?”  It has been a roller coaster ride so far with many highs, some lows, and everything in between.  You have shown us your strong will many times and I pray that your love for Jesus will be even stronger and that you will stand firm in your faith.  You are passionate and you do everything 100%.  I have been very blessed by your gift of singing and look forward to watching God develop that gift as you get older.  When my Grandpa got a word from the Lord at your baby dedication that you were going to be a singer, that was totally true.  You are the friendliest child I have ever met and because of that, you have made many people smile everywhere you go.  Nobody is a stranger to you and you inspire and challenge me to be friendly and kind to people I don’t know, when I would naturally just want to walk on by.  You are a gift from the Lord and I love you more than words can say!  Happy birthday, my beautiful daughter!

4 hours old

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

Halfway to 1000!

“The more I count these blessings, the more I realize that they really are not the product of my own efforts. They are truly gifts of grace from God above. It’s incredible to open my eyes to them week after week. And humbling. That I should be graced with such wonders? Me… whose heart is weak and black, yet covered with much mercy. How great is Your unfailing love, Lord God of all!” ~Sharaya Crossan

These are the gifts I praise God for today:

471. That I get to stay inside when it’s cold and rainy outside

472. These clothes that my Mom bought for Kiera for next summer that were $2 each (Target was clearing out their summer clothes)

473. That the mild cold symptoms I had last week completely vanished without turning into anything…that is a miracle!

474. The $2 kids winter clothes that Target had

475. That no matter what circumstances I’m going through on earth, I have heaven to look forward to!

476. My brother-in-law, who is so fantastic with my kids and is going to make a wonderful father

477. Window blinds

478. This picture that I won online that I put in Kiera’s room

479. Encouraging messages

480. Trying to get a good picture and not succeeding, but laughing a lot in the process

481. My husband who is good with numbers

482. Turning Blake’s car seat around so he’s front facing

483. Toys lying everywhere means my kids had fun playing

484. That I was able to gradually quit breastfeeding and Blake had no issues with that!

485. Blake laughing whenever I said the word, “Poop!”

 

486. That I’m enjoying this baby stage much more than the first time

487. That Blake hasn’t had a single drop of formula and that God knew that was important to me

488. Putting flowers in her hair

489. The song “You Raise Me Up”

490. Family gatherings

491. Wearing a new outfit for the first time

492. When Kiera was outside with my cousin and he pointed up in the sky and asked her, “What’s that?” and Kiera answered, “That’s a prop plane!”  She was right!

493. This moment of joy

494. Sliding

495. Having extra help at the park

496. For a very interesting costume my brother-in-law had at a costume party (wedding fundraiser)

497. This costume that my cousin’s husband had which made me laugh at a different costume party (30th birthday party) that same evening

498. My beautiful cousin who is married to the chicken and makes 30 look fabulous

499. Austin Powers married to Viking Woman (my cousins)

500. Dressing up like a princess (and a mafia guy)

On the Move

Blake started sliding/crawling around on his stomach in the beginning of September. I didn't say anything because I wanted it to be a surprise for when my sister + brother-in-law came to visit. They ended finding out anyway right before they came. Here is a video of Blake when he first started (he's way faster now).

He is starting to crawl normally now, too, but he doesn't prefer it because for him it's not as fast. He really wants to walk on his own, too, but his balance isn't quite there yet. I have a lot of hope that he will be walking quite a bit sooner than Kiera started at 19 months!

Family Photos

While my sister + brother-in-law were out here, we got family pictures taken by my Mom-in-law.  I really liked how they turned out!  Thanks Mom!  Kiera was grumpy that morning, but that kind of makes me laugh (after the fact).

Kiera is hilarious

I didn’t put up the one that we’re going to send out, so it will be a bit of a surprise.

Birthday Fun

Well, today is my birthday.  I can’t say that I’m super excited to be turning a higher number today, but I am very thankful for every birthday that I get to celebrate.  I figured today would be a good day to blog about the early birthday party we had for the kids when my sister + brother-in-law were visiting.  We had a family party a few weeks early while they were here, since they don’t usually get to celebrate the kids’ birthdays with us.  Here’s my Mom making the cake

and here is the amazing finished product

 

Decorating (yes, she has a balloon stuck to her butt)

The balloons were a hit

Singing “Happy Birthday”

Digging in

Blake still only has 2 bottom teeth and chokes on anything bigger than a crumb, so I had to feed him tiny amounts of cake, which he enjoyed

Opening gifts

Such a cute tuque!

 

Gotta love all having birthdays within 3 weeks of each other!  It’s busy but fun! Which has been your most memorable birthday and why?

Answers To Prayer

Over the past few days, I have had 3 answers to prayer, which I thank God for! One I've been praying about for a while is that Kiera would start going on the toilet. Previously, she was only peeing on her little potty, which meant she would just go pee in her diaper or pull-up when going other places, unless we brought her little potty along. She started peeing all by herself on the toilet on the week-end! YAY!

The 2nd thing I've been praying is that God would humble me. It's SO easy to have pride, so I've been praying for humbleness. Well, God always provides situations for me where I have to swallow my pride and this past week-end was no exception. Kiera came upstairs and told me she wanted a treat. I asked her, "Did you go pee on the potty?" and she said, "Yep!" She was fully dressed and when she goes to the bathroom, she can get everything off but not put her pants back on. I said, "I don't believe you." She lay down on the floor and started crying, telling me that she did go pee and she wanted a treat. I told her I would go ask her Dad. I went downstairs and asked Jared if by chance Kiera had gone pee on the potty. He said, "Well, I'm not sure, but I found her in the bathroom with her pants down and she had already flushed the toilet, so I helped her get her pants back on." I said, "That means she did go pee and she was telling the truth." I felt so bad! I went back upstairs and had to humble myself and apologize to Kiera for not believing her. I thought I was right and had to admit I was wrong, which is hard for me to do.

The 3rd answer to prayer was quitting breastfeeding. Breastfeeding Blake has gone very well this past year, except for whenever I would skip a feeding. Every time that happened, I would get a fever, achy, and just feel totally lousy for 24 hours. So, I was apprehensive about quitting breastfeeding as I didn't want to get sick. I quit on Friday right before the week-end so that Jared would be home in case I wasn't feeling well enough to take care of the kids. I prayed about it and wouldn't you know, I haven't gotten sick! Yes, I've been in a fair amount of pain, but I've had no fever or achiness throughout my body! That is a total miracle! I am so blessed and in awe of God! Have you had any answers to prayer recently?

September Blessings

On Sunday, the message at church was about not forgetting God.  It’s great to be thankful for gifts, but most importantly, I must not forget the giver of good gifts, God.  He is the one behind them.  God, I thank YOU today for:

446. Anticipation of fun events

447. Growing hair

448. A laptop that still works, even though it’s getting old and running a lot slower

449. Eating cereal with milk for the first time

450. 2 vehicles that work

451. My son who has been happier and less fussy lately

452. Shampoo

453. Bath time

454. That nobody else in the family got my cold

455. Petting the cat

456. Wipes

457. Streets with lots of trees

458. Warm fall weather (LOVE it!)

459. Flawless skin

460. Innocence

461. Relaxing in the backyard

462. That God “redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion” – Psalm 103:4

463. This funny face

464. That “the Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” – Psalm 103:8

465. Playing with leaves

466. Shoulder rubs

467. Tasting new things

468. Feeling the warm air through the vents when the furnace comes on

469. His shirt that I won online

470. Every morning that I wake up is a gift