I LOVE this look on Simon's face!
Could he look more mischievous than this?
"He will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you."
Isaiah 26:3
We included this picture and verse in our newsletter last month.
I remember first learning this verse as part of our college Bible study by Beth Moore (?) on the Mind of Christ. That group, not of our choosing, was great because it was the beginning of one of my greatest blessings, my friendship with Kellie :)
The past two nights Evie Grace has slept from 8 p.m. until 7 (or a little after) a.m.
It has actually made me a little sad because it is a sign of growing up.
I'm not expecting the 11 hours of sleep to be a habit necessarily, but it is still a milestone. And when we went in there after 7 those days to check on Evie Grace she was kind of awake, just content in her crib, so who knows how long she really slept...
Simon was proud of his above pattern.
He was even particular with which direction the pigs were facing.
With mine and Matt's poor eye-sight, Simon and Evie Grace are almost destined to a life of glasses and contacts :)
Mr.PotatoHead Style
Simon and friends on a beautiful sunny February day.
And yesterday, I think the high was in the 80s. Gorgeous.
(Today is very windy and in the 50s)
Gigi asked me to indulge her 'grandmother' instincts as she tucked an extra blanket around Evie Grace.
First official double-stroller ride as we enjoyed Saturday's pleasant temps.
We walked around the park and then to Target.
As we walked along the outdoor shopping strip to Target, Simon remarked, "This is like the mall, too." I can't even think of the last time I have been in the mall, much less with Simon. His mall history stems from frequent Sunday afternoon trips there with Gigi and Pops to ride the train and eat at McDonalds :)
I commented to Matt last night that one of my goals this week was to make homemade cinnamon rolls. Apparently, although undiscussed by us, this was also one of his goals. He replied, "No way, that's one of my goals this week. I'm going to make them." So, we deliberated and have concluded that we will make them together. We have both been secretly inspired by Dave C. and his report of his amazing cinnamon rolls.
I'm sure we'll post an update on that.
Evie Grace.
We are trying to move into calling our daughter Evie Grace.
Birth Certificate reads: Evelyn Grace and we LOVE her name; it's a very special family name for us. We've always planned on calling her "Evie" as a pretty official name/nickname, but lately we've been wanting to call her Evie Grace.
Simon remembers better than all of us.
Aren't these lips adorable?
Simon drew a cross (originally on his etch-a-sketch, but then on his Doodle-Pro) and told us that he drew a picture of God.
I remember a few years ago hearing a sermon on the cross by John Piper that completely changed the way I viewed the cross. Piper commented that his generation did us a disfavor by somehow teaching that the cross is a measure of our worth. That when most people look at the cross they see it as an image that makes them think of how precious they were to God that he would die for them. Not that each soul isn't precious to God, but the cross should make us think of the holiness and righteousness of God that it took something as drastic as Christ's death to make us right with a holy God.
So, the cross is primarily a picture of God's holiness, righteousness, and power... not of our worth .
Simon shooting birds with his "scaring thing" (his term for guns)
Matt and his war with our neighborhood birds.
The birds started the war, as you can see by the white stain on Matt's shirt, about six inches below his wrist.
Two guns and a sword. Arrghh!
I am horrible at only choosing a few pictures to post. It's hard to leave out pictures because to me, every facial expression is priceless, unique, and delectable.
This week our menus are very cancer-fighting friendly. Blueberries, asparagus, squash (acorn, butternut and spaghetti), avocados, oranges, grapefruit all due to an amazing sale on produce at Kroger's! Sad story, the Kroger's closest to our home is closing. Apparently this is old news but since I haven't been out in a while, I was surprised when I drove there, loaded up Simon, and walked in the store only to find a few items on a couple of shelves.
It was like a ghost-town and kind of sad. That was mine and Simon's "Cheese Store" (he would hunt excitedly for the picture of cheese in the bakery and dairy section, even though they were always in the same spot) ;)
So, we trekked to another Kroger's which was only a few miles down Frankford.
Evie Grace in the cutest brown dress with teddy bear's on the collar and on the tights! I put this on her just for fun one night before bed. Matt and Simon were both enamored by her adorable-factor that evening as we sat down to our now traditional Sunday night meal of 'loaded' sweet-potatoes (real butter, cinnamon/sugar, raisins, walnuts).
I have noticed life is different as a mom of two, but I couldn't quite come up with a word that described the change. I've seen it in other mom friends and the other day the word struck me.
Deliberate.
With two children, every decision and activity has to be more deliberate.
How sweet it is to be loved by you! (Is that a James Taylor song?)
There have been at least two times that squirmy Evie Grace in her crib has turned on the crib-aquarium with her foot. So cute! She is SO CLOSE to turning over.
I am thankful for friends who keep me on track with my goals. Most recently I almost wavered in a very important goal of mine. I want to be the "mint lady" for showers and what not ... I almost deterred, telling a dear friend Rachael that I had a punch recipe I wanted to try for an upcoming shower. She gently reminded me of my commitment to mints and to being the "mint lady." So, there you go, friends who keep you on track with important life goals.
Matt is trying to get Simon to go to the "man store" with him as I write.
(Home Depot)
An exposition on what it means to live deliberately with a second child: a few weeks ago it was an hour before we had friends coming over for our blueberry pie feast. I needed to get Evie to sleep, buy whole bean decaf coffee for our coffee-connoisseur friend who was coming over, and I had yet to exercise that day. So, I walked Evie to Target in her stroller to buy coffee. Exercising, nap for Evie Grace, and coffee purchase all in one hour! Oh, and I visited with dear friend Kellie on the phone pretty much the entire time. She even helped me make a coffee decision and coached me back to our home in safety as the night turned dark earlier than I thought it would. Kellie has been living in a closed-country in Central Asia known for violence since September so I felt silly being a little frightened as I walked in our North American suburban neighborhood a little after dark.
Daddy-daughter bond.
Evie Grace has this amazing smile (not in the above picture)
that will just spread across her face.
It is precious. We haven't been able to capture the 'perfect' smile in a photo ... yet.
Aw, look at her precious left hand. Gorgeous fingers.
Evie Grace having a playtime on her blanket. Simon entertains her well, but I definitely have to keep my eye on their interaction ...
Simon spells, Hi !
Lately Simon has enjoyed hearing stories at night by Daddy, the best raconteur in the land! He has an elaborate on-going saga involving Johnny who lives on a mountain. Speaking of mountains, Simon has asked several times lately upon waking up if he can go to Nana's house :) Today he told me he wanted to go to Nana's house to eat. (Milk was the specific thing mentioned) And he wanted to play there.
No comments:
Post a Comment