Thankful for 4 years

Today is our 4th anniversary. WOW...four years have come and gone. Four years have built a strong marriage. Four years have changed me for the better. Four years have created 2 wonderful little people. Four years have been challenging. Wow... four years have come and gone.

As we celebrate the good memories, and the not so good memories, tonight at dinner I will be thankful. Thankful for my imperfect marriage that grows deeper in love everyday. Thankful for a husband that could care less about holes in his socks or the fact that his wife cannot seem to iron a business shirt if her life depended on it. Thankful that he overlooks an unkept house, but not his happy and content children. Thankful that our Charlotte Grace mawls him the moment he enters home from a long day at work... and he welcomes it. Thankful that he can lead our Bible study at church with one hand, while holding onto our Brady Christopher with his other hand. But what I am most thankful for... is that he has taught me more about unconditional love than any person I know. In my most selfish moments, and let me tell you there have been many of those, he has guided me and cared for me in the way God intends a man to be. You see, Kyle is dipolmatic and reserves the right to assume the best in most situations. He often tells me in a disagreement that "it's us against the problem, not us against each other". I could go on and on, but I won't. :-)

This anniversary will be different from our others. I am thankful that we will have our candlelight dinner with our 2 little people in attendance. I am thankful for our spaghetti and meatballs instead of a pricey meal at a nice restaurant. I am thankful we have enough to cover our needs instead of an amazing getaway on a cruise or relaxing vacation. I am thankful for F.F.T. (that would be Family Fun Time) instead of a night alone on a romantic date. This is where we are... 4 years later... I am SO thankful.

What I'm learning as a mommy...

2. Here are some tips that are helpful for me to remember in my day to day role as mommy...

• Know your own limits. And learn your baby's too.
• Plan ahead. Stay organized when you can.  Having a system is helpful too for example: pack the diaper bag at night before a busy day.  
• Prioritize your needs and wants on your to do list. Ask yourself these questions: What really is priority? Does it have to be done? What can you let go of?
• Enjoy this PRECIOUS time. Be present. Find joy in where you are now.
• At the same time understand the stage is temporary. Take a deep breathe, it will be over sooner or later. 
• You are imperfect. Understand that being a good mom means you learn from your mistakes... because it happens and no one has it all right.
• Don't forget to take care of yourself. Eat. Sleep. Pray. Spend quality time with the husband. Repeat as neccessary.
• Stay connected to who you were before you had kids. Don't forget yourself while taking care of everyone else.
• Find meaningful friendships with other mommies and be authentic about your short comings. This not only promotes social interaction but support for the good, the bad, and the ugly of being an imperfect mom.
• Be flexible. Nothing ever goes as planned.
• Eat dinner together and at the table. Making dinner a priority has only seemed to unify us as a family. Something special happens at the dinner table, it's probably a moment I look foward to the most in the day.

I will end with this... most of these things may come natural to other people, but not for me.

Charlotte Grace: baby toddler to REAL toddler

Excited to have her picture taken... I love seeing that expressive face!!!

 

Eating toast with a fork... Charlotte enjoys being a BIG kid.

I have been reflecting about my little girl these past few weeks. Charlotte has grown within the last few months. I literally think she has morphed from a baby toddler to a REAL toddler. She runs faster, moves more, and talks ALOT. Even the way she makes decisions is a step up from where she was. She is more aware these days too. I can't eat a cookie without sharing with her. :) I have to watch her even closer now as she is a bit more, well, destructive?! adventurous?! BUSY?! Here are a few things she loves...

• praise for doing good things
• being hands on, like pushing buttons, flipping switches, opening doors
• things open/close, up/down, on/off, etc. 
• playing with her "Ba-air" or Bear, the teddy bear
• telling stories in her babble
• counting in her babble
• singing songs, like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Old MacDonald, Isty Bitsy Spider, ABCs (of course in her babble)
• blowing kisses and giving hugs
• helping with baby brother, like kissing him and putting his pacifier back in his mouth
• likes to scribble in her coloring book, she often prefers her right hand
• playing with bubbles
• filling empty buckets or boxes with her treasures
• ELMO... she loves Seasame Street and watches it every morning while rocking in her chair and holding onto Bear
• dancing to music
• rough housing with her father
• pointing out birds in the sky, kitties on the fence, or flying airplanes
• sliding or swinging at the park
• running down hills while saying "whoa-whoa-whoa"
• eating with silverware... you will find even eating her toast with a fork!
• being in her Daddy's arms

She can say many words, some of them are: tank uuu, ba-bye, Ba-air for "Bear", mmmilk, wa-wa, appa-sauce, la-unch, doggie, kitty, meow, light, all done, duckie, moo, mama, dada, no, yes, uh-oh, baby, open, up, yay, hi, and Aaaa-menn. It seems everyday she learns a new word. She is such a sponge for learning in every situation that arises in the day. It's exciting to watch.

When Charlotte socializes with others, adults or children, she seems to be more of a cautious child. She observes at first, then becomes more comfortable with people. It does take her a while to join in, but when she does she gives it her all! She is very good at playing by herself, almost too good. I can easily finish a task around the house and not worry about entertaining her. This is especially helpful when I need to tend to Brady or sit and nurse him.

Yeah, I love her...