Friday Round-Up

A lovely morning moment: Ava and Lily coloring on our indoor picnic table, Piper playing on her tummy on the floor, and mommy gets a moment to catch up on Good Morning America and coffee.

I woke up early this morning and didn't want to go back to bed after I fed Piper. I always look at these moments as the Lord's nudging and am grateful for the quiet moments before life starts with a bang. Lately Ava has been letting herself out of her bedroom in the morning to go to the bathroom (as she should) which then allows the "animals" to be released at will. Whew! I have to say some mornings they come pouring out of their room earlier than I would like. I think I liked having the power to let them out when I wanted. Oh well, guess that time is over.

It was a slower week as we eased back into our routine of preschool and Toddler Time music class. Next week we will add Thursday morning Bible Study to schedule. I am loathe to add any more scheduled activities, that's enough for me. But I have been enjoying creating more of a schedule around the house, like laundry on Mondays (although I am tackling it today) and Friday afternoon movie (but today we are going to have a playdate with a new friend instead).

Elliott received some extremely exciting news: he has been promoted to Controller! We have been waiting for this for awhile and are so excited to say it finally happened (after being promisedin the works for months). This not only comes with a nice pay raise, but a great boost to his resume and career, and will allow him so many more opportunities in the future (not near future though) when he is able to job search in Utah for a Controller level position (again, not near future but something we are looking at doing later on down the road).

Ava was on a roll this week. I have been left open-mouthed and completely without words for many of her comments and much of her behavior. She is definitely growing up and trying to make sense of the world around her. She's also becoming quite bossy and outspoken, leaving me wondering how you train a child to understand what it means to speak respectfully to your parents and why it is not nice to hit your sister. And she's only three! And she's the oldest! This was certainly a week where I started to get a little nervous that I can pull this whole parenting thing off.

Ava-isms

Screaming at me after I disciplined her: "BE HAPPY MOM! BE HAPPY!"

After I caught them playing in the dirt outside in their nice clothes and scolding them: "Mom playing in the dirt was just an accident."

After saying Ava, please be quiet: "Why you don't you want me to talk mom? I need to talk. God made people to talk. (pause) .... And He made them toys to play with." OK Ava, why don't you play with the toys right now and talk later. "Oh OK."

Admiring Lily's Aquadoodle art: "Mom, look at what this little child did!"

Inspiring Thought I Read This Week

Phillipians 4:11 - I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Others may do a greater work
But you have your part to do.
And no one in all God's heritage
Can do it as well as you.