Pumpkin Patch

There is a quaint little pumpkin patch at the Lutheran Church by our house. It's the perfect size for some pictures and then to pick out a pumpkin. Evie's school actually took a field trip their last week. She had a blast! They had story time, relay races, snacks, and crafts! It lasted 2 hours!!

Evie was in a silly mood for these pics. Katy did take a tumble off the bench when Evie let go of her! Oops!

5 Months

Oh my! So much has happened in the past month! I feel like Katy is changing at warp speed. She started sitting on her own for a minute at a time (still pretty unstable). She also started eating rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and green beans. We didn't spend much time on rice cereal, we went pretty quickly to pureed baby food. I have a BlendTech blender that does a fabulous job of pureeing perfectly. We haven't bought jarred baby food yet. We may not, ever. From the beginning, Katy was very eager to eat food. She opens her mouth like a little baby bird. She still sleeps on her tummy. Mommy went back to work, so Katy is drinking from a bottle pretty good. Big girl also got her first two (bottom) TEETH! I knew she was teething and sure enough, one tooth popped through. A couple days later, the next one debuted! In the picture below, her two teeth are showing! Also, I think her eyes are turning brown or hazel. The verdict is still out.

woops!

Doing the "superman"

This is her "talking" face.

Sophie Giraffe is a great teething toy. Wilson is jealous.

She sucks on her toes quite often.

Not too crazy about rice cereal. I don't blame her.

She LOVES sweet potatoes!

Just for fun, here's Evie and Katy at about 4 months old in the same dress, 

in the same chair. Katy definitely has more baby fat rolls than Evie ever did. 

Still, Katy is 50th percentile in weight. Just right.

The Countdown to a New Normal

There are two weeks left, fourteen days until my family's life changes. Until we have to adjust to a new version of normal. Until I walk into room 417 and greet all 60 of my bright eyed nine and ten year olds. Until my days are broken down to the minute. Until there is study hall. Until there is lunch duty, tutoring, field trips, fire drills, HW, emails, report cards, 60 ipads, faulty Wifi...

I know I am called to teaching. I know I am "built" to serve others, to be a pleaser. A servant's heart is what I desire.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.  Phillipians 2:1-4

There are so many uncertainties and anxieties I have about returning to work. The baby is still not a champ at sleeping. On average, she wakes up at least twice between the hours of 10pm and 5am. That leaves me with about on average 5 hours of interrupted sleep. I function best on a good solid 8 hours. When I am tired I am cranky, irritable, emotional, impatient, and irrational. I do not want to be this when I go back to the J.O.B.

Instead I want to have the heart of a servant. When I see how Evie enjoys school and adores her teachers, I am incredibly thankful for all the people who pour out their hearts not only to my little girl, but to so many other boys and girls. When I see Evie's excitement, I am reminded that I too, have other people's children. I want to ignite a light in their eyes. I want them to have a love of school (as much as a 4th grader can)! This is a very serious responsibility to me. I hold very high expectations for myself. I want to "measure up" to the parents, to the children, to my principal, to my coworkers.

At the same time, I want to pour my heart into serving Jesus, into being the wife I need to be, into being the mommy I am called to be. I am completely overwhelmed with the expectations. I don't want to do a mediocre job on anything. Is there enough of me?

This is where I know that "I" can't do it all. I can't be the super hero Christian, wife, mom, and teacher. That's right, it's not ME giving myself the power to do stuff. Christ will empower me with the vision and stamina I will need. He will give me the focus. He will give me the comfort. He will give me the courage. He WILL! I must LISTEN and be FOCUSED on HIM to survive this new phase of my life. Will it be easy, no. Will it be hard, yes. Will I fall, yes. Will I get back up? YES!

Some days...

• I will cry for my life to slow down
• my alarm won't go off
• the dog will pee in the house
• the baby will be up all night
• Judd will work late
• both kids will be sick
• I'll forget my laptap at home
• my patience will be short
• my students will be wired with energy
• i'll have a difficult email
• baby will poop on me as I walk out the door
• and on and on and on....

Some days and hopefully most!
I will find the complete JOY that Jesus puts in my life. I will CHOOSE to see the grace and perseverance he is shaping inside and around my life. My heart will burst with gratitude for his loving kindness.

Give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philipians 4:13

Four Months Old

Sweet Katy girl is 4 months old! A lot has happened in this past month! Katy continues to laugh and smile. She tries to talk by making different squealing and cooing noises. She loves watching her sister. Catching a glimpse of mommy calms her down instantly and makes her smile. She likes to play in the exersaucer and bounce-a-roo. She can roll from stomach to back and back to stomach. Everything goes straight into her mouth. She likes sucking on blankets and chews on teething toys. She can sit up with support, too! She is a pro at drinking bottles. Her sleep habits can get better. She has been going from two to fives hours at night. I broke down in desperation and gave her a 4 ounce bottle of formula for her last feeding of the night. It seems to be helping her go longer at night. I have no intentions of weaning her. That one bottle of formula is enough. Hopefully, we can stop using it when her sleep habits are better developed. Katy is a smily lovely baby girl!

And for the drum roll....

Weight: 14 pounds 2 ounces (50th percentile)

Height: 25.5 inches (85th percentile)

I have another long and lean baby girl!