I haven't updated in SO long...even on Eliana and Ezra! It makes me feel like a bad mom, but then I remember why I haven't been updating and I forgive myself. :)
I have been doing some major soul-searching, Bible study, and organizational work on myself and our house. Last week I completely revamped our garage and it looks awesome! I regret not listening to my husband and getting it done earlier (sorry, Babe)!
I'm just going to do a quick run-down of recent developments to catch up and hopefully I'll be able to keep up with things better now that I'm not so bogged down by disorganization!
In the World of Ezra:
Ezra and I raised caterpillars into butterflies! It was SO much fun! I've done that twice with my school classes (three times if you count when I did my student teaching), but it was a whole new experience to see it through his eyes! There WILL be a blog post about our activities on that soon!
We've done some other cool unit-based activities that I'll hopefully get around to sharing soon!
ABCMouse.com had a one-day sale and I was able to purchase a subscription for him for just $4.97/month. He is really enjoying it. It keeps his attention pretty well and I can really see him starting to grasp onto some of the concepts we've been working on for a while, so that is very encouraging! :) I'll try to do a review of the site in the future.
We've been playing a Veggie Tales Toddler Tunes CD in the car (our radio antennae went out, so I don't really have a choice, ha) and he is cracking me up as he learns songs like "The Bear Went Over The Mountain" and "Graham Cracker, Graham Cracker, Chocolate Bar" (by far our favorite tune). My mom picked it up for him at Life Way and we have really enjoyed it...but I will warn you: Junior Asparagus singing repetitive children's songs in his high pitched, whiny tone is just as bad as you can imagine! ;)
In the World of Eliana:
Her vocabulary now consists of:
-Mama (usually repetitive "ma" sounds, not a unique 'mama' yet)
-Dada (her first sound too)
-Ezra (sounds like "Ez-uh")
-Thank You (sounds like "Teen Ku")
-Nana (she's said it just a few times)
She's also really good at parroting, as Josh calls it. She can sometimes repeat words or phrases that she doesn't normally say when you say them, but qis likely not to do it again, so you'd better hope someone else heard it so they don't think you're crazy. Ezra used to do that too!
She is almost walking. She actually took about 5 steps between one of my friends and I at church the other night. Thankfully, Josh was there too and didn't miss it! :)
She loves to give kisses and hugs. The best part of my day is when she and Ezra wake up--they typically have a cuddle fest, full of kisses, hugs, and cuddles. Nothing starts your day better than that. Even though they may not get along that well the rest of the day, I know they love each other.
Ezra and Daddy are her heroes. You can tell she thinks they hung the moon, especially her Daddy! I love how the two of them look at each other with their matching beautiful blue eyes so full of love!
In the World of Josh & I:
We have been doing some really good Bible study lately. Getting back into having daily quiet times with the Lord and doing a study on Idols of the Heart that has bloodied our toes and challenged our hearts!
We've also started weekly date nights. Weekly is pretty demanding, honestly. We may try to go to once every other week after a while, but right now we are jump starting...we hadn't been on more than 5 'real dates' since Ezra was born...and 5 may be pushing it. Obviously, that needed to change badly!
I became a Training Rep for Diaper Parties, meaning I now have two new reps under me to help get started with our company. I love being able to answer their questions and help them get going!
I've been incredibly challenged and changed by the Bible studies I've been doing lately, including "The Resolution For Women," "The Excellent Wife," and excerpts from "The Gospel Treason." I would recommend all of them for all women! Be prepared to be challenged in incredible ways, particularly by "The Excellent Wife" and "Gospel Treason."
Through my studies, I have been freed from some things that have plagued me for years. Maybe I'll go into that more someday, but not now. Part of that freeing has helped me to really step up and start to be the kind of Proverbs 31 woman I've always dreamed of being. Not that I am anywhere near perfect, but I am doing all I can to get to the goal!
