First Month

It is so hard to believe Lael has been in our care for almost a month! She is settling in well, and though some days seem long, the weeks are flying by!!

She began walking a bit this week... Actually running;) a few steps and diving... I think she'll not be crawling much longer;)

We all went for a little while to the fair on Monday. Eli's cousin, Wes, was showing his market goat. Lael is now making sheep sounds frequently... (the goat showing was in the sheep barn;) her dog sounds are funny as well!!

Night before last, Tim went to the fair to help with our church corn stand. After the we finished dinner, I decided to give the kids a bubble bath. I'm sure it was Lael's first;)

They had a blast!

After we finished the bath, Eli was very insistent that they put on their matching pjs... They both have Calvin Klein PJ's;). He wanted a picture with them as they were alike;)

Lael hasn't quite mastered sitting still for the camera yet... And my phone locked up on me... But this captured the essence;)


Several have asked how Eli is doing. Tim and I were very intentional before Lael came home to explain that she is very young and will need a lot of care... And that we would be spending time with him, regularly, by himself to have some special quiet moments.

We have been able to do that with him;) going shopping with him, to the fair... Trying to get in fun for him that Lael is still way too little for.

Sometimes I think he is too smart for his own good... Especially for his maturity level;) Last night he was not behaving well... Whining, crying and complaining about everything. Lael was grumpy as well, no doubt from spending the morning at the fair...

"What's wrong with you??!?", from Tim prompted a very interesting response from Eli. Seems he wants to buy us a ticket for the guilt train:(

"I'm doing this for attention because you only pay attention to my sister."

I suppose if we had not been so intentional about spending extra time with him, doing stuff with him, we might have taken it to heart. However, God allowed us to see the conniving truth that he just wanted to excuse his bad behavior by blaming us.

All is well... Just a daily struggle to communicate with a 6 year old who cannot admit he's wrong about anything... Going on for sometimes hours about why he said what he did (that was wrong to begin with...) or burst into an emotional fit with tears, anger... The works. It has been exhausting, to say the least, to try to be constantly there for every member of the family. I am so thankful for God's amazing, sustaining grace!!

But I must also say, Eli is one of the sweetest, most helpful persons one can meet most of the time. He has such a tender heart and cannot bear criticism or anger towards him. He has been trying very hard to be the best big brother ever!!

Last night, after we all prayed together, I set Lael on Eli's lap next to me and told her to give Eli a kiss goodnight. Amazingly enough, she leaned over, with a big twinkle in her eye and gave him a big kiss:) and then several more... Only a few were open mouth kisses;)

Then I asked her to give Daddy kisses goodnight. She fell over, almost leaping from my arms, to give Daddy several goodnight kisses. Those are the sweet spots! The moments that add the brightest threads to the tapestry of our life.

I remember asking my friend, Micki, one time why those aren't the moments parents dwell on.. Why it is the anger inducing and rage provoking moments.

"Because," she replied, "The sweet moments are when parenting is easy."

It is very easy to enjoy those sweet moments;) and we are thankful for each and every one we receive;)

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