Welcome to our new layout! We're glad you've stopped by for a visit. We're enjoying life as God gives it, feeling so very blessed by His goodness to us. Our 3 kids keep things very lively and interesting around here and make life 3 times more enjoyable. If you're a first time visitor, please let us know how you heard of our site! Pictures are available for registered users.
Our Rachel-Kate is 3 today. THREE! I keep saying it to myself and still cannot believe it. Her birth day feels like it was maybe a year ago. I remember her pregnancy very vividly and even her baby days. I asked her last night if she'd just stay 2 years old forever and she replied with "No... I'm supposed to turn 3 so I can turn 4."
Her party was Saturday (total blast) and so today we're just having a low key day. Starting the morning off with donuts with Daddy and then a treasure hunt to find her gifts from us.
I can't say enough about Rachel and how much we love her. She's a girlie girl for sure (SO not like her Mommy was!) and enjoys all things pink, babies, dress-ups, and even legos and cars with Ethan. She has become very dramatic these past few months and we're working through it each day. I'm very thankful for her tender conscience and her desire to make things right when she's done wrong. She responds so well to discipline and loves to know people are pleased with her. At the same time, she is her own person and we're learning to help our kids be able to express themselves as individuals and to only care about their standing before God and not before others. I hope to help them avoid those hang-ups we had, as much as possible. :-)
Rachel is very smart. She amazes Jason and I with her quick learning abilities. She's 17 months younger than Ethan and yet has sat next to him and learned everything he has, at the speed he's learned it. When he learned his alphabet, she learned it too, when he learned his numbers, she learned them too, when he learned what sounds the letters make, so did Rachel! And now, as Ethan learns how to put letters together to make sounds and then words... she has too! She sat next to him during his AWANA memorization last year and had the verses memorized before he did.
She's a sponge! I love her little voice and her sweet disposition. I love that she says she's gonna marry her brother and her Daddy, I love that she tells us "I need to go to bed now" when we've kept her up too late and I love that she's girlie. I really do! I thought I'd hate it (and really thought that parents had to force that on their kids) but its fun to see her get into all that stuff on her own.
I cannot believe she's 3. Thank You, Lord for our beautiful little girl!
Happy 3rd birthday, Rachel!
I don't know about you moms out there, but I get so into to holidays for my kids, its not even funny. Christmas morning for me is more fun than it ever was; just watching the looks on their faces and watching them experience the joy I remember as a child. I get super duper into their birthdays. Its nuts. I'm having the hardest time NOT showing Rachel all the gifts we got her. Jason can testify to that - I have the hardest time not telling someone what I bought them, before they open it. When we were younger and would exchange gifts at Christmas and birthdays, I was the one who had already given him 5 million hints during the weeks leading up to the holiday, while he was the one who would make me close my eyes while opening the gifts, so that the shape wouldn't give it away. Exact opposites :)
Rachel is turning 3 on July 14th, but we're celebrating with a birthday party this weekend! She is so excited about her birthday. She told me today that this is the first birthday she ever remembers. I showed her pictures of her 2nd birthday and she said "Oh, I do remember that one... but I was just SO little back then." Made me laugh. Her party will be water themed, since its in the middle of July and she got to pick her guest list for the first time, which was fun. Always interesting to see who our kids pick, as apposed to us picking. Interestingly enough, Rachel's list almost perfectly matched mine.
Ethan bought her a bike helmet (my parents bought her a new, big girl bike!) I cannot wait to see the expression on her face. She's been talking about getting a big girl bike for the past 6 months. Jason and I bought her a cute little girl sized apron from the store Anthropology. I was more excited about finding something under $50.00 in that store :) I've been looking all over for a small apron for her and haven't been happy at all with what I've found. This one is perfect! It has very sweet details on it and the pattern has cupcakes all over it. Brown and pink are the main colors - so cute! I can't wait to see it on her. She loves to help me cook in the kitchen so this is pretty much the perfect gift for her. Kara bought her a princess activity book for the car. Lots of fun things to do in the car, besides watch a movie or stare out the window.
I'm wrapping the gifts tonight and seriously can't wait for her to open them! She's already seen two of the gifts, but she's so funny and has no idea they're for her. She kept asking today "are we giving the bike helmet to Ellie or Delaney?" (two girls at church) I kept saying "you'll have to wait and see!" ... clueless...
I have just started to realize how much my daughter listens to us and how often she is noticing things that I don't notice she's noticing. Did that just confuse you? It confused me a bit.
Rachel is going to be 3 in July and yet to us, it feels like she should be turning 4. She does a fantastic job trying to keep up with Ethan. Yesterday I took her to a Mother/Daughter picnic luncheon with the other moms and daughters at our church. It was very lovely. The ladies that put it together did a really nice job and the afternoon (though hot) was very nice. We picniced at our friends Ryan and Janee's home -- enjoyed a nice lunch, had a guest speaker share her testimony and then swam in the pool and enjoyed the fellowship. On the way home Rachel was going on and on about what her favorite things about the picnic were. As she was talking, I realized just how much she's soaking in... "I loved the lady who talked about God. She said she didn't love God and she could do it all-by-herslef... and then God made her radio get STUCK! and she heard the man talk about God and then she went to church. It wasn't at my church, it was at her church and she learns about God there and I think she learns to say I'm sorry."
She talked the entire 15 minute drive home and continued to tell me what she liked about the food, the craft, the pool and more about "the lady who gave her story". Something that really got me was this statement: "Mom... I don't have to wait to love God when I'm an old Grandma. I need to obey Him now!" She said it very matter-of-fact like and with such excitement. I love these seeds I'm seeing being planted and I really loved the mother/daughter time I had with my girl.
We had a very long/busy/fun Sunday, but I think the day took its toll on Rachel. We went to church this morning, had my parents over for lunch and then went to Ethan's AWANA awards night, followed by a trip with friends to frozen yogurt. We got home and Rachel was... very sleepy, to say the least. She started crying in the hallway and I had no idea what her problem was (other than being tired) so I picked her up and asked her what was up. Her reply?
R: "I'm ready to go to bed, because I am very tired."
Me: "I know! You had a very busy day and now you're body is super sleepy."
R: "Well... I fink its because there is SO much laundry to do!"
Yep. She's listening alright! :-)
On Saturday, Rachel had a special alone date with her Grandpa and Grandma Arnold. They took her to Marine World! She had loads of fun and came home talking about how she rode on Thomas, Harrold, the air balloons, saw the dolphins, sharks and tigers! Her Auntie Jenny went along as well and she adored all the attention she got from her. :)
Jenny stayed at our house Friday and Saturday night and we had lots of fun spending time with her. She lives several hours away, so its always nice being able to spend long amounts of time with her. Anyway, I don't have pictures of the Marine World trip, so you'll just have to take my word for it... she had a blast. :)
Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma!
Rachel is 23 months old now and this is officially her last month-to-month update from me. I don't know why I stop doing that at 2 years. Maybe because when they turn two they have less new things they're doing each month and life becomes more consistent and gradual. Who knows.
Anyway, not very much has changed over the past month, other than some new words she can say and her understanding more of what we say. Her new word these days is "favorite". Everything is her favorite and she loves being dramatic when she says the word. She wants to be potty trained very badly, but I'm a bad mom and I'm putting it off until after VBS and after Ethan's surgery. We need a good week to stay home and focus on just that and right now, I can't do that. She tells us every time she goes in her diaper and then tries to take her diaper off saying, "I need to go on the potty!!"
She still has a massive love affair with shoes, purses and all things pink. We have to gasp and catch our breath every time we pass pink, princess looking things in the store. SO not what I imagined MY daughter being like... but I am enjoying it.
She has this new thing of saying "Thank you, Mommy!" anytime I do anything for her; put her shoes on, fold her clothes, do the dishes, serve her dinner, etc... she's very good about thanking Jason and I for everything we do. I love that she notices.
She loves running errands with Daddy... the other day when she and Jason went out together, they got home and Jason came to me and told me that he can tell life is speeding by, because he can't remember Rachel getting so big. He said she was talking his ear off in the car and acting like such a big girl and it was then that he realized, he's going to blink and she'll be 16. Too true.
Anyway, she's our little princess. I know that term greatly annoys some people, but its true. We love how girly and sweet she is (though not perfect, of course) and are thoroughly enjoying her in our family.