success!

We did it!  I say "we" because it was definitely a group effort.  Hubby and I spent most of the past 4 days in the bathroom with Peach, but since they were rainy and rather cool, we didn't mind...too much.  Yes, there were frustrating moments and it was much more work than we anticipated, but Peach's sweet voice proclaiming, "I'm a big girl!" has been worth it.  Take a peek at our journey...

It all started with Peach on the pot in front of a movie...it was the only way we could get her to stay on for more than 10 seconds!

She read more than a few books on the potty while trying to learn how to go...

We had a few accidents....

...but the potty was never far.  When we had to go somewhere in the car, Hubby had the awesome idea to keep the potty in the trunk.  It was hilarious to see people drive by and do a double-take!

But one day, something clicked and Peach just figured it out...after five successful attempts she earned a special treat with mommy - cookies and chocolate milk at the bakery.  Look how proud she is....melts my heart!

We did the potty dance like it was our job!

Five more successful tries landed her a date at the ice cream shop with Hubby.

And she was even brave enough to survive her first port-a-potty experience!  Hubby gets super-dad points for taking her in there!

When I packed up her cloth diapers and put them away, I told Hubby that there was a small (very small) part of me that was sad....not because I want to keep changing diapers, but because this really does signal the end of her babyhood.  It is sad to find out that she doesn't need us so much any more.  But wonderful to watch her blossom and grow into the confident child that we hoped she'd be.  So it is with a bittersweet heart that I say "goodbye" to baby peach and "hello" to a whole new world with my big girl. 

Looking forward to more milestones and moments to be proud.  

tea party

One of the best parts of having girls is that I get to re-live my littleness with them.  One day, with ankles crossed just like a proper lady, Peach asked if we could have a "tea pawdee".  I smiled, thinking of dollies lined up in my childhood bedroom....we hauled out all of her "friends" and let the party begin....

The best part was the conversation.  It went something like this:

Peach:  Momma, you wan' coffee?

Me:  Yes, with cream, please.

Peach:  An' a pinsh o' soogar. (And a pinch of sugar.)

Me:  Oh, yes, you know just how I like it.

Peach:  Bear hungwy?  I give you two choices....you wan' waffles or fwench toas'?  Fwench toas'?  I give you waffles.  You wan' fwench toas'?  Okay.  Not too much syrup!

Me:  Laughing as I hear my words coming out of Peach's mouth.

Peach:  Momma....I yove (love) tea pawdees.

Me:  Me, too!

Peach:  Momma, I yove books an da bath tub an chocwat an...you!

Me:  Sigh.....and I love you, Peach....

Peach:  But, Momma...I don' yove domadoes (tomatoes).  I don' yike 'em.  Ish!

Me:  I know.....I know....

These are the moments that make the gigantic job of being a mom so very worth it.

When the tea party was over, I prayed for two things...

First, that I would never forget the sound of Peach's little voice that afternoon.

Second, that there would be many more conversations over tea...that someday we'd have tea as friends.  Not now....today I'm the Momma and she's the Peach.  But I prayed that the Lord would give me wisdom to raise these sweet babies so that someday they will be women that I admire and call my friends.  Not an easy task, but one that I am oh so proud of.

summer lovin'

I love summer....the fact that Hubby and I are teachers makes these months extra sweet.

Each summer of our teaching careers, we've worked to make some extra money to carry us through the school year.  This year, for the first time, we're taking time to just be....and it feels good.

 I'll admit that I was nervous about this at first.  I'm the practical one, always finding something to worry about.

What if something goes wrong with one of our cars?

What if our water heater dies?

What if feeding/diapering/clothing 2 kids turns out to cost way more than we imagined?

What if it ends up costing our kids five million dollars a year to go to college?  The meager savings we've started won't matter much.

That summer money sure could come in handy....

Thank goodness Hubby balances me out and reminds me that "life is too short" and "no matter how much we plan, life will always find ways to surprise us".  This not working thing was his idea and only 2 weeks into summer I'm so grateful for it.

We've already turned our deck into a summer playland...

 ...read more library books than I can count....

...taken a few strolls....

...produced some stunning artwork...

...and started the adventure of potty training.  (Having Hubby around definitely helps!)

And although life can be rough (who knows what bumps in the road we'll encounter), we're soaking up this time together.  No amount of dollars in the check book would be worth missing this.  And as Peach says whenever something bad happens,"Don't worry...I get you a band-aid."

recipe for a nap

Tulip loves her naps, but they don't just happen...a precise chain of events lead to the perfect sleep.  She's like her Momma - the cozy level has to be JUST RIGHT for sleepy eyes to stay closed.

She's a bouncer....the more the better.  One day a wise friend suggested that we use the exercise ball to get a burp out of Tulip...she's been addicted ever since.  So, when she gets sleepy, we get the paci and the exercise ball and begin the nap time routine.

On more than one ocassion, Momma has prematurely stopped the bouncing, which results in eyes that pop wide open and a little squeal that tells me it just wasn't enough.  But I'm learning what makes this little Tulip tick and what I've found is that when the feet go limp, she's safely tucked into dreamland.

Success!  Just a few more light bounces to make sure we seal the deal.

And what comes next?  The prayer that Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus...the same one that I pray over my girls as often as I think of it:

"I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."  Ephesians 3:14-21

Love, love, love the part about being able to grasp how wide, long, high and deep His love is....I'm reaching and I hope my kids are, too.

Of course, since my girl is a bouncer, she doesn't want to cuddle calmly on the couch for too long.  So, I smell her hair, kiss her cheek and off we go!  Again, she's like her Momma...so I get out my list and check things off with Tulip in tow.  :)

memory lane

The hubster and I returned to the beginning of our romance with a journey back to our college campus.  We were in the area for a wedding and decided to take a trip down memory lane.  We laughed and sighed, both placing our hands over our hearts as we remembered how good it was to be young and free.  Not that we don't love our lives now...they are so much fuller and richer than they ever have been.  But, as we toted our girls to some of our favorite spots we reminisced about what a blessing it was to have that time in our lives.  Planning our classes so that we'd have 4-day weekends, sleeping in until just moments before our first class (8:30 was EARLY!), driving cars that just barely made it from here to there, frequenting Perkins at all hours of the night....and we thought we were stressed!

We had all the freedom in the world!  And thank goodness we came from such loving homes....because that freedom required wisdom.  Makes me think about the fact that someday our girls will be out on their own and how I want to make the most of every opportunity to show them how beautiful (although sometimes lonely) the narrow path can be. (Matthew 7:13)

As the memories flowed, we were grateful.  Grateful for all the laughter and the lessons.  Take a walk with us down memory lane....

the tree where Hubby and I had our first looooong chat

campus...many vicious games of capture the flag 

started in this very spot

dahl and ballard halls...where we each discovered the company of good friends and the deep love of Jesus

   cheap and delicious!

Babb's coffee house in Fargo - our fave!

the farm

I'm no city girl....my heart is in the wide open spaces where I grew up...out in the country.  So, when we take Peach out to my hubby's family farm, the memories of childhood always rush back.  This trip was no different.

Grandpa had a new kitten for Peach to adore and she was tickled!

The kitten was dirty and kind of scraggly.  But Peach wanted nothing more than to love that little ball of fur.  She couldn't get close enough...couldn't hold it tight enough.  

She just wanted to love it....

...and be loved by it...

...and for a little while, nothing else mattered.

And as I smelled the familiar scents of the farm and thought back to my childhood, I re-learned something.  I say "re-learned" because I used to know this...as a kid.  

Somethings are loved because they are valuable.  

Other things are valuable because they are loved.

The kitten wasn't a treasure because it was worth any amount of money.  It was valuable, though.  It was worth something to Peach simply because she loved it.  Her love made it a treasure.  I need to live there more often...in the place where money, finances and material things don't matter nearly as much as the simple smile that a kitten can put on a 2-year old face.

Even though I'm the parent and the teacher, I find that my girls are the ones teaching me.

Thanks, Peach.  And thank you, Lord, that in this busy, fast-paced world, there are still wide-open spaces and simple moments to enjoy.  Amen.

Psalm 46:10  "Be still and know that I am God."