Another rich season. Am I allowed to claim that for every season? It seems that deep living and joy filled moments come with this stage in our life. Don't get me wrong, there are hard times and struggles, but the lessons learned and the obvious presence and delight from our mighty God far outweighs them all.
I'm about 34 weeks pregnant and once again have had a pretty smooth time. Aside from the heart burn and random fatigue there isn't a lot to complain about. Andrew and I are very excited for our family to grow and feel emotionally ready to meet our next little girl. Though there are still some things on the to do list, for the most part we'd transition smoothly if she decides to come early. We are pretty sure Madison has no idea what's coming her way (she points to her own tummy and says baby) but with her social personality and gracious demeanor we are optimistic on how she will handle another little one in the house.
Andrew is also doing well. Recent really fun news as of yesterday, he got an elk! Way to fill the freezer baby! He has put in some long hours and early mornings and definitely deserved some fruit, or I guess meat, for his labor. He also had his 2nd summer at the newer Young Life camp on property, Creekside. He had a rich summer as their numbers were above capacity most weeks and many many kids devoted their lives to Christ. So good. He also had a stellar team that complimented each other well. Though there was many emotionally demanding days due to several significant deaths surrounding our community and making the hard choice to live authentically, he as usual laid out all that he had and was filled, blessed and guided by our intimate Lord.
Madison is an absolute joy in our life. She is also full of energy, has a hunger to learn, a desire to please, a sensitivity to others and is a really great dancer. She is testing her and our limits occasionally, but we are all doing our best to be teachable and continue to enjoy our days together. Below are some pictures to highlight what those days have consisted of...
Playing in the shower bathroom. She loves to bring any and everyone into our tiny 1/2 bathroom and have them 'gohavaseat'. She will then close the door with the lights off and spin, dance, jump and just laugh until the observer becomes claustrophobic.
In October, we began the potty training journey. With much guidance from my mom (who's run a home daycare for over 30 years) and a link from baby center (http://www.babycenter.com/0_potty-training-in-three-days-or-less_10310078.bc) within 5 days she picked up the concept and now really prefers her big girl panty life. Below is one of her favorite past times consisting of putting all of her panties on one leg or the other, standing up and walking around until they all fall off, and then repeating it again.
Just last week we moved her to the bottom bunk of her beautiful ash bunkbed that Andrew built over a year ago. As you can see we have up a guard and a side ladder which pretty much makes it feel like a really big crib. She has loved playing in it and on it and hasn't really missed a beat sleeping either. Another reason I am thankful we keep it super dark in there.
Thanks for taking the time to enter into our lives, please continue to lift us up as we embark on the journey before us. So thankful for your love and support. Hopefully you'll be hearing from Andrew within the month with another labor story.
