Sunday, June 28, 2009

"What about Brynn and Asa?"

Some of you have been telling me that you've enjoyed the recent blog posts about Avery, but that you're wondering what's up with Brynn and Asa. SOOOO, this post is devoted to the 2 of them and what's going in their lives.
Brynn, my precocious middle child, is honestly wearing me out right now!! She is just over 3 years old, and she is really fighting for attention at this stage in her life...in mostly negative ways. (Maybe this is why I haven't had much to post...trying to keep it positive? Guess I won't win MOTY after this post.) She is constantly whining, hitting, pushing, spitting, crying, pitching fits, drawing on the table...you name it. Papa kindly reminded me the other day, when I was about ready to pull my hair out, that she is just fighting for survival right now, among Avery and Asa...and that NEGATIVE attention is, at least, attention. It was a great reminder that I need to carve out some special time with JUST Brynn. One on one, she is one of the most delightful children you will ever meet. She is affectionate, funny, and her energy is contagious. She loves to clown around and make people laugh, and her favorite type of comedy right now is, of course, potty humor. (I am working on this!) She says all kinds of things wrong that tickle me, like "blueberry mushrooms" instead of muffins and "skeeta bites." I have really enjoyed working with her recently at the pool on her swimming. She always wants to "practice with my swimmies off," but I know that she really just enjoys the attention. Now she is swimming like a fish. She loves sitting in my lap and reading books or watching movies together, and on occasion, I can still get her to take a nap with me. She's really into Polly Pockets & Littlest Pet Shop (a girl thing) and collecting all kinds of teeny toys and pets that she gives hysterical names to (like Gazelle, Insabelle, and Marina) and carries around in her "case." When we go out, she turns so many heads because she prances about in her pink high heel dress up shoes, pink sunglasses and that little case over her arms. She always brings a smile to their faces! So that's just a snapshot of where we are with Brynn right now...you can say a prayer for us if you think about it, because I could sure use it! I am reminding myself constantly that I could've lost her last summer, and at least she is here, and I am able to experience it!! But, just keeping it real....it's tough sometimes.


Now, on to Asa. Little Ace is getting so big and doing so many new things. He is starting to say all kinds of words, which is such a fun stage. His first complete sentence was, "I want my drink!" He sings some songs like "Jesus Loves Me," "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, " and "God Our Father, " but I'm not sure many would be able to understand them. You can only recognize the tunes. He loves reading books, being outside, playing in the pool, putting on grown up shoes, playing with balls (he has a bag of 100 thanks to Granddad and Nonna), dancing, and chasing his sisters. When we go to the pool, he can always be found taking a nap in his stroller for at least an hour and a half. He is still very affectionate and has recently taken to ME instead of Bryan (which you know I just eat up.) If you've read my blog for long, you'll remember that I posted a while back that he was a Daddy's boy. Well, that may be starting to change a little, much to my delight! He is at an adorable age, but he can also pitch a pretty nasty fit...the fall on the floor, throw your head back, and kick your legs kind. I guess by the time Brynn moves out of her current phase, he'll be right there to take her place! People are all the time asking, "Are you finished? Do you want any more?" I have come to the conclusion that I love babies, and I would probably want another one even if I already had a dozen. I HAVE to stop somewhere, and Bryan and I are so content with our family as it is now. The thought of Asa being my last baby is sad, but yes, he's it!

So, there ya have it! I don't know that I even scratched the surface, but I hope that gives you a glimpse into what's new with Brynn and Asa.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Avery's Birthday Party Idea

Avery came up to me the other day and told me that for her 6th Birthday Party, she wants to have a God and Jesus Party.

M: What would we do?
A: We can read the Bible and tell Bible stories and sing songs to praise God. And we can play with my instruments and learn about God.
M: What else?
A: We need white and yellow balloons.
M: Why white and yellow?
A: Because God and Jesus' dress has white and yellow on them. Oh, and the cake can have God and Jesus on it...with white icing. It will be SOOOO much fun!

Not your typical party, huh? But how can I say that to her? I LOVE the fact that she thinks learning about God and singing songs to Him would be the greatest party ever. If she still wants it, I may be trying to figure out a way to make it happen. As I type this, she said, "And you can dress up like God or Jesus...or some other Bible character. I can't wait until my 6th birthday!" I guess I'll wait and see if she sticks with it. Guess she's a party planner like her mom!

Monday, June 8, 2009

The Hour I First Believed....

June 7th was a SPECIAL day in the life of our family!! Last night, at a performance by Ballet Magnificat at our church, Avery asked Jesus to come into her heart. She sat in my lap throughout the show, and I explained to her what was going on in the story. She asked tons of questions. She was really concerned that Rahab was so sad because she didn't have Jesus in her heart. At the end, when Rahab became a believer, she realized that Jesus was what made Rahab truly happy. There were tons more questions throughout the show about where the missionaries went when they died and why they were dressed in white, and why were people not allowed to love Jesus in Russia. (The show was a modern version of the Rahab story from the Bible and was set in Communist Russia.) At the end, one of the men gave an alter call. It's funny, I could tell from the questions she was asking me all along that this had stuck a chord in her little heart and that the Holy Spirit was up to something, so I prayed right then for God to work in heart however He pleased. Then, this was the conversation...
A: Mom, what are they doing now?
M: They are letting people who want to pray come down and pray with them.
A: About what?
M: People can pray to ask Jesus into their heart, or pray for some kind of problem they are having, or just go tell them what Jesus is doing in their heart.
A: I wanna go! (gets up and starts walking...)
M: Wait, baby. Why do you want to go?
A: Because I wanna ask Jesus into my heart! (Of course I am already crying at this point)
So Bryan and I walked our baby down the isle, and Bryan led her in a prayer to receive Christ as her Savior. What a joyous day that we have prayed for since before Avery was even born!

Avery, Daddy and I are so proud of you. Our prayer is that you will always be able to look back on this night as the hour you first believed. You accepted Jesus with as much faith as a 5 year old can muster, and we know that you love Jesus more than anything in the world. I've never seen a child want to go to heaven and be with God so badly! I am thankful that you are His child, and I pray that as you grow older, He will reveal more and more of Himself to you. What a glorious day, when my child's name was written in the Book of Life!