Our fancy girl turns 4

Our own little "fancy nancy" turned 4 last week. Hard to believe how fast it has gone. I know people tell you this when you're pregnant..."oh time goes by so fast, blah blah..." and you think, are you kidding? This pregnancy has gone by so slow, I just can't wait for this baby to be here. Or at least that's what I thought when I was pregnant with my first child. And now, even though its only been 4 years, it seems like time really has flown by (those people were right!!). I am aching for time to slow, for my little ones to stay little ones. While I admit, there are days when I wish they could each talk to me in a voice that isn't whiny, or all use the toilet and not have to be wiped, or get their own lunches and clean up their own messes, there is something precious, something so special about your kids being little. And time doesn't reverse. It only travels at an alarmingly faster rate with each passing year. Lord, thank you for my 3 blessings. Thank you for sweet Moriah who is 4 and who this year, came to be your child; adopted in to your family. Thank you for her 4th year. Thank you for what my kids teach me about your love, your grace, your mercy, your strength, and how much I cannot do this life without you. May my life be a living testimony of your un-ending grace. And may my little girl grow to be a humble woman of grace, one who loves you more than life and adores serving her heavenly Father with a passion that can't be stopped.

At any rate, enough of my sentimentalities and rambling, on to some pictures of the party. We had Moriah's 3 oldest cousins come for a dress-up time. Auntie Caroline did the make-up. I did the nails, we made fancy pens with a plume (in true fancy nancy fasion) and ended with a tea party and reading of Fancy Nancy the book. After this took place, everyone else came over for dinner and cake (of course!).
I love making cakes, and this year decided to try my hand at fondant. It was definitely a first-timer looking cake, but perhaps I'll be able to perfect my technique as time goes on. It was super fun!

7 months!

So this post is a bit delayed, but you have to give me credit for even getting it up, ok?
Here's a brief update on some of Emmett's firsts experienced this month:

first tooth
first time to crawl (army crawl)....which then leads to....
first black eye
first near concussion, which was followed by his....
first burn
first taste of food other than mommy's milk (bananas and avacados....he still does not like them)
first visit to a hotel
first time to sleep through the night...oh wait. this isn't true. I was hoping that by writing it, God might be gracious tonight. Still waiting for that first. and praying and praying and praying....

that's the brief on the firsts for this month. hopefully next month will be less damaging for emmett, and we can report back with the sleeping through the night stuff. If you think of it, feel free to pray for us! (=




He seemed to just want to have his mouth open for these pictures. I took about 7, and they were all with his mouth WIDE open. This is also right before he was being held by his big sister (who shall remain nameless), and subsequently fell of the chair, hitting his head on the concrete, causing his near concussion. Thankfully there was no loss of conciousness and after calling the doctor, and having one check him out at church....we feel much better (all of us).

Metamorphasis

For the past few weeks we have been housing some guests: caterpillars, which turn into crystalis', which turn into beautiful monarch butterflies. These guests have been causing me to think so much about our Creator and the way he designed these beautiful creatures to mirror our spiritual walks. Praise be to God that I have turned into a butterfly, that I am a new creation. To watch these insects go in as a caterpillar and emerge a seemingly completely different species is amazing. The same, and yet completely different. And so it is when we become new in Christ. The old is put away and the new is put on. We are new creations in Christ. Washed from sin. Clean as snow. A new life has begun. We are to take wings and fly. To soar with our Savior in the new life he has given with the purchase of his blood. Thank you Lord. For butterflies. For new life. For bringing me into your family, that I may walk with you, serve you, honor you with my whole life.

1 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has gone, and the new has come."