Summer so far

So far, it's been a really good summer.  Since June is coming to an end I thought I would have a mid-summer recap. 

The first week in June we went to the beach and celebrated Jackson turning four.  We all agree that we want to go back!

I worked for six days in the middle of the month.  Mom kept Emmy and Jackson was actually able to come with me to work. He was able to go to the preschool classroom that is there and has enjoyed it immensely.  It was so fun to have him there with me. Each day that I worked it was only for a few hours in the morning and it was really great to have something to get out and do.

On the days that I don't work I try to have activities planned to keep us busy.  We go to the library once a week as this is the first time Jackson has done the summer reading program.  He picks out new books, we go home and read them and then he earns "library dollars".  He is super excited about his dollars and likes to get them out and count them! Emmy just enjoys pulling books off the shelf so while Jackson picks out his books I run behind Emmy putting books back!

We also play in the baby pools in the back yard and we have also gone to MayMay's pool a few times which the kids love.  It is so hot now so if we are outside we have to be in some water.  At the beginning of June we played out in the driveway a lot so Jackson could practice riding his new bike. It's been too hot to do that lately. 

We've also gone to Brusters a couple of times for an afternoon ice cream snack. We don't do that kind of thing very often so it is quite a treat for the kids.  Emmy LOVES ice cream! She's usually the first to finish hers! We all three get baby cones and the kids get them free! So for .90 cents we all three get ice cream and it's a fun outing!

Emmy is now 16 months. She still takes two naps. We are in the transition phase to one nap and I thought she would have dropped it by now but she still seems to need 45 minutes in the morning.  She is feeding herself with a spoon and a fork which is really exciting! She needs help every now and then and often makes a mess but she's mostly independent and wants to do it herself.  She continues to add new words to her vocabulary but not quite as rapidly as before.  I think between 14-15 months she had a huge language spurt and now she has slowed down.  We are entering a new phase with her: discipline.  She gets frustrated and mad, throws tantrums, tests the limits, gets mad some more and does lots of screaming! Yikes! It's an uphill battle but I've been here before so I won't give up!

First ponytail

Sometimes I feel like giving up or giving in but then I remember what I'm battling for- her heart!  So I will press on. The battle for the heart is the greatest battle of all. I've been through this battle with Jackson and while it's not even near over I get glimpses of hope- glimpses that Jesus is winning his heart.  Basically, ever since Jackson has had a large enough vocabulary to put phrases and sentences together he's been praying the same prayer every night.  Almost word for word each night, he prays for his stuffed alligator, dinosaur and snake and he prays that "baby Emmy will stop crying in the morning."  (Side note: the prayer for Emmy to stop crying came when Emmy was born and cried here and there as you would expect a newborn to cry.  Jackson didn't like it. The prayer has stuck.)  Anyway, tonight our Bible story was about Jesus ascending into heaven and how he is preparing a place for us.  Jackson and I talked a little bit about heaven and then we prayed.  At the end of his prayer he added a new line. He prayed and said, "Dear God, thank you for my alligator, dinosaur and snake. Thank you for all my animals. Help baby Emmy to not cry in the morning. (He paused). And I pray that I want to go to heaven with Jesus." What a sweet moment.  A glimpse of hope. 

A young woman in our church passed away last weekend after a five year battle with cancer.  She left behind a husband and three children, ages 9, 7 and 5.  While her ultimate prayer was that God would heal her so that she could raise her children she also prayed that if she was taken that she would witness all three of her children accept Jesus as their Savior.  Earlier this year her 7 and 5 year old with tears in their eyes told their sweet mama that they wanted Jesus in their heart.  Her 9 year old had done the same previously. What a precious gift to watch your children come to know Jesus at an early age.  And what a heritage she has left for her children and now she will see those children again one day in heaven.

That is my prayer for my children.