Lest I Forget

She wanted to make a new dress for one of her dolls. We wrapped the fabric around the doll and cut it to fit. Now she is working on the running stitch after I showed her how. And she was a nice subject to photograph, sitting so still and all!

Last week we quietly celebrated Therese's birthday. We will have a couple of friends go do something with us soon, and she still gets to shop with the birthday check from Grandma and Pa. I once again had the children wrap her presents. I like this idea a lot. Plus, this time, both Jack and Anna gave her something on their own. She requested a strawberry cake,  lots of sprinkles, and that she could write her own name on the cake. Wish granted. She and I got down on the kitchen floor with a tube of icing and worked together. Dad following directions from Mom, since she still cannot cook. Sprinkles are just so much fun!  

In a span of three and a half weeks, we have celebrated three birthdays! Peter turned one, Anna is nine, and Therese is now three years old! Can I just say "whew"? We have eaten a lot of cake! Anna knew for quite some time the things she would like for her birthday. A bigger bike (she needed one), her ears pierced (she is my girly girl), and a Rubik's cube (she is also fond of puzzles). Her grandmother gave her some money to pick out a new leotard for gymnastics. I looked at her the other day as she breezed past me and I saw that she is growing without my permission. I keep thinking of her as my little girl. She is now older than Ben ever got to be and maybe that is why I try not to notice that she is nine. Let's just say that I will never have a lucrative career as a cake decorater. It didn't really matter how they looked, they tasted delicious and they held the candles nicely. My Anna Rose is growing up. It's not pink! That was a major r...

Two years old is a time in our household when the limits are constantly being tested. Seeing how far is too far. Might I reference the recent hair-cutting incident? Today, while skyping with a friend, I was relating how Therese calls Jack and Anna her "people".  As in "My people are not funny".  Or "People! Come here people!" Therese overheard this conversation and piped up, "I also say 'stupid'." Yes. She does. She also spends a lot of time saying "I sorry."

All of my kids have done it at least once. Sometimes to themselves, sometimes to one another. The first time it happened, I cried. Today, I sighed, looked at the damage, and went on with the conversation I was having with a friend who was over for lunch. At least she brought me this and didn't try to hide the evidence like some of her siblings. This, by the way, is not all of the damage. This is all she brought to me. I don't think we can try and blend this one in. This is going to be a constant reminder that a 2 year old alone in the classroom can get into much mischief. Oh, and she wasn't alone. There happened to be a total of six other kids in there with her, none of whom seemed to notice the naughtiness going on right under their noses. That is not a tear of remorse. Oh, no. That is only that "beauty shop" ended earlier than she anticipated.

All day long I hear it. It was funny the first time, after I figured out what she meant. Now, not so much. "Mama! Jack no me!" Of course he knows you, I thought at first. But that wasn't it. Somebody told her no, she could not have/do what she wanted. I hope this is a phase that is quickly outgrown!

...that she was the baby. Here's where I have found her sleeping this week... Waiting for mom to finish feeding the baby. She even turned on the music and started the motor before climbing in by herself.

I looked up from feeding Peter and saw Tony on the couch with Jack and Anna. They were reading a new library book. But where was Therese? It was quiet upstairs. Too quiet. I went up the stairs with images of all sorts of disastrous messes in my head. But as I peered into my room, my heart melted. There she was, curled up in the crib that not so long ago was hers. She was sound asleep...sucking contentedly on Peter's pacifier. Methinks she might miss being the baby.

I want to thank everyone who has been praying for little Therese. She is doing ever so much better this morning. The only down side being that no one told me that steroids could turn my sweet girl into a hysterical, tantrum throwing evil twin at the drop of a hat. I have been assured by the pediatrician that this too shall pass in a few days. This last week has felt like such a test of my faith. I really feel like God is telling me to be more humble. I know this is something I struggle with, thinking I can do it all. I need to surrender my pride and let God (and sometimes other people) handle things. Another thing about being humble. I find myself all too often looking down on how someone else does things, thinking my way superior. I immediately ask God to take this from my heart as soon as I think it, but still, I think it. I wish I didn't. I also wish I was good at quoting verses from the Bible. I know there is one to go with the next part of the story. Yesterday, as I backed...

Please pray for my sweet little Therese who was diagnosed with moderate to severe croup this afternoon. When I got her to the ER her fever was over 104 and she was having trouble breathing. They gave her steroids to help ease the swelling in her airway and for now they let us come home. If she has any trouble breathing tonight, we are to return immediately.

I didn't take many pictures at my mom's house. In fact, these are the only ones I took, and it was at the request of my grandmother. She asked if I would take some pictures of the "oldest" with the "youngest". I was more than happy to oblige. Therese and Jack both love their great-grandmother with such a sweet love. They are drawn to her when she walks in the door. They run to her with smiles of joy and hug her tight. And she loves them right back. The smile on Grams' face when they come to her lights up my heart. When I was little, I would stay with Grams and Grandad for several days by myself each summer. It was such a treat to have them all to myself. Their house did not have many toys, but I never lacked for things to do. My grandmother and I would practice cross-stitching, or dress up, or go through her jewelry box and try on all the pretty things. My grandad made the best gadgets and told the funniest jokes and would carve little trink...

Who says silverware is necessary?  The one-hand approach  The two-hand bowl hold Hmm.  The concerted effort  The slurp  The lip  "I think I lost one up here somewhere" "That was fun!"

How can it be possible that this sweet little baby is 5 months old today? She is such a laid back baby. She goes with the flow. She laughs at the antics of her siblings and at her mama dancing just for her. She is content to watch and wonder at the world around her. See that open mouth? Everything must be examined by placing it in said mouth. Therese is such a blessing. I marvel at her tiny, perfect hands. I can't stop kissing those chubby cheeks. They just beg to be smooched. Her gaze melts my heart. Every time. She pretends to be shy when people smile or talk to her. She will smile back and then bury her head in my shoulder. In the mornings, I know she is awake because I can see her hands and feet waving from the crib. She greets the day so peacefully. Five months. It seems like time is flying by. It seems like she has always been with us.