Wee-Ones Wednesday: SShhhh....

I'm going to whisper because I'm almost afraid to write this out loud. I don't knock on wood or believe in jinxes, yet I'm a little nervous to admit that life in the Michael house has been relatively...perfect. Just this week, Iris has begun to walk more, she kisses (open mouthed of course) like crazy, enjoys books, taps her mouth and makes noise like a Lost Boy in Peter Pan, and her dance moves show what great taste she has in music.

Lilly has been nothing but obedient, independent, apologetic, empathetic, and sweet. She's full of, "OK, I'll wait," "I'm sorry," "I'll try harder next time," "I understand," "Can I please..." No joke, no lie, no exaggeration. Dan and I have been blown away by this transformation. We have to admit that we started reading the book Parenting Your Strong Willed Child when we were in Palm Springs. It is a 5 week behavior plan and we are currently in week three. It is pretty intense, and we do not follow all the steps and exercises, but it has definitely given us some helpful tips and ideas.

So, shhh, don't tell anyone...

Misc. Monday: Meet Brian

When Dan and I got married, we decided to sponsor a child through Compassion International. Watching Ploy go from being a little 7 year old little girl, to the 12 year old young lady she is now has been so amazing!

For the past month, our church has been in a series: Beyond the grave, Beyond the walls, Beyond words, Beyond me. I was doing great up until "Beyond me." Our church is very invested in the Mathare slums of Kenya. The conditions there are truly horrific. When Dan mentioned sponsoring another child, I told him we already do that, and maybe it would be nice to do when the girls were older and they would understand and could be a part of the decision process. Yesterday's service was beyond me... so to speak. I realized that we are so very blessed. We eat fabulous food, drink bottled water, are clean, live in a gorgeous home, wear beautiful clothes, and have tons of toys. We have so many choices. People are self centered by nature. We are born that way. (Blame Adam and Eve). Dan and I want to show our children that there is a world outside of ourselves. It is so easy to go about our lives, complaining about our valleys and loving the times we are on our peaks. Why not share what we have been blessed with? What was I waiting for? Thirty-five dollars a month is less than going out to dinner and he gets so much more. So here's Brian... we always wanted a son. :)
If you are interested in sponsoring a child, you can visit http://www.95000togo.com/ and see what it is all about.

Misc. Monday: Amazing!!

We took Lilly to Palm Springs this weekend. We had a wonderful time with her. She told us she was having the best vacation of her life and, "Today is so wonderful." Iris got some special attention from G.ma and G.pa; we sure did miss her though. My favorite place was the Living Desert Zoo. Tell me the pic of her and the humming bird is not one of the coolest pictures ever!! (It's the last one, click on it to make it larger. I promise, it's worth it!) However, her favorite thing was the water slide at our hotel. Go figure!

Wee-One Wednesday: THREE

Who ever came up with the phrase "terrible twos" never met my three year old. I'm so tired. Everything right now is a battle... getting dressed, dinner, getting out of the bath, being nice to her sister, going home, and using an inside voice. Being three sure seems emotionally draining. Poor Lilly just can't seem to get a handle on her emotions. She loves life with an intensity that I can not even attempt to match. It's a joy to watch. One the other hand, when she is upset, you would think the end of the world is near. I keep reminding myself that I was the same way when I was little. She'll learn, mess up, mature, and grow. I know...it's a process. But for now, I'm tired... oh, and sorry Mom!

Misc. Monday: What a Difference a Year Makes

Born: 7.8 lbs, 19 1/4 inches

One year: 20.2 lbs, 29 inches

Sew Crafty Saturday: Ah, Spring!

The garden is officially up and running. This spring/summer, we are hoping to harvest tomatoes, carrots, onions, broccoli, strawberries, sweet peas, and sunflowers. Lilly is amazed by the sunflower seedling because you can still see the shell on it! This is the first year we have started with seeds. We usually buy small plants from the nursery. Dan even built the girls a bed of their own to play with small figurines and fairies. Lilly is very excited. I just planted some pretty mossy ground cover in it, so when it spreads, I'll post some pictures of it. Their garden bed is especially neat because it has hinged benches that they can sit at and that store their garden tools. Daddy is too cool!

Misc. Monday: He Is Risen!

Sorry, the pictures are all out of order. Oops...

Egg hunting, kite flying, bunnies, baskets, jelly bean trails, and chocolate are wonderful. We enjoyed it all (even through Mom's migraine). Thank you, Jesus!

"Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive?" Luke 24:6

Sew Crafty Saturday: It's All in the Details