Kisses from my sweet girl.

(58/365)

I can probably count on one hand the number of times Benjamin and Lydia have played together willingly and happily. Today, I witnessed another of these strange phenomenons. 

an updated home tour

You guys, having my own home to design and decorate has been so much fun. I have dreamt of paint colours and art work ever since we were just married, and now it has all become a reality! I'm unsure of whether I will ever consider any house as being "done" in the design department, but, when I looked around today and realized that my house is probably as clean as it has ever or will ever be, I declared it "done enough" for a full on photo taking spree.

Main Area (aka dining room, visiting room, entry way, school room, etc...)

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Apparently, Cosby's not the only one keen on soaking up the sun's rays. 

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A scene from this morning: Benjamin was serving "tea" and "hot chocolate" to Lydia and Judah over and over and over again. And Lyddie was in her crib for a bit of an attitude reset, because we all need those things from time to time. ;) 

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Doing something eternally and happily etched into my memory: reading Bible stories with my dad - and with the same Bible, no less! 

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This girl and her "teetee". 

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Snuggly Sunday babies.

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Benji and all of his Beloved Things.

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Lyddie is an Ewok on Hoth.

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Patiently waiting for lunch to be ready is a hard task, but especially so for Lyddie. She only just recently switched from morning naps to afternoon naps, and waiting for lunch makes her hangry. 

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She is terribly concerned about the welfare of her babies, and you should see her joy when I wrap them up like little burritos. *Swoon.* 

eternally thankful for the great High Priest

I have sat down in front of my computer what feels like hundreds of times, intent on writing something that will be of lasting value, something that doesn't add to the cacophony of voices already swarming the internets.

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The sun finally came out, and he's determined to soak up every last inch of it. 

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A Mom-assisted selfie.

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Prayers at bedtime, sincerely thanking God for every creature he can think of. 

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Because watching a blizzard roll in is a spectator sport. 

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My date tonight was full of stories and cheek.

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Rubber boots on the wrong feet + a lack of pants at snack time on this fine, wintry day.

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"Mooooom! I eated all of my noodohs!" It might be hard to get him to eat anything without a fight these days, but he is sure proud of himself when he's finished.

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Shenanigans with Daddy after bath time. Because Daddy is the bestest. 

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She just can't sleep today, and it's very sad. Sad babies need lots of cuddles. 

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Benji hitchin' a ride. 

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Ben was playing downstairs. I was keeping Lydia upstairs with me while I got things done. Judah was coming and going on both levels. He said to me, "do you want to know why I'm going downstairs and upstairs? It's because I want to keep both Ben and Lyd happy." The heart in that kid is a big one. 

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She is such a helper. She sees needs almost before I do, and rushes to fulfill them. She wanted to put a plate at each of our spots at the table. 

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His patience with her is truly God-given.

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Classical music playing. Hand-holding. Small-step-taking. He is proving to be quite the little gentleman. 

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Drawing in the last of the sun's rays. I love her baby cheeks and the way her lips go out when she concentrates. 

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One of the best things about parenting young children is watching them transition from needing you to point out all of their mistakes and teach them how to do it right, to learning to see their mistakes on their own and knowing how to fix them. 

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Don't let that face fool you - we're in the midst of a serious battle of the wills. I'm not sure what morals guide her, but her convictions are STRONG.