Summer Wrap Up

Where did the summer go? I am not complaining that the heat is slowly disappearing, but I will admit we are going to miss the lazy days of summer we have enjoyed the last few months. In 2 short weeks my sweet toddler will be two years old! And less than 6 weeks after that she will be welcoming her new little brother to her world. I am getting anxious already just thinking about about that.

My prayer going into this summer was for Grace and I to have lots of bonding time. I know being home with her I am blessed to have so many special moments and memories that I know I wouldn't have if I weren't with her so much, but I really feel like I've gotten to know my daughter over the last few months. Her little personality (some days it is larger than life) is really starting to shine through. I love that she is such an easy kid to be around. She's very flexible and adaptable. We've had so much fun this summer just playing. I'm so thankful she has been so easy as I have had a few low energy days. Its funny to watch her entertain herself by taking care of her babies and stuffed animals. She is very maternal, nurturing, loving, and BOSSY. I have no idea where she got that :)

We do have our hard days though. Today, in fact, was one of them. She loves to be in charge, and she has an opinion about EVERYTHING. So we are working on choosing to obey with a happy heart. For the most part she is very compliant, but we have a battle of the wills about every 4th or 5th day. I am struggling to be consistent with the discipline, but Adam has been very encouraging. We are praying our way through it and just trusting that the Lord will shape her heart. Sidenote: We are reading Shepherding Your Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. It's helping me stay focused on the goal. And she is making progress.

Another favorite thing this summer has been watching her learn so much about the world around her. She has learned to say so many things. We actually have a conversation a couple times a day which is very weird, because she seems like a little girl, and not my baby. But very fun at the same time. She loves to talk about her "baby brudder" who she calls "Gham Coo-pah". We are going to call him Graham Cooper. :) She kisses and rubs my belly all the time and tells me she's being gentle. Which oddly doesn't come very natural to her even though she is a little girl. She loves to feed Bentley and give him treats. He has learned recently to cry by the treat box and she will give him one just because. I caught her letting him out the back door all by herself today telling him to go potty. Which was a nice reminder to dead bolt the door. YIKES!!! My favorite thing she does is when she mimics our prayers at mealtime and bedtime. She repeats the last word or phrase we say and emphatically says "AMEN!!" It is precious, and music to my ears.

Well, that should give you an idea of where we are for now. We are in full party mode for her 2nd birthday! I can't believe it is here. She is having a Minnie Mouse Party at our neighborhood park and is very excited about it. We are keeping it small, just family and a few of our couple friends. I can't wait to see how she responds this year. She didn't get it last year...at all. No surprise.

Update soon on Baby Graham. My 32 week appt. is next Thursday. Woo Hoo! Almost there!