Emma's Blessings...

Oh, the blessings Emma has been pouring out on me over the last 24 hours...Not really! First of all, it wasn't any kind of blessing that was coming out, and it definitely wasn't being poured out--it was being projected onto me. That's right--the stomach bug has gone through the youngest Delaney.

I have never changed clothes so much in my life! We have done a total of three loads of laundry from her littile stomach bug. And if Emma is anything like me (which she is), nausea is the worst possible feeling in the world. I have never felt so bad for her in my life. There was a moment that I wished that I was the one who was sick just so she didn't have to go through that agony.

But she seems to be doing all better. I knew she was feeling well when she willingly put both of her pacifiers back in the crib (we usually only let her have them when she is in the crib, but I wasn't about to take them from her yesterday). Now she and I just have to catch up on a night of missed sleep...And hopefully we can do that tonight!

Such a big girl

It is hard to believe that she is almost two! I was putting some new pictures on the computer today, and I went back and looked at her baby pictures. And I realized something--I still call her my "baby", but she is quickly becoming quite the little lady. She is growing up so quicklly.

We are preparing for her Princess Party next month. I am so excited! I don't think she really knows what is coming up yet, except that we keep telling her she is going to be two. But it is going to be so much fun! My mom got her a Princess sand box, but we haven't even tried to put that together yet. I am sure she will love it a lot more than we will. The broom will become our new best friend!

Wow...two years old. That just doesn't seem like it's right. I have realized over the last few days that I need to soak up every minute of this journey, because it's not one that we can relive with her. We are going to enjoy every moment with our baby...

Thank heaven for little girls

I LOVE HAVING A DAUGHTER! Dan and I used to disagree about how much of a girl she was going to be, but she truly is "all girl". I love the way that she wants to love on and feed and change diapers and clothes on her baby dolls. I love the way that she wants to brush her hair and put on her "make up" with me every morning. I love how she has started asking us ten times on every car trip "Daddy, ou doin' okay? Okay. Mommy, ou doin' okay? Okay." I love how she gets SO EXCITED when we go pick out new clothes or shoes for her. I love how her face lights up every time she sees ANYTHING that has to do with Disney Princesses and how she always wants to carry around a "pabook" (pocketbook). God knew what He was doing giving us a little girl. She is such a blessing to us, and I cannot imagine life any differently.

Murts

There is no prouder day in a mommy's life than when her child...How many times have you heard that before? Well that never rang more true for me today when I realized that my almost-two-year-old LOVES Smurfs. We watched four episodes in a row on the Kids on Demand channel. And at the end of every episode, she would say "More Murts! Again! More Murts!" I started watching it for purely nostalgic reasons (at least that's the story that I'm sticking to) and ended up watching it for two hours.

What a proud day... :) Or just a really funny one!

Serving

This has been an interesting week. For four days, a group of 15 incredible leaders and I have been working with 80 kids to teach them about serving others and serving God. It has been amazing! It has been so much fun and so rewarding, and I have realized one thing--I am so blessed to have my family.

I look at my husband and my daughter...I see their hearts--my husband who works 50-60 hours a week, and when I make jokes like "You sure are going to have a lot of laundry to fold this weekend!" he just laughs and says, "Yeah, like 27 loads by then!" And I remember part of the reason I fell so madly in love with him in the first place--I see no greater joy in him than when he is helping someone in some way. Then there's Emma--yes, a typical 2-year-old in most regards. But I love the fact that one of her favorite songs is "Clean up, Clean up!" and that every time I get out the mop and broom that she grags whichever one I'm not using and starts cleaning. I love the fact that she freely shares with others (most of the time) and that you usually don't have to ask her twice to give someone a hug when they really need it.

And then I think about the verse that we've been trying to teach the kids all week: "For we are God's workmanship ("materpiece" in the NLT), created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 We are God's masterpiece! I was thinking about that...You hear people sometimes use the image of God painting a mural, and on that mural is all of our lives entwined together on earth. And you hear people talk about how going through the bad things--they make up the browns and grays and other ugly colors on the mural, but that without them the mural wouldn't look so beautiful. And I wonder--is it loving God and loving others that makes up all the beautiful parts? Is loving others what makes up all the pretty colors and God's love for us that makes it complete? I would like to think so.

We have entered the world of Blog

It is official--we're a blogging family. Why? Well, probably just because I need some place to express myself (as if I don't do that freely anyway) and I figured--what better place than the World Wide Web! So, have fun reading!