At our house...

...a six year old had another visit from the tooth fairy. She left extra money since Elyssa pulled her tooth out herself. ...an eight month old decided to start pulling up on everything she can find. Elaina is also finally eating food (progresso soup puree, yogurt, and other not solid foods).

As always, you can view more of our crazy life at my phanfare site!
http://www.tntsdao.phanfare.com/

Thank you...

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for there notes, thoughts, and prayers. We made it through yesterday...although it never seems to get easier.

"What big eyes you have!"

I just finished processing Elaina's 7 month pictures and...although I am her mom and somewhat (ok very) partial...I must say that her eyes are stunning. I guess some of a person's beauty, no matter the age, just gets lost in the day to day shuffle of life. You will see in the last picture that she was ready to quit being my photography subject and get back to being the snuggly daughter that I adore!

You can see more at www.tntsdao.phanfare.com since I took way more than necessary!

She's Moving!!!

Ok...at this point it is more of an army crawl (drag) then an actual hands and knees crawl, but she is definitely able to make her way from point A straight to point B. The pride on her daddy's face and the excitement of her big sister made this the highlight moment of my week! :)

Go baby go!

Elaina is going to be full fledge crawling any minute now. She can roll (obviously) and get nearly anywhere she wants. She can drag herself forward or push herself backward, but it takes a lot of effort and isn't very fast. Elyssa was SO excited when she saw her get up on her hands and knees all by herself. There has been a lot of rocking going on, but the little monkey always plops back down on her tummy to try to move. I will keep you posted and hopefully will have some great pictures and video to post soon!

On a side note, Elyssa has another loose tooth. She came running down the stairs last night to tell me. That sparkle in her eyes is great, although I think it comes mostly from the thought of getting more money from the tooth fairy!

Mother of the Year Award

Let's just say that it is definitely not going to me! Yesterday my sweet 7 month old daughter fell off the bed for the second (yes, second) time in her short life. How she made it from the center of the bed and over the surrounding mounds of blankets in that short period of time I still don't know. As I swooped her up and began comforting her, she threw up all the food that she had eaten just minutes before. I of course panicked and called my friend Dorothy (who happens to be a mother of 5). Lainy was already begining to calm down and before I had even told Dorothy about the incident, she was smiling at herself in the mirror. Dorothy was on her way home and close by, so she still stopped in. We checked her over and she was fine, but I was still pretty shaken up. Then this morning I was feeding her small bits of my breakfast and something she ate got stuck in her windpipe. She tried to puke it up, but it wasn't working and I was completely freaking out. I told Tony to do something and thankfully he stuck his finger down her throat and swiped out the food while I held her nearly upside down. Within minutes she was fine, but I was not. I could not get my legs to stop shaking! Moments like these just didn't seem to happen so often with Elyssa. Earlier this week Elaina was puking and pooping from some virus...so this whole week has been totally stress filled. I worried that she would choke on her throw-up or get dehydrated. That lasted for three days and then one day later....
Honestly, I just need more recovery time between tramatic events. :)

Kid Devotionals

A friend of mine was asking about the devotionals that I read to Elyssa. We have discovered some great ones over the years. Instead of just responding to her email, I decided to post a list...you never know who may be looking!

Here is an excerpt from our current reading:
(Although it is not quite the same without the pretty pages!)

Timothy, you are like a son to me. I am giving you a command that agrees with the prophecies that were given about you in the past. I tell you this so that you can follow those prophecies and fight the good fight of faith. Continue to have faith and do what you know is right. Some people have not done this. Their faith has been destroyed...
First, I tell you to pray for all people. Ask God for the things people need, and be thanful to him. You should pray for kings and for all who have authority. Pray for the leaders so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives - lives full of worship and respect for God. THis is good, and it pleases God our Savior.

I Timothy 1:18-19; 2:1-3

TEACHER TALK

It wasn't an accident. God gave you your teacher on purpose. He put you in that class so that he could teach you through your teacher. Whether you know it or not, your teacher is a big blessing from God.

Have you ever thought that you could be a blessing to your teacher, too? God's Word tells us we need to remember our leaders. We need to be thanful for them and pray for God to lead and protect them. When our teachers, parents, and leaders are following GOd, it makes it easier to follow their lead!

Today let your teacher know how much he or she means to you. At the right time, go to her desk, and ask her how she is doing. Then ask her if she has any prayer requests. Take a moment to pray for her needs right then.

If there isn't any time, you can pray at your seat or when you get home. At the end of the week, check back with her to see if her prayer requests have been answered. Even grown-ups need to know they are special!

from God's Little Princess Devotional Bible by Sheila Walsh



This is the first devotional I did with Elyssa. It is perfect for toddlers.



The format of this one is neat. Each night you read a letter written to them from God. The opposite page has a corresponding prayer. (You can see this at amazon.com)



I personally enjoyed this one a lot. I am planning on us reading it again as soon as we finish the one we are on. The back says, "The Jesus Storybook Bilble tells the Story beneath all the stories in the BIble. It takes the whole BIble to tell this Story. And at the center of teh Story, there is a baby, the Child upon whom everything would depend. From NOah to MOses to King David, every story whispers his name. Jesus is like the missing piece in a puzzle-the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together. Beautifully written and illustrated, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of GOd's great story of salvation-and at the center of their story, too."




and for boys...


This almost makes me wish I had a boy, too! It is God's Little Princess Devotional Bible that I have spoken of so often in this blog.


HAPPY READING!