These Full Days

It's funny how these days seem so full. Looking back, they may seem the slowest, simplest days of our lives. After all, we have hardly any "must-be-there" places to go all week! But, with two little ones, the days seem full and, often, tiring. And yet, full of joy. Sometimes I just have to look beyond the crumbs and chores and seeming chaos to see it.

 Recently I've been busy planning a "Letter of the Week" kind of play/preschool for this one. She's full of imagination and often comes up with creative things to do (like wearing her baby while doing a dance in her favorite dress up dress!). Yet, during the 1-1 1/2 hours her sister is napping in the morning, having crafts and activities planned will, I hope, keep her occupied and enjoying learning. The letter of the week is more for my organizational brain, as it's fun to find crafts, games, songs, verses, and activities that all start with the same letter. We'll see how much of it we do, and I definitely don't plan to push things (she's only just-about 3 after all!) but I've had a lot of fun planning things. It's just taken up all of my "extra" time so things like blogging hasn't happened lately!

 This one is growing up way too fast and having fun doing all the things I never thought to do with Hadassah at her age (like somersault off the couch onto pillows - big sister was doing it, so with mom's help she got to too!). She seems to have no fear and giggled the entire time!

 We had a dear sweet sister in the Lord stay with us last week, Wednesday through Friday! It's always such a blessing to connect with her and be mutually encouraged! The girls love her too. Ellie, who almost never lets anyone she doesn't know hold her without protest, willingly leaned against her and let her hold her! She could feel the love too. :)

 Hadassah loves to run. Like majorly. She definitely takes after her cross-country-running Daddy! The other night she ran 2 MILES to a mall area again, with the promise of an ice cream at the end. She really wanted to run, and she made it! We are realizing it may be better not to let her run such long distances at this age, but she's always telling me, "Mommy, can I run a whole mile??"

 When you live in an apartment and swimming pools are hard to go to with two littles and cost money, sometimes you spend a Saturday morning "swimming" in the bathtub. I let her take her dolly in for a special treat. :) It allowed me to get some ironing done while I kept an eye on her. :)

 Ellie can walk quite steadily with the walker now, and stand for a few seconds alone. Our little baby has grown up!

 She will pull up anywhere, especially if she senses that food is nearby! And especially when big sister has been known to give her bites. ;)

 Dassah came down with a terrible cold on Friday, and for some reason (related or not), Ellie threw up 5 times on Friday, and Dassah once on Saturday. Dassah's finally better but for a hacking cough, but Ellie has all the congestion and running snot now. So it's been a tiring week, as sick little ones need more distraction, sleep less, and don't allow you to get together with friends for risk of infecting them. So the last two days I've REALLY not felt like making dinner, when Ellie wakes early from naps and the lunch dishes aren't even done! But I've learned just taking another step, doing the next thing, turning on music and putting chicken in the crockpot.... You get through it. And the husband's delight in home cooking makes it worth it. Plus the knowledge that there is hardly any healthy, fast, Western style eating out options helps make sure I keep cooking even when I don't feel like it. Thankfully I usually do!

 This little noodle babe is pretty much the cutest thing around anyway. :) And eating at home is so much easier with babies too, since many out-to-eat local places don't have high chairs.

The beautiful skies continue. A blessing to see. And Ryan has blessed me by taking charge of the girls so I can get the dishes done early. After a long day with littles, once they're in bed it's such a blessing to be able to enjoy being with my man. Last night we played a game and laughed a lot, and though Ellie woke up all congested and needing to nurse again half way through, for 2 hours I forgot most mothering duties and just enjoyed being Anna with my Ryan. Times like that are so good for the soul.

God is good.