Thursday, October 23, 2008

Not too Shabby

I would just like to take a moment and share my glee and triumph... After nearly six years of marriage and birthing three children, I discovered today that my wedding dress is too big. I mean, I look rather hideous. It's a strange thing to celebrate - looking the opposite of what you hope to look like in your wedding dress! Of course, this is only cause for celebration because it is after the fact. In any case - woo hoo! Not too shabby indeed.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Sick & Tired

At the moment, I feel this way quite literally - sick and tired. My nose is running, my ears are plugged as if I'm heading towards an ear infection, my throat is scratchy and a cough is looming around the corner... And I'm just plain exhausted. I don't sleep well when I have symptoms like these - even if I have a miraculous opening in my day that should be set aside for a nap, it does me no good. I've been living with sickies on my hands for over a week now. I should've known it was just a matter of time before my immune system would be defeated. But my health is not the primary reason for me blogging this evening.

I would like to use the phrase the way I'm used to hearing it... I'm already sick and tired of people warning me of the "terrible twos". Don't people know that this "phase" that some psychologist first came up with is just an excuse for bad parenting? "Oh let's coin a term that excuses my child's unruly behavior and tantrum-throwing and sour attitude, so I, as the parent, can't be held responsible. It's not my fault - our little guy is just in the terrible twos. Or he's already or still there..." Um, actually it IS your fault because your child learns from you what is acceptable and what is not.

When this time approaches, it is nothing more than children testing the boundaries set up by their parents. They are figuring out where their dependence ends and independence begins. So the easy answer is be firm in those boundaries. Consistency is key. If you waiver on them, your poor child is going to be confused because yesterday he got away with it and today mom is blowing a gasket. He doesn't know when you actually mean business, so HE will be the one who is consistent! - - at trying to figure you out! If you are steady, your children will know your expectations, the discipline that awaits them if they overstep any boundaries, and the reward if they choose to obey. I once heard amazing parenting advice from a well-known pastor and author. He said that parents should never want independence for their children. (I'm not talking about tying their own shoes or anything - I'm talking about having an independent and unsubmissive spirit...) The job of a godly parent is not to transfer your child's dependence on you to independence as an adult. A godly parent's job is to transfer his or her dependence on you to dependence on God! When they are testing the waters and yearning for that independence, remind them who is the Boss of all! (And by the way, I may seem like Mrs. Disciplinarian here, but I've just got a fire in my belly about this... Trust me, I LOVE my children. But the Good Book says that we HATE our children if we don't discipline them! So I take all of this very seriously!)

Therefore, if you have a warped understanding of this phase in a child's life, I'm warning you... Don't you dare talk to me about the terrible twos or you will get an earful. I don't know about you, but I plan to be as consistent as possible, thus enjoying the "terrific twos" when my children have been and continue to be trained in godly obedience and discipline.

Join me in the minority, won't you?

Friday, October 17, 2008

A Special Blessing

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law hosted a blessing for her unborn baby girl, Jillian. Women of strong faith in her life sat around sharing stories, encouragement, and spoke blessings upon both of them. It was truly a moving experience. Since I have been touched deeply by some specific truths of mothering, I shared with her the following:



Since becoming a mother, myself, I have gained a new and invaluable perspective of the most important relationship a person can be apart of. How much closer I am to understand God the father’s unfailing love for His children! I look at my children with a deep and profound love, amazement, commitment, and hope for their future. I pray for them and their choices - that they will listen to my voice and benefit from my cautions and wisdom. Is this not the same way God thinks of us? Just like any parent, His heart is torn when we choose to disobey, ignore his warnings, fuss, whine, and complain amongst our countless blessings. Yet when we choose to trust and obey, to listen and accept his authority in our lives, we enjoy the right relationship with Him as it was intended. He rejoices that His children honor Him. Amanda, I want to challenge you to continuously look to God for “parenting lessons” – from the One whom we receive all of those wonderful traits from, being made in His image. When you become discouraged, remember your own relationship as God’s daughter. Pray for the girls just as Jesus prays for our return to a right relationship. Rejoice with and praise them when your daughters make good choices that honor you as well. We can know no greater joy than to see our children obey us, as training for their obedience to God! May you grow in your immeasurably important role as mother to Anne-Marie and Jillian and daughter to the King.



Yesterday marked the birthday of Jillian Danielle Baker. For a moment, I was a able to reflect on the amazing miracle from a different perspective. This baby has been "assigned" to this particular passionate family. From now on, she has such an important role in it. Among many others, this is the cousin my kids will grow up with! Jillian, welcome to the family! We are thrilled to be your cheerleaders through life and can't wait to see what God has in store for you... A special blessing indeed.



Thursday, October 16, 2008

Grace is 5 months!



Our little doodle-bug is 5 months already! All of a sudden I am realizing that she holds on to things and grabs for things... It all goes by in a blink, doesn't it? She is an active little thing on the floor and will figure out how to put those knees up any day now. She is also creating quite the reputation for herself - the easiest, smiliest baby that ever was. I like to refer to her as my "Mary Poppins Baby" - practically perfect in every way.




Scenes from September

This month was full of fun! Here is a bit of what we did to wrap up the summer.

Gracie got her first pedicure from Auntie Phoebe. Kudos to Phoebe for painting teeny nails as they are all while kicking and squirming! She seemed to enjoy it, and even the nurses at her four month appointment were sure to tell me how adorable they thought it was.



I celebrated my 26th birthday... We enjoyed a delicious family dinner and ended the evening with a grandbaby bath (minus Grace) in the big Scott and Laura tub. It was wonderful, wet chaos.



On my actual birthday, Scott and I biked 24 1/2 miles throughout San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, over the Presidio, over the Golden Gate Bridge and all the way back. Did you catch that? 24 1/2 miles! Who knows what came over me to desire that, but we really did have an amazing day! I did it all on my brand new bike! (My first ever since, as the youngest, I was blessed with hand-me-down bikes.) Finally! An outdoor activity we both can enjoy and be recreational partners for :) Have you ever biked to a different county before? I hadn't!



We welcomed back my parents from a long European journey. My favorite souvenir they brought back for the kids? this shirt for Gracie from Ireland. "Gorgeous (just like Mummy)"



We played at home and I caught some cute brothers/sister behavior...
Noah "helping" Gracie to sit back up straight, big foot/little foot, and EVERYONE helping Mommy feed Grace.



We went to some friends' cabin on the coast for the weekend. It was fun to get away from everything - even just for a couple days. We were entertained by abalone shells as hats, kissing dirty faces, the deck with a gorgeous view, and Hayden's break-dancing...





Yeah, you can judge me if you want... I happen to love the show "So You Think You Can Dance". I went with some girlfriends to the traveling tour in Oakland. A friend with connections gave us Meet and Greet Passes so we met all of the dancers before the show. We had fantastic seats and it was a blast!






That was probably just as exhausting to read as it was to participate in! But at the end of the day (or month), as tired as we are, I always say,
"Thank you, God, for my family! I am so blessed!"

Monday, October 13, 2008

The Beauty that I See



I have some of the right equipment but none of the training to take professional quality photographs. I love trying, but I've never taken a class about the lighting, camera settings, different lenses, editing, etc. Someday I'll take a class and really get a handle on my SLR - but until then... Isn't it wonderful to see what people can capture who have the right equipment ALONG with the know-how? Here are the results: your BEAUTIFUL, God-created children with expressions that you see so many times that you wish others were privileged to see as well.
What a precious gift my life is!