A picture year in review - Nicole

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Nicole from the past year (starting with her 3rd birthday).

Happy Birthday Nicole

Dear Nicole,
Happy 4th birthday!  Before you went to bed you said, "Mommy, in the morning, I want you and daddy to come wake me up and say ' 1, 2, 3 Surprise!".  The problem with that idea is that, I'm pretty sure you will be the one to come wake us up in the morning....like you do every morning!  However, you did tell me that you were going to sleep in until 8.....here's hoping!

Nicole, I look at you and have a hard time believing you are my daughter!  I can't believe it's already been 4 years!  4 years since I first held you, since I first kissed your little kissable lips.

4 years since I looked at your tiny hands and feet, in awe of this tiny baby I was just entrusted with!  Now, you are not  a tiny baby.  You are growing up so fast....I wish I could slow time down.

You are extremely smart.  You pick up on things quickly.  You only have to hear or see something one time to remember it.  I'm quite sure every book we own is memorized by you!  I have a hard time practicing reading with you, because I can't tell if you are sounding out a word or if you just know the sentence because it's been read to you once before.

You are independent.  You like to do things on your own, and often in your own way.  You have a lot of ideas and you take pride when your ideas are used.  You love to help me, and I think you get hurt when I say no or not right now.  I don't ever want to hurt you, but I know that sometimes I do.  I think that we are a lot a like in many ways, and I think that makes us clash sometimes.  Neither one of us likes to be touched, and no one understands that.  I'm starting to see that you have very strong emotional reactions to situations, and I can relate.  Often times, I can look at you and guess what you thinking about a situation or how you are feeling.  I think that this gives me a chance to relate to you on a different level than others can, but it also gives me an opportunity to hurt you deeply too, which I never want to do.  I love you so much!

You are a sweet and loving "mommy" to your doggies.  You think about them often throughout the day.  You love on them and take care of them.  You miss them when we ask you to keep them home or in the car.  I like to see you practice nurturing with them.

You like to have fun and laugh, as long as no one is chasing you.  You like to harass Hannah, unless she decides to harass you back, then you get mad. You love to play in water and you especially love to mix things.  You will play for an hour outside just mixing water, bubbles, and dirt.  You daddy and I have yet to determine if you make really dirty soap, or really clean mud!  We bought you a chemistry set for your birthday.  I am super excited to try it out with you.

I am still forcing you to take naps, but I'm confessing right now that you are grown out of them.  Starting tomorrow, you still have to rest for an hour or so, but after that you can get up and we can spend some time together....hopefully playing with that chemistry set!

You have learned a lot of Bible verses.  I'm so proud of the way you remember them and relate them back to life.  You love your friends and pray for them throughout the week.  Mommy and daddy pray every single day....Every Single Day....that you would be saved.  That the words we read to you from God's word would take root in  your life, that you would be convicted of your sin and repent of them and accept God's free gift of life everlasting because of Jesus' death on the cross.  We pray that you would understand the greatness of that gift and that it would weigh heavily upon on you.  We look with eager expectation of your salvation, when we can not only call you daughter, but sister in the Lord!  Maybe this coming year God's kindness will lead you toward repentance.  Until then (and after), we will continue to read the Bible to you.  We will continue to help you memorize scripture and hide it in  your heart so that when you are older, the words may come to your mind quickly and help you through your life.  More than anything else, our greatest desire is your salvation.  We love you so much!

This next year is a big year.  You will be learning so much.  Maybe you will learn to read.  Maybe you will learn to ride a bike without training wheels, or learn to roller skate.  Maybe you will learn to swim! 

Nicole, you are a great big sister to Hannah and Nathan.  You are a good listener and you work very hard on obeying mommy and daddy.  We ask and expect a lot from you.  Maybe more than we are suppose to, but we want you to work hard, to not give up, and to always do your best.  We don't want you to always look for and take the easy way.  We try to make every decision with your best interest in mind.  Sometimes we make the wrong decisions, but we are trying to hard to always do what is right. 

In the past year, you have learned to be kind to others.  Wherever we are, you often go up to people, say hello and introduce yourself.  More than once, I have seen you bring a smile to a face that I fear hasn't smiled in a while.  You bring joy to everyone you are around. 

Nicole, your daddy and I love you so very much!  We are so happy to be called your parents and we are greatful God chose us to care for you and teach you.  We are excited to see what the coming years bring.  We love you our sweet Nicole!  You, are my most favorite Nicole in the whole wide world!!!!

Love Always,
Your Mommy

Conversations with Nicole

As Nicole and I were building towers while Hannah napped I was talking to her about her little sister.  It went a little like this....

Me: Nicole, do you love Hannah?
Nicole: yes, because I do.
Me: What do you love about Hannah?
Nicole: Um....I just love her because I do.
Me: But, does she drive you crazy sometimes?
Nicole: No, she doesn't know how to drive.

Point taken!

Nicole's Birthday...part II

Last night, Nicole got a very special treat.  Yaya and Papa took her out on a special little date to celebrate her birthday.  They went to one of her favorite restaurants, Five Guys Burgers and Fries (she like to crack open the peanuts) and then to play putt-putt.

She was so excited when she came home.  She had a blast!

Papa spent time instructing her on how to putt the ball.

Nicole putting that instruction into practice.  I even heard she got two holes in one!!!

They had lots of fun playing with the huge animals at the putt putt place.

A few more special pictures....

Thank you yaya and papa....Nicole had fun.

Alpaca Farm

 We had fun yesterday visiting a friend who raises alpacas, and just recently stocked a chicken coup.  The girls warmed up quickly to all the animals on the little farm.  While we talked with our friend, they chases the chickens around and even held a couple.

This was their first contact with the chickens

Hannah and Tess, our friend's granddaughter holding a chicken

Nicole holding a chicken all by herself

We then ventured over to the alpacas.  The adult alpacas were a bit nervous with us around, but the baby (called a cria) was very friendly.  He was about the same height as Hannah!  We fed him and spent a few minutes petting him.  They are extremely soft.  Their fleece is very valuable.  They are raised and sheered yearly to sell the fleece.  Our friend showed us some of the items she has made with the alpaca fleece.  She has felted the fleece and spun it into yarn to crotches purses, hats and other gift items.

The girls also had fun playing in a huge pile of dirt and collecting rocks.  We had a super fun morning.

If you'd like to see what items our friend makes with the alpaca fleece or learn more about alpacas, check out their website here.

New Challenges

The past two weeks have unveiled new challenges as a family of 5, with 3 small children.  I feel like I need to write out what's been going on, so in a few months I realize that it wasn't really that bad!

Where to start, where to start.....

Nicole and Hannah LOVE each other.  They fiercely love each other....sometimes that means being fierce, and sometimes that means being loving.  The two have been growling at each other, smacking and scratching each other....in a girly sort of way.  Here's a typical scenario.  Hannah and Nicole are playing in the green room.  Hannah looks up and sees a doll she wants to play with.  Nicole realizes that Hannah wants the doll.  She runs and beats Hannah to the doll.  Hannah screams at Nicole, waving her hands in the air.  Nicole responds by growling at Hannah, and Hannah responds by scratching Nicole's arms, or by slapping her hand.  No one is hurt....there is just a lack of self control.  We have been working so very hard on this for a couple of weeks, and I am seeing some improvement.

There are two totally different heart issues going on here.  Nicole, I believe is causing trouble for Hannah.  She knows she will get a certain reaction out of Hannah (a scream, slap or growl), which will then respond a reaction out of me.  Nicole is really doing very little physically wrong.  In the above scene, she has just as much of a right to the doll as Hannah (very few things would be considered "mine" in our house....).  But her heart is in the wrong place.  She didn't want to play with the doll until Hannah wanted it.  Nicole has memorized Proverbs 6:16-18

"There are six things the Lord hates, yes seven which are an abomination to him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers."

Yes....she's memorized all of that, don't give me that crap that kids can only remember a watered down version of the Bible....read the REAL thing...I digress.....

So....in that verse, we have been talking a lot about a lying tongue (which has not been a huge area of temptation for her yet.  She's been caught in a few lies, and I think she understands how much we hate that....but I feel I can still trust her), a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly (although she usually says "happily", which is kind of the same thing) to evil, and one who spreads strife among brothers (or sisters).  I feel like God's word is sinking into to heart, and I am praying daily that he will help her to understand it.  So....the past few weeks, I have been trying so hard to focus on her heart being wrong in the way she is acting.

Hannah is a different story.  She knows what she is doing is wrong, but obviously I can't have an in depth conversation with her about it yet.  We are still working on learning to have control over our hands and our voice and being "sweet", "nice", and "loving".  Of course I am also quoting scripture to her too...but she can't repeat anything back yet.  Hannah though, is an actress.  I've always known she was a bit manipulative...but, lately I have been seeing it come out pretty hard core.  It's nearly impossible to correct her because she is so good at distracting you.  She'll have you talking around in circles about whatever she sees that you soon forget why you even pulled her aside.  Or, she puts on this pathetically sad face that breaks your heart....only to discover that it was all acting!  She's a little stinker, in more ways than one!  I actually think she's going to be harder to parent that Nicole because of these tendencies.

It's hard to relate to them on such different levels.  I think Nicole will often talk or act like Hannah because she sees she's "getting off" a little lighter than Nicole may be.  Copy Cat syndrome....

Big issue number 2......Three children in one room!!!!  This had not been an issue yet, but I do believe it is starting.  A battle I am "girding my loins" for (I always thought that was a funny picture....back in the old days, the men wore long flowing robes, but before battle, they "girded their loins" or tied up their robes between their legs so they could fight.  Anyway, I just wanted to use that phrase).  So....where was I?  Ah...yes.  This is the problem, I can no longer sneak in and out of the bedroom without Nathan noticing.  So, when one child wakes up crying, often times at least one more, maybe two more also wake up.  When Nathan is rolled over at night, I can't just sneak in and roll him back, he sees me and laughs, and the screams when he sees  me walk out.

Today's nap was rough..  Nate cried for 20 minutes because I was in and out of the bedroom trying to get the girls down (they had to potty, or couldn't find their doggy, or so and so scratched me, or....whatever other excuse they could come up with).  All the while, poor Nate is watching me come in and out without a glance in his direction (OK, I was looking, but I couldn't act like it).  He did finally crash.  Hannah I think crashed an hour later, Nicole is still awake.

Ah, yes...one more thing I forgot to post...and this is a HUGE milestone.  Hannah is paci free!  She woke me up one morning a week or so ago (staring at me until I opened my eyes), handed me her paci and said, "Num num, baby.  Hannah, no baby".  So, that day at naps she didn't get her " numnum" (paci).  She did cry for an hour...but that was it.  That night and every day since she has been free of it.  I've caught her once sucking on one.  She smiled and said, "no num num Hannah" and giggled.  Silly girl!  I am very proud of her though.  Yipee!!!

So, I guess the fun thing about being a parent is that it is always changing.  Just when I think I've got one thing in control, something new happens.  It an incredible responsibility that I often feel like I'm going to break under.  I take things very seriously and I know I carry a much heavier load than I should because of that.  I just so desire my kids to understand why they make the choices they make and to learn to discipline their body, heart and mind to go against what their flesh may say or want them to do...and to follow what the Lord wills.  This is something I so struggle with myself, my battle between my flesh and my spirit...especially as a mother.  Please pray for me, that I will treat my kids the way I am trying to teach them to treat each other, with gentleness, humility and love. 

A (not so secret) message

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L.O.V.E

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