I have been trying to wake up with Joel at 5:30/6:00 each morning so that I can get some stuff done while the kids are still sleeping. Most of the time it works out great. I have just enough time to take a shower and sometimes even get my Bible study/quiet time done. It is so frustrating though when they wake up early, too. Then I am up early AND not getting anything done which is a bummer. Today they are cooperating nicely. I am glad to get the chance to blog in peace - though it is a bit too early for me to put my thoughts together coherently.
I wish I could make a recording of Oliver and put it on here so those of you who don't get to see him can hear him talking. Oh man, is it the cutest. I love, love, love that we can have a conversation now. And hearing him say "I love you" (roo roo) melts my heart. Even though I have to ask him to say it. It's still meaningful even though it is totally prompted. He is such a good boy. He asks to go down for his nap, he shares with his sister...he is just full of goodness. Fear not, he does have his two year old moments, lest anyone with kids feels jealous. (Does that sentence make sense? My 6:30 am brain can't quite grasp it.) His sister on the other hand is full of something else. I love her to bits and pieces, but wow, she is a princess through and through. She wants her way or no way. And she'll let you know loud and clear. Her latest thing is that she no longer wants to eat baby food. My baby no longer wants to eat baby food. If she even sees me with the jar and spoon in hand she starts crying and shaking her head. I have tried to trick her by putting the food in a bowl and she takes one bite and then screams and shakes her head. Ok, I get it, no more baby food. The problem is, though, that she won't eat much other food either. Don't even try to give her anything slightly mooshy or cold. She picks it up and promptly throws it on the floor. She loves toast and bread, but put a little jelly on it and off to the floor it goes. I feel like I am wasting more food than ever. Wish I could make a little care package for all those starving kids in China that I have heard so much about in my lifetime. But, all of that stuff aside, you should see this girl. She is the most beautiful little thing. She was sleeping on the couch at my mom's yesterday and all I could do was just look at her and admire her. She is so tiny and perfect. Her eye lashes are about a mile long (just like her brother's) and her eyes are so blue. I don't know how anyone can have a child and doubt that God exists. Only God can create something so miraculous. And, she loves to play. She can be in mid-tantrum and if I start doing "This Little Piggy" she instantly stops and smiles. She could do that all day, I think. She loves Oliver and I think has a bit of separation anxiety with him. She crawls as fast as her little arms and legs will let her just to keep up with him. I just love my kids. I don't know why I am feeling so sentimental about them just now. I think it is because of this massacre at Virginia Tech and the reminder that it has given me that life is precious and it could end anytime. Man, I was so emotional watching that memorial service yesterday. I couldn't figure out why. But then it hit me - it could've been me. That could have happened any where to anyone. It was completely random. I just kept thinking, What if that had happened at Wheaton? College seems like such a safe place to me (At least it did to me inside the Wheaton Bubble), a place where you can test out your wings, so to speak. And the relationships that are made there are some of the closest you will have. What if all of that was shattered? What if one of my closest friends died? Ugh, I just feel for those students and families. What a tragedy. And the family of the shooter, how must they feel? It's not their fault, but they must feel tremendous guilt and feel like literally the whole country hates them. I hope someone reaches out to them - they lost a kid, too.
Whew, I guess I am rather verbose at this hour of the morning. Hope you are not totally bored.
