Life as of now

Where to start? So much yet so little since it is all so simple. It is life. Growing. Changing.

At Magdalena's 2-month appointment she was 9 pounds 11 ounces. That's right, she has more than doubled her birth weight! Praise the Lord! She is getting some amazing chubby cheeks. We all adore them. Anne loves to squish them and say, "Chubby cheeks!!" Then Abbey comes up and pokes Maggie's cheek and says, "Cheeky!" Gotta love these girls!

Soon before Magdalena's birth I noticed Abbey's right eye drifting in. I took her to the eye doctor (thanks a million Diane for watching Annie and Magdalena!) for what was over a 2-hour appointment. The result? She doesn't have a lazy eye or a crossed eye which is what I thought, but she does have poor vision, especially in her right eye which is why it would drift sometimes. So our little Abbey will be getting glasses. They are ordered and should be in soon. I'll post a picture once she has them. She is also starting to say a lot more words. She used to say "doe-doe" for any word she didn't know, but not she is actually trying to say the word. Anne loves that she can talk to her sister. Unfortunately, they do more talking than sleeping since they share a room. I'm hoping that as they get older they will have a very close bond and continue to share with each other all their thoughts and talk about their day together before going to sleep.

AND we now have a 3-year-old!!! Anne is so smart (I know every parent thinks this), but she really is. I know I'm shamelessly bragging on my child. She can write her name in all caps: ANNE. She can also write most of the alphabet in caps, and we just started working on pairing lower case and upper case letters. In addition to that she will gladly show anyone who is willing to watch that she can balance on one leg, do "hand dance" aka hand stands, all in her childish, slightly clumsy manner. I love it because it reminds me that she really is only three, despite her precocious nature in other aspects of her life.

I think this picture is the embodiment of "everything Anne". She is laid back, yet extremely energetic. She's fun and crazy and wild. She loves Jesus with all her heart. Today she was explaining the salvation message to Abbey. What better way for Abbey to learn about the Lord than from her big sister? As Anne says, "Praise God!" as she lifts up Maggie's arms toward heaven.

I love this, but it makes me feel a little sad because it looks so much like a school picture and I'm not ready for her to be 5 or 6 yet.

I think that as I get older, or as my children get older, or for some reason, I am becoming much more nostalgic. I always enjoyed nursing Anne and Abbey, but I love it so much more with Magdalena. I held the other girls a lot, but I try to hold Maggie with every spare moment of my day. I am cherishing each stage that the children go through. I was doing a puzzle with Anne and thought, "wow, this is really great. What a fun age this is." Then was down on the floor steam rolling with Abbey and thinking the same thoughts. Not long after that it was time for Magdalena to eat and I was holding her and nursing her and thinking that this is such a special time for us! Life is short. We don't know if we will live to be 85 or 55 or if we will die in an accident tomorrow. I'm trying my best to follow God and leave that legacy for my children. I am trying to enjoy each moment of every day. I often fail at this. I lose patience (especially with Anne... we are so much alike), and then I feel terrible. But, I do try to ask forgiveness of my children. It is so humbling to see their willingness to forgive, and their amazing capacity for love.