Grace Notes

Today is our Gracie Girl's fourth birhtday.
She is that person who was in my heart and mind when I prayed in faith.  Now, she is that "substance" of things hoped for and "evidence" of things not seen. 
Even when I saw her for the first time, she would have been invisible to my naked eye. A tiny little new beginning of life, an embryo.  And yet, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever beheld.  She was marvelous, a mystery, a miracle, and I loved her. 

Lately, when I hear her laugh or sing a funny song, I think...I'm hearing a miracle.

When I run my fingers through her tossled, curly hair, I recall...I'm touching a miracle.

When her arms wrap themselves around my neck and hold on for dear life, I know...I'm being embraced by a miracle.

When we talk about lizards, God, family, heaven, flowers, frogs, and cupcakes, I realize...I'm conversing with a miracle.

When she comes in from outside, "sweaty and stinky" or gets out of a bubble bath tub, "all squeaky clean", I remember...I'm smelling a miracle. 

She is an ordinary {ordinary wonderful} little girl.  She does typical, little girl kind of things. 

She often wants her own way. 

She is independent, creative, intelligent and driven.  

She is helpful, giving, and kind. 

She is a problem solver, a negotiator at times, a thinker~inquisitive. 

When I look at her, I see the fulfillment of answered prayer.  And I am grateful. 

Happy birthday big girl.  We are thankful beyond words that God gave you to us!

Ordinary Wonderful

I love my sweet Karis Joy.  She has a smile that can melt any heart.  She is curious, inquisitive, friendly, and determined.  She's just sooooo cute!  Today is her first birthday, and I am waxing sentimental.  I am so very aware of how precious every moment is.  I keep thinking about an old Gloria Gaither song..."We have these moments to hold in our hands and to watch, as they slip through our fingers like sand.  Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come, but we have these moments today."  I have so enjoyed watching her little life unfold.  I've loved how she has developed physically.  There's nothing more thrilling to me, than to watch a little one figure out rolling over, sitting up, crawling, crusing, and walking.  It's amazing!  I've loved the continued revelation of her personality.  From day one, she has been a person who 'knows what she wants' and is determined to let you know just what that is!  She is a happy little girlie, unless she is mad.  I pray very often that God will use her passion and fire for His Glory.  I laugh when I say that, but it's really true.  I've loved how she studies everybody and everything.  I've loved how she works to open something that's closed.  How she has developed preferences in blankets, toys, and activities.  I've loved having that 'front row seat' to her cognitive development.  It's still incredible to me how she now responds to our requests.  She'll give kisses, give hugs, and rub noses.  She tells us "Uh- uh" when she doesn't want something.  She squeals when she does.  Each of these developments are so tiny.  Like the pictures I took of her each month, the changes are hard to see when looked at individually.  But when you compare birth day to first birthday~all of those tiny changes together have produced an amazing transformation!


Just born

Mother's Day

Recently, so that we could be with family, and so that I could get a little help during the day, the girls and I spent a week at my parents' house.  Each day, my husband would call to check in with us.  One day when he asked what we'd been doing, I said, "Oh, just ordinary wonderful stuff." It was true.  We weren't doing anything, but we were together.  Karis was making new discoveries, Gracie was creating wonderful make believe scenarios for us.  There were hugs, kisses, giggles, lots of  'Hey Dadda, da, dadda'.  Ever since I made that statement, though, I've looked at my days, my life a little differently. 

I do the ordinary task of laundry:  I sort, go through pockets, treat stains with Advanced Shout (a product I love, btw), load the washer, etc.  It's ordinary but wonderful because the clothes are tiny, the stains consist of markers, watercolors, and various food items.  It's wonderful because most of the clothes I launder are PINK, and they belong to Karis and Gracie.

I sweep the floor- an ordinary task, but it's wonderful because what I sweep usually consists of at least one goldfish cracker!  Tonight, the pile sparkled due to the 'Happy Birthday' confetti that had landed on the floor.  It made me smile.
I put things away...ordinary.  But now wonderful, because I get to put the same item in its place multiple times as it is pulled out almost as quickly as I place it, by tiny little hands.
I watch TV.  An ordinary thing that's done everyday, but wonderful to me because I watch 'Gracie and Karis Shows'.  I know all about Dora, Diego, Little Bear and Olivia~ to name a few.
I brush hair, ordinary stuff, but wonderful because it's this cute little tuft of hair. 

For many years, I dreamed of having children.  I prayed and believed God for children.  I knew God would answer my prayers.  I just didn't know how or when.  And now that those prayers are answered...walking and crawling right in front of me, I just can't help but stand in awe, and try to be intentional about my gratitude to the Living God for making it happen. 

I pray every day that my girls will come to know Him, and that they will be convinced of his love for them at an early age.  I especially pray for Karis, that she will never doubt His love, nor our love for her.    

Happy first birthday baby girl.  We are so glad you are ours!

My 50th Post!

Hello everyone!  I'm excited to welcome you to post #50!   Maybe it won't take as long to reach post #100.  I'm actually attending a Blogging Conference next weekend, for work.  I'm hoping to come back inspired to write, write, write! 

I have been looking forward to catching you up on our neck of the woods.  Karis is doing well.  She is measuring at 16 pounds, 12 ounces.  She's in the 50th percentile for length.  She has had a couple of ear infections since I posted last.  She also cut her first tooth.  That was a month ago.  It's still making it's way out of the gum.  Gracie had a mouth full of teeth at this age, so it's been different to have a toothless baby for such a long time.  

Karis is a very observant child.  In fact, she would prefer to watch and figure things out before attempting new things like going down a slide, climbing on a riding toy, swinging in a swing, etc.  The other night, I introduced her to combs.  I said, "This is a comb, Karis.  We use it to comb our hair."  I showed her how to use it, and she just watched me.  Ten minutes later, she found one of Gracie's many combs on the floor.  She picked it up and started combing her hair.  It was so funny!
She has studied all of us drinking, and has become quite proficient at drinking from a sippy cup and from a regular cup for that matter.  Speaking of drinking, I don't anticipate being able to wean her at 12 months.  She does enjoy nursing and is very persistant at letting me know her wishes!  I'll let you know how that goes.  It's amazing to me that I'm now concerned that she'll never want to stop nursing.  It seems like yesterday when I was worried that we weren't going to be able to make it past 3 months.  Along those same lines, she still isn't sleeping through the night.  The most she has ever slept at one time is 9 hours, and that has only happened twice, maybe three times.  I know what the books say about letting babies 'cry it out', but I don't do that very well.  Also, we are struggling to keep Gracie in her own bed at night, so I have been hesitant to go to the crying it out mode, fearing that she may awaken her sister.  I am open to suggestions or at least hope that it will one day get better, and I will once again sleep through 3 AM.  

Karis Joy loves her baby dolls!

Here are a few of the pictures we had made just before Easter.  It started off being one of the worst photo sessions ever.  I almost grabbed up both of the girls and left.  But we survived, and the photographer ended up getting some really good shots!  I love my sweet girls!!

 On March 31st, Karis got to meet her Shur Shur for the very first time!  It was a happy and glorious reunion for all of us.  Both of my children have met their Shur Shur at Dulles International Airport.  Byron's parents spent a week with us. We hadn't seen each other in almost two years, so it was wonderful to be with our family. 

Gracie getting her teeth brushed...Shur Shur style.  This was funny to me.  They both had more than their fair share of tooth paste on them!  They had a lot of fun with each other. 

Today, my Gracie began a conversation with me about God.  From there, we started talking about heaven.  I told her that we won't cry when we get to heaven.  She said, "What if we get a boo boo?"  I told her that we won't have boo boos in heaven. 

She said, "Are the floors soft in heaven, Mommy?"  She falls on hard floors a lot! 

One more thing before I go, we have friends that are pursuing embryo adoption.  They are looking at a July transfer with the NEDC.  Stephanie has started a blog, and I know she'd love to 'meet' you and have your prayer support as they begin this journey.  Here's a link to their blog.  Baby Brown 

Blessings on you all!!!

Our 9 month update

Karis Joy- 8 1/2 months old. She loves those little giggling olives. They make her laugh!

I have done a terrible job keeping this blog updated! Life has been moving very quickly around here. Since my last post, I have started working, part time from home. I am very blessed to be working for Home School Legal Defense Association. I am one of their Special Needs Consultants. It has been a blessing to work from home, albeit a little crazy at times!! Picture me sitting on the edge of the bed, nursing Karis, talking to my co-worker on the phone with Gracie hanging on my back begging for a snack!!! One day a week, a dear friend who is home from doing mission work in China, watches the girls for me while I work downstairs. Gracie loves those days. She and Miss Rachel go on all sorts of adventures, all directed by Gracie Beth Winn.

Karis is doing very well. We don't have her 9 month appointment until later in March, but I can tell you this much...She weighs around 16 pounds. She's wearing 9 month clothes. Size 3 diapers. People comment on how petite she is.

She is our "Curious Karis". She is always staring and taking in everything her big sister is doing. She loves to be held, although she's not much of a cuddler. I think she just likes to have a bird's eye view. She's usually very happy, but when she's mad- She's Mad! With Gracie, you could console her with a song, a kiss, or a cuddle. Not so with Karis. If she wants to get out of the car seat, eat, or be held, she's not going to quit telling you about it until she gets what she wants! I am praying that God will use this determination and strength for His glory some day!!

She is quite the mover. She started army crawling back in December, and really began crawling on all fours in late January. Two weeks ago, she started pulling herself up to a standing position. She often sits up on her knees. You'll have to forgive me for being amazed at this, but Gracie didn't do any of those things until much later. Everybody is different!

Karis has this sweet wave that she does to say, "Hi" to everyone. She has started saying, "Uh, Eh" (Her version of "Uh- oh") when she drops things. She does something else, that I think is hilarious! When she wants out of her crib in the mornings, she doesn't just cry. She moves to the corner of the crib, closest to the door of her room and cries. It's like she has figured out that that is her best position to be heard. She does this in the play pen too. She moves to part that's closest to where we are, and cries out to us. I think she may be brilliant! :)

She has become mommy's girl during these past four months. Although, she absolutely lights up when her daddy comes home! She gives people the 'once over' when they visit, because she wants to make sure they're not here to babysit!

She isn't the best sleeper in the world. She typically sleeps for 5 hours max. Up until recently, she was staying up until 10:00 at night. That was about to wipe me out! However, we're starting to get into a much more reasonable groove. She's taking 2-2 1/2 hour naps mid-day, and going down around 8:30-9. Still too late, I think, but better. Two nights ago, she slept from 8:30- 5:30!!!! That was the first time in almost 9 months that I've gotten that much uninterupted sleep! Then, last night she was up at 1:30 and 4! I have no idea what made the difference! Last night was one of those nights where she didn't want to go back to sleep. I can always tell when that is going to happen because she starts hitting her head while she's nursing, as if to wake herself up!!!
I am tired, and I think it's starting to show. The other day, I was fixing my hair. Gracie looked at me and said, "Mommy, you look like an other mother." (In other words, she's not accustomed to seeing me with my hair fixed and with full make up applied.) Oh well!

I leave you with a few more pictures and the promise to update before Karis' first birthday!

Christmas

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Christmas experience. We had a great weekend together. We enjoyed two Christmas services, ate well, kissed our girls bunches, and reflected on our many blessings. As I've looked through the pictures we took over the past few days and see myself with two little ones, it almost doesn't seem like it is me in the picture. We have waited such a loooonnnng time for our children, I can't help but marvel at the wonder of it all. I never want to take parenthood for granted. We are a miracle family. That's for sure!
I had another "God Moment" this Christmas. I just have to share it with you. A few weeks ago, our church made several hundred dollars available to the congregation, on the condition that we'd take a portion and give it away. Immediately, I knew who I wanted to give money to. I thought of a little boy that was in my Morning Kindergarten Class this year. I thought that I still had his address, and if not, I was sure that I could get it from my former teaching assistant. Well, true to form, I procrastinated! Early on the 23rd, I got myself in gear and began locating this family's address. I didn't have it, and school was already dismissed for Christmas Break. So, I loaded up the girls and headed to the low-income housing apartments. I drove around, hoping to see someone I recognized; it didn't happen. I stopped at the office, and asked the manager to assist me. She spent 10 minutes looking through files, but came up with nothing. I made some phone calls, but got voice mail instead of someone who might be able to help me locate this family. Nothing. So, I prayed. I said, "Lord, I really thought you wanted me to give this money to this family, but I've messed up. Please help me find out where they live or show me someone else to give the money to." I went on with other errands. My last stop was going to be Wal Mart, but as I looked toward the area of town with said store, I just couldn't go there. The traffic was horrible, and I knew sticking with that plan was going to be painfully long. I decided to go the grocery store, even though I'd have to pay a little more for what I needed. A few minutes later, I was at our destination. I was just pulling into my parking space, and.......there was the mom of the little boy I had been looking for all morning!!!!! She was just leaving the store. Our eyes caught! I gasped, put the car into park, jumped out, tears streaming down my face, and ran to give this woman the card I'd prepared earlier that day. It was so amazing!!! Talk about a divine appointment, perfect timing. Our God is incredible!!! It makes me cry, as I recall the story to you. She was getting ready to load her car and leave. If I had been 5 minutes later, I would not have seen her. The love of God. How rich! How Kind! Wow! This experience, coupled with the day before, has built my faith. I hope it encourages you too!
I really need to go to bed, but I will leave you with few more pictures. One is Gracie at her Christmas program. She was so funny there. She just stood there most of the time, doing nothing. Then she spent the whole rest of the day singing the songs from the performance! I've been telling people that she has her own take on Christmas festivities. We got out the stockings...she put them on her feet! We took her to see the Christmas Light Show at one of our parks...she wanted to go down to the lake and look for turtles. We made a gingerbread house...she begged me to let her eat it. I finally gave in after a few days. We gave her Christmas presents...she spent all day opening them, not because she had so many, but because she was busy playing with the ones she had already opened! She is a funny girl who fills our lives with a lot of joy!

Ok- one more thing, then I've really got to go to bed, while the "getting's good". Karis is army crawling! Actually, today, she started moving one of her legs as she crawled too. I can't get over it, because Gracie was 9 months old before she started moving like that! I've always said that Karis is a mover and a shaker! She's sitting up for a few moments at a time, and babbles quite a bit! And, after studying her big sister, quite intently, she has begun to drink from a sippy cup....just a few sips at a time of course! She is almost 27 inches long, and weighs 15 pounds and some change...I can't remember what the nurse told me! She does have an eye that likes to cross, so I'm waiting to get referral to a specialist on that, but otherwise, she is thriving.

Good night all! Happy New Year!!! 2011 is year I'll not soon forget, but I'm ready for what 2012 has in store.

Merry Miracle Day

Christmas is the biggest miracle of all! Christ came to earth and began the work of redeeming us! Hallelujah!! I hope all of you have the best Christmas ever this year!

I had one of those moments today when God let me know that He knows everything about me. HE KNOWS everything I need. It took my breath away to realize how much He cares. You see, last night I was wrapping presents for Gracie. As I was wrapping, I thought, "Gee, I wish I had some paper that wasn't so grown up, and old looking." Earlier, I had found 3 rolls of wrapping paper, and with money being tight right now, I couldn't justify going out and buying new, happier prints. I also resisted the urge to buy tags for presents. It probably wouldn't have been much, but I figured it was a couple of dollars that I didn't need to spend. I finished wrapping what I could for the evening and went to bed. This morning, our door bell rang. Gracie, Karis and I were still in our jammies....ok, that really doesn't mean much, it was 10:00. Anyway, it was our neighbor. His wife had sent him over with a gift for us. It was a huge gift bag stuffed with smaller gift bags, tissue paper, gifts for the girls, tags, and two rolls of perky wrapping paper. Even now, tears are beginning to flow. I didn't verbalize my desire for paper. It wasn't even a need. It was a want, and not a very important one at that. But, my God spoke volumes to me in providing that little thing for me. He said, "I am all knowing. I am sovereign. I am faithful. I care about you. I am in the details, so I can handle the big stuff. You can trust me." Yes, Lord. Yes Lord.

Little Miss Fru Fru

Hi Everyone~
If you read my last post, you are aware that I am now a stay at home mommy. Hooray! I love being home with my girls, but I still need to supplement my income. One of the things I'm doing is working with my mom and a friend of mine to jumpstart a business that mom and I started a few years ago. We call it, '~Little Miss Fru Fru~'. We sell accessories for girls of all ages. My mom is working her little fingers to the bone, as they say, adding embellishments to flowers, bows, leggings, tutus, etc. Lisa and I are doing our best to get our products into small retail outlets, craft fairs, preschools, and of course on FB. I haven't mentioned it to you all because I've been waiting for our website to be up and running. It is, but it still needs a lot of work! Nevertheless, I'm putting it out there for you to check out!

The address is http://www.littlemissfrufru.com/.

If you need anything 'FRU', please let me know!!!!

Here's a sampling of some of our favorites...Of course, I'm just a little more partial to the models than to anything on their heads!

Bloomers with lace- $10
Mary Jane Leggings with bows- $8
Headband with Burgundy Flower and Rhinestones - $8

Crocheted hat with Ostrich Feathers and Zebra Flower-$15
Hand-made Christmas Bow with Headband- $8 Purple bloomers and hat- $25