First Egg Hunt

This is the first Easter that Ambree understood egg hunting. I know that we want Easter to be about Christ and his resurrection, and not about a bunny, so we will have to figure out how that will look for our family in the coming years. But for now, because she has no concept of Easter, we enjoyed watching her learn to hunt for eggs. Her first expedition was at a MOPS playdate. She went in cold turkey and figured it out quickly. Well, figured out that she was looking for eggs, but no signs of her mother's competitiveness in her yet. Ambree was more concerned about opening each egg and playing on the toys that the eggs were hidden around, than finding the most eggs.

Mrs. McGregor

Two nights ago, Sean was out late for work, planning to come home just before midnight. Ambree and I had been playing outside, and she skinned her knees for the third time that day. I took her inside to rinse them down with saline and bandage her up, but we were distracted with a diaper change. The whole time the back door was open which isn't at all abnormal for us, especially with the nice weather.

While in her room I heard a rummaging in the living room or kitchen. I immediately thought intruder or rodent. For whatever reason I wasn't entirely afraid. I finished changing her diaper and then decided the sound was maybe the dryer shutting off. But when I rounded the corner to the kitchen I heard Chloe growling and knew that it must be a rodent of some sort. (Chloe would not be growling if an intruder came in. She would begging them to hold her or rub her belly).

Holding Ambree, I peered over to see Chloe had 'cornered' a baby bunny! It was sort of under the cabinets near the sink and dishwasher laying lifeless. My immediate inclination was to find some way to avoid dealing with the problem. Sean spoils me in many ways, but probably most dramatically in the department of service. Things that I don't want to do, he always does for me. It's one way he gives love and one way I receive love. But he was not home and there was no love. Before Ambree I may have just left the bunny there until he got home, but at this point I wasn't entirely sure if it was dead or maybe just playing dead or something. So I just started moving. (When I later told Sean the story, he said he was surprised I didn't just go check into a hotel. After he said that I was immediately disappointed that I didn't take a little more time to sift through all options. Should there be another bunny or any other sort of worse rodent, I may go stay with family, but at the time all I could think of was Ambree and germs).

I took Ambree to her crib, threw a box of toys in the crib for her to play with, in my happiest sing-song voice I told her to play and have fun, Mommy would be right back. All of this is in triple speed, including my heart rate. I went to get my dust pan and went to scoop the bunny up. I am so grateful that we no longer have Ria (our beagle). If she had been here it would have just been one more thing for me to do in all of the chaos, because she would not have just cornered the bunny like Chloe.

Motherly instincts to protect Ambree were enough to squelch my desire to abort my mission, and I scooped the bunny up with my dust pan. I prayed the whole time I was carrying it at arms length that it would not wake up should it just be pretending, then gently put it over the fence, took my dust pan to the trash can, and went to wash my hands.

I am so glad to have a poodle. This is the second time Chloe has helped us find a pest in the house. I did make her stay outside for about an hour afterwards as though that would allow enough time for the germs on her to die, but after researching and talking to friends, I was more confident that Chloe just chased it down until it had a heart attack, and that Chloe may not have had any contact at all.

All that to say, Sean cannot leave town again. Well, he's gone tonite too. Maybe all that to say, I need some sort of bunny fence. Those pests ate all of my esperanza last year.

How's My Flock Doing?

During my extra reading time, I've been enjoying "Praise Her in the Gates" by Nancy Wilson. It is a book on the art of building a Christian home as a mother. I have not finished it yet, but so far have been very encouraged and convicted. I especially enjoyed the chapter on parenting boys with the intent of raising men. As a female, I have so much to learn not only about biblical womanhood, but more so biblical manhood.
I was particularly convicted by a chapter that opened with a verse from Proverbs 27:23: "Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds." How is my home doing? How is it running? How are finances (that I'm accountable for, ie grocery) being accounted for? Am I in the Word daily? How am I applying the Word to my life? How is my husband doing? Is his love tank full? Am I being direct and not nagging about the ways that I need to be loved? How is Ambree doing? Is she being loved and trained in the direction of the Lord? These are things that have been delegated to me and that should be of the highest importance.
It's easy for me to want to get busy with extra things that I enjoy, whether at church or MOPS or with friends and family. I like being in the thick of it all and finishing tasks. Most of the tasks around the home don't have a 'finished' box to check. As soon as I vacuum, Ambree and Chloe come back inside the house with half of the backyard. As soon as I wipe down the high chair, or fold the laundry, or dust, or whatever it is, I need to do it again. I love doing these things. God has blessed me with a love for my home and family. But it is a huge temptation for me to let these things slide at times. Especially when other more finish-able tasks are waiting for me.
So I have refocused my energies this last week. What does this look like for me? Waking up early to read my Bible is foremost. I was told at a recent conference that nobody wants something I have to give more than they need Christ lived out through me. I have nothing to offer if I'm not saturated in the Word. I have started 'Circle Time' with Ambree. I have had intentional conversations with Sean that have already bore fruit by God's grace. And I have chosen not to leave the house with dishes in the sink. It's a silly thing, but when the sink is empty I am motivated to pick up other things. And I don't want to be out being busy when my home is not at least primped a little. I'm sure this looks different for all wives and moms. There are seasons and circumstances in everyone's lives that make our priorities and application of scripture shift out of necessity. Right now I am blessed with more time, and its only a start for me, but I am so grateful to have found this verse and had it fleshed out in such a way.

Not So Fast There

So I was (joyfully) wrong about Ambree entering her terrible two's. It appears that her blurp in behavior was probably caused by me having an 8 month old in our house for most of February. (Even though Ambree loved playing with her friend, it did eat away some Mommy time). That's the only thing I can think that was different and may have been attributing to her change in attitude, because as soon as it came, it was gone!

She still wants to say no, but if we remind her, say 'yes, Mommy!' she excitedly hurries to obey. There is joy in her obedience and I rejoice that we are still in such a teachable phase.

Something new we just started yesterday is 'Circle Time.' It's an activity created to prepare toddlers and preschoolers for preschool and hopefully in our case will prepare Ambree for sitting in church. My friend Crystal suggested this website because she knows we are contemplating home-schooling: preschoolersandpeace.com. I've only looked at a few pages of the site, but so far I've found it pretty helpful.

So we started 'Circle Time, ' which can consist of anything where you and your children are sitting in a particular spot with the intention of learning something and practicing sitting. For us right now it includes a fun song, going through her catechism (we're only on question four but its a tough one) and playing with flashcards. At first she was entirely uncomfortable with the idea of sitting on a blanket with Mommy just looking at her and talking. She asked for her barn and toy house to sit with us, and after that she became a little distracted, of course. I was discouraged, looking at the clock to try to decide how long to drag this out. But then she saw the flashcards! What I had been saving for last because I thought it would be dull for her, was the highlight of Circle Time. They are just pictures I drew of shapes that she knows with the addition of the long 'Big A' and long 'Little a,' and her first memory verse (a shortened version of Colossians 3:20). She loved it, and quickly picked up her new letters and what sound they make. After nap time she asked for 'circle time' again.
It's nice to have these new elements of structure in her day. Next week we may try story time at the library!

18-21 Months

I'm sure plenty of people warned me and I know I read half a dozen books, but maybe if I write it to myself I will be prepared for number two...
Parenting gave me a nice breather from 18-21 months of age with Ambree. By 18 months she understood training and discipline in ways she hadn't previously, so that she was much more obedient and cooperative. She was able to feed herself her own meals and was done with baby food moving onto 'real' food with only a little hesitation. Even though I thought she would go to Kindergarten having to supplement meats with baby food, she was warming up to lunch meat and small pieces of chicken. Ambree conquered most of her toys by this point, so even when she wanted me sitting with her to play, I didn't have to show her how to play with each toy. She also began speaking in full sentences with only the prepositions missing, which made communication so much easier.
All of these little things I was so excited about. And still am. I can't imagine having to wait to eat my food so I can spoon feed her EVERYTHING. (Using a spoon was another thing I thought she might not ever master).
And now I am in a new stage. Often titled the "terrible twos" and for likely good reason, the primary one probably just pure shock on the parent's part. Here is my sweet toddler who loved pleasing me last week and all of a sudden the answer is NO this week!
Lest someone mistake this for complaining, I must say that though this is a hiccup in our parenting goals, along with this stage comes so many more wonderful milestones. She is learning to share with and care for others including her baby dolls, plastic animals, friends and real babies. She remembers things throughout her day, so when I ask her what she did at church she remembers going down the slide and playing with friends. She asks for 'hug and kiss' continually and tells everything and everyone 'love you!' She has embraced independent-play, so I can read a book while watching her play with her farm animals. I love Ambree at 22 months for all new, different reasons.
But I would tell past-self to seize those training opportunities that were so eagerly waiting during that brief period. And I tell present-self to push through this phase and continue trying to win every battle with this strong-willed (thank the Lord), suddenly scheming (I have to remind Sean about how females can conjure tears on command to get their way) little one.