Shower time.

Eden woke up this morning at 6:30. I was getting ready for work and she came to me and calmly told me she wanted to take a shower... As if this was a normal occurrence. I told her i had already showered, so she would have to take one by herself. "That's ok, mommy. I can do it." And she did. All of it. I started the water, she got in, washed her hair, washed her body, and shut the water off. And now she wants to do this everyday.
Oh, milestones, why must you sneak up on me like this and turn my baby into a big girl??

This trail leads to an independent girl.

"Mommy, I'm hungry"
"Daddy should be home soon. We will eat dinner in about 10 minutes."
"OK"

2 minutes later, I walk out to the hallway and find....

The pantry open with a stool strategically placed.

 A chair under the bread cabinet.....

 

The ingredients for a delicious dinner....

A determined little girl.....

 

And Happiness!!

She's a big kid now...

Dear Eden,
It's finally here... the day you've been counting down to for so long. You are 5!! You left the baby-days long ago. You served your years as a toddler. You did a short stint as a little girl. But now that is all over. There is no doubt about it... you are a BIG KID now!
You have been planning for this for months.You were so excited, in fact, that a few months ago you started 'practicing' being 5 so that there wouldn't be any set-backs or pauses on the day you actually turned 5. You asked to do all kinds of "5 year old things".  You wanted to sweep the floors, make your bed, do the dishes. Even clean the toilets!!  You better believe, I was more than willing to train you up in these tasks.
I am amazed at how much you have grown and changed in the last year. The most obvious of these changes is your speech. It's like one night someone just flipped a switch in you and the next morning you woke up talking 'right'.  You can say 'S' and 'F' and 'TH'... the list goes on, but the fact is when I talk to you now, there is no question about what you are saying!
You LOVE school. There has not been one day that you haven't enjoyed school. And there has been a few days you had to stay home because you were sick or school was cancelled, and you were bummed every single one of those days. And as much as you love preschool, you can not wait for Kindergarten... just slow down and enjoy the ride, little girl!
I have also been amazed by how you have evolved socially over the past year. You are still very cautious about who you open up around, and even when you are around someone you are comfortable with it takes you awhile to open up. But you do open up now. And it's so fun to see you interact with other people the way you do with your family at home.
You have enjoyed the snow this winter. You have loved playing in the snow and, believe it or not, you have helped me enjoy winter. (something I haven't done in years!!)
You are even growing up when it comes to picking out your clothes. I have always allowed you to pick your own outfits in an effort to foster your independence. I try to guide you, but you love to do it yourself. There have been a lot of times that has been a real struggle for me because, well, you just weren't very good at it! But you are reaching the point now that you are actually somewhat concerned about if your top matches your bottom. It still doesn't all the time, but we are making progress. :) 
You welcomed another little sister under your wings when Kate was born in December. I love to see you love on her.  You make sure to hold her at least once everyday. You want to be involved with bath time and diaper changes and anything else 'mother-y'. You love to make her smile and she loves to give you smiles. Keep up the good work, big sister... you're doing great!
You still love playing with baby dolls. You also love barbies and Littlest Pet Shop. You still enjoy playing dress up. Your favorite movies are Barbie and Toy Story and anything to do with princesses.
This past fall, you got to experience your first theater performance when we went to watch Cinderella at Westview. You sat on the edge of your seat the whole time. Of course you loved the fact that it was Cinderella, but I think you also fell in love with theater. You have been to 2 other performances since then and I see many, many more in your future!  (I've said this before, and I'll say it again.... I love to see you enjoy things on stage, but I can't wait for the day that I get to watch you on stage. Because I'm certain that day will come and you will be great! --you certainly get a lot of DRAMA practice at home)
I can't wait to tackle the next year with you.... I feel like I'm growing with you, and so far I am loving this journey!!
Happy Birthday, EE! I love you,
Mommy

waiting for spring.

"Mommy, I'm digging for spring....
... I'm digging for spring, Mommy, but I can't find it anywhere...
      ... I think it might not be here yet..... we can try again later...."

Home Sweet Home

.... and now it is someone else's ...

On June 8, 2003, we purchased our first home. On January 28, 2013, we sold it. We owned that cute little house for nearly 10 years. We lived in it for 3½.
This was, obviously, not the plan. And the resulting story was a true test of patience and faithfulness. Nate and I are both firm believers that the Lord always provides and that He will not lead you into any storm that He does not plan to lead you out of. However, it is a whole lot easier to preach that lesson than it is to live it!
In September 2006, we felt a very strong calling that it was time to move back home. What started as a far-fetched dream (a dream because, really, how do you sell a house - find a new one - quit two jobs - and find two new ones 200 miles apart) turned into a reality quicker than we could have ever expected. With a couple of phone calls Nate had a job. An off-handed comment to a friend resulted in a meeting with a couple that wanted to rent and soon buy our home. One more phone call and we had a very inexpensive place to live for a few months. By November 2006 we were settled in to our new home and so grateful for all of God's provisions!
Fast forward 3 years... we have purchased a new home, we are raising 2 beautiful babies, and we have just evicted those 'fabulous' renters. I am working part-time, we now have 2 mortgages to pay, and the house that we aren't living in needs thousands of dollars of repairs before we can even entertain the idea of selling it. (for those of you who aren't following closely, this is where the faith really comes in to play!)
We did the work as we could... as we had the time to travel and the money to do repairs. Once the house reached the point that we considered it 'liveable' again, we were able to help some friends that needed a place to live while they helped us put some finishing touches on the home. We tried to sell it by owner with no success. So, we bit the bullet and listed with a realtor - prepared to take a bit of a loss.
The sign went up on October 1, 2012. There was one showing the first week it was on the market. Then nothing. And nothing. And nothing.
These months were filled with prayers. And pleas. I felt like I was leading with the faith I needed, but it was waning. Baby girl #3 was coming in December and we just couldn't afford this house AND a maternity leave. When that worry started to enter my mind, that's when my faith started to flicker. Suddenly, I went from putting all my trust in my Lord to trying to control it all. During this time. there was one song that really spoke to what I was struggling with. "Only a Mountain" by Jason Castro. So, this became my mantra.... "This is only a mountain. You don't have to find your way around it. Tell it to move, it will move. Tell it to fall, it will fall! This is only a moment, you don't have to let your fear control it. Tell it to move it will move. Tell it to fall, it will fall. Ask like you believe it,
Trust like you can see it. Take your fear and say there's nothing in your way...."  
That house was my mountain... so every day, I commanded it to 'move'... to the best of my human ability, I believed that if I asked with as much faith as I could muster, it would certainly move. But I also knew God had his own plan. So at the same time I was telling that mountain to move, I was also praying for the person/family that would someday live in my home.  The house isn't perfect, and I knew it was going to take a very specific person to be able to call that house, home.
On January 10, 2013, our realtor called just to check in. She informed me that there still had been no activity on the house since that first week. We were told, at this point, not to expect anything to happen before spring. We talked about lowering the price but decided to wait until March before trying that. And that was it.... the phone call was ended with the understanding that we would speak again in a couple months.
So, when my phone rang 5 days later, I answered with hesitancy. And the first words out of the realtor's mouth were, "Kari, don't get excited yet. But we have an offer."
The next 13 days were filled with phone calls and text messages and emails and faxes and lots and lots of emotions. We waited 6 long years for someone to be interested in our home. And then, on one day, this woman that I had been praying for looked at my house, made me an offer, looked at it again, and made a better offer. And she wanted it as soon as possible!
At the closing table, I met the woman that would make my house her home. And for the first time in 2 weeks, I felt at absolute peace.
This is not the way I would have chose to sell that house. I had my own plan... and it was no where close to the way it ended up playing out. But my plan did not include a lesson in faith and trusting that the Lord can get us through ANYTHING. And that lesson will take me further in life than my time and money will ever take me. And, for that, I am eternally grateful!