A Rug, A Lion, and A Monkey

One of the best things about going to family camp was the chapel times. The speaker for the adults was really good, biblically sound, and challenging. They also have "chapels" for the kidlets. I would akin this to Sunday School. The first time we dropped Levi off, we had to do the dump and run while he screamed approach. Not my favorite, but he was not interested in us leaving him in a strange place with people he didn't know. 

Enter Miss Lydia. 

Lydia was the teacher for his class, and a friend of mine from when we worked together at Camp many moons ago. She's just crazy enough for 3 and 4 year olds to L.O.V.E. her. Each session Levi came home with a new craft. His 2 favorites? A rug he got to color that said.. "God made Levi".. he even got to bring home markers because he was so enamored with the project he didn't want to stop. They talked about how God created the animals and God created them!

The second?  A Lion puppet. The story was about Daniel and the Lions Den and Levi is STILL talking about it. He's very into lions right now so that helped, but he keeps telling us about how the lions were going to eat them, and God said NO, and how Miss Lydia doesn't like Lions, and how he doesn't want lions to eat him... ahhh the theology of a 3 yr old.

At one point during the weekend he told us that Miss Lydia was like another Miss Amy. Miss Amy is his Sunday School teacher her whom he loves and adores. High praise from my 3 year old no doubt. 

Anyway, he made a lion.. pictured on the left... the last time they were together they kind of hodge-podged crafted I believe, and he came home with the puppet on the right... it's not a lion.. nope.

according to Levi it's a monkey...

no teeth and different ear placement I guess makes it a monkey.

 I love that kid.

I'm so thankful for a place like Barakel. A Camp where we can go, feel refreshed and renewed as a couple, as parents, and know that our kids are being well cared for. I'm thankful for the staff who've given of themselves to proclaim the Glory of God. 

What a ministry! 

Growin' Up

When did he go from this? 

To this? 

or for that matter, 

When did she go from this? 

To this? 

Feeling grateful and blessed.

letter writing

Levi loves letters. 

He has been fascinated with them for a LONG time, so long in fact, that letters were a theme at his 2nd Birthday.  He can tell you all the letters and the sounds they make, and lately he's been learning how to write letters.  I went online and found some traceable letters, threw them in a sheet protector, and have let him practice. 

At first he got really frustrated because he couldn't do it right. If his line so much as got a fraction off the dot, he would cry. (First born, anyone?) But, he has kept at it and been getting better and better, and now he can write his name without tracing.

What can I say? 

I'm proud of my Son.

5 months

My dear sweet, Ruby Kathleen. 

I can NOT believe you already 5 months old. How and when did this happen? I feel like just yesterday I was waiting for your arrival, and now here we are, almost half a year later! You my sweet girl, grow and change daily it seems. Your smile delights my heart. 

At 5 months you.. 

• Blow raspberries all the time and laugh when you do it 
• Enjoy having your diaper change, as it always becomes Mama tickling and you laughing
• You still wake 2x a night to eat, between 1-2, and then right around 5:30.
• You've fallen into a good daytime routine. you wake around 6, take a little cat nap about 7:30-8:30, wake and play until around 10 where you take another short nap. you'll wake and play until 12:30 where you'll nap for about 2 hours, wake, play, and go down for another quick 1\2 nap around 4 or 4:30, before you doze off to sleep around 6:30
• You love to grab for small toys, and you are especially into faces right now
• You laugh at Levi ALL. THE. TIME. 
• You've discovered your feet and I think you're trying to figure out what they do
• Your hair is growing in... it's seeming lighter and lighter. I won't lie, this makes Mama very sad
• You can sit "tri-pod", but you're SO very close to sitting up!
• You've become a big fan of your exersaucer, which is very different from Levi who never liked it.
• We haven't started you on any sort of food yet. You have seemed very content with nursing, which is easier, so I'll take it ;) 

We love you baby girl.. please slow down this growing up thing, just a little ok?