Heat up.....cool down

This week started off really, really hot.  As soon as you walked outside you felt like you were wet from how humid it was.  I grew up in Southern Illinois right outside of St. Louis, which I think is one of the hottest places on earth.  I know that it really isn't and there are hotter places, but St. Louis gets really hot in the summer.  I remember when I was around jr. high age my family made the trek from down state to visit Chicago.  It was the middle of June and already in the high 80's/low 90's in St. Louis and when we got up to Chicago we had to buy sweatshirts because it was so chilly.  Weird.  I like summer to be hot.  I won't lie, though, upper 90's with out of control humidity isn't my favorite, but part of summer so I will take it.  On those really hot days it is hard to go outside much with little ones so we stay inside and....

wear our cute summer dresses

and take care of our babies

see how high we can build a block tower

and have lots of sister fun

In the middle of the week, the humidity died down and the temps came down into the breezy and comfortable 80's.  So we headed outside and.....

played at the park

and made sidewalk chalk art

Whether it is so hot you could fry an egg on your driveway or so perfect you want to stay outside all day, we are loving the summer.

Spoons and perspective

We have been working with Ashlyn for awhile now on holding and eating with a spoon.  It is definitely one of those things that has had me stressed at moments wondering how hard it will be for her to get it.  There have been plenty of therapy sessions of her screaming while her therapist is trying to help her with a spoon and plenty of mornings at the breakfast table with her screaming while mommy is trying to help her.  At first, I would feel so defeated because I can remember handing Kyla a spoon when she was around 18 months old and pretty soon she had it down.

The really cool thing about Ashlyn and the spoon is that I have seen how God is working in us.  Not too long ago, Ashlyn taking longer to reach a milestone would really bother me (I still have my moments).  In this situation as we are getting farther in this journey I have this peace that I know she will get it and I don't have to push it.  At breakfast for months there has been a spoon involved.  It started out with my hand over her hand to do it, which she would tolerate for a few bites and then want it to end.  Then she would allow it a little longer.  For awhile, she was getting frustrated enough and breakfast was becoming a stress, that the spoon wasn't around.  We just took a break.  That is the cool thing.....the perspective that comes the longer you are on the journey.  The perspective that allows me to not compare Ashlyn to Kyla and to know that Ashlyn will eventually get it.  I don't have to force it or worry that kids her age have already mastered this skill.  Sometimes you just have to put the spoon in the drawer, walk away and let it be for awhile.

Last week I decided to get the spoon back out.  I put a bowl of cereal in front of Ashlyn at breakfast and handed her a spoon just to see what she would do.  What she did is put that baby right down into the bowl and get a little bite of cereal and in a very messy but beautiful fashion, put into her mouth.  I was cheering and then she started clapping and Kyla started clapping......applause at breakfast makes you know you are going to have a good day.  She kept trying and wouldn't always be able to get it, but she wasn't frustrated.  She got the most frustrated when I tried to help her, letting me know she wants to try this solo now.  It is still a very messy process and not quite mastered yet, but she is getting there.

Sheer concentration

This is fun

Makes a good hairbrush

In goes a bite

Little things like this are huge to us.  And not always so much because milestones are being met but more because we see God helping us on this journey.  Something as simple as putting a spoon away for awhile and being at peace with that, is a little miracle for me.  And the joy in it is that I can see that I know Ashlyn.  I always felt like I knew Kyla and what she needed, mostly because it was so textbook I could read about it.  I haven't always felt this with Ashlyn.  I have felt confused, overwhelmed and out of my league.  But I am her mama and sometimes mama's just know you have to put the spoon away for a little bit. We are a team and we are figuring it out together.  Slower paced, not textbook.....but together.  I am so thankful she is my girl.

Here is my beautiful little mess in action:

These are the days of our lives

Each different season and phase of life has different things that make up that part of our journey.  Nine years ago I was a brand new wife living in a tiny one bedroom apartment in Kansas City with my new husband.  I was on cloud nine decorating our apartment, using all the gifts we got for our wedding, starting my first job out of college and getting to live and start my life with a guy I adored (still do) and was so excited to be married to (still am).  That season consisted of me working full time and Troy in seminary and working part time. I will always look back on that time with the warmest of memories. 

Fast forward a few years and we are buying our first house in Indianapolis and Troy is starting his first job in ministry.  That season consisted of a positive pregnancy test and becoming brand new parents.  My days were full of joy as I started my new job as a stay at home mom and we were so excited to be in ministry. 

Fast forward to the summer of 2011 and the season we are in looks a little bit like this -

Supper time is chaotic and funny.... 

This particular season does not allow for quiet, calm and orderly suppers around the table.  It is full of  me racing around the kitchen, Kyla telling us what she does or doesn't like on her plate, Ashlyn shaking her head no if you try to feed her a fruit or vegetable, Troy and I attempting a conversation while kids are making their requests known, Kyla asking us how many bites of something she has to eat before she can get more of something else and so on.  As chaotic as it can be, I love it.  And in the middle of the craziness there are things that make us laugh.....like this,

Somehow Ashlyn pulled her bib up on the top of her head and it was stuck there.  We were all laughing and as you can see from her face, she has no idea what is so funny.

Giving Kyla "the look" while we are laughing

Back to daddy...."Why are you laughing?"

Swimming lessons.....

Kyla is in position to jump in.  It turned out to be more of a half jump with her teacher holding onto her 

The next jump was a good one and was the first time she got the whole top of her head wet.  The most important thing is she had a really good time.

Therapy......

Therapy is definitely a big part of this season.  Three times a week we have therapists in our home to work with Ashlyn.  When all of this first started it was a big adjustment and I didn't know how it would ever feel normal.  Well, it is a new normal for us and we are so thankful for it.  We have been blessed with great therapists who care deeply for Ashlyn and who include Kyla into all of it.  There are times when three times a week feels like a lot, but Ashlyn loves her therapists so much (not always what they want her to do) that it is a really good thing......
 

Ashlyn having fun during physical therapy with Mr. Jim

Giving her cheesy smile with Miss Ann during OT

And having a great time in speech (her favorite) with Miss Mandy

Kyla getting in on the speech fun.....mixing up a fruit salad after Ashlyn identified the pieces of fruit

Pretend world....
 
Kyla is in pretend world a lot.  It is so much fun.  She is always talking to somebody.  Sometimes she is the teacher and she is talking to her class (she will even tell me the names of her students sometimes).  Other times she is playing with her doll house and speaking on behalf of the different people who live in the doll house.  Sometimes she has her Disney princesses out and they are talking to each other.  Many times when we get to the grocery store she will tell me that Dora and Boots or the Berenstein Bears are with us and will be riding in the cart.  Our motto is the more the merrier. 

Last week she was in the pretend world of entertaining.  She was having a party for the princesses in the living room and was making cookies and other food for them.  At one point I was in the kitchen and she came in to tell me, "Mommy, the cookies are in the oven but Snow White is already here so she will have to wait for them to cool."  Yep, I hope Snow White brought her patience.  It is so much fun and I love her imagination......

The cookies are ready

Cutting up some food for the party

Daddy got an invite to the party and enjoyed a cookie

Ashlyn's buddy......

Ashlyn is in love with this little toy giraffe that we have.  It actually fell off of a toy that we were done with and thank goodness the giraffe wasn't packed away with the rest of it, because it is never far from Ashlyn's side.  Every morning as soon as breakfast is done, she walks over to the basket where giraffe lives and says, "affe" for giraffe and then they are pretty much together the rest of the day.

 Every morning there are two sisters happy to be together

and every evening there are two girls very happy to see their daddy

 These days of our life are filled with much happiness and joy along with plenty of chaos and some challenges that keep us on our knees.  I love this season and I know when I look back on it years from now, I will see this....thank you, God.

Backyard Camping

Awhile back Kyla started telling us she wanted to go camping.  My response was, "Sounds great....I bet daddy will take you camping!"  Troy is the camping person in this family.....I will take a hotel over sleeping on the ground any day and I didn't think our family was at the point quite yet to all go for real camping together.  She kept talking about it and we kept telling her that when the weather got warmer that her and daddy could camp out in the backyard.  This past Friday night we decided it was the perfect time.  The weather was perfect, even a little bit cool that night and we had all the gear ready to go.  I could tell Kyla was really excited for this time with her daddy.

Helping daddy get the tent ready

Pure excitement!  She was so excited to see what the inside was like

Ashlyn thought it was really fun too

Flashlight, check.  Lantern, check.  Binoculars, check.  Ready to go.

The campers

Checking out what she can see with her binoculars

The wonderful (and gorgeous) man in our lives who is the kind of dad who loves to spend time with his girls

Look at the stick I found

Got the campfire going....time to roast marshmallows 

Yum!

Once it got dark, the three of us (Ashlyn was already in bed) caught lightning bugs for a long time.  Kyla loved it and made this jar their home.

Time for the campers to go to bed

I really wasn't sure how the night would go.  I didn't know how much Kyla would like it or if she would really sleep in the tent the whole night.  She absolutely loved every second of it....we all did.  It was great to be together and I saw how much Kyla loved having special attention.  And she did sleep in the tent the whole night.  I told Troy that someday when he is walking her down the aisle this will be one of the memories he is thinking of......spending the night with his four year old girl in a tent in the backyard.  I love the memories we are making.  And, who knows, the night was so fun, maybe you will find me in a tent someday soon.