Browsed by
Category: pictures

want one?

want one?

I put a large bowl of clementines on our coffee table, thinking that even if Emma could reach it she wouldn’t be able to damage them (the worst she could do would be to suck on the fruit). Well, our little one has longer arms than I thought! And now she spends several minutes after each nap standing at the coffee table under our window pulling clementines out of the bowl and either dropping them or handing them to me. And sometimes she lets me keep them, too. :)

our teething babe

our teething babe

The past few days have been filled with lots and LOTS of Emma holding, Emma comforting, and trying to find ways to relieve her discomfort.

So, when I heard her pull out the basket that holds our CDs tonight – which is usually a “no touch” item – I ignored it and let her play. She wasn’t being destructive, just curious. She pulled most of the cases part way out and slid them back in, playing with a few colorful ones that caught her interest. It kept her busy and distracted for quite a while.

Now the thing is, she is happy but I feel bad that I was inconsistent!

remembering

remembering

Gramma, Anna and Lizzie, 1988

Emma, Sarah and I took a last minute trip to the Bay a week ago Wednesday. Gramma is not doing very well, and she wanted to see me and Emma again. It was a good trip, but a difficult one.

I’m still feeling rather numb, but going through some boxes of old photos is helping. It’s bringing the memories and the tears.

as water through fingers ….

as water through fingers ….


teething, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.

I love being a mother. I really do. Mothering a smiling and joyful (and willful …) baby is just so wonderful. Sometimes when I look back at my day, though, it seems as if all my effort accomplished nothing. True, the laundry has been washed, dishes done, diapers changed. But at the end of the day it is hard to tell because all of that “doing” is waiting to be done all over again. There are no marks of achievement when is comes to housework.

Emma is teething just now, and today she just wants to held as she sucks her thumb or trills to me as she plays with my hair. It is difficult to get much accomplished while carrying a nearly 20 pound baby, and combined with her want for more nursing and less “real” food, I am feeling a bit tired! So we have been sitting at the computer and I have been catching up on reading blogs as Ems absorbs comfort. As I was reading I found that this woman’s post from last week was good and very timely.

It reminded me of the story of how David’s mighty men went down to Bethlehem to get him some water from the well, and instead of drinking it he poured it out on the ground as a drink offering (II Sam 23:14-17). Of course, David had a purpose for pouring out the water – to him it represented the life blood of the men who had brought it for him – but I have always seen it from his men’s view as well: they so wanted him to have this water that meant so much to him, and then he poured it out instead of drinking it. All their effort gone. But their effort wasn’t gone. It was being used as an offering of praise.

The blog author was convicted about her setting “seen” accomplishments as idols in her heart. It was so good to read her transparency. I stopped to ponder: Can I go from needing a visible, tangible product of my labor to allowing it to be poured out before God?

photo roundup from the last 24 hours

photo roundup from the last 24 hours

good use for iced tea spoons #3: sour cream servers (if serving straight from the mega huge tub).
good use #2 is getting to the bottom of large jam jars without getting your hands sticky.

yes, this is a picture of our sweet baby “kissing” (sucking on) the trash can (such activity is NOT encouraged in this home!). we got this trash can for our wedding from Target (they no longer sell it but you can find something similar here) and it has been wonderful: it is the perfect size for grocery bags (so we have never needed to buy trash bags, plus we are being “green” in our own way) and has little “handles” to hook the bag over so that it won’t fall into the can. It is a bit on the small side, but we tend to take the trash out frequently anyway, since it is the the kitchen can and tends to get a bit stinky.

I walked into our bedroom last night to find a VERY happy baby laughing on our bed.

she was being closely watched by her daddy, and they were having a wonderful time
(somehow this photo of John reminds me of some of the ones from his high school years ……. but with a slightly receding hairline).
little gem

little gem

In the last month she has learned to smile (with a kind of scrunched up “cheese!” smile) when she sees me pull out the camera.

She makes our every moment so precious. Just sitting here at the computer is taking myself away from her soft little hands, her ever learning, sparkling and laughing eyes, her range of faces as she begins to figure out emotions.
trying to grab the camera

so pleased with herself!

cheese, again

are you finished yet mommy? I’ll keep smiling until you’re done!

the plan for today is:

the plan for today is:

p.s. i got the bathroom painted, and we walked to the library. Emma was holding on to her hat the whole way there and back – so cute! I have no idea why she did it (she never has before), but everyone who saw her thought that she was adorable.


1. clear my inbox,


2. paint the master bathroom,


and 3., take care of Emma.

We might go swimming (because Summer is ending and I want to try to get as much pool time in as we can before that happens) or to the library, too. We’ll see how far we get. I have a feeling that mostly I’ll be taking care of Emma, but maybe I can make use of her naps ……