Sharing

 I try to sneak in the phrase, "my girls" or "the girls" as much as possible.  I love being their "Mama," as Elli has started to call me and feel so blessed to have these two beautiful little girls in my life.   I can't wait to see their relationship grow and change over the years. 

 

 Daniel and I decided long ago that we wanted our daughters (if God chose to give us more than one) to share a middle name.  Faye is a family name - it's my middle name, as well as two of my great-grandmothers - but that's not why we chose it.  We long and pray for our daughters to have a rich, close, precious relationship, and we hope that sharing a middle name is only the beginning of all the toys, secrets, inside jokes, late night conversations, clothes, growing pains, joys and trials they will share over the years.

 And from what I can tell, they are well on their way.  Elli has a big love for her little sister, and Caroline already turns her head to follow her big sister.  Whenever she hears Caroline cry on the monitor, Elli comes to me, very concerned, saying,  "Yai-Yai cry, Mommy.  Elli help.  I help."  She kisses and hugs her every chance she gets and joins in on tummy time just to hold her hand.  Caroline can't respond much yet, but as she has begun to give us a few smiles, many of those are for her big sister.  So whether it is their middle name, or striped pajamas, or life experiences... may these two sisters, unique and different as they are, share a deep, deep love for each other and for their Lord.

Peace

Peace and quiet have become precious commodities around here.  Personal space is a thing of the past, and privacy is no longer a right.  I cherish my days with my busy, energetic two-year-old and my sweet, snuggly one-month-old, but I also love the rare moments when both are either sleeping or playing quietly on their own.  They don't usually last very long.

We are all adjusting to our new rhythm as a family of four, and I'm learning to carve out time in the Word whenever I can find it.  (Goodness knows I need it now more than ever!)  I had to capture this page from my journal, because it so perfectly represents my devotional life right now.  What I begin one day inevitably gets interrupted, but instead of postponing my meeting with the Lord, He blesses and extends the time.  I'm learning to slow down and keep His Word in my heart and on my mind throughout the day.

And since I'm in a sharing mood, these are the verses I've been meditating on recently.  Daniel and I are working so hard to set up our physical home, but I don't want to forget about creating an environment that glorifies the Lord and reflects the values He has instilled in us.  These verses have been laid on my heart as I try to help Elli learn self-control, transform the clutter into order, and set an example for our girls in how I communicate with Daniel.  Especially on the days when we're all a little sleep-deprived.  May our home be full of peace so we may soon enjoy a harvest of righteousness.

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A Sweet Legacy

I shared several hobbies and interests with my maternal grandmother, who passed away just over a year ago.  We both loved shoes and owned way too many pajamas, but what I most treasure that she passed on to me was a love for sewing.  Now, I don't have half of her skill or knowledge, but I still remember my first sewing project with her, and she taught me so much since then.  I used to love looking at all her different fabric scraps and will always think of her when I begin a new sewing project.

Some of my most treasured possessions are the quilts she made for Elli and I.  She made a quilt for each of her grandchildren, and when Elli was born, she made her a  baby quilt.  While I was pregnant with Caroline, I thought several times about how much Grandma would have been excited for the new baby and how she probably would have been planning and sewing a quilt.  I miss my grandma and am sad that Caroline won't get to meet her and Elli won't remember her.  She was a wonderful woman.

 When my parents came to the hospital to meet Caroline, my mom had a gift ready for her, and I was so surprised and overjoyed to see a sweet baby quilt!  Not only because it's absolutely beautiful and precious, but because this is such a sweet legacy in our family that I'm so thankful my mom has carried on!  We have quilts from my great-grandmothers, my grandmother, and now from my own mother.  I know my girls will always treasure their quilts.  What a wonderful, tangible reminder of the godly line of women we come from. I pray we all follow in their footsteps 

Caroline Faye and her quilt

4 days old

 

Elli would like to tell you something....

That's right!  G-Baby 2.0 is on the way!  We are beyond thrilled... God is so good!

 For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother's womb.

 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.

 My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

 your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be. 

Psalm 139: 13-16

G-Baby, you are already loved and known more than you will ever be able to fathom.  

We can't wait to meet you!