Encouragement and REST

Mal napping outside the cabin this weekend...

As we started "crib nap training" this week (out of that glorious swing!!!) my theme verse has been "Come to me, all who are BURDENED and HEAVY LADEN and I will give you REST." Each day I have had to ask God to give me rest as I trust Him to help Mallory get to sleep in her crib (it's hard because there is a bit of crying involved that wasn't a part of swing napping) and we pray that He will give Mal the rest she needs as a growing baby...God is good and the training is going a lot better than expected!

I also wanted to post a blog link that I get a lot of encouragement from each morning as I start my computer time...Each day there is a new devotion...Hope it will encourage you! :)

Amish You (sounds like I Miss You!)

A bonnet we tried on Mallory in a store! Our little Amish girl! :)
Sitting in a buggy....
Mal and her Amish friends! So tempted to buy these cute guys...HuggaBunch anyone!?!!?

Mike and his new friend Gilligan!
The pond with geese and huge fish!
Mallory's first airplane and swing ride all wrapped up in one!

The guys after a yummy dinner!
The gang outside the cabin on the deer....fun times!
Mike and Alex...Wanna-be-Jedi Knights on wheels ...hours of fun I tell you!

So that was the running joke this weekend..."Amish you!" We had such a good time with Uncle Neil and Cousins Alex and Eleni! (We missed you Kirsti, but are so glad you are with Pepere! Wish we could be there too!) It was definitely great to escape the fast pace life of the average American and slow down a bit. Neil rented a great place in the midst of Amish Country in Penn. We had a cabin with a pond in the front, 3 llamas and goats, a swing set, and a creek nearby. We could even see the Amish going to and from work as we sat outside the cabin.

It was neat to drive along the country roads and pull up behind an Amish buggy. It really made me reflect on how "unstill" we really are as the line of cars would pile up and then race to get in front. Why can't we be more still? I really struggle to! The Amish have it down and I think I could learn something from them! My thoughts only increased on the subject as my nephew sang from the back of our car to a CD Mike made Mallory (a song from our childhood)..."Sing, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong....sing of good things not bad...sing of happy, not sad.......sing, sing a song...make it SIMPLE to last your whole life through...don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear....just sing...sing a song!!!" Lots of times kids songs have it right! It was so nice to just slow down a bit this weekend and enjoy God's creation and family!

Daddy Daughter Day

So Mike and Mal spent the day together on Friday. Mike's school gave him back a "snow day" since they didn't use them all this year...(so nice!) and so I made an appointment at the salon...(Thanks LDP for the bday gift card!!!) It was so nice to get a "real" haircut and relax! Then I went and ran errands. When I came home Mike was walking Mallory around the neighborhood...such a nice afternoon for a stroll! They had a good time just the 2 of them. Then we played SkipBo with the girl I am keeping after school. Even Mallory had to try and play. She is using the Boppy to learn to sit...she always wants to lean back and falls over....she's working on it! It won't be long before she is sitting on her own I'm sure! :)

Eternal Moment

I just had what Max Lucado termed as an "eternal moment" with Mallory. A glimpse of Heaven here on Earth where time stands still, you are totally content, and you wish the moment would last and last. :) We were sitting in the rocking chair in her nursery and Mallory snuggled up on my chest like a tree frog. (Something she doesn't do that often now.) And she began to make the sweetest coos and noises and snuggled closer. I was so happy at that moment and I laughed and Mallory began to giggle. And then I giggled and then she giggled. God is so good to give us these glimpses of Heaven.

The Green Light!

So we got the "green light" today from the doctor to start solids! Yay! I was so excited I ran out to by tons and tons of Gerber food for Mallory! (We need more room in our pantry! I got a little carried away!) As much as I wanted to try a round of veggies right then and there I waited for Mike to get home and she had her first helping of green beans (one of her parent's favs) at dinner time. (Course I was so hyper I forgot a bib!) We even put her up in her high chair (thanks Pepere!!) She was quite stoic and pensive for her first meal (She often is with new things! Hopefully by day three with the green beans she will be excited!) :) It could also be that she wasn't feeling 100% due to the shots she got today at her 6 month checkup. We were happy with all of her stats...she is moving up the bell curve! She weighed in at 14 lbs 3 oz and was in the 50%tile for length (held that %tile) and 20%tile for weight (jumped 10%tile points! wa hoo!!!)

Half Birthday and Nostalgia!

Mallory had her 1st HALF B-day this weekend when she turned 6 months old on the 19th! It was so exciting for us! And she had a playdate with the handsome Miles on Sunday. He is exactly 2 months younger than her and turned 4 months on the 19th. They had so much fun together! Mallory can't wait for her next trip to NC to hang out with Miles again!

And today I took Mallory on a stroll through Mike's old apartment complex. I get so nostalgic when I go there because it is where Mike lived when we first started dating. Mallory and I walked all around the trails and I told her all about when her Daddy and I were just dating. We saw turtles in the pond that Mike could see from his little porch. It is so neat to walk along the same paths and think of all that the Lord has done for me in the time since the first time I walked up to Mike's door for a date. God is so amazing!

The Secret Garden

Relaxing on LuLu's porch!
We made 2 HUGE brush piles for pickup on Laura's curb.

Girl time!

Get those weeds Laura! Watch out! :)

Dad and Mike de-ivyed (is that a word!?!?) the side of Laura's house! Dad clipped back so many bushes and trees and now you can acutally see Laura's house when you drive up! Exciting! :)
Teamwork I tell you!

So we traveled down to NC this weekend to hang out with Auntie LuLu. We had such a great time! On Saturday morning we wanted to do a "little" yard work before heading to the zoo. Who would have known how carried away we would get and work until sun down! :) It felt like an episode of "This Old House!" It was so rewarding to see the before and after of Laura's yard. We were so disappointed that we didn't get a "before picture" of the whole yard though. We discovered many hidden secret gardens and sidewalks! We grilled out at 9pm on Laura's porch when it was quitting time and reflected on all the work we had done!