This stage of motherhood has felt especially taxing lately. I feel like the girls are changing daily right before my eyes and I'm struggling emotionally to keep up with all of their growth. It is exciting to watch them grow into the little individuals that God has created them to be, but so hard to know how to discipline and encourage purposefully and in a way that will reach them personally. They are so similar, yet so different at the same time. I am daily on my knees asking for discernment and guidance in my parenting with an extra heaping portion of grace to carry me through each day.
We have extremely high highs and very low lows. I guess that comes with the territory of having two little ladies in the house, but oh my the drama some days! It takes all the patience I have to keep up with who is in what mood and to keep my cool with the daily swings. One minute they are the very best of friends... you've never seen two closer peas in a pod. Then the next minute I'm being called down {again} to referee an argument about who's tutu this is or she got to use that marker first yesterday, or she just opened her eyes while Daddy was saying the blessing, etc.
Each day goes by faster than the day before and I feel like I'm playing a never-ending game of Mother May I.
This one shares her coloring pages with that one without being asked.
{Great job on teaching sharing mom!}
You can take two steps forward.
Then the next minutes she whops her sister on the back for stealing her crayon.
{Loud buzzer sound: Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan}
Too bad. Now take four leaps back.
A wise lady who mentored me as a newlywed once said that as mothers, we should never be too quick to take the credit for things our children do right, but nor should we be too quick to take the blame of their mistakes either. No guilt, no glory. And although our children are a reflection of us, our values and what we've taught them, more importantly, they are their own individual. This truth is just now beginning to make sense to me in this stage we have entered into to.
Anna Cate finished up her year of preschool with a school play, The One Room Schoolhouse. For months, all she could talk about was her school play and how she would get to wear a "Mary and Laura dress" (aka a prairie dress). We went to Hobby Lobby and she got to pick out some calico fabric for us to make her dress with. Oh the excitement!
However, the day of the play, she was none to excited to have to stand in front of an audience. Bless her heart, just look at that face. There were a few tears and lots of coaxing and encouraging before-hand. Her good friend Emma, who by the way, was extremely excited and poised for her performance, sat beside Anna Cate while they waited to go on stage and then held her hand while they did their performance. I asked Anna Cate for a smile while they were waiting for the performance to begin and this forced smile was all I got. She looks like she is in pain.
:)
But she did great and felt so proud of herself afterwards!
Her class recited the Pledge of Allegiance and their Bible memory verse for the school year (Psalm 139), and they also sang the Fifty States Song.
Then came Easter.
It looks like I need to sign somebody back up for ballet class.
Enough said.
And P.S. - Could my children look any more like their daddy? What happened to my genes? I mean really! That's all I'm saying.
Good thing I think he's cute.
;)
Early in May, Will took the girls fishing.
They were not fans of touching something so slick and scaly.
But instead, they preferred to entertain themselves by playing in the gator or in the john boat.
May was also a busy month for BirThdAy PaRtiEs!!!
Between our little group of girlfriends, six of them have birthdays within a few weeks of each other! We stayed busy party hopping during the entire month of May!
We had a bakery themed party for Anna Cate and Caroline this year. For favors, we sent each little party guest home with their own batch of felt cookies.
The girls and I enjoyed a new activity (for them) one morning when I let them help me stitch the cookies together. It was the first time they were allowed to use a needle and thread, and they both did very well! We bought the biggest needle we could find with the dullest tip and they spent over an hour entertained with sewing felt circles together and concentrating really hard.
More party pics are coming soon. A sweet and talented friend brought her camera to the party and got some great pictures for me! I just need to download them first so I can share them here.
Hopefully I'll find the time soon. Summer has arrived and is in full swing around here! Boat rides, cook outs, and pool parties galore!
Ta ta for now!
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