In a rare turn of events. . .

I find myself with two sleeping children and no husband - which would usually mean frantic housecleaning, but not right now. I know that I have been negligent at updating my blog (that's putting it mildly), so I am going to make it a priority tonight (dustbunnies will get to play a little longer).

Let's see. . . Well Aayla is the cutest little cutie-pie ever, but she is a total toddler. She is becoming quite a challenge at times, and in those moments is such a striking picture of me that I am very humbled. Let me elaborate. Most of the bumps in our path are obedience issues - which result in some form of disciplinary action. In these times, I can ask Aayla, "Are you ready to obey Mommy?" To which she will reply "NO OBEY!" This can go on for quite an extended time and then I will finally hear the sweet words: "Yes, Mommy." In the middle of these situations, I always find myself shaking my head and wondering why she just won't give in. Then I realize - how many times am I prompted by the Lord to do something and I stomp my feet and shout "NO OBEY!"? It's funny to me that I see myself as the "mature" adult when I am dealing with Aayla, but my heart is just like my little toddler's, struggling with the simplest matter of obeying.

We quickly go from this:


To this:


Nora is a "little" sweetheart. She is usually smiling and very happy or sleeping. I say "little" only in a figurative sense, because she is HUGE! At her 8 week checkup, she weighed in at a whopping 14.5 pounds and was 23.5 inches long. As we often quip: "We grow 'em big in Iowa!" I can't even tell you how thankful I have been for my MobyWrap. It certainly saves my back (plus it's hands-free baby snuggling!).

She and Aayla are darling together - they love each other so much. Aayla can make Nora smile even when she's feeling grumpy, and Aayla is always looking a Nora and telling me "Aaah, cute" and "Sweet Nora"!

And now, I will leave you with some final sweetness: