A Visit From Gamaw and Capaw

My mom and dad came for a visit and to attend the Focus over Fifty conference. We wondered how Xander would do with guests in the house for five days, since he is rather territorial about having people besides us in "his" house. He isn't mean, but he barks and barks, and he has such a huge voice, so it really annoying after a very short time. 

Well, Dad tamed the beast...

My dad loves to torment, er, play with puppies. He would throw the ball for Xander over, and over and over. So, for the most part, Xander decided it was OK for him to be in the house. He still wasn't sure what he thought of Mom, but he even calmed down a little around her as the week passed. 

Lorien is blessed to have two grandpas who LOVE to read to her. She and Dad read every book she owns at least three times, I think. Since Mom and Dad left, we have heard her ask for, "Campaw. More books?" several times. Apparently, her other favorite part of their visit was playing with Grandma in the back yard, because she also asks for "Gamaw, outside. Fwing?"

Family Photo

We needed a new family picture to send to Josh's Grandma Keffer for her birthday, so we set up the tripod and snapped this one. I think it might be my favorite one of the three of us since last Easter. 

Star Wars, Anyone?

 
Lorien’s been stringing words together into sentences for the past month or so, and we love the Yoda-esque syntax on this one: “All done the milk.”

Also, for several months, she’s been pulling what we call the Jedi mind trick: telling us what she wants us to say in response to her:

“More crackers. OK.”

The OK in that sentence is not her saying OK. It’s her telling us that that’s what we’re supposed to say in return. It's so cute it sometimes works.

The Concept of Two

 
This past week, Lorien has been learning the concept of two. She has known the word two for a while now... and that whenever she heard someone say, “one,” she should follow it with “two.” But now she gets that two is what happens when you have one in each hand.

It all started when I washed my cell phone last week. (Yes, that is another story entirely.) So the other day, I spent a LONG time on the phone with Verizon customer service, trying to get a very old mobile device activated on my number. And Lorien observed: “Two. Phones.”

Also, she is into “bear-bears” these days. None of her bear-bears have names. Just colors. Pink bear-bear. “Geen” bear-bear. Brown bear-bear. So now, when she has two of them in her arms, she’ll say, “Two. Bear-bears.” Super cute.

Valentine's Cupcakes

In Lorien's words, "nummy, nummy!"

She Started This

I wouldn't say that I'm ambitious about potty training. I definitely wasn't planning to start this early. But Lorien started informing us when she has to go. So we bought a potty. And she uses it. Not consistently, but at least every other day. 

Here, she is reading "The Wheels on the Bus," which she calls "Party Time." She also likes to read her "Happy Book" when she's on the potty. 

And yes, I know. Someday she will hate me for these pictures. 

Getaway

Like something out of a Robert Frost poem, I spent the weekend watching the woods fill up with snow. Each year, Women’s Ministries at First Pres hosts Mom’s Weekend Away. I wanted to go last year, but nursing made it too difficult. This year, I was determined to make it if I could, and Josh figured he’d do just fine hanging out with Lorien for the weekend.  I really needed the time away to rest and be refreshed, and I’m so glad I went. 

Didn’t get too many pictures of the venue, but it’s a rambling bed and breakfast/retreat center in Black Forest, Co., just 15 or 20 minutes up the road. It is tucked back in the trees, and it is sooooo quiet there. 

The one slightly intimidating thing about the weekend was that I didn’t know anyone else who was going (or at least I wasn’t aware of anyone I knew who would be there). As it turned out, I knew just four of the other young moms and a couple of the mentor moms, so that was kind of a strange experience. Most of the ladies there were from MOPS at First Pres, and that’s something I've not been able to be involved in because of work. Amazingly enough, of the four young women I knew, two of them ended up in my small group for the weekend, so that was a great comfort.

Beyond that, I just have to say that the Lord had so much for me that weekend. Sleep. Tears—I literally cried all the way through the afternoon quiet time on Saturday—not really because I was upset about anything in particular, but because I needed the release of tears to let out all that was built up inside me. Guilt. Exhaustion. Worry. Questions. Uncertainty. Also, a speaker with whom I immediately found a deep connection, and through whom God brought good food for thought and very deep conviction.

And finally, a strange experience of being on “the other side” of the mentoring equation. I’m not even sure I can explain the strangeness of that experience except to say that, after working with college students for more than eight years straight, I have spent very little time being the “little sister” and a whole lot of time being the “big sister.” To sit in on an open-ended Q&A with more experienced moms and not be the one answering questions was weird. And moreover, it was weird that it was weird. I mean, I don’t think 33-year-olds are supposed to have that kind of feeling in that kind of situation. Nonetheless, that’s my life, and I love it. But it did occur to me that I should probably make more of an effort to get on the little sister end of the equation at times.

Meanwhile...

Josh and Lorien did a great job holding down the fort at home. She didn’t really notice that I was gone. And daddy taught her to say “beam-a-back” (beanbag) while I was away. :)