Daddy, Daughter

There are few things cuter than a daddy playing dollies with his daughter.  We did a lot of this today.  

Forecast: 55 and raining all day.  Lots of indoor play!

8 stitches later

Eight stitches later, she's going to be okay.  What a warrior!

It was just a bizarre accident.  We were at a museum today and she fell and hit a step and gashed her sweet little head open.  My friend went running for some towels for the blood that spewed everywhere.  Eloise screamed at the top of her lungs "I'm scared!  I'm scared!"  Her little friend just stared with her mouth wide open.  And I wrapped Cordelia's coat around her head to try to stop the bleeding.

From there we quickly went into the museum office where the staff was incredibly helpful.  They called 911 for us and called Alex for me.  A police man came in fairly quickly and stared into her eyes and said he hoped she didn't pass out.  Thank God she didn't!  She is so strong.

So off in the ambulance we went.  Poor Alex didn't know what was going on and his heart was beating so fast until he met up with us.  The museum director forgot to tell him we were ok, he just told him we were in the ambulance.  

8 stitches and we're as good as new.  Or will be soon enough.

We love you, Cordelia!  You're the strongest (and smartest/sweetest/cutest) cookie we know.

Always keep our camera handy

This is what happens in the span of a minute.

So I always have my camera ready for when the headband is actually on her head.

A walk in the woods

"A Walk in the Woods" performed by C.F.L. and brought to you by her doting mother who was trying to take advantage of a break between rain storms.

In Charge

Just in case I started thinking I was in control over here.

We all know who is driving this ship.

(And yes, our little baby is wearing a princess dress.) 

Thankfully, the sun is shining, the air is crisp, and we are all healthy.  The windows are cracked because we are in need of some fresh air in this house.  I've just returned from our Wednesday morning Bible study and it was wonderful.  You should never underestimate the power of spiritual nourishment.  It feeds my soul and keeps me moving each week.

Today

You know your child is still sick when you give her a cookie and she doesn't even take a bite.

She is doing much better today and we're hopeful she's finished puking her guts out, but only time will tell. If she makes it through the night, then we're done.  (Yea.)  If not, then we're not done.  (Boo.  In case you had any doubt about how I feel about that or puke in generally, really.)

I gave her some food today but she didn't eat a bite.  But being in good spirits, she played with it.

And while dodging the puke, Cordelia has managed to keep a good attitude.  Because that's what she does.  She rolls with the punches and has the most incredible eyes all at the same time.

I love my girls.  But I don't love puke.

It's time to face the music.

It might be time to come to terms with the fact that Cordelia is no longer a baby.

Babies don't walk around the house in high heals while reading a Valentines Day card to you.

I Heart Faces: Smiles

The challenge at I Heart Faces this week is all SMILES.  Like many of you, I've been going through all my photos of 2010 and picking some favorites. 

This one of my youngest is one I love.  It really captures her sweet little face and her little vampire teeth so well.

Happy smiling!

Hop on over to I Heart Faces to see some more shining beauties.

Pause and Reflect

I didn't think I had very much to say.  Nothing really noteworthy to share.  I have some photos but they aren't much different from previous photos on this blog.  A cutie Cordelia and an Eloise painting. Just life going as usual.

But I thought to myself, I need to post on the blog.  And that got me thinking and reflecting on the past couple of days.  As my friend smartly pointed out, I'm an introvert.  I don't process externally, instead I think in my head.  In fact, a word hardly escapes my mouth without being adequately considered in my mind first.  That's just the way I am.

The blog helps me reflect.

 

So here's my reflection.

Life as a pastor:  We returned home on Tuesday.  Walked in the door at 2pm.  Alex showered and was out the door at 3pm.  He had a funeral at 4pm.  He then did the burial the next morning and another funeral that afternoon.  His schedule is packed this weekend.  Alex hit the ground running.  So I hit the ground running too.  And it's okay because I'm not stressed out because we had an excellent escape to Texas and were spoiled rotten.  I'm refreshed and ready to go...I hope this lasts a while...  :-)

And I love nap time.  I didn't get it yesterday because we had a plumber here for 3 hours.  That's a long and noisy time.  No napping when the plumber is here.

Even though Eloise doesn't nap anymore, my arms and back need a break from our almost 14 month old.  Eloise can do her big girl things alone and I can do mine.  I get to blog and check Facebook and edit photos and recharge.

Hospitality

It's been a full week.  I'm treating myself to a seat on the couch and a blog post to share because I just cut my 10 pound pork tenderloin and it is marinading for the day.  Protein accomplished.  Time for a break.

My friend wrote a short blog post on the importance of community (click here to see it) and it really rang true for me.  This week has been all about community.

I wrote earlier about 3 friends who need our prayers.  I'm pleased to say all 3 are moving in positive directions and there's no doubt in my mind that the Lord is blessing them with peace and healing.  And I also know they have been blessed by a great community of loving people.  We are the hands and feet of Jesus and a lot of people are coming out of the woodwork to help.

It's incredibly touching.

Our friend E was in a car accident.  So a mom in our mother's Bible study quickly devised a plan to bless her with food and cards and well wishes.  She designated her house as a drop off point and arranged for delivery.  And she told me that women she had never met were bringing meals to her house for E.  This community of women went above and beyond the call of duty to help and it undoubtedly reflected the lavish love that God has for us.

The spirit of giving this season has been very real.

And I think giving is beautiful just like this little girl's smile.  :-)

My friend Dorry wrote blog post this week on Christmas shopping (click here to see it) and it reminded me how much I dislike shopping.  It's just not very fun for me.  But, on the other hand, I love the grocery store.  I love feeding people and entertaining and giving to friends in that way.  And this Christmas week, I've had ample opportunity to do so.

We had a fabulous time Tuesday with our college friends.  Lots of razzing each other.  Lots of merriment.  And lots of laughs.  When we're together, we (for better or for worse) revert right back to our college days.

Wednesday, we hosted our Colorado friends for supper.  Exhausted and drained, they are pleased to be safe in town and are eagerly awaiting their son and brother who should be meeting them here shortly from Germany (and previously from Afghanistan).  It was a warm evening of community.  And tomorrow, we'll do it again with church friends and staff resting between our 3 Christmas Eve services.

It's been a blessing for me to host so much this season.  A yummy meal and a cozy home is such a gift to share.  It's doesn't have to be the most creative food or have lavish  place settings or be perfectly coordinated.  It just has be authentic and people feel loved.

And now my break is coming to an end.  Dora's Christmas show is over.  Eloise is headed my way and I think we're going to knock out some brownies before Cordelia awakes.  

(And don't tell anyone.  Our pie for Christmas Eve is Sara Lee's frozen apple dutch pie.  It's going to be awesome.)

True Love 2

I love this girl.  Mess or no mess.  She's mine.

And I love her new shoes.  They are just so stinkin' cute!  

There's something special about a baby's first pair of real shoes.  Maybe they tug at my heart because they mean she's not much of a baby any more.

Party Pics

We had a happy birthday Cordelia day.  We combined our monthly church young adult lunch with her party and had a great time all around.

We peaked a little early though.  Day light savings had us up at the brisk hour of 5.  So we were exhausted before we even headed to church.  Eloise wanted to know if this party could start already.

It finally started.  And we all had fun.

I am now in recovery mode.  All this cooking and baking and cleaning and 5am business is wearing me out.  She may be one now, but I have a feeling this next year will be even busier than last.  Welcome Toddlerhood!

You've come a long way, Baby.

You've come a long way, Baby.

1 whole year!  1 year from today you flew out of me and quietly looked at the world.  The doctor said 2 things that I remember very clearly.  She said, You hardly let me put my gloves on!  I had two thoughts in response.  I thought, Where the heck have you been!?! and Thank God that didn't last any longer!


Then the doctor said, Your baby stood up right after she came out.  I've never seen that before.  She is so strong!  I was shaking and in a bit of shock from all the pain and thought, Yeah, whatever, whatever, whatever, get me some blankets because I'm freezing!  I didn't have the warm fuzzy feelings of love at that point.  Instead I had survival feelings.  Help me!  Help me!  Help me!  The warm fuzzies came later.

Then, little Baby, you snuggled up in my arms and fell asleep.  And you never let out a peep.  You were so quiet that after a few hours one nurse start hitting you really hard on your back just to make you cry.  You took the beating like a champ.  You let out a sweet little cry then just looked at her with your perfectly round eyes.

You snuggled back in my arms and fell asleep.  It was a dream come true.

You have since found your voice.  You say Mama and Dada and Deh.  You shrill when your Sister takes away your toys.  And you laugh when we give you high fives.

You have also kept those strong legs.  Baby, you are strong!  You started rolling around at a ridiculously early age.  I haven't been able to change your diaper with you laying down for months.  You've been walking and climbing and propelling yourself off the couch for weeks.  You are our little mini-mite.

You've come a long way.

We love you so, so, so very much.

Happy Birthday sweet Cordelia.

Want to walk down memory lane with me?  Want ro relive that labor and delivery?  (No, me neither!) But if you do, check out the first few posts of Cordelia's life here, here and here.

Miss Cordelia Goes to Washington

This little lady is headed to the Hill.

That is, if her Daddy lets her.

Miss Cordelia for President 2052.