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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

How did I screw this one up?!

On Sunday, I did the children's message during the worship service and I was telling them how excited I was to wake up Sunday morning - not just because I knew it was going to be a beautiful sunny day but that.... - and one kid pipped in and said "because the Easter Bunny came!" I IMMEDIATELY responded "Nope, the Easter Bunny didn't come to my house" - you should have seen the looks on those kids' faces. I believe that I have at least begun the ruining of their little imaginations. Some of them went home and asked "Why didn't the Easter Bunny visit Mrs. Amanda?" Poor parents had to make up excuses of who knows what to explain why I said what I said. Oops. Way-to-go- Mrs. Amanda!!

You see, for us Ghents, we didn't celebrate an Easter Bunny this year (or really since we've been "the Ghents" in over 5 years...)

Ever since we got pregnant, Jeremy and I have been discussing what we'll do with these holidays - Easter, Christmas, Halloween...
I'm somewhat convicted about how to actually celebrate them the way the world does. Growing up, Santa Claus was ridiculously loaded with cash and toys and always provided enough surprises to blow my mind on Christmas morning. Then, the Easter Bunny would come and load us up with chocolates and peeps. But honestly, that's all I remember about those holidays as a child.
   Not that my parents did a horrible thing in raising us - believe me, I LOVED all of the surprises and the candy - but I wonder how I missed out on the biggest reason for those celebrations - the birth and death of our WONDERFUL SAVIOR, Jesus Christ. Of course I remember the Sunday school lessons and such, but I don't remember celebrating the coming of Jesus before we celebrated the coming of Santa.  AT the same time, I don't think it's wrong to have the EB and SC visit your house each year (so if you're big supporters of the hairy rabbit and big fat man in red, I hold nothing against you) :)
   So, we've wondered and discussed and wondered and discussed what we're going to do about these with Miriam and our other children. If this year is any example, Santa didn't visit our house, nor did the Easter Bunny. Financially, this was awesome! And, even without all of the goodies and surprises, our family was able to celebrate and rejoice. However, Nana & TriPaw, and Papa were very sweet and gifted some much needed PJs and Puffs for sweet Miriam, but that's about it (I think they look for any reason to give Miriam a gift!).
On the flip side, I don't want to discourage the beautiful imagination of a child.  I want our children to be filled with just as much excitement and surprises as I had when I was little, but I also want it to be reasonable. I still feel torn - do we celebrate with SC and EB or do we just share the gospel story?  Maybe it's the fact that as I teach in Children's Ministry, I'm the one person that HAS to be more gospel-focused than imagination-focused. In my teaching, I have to steer clear of any mention of the EB or SC....in fact, they try to keep out of my vocabulary when I'm around the kids. Maybe this is all ingrained in me, and now it's flowing into my personal life.

What do you do for Easter and Christmas? Are you supporters of SC and EB?

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

No way Nine Months!!

I can't believe our sweet Doodle Bug is 9 months (adjusted 7.5) now! All of the many things you are doing now:
- really hamming it up whenever ANYONE looks at you - you LOVE to smile!
- patting, clapping, and we seriously believe you're starting to wave too
- totally enjoying your snack time each afternoon after your nap. Mums and Puffs are currently the fave
- you have started to "inch worm" on your back in the crib
- you can hold a plank position when you're on your belly
- new foods that you've tried in the past month...those that you've enjoyed: brocolli, green beans, prunes (thank the Lord for those!), mango and those that you've not so enjoyed: papaya, avocado. on your ninth month day, you tried pureed chicken and it rocked! I guess you get it honest.
- your grunts are now turning into babbles...pretty sure you said "dada" the other day...but since, you haven't said it again. however, you love to talk to yourself at 3 a.m. sometimes...who knows what you're saying?! then, you go back to bed

Things we still get to look forward to that most 9 month babies have already done....
- your first teeth (people say you've been "teething" for about 6 months now....still waiting)
- being able to sit up from a laying down position
- rolling over (we've really been working on this...but pretty sure you have absolutely no interest at all in doing this...ever) 
- pulling yourself up
- lowering the crib
- eating something that's totally not pureed
- drinking from a sippy cup

I'm excited that we have so many things to still look forward to just in the next few weeks. You are growing so fast I can hardly believe my eyes! We love you doodle bug!
MaaaMaaaa and DaaaaDaaaa

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Letting Go

I have been living in fear. The what if's have overtaken my thoughts. For a particular situation, I have been praying and praying for weeks now that the Lord would grab me from the fear and put absolute trust in Him.

I've been blessed to be a part of a Bible study for the first time in years! ...and although I'm not the biggest Beth Moore fan, Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed by Moore, Kay Arthur and Priscilla Shirer has been great! We've been focusing on the life of David, mainly through accounts in II Samuel.  The "key verse" has been, Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family that you have brought me thus far? (2 Sam 7:18).

The Lord has brought my family and me so far...shouldn't I be able to give up my fear and move past it?

Praise the Lord, through his strength, I am one step closer. He has shown his presence and loosened the grip of fear. How great it is, and how I delight, to live in his presence, where the fear is no more.  Trusting in Him, he will continue to take me further.

To that I respond a simple, Yay.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

routine

Me being the type A personality that I am (or at least used to be) was dead set in my routine 9 months ago. Like clockwork, I did the same the day in and day out. I always thought that I'd be an easy kidnappee because if someone were to follow me for 2 days, they would know where I would be and when I would be there. Then, Miriam was born and my routine went out the window.
No more early waking to go for a run (I'm lucky if I get to run once a month!), no more small iced coffees in a medium cup every Wednesday, no more knowing my schedule MONTHS in advanced.  Instead, I have sweet Miriam.  What's a schedule?
We have no schedule. We are never on time anywhere, and we are always on the go. I've always called her my "tote and go" baby, because from the beginning, that is, after we were "released" to get out in public, She spend more time in her car seat than the crib. To the church, then back home, then back to church, then out for an errand, then a lunch meeting, then back to the church, and even sometimes, spending the night at the church! She was such a trooper.

However, nine months later, we don't exactly have a set routine, there is one thing that we can always count on: BATH NIGHT!! Because of scheduling, we take a bath on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays - and an extra one in there if there happens to be a mishap.  Miriam LOVES to bathe in her yellow ducky tub and she always knows what happens when she sees the tub. She starts looking around for something she knows is there, but Mommy will waste some time putting soap and water all over her, getting it in her eyes, and tickling the part underneath her chin. But then, oh then, after she's bathed, out comes yellow ducky! Life is a party then.  Tonight, even, we played with ducky for almost 20 minutes in the tub - and this was 10 minutes AFTER her normal frantic dinner milk:)  Here's one of my newest favorite pictures that we took after bath time tonight.

she has a cute smile behind that thing!

She loves ducky, aka QuackQuack, but too bad it's rubber.  We can't wait to go see some at the lake soon.

Maybe we can fit that into our routine soon? :)