Epiphanies

These pictures are almost a month old now, but I didn't get a chance to post them earlier. What a blessing it is to have Dwayne, Josiah and Abby in my life. I've been focusing on enjoying them more lately. I think I got stuck in "accomplishment" gear the last 6 months. Have baby, move, get settled, make friends, find church... It was necessary operating mode for a while, just to get through all that had to happen this summer. But, I never really kicked out of that gear and I gradually realized all my moments were constantly occupied by things I felt had to get done. So, I started asking myself, when is all of this ever going to "get done?" Hmmm. It's not. My life is very cyclical right now. Constant daily cycles of child care, house work, family organizing, etc. Not the kind of thing that just "gets done." It keeps coming at me every day. So, if I don't stop to just enjoy life along the way, years will pass me by while I'm waiting for time to take it all in. So, things I've been doing just because I want to:
*hanging out with some new girlfriends who I think I can really connect with
*leaving the mess in the kitchen to sit and watch season 1 of Gilmore Girls on DVD (which, I LOVE, by the way! Why did I not discover this show earlier? Oh well, now my sister-in-law has all of the seasons on DVD so I have sooo much to look forward to!)
*finally spending my birthday money on some new clothes
*reading a great old Maeve Binchy novel
*listening to music I love and occasionally dancing around my living room...yes, I just admitted that...this is by far, the number one pick-me-up in Jen's life...it has been for as long as I can remember...really became an art during my dance party Bible college days...
I've also been focusing more on enjoying the amazing stages that my children are at right now. Here's a bit about my 2 favorite little people:

Abby Faith: Oooooh man, this girl's awesome! I think she's an easier baby than my son was, but that might be more a sign of my growth as a mother than a difference in temperment. Her smile brightens up my whole world, and she graces me with a beauty every time I go get her from a sleep. (It doesn't matter who it is, actually, she'll smile at whoever comes to get her after a nap.) She eats baby cereal like it's going out of style, happily bounces in her jolly jumper (as previously posted), and thinks her big brother is the best thing since breast milk. Five months old is an amazing stage. Learning to sit, rolling around, sleeping consistently, babbling, smiling, growing. So exciting!
Josiah James: Oooooh man, this boy's awesome! Seriously pushes me to the edge every day, but manages to bring me back just before the breaking point... He stays at school all by himself, among the myriad of other things he likes to do all by himself- get dressed, go to the bathroom, shower, open his yogurt... He says things every day that are worth writing in a journal, if only I could get around to that. He's brilliant, funny (sort of...he thinks he is, anyway), and sweet. Three years old is an amazing stage. Getting independent, branching out, questioning everything, being adorable, learning. So exciting!

Thank you God for two amazing children. Help me to enjoy my blessings.