I love this age!

Things I love about this age (33 mos):

-asking to read books all the time (except I wish I didn't get headaches so easily when reading)

-pointing out words she recognizes in the books

-singing songs all day long, and asking Mommy to sing along

-loving to spend hours at the park

-wanting to stop to smell all the flowers

-wanting to help Mommy do whatever she's doing

-wanting to sit in Mommy's lap all the time

-being able to do puzzles all by herself

-doctoring all her "friends" (stuffed animals)

-loving to snuggle and be cozy

-saying, "I like you, Mommy!"

-wanting to say Bible verses at bedtime

-wanting to be tickled

-giving lots of hugs and kisses

-those sweet blue eyes and precious curls

-running to Daddy when he gets home from work

I don't know how it could possibly be more fun than this. I hope this age lasts a long time!

Little Miss Sunshine on the swing

Trying to rest

The days of naps are over. I have been taking naps on a regular basis ever since high school, and now I have to stop. Rebecca has been gradually phasing out of naps for a couple of months now, napping as often as not; but I think naps are now officially a thing of the past for us. This wasn't supposed to happen until she turned three!

The past three weeks I think she's had maybe three naps, and each of those days, she did not fall asleep at night until between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. She has been doing great without naps, and is happy and energetic, but I have not been doing ver well. She still has quiet time in her room for an hour each afternoon, which is nice; but that is not long enough for me to really nap, and it makes me nervous trying to fall asleep, knowing that she will be unsupervised.

After finally accepting that she would not nap, the last two nights I have gone to bed early and slept 12 hours and 10 hours straight, and I am still tired. So during the day, I often just lie on the sofa while Rebecca plays. She likes me to read to her, but I can only read for about 20 mintues at a time without getting a headache. It is quite cozy, however, and I'm glad she likes snuggling up to me and reading. This is how Steve found us when he came home from work the other day. I am smiling because I am glad to see him; not because I am this cheerful all day long! Rebecca is glad to see him, too, but at the moment she is engrossed in her new Bible story book that she got from us for Christmas.

Convicting Hymns

"But we never can prove
the delight of His love
Until all at the altar we lay" (emphasis mine)

This is part of one of the verses of the well-known hymn Trust and Obey. I sang this hymn often enough as a child to have a comfortable familiarity with it (even played it on the piano!); but, as with many hymns, if it's not part of the first verse, I don't remember it nearly as well. These words particularly struck me as I listened to them in the car yesterday (on Hymns for a Kid's Heart Vol. 2, which is one of the things we got for Rebecca for Christmas).

Most of you reading this know that I have been wrestling with God for a long time regarding my chronic illnesses. I thought I was trusting and obeying...why wasn't I happy in Jesus (like the chorus says)? These words from verse 4 made me realize (not necessarily for the first time, but at least they renewed my attention to the fact) that much of my frustration has been coming from holding onto some things more tightly than I hold onto Him. Things like health, comfort, being able to sleep when I need to sleep, having normal blood sugars, feeling energetic (or at least not dragging), feeling useful, having lots of friends, being healthy enough to have more children, wanting to be good (or faster) at things that I am not good (or faster) at, wanting God to reveal a reason for everything that He does in my life (or other people's lives, for that matter) that's not what I would have done if it were up to me. I idolize these things in my heart, instead of being willing to accept whatever my God ordains is right...which leads me to this next convicting hymn, by Samuel Rodigast, in 1675:

Whate'er my God ordains is right: his holy will abideth;
I will be still whatever he doth, and follow where he guideth
He is my God; though dark my road,
He holds me that I shall not fall, wherefore to Him I leave it all.

Whate'er my God ordains is right: he never will deceive me;
He leads me by the proper path; I know He will not leave me
I take content what He hath sent;
His hand can turn my griefs away, and patiently I wait His day.

Whate'er my God ordains is right: though now this cup in drinking,
May bitter seem to my faint heart, I take it all unshrinking.
My God is true; each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart, and pain and sorrow shall depart.

Whate'er my God ordains is right: here shall my stand be taken;
Though sorrow, need, or death by mine, yet I am not forsaken.
My Father's care is round me there
He holds me that I shall not fall: and so to Him I leave it all.

I hesitantly to ask you to pray with me that God makes this my attitude, because I know it is a painful, ongoing process to have one's heart corrected...and I don't like pain!