Because they’re too cute not to post, even if they’re late…
We had a super blessed Easter, spending time with family and friends and celebrating the resurrection of our amazing Lord. No presents or filled Easter egg baskets for us this year…and I made a rule for myself: If I’m ever more panicked over having the perfect Easter Egg baskets loaded with the perfect presents for my kids than I am URGENT over teaching my kids about “the reason for the season,” then I will promptly cut myself off from buying them anything. Good rule for me. And this year, with all we had going on, I barely had the chance to sit down and talk to Elliott about Easter. So, needless to say, no Easter baskets for our kids this year :).
We spent Sunday morning with our old church family, City Central. Such a joy to worship with long-time friends and let Elliott play in the BEST Kid’s Church program that exists 🙂 (shout out to Kingdom Kids and all of my amazing friends who make it run with such excellence and power!!).
Easter joy!How cute are they?Friends.
Then we spent the afternoon with the Mobergs. Thankfully, Grandma and Grandpa are a little more on top of fun Easter activities than I am :). Grandma stuffed a LOT of eggs with coins, dollar bills and chocolates, and Brian and I hid them throughout the backyard.
One of us even hid a couple eggs in the hot tub :).
I went back and read my Easter post from last year, and I’ll be honest, the tears FLOWED as I realized how big my baby boy has become. Was it just ONE YEAR ago that he was barely walking (well, running, ha!) and had his first Easter Egg hunt ever? Wow…I am so, so, so proud of who he is and who he is becoming…
Though he wasn’t as fast as his two older cousins, he certainly was good at finding those eggs!“There it is!”“Found one!”“Check out my loot, Mama!”
Kevin and Tabitha brought their dog over to play for the afternoon, and Uncle Kevin was trying so hard to teach Elliott that there was nothing to be afraid of :). As you can see my the fact that Elliott is clinging to him for dear life, he still hasn’t had full breakthrough yet! 🙂Everyone dressed in their Easter bestTaylor LOVES Selah, and as you can see, the feeling is mutual :).Two half smiles=one full smile?My lil’ Easter lady!Happy Easter, from the Mobergs!
Although it’s our joy to celebrate our son every day of his life, I love when birthdays come around because it’s an excuse to celebrate him a little over-the-top!
His birthday celebrations started on the Friday before his birthday at “preschool” (Elliott attended a little preschool 2-3 mornings a week with his other YWAM buddies). His teacher, Miss Jennifer, said she thought it would be fun to do a little celebration for him! So I baked up a little treat, Brian, Selah and I surprised him at preschool, we all sang happy birthday, and he got to try (what I think was) his very first brownie.
“And you’re saying this is just the BEGINNING of my birthday celebrations?!!”
There was no doubt in our minds that the best way to celebrate our ball-loving boy was to have a ball!with his favorite friends. So the next day, Saturday, we did that very thing. Grandma and Grandpa Moberg even made it down for the festivities! I jumped on Pinterest for the first time, came up with a few of my own ideas, and had a ball planning his celebration! Because *someone* took WAYYYY too many pictures for an ordinary blog post, I’ve decided to just put “a few” up here, and I posted the rest in a gallery. Feel free to click at the very bottom to see more pictures from all his birthday celebrations!
We started off outside playing ball games.
So happy with balls in his hands…So happy that his good friend Louie was there to play, too.The pre-games game. The point was to bounce the ball into the holes, but Elliott preferred to sit and throw :).
Brian and Elliott explain the first game–the Ping Pong ball hunt. Brian asked Elliott to hold up a ping pong ball, and Elliott held it up the ENTIRE time that Brian explained the rules. So cute. What’s a Ping Pong Ball hunt, you ask? Well, what would YOU do if you were a boy and you knew that 144 ping pong balls were hidden in the surrounding area? HUNT THEM, of course!!
The challenge was, they didn’t get the privilege of using anything to hold all their ping pong balls except their helper adult that they chose. The adults had to get creative so as not to disappoint. Here’s Declan and Brodie!
Next game: Carry the ping pong ball to the bucket with a spoon!
Lil’ Louie, such a pro!“Carry the ping pong ball to the bucket while it’s on the spoon? No problem!”
Here are Noah, Hunter and Elliott all running toward the bucket. Noah is the only one following the rules :). But I love how Hunter and Elliott have created their OWN unique way of getting the ping pong ball to the bucket, ha! 🙂
Next, Brian set up a little bowling game for the boys. And after all of that wild running around and ball playing, it was time to EAT! I actually had a super cute ball craft that I found on Pinterest that I wanted to do, but everyone was hungry :). Oh, well…next year! 🙂
So we continued to have a ball indoors…
The “Let’s Have a Ball” banner I made, with the annual birthday banner hanging on top!What do you do when your son’s birthday party is right in the middle of a big move and all of the shelves are empty because everything is packed up? That’s right, you line them with balls! Balloon balls, that is! I came up with this idea–drawing on balloons with sharpies!
Ball-themed food, set up on a football field! Thank you, Pinterest!I came up with these little football field posts to mark the food!
Round drinks with pinterest-inspired straw markers that I made.
Other Special Guests:
Grandpa with Selah B!
and Grandma!Jamie, baby Madison, Amanda and Korrin!Bonnie, Brodie and the Ninos!Bex, Malene, and Jennifer…England, Norway, and America all representing at Elliott’s “very American” ball birthday party…in MEXICO! I love it!
So we all ate…
“Apple juice, a ball bib, AND I get to drink out of a baseball straw with my name on it?!? I LOVE having a birthday!!!”
…And Elliott opened presents!
“Hmm…I think I’ll open the one shaped like A BALL first…”The MOST exciting race car from Tio Giezi and Tia Amanda! (You can tell the “like” factor by measuring the length of drool hanging out of his mouth…)
And then, of course, we had cupcakes!
Thank you, pinterest! My favorite part…icing these babies :).
SO excited to blow out his baseball and football candles on a soccer ball cupcake!
Um, I love him.Brian let him blow out his candles three times because he loved it so much! HA!Time to dig in!
Louie, Elliott, Declan, Noah and Hunter!“Hope you had a ball!” with hacky sacks for party favors 🙂Our family with a WIPED out Elliott, wearing his new hat, with his new basketball in arm’s reach :).
Elliott was SO BLESSED by all of his friends and family that came out to have a ball with him!! When everyone had left, he took a nap while Brian, Ken, Marilyn and I started packing up the rest of our house. Two days later, we were completely moved out of Mexico! Ken, Marilyn, and the kids and I spent two days in San Diego while Brian started the drive to Tacoma. We flew out on March 20, the day Elliott turned 2! (Which, ironically enough, meant that we had to buy him his own ticket!)
The night before his birthday as I was tucking him into bed, I explained to him that he would wake up the next day and be two! (I started to tell him about the day he was born, but then I stopped because I want to see if he can remember his birth story without me telling him when he turns 3…I know I’m crazy, but I’ve heard IT’S POSSIBLE!!) So I told him how special that day was, when Daddy and I got to hold him in our arms for the first time. He asked about Selah, and I told him she wasn’t born yet. 🙂 Anyhow, the next morning I was awoken extra early by Elliott’s voice in the other room saying, “Two! Two! Two!!” Melt my heart.
I searched long and hard to find Elliott this birthday pin so everyone on the plane would know it was his birthday, but he refused to wear it most of the day. He really wanted ME to wear it, which is SO like him :).
March 20, 2013!
Periodically I would ask him if he wanted to put it on, and this time he said, “yes”!! So I stuck it on him and snapped a picture!Buckling Elmo in…AFTER he had buckled himself in, of course :).Missing Daddy on the plane. But SO BLESSED to have Grandma and Grandpa there to help with the kiddos and all the luggage!!
So AS IF having cupcakes at preschool, a super fun birthday party, AND a plane ride weren’t ENOUGH for this two year old, he had birthday celebrations in both Tacoma and Colorado with family!! What a blessed kiddo!!!!
The Tacoma Festivities
Ken made his classic Mud Pie in a round pie dish so I could decorate it like a soccer ball!! Elliott was getting very used to being sung to, and was soaking in every minute of his new favorite song, “Happy Birthday!”
He got so many fun presents, including a super cool t-ball set from Aunt Angela!The whole Moberg clan!The Moberg cousins: Selah, Taylor, Micah, Elliott and Hailey!
And on to Colorado, to celebrate with Uncle Doug whose birthday is just a couple weeks after Elliott’s.
“You snooze, you lose, Uncle Doug! I’m the fastest candle snuffer in town!”Never-ending presents…
Grandpa and Nonna with most of the grand kids (we missed you, Andrew and Courtney!!)
Well, I hope you had a ball celebrating vicariously through this blog post with Elliott!! If you haven’t had enough yet, feel free to click on Elliott’s 2nd Birthday Gallery to see more pictures from all of his birthday celebrations!
Happy, happy birthday to our big TWO YEAR OLD!! What a JOY it is to celebrate YOUR LIFE!!!!
Where do I even begin with my most precious baby Elliott, who is TWO on March 20?! Though I could easily write a book filled with stories and anecdotes about my little man, I will–try to–be brief :). Here are a few characteristics that mark our energetic, goofy, smart, kind baby boy.
Elliott is a gentle, forceful leader. You can’t understand how the words “gentle” and “forceful” can be juxtaposed until you meet my Elliott Brian. His “trademark move” is grabbing your hand and quietly, but forcefully, pulling you to exactly where he wants you to go. Then he tells you to sit, pointing to the exact spot where he wants you. A gentle, yet forceful leader.
Thank you, Jennalise, for this amazing shot of our little man!!
Elliott is so kind. There is a tenderness that marks everything he does. A tenderness in how he leads. A tenderness in how he plays. A tenderness in how he shares. A tenderness in how he gives kisses and hugs.
Kissing Selah’s elbow, his favorite body part :). He also loves kissing noses.
Elliott is precise. He knows the right way that things should be, and he is very troubled when anything is out of place. In fact, he gets very, very concerned when something is not in the right place. When he finishes his bottle (yes, he still has bottles from time to time) he proudly holds it up and says, “Sink!” and then runs over to put the dirty bottle where it belongs. He loves putting things away, and putting them where they belong. He loves learning how something works, and then following the rules (ummm, who does that sound like?)…
“Mama, why is this thread hanging off my shirt? It shouldn’t be there and it will bother me all day until you cut it off…”
Because he likes things to be “right,” he also does not like being messy. (He is soooo like his Daddy in this arena!!!) When he was a bit younger, sometimes he would look down at his hands while eating, realize they were dirty from eating his food, and say, “Uh-oh! Uh-oh! Uh-OHHHH!!!” until we could remind him that his hands are supposed to get messy during dinner. Still though, he usually drinks his water like this during meals:
…so his messy hands don’t get his water bottle dirty :).
Elliott had his very first case of the flu a few months back. Talk about breaking a mama’s heart! It came on very suddenly, and left about as quick as it came. He ate his breakfast like normal but then by 10:30 am he was super lethargic, refused to eat and only wanted to sleep. A few minutes after waking up from a morning nap that he insisted on, he threw up all over me. Oh my goodness…my heart broke into a hundred pieces. He was just sitting on my lap, moaning, when all of a sudden he threw up. You’d think the boy would be very familiar with the vomiting experience after living with me while I was pregnant with Selah, but I managed to hide most of my throwing up from him. So, he had no idea what had just happened to himself. All he knew was that suddenly there was disgusting looking mashed-up food all over him…and he began to say, “Uh-oh!! Uh-oh!!!” over and over again through such sad tears. I kept saying, “Oh, it’s okay, buddy…you threw up, but it’s all okay. You’re going to be okay…” and went on to explain to him what throwing up was (because what else do you do in that moment??) as I stripped him of his clothes. I finally got him calmed down when all of a sudden he noticed there was throw up all over me. And the frantic tears erupted again as he pointed to my stained clothes saying, “Uh-oh!!! UH-OH!!!!” Oh my word, it took everything in me not to burst into tears. He was so concerned for me! 🙁 Anyway, we ended up taking him to the ER in San Diego because that’s what our doctor said to do. By the time we got him in the car (20 minutes post throw up) he was laughing and giggling and gulping down water, but we went anyway because we couldn’t get a hold of my doctor to check in. Better safe than sorry, right? Anyhow, this is our “sick” little buddy in the ER.
Cutest little “sickie” on the planet!
Speaking of liking to be clean, Elliott loves “tissues” (baby wipes). He begs me for them all day long. When I let him have one, he loves to wipe his nose and then he goes around wiping other things in the house, cleaning everything in sight :).
Here he is wiping this stuffed animal’s hands off right after I had wiped his off :).
Elliott is quite tall for his age (37 inches, to be exact) and quite lean (29 1/2 pounds). One particular day, I heard him saying “Uh-oh” over and over from the other room. As I rounded the corner to find out what was going on, this is what I discovered. This happened A LOT until I finally bought him some adjustable-waist pants:
“Mama, why does this keep happening to me???”
Elliott loves to sweep. And he has a very particular way that he likes to sweep. He pushes all the chairs away from the table and directs you to sit on this step and hold the dustpan. Then he pushes the broom along the ground, stoops down, picks up a piece of old food, places it in your dustpan, and directs you to come over to the trash can where he steps on the peddle to lift the lid so you can dump out the dustpan.
Telling Daddy how to sweep.
Elliott loves puzzles. I mean, loves puzzles. And he is extraordinarily good at them. He could do any wooden puzzle you hand him in his sleep.
Love the leg in the air. True boy.
Elliott knows his letters. We can dump out his entire alphabet puzzle and ask him to put each letter in by name, one-by-one. Amazing. He also knows the beginning letter of certain words, mostly the words that are beneath the letters in the puzzle plus a few more. Last week, he pointed to his shirt that said, “HERO” on it. He pointed to the “H” and said, “Un-ter!” (Hunter) “Hat!” Then he pointed to the “E” and said, “A-ee-et!” (Elliott). Then he pointed to the “R” and said, “Rayel!” When I asked him what word started with the last letter he said, “Dada!” I was a little stumped because I know he knows that Dada starts with “D”, but then I realized that the “O” had square corners and seriously looked like a “D”! Ha! He’s incredible :).
Elliott is very passionate about drinking water and makes sure everyone else is drinking theirs, too. He can never have enough water bottles and sippy cups. This particular day, he wanted all four of these in reach, and he traded off drinking from each of them throughout dinner.
“Hmm, which shall I choose next to drink from?”Drinking water from his “Rayel water bottle” with THEE Rayel herself :).
Elliott loves balls. Understatement of the year. He lives and breathes balls. Someone handed him a mini football to play with when he was about 9 months old, and he has literally never been the same since. He can spot a ball AN-Y-WHERE. It’s incredible, really. When we’re driving and he sees those balls hanging on telephone wires–you know the ones I’m talking about?–he gets so excited and yells, “Ball!!!” And he wants every ball he sees. The first time we took him to Sea World was a bit of a disappointment for him because when he saw the dolphins playing with balls, he got so upset when he couldn’t have a ball, too!
He was just a little guy here (!!), two-fisting it! He’s always happier with a ball in each hand.
His favorite red soccer ball!Baseball bliss.
He has had unbelievable accuracy and aim when throwing a ball ever since he was just over a year old. And let me tell you, he can dribble a ball like nobody’s business. Unfortunately, we’ve lost a lot of our videos of him scoring goals when he was just a little lad. But here’s a fairly recent video I took of him on the soccer field. Although he decides to throw the ball into the goal, I promise he’s quite good at kicking it in as well. 🙂
Elliott’s love language is sharing, and so he also loves to share his balls. He wants everyone to love the things that he loves. (Sound like anyone you know??) 🙂
“I don’t know, Elliott…I don’t get what all the hype is about…maybe if you get me a few more, I’ll understand.”
Elliott loves trains, planes and automobiles…need I say more?
Diligently building a train track.
Elliott loves to build and is a duplo master.
He is almost 19 months in this photo, and built this tower all by himself! Thanks, Grandma & Grandpa, Moberg for getting him every duplo he owns!!He built this one with daddy. So proud of himself :).We built this tower together… “Here’s lookin’ at YOU, Mama!”“We are the building MASTERS!!”
Elliott loves chip clips.
He can play with chip clips FOR.EV.ER.
Elliott loves to sort things.
By 20 months old he was sorting all of his Lincoln Logs into similar piles.
Elliott loves finding things that match. He’ll find objects that are the same or two different objects that are the same color and he’ll hold them together and say, “Match!” I love seeing the different types of things that he finds as “matches.”
Moments after telling me that his sippy cup and the mandarin orange he was eating “matched” because they were both orange!
Elliott loves footed jammies and loves being a big brother.
Trying out the bumbo for size…In December, Elliott was playing in our bedroom when Selah woke up. I said, I’m going to go get Selah so I can feed her. When I came back in the room, I found him like this. 🙂He loves identifying the parts of her face :).
Elliott loves art.
Finger painting with the awesome paints that Uncle Kevin and Aunt Tabitha got him for Christmas.I drew this heart (in blue) and Elliott colored the red part! Not bad for such a little guy!!!!
Elliott loves animals. But especially dogs, horses, pigs and birds. Oh, and Elmo. Those are his five top faves.
Here he chewed his bread into the shape of a horse and galloped it around his tray!
So here’s the thing with dogs and Elmo. He is completely obsessed with them, talking about them ALL THE TIME and telling me he wants to give them kisses. But as soon as he gets near one, he gets completely overwhelmed and clings to me. He loves watching dogs, and can hear a dog barking from miles away, but hasn’t conquered his fear of them enough yet to actually touch one :).
“Here’s the deal, dog. I stare at you, and you stare at me, and that’s the extent of our relationship, ok?”
So, same with Elmo. Grandpa and Nonna Mauss got him an Elmo DVD several months back and so when he saw Elmo in the flesh at Sea World, he was BEE-SIDE HIMSELF. He couldn’t wait to go give Elmo a kiss. Well, then it was our turn to meet Elmo and he just couldn’t get up enough guts to give him a kiss and hug himself. Instead, he wanted me and all of the Sea World workers to kiss and hug Elmo :). This video captures it all… And yes, this happens EVERY SINGLE TIME we go to Sea World :).
Elliott loves his overalls, loves watching his daddy work, and loves doing things just like his daddy. One of his ABSOLUTE favorite things to do is “drive” Daddy’s big truck. He loves sitting in the driver’s seat and pretending to drive, which includes playing with the radio, putting various keys into the ignition, turning the steering wheel, and rolling the windows up and down.
Watching Daddy load up the trailer to move our stuff!Ball in one hand, steering wheel in the other…this little boy’s dream!
Elliott loves to read, and he loves his daddy.
Cuddled up with a pile of books.“Look, Mama, I taught myself how to read upside-down!”
Elliott loves–I mean LOVES–to run and jump. Several months ago, he learned how to jump off of both of his feet. And now, he often jumps everywhere! Just within the last few weeks I’ve been brave enough to start letting him jump OFF of things. Although he really wants to jump down the stairs, I compromised by letting him jump off the very last stair onto the floor :).
Our super-fast little athlete!!He can catch some SERIOUS air!!
And Elliott LOVES playing with his mommy!
Even if she has to take the picture herself to prove it :).
Okay, so maybe this post did turn into a short book! 🙂 If you have made it through this post, you are officially in the “family” club. This is what happens when I don’t do monthly posts of him anymore…everything gets a little stockpiled :). Well, I hope if you are one of our distant friends or family, you have gotten to know our sweet little man a little better!
Elliott Brian, we are so thrilled every moment of the day to be your parents. We beam with pride over you. You are such a great friend to others and a leader who wins others over through love. You are our favorite son, and we couldn’t be more grateful to God for giving us the gift of YOU.
Thoughts on life and love, now that pink has invaded my world…
Selah. I have a daughter and her name is Selah. She is real, a fact that I have to remind myself of every time I pick her up and see her bright blue eyes twinkling back at me behind those mile-long lashes. She is real, she is healthy, and she is mine. She is the most perfect, beautiful, delightful bundle of pink joy that ever existed. I get to hold her, change her, feed her, swaddle her, re-swaddle her, bathe her, sing to her, and put her in bows…I get to see each of her milestones first hand and ooh and ahh at each one. I get to be the recipient of her contagious smiles that wiggle through her entire body, beginning with her toes and exploding through her mouth. I get to tell her how proud I am of her throughout every day and tell her how much I love her and tell her how much she fills my life with joy. I get to kiss her chubby cheeks over and over and over again until she giggles and squeals with delight…
Pink explosion
Elliott. I say to him daily, “You simply make my heart swell with joy.” I don’t know how else to describe it…I love learning more every day about what makes Elliott Elliott. I love watching him approach a problem and seeing the solution he comes up with to fix it. I love telling him how creative he is when he thinks of a new way to build a lego tower or play with his toys. I love how, 8 months later, he is still pointing to the one toy bin that’s missing a label and reminding me that it’s an, “Uh-oh!!” I love that he loves to drink water and ensures that everyone around him drinks theirs, too. I love that he picks out the letter, “E” everywhere, and points at it like he’s found gold, saying, “A-ee-et!!!” (That is, to say, “Elliott!”) I am just so proud of him. I am so proud of his heart. I am so proud of every time he obeys and my heart is so expectant in those times that he doesn’t. Because he always comes around. He always ends up with a soft heart that delights in helping our family be the best it can be. He delights in serving. He delights in having a purpose in our family. He thrives when we beam with pride over him. And I just couldn’t possibly be more proud of him. Of who he is and who he is becoming. Of how he has allowed his will to be bent and shaped by his parents’ careful, thoughtful instruction and, ultimately, by God’s hand.
All boy.
Selah and Elliott are different. I knew they would be. (Yes, yes…I know…a biology textbook could have clued me in to that insight…) But when you are head-over-heels in love with your firstborn, it’s difficult to imagine how your heart could possibly expand to fit any more love in there. And with your first, everything is new…you just sit back and watch this little miracle GROW…and it’s just that–a miracle. You can’t believe that your baby will just intrinsically know how to grow… “How will he know how to roll over? Do I need to teach him that? Will he ever learn to sit up? Is it normal to see his heart beating through that hole in the top of his head? Will that thing ever close up??? Ooh! I see a tooth coming in! Wait, is it coming into the right spot? Shouldn’t he be crawling by now? What if he never crawls??” How can I even describe the shock and awe that took place each time Elliott hit a new benchmark…it’s just miraculous…As a new mom, you get to watch these miracles occur before your very eyes… And it’s true–miracles never get old. There is still such an abundance of joy and such an excitement with each new milestone Selah reaches… “She smiled at me! Again!! She giggled today! She rolled over!!! She moved her left little pinkie toe three times while she was clasping her hands and I just KNOW she’s trying to tell me she loves me!!” But nonetheless, it’s different. You don’t want to compare your children, but how can you not? The first is all you know.
It’s like this. It’s like you’ve been eating homemade, fresh-baked strawberry shortcake all your life. Your mouth waters as the dessert hour approaches and you think about licking the remnants of the batter out of the bowl before popping the drops of sugary dough into the oven. After 12 minutes (or less, if you can sneak it out of the oven early before your husband notices) of fired glory, you carefully pull the lightly-dusted-with-golden-brown cakes out of the oven and quickly smother yours with fresh, sweet, sliced, bright red strawberries. You load on the whipped cream and spoon the very first bite in your mouth–a perfect blend of warm, gooey shortcake, decadent berries and rich cream…Mmm, strawberry shortcake. But then one day you are invited to try a different dessert, a new one. You are so satisfied with the first that it’s difficult to even think about another. But can you ever have enough dessert? So you are introduced to, say, the Signature White Chocolate Mousse Cake from Salty’s. Its plain white appearance is quite unassuming but as you fork the first bite into your mouth, you know your life has been changed forever. Like snowflakes effortlessly melting into the pores of your fingerprints, so the white chocolate saturates your tongue with flavor and then seeps into every fiber of your being. You are hooked, and have barely begun to swallow before you’re going in for bite number two. Throw a cup of decaf on the side and you will never be the same again.
But you cannot help but compare it to the shortcake…clearly not because you love it less than the shortcake, but because strawberry shortcake is all you’ve known up until now. If you had to choose between them, you couldn’t. Your choice would simply–but obviously–be, “Both.” You love them both but you love them differently. Because they are different.
Selah was just a few days old when these thoughts fumbled their way out of my mouth, as I wrestled with this new taste of love. I said to Brian: “It’s just that I love Elliott so much and I love Selah so much, too…but my love for Selah feels different.” And I couldn’t help but wonder if that “different” meant “less.”
“That’s okay, because she is different,” he calmly assured me.
And so I am learning that it is. That “different” doesn’t mean “less.” It means different. They have very different habits and they have reached (and will reach) different milestones at different times and they have very different stories already. And that last “different” has been especially hard for me.
A dear friend said to me before Selah was born, “Elliott has been your world…it’s going to be difficult to add another and realize you can’t give her as much time as you’ve given him.” I knew it would be. And it is.
Time…attention…those are my love languages. I’ve said to Brian so many times, “We don’t just sit around and stare at her for hours on end like we did with Elliott…is she lacking?? We haven’t been able to give her nearly as much attention as we did with him…”
“And Elliott didn’t have a big brother to give him kisses on his head 400 times a day…” Brian reminds me.
Enough said. It’s about so much more than being bathed in toddler smooches and drool; it’s about being lathered with big brother love…a love that can be so unique, so strong, so inspiring, so life-changing. I know of this love first-hand.
Can you see the strand of drool on her head? That’s from Elliott, who sneezed on her as he was giving her a kiss just before he took her hand… it is one of the details of this picture that makes me ADORE this moment…
Yes, she is being loved differently in these early months. I may not have the time to spend countless hours studying every curve of her face with a camera in my hands, snapping hundreds of pictures (a day). Selah is often strapped in the Ergo “coming along for the ride.” But you’d better believe that when I look down and see her staring up at me, I stop what I’m doing, catch my breath, and soak in her beauty and delight. We may be “on the go” more often than we were with E-man, but that doesn’t mean that I’m missing anything, or that she is lacking anything… In fact, it’s the contrary: she’s the best loved baby in the world as she watches balls fly past her face, listens to trains choo choo next to her ear, and is often the subject of Elliott’s art projects.
Nothing says, “loved” like being stickered by your big brother!
Selah has two parents who are completely enamored with her, but she also has a brother who adores her with every fiber of his being…who kisses (read: slobbers on) her over and over and over again, who asks about her as soon as he wakes up, who wants her to sit next to him every time we get in the car, who longs to share his toys with her all day long, who giggles with pride and delight when she rolls over, who melts when she smiles back at him and grabs his finger…Oh, she is so, so, so adored by her big brother. A love that is different, even, from the love of her parents. She has this incredible big brother who includes her, who invites her, who asks about her and wants the very, very best for her.
Just look at how he adores her…this is how he looks at her ALL THE TIME…
Oh, yes, she is certainly loved. And she is certainly lacking nothing.
Oh, yes, my love for her is surely different, yet as perfectly strong and profound as my love for her big brother.
Love is about giving. Love is not just about giving things, but about giving your very self. Any mother could testify that this is the most difficult, yet the most rewarding, part of being a mama. We love so much, that we give…
We give our body over for almost 2 years so our babes can grow into healthy, strong, thriving toddlers. We give our uteruses for those first 9 months for the sake of creating a safe haven for our little peanuts to grow within us and then we become a milk machine for the next 12 + months. We are the means by which they get nourishment for 9 months and once they are born, we are the means by which they are sustained. During pregnancy, we give up the space for our bladder to spread out, thus giving up the right to only pee a few times a day; instead we are slaves to the bathroom at all hours of the day and night. We give up our right to choose any food in the world that we want to eat, and instead we eat what the baby wants, trying hard to choose foods that keep the baby healthy. We give up our favorite jeans and replace them for elastic waists and belly bands. We give up our heels and (have someone else) lace up our tennies. For me, I give up the comfort of food going down my throat once and staying there. For me, I give up consecutive, deep sleep, only able to get 2 or 3 hours of light sleep in at a time because my body wakes me up to eat (or pee!). For me, I give up the right to use my favorite toothpaste because I have to use the baking soda kind to dilute the acid coating my teeth. For me, I give up the right of ever being more than a few feet away from a toilet, a trash can, or a vomit bag. For me, pregnancy is about loving so much that I give… And then my perfect, precious infant arrives in a bundle and, thankfully for me, the joy of giving during infancy far surpasses the joy of giving during pregnancy. As mothers, we give so much to our little darlings, especially in those first few days and months. We give at times that no one else will ever see or know. We give in ways that no one else will understand. We stumble out of bed to the tiny newborn cries and we can’t help but give a huge smile as our eyeballs peek out of the slits of our eyelids and see…see the perfect miracle looking back at us. Who is alive todaybecause we gave. We give a little laugh (because what else can you do??) when our newborns spray poop all over EV.ER.Y.THING. at 2 in the morning. We give an extra kiss and an extra squeeze when we are overwhelmed with gratitude at our little loves. We give a little whisper in their ears, because we cannot help but repeat over and over and over again how much we love them, how much we cherish them, how much we adore them. We give our very selves, all day and all night long, so that our littles will grow up, bathed in love. We give our very selves, all day and all night long, so that our dear ones will be fed, and swaddled and rocked with love. We give our very selves, all day and all night long, so that our children will know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we love them so much that we give…we give our very selves that they might live, and live abundantly.
On this Valentine’s Day, I couldn’t be more grateful for the honor it is and has been to givefor my little ones. To be the one who gets to give so that they live. To be the one who gets to sacrifice so that they thrive. What an honor. What a joy. What a gift from God!!!!!
My little ValentineMy other little Valentine!
To all the mamas out there who spend each day sacrificially loving your own children, and to all the mamas out there who spend each day sacrificially loving children like they are your own, happy Valentine’s day! The way you have poured out your very life to love these children is reaping an eternal impact that no one can ever take away. Take heart, the seeds of love you are planting are blossoming into beautiful fruit. Take heart, He sees you as you selflessly give.
Ahh, Christmastime… does it get more wonderful than twinkle lights, the smell of pine trees, buying special gifts for the ones you love, singing carols and coming up with creative ways to acknowledge the birthday of our Savior? Christmastime…simply the best!
We decided not to travel for Christmas, and although it was a tough decision knowing we wouldn’t see our Tacoma & Colorado friends and family, we were so grateful for the low-key holiday. We spent all of Christmas Eve in our pajamas and ventured out to San Diego for the day on the 25th.
Last Christmas we were traveling among three different countries and two different states, in preparation to pack up everything and move to Mexico. Christmas was about as simple as it gets…we got Elliott two new board books and that was it. For his 1st birthday we kept it simple as well, as we built a home for a family in need instead of buying him lots of presents. SO…needless to say, I couldn’t WAIT for Christmas this year. Giving gifts is for sure one of my love languages, and I just couldn’t wait to pick out so many fun things for our Elliott!! His big gift was a train set with wooden tracks. We also came across a little bike at Costco and just couldn’t resist. I’m pretty sure we jumped the gun on that one as his feet don’t reach the peddles yet 🙂 but Brian especially was so excited to get our son his very first bike!
Christmas Eve eve:
We put the kiddos in bed, wrapped presents, and assembled the bike!
“The Bike”…plus Elliott’s (other) big gift and Selah’s “big gift”Elliott’s been able to pick out the letter “E” for a while now, so we had him find his presents by finding the letter E. I also, of course, drew his favorite object next to his name on each package…it may look like a circle to the common eye, but Elliott and I both know that is A BALL…
Christmas Eve:
We decided to swap our days and really do Christmas on Christmas Eve.
Britght-eyed Selah was the first one up that morning, and what JOY to wake up to this shining face!!
Little buddy then came down the stairs, knowing there was a big surprise for him…
After he had had enough of the bike 🙂 he moved on to the next present… Brian had so much fun setting up the tracks for Elliott so they were just right…
At first all Elliott really wanted to play with was the styrofoam packaging that the train set came in…But then he started to catch some vision for playing with the actual toy…“choo-choo!”I can’t get enough of this little face!!!Or this little face!!My favorite gift this year.Elliott helped Selah open her “big” gift…this super cool owl toy! He was so thrilled to open her presents and then give them to her each time. Selah, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as impressed with the owl as we were :).
(Disclaimer: I am interrupting this Christmas Eve/Day blog to take you into the future. The following couple of presents were opened several days later because we spread out his present opening…but nonetheless, part of our Christmas celebration!)
A new puzzle because he’s mastered ALL of his other ones…We finally got him to try on MY favorite present for him… a backpack!Complete with his favorite–all kinds of balls–and his name!
Okay, back to Christmas Eve. Elliott also helped me open my present…something that I have been asking for for THREE YEARS. Reminding Santa on a (VERY) regular basis that I would L-O-V-E to have a warm, hooded fleece over the last 36 months finally paid off this Christmas… 🙂 Elliott tore open the wrapping paper with me and promptly put my long-awaited gift on himself.
“Hmm, Dad, do you think Mommy would mind if I borrowed her new jacket from time to time?”“It’s just that it fits me PERFECTLY!!”
Like Mother, like Son.
“And what did Brian get?” you wonder. Well, every year he only wants one thing–a new pair of boots. So those arrived a few weeks ago and he’s been wearing them daily. Of course I had to get him something special, too. So, I thought long and hard and decided to get him…drum roll please…a new pair of nail clippers! Because my husband loveshimself a good nail clippin’!!
“Nail clippers?” you ask.
No, not just any nail clippers…I got him these nail clippers.
“You spent $13.25 on nail clippers?” you marvel. Yes, my friends. I did. Because these nail clippers have “Brian Moberg” written all over them. They have been reviewed byover 200 people, they are lifetime guaranteed, and they are high quality. Talk about a good value! Yes, these are a few of his favorite things!!
Still not convinced? Check out an excerpt of this passionate review, and I’m sure you’ll be buying yourself a pair in no time:
“First off, it’s stainless steel, not chrome plated … no flakes of chrome getting imbedded under your fingernails … no rusting after a few days in damp shower kit. Second, the construction is sturdy and substantial, not flimsy. Third, the cutting edge is masterful, delivering a clean, smooth cut every time … a cut accompanied by a satisfying CLICK!! that tells you it’s cut cleanly through the nail. Forth, the mechanism is designed to work smoothly with no ill fitting, loose or wobbly parts. It’s simply the best fingernail clipper I’ve EVER used and I can highly recommend it.”
Sold. And be honest…you are, too.
When Elliott went down for his nap, Brian and I whipped up a big yet simple Turkey dinner, complete with my mom’s amazing sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. I don’t know what we did that was just SO RIGHT, but it was INCREDIBLE. So yummy!!
Christmas Eve dinner, train set and all.
So, we choo-chooed, slept, ate, and clipped the day away….and successfully spent the entire day in our jammies. We held our own little church service in the playroom that evening, and Elliott acted out the story of Jesus being born with his nativity set as Brian read it aloud from both Elliott’s bible and his bible. Precious moments with our family…
Christmas Eve pj picture, 2012
Christmas Day:
We got ourselves up and out of the house and headed to San Diego for brunch. Talk about blessing my ever-living soul…mmmm, Christmas BRUNCH!!
We got to the restaurant a bit early so we let Elliott take the car for a spin, and then we all walked around beautiful San Diego exploring.
“Don’t worry, Dad…I’ll mind the speed limit.”Elliott’s practicing walking with his eyes closed. What a talented kid!!Family self-portrait…oops, where are the kids?!There they are 🙂
Brunch was FANTASTIC. I packed my diaper bag with a new puzzle for Elliott to open to keep him happy long enough to stuff my face full of plenty of food to last me all winter. Surprisingly, Elliott was perfectly content stuffing his face for a long time, too. And since he was free, we definitely got our money’s worth :).
We forgot to put Selah’s headband back on after it fell off, and she was mistaken for a boy shortly after this picture. Really though? A red pea coat, snowflake pants and feminine buckle-shoe socks…and you think she’s a boy?? *sigh* Sorry, Selah.
We spent some time playing at a park in San Diego that afternoon and headed home early evening. It’s hard to see, but Selah’s shirt says, “Mommy’s Little Joy.”
Look at the sunset shining through our windows in the background!!Truly, truly…my little joy.
And, finally, what better way to end a Christmas post than with adorable pictures of our babies…
Do you have ANY idea how hard it is to get a good picture of a 21 month old and a 2 month old?You may think that Christmas ornament is simply a cute prop, but really–it’s a full-on BRIBE to get Elliott to sit with his sister and smile. Biggest treat EVER for little buddy to get to hold one of the coveted “Christmas balls” that have been off-limits all month…ONE of them always looks great…Well, except in this one. “He who smelt it, dealt it!”My favorite. You can only see 3/4 of Elliott’s face and Selah’s not giving us her usual huge grin…but still, I think it’s perfect. I love my Christmasy babies!Our family’s most wonderful Christmas gift!
Thought Elliott’s locks were adorable, he was starting to look like a wild child. So we ventured into San Diego to make his very first hair cut a fun event. The coolest part was, Grandpa and Nonna arrived for a week long visit at the EXACT right time and got to be there!
Before…“WOW! Mom and Dad told me that I was old enough to get my hair cut, but I thought I had to wait until I was 16 to drive a car!”“Um, excuse me? Do you REALLY know what you’re doing?”“Hmm…I’d better keep my eye on you, lady.”
“Okay, seriously…WHAT are you DOING??”“Why don’t I just give you a few pointers.”“See?! What did I tell you? Now you’re making progress! I’m looking good!”“Dad, can YOU believe how good my hair is looking?!”‘If you’re going to brush me off, do you HAVE to use a bright pink one?? You’re cramping my style!”AFTER!My handsome boys.
What a JOY for Elliott to have 4 siblings this Summer! For a boy who is SO SOCIAL, he was in absolute Heaven. He admired Judah and Samuel so much, and would just marvel at Ariel’s beauty. How fun for him to have 3 older siblings for a few weeks!!
But as much as he ADORED the older 3, there was something special, something unique about his love for Mookie. Mookie was his bff. They are just one month apart, and they had their own special language. I feel like I got a tiny glimpse at what it would be like to have twins and to watch their special bond…such a joy to watch these sweet friends build their friendship!!
Cruising the Town
On one of the days that Suz and I headed into San Diego, OJ took the big kids to play on go carts and Brian took the babies to have their own racing fun. One thing is for sure–Brian has ensured that Elliott has an appropriate love for Home Depot. This is a regular favorite Daddy-Son pass time–cruisin’ through Home Depot.
“Does this thing have power steering?”Mookie: “So WHAT’S so great about this place again?” Elliott: “We’re in HOME DEPOT, Mooks! It’s the happiest place on earth besides Costco!!”
The Bonding Place
I’m not sure what it is about this bottom step, but it was THE PLACE that they loved to chat.
Telling jokesYeah, we’re cute and we know it.“Hey, Elliott, look at my toes.”“Cool! They look just like MINE!”“Let’s be best friends forever!”
The Office Chair
This was another special place to play and chat. The boys would climb up here together and then would scheme and plot to look as CUTE as possible until someone gave in and gave them rides up and down the hallway.
E: “Who do you think will see us sitting here and get the hint?”E: “I think if you keep being charming like that, that will really help our cause.”M: “We GOT her, Elliott! Your mom said she’s putting down the camera to play with us!!! YIPPEE!!”
The Alphabet Train
A most popular toy with the boys. They usually did a great job of taking turns–one would ride while the other shoved alphabet blocks into the train and visa versa.
M: “You okay back there, Elliott?” E: “Yup! I’ve got this! Don’t worry about me!”
Elliott had never been a “hugger” until the McD kids moved in with us. He’ll give us kiss after kiss all day long, but he’s never been a big snuggler. But his love for his new friends brought out the hugging in him! He would OFTEN run up to the kids and give them big hugs!! He reminds me a lot of “Elf,” who loves to give hugs and snuggle and hold hands and sing Christmas Carols…and this Mama couldn’t be prouder :).
Although Mookie didn’t exactly share Elliott’s hugging affinity, he was always a great sport about it.“Mookie, I just think you’re the greatest.”“Thanks, Elliott. I think you’re pretty great, too!”“I know we’re playing with the Alphabet Train, but can I give you a hug?”“Just…one…little…HUG!”“Okay, Elliott…but I’m just going to keep chewing on this alphabet cube, if that’s alright.”
[WARNING: This blog post got really, really, really super long…! That’s what happens when you blog about an entire SUMMER in one post!]
I’ll admit. Our first few months here, we were pretty swamped. With YWAM training, with my first trimester, with adjusting to life in a foreign country, with Elliott’s first birthday and house build, etc., etc….It was busy. So, needless to say, we didn’t get out much. When we had a free day, we couldn’t wait to stay in our pajamas all day and just stare at the walls to recover. Exploring the city wasn’t exactly at the top of our list of “fun things to do.”
When we were in Tacoma in May, someone asked us, “So what do you guys like to do for fun down there?”
And the first thing that came to my mind to say was, “We cross the border into San Diego, pull off at the first gas station, stick our heads underneath the faucet and guzzle the water straight from the tap…just because we can!”
And that’s when I realized we hadn’t really had very much “fun” since we had moved down here. I remember those first few months we were here, the only thing that sounded “fun” to do was cross the border and do things we couldn’t do here…like drink from the tap, run our toothbrushes under the faucet, use our cell phones, go to Target…things you come to take for granted when you live in the good ‘ol U-S of A!
But, we adjusted. We got working cell phones. We mastered the art of using bottled water to brush our teeth. And, to top it all off, summertime brought glorious weather which compelled us to get outside and discover. We weren’t so busy getting settled in the midst of everything else we were juggling. And so…we have had some FUN!! Here are some photos from our Summer to highlight what we do for “fun” around here… 🙂
Playas Boardwalk
There’s a little city between us and Tijuana, about 20 ish minutes away, called Playas. As close as it is, we had never been to its amazing boardwalk! These pictures are from the end of May, and I can’t believe how young Elliott looks! (And how small my belly looks!) 🙂
The beautiful oceanThe BoardwalkDaddy is simply the BEST.“Burr!” (Bird!)“What are those silly birds doing flying into the ocean??” Elliott ponders.Loving life on the Boardwalk.
Rosarito Market
Here’s your pretty typical Mexican market, just minutes from our house… we finally made our way there in June!
We made Elliott stay in the stroller and he wasn’t a huge fan of that…just too many temptations to let him run around freely!!Katie 🙂
Visit from Grandma & Grandpa Moberg
Ken and Marilyn came to visit in July, via Florida :). They have always been quite the cross-country travelers!! Very impressive. We had several fun highlights with them while they were here.
Slow mornings, relaxing on the couch…Playdough with Grandpa!Sportin’ Mama’s glasses at the beach!Walking along the beach with GrandmaElliott trying to be brave in the water while Mama and Grandma cling to him for dear life :).The Rosarito MarketElliott-o!2 out of the 3 Mexican Mobergs
Babymoon
For the first time EVER, we left our little buddy alone…for TWO WHOLE NIGHTS! While Brian’s parents were in town, they let us get away to San Diego to take a little Babymoon before our sweet girl arrives.
Eating breakfast a delightful little cafe one morning.
Rosarito Beach
I’ll be honest, I never imagined we’d be the people who lived 2 minutes from the beach. I mean, I know we lived 30 seconds from Ruston Way in Tacoma, but I’m talking about the real kind of beach, where you go to play in the sand and swim in the ocean. But it sure is FUN to be able to hop over to the beach for an hour or two in the afternoon any time you want! Elliott loves it!! July, August, and September were finally hot enough to be able to enjoy the glory of Rosarito Beach in its fullness…
Learning how to use a shovelElliott still doesn’t really like to have his hands dirty, but he’s learned how to play hard in the sand, trusting that we’ll help him wipe off his hands when we’re all done playing :).Trying to play paddle ball like the big boys!
One of Elliott’s FAVORITE things to do at the beach is to stand at the edge of the water and let the waves wash up and get him.
Look at that face!Pure delight.AND the water is pretty cold 🙂
Soccer Field!
Our YWAM campus has been building a soccer field the last few months, and it was finally finished this summer. Talk about GLORY!! For the kid who eats, breathes, and sleeps balls of all sorts, this is a dream come true. Brian brings him there on weekend mornings (while I get to sleep in!!) and we usually get at least one or two other visits throughout the week. Elliott kicks the soccer ball the entire length of the field and can even score a goal if he wants to :).
How cool is THIS?!
Swings and Slides
There is this tiny little play structure in our housing community that provides for a good hour of entertainment for little buddy. He loves climbing the ladder and going down the slide, and he will do it over and over and over and over again until he’s so exhausted that he’s falling over.
Side note: Several months ago, I taught Elliott that when you see flowers, you smell them. His “smelling”, however, comes out more like a snort. It’s SO CUTE. So any time he sees flowers or trees, he does this snort thing, and I just think it’s the greatest thing ever. So on our walk down to the little playground, he found some flowers to sniff…if you look closely you can see his little wrinkled nose as he snorts!
Stopping to smell the roses…Swinging with DaddyClimbing up the ladder…Yippee!!“This is so much fun!!!”
Swimming!
Well, it may have taken 7 months of pressing and prodding our landlord, but she FINALLY got our pool fixed for us, and let me tell you–it has been GLORIOUS. There are days that this pregnant lady stays in her swimsuit all day, and may go swimming three different times! And although I did get a SUPER cute maternity swimsuit that I’m sure you’re dying to see, there will be no posts of me in my swimsuit…ever :). But trust me…there are days I live in the pool!
Pointing to the ball…of course 🙂This is his FAVORITE ball, and his favorite thing to do in the pool…throw every object he can find in the pool and let Daddy fetch them :).Loving the snorkel.
Killing Bugs
It gets SO HOT inside on certain days that it’s an absolute necessity to keep a few doors open to get a breeze going in our house. There’s one door that leads out to a balcony that has no screen. Thus, we get gazillions of flies inside throughout the day and way too many MOSQUITOES inside at night. Yes, you heard me–mosquitoes. After my Dominican Republic experience, I don’t think I would have agreed to move to Mexico had I known that mosquitoes existed here. Anyhow. Elliott spends a good majority of his day watching us kill the gazillions of flies, and he has become an expert at getting those “buhs!” himself…
Good ol’ fashion PLAY
Playing with Brian’s old toys…the hard hat and drum set from when HE was a kid…I love it!!
In early August, Elliott decided he wanted to start setting the table :). He is fairly obsessed with cups, plates, bowls, etc. One evening as I was making dinner, he ran over, grabbed my hand, and dragged me to the cabinet where we keep all of the dishes. He knows he’s not allowed to open it (it’s a floor-to-ceiling cabinet, so he can easily open it), so he was clearly asking me for permission to open it. So I did, wondering what was going on, and he kept pointing to all the kids’ plates, cups, bowls, etc. I asked if he wanted a cup and he said, “Yeah!” so I gave him one. He runs out of the room with it and then seconds later, runs back into the kitchen, grabs my hand, and pulls me back to the cabinet. Well after this same pattern repeating several times after I had given him a plate and a bowl and another cup, I finally went into the other room to see what was going on…
…and I discovered this.Now that all the dishes are out, it’s time to organize.
I love what a helper my little man is!!!
He has mastered the art of Duplos, and loves building towers as high as he can…
The following photo is very classic…what a typical HOT summer day looks like for me and my little buddy:
Taking a break from playing to snack. I love this photo…Me, suspending Elliott on the counter with my belly, feeding him a banana while he plays with the balls in the fruit bowl (limes). Just look at how darling my Elliott is…Doesn’t he look like a little muscle man?!?!
Last, but certainly not least…although I could devote an entire post to the incredible awesomeness of having our dear friends the McDowells live with us this summer, these few pictures will have to do…
Suzanna and I got not one, but TWO, special date days all to ourselves in San Diego. TOTAL GLORY.
Registering at Babies R Us!We had *SO* much fun that we COMPLETELY lost track time of time. At one point I realized I was feeling kind of weak and when we looked at the clock it was after 5 pm!! I hadn’t eaten or had anything to drink in HOURS. NOT okay for this prego mama. Jamba Juice saves the day. 🙂On our second day in SD, we spent a good majority of the afternoon at THE CHIROPRACTOR’S OFFICE. If you know me, this doesn’t surprise you. But WHO KNEW that Suzanna and I shared the same passion for Chiropractic?! She even introduced me to a whole new branch of chiropractic which lets you sit in these UH-MAZ-ING chairs when you’re done being adjusted. So we sat there, and talked chiropractic for an entire afternoon…*BLISS*
Having our dear friends here was nothing short of a glorious, incredible gift from God. To sum up? Laughter. Prayer. Exhortation. Encouragement. Deep love. Lots of kids. Lots and lots of FOOD. The Word. Richness in every way.
Al the kids worshiping together!As Suz put it, “A break-our-hearts-goodbye.” This was right before the tears started to flow like rivers. We love you guys so much!!!!
Well, there you have it. A little glimpse into our Summer and what we do on the weekends for fun around here…and, admit it…you’re finally ready to come visit us now, aren’t you?!?!
Today is one of those days, where I wake up and am flooded with gratitude from the moment my day begins. Not because life is easy right now. Not because we have everything figured out. Not because I slept well. Not because I’m comfortable.
But because God is good. So, so good. I am overwhelmed with gratitude today, and am taking my first “down” moment of the day to write down those things…so I don’t forget, so I give glory where glory is due…thank you, Lord. And as the tears flood my eyes, I write…
I am so grateful for my husband. Who relentlessly serves me and our family with such joy. Who tells me to sit down and talk about my day while he does the dishes. Who rubs my swollen feet. Who encourages me daily and tells me I’m doing such a great job. Who loves our son better than any dad I know. Who takes him swimming and teaches him to play soccer. Who helps me. All the time. Who always goes back down the stairs when I’m all tucked in bed and have forgotten to get my middle-of-the-night snacks. And then again when I realize I’ve forgotten my phone. And then again when I realize I left the monitor down there. 🙂 Always with such joy, always with such an eager heart. Who has done all of our Costco shopping with Elliott every single week by himself so I can sit and take the 30 minutes I need to eat a hot dog after our long afternoons filled with doctors appointments in San Diego. Who ties up my vomit bag for me after I’ve upchucked said hot dog mixed with who-knows-what-else, and takes care of it so I never have to see it (or smell it) again. Who adores me, and tells me so every day.
I am so grateful for my son. My Elliott. Who is simply my greatest joy. Who is in this stage where he loves holding our hands, so it’s not good enough to be walking next to him, I must be holding his hand. I love that.I cherish that. Who, after telling me to sit on the ground and me realizing he has a poopy diaper, brings me his diaper caddy and lays down on the floor with such joy so I can change his diaper without having to stand me and this big belly up again! Who is such an incredible helper. Who instructs me to sit down on the bench in our bathroom and brings me my tennis shoes. Who tells me when I have yogurt on my elbow and marker on my face. Who loves people so much that when new friends come by he wants to emphatically show them where the nearest ball is right away, because that’s his greatest treasure.
I am so grateful for family. Who love us so much. Who pray for us daily and tell us that. Who are always thinking about us. Who Skype with us and visit us. Who would, really, do anything for us if we asked.
I am so grateful for friends.Real friends. Who speak real truth. Who encourage me, who encourage us. Who pray for me. Who love me. Who send me daily text messages with Scripture. Who rejoice with me. Who help me design my baby girl’s nursery. Who send me fun surprises in the mail and beautiful cards. Who write things like this to me as I wait for my baby girl: “…so in praying for her arrival, I’m praying for something greater than perfection circumstancially. I’m praying for the peace that comes from seeing clearly the magnitude of the prize that this soul is, so that whether day one is perfect, or as imperfect as many of the days that will follow, it doesn’t matter in contrast to the power and glory of this little one shining the light of Christ in this and in eternity…” How blessed I am to have real friends.
I am so grateful for four cheese curly pasta. It makes me so happy. Every. Single. Day. Elliott was about 98% cheeseburger; this little girl is about 98% macaroni and cheese. With a good amount of hot dog mixed in there (I know, I know…but hey, YOU DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO TO SURVIVE.)
I am so grateful for cold water. Seriously, so grateful. I am thirsty and hot all the time, and I do not take it for granted that I have access to cold, fresh, filtered water all day long, when there are some just minutes away from us who do not have that luxury.
I am grateful for my daughter. Oh! My perfect, wonderful, tiny little bundle of girlness…I love her so much!! She is my daughter…my daughter. I cannot wait to meet her, to see her face, to watch her first breath…to hold her and nurse her and provide for her every need…to look her in the eyes and tell her who she is in Christ. My daughter. Oh, I am so, so grateful for my daughter.
I am grateful for peace. Supernatural, miraculous peace that can only come from Peace Himself.
I am grateful that I don’t have to be in control. Because HE IS. Because HE IS the I AM. Because He knows…and I don’t.
And last, but certainly not least, I am so grateful that it’s Friday. Friday night, even! Family time for two whole days, Grandma & Grandpa Moberg arrive tomorrow night, and soon…very soon…we will have our baby girl in our arms.
And yet still, for so much more…for Frosted Flakes and for my supportive sandals that allow me to wear dresses and skirts and not die of a back ache by the end of the day. For the super discounted air conditioner unit we found for our bedroom. For our friend Rayel who is living with us. For my exercise ball. For anti-nausea medication. For my maternity swimsuit. For four new babies being born this past week! For peaches. Oh, how happy peaches make me!! Ahh, for all these things and so much more…thank you, Lord…thank you, Lord.
