Andrew- 11 Months

Here we are...just a month away from Andrew's First Birthday. We are still having a lot of fun with him. He is pulling himself around on furniture and can walk with the help of his push toy. He can work out the sound of "da-da" but won't always say it when Ryan asks. I believe this is because he is waiting to talk until he can say "mama". In the last week or so, he has figured out how to open cabinet doors and drawers, which is a big help to me when he crawls around the living room opening the storage cabinets. He is still having a little bit of trouble with the concept of Peek-a-Boo- as you can see from the pictures. The picture of Andrew with his arms on his forehead is him playing peek-a-boo. We are still working on perfecting his peek-a-boo.

Also this month, Andrew is having to look for a new job. His working relationship with his mother is nearing an end because he won't do his part. Not only will he not help with any office tasks, he is now standing in his play yard and yelling at me, just so I will pick him up. He also throws his toys at me, just to get my attention. None of it is very helpful or productive in furthering the mission of The Salvation Army in El Paso County. So, we are working on what his next job will be. Hopefully something with more room to play and maybe even some other kids to play with.

All in all, we love this boy and are certain there are no other 11-month old boys named Andy cuter than him.

Faith is Five

"I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen..." A.A. Milne

I came across this quote not too long ago and it fits perfectly as I describe Baby Faith. She has told me in recent days, "I am not a baby, but my name in my family is Baby Faith." Faith has been a wonderful adventure for us. She wants to know everything about everything and she wants to know it all now. Faith most certainly belongs to her mother in that she loves waffles, cookies, cake and candy. She is also like her mother in that she hates to get up in the morning and requires lots of coaxing, soft talking and cuddling before she can function in the morning. She is very passionate about everything and this same passion for jumping headfirst into things sometimes gets her into trouble. She loves to dance...for those of you that have not had the chance to see her dance, I hope you get to see it soon- it is awesome! She is catching on quick with reading and is settling in to kindergarten (after a somewhat shaky start).

Faith is so smart- she gives us a run for our money in the questions she asks. We recently explained that Papa was at a meeting trying to help figure out how to make sure kids all over the world have enough to eat. Faith asked why the rich people don't just pay for the kids to eat. Faith recently asked why God won't talk to her- she said,"I lie on my bed and talk and talk and ask God questions and He will never answer me". I said we hear from God through our Bibles, music, stories and nature and she said she still wants to hear His voice.

Her birthday week was a busy one this year- a pool party at the Y, starting kindergarten, getting her own Nintendo DS and going to camp for Family Camp. She had cake for her birthday party and then Grandma Laverty's brownies for her birthday. She said she would love it if her job was to eat frosting everyday.

I don't know why God chose me to be Faith's mother, but I am thankful everyday that she was given to us.

It's Hard to Let Go

Baby Faith has talked all summer about going to school. She has talked about learning to read, being dropped off, being the boss and many other wonderful things. Even the first couple of pictures show my Faithie excited and ready for school. Grace has also been looking forward to school- we dropped off school supplies last week and met their teachers and they were both seemingly ready to start school.

So imagine our surprise when we get to the school and first go to drop off Gracie. She put her arms tightly around me, buried her face against me and began to cry. She whispered that she didn't know anyone, then didn't want to let go. The principal walked by and asked if she could help- I told her Grace was just a little bit nervous. She found a girl from Grace's class and that girl introduced herself and walked Grace back into class. Grace said she would be alright, but still looked uneasy as Ryan and I walked around the corner to Faith's classroom.

At the doorway of the Kindergarten classroom, Faith suddenly stopped. She said she didn't want to go in. I assured her that yes, she did- kindergarten was going to be a lot of fun. Her teacher greeted her and said how pretty she looked and Faith still wouldn't let go of my hand. She kept whispering that she did not want me to leave and more specifically, she did not want us to leave her there. She said, "please, mama, I don't want to go to school". I promised her she would have fun, pried my fingers out of hers and left with Ryan.

Let me tell you, that the significance of my girls having a hard time letting go, while I was working to let go was not lost on me.

After school, we were there before the bell rang. Grace looked lost when I walked into her classroom, but the teacher said she had a good day and Grace did earn two school dollars. Grace said recess was hard because she didn't have anyone to talk to, but that she liked music and Chapel. Faith said she got hit and slapped and kicked (her teacher assured us this is not true) and that no one likes her. After much talking, we convinced them to give it another try today. It didn't go much better with Faith today as she told me she wasn't ready for school. She said, "please take me with you".

So, I sit now and write this, wondering how the second day is going, remembering back to many times when I was new at school. I'm wondering if they had to eat alone, if they had anyone to run and play with at recess and if anyone wanted to be their partner for team projects. Wishing that I could be there with them and make some of the other kids see how great they are and how lucky they would be to have my girls as friends.