Catch up!

Well, here we are again. It seems that we are all finally well here in the Graham home and are praying that this will be the case for quite some time. We've been blessed with some sunshine this week and Lainey and Sarah Grace have been quite glad to get outside to play. Today at lunchtime we neared the end of the loaf of bread. We had one heel left so Sarah Grace asked if she could feed it to the birds. Always wanting to do right by our feathered friends, I split the piece between her and Lainey and sent them outside with it. I'm afraid that "feeding the birds" actually turned into an "outdoor snack" as both of them sat down at the swing set and ate what had once been intended for the birds. Lainey said she did leave some for the birds, but I'm afraid Sarah Grace was not quite so generous! Oh well, we know that Scripture tells us that the Lord knows what the birds needs and provides for them; it's good that they're not dependent upon the generosity of 5 year old and 3 year old girls! They were such fun to watch as they played out on their swing set and ran around the back yard. It's as though they've been deprived of sunshine these many months and wanted to soak up as much as they could. They played on the see-saw, the swing, and the slide. At one point, I looked out and saw that Sarah Grace had climbed up into her swing and Lainey was pushing away. It is a blessing when we have these glimpses of siblings at their best! Some days those glimpses are few and far between! All the while Lainey and Sarah Grace were outside, Abby stood at the back door and watched them and beat the glass on the door as though to say, "I wanna play too!" She babbled and "talked" to them and yelled and laughed! It's very evident that she is anxious to join them. Soon enough; I suppose the other 2 have acclimated to playing outside when it is but 47 degrees, but Abs isn't quite there yet!

I have Bible study on Tuesday nights so I miss out on the bedtime routine then, but Lon shared with me this morning what Sarah Grace prayed last night. In Lon's words, "Did I tell you that Sarah Grace prayed last night that I wouldn't go to heaven?"
SG: And we pray for Daddy, especially that he would not go to heaven.
Lon: Ummmm, no.
SG: Why?
Lon: Because I want to go to heaven!
SG: Why?
Thus began an endless cycle of conversation! I tried to assure him that maybe she was just praying that he wouldn't go right NOW and that he'd live a long and healthy life, but I don't think he bought it.

I'm thinking that perhaps Lainey might have a flair for the dramatic. Actually this is something I've known for quite some time. The other morning, I was fixing a bowl of oatmeal for her breakfast in the microwave. She turned to me and said, "Oh that oatmeal smells so good. Whenever I smell it, it smells like popcorn. The smell of dreams!" I had to turn away and laugh a little! What's this drama going to be like as she gets older?!

Abs has cut two new teeth on the top and is now boasting 4 on top and 2 on bottom. Baby food has not really done well with her stomach and honestly I find it much easier to feed her what we're having (though we've not yet let her have the broccoli from our stir fry!). She seems to really enjoy chicken pot pie (and I know from her diaper today that at least the carrots got into her), cinnamon rolls, biscuits and jelly, banana, bites of toasted turkey and cheese sandwich, and pretty much anything else that we'll give her. She's not turned away from anything that I recall and I hope this means she'll be a good eater in the future!

Our packing is keeping us busy, but is coming along. We're doing just a bit at the time so for those of you worried that I might overdo, don't! At this point, I'm probably under-doing and need to get busy with filling up boxes. We have too much stuff and I anticipate that not all of this "stuff" is going to make it to the new place. The thrift stores of Whatcom County will soon experience an influx! We've always used our moves to weed out that which we don't really need. After having been in the same place for 3 + years, our weeding out has slowed down and our collecting has picked up; I must reverse this trend! Don't worry Grandparents, I promise not to get rid of the girls' favorite things, but we can only have so many toys and with another baby on the way, it's time to clean out!!

And off we go to fill a box. . .