Busy Bees

We enjoy seeing how different our girls' personalities are. They're all very busy, but it's becoming evident, especially in Lainey and Sarah Grace, what they enjoy doing. Lainey LOVES to read. I went to the library this afternoon around 5:30 and checked out 4 chapter books for her. By the time they went to bed at 8:30, she had started her 3rd one. She loves to hunker down on the couch or in a chair and lose herself in a book. She is often oblivious to the world around her. What a blessing that at 5 (!) she has already developed this habit. I pray that it will be a lifelong one.

Sarah Grace, on the other hand, likes to be in the kitchen helping. She delights in washing dishes and being a part of any kind of baking project. Tonight, Lon made a cake (awesome by the way!) and for the better part of an hour, Sarah Grace stood on a chair playing in the sink. She moved water from cup to cup, played with the measuring spoons, etc. Her recipe was quite interesting. She said, "I need butter, sugar, cinnamon and soil." I'm not sure what she was making or that I'd want any part of it once she finished, but she was determined. I think she'll enjoy reading as well, but at this stage, she's very content to "help". Abby is too young to have shown much interest in any one thing, but she had a great time standing in the chair with Sarah Grace playing in the sink as well. Here are some pictures Lon got of them engaged in their various activities!

We have had fabulous weather here this week and have really enjoyed being outside some each day. A dear friend from church came on Wednesday and weeded my flower bed for me (this is the same friend who did most of the painting in our house; I'm going to hang on to her for a long while!). The girls enjoyed being outside with us and were quite taken with every worm and slug that we found in the dirt. Every one was "huge" and elicited a "wow!" from Lainey.

We are busy getting ready for the arrival of the Graham boy in just 17 days! The cradle is together and little blue clothes are beginning to appear in the laundry. I'm definitely nesting these days and find myself cleaning random things. The girls are excited about the arrival of Joey and talk of him often. I pray that they're as taken with him once he gets here. I'm certain that Lainey and Sarah will be, but I wonder just what Abby's reaction will be.

I've written here a few times about how Sarah Grace makes up words that just make us chuckle. Today, she was looking at something that was evidently messy and said to me, "This is a torrible mess." I said, "Oh, it's torrible?" She said, "Yes, torrible." Yesterday I took a nap with her. As I am not sleeping well at night these days, I find that these afternoon naps are great times of refreshing. When we woke up, I said to her, "That was a good nap." She said, "Well at least we did get a big one." She then stretched her arms out and said, "It was this huge." I stretched my arms across her face and said, "Oh, mine was this huge!" She said, "Ow, you poked me in the eye." I apologized and she said, "Well, it didn't hurt my feelings or anything." Okay, good to know!

Abs is beginning to talk more and more. She will whisper "hi", yell bye-bye, say pup-pup for most any animal, but especially for dogs, say mama, dada, and Nay-nay (Lainey). She has said Sarah Grace once or twice but that one isn't quite as easy. It's exciting to see the many changes she's made just in the last month. She walks like a champ now and is initiating games of peek-a-boo. She wants to do whatever she can to keep up with Lainey and Sarah Grace and can often be found playing near them. She's developed a fond affection for one particular baby doll and is really quite cute carrying her around everywhere she goes.

It is indeed an adventure; somedays are great, somedays leave me longing for bedtime to come early, and somedays I hope I can remember forever. We are very rarely bored!!