March Update

We had some wonderful weather as well as some cold/raining days in March. But overall I think this is the warmest March that I remembered in several years. So we had lots of stroller walks, flying kite, playing in the park, etc. During the raining days, Emily and Andy enjoyed playing in their play tent and tunnels. David finished planting the vegetable in the garden. He can't wait for the sprouts to come out. During our foundation repair, the bunnies moved away from our patio in the backyard (under the wooden deck). Now we are pleased to see a couple of new bunnies moved back. Emily especially enjoys watching the squarrels, bunnies and birds in the backyard. We look forward to more good weather in April.

Playing in the tent

Emily is an official "big girl" now since she just got her twin bed. We haven't got her bedding yet. So her bedding right now is made up by all kinds of used sheets and blankets. She is very detail oriented. She does things with a rare precision. When she played with her bath toys, she would line them up in perfect straight line and take them off one by one. One day we were ready to head out for lunch, after I picked up Andy, I saw that my shoes were lined up perfectly at the door - Emily just took my shoes out of the closet and got them ready to put on. "Mommy, here are your black shoes!" When she saw that Andy was hanging on the edge of the sofa trying to come down, she ran to him and held him from behind "Andy, let me help you to get down!" Then she brought Andy toys to the sofa so that he didn't have to move cautiously to the toy area. When she saw Andy still had bib on after he had milk, she went over and took the bib off "Now you will feel better Andy!" ... She just loves to help her little brother and get everything straight.

The toy she lined up at bath time - She asked them to hold hands to pray for dinner

She is more and more independant each day. She has her ideas of what pajamas to put on, which shoes to wear, which spoon to use, etc. She prefers taking the lid off the yogurt and doing many things by herself. At first, we didn't get it and she couldn't articulate what was wrong when we did for her. That caused quite a few tantrams. It's no co-incidence that her favorite video right now is "The Little Engine That Could" with a few lines "I think I can!" "I did it!" "I can do it!" She moved from the toddler bed to the twin bed in one month because we found that she would fall asleep on the floor when she could get in and out of the bed easily. At the same time, she often surprises me with her patience and obedience. She expresses more and more affection to Andy. She said several times: "I love you, Andy!" recently. When Andy's elbow bumped into her forehead, she said "Sorry Andy! Did your elbow hurt?" What a sweet sister!

Andy still adores his sister like no one else. He would hug her from the back or follow every step she takes. So far, Emily and Andy have never made each other fuss yet. Andy is such an easy baby that he is actually easier than Emily in many ways although Emily was a super easy baby already. Like all the babies at his age, he is obsessed by walking and waving now. There are two things that Andy absolutely loves: wheels and music. He loves cars because he can turn them over and play with the wheels. He also turns any toy that has a wheel over to play: the pushing toy, the pulling toy ... He can spin and spin the wheels for the longest time. He responds to the music instantly. He loves playing piano. He also loves to listen to the music. He would stop anything if the music is on. And he still falls asleep with his bedtime music. He always keeps a good mood: quiet, pleasant, happy, sweet, and friendly. Even when he is teething, we would hardly notice if we didn't happen to see his finger in his mouth through the camera. He just seldom gets fussy, if at all. Like one lady said, "he is so good to Mommy!" (and to Daddy, Emily, and people around him ...)

Andy in the playing tent playing with Emily (Sorry about his haircut - I didn't do a good job)

Lunch with Gayla at Cheddars

Teething?

I started having a little time to read some parenting books recently. Here are part of the books that I got using my birthday money. The last book "Organized Simplicity" was David's favorite since he already finished the book and implemented it before I even started reading. I can't wait to read all of them! I picked them out because these authors have inspired me to become a better mother in some way or the other through their blogs, articles or newsletters. I'd like to quote some of them here. I'm sure you will be inspired too! David started going to the "Revolutionary Parenting - how to raise spiritual champion" class on Sunday mornings. He liked it a lot.

A Paren's Manifesto:

1. Today, I will make our home a house of prayer. I will pray at set times. And I will invite our children to come move into an interior space that lives with God.

2. Today, I will transfigure all things into beauty, and I will refuse to see anything else.

3. Today, I will not have any emergencies. There are no emergencies! Only amateurs hurry.

4. Today, when stress mounts, I pray to dismount it with gratitude. My stress management plan will be intervention with verbal thanks. I can only feel one feeling at a time, and I choose to give thanks at all times. Fight feeling with feeling!

5. Today, I will pray to speak words that are only STRONG words, words that make these children feel strong. Grace words. Grace is the only non-toxic air. All other words I breathe are death words.

6. Today, I will pray to be consistently consistent. I will create safe rhythms that our children can find security in. I will create daily ceremonies because everyday we are CELEBRATING the gift of now!

7. Today, the moment when I am most repelled by a child's behavior, that is my sign to draw the very closest to that child.

8. Today, I will hug each of my children as many times as I serve them meals -- because children's hearts feed on touch. I'll look for as many opportunities to touch my children today as possible --- the taller they are, the more so.

9. Today, my priorities will be all Things Unseen.

10. Today, I will laugh! And I will let the little children laugh! I will create a culture of JOY!

"... my goal–raising my children to the very best of my ability, using every day for His glory, was my calling. The beginning point is for moms to yield to God–all that they are–and to submit to the limitations of the vast amount of time it takes to build children into godly, whole, inspired persons. It all starts with the mom’s heart, as she responds to God’s heart."

"When I studied scripture and found that the stewardship of a child’s life, his training, education, character, emotional health, spiritual vigor, well-being, mind heart was entrusted to me, I realized that I needed to give my whole self to it. I had to work through selfishness, giving up my rights to my own time, my body, my sleep, and I had to learn what a servant heart was. And so, when my kid needed me yesterday and I could see that she needed my ear, my time, my encouragement, my attention, the grid through which I had learned to practice life–she is my priority—told me what to do–to take the time today, now, this moment, because this is the day to parent. She will not be with me always, but I have her this day, to love and serve her and to point her to the God who will always be with her and who has a plan for her life."

I have a heart to train my children in righteousness, but my focus is on winning their hearts and instructing their minds. I want them to love Jesus and God with their whole hearts–I do not just want them to obey rules, so that they will say “I am obeying on the outside, but I am rebelling on the inside.” Works and performance is not my goal, a transformed and inspired heart is my goal. Jesus did that by cultivating a deep, loving and committed relationship with his disciples. They all loved and respected Him so much, as He served them so generously, that they wanted to follow him to a death on the cross, because they believed in Him and wanted to serve them out of a loving and transformed heart. I want them to love righteousness and truth and beauty and so I come along beside them as an advocate, morning, noon and night, to show them and help them and instruct them.”

"Children never for us, to please us, to fulfill us, but I am for her, to nurture and protect and serve and children are the gift and parents are the ones who give. I know not of tiger mothers, but He speaks of lamb mothers with the heart of the Lion of Judah who lay down their lives for the sheep. Who lay down happiest laughter, realest joy, lay down story and wonder and questions and discovery and prayers and protective boundaries and words that make souls stronger, who lay down memoried loved upon memoried love and here we might."

At the one year mark of the professional motherhood, I too wanted to re-commit myself to raising my children to the very best of my ability, using every day for His glory! Happy parenting to every parent!