Lottsa photos

Life has been pretty busy around our house lately. Christmas has snuck up on me again. How did it get to be the middle of December? What happened to November? With my obvious inability to monitor time, it is no surprise that I had a month or more worth of photos hanging out on my camera. I finally got around to downloading them this morning, and here are some of my favorites.

Daniel with his great-grandpa on Thanksgiving day.
They are good buds!

Daniel reading books with Grandpa Roger.

Preparing to kiss his cow. Don't you love those jammies?
Thanks, Aunt Sara!

Hanging out with Daddy.

He loves this bicycle helmet.
And he loves getting into places that he should not be.

Playing with Grandma Missy (or Mi-eeee as Daniel calls her).

Just adorable.

Celebrating with Uncle Jonathan at his college graduation!

Look at those handsome boys. What a pair!

And this last one might be my favorite photo ever. He looks so old with that backpack on...like he is heading out the door to kindergarten. Oh my soul!

Our sleepy saga

I have uttered many prayers for Daniel since he was born. My most frequent prayer usually has something to do with his health and safety. But a close second goes something like this: "Dear Lord, please let Daniel go to sleep!" Or this slight variation: "Dear Lord, please let Daniel stay asleep!"
Yes, friends, sleep has been a very precious commodity at our house for the past two years. Daniel has only slept through the night about a dozen times total (until now!). And I have slept through the night fewer times than that. Now, you can see why so many prayers regarding sleep have been sent heavenward.
We tried letting him cry it out on a few different occasions, and for one reason or another, it never worked. I finally decided that I would rock him until he was a teenager if I had to! All the trauma with sleep training just didn't seem worth it.
But, in recent weeks, the Lord had been giving me a plan...showing me strategies to use...and now we are putting it into action. On Wednesday, Brian set up a cot in Daniel's room right beside his bed. Instead of rocking him to sleep (which is the usual routine) I put him into the crib awake and laid down on the cot. That first night, he thought it was some kind of game. For the first 30 minutes, he jumped in bed, turned circles, and even attempted a few somersaults. Then, he realized this was no game and began to cry. It took almost an hour of tears, but he went to sleep by himself.
On night two, he skipped the goofing around and went straight to crying. It just about broke my heart, but we stuck to the plan. And one hour later, he was asleep. For the past two nights, he has not cried one bit and has fallen asleep within 30 minutes. And you know what else? He has slept through the night ever since we started the sleep training. Our progress astounds me! It seems too good to be true. I know we may have some setbacks, but I feel hopeful about his sleeping for the first time in forever. The prayers of my friends and family are helping us greatly. And I know that God has heard every single desperate prayer that I have uttered during these past two years.
Just last night, I read an article at the Baby Center website on sleep training. It discussed a method very similar to what we have done. There were many, many comments left by readers, the majority of whom were bashing the very idea of sleep training. Their main complaint was that it's cruel to let babies cry and that parents should be eager to hold and comfort their young ones. I can see this viewpoint. I really can. I love cuddling Daniel, and despite my great joy over his improved sleep, I miss rocking him. But, I really wasn't doing him any favors by always rocking him to sleep. I read somewhere that children who cannot soothe themselves to sleep get roughly an hour less sleep per night than those who can. It has definitely been true of Daniel. He was being deprived of precious sleep needed for his development, not to mention his demeanor. Since he is sleeping through the night, all of us are much happier. And I am beginning to feel human again too. I woke up this morning, and the first thing from my lips was the Hallelujah chorus! Hallelujah...Hallelujah ...Halleluja, Hallelujah, Hal-le-lu-jah!

Birthdays and other slippery slopes

You know, birthdays can be tricky things. My birthday was last week, and though I was blessed by the warm thoughts and actions of many people, I was still tempted to feel sorry for myself. Daniel had his annual allergy appointment that day, so we had to get up early, pack the car, and make the two hour trip to see our allergist. Then, we had to sit in a doctor’s office for several hours, while Daniel was examined and had blood drawn. It was wearing. It was stressful. It wasn’t what I wanted for my birthday. Several other circumstances added up to make that day and actually, that entire week difficult. During church yesterday morning, I just wanted to hang my head and cry.

What did I want for my birthday? Well, I wanted to feel special. I wanted to be pampered. I wanted to be free of responsibilities. I didn’t just want these things…I felt entitled to them. It was my one day of the year! Was it too much to ask? I brought these things before the Lord, and He did provide comfort, though not exactly in the way I expected. After reading my Bible and praying, this was the message I felt God was showing me.

I must have absolute confidence in His loving care. God loves me. He knows my heart’s desires. He can be trusted to meet my needs. At church my hymnal fell open to the song, God Will Take Care of You. If I believe that God will take care of me, then I am freed from the need to be selfish…to demand that my needs be met…to grasp for rest or fulfillment or whatever. If I believe He will take care of me, I am able to roll with the punches. I am able to take my eyes off myself, and place them on Jesus and His interests in others.

The other thing God pressed upon my heart was to praise Him. Praise is the fastest way into God’s presence. It reminds us of how awesome He is, how faithful He has been, and how much we have been given. It restores the right perspective to our hearts.

Earlier I mentioned that I felt “entitled” to special treatment because it was my birthday. I have found that you are on a slippery slope whenever you feel entitled to anything. All too often feelings of entitlement lead to feelings of disappointment or resentment. It helps me to remember that Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. One of his last acts before the crucifixion was to wash the disciples’ feet. My Savior and King washed dirty, stinking feet. That kind of throws my “entitlements” out the window!

In truth, my birthday had many joyous things about it. I am so thankful for the caring family and friends that God has placed around me. I love you all!

Nothing is safe!

It's Snowing!

I always want the first snow of the year to fall on my birthday. I can't ever recall it happening, but this year it certainly got close. I hope some of this snow will be around tomorrow for my actual birthday! Look at the view from our front door this morning.
Daniel was so amazed by all the snow. I bundled him up good and we went out to play! At first he was a little disconcerted by the snow hitting his face. Then, he picked up a handful and took a bite. He really liked eating it for awhile (we steered clear of dirty snow), but then he found out it was fun to roll around in. He would run a little ways, then purposely fall down. It was a hoot to watch!
I thought these mums looked so pretty covered in snow.
Although I love the snow, I am dreading being cooped up in the house this winter. Daniel loves being outside so much! We might have to invest in some more farm toys. Those seem to be the one thing that truly keeps him occupied indoors. These photos below show him playing with Uncle Jonathan's farm toys at Grandpa and Grandma's house.
This child never ceases to amaze me with his knowledge of farm machinery. At the age of 18 months he could correctly identify a tractor, baler, sprayer, and combine (something I couldn't do until I was probably 20 years old). This fall we have ridden with my dad in the combine several times. Daniel has obviously paid close attention on these trips, because he set up the toys below all by himself. This is exactly how the real equipment is arranged out in the field.
Daniel says, "Beans, beans," and points to the auger, where the soybeans pour out. He's going to know more about the whole process than I do in about five minutes. Luckily, his daddy, grandpa, and uncle can quite capably take over his farming education.

Halloween photos

Daniel's favorite movie is Finding Nemo, so it seemed natural for him to be Nemo for Halloween. After unsuccessfully bidding on several Nemo costumes, I finally won one on eBay. (Don't you love how they call it "winning" when, in actuality, it just means you were willing to pay more than anyone else?) I was very thankful that the costume fit well and that he was willing to wear it! And, of course, we thought he looked absolutely adorable. I hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

My favorite time of year!

Those gorgeous fall days that I so dearly love have been few and far between this October. Instead rain and cold weather very reminiscent of late November have taken their place. However, earlier this week we did have a beautiful afternoon or two. Daniel and I made the most of it and spent lots of time outdoors. I snapped these photos as he played!