A Full Hand

Today, when Cooper held my hand, he held my whole hand. When he started walking, he held one finger. He then went through a stage where he held two fingers and they had to be my ring finger and pinkie...on my right hand. Through the years he's added one of my fingers to his grasp as his hands have grown. And now, he's apparently big enough to hold my whole hand. These are the ways I measure my children's growth...how many of my fingers they take when they hold my hand, the length of their legs against mine when they sit on my lap, when they start calling me mom instead of mommy. There has not been a single day of their lives that I haven't looked and them just for the sake of looking...just to take a mental picture of who they are in that moment and just how beautiful they are.

I loved them as babies, but I love them more for who they are now and that will only grow with each passing day. Even the days when I'm frustrated and overwhelmed!

That's My Girl!

Layla is at such a fun age. An interesting age, but fun. She is discovering her way in this world without us for the first time. She goes to school 7 hours a day, 5days a week, which means she sees her teachers and her friends more during the day than us. She has to make decisions about how to behave and how she will treat others when Dave and I aren't looking. I'm proud of her. She always tries to do the right thing, she looks for children at school who don't have friends and befriends them, she goes to people who are hurt and comforts them. But with this diligence, she also carries the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Not only is this a time of growth for her, but also for me, as her mom. Letting her figure this world out is hard at times, but I know that when I let her experience the ups and downs and let her navigate them, her confidence grows. I know that she needs to depend on God more than me. He will never fail her. He will never leave her. I will always fall short. Instead of rushing in to make sure she's always comfortable, I have to let her go a little. Instead of fixing things for her, I have to point her to God and let the two of them work some things out. And what joy it brings me when she comes to me and says, "Mom, I was scared, but I just kept telling myself 'I have faith in God. I have faith in God.' Pretty soon, I wasn't scared anymore."

That's my girl. That's my God!

Melt My Heart

There are days that Cooper can wear me down. He's such a good boy. He's a good listener, he desires to obey, he's always happy, he's very sweet, and he's, well, as I've said before, very busy. Tonight, I was thankful when bedtime rolled around. I tucked Cooper into bed and he said, "Mom, if a bad lion try to get you I will save you." He puts his hands on my cheek and said, "You are my best girl."

OK, I've been recharged for another day.

The Milk of Jesus

Layla prays the blood of Jesus over her loved ones. Cooper has picked up on this. When we pray together as a family Cooper closes his eyes and also prays that the blood of Jesus cover us.....and with great passion and energy he also prays that the water of Jesus....the rocks....and the milk cover us as well. It's just so funny, we haven't had the heart to correct him yet because every night he adds something new.