this month has been a breath of fresh air in many ways. the biggest reason is that i have finally hit a stride in our daily routine for the first time since baby girl came to us over 7 months ago. i thrive on routine (and so do kiddos!) so things have felt so much more peaceful and manageable... not like running around like a chicken with my head cut off as many days in the previous few months have been :)
the biggest thing that has helped me to hit a stride is waking up early to pray and read my bible. this is normally a pretty consistent routine in my life, but when when we have babies who are waking up at night, its a different story. but baby girl is sleeping better, and though some mornings its hard, i try to be up before 7: first i let the chickens out, then i grab a mug of coffee or tea and sit down to read. i am studying the book of esther with women from our church, and the sermon on the mount with our community group.
after getting the girlies ready for the day, we usually try to do something outside of the house like walk to the park or store or hang out with friends. after lunch, the girlies usually go down at the same time for naps. recently i have been doing lots of sewing while they are asleep if there aren't other pressing household things i need to do. after nap is usually outside time: the girlies play while i hang up laundry or do some gardening. soon after i start dinner and then our evening routine sets in. some may get bored of such a routine, but for this exhausted mama it has been a real refreshment to be able to predict when i will be able to recharge during the day, and when i have to be on my toes.
this has been a month of firsts for the girlies. baby girl's first time crawling was just over a week ago (uh oh, we now have double trouble on our hands!!). the next day esther also had a first: her first major injury! :( she fell down while drinking from her water bottle and displaced two teeth. fortunately, it looks like she wont need any dental work (thank you Lord! definitely an answer to prayer!). and then this past sunday another first: while we were praying before breakfast, i was holding baby girl's hand and she started gnawing on my fingers and i felt something... her first teeth! both of her lower ones are coming in at the same time. esther is always saying new words, my favorites right now are "mine" (i know... this will not be so cute in a couple months, but right now the way she says it is super cute) and "amen" after we pray.
the daily routine we have gotten into has helped me to be able to focus a lot on my monthly life goals. so much so that i have not only accomplished my april goal (planting a new crop) but i have already accomplished my may goal (making clothes). i have already made several toddler dresses and a few baby headbands both accented with these flowers (i will try to post pics soon! the are pretty cute if i do say so myself :) ), and i hope to make a skirt for myself in the near future. the internet has been so great for finding really easy to follow tutorials for all of these things. what did people do before the internet?! anyways, i have been loving spending the girlie's nap times doing crafty things :) i have started following a few sewing/crafting blogs for inspiration (let me know if you have any suggestions!)
::sermons i enjoyed this month::
for your exhortation and enjoyment, i am going to start posting sermons that i have enjoyed listening to each month (as often as i remember to :) )
parenting young people I and II (by doug wilson)
worldliness (by alex costa)
other sheep that are not of this fold (by john piper)
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