- A 24 hr. trip to the beach, staying in a hotel, feeding sea gulls, & swimming in the hotel pool. Levi even had a queen size bed all to himself!
- Once a week family dates to Chick-Fil-A (enjoying the employee discount)
- Going to an Astros game in Houston
- Traveling to East Texas several times to spend time with their great-grandparents, exploring their 12 acres, paddling a boat on the pond (Levi), and picking squash, zucchini, & cucumbers
- Visiting a local strawberry farm and picking 8lbs of strawberries (they couldn't be left with the buckets or the strawberries disappeared as fast as we picked them
- Going to the Lufkin Zoo (in East Texas)
- Hanging out with a bunch of crazy aunts! (my sisters all live within driving distance)
- And this Friday, going to the Houston Zoo!
Eliana is 19 months old, and wants to explore, climb, or get face down in the dirt to observe (or taste) something new. She continues to amaze me because she seemingly has no fear. I often have to redirect her from not-so-good things like fire ant beds (she likes to stomp the dirt to watch them crawl all over), beetles (whether it's dead or alive, and yes, she put a live one in her mouth last week). We have found only THREE things she is scared of so far: toads while they're hopping, dead spiders (live ones she likes?), and mushrooms (they grow in the grass, but haven't figured out why they freak her out?). She loves to follow around Levi and they are starting to play together more and more. She even has put on some weight and grown into her 18m clothes! :-) She is really a toddler now, we took the side off her crib this week to convert it to her "big girl" toddler bed.
It also feels like Levi has taken a huge growth spurt... today I bent over to look him in the eye to tell him something, and realized I didn't have to lean down as far as I normally do. He has grown into a great protector of Ellie, keeping an eye on her during their different adventures, and has saved her more than once from possible injury. He stays in constant motion: driving race cars, pushing his trains around, playing various sports, exploring outside, watching wildlife, "helping" dad or PaPa work on projects around the house/property. I have been challenged as a mom to continue to let him be a boy: problem-solve on his own, give him space to try new things, say "yes" to more of his ideas when exploring outside, and encourage his heart that wants to help others. It's easier to keep things routine or structured, but long-term I know he needs to be able to start growing in who God has created him to be.
This morning on a family date to Chick-Fil-A, Levi came to me in tears, and wanted a hug. After a hug and a pat on the back, he told me "One of the boys had called me... (and my mommy mind was already brainstorming ways to explain some unkind word) ... a little boy. And mommy, I'm not. I'm a big boy!". Oh how I wanted to laugh (from relief of what he had potentially been called), but also saw how his heart longs to be affirmed as a young man. And he's only three (and the boy involved was four... his mom talked to me and we both had a good laugh together).
Some of the ways I'm seeing God work right now are in the daily moments where I desperately need more wisdom, patience, grace, and with two toddlers, energy! In the midst of the craziness, I realize often He is carrying me through, leading me step by step. We laugh together, they sometimes put me near tears, and I'm amazed by the things I learn as we experience life together. God continues to weave His story in our little family.
And some days, a double time-out helps, too. :-)
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