Kirby's Two

This past weekend we celebrated Kirby's 2nd birthday.  Where has the time gone?  I can already see what people are talking about when they say, "before you know it you will be sending her off to college."  Thankfully the Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to stay home with her while she is young and I can snap shot these memories for my mind.   I know it is just a few weeks difference, but it seems like she has done so much growing up over the last 2 weeks - like over the week when she turned 2, she really turned 2.

Before I get to the pictures, let me fill you in on some of her latest antics:

• potty training is going well.  It took her longer than 3 days as suggested in the book I read and my friends that used that method, but every child is different.  It was very hard on me, being pregnant and having to pick her up and run her to the potty every time I saw the "sign".  The hardest part for the first week was that she refused to let anyone else take her but me.  : /.  Finally I just told the hubs to buck up and get through the fits, that eventually she would learn.  Guess what, she did!  I kept her home from Mother's Day Out while I did this as well so that we could get it down pat.  Yesterday was her first day back and she only had one accident - not because she wet in her pants but because when they put her on the big potty, it sprayed straight out and went all over her clothes.  
• About Mother's Day Out - yesterday she did GREAT when I left her.  The last 2 months she has gone, it has been TERRIBLE for me to leave her.  Knock down, drag out fits.  Yesterday there were no tears what so ever.  That's part of the "all of a sudden she is growing up".  
• Kirby walks around singing all of the time.  This morning she was singing "Amazing Grace".  This was her version: "mazing (babble babble) grace ..... sweet sound".  Sometimes she sings, "Lord soul ... oh soul....".  She often sings and signs "Jesus Loves Me" and it just melts my heart.  Her favorite song to sing to baby is  "Holy, holy, holy".
• She loves to run ... really fast.  She has been going through a stage of using mommy's shoes, but yesterday she ate it on the floor when running really fast in mommy's shoes, so we have tried to nip that.
• She is sleeping in a big girl bed!  I didn't mean to do it all at once with potty training and a crazy schedule, it just happened that way.  I wanted her to have some time to get over her crib being used for the baby.  I didn't want her to think when baby got here, "here this new baby is, taking away my mommy, my bed ...."  So we decided to transition now.  She loves the bed, but getting to sleep in it the first few days was a struggle.  Like an hour and half to two hour struggle.  That has gradually tapered off and last night it was just 30 minutes of singing and reading.  Maybe eventually we will get back to the 10 minutes of settling down, but if not, that's ok too. 

She has started to love to go with CR on the tractor, to the barn, to wherever.  This morning CR said, "Well, I am headed to get on the tractor to shred some brush."  Kirby said, "Me too."

Now on to her birthday.  We did an owl theme because she started liking owls a long time ago.  As soon as she could show like in something, I noticed she had a thing for owls.  In books, at stores, she would always look at them and giggle or reach for them.  Over the last year and a half I have slowly collected owl things to convert her room.  At first I couldn't find much at all, now it is all the rage.  There was quite a bit that I could find for the party and everyone seemed to like it.  The cupcakes were a pintrest find, mom got creative with some goodie bags, and I threw together a quick wreath for the front door.  I had collected some other party things over the last year that would work for any party (flower lights, big balls to hang from the ceiling) and had wrapping paper for table runners.  Easy peasy and for the most part pretty inexpensive.  We kept it "small" ... mainly just family and a few close friends that might as well be family were invited.  The kids swam and played with Kirby's toys (new and old) and the adults seemed to have a great time catching up.  

These are from her actual birthday:

 What we got her for her birthday.  Yes we did.

She was too busy riding to take time out for a full smile!

Birthday outfit from Aunt E!

 Cupcakes!

 Daddy helped blow out the candle!

 For 5 minutes afterwards, she was still singing "Happy Birthday to Kirby"!

 Anna Kate had to show me the mess she had!

 Possibly her favorite gift ever ... her first shot gun!  She points it at the ducks after she calls them in.

More cupcakes - I tried to make this set up look like an owl body ... see the nest?!

 My precious, precious family.

Eva wanted in on the fun!

Sister-in-laws .... same due date!!

 Ryan did very good on Kirby's present!

 Swim time

Thank you to everyone who made this day super special for Kirby.  She keeps talking about it all.  Memories for the cookie jar!

"But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."  Luke 18:16

My deepest desire is for Kirby to come to know Christ and to inherit the kingdom of God.

Bless the Lord

oh my soul, ohhhh my soul.  This is currently my #1 favorite song.  CR, Kirby and I sing it all day long.  It gets stuck in your head, but what better song to have stuck?  While I was in Montgomery I had a wedding rehearsal (not my cup of tea, so if I turn down a request please don't take it personally - I just don't think I am good at that - I like pictures I have total control over) at my grandparent's church.  This church is beautiful.  If I didn't have to be Catholic to get married there, our wedding would have been there.  Awhile back they went in and completely restored it, keeping as much of the original church as they could.  It is breath taking.  One of the reasons my dad and grandmother love to go there is because they say you feel such peace out there, and you really do.

When my grandpa and grandma started going to this church, they instantly fell in love.  Even though most of the congregation wears boots and jeans,  grandpa wore a suit and tie for the longest time.  I don't think it was until his last year or so did he tone it down to slacks.  One lesson I will never forget him teaching me is that "to church, you always wear your best."  I wish I could shout this to the kids in churches today.  

Another reason I am so in love with this place is because this is where my uncle Steve and grandpa are buried.  I used to always make a point to stop by the graveside on our way back out of town, but since we have had Kirby once we get on the road we book it home!  It had been awhile since I had been out to the cemetery, so while I waited for the party to arrive, I ventured out to sit and pray, and of course snap a few pictures.  

The following verse from the song mentioned above came to my heart when I looked up from Steve's grave and saw this:

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore

We sang this song this past Sunday in church.  When we came to this verse, it was all I could do to keep it together.  Here is God's amazing sun shining down on a son that passed away before we were ready, and now that son is kneeling and praising His Son!  Bless the Lord oh my soul ...

 I love how everything looks like new life around the cemetery.  When graves are first dug and headstones are first put in, everything is so unsettled and new.  Lifeless.  But now, as 4 years have passed since Grandpa was called home, and 5 since Steve, there is new life growing all around.  The ground has settled and everything just looks right ... looks loved.  

"His servants will serve Him."  Revelation 22:3

Take these moments

as they come.  Whew ... sorry it has been so long since I blogged last.  It has been a busy, busy last few weeks.  I am trying to take each moment as it comes, breathe it in, thank God for it, and then bask slowly in the memories that are being made.
The first week and a half (11 days CR reminds me constantly) Kirby and I spent time away from Bishop with my side of the family.  I had been really looking forward to this trip.  I missed CR terribly, but it was no wonderful to wake up every morning, walk with my daddy, Kirby and sometimes my mom, go swimming, and just enjoy the days as they played out.  Not many plans set in stone ( I did end up working 2 photo shoots while there, but hey -that paid for the trip!) and just sat back and enjoyed Montgomery.  I have not been able to do that since I left there 7 years ago.  Every time we go it is jam packed with plans and usually only for about 3 days (at most).
We met my mother, sister, Kyleigh, Brayleigh and Brody in San Antonio to go to Sea World.  This was so much fun.  It was hot, yes, but I took it as easy as I could.  We went later in the evening the first day and then got up and there when it opened the next, so we weren't ever there at the hottest time of the day.  My sister was the one with her camera so once I get some pictures from her I will share.  Kirby was a little young, but she still enjoyed it.  She loved the shows and learned a few new words (Shamu, penguin, dolphin, stop it - oh, she picked that up from Kyleigh!).  She was too small for even the kiddie coasters, so I think we will wait until she is about 5 to try it again.  And maybe in April.
Dad loves taking Kyleigh fishing.  They haven't been in a really long time because the lake had been so low.  It came up over the last few months, so Kirby got to go too.  And Brody was still in town, so he enjoyed catching some Blue Gills (Blue Belles as dad calls them) as well.

Safety first!  

She got tired of fishing (what girl doesn't) so she rested with grammy.

 Kirby finally caught one but didn't want to have anything to do with it, so dad took a picture with Kirby's first fish!

 While there I did get to catch up with some friends.  One day we met up with some of my teacher friends from Magnolia at a splash park and had a blast!  It was shaded and not too warm at all - even at 3 in the afternoon!  It was a quick trip, but so much fun to catch up with the girls and their beautiful, HILARIOUS children.

 Kyleigh and Brayleigh enjoyed it more than Kirby!

She was more interested in snow cone ice and smiling for the camera!

 I also got to meet up with my best friend Bethany at her mother's house.  We got to play with Nathan and google at precious baby Daniel.  Kirby, Nathan, Kyleigh, and Brayleigh enjoyed the pool tremendously.  Nathan was showing us how to jump off the rocks!  Kirby wanted to try, but that ended up not so good.  She was fine, but we aren't ready for that adventure yet!  She is getting very used to the pool, though, which was what I was hoping for on our trip to Montgomery.

I will get some of the pictures up on my Route One blog soon of my photo shoots I have done recently.  I have gotten busy again, which is such a blessing, because the Lord knows we need it.  I feel like God's hand has been upon this business since before I even started it.  He led me to His plan, and I pray  before every shoot that I would continue to do it all for His glory, never my own.  He has blessed me with wonderful customers who have referred me over and over and that is the best compliment anyone could ever give me.

Update on baby P
18 weeks along
gained 3 pounds from last visit - CR has gained about 10
heartbeat was nice and strong - found it right away right after I told him "I really don't even feel pregnant right now"
have been having Braxton Hicks contractions for the last 3 weeks - dr. says its hot and I need to slow down
still don't know boy and girl names ... we think we love our boy name, but then again we go back because we aren't sure about it with our last name.

We are working on potty training with Kirby.  She is doing much better now (day 7) than she was on day 2.  I had been suggested to use "3 day Potty Training" by a number of people who had great success with it.  I wouldn't say we didn't have success with it, but it has been much rougher than my friends said and than the book suggests.  The other day I broke down crying and told CR I must be a failure as a mother.  Then Christ calmed my heart ... while I was praying with Kirby about the situation, He reminded me that caring for His child takes time, nurturing, and sacrifices.  The small sacrifice of never ending patience, loss of sleep at night, and being worn plum out all the time is nothing when it comes to a life long lesson you are teaching a child.  When I shared this with CR he said, "Lauren, I never thought about it that way, but it is something that once you learn, you know for life."  After I saw it through His eyes, everything seemed so much better.  Not the least bit easier, but with more of a purpose.

Proverbs 22:6  "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Stay tuned for Kirby's birthday post ... you know, she turns 2 on Thursday!

Family and friends

Over the past month we have been blessed with the opportunity to get to hang out with friends family.  And it isn't stopping now.  Kirby and I are headed to Montgomery for 11 days this Wednesday.  It feels so great to be surrounded by so many happy, loving, beautiful people.

To start it off Shannon (CR's sister) and Ken came down on a short notice to stay just for one night. It was the best "seat of our pants" company!  We enjoyed a great afternoon, dinner, and morning with them.  Catching up in such a laid back and comfortable setting such as the farm is always refreshing.  

Ryan and Rachel, and of course their child Boudreux), (Ryan is my cousin and Rachel is his wife) have been guests of Patrickville off and on for the last month.  Ryan was down first to take care of some job interviews and then Rachel joined him.  They had to go back to the Panhandle area to move their stuff south.  Everything stayed in a Uhaul truck in our front yard for a week while they looked for homes in the Valley.  Ryan was offered a great job down there working for one of our favorite companies as farmers, Wilbur Ellis.  We are so excited that now they are only 2 hours away instead of 10!  They found a home and then CR went South to help them all settle in.  The following week they came back and met us here, then we all loaded up and headed to Rockport for a fun afternoon with his mom and her new husband.  They bought a fishing boat and Kirby sure had fun.  We even got to see dolphins.  I felt like a kid again I was so giddy inside that we got to see them out in their natural habitat.  I have always loved dolphins, so this was the icing on the cake for my month of July!

 Kirby was not so sure about the life jacket deal at first.

 And she had a death grip on her gold fish.

A friend of mine (which this never happens) called and said she had a meeting in Corpus and wondered if she could bunk at our place.  Again, I was so excited because this never happens!  We live so far away from anything that we are not on the way to anywhere.  The only time I get to see friends is when I go visit them because we are on the way to my parents or to some other destination.  It was a super quick visit, but again, so wonderfully nice to just kick back in the recliners and visit.  Kirby had already gone to bed when Sara got there, and CR had to work late that night in the field, so for 2 1/2 hours we got to visit uninterrupted!  The next morning Kirby was so surprised and excited to have a visitor; she took Sara into her room and had to show her everything.  Come again soon Sara!

Jody, Katherine, Caleb, Porter, and Anna Kate moved back from India this month, too!  They had a long and interesting journey back home, but we are so glad they are now here.  You never realize how much you miss someone until they come back from half way around the world and are there in person to talk to now instead of via Skype.  The boys and Anna Kate have all grown so much!  Right now while they are settling in they are sharing their time between the grandparents, so they are here one week and with the Simmons one week.  Kirby sure loves having playmates around!  And just right up the street!

This past weekend, Rob (CRs brother),Megan and Eva all came down.  Friday we went to the beach and enjoyed our toes in the water.  Kirby was pretty much indifferent about the beach.  She didn't like all the sand (when we got there she looked around at it all and just shook her head and said "mess ... it's a mess") and the salt water in her eyes and mouth got dirty, dirty reactions.  Then on Saturday the whole bunch of cousins were all together again for the very first time since 2 years ago.  Jody and Katherine moved to their first journey of the mission adventure about 1 month after I had Kirby, so September of 2010.  We had a big sibling going away prayer dinner for them at our house a few days before they left and that was the last time we were all together at once.  This weekend all the cousins were back together again and loving it.  We missed Shannon (CR's sister) and Ken, but now that everyone is in the same state it will be much easier to get something together again soon.  

Before the Simmons Folk got back into town, Grandaddy Ray and Granny bought a pool - well, a redneck pool.  It is a huge water trough and is the PERFECT idea for the kids.  You can fill it up with as little or as much water as you want, and drain it when it gets dirty instead of having to do the whole pool cleaning thing.  The kids are having a ball with it!  

Here is the first go 'round with the pool adventure:

 This is Ms. Anna Kate Simmons

 Porter Simmons

 Kirby and Daddy trying to show the boys how to play water ball.

When Kirby had enough water time, she climbed up in the fort!  

This past weekend the pool was full of all of the grand kids have the best time in the world!  Grandaddy Ray even decided to do "1-2-3 splash" in the water!

I wish I could have freeze framed Saturday night at our house.  We had a full house - even the other Simmons family (Preacher and Nanaw) and the Harringtons came over after a wedding at the church to join in on the fun.  The kids loved playing with the dogs outside, throwing rocks into the cow pasture, playing with every last one of Kirby Rose's toys, and then of course splashing in the dogs water bucket.   CR fixed his famous pulled pork and Ryan fixed his famous ribs.  I think deep down inside they were having a competition of who liked what best - for the record, both meats were completely gone - no leftovers, so I called it a tie.  Ha, men.

This is the day

that the Lord has made.  And also the day that I finally went back to the doctor.  Five weeks is a loooong time between prenatal appointments.  Especially for me who has a hard time remembering to let go and let God.  I guess just because of my past experiences, I always get this sick to my stomach nervous feeling when walking into the sonogram room.  I always get a sigh of relief when they turn on the screen after they look for a minute (I always watch their eyes for a reaction while they do this) and then again a "Thank you Jesus" prayer goes up when I see the heart fluttering on the screen.  It is the most amazing thing, no matter how many times you see it.  I mean, little P is only about 3 inches and there is the heart, like a little butterfly on the screen.  Amazing God.  

Everything looked great according to the sonogram and the doctor.  They did the first set of down syndrome testing and he said it all looked good so far.  I had to get blood work to confirm, but he said all should be fine.  I really love my doctor.  He is very proactive and makes me feel so comfortable.  Having a doctor you completely trust is pertinent and thank God daily for Dr. Supnet, even if he did go to t.u.

I lost five pounds between visits.  This really didn't surprise me because I had lost 8 pounds at this point when I was pregnant with Kirby.  Speaking of Kirby, she is already being so motherly with the baby.  It cracks me up.  We told her right away when I was pregnant, not really sure if she had a clue what was going on.  But, ever since we told her, she has been very different and very loving with her baby dolls.  She now wants to change their diaper, rock them to sleep, and put them to bed.  She also will come to my tummy and want to listen to the baby, kiss it, tell it night night and say prayers with it.  This is why I blog.  I never want to forget this stuff.  This is what memories are made of.

To help me when I look back from years from now, I am going to keep up a little comparison of my two pregnancies.  If you find this stuff boring, you can stop here.

                                 Kirby                                                       Baby  #2

starting weight           138                                                              126

starting size                  6                                                                 2/4

total pounds gained     18                                                             so  far 2

nauseated for                2 weeks off and on                              7 weeks all the time

other symptoms         tired                                                         tired, headaches

cravings                      not really                                                  salty, crunchy

aversions                    salad, veggies                                               coffee :(  

name ideas                  had a pretty good list right away              totally clueless

Thank you for keeping up with this journey.  Please keep us in your prayers as the Lord continues to grow this miracle inside me.  At 14 weeks was when I got placenta previa with Kirby, so I am really trying to take it easy with lifting, over doing it, etc, but it is really so much harder with a 23 month old!  How can you not pick her up?  

Stay tuned in the next day or so for some pictures of the Simmons cousins and a redneck's dream pool!

"My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. "  Exodus 33:14  

God's Timing

is always perfect.  Incase this is your first time popping in, or if it has been awhile, please make sure you go read this and then this.  I'm serious, go read both of them.

We were going to wait to share this, but this is about as long as we can wait.  I am pregnant!  I am at 12 weeks right now - well, according to the calendar I am 12 weeks, but I am measuring 11.  I'm still going with 12.  With that, I am due January 22nd.  This is why we can't hide it anymore - I've already got a bump! Second time do you show sooner?

We are so very thankful that God's hand is always upon us.  He knows every single step of the way and why do we even fret?  After my last exam in April, which was for abnormal cells again, my doctor told me to take an ovulation test for the next 14 days.  So I did, and nothing.  So I took them the rest of the month.  Nothing.  I called my doctor and said, "Ok, I know the problem, I am not ovulating again."  He said we would discuss at my next appointment because again I had abnormal cells in my test.  I got off the phone and cried.  What in the world are abnormal cells in my body?  What will this do with us trying to get pregnant?  Do we stop that and focus on what's going on with all these abnormal tests?

Two weeks went by and because I am a finatic about them, I started taking pregnancy tests everyday.  Maybe also because I was out of ovulation sticks and needed to pee on a stick.  Jokes - kind of.  Nothing.  For two weeks, nothing.  And then one day positive.  What?  Positive!  I jumped higher than I did when we found out I was pregnant with Kirby.  Because now we aren't only getting a child, but Kirby is getting a sibling.  Just as excited, but a different excited.

I didn't feel the least bit pregnant.  No signs at all.  Breathe and don't worry.  A week went by and then I had my first prenatal appointment.  He checked me but we didn't do an ultrasound.  He didn't want to worry me incase we didn't see anything just yet.  He told me, "Y'all make miracle babies!"  Remember, last time they said I wasn't ovulating either.  Two weeks later CR and I went back and we saw our nugget and heard the heartbeat.  Very strong already.

We go back next Friday, July 20th for another ultrasound.

Back to God's timing always, always being perfect: this has been a totally different pregnancy than the first.  I have been much more nauseated and much more tired.  I'm sure that has something to do with chasing our beautiful mess of a 23 month old around.  God knew in January that He had Route 1 Photography all planned out and it's success this spring.  God knew that CR would be harvesting and dealing with farming still in August when the baby would have been due.  And that Route 1 would be kicking off another senior year.  In January, CR will be in his slower months of farming.  January and February are usually considered dead months for photographers.  This isn't by chance - this is from God and I know He will see this through.  Because, "I am certain that God, who began a good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day that Christ Jesus returns."  Phillipians 1:6

 Kirby showing Great Granny her shirt that says, "Big sister to bee - Kirby"

Thank you for your prayers, thank you for your kind encouragement, and sweet notes.  Please continue to pray for a safe and complete pregnancy.  

660 days

is about how old Kirby is.  I thought I would get creative instead of just saying 22 months.  Looking back on this month, I have had tears of joy and laughter fill my heart.  There have been some unusual challenges with her, but according to my books this is welcoming the wonderful stage that most label "the terrible twos".  I am trying to think of it as the "training twos".  This is such an important time in her life to sit down and teach, mold, and guide; not fight, say no, and put in time out.  Yes, there are times when she gets "in trouble", but for the most part, she didn't know better in the first place so how can I punish her?  Brother Bill Simmons did a really wonderful message on training a child a few years ago.  It was before we were even blessed with a little one, but the message still spoke to me.  We are to show our children the grace of God, while still teaching them right from wrong.  Discipline should start around 18 months; that is when they can understand what you are saying and what is expected (of course small things).  I have seen this very evident in Kirby's life.  When she would first get upset, sit down and through a tantrum I would just completely ignore it and it would only last a few seconds.  Now (if it is a new thing she is upset about) I go over, pick her up and hug her and say, "Kirby, look at mommy (the screaming stops) ... I love you, and the reason I have to say no is ....."  Sometimes she just hugs me/lays her head down and still cries about it, but sometimes I am surprised that is just stops and she can go on about her day.  It isn't that I think she is brilliant, I just think sometimes we don't realize how much they can comprehend at this stage in their life.  It is not easy.  It takes a lot of time.  But if YOU don't do it, who will?  And, if you don't do it now, then when?  When they are 10 ... good luck with that.  They need to respect your authority already.

OK, off my soap box on that ... but that is why I have been MIA lately - it takes a lot more time to be able to fully give your child your attention and guidance, which means the rest of the house/chores wait until she is in bed, which means once she is in bed, I am busy catching up from the rest of the day and my favorite past time gets put on the back burner for the time being.


I am considering putting her in Mother's Day Out this next week.  Get this, I put the deposit down 2 months ago!  It isn't a connection thing that I am going to miss her, it's just that sometimes I feel guilty that I am a stay at home mom and putting her in there.  But I do need the time.  Desperately.  I know it will be great for all of us involved ... it is just taking that first step.  Momma's that do MDO, please leave some feedback for me.

Onto Kirby's latest and greatest (that I can remember right now)
*She is using short sentences instead of just words to communicate.
*She signs and talks at the same time sometimes.
*She has started to be a finicky eater.  She grazes.  Apparently this is true Patrick form.
*Her motor skills crack me up.  She loves to run, jump, skip-hop, dance (she can boogie!) and throw the ball.
*Some of her new favorite words are:
          stuck, Kate (for her cousin Anna Kate), snack, dance, jump, ta-da, wow, yippie, yeehaw (you knew that was coming), again, Sesame Street, Elmo, remote, chair, up, down, wash, mess, trash, tea, Ray Ray, tractor, hay, hey, ouch
*She can count from 1-10.  Sometimes she gets distracted but for the most part can do them all in a row.
*Will tell me the proper colors for orange, green, and white, but no one else.  CR says it is because he spent years making everyone believe he was dumb so she is carrying on the tradition.
*Sometimes when she wakes up I can hear her singing to her bears in her crib.
*Loves to blow on my tummy and make it "toot" - she discovered this all on her own.
*Laughs like crazy when you tickle her.

Kirby shows me God's amazing love, grace, and mercy every single day.  There are already moments I regret for not stopping and embracing the time.  "Less important things can wait" she is teaching me day by day, moment by moment, step by step.

These were all taken by phone, so not the best quality pictures.  See what I mean about taking more time ... I should grab my good camera to freeze these moments.

 Her new way of smiling.  She squints her eyes even more now when we say, "Smile for me!"

 Kyleigh came to visit for VBS for a week - Kirby loved every.single.moment.  

 Our last Cat Baseball game of the season.

She loves water!!!  And yes, we live in the middle of nowhere so when we play outside in the water, she goes diaper less!

"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it."  Proverbs 22:6

21 months

Where in the world has time gone?  21 months.  About 630 days.  In the blink of my eyes.  Moments and memories already flash before my eyes as I see our beautiful little girl smile up at me and say, "my momma".  I can see why people call their children "the apple of my eye".  She has her daddy's little smirk and it is to die for.  There are times when I think, "How are we worthy to have this?"  God loves us so much, that is why.  He wants us to have Heaven on Earth.  Hear it from my lips ... read it from my post ... this place, these moments, our home in Bishop, Texas is my Heaven on Earth.  Nothing could be better than this place.  Except Heaven heaven.  That excites me.

Here are some brags and updates on Kirby lately:

1. She used the potty very well for the first 2 weeks.  2 or 3 stickers on everyday.  Then it just stopped.  She decided no more potty and has been defiant about it.  So we put it away for awhile; I'm hoping that when we bring it back she gets excited about it again.  She has still told me every time before she goes.  It's actually quite humorous.  She says, "Poo - poo" (she says that for both) and I say, "Oh ya?"  She says as she points her finger over towards her bathroom, "go ... go .... hurry".  All the things I read say she is ready psychologically, so now we just have to work at it.  This too shall pass.  
2. She speaks in full sentences.  We have full conversations.  We understand each other completely (most of the time).  After a conversation sometimes I just laugh and think, "did I just have a full convo with my daughter?"  and I fast forward in my mind what our conversations will be like in years to come. 
3. We have to pray every night before she goes to bed.  I always have prayed as she would lay her head on my shoulder.  The last month or so we have been folding our hands and bowing our heads together.  Some nights I think she is too tired so I sing and then just start to pray really quietly; she leans up, tilts her head and looks at me and says, "p-raaaay, p-raaay", so we say our prayers.  She giggles after we list off all of our family and friends.  It's the cutest thing to see her endearment.  Already.  
4. She has started to have tantrums.  Again, already.  This I could do with out.  I mainly ignore them because they seem to not last even 10 seconds if I just leave her alone.  When I try to talk to her or take her mind off of it, it goes on and on.  When it is something that definitely has to be addressed, we talk as soon as she is done fitting.  Where did she learn to sit down on the floor and beat her hands?  Sin ... it's born in us.
5. She can count from 1-10.  She skips 1 often, but I am working on that.  I can start anywhere in between and she will correctly say the next number all the way to 10.  I think her Paw Paw helped with this, too.
6. She can do memory games well.  I am hoping this means she has a good photographic memory like her dad and paw paw.  I don't and have often thought that would be really helpful.  
7. When she sees cow and a calf, she says, "Cow ..... baby cow .... momma ...".
8. Some of her most common phrases:

• It's over there.
• Come here.
• My momma.
• The cows are over there.
• I saw a .... (whatever she saw)
• My tractor.
• Where go (as she turns her hands over and shrugs her shoulders).
• There is my daddy.
• More hot dog (not the food ... the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)

9.  Last week we got the baby channel for free.  I was excited because I knew they had "Hola bebe" and had heard really good things about it and how it teaches children Spanish.  We watched it one afternoon before nap time.  They were working on the work, "Nina".  This being on the same day that she had gone with her daddy to "see the fields" and fallen asleep for about 30 minutes.  Apparently she was not tired and this was what I was hearing from her room: "neeeennn ya ..... neeeeeeen ya ..... neeeeeeeen ya"  for about 20 minutes.  (She has watched it a few more times and is saying "si" and "no" - no isn't a new word to her unfortunately.

10.  She weighs 27 pounds and wears 18-24 month clothes.  Some of her clothes are 2T that she has just started wearing - a little big, but work well.

11.  Is loved so much by her family.  And her friends.  Could not imagine our life without her.

It has been really, really hot outside already.  Not cool (ha, no pun intended) for us who like to be outside all the time.  So we go in the morning as soon as daddy leaves and then we wait and do some more outside time right before I get dinner going.  Today we lived it up - I wanted to get the garage cleaned out, so I pulled out her water sprinkler pool and she was entertained for an entire hour.  Got the entire garage organized, trash and junk moved out, and swept!  We always end the evening with a wagon ride to the front of our driveway to say good night to the cows.  She gets so excited every single time.  I think it's her favorite time of the day.

"All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children."

Isaiah 54:13