Family Updates

1.  Eliza has been a full-time potty girl for almost 3 months.  She was a breeze to potty train.   I am giving myself absolutely no credit on it at all.  She was begging to wear panties, telling her Sunday School teacher that she needed to use the potty, and I kept putting her off.  I guess I was just dreading the running to the potty deal a million times a day.  On day 1 she told me she needed to poop and she wanted me to go out of the room, sure enough she did.  I even told her that surely she was done and she kept insisting that she had more poops.  I got her off and clean and she ran back jumped on and finished her business.  That is when I knew the second time around was going to be much easier than the first.  No little potty or seat for her.  I learned the first time that it is too much mess to clean. She has done super using the big potty and I am so proud of her!

2.  Eliza also said good-bye to her sassy(paci) in January!  If there was anything I was dreading it was this!  I put it off for way longer than I should have, but life just kept happening (broken arm, cold, Christmas, traveling, etc).   I prepared her a few days before and we said we were going to send them to her new baby girl cousins because they were little and had no teeth.  She cried for about 10 minutes the first night saying that she could have a sassy at bedtime.  I stood strong and once we got past that first night there was no turning back.  Needless to say, these were two of my big hurdles to jump with her this year and I am thankful to have them done.  Honestly, I am still a bit sad that she is getting so big.

I think Eliza looks a lot like my sister Joy in this picture.

3.  Ella is staying busy being being Ella.  She is loving bike rides and going to the neighborhood park.  She is a great big sister to Eli and he loves her!  In fact, he will laugh at her more than anyone else.  She loves to act silly to get him laughing.  She also loved the Upwards season at church this year.  She was not yet old enough to play or cheer, but was given an extra uniform.  She was determined that she was on a team and would ask us weekly what time her coach needed to be there.  It was all we can do to keep her in the stands. She has been working hard on coloring, writing letters and a few words.   She continues to be full of life, drama, and love.

She dresses up daily in some fancy fashion!

Their favorite after nap activity!

Eliza prefers for daddy to push her bike! 

3.  Our church voted in January to bring Kevin on part-time as a bi-vocational staff member.  He is now the associate pastor of Sunday School and Small Groups...with an emphasis on marriage and family.  This was a blessing to our family as he is getting lots of good experience while finishing seminary.  He is staying BUSY working at church and doing side work whenever he is not at work.  We are thankful that the Lord continues to provide and bless even though on paper it seems a little crazy!

4.  Speaking of Kevin...he is down to his final year (8 more months to be exact) of school.  He is set to graduate (unless something unforeseen happens) with his Masters of Divinity with an emphasis on pastoral ministry this December.  You just do not know how thankful I will be for that day.  It has been a long process with a lot of studying and a lot of letting him study, and I am so thankful to see the end in sight.  Now, if he speaks of a doctorate...I may kill him!

5. I am teaching a small group on Wednesday night.  It is The Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shirer. It is stretching me each week and I tell the Lord if he doesn't help me it will be a total flop.  Depending on the Lord is good....and hard.

6.  Eli is the sweetest little chub.  I posted these on facebook the other day but they are too cute to not make the blog too.