{where's waldo? err...i mean, amelia?}

Delaney decided that she wanted to wrap a {gift} for her mama.

Do you see her? How cute is that?!?

Delaney's two favorite christmas gifts are:
her {tutu} and {flashlight}.

And in other news, Amelia had her first taste of {cereal}. She was a much bigger fan then Delaney ever was!
{Amelia, Dec. 2008}{Delaney Feb. 2007}{Happy New Year!}

{fixed}

{oops!} the video on my previous post didn't upload right....it's {viewable} now. so go enjoy the cuteness!

{We'll just call her Christopher Columbus!}

Amelia is just growing and changing so much everyday!

Today she's {discovered}both her {screech } and her {hands}. i love how in the video below in the midst of her screeching she notices her hands and just stops to stare for a moment.

so much fun! what a sweet baby girl i have.

{a noble career}

{there is no nobler career than that of motherhood at it's best. there are no possibilities greater, and in no other sphere does failure bring more serious penalties. with what diligence then should she prepare herself for such a task. if the mechanic who is to work with "things" must study at technical school, if the doctor into whose skilled hands will be entrusted human lives, must go through medical school...how much more should the mother who is fashioning the souls of the men and women of tomorrow, learn at the highest of all schools and from the Master-Sculptor Himself, God. to attempt this task, unprepared and untrained is tragic, and it's results affect generations to come. on the other hand there is not higher height to which humanity can attain than that occupied by a converted, heaven-inspired, praying mother.}{anonymous}

i was sharing recently with a friend, how i have been struggling recently as a mom. i feel like i have been daily failing my precious daughter, delaney. i more often then not choose my own selfishness over what is best for my child. often, instead of dealing with the heart issuse and choosing the course of righteousness, i remain in my laziness and sit her in front of cinderella. when i do choose to spend time training her, i speak to her about her choices being foolish and harmful. recently, i've realized that i need to recognize that by choosing to mother the way i have been, i am making choices that are {foolish and harmful}. when i stop and think about the heaviness that is involved in being a mother, it catches my breath. these are {eternal} souls that i am fashioning.

i started going through the notes from a motherhood seminar that i went to when delaney was just a few months old, and God has used this to refresh my spirit. i came across the passage above.


"there are no possibilities greater, and in no other sphere does failure bring more {serious} penalties." like death. spiritual death. this IS serious. i need to be on my knees, daily, sometimes hourly, praying. praying for my childrens' eternal souls. praying for myself as a mother, and for conviction and diligence in that God given role. "to attempt this task, unprepared and untrained is {tragic}, and it's results affect {generations to come}." how i choose to mother my children, will affect how they choose to mother theirs. that's big. i want my children to be able to take my example and apply it to their own kids, not have to consciously choose to train them differently then they were trained.

so, though this seems maybe like a downer post....really i am uplifted. i am thankful for this {exhortation} from God. i am thankful that God has made this heavy on my heart. it needs to be. always. and i want to encourage the mom's reading this post too! there is {no nobler career} than that of motherhood at it's best! let's get to mothering at our best. let's prepare ourselves and learn from the Master-Sculptor Himself. let's be on our knees, and allow our children to see us on our knees.

being a mom is not something that we can do, or should attempt to do on our own. but i praise our Father for His sovereignty. He is not out of control, He knows my needs, and He will meet them whilst teaching me to meet the needs of my children.