To all of you, five or so, faithful members of the Joy In Our Journey fan club, I will begin by apologizing for my lack of updating this blog. To be honest, the latest news will be to most of you, I imagine, will be kind of, well, boring. Anyway, the big Childs news is that Andrew has been making steps toward becoming a young man this past week. He has almost mastered the fine art and skill of using the lavatory... or as he understands, the potty. I know at this point, I have probably lost most of you, bringing down our number of fans to maybe 2. Just hang in there with me for a minute, while I attempt to, as faithfully as I can~ with sentiment, explain why this has been such a big deal.
Apparently, learning successful ways to appropriately handle this need and necessity of ours to... well... use the potty is something whole books, websites, and parenting classes are focused on. I had no idea why... until now. From toddler (or sometimes baby) boot camp to "Oh, he will learn before he is twelve, so don't worry" opinions, come a plethora of advise for training. I will spare you the details of our specific journey, but will say that after four days, things are looking hopeful. I have acquired a new position in my home, one that doesn't hit far from past experience, the potty cheerleader. Thanks to grandparents, I do not hold this position alone (Thanks Mimi and Nana!!!). This has been pretty consuming the last few days, and I am sure it will continue to be for a while. In the life of our young Andrew, this change has been drastic and life-altering. He now has a major responsibility~ one he has to perform on his own. One more step toward independence... and leaving. Maybe mellow-dramatic for you, but for me the implications are all too real. I train, teach, and cheer for him to get it and move toward being a big boy, and then a man; responsible and socially acceptable. The hard part for me is that I like him being dependent on me. I have seen how quickly children grow. But what honors God is that I prepare him for independence- and at the same time dependence on his Creator... the One who designed all the growing up in the first place.
Our sweet Elijah is doing great. He is so sweet and can be talked into almost anything easily- which is a good thing for a three month old. He loves to smile and laugh. He has his brothers heart. Andrew can't wait until he is old enough to wrestle. It is amazing how quickly he has changed.
In contrast- I am taking Greek class for Seminary wives on Thursday nights. I am not sure how these two things have entered my life at the same time, but I find it interesting and quite humorous anyway.
Last, but most certainly not least, Micah is almost finished with his fall semester. He has been taking a class challenging him to be more spiritually disciplined and a class on developmental psychology. Both so profitable, they have offered he and I many topics of conversation as he attempts to reconnect me with the outside world at the end of the day. We will be celebrating the 13th anniversary of the day we met in a few months, and I am so thankful for his friendship and devotion. I give God the glory for sustaining us this long, and pray we have much time to go.
Apparently, learning successful ways to appropriately handle this need and necessity of ours to... well... use the potty is something whole books, websites, and parenting classes are focused on. I had no idea why... until now. From toddler (or sometimes baby) boot camp to "Oh, he will learn before he is twelve, so don't worry" opinions, come a plethora of advise for training. I will spare you the details of our specific journey, but will say that after four days, things are looking hopeful. I have acquired a new position in my home, one that doesn't hit far from past experience, the potty cheerleader. Thanks to grandparents, I do not hold this position alone (Thanks Mimi and Nana!!!). This has been pretty consuming the last few days, and I am sure it will continue to be for a while. In the life of our young Andrew, this change has been drastic and life-altering. He now has a major responsibility~ one he has to perform on his own. One more step toward independence... and leaving. Maybe mellow-dramatic for you, but for me the implications are all too real. I train, teach, and cheer for him to get it and move toward being a big boy, and then a man; responsible and socially acceptable. The hard part for me is that I like him being dependent on me. I have seen how quickly children grow. But what honors God is that I prepare him for independence- and at the same time dependence on his Creator... the One who designed all the growing up in the first place.
Our sweet Elijah is doing great. He is so sweet and can be talked into almost anything easily- which is a good thing for a three month old. He loves to smile and laugh. He has his brothers heart. Andrew can't wait until he is old enough to wrestle. It is amazing how quickly he has changed.
In contrast- I am taking Greek class for Seminary wives on Thursday nights. I am not sure how these two things have entered my life at the same time, but I find it interesting and quite humorous anyway.
Last, but most certainly not least, Micah is almost finished with his fall semester. He has been taking a class challenging him to be more spiritually disciplined and a class on developmental psychology. Both so profitable, they have offered he and I many topics of conversation as he attempts to reconnect me with the outside world at the end of the day. We will be celebrating the 13th anniversary of the day we met in a few months, and I am so thankful for his friendship and devotion. I give God the glory for sustaining us this long, and pray we have much time to go.
