Monday, October 1, 2012

Our Girls

As I have said countless times...we are incredibly blessed.  We have a beautiful family.  We have two beautiful girls...and after 8 years of marriage, Jonathan and I still like each other!  Ha!  Being honest (and human), there are times when I think things might be better "if only"..."if only my house were cleaner...if only the kitchen were bigger...if only we lived in Alabama...if only I could stay home...if only, if only, if only."  But I know in my head and my heart that these are THE BEST days right now, where we are...with the galley kitchen and the messy house...with the constant loads of laundry and the countless dishes in the sink.  I'm thankful for the roof over our head, even if I'm not in love with our house.  I'm thankful for that we have an abundance of clothes to cover us and keep us comfortable, even if that means the laundry will never end.  I'm thankful for the dishes in the sink (and the paper plates in the trash can) because that means that we aren't going hungry.  And I'm thankful to be right where I am in Waco, Texas because I know this is where God has us right now to grow as a family...and learn to be more thankful.  I'm thankful for a husband who loves me even during my most unlovable times.  Boy am I thankful for him!  I am thankful God knew exactly what I needed when He put us in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  God always knows what I need...even when I think He doesn't.

And boy am I thankful for our precious little girls.  Whew.  God knew exactly what we needed when He placed them in our lives.

Hallie is so spunky, independent, opinionated...and right now thinks she's the boss. While she is crazy about Harper, she is also learning to adjust to having a baby around.  And I believe she's trying to have me committed during her adjustment period...so she can be the boss.  Ha!  Seriously, it's an adjustment for her.  And that means it's an adjustment for us.  I need to be more patient.  More loving.  More understanding.  Her little "Hallie World" has been rocked to the core with the welcoming of Harper.  And she has had a lot of changes in the past couple of months...a new baby, starting kindergarten, Mommy staying home with Harper.  Hallie is counting down the days until I go back to work...she is SO excited about me being at school with her.  I'm thrilled to know that I'll get that time with her; simply being in the same place...bumping into her on occasion. And I know her comfort level will rise greatly.  But, I'm not thrilled about going back to work.  Ha.  Two more weeks.  With that said, Hallie is thriving in kindergarten and absolutely loves it.

Harper is so precious.  Babies are just sweet.  And snuggly.  And boy is she snuggly.  Talking about adjusting.  We have had to adjust to having two blessings vying for our attention.  And as the saying goes "the squeaky wheel gets the grease", in our case, the crying baby gets the attention.  I'm guessing that our future is going to hold a lot of drama. :o)  Throughout my pregnancy, I prayed for an easy baby.  Hallie was not the easiest of babies...until about 3 months.  I'm not sure if Hallie cried as often as Harper does, but I'm betting she did and I just forgot.  Otherwise there probably wouldn't be a Harper. :o)  While Harper isn't a super easy baby, she's also not a super hard baby either.  She is very sweet.  The morning time with her is my absolute favorite...especially now that she is becoming more interactive.  If she is hungry or uncomfortable, she lets you know.  Loudly. :o)  Already taking after her big sister!  Ha!  But her sweet smiles (which she is starting to offer more frequently) and her precious coos and little noises completely make me fall in love with her over and over again.  She has had some tummy troubles, so we have had to try to adjust to that with trial and error involving my diet and nursing.  Either we are on the upside of Harper simply adjusting to life outside the womb or we're beginning to figure out what I can and cannot eat (dairy is a no-no).

Hallie and Harper.  Harper and Hallie.  Hx2.  Goodness gracious, I love those two girls.  I am so eager to see how they are going to be alike and how they are going to be different.  So far Hallie loves wearing bows and Harper hates them.  Ha!  They look very much alike...Harper's cheeks are a little fluffier than Hallie's were.  And Harper has blue eyes to Hallie's brown.  And it seems that Harper has a little more hair than Hallie at this age.  Regardless of their similarities and differences, they are my babies.  Blessings.  My loves.

Love these two.

Harper got in on the bedtime reading!





Harper got her first Nonna box...and slept right through it!

 First bath!



Hallie being a little mommy.

Reading to her baby.

Love her!

Sweet.

Baby Legs

Love these three!


Sweet baby girl.


Love.

Blessed.



1 comment:

Courtney said...

Love this, Kendra! Couldn't agree more about these being the "best days." Josh and I remind each other of that a lot! Despite the chaos, the sleepless nights, the endless piles of laundry, wishing for a bigger house, and just plain difficult circumstances in life...these really ARE the days we will look back on and regret how quickly they passed by. Because we know that, in a flash, our little blessings will be all grown up. "They won't be little this this forever!" is a common saying in our house. We remind ourselves each day to look past our current circumstances and soak up every moment with them now.