A Grateful Heart

Amidst the fullness of life, I find myself drawn to stop, sit and write.

Although I have many things to do today, many fun, little plans for my three Valentine sweethearts, I find that the thing I'm MOST reflective of this Valentine's Day is how full and grateful my heart is.... in light of His deep love and endearing presence God has shown me over and over in the past two-three months.

~~~

Miss Harper:

I look at this little lady who turned 6 months on the 11th and am still in awe of the fact that she is ours.  What a sign of God's blessing she is to us!

This picture captures our current phase with her... the baby food.  Although she is exclusively eating prunes, now three weeks into her food journey (for reasons left unsaid, but ones I'm sure you can figure out) and although MOST days I catch myself wishing we could completely skip this phase and move straight into table foods, she is VERY interested in food, and often makes satisfied noises while eating.  So... my laziness has taken a backseat, and we've jumped headlong into this messy journey.  And amidst the mess, there is such life in watching her develop into a little lady... baby food, mess, constipation and all. :)

She is such a joyful baby... so happy and content just observing and being with the three of us.

~~~

Miss Maddie:

And THIS picture seems to capture our eldest oh so well, don't you agree? :) She is our almost-five-year-old (will turn 5 on March 10), whose spunk, personality, compassion and curiosity grows with each passing day.

I am constantly learning from her.  I find myself so pleasantly surprised each time she cries with others, notices when someone is left out, and loves her friends oh so well.  She truly is a compassionate child, in tune with others and the feelings they have.  Wow.  Sometimes she blows me away with the things she says and does.

And of course, as most ALL 5 year olds, we have full doses of extreme silliness and spunkiness each day.  And that too, I am learning to fully embrace.  God shows me over and over what he means when he says to "become like a child."  In Maddie, I am reminded to stop. enjoy. cease. forget about the "to do list" and just love life.

~~~

And of course, when I find myself full of thanks for these two, I find myself equally full of thanks for my lover, best friend and father of both of these beauties.

Brad:

Oh... so many things I am thankful for in him this year!

Our home feels so peaceful due to his demeanor and manner in approaching life.  He has such a gentle, fun-loving, not afraid to joke around and play hard approach with the girls that I love.  They clearly adore him.  I love watching Harper's face light up in the evenings when he comes home, and the way Maddie runs to greet him, anxious for him to take her off on an "adventure" in their imaginative play.

Somehow, without saying a word, he seems to draw the best out of me.  There's something about him that makes me want to do well; create peace; and love one another, our girls, family, friends and others passionately.

His love and hunger for God and seeing the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives acknowledged each and every moment of every day is refreshing and challenging at the same time.  I am so thankful for both aspects.

His loyalty to me and the amazing journey we've been on so far... with our ten-year anniversary coming up this year, I am soooo thankful for this man by my side and for the fact that God knew us both so well and knew the way we would partner and parent and approach life together.  Each year, I find we make more and more sense together.  And in that, I find comfort and peace.

To you three, my lovely Valentines, my heart is so grateful.  I love you.