Joanna had to get some shots this week, as you can see by the band aids on her legs. We are doing a delayed shot schedule so Joanna has been going every month for one or two shots as opposed to receiving 4 shots at one visit. I am not anti-vaccine-- I believe they are very important for babies. I also want our children to be able to travel the world and possibly live overseas with us some day. So vaccines are critical to their health. However, I've chosen not to give her any of the combination shots and to spread them out more than usual, so as to not overload her little body. Polio and other disesases have been eradicated in our country (because of vaccines) but they are still prevalent in many other countries, including nations where Sean and I could potentially see ourselves living or visiting some day.
Joey and Gia actually both got shots at the same appointment, and let me tell you-- that was a mistake. Gia had some pretty traumatic hospital experiences when she was younger and she is terrified of/obsessed with the doctor. I thought we had prepared her pretty well for this appointment, as we constantly watch Daniel Tiger and Doc McStuffins. She even said she was going to be brave then tell Joey to be brave. But when it came down to it, the whole ordeal was a mess. She got hysterical and I had to hold her down with all my might, she started crying so much she almost puked, it was just awful. Sean is most definitely coming with us to the next shot appointment. Joanna handled them like a champ. She cried for a few minutes then slept for 4 days!
I am incredibly behind on adding pictures to our blog. So the next few posts will just be the pics... as I can't remember what happened each week. I've taken pics but not much else than that. Anyone have a great method of recording their baby's milestones? A big calendar? Journaling? Notes in your phone?
I recently had the chance to review a childrens' story book Bible. Its called "My Bedtime Story Bible" from Zondervan Publishing. With a toddler who is always curious and loves to hear new BIble stories, I am always on the lookout for the best toddler-geared book of Bible stories. Sadly, this book is not going to be making my list of must-reads for young kids. The summary from the publisher says,
However, this book does not live up to that summary. In my opinion, it doesn't even come close. Each short two-page story is beautifully illustrated, I will give it that due credit. But as for telling the Biblical stories or addressing the truths of the scripture, that just is not in this book. I understand the angle of a "nighttime" book where the story focuses on fictional evening events of Biblical characters, but it should not be presented as a "Bible." Very few of the short stories in this book have any Biblical basis beyond the basic setting. For instance, the writers simply talk about Noah saying good-night to all the animals aboard the ark, and falling asleep to the gentle rocking of the boat. I had a myriad of issues with this fabricated story, the greatest of which is that it misses a prime opportunity to talk about God and his loving mercy. Too much of this book is a figment of the writers' imagination, which ordinarily would be ok, if it were not marketed under the guise of a "Bible" for kids. All that being said, I did take the opportunity to further flesh out each Bible story with my toddler, talking about God and where Jesus fits into all of it. Each story has a suggested "tuck in" activity or prayer that I thought was cute. But overall, if you are looking for a Bible for your young children that will bring them the truth of the Gospel, sadly this one is not it.
was given a copy of this book by BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
A couple of people have asked us lately where we got the adorable hair bows that our girls have been wearing. I thought I'd do a quick blog post about Lu Chic Accessories. My friend in Canada makes these beautiful bows of all shapes, colors and sizes-- we LOVE them! Lu Chic has pretty much any color imaginable, as well as many character bows as well. Just this week, we got a new Frozen bow in the mail... Gia wore it to a doctor appointment this week and said it helped her be brave. :) I'm not sure I can testify to the bows' magical powers of courage, but they sure do look cute. Here's Gia in her Frozen bow:
As you can see, at almost 3 years old, Gia still doesn't have very much hair. Its often a challenge to find any kind of clip bow that will stay in place. We've had no trouble with our Lu Chic bows staying in place... they always do, even with her fine, wispy hair!
Joanna got in on the bow action a few days ago when we had lunch at La Ra. I love the anitqued colors in this headband/bow combination:
Another one of my favorite bows from Lu Chic Accessories is this reindeer clip Gia wore at Christmastime. I don't know if you can see it very well in this picture, but it is absolutely adorable.
PS- Not paid for this post, we just love our bows!
I can tell a book is going to be really good when I've highlighted nearly the entire introductory chapter. If you follow me on Instagram, you also know that I was one of those annoying people who occasionally posted pictures of highlighted portions of this book as I was reading it. But really, I couldn't help myself. This book is too good not share with everyone I know.
I've never read a book or Bible study by Jennie Allen before; she was a new name to me. I quickly felt like she was a dear friend who cared deeply about helping me couple my passions with God's plan. In the beginning, Jennie writes about a call to dream. She puts forth the idea that everything in our lives- even the most seemingly boring element (like our location, vocation or situation) of our lives could be part of a greater purpose. She writes, "This is a book about God. And this is a book about us and God. And this is a book about the moment we close our eyes and see God. This is a book about facing the God of the universe and answering to him about the life and resources he gives us while we are here.... This is a book about changing the world and changing diapers." (pg. 5)
That last line caught me off guard... changing the world and changing diapers. While this book is not solely about motherhood (its applicable to all seasons of life, young and old), it has helped me to see that even though much of my time is spent caring for my littles, that is no excuse to check out from my calling to be a Kingdom Worker. In this most recent season of motherhood, I've struggled to find a purpose outside my family. Not that I think there has to be a purpose outside my family-- that is the most important ministry my husband and I have-- but as Jennie describes so beautifully throughout this book, there is a restlessness in my heart for more.
Restless is broken down into 3 parts: The Call, The Threads and Living on Purpose. Loosely examining the life of Joseph, Jennie takes each reader on a person journey of self-discovery and gives simple, concise steps on how to apply that awareness to a Heavenly use. I say she loosely examines the life of Joseph because I was honestly expecting a bit more exegesis on the life of Joseph. Joseph is one of the stories of the Bible that has facilitated the most profound breakthroughs in my personal life, so I was hoping for a bit more depth in this area, but it was all still solid teaching- even if it didn't go quite as deep as I'd hoped it would.
Each section has in-depth journal prompts that help to weave together the people and places of your life in hopes of finding a clearer path to your purpose. I read and journaled through this book on my own, but think it would be highly beneficial done as a group (which is strongly encouraged by Jennie). She also weaves stories of her own friends, and their journeys of discovery as they worked through this Restless Project. She writes, "What if the darkest moments of your life god intended for good: And what if the purest moments of bliss contained your greatest contributions to this world? God speaks through story because that is how we best understand the most important things." (pg 91) Whether you are restless and searching for purpose in your life, or you have a clear idea of what God has called you to, this book is a great tool that would benefit any Christian. It is one of the most personally challenging books I have read lately, with a call to action that can't easily be overlooked or breezed through. Get your highlighter ready and read Restless Because You Were Made for More!
I received this book from BookLook Bloggers for review. However, all opinions are my own.
Happy St. Patrick's Day! I had some fun ideas for St. Patty's day things to do with Gia, but didn't really get around to working them all out. But I did get these fun shirts made for the girls (see pic below)! Shortly after I took the pics, though, Joanna had a blow out and ruined her. Glad I took the photos as soon as I got them dressed this morning! As you may be able to tell by the light in the pictures, it is another dreary, gray, cold, ugly Indiana day. I'm getting pretty weary of this! But, there were a few days of sunshine this past week. In fact, Tuesday was so nice that we all got out to a nearby state park for some hiking and campground site scouting. Gia loved mucking around in the mud and puddles. I made a rookie mom mistake-- no change of clothing for either girl! Gia had to ride home in just her diaper, but it was 65 degrees outside and she didn't seem to mind. It was so nice to get some fresh air! Joanna experienced her first time at the Children's Museum this week, too. It was definitely tough with two kids... I feel like poor Gia didn't get to do as much there as she wanted to/normall does because I had to keep stopping to nurse Joey or change her diaper or something. Next time we go I'll definitely need a wing man to hang out with Gia when I need to tend to Joey. Also this week, Joey has gotten much better at reaching for toys and actually grabbing them for brief moments of time! She's been a bit fussy this week (and by fussy, I mean crying a little, which is more than usual but she's still such a great baby!) but I think its because she's in one of those infamous "wonder weeks" where lots of change and growth is taking place. We still don't have a great schedule, except for our nighttime routine. I'd really like to get a better routine going through out the day for her naps and stuff, but so far, no dice. We tried Gia in a big girl bed but she wasn't too thrilled so we let her get back in her crib. I'd really like to move Joey out of our room since she's sleeping 8-10 hours straight at night. But, we need the crib in order to do that! Gia's also been wanting to use the potty a lot more this week... that's a good thing except we'd finally decided to wait until we get back from a trip to Phoenix next month before we get hard core about potty boot camp. We may not have that luxury! We shall see....
