Growing Up So Fast

I am amazed at how fast Karis is growing.  Clothes she was wearing last week no longer fit her.  I feel like I'm constantly putting away clothes she has outgrown and washing the bigger stuff for her to wear.  

She has been learning lots of new skills.  She has learned to roll over from her stomach to her back.  She is grabbing things and putting everything in her mouth.  She now has pretty good neck control and she is currently working on sitting up.  Below is a photo of her right before she tumbled forward.  

She is so much fun at this age.  She's such a happy baby who never fails to flash a smile, regardless of how tired she is.   

A Much Needed Day at Home

Karis has been busy the last few days.  She went to church on Sunday.  Our church is growing fast and there are many babies in the nursery. Unfortunately, some don't enjoy their time there.  With unhappy babies, Karis was not able to take any sort of nap.  After church, she hung out with her daddy during one of his meetings and then went to a scrapbooking party (with her mom) where she finally got a long overdue nap.

On Monday, she spent the day with her five cousins.  She loves sitting on the couch, watching all the action and getting hugs and kisses from them.  This week, Karis went to her babysitter on Tuesday instead of Thursday.  She loves going there and spending the day with three other young children.  Again, lots of action!

So, today with a tired mommy from working a couple of back-to-back days in the office, Karis stayed home and we focused on getting some good naps.  The weather was nice so she played a little outside in her exersaucer.  She's still a little small for it as her feet don't reach the bottom (without a folded blanket) nor is she able to turn herself around.  But she does enjoy the things in front of her and we help her turn to get to the other toys.  Here are a few photos of her playing.

Life reminder...

As I was putting Karis down for a nap this morning, I was reminded of this truth of life:

"There are times when pain necessarily precedes the pleasure."

For Karis, I'm sure the pain was thinking that she would be losing perceived volumes of time with her fabulous dad (or maybe the simple reaction to doing something she didn't think she needed). But, oh the pleasure of napping! [She even chuckled twice at the onset of her nap.]

For us, this truth hits in many different ways... challenging seminary classes before degree; sad news of an illness and needed surgery before healing; hard and many physical workouts before improved body results; tougher food choices before the body feels better; hearing difficult truth in love before acknowledgment, acceptance, and repentance in our actions....

Does this ring true in the least bit for you?

Karis' First Trip to the Beach

Derek and I enjoyed a day off together by taking Karis to Dana Point.  It was a beautiful day.  We let Karis dip her toes in the sand and get her feet wet. Surprisingly, we kept her from eating any sand (so we think!).  We hope to take many more trips to the beach together. 

Excited to get to the beach

Dressed in her beach gear ... or is it her rice picking outfit?

First time toes are in the sand

Waiting for the water

mmmm, sand!

Us

Thanks Dad for taking us to the beach!

Happy Easter!

We had a busy but great weekend celebrating Easter.  We read Karis the story of Jesus' death and resurrection from her Bible.  We can't wait for the day when she understands the reason we celebrate.  For now, it's the day she put on a dress and spent a long day at church!  

Derek was busy serving at our four Easter services, starting Saturday night.  I made some desserts and then joined him Sunday afternoon at church for a staff lunch.  We attended the service afterwards and then ended the day with a nice dinner at my sister's house.  

The Doctor Was Wrong

Karis had her 4-month doctor appointment today.  The appointment was to check on her overall wellness, to answer any parent questions, and at the end to get some follow-up vaccinations.
The doctor was examining her and looked at her legs.  He grasped her thighs and said, "Well... she may not even feel the shots."  I was hoping there was truth to that.  Check out her thighs:Unfortunately, he was WRONG.  Boy did she feel them!  It was so sad to see her start to wail after the first one and then for the nurse to stick her with two more.  She definitely felt them more than she did with the ones at her 2-month appointment.  Poor thing has one more round of vaccinations in two months.  

I fed her when we got home and then put her to bed early.  I hope she'll feel better in the morning.

Karis' Favorite Things

HER CRIB BLANKET - it usually hangs on the outside of her crib. she loves to look at it in the wee hours of the morning while being burped. she often smiles back at the animals.







HER ROCKER - she loves to look at the bugs. she'll often "talk" to them. sometimes their conversation gets a little heated and we have to separate them.

HER COUSINS' FACES - she enjoys studying their faces on the refridgerator door. we are teaching her all their names. sadly, she hasn't yet met all of them in person.

HER CHANGING PAD - she lays there and looks at the book or the light reflection on the wall. after her diaper is changed, we'll sometimes leave her there since she is so content.

THE BABY BJORN - she loves being outside so we often go for walks. most of the time she falls asleep before we even get out of the apartment complex and onto the trail. she also enjoys taking in all the sights at target or the grocery store.

another first... but for Dad this time

There are many Mommy varieties of these...

I have seen so many of the Mommy varieties with my own eyes...

In fact, I had seen only Mommy varieties...

I had seen so many of the Mommy ones that I didn't think the Daddy version even existed...

And now that I've seen one of them...

I wouldn't sell it on eBay even if it was the only one in existence.