My favorite stage thus far...

(From Derek) I'm really enjoying this 10-month age. Karis is now walking. She's very expressive. She has great facial expressions and she makes animated movements and gestures similar to us. She kinda waves. She bounces with excitement while holding onto us. She likes falling into me. She has an intoxicating two-tooth smile.

She's not an expert walker yet... far from it. She can take 3-4 steps... she can stop and restart. She uses objects and stepping stones to get to things (more about this in a bit). She's still an extremely quick crawler. If there were races, I'd enter her in a heartbeat. But she is walking nonetheless. And she did it while Grandma Robinson was visiting. Yay!

She's very intelligent. She observes like a hawk not missing even a single small detail. She picks up quickly on how her parents close the baby gate, where we place the keys, etc. She's very persistent (read: "doesn't understand 'no'"). She's quite determined.

I love my daughter.

Oh, yes, I almost forgot. She has a green thumb. She really likes plants. I caught her on her tippy toes examining a plant leaf up close... too close.











































She had dirt in her ears, on her face, in her mouth, down her diaper, on her eyelids... oh it was a sight!

And I remember the days when she despised being in her carseat. Crying nearly as soon as we set her in it. But, now, she voluntarily crawls into it to play. Go figure!

some random stuff from Derek

Food
I am on a kick for a few certain foods lately.

• Asian pears... cannot get enough of them. I remember selling them at the Jewel grocery store back in 1987. I thought they were so foreign. They were expensive. And they had their own special protective sleeve. If I had only given them a taste back then....
• Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Mini Pretzels are hard to resist. I love the touch of salt flavor. Typically, not a fan of salt. Tried to cut it out of diet. But with these chocolate covered pretzels, yummy!
• Double chocolate Milano cookies dipped in coffee. They're great solo... but dipping them in coffee takes it to the next level.

Thoughts on Karis
I had a revelation last Friday. I've been watching Karis on my non-working weekday for quite some time so I'm surprised that I haven't realized this sooner. I find myself getting a bit frustrated with her exploratory nature. Yes, I have to appreciate the fact that kids do that. It's part of their learning process. But if she's getting into things she shouldn't, I realized that I could be sitting on the floor with her interacting with a toy, book, etc.

Granted, I do that. But I can do a lot more of it. I can remove any intentions or thoughts I have of my agenda for the day trying to squeeze this or that in. I need to focus just on Karis. So, this Friday I'm hoping for far less frustration and far more productivity with her.

Life
Our church is doing a 8-week series on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). It is subtitled "Life's Healing Choices" and compliments the book of the same name by Pastor John Baker. It basically explains how we all have hurts, habits, and hang ups and how we can learn to free ourselves of them from what is taught in the Beatitudes. I like the content so far, but what really makes the difference is doing a study WITH OTHERS.

We cannot simply listen to weekend messages and expect our lives to change. We cannot simply read books and expect our lives to change. We have to play an active part. We need to get out of isolation. We need to be strong and courageous and "expose" ourselves in the safety of other trusted individuals. If you don't have other trusted individuals in your life, then it's likely your hurts, habits, or hang ups are preventing you. Take a risk. If you truly want to change, it will require a risk on your part. I strongly encourage you to seek people with whom you can be authentic and vulnerable. When we are weak, He is strong!

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

Life is not meant to be lived in isolation and fear. Get the book, get the study guide, gather some friends, and start the healing process. I am so thankful that I've taken risks to be vulnerable and shared my weaknesses. Ah, the freedom.