Hi there,
Let me start by wishing you a Happy New Year full of blessings!
As we get older, we have more and more friends who have babies. It seems that any given month we have at least 3-4 friends giving birth. This past month was no different! :) It is so neat to see how the families of our beloved ones grow.
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| Emma Tóth |
One of my very close friends from High School, Fáni, gave birth to their first child, Emma. She is already a cutie pie! While I wasn't able to be there with her in person, her and some of our other friends kept me updated throughout her labor and so I felt I was actually there. We are so excited for her and her husband as they get to know Emma better and enjoy the blessing she is. We cannot wait to see them in a few months!
Now that we have two kids, I firmly believe that any mom with three or more kids is a superwoman! Sometimes having only one felt like we had 4. And with Haley, it more than doubled. Raising kids "well" is not easy.
Being a mom made me realize how wretched I am. I am very impatient with Amy, even though I was always so patient with other kids. I raise my voice at her way too many times, and I never did that with other children. I don't know how many times a day I have to tell her how sorry I am and how wrong I was and ask for her forgiveness! It is humbling to see what is really inside of me. Not very pretty. And I didn't even know this was in me until I had kids.
On the other hand, I love my kids, and I know they do, too. I would give anything for them. They make Chris' and my life so very happy. I am thankful for an amazing, loving husband and great kids!
Chris and I will celebrate our 5th anniversary in a few months, and we are so excited to celebrate many-many more. It is amazing how much two imperfect people can love each other. I believe a happy marriage is a great foundation for a happy family. I can't imagine raising kids any other way.
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| Amy can put together this 100 piece puzzle by herself! She does it in one sitting, too! |
Talking about kids... :) Haley is growing so fast! She clearly knows what's going on around her, and loves to explore, observe everything around her. She can spend several minutes in front of a mirror just watching herself so attentively. One of her favorite things is to pick up a toy and just put it in one hand and then the other (of course it ends up in her mouth each time, though). She loves Amy and enjoys "playing" with her. And as much as she needs me to be there with her all the time, she is completely and utterly in love with Chris. :D
She is still a very smiley baby, and she loves to laugh. I don't even have to make her laugh, she just wants to laugh. And boy she can laugh for so long! :)
This year, our church has a Bible Reading competition. The congregation is divided into three groups (each led by an elder), and we are challenged to read through the Bible in a year. There are prices for the group that read the most in a given time period.
I use the Olive Tree (Bible +) Bible Study App (https://www.olivetree.com/) as a tool. You can create different reading plans and it helps you keep track of what you read. I used this app last year as well and am very satisfied with it. Oh, and it's free. :)
I encourage you to have a Bible Reading plan as well. You may want to read through the Bible in 6 months, a year, two years, or even 5 years. It is up to you. But having a plan helps you (at least if you are anything like me) stay on track. I personally prefer reading a whole book in a day or two, because it gives me a better understanding of what the writer wanted to say. But of course a lot depends on how busy my day is. :)
Do you have any goals for this year? Anything you want to try, start, or learn? Anything you want to achieve? Don't let this year be wasted! Do something that matters! :)
