More Big News

(This is a re-post. We had to take it down after originally posting because Lee's transfer had not been officially announced to his group at Exxon. So, a heads up to those reading it for a second time; it's still the same information.)

We Fithians will soon be able to call ourselves....Ft Worthians? Ft Worthites? Metroplexicans? I don't know what they call themselves up there, but we'll be one of them.

ExxonMobil has transferred Lee to Ft Worth, and we have about 1-2 months to get ready for a move. So exciting! 2012 is going to be a year of big changes for us...the biggest one is that I will probably have to become organized to keep everything straight.

We're really going to miss everything we have here in Spring; especially grandmas within 40 minute drives and friendships that we have developed over the past 5 years. Well, there are also things we won't miss, like our next door neighbor's dog. But that situation really could be worse than it is.

So, we're looking forward to something new. Good times.

Good effort, poor execution

So, I'm sitting in my closet putting on shoes when Kara runs in and tells me she has to go potty. Mind you, we still haven't started potty training. So, I tell her thank you for telling me, and she runs off and I hear a splash.

I jump up, and find her fully clothed with her bottom in the toilet, hanging on to the rim with all she's got.

She seemed uncomfortable, but not terribly distressed. So I ran and got the camera.

Plus One

As a couple of sweet friends (Janet & Guy) told us....it isn't official until it's virtual. So, here is the official announcement:

We are pregnant!

We went to our first Ob/Gyn appointment today, and everything looks normal. The baby is 8 weeks along, normal size, and normal heart rate. It looks just like Kara did at that age. Imagine that! It was truly exciting to see the little bean just resting there, and the doctor had very few comments. We find less is better.

I have been feeling tired and nauseated for the past couple of weeks, but I think that is starting to pass. Lee has been so great about taking care of the house, and Kara has become very good at telling Mommy to "Wake UP!" each time I close my eyes to rest. Which happens more than I would like, but hopefully I'll keep feeling better, and we can get back to our routines.

We have told Kara that Mommy is growing a baby. This news has had little effect on Kara other than her excitement each morning when she takes her pretend prenatal vitamin (an M&M) with me. Or sometimes she will point to her own tummy and say "Kara baby, grow!" Obviously, there's a little confusion, but we're working on that.

Thank you for your prayers during this time. The first trimester can always be a little scary. We'll keep updating the blog as things progress.

Here are a couple of close-ups of the new addition!

The Fithian Exchange System

Today Kara refused to help clean her room after destroying it during "nap" time. So I told her she could pay me to clean it or she could help me. She chose the payment...and I chose Blue Bear and her favorite blanket.

Once she realized what she had done and was completely devastated, she was more open to helping. I tried to explain that when we pay someone we have to give away something we like for something we like more. And if she wanted her things back, I accepted vacuuming as a fair trade.

So here she is vacuuming her room with Daddy. It looks great now!

In the end we were all happy, but Daddy was a little spent from trying to teach a 2 year old to vacuum...apparently it's not easy.

What kept me up tonight

It's late, or really early, depending on how you look at it. And this is one of the few times that I have had something on my mind that has kept me from sleeping.

Since the beginning of November, I have been reading lots of online updates and posts from different people about Thankfulness. Some of them are fairly obvious, like the weather is awesome or God gave me wonderful kids, but in general I feel I struggle to be truly thankful for the things God gave us. I find that in my heart I really do love to complain and dispute, the very thing God tells us not to do. I find myself perturbed when things don't go my way or anxious when things are out of my control.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 -- Give thanks in ALL circumstances...; Ephesians 5:20 -- Giving thanks always and for everything...; the list of Bible verses tugging on my heart to be thankful is really long. So, as this seems pretty important to God to teach us, it must be a lesson worth putting effort into.

Furthermore, how do I teach Kara about true thankfulness when I'm only thankful for the obvious good things? Reminding her to say "tank tou" when someone gives her candy isn't going to cut it. But learning to depend on God's sovereignty and praise Him for His grace are heart changes that should happen in myself before I can pass them on to her.

So, here is a small list of thanks for things I'm usually not thankful for...

1. For waking me up in the middle of the night to think about things that are good

2. For giving me the ability to care for dogs who need daily exercise and attention

3. For giving me the opportunities (several) to train up my child in discipline and righteousness

4. For giving me the chance to serve my family through daily chores of cleaning and cooking

5. For giving me the circumstances that made me seek God, even if those circumstances still exist

6. For creating me with a personality that primarily values authenticity in relationships

7. For moments of teaching when I can admit my lack of control over this world

8. For the opportunities to show Kara how much I love her starting as early in the day as she lets me

9. For giving me a husband who is deliberate and wise about not rushing into decisions

10. For seasonal allergies (I can't think of a nice way to put this)

Where did she learn that?

One of the most repeated phrases in our house is, "Where did she learn that?" Seriously. Kara is picking up words, ideas, and phrases that I don't remember teaching her. She is a little baby sponge. For instance...

I thought we could start working on letter recognition. We'd start with 'A'. Apparently she already learned some letters because later in the day she pointed out 'O' and 'T'. Where did she learn that?

We went to the park where some kids were playing soccer. She has never been interested in ball sports so I haven't bothered to encourage it. However, when Kara saw the other kids she screamed "soccer" and started kicking the balls. Where did she learn that?

Kara fell down the other day and bumped her knee. I haven't kissed her injuries, but she came to me crying and asking "knee...kiss".

Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but I'm a stay-at-home mom, and most of Kara's life is spent in my presence. It amazes me how quickly she will pick up on things and how she will suddenly recall something that happened days prior. Just another reminder that we need to stay on our toes. This kid is watching everything.

It's Autumn!

This week Kara has been learning about Autumn. She has been collecting dead leaves and acorns from the front yard, helping me make apple sauce, and playing fetch with cinnamon sticks. I'm not a fan of the last one, but Kara and Kermit think it's a great game.

We are also learning about pumpkins. Today, we went to Aunt Amber's house in College Station where we picked out pumpkins and decorated them.

Carson quickly realized pumpkins are heavy.

She's starting to look like a kid. What happened to our baby?

Kara and Carson decorating their pumpkins. A very happy mess of paint and glue.

Kara's pumpkin. The one-eyed booger.

We finished our visit with a jump on the trampoline. This day was too much fun to wear clothes!