A Two Year Old

Miss Kara had her second birthday two weeks ago! We've been delinquent in blogging due to other life circumstance craziness, but this has also given me time to collect my thoughts on her new stage.

The good and the bad of it all seems to be summarized in one word...independence. It's just different sides of the same coin. Some of it makes me so proud, other times I need to go to my room and have a time out before I can deal with the issue.

We'll start with the bad side of this independence because that is what most people associate with a two year old. Last year there was a lot of focus on the word "disobedience". Big word, but Kara is very familiar with it. Well, we have noticed lately that her disobedience has morphed from something that was completely self-centered (I just want to get my own way) to something that is a bit insolent (you won't get your way). She will very confidently do the opposite of what we've asked, even if we give her options, and it is sort of a slap in the face. I can't tell you how much I need to check my own pride in these moments. We have a feeling the word for this year will be "disrespect". We even made up a nursery rhyme for her...

"Kary, Kary quite contrary,
Show me how you disobey,
By saying no, by ignoring mommy,
Or simply by running away."

This is pretty much the extent of the bad. Lee and I have just found ourselves in a place of needing to be more intentional, more humble, and more gracious than ever.

Now for the good of independence! Woohoo! Her most used phrases are "I do it," and "On my own". Some things are really helpful, others are just cute. Here are some things that I love...
She gets in the car seat by herself
She picks out her clothes in the morning (not always what I would pick, but it gives us all a good laugh)
She eats by herself
She tries to make her own food
She attempts to put on and take off her clothes
She tries to order her drinks and food at restaurants (she'll always let the waiter know when she needs a refill)
She wants to be potty trained (we'll start this in Ft. Worth)
She wants to sleep in big beds, eat big food, and do big people things
She is excited about doing chores as long as it's her idea
She helps take care of the dogs by feeding them and picking up after them (yeah, I know)
And there are probably other things I'm forgetting.

In summary, she is TWO!

Tonight I apologized...to my dog

I'll go ahead and admit that the stress of moving, being pregnant, and not letting Kara's second birthday go by without celebration has started to manifest itself outwardly. For the past weeks we have been eating and breathing home improvements, realtors, appraisers, contracts, negotiations and the like. Kara and the dogs have sort of had to fend for themselves. But today, after having 3 minor breakdowns over retarded setbacks and inconveniences, Lee sent me out to have an evening at Starbucks with my Bible. It was my first quiet time in weeks (go figure), and I was convicted by the lack of grace and mercy I'd been displaying...especially to our dog Kermit.

Lately, he has had a knack for ruining my projects and being destructive. We'll just say it's obvious and very frustrating when a black dog gets in white paint...more than once. Anyways, poor Kermit has become my scapegoat over the past few days. I've found I have no patience, no tolerance for his mistakes and disobedience. I've raised my voice at him, I've scolded him, I've stared him down. I've told Lee several times we're getting rid of him. Unfortunately, he's the type of dog who acts worse when punished.

So tonight we needed to reconcile. I apologized to a dog. Apparently he was also ready to restore our relationship. He ran over to me and buried his head in my lap. Then he rolled over to his side and ever so slightly lifted his paw, just to see if I wanted to rub his belly. Definitely milking the situation.

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)