brave

http://stinkytofuandotherthings.blogspot.com/2013/10/thirty.html?m=0

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2013/oct/15/orphan-goes-church-and-asks-someone-anyone-adopt-h/

Read these articles, please.

One is the story of an abandoned four year-old, adopted by loving, faithful older parents through the foster care system, told by the man who lived it.

One is the story of a 15 year old boy who went to a church recently to ask for a family.  The thought of the guts it took to do that, and the thought process through which you get there (I am alone, I need a family, I may not get one if I don't speak up...) just hurts.


God, give us wisdom.  Help us to see the world as it is, as we'll see it one day.  Speak clearly to us through your word about what's important.  And what's not.  And help us be brave...

belly dancing?

I heard a giggle from the back seat. 

"What's going on, good girl?" I asked.

She had her arms spread wide and was staring down at her stomach.  She looked up and said (in a kind of bemused amazement), "I'm dancing with my belly button!"

 

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

You just woke up a big 3 year old!

A hand-me-down gift--my little people house circa 1985.  You LOVE it :)  Especially the doorbell!

A birthday trip to the zoo.  Which you sweetly thanked me for as I strapped you in your seat afterwards.  You were full of "thank you"s today, which makes me so happy for you.  I hope you'll remember that being thankful is the best outlook and that God gives us all good things!

We saw lots of special animals from Africa (including a Giraffe named Lulu who was having a birthday too!)

Train ride!  You whooped out the highest pitched "All Aboard!" that may have ever been whooped :)



I love you so very much!  You are my best gift from God and I'm so thankful you are you, and you are THREE!



 

more prayer: both casual and questioning

So, Lucy's prayer life....

Casual mode:  Sashaying through the living room, imaginary phone to ear.  "Heeey Jesus!  Watcha' doin'?"

We have these wonderful CDs called Seeds of Worship, which are Bible verses set to music.  Lucy LOVES the one called "Word of the Lord."  During the song, they sing the words, "He spoke and it came to be."  During a long road trip, Lucy repeated, incredulously, "Smokin' in the beat?" several times.  I explained each time that they were saying SPOKE, not smoke, and how that meant that God's SAID something and it happened, ie., God is in control.

I thought I'd cleared things up, but tonight before bed, her prayers started out a little rhyme that her sitter says and then took an unexpected turn. 

"Thank you for the birds that sing, thank you -- God?  Why you smoke?  You smoke, God?"  Then a little quieter, "That's not very nice."

a real prayer from your sweet heart

Lucy, tonight you prayed your own prayer from your own heart.  I've never prayed these exact things, so I know they're yours.  I loved it and I love you.

Dear God, thank you for mama and Uncle John and Pap and Nana and for they love us.  Help me a' be strong like you, God. (In my lap, facing me, you did your "strong" arms from the song.)  Help me a' learn Bible verses for you.  Help me a' follow you.  Amen.

 

hair hallelujah!

Yes.  It's true.  Not the hair help! I begged for as she turned one, or deep thoughts about hair after learning a bit more (or the scandalous confessions of a hair hypocrite just weeks later).  Today, we have a hair hallelujah, people. 

My friend Angel found this Chocolate Hair Vanilla Care blog.  It is great and goes into a lot of details.  This girl has some crazy intricate styles which are super intimidating, but she also gives a lot of ideas for the basics.

Where we are with hair:

• Lucy has beautiful hair.
• It's getting longer now (and tanglier) so if I'm at the commit-to-upkeep-or-cut decision again.
• Girls usually want longer hair.
• A boy told her she has "boy hair."  She has not forgotten this.
• I love her hair big and crazy.
• If I let her hair stay big and crazy for long, it becomes difficult to detangle and care for well.

Sooooo, this week I thought I'd try some new tips.

REVELATION #1:  Water and oil are the best, most natural, and cheapest things to use to keep her hair moisturized.  I've started using a combination of olive oil and coconut oil (yes, from the pantry).  I spritz it with plain water at night and then use a pretty generous amount of oil.  It has been softer and healthier.

REVELATION #2:  Keeping her hair in some kind of protective style will... protect it (from getting tangled and then the damage I wreak de-tangling it).

REVELATION #3:  Taking good care of her hair will be an investment of time.  An investment of time with my daughter.  Time spent in close physical proximity.  Time spent touching and talking and laughing.  Time when my actions and my words can affirm to her that she is beautiful and special and the top of my priority list.  I am choosing to see what a blessing this time with Lucy is.  And it has been lovely!

REVELATION #4:  Suckers last a looooong time and keep us pretty happy.

We're just dipping our toes into these new "hair hallelujah" waters, but here's our progress so far.

I sectioned her (badly tangled) hair into 5 sections.  Over the course of 3 days, I detangled her whole head.  It took a little over 2 hours all together.  BUT, the lovely part, she didn't scream and shake and cry.  There was mild exasperation on her part, and we got close to tears a few times, but overall we were both calm and pleasant.  This is big, people.

After I got it detangled and a little stretched (banding the sections after they were detangled) I was a stumped... what to do with it?

This is simple and just a start, but we were both so pleased!   I just divided it into 3 sections (a larger front one and then two in the back) and put in puffs.  Then we got a little fancy and I sectioned an asymmetrical section in the front and did a flat rope twist (I think that's what it was).  Basically it's twisting and adding hair like a French braid.  It ended at just the right point to add the hair at the end to the side puff.  The parts aren't perfect and it may not be tight enough to last, but we were both pretty pleased with the result!  I felt good--and "I can do this" kind of euphoria that can only be appreciated if you've detangled hair for hours.

My beautiful girl:

 

while I was out...

This weekend I went to a Biblical Counseling conference at my church (which was WON-der-ful).  I dropped Lucy off at her sitter's before school on Friday morning and then didn't see her until Saturday evening.  Yikes!  This was the very longest I'd been apart from her (except for that whole 6 week visa wait... but things are different now.  We're tight.).  I had some surprisingly intense anxiety about leaving her (including a nightmare a few nights before in which I was stuck in Egypt on her 3rd birthday and sobbed and sobbed.)

We both fared well, fear not.  I called her Friday night (at a break in my sessions which lasted until ten o'clock on a Friday night!?!  I'm shocked that I wasn't passed out and snoring!) and got some chat like this:

"We went to Crackerbarrel and it was sooooo fun and I'm in Nana's car and we're going to have ICE cream and sing to Pap!"  (Friday was his birthday--happy birthday Pap!)  So I knew things were good.

The next morning, I called before my first session and she didn't want to talk.  Nana said she'd been up and talking and singing most of the night.  They snuggled in the big bed, and Lucy said it was "SO FUN!" and finally at 4:30, it was "Toast Time!!"  Uh-oh.  The care-taking crew and the little one were seriously sleep deprived.  I said a little prayer.

About 10 am, I got this in a text:

At WalMart

And about 2 in the afternoon I got this one:

At Kohl's


The poor child refused to sleep or nap at their house, but was completely OUT as soon as they got in the car to go anywhere.  Her favorite thing is to ride around in Uncle John's lap, so I've got many wonderful pics of them like this:

The Dynamic Duo (normally)

To see her just sacked out in his lap was so funny!  And so adorable!  Thanks Uncle John and Nana and Pap, for taking such good care of my sweet girl!

And thanks for this:  She slept 13 hours last night and we both had a 2 hour nap today :)