Someone Just Turned Three!

It is hard to believe, but my Abigail Joy just turned three! Where has the time gone? I can so remember the misery I was in during my last trimester with her. She was my hardest pregnancy at the end, but she was worth it!!! Lauren and I enjoyed shopping and putting together a cupcake theme for Abbie Joy's birthday. After Annagrace's purple themed party last month Abbie Joy really wanted a PINK party. Thankfully the cupcake theme was very accommodating to her wishes. :) Lauren made the cupcakes and decorated the dining room for me. I cannot tell you how nice it is to have a daughter who likes to bake and decorate. With all I have going on it is nice to be able to hand some of that over to her. You can see in one of the pictures where Lauren was leading Abbie Joy into the party room; so sweet! We are very thankful for Abbie Joy and all the life she brings to our family. :)

Happy Birthday Tea Party

Today Abbie Joy turned three years old. Her Daddy was gone and she was sick. Lilly Faith is sick too. I thought some herb tea would be good for the girls, so we had an unplanned for birthday tea. Abbie Joy thought it was fun that Mama joined the party at the little table, and then we decided to bring over our singing tea pot that the girls have had so much fun with. It was one of those special moments that happen with no planning involved. Just for the record Abbie Joy enjoyed her first peppermint tea tonight, and Lilly Faith had chamomile tea. Mama added in a little honey for their coughs. Hopefully tomorrow Miss Abbie Joy will have a really fun birthday party as we celebrate with Daddy. The other special thing we did today was purchase the Bambi movie and let her watch it for the first time. It was cute to see her watching it with a smile on her face.

Different Faces

To be quite honest I have really been challenged lately by a certain PRECIOUS little two year old in our family. This little doll has a very passionate personality. Can you tell from the pictures??? She is VERY HAPPY or VERY UNHAPPY and tends to alternate between those emotions very suddenly and dramatically. Matt and I have been worn slap out with all the training of this little person. She has been the most challenging two year old yet in terms of a strong will and passionate personality. We are wondering if she will ever learn, but for now we persevere in loving and training her through this season. She brings such incredible joy to us, and we trust the Lord has great plans for her. We hope she turns that strong emotion into a passion for the kingdom purposes of God.

Abbie Joy is Two!

Abbbie Joy turned two on November the eleventh. We had a simple celebration at home. Big sister Lauren did a fabulous job making the cake. Abbie Joy has such a funny personality. She definitely brings us lots of Joy!!!

One Month To One Year! Happy Birthday Abigail Joy!

Abbie Joy had her first birthday. If you scroll through the posts below you can see how she has changed each month over her first year. You may have to click on older posts once you get to the end of the first page, but they should all be there ending with her bday party pictures. This year has flown by, and she is such a JOY to our family.

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

Nine Months

Ten Months

What a Cute Strawberry!

Loves to Eat

As I said in the previous post, "Abbie Joy always loves to eat." I have been through this four times now, but I still have not figured out how to teach table manners to a baby. Hmm, she may be the messiest yet. :)

10 Months!!!

Abbie Joy turned 10 months on September 11th. She is full of such life and personality and makes us laugh all the time. She is cruising around and getting strong on her legs. She gets excited to go outside and swing in the baby swing and of course loves eating anytime. One thing she started doing this month is trying to sing. There have been a few times lately when I have sat in the recliner and sung to her. Well, I noticed one day that when I sat down she started making this kind've humming sound. It dawned on me that I think she was trying to get me to start singing hymns as I had done the previous few times. It was precious. Sometimes if I am singing she will start that humming sound along with me. Absolutely priceless! She also starts bopping up and down when she hears music. Maybe this girl is going to be musical. Another new thing for her is fighting with Annagrace over toys. Yes, the sibling rivalry has already begun there. Now that she is making her way around and grabbing her siblings things they are getting upset with her. Annagrace and Abbie Joy recently had their first run in over toys. Then it was followed by another run in a few days later. Yes, there is much character training to be done with these little girls. Lessons on sharing and kindness are in full session in the Adams home. :)

Cuteness

Training and discipline is such hard work but oh so necessary. I've noticed that my babies have all started displaying a strong will of their own around six to nine months. Of course I see traces of, "I want what I want" from the get go but a defiant. "I'll do it anyway" attitude has typically taken center stage with them around six to nine months. With our first baby it was hard for me to REALLY believe that she was being disobedient. I remember times where I wrestled with, "Does she really understand?" Well, I have since learned that YES they do understand. With our first I made a good attempt at teaching obedience early on, however, I know the Lord is teaching me as time goes on. Now with number four it is soooo obvious that she KNOWS when she is doing wrong. She tries to sneak and watch to see if I am noticing or if she can get away with it, and then she puts on the cuteness act when she gets caught. Hmmm, I have to admit the cuteness act is tempting to cave into, and it does not help that her siblings think these scenarios are hysterical. They fully see through these cute little antics. They are well exercised in them themselves. ;) I must not do that though.
The other day I was playing the piano while Abbie Joy was playing on the floor. The stairs, which she knows are a no no, looked so appealing to her. I could see her crawling towards them and looking over at me to see if I would notice. I called her away, and she decided to just glare back at me with her BIG eyes and HUGE smile. It did not help that I had actually taken the time to dress her up extra cute with hair bow and all. So, she sits there just smiling at me with her little chubby hands perched up on the first step. I stare back and tell her, NO NO." After a minute she builds up the courage to perch one knee up all the while just looking like an angel. The struggle in me was something like, "I know I need to deal with this and teach her obedience" versus "Oh My GOODNESS! She is sooo cute; I just have to laugh." I knew what to do and thankfully did the right thing, but I couldn't help thinking about how hard it can be as parents for us to faithfully teach and train our children. It is always easier to laugh things off, be too lazy to get up, just want our kids to like us, etc. I thought about how my children are a gift entrusted to me by their Creator. He expects me to be a faithful steward of what He has entrusted me with. He will not think it is cute or funny if I, as their mommy, do not teach them obedience. If they are not obedient to their earthly authorities how will they know how to be obedient to their Father God? Sometimes the training takes so much time and energy, and I want to just grow lax. That, however, is neglecting the work God has called me to do. You see, I do not think the Lord gave me my children just for my enjoyment or to make me happy. They absolutely do give me great joy and much happiness, but the deeper issue is that the Lord has called me to give my life to train them to walk in His ways. This is my calling in life. The question is will I be found faithful. I have often heard it said that to him who has been given much much is required. Only through daily dependence upon Jesus can I be found faithful of the gifts entrusted to my care. I hope one day to say that "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."
-3 John 1:4

Definitely Time!

O.k. fourth babies do not always get the leisurely baths that the others got, however, wouldn't you say it is time??? This girl loves to eat and loves to enjoy herself while eating!!! She usually does get a nightly dip in the tub out of necessity!

Abbie Joy Nine Months

Sniff, Sniff. My Little Abigail is nine months old today. She is growing up so quickly. We will be celebrating her first birthday before I know it. She is an absolute delight to our family. She is so funny how she tries to be like the older children. Whenever they get loud she just starts squealing/babbling to fit in with all the noise. So far her words are Mama and Ba-ba for her bottle. She is cruising a little bit holding onto things. Notice the cute diaper she is wearing? I NEVER thought I would do cloth diapers, but never say never!!! There are some seriously CUTE cloth diapers out that are a breeze to use. They are definitely not your Mama's cloth diapers. These things have snaps and can be tossed into the wash with little work involved. Maybe I'll post about my cloth diaper system later. Sometimes we use them and sometimes we don't. I love that they are chemical free on her skin and save money. Not to mention they are super cute. Well, I better get back to work while the little angel is sleeping. ;)

Abbie Joy Eight Months

Sweet Abbie Joy turned eight months on the eleventh. She is crawling, pulling up on her legs, making more vocal sounds, and waving. She says Mama and Hi and is playing with her siblings more than ever. They think she is so funny. This morning they were trying to teach her how to play hide and seek. This baby is growing up faster than the rest; she just wants to be one of the bunch. We adore her.