15 months

I took Abigail in for her 15 month check-up today and was not surprised to learn that she is 23lb10oz, 31 1/4 in. and has a big head! She loves playing with other kids and starts signing please, more, please, more, etc......whenever we drive into the parking lot at church or the park. She likes to climb and go down the slide (with help of course) and enjoys playing in the dirt, toddling after the soccer ball, and helping mommy with chores around the house.

Her favorite word is still "hi". She says "hi" to her puppet lamb chop, doggies, and her baby doll and is starting to "pretend play" with her baby. This week, she started saying "uh oh", which I'm sure will melt Rodney's heart when he gets home from work tomorrow (he's been traveling all week and will be home after her bedtime tonight...).

Abigail is a very affectionate little girl and is usually in a hugging mood. There is nothing more special than having her wrap her little arms around your neck as she lays her head on your shoulder.

her hair is almost long enough for a pony tail:) but i can't decide whether or not we'll keep her bangs...

a good day

It's been a good day:

I was filled with joy at an answered prayer. A friend struggling with infertility for years announced today she is 12 weeks pregnant. Praise God for answered prayer!

I enjoyed the beauty of spring and caught a couple smiles from Abigail. Her smiles are contagious. We had fun swinging at the park.

I had a sweet time memorizing God's word today. My soul thirsts after the living God who supplies living water for my thirsty soul.

I was moved to tears at the wonder of my Savior's love for me. I read through my BSF notes on the crucifixion this afternoon and the tears flowed. It is AMAZING that Jesus died for me, a horrible death. It is AMAZING that he died for me while I was yet a sinner. It is AMAZING that he prayed for me in the garden before his death. I marvel at his answered prayers. I am his and he is mine.

Living he loved me.

Dying he saved me.

Buried he carried my sins far away.

Rising he justified

and freed me forever.

One day he's coming back,

O glorious day!

the word is -- intentional

Wow, I am tired today. I think it's a combination of sorts - allergies, rain, and many long days. Rodney has been VERY busy with work. He had several late nights last week and was gone all weekend. This leaves me tired. And I don't see much rest for him in his near future. Which means I need to rest in the Lord.

So in my afternoon ponderings, I decided to start memorizing the book of Philippians. Yes, that's a big goal, but I memorized all of chapter 2 and most of chapter 3 two years ago. It will be more of intentional scripture meditation that brings memorization. This is exactly the structure that my summer devoid of BSF and church Bible study needs.

Yes, the word is - intentional. I need more intentionality in my life, especially when I'm tired. I need to intentionally go out of my way to serve my husband, spend precious moments with my daughter, and bring that cup of cold water to the people in my circles...

So here we go:

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, with the overseers and deacons. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

on the mend

It's been a long week here in the Harms house. Rodney has been busy with work, as some important Cat dudes were in for meetings. He's exhausted and glad that it's Friday, though he leaves for a Nascar event in Dallas tomorrow. Boo.

Abigail has a cold: lungs clear, cough, runny nose, but just that - a cold. She is on the mend though and playing in her crib, which is a sure sine she's feeling better!

Here are some recent pictures in no particular order. I took the first pictures yesterday while on a walk. We stopped to smell the flowers.

Wednesday I went to Pinot and Picasso with our community group to paint! A professional artist walked us through a painting. The finished product will probably end up in Abigail's room :)

We've read lots of books this week...

Couldn't be convinced to smile. "Mom, I'm not feeling good!"

She got a clump of dirt in her mouth while I was not watching. It's amazing what trouble a toddler can get into in about 5 seconds.

Here we have lavender and basil growing in pots...

And Rodney built a planter box from wood he salvaged from the dumpster months ago. Our beans and peas are thriving. We'll transplant the tomatoes when they're a little more hardy.

another first!

Pigtails!

(and she was signing "please" because I was holding her headband that she likes to carry on her arm)

We have some work to do on "sitting still while mommy does your hair"! And she also recently learned to open all of the doors in our house (including our porch and front door). So in addition to a need for increased mommy vigilance, she also opened up more opportunities to "train your little one in the way she should go!" There is lots of training (and time outs) in our immediate future.

I am so thankful for new mercies and grace for the journey:)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

We had a delightful day celebrating Resurrection Day! We enjoyed worshiping at church and then invited three friends over for Easter brunch. After much fun and games, we went for an early evening walk, enjoying a warm Houston spring day. And finally, we finished out the day by planting our porch vegetable and herb garden, spending extra time reading God's Word and playing a few more games before bed.

On Saturday, Abigail "participated" in our apartment Easter egg hunt. She only picked up one egg but had loads of fun watching everyone else, as I'm sure you can tell by the pictures. I couldn't get her to look at the camera! There were too many distractions...

Happy Easter!

Abigail-isms

Since daddy is still gone (will return after midnight), we played most of the day. We met girlfriends for lunch. The girls sat wonderfully at La Madeleine and received compliments on their cuteness and good behavior! Abigail decided naps aren't any fun when dad isn't here, so we headed out shopping in the afternoon.

Abigail and I treated ourselves to Spring on our shopping extravaganza. She came home with plastic Easter eggs and a felt basket, and I came home with two pots of daisies and a bouquet of alstromeria ($.99 and free!). Abigail enjoyed "helping" me transplant the flowers and enjoyed sticking her chubby hands in the icky dirt!

you can tell by Abigail's hair that it was warm here in Houston today! I'm starting to lean towards trimming her hair...but am still undecided...

And the play continues, as you can see from the short video. Abigail's new walking, standing, squatting, and talking skills are all there for you to see:) She says, "Hi!" to everyone, even people too far away to hear her sweet voice. You can also see her sign "please", one of her favorites.