Jaci--March 2007

"Happiness is holding a puppy"--Jaci

Ok, so she didn't say that but does her face not say it all? Our neighbor recently got two new puppies. Jaci was more than ecstatic when they ran into our yard and their owner let her hold them. One at a time, she'd hold one and then ask the neighbor if she could hold the other one. The neighbor patiently obliged and alternated passing puppies for her to hold. And of course she asked permission to go and show one to her baby sister!


One thing Jaci enjoys doing is teaching Lainey all of the things she has learned. This is good, but it can be confusing when stories get mixed up. For example, she was retelling the Biblical event of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt and explained that "in the middle of the dry, dry desert, they were so, so hungry and so so thirsty...so they went to the store to buy some food..." Thankfully I was there for that one to help her remember the way it really finished!


Another day in the car on the way to ballet I caught her counsel Lainey, "Not everyone is your friend Lainey. There are lots of different kinds of people in the world, and they're not all friends."
Lainey listened intently and then lit up with a big smile and shining eyes, and patting Jaci's shoulder she exclaimed,
"You're MY friend!"

Jaci still likes to "baby" Lainey and recently asked to "hold" Lainey as she does her sister Emilyn. This is about all she could manage for a "hold". Jaci's baby sisters are growing too fast for her liking. (Mama's too!)

Daddy has the girls working on being more content with what they're served at mealtimes. Jaci has learned that if she cries and whines about what's in front of her, she gets nothing at all. So she tries her best now to show a happier face. For example, at a recent at-home lunch she exclaimed,
"Mommy! This is the best lunch I NEVER had!"


Yesterday Jaci used her encouraging words again "out of the blue." They were eating breakfast while I was working in the kitchen when Jaci with much passion said, "Mama." "Yes?" I responded. "You're a great Mama."

Now what mom doesn't need to hear that now and then? Especially when I blow it so much with my imperfections, and less than patient responses. God often blesses me (and others) through her kind words. Yes, God is challenging me to be more this way through her little life.