My girl

My mom has been bugging me to write down some of the cute things Jacey is saying and doing. So like Kelly, I'll warn you that this is going to be me bragging about my kid.

The best phrase right now is "I can't want to ___. " I can't want to read, I can't want to color, etc. The companion to this is "I can't like ___." Today she told me that she "can't like tuna fish." (She does, she just didn't want that for lunch today.) I don't know exactly where she picked this up, but it's been around for a long time. And it's sweet. She is such a good talker that most of the time things are very clear. Yesterday's cute comment was that she told me that she was little, not big. I think this stems from us telling her what a big girl she is.

Thanks to our 2 week visit to my parents, she is generally potty-trained. She still has a hard time during naps and through the night, but that doesn't bother me. As she plainly told me, she's little and I don't expect her to hold it all night. The best part is that I haven't changed a diaper in weeks!

I've been wondering if and when the "terrible twos" were going to show up. Jacey for the most part is good-natured and willing to listen. But then this week happened. INDEPENDENT. That's the word for her right now. It's driving me batty. I know that it's the result of the craziness in our lives right now. And her age. And the fact that my energy level is nowhere what it used to be. But still. If I tell her to do something, it's either "No! Go away!" or she'll do the opposite. Tantrums, kicking, tears. We've had it all. She has to turn lights on by herself, dress herself, go potty by herself, walk by herself. The funniest, and yet most annoying part is that if you do something to help her (like carry her down steps), she throws a fit and proceeds to go back to the beginning to do it "mySELF!"

And on the other side, she's so precious. She's started making up songs to sing and readily entertains us. She refuses to let us sing to her before bed because she wants to. (The independent thing again.)I've been meaning to record her singing "ABCs" and "Finkle Finkle" (twinkle, twinkle). Most of the words are missing and the letters are all out of over, but she's so proud of herself. She also wants to say her prayers by herself. These consist of thanking God for everyone she remembers. Then she'll pause where we say usually "in Jesus name," skips it, and says a hearty "Amen!" I know she has just said one of the purest, sweetest prayers.

She can color in the lines (generally) and has a very artistic eye. Her favorite color is orange. She loves the Berenstain books and reads them aloud to us. Barbies are her friends, along with Mickey, Minnie, "Dit" (Eeyore), and "Kittycat." Stickers are the greatest invention and will get us through church. She knows how to use the iPhone to watch movies or play games. She can now pedal a tricycle - she goes so fast she's fallen off turning a corner. All in all she's graduated from being a baby to a big girl. Or a "little" big girl.

New things

Ok, so this is a post I've been needing to do for a while. Do you ever have so much going on that it's nearly impossible to imagine writing it all down? Well, that's been our life for the past few months. I warn you, this could get lengthy.

Mitch and I have known for awhile that our time here in Canyon was coming to an end. We knew that we were ready to move on to a new ministry, but weren't quite ready to say goodbye just yet. And honestly didn't really know how to start. At the beginning of December the elders and Mitch had a meeting. Long story short, Mitch agreed that it was time for us to go somewhere else, and he resigned. The elders have given us some time to look for a job. Mitch's desire right now is to either preach or do associate work. We love teens, we love the enthusiasm they have, but for now we are ready to not be coordinating trips, devos, retreats, etc. There is just so much more to ministry than how the next trip goes. I have no idea what God has in store for us. I don't know where we'll move to or what we'll be doing. God has been a little quiet on the subject. I do know that we are on the right path. We have put our house on the market, and I've very proud of what we've done. New cabinets, paint, and flooring in a few places goes a long way. Hopefully someone will fall in love with it soon!

Most of you know that we have been wanting to have another kid for awhile now. For whatever reason, God had asked us to wait. Probably one of the hardest answers to a prayer I've had. But the day before Mitch and the elders met, we found out #2 is on the way! Crazy timing, huh? I don't believe for a second that it was coincidence. We've had 2 ultrasounds and have seen and heard the little heartbeat. Such a miracle and a blessing. Last week we were able to see the head, arms, and legs. So cute. :) The doctor believes everything looks great. If all goes well we will meet this little one around August 6. I'm kind of hoping it can make it to the 12th, so that Jacey and #2 can share birthdays. (It runs in my side of the family - my sister and I have the same birthday only 3 years apart, and my grandmother and her sister had the same birthday.) Considering Jacey was 4 weeks early, I'm not exactly counting on it, but we'll see!

To make life just a little more interesting, Mitch's parents have been looking for a job for a couple of months, and my Dad lost his job over Christmas break. They both have possibilities, but again it's just a matter of waiting to see where God is going to put you. Talk about timing...

So there you have it...a recap of our lives since December. We welcome your prayers for our (and our parents) future. I'm excited to see what it holds!