Bethel is one year old!

Yep, our sweet girlie number two is a year old! 13 months to be closer to exact. ;) It's been so fun to watch the differences in development and personality in our two spunky girls. They are both so full of spirit and personality ... some days they kill me with cuteness and/or attitude! :)

Bethel is the morning person in our family. When the rest of us are grumpin' it, she's all smiles and sweetness and ready to explore ... And eat! Haha! Bethel is a mama's girl. She wants me to hold her a lot these days. She's kind of confusing because one minute she's slapping me in the face with a huge smile on her own face and the next she's grinning at me and digging her face in to my chest to cuddle. Bethel really likes playing with blocks and wooden puzzles and balls. She likes to be seen and heard, so she squeals, yells, giggles, and makes all kinds of noise to get our attention. Some of her favorite foods are bananas, applesauce, Graham crackers, cheese, and yogurt. She likes drinking out of straws, especially mommy's big water glass. Bethel loves to giggle and play with her sister ... sadly, Haddie is not very good at sharing yet, so Beth gets pushed around and run over and her toys taken away from her quite a bit. But we're working on it. ;) Their giggling matches are adorable though! Bethel is still not walking, but her furniture-coasting skills are getting fast and fantastic. She also loves crawling all over the couch. She's a super happy kiddo, but she let's us know when she's ready for a nap. And she's got the cutest baby thighs around!

Mama is officially a full-time stay-at-home mom and loving it ... for the most part. ;) The days can be long, especially with daddy staying after work to study, but I am super thankful to be home with my girls. I try to practice thankfulness and cherishing the moments daily. The struggle is real some days, but it is constantly on my mind. I'm learning so much about myself in this season, including that I need to work on my tone with both my husband and my kids; I still struggle with perfectionism and self-condemnation; and an eternal perspective is something I can attain if I just keep practicing. And yes, I am insane, but I do have a bit of baby fever. ;) Just really loving being a mom and all that I'm learning through it. Thank you, Jesus!