Moments with MarLo

Here is the video of Lydia playing the part of Eve in the pre-kindergarten production of Adam and Eve.

Lydia graduated from pre-kindergarten last night, Thursday, May 22. She was excited to be moving on to kindergarten and sad that she won't see some of her friends until school begins again this fall. As part of the ceremony she played the part of Eve in the story of Adam and Eve. She did a great job. Be sure to watch it whenever I can get it to post to the site.

Lydia missed what would have been her third dance recital due to strep throat. She was so sick she could barely walk the first day before she received the antibiotics. However, after being confined to bed and movies for three days she was back to her old ornery self and was making up for lost time. We're all looking forward to next year!

So I'm quite a bit behind. Okay a MONTH behind. What can I say but life has been very busy! Let me at least post this milestone, Lydia's first lost tooth!! She was eating watermelon at school on April 17 and wiggled it out. She was quite proud of her little endeavor. Now she has two more. The funny thing is she does not want to leave it for the tooth fairy. I think she is concerned about the tooth fairy actually visiting her room. Same reason she doesn't want the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus in our house. She'd rather get the gifts without having the home invaded.

We've been trying to transition Lydia from our bed to her own bed somewhat successfully for a couple of weeks now. Before you pass judgment on me let me just say that I waited fourteen years for her and having her rest beside me has been a blessing. Still, I know for her own good she needs to be able to rest peacefully in her own room. At first it was terrible having her crying and letting out these horrified screams at being left alone. I would stand at the end of her bed and silently tears would stream down my face in the dark knowing I was going to miss her as much as she was going to miss me. But I stood on firm ground simply because it was, it is, the right thing to do. Honestly, this has been the most heartwrenching part of motherhood I have had to face to date. The screaming and crying really only lasted a couple of nights and then came the careful planning, at least on her part. She hid the nightlight. She was convinced that if I could not find the light I would not leave h...

“Lydia has her first loose tooth,” Karen, my dental hygienist for more than 17 years stated. Oh no I thought, she’s much too young. I wasn’t prepared for yet another milestone to come so quickly. She is five, I mean five-and-a-half, and I knew that was how old her brother, Josh, was when he lost his first teeth. Still, my heart skipped a beat because I knew she was quickly moving into the grade school years. I still miss the diapers, the pacifiers, the nursing and yes, even the potty training. I keep trying to soak up every moment knowing how quickly time passes. Josh and his wife, Leslie, celebrated their one year anniversary this past fall. I still miss playing catch with him, listening to him play nerf basketball in his room, and seeing his excitement at upcoming events. I have truly been blessed to have the gift of children’s laughter, requests for kisses for their hurts, the excitement of their accomplishments, and hugs when I least expected it for the better part of fifteen years...

As I am writing this my sister, her daughter, and my daughter are playing hallway keep away. Two of them toss an item to each other and the one in the middle attempts to steal the item. I love when they play this game together because it brings laughter into the home and laughter is great for the soul. I truly believe laughter is among God's favorite sounds. But I imagine His absolute favorite would be that of a repentant heart. How wonderful that our God cares enough for us that He has given us both the ability to laugh and cry.