Pigtails4
Originally uploaded by dandeelines.

Pigtails

Pigtails3
Originally uploaded by dandeelines.

I put Miranda in pigtails for the first time the other day. It's a stretch, but I made it work. She gave me some great cheeses while she was eating lunch. Look at all those teeth. Seven in all. I think she's getting some more too because we have had some serious drool as of late. I have put her in bibs (outside of mealtime) for the first time in her life because she has been soaking her shirts. Maybe it's those 1 year old molars. Hey, it's about that time!

Holding Hands

Cozy Spot B&W
Originally uploaded by dandeelines.

I love, love, love these two pictures. It works out that Dan leaves for work around 10:20 am, just in time to spend about 20 minutes reading to and rocking Miranda before her morning nap. On this particular morning she fell asleep holding his hand.

Holding Hands1
Originally uploaded by dandeelines.

Kissing Baby Joey

Kissing Joey
Originally uploaded by dandeelines.

A couple of our friends have had baby boys recently and Miranda and I have had fun visiting with them and loving on them. Anyway, it inspired me to bring out my old Cabbage Patch, Joey, and play with him. Miranda was just as sweet with him as she was with our friend's babies...well, almost. In the last picture she is biting his hand. I think she just wanted to see if he was real:o)

Miranda and Joey2
Originally uploaded by dandeelines.

Miranda and Joey1
Originally uploaded by dandeelines.

"I Love Lucy"

I Love Lucy1
Originally uploaded by dandeelines.

Lucy Tackle
Originally uploaded by dandeelines.

Some of you may remember Lucy Jalaybe, also known as Lucy J. and L.J. Well, in recent weeks Miranda has really taken a liking to her. First thing in the morning (or after naps) when she wakes up and I bring Miranda out of her room into the living room she points at Lucy, nods her head and barks. Here you can see she is hardly awake, but is already loving on Lucy. She loves to pounce on the pup and bury her face in the pillowy softness. In fact, we've kind of made a game out of it taking turns pouncing and burying in one swift motion. It's great fun! (I put the red ribbon around her neck so it would be easier to "walk" her.)

Andie's First Sign

Last week Miranda and I were eating lunch and I was talking to her about daddy being at work and she did the sign for daddy for the first time. I was amazed so I got the camera and she did it again. This week she said "da da" and did the sign for daddy at the same time. Also, we have a lot of ducks around the ponds near our apartment, so I am always signing "duck" with her. This week, on one of our walks, she signed, "duck". Signing is fun because it lets me into her world. One time she signed, "daddy" while I had her on the changing table. It is interesting to know that she thinks about him even when he's not around and I am not talking about him.

By the way, Dan gets the credit for her first sign. I haven't been teaching her "mommy" and "daddy" because I thought that she would be able to say them by the time she could sign them anyway. I even told Dan so as he was attempting to teach her. Well, I guess they both showed me! You can bet I'm doing the sign for mommy now.

The Hardest Virtue

Dr. Bingham's sermon on Sunday was great. He started in Genesis 1 describing how this chapter is "the most aggravating, irritating, frustrating...chapter for those who are in intense pain" because it introduces us to a God who prefers to work in 6 days rather than in 1. He is a God of process. He prefers to work progressively rather than instantaneously. Genesis 1 is the pattern for the rest of history. It is the pattern for our lives.
He reinforced his thesis by reminding us that between the last prophet's promise (Malachi 4:5) and the fulfillment of that promise (Matthew 1) there are 400 "silent" years. And between the promise to Abraham (Genesis 15) and the fulfillment through Moses and the exodus (Exodus3) there are somewhere between 430-600 years. There is example after example of God's (slow) process and people waiting for him to act in the bible.
Dr. Bingham described the hardest virtue as "learning to wait for God to act when you are crying out in pain". Our hope is in knowing that when God does decide to act that it is always VERY good (Genesis 1:31). Our call is to believe (while we are waiting) that God is faithful and will work perfectly in history and our lives with the "wisdom of the ages".