back in the saddle

after a little hiatus, i'm back on the blog. :) here are a few updates from the past month. okay, here's one update and hopefully i'll be able to get a few more in the next several hours. aunt nancy and darlene, you ladies are to thank - your encouragement convicted me to be more diligent about posting at least semi-regularly again. i can't keep these little blessings all to myself!

It's so sweet to watch libby form little friendships. Here she poses with her friend Charlotte. They met at preschool. I personally love that these two are friends. I went with Libby on a preschool field trip and met Charlotte and her mom. When I came home, I told brian, "I want Charlotte to be Libby's friend." My prayer was answered this time, but I won't hold my breath for the rest of her childhood. :) The funny thing is, I really had no idea the two girls were so close, because despite my regular inquiring, Libby is hesitant to reveal the details of her time at school. Thankfully, this day the girls showed their affection for one another, and since then Libby has divulged all sorts of details about the fun she and Charlotte have had together. :)

at school, libby's class put on a little play, acting out the Christmas Story - the story of the birth of Jesus, the savior. Libby was Mary. For those of you who may not already know, Libby is incredibly shy when it comes to "performing." (you may recall that we had to pull her out of ballet classes because she cried day after day, week after week, because she was too embarrassed to dance in front of her classmates.) Well, we worked and worked to prepare her, and she worked and worked to know her lines, we prayed for her, her teacher prayed for her, we all did our best to help her be comfortable in front of the crowd. And the Lord was gracious. Libby did a great job. She did not cry (yay!) and she delivered her lines loudly (sometimes she'll provide a mere whisper when she's embarrassed). We had such a fun time watching her and the rest of the class relay to us this incredible story.

this is the donkey that Mary rode on the way to Bethelehem, Mary herself, and the star that shone over the baby Jesus.

meanwhile, Phoebe sleeps. she sleeps well, she sleeps regularly.
she loves her swaddler, thank you Chris! :)