What a deal!

I found another sticker carefully placed behind his other ear, bringing him to a grand total of .75 cents.

One year pictures...and, just conversation

Thanks for all of your suggestions,

both on-line and in-life.

I'm so glad you took the time

to stop by or to write me a note.

I'll take them to heart

and see what works.
I will say that I'm not very good at "how-to" posts
regarding parenting, usually,
because each family is different
and each child is unique.
I think it is up to the parent to
learn who their child is as an individual,
and parent accordingly.
That's actually one our jobs, to know our children
and then to guide them according to how God created them!
There are also a million parenting how-to blogs available. 
I can point you to several if you wish.  :)
But I am happy to open my heart and doors
and windows and share with you things that have worked
(or not worked....) with my children and our family.

We've been busy around here

with company over the weekend.

I'm a lousy hostess, actually -

always have been.

I enjoy company but stress waaay too much

before they come.  It was a great weekend 

filled with good conversation.  We don't get to see Jeff's side 

of the family very much, so we were thrilled to

spend time with his brother Donnie and his wife, Shelley.

Their children are grown, but they were gracious to put up with our clan.  :)
I get kind of giddy when I have real, actual grown-ups
who are captive in my house. 
I may or may not talk too much.  :)

My Dad is getting ready to have another surgery, too,

so there is some preparation for that.

(Had to include this one.  :)  Love the expression on his face.  

He was sooo done.  Can't believe my little man is one year old.

Gabe still has eyes that are two different colors.

I wonder if they'll stay that way?  I'll have to let you know...

He's a pretty big boy, around 23 pounds.  That's bigger 

than most of my children at this age.

He's into EVERYTHING, I'm thinking he's going to be a climber, too.

Life is about to get hard FUN!  :)

Gabriel - 8 months

I love him and his puppy dog eyes.

He loves water, and bubbles

and me...

and his daddy and all of "his kids."

Gabe's 8th month:  Sitting up on his own, picking up food, expanding his food repertoire.

He still hates all fruit except bananas....really digs carrots.  He wants to eat, but doesn't actually like most items that he tries.  He "tried" juice in a bottle - but really, I don't usually give a baby juice, and he didn't care for it anyway.  (I was really just trying to give him something new and interesting to keep him occupied in church.  It was novel and worked once - but he's asked me to never give him that stuff again.)

I can already tell that he has no plans to remain a baby.  He wants to be like everybody else.

Peer pressure, I guess.

Sigh.

He'll be off and crawling soon, and then there will be no containing him.

Gabe's first year sure has been sweet.

Jesus Satisfies

I'm fairly fond of my sweet tooth; I like to feed it regularly.

I gave my sweet tooth to Jesus, though,

gave it right away for Lent.

I've never observed Lent before,

except to partake of the Paczki the day before it begins.

I'm not a heathen, exactly,

it's just that my faith background did not include Lent.

I was always secretly relieved

to be an unobservant evangelical. 

This year, I have read more and studied more, and I desired to connect myself more deeply with a Christian observance which is meant to draw me closer to Christ; to allow me to repent, to savor, to express gratitude, to think about Him

and worship Him when I feel the pangs of wanting what I want.

I have friends from other religions who are very observant of fasts and special prayer times.  Frankly, I'm kind of embarrassed that I've never been serious enough about this Faith I think I hold so dear - to deny myself much of anything.

I'm only two weeks into the forty day experience, and I'm not very good about sticking with things; but I'm going to hang with this small deprivation.

I have learned a few things about sugar, namely, that I have used it in various emotional ways in my life.  Sometimes it soothes me (the equivalent of an emotional pacifier.)  Sometimes it is a reward at the end of the day (for surviving nine kids.)

But surprisingly, sugar is something I have used to fulfill me, to make the meal seem complete.  Without sugar, I feel craving - something is just not right.  I don't feel addicted, but just that something is missing.

When I feel the hunger for something sweet,  I have been able to offer that "wanting" to God.I am tempted to want to fill it with something else, to replace it with a "fake" sweetener.  But I don't.  I don't want to replace the hunger for God with something empty.  Instead, I lift it up, and say, "this hunger is for You,"and "I find my fulfillment in You." At those times, I am reminded to pray for those in need, for those I've promised to pray for. It's a very trivial denial,but it serves its purpose. It draws me into the life of Christ, reminds me of His suffering and the LIFE He came to give. And in those times,I know it in my own spirit:   

Jesus satisfies.

(The pictures are from Gabe's first bites of solid foods at 5 and a half months.  It's a thin sauce I made from cooked pears - and he thought it was okay.  I don't usually begin solids for babies until a little bit later, but he has been very interested in our food and utensils so we gave it a try.)