What I do at the splash park...

Today I had my first experience "correcting" a child for the way that she was treating Adelaide. I'm pretty sure it hurt me more then it hurt the little girl I was correcting. Tyler and I have been talking a lot about dealing with these different experiences  a lot lately mostly because we've been having them so often. Usually good teaching experiences...just little kids asking questions which I absolutely love. I like when kids are bold enough to ask and not just stare or run away. We've been at the pool/splash park tons this summer and so we are around small children all the time. I'm getting used to that part, it doesn't really bother me anymore.

But today was more like alienation then curiosity. This little girl said she didn't want Adelaide around her after I had already explained to her and several other children why she was the way she was and that she was no different from them. It startled me at first. Adelaide has become a very social child. She loves to go where the kids are and play which you think would be a good thing, and it is sometimes and will probably be more so when she's older but right now, when she can't speak for herself, she goes up to kids and some of them run away. I kindly told the little girl that it wasn't a nice thing to say and it makes Adelaide sad when she's treated differently then other children. She is not different then her. She continues to play but I see it. I know that someday this will become easier too but these first experiences are really hard to swallow. It truly hurts to see your child treated like they have some kind of disease that might catch and is one of the hardest things I've had to deal with so far. I know that Adelaide might someday feel the way I do when I see kids act this way and it makes it all the harder. Even as I write this those feelings come back and just make me weep for those experiences that are to come. 

I pray for grace with these kids. Especially the ones that are old enough to know better. And also with their parents because I know that someday I'm going to have to ask a parent to correct their own child for harsh comments. You would be amazed at the some of the things we've watched that parents have done nothing to teach or correct (including a child that was definitely old enough to know better pointing right in front of Adelaide and yelling at his mother clear across the park to look at her. I was not near her at the time)  We get lots of advice that is very helpful to remember when going through things like this but I truly believe it's just going to take time and more trials to really be able to deal with them appropriately and have them not effect me so deeply. I need to thicken my skin so that I can help Adelaide thicken hers. I thank God that she is young and innocent for that very reason. 

This is a daily struggle for me and Tyler and will soon be one for Adelaide and I know that our constant prayer for grace towards others and a just plain good manners will be needed to get through it.  We have to admit, there are many times we'd just like to yell at some people or stare right back to give them a taste of their own medicine (adults included) but we'll refrain. I also pray for the friends that Adelaide will one day make, they will surely be incredible people.

 Moral of the story: teach your kids acceptance early so I don't have to. 

New family pic!           

bills, bills, bills...

Adelaide and Daddy spent some quality time this morning paying bills. Adelaide was very helpful. I got some pictures of them together which is rare since Tyler is normally behind the camera (he knows how to use it better then I do). 

I think she sat quietly because she thought Daddy might turn VeggieTales on YouTube. 

Take away the eyes and she looks a lot like Daddy.

 Turning into a little flirt. 

We've been busy, busy people the last few weeks. That's my excuse anyway. For most things. Including my blog. So anyway...Lots of changes happening in our lives. I recently changed my full time job to PRN (as needed) and took on another PRN job at an agency. This is a big step for us, a little scary too. We're been very used to the stability that my full time job gave so this is going to be a great test for us in trusting that the Lord will provide. With this change I get to stay at home more (yayyyy!!!) which is something I've longed for since Adelaide was born. Never thought I'd want to be a "stay at home mom" but this change is going to be perfect. I'll only work 1-2 days a week! Basically stay at home right??

With the extra time at home Adelaide and I have been discovering new things to do in the city. We went to Crown Center last week and played in the water and she just loved it so today we went and took Daddy and got to take some pictures too!

Here's daddy and Adelaide getting ready to walk near the water. 

She loves to play in the water! The next picture is her standing all by herself. She will only stand by herself if there is something in front of her she REALLY wants to touch...usually flowers.

Ta-daaa!

Mom and dad pictures

And then I made Tyler run through the water with her. She loved it. Dad thought it was a little cold however...

After that we made an unplanned trip to the new aquarium. We've really wanted to go for a while but it's kind of expensive. We liked it but it will probably be a once a year kind of attraction. Adelaide really enjoyed it though and it was a great way to spend an afternoon. 

She's showing Daddy what the fishies do. 

She now thinks she has to walk everywhere but insists on holding our hand. No independent walking yet but we think it's coming soon!

This picture makes me feel old because she's starting to look like such a toddler. 

This last picture is my favorite. Adelaide stuck her head in the globe and I'm not sure if she meant to do her fishy face (she opens and closes her mouth) but she looks like a little fish!

The other event that I was able to attend recently was my Grandpa's 75th surprise birthday party. It was great to be able to celebrate with everyone. My Grandpa Pat is a fantastic grandparent and great-grandparent. I'm so blessed to have them close by and that they are still able and willing to play with Adelaide!

I'll leave you with a picture that shows true Gish party tradition. The girls in the kitchen talking/cooking/playing with the baby and the guys watching sports (baseball in this case)

So hopefully now that I have more time I can blog our lives a little more often. We already have so many things planned over the next few months now that it's nice!!

mantle makeover...

Tyler has always wanted to mount our TV over the fireplace. I, however, was not a fan of the idea. I don't really like the idea of the TV being the center of attention. However, I finally gave in to the idea and the idea of having a whole extra corner in our living room for seating. The only hitch to the project was that the mantle was too high for viewing. We were able to find a mount at a thrift store, brand new that was full motion (it tilts down and to the side)for $15!! That's super cheap by the way. But even with the full motion it was still too high, especially for Adelaide if she's sitting on the floor, and goodness knows we have to be able to watch VeggieTales without getting a crick in our necks. So we cut the mantle down 4 inches. 

This was after the mantle came off. You can see from the dust lines on the wall how tall it was originally. I love our mantle, it's huge. 

This is the corner of the living room the TV used to sit in. Tyler was working hard to remove the piece of wood the mantle was screwed into. We got to remove the TV stand and create a whole new seating area with my flea market chair. We'll be selling that TV stand at a garage sale the last weekend in May if you're interested.

I didn't take a picture of the whole process but we just cut 4 inches off of each side of the mantle and reattached. Here's what it looks like finished. 

With pictures around it the TV doesn't stick out too bad. I'm hoping to sort of redo what's on the fireplace slowly but this works for now. The wall behind the chair is screaming for a picture. We're getting family pictures done at the end of June and that is going to be the perfect place for one. 

A picture of our full finished living room. 

This is the awesome piece Tyler found at an estate sale last week. It actually has 3 levels but 2 fit better here. The doors flip up and you can push them in. So cool. I think I'm going to hang the 3rd level in the extra bedroom/craft room. We were able to put an extra lamp in the living room because of this which is great since there are no installed lights in this room. 

The other cool project we finished not too long ago was a sofa table. We wanted a place to put the laptop that wasn't on the coffee table where Adelaide could get at it. We got some old barn wood from a neighbor of Tyler's parents for free and then bought some metal pipes and presto, you have a sofa table. 

Restoration Hardware-ish

One more cool thing we've added to our house...

I've always been in love with the Pottery Barn kitchen set but am totally unwilling to pay $250 PER PIECE to buy it. Someone in Leawood was selling theirs for CHEAP! We got two of the 4 pieces for $25! The other 2 parts weren't in good condition. Adelaide loves it, it's the perfect height for her. She likes to crawl into the oven for some reason. See below...

Weirdo!

She's learning so many things so quickly now! Still not walking but getting close. She can say nose and point to it and to her belly. She gives kisses and every time she sees a fish she opens and closes her mouth. Also roars at every lion. Loving this age!

our ever changing lives...

It still amazes me how much we change and evolve in such a short amount of time. I guess when you see a child grow in a year it gets you thinking about your own life but I've been thinking a lot about this lately. In the almost 7 years since we graduated high school we've gotten degrees, married, a dog, moved 4 times, had 4 jobs (between the two of us), bought a house and had a baby. Whew! Sounds exhausting right? Well it was/is and during that time I was using that excuse to stay distant and apathetic towards Christ. I was too busy and things kept changing too much and I would get to it when things settled down. And now they have...

I feel like our family is evolving once again but in a good way. We aren't changing houses or jobs or having another baby just yet but we're changing the way we're living our lives. Starting to rely more on God's will and less on ours. I've forgotten that in all the hustle and bustle of life. Although I had a reminder of God's constant love in the blessings He's given me and my family, I chose to say thanks, this is great but continue on in my daily selfishness. We've recently started our small group at church and have also started the membership process as well and are so excited to be plugging in and serving in our community. These people, although we've only known them for a short time, are already blessing us more then they know. The accountability and friendship are just what we needed. It finally feels like we've made a home here in Kansas City and a church family to love and share our lives with. I feel like I can already see the difference it's making in our marriage, our family and parenting Adelaide and the way we live every normal day. It feels so good. So we'll continue to change as we always will but keeping in mind that all these things are not for me or my family but for God's glory. 

So anyway, enough with the heavy, here's some pictures of what we've been up to lately. I've been a bad blogger and haven't posted in forever!

Here's Adelaide and her cousin Allison in the Barbie car at Grandma and Grandpa McKee's. They actually look kind of alike in this picture.

This is Adelaide and I outside that day, it was very windy. 

Here she is playing in the kitchen. This girl loves to be naked!

Playing with Cheerios on the kitchen floor. 

Our first attempt at finger painting (it's edible, don't worry)

The finished product. 

This is one of Adelaide's new best friends, Elijah. Elijah's parents are in our small group so they play together a lot. He's one of the sweetest little chunks you'll ever meet. There is our recent lives in a nutshell. Hope to keep keeping you posted!

a moment...

My sweet girl took her last bottle tonight. I held her while she was drinking it and it made me sad. This is one of the only times during the day that she lays still and we just watch each other. That moment is gone. Although I do get a moment every once and a while where she'll "cuddle" with me, she likes to roll around on our bed and play with the blankets and pillows and she'll plop over and lay there for a minute then get up and do it again.  I won't, however, miss buying expensive formula. So we'll move on. In replacement of our sweet bottle time together she did learn how to give kisses today which made it all better. She won't do it all the time but if I say "kisses!" and pucker up she'll lean in and say "mmmaaa"! LOVE it! 

Some 1 year pics. We went with a Groupon at picture people to save a little dough and they turned out pretty well. Not the gorgeous professional pictures we've had of her in the past but it took 20 minutes and was super cheap. And you can't make Adelaide look bad.  

She can now stand by herself for a few short seconds every once and a while and I think that walking is going to start here pretty soon. She's acting like such a toddler. It just amazes me. I'm loving this time though, conversations with her that sound like a mix of french and chinese, new messes (like almost pooping in the bathtub) and her exploring. I swear she's one of the most talkative one year olds I've ever seen. You should come talk to her sometime. 

snowwwww...

I love the snow. I figure if it's going to be cold, it might as well snow and look pretty too. Adelaide got to experience her first snow since she was 2 days old this week. Lets just say she enjoyed herself a little more this time. 

She loves to look out the window, our little storage box in front of our front window is the perfect size for her to lean on. Daddy was letting her admire the snow falling on Monday. 

Adelaide and Tyler went out sledding while it was snowing but didn't get any pictures so of course I had to take her out on Tues. to snap some. Poopsie got a toddler sled for her birthday and was breaking it in. 

We even have a slight slope in the backyard so a little push sent her flying toward Tyler. She just sat there and smiled. She didn't seem to be as big of a fan of sitting in the snow. These days she just wants us to help her walk around everywhere so sitting her down is sometimes a challenge. 

She really does love being outside. We're really excited for it to get nice outside so she can crawl around (or soon walk around) a bit. We're hoping to do some work on our backyard this spring so she'll have plenty of dirt to play with! 

I'll leave you with a picture of something that seems to happen every time we walk around the house. Adelaide is drawn to the back door, like I said, she likes to look out the window. Amos always seems to follow her there and they stare out the window. She tends to lick the glass while she's there too, weirdo, but it's cute. She and Amos are starting to become great buds. She pulls his tongue, he nips her hand, she laughs about it and it happens all over again.