Potty Training

Annika is 2 now, and its time to start potty training soon...and I have no clue as to where to begin. Anyone know of any good resources for this kind of thing?

We had her 2 year check up today. it went well. she's 27 lbs and 35 inches tall...55th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. i feel like she just keeps getting taller and skinnier too. i have a feeling that she's going to be tall like her mom and dad.

where were you?

7 years ago i was in my cubicle at work when we had heard that the first tower had gone down. we all went downstairs to the fitness center in the building in time to see the 2nd one go down. it was probably one of the erie-est time's of my life. for several days there were no plane's flying over the city. i hadn't realized before then how normal it was to see planes in the air there.

4 years ago today. i got married to my amazing husband. he meets my needs in so many ways. i love him so much.

2 years ago today we had a 5 day old baby. we were excited to take some time to go to arby's for lunch while dan's mom watched her.

today. we go to work as normal. there's less on the tv about 9-11 than 5 years ago. it just becomes another day in history. a tragic day...but a day none the less. while it seemed like such a huge deal at the time, 9-11 becomes just another day in history. it reminds me of how big this world is and how big God is. i don't know why he lets things happen, but i do know that He loves me and i want to bring all the glory to him.

that's what it is all about...bringing glory to God. knowing that he is in control and that I don't have to be. trusting him with my entire life. and finding God in everything and every situation.

Tuesday

There's something to be said for having a day off in the middle of the week and hanging out with your daughter all day. We're going to the dentist this afternoon, and hopefully annika will be good and behave and not be too antsy...it's my appointment, not hers.

I've been feeling very disenchanted with life lately. especially with my job. it's rough to go every day, knowing that this isn't what God created you to do, and knowing that there's more to life than looking forward to the weekends. We were camping over Labor day weekend with a group of friends, and several of them are teachers. They had just had the whole summer off and were just going back to school a couple days later, and were already counting down the days till next summer. It really bothered me. I don't want to become the type of person who just longs for their next day off, yet here i am looking forward to next Sunday.

I know that the Lord will provide me something else when I need it. In the meantime I keep searching for where I'm supposed to fit in to life in this world. and praying for the right opportunity. and applying for jobs that will fit my personality better. and allow me to spend more time with annika.
on the up side, i am now the parent of a 2 year old, who talks all day long and tires me out...but she sure does bring joy to my life.

More to life than this...

Dan and I had an amazing time on our trip this past week. The accommodations were beautiful and we had a ball participating in camp 'stuff'. We definitely missed annika, but were so busy we didn't have time to dwell on it. both dan and I love christian camping, and were both left with the thought that there's more to life than what we've been doing for the past year or so. I enjoy my job, but there's more I could be doing to share the Kingdom of God with others. So we definitely have a lot to think about in the next few months or however long. And even more to pray about. I can say that our past week was life changing and now its time to do something about it.

But for now, as I wait upon the Lord, I will rest in the knowledge that He will take care of us and give us what we need.

On not such a serious note...i am purely exhausted and am resting this afternoon. I slept like crap last night due to a ever so wonderful bat in the house...it had been about 2 years since we had had one, and i hate them with a passion.

Castaway

so we leave on vacation tomorrow night. we're spending the night at their house and driving to Castaway Club in Minnesota. I'm very excited to go. I haven't been to castaway in 14 years and dan has never been there. it should be a great trip.

we're leaving annika with steve and molly (dan's brother and sister in law) and we'll miss her, but i think a little break will be good. i'm sure we'll be racing out to the campground to pick her up on wednesday.

i realized tonight that her vocabulary has grown in leaps and bounds in the past few weeks. it seems like daily that she puts more and more together. it's so rewarding to watch that development.

can't wait to post about our trip...

Anniversary

So today marks the completion of my 3rd year working for the bank. am i excited about it...eeh. i've got mixed feelings. i started out at 14 hours a week, which was nice. went up to 20 hours a week to get benefits...stayed there for a couple of years, and then back down to 14 ish...and since april i've been full time. it's definately not where i envisioned myself three years ago. i'm afraid it's going to be the career that i just fall backward into cause nothing else came along. i think of the many people that i've met that started as a part time teller "just for a few years" 30 years ago and are now in different roles.

it's also the anniversary of dan and I's first date...5 years ago...which is crazy.

and it's my mom's birthday. happy birthday camilla.

Priorities

So tonight we talked about priorities at bible study...it was an interesting discussion. there were 3 things the chapter talked about...one is that as women we sometimes believe that we can do it all which we really got into who's priorities are we following ours? other peoples? or God's? It really got me thinking about my priorities in life and who's i'm putting first. Sometimes when i really take the time (like i need to) to talk to God more regularly, and listen to him, it seems that I actually put God's priorities first...that's when life seems to have more purpose and peace.

another part of the discussion also went with this was talking about taking time to spend regular time with Jesus thru reading my bible and prayer. It really tied in well with the first part.

The 3rd part was interesting. the author talked about the priority of staying home with your kids. this was definitely more controversial. I totally got her point, but think she took a really extreme stance and didn't make it well. it was an interesting conversation.

i'm left this evening with lots of thoughts about my priorities. what i'm putting first in my life and my overall life mission/goals/purpose. am i putting God's 'to do' list first? or mine? who's are you putting first?