My Amalie

After giving an update on what is happening with Noah and Gabe, I wanted to do an update on Amalie as well.  I think she, out of everyone shocks me when I see how much she has grown.  With the others, it seems like I felt it coming, but with her, it always seems so sudden and dramatic.  She lost four teeth in the last month.  3 of them in the same week.  She looks so old- she no longer has baby fat on her face and with her adult teeth coming in, she is no longer a little kid. 

This girl is growing up and what a lovely girl she is becoming.  Her personality is amazing in the sense that she wants to do what is right.  That makes it much easier on me as a mother.  She really wants to choose the right.  My responsibility is to help and teach her to understand truths so that she can make that choice.
 
Last school year when she was in kindergarten and attending half day, I was going a little crazy, because she and Gabe were fighting every single day.  It drove me nuts.  Nothing frustrates me quicker than my kids fighting.  I finally talked to her about it and asked if she could pray about what she could do so they wouldn't fight so much.  Well, a few weeks later, when I had noticed they were getting along better, I asked her if she had done anything different.  She told me that she had the idea to play with Gabe.  (As previously, he wanted to play with her, but she didn't want him playing with her things) There were still some fights, but much less and I was astonished that at such a young age, she could receive inspiration and follow it.  What a girl!

She has only gotten better in that regard.  Gabe absolutely adores Amalie now.  They play all the time.  They still fight occasionally.  But often they will play for long stretches of time.  Today when I picked Amalie up from a friends house, when she came in the car, Gabe raised his arms up in pure excitement as if to hug her and exclaimed, "Amalie!  Now we can play!"

And she very happily obliged. Their relationship works really well because they like to play with a lot of the same things and Gabe is happy to let Amalie be the leader (she likes control like her mama).  They are so cute together and my heart just swells to see them get along like this.  I feel so very blessed!

She really is just a "sweet" girl and although that may seem to be a generic word, I don't know any other way to describe it.  She is a joy to be around.  When I bring her home some clothes that I found, she joyfully exclaims, "Mama!  Thank you!"  She is compassionate, grateful and super duper smart.

She loves to tell me things she learns at school- bringing home papers she finds interesting, like the ice cities that they build in a certain city in China, like the special relationship of a baby hippo and a tortoise in Africa. She is fascinated and loves to learn. 

She loves to laugh and I enjoyed listening to Brad crack her up yesterday as I watched them play.  Her laugh is one of the sweetest sounds. 

And she is obsessed with her baby brother that is in my tummy.  She adores him and will sing to him, talk to him, and feel my belly every day.  She won't go to bed until she has kissed my belly multiple times.  She can't wait til he is born.  On occasion she has expressed worry that he won't like her, and I have reassured her that he already knows her voice and will love her instantly.  That as she treats him well and helps take care of him, he will love and adore her.  Then her face lights up into a big smile.  It's so sweet.  She can't wait to help out and I taught her and the others how to change a diaper (on a stuffed animal) the other day.  They were all excited.  Not sure how long that excitement will last, but still, so cute!

I feel so blessed to be this girl's mama.  She is just a joy.  She does an excellent job sweeping our wood floors as well. 

I feel so grateful that life has slowed down and I can truly see my children for who they really are.  They are amazing, but sometimes in the stress of the day, I forget that.  How sad!  But this pregnancy has really taught me to slow down and savor life, watch my children and to look for the good.  And oh boy, have I found the good!  So grateful!