Well, it's finally time! The Lord has raised most of our support so our departure date to Alaska is May 2. We are VERY excited! It's nice we'll get a couple months to spend with family before leaving.
Ruthie: Can you babysit Sophie for me please? [Sophie is her doll she carries around all day]Mad: Sure hon.
Ruthie: She puts things in her mouth. Make sure she's safe.
Mad [distracted with other things]: Sure Ruth.
Ruthie: She crawls. Protect her from things that hurt her.
Mad: Okay hon.
Ruthie: Mama, you need to keep her safe. She gets into things.
Mad: Ruthie, I've had two of my own. I can handle Sophie fine.
Ruthie [Reluctant to leave due to her lack of confidence in my parenting skills]: Um, okay. I will be right back!
*Lesson learned: After this conversation I realized how many times I acted this way with babysitters or grandparents...I'm sure they wanted to say, "Mad, I've had X number of my own. I can handle this one." :)
Below: Becky with Sophie. I held Sophie on Sunday for over an hour. It was great...I think we bonded. :)
Mad: Ruthie, what do you want to be when you grow up [I already knew her answer]. Ruthie: A mama.
Mad: How many babies do you want?
Ruthie (smiling): I want three! And when they are playing I will exercise!
When I asked Ruthie what I can be praying for her about, she responded, "Pray I'll be loving God more." :)
Below: We got to celebrate Becky's birthday together...below is a picture of Elizabeth and Beck.