Elin can now say "ma ma" and "da da", can take several steps, can wave "bye bye", and loves to clap her hands and dance. She also loves to eat and loves to play in the bath tub. She is a very happy baby and loves to play chase with big sister Payton. It's been so rewarding watching Payton and Elin interact more now that Elin is a bit older. Payton loves to push her on the swing, take walks in the stroller with Elin, and to try to get Elin to laugh (which isn't too hard! lol!) Having a little sister has also been quite the learning experience for Payton, as she is now having to share her toys and her mommy and daddy. Although this can take patience and be quite the challenge at times, we know that it is SO good for them, and that one of the greatest gifts that the both of them will ever have is each other!
It's funny because, I joke with Ryan that no one ever told me that birthdays were THIS important to mommies! It seems like I always look at birthdays as a time to reflect on everything we've accomplished the past year as a family. God seriously teaches us SO much as we embark on this parenting journey. I don't think we have ever been more thankful for His mercy and grace. The other night, as I was reading before bed, the verse Philippians 1:6- "And I am sure of this, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ," really hit me hard. God seemed to remind me through reading that verse of how our children were given to us by Him to be stewards over, and that He has created them with a Godly purpose that we as parents must help guide and lead them to discover.
Ryan and I recently took a baby dedication class through our church in which we had specific assignments to discuss and complete together. One specific assignment asked us to list character traits that we wish to instill in our children as they become adults. This proved to be quite the task, as there are SO many things a parent wishes for their child! Also, the weight of responsibility weighs heavily on your shoulders when you begin to think about the task that God has entrusted you with. However, we managed to sum up our list to a "top 4," and are going to do our best to reflect on these traits every birthday and view them as a "road map" for us as we continue to parent. So, to wrap up Miss Elin's birthday post, we thought it would be appropriate to list these traits as a way to document them.
1) God loving- We feel so strongly that this is the number one, most important trait, as hopefully all other traits will be a reflection of this. We pray that our children will fall in love with God as their creator, master, father, friend, source of joy, and comforter. We hope that they will develop a desire to please Him and that they will fall in love with Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
2) People Loving- We hope to instill a love for God's people within our kids. We pray that they will have a desire to glorify God through self sacrifice and service to His kingdom.
3) Joyful- We pray that our children will understand where their source of joy should come from, not through earthly things, but through Godly and eternal things.
4) Hardworking- We hope that our children will work hard at whatever it is that they have been called to do with their focus being on pleasing and glorifying God.
Elin Cole- We pray everyday for God to give us the tools and wisdom that we need as parents to help us lead you to Him. He has given you such a sweet spirit and joyful personality! We cannot wait to see His plan unfold in your life. We will constantly be doing our best to remind you of Philipians 1:6- "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Happy First Birthday little angel...We love you with all of our hearts! :)
Enjoying her special birthday pancakes!
