Yay Ava!

Love for our kids...

So we all love our kids. It's a strange emotion of bonding as if our hearts are physically attached to theirs. Nothing ever changes that.

But truth be told, we feel like we're in the midst of a tough season, given my and Ryan's personalities: these young ages pull at our desires for individual time, time as a couple, sleep, creativity, logical conversations with our kids, uninterrupted conversations as adults and well, sometimes, sanity. And add in winter, and well, you now have a roller coaster of emotions at the Delp house. :)

In recent struggles, I have let myself sink into the pit of discouragement too quickly. And sometimes those pits bring about questions about parenting, our kids' personalities and well, those blasted comparisions to other kids/parents.

And today, as if directly from the Lord, I felt such a renewed appreciation for my beautiful kids. They are different and similar. Riley is fearless while Ava is cautious. Riley loves trying new things while it takes Ava a few tries with uncertain glances at Mommy before she'll decide if she likes something. But they both have fun personalities. They speak their minds (yes, even little Ava lets us know quite loudly what she wants and when); they are unaware of others' opinions and so are just themselves; they love hard and play hard. And their challenges help us grow and see the Lord, ourselves and them with a godly perspective.

And so, in our journey of praying for increasing love and growing faith - and while we love our kids a lot, I'm praying more specifically that our love for Riley and Ava would increase more and more. I'm praying that we would continue to grow in choosing the Lord's perspective in the trying times and choose to see each hurdle as a teachable moment, not just for them but for us as parents as well.

Lord, in all things, make us more like you. Help us love like you love...

More from the eyes of a Riley-bear...

Here's some more pictures from Riley's camera:

These first few are from when Memom and Pop were visiting in January. A little trip to Home Depot was just the inspiration Riley needed to be a little prophetic... a snow-blower?! Yes, that would have been nice to have a few days ago when we got 2 feet of snow!!

And here's a video of Riley telling the story of "Thomas' Christmas."

Riley certainly has an air towards the dramatic... wonder what that means for his future... and ours! :) Man, do we love this boy...

Works of Art...

Riley received his very own camera for Christmas from Memom and Pop and he so enjoys taking pictures of the world. I love seeing what is important and picture-worthy from his perspective.

Here's a sampling of some. These are from Christmas with the Delps and other random pics from December.







Grandpa bowling on the Wii; "Lots of Traffic"; and Backyardigans



Hmm... caught in the act...



Skyping with Memom and Pop...



Don't worry, there will be more to come... :)

Lord, will you grow our faith and increase our love...

This is our prayer for 2011...

Lord, will you grow our faith and increase our love...

Throughout the year, I'll give tidbits into how we're doing and what God is showing us and teaching us in this area. This covers so many avenues, but so far, I've been reminded of my love for Ryan. Reflecting on 2010 was filled with so many emotions and through all of them, I am humbled and deeply grateful for doing life with Ryan. As we get older and face more of life's curve balls, I'm confident that God will provide, He'll allow what is best for us and what will ultimately bring Him glory.

So I was reading a Karen Kingsburgy fiction book called "Forever" a month ago or so and in it was this list. Funny place to get actual marital advice, but I admit that I even wrote these in my journal, and in my kids' journals. Good reminders for loving well...

TEN SECRETS TO A HAPPY MARRIAGE

"1. God has you here to serve one another. Love acted out is serving.

2. Women need respect and nurturing. Love your wife so she knows you'd lay your life down for her. Continue to date her and admire her. Share a hobby - find something you can do to have fun together.

3. Laugh often.

4. Be patient. Love crumbles quickly under the weight of unmet expectations.

5. Spend more time trying to fix yourself than your spouse.

6. Keep short accounts. The Bible says, "Do not let the sun go down while you are angry." Make it a habit to forgive.

7. Determine upfront that divorce is not an option.

8. Learn about love languages. Not all people show love or receive it the same way. You want a back rub and your spouse wants a clean kitchen. The love languages are fairly simple: acts of service, time, physical touch, gifts, and words of affirmation. Learn them. Love is better received when it's in the language that person speaks.

9. Words of affirmation are a love language for all men.

10. Men are born to be leaders. He cannot lead unless she gives him the confidence to do so. If you love your husband, build him up. Confident men do not seek love outside the home."

I'm so thankful for my husband. While marriage is not easy, I'm grateful that I know I am loved and that he strives to love me better each day, month, year. As we begin this New Year, I'm grateful for you, Ryan. I'm committed to loving you better as we grow older together, I'm excited about showing our children the realities and joys of relationships and the beauty of striving to do life God's way.

Here's to you, Ryan, may God continue to increase our love for each other and may we be creative in showing that love in random ways throughout this year...

Catching Up A Bit...

Here's a few fun moments from the last few months...

Tyler and Sharon got married in April in Chicagoland. We had a great time and didn't leave 'til close to 11:00 p.m. because Riley was having such fun dancing. Here he is with Kyle and Tyler:



Making Ava laugh has become a favorite for us. Here's some examples:






Our road trip to PA in August, trying to entertain two kids during the L-O-N-G car ride, we played Tall Tale A LOT... where we all work together to tell one story. Here's Daddy'a big finish:

But once we were in PA and MD, we had such fun...

Ode to my husband...

Disclaimer: I am not just trying to be cheesy with this post. I am not trying to suck up after a fight. I'm coming from a place of humility and awe, which struck me so hard today when we were at the doctor for Riley.

Riley has had a nasty cough for almost 2 months. He has gotten a croup-like cough every year since he was a baby. This Fall, however, has been the worst thus far and we've been up many nights because of this cough. I think between this and having a not-quite 6 month-old, I'm in a constant state of fatigue. :) We've seen the doctor on many occasions for this cough, but there isn't much you can do for a 3-and-a-1/2 year-old, so most of the time, we do nothing and just "keep an eye on it." Today though, after going to the park where they were putting down new mulch, the cough was at an all-time high. So I called the doctor AGAIN. The nurse heard him in the background and said, "Bring him in right now. That doesn't sound good."

Now, I didn't feel fear, I felt relief. But my independent and sometimes-stubborn Riley Bear did not want to go to the doctor and was letting me know with great volume. And I had just put Ava down for a much-needed nap about 15 minutes earlier. So she was crying as I got her in the carseat and Riley was crying because he didn't want to go get another shot (which happened last time at the doctor). So I was battling my own tears of frustration and fatigue, while trying to sound upbeat and positive to make this a good experience so everyone will just calm down.

Ryan had given a lot this weekend. He helped me shop for curtains, helped me hang the curtains, gave up some of his relaxing time to help me with tasks that he didn't really care that much about. And now here I was calling during work hours just to let him know that I was taking Riley to the doctor and we might not be home over lunch. He read me so right and heard the crying in the background, I'm sure and because it was over his lunch-break, he chose to meet us at the doctor, bringing candy as motivation and a pick-me-up for all of us.

Now, I met Ryan in 1997. I fell in love with Ryan in 1998. I have learned much since then, and other than my relationship with the Lord, nothing has brought me greater joy than doing life with Ryan. But honestly, life sometimes takes over and I forget to count my blessings. I take for granted that I have this amazing man that walks beside me. But today was an instance where I felt completely thankful and joyful beyond words as I watched him calmly handle Riley's fears, explain to him what was going to happen, hold him (so I could feed Ava who now not only missed a nap, but was late in eating) while Riley had a nebulizer treatment and tell him the longest, silliest, most interesting story to help pass the time. And Riley responded so positively and maturely to this doctor's appointment. He didn't want to go, but he embraced being a big boy and did an awesome job. He kept saying "I'm being brave like Curious George is brave."

I'm proud of my son, who followed the example and the leadership of his daddy. I admit to getting choked up while watching this scene in front of me, so thankful for Riley and ridiculously thankful for Ryan. I'm grateful to have a partner to do this life and parenting with, who knows me like no one else, responds to me like no one else and carries me when I need help. We joke that we can't wait for the empty nest years to be able to date each other again, but I believe that God designs it this way in that I learn from my husband, I gain greater respect for him during this season of young children so that by the time we're older and can focus on each other again, we have a lifetime of memories and stories that have grown the foundation of love. Ryan's determination to be a good dad, even amongst mistakes or challenges shows me his commitment to me, our kids and to the Lord. And his gracious love for me inspires me to be and do better and to relinquish control to the Lord.

So not just today, but all my days, I love my husband. He is an amazing dad, an accepting friend and a strong and supportive husband.

And I acknowledge humbly and gratefully that I am blessed...