Baby Pigeons and Potty Talk

I've been journaling more lately, it's just been a little quieter... the Lord seems to be calling me to quietness these days.  Not silence, just quietness.  Perhaps it is because life these days is so rowdy and rambunctious? 

We were unable to park in the garage for a few weeks due to some works-in-progress, so any return home involved us going in through the front door.  Phoebe has turned into quite the climber, and before I could finish unbuckling Ruthie from her car seat, she'd be scaling the Japanese maple in our front yard.  Occasionally she'd pretend to be a baby pigeon; other times, a little stuck kitten.  One day, I arrived home from a dentist appointment to discover Phoebe dressed as a ballerina fairy (named Alice).  It always amazes me to see her scaling that tree, getting higher all the time.  Is it shameful to admit that I've never ever climbed a tree?

Ruthie is finding her words, and it's always a delightful process to watch.  I never tire of having a front-row seat to all of the discoveries these little ones make, and language development is always so terribly exciting!  In the last week or so, she's started mimicking sounds and learning a few animal noises.  She also makes the same two-syllable sound for "I love you" every time, so I'm branding her a baby genius.  She is bursting with personality and ambition, I think.  And although I think she might send me to the asylum with all of her climbing about, we can't help but adore her. 

And our sweet Nora?  I'm potty training her these days (I think this is my most loathed duty of motherhood), which means I'm praying daily for an extra portion of grace and patience for my sweet children.  I think I was sort of hoping she'd just up and train herself.  But we're making the most of the process with lots of M&Ms, frosted animal crackers, stories in the bathroom, and youtube clips on my phone. 

When my sin and frustration bubble over, I am reminded of the Amy Carmichael quote, "A cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly jolted.”  Oh, how weak I am!  I am so thankful that I am not called to be a perfect mother to these babies, and I am even more thankful that there is a Savior who is perfect, to whom I can point them.