No Mommy!

Av was cracking me up today. Lately she has become soooo independent. I often hear "let Avery do it! Don't help momma!" That's right, she talks about herself in the third person. My mom just laughs at me and tells me I'm getting what I deserve since I frequently told her "I'll do it myself!" when I was Av's age. She thinks she can do it all on her own. She wants to get water out the door spout on the fridge, feed the dogs, cook, take her shoes on and off, change clothes, swiffer, vacuum, and many others. It's very cute. Some of it is actually helpful, other "activities" make quite a mess. I think she has also decided that if she can't do something, neither can J and I. Recently she has gotten in trouble a number of times for taking contraband items off counters and especially J's desk. She decided to play a little role reversal today. I was looking in J's desk for a receipt when Av ran up to me and said "Mommy! Don't touch Papa's desk!" Then she ran into the kitchen, opened a utensil drawer and got a spatula. She returned to the office with the spatula and said "Mommy, you need a spank!" She then proceeded to pop me on the leg with the spatula and say "Mommy you be nice! Do you understand me?! Say 'yes ma'am'!" I think I remember someone telling me that your kids are a good reflection of your own words and actions. It was absolutely hilarious. It was one of those moments as a parent that I knew I shouldn't laugh, that I should explain I am the parent/authority, she doesn't talk to me that way-or spank me for that matter, but I couldn't help it! I started laughing. This, of course, encouraged her and throughout day I heard "Mommy! Do you understand me? Be nice to Av!" I love this age, it's so fun.

Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to take her to the pediatrician in the morning. She has a few bumps on her leg that at first I thought were bug bites, but they're getting larger and one of them is hard. To make matters worse I called a pediatrician friend of mine and he said it was probably either bug bites with a bad reaction or a skin infection like MRSA. Great, it's either nothing or possibly the worst bacteria she could get. AArrrgghhh. Yet another thing to deal with this week. Lord give me the strength, as I know only you can. I'm comforted by the fact that I know God is good, He loves us, and has a plan for us. So for those of you praying out there the request list is now; Brian's family, job for Lindsey, Av's health and healing. Thanks for the prayers and support.

As for the job, I did have some forward progress today. I contacted a number of places for job possibilities, so we'll see where everything ends up. We're continuing to try to trust God and His sovereignty. I know that He will direct my paths and that He has the next step for us.