Our Greatest Hope

It is our most fervent hope and our most repeated prayer that these two little girls would come to have a relationship with Jesus. That is to say that they would come to recognize their need for a Savior and that Jesus is that Savior, who was mercilessly beaten and bruised for their sins, hung on a tree in shame, and died alone. We want them to know that He then rose from the dead in victory over every element of this world that attempted to defeat Him. He saved us, rescued us, and gave us freedom from these same enemies. We are redeemed!! Hallelujah!

It is with this same joy and hope that I share the following story that took place innocently last night at bathtime.

Elizabeth: Who rescued me from the darkness? (in a voice that was asking a question but also already knew the answer)

Matt: Who? (wanting her to answer)

E: JESUS!! (loudly and with enthusiasm)

M: How did he do that?

E: He died for my sins.

M: Then what?

E: He rose from the dead.

M: And what happens if you believe in Him?

E: I will go to Him (with great joy in her voice)

PAUSE - thinking, thinking

E: I already believed in Him, Daddy.

Are you kidding me? Is it possible that my darling three and a half year old daughter is also my sister in Christ? As the tears come to my eyes, my heart is full of hope.

Easter Bunnies

Here are the precious ones in all their Easter finery. Speaking of which, E's new Easter dress gave us a great opportunity to talk about Jesus. She asked why she got to have a new dress, and it was wonderful to explain that on Easter, Jesus made all things new. His death on the cross and resurrection gave us new life and new access to God. So to remember those truths and to celebrate them, we wear new clothes. Bonus: I added that our new clothes are often white to symbolize Christ's purity and the purity of His sacrifice. (Not sure if she was still listening at that point, but I liked the thought.)

Anyway, here are our two little bunnies.




















We also got to spend some precious, wonderful time with Matt's family who drove up to spend the day.

E really liked these chairs and wanted to be a big girl and take her picture in one. She also really likes her Siti and insisted that she sit in one of the chairs, too.



































She also LOVES her Ghido and spent 20 minutes playing tickles with him.














E had a special treat: Uncle "Doo" came in town with his fiancee Jennifer. They had some sort of game that involved their heads and squeaking. Not sure how to play, but it made E giggle. :)





























And of course, there was the wee one who gave her Siti and Ghido some much coveted smiles.















As a special bonuse, here is a final pic of our little fam. We LOVE being a family of four and thank God frequently for the gift of these precious girls. We also thank Him for the opportunity to tell them about Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us. He truly is good!

Two Months Old

Happy Birthday, darling Abigail. You were two months old yesterday. We love you so much!!










(Every Texas girl needs a big bow - the bigger the better. If at all possible, it needs to take up one side of her head!)

So Abigail's two-month dr.'s appointment was yesterday, and she is doing great. As a quick update, I'll tell you that her reflux is on the mend. The dr. informed me that all babies have reflux, but they only treat the ones who are clearly uncomfortable or are not gaining weight. Since A is definitely growing, we are now only treating her to help her be more comfortable, and I believe she is getting better. Thank you to each of you who prayed for us and asked how we were doing. It was definitely encouraging as well as reassuring to know that we have so many people we can rely on.

Abigail also got her first round of shots, and I totally forgot to have any infants' tylenol on hand. EEK! Last night was a long night with Abigail up frequently, crying and needing comfort. So first thing this morning I popped out to Walgreens to get the necessary meds...She has had a much better day, poor thing.

In spite of all of that, she still gave us so many pretty smiles today. She seems to be a sweet-natured little baby, and we thank God for her frequently!

Milestones

I know you will find this hard to believe when I tell you that my 7-week-old baby rolled over from her front to her back today. I know, I know, that is the kind of milestone that an older baby usually achieves. I'm not sure why this baby has been endowed with superior lower body strength, but I can assure you there is a reason why we call her "Kicky Legs."

Don't worry yourself with her angry, crying face. Instead, focus on the lifted leg. Though this wasn't the official roll over (yes, we did try to restage it for the photo opp.), she was still lifting that leg and pushing off the ground!














Also, you may remember that I mentioned a while ago that Abigail smiled at me and Matt on the same day. Although I have thought about trying to capture that smile on film, I have to be honest that in those preciously short moments when she is actually flashing her toothy gums, all I really want to do is sit there and bask in the joy of her recognizing (and liking) me. :) Today, however, I noticed she was particularly enjoying her swing, so I was able to snap a few. Of course, I think she's darling, so I hope you don't mind if I put up more than one of this series!

Answers to the Test!

Okay, it's 4:53 p.m. on my clock, so it must be time to publish the answers to the test! I am so glad that so many of you got a chance to test your skills with this little challenge. Some of you used your clever intellect to deduce which baby was which based on certain context clues. Way to go! Now, here are the answers!!

1A. THIS IS ELIZABETH!! (Context clue: date and time in the bottom right-hand corner. Elizabeth was born on 9-7 at 9:19 p.m.)














1B. THIS IS ABIGAIL.

















2A. THIS IS ABIGAIL. (Context clue: We painted our room and bathroom a year after Elizabeth was born. They were green and now they are brown.)














2B. THIS IS ELIZABETH.


















3A. THIS IS ELIZABETH.















3B. THIS IS ABIGAIL. (A little shout out to Emily Malone for helping me stage this photo!)

















4A. THIS IS ELIZABETH. (Context clue: Definitely Matt's darker hair but also Elizabeth's onesie is short-sleeved. September is hot in Texas.)















4B. THIS IS ABIGAIL.


















5A. THIS IS ABIGAIL.














5B. THIS IS ELIZABETH. (Context clue: My father-in-law, who shall go unnamed, says I am worn out in this photo. It was 12 hours of labor after all, Glenn!)














Hope you guys enjoyed this fun test.

A Little Test

Have you ever said to yourself, "Hey, Abigail sure looks like Elizabeth?" or "Those Morton girls could be twins!"? Or perhaps you've done a double take when you see them, remarking to yourself that Abigail sure looks familiar. If you're really bold (or perhaps a doting grandmother), you might find yourself bragging that though these girls favor each other, YOU could definitely tell them apart.

Well, wait no longer, friends! It's time to test your ability to distinguish between these precious ones. In the following set of pictures I have assembled, you'll have a chance to challenge you're keen eye. I'll post the answers on Friday, but if you dare, leave a comment today with your answers in order to claim your right to boast later!


1A.














1B.

















2A.














2B.


















3A.















3B.

















4A.















4B.


















5A.














5B.