Is it spring yet?

March is the month when spring officially begins. What did that mean for Iris? Well, it meant a "promotion" to the next age group class at preschool for Iris (She's a firefly now!), rainy weather for Iris to use her umbrella, boots and raincoat, an office move for Daddy, and tax preparation for the Avenells (ugh!). Iris enjoys playing dress-up anywhere there are "princess" clothes, splashing in puddles, making her finger talk to pretend different characters, and playing with her doll houses and a few baby dolls. Daddy's particularly good at making this fun for her, but it can only last so long.

A few positive changes:
Iris has grown one inch since her 3rd birthday.
She wears panties during the daytime.
She has "fake" tantrums that often disappear quickly.
She continues to grow her vocabulary with words such as, "exquisite" "fragile" and "actually".
She likes attending B.S.F. (See bsfinternational.org) and still has a fascination with shoes. Watch this...

Mama continues to use Mandarin Chinese with her (more than half the time), which she usually understands, but Iris usually answers in English. She likes to dance, but when listening to music, she has trouble clapping to the rhythm. This must mean more music time. Or trying a ballet/dance time for her age group might appeal to her. Time will tell.

A couple of highlights:
Last rainy Saturday, we drove to Bay Discovery Museum and went to almost all the buildings. Iris enjoyed the "tunnel" in the Bay Hall where there was a small cave aquarium, a crabbing pier, and a fishing boat that rocked. In the tunnel, a couple of "jie-jie"-s held her hand and led her through the space several times. Iris loved it, and really enjoyed being with older girls.

Another fun thing is that Iris and Mama have gone to the YMCA family swim time a couple of times. She loves splashing around the stairs. The warm water (>80 degrees!) is almost like a jacuzzi for me. She still clings desperately to me when I try to get her to float. We have been guests of friends who are members. Now, can we afford NOT to be YMCA members?

In this season of Lent, I have to confess that I haven't given up any one thing, but rather I am trying to build in more time for exercise, fun with the whole family, and be quiet with God. I continue to struggle with temptation to eat in the evenings, especially after teaching classes. It's embarrassing to think how I focus more on what snacks to eat than how I'm giving glory to God. A few books that I've been reading are wonderful for my spiritual walk right now: Breaking Free by Beth Moore and Here and Now by Henri Nouwen. I continue to remember that prayer is first and foremost to a "good" day because God guides me by His Spirit. As a dear sister in Christ recently helped me realize, plan nothing. Instead, trust God's prompting and plan. There are many times that I plan things to do with Iris or for myself and some event or distraction totally changes my plan. So, instead of getting frustrated, I will try to think how God gives us the gift of whatever happened. As I've been learning from a year-long study of the book of Isaiah, God numbers the hairs on my head, even until they turn grey. Wow! He is the everlasting Father and Creator of all. Hallelujah!