Sommer has been a DIVA lately - total DIVA. (I wonder where she gets that from..... certainly not her mother...) We have been having problems with her going to sleep and frankly I have had enough. Up until last week we would lay her down in her bed, say good night, turn off the lights, walk out the door and see her at 9:00 am the next morning. BUT that has all changed. Now we lay her in the bed, say good night, turn off the lights, walk out the door and 1 minute later look up and she is standing there in the hall. GO TO SLEEP!!!!! After 4 night of fights I have nothing to give and no energy to walk her back to bed.... So today when nap time was beginning to be a struggle I set up the playpen! I told her if she came out again she would be treated like a baby and sleep in the playpen. 1 minute later she appeared in the hall so I put the playpen in her room, plopped her in it, and walked out the door. She cried for about 10 minutes but it didn't bother me (I'm a CIO type Mom - your not hurt, not hungry, just mad - get over it!) Then she was asleep!! THANK HEAVENS!!! I couldn't do another minute. I will do the same thing tonight if she puts up a fight!
Our family has also made a pretty big decision this month. After much prayer and thought we have decided to no longer attend the church we have attended for many years. We are at a point in our lives right now where friendships and relationships are very important for us and we need those with people our age. The church we were attending didn't have very many young families and it was getting hard for us to connect with people. Also there were not a lot of kids Sommer's age which was bothering me. Some of my best friends today are people that I have grown up with, some of us go back as far as toddler church!! I want to give Sommer that opportunity - to make long lasting friendships with people who have the same beliefs and standards.
It was a hard decision for us to make, especially since we do love the people there and have many found memories. We did not leave mad or disgruntaled - we just felt God was calling us elsewhere. The church we have decided to attend is one where many of my friends go. It is so refreshing for me to go to church on Sunday and be with people I know well and have close relationships with. It is also so encouraging to drop Sommer off in the toddler class with 20 other toddlers!!! We are excited to see what God has in store for us!
It's hard to believe that summer is over and fall is just around the corner! We had such a fun summer. It was so great to watch Sommer explore the world around her, learn new things, and play outside! I look forward to a great fall season and the year ahead... I wonder what things God will reveal to me. I'll leave you with this verse that has found its way into my heart. This is my new life verse: "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3.
