One of the things I’m trying to teach Becca is to have a happy, thankful heart. From the pictures on our blog, people might assume that Becca is always happy, and though she is a very happy baby, she still has her unhappy “gimmie” moments. Typically, when Becca is crying about not getting her own way I remind her to say thank you. It’s always neat to watch her stop and say “thank you,”  even when she’s still displeased about something. So in a little way, we’re planting the seed in Becca to be thankful and happy when things aren’t going her way.  A phrase that I’m saying a lot these days is “do you have a happy/thankful heart?” It’s also a phrase that I need to ask myself throughout the day.

Friday night we had dinner with René, Yani, and Amaris Rodriguez. We’re very thankful for René and Yani’s friendship. Yani took the girls down to the pond and Becca absolutely loved the ducks and swan. If it weren’t for the metal bars, Becca would have jumped in with the ducks. She wasn’t even afraid when the swan was nipping at her.

Becca’s new toy is our recycle bin. She fits perfectly in it and loves being zoomed around the floor in her own little vehicle. It’s cute to hear her squeal as we race through our rooms with it. Oh and if you haven’t noticed, Becca had her first little haircut this weekend. I cut her bangs back so she doesn’t have to deal with hair getting into her eyes.

On Friday, Josh presented a poster at the 18th Annual University of Texas at Arlington Student Conference in Linguistics and TESOL. His poster presentation won an award. Josh also participated on the grants panel. Speaking of grants, Josh just found out that he’s been awarded an NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant for his project entitled “Doctoral Dissertation Research: Clauses and Clause Types in Jarai.” The money from the grant will help pay Josh’s Jarai consultants and other research expenses. Becca and I are very proud of Josh, and we’re very thankful for the Lord provision for Josh’s research.

I continue to prepare for my defense next week. I haven’t had a lot of time, since Becca has decided to take really short naps this week. She must know that her mommy is leaving her next week and wants to cash in on extra time with me! I’m looking forward to being finished and not having my research hanging over my head.