On the lighter side...

After last night's long post, I thought I might lighten things up with a slightly shorter post with a little bit of humor injected for good measure. I know I could use a little humor today. It's late. Too late to be blogging, by the way, since Trinity could pull an all-nighter on us at any given time. Last night Autumn went to a potluck with a bunch of gals from Young Life. That meant that Trinity and I had the evening together. We had a great time standing up and playing with her new Leap Frog Learn and Play Table. I figure that if I link to it, maybe they'll give me some money. But I digress.

So there we were, just having a great time. I figured that I better take some photos of the little tyke pulling herself to a standing position. The following photo is one of the first shots of the night. I am still trying to decide if she is a) surprised, b) pooping, or c) both. You decide!

Look ma, one-handed! Actually, that phrase is usually followed by a hospital visit.

After some good standing time, it was time to hit the mat and get some wrestling practice in. I know, I've probably beaten the wrestling joke to death, but bear with me a little longer, since I still find it rather amusing. So we were locked in (almost) mortal combat. I'll admit that she bested me, but I had a few moments of greatness! The problem is that none of them are on film. So instead, here is Trinity's highlight reel:

She is actually trying to put me in a sleeper hold. It almost worked, except she fell over my head. I hate it when that happens!

She's sort of showboating here, which is really uncalled for.

There's no hair pulling! Where's an official when you need one?

Okay, so it looks like she is standing over her conquered foe. That's because she is. I just can't handle the ten-finger death grip!

this is just a great shot of her standing. She is so cute when she does this. Her legs are braced wide for stability. Then she just bangs away on that music table. God bless the little cutie!

Autumn took this shot. I cropped it and made it our banner for the blog at the top. I think that this is a shot that sort of encompasses everything about Trinity right now. She is wide-eyed and more serious than she used to be. She is a messy eater. She is still a captivating little baby. I am under her spell for sure. I sometimes get caught up in the past when I think about her. We have been framing portraits and it makes it easy to slip into the mode of missing what Trinity isn't anymore. But this photo that Autumn took brings me back to the present and reminds me of all the wonderful things that Trinity is right now. I don't like being reminded that my faith is so fragile. But the reality is that with two sentences in an email from Autumn, I was brought to tears and I started becoming a little angry. A little angry that all this had to happen to my daughter. A little angry that it had to happen to Autumn. A little angry that it had to happen to me. Not angry at anyone, just a little angry at the situation. Maybe because I am so helpless to do anything about it. Maybe because it didn't have to happen.

But the danger of this line of thinking, as self-gratifying as it feels, is that it diminishes all of the things that God has done through this process. It diminished who my daughter is. I would never want to do either of those things. Instead, I am thankful that I still have the most beautiful wife and baby in the world. Nothing will ever change that.

Oh, was this supposed to be a lighter post? Whoops. So it goes...