When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard.
My kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish on.

When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and I look away.
My kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back.

When I hear music I love, I know I can't carry a tune and don't have much rhythm so I sit self-consciously and listen.
My kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing out the words. If they don't know them, they make up their own.

When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I feel it messing up my hair and pulling me back when I walk.
My kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.

When I pray, I say thee and thou and grant me this, give me that.
My kids say, "Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don't want to go to Heaven yet. I would miss my Mommy and Daddy."

When I see a mud puddle I step around it. I see muddy shoes and dirty carpets.
My kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross and worms to play with.

I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from? No wonder God loves the little children!! Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

I wish you mud puddles and dandelions!
Author Unknown

Thank you Lord for the perspective you give me through my children. Help me to see the world more often through their eyes. And help me to keep their eyes open to the possibility and wonder that they are currently experiencing. Help me to nurture their childhood and maintain their perspective. Amen.

We've lived in Hog country for almost 3 years, and this is only the 2nd game we've attended. The kids were excited - they were taught to call the hogs in preschool when we first moved - they learned it probably their first week (and taught it to their cousins - hilarious!).

So we got them all dressed in their hogs gear (ignore the Arizona A on Amara's cheek - she says it's for Amara) - and we headed to the game. It's a good crowd tonight for their homecoming - a sea of red.

I am praying that the guy behind me loses his voice. He's yelling so loudly that my hair is moving with his shouts. It's so obnoxious and loud. At least he's not using foul language, but still - my ears are ringing!

It's a beautiful night for a game. Go hogs!

Oh... and I do have to add comments on attire. I will never understand why guys wear suits and girls get all dressed up for games. The guys in the stands with their chests painted to spell out RAZORHOGS make complete sense to me. But the fancy pants.... I'm sorry, but I just don't think I'll ever get used to it. I will also add that I fell into neither category -- I was in jeans and a long-sleeved Razorback shirt. No heels. No pearls. Just in case you were wondering. :)

Perhaps I'm a total geek, but I loved school. And even now, as I walk into Amara's school to visit, I'm filled with giddiness.

That's how I felt today as I joined their Halloween party. They were supposed to dress as their favorite storybook character. Each child got to stand up and share about their choice. Then they decorated masks and cupcakes, and then they played a mummy game.

It was a fun day, but can I just say...God bless teachers! I'm SO thankful for Amara's teacher and all those called to be teachers. I am NOT one of those, and by the time we were dismissed, I was more than ready for some peace and quiet!

We are going to a Halloween party tonight, which means a sitter is coming. Friday nights at our house are typically the messiest state of our house for the week - it has suffered a week of neglect and anticipates Saturday chores. When a babysitter is scheduled, that means a frantic cleaning Friday after we get home -- all hands on deck.

I'm not sure how I got so lucky, but my kids love it. I'm not sure there's anything I loathe more!!!

Tonight, we cleaned, we baked (needed a dish for the party), we dyed my hair and painted my face. Then I deemed the house good enough. I heard the kids in their bedroom area and assumed they were playing. I headed to my room to change clothes -- the picture is what I saw. Despite my good enough, they were still going -- washing the window. Dominic is singing, "cleaning is the best," and Amara is negotiating strategy, "you get the top, I'll get the bottom." They're calling out for more soap, asking each other for clean washcloths.

It's completely irrelevant that they're cleaning the mirror with soap and water, which means it will undoubtedly be streakier than before. What makes me so proud is they not only CHOSE to do it, they also did it as such a great collaboration with each other!

This is the sky that greeted us from A's school this morning...

Isn't God the most incredible artist?

M.I.A.

Yep, that’s me.

I unintentionally spent a little time away, which led to a longer time away, which has made it REALLY hard to return. It’s not like anything crazy has happened – life has happened. That’s all. And life is great! But life is busy, and my blog (and all my other hobbies) get sorely neglected when life gets busy.

At the end of the day, I blog for myself – to preserve my memories and the things our family does. So I’m really only hurting myself. I use this cool “slurp” function on blurb.com at the end of each year to pull all my blog entries into a book. Then I add photos or scrapbook pages from the year to complete the book. And that’s all fine and good – except when I go M.I.A. And now I’ve got a 2 month “gap” in my memories. And we all know my memory alone isn’t enough to fill in that gap!

So… my last entry was July 30. What has happened since then? Let me catch you up quickly….

In July we had Jon’s whole family come to visit – which was a blast! We had 17 people and 2 dogs under our roof. It was such a blast that I spent a bunch of time pulling together the photos, but no time putting it on the blog. Probably should’ve done that! We also had our neighbors and wonderful friends from Baltimore come visit us for a long weekend. What a breath of “home” their visit was to us! Again… should’ve put pictures up and shared about the time…. But didn’t. And we went to Kansas City for the weekend – met my parents halfway and let the kids have a fun time with them. Again – no pictures on the blog. Not a good track record going here! And then we had Amara starting Kindergarten, Amara starting piano lessons, Amara turning 6, both kids starting soccer again, a family trip to Denver, and Dominic starting a new preschool. And there you have it – 2 months in one paragraph. Now you’re caught up on our life!

During the past 2 months, I have been adding goofy things the kids have said to Facebook. They really need to have a “slurp” feature on FB, too, so I can pull from there for my annual book…. Hmm….

So I’ll troll through my old FB status updates simply to be able to add these to the book. If you’re my “friend” on FB, these will be old. But still funny. So feel free to read or skip. They’re most recent first.

9/26: Amara’s talking to Grandma W on the phone. Grandma W lives in Wyoming. We live in Arkansas. She says, “Grandma, it’s FREEZING in Arkansas.” Somehow I suspect they’d consider it balmy here.

9/26: I do believe the kids got their fashion sense from me. And that’s NOT a good thing. We sent them to get dressed so we could head to Sam’s. They both had full dressers, as laundry was just completed. So they essentially had their entire wardrobe from which to choose an outfit. Dominic entered our room wearing a red Lightning McQueen t-shirt with turquoise, green, and yellow plaid shorts, navy blue socks with basketballs on them, and I think black shoes (not sure if his shoes were on yet). As I was laughing at him and telling him to go put on jean shorts, Jon said, “Just wait, another one is coming.” Amara walked around the corner in a bright purple butterfly t-shirt paired with a teal, yellow, and green skirt (inside out no-less – which doesn’t work when the skirt has built-in shorts), black and pink socks with ear-muffed monkeys on them, and black slip on dress shoes. She said she matched her colors in groups. I confess I was laughing so hard at their choices that she actually started crying – and I felt terrible about that. But I did let her keep on everything but the skirt – and just helped her select a skirt that matched. I think Jon needs to give lessons in fashion to them.

The kids were talking about ankles and bones. I wasn’t quite sure exactly what they were talking about within that context, but my ears perked up when Dominic said, “Mom, sometimes my bones bite my ankles and I scream like a girl.” I laughed at the “scream like a girl” part – which for whatever reason really amused him, but I think also embarrassed him, so he had to backtrack on himself and remove the “scream like a girl” from his statement.

9/23: You know it has been a long week when the kids wake up with the following comments. Amara: I wish it was Saturday. Dominic. I wish it was a day where everyone had to go to school except us.

9/20: Dominic: I saw a car without a bottle cap! Me: You mean a hub cap? Dominic: Yeah.

9/10: (Dominic’s last day at LSP) Dominic just informed me that Miss Clara and Miss Trista are his girlfriends. (They’re his teachers.)

9/5: Conversation in the backseat. Dominic: Amara, what do you want to do? Amara: Let’s dance! Dominic: I don’t want to dance. I want to fight coyotes!

9/5: Dominic: Sometimes I eat jellyfish for breakfast.

9/4: Dominic at 7:30am: Mommy, it’s morning. Me: I know, but we’re still sleeping. So is Amara. Dominic through a tear cracking voice: Why do you always do that? You always sleep too long. I don’t like people who sleep long.

9/3: For Amara’s birthday, we went to the Japanese Hibachi grill. They turned down all the lights and turned on strobe lights. Amara said, “I think they’re going to come sing Happy Birthday to me in Spanish.”

8/31: Dominic: Mommy, when I can ride my bike without training wheels…. I can have a motorcycle.

8/25: Dominic: I know why King Kong is mean. He’s really, really hungry. (Must be a Wxxxxxxx!)

8/22: Amara has a baby doll who is lacking in the clothing department (she’s got 2 outfits). So I took one of Dominic’s old sweaters and made it into a dress. Amara ended up with legwarmers out of the deal – the sleeves worked nicely for such a purpose. The funny thing: She wouldn’t take them off!

8/14: One of the sweetest things… Both kids are supposed to be napping. They’re both in their own beds. But they’re not napping. They’re singing. And they’re not just singing, they’re essentially singing a duet with each other – each with their own words and melodies, but definitely together. This is the good stuff.

8/7: Upon picking Dominic up from his Sunday School class tonight, Jon was told by his new teacher, “He’s a blast!” Why thank you. Yes… he is.

8/5: Amara mastered the art of tying her shoes!

8/3: I find it ironic (or poetic justice) that Dominic obeys the shoes in the closet rule at bedtime – by gathering up ALL his shoes from the house instead of getting jammies on and teeth brushed like he was told to do.

A year ago, I blogged about 1,287, a Homelessness Awareness Event unique to our area. It was an amazing event to be a part of, because in the span of 1 month, a friend of Jon's called him with the idea, implemented, and executed the idea. One month after the idea was shared, they were able to sit down and discuss the event that took place as a result. Here's Cobblestone Project's recap of the day.

Now THAT is a man of action. I was blown away.

A year later, Mr. Mark Horvath is returning to revisit 1,287. You know WHY he's returning? Because of all the communities he visited last year, our community was among the top of those who accomplished the most following his visit.

I'd say that our community must have several like minded people of action.

It's a cool thing to witness. It's a cool thing to be a part of.



So on Saturday night, our family will once again be counted at 1,287 revisited. Last year, a homeless census was taken, and it was estimated that we had 1,287 homeless people in our area. Of those, a large portion are women, children, and veterans. Of those, a large portion are people who would be able to find a manufacturing job in another city - but we have very few blue collar opportunities in our region. Of those, many are good, solid, hard working people, who have just come across hard times and have no support network.

The face of homelessness is changing. The face of poverty is changing. It's awesome to be a part of the movement trying to solve the problem.

I'll come back after the event on Saturday night and share with you some of the things Mark talked about. Where possible, I'll link you up to the things that have been implemented since last year. I know for sure: Our Step and The Farm. But I'm certain there are more: Laundry Love, Shear Kindness, the DC... I can't wait to return to share more!

Last night Jon and I were invited to a dinner party whose purpose was to consider the global orphan crisis. There were people from all over our area in attendance, some of whom I knew, others of whom I didn't know. The common thread was that all of the people in attendance have been called to serve and have a love for God and what He calls us to do.

And what does God call us to do? In fact, quite a lot, and here are a few examples:

Psalm 82:3 "Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy."

Psalm 10:17-18 "You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more."

Matthew 25:31-36 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'"

Isaiah 1:17 "Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."

We are surrounded by several friends and acquaintances who have been called to adopt from countries such as Haiti and Ethiopia -- countries where the orphan crisis is staggering. At this point, we are not feeling called to adopt, but we are absolutely feeling called to do something. And that's why we were at the dinner last night.

Chris Marlow was the guest speaker for the night. He is from Austin, TX, and is the Director of Help End Local Poverty. This organization has a division specifically focused on Haiti, with their initiative "We Have Not Forgotten."

I wish I'd have taken notes as Chris shared his testimony. Some of the things he said rocked me. I won't remember the countries he visited, but I'll do my best to recount some of his stories.

As he visited one devastated country, a young boy, about 10 years old, approached him and apologized for the state of his country. He then proceeded to say he didn't want to beg for food, but hasn't eaten in 3 days and could he please work for it? Imagine the devastation Chris must have felt as he had to tell the boy no because he didn't have any, and the grocery stores literally did not have any food on their shelves?

Can you imagine that? No food on a grocery store shelf? Because of how this country was set up (I think it was Zimbabwe), they had to get groceries from a neighboring country, and if that neighboring country didn't deliver, they were out of luck. And the inflation and cost was a ridiculous number I can't even begin to fathom. But to turn away a child in such away -- wrecked. I can't imagine.

In another country, he visited with a family whose father had been killed in a natural disaster. He was a pastor, and the church crumbled as he was preaching. His family watched him get buried by the rubble. The family was surviving on $1 a day. That alone is mind-blowing to me. A visiting pastor with a seminary degree (i.e. not a business degree) wrote up a business plan. He hooked up local women with someone to teach them how to make and sell purses. That family is now living on $8 per day. When asked how she feels about the change, her response was that she feels rich.

Wow! Rich on $8 a day. Here, we complain if we only make $8 an hour. I will grant you that things in the US cost money, and it would be nearly impossible to survive in the US on $8 a day. But the stark contrast is again mind-blowing. I may not be able to survive here on $8 per day, but certainly I can survive on less than I currently am.

Following the earthquake in Haiti, he visited the country. He visited with a young girl who lost both of her parents in the devastation. The person who was leading him through the country commented that the little girl had no hope. He asked why. The response was that she'd be raped at least 3 or 4 times before she's age 18. Tears immediately sprung to my eyes at that statement. They also commented that Haiti really is no different now than it was immediately following the earthquake. There's still so much devastation and work left to do. We are being begged to not forget Haiti. If we've been, we've been asked to return. If we haven't been, we've been asked to go. Or help others go, as not all of us are able to go.

A couple weeks ago we went to a going away party for a local couple who is serving for 6 months in Haiti. I introduced you to them about a month ago. When we were at their going away party, Jon sent both kids with some money to them, and told them to say, "Thank you for serving in Haiti for us -- while we're unable to go, thank you for going." I know they were prompted, but the message is the same.

On Saturday, we were shopping and there was a food bank outside of the grocery store collecting cans. As an FYI, food banks, homeless shelters, non profits in general, get crazy-low in the summer because people "forget" to help. It's easy for them to raise money, obtain donations, etc, during Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it's pretty lean during the summer months. Anyway, the food bank was collecting. So as we bought our groceries, I purchased an extra bag of canned goods for the kids to donate. When we went outside, I had Dominic give the bag to the workers. They applauded. I was SO tickled that they showed their appreciation in that way -- that they made a big deal out of his donation to illustrate the importance of doing so. What struck me, however, was that Amara asked why they clapped. She has grown pretty accustomed to giving, that she doesn't see it as out of the ordinary. She sees it as just something that you do, rather than something that deserves applause.

Back to last night, and the purpose for the title of this blog post.

In another country Chris visited, they brought a bunch of food to a pastor at a church. Upon delivery, they asked how long it would last, and were told a couple weeks. They were visibly disappointed that it wouldn't last longer. I wish I could remember the exact words, but essentially the pastor said, "You American's. Always pursuing the American Dream and needing to know the answers so far out. Where's the faith the God will provide for today? God not only provided for today, but for a couple weeks!"

That was very sobering to me.

We're so focused on future planning, keeping up with the Jones's, wearing nice clothes and shoes, providing the best for our kids, investing for the future. And I'm not suggesting we DON'T do those things. But at the same time, sometimes in doing those things, we're taking all the control upon ourselves and trusting God for nothing.

The American Dream, in many ways, is self-serving and self-reliant. God calls us to serve others and be reliant upon Him. There's a huge disconnect for me with the American Dream and God's calling. I know I've not been reliant enough upon God. I know I've been selfish and controlling, determining to accomplish things on my own.

I may be living the American Dream... but is it's God's dream for me?

I'm not sure yet what direction we'll move. I know that in his job, Jon's challenged with these ideas daily. I'm thankful for that. I'm also thankful that his job provides me opportunities to immerse myself in those ideas. In the corporate world it's very easy to get sucked into all things material -- and I don't want that.

So we'll see what's next. I don't know when, I don't know how, I don't know what it looks like. But I want to be open to what God has in store.

This photo was taken 4 years ago. Dominic was about a week old.



I thought for sure he'd be late like Amara (she was 10 days over her due date), and arrive on the Fourth of July. I thought about how cool that would be to celebrate his birthday with fireworks every year. But he was right on time, so I got to get them all dressed up in their matching red, white, and blue to celebrate the freedoms we have in this wonderful country.

But as the say on the photo goes, "The best things in life aren't free -- but priceless."

The same can be said for our freedom. It is truly priceless.

God Bless You and God Bless America!

It all started several months ago. Amara would wake frequently with bad dreams. We have a Veggie Tales book that says, "God is bigger than the boogie man," so I tried to use that as a reference.

I told her that God is bigger than the monsters in her dreams.

I told her that the monsters are afraid of God, and they're afraid of her, too.

I told her to tell those monsters to scram and leave her alone.

Oh... and I told her there's no such thing as monsters anyway. Why is it that line of logic never works?

Over the next few nights, weeks, and months, those comments turned to prayers. The prayers were for God to clear her head of all the bad and help her think of only good things, only pure things, only happy things.

And she slept.

On the night before his birthday, Dominic came sobbing into our room at about 3am. I asked him what was the matter. He cried, "Mommy, I need you to pray for me." I asked what for? He said, "For Jesus to take all the scary thoughts from my head."

My heart melted right there. I hugged my little guy close, stroked is soft fuzzy head, and prayed for the Lord of his heart to clear his mind to sleep soundly and peacefully.

With each prayer I offer with the kids, I follow it with one of my own, "Lord, please answer this prayer so that they can see You, so that they can feel You, so they can know You."

On the morning of his birthday, the two kids met in the hallway. Amara told Dominic she dreamed of his birthday and all the fun they'd have. Dominic responded, "Oh yeah, well Jesus gave me lots of great things to dream about."

Again my heart swelled. I whispered a prayer of thanks to Jesus for answering their prayer, for showing Himself to my children.

That relationship they have now. That tangibility that they feel. The conversations that they have with Jesus at the drop of a hat as if He's right next to them -- because He is.

Isaiah 11:6 "A little child shall lead them..."
Matthew 18:3 "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mark 10:15) (Luke 18:17)
Matthew 18:4 "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 19:14 "But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Mark 10:14) (Luke 18:16)

Is there any doubt how much Christ cares for His children? Before our children were born, we committed them back to the Lord. They are His children; we've been entrusted them. But they are His.

My prayer is that the relationship that they have with Jesus right now continues to grow. It is so strong right now, so real, so tangible, so innocent and pure. The part of me that knows the world knows that their faith will likely be shaken several times over throughout the course of their life. But the bigger part of my cries out to my Savior asking for their little hearts and minds to continue to be molded and shaped by Him and for Him. I pray that He gives me wisdom to lead them and to point to Him.

Acts 13:33 "that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, 'YOU ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.'"

1 John 4:4 "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world."

I feel as if I've talked in circles and not properly expressed how important these prayers, these overheard conversations, and God's responses have been to me. It's quite amazing and humbling to watch your child's faith literally bloom and develop before your eyes. I could feel myself choking up as I tried to explain it to my Mom, and even as I type, I feel the tightening of my throat.

At this point in my life, this is my most important purpose: to show them Christ. My prayer is that they know Him, love Him, and serve Him with all their heart, soul, and mind.

I'll close with the camp song I've recently been reintroduced to. When I was a camp counselor we closed every campfire with this song. I believe it was written by our director at the time, Layne Nelson. The words and melody were poignant then, but have since taken on a new and deeper meaning as I insert my children's names and pray it over them each night.

"May the Spirit of God descend upon this place. Keep us safe inside Your arms; fill us with Your grace. Put love deep within our hearts and peace within our souls. Guide us wherever we may go, for You are in control. Sing alleluia! Alleluia! And guide us wherever we may go so we may humbly serve You."

We had family company at the house for 2 solid weeks, and the kids were definitely not looking forward to the return to school (aka day care). Who am I kidding -- we weren't looking forward to going back to work either!

However, the kids' school had a book fair during the week of their return. In celebration of the book fair, they also had spirit week. Each day held a different theme, a different reason to dress up. In short: the kids were EXCITED every morning!

On normal mornings, they shuffle into our room, murmer something that sounds like hello, then crawl into bed and snuggle with me for a little bit. It's really a wonderful way for me to wake up. However, it also usually results in rushing out the door, because I laze around in bed snuggling my kiddos for longer than I should!

During spirit week, on the other hand, the kids bound into our room already dressed. They were SO jazzed to be all dressed up, and couldn't wait to put on their gear. I told their teachers they need to do spirit week every week. OK...maybe not...that would get too expensive. In other words, I had as much fun with it as they did!

So here's a run down of the week.

Monday was Sunglasses Day. I didn't take a picture of the kids, but they both rocked out in their shades.

Tuesday was Sock Hop Day. This is the day I was most excited about. I went to Hobby Lobby over the weekend and found some cute black and pink fabric, a poodle iron-on, and went to town. I essentially made a tree skirt with elastic at the waist. The whole thing, including the top applique, took a whopping 2 hours. I was SO excited about how it turned out. Dominic I struggled with, because I couldn't find any Roy Orbison-esqe glasses that were in youth size. At the last minute, I found this cool fedora that he totally rocked! Apparently the other classes' teachers all kept coming into his room to ask him to model his hat. After school we went to a fundraiser at a local pizza joint -- and they were a hit there, too. Sock Hop Day definitely got two thumbs up!



Wednesday was Rock and Roll Day. I struggled a bit with this one, because Rock and Roll isn't really all that much different than Sock Hop, unless I want to get all Poison, Kiss, etc. on the kids. And I wasn't sure I wanted to go that direction. Had we not been pressed for time the night before, I'd have cut D's hair into another mohawk. Instead, he got to wear his Small Paul rock band shirt and I drew an "I Heart Mom" tattoo on his arm. He thought that was pretty cool. He plays a mean air guitar, doesn't he? For Amara, I found some cool hair extensions that were hooked to a ponytail, so I kept her side pony from the day before and just added the black / pink / silver hair to it. I found a cheap "rocker" shirt that came with a leather bracelet and a cheap pair of sparkly leggings the day before, and then she also wore here hot pink metal bracelets. For a last minute pull together, this actually turned out pretty good!



Thursday was Dress as Your Favorite Book Character Day. We looked through all their books for ideas, of course I was steering them towards "easy to costume" books. Dominic originally wanted to be Curious George. I quickly got him off that idea! Then he wanted to be Lightning McQueen and wear his Car's t-shirt. Then Amara found "Michael's Golden Rules," a book by the Jordan family about the importance of playing hard, practicing, being a good teammate, and being a good sport. Dominic's eyes lit up as he said, "I want to be a baseball player!" Sold!



Amara was a little bit more difficult. I originally had her convinced to be Pinkalicious. This would be super easy, because Pinkalicious simply wears all pink. On Wednesday night, Amara changed her mind. When I picked her up at school, she said she wanted to be Mary. I asked who Mary is. She said, "Jesus' Mommy." I wracked my brain thinking of what we had at home to accommodate that, but really we had nothing that would quickly and easily transform her into Mary. Then she said Mary Had a Little Lamb. Again...nada. OK, so how about the teapot from "I'm a Little Teapot." Good grief!

I asked her where she thought we would get things for these ideas. It was already their bedtime. She said, "From the store." Oh my...no! So there became a lesson in planning ahead, sticking with decisions, etc. It was clear, however, that she didn't want to be Pinkalicious. So I thought about the costumes and outfits we DO have at home. Lightbulb! How about "Angelina Ballerina." All smiles and she's happy again! So Amara went as the little mouse named Angelina from the series of books featuring Angelina Ballerina. And she wore her tutu to Jon's baseball game as well. tee hee



Friday was Pajama Day. The kids excitedly wore their pjs to bed the night before, got up, and were ready for school. I didn't take pictures of them again that day, because it was really pretty run of the mill. All in all though, a really fun week was had by all -- including Mom!

The other night we went to a going away party / fundraiser for this couple who will be traveling to Haiti on July 1 to be mission leads there for 7 months. I want to introduce you to them and their story. It's pretty incredible.

Living For A Cause from Michael Drager on Vimeo.

They also have a website: Living for a Cause -- please visit them, follow them on Twitter, donate if you feel so led.

Have you met my son? If you haven't, I'd like to introduce you to Dominic.



If you have met Dominic, I'm pretty sure you love him. As the saying goes, "To know him is to love him -- and that is very true of Dominic.
Dominic entered the world at 8am on the button on June 24, 2006. I believe we were given June 23 as his due date, which is the day I went into labor. We drove the 45 minutes into the hospital, and I really believed I was going to deliver on the way there. In fact, when we arrived, they were worried that they wouldn't even get me checked in before he arrived. Thankfully (or maybe not), he was turned sideways, which didn't put the right pressure on the right places, so he stalled out. This allowed me to sort of sleep through the night. Lucky Jon got to sleep in those ever-so-comfortable hospital chair-beds, while Amara was tucked safely into bed at our wonderful babysitter's house.

By morning, the doctor said, "Let's get this little guy outta there!" So essentially, she reached in and pulled.

The next several hours and days were a whirlwind. I'm glad that I documented them then, because now it's a blur. I remember them being some of the worst hours and days of my life. There were some scares about his health, he spent a couple hours in the NICU, a coupld days under bili-lights, and I had literally some of the worst nurses I've ever experienced. But thankfully, I don't really remember all of that. His name means, "Belonging to God" -- and I'm so thankful that we gave him back to God before he was even born, because God certainly took care of him that day.

In hindsight, none of the issues were as extreme as they felt that day -- something about hormone surges, lack of sleep, and far away family make everythign more extreme. As I sat in the NICU with my 8lb 2oz baby, looking at the tiny ones surrounding me, I was so grateful to know that it would be a short stint.

And look at the little guy now:


The labor was fast. The delivery and following hours / days were chaotic. And his life has, in many ways, continued on that "whirlwind' path. Dominic is, by definition, a whirlwind! He's a little bundle of energy that can just as quickly as he flashes by, flash back, jump in your lap, and give you a hug that melts you to the core. He's my "snuggle buggle" and he's very proud of that fact. He's quick to tell you he's not a baby, but conceeds that he will always be MY baby, and he's OK with that, too.

Last night he promised to take care of me when he grows up to be 41, which he declared to be very old. He then added that 27 is very old, too. Guess I'm old. But that's OK.

Dominic is the child who my mom promises will make my hair turn gray before hers does. I don't doubt her. He has a gift that I attribute to his father, and I do believe it's a bit of his Great Grandfather (on Jon's side of course) reincarnate -- he can walk that line and maybe even toe over it -- but charm his way out of it. He has a mischevious twinkle in his eye that tells you he's up to no good, but also assures you that he'll win you over anyway.

We joke with his teachers that we really have to keep him in line, because if we don't he will be a delinquent. He's got them all fooled, and they assure me that he's always so well behaved, polite, etc -- a charmer, I tell you! But that's just it -- he IS all those things -- well behaved, polite, kind, loved by everyone. That's why it's so hard to believe he could ever be a deviant. We'll have to keep him in line so he doesn't expose that side of himself (a side I'm quite sure we all have).

Seriously though, this little boy is a light. He is loved by everyone. He loves to make people smile and laugh. He's got a humor, a vocabulary, and a sense of other people that are well beyond his years. He's almost never in a bad mood. He's tender hearted but still tough as nails.

As wonderful as all that other stuff is though, my favorite part of him is his love for God. Several months ago we picked him up from Sunday School and his teacher was gushing over the prayer that he said. She said it was the sweetest most sincere prayer -- but more than that, she was impressed as he was the only one who would offer one. He evangelizes to his classmates. At Christmas he told them it's OK to love Santa as long as you love Jesus more. When they asked who Jesus is, he said, "He died on the cross to save me from my sins." This week he came crying into our room at 3am and said, "Mommy, I need you to pray for me." I asked him what was wrong. He said, "I need you to ask Jesus to keep all the scary thoughts out of my head." So last night we started with that prayer. And this morning I over heard him telling Amara, "Well God gave me lots of good dreams last night." Late last year, Amara gave her heart to Jesus. Dominic said that he did too. He repeated to me all the truths that are essential -- that Jesus is God's son, he lived as a man, died on the cross, rose again to save us all for our sins, and now lives in heaven. But I was kind of hesitant, thinking perhaps he memorized it but didn't really internalize it. But I'm not so sure... I know that God hold's this child in the palm of His hand. And I'm pretty confident now that Dominic has given his life and his heart to Jesus, too. Man, I really pray that the relationship my kids have with Jesus right now continues to be as close, as real, as tangible as adults as it is right now.

I do believe I could go on and on. So I'll cut myself off. In closing though, I offer immense thanks to God for the amazing gift He has given me in both of my children. I'm not deserving of such incredible blessings.

Happy Birthday, little man! Here's a special Dominic kiss, just for you!

On June 24, 2010, at 8:00 AM on the button, we were blessed with this most precious gift and our little family was complete.



Dominic means "child of God" -- and that, he most certainly is.

We love you, little D-man

This weekend I had the opportunity to go home to visit my home town, my home state -- in the NORTH.

You see, about 2 years I officially moved "south." I guess technically I did that several years ago when I moved to Baltimore, which is south of the Mason Dixon line. But Baltimore just didn't feel "south" to me. Nor did Cincinnati. Arkansas, on the other hand, feels "south." And to be honest, I've had a bit of a hard time adjusting to southern living.

Don't get me wrong -- the people are wonderful. It's never about the people. It's customs and traditions that I just can't quite wrap my head around - nor do they really fit my personality.

Here are a couple of examples:

- Many southern women will choose to dress up for sporting events. I'm more likely to paint my face! I wouldn't be caught dead in a dress at a game -- and definitely no pearls!

- While we're on the subject of dresses, many southern women love to dress up, and always look perfect when they leave their house - not a hair out of place. I'm envious of those women because they do make it look effortless, and they do always look good. But while being slightly envious of their seemingly effortless perfection - I have no desire to attain that! I'd MUCH rather go out in a pair of sweats and flip flops than heels and a skirt. If I hadn't chopped off my hair, I'd be most happy in an unshowered ponytail. :)

- China patterns and monogrammed everything is big down here. Admittedly, a wee bit of monogramming has wooed me in. But China, ugh, no way. We didn't register for China simply because I knew I'd break it!

- My latest -- the kids didn't go outside to play yesterday for long because it was too hot. It was 90. And in the winter, they don't go outside because it's too cold. It was 30. When I was a kid (aside from walking up hill both to and from school), 30 degrees was a balmy winter day that didn't require a face mask and snow pants! Seriously though - let the kids go outside. Fresh air and running around is GOOD for them!

While I was home last weekend, here are a few things I realized I miss about the north. Or at least my little corner of the north.



The daylight hours last forever! I always thought that summer seemed to last an eternity. Summer holds some of my fondest memories, and I think I entered a brief depression each year as it ended. I was excited for school to start, but summer was magical. I do think the number of daylight hours have a lot to do with it. It's still light at 10pm!



Look any direction and you have an unobstructed view of the world. The rib on SD is that there are no trees. And I do love trees. But the glory of being able to see forever is amazing there. You see the lush fields (OK, this picture shows cattails in a slough), the green prairie, God's beautiful blue sky. You realize just how big the world is. There is no feeling of claustrophobia when you have this much wide open space.



Rhubarb! Seriously, I didn't realize how much I loved this fruit until I left it. I tried unsuccessfully to grow it in both Baltimore and Cincinnati. Not going to waste my time in Arkansas. Each time my parents visit I request that they bring a bunch. My mom made this incredible dessert (not hers pictured above - but similar). She made a cheesecake and topped it with rhubarb sauce. More than one of us helped ourselves to 3rds of dessert that night. It was DIVINE. It's tart goodness cannot be matched. My Dad's cousin who joined us that evening for dinner (and who also now lives in the south) suggested that northerners really should bottle and sell rhubarb sauce, jam, desserts -- all sorts of delicacies -- and open stores in the south. It would catch on like wildfire.

I had a most wonderful visit "home" and am now back in my southern home. I will say that from an annual perspective I definitely prefer the southern temperature. And I'm not real eager to permanently return north to move out of it. However, despite where I live, I will always be a northern girl at heart.

On the way into work this morning, the radio station I was listening to posed the question, "What would you say to your 8th Grade self?"

I thought it was an interesting question. Many callers called in offering advice, encouragement, suggestions for stock purchases....

It's a question I've kind of been mulling over all day, and I find my own responses to be a bit of a study in extremes. On one hand, I'd tell myself not to take things so seriously. On the other hand, I'd tell myself to work harder and not allow myself to be lazy. Perhaps I've still not figured things out (OK, so I know that's true...)

So here I am... my 8th grade self. This picture was taken in 1989.

Dear 8th Grade Self, here are some things you really should know....

- The friends you have right now will still be among your best friends in 30 years. Value them. Cherish them. Nurture those relationships. You're blessed to be growing up in a small town with people who will be important to you for life -- this is unusual and very special.

- The things you deem as crises right now will seem so trivial to you as an adult. They are weighty, they will shape your life -- but in ways much more positive and strengthening than you'd ever imagine.

- You may think your parents are too strict and feel like "everyone else gets to do this" -- but be thankful for that. They're leading you down a path that is not always straight, not always clear, and they're buffering the pitfalls for you. You will absolutely thank them for that one day, and you will also raise your children just as strictly.

- Forget your idea about never marrying and living with a houseful of dogs. Married life and children are amazing blessings.... and dogs shed and aren't welcome in restaurants and hotels. Kidding... dogs are still great... but not nearly as much as a husband and children.

- Don't allow yourself to get lazy and settle for "good enough" -- you're better than that. And the rest of the working world will eat you for dinner if "good enough" is all the work you're willing to put forth.

- Remove your mask. People will like you even if you let them see the "real" you. You don't have to put on a false strong front.

- Don't be afraid to fail. Try new things. Don't limit yourself only to that which you know you can do well. Branch out! Perfection will never happen even in things you're good at -- so give some other things a shot!

- Believe in yourself. Stay strong. Stick to your principles and ideals. You were brought up with good ones. You were brought up to be strong and independent. But... don't be afraid to rely on other people too, and ask them for help.

- Being raised in a Christian home is not something to be taken for granted. Being raised in a solid family isn't either. You are blessed beyond measure.

- Don't be afraid of confrontation or think that people will "hate" you for "arguing" with them. If you have an opinion, voice it respectfully; most people appreciate and respect directness more than avoidance.

- Quit spending all your extra money on candy -- your metabolism will not always be what you're enjoying now!

- As much as you THINK exercise and outdoors will always be an integral part of your life -- your work life and family life will make it nearly impossible. Figure out now how to be disciplined in all things (including cleaning), so they require less effort in 30 years.

- Make your bed and clean your room.

- Fish is good. So is seafood. Coffee is still not.

- You WILL use math. Every day. Every. Single. Day. Pay attention! (And don't KLEP out of it in college.)

- The lessons learned in childhood will be as important as an adult as they were as a child: "Always remember who you are and Whose you are." and "Always leave a place better than you found it."

- Your childhood will forever be "enshrined in gold" in your memories -- cherish the moments as you live them.

I know I shared this photo in my last, but really, it held a lot of significance for me.

As I mentioned, we were racing in honor of my Grandma, who has beat breast cancer twice in the last 10 years. We feel it very important to teach our kids to give back, and this race is important for the family reason.

Meet my Grandma (and my Grandpa):


Growing up, they lived 6 miles from me. They never missed a game or a concert. Grandpa was a farmer. Grandma worked in the Title office. She was a revolutionary of sorts -- a working woman in a generation where that was a bit unusual. She retired, I believe, at age 72 (I might be off a bit on that). I know that her influence, as well as that of my Mom, is what led me to be a working woman. (And I'm in no way putting out there an argument to be a stay at home mom or a working mom -- I support both choices and feel it important to make the decision as a family for your family.)

I come from a family of strong women... on both sides. And I'm proud of the confidence, independence, and determination that they've given to me.

On this Momentous Monday, I look back and cherish every moment I've spent with my Grandmother. And I'm thankful that I have a lot of them to reflect back upon.

I also share with you this photo, taken 4 years ago, of a moment shared between my daughter and my grandmother. There is such a depth of experience, meaning, and love that can be seen in that one simple photo. The experiences, hard work, hand-holding, hugs, letters written, flowers planted -- that are seen in my Grandmother's hand. The hope, promise, new life, future -- that are seen in my daughter's chubby little one-year-old hand.



This is one of my favorite photos. I shared it with my Grandma, and her first words were, "Oh look at my ugly old hand." She sees the wrinkles of age. She sees the painful bends of arthritis.

I see a beautiful life of a beautiful woman.

Grandma has had a rough couple of years with strokes, broken hip, broken shoulder, lots of physical therapy. She's pushing through therapy right now trying to regain strength from her last accident. I'm heading home to celebrate my Mom's birthday in May, and look forward to seeing my Grandma again, too. This photo and the series of recent events really have me clinging to the words, "I don't know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future."

I thank God for the wonderful females He's placed in my life. And I thank Him for the precious moments I've been blessed to spend with all of them.

What about you? What moments do you cherish on this Momentous Monday. Hop on over to Tiffany's blog to share your heart.

Happy Race for the Cure day!

Today our family raced in celebration of my Grandma, who beat breast cancer twice. The pink signs on the back of our shirts say just that.

The rain definitely made the crowd sparse today, and the booths afterwards shut down quickly. Everyone was willing to stay, but the participants took off as soon as the race ended. It was really soggy and cold. My pants were wet up to my knees. There was a brief break in the weather just as the race was to start, but it poured both before and after the race.



The kids and I were ready to go! Amara was planning to run it with me. I knew she wouldn't be able to run the whole thing, but was really excited she wanted to run it with me. We did the 1 mile Family Fun Run.



Amara and I went up ahead while Amara was running. Dominic ran a little bit, but his little legs got tired and opted for the prime seat in the house - atop Dad's shoulders. Look at how wet his hair was! Thankfully we brought along a change of clothes.



Last year's race couldn't have been a more beautiful day, so we were of course disappointed by the weather. However, it is still a wonderful cause! Last night during dinner, I told Amara about the race, why Komen is important, and that the race is a fundraiser, which will help do research to help people be cured of cancer.

This morning as I was getting ready, Amara was in the bathroom with me mulling over the race of the day and the words from last night. She said to me, "Mommy, it's not just the money that makes people better. God is the one who makes people better."

I'm so glad she gets it!

I just have to pause at the end of this crazy week to reflect on the whirlwind that defined it.

Wow.

I survived!

Rewind about 2 weeks. We selected granite for our house, committed to it, had it measured and cut, and we were told that it would be delivered and installed in 4-6 weeks. We told them that we would do the demolition (you can see where this is going), and also that we could be flexible to fill the void of any cancellations (now you can really see where this is going).

I have travelled for work for each of the last 3 weeks. This was my first week that I've been home, and we were looking forward to some relaxing. We also started the kitchen demolition last weekend. We were able to remove the center island countertop as well as all the tile on the back splash. That was Saturday, and we were quite proud of the effort we had made, knowing we'd continue working the following weekend.

Then Monday hit.

Jon got a call on Monday from the granite installers saying they had a cancellation on Friday morning and would be at our house at 7:30.

Gulp!

I'm SO thankful I didn't have to travel this week. There would have just been no way, as it's a two person job.

Here's a list of what needed to happen before it could be installed:
1) Kitchen countertop (not island) removed (including sink / disposal removed)
2) Laundry sink countertop removed (including sink removed)
3) Basement bar and countertop removed (including sink / disposal removed)
4) Install oven / stove
5) Remove old dishwasher and install new
6) Remove backsplash from basement
7) Remove old dry wall and replace with new
8) Pick out faucets for 3 sinks

I think that's it. I could be wrong.

So I took off work on Tuesday and bought the faucets, then set to work prepping as much of the other stuff as I could. After Jon's work audit was finished (i.e. around noon), he joined me at home. We were able to get items 2, 3, and 6 complete in the basement. We were feeling pretty good about things on Tuesday night -- felt very accomplished for our day's efforts.

Then Wednesday night came. We were intending to get the sink removed in the kitchen, as well as the dishwasher. So I crawled under the sink to turn off the water -- but no matter how hard or which direction I turned it, the water wouldn't stop flowing. Great. We tried everything. We couldn't very well shut off the main water supply to the house, because we still had to live there and wouldn't be able to turn it back on. Wednesday night ended with us both very frustrated, as we made absolutely NO progress on our very lengthy task list.

Thursday I frantically called for a plumber to fix what we assumed was a broken valve. At the end of the day, we were very thankful that we discovered a broken valve this way and not as a result of a leak. That would have been horrible! Anyway, plumber came out, fixed the valve easily, looked at all our new fixtures and agreed to come back on Saturday to install everything. Jon and I agreed that while we're capable of doing the plumbing -- water and the potential hazzards of it are something we'll leave to the experts!

So by Thursday at 5pm, we were where we had hoped to be on Wednesday night. And we had basically 14 hours until our granite was arriving.

We worked until 1am. Good grief what a long day!

We started with removing the countertop. This countertop was ridiculous. It's L shaped and probably 8 feet by 4 feet. It's made out of particle board with a 1/2 inch layer of cement over it, followed by a layer of chicken wire (it's probably not chicken wire, but that's what it looks like), and then followed by white ceramic tile and brown grout. That beast was over 300 pounds and as ackward to carry as it possibly could be. Not to mention it was wedged into place, trapped behind the island and the refrigerator. So to maneuver it without damaging the appliances or the cabinet faces was crazy challenging. We think we made it out with only 1 "oops" which will be largely hidden under the new countertops. We're actually lucky to have made it through uninjured!

Then we installed the oven. We had spent probably 8 hours on the oven alone just before Christmas, only to discover it didn't fit properly in the hole. The ease with which we installed it last night was (a) a blessing, but also (b) maddening that we spent so much time on it the first time around! Thankfully the hole which holds the oven was plenty big, it was the old cabinet tops that were slightly too narrow for it. So it slid in easily this time around.

Then we removed all the sheetrock from where we took down the backsplash. I have a LOT of dishes to wash as a result of all that drywall falling into the counterless cabinets. Lovely. But hey, it's down! Then I went out and measured / cut the new sheetrock while Jon installed each piece I cut out. We had quite the assembly going!

The finishing touch, at 12:45am, was to install the new dishwasher. It will be SO nice to not have to wash dishes AFTER the cycle completes.

As we fell into bed, our bed fell to the floor... literally. We've GOT to put those stabilizers on the legs! HAHA!

We aren't compeletely done. We still need to tear out and replace the drywall in the basement. However, compared to what's behind us, that task seems very doable!

Sorry there are no pictures attached. While trying to push through a weekend's worth of work in an evening, I had no desire to stop to photograph the efforts. However... after today, I'll have new granite photos to share! Whoot whoot!

I decided to share a "throw-back" picture for you for today's Momentous Monday.

This picture was taken 2 years ago -- the kids were 1 and 2, and we decided to take in a Cubs game. We'd like, as a family, to take in a game at every Major League park. We decided that we'd wait til they were a bit older, however, as this became a long game.

I share this picture, because it sets up the week that was this past week...

I had to travel for work last week from Wednesday til Friday. I got home Friday evening, then Jon flew out for Chicago on Saturday morning. I had given him tickets for Chicago's home opener on Monday morning -- a dream for a life-long Cubs fan. He spent the weekend with his college roommate, who was our best man at our wedding. It was (hopefully) a fun, relaxing, rejuvenating weekend.

However, he flew back to town on Tuesday. I flew OUT for work on Tuesday through Thursday. We actually met in the airport to say hi, download on the status at home, and say bye (literally 5 minutes). I spent the week away for work and the family picked me up on Thursday night.

I say all this to make the following point (which is actually quite obvious): Our family works better when it's complete.

The kids have had a rough 3 weeks -- because I've had 3 solid weeks of travel. And thankfully, that's unusual. We were nervous going into it, because the kids had been doing SO well. Happy, comfortable, sleeping well, top behavior, helpful...you name it.

However, when we're not a complete family unit, all of those kind of go out the window.

It was evident on Friday afternoon. Amara did something that was not acceptable (I don't even remember what - it was minor). I scolded her - and instantly, she was a quivering puddle of tears. On "normal" days, she feels bad, but doesn't melt like that. When chaos has been the norm, she's ultra-sensitive. The result for me was a learning experience -- I was able to dedicate lots of time and attention to my sweet girl this weekend to get her "back on track."

She had lots of scary stuff during the night -- her code for, "Mommy, I miss you, please come snuggle me."

She was ultra helpful -- her code for, "Mommy, I missed you, please let me spend more time with you."

She was concerned this morning that BOTH Jon and I should pick her up from school for her soccer game tonight -- her code for, "Mommy, our family is best when we're all together -- and I want you BOTH there cheering me on."

Dominic was similarly affected by the separation during the past 3 weeks. He's not as emotionally affected, however, he's more attention focused. He turns into a little cuddle-buddy after I've been gone. He'll sit at the top of the stairs after his nap and wait for me to come carry him down. He begs for his "fishy medicine" -- because he knows I'll often hold him in my lap while he takes it (and of course because his allergies are so bad he can't breathe).

I also had opportunities this weekend to re-establish myself in his little world. I took pleasure in carrying him all over the house, in smelling the sweet smell of him as he squeezes me tight, in sending him back to bed for the 5th time as he masters the art of stalling...

We've been renovating our house. Dominic has become quite adept at removing nails. He heard us banging in the kitchen as we removed the tile backsplash and countertop. He came walking into the kitchen holding his toy hammer ready to help. Jon gave him his real tools and set him to work pulling up tile from the ground. He made some strong headway -- removed the backerboard, some cement, and two nails that were deeply set into the ground using a hammer, a chisel, and a monkey paw. As we continued hammering away at the backsplash, Dominic started wailing.

You can guess what happened.

He missed his target and hit his finger. It wasn't bad at all, but did remove a little bit of skin from the knuckle of his thumb. Both thumbs actually. All he wanted was a little TLC, some cold water, and a bandaid. He milked it for all it was worth, especially relishing in the TLC.

When he was comfortably situated in front of a movie with a bag of fruit snacks and bandaids on both thumbs, Jon said to me, "I guess that's a good reminder that he IS only 3." He's capable of so much more than many 3 year olds, so we let him do those things of which he's capable. And sometimes he gets hurt (of course, we're tempering what he does so his injuries could only be classified as minor). And when he gets hurt, lessons are learned and TLC is profusely doled out.

Jon's right. He's only 3. And she's only 5. And as the picture indicates... only a short time ago they were 1 and 2. And boy does the time slip by quickly.

To both my kiddos: No matter the travel, no matter the chaos -- YOU are our priority. We will be there for your always.

Hop on over to A Moment Cherished to share your momentous moments -- and read about how others are cherishing life in the every day.