Blessed Sunday

This morning I taught Julianna's Bible class. I have been doing this every Sunday since June (as well as last December, January, and February). In the last three months, she has gotten two new teeth, grown an inch, and learned several new words. And although I see those things every day with her, on Sunday mornings I get to spend an hour with her that's different from the rest of our hours spent together. In class, we talk about God's creation. We sing all kinds of silly songs. We play with little plastic animals. We flip through the pages of mini Bibles and sing the B-I-B-L-E. She hugs Winkie the bear and laughs. She plays with Lily and they eat each others Cheerios (which she won't touch at home). And I love every minute of it. The difference between the baby who sat at the table in December and the toddler who sat there today is amazing. And wonderful. And a good reminder to cherish every single day. Because tomorrow, she'll be getting ready to turn 10 and start 4th grade.

I am blessed to be able to watch her grow and know, more clearly than ever, to take it all in and treasure each moment in my heart.

10 Things Thursday

10 jobs I would like to have for a week (*or longer).

1. Marine biologist. When I was 13, we went to Sea World and I fell in love with all things fishy. I totally wanted to be a marine biologist until I remembered that 1. I hate getting my face wet and 2. I can't swim. But if I didn't mind getting my face wet and could swim, I would like to study God's ocean creatures.

2. Professional singer. I love to sing and do often. And sometimes it sounds pretty good. So for just a week, I'd like to go on tour and be able to sing for adoring fans across the country. And then I'd want them to forget about me. I don't want to be famous.

3. Dancer. Dancers are amazing athletes and their art can be so beautiful. I think it would be really fun to be able to dance on stage with absolutely no inhibitions. And after the week was over, I'd definitely want to keep the dancer body.

4. Academy Award seat filler. You know how they hire people to sit in the empty seats when someone goes to the bathroom or is on stage during the Oscars. Well, I think that would be a great job. First you're sitting by Meryl Streep. Then Brad Pitt (take as long as you want, Angelina). Then Stephen Spielberg. Cool. Very cool. (And I know it doesn't last a week, but still.)

5. Missionary. I think very highly of those Christians who sacrifice so much to spread the gospel all over the world. What a blessing they are to God's kingdom. And how rewarding their job must be.

6. *Professional Photographer. Another beautiful art form. What a great job to travel the world taking pictures of tons of interesting subjects. (Bonus: 10 things I'd want to photograph--Irish highlands, old European castles, Hawaiian volcanoes, Appalachian culture, African wildlife, rainforest flora, the pyramids, sunsets around the world, butterflies, and tropical beaches.)

7. *Book editor. Getting paid to read all day? What could be better?

8. Talk show host. I'm really not much of a talker, but I've always thought it would be interesting to interview people from all walks of life. Kind of like Barbara Walters except without the tell all book...or anything to tell all about.

9. *Discovery/Travel Channel show host. These people get paid to travel/blow stuff up/go fishing/look for Bigfoot/eat. How do you get a job like that?

10. *Baby namer. I am good at naming babies and I love to do it. I would get paid by expectant parents to choose their child's name for them. I would need a few weeks notice (because it's well known that it takes me awhile) and I would have to know about the parents. But I would guarantee the results. (If you're expecting or expect to be expecting, let me know. I work cheap.)

Play Ball!!

Otto, the Spokanasaurus.

Last night we went to a Spokane Indians baseball game. We love going to the games and usually go a few times a year. We hadn't gone yet this year and had just been talking about it when some friends from church called and offered to take our family with them. (Thanks, Ivan and Sally!) The senior group from church was going and had a few extra seats. Our family was thrilled and readily accepted. So the five of us and my nephew, Aidan, were off to the game yesterday evening. The boys all had their mitts ready for foul balls and were in a hurry to be one of the first 1000 fans so that they could get a set of Indians baseball cards. Adam kept asking if we were going to be there in time to get the cards. I assured him that we would. He said that it would be bad if we were #999. I told him it would be worse to be #1001. He agreed.

We got there in time to watch the team warm up and the boys were able to take their cards down to the field to get a few signed. They thought that was great and were very polite. I was also impressed by the players. They were kind and patient with all the kids as they flipped through their cards trying to find the right one. It was all very exciting.

We had great seats on the first base line three rows from the field. We were sitting with the seniors (all of whom we love), and they were all so good to the kids. They helped Julianna up and down the steps by our seats and shared their peanuts and popcorn with us. We all rooted on the home team and cheered loudly when there was a home run. Josh even got a foul ball when it rolled near our seats and one of the players tossed it to him. And he was able to have three players sign it after the game when the boys got to go out on the field and run the bases. It was a great time with really great people.

On the field after running the bases.

Josh getting his ball signed.

We were thinking on the way home that our family has been to 5 (maybe 6) games and that Arrty and I have been to a few before the kids were born. And we all agreed that this was the best time yet.

So thanks to the seniors for letting us "youngsters" crash your outing. And thank you, thank you, thank you again to Ivan and Sally for the tickets!

A Letter To Mom and Dad #1

Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm sorry about all those Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights when I asked you if Marla or Angie or Val or Brenda could spend the night. I'm sorry that I asked on the spur of the moment without making plans ahead of time every single week. I'm sorry that I didn't listen all those times you told me not to ask with my friend standing right there. I'm sorry that I said, "Her mom said it was okay if you say it's okay." I'm sorry that I put you on the spot and asked you to give up your Sunday afternoon nap and instead listen to giggling girls all day.

I'm sorry. Because now I know just how you felt. Josh has started doing the same exact thing to me. And Sunday, as I said, "We need to make plans," I smiled and thought of you.

Love,
Jen

P.S. Thanks for saying "yes" so often. :)

Blessed Sunday

There was a time, not so long ago, when I could barely get out of bed to take care of my family. My body was failing me. My brain was failing me. My heart was failing me. I would somehow drag myself up and get on with the day. It was accomplished by sheer force. I would get up and out the door, if I had to, and count the minutes until I was back home and could lay down exhausted from what should have been a normal day. If it was Saturday, I'd get up and feed the boys, and then lay on the couch until I had to get up to feed them again. It was on a day like this that I realized that I needed help. I realized that I was no longer in control of my mind. If I had been, I would not have been living the way I was--completely unable to be the kind of wife and mother that I have always tried to be. It was also that day that I started to get better simply by acknowledging the situation and seeking help. For some reason I thought of those days this morning as my sweet daughter called for me over the baby monitor and I smiled, knowing I was ready to start the day.

So today, I am blessed that I am physically and emotionally able to get out of bed looking forward to a day of taking care of my family the way I'm supposed to.

Me too

Watching Jason Mraz on the Today show.

Saw a woman wearing a tee shirt that says,

I used to be 21.

Love it.

10 Things Thursday

10 words I would like for people to use to describe me...

1. gentle
2. loving
3. compassionate
4. funny
5. smart
6. dedicated
7. passionate
8. faithful
9. organized
10. joyful

Rambling

I made $44.75 at the yard sale this weekend. That's around $1 an hour since I spent hours and hours finding, pricing, setting up, selling, cleaning up, and transporting. And again I will say, please, please don't let me have another yard sale. It's just not worth it. (Kathy and Ada, that goes double for you since you not only let me, but brought your stuff, too.)

The boys made $17 each which made them happy. It was fun to watch them sell lemonade. (By the way, everyone should always buy lemonade from kids.) Spending time and working with them made it almost worth it.

I found a yellow post-it this morning which said,
"We're the boys"
25, 25, 25
The sun changed his mind
I know that these were all things said by the boys when they were little that I intended to write stories about but never did. Now I don't remember the stories.

Wait, I do remember the "we're the boys" one. Adam said to Josh in the car, "He's 'dad' (pointing at Arrty), she's 'mom' (pointing to me), and we're 'the boys'." I've always called them "the boys" I guess.

I did, in fact, take 50 things out of each room in the house. And could probably take another 50 if the other members of my family weren't watching.

The girls and I went to Summer Theater Friday and saw "Dames At Sea." I loved that it was so corny and funny and used every Broadway cliche. And Ellen Travolta was great. We had dinner at Red Lobster and I had Maui Luau Salmon and Shrimp. It was good, but the salmon wasn't as good as dad's.

I have to go put Julianna down for her second nap. And I haven't even had my first one yet.

Blessed Sunday

The preacher has been doing a series of lessons on Heaven on Sunday mornings. I have really enjoyed them because he has given a lot of insight about what Heaven is like according to scripture. I have always had this idea of Heaven being a place where you can do whatever makes you happy. If you love sitting on the top of a mountain looking out over a crystal clear lake, there will be mountains and lakes. If you love fishing, there will be boats and poles and catches better than you can imagine. If you love chatting, there will be plenty of interesting people to converse with. I love history and movies, so I have always believed that there will be this big screen on which I can watch time from the beginning. I can watch the world being created. I can watch Noah see the rainbow for the first time. I can watch Jonah get spit on the beach by a whale. I can watch Mary get a visit from an angel and deliver her son in a barn. I can watch the Sermon on the Mount and look at the face of the Savior as he taught about his father. After all, I will have all eternity to watch home movies of the last few thousand years. Now of course, I don't know what Heaven and eternity is really going to be like. I don't even know that I will care about any of the things I care about on earth. (Except the people. I will care about the people, and hope you're all there with me.) But it doesn't really matter if there are mountains or lakes or boats or fish or Heavenly movie theaters with no calorie popcorn. What really matters is that God will be there. And Jesus will be there. And I can look into their faces and say "thank you." That's it. For the first few thousand years I will just say "thank you." Then I will ask just why they created the platypus.

So today, I am counting as a blessing Heaven. The place. The idea. The reality. And the hope that I have every day of spending all of eternity there.

10 Things Thursday

10 things you can buy at my yard sale this weekend.

1. mismatched coffee mugs--the staple of teacher gifts

2. baby bottles--Julianna had her last one Tuesday

3. vhs movies--including Grease, Charlotte's Web, and Dirty Dancing

4. books--lots and lots of books

5. toys--even more toys than books

6. baby swing, boppy pillow, infant tub--all outgrown

7. lemonade, bottled water, Otter pops--from the boys' stand (Thanks for the idea, Kathy.)

8. Avon--from my inventory

9. roll around kitchen island--which I love but tends to attract piles of stuff so must go (I have to split the profit with my sister since she gave it to me at our last yard sale.)

10. and other stuff if I can get the other members of the family to let go of anything

Fair Pics?

Most years for the past 12 or so, I've entered pictures in the photography exhibit at the fair. The boys have both been my subject in the last few years, so I thought Jules should be this year. I took these this morning when my outdoor loving daughter was exploring. I thought I could call the first two "Me And My Shadow." I like the second one better because she was actually looking at her shadow. I just wish she wasn't partly in the shadow of the porch.

I like this one because 1. she's eating the flower instead of smelling it like I wanted her to, and 2. look at those eyes! I need a title. Any ideas?

So, what do you think? Should one of these be my fair picture or should I keep trying?

Coming

My sister wrote a post about last night's storm and I thought I'd share my story, too.*

So I wasn't sleeping well anyways because of a too long afternoon nap and had just drifted off when all of a sudden there was this loud thunder. And thunder's fine. If the storm hits during waking hours I even go sit on the porch to enjoy it. But this was loooong thunder booms paired with synchronized lightening. Our bedroom window was open so I could see and hear it all. Just when I thought it was over, it started again. These horrendously long thunder booms like I've never experienced before. It was scary. Well, I thought, this is it, the end of the world. And I smiled. I smiled. I was happy at the thought of Jesus coming to take me home. I was a little worried about the boys and mom and dad being away, but I knew we'd find them. After a while, I realized that it was just a storm. A weird, loud storm, but a storm none the less. I have to admit, I was just a little disappointed.

Oh well, I guess I have to make another mortgage payment.

*In case you're wondering, yes, my sister and I are both a little crazy and willingly admit, and dare I say, embrace, our craziness.

The Joy of Shoes

Julianna's new thing is that she wants to go outside. And not just be outside, but walk around outside. Before when I took her out barefooted, she was limited to staying on the porch and walkway. But one day last week, I put shoes on her and it opened up a whole new world. She can now explore the gravel driveway and the yard. (We don't have nice, soft grass that's good for little bare feet.) She can chase the cats wherever they go and walk what probably seems like a long way to her. She loves it.

Saturday, when we went out for Chinese food, she even walked on the sidewalk down the block to where we parked holding my hand on one side and her daddy's on the other. She was very proud of herself. And yesterday at church, she walked all over the parking lot since it was pretty much empty by the time we got out to the car. She loved finding all kinds of new things. (And was encouraged to play in puddles by mischievous onlookers! Luckily she never found any.)

So now she will bring me her shoes to tell me she wants to go outside. And she gets a little irritated when I won't take her. Yesterday evening I finally put on her little pink butterfly sneakers and took her outside. She wandered around and I pulled weeds and watered my hopeless flowers. She chased the cats and I had to rescue Ben once when she was carrying him around by his neck. (He was quicker to escape after that.) I picked a flower and handed it to her and she put it up to her nose to sniff it and the little petals went right up inside and tickled her. She laughed and did it again. We found rocks and sticks and enjoyed the fresh air and sunset. She pointed and talked in Julesese and I nodded and said, "And then what happened?" And she talked some more. We had a great time. Just before 8:00 we went inside to get her ready for bed. After a snack and cup of milk, she went right down and didn't make a peep until 5:45 this morning. I got her out of her crib and we snuggled for a few minutes like we always do. And as soon as I put her down, she went and got her little white sandals and put them in my lap ready to head out again.

Blessed Sunday

My sister started Blessed Sunday where you write a post about something in your life that you count as a blessing. The thing is, there aren't enough Sundays in the rest of my life to write about each blessing. So, I'll just write about one today and go from there.

I am blessed to have a home. A home with room for our family. A home filled with everything I need to take care of my children. A home with 2 bathrooms so that I only have to share with one boy. A home filled with love and laughter where the five of us who live here can feel safe and comfortable.

It's often loud. And even more often messy. My pantry gets totally cluttered and I had a small avalanche in the hall closet this morning. But it's our loud, messy avalanche. And as much as I dislike housework, I am blessed, today and everyday, to have a house to clean.

The Power of 50

I saw on the Today show a few weeks ago, a lady who was talking about decluttering your house. She said that you should get rid of 50 things. Give them away, throw them away, sell them, whatever. I thought that was a great idea and was especially pleased that other members of my family heard the suggestion, too. But as I looked around, I knew that 50 things wouldn't make much of a difference in our house. But 50 things out of each room might. So that's my plan. I'm going to get rid of 50 things out of each room (and the hall and entry way closets). Living room, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 closets, 3 rooms downstairs, and the laundry room. That's 13 rooms and/or closets. Times 50. That's 650 things out of my house and life and mind.

I did the kitchen yesterday and have a big bag of garbage and boxes of stuff to get rid of and it feels great. I loved opening the cupboard this morning to get Julianna's bottle and seeing organized space. It made me excited to keep going. Today's project is the living room and 2 closets. I'll keep you updated on the progress. (Because I know you're all on the edge of your seats.)

Speaking of progress, Julianna has gotten her 4th tooth! I found it this morning. She's well on her way to that first ear of corn!

Josh and Adam are gone for 5 days to the Oregon coast with Pappy and Grandma and Aidan. They've been gone for exactly 2 hours and it's already too quiet.

10 Things Thursday

10 things I'd do if I won the lottery*...

1. Take care of my extended family and a few special friends.
2. Build a building for our little private school.
3. Give the school staff significant raises and a big bonus.
4. Give lots away.
5. Remodel/finish our house.
6. Hire a housekeeper/cook.
7. Adopt a child...or 2...or 3.
8. Travel.
9. Buy my husband a new car.
10. Replace my entire wardrobe.

*I don't really play the lottery so I don't think I'll ever win. But if I did...

How cute is this?

Look at this cute scrapbook page I made at Scrapblog. I'm trying to decide if I should do Julianna's first year scrapbook digitally or the old fashioned way. I sent this off to Costco to have a 8x10 printed to see how it looked. What do you think? Digital or old fashioned?

Ramblings

Something wonderful happened this morning. Julianna saw me looking at a cookbook and went to her bookshelf and got a book and brought it to me to read. It was the first time she's done that. I love it! Reading to my kids is one of my favorite things ever.

Have I mentioned how much I love Mandisa? If you haven't heard her music, you should check it out. It's so good. (Marmie, your copy is on the way.)

Josh is playing baseball this summer on a park and rec team. It's kid pitched so there are lots of walks and very few hits. But last night Josh got a hit, two walks, and made an out at first base. He's also a pretty good pitcher.

Adam asked me at last night's game if he could play next year and in our conversation I discovered that the only reason he didn't play this year was because he didn't want to be on a team without Josh. I wish I would have known that earlier. I have a feeling we could have worked it out so that they could be on the same team. It reminded me to listen to my kids better and talk things through more.

I have been told probably 10 times over the last week or two that I should write a book. It's made me wonder why I haven't. I think it's fear. I hate fear.

Why do one year olds want to play with all the things they aren't supposed to even when they have a huge box of toys three steps away? The world may never know.

How's that for rambling?

Counting Down, Speeding Up

Warning: If you are a teacher DO NOT read this post. (Kathy, that means you!) It may induce panic attacks and/or SIGTF (Summer Is Going Too Fast) Syndrome.

Today is Monday, July 20th. And as I look at the calendar I count 7 weeks until Labor day. Which means 7 weeks and 1 day until the first day of school. Which means that I have 5 weeks of summer left before I head into the classroom to get ready for the upcoming school year. And still, my house is not in order. I haven't lost a single pound. I haven't organized the closets or the bookshelves or the pantry or my mind. I haven't started my daughter's first year scrapbook. I haven't written that great American novel. I haven't been to the beach even once. Yikes!

So, today's the day. I WILL do something on my mile long to do list today. Maybe even two things or three. I WILL be ready in 7 weeks and 1 day to take on being a working mom again. I have to. I know myself. And I can't do it unless my life is in order.

So wish me luck. I'm going to need it.

And if you want to help, come on out, I'll make lemonade.

(Kathy, I told you not to read it!)

10 Things Thursday

This week the following question was posed on Huckleberries: What four people who have walked the earth, then and now, would you most want to have lunch with? There are so many who I would love to have lunch with that I decided to write this post with 10 days worth of lunch guests.

Day 1: Jesus, Peter, Paul, John (the apostles)

Day 2: Esther, Noah's wife, Mary (Jesus' mom), Eve

Day 3: Amelia Earhart, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Eleanor Roosevelt

Day 4: Mark Twain, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Robert Frost, Louisa May Alcott

Day 5: James Dean, Katherine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Jimmy Stewart

Day 6: Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Gerard Butler, George Clooney (why not?) :)

Day 7: Grandma and Grandpa Flanagan (who I never met), and the first two Flanagan's to come to America from Ireland (whoever they were)

Day 8: Joseph, Daniel, David, Moses

Day 9: Abraham Lincoln, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Thomas Jefferson

Day 10: Sacagawea, Helen Keller, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie

And the list goes on...

Who would you have lunch with?

Wordless Wednesday

Cool, rainy, summer days are good for reading, naps, snuggling with kids, watching movies, and eating comfort food. They are not good for cleaning house.

Today is a cool, rainy, summer day.

Sweet 17

As of today at 1:00pm I will have been married for 17 years. I was 20 years old. The day was much like today. Warm and sunny (except for a brief shower in the late afternoon which is supposed to be good luck on your wedding day). We had only been engaged for 7 weeks and had planned the whole thing beginning to end in that time. (Only one person asked me if I was pregnant. Obviously, I wasn't since Josh wasn't born until 7 years later.) I ordered my dress from JCPenney and the invitations from the discount card store. I picked out these radically cool turquoise dresses for my bridesmaids. (After the wedding, they could pull off the puffy sleeves and a few of the ruffles and the huge bow on the backside and dye them another color and totally wear them again! Right, Ada?) We flew our recently moved youth minister in to perform the ceremony. We asked some talented photographers from church to take the pictures. Arrty's aunt made the cake. I bought all the stuff to make bouquets and decorations and friends helped assemble them. Arrty and I picked all the music and made mixed tapes (yes, tapes, it was 1992 after all) to play before and during the ceremony. There was even a lady at church who served as my wedding planner on the day and organized everyone. It pretty much went off without a hitch. Like everyone when they get married, I suppose, the whole day was kind of a blur, but there are a few things I remember distinctly.

When I was standing outside the double doors of the church auditorium holding the arm of my dad just getting ready to walk down the aisle, he leaned over and said, "You still have time to run." I'm still not sure how serious he was.

During the ceremony, the minister, who had done some research beforehand, mentioned the love notes that Arrty and I had written to each other when we were in middle school. He then pulled a folded paper out of his pocket making it look like one of those notes. I'm sure my eyes were as big as saucers afraid he might read some of our adolescent ramblings. The paper was blank. Phew!

While we were lighting the unity candle, hot wax dripped onto my thumb. It burned, but Arrty consoled me and I don't think anyone besides us knew it happened.

And I remember a great since of relief when it was all over and I didn't have to be the center of attention anymore.

It was a great day. Sweet and fun and happy. But I was so young and had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. I think of my 20 year old self and try to remember what I was feeling and thinking and expecting. I can't remember, but I do know that I never, in a million years, would have been able to guess what the next 17 years would hold. And honestly I wouldn't have wanted to know. What fun is that?

But on this day, I'm glad to be where I am. I'm glad to be Mrs. R and still falling in love with Mr. R. more and more each day. I'm glad that I'm able to laugh and cry and live with this man who loves me more than I deserve or understand. I'm glad to live in this time, in this place, with this family which all started on that sunny July day 17 years ago.

Happy anniversary, Mr. R. I love you.

10 Things Thursday

10 things that make me smile no matter how many times I see (or hear) them.

1. Julianna dancing
2. Josh laughing
3. Adam's "who me?" face
4. when Arrty says "ice cream!"
5. the movie Grease
6. the song Amazing Grace
7. my kids playing together
8. pecan pie
9. emails from my favorite people
10. my sister saying "Daugherty, Jennifer? Daugherty?"

All Aboard!

Yesterday the train was in town. Well, the "Disney's A Christmas Carol" train was in Spokane. It is an interactive museum of sorts based on the new movie coming out in November. It's been traveling all over the country showing some behind the scenes stuff and promoting the movie. Since it was free, Kathy and I loaded up the kids and headed over. Silly me thought that there wouldn't be many people there. I was wrong. We waited in line for about an hour before boarding the train. It was very well organized though, and to beat the heat, they had fans blowing mist toward us and water stations along the line. The only thing missing was snacks. The kids had to survive on Julianna's whole grain cheese puffs and Kathy's breath mints. Luckily, they all made it without starving. The best way to share the experience, I think, is with pictures. So here's our train adventure.

Here are the kids waiting in line by the train tracks. It was right there at the train station since it is a real live train. Julianna was trying to get away, but Josh held on tight.

They also had short bursts of snow shooting out of the signs along the way to give the feeling of Christmas. It looked like snow in the air, but when it landed on us it looked more like spit. Oh well, it was cool anyways. It's not often you see snow in July. Even in North Idaho. Here's Adam after being spit, I mean snowed, on.

Julianna did pretty well waiting in line. She walked around some and got carried some. Here she is next to the fence between us and the train.

Carolers also visited up and down the line and posed for pictures. They were really nice to the kids and we felt a little sorry for them having to wear those outfits on such a hot day. Adam looks good in a top hat, doesn't he?
We couldn't use a flash inside the train, so this picture is a little blurry, but you can see kind of what it looked like. They had tvs all along the way showing artwork from the movie as well as showing interviews with the actors and director. Notice the blue sky on the top and the greenery along the shelves. Very A Christmas Carolish.

Here are some of the pictures on the tv slide shows. This one is of the graveyard scene.

This is London in the 1800's.

This is Scrooge in his house. Check out the shadow.

This is the school house. The teacher in me couldn't resist taking a picture of this.

Apparently Big Ben was being built when the story takes place. This is a 1/24 scale model of Big Ben during construction that they used to base their computer animation on.

Here are some other scale models used during production.

They had some interactive computer activities, too. Here Adam is exploring the setting of the story. Just beyond this, they had cameras set up so that each person could morph their faces into one of the characters. The boys had fun seeing themselves and Scrooge and Tiny Tim. They were freaked out about seeing themselves as Belle. (Adam actually made a pretty nice looking Belle. But don't tell him I said that.) And seeing their faces on Crachit was just creepy. The pictures will be sent to Walmart where we can pick them up when they're ready. And it was all free!!

At the end of the train, they had this yummy exhibit. It looks good enough to eat!

After we exited the train, they had a mini theater set up. They gave us 3D glasses and we saw a few scenes from the movie. It looks really good and the digital 3D is pretty amazing. All in all, it was really pretty fun. We only ended up with one black eye and one bruised rib. And that was just Kathy and I. Just kidding, it was fun and there were no major injuries.

If that wasn't enough, we then took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese's for lunch. It was a long day. But a good day.

Two For Tuesday

I'm stealing, I mean borrowing, my sister's cool Two For Tuesday idea where she posts two pictures (usually of her adorable kids because that's mostly what we take pictures of). So here is my Two for Tuesday.

This is Julianna asleep on the couch in October. She was 4 months old. Notice how she fits on one cushion. And notice that sweet little face and the cute green jammies.

Here she is asleep on the couch yesterday. Look how long she is now at 13 months. She woke me up at 5:46 yesterday morning and then promptly fell back to sleep. I, however, did not. It did give me an hour of much desired quiet time. I sat on the porch and prayed and enjoyed the beautiful summer morning. And took pictures of my sweet, sweet daughter.

Happy 3rd of July!!!

This is a day recognized in my family by the following activities. Frantically cleaning the house. Getting out all the yard toys and pools and water guns and slip and slides. Setting up the canopy in the front yard for shade. Spraying off the lawn furniture. Filling two big coolers with ice and pop and water. Counting hamburger patties, hot dogs and buns. Making sure there's enough ketchup. And then cleaning house again (because you know who I live with).

All this in preparation for...

The 5th Annual R. Family 4th of July Extravaganza!

10 Things Thursday

10 things you will always see in romantic comedies...

1. A girl-next-door main character. She will be pretty, but not super modelish. She will have a major flaw. She will be hopelessly single. She will have an eclectically decorated apartment/loft/condo.

2. An unlikely-to-be-the-boyfriend guy. He will be handsome, but not underwear modelish. He will have a major flaw. He will not be interested in being in a relationship with the girl next door. He will live in a professionally decorated apartment/with his parents/with a slobby roommate.

3. A quirky best friend. She will be cute, but not as cute as her main character friend. She will be funny. She will give advice. She will make at least 3 funny/disgusted/mocking faces. She will be the first to know that there's love in the air.

4. An unlikeable boss/coworker/ex-boyfriend or girlfriend. He/she will antagonize the main character and make her life miserable. He/she will get it in the end.

5. A wedding/funeral/party at which the two main characters first realize that there is an attraction between them.

6. Quirky townsfolk/coworkers who add comic relief. One or more will have accents.

7. A fall from a horse/boat/porch/motorcycle. No one will get seriously injured, but one main character will realize that he/she cares for the other.

8. A misunderstanding. Something will happen that will cause the two characters to go their separate ways. Usually involves a kiss/lie/missed phone call.

9. A breakthrough. After the misunderstanding, one will realize that they are in love and go after the other. He/she will run/borrow a car/hurry a taxi driver to get to their new love before he/she gets on a plane/train/boat to start a new job/move across country/marry someone else.

10. Declaration/acceptance of love. One will declare his/her love for the other who will hesitate/question/doubt their own feelings. But then accept that they truly are in love.

Bonus: The kiss. The two will kiss to seal their love while standing in the office/airport/street and while being surrounded by friends/coworkers/strangers.

Ready, Set...

Today is the next to the last day of June. Which means that Wednesday is July 1st. Which means that a month of summer vacation is almost over. And I have done nothing. Well, not nothing exactly. I have gone to the movies and played a lot and read a lot and spent a night at the hospital. But I have done nothing on my mile long to do list. You see, I am going to be teaching this fall. Half day kindergarten. And I know that it is hard, extremely hard, to be a working mom. And I've only ever done it with two kids. Now I have three. But the good thing is, I know it's hard. So I have a plan. My plan is to be prepared and ultra-organized so that things go smoothly. I have about 7 weeks until it's time to start working in my classroom. That's 7 weeks to cross off everything on my list.

The first thing on my list is to be spiritually and emotionally healthier. I know from experience that that makes a world of difference in all areas of my life. So I have been praying and reading my Bible more. I have been spending quiet time outside every day. I have been trying to focus on being who I want to be in those areas of my life. But I know that it's a life long process. I am taking it one day at a time.

The next thing on my list is to make sure my body is healthy so that I have the energy that it takes to be a good wife and mom and a good kindergarten teacher. And believe me, that takes a lot of energy. (Five year olds suck the energy right out of you!) So healthier eating and more exercise are on my list. And that's going to take some adjustment. Why is it so hard anyway?

Next on my list is to get my house in order. I live with at least 3 packrats. (I don't know about Julianna, yet.) So there is a lot of stuff in our house. And I don't do well with clutter and so I HAVE to deal with that before school starts. I have been encouraging the other members of the family to help me with that and they are starting to which is good, but we have a long way to go. I am hoping to throw away, give away, and sell lots and lots of our "stuff." Then I can breathe a big sigh of relief. This will also lead to an intense marathon of deep spring, I mean summer, cleaning. Just thinking of a clean, organized, clutter free living environment gives me a feeling of freedom.

I also want to fill the freezer with healthy meals that can be quickly and easily fixed for my family on school nights so that I don't have to worry about cooking every night. I like to use the crock pot, too, so I want to find some great recipes for that.

And of course on my list is summer fun. Free movies. Beach days. Summer Theater and girl's nights. I won't give any of that up. So I have a busy seven weeks ahead of me.

The last few weeks of summer will be used to get my classroom ready for the school year. I probably need to paint and clean everything as well as decorate, prepare lessons, and all the other stuff that teachers do. It will be so much easier if all this other stuff is done. Wish me luck!

By the way, I would love to hear any suggestions you have regarding my life overhaul. I'll take all the help I can get! :)

10 Things Thursday Double Feature

10 things I learned at the movie theater today.

1. Julianna does not have an 86 minute attention span.
2. She will however sit still for 13 1/2 minutes if I am feeding her popcorn.
3. She loves to crawl on the theater steps.
4. She likes to walk up and down the ramp beside the movie seats.
5. The theater should clean their carpet. (The black on the tops (from crawling) and bottoms (from walking) of Jules' feet is evidence of this fact.)
6. A large soda is enough for 3 kids, 1 mom, and one toddler who loudly insists on sampling it.
7. By the end of the movie, the mom needs to refill said soda cup with Diet Coke that she does not share.
8. I am not the only mom whose youngest child is not interested in movies yet.
9. I'm pretty sure that Patrick Warburten provides his voice for at least 75% of kid's movies these days.
10. Even if I spend most of the time chasing Julianna, I still like going to the movies with my kids.

10 of my favorite animated films (in no particular order).

1. Beauty and the Beast
2. A Bug's Life
3. Monsters, Inc.
4. Lion King
5. Hoodwinked
6. The Little Mermaid
7. Chicken Little
8. Cars
9. Shrek
10. Robin Hood

Don't forget about the Free Family Movies this summer at Regal Theaters. They start at 10:00am. Here's a list of this summer's free movies at Riverstone in Coeur d' Alene.

06/23/2009-06/25/2009
Space Chimps (G)
Madagascar 2: Escape To Africa (PG)
06/30/2009-07/02/2009
Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Veggie Tale Movie (G)
Evan Almighty (PG)
07/07/2009-07/09/2009
Kit Kittredge: American Girl (G)
Nim's Island (PG)
07/14/2009-07/16/2009
Horton Hears A Who (G)
Inkheart (PG)
07/21/2009-07/23/2009
The Tale Of Despereaux (G)
Kung Fu Panda (PG)
07/28/2009-07/30/2009
Everyone's Hero (G)
Surf's Up (PG)
08/04/2009-08/06/2009
Doogal (G)
Journey To The Center Of The Earth (PG)
08/11/2009-08/13/2009
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (G)
Bee Movie (PG)
08/18/2009-08/20/2009
Mr. Bean's Holiday (G)
Alvin And The Chipmunks (PG)

Mother Knows Best

So does she? Find out here.

Ramblings

It's been a long week. Long and tiring. And busy.

It all started last Wednesday with Adam going into the hospital. He and I only got a few hours of sleep in that 24 hour period and have been trying to make up for it since.

Thursday we got home at about 1:00 and after a short nap, I took Josh to his first baseball practice. He was thrilled. And he did great. He is really looking forward to the season.

Friday was bike day with our church's children's ministry. It's the boys' favorite Fun Friday. Adam was disappointed because I wouldn't let him ride his bike. (Remember...surgery Wednesday night.) But he did ride his scooter some and had fun anyway.

Friday night was more much needed rest.

Saturday morning we went to a couple of garage sales looking for a used lawnmower. Didn't find one but came home with a pet carrier, a Little People dollhouse for Jules, 13 cd's for Arrty (Happy Father's Day to him!), and....two six week old kittens. Yes, I know, I am officially that lady with the cats.

Saturday night brought our first Summer Theater show. I was so looking forward to it. The show was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I had never seen it before and loved it. What a great show! I love all the styles of music from rap (yes, rap) to country to Calypso. And as usual, the acting was great. I just love Summer Theater!

Sunday was church as usual and then lunch with my dad and my sister's family at Mackenzie River Pizza Company. It was good food but better company. Sunday evening was family time.

Yesterday I was trying to clean since our Bible study group was meeting at our house but I was still tired. I did get it done slowly but surely. We also went to visit Kathy's son Thomas in the hospital. (Mom, she's copying me!!) He has pneumonia. Yikes. Keep him in your prayers. And Kathy, too. She is so bored and they don't have good coffee at the espresso stand downstairs.

Last night I went to bed feeling bad and woke up feeling even worse. Some kind of 12 hour bug I guess. I'm thankfully feeling better now and getting ready to go to my parent's house to see my mom who's been on vacation for two weeks. Welcome home, Mom.

Phew!! Just reading that made me tired all over again. Maybe the next week will slow down. Maybe not. I'll just take a week without a trip to the hospital.

And if the cuteness factor at our house wasn't already high enough...

Appy

Okay, so here's how I spent Wednesday night and Thursday.

Wednesday Adam was complaining of a tummy ache and didn't want to eat (which I realize now started on Tuesday evening). Throughout the day he wasn't quite himself and complained off and on of the pain. I really didn't think much of it. He had a little cold and cough and I thought it all went together. Until about 4:00 when I saw him walking down the hall very slowly, hunched over so it wouldn't hurt. I asked him where it hurt and he pointed to his right side just under his belly button. Uh oh. I felt the scar that I have there just to make sure I remembered right. Yep.

So after Arrty got home I told him what I was thinking and we googled appendicitis. Lower right abdominal pain...check. Loss of appetite...check. Hurts to walk...check. Doesn't feel better after a few hours...check. So Adam and I headed into town to the after hours clinic at 7:00 Wednesday evening. We got right in to see the doctor and he asked his questions and did his exam and told us that he thought it was appendicitis but that we'd have to go to the emergency room at the hospital so that they could do blood work and an ultrasound to make sure. I was worried, but had expected that diagnosis. Adam was worried and did not expect anything like that at all.

So at 8:15 we walked into the e.r. and checked in. I called Arrty, my dad and my sister to tell them what was going on. Then we waited about half an hour before going back to an exam room. During that time Adam asked me how long we'd have to wait. I told him that I didn't know but that we were going to be doing a lot of waiting throughout the night. Once in the exam room, they had Adam put on a way to big hospital gown. (Which, by the way, had a "property of Shoshone hospital" tag in it. Umm...we were at Kootenai Medical Center.) He is very modest and was a little disturbed about being so exposed. I teased him that I would ask them if we could take it home since I knew he loved it so much. From there it was a parade of nurses and doctors and lab technicians. Temperature taken, blood drawn, examinations. I was so glad that my dad had come down to be with us. After the blood test and a very painful ultrasound, they finally determined that it was, in fact, appendicitis. They were calling a surgeon. Yikes. I knew it, but until then I was still holding out hope.

Then the real fun began. They got Adam all set up with an IV, which he was very curious about, and prepared him to go up to the operating room. Dad said a prayer with us and I was glad again that he was there. The surgeon came into the room and explained everything to us. (When the surgeon explained how they were going to remove his appendix, Adam looked at me and whispered, "But I like my appendix." Typical Adam.) Then the anesthesiologist came in and explained his part. They were both really good with Adam and talked to him in words he could understand. Then up we went. When we got to the big double doors, the nurse who had wheeled Adam up told us we should say our goodbyes. No!!! my mind screamed. But I walked over and laid my hand on his cheek and told him I loved him and that it was all going to be okay. Dad kissed his forehead then I kissed his forehead and they wheeled him in. Letting him go was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Just in the doors stood the operating room nurse. And she told us we could come in to the little lobby. I was relieved that I didn't have to let him go yet. But knew that we'd have to go through the goodbyes again. And we did. And it wasn't any easier the second time. The worst part wasn't knowing that they were going to cut into my baby or knowing that he was going to be in pain afterwards. The worst part was knowing that he was scared and that I wasn't there to hold his hand. What got me through it was remembering that he was going to be asleep soon. And remembering that he wasn't alone. I might not be holding his hand, but God was. And better yet, He was holding his heart.

Dad and I went out to the empty waiting room. It was 11:40 pm. We talked and waited. And waited and talked. We met the night custodian and let him vacuum under our feet. And since we were right next to the birthing center, we saw one expectant mom walking the halls to speed things up. And we saw one expectant mom being wheeled in screaming, wishing things would slow down. We reminisced about the five births that we had experienced in the last 9 years just down the hall from where we were sitting. We talked about those children's pasts and futures. And I was glad again that Dad was there with me. And that he is such a big part of my kid's lives. At 12:33, I looked at the clock and told Dad that they had 7 minutes, then I was going in to find out what was going on. Surely an hour was long enough. After two minutes, the surgeon came out and told us everything had gone perfectly and that there was no doubt that it was Adam's appendix causing all the trouble. I was relieved but still anxious to see him. He was going to be in recovery for awhile though. So we waited some more. Dad wanted to be there to see him when he came out, but had been up since 4:30 Wednesday morning and had to be at work by 6:00 Thursday morning, so at about 1:15, he headed home to get some much needed sleep. I was so thankful that he had been there through everything. I don't know what I would have done without him.

Finally, after another 45 minutes, the recovery room nurse came to get me. I had been staring down the hall saying, "come on, come on, come on..." for what seemed like an eternity. I knew Adam was fine, but I wanted to see him and hold his hand again. He was still sleepy. Very sleepy and hardly knew what was going on. They wheeled him up to the pediatric ward and got him settled into his room. He was only half awake during it all even when they took his blood pressure and temperature and oxygen levels. He hardly stirred even when they gave him a breathing treatment since his oxygen was a little low. I just wished that they would leave him alone and let him sleep. At 3:03 am, I fell exhausted on the chair/bed they had brought in for me. But I didn't sleep for a while. I lay there listening to my son breathe and watching the numbers on all the machines he was hooked up to. I lay there praying the prayer of thankfulness that a mommy prays after something like this happens to one of her children. After I was asleep for what felt like a nanosecond, Adam called my name and needed to get up. (I won't tell you why, because he wouldn't want me to mention it. Remember, the modesty thing.)

So at 4:00 am we were up and around. The nurse came in to help. Then she took Adam to Andrea's Closet to pick out a toy. She did not know what she was getting herself in to. It takes this child 5 minutes to decide between a vanilla or strawberry milkshake. And she opened a cupboard with 50 toys and told him to pick. At 4:00 am. When he had just had surgery. And was still medicated. Let's just say it took awhile. He finally chose a building set. And we went back to bed. (I was thankful for that building set the next day. It gave Adam something to do and was a distraction from all the other stuff going on.)

Over the next three hours, I vaguely remember the nurse coming in to check on Adam. All was going fine. At 7:30, the surgeon came in to check on him. I sat up still half asleep and tried to act like I was going to remember what he was telling me. Luckily the nurse repeated it later after I had been awake for awhile. The next few hours went quickly. Adam ate fine and took his meds fine and was up and around so a little after noon, we walked out of the hospital. It was 17 of the longest hours of my life. We got home and all got some much needed rest.

Today Adam is doing fine. He has three little bandages on his tummy, which are annoying him, but isn't in much pain. Through this whole thing, he never shed a tear. He never uttered a complaint. He never whined or argued. It was pretty amazing. He was so brave. I am extremely proud of him.

So I guess I've made it through some kind mommy initiation thing. I just hope I never have to repeat it.

As a very big aside, I have to mention how God was working through all this. We had not had health insurance for the past nine months. Until June 1st when our new policy started. I just knew it was time even though our individual policy is costing a lot. Good timing? No. God's timing!

10 Things Thursday

10 things I've done over the last 24 hours...

1. suspected
2. worried
3. prayed
4. listened
5. held my middle baby's hand
6. waited
7. and waited some more
8. and prayed some more
9. paced
10. breathed a sigh of relief

I'll explain tomorrow after some sleep.

Vision

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I went to Women of Faith and I posted this? Well, in that post, I mentioned Lenah Kavata. Lenah is a 7 year old girl who lives in Kenya. She lives with her mother, sister and brother and is part of a World Vision community. She likes to draw and play soccer and her birthday is in August. Here's how I met her.

Each year that I have gone to Women of Faith, I have walked by the World Vision table and seen the pictures of children from all over the world who are part of the program. They are children who have needs that my own children will never know. They need food and clean water and an education. They need prayers. Every other year I walked by with a little guilt hanging over me. But a few weeks before the conference this year, I had this thought about World Vision. I didn't expect it. There was no reason to think of it. But I did. Then and there, I started praying and soon decided to sponsor a child this year. I knew it would be good for some child far away. And I knew it would be good for my own children to help them practice generosity and gratitude. A lesson the whole family could use a few lessons in.

During the first intermission on Friday, I was walking near the World Vision table and one of the representatives asked me if I would like to sponsor a child. Yes. Yes, I would like to sponsor a child. Then she pointed me toward the table and told me to pick a child. I looked down and was staring into hundreds of eyes. Little eyes like the ones I look into every day, only these eyes were not twinkling like I was used to. For a minute I looked from face to face and could not decide. How could I pick one? How could I pick the child whose life I was going to play a part in changing? The ladies behind the table must have seen my struggle because they tried to help. Did I want a boy or a girl? Did I have a specific country in mind? Did I want a child whose birthday matched mine? None of those things really mattered. So I said a quick prayer and asked God to lead me to the child whose life I was supposed to be a part of. I walked up and down the tables looking at each face. None of them was the child I was looking for. Meanwhile, the lady who had been helping me went behind the table and pulled out some other packets with pictures. How about this one? This one? This one? Wait, that one. Let me see that one. I took the packet in my hand and there she was. This little girl whose eyes twinkled just the tiniest bit. And who was the only one in all the pictures I had seen who was almost smiling. Almost. She was the one.

So I filled out the paperwork and committed to sending $35 a month to a community in Kenya so that Lenah and her family will have food and clean water and an education. Since then I have prayed for this family and for World Vision. I have also learned a lot more about the program. Our family will be able to send letters and small gifts to Lenah. And she will write back. We can also email her at the World Vision center in her community. We can support World Vision in other ways like providing animals and tools and books and sports equipment to communities around the world. It has already been a blessing to our family and will be for a long time.

When I came home and told my family about Lenah, they were very supportive. The boys looked at her picture and were curious and excited. Then this week when we got our welcome packet and learned what we could send, we had a great time shopping for stickers and colored pencils and other small things to send with our first letter to Lenah. And Josh volunteered to write the letter. Josh does not like to write and so I was thrilled with his interest. So today we will send our first letter off to Kenya. And we will appreciate, just a little more what we have here.

If you are interested in learning more about World Vision, they have a great website where you can sign up to sponsor a child or see what they are doing for God's children around the world. Take a look and consider supporting this great ministry.

3:36

I don't really have anything to say. I just wanted to post since it is now 3:36 AM. Julianna woke up about an hour ago coughing since she has a little cold and decided that it was time to play. She is now back in bed, but not sleeping and obviously neither am I. I'm off to rock her back to sleep. Hopefully. And get back to bed myself. I have an early morning meeting with Kathy...and the book man.

Friendship

Can I just say that I love my sister friends? They are the best. They make me laugh. They let me cry. They understand me like few others do. They know that what happens with sister friends, stays with sister friends.

Yesterday we spent the evening together celebrating Marci's birthday. As a change of pace from our usual dinner and a movie, she suggested that we go downtown and walk the Mudgy and Millie trail. We are always up for something new, so off we went. We read the book as we went starting with the oldest reading first and then continuing in order of descending age. I won't list the order, but I will say that I was next to last. :) So, there we were, five grown women standing on Tubbs Hill reading a children's book and then taking pictures with a moose statue. And loving every minute of it. We walked the whole trail without even cheating by walking through the baseball field. As part of that, we walked around the boardwalk where I mentioned that on the southwest point of the boardwalk is where Arrty proposed to me. Ahhh. I know. Very sweet. Well, if you know Marci, you know she loves a good story, so on her suggestion, we sat down at one of the little tables and all shared our proposal stories. By the way, we pretty much did whatever Marci said because it was her night. We even took our shoes off and waded in the lake. Which was cold. And wonderful!

The trail ends at Independence Point which is one of my favorite spots downtown. But the last few times I've been there it has been overrun with teenagers. Now, I'm a little afraid of teenagers. I often joke that I didn't even like teenagers when I was a teenager. I'm trying to like them more by getting involved with the youth group at church more, because as much as I try to deny it, my children are getting closer to that stage by the day. But I couldn't help thinking things like, "Didn't your mama teach you that if you wear a belt, people won't be able to see your underwear?" And, "Aren't you too young to be holding that girl's hand?" And, "Do you kiss your grandmother with that mouth?" And, "Do you know what that tattoo is going to look like when you're 50?" I thought of my own kids and sighed. And prayed.

After our walk, we were going to dinner. Because that's what we do. We had planned to go to a little coffee/sandwich shop that was having open mike night. But when we got there we found out that they stopped serving food at 4:00. So we went to The Beacon, a pub on Sherman, that none of us had ever been to. No one told us, however, that it was a sports bar and that the basketball finals were on. It was a little loud. Okay, it was a lot loud. I thought that we should cheer for the team that everyone else was cheering against, but it turned out that both teams had a pretty good group of fans. So we just ate our food (fish and chips for me) and drank our Diet Cokes (tea for Marci). And laughed. Because that's what we do. I have to admit though, that when the Lakers tied it up in the last few seconds of the game, our table of 30 and 40 something moms, cheered just as loudly as the 20 somethings that filled the rest of the room.

After dinner, we discussed dessert. Because that's what we do, too. Gooeys, 351, Chili's, Applebee's? Someone mentioned Blizzards at DQ. Which is what we decided on. Just so you know, DQ closes at 10:00. It was 9:25 when we got there. If you get there at 9:25 and the girl behind the counter has a too tight ponytail and no smile, be prepared for grouchy to be served with your ice cream. "Can we still get Blizzards?" "Uh, I guess. I was getting ready to clean the machines." "Okay, can I get a chocolate Heath Blizzard?" "SIGH." And so it continued for the other four of us. When I ordered I was especially friendly and overly nice. You know, heaping burning coals and all that. The ice cream was good, though.

It was a great night filled with laughter and fun, just like always. And so much better than sitting in a dark theater not being able to talk. Because, talking, well, that's what we do.

10 Things Thursday

10 of Julianna's nicknames. Yes, she has more than 10.

1. Jules
2. Julesie
3. Jujubee
4. Juje
5. Junebug
6. Juma
7. Snuggle Bug
8. Shnooka
9. Punkin
10. Angel girl

The Big 1

In case you missed it, Julianna turned one last week. On Saturday, we had a birthday party for her. It was lots of fun. Here are a few pictures.

The birthday girl eating lunch.

1st birthday cupcake. She wasn't so sure about it.

Jules wanted to share with Aunt Ada. Aunt Ada decided to get her own instead.

Getting ready to open the presents. I just wanted her to keep this little candle

headband on for a picture, but she ended up leaving it on for a long time.

Cute, huh?

It was a good time spent with family and friends. And Julianna was such a good girl during it all. But as soon as all her guests left, the birthday girl took a well deserved 2 hour nap. And her mommy took a well deserved 20 minute nap. So, until next year, happy birthday sweet girl.

10 Things Thursday

10 places I've been in the last week...

1. in the presence of greatness
2. at the slowest restaurant on the face of the earth
3. to Costco...twice
4. at the center of the universe
5. 900 feet underground in a gold mine
6. in the oldest standing building in Idaho
7. panning for gold
8. hiking on Tubbs Hill
9. to Stickman's house
10. at peace

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday, Julianna!

If you look at the ticker just to the left, you will see that my daughter, my sweet, funny, adorable, amazing daughter, is one year old today. One year ago she officially entered our world and it hasn't been the same since. She is a complete joy. She has been such an easy baby to care for. (Which was my deal with God, if you remember. "Okay, God, if you want me to have a baby at advanced maternal age, she better be an easy one." Yeah, that deal.) And she is so easy to love with all her cuteness and silliness and smiliness. So today, after one year of knowing her, I can't imagine my life without her. She has made my heart, and our family, complete.

In honor of her birthday, I'd like to tell you a little about Miss Julianna.


She is a dancer. Even when I was pregnant with her, I called her my little dancer. Josh was a kicker, Adam was a roller, and Jules was a dancer. Right after she could stand holding on to furniture, my mom asked her if she was going to dance. And she did! I didn't even know she knew that word. And now, whenever she hears music of any kind, she dances.

She loves buttons. Not the kind on the front of a shirt. But the kind on electronic devices. Buttons like you find on a remote or cell phone or dvd player or stereo. And she gets a little irked when she's not allowed to play with those buttons.

She is cute! And it's not just me. Since the day she was born, I have been getting stopped by perfect strangers to admire her in all her cuteness. People always comment on her eyes. They are big and blue and sparkly.

She is funny. She reminds me a lot of Adam. She loves to play and make people laugh. And she has that fun, silly, personality that charms the socks off all who know her.

She is active. She is only still when she sleeps. She loves to explore and move and play and does so all day long. (And sometimes at night.)


She speaks! She says mama, dada, hi, Adam, woof-woof, and meow. (But she only speaks when she feels like it. Not when I ask her to.)

She loves animals. She is fascinated by any kind of animals and loves to look outside at Jake and chase the cats (much to their chagrin). And she loves to hug her stuffed animals. It is sooo cute.

She loves books. Which I love. I'm hoping she'll be my book buddy since the boys would rather be, well, pretty much doing anything besides reading. I'm already saving some of my favorite books for her.

She is a gift. Not only that, she's the best kind of gift. You know when someone gives you something out of the blue that you didn't even know you needed but once you have it you use it everyday. Julianna is that kind of gift. I didn't even know I needed her. But now, after only a year of being her mommy, I don't think I could make it through the day without her.

So, today, as I think about the last year and smile with the memory of those early days, I will also look forward with great anticipation to those to come. Filled with even more love and laughter and wonderfulness with Julianna.

Happy birthday, baby girl. I love you.

Faith

I spent last weekend with some of my favorite people...my mom, my sister, my sister-friend Kathy...and Sandi Patty, Steven Curtis Chapman, Mandisa, Luci Swindoll, Patsy Clairemont, Marilyn Meberg, Sheila Walsh...and 7,000+ sisters in Christ. And I made some new friends. Like Lisa Whelchel (yes, Blair from the Facts Of Life), Henry Cloud, and Lenah Kavata (more on her to come).

You see, I spent the weekend at Women Of Faith. A conference for, well, women of faith. The first year I went was 2006. The Friday four days after my car accident. My back and neck and shoulders and heart hurt. I was scared to death to drive, so I rode with a friend. I didn't want to go...but I did want to go. By the first three notes of the very first worship song I was in tears. And not like quiet running down you cheek tears. Big, sobbing, wish I could sing but I can't tears. Because at that moment it hit me. I had been saved again. I felt His arms around me and remembered that I had felt the same thing four days earlier as my car flip-flopped off the road. So there I stood, with my body aching and my heart beginning to heal.

I've gone every year since and love it. Each year brings forth a different response. But no matter what the topic. No matter what I hear. I am inspired. Inspired to be a better person. And this year was certainly no different. Each person who spoke shared their story and how God was with them through their darkest hours. And even if my darkest hours seem like the middle of the day sun compared to theirs, my darkest hours seemed like midnight with no moon at all dark to me. And so I thought about those times and how now I can look back and see that there was always a glimmer of light. And I realize who that light was. And is.

Okay, now let me say that I want to sit on the porch. Every year that I go and see those amazing women sitting on the "porch" I want to be one of them. I want to travel around and inspire and touch other Christian women. I want to be a part of what is surely life changing for some. And I want to be friends with such an amazing group of sisters. Wait...I just realized that I have a porch. And I have some amazing sisters. Hmmm, stay tuned for more on that thought.

I was struck as usual at Women of Faith, by the goodness of God. Not only by the speakers, but by the mere fact that thousands of Christian women can sit for two days straight and do nothing but praise Him. And by the fact that He is there, working in the lives of each and every one. Wow. But this year, the most amazing and inspiring moment for me was seeing Steven Curtis Chapman perform. It's true that he is an amazing songwriter and performer. It's true that he does wonderful things for God's kingdom. It's true that he supports and advocates for adoptions of God's children. All these things are inspiring on their own. But what got me most was that even though a horrible accident one year ago took his baby girl, Maria, he was able to stand on that stage and sing of the glory of God. That, my friends, is a true testament to faith. And faithfulness.

So another Women of Faith has come and gone. But the wonderful thing is that it's not gone at all. I will ponder what I heard. I will use what I felt. I will move closer to my Lord because of two days of spending time with him. And 7,000 of his daughters.

And just so you are prepared, I have about 100 more posts about my weekend running through my head. Get ready...