beautiful picture

in the links to the left, you’ll see a link for SuperHero Designs.  and it is from this lady’s blog that i stole this picture…

the lady is a photographer and does some amazing work!  i think this picture is absolutely beautiful, so of course i had to share it with you! it makes me think of summer, childhood, fall, my grandparents, love, and dreams, all at the same time.  i wonder what she is thinking…  when i was growing up, my grandparents lived on the mainland facing Emerald Isle, so there were many many times in my childhood that i would spend evenings out either on the actual ocean side beach or out on thier dock in the sound watching the lights of the island slowly come on one by one.  i just remember it being so peaceful.  my childhood was an intersting one, with many turbulent times. but when i was there, it didn’t matter what was going on, had happened, or was going to happen… the world was at peace.  and seeing the stars wake up from thier daytime of sleeping and gazing at the moon as it tracked its way across the sky, always had a way of making the world right again.  … but that’s just what this picture reminds me of.  what does it make you think of?

BF4L

Scarlet and Charlotte … what a pair. Destined to forever have their names mixed up!

Joseph, Tabitha, and Scarlet came over the other night for dinner and play time.  Take a look…

In a few more months, the size difference won’t be so obvious (we hope!)

Charlotte couldn’t reach her own fist, so Scarlet offered hers.  What are friends for??

These two are going to have many more play dates, I am sure.  It will be funny to see what they are like when Charlotte can actually play back… hehe. Too cute

IMPACT

Unless you either don’t go to LWFC or you have been totally zoning out during services, you know that we just released our first magazine!

It’s super exciting, not only for the content, but for the fact that it has been in Pastor’s heart for so many years. Its so cool to see a vision finally come to fruition!

Check out Pastor Micah’s blog for more information and how to submit material for future editions.  Hehe, its so cool … we have a magazine!

Things That Are Probably True

Hey, some people may think so…

I’ve always wondered about that kid…

We’ve all been to THAT gas station!

Sorry, I had to!

And He’s very sad…

It’s not much worse than “Deer Park” if you think about it…

I think he needs to read his own sign…

the right to “live the good life”

Jamie and I were watching a really interesting movie last night, “Lions for Lambs”.  It was very thought provoking.  It consisted of only 3 scenes and was an hour and a half in the life of these 3 scenes.  One was a senator talking to a reporter about the war in Afghanistan, one was a professor talking to a student about changing the world, and the third was of two soldiers actually in Afghanistan.  It was neat how the movie juxtaposed two scenes of people simply talking about changing the world from the safety and security of their own world and the scene of two men who were actually putting their life on the line to make that change the others were talking about.  Anyway, the thing that really caught my attention was one line from the scene of the professor and the student.

The student said something to the effect of, “It’s so hypocritical for our parents to have worked so hard to give us a better life than they had, then punish us for enjoying that better life.” The professor replied with something like, “When there are children starving, people dying, and countries torn apart with war, what gives you the right to simply enjoy the good life?”  He was challenging the student to do something with the resources he had, not just simply sit back and “enjoy” them.

It really made me think… do I have the right to enjoy the “good life” that I live?  I have an amazing husband, a gorgeous daughter, a wonderful home, an incredible church family, and more blessings than I can think to count!  But what am I DOING with those good things?  Am I using them to be a blessing to others, an example even?  Or am I sitting back and selfishly “enjoying” them all by my lonesome?  It reminds me of a conversation we had in the Wednesday AM bookclub.  In the book I’ll Have What She’s Having, Bobbie Houston said that it is one thing to know what you are called to, and quite another to be working towards that calling.  I have known what I was called to do since I was 15, but what am I actually doing to accomplish or at least make steps towards accomplishing that goal?

RESOLVE: purpose, intention, will, decision, determination, resolution.

“Resolve has you seeking the necessary tools and skills so you can secure your own destiny.” - Bobbie Houston

Welcome Home, Mr. Wilson!

Last night at 11:50pm, my cousin Kristen delivered her son, Wilson.  He was 8lbs 5oz (they thought he was going to be almost 10lbs!! I know she’s glad he wasn’t!!).  Mommie and baby are doing well. I’m hoping to go visit on Thursday, so you know I’ll have pictures then!

Welcome Home, Mr. Wilson!

to hold you over…

its been a while since i last posted. i’m working on a few drafts, but nothing worth publishing yet. so to hold you over until my next post (i know you are all holding your breath!), i’ve decided to share with you a couple of times this past week that i had to put my foot in my mouth. here’s how the conversations went…

Patrick gave out Twinkies during Stage20. I got one. I turned it over to open it and said, “Oh how cool, you can even see the cream holes” of course referencing the places where the machine that made the delightful Twinkie inserted the cream filling. But Kelsie said, “Did you call me a cream hole?”.

I was feeding Charlotte, and at that moment both my hands were occupied, and of course it is at that moment that my thirst reached an unbearable point. So I asked Jamie to hand me my water glass as I worked to balance Charlotte with one hand.  He handed me the water glass without looking at me and I couldn’t reach it (he was staring at the computer). I said something about not being able to reach it and both my hands being occupied, so he offered to help me by “feeding” me the water. I told him no thank you because I was afraid he would either pour it all over me (and Charlotte) or drown me. He said, “Do you really think I would kill you?”. I answered (without thinking), “Not on purpose!”.

the truth - caught on camera

in case you don’t read the comments on my other posts, check this out…

one of my roomies from college, also jenn, left me this picture. compare the two, and you’ll see the truth - there is no denying who charlotte’s mom is!!

seeing myself

most people that see charlotte say that she looks like me.  when she was first born, she looked exactly like jamie, but as the swelling and squishing from birth went away, she begin to look more like me.  when i look at her i feel like i’m looking at my baby pictures. its really strange.

the other morning i woke up (by morning, i mean 2am for a feeding) and saw myself in the mirror … and i had the exact same look that charlotte did when we try to wake her up. it was hilarious.  its really strange to see yourself in your child.  for now its just facial expressions, but soon it will be tone of voice, mannerisms, even words she says (i really need to stop using the word “crap”!!).

i’ve never been really good at hiding my thoughts from my face, and its funny to see those same expressions i know i give people reflected in the face of my sweet little girl.  like this one for example…

this one says … what are you doing? do you have any idea how tired i am? and there you are trying to sing me some stupid song about father abraham. just stop.

gaining and losing

we took charlotte to the doctor today (i’m allowed one or two first-time-mommie-calling-the-doctor-freak-outs).  she’s fine, nothing at all wrong. but they weighed her again, she is up to 7lbs 14ounces … so she’s gained a whole 4 ounces back above her birth weight.

and as they weighed her, i stepped up on the big kid scale to see where i was. i hadn’t been weighed since the day before she was born.  and guess what! i’ve lost 26 pounds since she was born.  i was so excited! its so encouraging to know that i’ve lost over half of what i gained through the whole pregnancy! once i’m back down to the pre-prego size, the real work begins … getting back down to “ideal” (aka freshman year of college) size before we ever even talk about more kids! i may not be busting out “sweatin’ to the oldies” just yet, but maybe i’ll do some research on those baby-mommie excercises since i’m apparently still not supposed to be lifting anything heavier that charlotte!  but i’m super encouraged and just wanted to share the good news!