make your handwriting immortal

Did you know that you can create a font from your own handwriting? I had heard of this, but never had the know-how to get it done. I don't see it topping my list of things to do right now as I'm sure there is a diaper that I have put off changing & someone who should be fed or something, but I thought I would pass it onto you - you may have more time on your hands than I. Please let me know if you do it. Not totally sure why....but it seems that it would be kind of fun to know someone who has their own font.
Check it out here Fontifier.

my little man

Troy's commercial

OK, you have GOT to watch this. I have mentioned our friends, Troy & Mary, on occasion in this blog. Well, Troy & a friend have created this commercial for a contest & I'm so impressed! Follow this link to check it out. Maybe they'll win!

My Valentines

I know this is a late entry, but I couldn't let it go. Valentine's Day was a great day around here. The boy enjoyed just the excitement - didn't get it so much, but I think he felt the love. The girl is still talking about it. She's actually voiced her plans to go with Chris (her uncle) to Argentina for Valentine's day. I'm guessing that's for next year & I'm sure Chris will be pumped. I didn't get as many pictures as I thought I had....only 2, actually. But some of the sweetest moments were just opening little valentine's from her friends - she loved giving & getting them. The candy put us all a little over the edge, but you gotta indulge every now & then, right?

Water boy

I just had to document this face. There's nothing he loves more than bathtime. I have to keep the bathroom door closed at all times or he's trying to climb on in.

Jofferson

Almost five years ago, we went through something that I had only heard about & though I certainly had compassion for people who had walked this particular road, I never truly understood the pain that came with it. Almost five years ago, my husband & I went to the doctor with such hope & expectation to see our baby's heartbeat on the ultrasound screen again. And we didn't. In that moment, I was so sad, but I was so numb. Hours later it hit me & the wave of emotions that came were overwhelming. The questions of why & would I ever get to be a mother came at me so fast & so frequently. It's hard to escape your thoughts.

Later that year, we had a beautiful healthy baby girl. Then a year or so later, we lost another little baby. Two "miscarriages," & I only use that term because other people seem more comfortable with it. For me, I lost 2 babies. No matter how tiny & young, in my heart I had grown them up & held them in my arms. I had dreams of who they would be. And I still do. A friend told me of a man who lost a child & fell into great grief. He had a dream & in his dream God came to him & asked, "What is it you want most for each of your children?" The man answered, "To know You, Lord."

"Well, one of them already does."

I hang on to that story. And I love the idea of happy whole children that I will meet one day - when I go home.

The point of this story.....last year on Valentine's Day (I was 8 months pregnant with our little boy), my sweet sweet thoughtful husband gave me a gift. He adopted a little boy through Compassion International. Jofferson's birthdate is August 24 - which is the due date for the last baby we lost. What a special way to fill a dark void with such joy.

I have learned that February is blogging month for Compassion International & I think it's a great idea! Jofferson is someone that our family will pray for daily & my hope is that my children will know him as part of our family. Everyone should adopt a child or many through Compassion.....so here's my plug.

I have linked some other Compassion bloggers to to left. They're awesome - you should check them out.

The Zoo

This post is long overdue!! I wanted to share some pictures from a recent adventure we took. My mom & step dad gave L a membership to the Zoo & one day when the sun peeked through just enough, we took advantage & went to visit the animals. It was great. We all had a blast.

Bell Bear

I've told you that Lee was in China, but did I mention that Bell Bear was there, too? Bell Bear is one of the girl's many many beloved animals. She sleeps with maybe 20. Bell Bear was chosen to go with Daddy to China. He took pictures along the way which made the lengthy trip away kind of entertaining....for both of us. We, of course, looked forward to each email & he was stuck inside buildings in China. It gave us both something to look forward to. And as I mentioned, he was stuck inside.....so Bell Bear was photographed primarily indoors. It was fun.

When Daddy came home, he pulled Bell Bear out at the airport to give back to the little girl & also a friend.....China Bear :).

China

Well, I've been a little absent & I apologize. I have good excuses. One of them being that the husband has been in CHINA. That's right. And if you're not up on your world weather - let me give you an update. They were hit with the worst weather they have seen in 50+ years. So they flew 24 hours to sit in an airport - that is not heated. They needed to fly to another airport to get to a car that would take them where they needed to be. But airports & interstates were being closed. I'm not sure how long they sat in the airport but they eventually were rerouted & picked up by some saintly man who drove them in icy, cold conditions to their final destination. Whew. He was there. But then the question of "when will you be home?" became a factor. I got an answer that they may be in China "indefinitely" that Monday. The kids were both sick in some respect. The boy is cutting teeth which then developed into a nasty cold. The girl was just sick that her daddy had to be found on a globe each morning. One morning she woke me up climbing the stairs with the globe in her arms. One evening she fell out of her chair at dinner, burst into tears & cried, "I want Daddy to come back from China & fix it!"

"Me too, pumpkin"

We shared a good cry in that moment.

Many people asked me how I was making it, caring for 2 kids with Lee gone for so long & I have to say 1st - my mother in law is amazing. 2nd - we were fine - I mean, not much laundry was done & we ate out a lot, but we just missed Daddy. He brings a peace & security to this home that is definitely missed when he's not here.

He made it home. We greeted him at the airport just a day later than he was supposed to come home. And what a blessing because apparently some bad weather hit China right after that. Seems that they found a window & got out. We are so glad to have him home. Jet-lagged, whatever...we'll take him.

And to my friend Kristin who is trying to figure out how to wake up early - go to China. Lee has been up at 5 every morning since he came home :). As for how to have your time by yourself.....I think staying in China might be the only answer to that one.

Love & Joy

So the kids got up from naps the other day - the boy 1st & the girl about 20 minutes later. L ran down the stairs screaming her brother's name & squealed (b/c that's what little girls do) as she ran & threw her arms around him. They both laughed. I stood back & delighted that they enjoyed each other. That they love each other. It made my heart skip a beat to see my children so happy to be with each other. And God reminded me of His words & gave me a glimpse, like He so often does......Love one another......in that moment those words were alive for me. My children....loving one another brought me joy. I imagine that on a tiny scale, I experienced the joy that God must feel when His children Love one another. It's true to me now more than ever that God is so alive & He is with us! Carrying us in the hard times & just nudging ... like He did so gently today for me....love one another...

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:10

Oh, how I want to follow the example of my children.....

Just smiles

It has been happy times around the house these days. Lots of smiling faces...and nothing makes me happier. I heard some clank-clanking through the house the other day - I assumed L had gotten out her dress up shoes from Christmas. Which is normal around here. Pink & purple wedges, pink pumps with sparkles......When she turned the corner....this is what I got :). Wearing mom's boots. And brother on the floor, just smiling. And the dog....well, he's getting used to the kids & I honestly think he's faking the "put out" look for attention. It was a good day. Here's one for the memory books....always good to remember the smiles.

Snow

So we got a little snow. It was fun. It was cold. I actually didn't partake in the snow playing activities. Call me wimpy - I can take it. L & her dad had fun & the little guy & mom watched from the front door & then ran inside to make hot chocolate. I know that I have some friends from Minnesota that will be reading this - they'll laugh & make fun, but I live in ATLANTA - I don't enjoy the cold when it doesn't involve snow skiing. Here are some pictures from the day.....

We didn't get enough to really make a snowman, or maybe we did but the kids were napping at prime snowman making time, so we made cottonball snowmen :) Much more my speed. I used to love the snow & maybe I will again, but I am not enjoying cold like I have in the past.....I'll update you if that changes, but for now I'm sticking to cottonball snowmen.

Pictures

Just some pictures that make me smile.

Sitting Gracefully

Why is it that sitting still is so difficult? I have been told by several people to just "sit still" - so I am trying. But when I sit I am leaving things undone. The phone rings & I have not completed tasks I need to complete, so I either don't answer or answer with a knot in my stomach. So I sit & bathe in the guilt of sitting. It's a difficult thing to give yourself a break these days....why is that? Grace is not given readily. And I am learning that I expect grace - when grace is really not necessarily deserved. And so I take it for granted. You see, I expect people to just understand & cut me slack, but that's not how it works. I am certainly to blame in this arena- I should do a better job of extending grace. People get let down & their expectations are not met & someone always needs to be in the seat of blame & so that grace that we expect is not given. Which makes me so grateful for the grace I have been given. I will never ever ever meet all of my deadlines, meet everyone's expectations, be on time for everyone & people will be let down & some will extend grace & some will not. It's not a guarantee. But it is with God. And I take that for granted. I so desperately seek the grace & acceptance of others that I forget the one who lavishes me with grace & acceptance all the time. Can I rest in that?

I will try. Can I reflect that grace to my children? That has been a bigger question. I tend to expect much from my children & it is so unnecessary. When you are 3, you tend to do things that a 3 year old would do - she is not a 24 year old trapped in a little body...she is in fact .... only 3. L loves to put on my "lipstick" - it's chapstick. We're big chapstickers in my family. I come from a long line of chapstickers. My uncle died last year & I was in his home just after his funeral & opened a drawer to find a box of like 200 tubes of chapstick. I grinned. AndI grin everytime I pull mine out. But I digress....L knows not to go in my purse. I mean, I have told her many times, she should get it, right?

My expectation vs the reality that she is 3.

So I turned the corner the other day & saw a fast movement out of the corner of my eye.

"What's up?" I ask

"Oh, nofing" she responds with berry colored lipstick all over her face.

A choice. My choice. I have an opportunity. Do I A) send home the message with a swift smack on the bottom or a time out? or B) just ignore it

"Whatcha been doin'?" I ask.

"Um, I do nofing"

So I picked her up gently, and walked her into the bathroom & turned her around so she could see herself. We both giggled. She's 3. It's fun that she's 3. It's so much fun that she is doing exactly what a 3 year old should be doing & I get to be a part of it. Wouldn't it be nice if we all extended each other that kind of grace. I wish that when I made a mistake that someone would giggle with me about the human-ness of making mistakes. We should do that for each other more often. And for me, it will begin with resting in the grace pouring over me from above.....and may it overflow all over my children.

Side note: this picture was actually taken later with some pretty princess lipgloss - I don't keep purple lipstick in my purse :)

Happy New Year!

Every January my husband looks at his goals that he set the year before to see how he did. He's into Excel & lists & all sorts of things that I'm not so into....so I have given him a hard time about it. He has encouraged me from the beginning to join him in this....to no avail. Until this year. This year he pulled out his goals & said, "in 2006 i worked out this many ___ days & in 2007 I worked out this many ___ days! And in 2006 I read this many books & in 2007 I read twice as many books!" and so on..... I was a bit envious. I couldn't account for anything. Well, that's not totally true. I did give birth to a human being & I feel pretty accomplished there. But I don't foresee any babies being born (to me) in 2008 & want something to show for a whole year. Maybe I should set goals like "In 2007 I changed this many diapers & in 2008 I canged THIS many diapers!"

So I've done it. I've set some goals & I'm really excited about. I feel more empowered than I have in years past where I was depriving myself of something. This year I'm doing something. Moving forward. Very excited.

And so....to what was accomplshed in 2007 .....and to what will be accomplished in 2008!

Happy New year......again.

Who will it be?

This is not a post about my kids. Shocker. Can hardly believe I found time to fit other realms of thinking into my brain....but I did & I want to talk about it. I'm wondering who I can really get behind for President. Strange. I wonder if I have gone into elections in the past based on a mix of my opinions, but primarily the opinions of others...probably because I never thought I knew enough so I leaned on the knowledge of people that I thought should know. So, I took this quiz.

It's actually got me thinking & learning about a couple of candidates that had I walked into the polls yesterday, would not have gotten my vote. It takes 2 minutes - check it out. Pass it on.

Happy 2008! It's gonna be a big year!

This Year....Simplify

Some may be thinking that I have given up blogging for the New Year, but it just isn't so. In fact, I've added a lot "to do's" for 2008. I used to give things up - like chocolate, sweets altogether, cokes, but with all the reading & exercising & organizing I've heaped on myself for this year I don't see that giving up chocolate is going to help me in any way. I've realized this January that a blank slate is a dangerous thing for me....well, at least a blank calendar is. It's screaming for me to "fill it up"! I'm trying to stay focused this year & not fill up my calendar like I tend to do. The kids are so much happier when we are not rushing around trying to do things that are not nearly as important as just being home....the days of us all being home are numbered - I know that. So this year, I'm letting go of the need to be included & be involved - the need to be busy - you know that feeling that keeps you up way too late? The feeling like you might miss out. I'm letting go of that this year.

I hope you are all having happy new years - I'll keep blogging. I mean hey, with all this together time there's bound to be some good blogging material, right?

And, now, to catch you up on some pictures of the fam.....

woo woo! oh man!

Christmas morning was fun. L went to bed swearing that she heard reindeer. And after we tucked her & the kid in & said our prayers - Lee & I were downstairs relaxing & I remembered that we had forgotten to leave Santa his cookies! So we got her up. She was so excited but not totally sure about what.

When L enters a situation she tends to take it all in & when she's got her bearings, she just lets loose. This morning was no different. She saw toys, but she didn't react immediately. She stood there & was quiet. We asked her some questions, "Do you see the toys that Santa brought you & B?" She nodded. It wasn't much longer after that - it was like we put coffee in her sippy cup or something. She was wired. When she was opening a present that daddy & I gave her, she actually said, "Woo Woo!" & then, "Oh Man!" She's a crack up. I didn't know she knew those terms & she used them so perfectly in a sentence. I have it on video. CLICK HERE

I'll translate for those who may not totally understand what she's saying....it goes something like this..."woo woo. oh man! I have seen this before"

Merry Christmas everybody! And...Woo Woo!

It's the most wonderful time of the year.....

It was an interesting night. We've known for 2 years that tonight could go either way. It could be a joyous occasion - one for the memory books, or it could be full of tears - a chance to be brave & still one for the memory books. We visited Santa & it was the latter.

2 years ago, I dressed my precious little angel in her Christmas dress & I had big ideas for what this moment would hold. Looks of amazament & wonder - the magic of Christmas. None of that was present - at least not with our little party of 3. We had screams, tears & eventually the camera took a picture of L on my lap on Santa's lap. Embarrassing. But a really funny memory. The things we do for our children. I was totally unprepared for that....I had not even taken a shower & I chose to sit on Santa Claus' lap in front of 50 other onlookers so that I could have it documented forever? My brain wasn't functioning properly at that moment, because now whenever we talk about L's 1st traumatic visit with Santa we pull out a picture of ME sitting on Santa's lap with my daughter. Needless to say, we skipped Santa last year.

However.......we had been really working up for this year. We have been to the mall SEVERAL times to see what other children do when they meet Santa Claus, we've talked about who the big man in the red suit is & how he brings toys to little boys & girls on Christmas, how mommy & daddy think he's a good man & that we'll be right there watching....and then we talked about being brave & that even if you're a little afraid & even if you feel like crying that it's important to try anyway.

Ugh. Not fun.

We are in line & she is a little uncomfortable. We've made the list for Santa & she's a little bit interested in this man who might have some pull in bringing these amazing things to her house for her to play with. I thought we had a shot. We got closer & I even heard the man behind us say, "She doesn't look so sure. She looks like she really wants to, but not sure she can." He was dead on right. She wanted to succeed so badly - we could tell that she wanted to conquer this. So we put little brother on Santa's knee- no problem. Laid back little man, just chillin' out with Santa Claus & his sister sits down .... no, she was placed down after her arms & legs were pried from her father's body....screaming, crying, not thrilled. I look at Lee & say, "What do I do?" We agreed to let her go through it. I turned to the faces behind me & said, "I am a terrible mother".

But I have to be honest, & I am not just saying this to make myself feel better (though it does)....she was proud of herself. We sat her down afterwards with her & her candy cane & said, "You did it! You sat on his knee just liked we talked about! It's ok that you cried! You were scared & you sat on his knee anyway! So brave!" And she puffed up a little bit. All grins from that moment on. I, personally, am exhausted from the experience & I think I may make an effort to avoid Santa for the remainder of this Christmas season. But next year....I have high hopes for 2008.

funny funny

I'm sure I'm biased, but my kids are funny. In fact, i think my 3 year old is the funniest person I know. The things that she does totally crack me up....and I know that it is partially because she's my kid because I tell stories & other people don't laugh as loud as I do...but trust me - she's really really funny. I caught her dancing today & actually had the camera handy....so take a gander at my funny little girl in her element.....hilarious.