Monday, December 13, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Christmas Card Outtakes 2010
It seems like I just put this blog up for 2009, but it's true... another year has passed by. As you may know, this is my favorite blog of the year. This year wasn't as eventful as past Christmas card outtakes, but it had its own shining moments.
Our idea was to stack the boys up. Jadin and Brody waited perfectly while Jeremy prepared to place Dallas on the top of the stack. But, Brody's ticklish nature got the best of him and Dallas was not happy about being on top of a giggling Brody.
So, when your out shopping for that perfect gift, we hope that our outtakes will remind you that you can't please everyone!!!
Merry Christmas to ALL!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Time to Take Back Time...
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Best Play-Dough EVER!!!
Play Dough Recipe
2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup cream of tartar
1 pkg unsweetened powdered Kool-Aid (gives color and smell)
Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan. Cook and stir over low/medium heat until play dough is completely formed and no longer sticky. Allow to cool slightly before storing in an air tight container.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Back from the Dead...
Friday, November 5, 2010
Perserverance
I remember everything about this moment in history. I stayed up with my dad to watch the United States win the Gymnastics Gold Medal after Kerri Strug's final vault. The difference between the gold and silver medal would be determined by a teenage girl. Talk about pressure!
We sat on the edge of our seats as Kerri approached her first vault. Because this was her best event, it was a shock to everyone when she botched her landing. And she was hurt. She limped back to execute her 2nd and final vault. This is the moment she left such an imprint on my life and on the lives on many others. She could have quit right then and no one would have blamed her. But her dream of winning a gold medal was so strong that she decided to persevere through her pain and proceed.
I haven't seen this clip since the night it happen 14 years ago, but I have played it out in my head many times when I felt like giving up. Watching it again brings tears to my eyes... reminding me that my dreams deserve my determination. So do yours...
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:4
Friday, October 29, 2010
Fingerprints
Who hasn't taken the opportunity to write in some frosty glass? Or make a hand print? It's like a right of passage in the cooler months of the year. And when the frost goes away, the print does too. Or so we think. The next time the glass fogs up, the print will reappear- it's like magic to a kid.
When my brother was young, he showed a talent in anything mechanical. By the age of 13, a local small engine shop hired him to fix lawn mowers and along with that talent came greasy hands. We always knew where Brad had been by the fingerprints he left behind. And although this was a minor nuisance to the one who had to clean up the greasy prints... the prints followed him to a career in mechanical engineering.
Now that I have boys, I often clean up sticky hand prints from food, dirt and crafts. But, that's what we do... We use our sense of touch on millions of items each day. And everywhere we go, we leave our fingerprints- visible or not. Webster's Dictionary defines fingerprint as something that identifies: as a trait, trace or characteristic of revealing origin. Fingerprints reveal who you are.
Every time you touch your children, you are leaving characteristics of you all over them. What type of fingerprints will you leave behind? Every time you interact with the people at work, traces of you fill the room. What will you write on their frosty windows? And whenever you interact with the world, your traits stick to everything you touch. What type of imprint will you leave on the world?
Ephesians 4 urges us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. We will one day be held accountable for the millions of fingerprints we are responsible for. I challenge you to ponder the prints that identify you each day.
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Nose Speaks...
Yesterday... The boys were playing at the playground and a mom approached me. She said, "Is that your little boy over there?" I immediately got nervous. "Yes." I said.
Then she said... "Well, he had an accident. Pee is going everywhere." Now, I get that this was a 'had to be there' kind of moment. But, the way she said it was as if she had NEVER had a child wet their pants and was pronouncing judgment on me. She wanted him off the playground ASAP.
I approached the boy with the pee on his pants and he was terribly embarrassed. He had wet his pants on the mulch, not on the playground equipment but she was staring me down waiting for my exit. Then, to make matters worse, her friend showed up for a play-date and she begin to point and make faces as she described her disapproval.
I think this was a bad case of 'snooty.' Did I need to know that my child had an accident? Of course. But, would he probably have run by me a minute later and brought it to my attention without the public embarrassment of the Accident Police? Absolutely.
So, come on moms... we have to stick together. I have noticed the judgement between mothers since I became a mom five years ago. Moms ask other moms questions just to gloat and brag about their own child? Like, "Is your baby sleeping through the night? Oh, he's not???? Little Johnny has been sleeping all night since he was one day old."
My dad and his immense wisdom gave me a great answer to all of those judgemental moms. He said, "When they say something that is mean and judgmental, say, 'Well, my baby does 20 baby push-ups every morning.'"
Makes me smile. I think of it whenever I am standing in front of a judgemental mom.
And the truth of the matter is... we just don't need that from each other. Motherhood is a challenge. And no matter how you choose to go about it, the judgement of others always seems to be there. But, who made any of us the standard that all other mothers should live up to?
Jack Welch, an American businessman and author said at a recent leadership conference, "Don't be more proper than you really are; don't be snooty. People hate snooty." So, if our nose is higher in the air than it should be, which basically means we think we're better than someone else, we should take a minute to remember that it is not well received. Instead, be a person of authenticity who exudes the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Qualities that are always well received.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
From 5 pounds to 5 years...
Jeremy and I had only been married 6 months when we found out I was pregnant with Jadin. After I told Jeremy the news... we slipped into a month-long coma of shock. What about our 5 year plan? How would we be able to afford a baby? Would we still fit in with our childless friends? I remember confessing to a wise friend at work my fears about having a baby and she said, "The one you aren't expecting always turns out to be the valedictorian." And she couldn't have been more right.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Oblivious Exercise
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Gauging Your Spiritual Tank
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
#3 at 3
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Jeremy Turns the BIG 3-0!!!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
McSteamy and MsDreamy
Here are a few from the engagement session today...