There's no time

I've been ruminating on some things that I'd like to share (of which I won't go into specifics on, is that a theme here? if you've been in my close circle for a while it shouldn't be hard to figure out, if not, well, just take these words as a big picture focus on forgiveness and healing).

There's no time to hold on to grudges against people that you once loved so much, but hurt you so deeply. When it feels like the end of a friendship it's supposed to hurt. There may have just been a silent goodbye over email, or a big blow up confrontation, or maybe both, but really it doesn't matter. You may be in a constant state of purgatory, wondering if you'll ever speak to them again because you really have been through a lot together and this person crosses your mind at least once a day and you truly miss them. There's no time to feel anger or bitterness over hurtful words and actions. Healing comes with acceptance that things may never be the way they were, and you may never be the same person you were and being okay with that. I know that I will carry the laughter and tears, and heartache and joy that was a part of me for so long with me until I really can let go. I'm not there yet. It's okay to be sad, but it's better to open your arms for a hug, rather than cross them to protect yourself. In the big picture of our infinitely small time on earth, there's no time, like the present.

Aunt Mimi

I am a proud aunt. My baby sister had a baby on December 2nd 2009. I was woken around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday to my sister's very distinctive cat ringtone (I call her Kitty), so I immediately knew what was coming. Her water had broken, and she was heading to the hospital. I, of course, was calm, cool, and collected as I gathered my things into my bag. I didn't even freak out, and i got on the road within 45 minutes of her call. I definitely did not speed to Arkansas drving 90 miles an hour to get to her, and I didn't make it in 4 hours and 45 minutes when the usual time is about 5 and a half hours...

So, when I got there we had plenty of time to wait. Little did we know that Miss Leah was going to stay put until around 8:00 when the doctor determined that a c-section it would be. Luckily for me, Kristen's husband gets squeamish and I got to go in the operating room! At 8:39 p.m. Leah Belle was born. I held and squeezed Kristen's hand, and got to hold the baby first! (this is something that I look forward to holding over Kitty's head, and reminding to Leah when she needs to remember who her favorite Aunt is). I was able to stay and help Kristen and her hubby out for a few days after that and tutor my sister in the art of breastfeeding. I just realized this week that I have actually spent over 2 years of my life breastfeeding. It was very helpful to remember all the little details this week. They are all doing wonderfully and I am so happy for them. I get to snuggle with her again in about 3 weeks for Christmas. My Leah Belle.

Here's her birth video. It would have been longer had I not been in the operating room, but check out this gorgeous face. :)

Wool socks and Sandals

Ho Ho Ho. My tree is up, the stockings are hung with care, and of course everyone (except kayleigh) has been somewhat sick within the last two weeks. Me? I spent Thanksgiving day at my parents. I was there, but I was laying in the fetal position fighting off the nausea. I was thankful for rest. :) I've spoken many times about just expecting the months of November through March to be a time of constant sickness for our family and this has proven to be the case this year. That's okay. I know that there are people going through things a lot worse than we are right now. I can handle a little puke and mucus.

I went Christmas shopping while wearing flip flops on Sunday. Of course, the cold front came in after I left the house for church (flip flops in church? yes our church rolls like that) and after church, my mother in law and I decided to go to an outdoor mall in the ensuing downpour (yep, still wearing the flip flops). I've also spoken quite a bit about my hobbit feet, yet I don't think you can actually get the picture of them until you've seen me trudging through the puddles and 50 degree weather in hot pink flip flops. Now that it's actually December, I'll put the flip flops in the back of my closet, but I'm not sure I'll be able to keep them there. This is Texas and our weather is another kind of frightful. I might pair them with a set of wool socks the next time I go out shopping and see what kind of spectacle I can stir up.

Worth a thosand

Extras from my attempt at our Christmas card this year. I've come to the realization that I'm much better at taking pictures of other peoples children. I just have more patience with them..I did come out with a cute one. I'll show it after I send them out. :)

Perspective

Ever read a story in the news about someone who might have done something that seems pretty awful, and you immediately cast judgement and hope for vengeance (not justice)? I'm there, too. I just have had my head turned inside out about this particular topic lately and I thought I'd spill everything out for you.

I don't think I've ever once gone over to the other side of that argument and contemplated grace and mercy, and the fact that the people in these stories were just that, people. They have families, friends, people that love them. These past two weeks I've been forced to think about this, and feel the other side. I've felt the pain of disappointment, the shock to the system and the proverbial punch to the gut you feel when you hear news that you never want to hear or expect to hear, for that matter. For various reasons, I'm not going to divulge the details of what I'm talking about, but let's just say, we've been going through some things in our little corner of Texas. Anyway..

I've had to look at all my past reactions to news stories, and people that I've known who may or may not have done something not in step with Christ's humanity, and totally re-evaluate my void of emotion and compassion for them. Speculation, vengeance, and gossip run amok in the media, and in relationships these days. I have to take my piece of the pie, and accept how I've behaved until now. God has worked in me, and on me through these last two weeks and I'm glad for it. I don't know the whole truth, and I don't know all the answers, but I do know that God knows, and that's enough for me. It's a new day and a new perspective.

Baxter 3.0

30 years ago on November 8, 1979 Baxter was born. I haven't heard his birth story, but if it's anything like his life story it was probably full of laughs and joy... I'll ask my mother in law the next time I see her..

30 reasons I love Baxter.

1. He puts the lid to the seat down.
2. He lets me hog the bed.
3. He'll wear whatever I put out for him.
4. He takes the girls out for "daddy dates"
5. He laughs at my jokes.
6. He'll watch a chick flick with me if I ask him.
7. He works extremely hard to support us.
8. If he's tired when he gets home, he won't complain if I am too.
9. He knows how to handle my neurosis.
10. He's never beat me at thumbwresting.
11. He plays with my hair.
12. He's changed almost as many diapers as I have.
13. He calls me everyday from work to check on me.
14. He buys me flowers for no reason sometimes.
15. He always orders the pizza.
16. He loves Jesus.
17. He doesn't get mad when I jump out and scare him.
18. I see him when I look in the girls eyes.
19. We've grown up together.
20. He's a natural encourager.
21. He tries to sing.
22. He prays with the girls.
23. He still opens my door for me.
24. He cries when he's sad.
25. He can fix anything.
26. He chews with his mouth closed.
27. He sacrifices his time for others, and rarely has any for himself.
28. He gives me the remote control.
29. He lives out his faith.
30. I can still find more things to love about him everyday.

Happy Birthday, Bax!

Fun with teens

Dark video, but here's the plot. It's the IPOD game on the way to Hellhouse (that's a WHOLE other post). His buddy is helping him out, and I'm hiding the camera from him at some parts. The game is just you putting in your headphones, singing at the top of your lungs just like you would with no one around. Close your eyes, and you provide so much enjoyment for your friends. Watch as Nate gets an unexpected surprise from Baxter.

jammin' out in the Pickup line.

Here's the little guy that I watch, jammin' out to some JT in the pickup line. Enjoy.

Rain

I'm not complaining about all the rain we've been having. It's not that bad that the kids have been stuck indoors for weeks now, and are taking out their pent up energy on each other and me. It's really okay that Princess has decided that it's too wet to go outside to use the restroom, so the carpet has become her potty. I've really accepted the fact that it's been about 2 weeks of bad hair days, where my hair stays in a ponytail except for all the wild uncontrollable hairs that stick up and out everywhere. You get the point.

It's all okay. We had a break in the rain this weekend. The sun has never seemed so bright. The air was crisp, clear, and relatively free of humidity. You couldn't help but feel cheery when you stepped into the sunlight to just soak it all in.

Isn't that true for the trials and stresses of our life as well? We cling closer to our creator when we feel strained, troubled, and relunctant. At the end of the long tunnel, there's always light when we believe.

In life, sometimes you need a little rain to appreciate the Son.

The Ups and Downs of Teen Ministry

7 or 8 years ago, I can't say I'd ever imagine myself saying this, but I love teenagers. I love that if they have a hard shell exterior that you can break it down with nothing but a little time, truth, and respect. If I'm having a bad day, I've almost always forgotten what a rotten mood I'm in after hanging out with the teens from the ministry that God has allowed us to lead. It's amazing and wonderful.

We're reaching our second year marker, (and hoperfully going strong for more) in just a few weeks. As I'm sure a lot of you know, 2 years is a really long time for a ministry to have a youth pastor. Typical turnover in this vocation is around a year and a half, max. It's not easy. In adult ministry, you have people, their faults, and their baggage. In children's ministry, or youth ministry, you have teens, or children and their issues, and their parents and their baggage and hangups too. You've got to walk that fine line between discipleship and making sure you and the parents are on that same page. If your not, it gets slippery, and frustrating. We're pretty darn lucky that we haven't had to tackle that situation much. We do tend to take it hard when it does happen though. We take it personally, when maybe we shouldn't, and we question the big picture when maybe it's a small blip on the radar. It's hard. (Did I mention that?)

The funny thing is, the easiest part about youth ministry is the teens themselves. I guess that's a positive affirmation for what we feel we've been called to do. When God works through you, you tend to know it. In a big way. Knowing that you won't always see the fruits of what you do, makes it easier when you don't. I just wish everything else was that simple.

Earnestly craving your prayers,

Amy

10 years

I missed my opportunity to blog for my anniversary, but I won't let something like a date keep me from gesticulating.

It's been 10 years of marriage for me and the hubbs. As usual, I'd like to share with you some highlights of our relationship.

In 1998, I told one of my new friends at college that I thought this weird guy in Piano 101 was cute. He would always play with the demo button on his keyboard, and act like a fool. I appreciated his ability to shrug off the odd looks from people. (I've had a love hate relationship with this quality of his for the past 10 years...). Long story short, she told him, he asked me out, and that was that. We've been together ever since.

In 1999 we got married, and spent one weekend at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN for our honeymoon. He took a tremendous amount of hours at school, I dropped out and went to work in retail...

In 2000 around our first anniversary, I came out of the bathroom (where I had just taken a pregnancy test, and screamed when I learned the results)to find him slowly rocking himself back and forth in our living room, almost in the fetal position, if you will. Yes, our first child was on it's way.
After our second and third daughter arrived, I soon adjusted to the fact that this would be his approach to raising children. Slowly acknowledge the terror of parenting, and then dust himself off and take what was given to him. This works well for us.

Baxter felt the call to youth ministry after 6 years of intensive study for something he will never use. Exercise physiology. That's okay. Somehow, we landed exactly where we needed to land. Now our Sundays and Wednesdays involve a lot of "hanging out", reading the bible, and making teenagers eat some of the nastiest food you've never tried. It's the good life.

There are lots of things that make our marriage work for us so well...
Here's a list of them.

* In arguments, we know our roles. I will yell and scream, and then give the silent treatment, and he will calmly take forever to realize when he is wrong. And on those rare instances that I am wrong, (tongue in cheek of course)he will wait for me to come around.

* We work as a team. When the kids gang up on us and try to take over the fort, one of us knows whose turn it is to go scream at them. I kid, I kid. We both give
100% of all we have. It's not 50/50.

* We are best friends first. Whenever I see something stupid or funny, he's the first one I want to call. Whenever he does something stupid or funny, I'm the first person to make fun of him.

We celebrated well for this anniversary. We went on a cruise, I got french doors for my new house, and we went out to eat at Red Lobster. Here's to 10 more years of screaming at our kids, making teenagers eat gross stuff, and loving each other!

MONSTER

Worth a thousand

flarp humor *warning this post is uncouth

A few weeks ago, the ladies of my church headed to Waco for a "Just give me Jesus" conference with guest speaker Ann Graham Lotz. We planned the trip as "The AmazinGrace" (the amazing race/Grace of course!). Lots of fun tasks performed, i.e. walking into a store with a baby doll and asking for a changing table for her, walking through a drive through and ordering (which was illegal, but we didn't know). These are grown women, mind you, some with grandchildren. But perhaps the most fun thing for my small group was the flarp. Flarp? What is that, you ask? It's the goo in a cup that produces farting noises. I swear, I morphed into an 8 year old boy the minute the cup was opened, and I wasn't the only one. Grown women with children at home, enjoying the simple joys of throwing out a fart noise with an appropriate leg tossed up in the air,and making fart jokes "hey, can you hand me my fart?". I knew it was stupid, but I couldn't stop myself. At one point, I found myself crammed into a photo booth with two other women in a mall, scaring passers by with an aggressive flarp squeeze. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. So, I guess the moral of my story is, If you're ever down and out, feeling blue.. bust out the flarp. It's bound to make you smile a little bit.

See, you're not alone.

love ya

I love you mommy

love,
Kayleigh xoxoxo

Kayleigh's Korner

My oldest feels the need to share the in depth and dramatic story of her life in the 3rd grade. It is of course by invitation only, so you can email me at prettypictures25@yahoo.com or request it by going here

I'm sure she'll be keeping it up to date (for a while at least) and it should probably be interesting as well.

3 deep breaths and count to ten.

Warning: Political post

Do not lose your cool when you are called small minded, just because you disagree with a "new" idea.

Do not yell back at someone when they yell their opinions at you. Loud does not equal right.

Do not let your frustration overwhelm you when they say that you are alone, and no one else feels the way you do.

Do not see red when they try to turn our country red.

Do not feel despair when hope and change has a new definition.

Take 3 deep breaths and count to ten. Then just keep going.

ahhhhh

After a very few frustrating days, I finally got my photography website (and blog) up and running. It's a basic "jumping off" point right now, but it's up and that's a huge victory for me.

In other news...

The girls are adjusting to school fairly nicely. Ella starts preschool next week (awww and Allelujah!). I'm ready. I only have really two plans...
1. Finish painting the living room.
2. Go to the movies during a matinee once. (I haven't done this, oh I don't know.. ever. ) Looking forward to it. I want to see "The Time Traveler's Wife" and I can't drag Baxter to go to it, it's perfect. Is it even still out?

Still loving the house (aside from a few air conditioning issues).
Still loving ministry (new worship post coming soon).
Still loving being married to a giant goofball (who is working his tail off these days might I add).
Still loving this crazy beautiful life.

Lots of pictures coming soon, and a few updates. Stay tuned, will ya? Pretty please?

So I'm making a bit of a leap

Urged on by supportive pressure from friends and family, and inspired by some awesome (i mean awesome) new photo equipment, I'm starting a little business. You can check out the link by clicking here

I'm starting out very small, but my hopes are very high. I really love taking pictures, and appreciate the technique and time that it takes to turn memories into art.

Check it out, and I hope you enjoy it!

worth a thousand

Beginnings

Of course, here are the obligatory first day of school photos.

They are so cute. eh?

10 Travel Tips

Here are 10 things I learned on my first cruise (and trip to Mexico).

(1). Cruise lines fool people into thinking they can get you on the ship quickly. It's called "Embarkation". However, what really happens is that you wait in a series of long hallways (all painted to look like the entrance to the ship). Every corner producing a multitude of "awww man" from everyone you're going to be bunking with for the next week.

(2). If you have babies/strollers/luggage.. etc. with wheels, kindly watch where you are rolling them when the lines move, or do not move.

(3). Once on the ship, everyone is happy and excited and there's a multitude of drunk people within the first two hours. The multitude of drunk people only increases throughout the week, making for very funny entertainment for the sober people.

(4). If someone is giving a lecture on how to form lines,or put on life vests, in the event of a tidal wave, or pirate hijacking, and they blow the whistle that is attached to the lifejackets you are all wearing, expect about 10 minutes of whistle blowing from previously mentioned misbehaving drunk people.

(5). Food is good on a ship. Very good, and you can have dessert at every meal.

(6) By the second day of the cruise, you can tell who is wearing sunscreen and who isn't. The formal night dinner served lobsters in more way than one.

(7). You quickly learn who would win in survival of the fittest. When your navigation skills are lacking, everyone knows it. Those are some small hallways to try and make a u turn in.

(8). Doing the "King of the world" on the front of the ship is actually dorky. But more people do it than you would think. (Sorry Baxter)

(9). When getting off the ship at any port, prepare to take a photo with someone dressed up in native dress, holding a plastic knife to your throat. Makes for good keepsakes.

(10). The ocean is big. Okay, kidding. Don't look too closely for whales in the Gulf of Mexico...It'll be very disappointing for you. Oh, here's another ocean one. While snorkeling, do not attempt to look behind your feet.

We had a fabulous time. Verrry relaxing and refreshing.

How's your summer been?

More pictures (because I can)

Worth a thousand

Tiny umbrellas

More to come later, but I just wanted to let everyone know that we're home and we had a blast! 5 days of sun and sea, and quiet relaxation. I'm too exhausted to post much more, but it was sooo delightful I just wanted to share. Ta Ta.

Pointless post

Some of the things that occupy my days.

1. Verizon on Demand-the girls are watching on demand during their free time in the mornings. The younger two prefer the enchanting melodies of the show "High Five". I'm not sure that I had ever heard of this show before we moved here, but I've gotten my fair share of the 6 episodes that are stuck in our on demand box this month. I've had many of the songs (that I dislike) stuck in my head and I also spend my time singing them against my will. Kayleigh prefers to watch anything on Disney. At some point we'll have a discussion on healthy expectations for body image and success. Disney doesn't always put out the most positive role models in this respect. I've been injoying the "I Survived", and "Intervention" on demand episodes. Not to mention the plethora of Golden Girls episodes sitting like a buffet on our t.v. lineup.

2. Working Out-I've had to rev it up a couple notches this past week and a half. Summer has kicked my butt so far. Between moving, staying with my parents, and just life making me feel a bit overwhelmed, I've let my fitness regimen slack. But I'm happy to say I'm back on track. 1 month without it nearly made me go crazy.

3. Laundry-I don't understand it. It seems since we have moved in, we're going through more laundry than ever. I think this is due largely in part to Ella's newfound love of fashion. She changes clothes after breakfast (sometimes layering many outfits), then during her nap she sneaks into her drawers and puts together 2 or three outfits and puts them all on. Of course before bed there's the fashion show she likes to put on for us with several different selections of pajamas. I do my very best to undress her down to one layer and keep her in the same outfit all day but she is two things... (1) sneaky, (2). persistent. She's difinitely my match.

4. Cleaning- of course there's cleaning (and I'll just go ahead and include unpacking). This house is huge and I have to do better about getting the girls to help. Big house, big mess.

5. Planning my total and complete relaxation on my cruise. I can close my eyes and feel the ocean breeze. 11 days. I'm so excited. No hurricanes, No Swine Flu, just let me go.

6. Ella's birthday next Monday. Gotta plan something special.

7. Planning Collide ( high school vbs). Upcoming post about that as well. It should be a good time.

I hope your summer is going well, and hope your days are as blessed as mine.

what i've been doing

here are some of my recent photo shoots. Enjoy!

Television addiction

I am now addicted to the television show "I Survived". It's storytelling at it's best. You need to check this show out. Its on the biography Channel.

Watch this.



I think I'm a little late to the party, but wow.

Home Sweet Home

Well, we're finally in our little slice of heaven. We're all moved in, starting the settling process, and just basically taking a little breather from the adventures of moving. Here's a few tips I've learned from this experience...

*appreciate your family. There's a lot of things you can say about parents, but most of the time, they come in mighty handy when you need somewhere to store your children and husband.

*Don't plan a move on a holiday weekend. You don't get too many offers to help on the Fourth of July. (we actually did get offers, but we didn't get to enjoy the benefit of a holiday, it just plain stunk).

*Make sure your new house has, and will have POWER/AIR CONDITIONING when you're moving into it. It's not fun to move your stuff into a house when you can't live in it yet, and when temps reach around 105 degrees, moving stinks and so do you.

*Meet your neighbors early. The irony of not having power, is that our new next door neighbor works for the power company. He sped the process along for us. It's good to know people.

*Don't listen to your husband when he reccomends that instead of renting a storage space, you scatter your belongings throughout the various garages of friends and family. It's one of the best arguments I've ever won.

*Febreze is a must for 10 year old carpet.

*Do not change your mind about where you want to put heavy furniture when you have a 2 story house.

*trash bags can also double as tool boxes, but not neatly.

*Home Sweet Home rings true when you haven't had one of your own for awhile!


The girls are absolutely loving having all the room to roam around in, and now that we have power, a refrigerator, cable and internet, it's all starting to feel a little like home. Apparently also, our street is full of girls in ages ranging from 3 to 14, so we have friends and a potential babysitter! Score!

Oh yeah, we've also put up our razorback flag up on the 20 foot flagpole that sits in front of our house. You gotta represent, you know? We have OSU fans to the left, and A&M fans to the right, so we're right where we need to be come September...

Well, all I can say is that I'm ready to start fixing all the stuff in the house that bugs me, and Baxter is ready to rest for a month or so. We'll see who wins out in this battle royale...

Let the redecorating begin!

Closed Encounters

As with all my posts as of late, this one is written with a weary brain. The girls are starting to revolt against our rules, and each other. They are staying up until 10 (playing/fighting) in their room two hours after we put them to bed (with intermittent spurts of coming out to tattle, whine, negotiate). We're ready to have normalcy put back into our lives. A big shout out to my folks for taking our sorry selves in, and housing us for the last two weeks, though. It's been a great blessing, and kind of fun.

Anyway, I see a light at the end of the tunnel. We closed on our new house today. We will be moving in this weekend (yes, Fourth of July holiday weekend). We took the girls to see it for the first time inside tonight. They loved it! They were running up and down the stairs, in and out of their rooms, and in and out of the backyard. I'm so excited to make it our own. It's got so much potential. Then, we'll have you all over to celebrate!

In other news, I did my first solo wedding photography shoot this weekend. I'll be putting up pictures as soon as I get the release from the bride. It was fun and I think I did pretty well. We'll see how the client likes it. Here's to saving up for my digital camera. I love my dinosaur but it's expensive to buy and process film. Gotta move with the times, as those crazy kids say...

Until next time...

Wearily yours.

Amy

As I sit here tonight, we've got most of our clothes, moved out, the kids are asleep in my parents guest bedroom and Bax and I are very much exhausted from a weekend of packing , moving, and house hunting. We did find a house today that looks promising, the price is definitely right, and we're making an offer. It doesn't have quite the appeal of our first one (mostly because I'm jaded right now) but it's got definite potential. I'll hold my tongue and bite my lip until the deal is allll done. We've asked for only 3 weeks until closing so that'll put us in a house in good time.

We're pretty much moved out of the house that has been our home for more than five years now. When we moved in, we had one child (one on the way, though) and we saw the world quite differently. We've gone through vocational changes, big financial changes, a huge family growth spurt, and so much more. Our home was always a place that (although I never thought we gave in to it's full potential) we could go and just be. That's what owning a home is about. It's having a place you can call your own.. Although we've worked so hard to get out of the house, I can't help but be a bit nostalgic about all the memories we've made there. I can only hope that wherever we land will be as much of a blessing to us as this place has been. And as I listen to my mom and dad snoring in their room, I'm reminded that yes, no matter where you live, you can go home again.

Update

So, life goes on... We lost the house. What we thought was our "perfect" house. The appraisal came back too low and the sellers had no wiggle room to adjust their price and we didn't feel like we should bring money to the table that we might not see at resale sooo.. it's back to the drawing board for us, and hello Mom and Dad we'd like to live with you for an undisclosed amount of time. Good news is, the sale of our house seems to be right on track. We'll be out by next week (we close on Friday). So, tomorrow night we'll be out house shopping again. I'm finally starting to enjoy the online search. The first couple of days I whined about how no other houses seemed to be comparable with what we had but now I'm okay. It obviously wasn't meant to be and I need to move on. I will not get my heart set now, until I have the keys in my hand, however...

So.. to do.

• Finish packing our house up and move it into a storage unit
• Find Baxter a car. (His died about 3 weeks ago) Yes, the beater car he bought (for $700)without having a mechanic or me there. Imagine that... This time I will be in the middle of the process, that way if we screw it up, I'll have at least had a hand in it.
• Finish editing bridal photographs (which is so hard because our computer got zapped whilst we were gone to camp and it's now only running in "safe mode").
• Prep for my first ever solo wedding shoot! (in a week and a half)
• Shop for houses with our realtor and go through that whole process again.

I feel like I'm drinking from a fire hose. The girls are being great, so as a treat I'm taking them to the pool this morning. Maybe some of that heat and sunshine will melt my stress?

neurosis revealed

Why? Why have you been praying for me for several weeks? Well, I found out today that it's because I am a neurotic mess (praise God!). I had a swollen lymph node in my neck at my last Dr. visit and was put on antibiotics to try to reduce it. It became a compulsion of mine to feel the lump and touch the lump and think about the lump and analyze the lump and do internet investigations about the lump. Needless to say that along with all the other exciting news going on in our little world, I was quite preoccupied with my little visitor. It was supposed to go away after the ten day treatment (which ended a week ago). As of today, I can still feel it. My Dr. however cannot (well she can, but only a little). After feeling and kneading, and questioning, her presumption is that I have a tiny swollen node that is a result of a small sinus infection. She said that it indeed has shrunk and that she is not concerned AT ALL, but ordered a CT scan if I wanted one for piece of mind. I'm leaning towards waiting it out, (I have 90 days to get it done)because 1. it's probably an expensive out of pocket test, 2. I want to quit thinking about it, 3. I really don't have time. So, unless it gets really big, or I just get really antsy about it, I'm done worrying about it for now. I called a wonderful friend of mine today after I got the news, and she denies my crazy. She suggested to me that maybe I was healed in the 3 minutes from when I texted her in the waiting area, to when the Dr. came in to see me. Maybe... Maybe.

Keep me in mind will ya? I need to be able to give up worrying for a little while and focus on all the great blessings in my life right now. Enhanced by my fear of leaving them, I have been reminded of how my children are so amazing. Absolutely fill up your lungs with love, smile through the back of your head, amazing.

Now, I'm off to watch Conan. Oh how I've been waiting for this for so long. Watch him!

p.s.
thanks for the prayers!
*In no way am I going to ignore the node and forget it. I have another appt in a month and I will bring it up again then.

the whirlwind of June

It was a great weekend. We got great pictures in between the eye rolling from Kayleigh when we asked her to actually smile and pretend she was not bored out of her mind. We got to visit with family, I got to rub a pregnant (but not too pregnant looking) belly, and I get rear ended in an Arkansas Wal-Mart parking lot. Kayleigh also finally got her dream present. It's going to be hard to see her face for awhile.
It was definitely a jam packed weekend. Everyone is home and completely exhausted. I finish my last week of work this week and head into the joys of summer, so I'm hoping that I won't be too unfocused, and disoriented. That's asking a lot.

The prayers that I've asked from you will be especially needed today. I'm still not telling you what they're for, however, because I'm too neurotic to throw it into the blogoshpere until I'm informed and ready. So just keep praying, will ya

The Fast and the Furious

We leave today for an Arkansas "birthday trip" for Kayleigh. We're going to vist the fam so Kayleigh can spend birthday time with everyone who can't drive all the way to Dallas to see her next weekend. We're bringing along Gamma and Papa, so the merriment will be complete.

It's going to be a jam packed weekend. We won't get in until late this evening, and knowing the girls the way I do, they'll be so jacked up on being the centers of the universe that it won't be easy getting them down to sleep tonight. We'll be staying with my lovely sister in law who always opens up her house for the tornado that is our family when we come to town. Baxter's parents will be there too, so it'll be a full house. Tomorrow, we'll head on over to Aunt Kitty and Knuckle Roy's house where we'll get the very first glimpse of the growing stomach (Kristen's too) and glow of the mini meow that's on it's way. That's right people, I'm going to be an aunt. I've waited in eager anticipation since my sister's wedding day for these months. Part of me wants to laugh as she retells the stories of wretching in the morning and evening, but that just wouldn't be right. I'm supportive and wonderful, so I can't do such a thing. And when she can no longer see her feet (they'll be so swollen, she won't be missing much) I'll rub them for her. And when that baby gets here, and she 'll be one of the best moms around, I'll finally get to see what I've been waiting for. Then I'll swoop in and take away her little one and hog it the whole time I visit, just the way she used to do with mine. It's the circle of life. But I digress...

We're taking Horton family pictures tomorrow night, (for once I'm not behind the camera!)and there should be enough people to wrangle all my children. Usually, I hate trying to get the girls to cooperate for photos. The usual progression is first, they make ugly/funny faces at the camera, then when they're told to just smile, they sulk and turn away from the camera, then eventually they run screaming away from the camera with tears and snot flying from their face, and I'm left to sit and wonder why I even bother. But with so many people to help, surely it'll go better this time around, right?

After pictures, we're doing cake and ice cream for Kayleigh. She'll get presents (probably too many because she's spoiled), and then they will all be so hopped up on sugar and wrapping paper fumes that they'll be up for another 12 hours. And we'll finally settle them down just in time for the drive home on Sunday.

Then, we'll get home and I'll do laundry from our trip, and start packing for the week long adventure that is teen camp. (7 days, 5 people, how much packing is that again? no, I don't want to think about it yet).

This almost makes me want to go outside and drift in my minivan...That'd be a release.

Hot Dogs, Burgers, and Apple Pie

While you're at home this weekend relaxing and eating too much, lets' take a second and put the burger down to remember what this weekend is all about.

Memorial Day was actually originally called "Decoration Day". The graves of fallen soldiers were decorated to commemorate their sacrifice and honor their memory. Red poppies were worn as an outward symbol of respect. Today, for many Americans Memorial Day is nothing more than a three day weekend ringing in the arrival of summer. The reverence and somber recognition of what was lost has dwindled in its importance for most of us. For hundreds of years men, women (and yes sometimes even children) have put you and I and our freedom before their own lives. Their blood has been spilled in the grass, in the sand, in the air, and in the oceans. Many of them knew it was coming, and kept pushing forward anyway. Many of them were terrified yet were convicted to stay the course by their commitment. What do we say to the heroes that linger on and were somehow spared, yet seriously damaged when we don't acknowledge what they know was lost? Here's our chance. This holiday, make it about them. Enjoy your freedom, enjoy your food, but also, give credit where credit is due, Memorial Day.

Hodge podge of pictures

Good Morning from the park!


This smile's for you!



The elusive and rarely photographed Coco.




There's no better way to fly.






Find the super tired Dad...

Whoosh

Found our house this weekend. It's beautiful, it's perfect, it's just right. Made an offer, negotiated a li'l bit. Made another offer, was accepted today... We close June 29th. Just in time to get settled in for a little while before the girls start school. And before Bax and I go on our 10th anniversary cruise.. Which will be the subject of another blog at some point...

I'm loving this Crazy Beautiful Life.

Of course, this could all fall apart at any second. I realize this...
But, hey, today.. let's focus on the positive.

Keep praying.

Whoosh.

Next phase and ominous request

We now have our house under contract! This has been a truly surprising, fast paced week. Now we begin the process of finding ourselves a new home. This is what I have been waiting for! Although, now I have to say that the worrier in me has kicked in. What if I find one I absolutely love, and our contract falls through? What if something happens and there's a problem lurking only to surface during our inspection? It's just who I am. I worry, a lot. Ask Baxter. He's tired of hearing me whine. But that's the beauty of me... I guess.

If I could just have a moment to request something else from you guys (this is a side note). For the next 8 or so days I would like to have your prayers. I'll go into more detail later, but for now I would just like to keep it under wraps. It's something I don't want to think too much about (worry worry worry) so I'd just like to know it's being taken care of. Please?

Exciting stuff. Can't wait to see what happens next.. sort of.

House Update.

Our house was officially on the market on Monday. Our MLS listing was up Monday afternoon. By yesterday at 8:30 p.m. we have had 4 showings and 1 OFFER! It's a great offer and we're hoping to tweak it just a teensy tiny bit before we end the negotiations. It looks like we'll be outta here by June 26th. Let the fun house hunting begin!

I'll update again if something happens. We are so excited. I'm still cautious because this is so crazy.

If you're curious and wanna see my listing, facebook, myspace or email me and I'll send you the link. I don't want any crazies knowing where I live.

Worth a thousand

Fitness and accountability update

As of this morning, I have lost a total of 35 lbs (bringing my weight to the lowest since 9th grade or so). I can run 5K in 35 minutes, and am on track to pick out a 2 piece swimsuit for the summer.

Now what I really need to work on is scheduling my sweet tooth splurges to once a week, instead of when I get stressed out. I am an emotional eater. I also need to find time to fit in weight training. Come on summer!!!

House Update.

New Carpet- installed.

Kitchen floor ordered -still waiting on arrival.

painting -finished.

Professional Deep Clean- scheduled.

House to be listed- the week of May 13th.

Now comes the hard part. Not letting Ella and the rebels declare war on our nice new things. So far, Ella has painted the finished walls with primer, used markers on the walls of her room, knocked off a light fixture in her bedroom whilst atop her bunk bed, the list goes on and on. Anyone need a good workout? I'll loan her out for a few hours.

I'm smilin'.

There are some days when you just can't help but keep a smile on your face. Today is one of those days.

That's all.

I'm meowt.

Worth a thousand

Gettin' it done.

House update..

Carpet installation- scheduled

Kitchen floor installation- floor ordered

Outside repair and paint- Happening right now!

We're so close I can taste it. No really, I think I got some dust in my mouth.

He seems to be missing the point..

Home » News » Politics


CNSNews.com
Georgetown Says It Covered Over Name of Jesus to Comply With White House Request
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
By Edwin Mora




Photo of Gaston Hall stage that shows symbol "IHS" that was covered up during President Obama's speech to accommodate a White House request. (Wikimedia photo)(CNSNews.com) - Georgetown University says it covered over the monogram “IHS”--symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ—because it was inscribed on a pediment on the stage where President Obama spoke at the university on Tuesday and the White House had asked Georgetown to cover up all signs and symbols there.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the “IHS” monogram that had previously adorned the stage at Georgetown’s Gaston Hall was still covered up--when the pediment where it had appeared was photographed by CNSNews.com.



President Obama is greeted by Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia as he arrives to deliver remarks on the economy, April 14, 2009, at Georgetown University. Georgetown had covered the symbol "IHS" on the pediment above and behind the two men. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) “In coordinating the logistical arrangements for yesterday’s event, Georgetown honored the White House staff’s request to cover all of the Georgetown University signage and symbols behind Gaston Hall stage,” Julie Green Bataille, associate vice president for communications at Georgetown, told CNSNews.com.

“The White House wanted a simple backdrop of flags and pipe and drape for the speech, consistent with what they’ve done for other policy speeches,” she added. “Frankly, the pipe and drape wasn’t high enough by itself to fully cover the IHS and cross above the GU seal and it seemed most respectful to have them covered so as not to be seen out of context.”




Pediment in Gaston Hall with "IHS" covered as photographed by CNSNews.com, April 15, 2009. (Photo by Penny Starr,CNSNews.com)On Wednesday, CNSNews.com inspected the pediment embedded in the wall at the back of the stage in Gaston Hall, where Obama delivered his speech. The letters “IHS” were not to be found. They appeared to be shrouded with a triangle of black-painted plywood.

Pictures of the wooden pediment prior to Obama’s speech show the letters “IHS" in gold. Many photos posted on the Internet of other events at Gaston Hall show the letters clearly.

The White House did not respond to a request from CNSNews.com to comment on the covering up of Jesus’ name at Gaston Hall.




President Obama speaking at Gaston Hall at Georgetown on April 14 with the "IHS" covered up on the pediment behind him. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Georgetown, which is run by the Jesuit order, is one of the most prestigious Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States.

Roman Catholics traditionally use “IHS” as an abbreviation for Jesus’ name. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “St. Ignatius of Loyola adopted the monogram in his seal as general of the Society of Jesus (1541) and thus became the emblem of his institute.” The Society of Jesus is the formal name for the Jesuits.





Gaston Hall stage as it looked on the afternoon of April 15 with "IHS" still shrouded. (Photo by Penny Starr, CNSNews.com)Although the monogram was covered over on the wooden pediment at the back of the Gaston Hall stage where it would have been directly above and behind President Obama as he spoke, the letters “IHS” are posted elsewhere around the hall approximately 26 times on shields representing different parts of the United States and the world.

Obama did not mention the name of Jesus during his address. However, he did mention Christ’s Sermon on the Mount.

“There is a parable at the end of the Sermon on the Mount that tells a story of two men…‘the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house…it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock,’” Obama said.

“We cannot rebuild this economy on the same pile of sand,” he added. “We must build our house upon a rock.”



Does anyone else find this amusing? Can anyone else see what I'm talking about?
I won't give it away. If you get the irony in this, leave it in a comment. Maybe I'll give out a prize.

You know I'd be there

If I didn't have church comittments tonight, I would certainly be one of the Americans standing up against the wasteful and distasteful spending going on in ALL parties of our government today.

Yell some for me...

Good Ideas

It would be my nightmare, but we can all enjoy this together.

Egg heads

In order to keep my sanity, sometimes all the kids and I will do a "craft". Knowing my skill level and ability when it comes to crafts, I will just say that I suck. (If you really want to hear a description of just how bad I suck, ask Baxter what happens when I try to paint trim, corners, or anything that requires delicate skill...)Anyhoo... even knowing that it will turn out looking like something the dog threw up, I still try. Hey, it keeps us all entertained for about 30 to 45 minutes. Good times.
Preschoolers/toddler crafts are my skill level so here's what we did yesterday.

Egg Hats/Crowns.

This is a joke, right?

WASHINGTON — The president's new science adviser said Wednesday that global warming is so dire, the Obama administration is discussing radical technologies to cool Earth's air.

John Holdren told The Associated Press in his first interview since being confirmed last month that the idea of geoengineering the climate is being discussed.

One such extreme option includes shooting pollution particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect the sun's rays. Holdren said such an experimental measure would only be used as a last resort.

"It's got to be looked at," he said. "We don't have the luxury of taking any approach off the table."

Holdren outlined several "tipping points" involving global warming that could be fast approaching.

Once such milestones are reached, such as complete loss of summer sea ice in the Arctic, it increases chances of "really intolerable consequences," he said.

Twice in a half-hour interview, Holdren compared global warming to being "in a car with bad brakes driving toward a cliff in the fog."

At first, Holdren characterized the potential need to technologically tinker with the climate as just his personal view. However, he went on to say he has raised it in administration discussions.

Holdren, a 65-year-old physicist, is far from alone in taking geoengineering more seriously.

The National Academy of Science is making climate tinkering the subject of its first workshop in its new multidiscipline climate challenges program.

The British parliament has also discussed the idea.

The American Meteorological Society is crafting a policy statement on geoengineering that says "it is prudent to consider geoengineering's potential, to understand its limits and to avoid rash deployment."

Last week, Princeton scientist Robert Socolow told the National Academy that geoengineering should be an available option in case climate worsens dramatically.

But Holdren noted that shooting particles into the air — making an artificial volcano as one Nobel laureate has suggested — could have grave side effects and would not completely solve all the problems from soaring greenhouse gas emissions.

So such actions could not be taken lightly, he said.

Still, "we might get desperate enough to want to use it," he added.

Another geoengineering option he mentioned was the use of so-called artificial trees to suck carbon dioxide — the chief human-caused greenhouse gas — out of the air and store it.

At first that seemed prohibitively expensive, but a re-examination of the approach shows it might be less costly, he said.

Source: Foxnews.com

step by agonizing step.

I'm spending the day fighting with the urge to look up houses in my area that are on the market. We are REALLY close to being market-ready and I am getting more and more impatient as the days go by. The sad fact is, though, that if I look, I will find one I have to have and then all hell will break loose. I'll whine about it, try to speed things up unnecessarily, and then throw myself into an adult temper tantrum that would make even Taylor uncomfortable. So, here I sit, weak, impatient, angsty, and excited at the thought of searching for a new home to place my family in. I should be doing laundry, cleaning toilets, spraying the weeds in the backyard, anything but just sitting here thinking about all the houses out there just waiting to be bought. I have to hold out, not only until we put our house on the market, but until we get a contract on it. It's going to be a long few months.

On the plus side, it is so beautiful outside today, that I will be able to send the children OUTSIDE of the house when they get home from school/preschool and they will not be terrorizing me, or each other as much as usual. I love weather like today, but then again, who doesn't. I've never heard anyone say that they don't like warm, breezy, sun filled days. I digress. It's lovely weather.

whew..

It's Monday. and I'm thankful. Did you hear that, people? I'm thankful it's a Monday. After my Friday morning near meltdown, I soon realized that Kayleigh was not the only one feeling sick. I willed myself that I would make it to the end of the day, and somehow, I did. As soon as the babes from next door left, my body said, "okay, it's party time ", and Kayleigh and I spent Friday evening in my bed whining to each other and watching whatever mediocre programming that happened to be on Nickelodeon/Disney. This weekend was also when our youth group participated in the annual 30 hour famine, so Baxter and the other two girls were out of the house. Thankfully some good friends from church agreed to watch them for us. (the girls, not Baxter.)

The next morning Kay and I were both feeling much better, so I sent her on with her sisters and I went to the church to help with the youth event. This year, in lieu of not eating, we did things a little differently. How does 30 hours of not speaking sound? Well, for an adult, dealing with jr. High kids, it sounded heavenly. Ahh, well. The purpose of not speaking was to focus on God, and hear Him in the silence. The peace and quiet was just a big honkin' bonus for me. :)
The event ended at 10 p.m. and from there I went to drop some of the teens home, and go pick up my E. (she and her sisters were split up, as there aren't many people who can handle all three of them together for very long). You should have seen how tired she was. I can only imagine how much fun she had this weekend. We are so lucky to have people in our lives who love our kids almost as much as we do.

Sunday, Taylor and I missed church due to a disagreeable attitude. (Hers not mine, although I wasn't Mrs. Mommy Sunshine at the time, and when I say disagreeable, I mean melt your face off tirade). After Bax and the girls got home, guess who got sick? Yep, my favorite "workaholic" and yours, Baxter. So it was me and the too tired trio for the rest of the afternoon. It was a long weekend. My expectations are HIGH for this weekend that we'll be able to be relaxed and get some work done on the house. I shall will it into reality. That can happen, right?

Thank Goodness For... Mondays?

If I look distressed today

It's because I was woken up by a 2 year old with explosive diarrhea, a 5 year old who wet the bed, and a 7 year old who is throwing up today. I also had to frost and decorate 12 cupcakes for Taylor's snack time at school, and fill 12 plastic eggs with candy for her Easter egg hunt. All the while picking up the house and getting myself ready for the 2 little sweeties that I watch to come over. That's a lot to handle before 8:00 a.m.

I know hindsight is 20/20, but maybe I should have been more productive last night instead of watching the 2 hour finale of ER...

This is my punishment, I guess.

Hey, let's try this, America.

Bullies Beware

A trip to the park gave me new insight into the highly complicated relationship between two sisters last week.

Kayleigh was being chased by 2 little unsupervised boys (ages around 3 or 4). They were attempting to "woo" her by chasing her with a light saber and calling her "stinky girl". I had admonished them 2 times or so letting them know that in fact (1) she was not, in fact, stinky but smelled quite pleasant, and (2) that chasing her around was not a nice way to act to other children, and that I would find their mothers and tell them how badly they were behaving. Kayleigh was not appreciating the attention from her preschool suitors, however and kept trying to avoid them. I noticed Taylor was watching all of this with a wary eye, and finally after Kayleigh had almost had quite enough and looked like she was about to try to knock their blocks off, Taylor intervened. "Hey, you little meanies!" "that's MY sister and I'm not gonna let you talk to her anymore!" Needless to say, they scurried away with their little light sabers between their legs.

Bullies of the World Beware when Taylor is on duty...

She really does love her sister... It warms my heart.

Tweet

I love the updates from Christopher Walken on twitter. If you like dry, sarcastic, humor, it's a real treat. I'm going to try to post his updates on here, but I don't know if that's possible. Go check him out, he's hilarious.

tee hee

I'll be there for you....

Friends.

Who has time? Really. Between our ministry comittments, children, and work, it leaves little time to put forth a serious effort to connect with other people. We have lots of people who we get together with every once and awhile, but I long for having some of those friends become the "pop in" friends and the friends who we can just call up at the last minute and hang out with. People who become your second family. How do we manage it? Where do we start?

We've had them briefly before, but there have been moves (states away), and children have been born since then. It's hard. It's just hard...

you've seen it, now tell me

if you agree with him, just leave me a comment.

Friday Funny

(she reads and snickers to herself)

Explorers On Global Warming Expedition Stranded in North Pole by Cold Weather
Wednesday, March 18, 2009


Three global warming researchers stranded in the North Pole by cold weather were holding out hope Wednesday as a fourth plane set off in an attempt deliver them supplies.

The flight took off during a break in bad weather after “brutal” conditions halted three previous attempts to reach the British explorers who said they were nearly out of food, the Agence France-Presse reported.

“We’re hungry, the cold is relentless, our sleeping bags are full of ice,” expedition leader Pen Hadow said in e-mailed statement. “Waiting is almost the worst part of an expedition as we’re in the lap of the weather gods.”

Hadow, Martin Hartley and Ann Daniels began an 85-day hike to the North Pole on February 28 to measure sea ice thickness, the AFP reported.

With bad weather hampering supply flights, the team is was down to half-rations, battling desperate sub-zero temperatures and unable to proceed, the AFP reported.

"It'll be a relief to get our new supplies," Hadow said in a statement Wednesday. "Until (the plane) does arrive, we need to conserve energy and can't really move on."

The expedition now expects to arrive at the North Pole in late May.

Fox News

I do pray that they'll be resscued soon.

Worth a thousand

we've hit a milestone.

We thought it would never happen! She finally lost her first tooth. She's so proud. Taylor's making funny faces. I'll throw that in for good measure.

Friday Funny

To be fair, I packed this for him, but he had the choice to wear jeans...

Acquire the Fire Footwear.

Fitness and accountability post 2

Yeah! Despite having an off week with my "healthy eating" (whole bag of snack kit kats on Wednesday night, people a WHOLE BAG), I have actually hit the weight barrier that's been blocking me for the past 2 months or so. Baxter thinks it's due to me actually taking my thyroid medicine or something crazy like that... It's more of a mental thing for me. Last year around this time I could only dream of stepping on the scale and seeing what I saw this morning. Technically I have 4 lbs to go to get to my "healthy expectations" weight that was assessed for me at the gym. I'd like to see if there's a healthy way for me to go another 10 lbs. Maybe by the end of the summer?

WHOO HOOOOOO!!!

I'm out!

wednesday cuteness

Here's the little guy I watch during the day. He likes the frog...

Speaking of the Love Dare

I love it...

It's been too long

Since I've posted. Things are really nutso around here, lately. Of course, there's the usual mayhem that seems to follow my family. Children's explosive laughter, fighting, and diarrhea. But we've added to the mix a few things just to ensure our lives are totally hectic and chaotic.

Baxter and I are taking the Fireproof/Love Dare class at our church. No, there's nothing wrong with our marriage (although I do sometimes rail against the instinct to send him to a time out). It's just a vitamin to keep our relationship healthy. We're learning lots of things about each other and about how our spiritual lives are reflected in our marriage. We are halfway through. BTW, if you are married and haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it.

We are currently fixing up our house to put on the market (I'm almost sure I've metioned this at least once). We need more space. This takes up lots of weekend time, and removes the sense of relaxation from our Saturdays and Sundays.

The busy season (activities) in our ministry is headed our way. This past weekend we took about 16 teens (my how are group has grown) to the Acquire the Fire event in Dallas. Other than a few minor bumps, the event was a success and God definitely planted some seeds. I'm really excited about this summer and what God is going to use us for. Baxter's about to be busy preparing for his new series on Wednesdays entitled "Heavy Metal Jesus". The kids are actually excited about a sermon series. Whowouldathunkit?

I'm struggling to do this all and find the time and energy to work out everyday. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as it's really important to me that I maintain my fitness level. After nannying all day along with my own children, I don't have enough get up and go to ... well.. get up and go.

Come on summer, hurry up and get here...

Hey, a little more Coney

This is my all time favorite... well, there's so many but I do love this one too.

Thanks again, Kiki..

Conan

Thank you my sister for finding this. I know that there is at least one other person who reads this who is in love with Conan. Enjoy!

Pray loud!

Whatever you are doing right now, just stop look at this picture of these precious babies. They need your prayers. They both are struggling right now with serious issues. They have bleeding in the brain, and have a long way to go before we can rest easy. Please, right now, say a prayer for them, and their wonderful Mommy and Daddy who are going through so much hurt and confusion right now.

We love you guys so much and we're claiming God's promises.

Service above self

This was one of the key points in yesterday's sermon at our church.
As I was listening totally and gleaning insight from the message, my husband was obviously not taking this time seriously...

He said that if I had been an apostle at the last supper, Jesus would have cut his hands on my toenails as he washed my feet, and been so ticked off that he would have just said, "forget it." "forget the whole thing".

Of course my husband is a big kidder, that's why I married him.

I guess I need my annual pedicure...

Worth a thousand