Friday Funnies

In an effort to get back to the lighter side of life here on my little blog, I thought I'd share a few fun things to make you smile. Then again, it's Friday, so hopefully you're already smiling!

First up... click on this link and watch this short "campaign" video. This might be my favorite thing that the Daily Show has ever done:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-9-2012/exclusive---barack-obama-attack-ad

Next... please enjoy this video of Jake's rendition of the Black Eyed Peas's "I Gotta Feeling." Yes, my son is awesome.

And lastly, how about a dose of double cuteness... there is no more fun toy than a big, giant box.

Have a happy weekend, everyone!  Check back on Monday for the weekly Reflections topic (and trust me, it will be sunshine and rainbows after last week's!) and some pictures of Jake's first day of pre-school. I'm not sure yet if that's going to bring tears or squeals of joy... from me, not him. I'm pretty sure he's not going to miss us AT ALL, so we'll just have to wait and see how I handle it!

Happy Friday!

Vacation - Photo Favorites

I promise that this is the last of my vacation posts!  I'm like that person in the 70's that made you come to my house and sit through slideshow of my trip.  Thankfully you could walk away from this any time you'd like!  Over the past few years I've been using the manual mode on my camera more and more and am definitely enjoying it.  Thanks to digital film I can experiment and get creative without worrying about running out of film; it's definitely becoming even more of a passion than it already was.  But enough about me... let's check out the favorites from our family trip, shall we?  All of these are straight out of the camera with no after-effects or edits:

Not really a favorite, but I snapped this through our windshield because I loved all of the brightly colored beach houses. One of these days we'll stay in one.

Seriously the sweetest face on the planet. And one of my favorite pictures of her to date.

"Mommy, I see you!" - A little fun with aperture (a fancy photog setting)

And fun with shutter speeds. The dude LOVED the carnival rides. He's my little daredevil.

My #1 favorite from the trip. Love that proud daddy in the background.

And a big BIG thanks to this family for really making all of this happen for us. The Doran family opened their doors to us and went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of. If you are anywhere near the Wilmington area you need to check out their church, Refuge City. They are fellow church planters and the love that they showed us really just flows through that whole place. It was one of the best services I have been to anywhere and they are six months old. Thank you for making this one truly memorable and perfect week!  We love you guys!

Now... 350 more days until the next summer vacation. Insert the world's biggest sigh.

Vacation - Part 3 - Night Life!

Oh my how things have changed.  With two kiddos in tow, we opted to stay in much more than we went out while on vacation.  We really only ventured out for a "night on the town" once since our friends treated us to dinner at their house one night and on the other we just snacked until we were full. But our big night out was oh so much fun and started with a seafood dinner of course, where we gorged ourselves on the best shrimp we've ever eaten, crab legs, oysters (well, Josh... not me), and conch fritters.  Jake and Lilly opted for battered chicken fingers and "fry-fries."  I don't know what it is, but there is something about having dinner in a tiki-hut type place with the sea air blowing in that is just perfect to me.  I could've sat there all night if it hadn't been for two restless little ones (who were actually angels the whole time we were there).

Daddy and Lilly got a great "date night" picture together, but in true Jake form, this is the best we got of our mommy-son time:

Our main event for the night was the Carolina boardwalk!  I don't think I've ever been to a beach with an actual carnival set up on a good ol'-fashioned boardwalk along the ocean.  It was picturesque and perfect, plus the weather was cool and breezy.

The kids loved looking at all of the lights... there was so much to see!  Jake just kept saying "fireworks" which has been his favorite word since he discovered their wonder on the fourth of July. 

As for the rides, we had no idea what to expect out of our little Jake.  He has never done any sort of kiddie-ride, so we knew he would either love it or completely freak out.  Jake spotted the dinosaurs that went round and round and up and down and decided that this would be his first adventure. We could not go with him on this one, so all I could see were visions of him getting scared, having a meltdown, and jumping out of the flying car... typical, rational mom-thoughts I'm sure.  Instead, before we could even hand the ride attendant the ticket, he had already walked through the gate and climbed up into one, looking at us like "let's go already!"  Once buckled in, he just sat there and rode on it like he had done it a million times before.  He was pretty serious on the ride, too, but would sometimes say "I really high!" when he whizzed by.  It was one of the scariest / proudest moments as a parent to date.

By the time we called it a night, Jake had ridden everything that he was tall enough for, including the kiddie roller coaster, which was bigger than most that I've seen.  I got to ride with him on that one and it   worked up some speed!  Our favorite, however was probably the big slide.  Notice in the video that after he rides with Daddy he just says "Whee!  It's fun!" but after he rides with me he says, "You okay?"  My little boy needed to check on his mama... he just melts my heart.

Know what else melts my heart?  Dressing Miss Lil in outfits to match her mama... yes, I went there.  I'll spare my children from doing it often, but on occasion and at this age I thought we looked adorable (if I do say so myself).

And no night out is complete without a stop for ice cream!  The Lil-bug loves it more than anyone I know and is the only baby I've ever seen eat an entire cone without spilling a drop.  

This was certainly one of the best nights we've had as a family, and certainly a great one as a parent.  Here's to great memories!

Vacation - Part 2 - Carolina Beach!

My family did not grow up going to the same summer spot every summer, at least when it did not involve visiting family.  But Josh's family went to the same beach almost every summer and they contain some of his fondest childhood memories.  While we are not "beach people" per se, we could not pass up the opportunity when Josh was asked to preach at a church on the coast of North Carolina.  To thank us, they put us up in a condo, overlooking the dunes and the water.  Ahhhhhhhhhh.  That is the life.

Vacation should be exactly what it was for us this year- just time spent together with absolutely no distractions.  We kept phone usage to a  minimum and did not even bring a computer.  The condo had a TV, but we hardly turned it on.  Mostly we just read books, played with the kids, and hung out pool and beach-side (but mostly pool since it was right outside our door).  We went down to the beach as soon as we arrived and while it took Jake some time to get used to the sand, Lil only wanted to do one thing:

Yep, she's my little bathing beauty... I think we'll get along fine.  Once she was up, she'd stick her hand in the sand and cry, I'd wipe it off, and she'd go right back and do it all again.  Over and over... so funny.  We thought she might like the little tide pools that formed, but even wet sand was not appealing to her.  She lasted long enough to get one picture... works for me:

Once Jake warmed up to the sand (and discovered buckets and shovels) he was a lot of fun!  He even let Daddy take him into the water for a minute, but I could tell he was pretty concerned.  I didn't mind since Carolina Beach has some of the worst rip tides in the area... I stayed on shore and pretended not to be nervous!

We did have one not-so-successful beach day when Jake just wasn't having it.  The little dude thought that we were going to the pool and LOST HIS MIND when we went to the beach instead.  He had a true terrible-two's temper tantrum complete with throwing himself on the ground and rolling around, which resulted in him being more upset and shouting, "I'm dirty!  I'm dirty!" over and over again.  I probably could have helped, but I was having a hard time not laughing.  I took pictures instead... way to be supportive, right??!!

We tried to spend an entire day out there (even purchasing a small baby pool for Lil at the advice of several bloggers with young children) and the day ended up to be too windy.  Our umbrellas and tent blew over repeatedly, the lifeguards called all swimmers out of the water, and Lil decided that the baby pool was not a good option for her and stayed on the blanket, continuing to do her hand in the sand-cry-wipe it off cycle instead.  It was, however, a great day for flying a kite.

Much to the joy of our children, we ended up right back here:

So this year my kids certainly preferred the pool and that was A-okay with me.  I'm just as happy lounging poolside as I am beachside, and we could hear the surf from our balcony so I spent plenty of time out there, especially when I drank my morning coffee.  Jake even came around and wore his water wings, which was a fight that lasted days.  I so wish I had a video camera... the kid thinks he can swim and acted like we were torturing him when we tried to make him wear them.  We let him go under once when he was "swimming without them" and he came up wide-eyed and panicked before raising both arms in the air and yelling "I did it!  I swim!"  Oh boy.  Mr. Independent does not want help from anyone. He is going to do mighty big things some day with that attitude!  We enjoyed our uninterrupted time with them so much.  We did manage a family picture on the beach, too, where both kids are looking at least in the direction of the camera.  I'll call that a win!

I'm still in post-vacation mourning mode, so these daily posts are therapeutic for me and will help me remember the little antecdotes and share them with Jake and Lil someday.  I so very much love this little foursome of mine and have to thank God daily for a gift this big and special.

Next up?  The night-life in Carolina Beach!  Well, night-life with a toddler and a 9-month-old anyway... which is the night-life I prefer!

`

Overnight

If you have kids, then you know that sometimes you go to bed and your child literally changes every night.  Or you leave the house, and when you come home you could swear that your child looks older.  It's like they grew up while you were away, and you get a glimpse of what your child will look like or be like in a few years.  And then you try not to cry... emphasis on "try."

Lil's seven-month birthday was like this.  On Thursday I literally had to wrap my mind around the fact that she has been here for seven months.  I feel like I was pregnant yesterday.  I feel like we just came home from the hospital.  But mostly, I just feel like she should still be a newborn... but she's changing and growing before my very eyes.  And on her seven month birthday we made two discoveres: #1 - her first little tooth is finally popping through.  In true Lilly-fashion, she hasn't even batted an eye on this.  There was no extra snot, drool, fever, or crankiness, so I was shocked when Josh thought he felt one.  But sure enough, there is was, a little tiny nub of a tooth on the bottom right.  She doesn't let anybody look at it since the little one loves to stick out her tongue, but we did get a quick glimpse before bed last night.  I love a baby's toothless grin, but I know she's going to be thrilled that this brings her one step closer to more solid foods... that girl loves to eat!

Discovery #2 - Baby Girl is on the move!  She's been low-man scooting for awhile, and rolling her way back and forth across the living room, but on that 7-month marker, it all came together.  And what is it with babies and iPhones by the way:

I did not know that having a little girl would be so special.  I love Jacob in such big ways, and I am amazed that I can love her equally, but different.  No mother can explain it I'm sure, but the love I feel for them is so special and unique to each of them, because they are both so special and unique.  But what I love best is how much the like each other!  Jake took awhile to come around, but now he cannot get enough of his little sister, even to the point that he basically screams in her face when she's sleeping, because he wants her to wake up and play!  He's been "teaching" her how to crawl, telling her "Okay, Lilly" when she cries, putting her pacy in her mouth, bouncing her when she's in her jump-a-roo, putting his forehead right up to hers when she's on all-fours (which makes her laugh), giving her kisses, and showing an overall, genuine concern for her when she's upset.  He loves his baby "E" and that makes a mama's heart overflow.  And Lilly?  Oh my gosh, she thinks he hung the moon!  He does things to her that give me a minor heart attack and she just laughs and laughs!  Nobody can get her going like he does!  And as soon as Jake realized that he has a constant, loving audience?  Yeah, he just eats it right up!  They are two peas in a pod these days and I hope that as parents we can always continue to cultivate and grow that relationship so that they'll always have a special bond.  Nothing would make me happier.

So what's Lilly like at 7 months?

• Has one brand-new tooth
• Sits up on her own, but still can't get into that position by herself
• Can successfully do a low-man's Army-type crawl
• Wears 9-12 month clothes, but we're almost out of anything left in the 9-month range, particularly pajamas.  Dresses still work
• Wears size FOUR diapers.  Yes, you read that correctly.  To put it into perspective, Jake wears a size five.  But that round belly is the cutest thing you've ever seen!  Plus, we took the girth of her thighs and compared it to Jake's and cousin Adam's... she has them both beat!  Those rolls are delicious (and will soon melt off now that she's getting her workout on!)
• Mostly nurses, but takes at least one bottle a day, mostly to give me a break.  She holds her own bottle, which is so helpful!
• Has solid food only at dinnertime, mostly because she's so content on milk and growing like a weed.  So far we've had peas, green beans, avocado, sweet potatoes, and bananas, all of which we mix with oatmeal to thicken it up.  Plus, she loves to gnaw on saltine crackers.  We've tried yogurt drops, and while she can pick them up, she still can't really figure out how to get them into her mouth.
• She finally loves bath time and splashes around, which in turn makes Jake soak the entire bathroom.  This could get interesting over the next few months!
• Notices and watches the TV when it's on, particularly when it's one of Jake's favorite shows
• LOVES the iPhone, my laptop, and anything electronic.  I think this is a universal baby-thing
• Bounces like a crazy person in her jump-a-roo (and even when she's not in it!)
• Is attempting to pull herself up onto things, but has had no success so far.  I'm okay with that.

There's more of course, but these are just a few of the things that I want to remember.  Her personality is still just about the sweetest thing you'd ever come across.  I've had many people tell me that they've never heard her cry, and that's probably because she rarely does!  Try to change her clothes though and that all changes... my baby would rather be naked!  But in those moments, she reaches for me, and she stops immediately.  Now THAT, my friends, is what makes motherhood so special.  God knows we need those moments, and I cherish it every time it happens.

Speaking of motherhood, May is Mom's Day month and in honor of that I am going to do a series of mom-related posts.  I have a few friends who are either expecting or just had a baby, but I have several more who have all been there already.  Together we are like an arsenal of advice!  I'll post the dates on what days I'll post what and I'd love to have you join me!  Topics include hospital must-haves, top 5 baby gear items, don't waste your money baby gear items, maternity leave survival and sanity (how not to just sit around in your pajamas all day!  Haha!),  all about your diaper bag (and why you love it or what you wish it had), and just a general post about how motherhood has changed you.  If you've already posted on any of these topics, you can just link up your old post to mine so you don't have to start all over.  But if you haven't, put your thinking caps on and join in the fun... the more the merrier!  Look for posting dates early this week!  

What are we feeding them ??!??!!

Sometimes I just gotta get back to the basics and post about the kids... they are my favorite topic you know!  I'm a little behind on this post, but better late than never, right?

At the end of last month we brought both kids (at the same time) for their check-ups- Jake for his two year appointment and Lilly for six months.  Josh arranged his schedule so that he could help me wrestle manage the kids and I'm so glad he was there!  They actually both behaved wonderfully, but with extra hands we were able to snap some photos for their baby books... oh wait, I still haven't done those!  That's why I blog this stuff, people!  Those baby books are on my "someday" to-do list along with about 4,000 other items.  But anyway...

Jake got checked out first and I have never seen our son sit so still!  We stripped him down and as the doctor took his temperature and listened to his chest and lungs, Jake was as calm as a cucumber, which is very unlike him.  He kept giving the doctor these suspicious sideways glances (which, if you've met Jake you've probably seen him do from time to time... I'm still trying to catch that on camera!) and so we were quite entertained.  The only time he had a minor freak-out was when he looked in his ears and mouth, but he got over it quickly.  Here's our heavyweight champion's stats at 2 years:

Height:  37 1/4 inches (98th percentile - is he seriously already over 3 feet tall?)

Weight: 33 pounds, 15.5 ounces (98th percentile)

This boy has permanent bed-head due to SO much hair!  I am somewhat jealous of that mane.

Lilly was up next and laid there like a perfectly content baby should.  The best part though?  This was the first day that Jake really showed a lot of concern for his baby sister.  He made sure to be right up next to her, just to make sure this suspicious looking doctor did her no harm.  Since that day he's really been great with her- puts her pacifier in when it falls out, gets up in her face when she's crying in the jump-a-roo, and sometimes even pats her and says "okay, E" (which is mimicking us when we say 'It's okay, Lilly').  The boy can't say L's yet so her name is tough on her.  I was curious to see how much our little chunky monkey was going to weigh and she did not fail to impress.  Here's Lilly at six months:

Height:  27 inches (90th percentile)

Weight:  19 pounds, 10 ounces (98th percentile - must be those delicious thigh rolls!)

The funniest thing that was said to us was not to worry as to whether our daughter was obese.  Seriously??  Did he really think that I would worry about that?  Maybe he's had some other moms ask as to whether their baby is fat, and that's a sad thing I tell you.  I say the rounder, the better!  Because of her size, the doctor left it up to us again as to whether or not we wanted to start solids with her.  Apparently her au natural diet from mama is quite substantial, as it was the first time around.  I tell you what, if I could jar this stuff that I make and send it to starving children in third-world countries I would!  We've since started giving her one vegetable each night when we all sit around the dinner table together, but not much more.  She grabs at our food sometimes but is still content with nursing for the most part.  Jake weaned himself right before he hit the seven-month mark (basically when he realized that he'd rather crawl around and not stop to eat) so we'll see if she decides to do the same.  For now it's working well for us.

There is no way I could list all of the milestones we're hitting on a daily basis around here.  Jake's vocabulary has pretty much tripled in just the past couple of weeks and he's saying (and repeating) new things everyday!  Plus, we had no idea he knew his numbers since he would never count with us, but suddenly we can't get him to stop.  He picks up phrases from his older cousins and cracks us up with expressions like "Sweet!", "Nice!" and "Score!".  Oh how I love that little man.  Lil is still just as sweet as can be, has mastered sitting up, but still can't get in the position on her own.  She says "Dada" and "Mama," which is music to my ears, and spends a lot of time on all fours trying to figure out how to move.  It will be any day now, and my world is about to be turned upside down I'm sure.  I'm going to just enjoy the days of non-mobililty while I still have that.

Oh, and as a random side-note... the picture above makes it appear that I'm still in maternity pants, which I am not thank-you-very-much.  I do still sport my belly-band from my pregger days since many of my shirts seem to be mysteriously shorter than they used to be.  Or perhaps it's because I have been pregnant and nursing for the past three years, so the last time I bought "normal" person clothes was back when shorter shirts were in style.  Yeah, this mama needs a new wardrobe!  If any of you have suggestions on revamping a wardrobe without breaking the bank, please feel free to share your wisdom!

My Favorite Room

When the first of May rolls around, we will have officially lived in our Kentucky home for nine months.  Nine already!  I can hardly believe it... where does the time go?  And as I scrolled through my blog posts over these past many months, I realized that while I said I would post pictures of the inside of our home here, I never did.  The truth is, I've been waiting for some finishing touches to be put up, the rooms to be clean, and the lighting to be perfect, which means only being able to photograph these rooms during the daylight hours.  So here I am, nine months later... and those "finishing touches," which really probably only include window treatments?  Non-existent.  And over these nine months, has any room really been clean for more than five minutesduring the day?  C'mon!  I have a two-year old... enough said.  And newsflash: he pulls out every single toy that he has whether he plans to play with it or not.  During daylight hours.  Which mean, the lighting is always bad when my house is "photo-worthy."  But hey... that's real life, right?

As much as I love reading blogs and keeping up with friends via Facebook, there is a dangerous side to it, too.  As we peek into other people's lives, we see their perfectly decorated and clean homes, their perfectly styled hair and outfit, and wonder to ourselves if we're somehow falling behind.  At least I do at times.  Often if the blogger does not have children I think to myself, "we'll see if she 'has it all together' after kids."  Isn't that terrible?  And I think that this is why for nine months I've been meaning to do a house post, and for nine months my house never looks "perfect enough" for the Internet.  Because although I am a very neat person (just ask my husband... it drives him nuts sometimes!) the reality of our busy lives is a house that looks like this:

The living room on a typical day... decor courtesy of Jake and Lilly:

The dining room... otherwise known as the catch-all for mail, the diaper bag, Josh's work stuff, etc.

 Just a small glimpse into our bedroom.  This is our bedside table and yes, you counted correctly: there are FIVE dirty diapers sitting there.  Don't judge me.  We're going on seven months of waking up in the middle of the night and this is the best I can do!

And Jake's bedroom floor- about ten minutes after I put everything away.

I love my home, I really do.  And if I had it my way, it would look like the page of a magazine everyday.  I have ideas upon ideas of what each room would ideally look like, and even see the final product in my head, which can torture me sometimes since I don't have the time or disposible income to make it happen.  But you know what?  Our house is a mess and I'm happy.  My kids are happy.  And sometimes just letting it go for a few days to have some extra time to sit on the floor and play with my two cuties is worth it.

With all that being said, however, last week the stars aligned, pigs flew, and the kids' room was clean and "perfect" enough for a photo opp.  Their room is always my favorite, no matter what house we live in, just because it's so happy and cute.  This home is a bit smaller, so Jake and Lil share one, but we have yet to see if that experiement scenario is going to work since she's never actually slept all night in there.  Only time will tell.  So since it was the miracle of all miracles, I had to document my (and Jake and Lilly's) happy place:

How much do Jake and Lilly's grandpa's rock?  My dad made the crib (years ago for my nephews actually and it's still solid as a rock) and Josh's dad made the toddler bed.  I hope that Jake gets those genes!  I could put him to work someday on all of these ideas in my head!

The names originally hung above the beds they slept in... and then we rearranged the room.  See?  Even when you get things just "perfect" something happens to change all that!  Someday I'll fix it... maybe.

I have to laugh because when I rushed to take these pictures, knowing my hard work could be destroyed at any moment, my SD card was missing from my nice camera, which is still a mystery to me.  So, I had to pull out the trusty iPhone.  Typical.

I posted this because on the days that you don't feel perfect enough and Pinterest ideas are depressing you (hence why I don't Pinterest!), I hope that you can come here and be reminded that we're really all in the same boat.  Everyone has their own mess, their own reality, their own junk they are dealing with, despite how perfect it looks from the outside.  I think a lot of people feel this way about their relationship with God.  They're waiting to get their problems all straightened out, their junk cleared up, and figure out how to be "good enough" to start living for Him.  They put on their fancy clothes and dress up the outside before going to church, but the inside is in complete disarray.  And I just want to tell you that it's never going to happen.  God doesn't need you to be "good enough."  God definitely doesn't need you to be perfect, and actually knows that it's impossible!  He created you... of course he knows that!  He just needs you to come to him and admit that you can't do it alone.  You can't strive to be better without His help, and that's what He's there for.  And when I remember that simple fact, the messes in my life don't seem to bother me so much.  He'll get me through it.  He hasn't let me down yet, and I know He never will.

Overexposure

A couple of weeks before Jake's arrival in 2010, my husband and I had a conversation about how we would handle posting pictures and information about our upcoming arrival on the Internet.  I was a bit nervous, having heard horror stories about the dangers of posting things on the Internet and then of course blowing them out of proportion in my brain.  We never really settled on anything and when Jake made his debut, he was everywhere.  And still is... we just couldn't help ourselves or bear to keep his precious face to ourselves.  And then Lilly came along and without a second thought we did it all over again, posting endless amounts of pictures and videos.  It just seemed like the right thing to do.

As I look back on that first (and only) discussion, I realize that as a mother my fears were certainly justified.  Bad things happen to good people, and as a mom, it's our job to worry about our kids.  It's natural.  But I also now understand that with just as much bad that can come from sharing your life with others, there is ten times more good.  When you have a baby, people come out of the woodwork to congratulate you and share the joy.  So many friends wish my children happy birthday or comment about how much they've grown, even if they've never actually met them.  And even though we've moved away from Small Town, Illinois, I love that we still have "family" there that know our sweet Lilly even though they've never actually seen her in person.  As much as I love peeking in on the lives of total strangers (particularly other moms in this season of life) and seeing their cute kiddos, I hope that my kids bring joy to the faces of total strangers, too.

So what about the danger?  Well, while I will always be mildly concerned, I do not let that stop me from sharing.  Particularly because I know that if something terrible were to happen to my family, whether that be to me, my husband, my kids, etc., that we would have more support and love poured out than we would know what to do with it.  Granted, I don't want to have to experience that, but I know that it's true.  By putting myself out there, I think we get so much more in return.  Plus, I have seen it with my own eyes.

Remember how I posted last fall about my friend Meg needing prayers?  Well, she and her husband put themselves way out there and rather than updating their blog, they created a Facebook page to keep people informed about their baby's fight with heart problems.  Today this tiny little guy has over 3,000 fans.  Little Tyson has flatlined on more than one occasion, but since my last post he has undergone his second surgery, was home just in time for Christmas, and has been home ever since aside from a couple of nights for different procedures.  But by putting themselves out there, "exposing" themselves if you will, they have been covered up with love, flooded with prayer, and complete and total strangers have supported them to the point that they have yet to pay a single hospital bill!  Can you believe that?  Not to mention that tough little Tyson has stolen the hearts of many, including mine.  Prayer works... and I think Meg's beautiful family can attest to that.  His journey is far from over and they have a rough road ahead, so if you've followed their story at all, please continue to send love and prayer their way.

I don't really know where this post is coming from today, but it's been on my heart as of late.  I feel like every time we we turn on the news we are inundated with the bad.  It seems like that's all that ever gets reported and is probably why I hardly ever watch it.  But if we look elsewhere we are reminded that people in this world are oh-so-good and oh-so-loving.  I think deep down we all want to see others have it all, find love, success, and happiness.  In my case I want to take the blessings that God has given me and pour them out to others in whatever way that we can.  Three years ago my blog started out as just a way to keep our friends and family up-to-date on our lives since we moved far away from everyone.  Over the years it has evolved a bit, included snippets of our journey as church planters, and recently started getting a bit deeper into faith-based issues.  I think it's my way of trying to contribute to the good.  I think it's my way of trying to show love and happiness to those who read this, whether they know me or not.  Because the world can use as much good as we can find, and to me, good is from God.  If I can introduce Him to someone who reads this, even if it's just one person, than that is the biggest way to show love that I can think of.  At one point I wanted followers for the sake of seeing that number jump up.  But now?  I want more than that.  I just want to encourage, lift up, and spread a little sunshine to anyone who stops by.  I hope that's what I've done for you today.  I hope that's what I can continue to do for those of you who allow me to "expose" my life and share it here.  I think that's why I love blogging... bloggers are really some of the nicest people I've never met.  Isn't that so true?

Besides, how could I ever keep these two adorable faces to myself?  That just wouldn't be fair.

Perfect weekend... and mostly pictures

What a weekend!  In the history of all weekends, this one was truly perfect.  I took Friday off, and is it just me, or does one extra day in a weekend make it feel so much longer?  This should be the standard.

Being Easter weekend, I already knew it would be packed with special activities and it was truly the first Easter that Jake could somewhat participate in the traditions.  So what did we do?  Well... we dyed eggs of course, but Jake mostly dyed himself.  We took a trip to Toys 'R Us and bought Jake a new train table, which was a belated birthday-slash-Easter gift.  Let me tell you, it has already been worth every penny.  Josh and I had a date-night-in and watched "We Bought a Zoo," which is a great flick if you haven't seen it.  Plus, it did such a great job of paralleling all of the feelings and emotions we went through during the church-planting process.  We attended a good friend's baby's naming ceremony, which is a Jewish custom, and felt privileged to be a part of that special day.  I had a hair appointment and went dark again, and although I've been wondering if it's too dark ever since, a couple hours alone in a chair with a magazine was heavenly.  And then yesterday we had a tremendously joyful Easter service at TurningPoint (He is risen!) and saw lots of new faces.  I cannot explain what it feels like to see your husband's dream in a tangible, real way and I cannot put into words how proud I am of all that he's done to see this thing come alive.  We had about thirty people turn their lives over to God yesterday, so I know there was some celebrating going on in heaven!  Later that afternoon we had lots of family and friends over for an egg hunt and really good eats.   Plus, the kiddos looked so cute dressed in their Easter outfits, although Jake ran around most of the day shirtless due to the copious amounts of watermelon he dripped down the front of himself consumed.  Aside from Easter, it really did not entail much out of the ordinary, but the kids were easy, Josh and I had some quality time together as a couple, we hung out with family, and celebrated what it means to be a Christian.  Sometimes is really is that simple.

And for those of you Pinterest addicts, check out the fabulous treats that one of our moms made for our kids' ministry... I had seen resurrection cookies and rolls before, but never the tomb!  Just awesome:

I wish I had a better picture, but I'm sure you get the idea.  Which brings me to this...

The tomb is empty.  Victory is ours.  God sent His one and only son to be beaten until He was unrecognizable, killed in the worst form of corporal punishment this world has ever seen, and mocked by many.  Why?  For me.  For you.  For all of us undeserving, average, everyday folks.  He took the punishment for our sinful ways so that we'll never have to.  I have my own son and can guarantee that there is no way I'd be willing to make the same sacrifice if given the choice... which makes me even more in awe and grateful to God.  Now I choose to live for Him, hoping that His son can be seen through my words and actions.

I hope that you found the peace and joy that Easter brings.  I hope that you know the story, and if you don't that you'll ask someone to share it with you.  But most of all, I hope that you know that you are loved by Him, no matter where you've been, what you've done, or what struggles you have in your life right now.  He loves you right where you're at... and that alone is worth celebrating.

Happy belated-Easter, everyone!  I hope this turns out to be a terrific week!