melodies of my heart

tickle my heart.

2011-12-15T23:27:00.002-05:00

The kids must have a lot on their minds tonight. We've put them to bed....and in the last 5 minutes....they've called out for me to answer the following:
"Mommy! What are misfits?" -Noah "Things that are different from the rest." -me
"Mommy! Why is Charlie-in-the-Box a misfit?" (from Rudolph) -Noah "Because most Jack-in-the-boxes are named Jack" -me
"Mommy! What is Christmas?" -Ashton "Jesus's Birthday" -me, "Jesus lives in Heaven."-Ashton "Yes, He does." -me
"Mommy! What are Angels?" -Noah "God's messengers." -me
"Was the whale that Jonah was in in Heaven?..because how did the angels get there?"-Noah "God can send angels anywhere and no, the whale was here on Earth." -me
"Mommy! Do birds fly in the winter?" -Noah "Yes, yes they do." -me

These are the things that tickle my heart.

organization.

2011-12-15T00:43:00.000-05:00

I'm an organizer. This is both a blessing and a curse at the same time. It may be because we're expecting our third child, but I am way, way ahead of myself this year. Shopping, cards, Christmas decorating...all done in the last two weeks. That's just Christmas. Meal and lesson plans have already been made for the next month. What has helped with that though, is keeping a binder with two years of meal plans that I've already made on Google Calendar. I can go back and look what we had last year on the same date and then decide if I want to do that or try something new and cross reference it with the local grocery ads and coupons. This binder also has sections for recipes to try and recipes that are winners with the whole family. I have an additional binder for workout info, activities for the kids, and home decor ideas (my pinterest in manual form). Is it crazy to admit that I liked moving, just so I could organize our stuff and can't wait to actually buy another house so I can design it too?? I'm beginning to find out more about myself...I'm a weirdo! And I also wonder how it would be if I actually had ENERGY??? Scary....However...

Being organized has helped in spending more time teaching and playing with my children. And since we moved across the country and decided against enrolling Noah into preschool this year, we decided to go with the Sonlight Curriculum for the second year in a row, pulling additional ideas from the free curriculum on http://www.abcjesuslovesme.com/. It's been great so far and I'm learning so much about my children through the process!

I've also realized that I have certain skills that have become dormant since becoming a Mom, and being organized and cutting back on other distractions like TV, has helped me rediscover some of my forgotten passions...like drawing and singing and playing piano/violin/guitar...and while it's been somewhat of an addiction...pinterest has helped inspire me to try new things and/or stop thinking I need to "buy" something, when I can totally make it myself! It may be ambitious, but I'd like to learn Japanese and more about photography too....

With all this being said, however, I must give all the credit to our Lord and remember that checking off my to do list is not more important than His plans for that day. Something He's been making really clear lately: Be a flexible planner as you never know when He will change your direction! ;-)

Of course, once baby girl arrives, we'll see just how organized I'll be!!

true meaning of Christmas.

2011-12-11T01:55:00.002-05:00

I feel like the "Grinch" or "Scrooge" right about now, only because I'm this close to telling Santa NOT to come to our house. I do not want any more toys in this house...it's gotten to the point where I want to give everything away...and trust me, I gave MUCH away when we moved across the country (maybe too much). And come to think of it, while we were waiting for our stuff to arrive on the moving truck, the boys played beautifully together with the few toys they had. So it's got me thinking....

In order to reach my children's hearts, God may be calling me to do something drastic. I am still praying about a possible solution to Noah's "I want syndrome." Maybe we have spoiled him up to this point, but his obsession with toys has been driving me bonkers. Lessons on greediness and selfishness, role playing, sharing, etc. seem to go in one ear and out the next. Even trying to be the example...and this is tough, as my selfish, sinful nature tends to creep in especially when I'm tired....and I'm on my knees begging the Lord to persevere through the rest of the day...

I don't get it; but maybe it's because we (myself and four brothers) didn't get much growing up...we got more "experiences" than "stuff"...my grandparents were able to help my parents afford music lessons, sports activities, art lessons, dance lessons, etc. and we didn't have the extra "stuff" to distract us from excelling in those things. The things I remember from past Christmases are not the things I received...(with the exception of my first car...IN COLLEGE)...but are being together, and having an open home for whomever would want to stop by, the music, the smells, the games, and probably the most memorable was the FOOD. I want this for my family.

This is not to say that I'm unappreciative of the gifts we receive and that I'm not a sucker for oooo...Thomas stuff is on sale, they'd LOVE that!...of course, we love to see our children light up and love to make them happy, but it's only a temporary high. And is this reaching their hearts? And I'm not talking about not ever giving them anything they want, but trying to find a balance...and do I know it all? Nope, still learning this thing called parenting....

There are some things reaching his heart, however, as our day trip to San Francisco has really gotten him concerned about the pee smell on the elevators of the train stations: I explained that some people don't have homes or bathrooms, so they pee on the elevators even though they're not supposed to. He made a comment a day later about how he wants to grow up and build homes for the people that pee on the elevators (made my heart smile). Still, when it comes to "stuff," he still can't handle himself appropriately and I absolutely refuse to buy two of things just to make my life easier. That won't teach him or Ashton anything. I am looking into going to a soup kitchen with him or a homeless shelter...something tangible for him to learn from....

Tonight, however, we were able to experience what the first Christmas was like as we went to a live "Bethlehem" exhibit, where a church in Santa Clara puts on live performances of Christ's birth: real camels, sand and all. It was very moving and both boys were engrossed in it. They got to see firsthand how simple the first Christmas was: how beautiful, how meaningful that the day we are preparing for is all about celebrating our Savior's birth and continuing to prepare for when He comes again. We would not have life without Him and I will continue to pray that the Holy Spirit dwell within my children's hearts and grow stronger each day.

give thanks.

2011-12-05T23:51:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year again...the time of preparation...Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas...and we have the added bonus of preparing for our third child.

The boys were Thomas and James the Tank Engines for Halloween this year...we were able to meet some of our neighbors going out trick-or-treating and then we headed to Uncle Dan and Aunt Ginny's neighborhood. Ashton was pooped and fell asleep on the way there, but Noah was able to circle their neighborhood with Matt to hoard some more candy.

Uncle Eric surprised us with a visit mid-November as he was out here on business and was able to swing by and see us. The boys were super excited to see him and we were glad to see him too!

Thanksgiving was SO relaxing this year! We skyped with our families on the East Coast in the morning (pacific time), where both families had already feasted. They boys were excited to see everyone. We headed over to Uncle Dan and Ginny's...the 5 minute drive is ROUGH, let me tell you! ;-) I brought coloring supplies, a few toys and Cars 2, the movie to keep the boys entertained. I am thankful to have family so close and the food was delicious.

As we prepare for Christmas, in addition to our advent activity countdowns, we are also trying to do touristy things around the area. We were able to take the train to San Francisco last weekend and what a blast the boys had, taking in all the sights and riding all the various modes of transportation. The added bonus was that Santa was at Boudin's Sourdough (where we had dinner)....that was FREE and there was NO LINE. I kept trying to avoid Santa's eye contact as I wasn't sure if there was a fee involved and Noah kept waving and tugging at me to go see him...finally, I saw the elf to ask if there was a cost and she said, "Nope, and you can take your OWN pictures!" I'll admit, this is the ONLY way I'd ever let the kids see Santa. So Noah went right up and talked to Santa. Santa motioned for Ashton to come, but Ashton was NOT going near him. He got close enough to give him a high five and get his candy cane. Funny thing is, Ashton keeps talking about how Santa is a "nice guy who gives candy canes." Haha.

We are settling in nicely and I'll admit, seeing how snow is being forecast back east, I am loving the weather. It still gets pretty cold at night, but warms up to 60 everyday. I can get used to it.

Here are some photos for the month of November.

"california, here we come"...we are here....

2011-10-27T02:00:00.000-04:00

Yes, every time I write "California, here we come", the theme song from The OC enters my head, and yes, shameful it is to admit, Matt and I were fans of the show...even to its abrupt end.

Anyway, I digress. I finally have a working computer, thanks to my brother, Chris, who put a new hard drive in and sent it up with my Mom in time to get it onto the moving truck. Thanks!! And I finally have a few moments to actually write on this poor, forgotten blog.

Instead of writing a novel, which it would take...I will attempt to sum up the past few months with a timeline. Here it goes:
August: Matt's transfer to the San Francisco office is approved
August/September: Packing commences, Matt and I take a weekend trip to the area to find a house (God hand delivered it to us...seriously, we were not even thinking about looking in Palo Alto due to it's astronomical rents; but again, here was this house, in our price range, having an open house for ONE hour each weekend day that pops up on craigslist the Friday we arrived...amazing, thank you, God) Thank you to everyone who helped with the boys while we flew out here and while I packed up the house!
September 27th: I take the boys to Richmond to say goodbye to Uncle Colin at VCU and pass the boys off to my Mom
September 28th: Moving truck comes to take our stuff
September 30th: I leave Ashburn for VA Beach to join the boys
October 1st: Matt's a groomsman in Gus and Mary Anne Federle's wedding (so sorry to have missed it!)
October 2nd: Matt joins us down in VB/Norfolk for Erin and Eric's baby shower
October 5th: We leave the East Coast
October 6th: Our car leaves the East Coast/we meet the landlord for keys to the house
No one has rented our house in Ashburn...
And then....dun dun dun....here comes the list:
water heater broken, flooding kitchen
no working washer or dryer
leaky pipes in bathroom and kitchen
oven and stove do not properly work
closet rods missing
door knobs to bedrooms missing
bath fixtures coming out of the wall
cobwebs and spiders galore

While this is temporary housing for the next 9 months and the property was not used as a residence for years before we got here (it was used as a business...a children's French immersion program), we were seriously disheartened at the laundry list of problems. The landlord has since fixed all problems, but still thinks a house without hot water is deemed "livable" and still demands the full rent. This is a whole other issue that doesn't need the nitty gritty details, but I am thankful to have a patient, negotiating, smart husband to handle that...

Thankful for an amazing Uncle and Aunt (and cousin---thanks Kyle....we drove around in the Infiniti!) who let us stay at their house while these issues were addressed.

October 11: We are on our way to the house to meet the moving truck when we get a phone call telling us it won't be here until the 12th!!!!!!! AHHH! Matt's Mom flies in. Matt is sick.
October 12: Our stuff arrives! The water heater is replaced! The stove and oven are repaired! The washer is hooked up!
October 15: We took a break from the moving craziness. We celebrated Matt's 32nd Birthday by going to Monterey Bay Aquarium and driving the 17 mile drive, ending with a Marie Callendar's pie with Uncle Dan and Aunt Ginny :-)
October 17: The boys' bunk beds arrive and we no longer have the family bed and Matt's Mom no longer has to sleep on the couch ;-) The car was supposed to arrive, but no shocker there, it was due to arrive a day later.
October 18: The car comes!
October 19: Matt and I pass the CA driving test and become official residents of CA
October 20: Matt's Mom, the boys and I visit the Palo Alto Children's Museum and Zoo
October 21: Matt's Mom flies back home, our dining room set arrives
October 22: Bob's Pumpkin Farm at Half Moon Bay
October 24: We are officially "settled" as I started school with the boys and we are getting back on a routine
October 26: We have renters in the Ashburn house!!!!!

God has definitely bestowed His blessings along this bumpy road. Even though it's super old (the bathroom and kitchen are still in the 1950s and reminds me of my grandma's house), I actually love the house. It has a great yard for the boys and a large patio that they can actually ride their bikes on. It's completely fenced in and private and the windows along the back of the house are huge, so I can see them from wherever I am, if I'm not outside with them hanging laundry. :-) And I'm totally ok with hanging laundry as the weather is amazing! It has lemon, pomegranate, and persimmon trees. Although the house is actually smaller than our town house (square footage wise) in Ashburn, it's all on one floor and flows a lot better for our needs. We're also one block from a big park...super helpful with my active boys! And with Matt's Mom's help, the home is clean and livable. I am sooo appreciative of all the cleaning and organizing she was able to help out with since I'm getting more tired day to day. Needless to say, baby girl has been a little neglected and I need to find a provider ASAP!

Things I've taken for granted:

a dryer

a dishwasher (yup, Matt and I are the dishwashers)

a garbage disposal, although, I find the recycling here is amazing! It's wonderful to almost completely recycle everything!

And to think, we get to do this all over again in 8 months!! So yes, we are living simply and if the box was not deemed necessary for the next 8 months, it went straight to the garage...and maybe straight to Goodwill if we really do not need it!

All in all, the adventure has been anything but boring, and glad Jesus has been with us through it all and will continue to be our strength. I do like it here and am looking forward to seeing what's in store for us! Meanwhile, I'll hopefully be updating the blog a little more regularly! Peace!

this morning.

2011-09-08T08:41:00.000-04:00

So I'm still without a computer, but am snagging Matt's for a quick update. Life is certainly not boring as we are expecting baby girl in December and getting ready to move to the San Francisco Bay Area in October.

I want to write today about the Noah challenges I have been facing in hopes there are other Moms who have super strong willed children and to beseech prayers from all who read this. I also wanted to write so that I can look back and hopefully laugh about how crazy life is right now.

First, I'm having a lot of trouble sleeping as I can't seem to shut my brain off at night and while I know to rest in Him and ask for peace, this is still difficult. I finally fell asleep at 3:30 am and as soon as I did, Ashton woke up and wanted me to sleep with him. We're trying to wean him off my belly button (yes, he still wants to touch my belly button and snuggle up close---which I DO cherish, but last night, I REALLY wanted to sleep), but now he wants to hold my hand instead even when I'm lying down right next to him. It took a lot of coaxing, but he finally let me just sleep next to him without having to hold my hand. The new baby is going to rock his world.

Anyway, come this morning: Noah comes up to say that the bathroom is locked and that his pants are still in there and that he didn't wipe yet. I told him to wipe upstairs and that I'd be down in a minute. I got up to go to the bathroom, got back in my own bed to try to have a few minutes of quiet time before I went downstairs to meet chaos. Then I heard a crash.

I came downstairs to find that Noah had climbed up on a stool to get the toys that have been taken away due to not being able to share. His reasoning for getting them down? Because he AND Ashton had earned 10 coins (their reward system to get their toys back). Now, I went to bed last night and they each had ONE coin. I asked, "Who put the coins in your jar?" Noah replies, "Ashton." MmmHmmmmmm. He knows that Mommy and Daddy are the only ones allowed to put coins in the jar and that we had to put the toys back. Commence tantrum, time out with a fight and more lying. Any other moms have 4 year olds that are having problems lying? He's lied 3 times already and it's 8:30 am. He also has TREMENDOUS difficulty accepting no and being able to share toys with Ashton. It's not that he can't share, it's that he wants ALL of the toys that go together at the same time. For instance, we'll take the trains. He has to have ALL the characters instead of being able to give Ashton a few and play together. Despite my attempts at practicing with him, he gets fixated on the ONE train Ashton has and will not let up until he has it back. I need HELP!! Ideas, anything!! I have pretty much tried everything in attempts to correct his behavior, concentrating on one behavior a week, etc. etc.

While I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, being in the midst of very strong willed children, in the midst of current circumstances, is hard. But I know the Lord is with me. They are precious gifts entrusted to our care and while I may make mistakes, I pray that God will continue to guide us. Please pray for us!

ashton is 2.

2011-06-02T18:56:00.000-04:00

I'm still without a working computer...waiting/researching an operating system...but I'm quite proud of myself for being able to take apart and put together a computer with minimal aid! Anyway, hoping to have one soon, but in the meantime, I'm borrowing Matt's work laptop while we're on vacation to quickly update this blog.

Ashton turned 2 yesterday! And we were able to celebrate his birthday at Disney World's Magic Kingdom. What a fantastic day it turned out to be! Even with the afternoon downpour, we were able to leave the park, take naps and come back later to finish out the day. Seeing the wonder in both boys' eyes and their excitement of seeing the characters was such a gift.

Since we knew we would be "attacking" Magic Kingdom on the day of his birthday, we celebrated with ice cream cake and presents the night before. The cutest thing was when he realized it was "his" birthday...when we brought out the cake with candles lit and started to sing....he started pointing to himself with a huge smile, saying, ASHTON'S birthday! He received some Toy Story characters as a gift, Rex seems to be his favorite. However, he started attacking Noah with him, roooaaarrring all the way; and after explaining Rex was a gentle, friendly dinosaur, he seemed to take it easy...for a hot second, that is! Oh, boys!

Ashton is developing quite the personality. He's in the "I'll do it myself" stage which requires addtional patience on the parenting end. He states quite firmly, "I do it" in his low voice whether it be climbing into his car seat, closing doors, putting on his shoes, etc. He and Noah are still having a rough time with sharing..it's an everyday opportunity for growth on all sides. He has quite a temper when he doesn't get his way...another opportunity for growth in which I completely ignore the tantrums....which is sometimes very difficult depending on where these tantrums occur! He hits and throws things as well as a way of communicating he's unhappy about the situation....with that being said, however, he's well aware of his time out chair and goes there quite willingly unlike older brother. I share about these things in hopes I'm not the only one with a two year old who does these things! We are learning to get to the heart issues with both children and with prayer and guidance from above, we are doing the best we can. :-)

Despite these aggressive behaviors, Ashton is a still my cuddle bug who gives the best hugs and kisses and is still attached to my "butty." He looks up to big brother and watches every move he makes. He loves Daddy, even though right now he gets jealous of any attention I give Daddy. He's talking a lot more and I love watching him experience the world through his two year old eyes. We are blessed.

cherry blossoms.

2011-04-08T17:13:00.000-04:00

A day in Washington, DC. Thankfully, before all the government shut-down shenanigans.

visitors from vb.

2011-04-08T16:07:00.001-04:00

A couple of weekends ago, we were blessed with visits from my parents and from the Dunn Family. Lei has been a friend since high school and we were glad to meet the newest member of their family, Aiden Hall. It's nice to see how well our kids play with each other as they are the same ages as ours (minus Aiden...sorry 'bout that, God hasn't blessed us with the 3rd yet!). And it's always great to see my parents, wish I could see all of you more often!

Here are some photos ;-)

auntie.

2011-04-06T21:45:00.002-04:00

As of now, Noah and Ashton have ONE Auntie (Matt's sister, Erin). And a special one, she is. Not only is she Matt's sister, but she started off being one of my best friends in High School. I couldn't ask for a better sis-in-law and we were able to get some Auntie time when she came for a quick visit during her birthday week back in March. :-)

While the boys loved having her here, I also appreciated the girlie time-as she is my only sister! She was also able to get some bro time with Matt as they ventured to Snowshoe to get some last minute snowboarding in. We can't wait to see her again (and Eric!) soon!

tell me again.

2011-04-06T21:36:00.002-04:00

While having a family member with Alzheimers is no joke, we cherish all the time we can get with my Grandma Julie, who is now living with my parents (although she still thinks she's visiting). You can read about their journey with Alzheimers on my Mom's blog here.

The conversation between Noah and Grandma went a little something like this:

Grandma: What kind of vegetable is this one?

Noah: Asparagus

Grandma: (2 seconds later): (picks up the same one) What kind of vegetable is this one?

Noah: Asparagus

Grandma: (same thing with the same stuffed Veggie Tale)

Noah: I already told you, Great Grandma!

Grandma: You know, I forget sometimes, you'll have to tell me again.

Noah: Oh ok, Asparagus.

We miss you, Grandma, but continue to learn what an amazing woman you are as you journey through this crazy disease.

feb VA Beach trip.

2011-04-06T21:20:00.001-04:00

Just a few pictures of a trip to VA Beach back in February. I am so thankful for my family as we have all been going through some kind of "funk" this winter. It's wonderful to have people that care for you, that are honest with you about the good and the bad, and encourage you. Thanks guys! It's a treat when we're all together in one place!

Virginia Aquarium

Hanging at Grandma and Grandpa's

An unusually warm day in Feb at the Oceanfront

Mt. Trashmore

Jammin'

The Kauflin Uncles ;-)

first concert.

2011-03-31T23:15:00.001-04:00

It might not be the first concert for Noah to have attended, but it was definitely Ashton's and it definitely made quite an impression on both of them.

We headed to the Kennedy Center the last weekend of January to see my brother, The Justin Kauflin Trio perform. Matt was out of town for work so I was nervous about how this would go down. My strategy? Snacks. To keep them quiet. However, even though they were excited about the special snacks, they were both mesmerized. Noah, by the music. Ashton, by Justin's guide dog, Candy. :-) Noah's favorite part though, was seeing his friend, Keira afterwards!

In the weeks following the concert, Noah has been ordering me to pretend I'm Phil (Justin's bass player), Ashton to be on the toy drums to pretend to be Billy, and he on the piano, as Justin. He's also had his toys pretend they're putting on a concert. Funny? Yes, I only wish I got it on video. Ashton has been carrying our version of Candy (a stuffed black lab my Mom got from the Seeing Eye Foundation) around like an actual guide dog everywhere we go. Again, with the video...I've gotta get better at this game.

Recently, Noah's been asking if he can take TUBA lessons. Why? Because Larry the Cucumber plays the Tuba, of course!

Noah and I were also able to steal away at the last minute a few weeks ago (it has to be last minute these days, because we never know if we'll be healthy!) to go to NYC to see Justin perform there. We had a blast until it was time to leave...imagine 2 hours of hearing, TURN AROUND, I WANT TO GO BACK TO NEW YORK! WE NEED TO STAY AT JUSTIN'S HOUSE 20 TIMES! PLEASE (sobbing now), GO BACK TO NEW YORK! I mentioned that Justin's house didn't have playdoh and well, phew, I'm glad that worked!

Both shows were amazing and you can check out my brother's music here.

Waiting for the show with Grandpa Frank to begin at Kennedy Center:

Justin Kauflin Trio at Miles Cafe, NYC

Eating his snack and drinking a Cranberry juice, soaking in the music

Dinner at Time Warner Center Landmarc Restaraunt

game night.

2011-03-31T22:47:00.001-04:00

How much fun is it that Noah is getting old enough to understand games? Not only board games, but video games as well. Not that I want him playing a lot of video games, but it sure was fun to break out Wii Sports for a night and see how the boys would do. They needed lots of "help" from Daddy, but all in all, we had a lot of fun! And it'll only get more fun as they get older! Did I mention that it was FUN?! haha.

Strike!

Ace!

"butty."

2011-03-31T22:38:00.000-04:00

"But-ty." This is the name that Ashton has given my belly button. And my belly button is his "lovey." For some reason, my belly has become his security blanket. When he gets tired, or wants to cuddle, you'll be sure to hear, "But-ty" in his cute, low, raspy voice. Do I mind? Only when he's trying to lift my shirt...or worse, my dress in public.

What I do love is that he actually asks me to cuddle! I am cherishing this as I know these moments will surely pass quickly. I love you, little cuddlebug.

....and we're back!

2011-03-31T16:16:00.007-04:00

I'm not sure where to begin as I've taken a hiatus on writing here, as usual. I don't usually write unless the Lord is calling me to, so that may have something to do with it. The past month has been rough, call it a spiritual drought, call it that time of the month, call it seasonal affective disorder, call it depression, call it whatever you want to.  And it's been bad. I've felt isolated, sad, angry, impatient, tired to the point of not wanting to get out of bed. There is nothing in my life I can complain about, so why I am feeling this way? I'm going to call it not walking with the Lord and trying to do it all on my own....again.

And oh the evil that seeps in! Yes, I can spew out some pretty hurtful things, especially to the ones closest to me and the one to put up with most of my shenanigans....my husband, Matt. Although I'm quick to apologize and admit I am in the wrong, my problem solver self asks, why are you behaving in such a way??!?!?!  And it's not just with Matt. It's a short temper with my children that usually results in a lot of yelling, it's those seeds of discouragement the devil likes to plant when we let our guard down, it's those feelings of negativity. And yes, it ALWAYS boils down to how closely I am walking with our Savior.

Have I been spending time in the Word? Yes. Have I been praying? Yes. Have I been listening? Nope. I've been too busy wallowing in self-pity and complaining about all the mundane tasks or frustrations motherhood brings. Or thinking, "When am I going to get some time to do what I want to do?" And then Lent begins.. And I finally sit down and listen. And boy, He is speaking, LOUD and CLEAR.

"It's not about you."

Is the first time I've heard this? No. Will it be the last time? Nope. But knowing that God is with me and the Spirit is calling me back into renewal, it is with hope I get out of this rut.

In this world, it is so easy to get caught up in "getting yours," or fall into thinking, "what about me?" rather than following Christ's humble example.  We dwell on the negative rather than the positive, we're quick to judge others rather than comparing ourselves to Jesus. God will be judge. And it's not about us! It's about bringing hope to this world, bringing the good news to all those who will hear...that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior! It's also about learning to accept that we will fail only to get up and try, try again. It's also learning about not trusting our emotions and bringing them to the cross, no matter how we're feeling. But isn't it great we don't have to do this alone?

-"When you pass through the water, I will be with you; in the rivers you shall not drown. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned; the flames shall not consume you." -Isaiah 43:2

Some "aha" moments God has been sharing through other people or during my meditations:
-Be the wife you want your sons to have--I best stop nagging, then! ;-)
-Offer up those mundane tasks (laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning) by saying a quick prayer for someone in need to give those tasks meaning
-Persevere, persevere, persevere!
-In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive" -Acts 20:35
-"Yet I consider my life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the gospel of God's grace." -Acts 20:24
-Get over yourself! Have courage! We are to be obedient to God and not an earthly outcome....for "Our citizenship is in heaven; and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." -Philippians 3:20

---For now, hopefully this means I'll be back to posting more regularly...there's lots of fun stuff to share!

on suffering.

2011-02-06T22:44:00.000-05:00

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away. -Revelation 21:4

At Ashton's 18th month check-up, the doctor was concerned he had developed craniosynostosis (in which the skull fuses faster than the brain develops) and wanted to recheck his head circumference in a month to see if a CT scan/neuro consultation was going to be needed. A month of waiting. Of not knowing. Surprisingly, I did not worry as there really wasn't anything to worry about until the next check-up. I took it to God. I did not consult the Internet. I did not consult the library. I prayed. And asked others to pray: that Ashton's head would grow enough in the next month to thwart the possibility of the condition AND for the grace to accept whatever outcome the check-up would reveal. Thankfully and praise to God, his head grew, 2 mm....but it grew and we do not need a CT or a neuro consult. The thought of my not even two-year-old son getting brain surgery is enough to send any mother into a spiral of worry, but God did not intend it to be. And this has only been a blip on the "suffering" radar of those around me.

So suffering has been on my heart lately, not only because of my own trials, but also of those close to me for the past couple of months. Unexpected deaths of loved ones, miscarriages, sick children, children with cancer, parents/sisters/brothers with cancer, fear/anxiety of the future, depression...all these have impacted people that are close to me or that I have experienced myself and will continue to impact me and those close to me....

And many of us ask, why?

After reading about St. Margaret Mary of Alacoque, this passage struck me and I wanted to share with those who may be suffering in their own trials:
My sisters, all suffering is born of love....Suffering is a way to make our hearts like His, meek and humble, full of love. It is a school of charity that burns away the dross of sin and makes us living reflections of His Heart in the world. If we embrace the gift of suffering with trust that the heart of Jesus is blessing us, we will grow like a flower planted in rich soil, graced with the rain of tears and the sun of grace.

Do not be afraid of suffering, my sisters. It often comes in surprising ways and it is never easy. But there is One who walks beside you, and together with Him, the yoke will be easy and the burden light.

I find that with every trial, no matter how dim the circumstances may seem at the time, if I put my trust wholly in God, the burden IS light! There is no need to worry! It is not always easy, this I know. But, it is not ME who comes out stronger, it is not ME who has overcome this "great" obstacle, it is not on my OWN strength that I have made it, it is ONLY by HIS grace and power through me. And for that I am thankful. And I am refreshed. And I rejoice!

the BIG show!

2011-01-20T22:21:00.000-05:00

Noah's Big Show at the Little Gym.
It's funny to know how your child is usally the big "ham" on regular class days and when it comes to putting on the actual show he decides all he wants to do is hang on Mommy or Daddy's leg or lie down on the floor and watch everyone else. Our shy guy when it comes to being in front of people did not disappoint this day. He eventually warmed up and was able to show us what he's been learning for the past 20 weeks. We are proud of him and his creative imagination as he "swam" like a fish in the water under the balance beam :-). Are we that shocked that he's shy in front of a crowd? Not really, considering how his parents were as children!

trip to see a tree.

2011-01-15T23:48:00.000-05:00

The weekend before Christmas we were able to attend one of our groomsmen, Gus's 30th surprise birthday in Alexandria. His fiancee, Mary Anne did an amazing job planning it and we look forward to their wedding in October! Congrats!

Since we were already in Alexandria, we took advantage of being close to DC and drove in to see the tree on the National Mall. It was perfect...we got a close parking spot, the boys were excited to see the trains around the tree and were especially interested in the Nativity scene display...where Noah quite correctly asked, "Where are the shepherds?" The only thing that wasn't so fun was that I forgot my coat in the running around of errands right before we left...God was looking out as Matt, for some reason, brought an extra one...so yes, of course I wore his coat!!

making of a family photo.

2011-01-15T23:38:00.000-05:00

Oh what fun it is to try to get two rambunctious boys to sit still and smile!

Our Christmas card photo :-)

reflections.

2011-01-09T22:55:00.000-05:00

My parents started a wonderful tradition in our family where every New Year we would write our reflections and most profound memories of the past year and share them with each other. It's most fun when Dad brings out our reflections from 15+ years ago :-)

Since we are not always together on New Year's (or some of us just can't stay up as late as others anymore ;-)), email has helped keep the tradition alive with my parent's mostly grown family. However, it's a tradition that I hope to start with our own family when the kids are old enough.

I decided I would share mine here.
We have been so blessed.
2010 Memories:
January/February: Grandma Julie's 88th Birthday celebration
February Snowpocalypse: 33 inches
February Snowboarding trip to the Poconos with the Racicots and Noah's first time on skiis
June Williamsburg/Virginia Beach vacation
July: Noah's 3rd Birthday Bash
August: College Roommate reunion weekend in St. Leonard, Maryland
October: extended work-related trip to Atlanta, Georgia, Erin and Eric's wedding in Bar Harbor, Maine
November: Thanksgiving at the Newlywed's
December: New York trip to see Justin, Gus's surprise 30th birthday party, Christmas at my parents and Erin and Eric's. Christmas and New Year's with the whole family was special this year even though I had the flu.

Reflections:
Being Wife to Matt: I am excited for your transition to North Highland. I am excited to continue to see how the Lord's plan reveals itself to us. I am deeply grateful to call you husband and friend.

Being Mommy to Noah:
Noah is a most joyful, energetic, excitable three year old who loves being around people and is growing to be a caring, overprotective older brother. He's creative, funny, smart, sometimes too smart. He is defiant, something we pray God use for His will (and something we're working on). He is a little bossy. His growing love for Jesus is evident in his constant singing of praises (and Veggie Tale songs---he has a gift for knowing the words with watching something once-it's kind of amazing, but hey, I'm biased). He is loud (Matt and I are baffled at how two relatively quiet people can produce such a loud child!). He's a perfectionist (hmm, wonder where he gets that from) and sometimes gives up too easily when something is hard. He bites his fingernails when he's nervous. He is into Veggie Tales and Thomas the Tank Engine. His smile is contagious.

Being Mommy to Ashton:
Ashton is a love bug. Now 19 months, he constantly gives kisses and hugs (lately he's been making his stuffed animals give hugs too), snuggles and is obsessed with our belly buttons...which makes wearing a dress truly interesting at church. He loves to dance and often says, "hand" when he wants us to hold his hand to dance with him. He carries a tune already. He loves his big brother and calls out, Noah! in his raspy, little voice. He's shy. If you want your home childproof, you may borrow him. You will not have any toilet paper on its rolls (it'll be on the counter), there will be nothing breakable within his reach. Your handbags will be all zipped up nicely and put away. There will be latches on all cabinets. He is resourceful. If he wants something bad enough, he will figure out a way to get it (such as moving chairs to climb onto). He knows how to open twist tops. He has figured out a way to call someone on the phone. He has figured out how to use my iPad. He loves books. His cuteness makes you want to squeeze him.

Being Daughter to Frank and Phyllis:
Congratulations on 30 years of marriage. I am thankful to be your daughter. You have taught me so much and continue to do so. I admire your ability to love and self-sacrifice in caring for your own parents (Alzheimer's is no joke) and step-parents. I love you both very much!

Being Sister to Chris, Justin, Joe, and Colin:
I admire you all so deeply...you are all so driven and passionate in everything you do. Chris with your new music business endeavor, Justin and your music, Joe and your desire to serve in missions, Colin and dancing. I need to go out and do something!! I love how different, yet intertwined the gifts God has bestowed on each of you unfolds. I am so proud to be your sister and pray that God continue to bless all of you and that He bring some WOMEN into your lives! Hahaha, although, I'm not really joking. Love you!

Being a Daugher-in-Law and Sister-in-Law to Sandie, Bruce, Bob, Erin & Eric:
So many fun memories this year, the most obvious being Erin & Eric's wedding. I am thankful to apart of your family and continue to admire all your unique abilities and gifts. God knew this was the family I would be married into and I am blessed! I love you all.

Here's to a Blessed 2011!

prepare the way of the Lord.

2010-12-16T21:49:00.000-05:00

One post in November. Yikes. So Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas is next week. We are thankful for SO many things and thank God everyday for things such as...(my apologies if you can't read it, so I'll just share my favorite: Noah is thankful that bikes have wheels ;-))

The boys had fun with our "Tree of Thanks" as we prepared for Thanksgiving in Virginia Beach/Norfolk at Matt's sister and brother-in-law's. We were also able to catch up with most of my Mom's family who were in town for Thanksgiving weekend and was able to pick up a new game which will most definitely be played at Christmas: Bananagrams. I can't wait.

Matt traveled to Boston and Atlanta for work in the two weeks following Thanksgiving and I took a weekend to steal away to NYC with my brother, Chris, to visit my other brother, Justin. It was the first time that I've been away from the kids for longer than a day. While I missed them dearly, I have to admit I came home refreshed. I didn't know what to do with myself, to be quite honest. I mean, going to the bathroom and closing the door? Eating when and what I want to? Sleeping in? WHAT? Such luxuries! Speaking of using the bathroom, all three of us had quite the bathroom experience at Charmin in Times Square. Yes, it's a store of bathrooms and then you share your experience online. There are six different toilet papers to choose from and someone goes in to clean after each person goes to the bathroom. Greatest idea....ever.

Chris and I took the metro to DC and caught the Bolt Bus on the way up and took Megabus on the way back...if you're looking for a CHEAP and fast way to NYC, this is it...along with free WiFi. Seriously considering bringing the kids next time.

Going away has its price though. We've been on and off again sick with stomach bugs, runny noses, coughs and a lingering cold that has sabotaged the past couple of weeks. And the stinky part is that I have gotten sick too...I knew it would catch me at some point! Other than that, we've been getting ready for Christmas. Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year...and now the tricky part: teaching your 3 and 1 year old that it's not all about presents. Early comments like, "no, I don't want to give any presents to anyone...I just want to get presents"....and the like has stopped Matt and me in our tracks. We couldn't believe our ears the first time we heard this. Yes, we know he is three. But I don't think we can ever start too early to teach our children why we celebrate Christmas. So needless to say, we've been honing in on Jesus...and can we go overboard? Nope, not if it means our children will serve the One who came to save us, which is our number one duty as parents.

So we are honing in on Jesus BIG TIME and emphasizing giving and spending time together and sharing with little brother and being respectful in our words and well, the list goes on with my "spirited" one. Hopefully, something is sinking in when this is what I hear and see at the dinner table..."and the shepherds came, and the wise men came, and the donkey came and the sheep came..." while lining up peas and placing peas in the "manger" (pasta shell).

Along with prayer, and emphasizing giving, it seems as this Advent season progresses, Noah's attitude is changing...we will encourage ALL to pray with us!! ;-) We have also been going the route that Santa is Jesus's helper...that God is the one who sees and hears us and knows whether we've been good or bad...
The Veggie Tales video about St. Nicholas has been helpful. Some other activities that have helped are the "light up someone's Christmas" tree at Church, going through our toys and deciding which ones we don't play with anymore to give to either little brother, Ashton or the needy, as well as baking and delivering cookies. We've been making lots of "presents" as well, so family, GET READY...;-) We will be traveling down to Virginia Beach this year for Christmas and New Years.

In the meantime, here's what we've been doing in preparation for Christmas (Noah opens the door to the advent calendar and will pull out a piece of paper with the activity for the day)

1-Put up Christmas Tree (we actually did this before Dec. 1)
2-Go to the library to pick out Christmas books, CDs and movies)
3-Talk about what nativity means, create own nativity scene
4-Color a Christmas picture
5-Watch a Christmas movie
6-Make Christmas cards for teachers
7-Make a Gingerbread house
8-Learn a new prayer
9-Bake cookies
10-Shop for a needy family
11-Decorate wrapping paper (kraft paper)
12-Playdoh as a family: create nativity scenes
13-Make a holiday streamer
14-Make Christmas ornaments
15-Deliver cookies to neighbors and teachers
16-Play in the snow!
17-Sing Christmas carols
18-See the National Christmas Tree
19-Drive around neighborhoods to search for nativity scenes
20-Deliver old clothes and toys to Homeless shelter
21-Make stamped nametags for presents
22-Drink hot chocolate with candy cane stirrers
23-Go to Virginia Beach!
24-Go to Christmas Eve Mass
25-Have a party for Jesus!

It's helpful to have a master list in case you need to pull a switcheroo....

Anyway, looking forward to seeing family in a week!
May God bless you and yours this holiday season!

beauty.

2010-11-23T00:28:00.002-05:00

God's been talking to me about beauty, inside and out. Especially in what I've been reading and studying. First, let me preface this by confessing I am not qualified to write any kind of book review, so bear with me. But I wanted to share my thoughts. The first book, called Good Girls Don't Have to Dress Bad: A Style Guide for Every Woman by Shari Braendel and the second, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert are a couple of books I've read in the last few months.

While both books are very different genres, both got me thinking about our perception of ourselves inside and out versus how we should be looking at ourselves according to our relationship with God.

The first book, Good Girls Don't Have to Dress Bad was enlightening for a girl who grew up with four brothers. I didn't even know what the mall was until middle school (not that this is a bad thing--I think my Mom and Dad got it right with this one). So it did have few helpful pointers that I would never have known about, especially the undergarment chapter. :-)

The book focuses on the fact that our hearts HAVE to be right before we stylize and accessorize. If we are obsessing over those gorgeous boots or latest bag, our hearts are not in the right place. If we are scouring current style blogs and magazines rather than spending time with the One who made us, our minds are not in the right place. If we are dressing to impress others, we are missing out on that completely fulfilling realization that our WONDERFUL CREATOR loves us for who HE created us to be, fat and all!

In my phase of life, however, applying what I've learned from the book may have to take a back burner since most days I'm lucky to get a shower in....and am living by my "book" called, "Your Children Need You More--Here's how to look "presentable in public" for Moms of Young Children." And while some of her style choices were not to my taste, Shari Braendel (who also has a blog) has gotten it right in terms of where our hearts should stand. It does help you to look your best and what I'm taking from it is to dress for God and no one else and why wouldn't we want to look nice for the He who created us? It sure puts my heart in check when determining my motives for keeping up with current trends! For it says, "So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to wear?' All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil." -Matthew 6:31-34

Oh...Eat.Pray.Love. I read it because I wanted to see what the hype was all about. Did it make me want to go to Italy? Absolutely.   Could I relate to her anguish? Definitely. Was Elizabeth Gilbert humorous at times? Yes. There's where I draw the line.

For those who haven't read the book, it is about a woman's search for self-discovery and balance by taking a year off of work (to come back and write about her experience) to go to Italy, India, and Indonesia after a divorce (which lacks detail) because she didn't want to be married anymore and wasn't sure if she wanted children. I am saddened to think about how many women might have read this and said, well, I want to divorce so I can go find God. Hopefully, this was not the author's intention.

For me, a Christian, she did not have to go anywhere to find God.  The way to God is through Jesus Christ. "I am the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6
I think we also forget that meditation and prayer is a HUGE part of the Christian life. Without it, we grow complacent, relying on our own strength and tune out what God wants us to hear.

The other point that struck me was the concept of "cherry picking" of religions. Taking what we like from whatever religion that'll work for how we want to live. Again, I must find the truth in the Word of God....and for me, Jesus is the way!

So needless to say, I was disappointed in Eat, Pray, Love from a Christian viewpoint, but did get me thinking of the importance of beauty on the inside and wanted to share the following exerpt from my Walking with Purpose study guide on beauty which I thought put beauty...well, beautifully:

Beauty is a hot topic. Who among us does not wish to be beautiful? Sadly, most of us do not know how to go about becoming beautitful. We don't even know what beauty is anymore. In our culture, beauty has become a two-dimensional billboard: An advertisement for ME. As long as we are satisfied with a self-centered, inwardly focused life, there isn't a problem with this arrangement. But don't we want more than this?

While life in the "superficial lane" can keep us busy, most of us want our lives to count and to be centered, not on ourselves, but on the Lord. We want to shine His light in this dark world. A perfect example of a woman living life with that focus is Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She was truly beautiful. Have you ever seen a picture of Mother Teresa with her bright and beaming smile? What do you think of when you see her picture? "Wow! When was the last time that woman exfoliated? She could really use a chemical peel! Have you seen her hands? Somebody give her a coupon for a paraffin dip, quick!" Of course these comments are absurd! But, why are they absurd? They are absurd because we are talking about the face that brought the love of Christ into the slums and filthy holes of the poorest of the poor. We are talking about the hands that nursed the dying, cradled the orphan, and pointed the way to the heart of Christ. This is real inner beauty. It comes from an abiding connection to Christ. When we look at Mother Teresa, we don't see a shriveled little old woman. we see power, we see audacity, we see love; we see Christ. "One of the best descriptions of Mother Teresa is that she was a woman 'totally, passionately, madly in love with Jesus." (Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light, pg. 259) Father van der Peet, who preached at least one retreat for the Missionaries of Charity, said of her:

     "Whenever I met Mother, all self-consciousness left me. I felt right away at ease: she radiated peace and joy, even when she shared with me the darkness in her spiritual life. I was often amazed that someone who lived so much face to face with suffering people and went through a dark night herself, still could smile and make you feel happy....I believe that I can say that I felt in God's presence, in the presence of truth and love....Yet at the same time....she was one of the msot down-to-earth persons I have ever met." (Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light, pg 269)

When we describe someone as "down-to-earth" we generally mean that they are genuine. they are authentic. This means they are not trying to act like or look like something they are not. Mother Teresa, then, accepted herself (warts and all) as God's gift to her. She made her life sacred and holy by offering herself back to God to do with as He pleased.

"Fine," you say, "But, I am no Mother Teresa." No you're not, and neither am I. But we are God's precious daughters just the same. He wants to shine through us as well. He wants us to be confident and radiant because we are full to overflowing with his tender love and joy. He does not want our self-worth to rise and fall with clear skin or bad hair days. And yet, most of us live this way. We tend to feel better when we look good. This is because we are hoping to draw attention to ourselves with our external beauty. When we shift our focus toward pointing the way to God, we can rest from the rat-race to external perfection. We can take care of our bodies in gratitude for His wonderful gift to us without obsessing about appearances. Somebody once said that here on earth physical beauty was allotted to us, or not- but in heaven we will be exactly as beautiful as we deserve to be. That idea really makes me stop to think about how much time and money I spend reaching toward perection on the outside in order to bring a little slice of glory to myself. When and if I cross the finish-line into heaven, those will not be the investments that yield rewards. My lasting beauty will be the reslut of a heart lovingly surrendered to God and poured out to otheres in His service, and for His glory.

Walking with Purpose (6/10)

my little....giraffe??

2010-10-31T22:19:00.001-04:00

Ashton turns 17 months old tomorrow. He is still my little snuggler and poor guy can't seem to catch a break with illnesses this fall season. The antibiotics he is on right now seem to be kicking in in a major way just in time to get dressed tonight for Halloween. I wish I had night vision on my camera so I could have captured him running around in his giraffe costume! I'm so happy to see him coming back to life and smiling as he doesn't really smile that often. But when he does, he shines! He was absolutely adorable as were most of the kiddos on the block whose ages all run below the age of three.

It's so fun to see how different Ashton is from Noah as he is VERY serious and INTO EVERYTHING. Nothing is safe. If it is closed, he WILL figure out how to open it. He likes to take things out of bags. Anything with buttons? Ashton will find it and press all of them. He's also quite good at putting things into bags such as the remote control from the Staybridge Suites-Atlanta that we ended up bringing back with us without our knowledge until I unpacked. He gets attached to one toy and will carry it around with him for hours, such as the toy screwdriver that airport security laughed at because I forgot that it was in my diaper bag (you know, NO TOOLS).....

Going through my wallet that he took out of my bag

His first words were, "tickle, tickle, tickle." Can't get any cuter than that. He is able to say Mama, Dada, Nona (for Noah), Nana, Vroom, cack cack (quack quack), baa baa for "what does a sheep say?" and for "bottle." He says bye bye, Moo, More, No-no, woof woof, uh oh. He has a word for belly button that I'm not sure how to spell quite yet. His signs include: milk (for a bottle), more, book, shakes his head no and puts his hand up for up please, and signs "please."

He has a little temper. It's a hard age. He can't quite communicate what he wants, but knows what he wants and sometimes I don't. It can be frustrating on both ends. He is LOUD but VERY shy. He LOVES animals. He LOVES books. He would have me read to him for hours if he could! He is a goofball sometimes and will make big brother laugh...such as starting to dance or making a funny sound. He knows what Noah likes and will go after it just because he knows it will upset him. He sometimes gets jealous of when my attention is on Noah or Daddy. He runs everywhere swinging his little arm and hips. He climbs on everything. He wants to do everything Noah is doing. He is quite strong willed already. I pray that God mold this for His purpose and continue to guide us as parents. We are so blessed to call him our son. Happy 17 month birthday, Ashton!

And it wouldn't be a thorough post without some Halloween photos :-)

...and we're back!

2010-10-30T23:13:00.004-04:00

I'm so far behind on blogging I don't know where to begin. I'll start by highlighting happenings for the past few months.

July:
Noah turned three. This wonderful, magnificent number where Noah has decided he wants to be potty trained. Give a kid some Thomas the Tank Engine and Sports underwear and that's all it takes, in his case. That and marshmallows. Big one for #2, little one for #1. Whoo hoo!

We celebrated his birthday with a party at home, joined by family, friends, and neighbors.

I also took Noah to see his first movie on the big screen (Toy Story 3). This was quite the experience. He was very excited as we gave the usher our tickets and waited in line to buy overpriced popcorn. He was still excited when we entered the theater to look for our seats. Of course, the only seats with two together were in the very front and we sat there for two minutes when Noah says to me, "Mommy, I don't want to sit here, I can't see." So I scour the theater for 2 available seats and ended up at the very top between a Mom with baby and a wall (balcony?) that blocks the view of the screen for anyone under 3 feet tall. Noah insists on sitting in his seat behind the balcony-thing and discovers how fun the chairs are. He loses his shoes in the crack of the chair (I highly suggest NOT feeling around a movie theater floor) as he puts his legs between the crack and then discovers that the popcorn is gone. "May I have more popcorn, please?" Sorry, honey, no, that's all there is. "More popcorn, please!!" He gets so loud I have to take him out. This is all before the movie even starts. I explain again that we need to be quiet and that we will be going home the next time he's too loud. We go back in. He wants to sit in my lap. In two minutes, he's asleep. I peacefully enjoy the last hour of Toy Story 3 by myself. Ha!

At the end of July we had a visit from my Mom and brother, Colin for a dance exhibition at the Reston Asia Festival. The highlight for Noah...riding on a shuttle bus to get there. ;-)

August:
Since this is almost 3 months ago, I will try my best to remember what happened during this month. I'm pretty sure we made a trip to Virginia Beach. We also spent a weekend with my girlfriends from college in Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay. I love how no matter how much time can pass we can get together and it's like we're back at JMU.

September:
The month of beginnings. The start of CBS, Walking with Purpose, Little Gym, as well as at home preschool. Noah also started T-ball....and on the first day the coach had the kids running laps around the gym and told Noah to catch up to them and he politely said, "No thank you, I'm going to walk." And he proceeded to walk around the gym. HAHAHA. Not sure how "ready" he is for sports quite yet.

The unfortunate part of the fall and bringing all the kiddos together again is the illnesses. We've been sick pretty much every other week...I am praying it will start to get better.

In other news, Matt started working for North Highland, a smaller consulting firm than his previous employer, Deloitte. He is currently on a project for the American Red Cross and the nice thing---they have an office in ASHBURN which makes his commute of 10 minutes a nice change from the hour plus to DC (which he still has to do most days). But it's still nice.

October was a busy month for us. It started off with a trip to Atlanta where Matt had work orientation and we made a family trip of it. We were able to catch up with long time family friends (my brother, Colin's Godparents) and Matt's college buddy, Gus and his girlfriend, Mary Anne. It was Ashton's first time on a plane and both boys were as good as they could be with all the waiting flying takes. The Georgia Aquarium was amazing and we were able to enjoy Piedmont Park, Centennial Olympic Park, and the Chattahoochee Nature Center while we were there.

We celebrated Matt's birthday and enjoyed a visit from my Mom for a weekend and then last weekend we drove to Bar Harbor, Maine for Matt's sister, Erin and our new brother-in-law Eric's wedding. Simply beautiful and we pray for a life full of blessings for them. The boys did great under the circumstances and God was truly moving for us in many situations along the way. There were definitely some moments I will never forget such as Noah going to the potty in the portable potty (with pee spilling out) in the car at the same time as Ashton throwing up. There was a second throw up all over me that also projected onto Noah's pants. Stopped in a Target parking lot, cleaned up a second time and were back on our way. But all was not yucky, as we watched our favorite Veggie Tales, Thomas, and Disney movies, listened to tunes, sang songs and our favorite Bible verses, and got to choose out of our "grab bag" of either special snacks and/or toys and activities. Noah's favorite "surprise" was his Toy Story Pajamas. Ashton's: a toy remote control. Too funny. We picked up Nana Connor in Worcester, MA and stayed a night in Andover, MA on the way up. On the way back we stayed a night in PA outside of Allentown.

Maine was beautiful, a little cooler than we're used to, but beautiful. The bride and groom...stunning. As we drove up Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park we explained to Noah that we were driving up to see Erin and Eric get married. We did not know, however, how windy it was. When we got out of the car, the boys didn't handle things very well as was evident when Noah started yelling, "HOLD ME, I'M GOING TO BLOW AWAY AND FALL INTO THE WATER!!!" Ashton was also crying and the couple's awesome wedding planner came to the rescue and took the boys back to the van for the ceremony. Crisis averted. I am thankful that we were able to witness the pure joy in Erin and Eric as they exchanged vows and am excited to see the blessings in store for them!

It does not seem that Noah missed a thing as all he's talked about since we've been back is going to Auntie's wedding. Even at the playground, he's been pretending to get married at the top of the playset and pretending the telescope is a camera and that we're all supposed to say, "CHEESE!" He then asks me, who are you going to marry, Mommy? I say, "Daddy" and he tells me, "that's a good idea." Oh how I love being a Mommy! Anyhow, I'll be updating on Ashton in a couple of days on his 17th month birthday. Please pray for him as the doctor is concerned he may have developed pneumonia---hasn't been diagnosed, but still has a nasty cough. We're laying low for the next few weeks and are thanking God for this blessed life! More to come!

joys of toddlerhood.

2010-09-19T14:01:00.002-04:00

So, I'm a little behind on my blogging and I will update soon enough, but just HAD to share this with well, myself, so I'm able to look back on this and laugh.

Noah is potty trained, hurray! But with that comes other obstacles, especially during 'room time.' He knows he's not supposed to come out of his room during this supposed "quiet time", but also knows to call me if he needs to use the potty. Today, instead, he went all by himself and I could hear him over the monitor doing his business and then washing his hands. When the water did not turn off for awhile...AND it was quiet, I decided to investigate. What a MESS!!

"Mommy, I'm making COOKIES!" Noah declares, as he continues to stir the concoction in the sink with his toothbrush. And what does the concoction consist of? Baby powder, half a tube of toothpaste and half a bottle of Sea Island Cotton Bath and Body Works handsoap. Funny thing is, with the baby powder added in, it sure enough was the consistency of cookie dough! Thought it was something else? Thank goodness it wasn't THAT.

My face, however, must have said what I was thinking (WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?!) when Noah, quite gently tells me, "It's ok, Mommy." I remained calm through the grace of God as we cleaned up together. The smell though, was quite an interesting, pungent mix that still lingers in my nose as I'm writing this. I can only imagine what it could have been if Ashton was up there with him! If I had only remembered to take a picture---oh well!

nature reserve.

2010-08-11T16:53:00.002-04:00

What I like about living in Northern VA is that there are random pockets of nature. And random meaning that it's sandwiched between our neighborhood Harris Teeter and a Greenway toll booth. Our favorite spot is in Broadlands about 1/2 mile from our house. We see LOTS of wildlife, so depending on the season, we'll happen upon Ducks, Canadian Geese, Snapping turtles (whoa, they're big!), Box turtles?, frogs, all sorts of birds, grasshoppers, and other insects. We often take some almost stale bread to see what we can feed. It's a fun loop for the boys to walk around without me having to worry where they have gone as it's an all wooden, enclosed, decked rail all the way around. It's also a fun picture spot, not to mention, free.

Sunday, August 8, 2010


April 2010


March 2010


October 2009


October 2009


October 2009


October 2009


October 2009


October 2009


August 2010


August 2010


August 2010


August 2010


August 2010


August 2010

March 2010

inspired.

2010-08-11T15:30:00.009-04:00

Since we have been living in "limbo" for about a year (for those who haven't kept up, we have been contemplating moving somewhere other than here), so I haven't "invested" a lot of time in sprucing up our place. However, God's been telling me to trust His timing, so I've stopped "waiting" to see what's going to happen and have started creating our living space conducive to the way we live and since I'm home with the boys, liking what I see around me is an added bonus to liking what I do. :-) So in the past few months, I've....

...Reupholstered the dining room chairs:

Before


After

...Painted the kitchen, dining, and living room areas: I forgot to take "before" pictures and please excuse the mess...

...Made some new pillow covers (I didn't make the middle one) with a recently inherited sewing machine from my late Grandma Kathleen....figured I'd teach myself somehow---and it's so much cheaper than buying pillow covers! YouTube is WONDERFUL for this---even for learning the parts of the sewing machine. The talented ladies at Freckled Nest who I found on YouTube have been very helpful as well.

...Changed out a light fixture in the kitchen (Thanks to Matt's Dad, our go-to electrician :-)) and added a removable wall decal I found on etsy (Thanks to my cousin, Megan, who turned me on to this super fabulous website!)

Now to add some new curtains or valences or something on the windows and get rid of the clutter! ....and as soon as I do that, God will probably decide it's time for us to go somewhere else! ;-) It's been fun so I'll be excited to do it all over again IF that happens!

mess free finger painting.

2010-08-07T14:48:00.001-04:00

I saw this great idea in Family Fun Magazine. However, rather than making homemade paint,I just put some tempera paint in ziploc bags. Mess free and and Noah and Ashton loved it!

i do.

2010-08-07T14:18:00.011-04:00

Six years ago, July 24, I said, "I do," to spend the rest of my life with the man I love. God has truly blessed us since then and continues to bless us and our growing family. It has been through His grace that we continue to grow and learn about each other through good times and bad. We have taken our fair share of spins on the crazy cycle, but ultimately we are thankful for the power His binding love and guidance to help us grow into the partners God has created us to be for one another. Happy Anniversary, Matt! I love you!

cuteness.

2010-08-04T08:51:00.002-04:00

So, July slipped by and my posts are even more sporadic. I'll blame it on living life. We've been enjoying the summer, being able to play all morning in our pajamas with no where to be, taking spontaneous trips to the park, farm, fountains, and shopping. I'll be trying to update the blog a little more often in the days ahead, but wanted to share this:

We've been preparing Noah for walking down the aisle as Ring Bearer for Matt's sister, Erin's and soon to be brother-in-law Eric's wedding in October. I've been telling him that he's getting another uncle and that Erin and Eric are getting married. This is how a 3 year old processes things:

"Mommy, I'm getting married," Noah says. "Oh, who are you marrying?" I ask. "I'm going to marry Chris, Justin, Joe, Colin and Candy!" (For those of you who don't know, these are my brothers plus Justin's guide dog, Candy.) hahahahaha.....at least he got the "getting married" part and the "uncle" part right!

all by myself.

2010-07-13T21:52:00.004-04:00

Today Noah turned three. I can't believe how fast time slips by and yes, I believe ALL of you who tell me, "Cherish these moments, they'll be gone in an instant!"

Noah....well, let's see. We're still working on obedience... and not talking back and accepting, "no." And potty training....well, we're still at it and I have to say, it is my LEAST favorite part about parenting. I'm not sweatin' it though simply because there are more people than not who know how to use the restroom (at least by observation!...who knows, I could be wrong and people are secretly wearing diapers....but I think I'd smell it)....

He insists on doing things himself...like cutting his food, climbing into his car seat, buckling his car seat, sit in the bathroom, brush his teeth, wash himself in the bath. All GOOD things, except it totally requires patience on my end ;-)...the only thing he doesn't like to do by himself is clean up...go figure, he's already figured out that cleaning up is not that fun...even when I try to make it fun by singing, making it a race, etc. etc....Another thing we're asking God for guidance with. :-)

He sings....ALL...THE....TIME. He is loud. He is sometimes shy. He LOVES to be around people. He likes going to Harris Teeter because they have mini shopping carts, balloons, and cookies. He knows "Pistachio," the Veggie Tales video verbatim. He knows Beatles tunes...in fact, he started singing, "Hello Goodbye" in church last week. Got a few chuckles...no glares that I know of...thank goodness. He recognizes Uncle Justin's music too. :-)

He loves his little brother most of the time. A common little phrase he uses is, "Look who's happy, Ashton is!" He likes to unload the dishwasher (hope we can keep that up), he can dress himself and put his clothes away. He carries an entourage in his Cat in the Hat bag...(Larry the Cucumber, Bob the Tomato, and others). Panda still sleeps with him most nights...but is being slowly replaced by Larry and Bob.

He likes to read books. He knows the sounds of letters. He likes to play with Play-doh. He likes to color, paint and play outside. He doesn't like to get his face wet which is an interesting obstacle while learning to swim...but he loves the pool and the beach.

He changes the tone of his voice when I remind him he's whining....which is nicer on the ears, but when it doesn't always result with what he's asking for, well....we're still working on that.

He asks to go to Virginia Beach and New York most days of the week. He likes to dance. He is well-mannered.

When I tell him that Jesus is always with him at bedtime, he often asks, "Can you be with Jesus too?"....hehehe

Common phrases we hear that tickle our hearts:
"Yeah, yeah, sure, sure."
"Shall we...?"
"I can do it..."

He is quite a ray of sunshine in our lives and we thank God for him everyday.

distractions.

2010-07-10T22:49:00.002-04:00

Some observations of late:

We were out at dinner and noticed a Mom eating with her son. She was texting and the boy, probably about eight or so, tried to talk to her and resorted to acting up. She finally said, "Go play some arcade games and leave me alone."
While at the mall (which doesn't happen often for us), I managed to dodge several people on their phones either texting or checking email.
While on vacation, one evening consisted of myself, my husband, and two of my brothers...all on our laptops, hanging out.....

It has started me thinking...how much of life are we missing when we "have" to check our email, "have" to check our facebook, "have" to check the latest sales, "have" to check our fantasy team stats, "have" to see what's new in the news, "have" to see what so-and-so is doing...when the very people we should be investing time in are usually the ones in the room with us.

The world so full of distractions (as T.S. Eliot puts it, "distracted from distractions by distractions"), especially now that information is so readily available, that we, myself included, are easily caught up in it and forget to take a break. A break to realign my actions with God's purpose for me. A break to question my motives for wanting to do those things we "have" to do. Are they glorifying Him? A break to "be still and know that He is God." It takes discipline to be still and quiet...and no, I'm not talking about sleeping. Because there in the quiet, still place of your heart, you are able to hear Him speak.

oh boy.

2010-06-30T16:59:00.001-04:00

This is what happens when Mommy is on the phone with the car insurance company:

Oops. I forgot that I left a roll of paper towels in the play room. Oh well, they seemed to have a blast!

fun in the sun.

2010-06-30T16:53:00.001-04:00

So I realize this is the last day of June and I haven't posted anything since the 1st day of June. I'll blame it on sickness and vacation. When we were finally well, I disinfected the entire house (even washed ALL their toys in a bleach solution and the dishwasher) and set off for 6 days in Virginia Beach followed by a week in Williamsburg. Hmm, where to begin?

First, I'd say congratulations are in order to Matt's sister, Erin and her fiance, Eric on getting engaged on my birthday in Paris, France! We are excited for them and pray that their day be a special one, to signify their commitment to and love for one another. We also pray that all the planning go smoothly and that they are reminded that it is only a day...a special, most memorable, happy day...but still, just another day to signify the beginning of the most wonderful journey of marriage. Congratulations, Erin & Eric! We can't wait!

Second, Happy Father's Day to my hubby and Daddy. It was nice to spend a nostalgic day at Ascension's golf tournament picnic since most of our Fathers Days growing up were there. And Matt was definitely happy to golf, so thanks!

And the rest of the trip consisted of the beach, pool, Busch Gardens, and lots of family time with both Matt's family and mine. Check out some pictures.

r.i.p., my first car.

2010-06-30T15:59:00.002-04:00

It was Christmas Day 2002 and I received laundry detergent, deodorant, shampoo...ok, so it was my senior year of college and I was beginning to think, is someone trying to tell me something? Do I smell? Not that I was ungrateful, because after all, I was in college and didn't really want to spend money on those necessities. So I continued opening my practical gifts and when I got to my stocking, there was an envelope...with a car key in it! And there it was...a red 2000 Saturn sedan in the driveway!

I managed not having a car the first 3 years of college (riding my bike and walking everywhere helped me drop 15 pounds) but BOY, was I excited to get a CAR! Manual transmission and all! Learning to drive stick shift in Harrisonburg was a little scary with all the hills, but I could finally drive myself to class and work without having to figure out the bus schedule or bum a ride from one of my roommates. :-)

The Saturn has been with me since then and because it had great gas mileage, Matt learned to drive stick shift so he could drive it to work.

BUT THEN, on that fateful day, June 18, 2010....Matt was so excited (not really, he just wasn't paying attention) to see Strasburg at the Washington Nationals game that THIS happened on his way to Metro:

Thankfully, no one was injured and the SUV Matt hit was left with minor scratches, but as for my car, it was declared a total loss. And since we don't need a new car right away...we'll save our pennies for that new car we'll eventually need when Matt's 1999 Chevy Malibu is run to the ground!

one year.

2010-06-01T22:37:00.019-04:00

Bringing home Ashton a year ago will probably be the most memorable "Homecoming" as someone from our oh-so-friendly neighborhood called to have our car towed from the front of our house. It was quite an ordeal as I had just had a C-section and couldn't drive, my Mom wasn't here yet, and well, we JUST brought home the newest member of our family!

That was a little less than one year ago. On June 1, 2009, Ashton was born and what a bundle of joy he has been! We kept the celebration simple this year (since we were all recovering from illness) but still made sure it was a special day for our boy. To be honest, I think NOAH had more fun "helping" open presents and eating cupcakes. Noah did help to pick out something for Ashton...something that HE will definitely have fun with :-) We were also blessed with Uncle Joe's presence for the special occasion!

Ashton climbs on EVERYTHING...if he can reach his knee up to it, he will climb on it. Walking is getting better. He can walk across the room. He still adores big brother, Noah. He eats a lot. He plays peek-a-boo. He gives high fives. He loves his trucks and cars. He likes to close books when you open them. He dances. He grins when he's nervous. He pinches my arm when he's nervous. He's still a snuggler and a head-butter where all members of the family have received battle wounds from him. He's shy. He still examines things very closely. It's been so much fun to watch him grow and can't wait to see what God has in store for him!

June is a birthday month for our family and we celebrated my 29th birthday at Red Robin where I strategically placed Noah on my lap for the singing. :-) We were joined by our good friends, the Nelson Family who have 20 month-old twins. Good times and a relief (at least for a couple of days) from all the sickness! Oh and Matt got me a great gift...nope, not jewelry (for those who know me, that's really not my thing)...an ipad...which I've been LOVING!!

setbacks and disappointments.

2010-05-28T20:59:00.010-04:00

Life is full of them. Like the time I trained to set a new PR in the half marathon and was sick with the flu two weeks before...still planned on running and then threw my back out 4 days before the race (God really did NOT want me to run this one as even when I wanted to go WATCH the race, I came down with some kind of stomach thing and CRAWLED to find my car to drive back to my parents' house). Like my 21st birthday and I caught strep throat. Like this past Memorial Day weekend where we planned to go camping with my in-laws and I caught something quite nasty (from fever and chills, body aches, nausea, congestion, to coughing; the symptoms changed each day for a week), Ashton had another sinus infection and Noah caught Ashton's infection in his eyes resulting in pink-eye. As if this wasn't enough, Noah had the 24 hour stomach bug on Memorial Day. And just when I thought we were in the clear (we WERE able to celebrate Ashton's and my birthdays at least!), Ashton got the stomach bug a week later---poor thing couldn't keep anything down and neither Matt nor I got much sleep that night as we did several loads of laundry. This is when I called MY MOMMY! :-) And she's a saint for driving 4 hours just to watch Noah so we could all sleep. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU so much!

Setbacks, at least we see them as such in our imperfect eyes and yes, disappointments are a bummer. But how we handle them often reveals how close we're walking with the Lord. He could have probably done without my complaining (:-)), but boy, was I CLINGING to Him during these weeks and reminding myself of HIS suffering and those that are suffering with trials that I cannot imagine bearing myself. How many times was I thinking to myself, "REJOICE [in the Lord] always... (Philippians 4:4)" and "Consider it pure joy... (James 1:2)" and "I can do all things through Christ... (Philippians 4:13)." He is always enough and He places people like my MOM in our lives as a provision for what I thought to be a rough few weeks! He also knows when we need to REST in Him as I know I tend to go-go-go until I crash (something I'm working on!). It often helps me to envision myself curled up lying in big, giant hands...HIS HANDS. He is always waiting for me to come to Him.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." -Matthew 11:28

Now it's time to disinfect the house.....

30 years.

2010-05-24T09:47:00.007-04:00

Thirty years ago my parents were married. So today, I'd like to celebrate them and all they've taught me.

God always knows what He's doing and even though they may not have known it, some things actually caught on! Thanks, Mom & Dad!

30 things I've learned or traditions I want to do with my own family from Mom & Dad:

1. Put God first.
2. Put each other above yourself.
3. Trust in God's provision even in tough times.
4. Special nights (great for families with multiple children!).
5. Don't let your husband play golf. ;-)
6. New Year's Eve memories.
7. The importance of praying together.
8. Make music together.
9. Reading the Bible every night at dinner.
10. Obey your parents.
11. A clean house makes Mom happy.
12. Compliment each other.
13. Don't worry about what everyone else thinks.
14. Love each other.
15. Don't let your husband play golf.
16. Clean sheets make Mom happy (Dad cleans them whenever Mom goes away)
17. Being good parents means making sacrifices.
18. Go on dates with your spouse.
19. You're never too old to learn a new skill.
20. Honor your parents even when they're losing it! (I admire both of your compassion for the elderly).
21. Keep priorities in check.
22. Don't mess with Dad's buffalo wings. ;-)
23. Have compassion for each other.
24. Don't mess with the daily crossword puzzle. It belongs to Mom.
25. Don't let your husband play golf.
26. Buy it only when it's on sale AND you have a coupon.
27. Forgive one another.
28. You CAN do it yourself (when it comes to projects: sewing, cooking, woodworking, home remodeling). :-)
29. Family movie night.
30. If you can't stop him from golfing, join him!

Happy 30th Anniversary, Mom & Dad! I love you! And hope you had a great time in Hawaii!

eternal perspective.

2010-05-23T11:07:00.005-04:00

Peter Kidwell

"Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. Therfore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him, If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself." -2 Timothy 2:8-13

My Mom called me the day after Mother's Day to relay some very sad news. A childhood friend of my brother, Justin had passed away in a car accident in the early morning on Mother's Day. He was 24 years old. My heart sank when I heard the news and my soul cried out to God to be with his family, especially his mother. I thought about my own children and how I would feel if I received similar news. I thought about how my brother would be feeling and how all those who knew Peter would be feeling. I remembered his cute, smiling face....a boy with the sweetest demeanor who came over for birthday parties and sleepovers growing up. And then I started to cry.

But through the tears, I began thinking about heaven, and while I don't mean to downplay anyone's loss or grieving, I started to rejoice for Peter, and was glad to think that I would see him in heaven.

Yes, he was young. Yes, unexplainable things happen. Yes, people experience pain, loss and suffering everyday. But God did not say it would be an easy life if we follow Him. He didn't say that there wouldn't be suffering. But He did promise that He would be with us through it all.

So often we are caught up in the day to day, making plans for the future with our children, our friends, family, retirement, the next vacation, that we forget what waits for us beyond this time on earth. Sometimes God sends a major message with loss of a loved one: Are you living with an eternal perspective? To the entire Kidwell Family: our prayers are with you. Rest in Peace, Peter and we can't wait to see you again.

growth.

2010-05-09T16:56:00.007-04:00

Noah's CBS class had their end of the year "performance" this past Wednesday and well, what can I say? Being the proud Momma I am, he has made much improvement since his debut in December. He stood on the "stage" the whole time (instead of being held) and tried his best to keep up with the songs. He felt the groove as he side-stepped to the beat to most of the songs....so cute! Thank you to his wonderful teachers and the catchy tunes to help memorize scripture! Video to come...

take me out to the ball game.

2010-05-09T15:54:00.011-04:00

So, I admit that I was a New York Yankees fan by association--most of my family are Yankees fans. However, I am now a Boston Red Sox fan by marriage. Sacrilege you say?! Maybe to some, but to me, mmm, debatable. Do I follow sports? On occasion. Do I really care which team I root for? Sometimes. Do I like things that make my husband happy? Absolutely. So from now on, till death do us part, I say, "I do" to the Boston Red Sox.

We were able to catch a couple of games in Baltimore last weekend and thanks to Grandpa Bobby for organizing, we were able to spend one night in a hotel and really enjoy our time. We were also able to see Matt's Uncle John and cousin Kevin who drove down for the event from Massachusetts.

I do have to admit, however, it is good to be home! We're pooped!

virginia beach april 23-30.

2010-05-09T14:56:00.015-04:00

Our week in VA Beach was quite eventful. We caught up with friends and family, went to the beach and Mt. Trashmore, and played outside all day everyday so that when it came time for bedtime, we all crashed. Oh, how I miss being close to the beach!

I have also taken for granted growing up with a backyard or some sort of yard to play in. In our humble townhouse, most of our play time must take place in the street or we drive to a field/park. It was WONDERFUL for Noah to be able to run around Grandma and Grandpa's house while Ashton and I sat most mornings on a blanket catching up on reading and discovering grass. The little guy does not like to sit on the grass yet, so it was nice that I could put out a couple of toys and he just sat there playing with them, with the occasional snuggle on me.

I was able to have some grown-up time too as I attended my brother, Justin's CD release party at the Boot Restaurant in Norfolk and my youngest brother, Colin's performance as "Jack" in The Importance of Being Earnest at Salem High School.

Runs were very nostalgic as I remembered high school practices and meets at Mt. Trashmore and other runs around my parent's neighborhood. The sights, sounds and smells brought back many memories!

We were also fortunate to bring Great Grandma Julie down with us, visit with Great Grandpa Jim, have dinner with Nana and Grampa Bruce at "Applehop" (where Noah decided to eat when we gave him the choice between Applebee's and IHOP), have brunch with Auntie Erin and Eric, and see long time friends, Lei, Justine, and Heather and their children! We also were able to send off my brother, Chris, as he took off for Cuba for his job. And as if that wasn't eventful enough, we finished off the week with a trip back up to Baltimore with Auntie Erin to see the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards....so needless to say, my blog posting has been lacking for the past couple weeks....I hope to be a little more on top of it as things wind down for the summer!

snuggle bug.

2010-05-03T22:00:00.002-04:00

My Dear Son, Ashton,

Please sleep through the night. Thank you.

Love,

Mommy

So Ashton turned 11 months on May 1st! Despite not sleeping, he's a cute little guy who loves pizza and cheerios. He's taking a couple of steps now so I doubt it will be long before he's walking. We spent the day driving from our week in VA Beach up to Baltimore to meet Daddy and family to see the Boston Red Sox. More on that later!

panera planning day.

2010-04-11T20:56:00.004-04:00

Once upon a time, I was able to study, talk on the phone, watch TV, and talk on AIM (lol-remember AIM?) all at the same time. That was then....in my pre-Mom days. Moms with young children know that doing the simplest of things (like going to the bathroom or taking a shower) are luxuries that that we, in our younger days (not that much younger) totally took for granted.

Now, in my life as a Mom, I have found that uninterrupted, mind-focusing activities do not exist. Luckily, we have been blessed with the ability to multitask. However, despite this ability, I find that I need an afternoon each month to ORGANIZE our lives :-)

On the last weekend of each month, my dear husband watches the kids for....wait for it.....a WHOLE afternoon!...while I go to Panera Bread with a laptop and Bible to have some uninterrupted study time and to plan out the month ahead in terms of meals, activities, and maybe, if I have time leftover, I blog, upload pictures, read, or even go for a run without pushing an extra 50 pounds!

For more about meal planning a month out, my cousin, Megan, has some great tips on her blog. I've modified mine a little as I can't grocery shop once a month due to lack of storage space. I do however, try to limit grocery shopping to twice a month. Another great way to save time and energy is to take advantage of online grocery shopping. I find it incredibly helpful, especially after a week of vacation or travel. Harris Teeter provides the same sales for online shopping as in-store and has certain promotions that waive the $5 service fee; which I take FULL advantage of each time I order. They also honor coupons which are credited to your next order. Not sure if Giant's Peapod service has changed since I last used it, but they hike up prices online and you don't get the same deals as in-store. They deliver, but the first time I tried it, I received cracked eggs (they credited me, but I still had to go the store!), so I never ordered from Peapod again.

If you have the time and gusto to shop with the wee ones, Wal-Mart, however, has the best regular prices, if you're up for an interesting experience (something ALWAYS happens when I go to Wal-mart, i.e. no barcode to scan, the clerk doesn't speak English, etc. etc.). I waited half an hour in the checkout line last time I was there and with a baby and toddler, waiting is well, less desirable...We did have some fun though, with Noah singing at the top of his lungs, "I am alive, I am alive, I am alive, Revelation 1:18" (tune: Farmer in the Dell) Gotta love it!

a week in review.

2010-04-09T23:35:00.015-04:00

Rather than a burst of short posts, I decided to review this week in one lengthy one. Easter kicked off a beautiful week with plenty of sunshine, playtime outdoors, and digging out of some summer clothes as temperatures topped at 90!

Ashton turned 10 months on April 1. Poor guy has still been fighting a sinus infection--we changed antibiotics and he's finally getting better, now I'm praying he doesn't catch something else! He is a serious little fellow, but when he lights up, he shines! He has a gap between his front teeth (like Daddy :-)) which adds to his personality. He has learned what makes Noah upset and even wails when I'm not looking just to get Noah in trouble (even when Noah hasn't done anything). I'm wising up to this one and even though 9 times out of 10, Noah is the culprit (pushing Ashton down, taking a toy, etc. etc.), I've found that Ashton has already picked up on how to play the victim!
Ashton is into EVERYTHING...outlets (no worries, they're covered), doorstops, remote controls, anything with buttons) and puts EVERYTHING into his mouth---I'm ashamed to admit that there have been some interesting things in his diaper!...which means I need to do a better job cleaning the floors (in which he has made a game out of speed crawling after the broom)! As far as food goes, he's pickier than Noah was...isn't a fan of chicken quite yet and is keeping foods he doesn't quite like in his mouth FOREVER. He likes to stand on his own for a few seconds and plops to the ground. He pushes a "walker" around, very wobbly but screams with excitement as he "walks." It's so fun to see how different he is from Noah and to see what good friends they will become. Their way of communicating right now is screaming as loudly as possible back and forth---not fun on the ears, but funny to watch!

Ashton's first Easter was pretty low key, which I welcomed this year since I've been so low on sleep! We celebrated with church, egg-dyeing, Easter baskets, spiral ham and a blueberry pie for Grandpa Bobby. ;-)
On Tuesday, Noah had his first Dentist appointment. I think I may have had more fun than Noah for this one as Ashburn Children's Dentistry is by far the coolest Dentist's office I have ever been in!--Thanks, Christina for the recommendation! We were met with a desk of maybe 5 or 6 receptionists and a waiting room with video games, air hockey, a bean bag chair mountain, a tree house, a media center to watch a movie while you wait, and another area that I didn't quite venture far enough to see as we were called back before I could explore. The visit went extremely well and the whole staff made sure the whole experience was FUN! Noah was a pro!

Noah is becoming quite the character and imitates me and Matt to the point where it's not that funny (picking up on some of those negative things)...so it's something we all have to work on! He's playing make-believe A LOT and we often have to "go" to Chick-fil-a and PaDonald's (McDonald's) on the stoop of our staircase and "eat" some nuggets (which are blocks). On the playground, he's becoming a little too bossy and telling other kids, "you may not go down the stairs," in an all too familiar tone...yikes....something tells me I need to heed and apply some James verses and control my tongue ;-)

We're also seeing a seemingly creative side emerge as he makes up his own songs....not sure where they come from...but here's a clip :-)

In other news, I'm still running...very slowly...but I'm still running...Happy Spring!

on the run.

2010-03-28T21:07:00.002-04:00

God wasn't fooling around when he created us. I am amazed at the way the human body works, especially after I successfully completed one week of running 4 days out of 7.

And yes, I'm proud of myself! Even though my weekly mileage was 8 miles (which is is somewhat disheartening when I remember a time that I ran on average 30 miles a week...PRE-CHILDREN!), I'd like to think I'm making my comeback. My last race? 2006...at JMU's Homecoming 5k, when I didn't know it yet, I was about 8 weeks pregnant with Noah. Before that, one marathon, four half marathons and well, cross country/track races in high school.

Anyhow, as I was out today, I realized how much I miss it. It's such a wonderful time to reflect, spend time in prayer, admire God's Creation, and remember past trainings and races. But don't get me wrong, it hasn't all been bliss. I have new pains such as twinges in the knees from kicking my hip out to carry babies, other "support" issues that having children brings (ladies will know what I mean), and in the moments I felt low on steam, I've been murmuring "Our Fathers" and "Hail Marys" to get me to the next light post/power line pole where passersby look at me like I'm a crazy person talking to myself, with me pausing to say, a breathy "hi." Oh, and I forgot to mention, I am usually pushing an extra 50+ pounds in the jogger.

Despite the obstacles, it's been fun to get outside and work it! It's safe to say I've caught the running bug! Race ideas? Bring them on!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-25T17:20:00.005-04:00

So I'm a few days late. We've been sick again...about the last 3 weeks passing it on from one member of the family to the next. Matt has lucked out yet again and dodged the sickness and was stellar once again, caring for the rest of us. Ashton is still on antibiotics and I'm still wary of going places where lots of kids will be present...seems we keep catching something every time we go out.....

Illness, however, did not deter us from celebrating St. Patrick's Day...and it wasn't that tough to put some corned beef and cabbage in the slow cooker. Noah was feeling just fine, so I pulled out some paper and paint to paint a rainbow and to make Daddy a St. Patty's Day card with clovers on the front. I made a rainbow template that I colored with crayon beforehand, and wanted to see if Noah could match the paint colors to the crayon and see if he could "stay between the lines." He did great! We talked about the Trinity when making our clovers and went on a "green" hunt to point out everything we saw that was green. All in all, not a bad St. Patty's Day...hopefully next year, we will all be well!

Oh, and on a separate note, Ashton now climbs stairs...

dolphin or kangaroo?

2010-03-25T17:19:00.004-04:00

So I may be slightly biased, but I think Noah's a genius......

He brought this play-doh cutout to me and said, "Mommy, here's a dolphin, turn it around and it's a kangaroo!"

confession.

2010-03-25T14:17:00.012-04:00

I am not perfect, which shouldn't be a shocker. I berated a clerk at Kohls a few weeks ago because I was flustered. All she did was tell me I had to take my return upstairs to customer service. Poor, innocent woman. The circumstances? I had already been upstairs and because the store was being remodeled, it took me longer to find whatever it was I was trying to find. I knew that customer service was upstairs, as it always has been, but it just didn't occur to me while I was telling Noah to stop playing with the mannequins and to stay where I could see him, while keeping Ashton content and trying to find whatever it was I was trying to find. And after waiting our turn for the elevator, which is probably the slowest and smallest store elevator I've been in, I was beyond ready to leave the store. Upon checkout, Noah was "reorganizing" the jewelry, I was holding Ashton while trying to pry open my wallet to pay for our merchandise. Not sure what I said to her, but as I returned to the slowest elevator known to man, I knew that I would be speaking to her again. And as we waited in line for customer service, I told Noah that Mommy was going to apologize for not being nice and that Jesus was not happy with Mommy's attitude and that He teaches us to be "kind to one another..." (Ephesians 4:32) I did apologize, she gave Noah a handshake and all was well. But it got me thinking.....

What makes us think we are sooooo much more important than anyone else? I am definitely guilty of slipping into this train of thought, especially when I'm "low" on grace. And the ugly answer: pride.

No one likes to admit they're wrong...but oh, when we do confess, the power of His grace is overwhelming! Proverb 16:18 says, "Pride goes before disaster, and a haughty spirit before a fall." Matthew 23:12 says, "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." These only touch the surface of pride, but in the spirit of the season, humility is one area I'm trying to grow in. I was humbled in the confessional, as always, but the priest gave me such a wonderful reminder: We come to confession in order to receive the grace we need to protect ourselves from.....well, ourselves! Of course, wiping the slate clean is definitely a plus too :-) I encourage everyone to give it a try....not just in the confessional or in your own conversation with God, but confessing to those we love that we may have hurt...it's NEVER too late!

Easter is quickly upon us and it's such a wonderful time to reflect, repent, and rejoice!!

"One thing that often keeps us away from this precious sacrament is the same thing that kept Simon from understanding why Jesus let this woman bathe his feet: we think we don't need God's forgiveness. We belittle our sins and selfish tendencies; we trust in our own strength to keep us on track, we readily admit others' weaknesses, but purposely ignore our own. Regular and frequent confession is one of the surest signs of spiritual growth-skipping it is usually an equally trustworthy sign of spiritual stagnation." -Father Bartunek, The Better Part

adventures of panda.

2010-03-04T09:33:00.012-05:00

Many of us may have had a blankie as a child or something similar that we were attached to. I know I did!--a yellow one with that silky trim all around it. Noah not only has one blanket that he's attached to, but two blankets (white blanket and green blanket) and a stuffed Panda bear that goes with him everywhere.

"Are you ok, Panda?" "Are you hungry, Panda?" "Wait a minute, I need to get Panda!" "I'm going to feed Panda." Panda has become part of our family as Noah has taken upon himself the responsibility of caring for Panda very similarly to how I care for Ashton. It's so funny to see what kids become attached to and watch how Panda has become very much a part of our daily lives.

Panda goes grocery shopping, he goes to church, he sits with us at the dinner table, he listens to storytime, he gets rocked in the rocking chair, and he even gets nursed---which I have to admit, is quite humorous to watch.

9 months.

2010-03-02T22:42:00.006-05:00

Ashton turned 9 months old last Monday. Crazy how time flies. He is getting around quite well and learning to pull up and walk along anything he can. He has fun pulling up on big brother with just enough force for both to topple down. He belly laughs when he sees big brother, Noah being Noah. He grabs toys from Noah and vice versa. Can you say SNUGGLE BUG? He truly is a Momma's boy, but delights in seeing his Papa after a day at work. 4 more teeth are working their way through.

At 21 pounds, 3 ounces and 28 1/2 inches long, he is outgrowing clothes much faster than Noah did. Still not sleeping through the night, but we have started the transition to sleeping in the same room as Noah. He carefully examines finger foods before he eats them and is overall a happy and content little guy! We're blessed to have him!

update of sorts.

2010-03-02T15:35:00.007-05:00

I have a lot of to write about so....where to begin? This will be a post of miscellaneous thoughts, prayers and happenings, so here it goes...

First and foremost, please pray for my cousin, Jordan, and his wife, Tali, whose 2 year old son was recently diagnosed with leukemia. Please pray that God grant all of them (brothers Tyler and Dylan too) strength, peace, and comfort while enduring this trial. You can read more about their faith journey here.

Second, one of my younger brothers, Justin, just released his first CD, "Introducing Justin Kauflin," so if you or know anyone who is interested in jazz music or supporting a blind musician, please pass it on! You can listen and purchase one here . We are so proud of him! For those who don't know, Justin was born with a degenerative eye disease that resulted in total blindness at the age of twelve. One wouldn't know he's blind since he graduated at the top of his class in high school and college, helped ME (while in college and he in high school) with physics, knows more about computers and cell phone technology than I (which maybe isn't saying that much-ha!), lives in Manhattan, NY with his guide dog, Candy, and gives all glory to God---he's also a pretty cool brother and uncle who LOVES Chick-fil-a. Haha, this is starting to sound a like a personal ad, in which case, any single gals out there?! I will probably be getting a threatening phone call soon, so this part may be getting deleted ;-)

Third, we just returned from our vacation in the Poconos. Without going into major details, here are some highs and lows...I'll start with the lows first, so it gets better!

-An ER visit on the first day: Ashton suffered from a mild concussion after falling from a bench in a locker room
-Almost losing a camera at the lodge as it fell out of my bag from the second story balcony onto a table, denting the outer lens casing...but it still works, phew!
-Stolen items included little skis, a helmet, gloves, and goggles........

Despite the lows, it was certainly a vacation full of laughs, firsts (picturing Noah for his first time skiing blows any negative memory out of the water), snow (fresh powder is AWESOME!), good eats and family time with Matt's family. Lots of time on the slopes and falling (speaking for myself)...I'm not giving up on snowboarding yet, even though I skied the last day ;-) ....Even got in a little shopping, a couple of workouts, and a few pages of Anna Karenina. Not bad, not bad at all---although sitting between two cranky babies on the way home was less desirable...next time, I drive! For pictures, click here.

Last, but certainly not least, Lent, a beautiful season that holds more meaning to me than the weeks before Christmas....as Easter celebrates the Resurrection. It blows me away every year when I take time to reflect that Jesus loves me THAT much, knowing that I would mess up, that I am weak, but still willing to die so that I may live. I will write about the Lenten season in upcoming posts.

So that's the latest! I'll try my best to update a little more often!

agile ashton.

2010-02-09T15:02:00.003-05:00

Ashton is on the move! He learned to crawl a few days before his 8 month birthday on January 29. Although somewhat unconventional (he anchors himself with one foot to push off from so the other knee slides forward), he is well across the room in a matter of seconds. :-)

Here he is with my Mom's cousin, Suzie!

He is also bouncing on his bottom across the room (especially when he hears music) and pulling himself up to a stand as of today!

great grandma julie.

2010-02-09T12:10:00.008-05:00

Noah has been blessed to have met his Great-Great Nana Dickie (April 1, 2009-lived 100 years!), Great Nana Connor, Great Grandma Peg (Feb 29, 2008), Great Grandma Kathleen (November 10, 2009), Great Grandpa Jim, and Great Grandma Julie. On January 31st, we celebrated Great Grandma Julie's 88th Birthday (Beiju) and what a celebration it was! 88 is a special birthday in Japanese culture and we were glad to celebrate with her! Happy Birthday, Grandma Julie!

snow, snow and more snow.

2010-02-09T11:55:00.011-05:00

As most of you well know, the DC area was hit with an epic blizzard this past weekend and our area received 32 inches of snow. We are keeping warm inside and our days are full of music, arts & crafts, movies, and comfort food. Loudoun County Schools are closed for the entire week and we are expecing another 7-14 inches over the next day! If we weren't going on a snowboarding trip in a week and a half, I would say I'm SO ready for spring! That feeling will have to wait until we return from our vacation! March better bring some warmer weather!

Here are the snowfalls so far this winter according to our deck:

December 5, 2009

December 20, 2009

February 8, 2010

easy recipes.

2010-01-27T09:07:00.006-05:00

As requested from my Facebook page, here are the recipes for easy slow cooker spaghetti and meatballs, teriyaki chicken (courtesy of my Mom), pot roast, and garlic shrimp pasta (courtesy of my husband, Matt----yes, I am blessed, my husband likes to cook!)

Spaghetti & Meatballs in slow cooker, serves 6
Meatballs:
1 1/2 lb ground beef
2 eggs
1/4 C Italian style breadcrumbs
1/2 C Parmesan, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

Sauce:
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (16 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.25 ounce) can tomato puree

Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix the ground beef, breadcrumbs, garlic, oregano, pepper, salt and eggs. Shape the mixture into ~16 meatballs.
2. In a slow cooker, mix the spaghetti sauce, crushed tomatoes, and tomato puree. Place the meatballs into the sauce mixture. (I usually mix the sauce in a separate bowl, put the meatballs in first, and pour sauce over to reduce any "splash"). Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

3. Cook pasta according to box directions and serve with the meatballs.

Note: Making the meatballs the night before saves time in the morning.

Teriyaki Chicken, boneless skinless thighs, serves 4-6
Ingredients:
4-6 pieces boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or enough to fill a large skillet)
5 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp mirin (rice wine) or white wine
1 Tbsp sugar

Directions:
1. Spray skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium
2. Rinse and pat dry chicken
3. Brown the chicken on both sides in skillet
4. Mix soy sauce, white wine, sugar and pour mixture over chicken
5. Cook for 7 minutes on each side (a little longer with breasts), sauce will thicken (optional: add water if it heats too fast)

Serve whole pieces or cut into strips (serves as a great appetizer too) over white rice. Good with broccoli. ALL DONE!

Pot Roast, serves 6
Ingredients
1 1/2 C coarsely chopped celery
1 1/2 C coarsely chopped carrots
1 C coarsely chopped onion
1/2 C (one 2.5-ounce jar) sliced mushrooms, drained
3 C chopped raw potatoes
1 (24-ounce) lean boneless beef roast
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 (12-ounce) jar Heinz Fat Free Beef Gravy
Salt and pepper to taste

Spray slow cooker container with butter-flavored cooking spray. In prepared container, combine celery, carrots, onion, mushrooms, and potatoes. Place beef on top of vegetables. Stir parsley flakes into gravy. Pour gravy mixture evenly over top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Remove roast and cut into 6 pieces. Mix vegetable mixture well. For each serving, place 1 piece of meat on a plate and spoon 1 cup vegetable mixture next to it.

I usually do the prep the night before and refrigerate the chopped ingredients.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta, serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil or enough to cover large skillet
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 lb frozen cooked or raw shrimp
1 tsp salt

1 lb pasta thin spaghetti or angel hair, but works with anything

Directions
1. Heat on medium enough olive oil to cover a large skillet
2. Saute garlic and parsley ~3 min
3. Add shrimp, heat until shrimp is cooked (turn once)
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to box directions
5. Put pasta in large bowl and pour pan contents over and mix together

Variations:
To add flavor, sometimes I add a tbsp butter and a little white wine, and sometimes I'll add a can of clams for an extra seafood kick.

sustenance.

2010-01-26T11:03:00.003-05:00

I thanked my Mom last week for being my Mom as I cared for our sick boys while being sick myself (again!-yikes!). Cleaning throw up and wiping noses (still wiping noses) brings a whole new meaning to motherhood. Add onto that constipation and an additional 2 teeth on Ashton to further the sleepless nights, motherhood can be rather, well, exhausting.

And then I received an email from a friend who just miscarried her baby. And while I have not experienced it myself, my heart ached for her, especially now that I have 2 precious boys. And it made me stop to pray for her and thank God for His blessings....And for His sovereignty....for the times we find it tempting to question His plan. I remember the sadness my Mom went through when she lost three of her pregnancies. She shared in the sadness one feels when losing a loved one, but rejoiced at the fact she would one day see them in heaven---(and Mom, you better be in heaven ;-)!) God wanted those babies home with Him and how blessed is that! And grieving itself brings us closer to Him as He is our sustenance.

So for now, I am thankful that I have those wonderful noses to wipe...not sure about the sleepless nights though....I'd really, really appreciate one full night's sleep, Lord!

"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." -Isaiah 46:4

new wheels.

2010-01-16T23:00:00.007-05:00

Hello, nice weather! For a couple of days in a row, we have been able to get out and get some fresh air!

Matt and I are not the only ones with new wheels around here as Noah received a tricycle right before all the snow came. So taking advantage of the 50 degree weather, we tried them out. He's getting the hang of pedaling, however, he likes to go fast and demands us to push...."Fast, please!"

a is for ashton.

2010-01-16T22:53:00.019-05:00

Oh, poor Ashton. Funny how things go by the wayside with the second child. I am trying my best to keep up, but with two, it's tough to find time to even go to the bathroom. With Noah, I documented everything from each Doctor's visit to what kind of foods he was eating, to a whole scrapbook devoted to his first year of life. I took loads of pictures and got excited over every little thing he accomplished. This is probably similar to what most first time parents go through.

Then Ashton arrived in his cute, calm demeanor, and yes, I fell in love just as I had with Noah, only difference was that he was the second child. With the second, everything just sneaks up on you! So for the sake of documenting, I'm going to write a little about my sweet, sensitive Ashton who is 7 1/2 months old.

Although you don't sleep much (still waking on average 2 times a night), you are easy going, happy, curious, and light up when you hear or see your big brother. You get frustrated when you can't get to where you want to be...you're rocking on those knees and pulling up to your knees though! I love how your whole body tightens with glee when Daddy comes home.

I love how your thunder thighs make it tough to get your pants on even though they're size 12 months...how you love to cuddle...and scream sometimes when you're excited. You pout your lower lip when you're checking out situations much like your Daddy does.

Your first tooth came in today, and 3 others are about to burst through....so maybe we'll all be getting a little more sleep!

Your sensitive side has been showing of late...you cry when left alone in a room for a moment, when Noah takes things from you (we're working on that!), and when you fall to your belly when trying to crawl. I'm trying not to come to your aid right away to help you figure some things out, but will always come to your rescue if need be. :-)

ta da!

2010-01-15T15:14:00.011-05:00

Yesterday marked the end of Noah's "Beasts" class at The Little Gym. He was quite proud of his ribbon and could not wait to show Daddy. It was fun to watch him grow this session and we're proud of our budding athlete!

chaos.

2010-01-12T16:27:00.006-05:00

If one were to walk in our house yesterday, they would have been greeted right away by a stroller in the foyer, a maze of coats, bags, shoes, and toys right into the playroom where the chaos continued. Continuing up the stairs to the main level, they would have found dirty dishes in the kitchen, stuffed animals on the floor, pillows and blankets tossed off the couch....and I'll spare the details on the bedrooms, as I think a picture has been painted...

How does it get like this? Some days I feel like we should just get rid of EVERYTHING just so there isn't anything to pick up, get out or clean. Ha, right, what's the fun in that? But really, before I'm hard on myself, I realize I have been putting out fires the whole day...with Noah's behavior.....

I'm sure I'm not the only parent out there with a "strong-willed," "free spirited" child (in my opinion these are nice ways of saying, "terrible two year old who does what he wants when he wants regardless of the consequences.") But there are some days that I am ready to head out the door by lunch time exasperated due to the disobedience, disciplining, and teaching only to repeat it over and over and over again. (Amazing to think though that God never runs away from our disobedience!)Noah is not always the cute, perfect, little angel and is beginning to show a lot of sibling rivalry toward Ashton, especially now that Ashton is just about crawling and VERY interested in playing, especially with Noah's toys.

At the end of yesterday I felt like all I did was yell, discipline and go through the motions of being a Mom very "zombie-like"....I finally packed them up and went to Target just to get out of the house. That seemed to work until it was time for dinner and bed.

We take our parenting very seriously and follow God's Word as closely as possible when rearing our children. I am in need of prayer for patience, wisdom, and guidance through these "terrible two's" and pray that whatever mistakes I make as a parent will be corrected through the Holy Spirit. And thankfully, today is a new day...

be still.

2010-01-07T16:14:00.005-05:00

Being sick is the worst, but sometimes necessary for God to get through to us. I came down with fever, chills, body aches, and a headache that brought on nausea on Tuesday night. I was cold, hot, cold...and didn't even want to get out of bed to get medicine because I didn't want to be....you guessed it, COLD! When Matt got up to get ready for work, it took much to not beg him to stay home as I thought about the day ahead....feedings, messes, dirty diapers...etc. etc. But what amazed me as the day progressed was how much I didn't NEED to do. The laundry could wait, the dishes could wait, the messes could wait, the unpacking could WAIT. For the past few days, I've been unpacking from our trip to VA Beach, preparing to get the house de-decorated, and even finding the motivation to workout everyday--(maybe I overdid it as both boys were asleep at the SAME time for over an hour!). I even had the time to have coffee with a couple of girlfriends. I've also been having amazing meditations and quiet times with the Lord. So, needless to say, I have been feeling great!

However, I believe getting sick was God's way of telling me to, "Be still." And in the midst of the misery, I kept reminding myself of our Lord's suffering and asked him to protect my children and husband from illness. Noah and Ashton were amazing as they played nicely together all morning-it's almost like they knew I was sick. We did watch a Thomas movie and some Sesame Street so I could sleep a little (a little more TV I'd regularly let them watch, but hey, I need to recover!) And my Love came home from work early so I could nap for the entire afternoon. Last night I soaked the bed with sweat after one last fever...but as far as today goes, I'm feeling much better...a little weak and a slight headache, but leaps and bounds better than yesterday! Thank you God for reminding me to be still...at least for a day. :-)

minivan.

2009-12-31T21:47:00.004-05:00

Once upon a time (2004), there lived a naive newlywed couple who swore the next vehicle purchase in their life together would NOT be a minivan. They looked soooo uncool! An SUV would surely suit a growing family's space needs, right? Little did they know that at the end of 2009, they would be purchasing their 2010 Toyota Sienna...and we LOVE IT!

moments to remember.

2009-12-23T23:15:00.005-05:00

There are many moments in the day where I find myself thinking, "I really need to write this down so I can remember this." These are the moments that tickle my heart and make it swell with joy. Moments such as witnessing my 2 year old son say to his 6 month old brother, "Are you ok?" This will be the first post of many, I imagine, that will start the list off.

-Noah signing, "More" and pointing to what he wanted (before he could talk)
-"Uppease"-Noah's phrase for "Up, please"
-Noah singing the words to songs that I don't even know
-When I sat down to nurse Ashton, Noah sat next to me and asked his stuffed Panda, "Are you fungry (hungry), Panda?" and proceeded to lift his shirt and say, "Eat some belly button"
-While in a crowded elevator at Kohl's, everyone was oohing and aahing over Ashton, and Noah goes, "Ashton is his name!"
-Noah becoming a little bossy these days and demanding that Matt and I "LAUGH!" when he was dancing around.
-"oooooohhh, Christmas lights!"
-Noah reading the Children's Bible to me and points to Jesus, Mary, &....Daddy! :-)

I love it! and I really don't want to forget these moments!

my little singer.

2009-12-15T14:01:00.006-05:00

How my little boy loves to sing! Here are some clips!

traditions.

2009-12-14T13:25:00.016-05:00

From October to December is my absolute favorite time of the year. The weather starts to cool, enabling fresh air through open windows and outdoor runs that don't need layering up. And the leaves, oh the leaves! How can there not be a God when viewing such beauty!

In addition to the beauty fall brings, fall is full of tradtion...starting with fall festivals, ending with the New Year. Here are a few traditions and arts & crafts projects that we either did ourselves or are plannning to do in the years to come:

-Attend a Fall Festival (This year we went to Cox Farms in Chantilly, VA)
-Pumpkin/Apple Picking
-Carving a Pumpkin (Noah was able to take the seeds out this year)
-Trick-or-Treating on Halloween
-Tree of Thanks (Thanks, Megan, for the cute idea!)
-Decorating our own Christmas wrapping paper
-Making ornaments to give as gifts
-Gingerbread House/Train
-Advent Wreath
-Advent Calendar with 25 Christmas-y things to do (i.e. read the Christmas story from the Bible, shop for a needy family, watch Rudolph, learn a Christmas carol, etc.)
-Viewing of a tree of some sort or visit a Town Center all decked out (we wanted to do NYC this year, but a certain Uncle decided he would stay in Virginia the whole month of December :-))

Anyway, here a few pictures!

Thanks to Nana, Grandpa Bobby, and a few close friends, we have not had to purchase any tree ornaments! It's very special as we think about them each time we look at the tree.

shy guy.

2009-12-12T22:53:00.009-05:00

Oh, Noah. Noah had his first Christmas "Concert" this past Wednesday with his class at Community Bible Study. I was prepared with video camera and camera (tripod and all) to take lots of pictures; however, I took pictures of his classmates instead. :-) If Noah had had his way, he would have sat next to ME the whole time. His wonderful teacher, Miss Beth, pried (he had a death grip on my sweater) him away from me and held him next to the stage while the concert went on. He has come a long way, but he still has a lingering bit of separation anxiety. It's funny to me because he asks if we're going to "school" and asks to see Miss Kayo and Miss Beth at least once a day, but when we pull up in the parking lot, he's already asking if I will hold him! I am cherishing these moments, however, because there will be a day where he will probably not want to be seen with me! ;-)

It was very helpful to hear the songs they were working on since it's sometimes difficult to comprehend Noah's singing at home. But it all came clear to me when they sang I'm in the Lord's Army, Go Tell it on the Mountain, Happy Birthday to Jesus and their Bible memory verses they have learned so far:

-"Do not be afraid...your prayer has been heard." -Luke 1:13
-"Nothing is impossible with God." -Luke 1:37
-"The Father has sent his son to be the Savior" 1 John 4:14

Since we came home, though, it's been nonstop singing and dancing! I'll post some video soon, but here are some pictures!

snow day.

2009-12-05T23:09:00.012-05:00

We woke up today to rain, which turned quickly into snow....while we waited for it to stop, we made a gingerbread train, but it kept on coming. So when it lightened up just enough, Noah and I went out to play while Ashton took a nap. I love the season's first snow and I still get giddy getting all bundled up to go play outside. I probably overdid the bundling up of Noah as he could hardly move! Oops. We made a snowman and went walking around to explore. Too bad Matt had to stay inside with Ashton, because it was perfect snowball snow ;-).

We came inside, had hot chocolate and a piece of the train. It continued to snow well into the evening...

mr. kickers.

2009-12-04T19:14:00.005-05:00

Ashton is 6 months old, sitting up, playing, laughing, and starting solid foods. At his check-up, he weighed in at 19 pounds, 8 ounces, 27 inches long. He's developing a nickname around here, due to the fact that he constantly kicks his feet!---when he's eating, when he's sitting, getting a diaper change, when we're holding him, when I'm wearing him in the Baby Bjourn...he is always kicking those feet!

christmas.

2009-11-23T15:57:00.012-05:00

Keeping Jesus at the center of Christmas is always the goal, but how do we achieve it? Now that our oldest son is of the age where he understands what is going on this Christmas, it's really got me thinking.

Gifts. Having too much of anything decreases our ability to appreciate what we have, increasing the desire to have more. It turns our hearts toward material things in hopes that they fill a certain emptiness that Christ can only fill. Giving too many gifts can teach our children to idolize "things" at an early age, when we should be teaching them how to give to others and to show gratitude when receiving gifts as well as not to expect them.

Just because our son loves chicken nuggets and chocolate milk doesn't mean we should go to Chick-fil-a everyday! Although if Matt had his way, we would totally be there !;-) It's tempting to give everything we can to our children, but what kind of people are we molding if we do so? We will be keeping the gifts simple and the traditions rich, focusing on Jesus, which when I think about it, Christmas is then every day! If there are special Christmas traditions any of you have, please share!

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Matthew 6:19-21