unfolding

I just ordered the "unfolding" shirt at Wild Olive. I'm so excited, and the proceeds benefit a really great charity to top it off! Have you ordered a Wild Olive Tee yet? What are you waiting for?

Adoption Community Call to Action

I got an e-mail from Adoptive Families magazine today regarding a movie that is being released with a VERY disturbing message regarding adoption. To read the e-mail click here, and do your part to express your outrage at the message this movie is sending regarding orphans and children who have been adopted.

Beautiful Boy

6 years and 45ish minutes ago I became a mom.

It's hard to believe that my sweet, funny, beautiful boy is 6 years old already. It is my absolute privilege to be his mom- it is the best job I've ever had. I just love his obliviousness, his sweetness, his goofiness, and his carefree attitude. I love to watch him bloom into his own person. I am truly blessed to have been given such a priceless gift from God. I'm thankful every day.

The first picture I sent out of him:

1 year old:

2 years old:

3 years old:

4 years old:

5 years old:

6 years old:

And just for fun:

For Scot

First of all, Scot would like me to mention that he fixed the garbage disposal correctly the first time. It was so uneventful it seems silly I was worried. :) I've apologized for my lack of faith.

Secondly, if we ever order take out, Scot won't ever got to pick it up. I always have to be the one to do it. Why? Well, Scot struggles with the fact that when the print out the credit card slip there is a line for "Tip:". I have explained to him that this is just the way it is printed in restaurants and that for take out, no tip is required. But, he just can't stand in front of someone, draw a line through that, fill out the slip and go. I guess I'm heartless like that. I never even thought twice about it before Mr. Find-Things-To-Over-Think pointed it out to me. Well, tonight he actually went to pick up our food, but no sooner was he in the car with it than he was calling me to say ask me if I am sure that he isn't supposed to tip for take out.

It seems obvious to me that you don't tip for take out- there is no service required for take out. But, I'm asking. Besides, if you paid cash, you wouldn't tip for take out. Tips are only for dine-in when a server is serving you.

Can I get a witness? Please.

And just for fun, a picture of my favorite guy in "China". Wishful thinking.


ETA: I guess that's actually my two favorite guys in the picture! :)

PS- I am working on Part 1 of our story, it's coming.....soon.

May I encourage you......

.....to check this out:



I attended the summit last year, and while It encouraged and equipped me as a leader, what I took away from it was MUCH more personal. I was challenged to take my walk with Christ to a deeper level- to start putting hands and feet to what I believe. The speakers were riveting and I really learned SO much. I loved the speakers so much that I bought 4 books (written by 4 of the different speakers) because I wanted to hear more. Have you ever heard Bill Hybels preach? That alone was worth the time and money! (Although, you'll go away from it changed.....don't say I didn't warn you.) There were also 5 other speakers I would LOVE to hear again!

You won't regret the time or money to attend, and there is most likely a satellite location near you. (I didn't go to Chicago, I went to a satellite location about 35 minutes from here.)

Check it out- and let me know if you decide to go, because we'll have LOTS to talk about afterwards.

Uh-Oh

Scot is working on fixing our garbage disposal. He's a hire-it-out kind of guy, so I asked him if he knew what he was doing.

"What's the worst that can happen?" was his response.

Um.......I don't know, but I saw enough episodes of Home Improvement in my day to have several ideas!

Wish him (me) luck.

The Highlights

Sawyer was chosen at Dis*ney Hollywood Studi0s for Jedi Trianing. He was so excited, and I was so thrilled for him. It's really such a small thing, but such a BIG thing for him. He seemed to get a little nervous as he waited for his turn to fight Darth Vadar, but then he did GREAT.

He was the only kid who was then cornered by the Storm Troopers. The "Jedi Master" told him to "use the force". I didn't know what that meant, but Sawyer didn't even miss a beat. He was BEAMING afterwards. Then burst into tears at the thought of going on the St@r Wars ride. Go figure.

Chloe wanted nothing to do with any of the characters except the princesses. She was beside herself with joy each time she saw or met one. I love her shy little smile in these pictures. For whatever reason, I think Snow White was her favorite. I don't think she's ever seen the movie.

At the princess breakfast, she made a point to tell each of the princesses that, "Sawyer doesn't like you." (He refused to be in any picture containing a princess.) After she said that to Snow White, Sawyer told her through clenched teeth, "Chloe, you don't have to tell them all that!!"


Something about the joy that Dis*ney brings out in your kids that makes it a really fun place to be- even if you are drenched in sweat from the 100 degree heat and have blisters from walking so much. You're happy anyway. Oh, if only we could be more like that in life.

Best. Vacation. Ever.

Least flattering picture ever, but it was hotter than the surface of the sun. So, it is what it is.

We had an AMAZING time. More pictures to come. Who knew we'd LOVE Disney so much. I didn't expect that, but it was just incredible!

Mother's Day

For the second year in a row, I'll be having a EXTRA special Mother's Day. I'll be enjoying brunch in a castle with princesses and then making a brief visit to China. I'm not sure I'll ever have this kind of treatment on Mother's Day again!

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to where we're going? 

Here's a hint:

So, to all my favorite moms who continually inspire, encourage, advise, and set an example for me, I hope you have a wonderful day!

Our Story- The Prelude

It's hard to know where to begin this story really. There are hints of it back to 4th grade or in the early part of our marriage. But, I can only realize those parts now looking back. I suppose the story sort of begins in November/December of 2005. 

At that time, we were living in Ohio and just about to move back home to NH after an emotionally bad experience, particularly for Scot, in Ohio (that is another story altogether). I was about 35 weeks pregnant with Chloe when we moved back, and being home felt GREAT for a lot of reasons. Part of what felt so great about it was that where we had lived for about a year in Ohio we were not able to find a church to call home. We were longing for one, and we had left a church and a small group here in NH just a year and a half previously that we werethrilled to come home to. 

When we got back, the pastor wanted to come by and hear our story. When he did, I honestly can't remember what we told him. I know that at the time, we really felt like there was something "more" for us out there. That life should consist of more than what we had been calling life over the previous year, but we had no thought that that meant anything. We just thought we had been through a challenging couple years and we were ready to move on. Who knows what else we said, but I remember clear as day what he said to us. After we stopped talking, he said, "It sounds to me like God is preparing you for something." 

No one had ever said anything like that to us before, and somehow, what we had just said had helped him come to that conclusion. It was the oddest moment actually, we were surprised by what he had said, but when he said it we knew he had simply articulated with words exactly how we had been feeling (but we would have never come up with the words). We were confused, excited, and it started us on a journey to know God more.

We spent the next few months doing that. It was during this time that Scot and I read Gary Thomas's book Authentic Faith. WOW! that book really challenged us to stop just calling ourselves Christ followers and to start acting like one- and to stop doing that only in ways that were comfortable and easy for us. (You know, not swearing, not drinking, and making sure to go to church every time it is open does not a Christ follower make. It's easy, but it ain't all that real! No offense.) I knew what I wanted was a real, living, breathing, change-the-way-I-live faith. Not a faith that separated me more form the world or made me impossible to relate to, but a faith that allowed me to live my life in a way that Christ would if He were living on earth today. We are supposed to be his hands and feet after all, right? It started me looking for ways I could LIVE my faith.....and not just believe it.

But, we didn't know what to do with that desire. We more thought that at some undetermined time in the future we would find out in some undetermined way what exactly it was God was preparing us for. I just knew it would be big and I just knew we'd do it right away and willingly and we'd be off on a grand adventure. Meanwhile, we set about trying to be authentic about our faith in our everyday lives- they were outwardly small things, but hard changes. (You just try not gossiping- EVER. About anyone. EVER. It's hard. Or maybe it's just hard for us.)

We had a few false starts.....like comingthisclose to moving to Utah. But, in the end, we realized we'd be living in limbo for a bit until we knew what God was preparing us for. We never really wondered how we would know what that was. We just assumed we would know when it happened, and we were sure it would involve a career change for Scot that would bring a life change for us. 

We were naive. (Dumb, really. But that doesn't sound as nice.)

Throughout this story, there was music that spoke to my heart. I am a musical kind of girl. I eat, sleep and breathe my life in song. My kids are the same. I think my thoughts in terms of music and mark phases of my life with the songs that spoke to me at those times. So, to end this first post, I'll share the lyrics to the song  Magnificent Obsession by (who else) Steven Curtis Chapman. This song was my prayer during 2006 as we waiting to see what God was preparing us for.

Lord, You know how much 

I want to know so much 

In the way of answers and explanations 

I have cried and prayed 

And still I seem to stay 

In the middle of life's complications 

All this pursuing leaves me feeling like I'm chasing down the wind 

But now it's brought me back to You 

And I can see again 

This is everything I want 

This is everything I need 

I want this to be my one consuming passion 

Everything my heart desires 

Lord, I want it all to be for You, Jesus 

Be my magnificent obsession 

So capture my heart again 

Take me to depths I've never been 

Into the riches of Your grace and Your mercy 

Return me to the cross 

And let me be completely lost 

In the wonder of the love 

That You've shown me 

Cut through these chains that tie me down to so many lesser things 

Let all my dreams fall to the ground 

Until this one remains 

You are everything I want 

And You are everything I need 

Lord, You are all my heart desires 

You are everything to me 

You are everything I want 

You are everything I need 

I want You to be my one consuming passion 

Everything my heart desires 

Lord, I want it all to be for You 

I want it all to be for You

Our story- Part 1 coming soon.

She's Baaaaaack!

If you didn't already know, Rebecca, the uber-talented blog designer, mom-to-five, and all-around great person is back to designing blogs after a hiatus to travel to China to bring Owen home. 

What are you waiting for? Get over to her site and get your name on the list! She does great work!! It's just a matter of time before you arrive here to find it looking refreshed! :)

Good News/Bad News

Good news: Chloe has finished potty training herself. (I highly recommend this method, by the way. It is quite stress-free.) She simply announced one day she wanted to pee on the potty. "Yeah, right", I thought but I put her on the potty anyway and that was that. Hardly another pee in the pull up from that moment on.

A few weeks later, she told me she wanted to poop on the potty."Yeah, right!", I thought. But, I sat her on there with a few books and wouldn't you know it, she did it. And she's done it every time since then! 

And she's dry at night to boot.

Bad news: we have to go to Chuc*k E. Chee*se (a.k.a. the inner circle of hell) tomorrow since (as you all MUST know, right? *play along with me here*), they don't allow kids with diapers in. Oh, you didn't know that? Yep, only big kids wearing underwear allowed! 

 So, Chloe has been waiting a MIGHTY long time to go. We dangled this carrot in front of Sawyer at the ripe old age of 4 and by 4 and a half, he had earned his pass (a.k.a. underwear). Now, it seems we must make one more trip to the land of the living germs for Chloe. I'm sure we'll all have swine flu by Monday! I'm grossed out at the thought of even going IN, never mind having to touch something (and I am not a germaphobe, that place just grosses me out).

Of course, my ever the detective son says to me in the car the other day, "Hey, when I went to Chuc*k E Chee*se, Chloe came too, and she was wearing a diaper! I thought they didn't let kids without diapers in!" I explained to him the addendum to the rule (as you all MUST also know), that babies under 1 year of age who simply are not able to be potty trained yet are allowed to go in IF accompanied by an older sibling who is wearing underwear!" 

Ah, this little fable ranks right up there with Santa Claus in our house! But, hey, it worked. So, wish us luck tomorrow.

Oh, and for the record. A newly potty trained kid who can't really "hold it" is kind of a pain. I've been in more outhouses and gross bathrooms lately than I care to recall because Chloe has a knack for needing to go at the worst times. I have had to squash the urge to say, "Oh, just pee in your pull-up, will you? This bathroom creeps me out." (Again, I'm not a germaphobe, but when your 3 year old still wants to hold onto the public, dirty toilet seat while peeing, even the least squeamish mom would be pretty grossed out, right?)

Now I'm starting to think of how fast we can get in and out of Chuc*k E Chee*se, because if that is a germ wonderland, then what must their bathrooms be like!?!?! 

Oh dear.