A new day

I know, I've been neglecting you - though not intentionally, I assure you!  For some reason I'm not able to post pictures from my phone anymore, so posting is a lot more involved.

And then there's Facebook!  For years I have avoided joining it as Scott and I both felt that it was not something we wanted to do.  Increasingly though, as I long to have more contact with my family and friends, as well as build relationships with people that time prevents me from, I have considered joining.  Two weeks ago I took the plunge, and have to say I've been pretty addicted since!

Fear not though, I am not abandoning the blog, on the contrary I think this embracing of technology will lead to more sharing of our story and adventures. 

It's been a busy month, despite the seemingly sparse calendar entries!  But we have had a greater focus on time with the kids.  This in part because Toby is being a little more difficult of late!  There's a definite correlation with the amount of sleep he gets, but even after a full 12 hours, he can be a challenge!  This morning as we left the house he turned on the outside water faucet and ran away.  (Emma may have been coercing him as she is in the habit of doing!)

Scott said that at the supermarket yesterday the kids were rough-housing and Emma stepped back, looked at Toby and said "I'm gonna push you over, little man!"  Of course, she merely shoved him, to which his response was to push back harder!

Whenever these guys fight, which is less than they play nice, it's tough not to take sides, but knowing Emma's instigator side, and Toby's spoiled baby side I try really hard to keep my reactions neutral.

We're looking forward to Christmas.  Christmas Eve service at church, then dinner at Scott's parents.  Christmas Day we'll stay home most of the day (hopefully sleep in a bit!) and then go over to friends for dinner.

Other than that, life is pretty "normal" and good...

Slowly getting up on a Saturday morning!

"Hula Emma" at Mom's group

A picture of me (!) and the kids - Daddy was at work, "so he's not in it"

Toby's artful offering!

Trying on slippers (shhh - she's getting them for Christmas!)

At the practice for the Christmas pageant (she wasn't a star, but wanted to be!)

Dancing with Daddy!

Men at work!

while Emma designs some fashions!

Patiently waiting for our scene in the pageant - a puppet show!  If I can find a video, I'll show you!

(That's right - double Zebra-print!!  She was ready to rock out!!)

Our big Christmas gift - a Skype TV cam!  We can see the other people on the big tv and they can see our whole room in crystal clear HD.  Emma was cracking my parents up with her crazy dancing and antics, while we can sit on the sofa and talk - nor more squeezing in front the laptop!

This morning after 12 full hours of sleep - in his own bed!!

Life goes on

My friend posted this on Facebook this morning:

how do I look my daughter in the eye and say, "you're safe today at school"... This morning is a lot more difficult than I thought it was going to be.

I couldn't agree more with her, sending the kids to school is a scary business, but the truth is they are as safe today as they were last Monday or last year even. This world is not a safe place!

I mean, my kids are so innocent, they still love to watch the garbage truck...

And Emma is even scared to watch the parts of Cinderella where the cat chases the mice!

Life goes on, the same, but different.

We go back into the world, reminded that the Kingdom of Heaven does not reign here.  We live in a world now, where personal freedom is treasured above all else.    From an early age we are told to pursue what makes us happy, live the dream.  However, some people's dreams are other people's nightmares.  You're talking about billions of selfish individuals!  But society can not function (and be healthy) if individuals only look out for themselves. 

Our laws are based on God's Commandments.  But they can not be taken in isolation.  If, as a society we agree that "thou shalt not kill" is a wise and helpful instruction, why do we not also follow the others - they work together. You can't pick and choose.

God designed us, and He knows how we can function as one body, together.  We need to acknowledge God's wisdom, submit to His leadership and trust Him.  Then, we could all live in one accord.

I am glad to say this world is not my final destination.  I have put my faith in Jesus Christ, in His promise that there is an eternity, and I will spend it with Him.  This world, right now, is a war zone, and our assignment is to live a life that brings glory to God, leads people to the foot of the cross and to a clear understanding that we need to prepare for what comes next.

My kids are as safe today as they have ever been.  The risk of being hit by a drunk driver is probably greater than being in something as tragic as Friday's shooting. 

As Barack Obama quoted last night, when you become a parent, it's like someone rips your heart from your chest and it is walking around outside your body!  Every time I leave them, part of me is missing until I am reunited with them.  I can't imagine the grief at losing your heart like those parents in Connecticut, or Columbine.  I take comfort in the hope that no matter what the future holds, someday we can all be together in Heaven.

Hold on to your loved ones a little tighter when you see them.  But more importantly, it's time to think about the future, theirs and yours.

I truly pray that this Christmas is a time of rejoicing for you, a time of love and peace.  I pray you will welcome Jesus into your heart and home so you can have the same peace, love and joy all year round.

Quote of the day

Mom, do you know what it feels like when Toby's napping? Like I have
the whole world to myself!

Quote of the day

Emma: mom, do you remember when you were in the hospital, about to have me?

Me: yes!

Emma: were you scared?

Me: no

Emma: was I scared?

Me: I don't think so.

Emma: were you there the whole time?

Me: yes.

Emma: why?

Me: I'll tell you when you're older.

Rejoice in your circumstances

We finished Financial Peace University last week!!  It was so worth the $89, and we have saved and paid off far more in just those 9 weeks than we would have otherwise.  The future has so much more promise now!

The final lesson was on giving.  This can be a controversial topic among Christians and non-Christians alike, and I was interested to see what Dave Ramsey would say, especially in light of some cynical reviews I'd read.  I was moved by what he had to say.

The basics are this: God does not ask us to give because he needs our money/resources/time, He has all power and resources under heaven and earth!  God asks us to give because through giving we become more like Him, the one who GAVE...

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

We love, because He first loved us.
1 John 4:19

Imagine that for a minute - imagine handing over your only son, or any of your children, to a life and death worse than any movie, to spare someone else.  That's how much God loves YOU.

Since we are created in His image, He wants us to be like Him, like Jesus who was the earthly representation of God's character.  To be like Him, we need to be like Him!  We may not ever be asked to die for someone else, but we can die to our selfishness in order to help others.  Christ gave up all that he had for us, all that he had to give.

Leaving the kids this morning was so hard.  Made harder by having to discipline them first!  I thought that after 18 months of working, saying goodbye in the morning would get easier.  I can't say that it has.  In fact it feels like my heart is ripped in two, and I leave part with them, only to be made whole again when I see them later.  It's not much easier when they are happy to go!

On my commute I started thinking about the act of giving, like I said above, and it transitioned into thinking about leaving.  I left my homeland over 10 years ago, and it wasn't easy but I know it could have been much harder.  So I wasn't really expecting the strong emotions I've had lately about missing family and friends (not so much the place and especially not the weather!).  I even joined Facebook (despite years of avoidance) to try and make more connections. 

I should probably clarify that I am in no way considering moving back.  But it would be so great to visit, and maybe the lack of [financial] freedom to do that is making me want it all the more.  The kids are not helping, constantly talking about when we will go and visit Caitlin and Eloise (they never met James, so they're not really concerned with him!), and when I said we were going to Skype Gran the other day they said "No, we want to go and visit!"  Good thing I don't struggle with guilt!!!

So, as I try to do in all situations, I look for how God wants me to handle this, or what I can learn from it.  And I find it's very closely linked to the giving thing.  Jesus sacrificed his quiet life in Nazareth, his reputation with his people, and eventually sacrificed his body.  But before any of that, he gave up Heaven.

Jesus Christ existed before the world came to be.  God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) reigns from Heaven.  The Son, Jesus, was seated at the right hand of the Father, in glory and perfection.  He was tended by angels and needed nothing.  And some 2000 or so years ago he gave that all up to move to Earth.  To be born as a baby, powerless, vulnerable and dependent on humans for his care.

I often forget that Christmas was not the beginning of Jesus Christ, it was just the start of his mission on earth.  He knew what he was signed up for, that he would need to submit to the evil corrupt world he was trying to save, and he came anyway.  To be born in a stable (actually it would have been more of a cave-type place) and anyone who's been around childbirth could understand how risky and un-glamorous of a birth that might be!  And he left his Father, who would be only available long-distance for that time, through prayer.  The faith he would need to remember that earth was not forever, he would one day be back with his Father and it would all be worth it!

And I am thankful that in such a gentle and painless way God was able to show me, again, why he deserves my devotion and faith.  I will serve Him wherever he has called me to be, and be thankful that I can go and visit my family soon enough, and in the meantime I can reach out to them, and they to me, in many other ways.

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.
Matthew 19:29

Special Birthday message

I'm terrible at remembering birthdays and as a rule I don't post things on birthdays, but since today is my Mum's birthday and she hasn't been well, and we can't be there, I'm making an exception to cheer her up!  This is for you Mum...

(Toby may not be singing, but lets just say it was a challenge even getting him in the video!!)

Quote of the day

This morning Toby and I were arguing about him putting his coat on, he
refused. We went back and forth a couple times when he flat out said
no. And Emma said… " what are you going to say now, mom?"

I like to think that she just wants to be a good mom when she grows up
so she's asking my advice!

Humblebragging

I just read an article about "Humblebragging"...

"when people say something and act like they're trying to be humble, but really, they're bragging. This is seen way too much on Facebook and Twitter -- especially by parents. Ali reads through a couple of these humblebrag posts, including a tweet by one of her friends: "Major headache - staffing for three houses." And the worst humblebrag to date? "How do I support my best friend whose toddler is developmentally delayed, when my own is so advanced?" What a predicament. "

When I read this my gut twisted: "Oh no, I do that!"  However, I have a few qualifiers, so you don't judge me harshly!!

1.  I give all the glory to God.   And any inadvertent bragging should be assumed to be praise for God!  (And my parents, who did their best with me.)  Because, independently I am a basket case.

2.  My kids are independently amazing (which is also glorifying to God, because I , their mother, am a basket case!),   Emma especially has overcome SO MUCH, that we celebrate even the small things for both of them because we are acutely aware of how precious they are.

3.  I believe all parents should have some desire to brag on their kids achievements, not least as it's a huge relief we didn't totally screw up!!  Yet!!!  

4.  It's not what you say, or even always how you say it, but WHY you say it.

Lastly, humility is not thinking too little of yourself, and being overly critical either.  Humility is not thinking of yourself at all.  Hmmm, will keep working on that!

Bed Time

Last night we started talking about a new bed for Toby.  He is in Emma's old toddler bed with the crib mattress, which she had until she turned four. Of course, Emma was not as big as Toby at four, and she was starting to grow out of it then!

Because Toby has a smallish room (7x10' I think) I want to get him one with storage underneath.  Scott got all enthusiastic about building one, so we looked online and saw the IKEA Kura bed... 

It comes in pine with blue sides but we saw all these customized versions, and it can be a low bed at first and then flipped to make a raised bed.  It looks so cool.

Emma was still up late and saw the pictures and pointed to every "girl" version of the bed and wanted it!  We went with a simple low option for her, but when I saw this I knew she would love it - who wouldn't, with some curtains and a canopy!

Anyway, we're going to IKEA on Saturday to check out the actual bed and see if Toby, and maybe Emma, like it and could safely use it!  Then we'll see if we could build it cheaper/stronger, or just customize IKEA's.

This will be a fun New Year project!!

It's a good day

Game on

You can relax, the wait is over and I coughed up the $2.50 to continue to bring you pictures of my darling children!!  The recurring monthly fee has spurred me on to get the blog published in hardcopy, however I need some time to reload the pictures to the 2007-2008 posts first!  I think I deleted them without knowing what that meant the last time I hit the limit!

That said, if you want a copy of the hardback blog, you'll have to let me know and I can give you a price if/when I finally get it done.  Although the book will be free to anyone who babysits so I can work on getting the photos back up!!

In the meantime, here are some of the things you would have missed if I wasn't so cameraphone-happy...

When Emma saw this picture on my phone, she suspiciously asked "when was this taken?"  I explained it was taken Monday night when she was sleeping.
"Why wasn't Toby sleeping?"
"He was being naughty and wouldn't go to sleep?"
"So, if you're naughty you get to stay up late?"
Um, I guess!

 We told Toby if he ate some broccoli he would be strong like Daddy.  He believed us for two bites and then showed his muscles...

He is thrilled with the "new" bike he got at the yard sale.  I'm so impressed with how much my kids embrace used or handed down stuff.  They think it's like a personal gift from the previous owner!

Saturday Emma started ballet again.  She was excited and couldn't wait to show off the legwarmers I got her!

 Apparently though her bangs (fringe) is growing out well and now needs restraining, hence the new "updo" she modeled after ballet as we put up the Christmas tree...

 We had to get new lights before we could decorate the actual tree, but the kids were not very patient and looked for something else to decorate...

Later that night Toby was not keen to go to bed, so he chose to sleep on the floor, as we discovered when we came up to go to bed!

Sunday, after church we got to hang out with PB for a bit.  The kids went and sat at this table and asked PB if he wanted to come to their "meeting"!  Quite literally one of the most patient (and busy) people we know, of course PB went...

The conversation was hilarious and I tried to record it paparazzi style...

Reached my limit

So a funny thing happened - turns out I reached my limit of free storage of pictures for the blog!  1GB is all you get for free, and we're there.

I suspect I reached it a while ago and deleted a folder from Picasa online, without realizing that is where the blog pictures are held!  That's why there's no pictures in the early posts anymore.

The solution, a monthly fee!  $2.49 per month for 25GB of storage, is not really a big deal, but I'm wondering about the future.  Where do we go from here?!

The blog is essential - it's how I share our lives with my faraway family, and at least a few others (though I'd love to hear from you too! ehmnews@gmail.com).  So do we abandon the old posts and use the storage for the future?

I'd secretly hoped that one day we could print the blog out.  So many stories and memories, that no photo album could manage.  If you know where/how to get that done, please let me know!

Until then, I'm not quite sure!...

End of an Era

Last night was a bittersweet event as we parted ways with our '92 Nissan Maxima.  

I bought the Maxima back in 2004, when I first moved to the suburbs.  Scott and I were dating, but I had no idea if that was going to be a long-term thing, same with my position a work, so I opted for a cheap run-around that would not be a big financial commitment.

The car served me well and I only stopped driving it in 2007 when Emma was born.  Scott gallantly gave me his Explorer to drive to the hospital each day as West Philly is not a place you want to break down in!

Ironically, the Maxima outlived the Explorer which died in 2009!  And Scott continued to drive the Maxima when I got the mini-van.

The Maxima had plenty of signs of aging:

• The AC has not worked in a couple years
• The alarm [sometimes] goes off when you open it, only to be stopped if you open the trunk!!!!
• We had the one window "sealed" because if you wound it down, it wouldn't come back up

and we long ago had invested more than it cost in repairs!  So in the summer, when it looked very shaky on its last legs, we invested in a 96 Chevy Tahoe and have since wondered what to do with the Maxima.

On Saturday morning before our yard sale I listed it on Craigslist (free local classifieds online) with Scott's number.  But before the yard sale even started a professional picker had shown up, bought a few things and was browsing our table.  He looked down our driveway where the Maxima was inconspicuously parked and said "Is that for sale?"  "Why yes!" I answered and called Scott over!

You know I don't believe in coincidences, and there really was no way for this guy to know we were selling the car, so I have to think that God sent him our way so we could keep making our steps toward financial peace.

Last night we met Vic and signed the car over in exchange for a perfectly reasonable amount, and will save a bunch on car insurance and registration fees to boot!  Our home looks strangely grown up without our hoopdie car parked out front.  We'll all miss it for a few days (including the kids who enjoyed driving around with the windows down in the heat of summer!)

Life Is Hard So You Can Grow

Sometimes I find myself pitching a fit, not dissimilar to the way my kids do!  Sure, the words and arguments may sound a little more sophisticated, but the reality is I just want my own way.  I'm sure that never happens to you, but should it, this was helpful for me, and it may be for you... ;)

Life Is Hard So You Can Grow

by Rick Warren

Many religions and New Age philosophies promote the old lie that we are divine or can become gods. Let me be absolutely clear: You will never become God or even a god.

That prideful lie is Satan’s oldest temptation. Satan promised Adam and Eve that if they followed his advice, “you shall be as gods” (Genesis 3:5 KJV).

This desire to be a god shows up every time we try to control our circumstances, our future, and people around us. But as creatures, we will never be the Creator. God doesn’t want you to become a god; he wants you to become godly, taking on his values, attitudes, and character. We are meant to “take on an entirely new way of life — a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you” (Ephesians 4:22-24 MSG).

God’s ultimate goal for your life on Earth is not comfort but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ. Becoming like Christ does not mean losing your personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created your uniqueness, so he certainly doesn’t want to destroy it. Christ-likeness is all about transforming your character, not your personality.

God wants you to develop the kind of character described in the Beatitudes of Jesus, the fruit of the Spirit, Paul’s great chapter on love, and Peter’s list of the characteristics of an effective and productive life (Matthew 5:1-12; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 13; 2 Peter 1:5-8).

Every time you forget that character is one of God’s purposes for your life, you will become frustrated by your circumstances. You’ll wonder, “Why is this happening to me? Why am I having such a difficult time?” One answer is that life is supposed to be difficult! It’s what enables us to grow. Remember: Earth is not Heaven!

Many Christians misinterpret Jesus’ promise of the “abundant life” (John 10:10) to mean perfect health, a comfortable lifestyle, constant happiness, full realization of your dreams, and instant relief from problems through faith and prayer.

In a word, they expect the Christian life to be easy. They expect Heaven on Earth.

This self-absorbed perspective treats God as a genie who simply exists to serve you in your selfish pursuit of personal fulfillment. But God is not your servant, and if you fall for the idea that life is supposed to be easy, either you will become severely disillusioned or you will live in denial of reality.

Never forget that life is not about you! You exist for God’s purposes, not vice versa. Why would God provide Heaven on Earth when he’s planned the real thing for you in eternity? God gives us our time on Earth to build and strengthen our character for Heaven.

The Mommy Rhapsody

The Parent Rap

Happy Anniversary

My grandparents are celebrating a big anniversary, and I have a special message just for them!

Click on the image below to see it full size!

Thanksgiving

Those of you who know it was Thanksgiving on Thursday, and therefore Black Friday the next day, have probably been expecting a tale of plenty of eating followed by plenty of shopping.  Well, I'm here to tell you that this year Thanksgiving was just the opposite!  

Okay, not totally opposite - I ate a lot of food, and hats off to Julie and Ellen for an amazing dinner followed by dessert at Christina's, then more dessert and Polar Express at Mrs. T.'s!

But as for the shopping - that part was 180 degrees from last year! I did not shop at all on Friday.  I did take Scott's glasses to be repaired after Toby removed both lenses, but that was free!!

We also visited Melissa and Keith, who welcomed baby Leighton Kruze last Thursday.

But it doesn't stop there!!  Not content with not spending money, we also decided to make some money!  After week 3 of Financial Peace University, where Dave Ramsey says to sell whatever you can to pay off debt, we decided to hold a yard sale.  But we thought it would be much more fun to join others and invited the whole FPU group to come sell with us!  8 families did...

We made some money, and also cleared out the basement so we can start to make a play space for the kids.  There were some big things that didn't sell, which I'm told will go quickly online, so I'll be on that this week.  Scott sold his old Maxima!!  It was a little unexpected, but we recently got him a Chevy Tahoe, old but in good condition, so we planned to sell the Maxima anyway!

I also made a huge decision, to part with the baby clothes I had kept.  I only kept the really nice stuff, most of it barely used. I gave Toby's clothes (and my post-partum clothes!) to Melissa and went through the three huge space bags of Emma's to sell.   

Of course, going through it brought back many memories.  I could tell you when she wore almost every item, and likely have a picture of them all too!

Needless to say, I kept a few things, for Emma to see when she's older, and maybe even have for her kids.  Ever the fashionista, she wanted to try and wear most of it, but even she had to admit it was too small.

 The dress was huge on her even then!!

It was so cold at the yard sale on Saturday, barely 40f and windy!  People came, but nowhere near the numbers we hoped.  Still, we acted on our new focus of becoming debt free and had a lot of fun and camaraderie doing it.  The clothes will go on consignment, so someone else can sell it!

This year I am very thankful for family.  I can't believe I've been back at work for 18 months now, and it would be inconceivable if it weren't for the love and help of Scott's parents.  It's also that time of year when I think about Christmas past, and start wishing we could be with my family for the holidays.  Unfortunately, now that the little monkeys are both over 2, the price is extortionate, so at best we are hoping to make it over for Christmas 2013.

Whether near or far, I'm thankful for the family we have, and one day, maybe I'll know how to express it!

Picture blast

These cool connectors should spare my sofa cushions from becoming forts!!

 Toby likes to vary his TV watching position!

Emma messing with my phone!

Wreck-It Emma!

No words needed.

Sunday afternoon, while I went grocery shopping...It's dark by 5pm now!

This is Toby first thing this morning.  He only wakes up like this after a full night's sleep!!

Big girl

I don't know if I told you about the big treat on Emma's birthday.  I took the afternoon off work and picked her up to go shopping at the mall.  

 Rocking her new boots!

I was so excited about it, and looking back it may have been because I got to skip work to go shopping, but I was really anticipating a new phase of shopping for Emma.

Until now, when we have bought clothes, I've held them up to judge the size, or gone by the age in the label.   Sometimes I might even slip them on over her clothes, or in a corner somewhere, have her try them on properly! 

However, age 5 is the crossover from 5T to Small, so there is a new world of big girl clothes opening up. And so, this was her right of passage to the whole world of shopping, and a part I thought she would love - the fitting room, specifically the big mirror.  

We had a lot of fun in Target, looking for things...

But I have to confess, I found more for me than we did for her - though in my defense, I had a bigger giftcard to spend than she did!!  And we had a good time trying on, but she really still wanted to spend her money in the toy department!

In the end though, it was one of very few times we've been out by ourselves and I was pleased that Emma felt special and asked to go on a date with me again.  "But not shopping!"

Perfectly acceptable

Some days I long to be perfect.  Not so I can be better than other people (and even thinking like that would reveal pride, an imperfection!), but because it grieves me so much to disappoint others.  When that happens, and my [often] deep flaws are revealed to people, I find myself wanting to withdraw into a place of solitude (i.e. "run and hide"!), where I can try to avoid making mistakes.

Unfortunately that's not possible.  Even hiding away can hurt people that love you!  And so continues walking the fine line of being yourself, being real, and being aware of how you impact the people around you.

I try to remember that relationships, with all their mess, confusion and chaos are God's will for our lives.  The tension in our relationships is an opportunity for growth in "how will I respond?"  (And nowhere is this more evident than in  parenting - can I get an "Amen"?!!!)

On my way to work this morning my mind kept returning to something Liz Curtis-Higgs talked about at the conference. 

Her primary focus was Ruth, a Moabitess.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the Moabs (as I wasn't) they are descended from Lot, who as you may recall was involved in the whole Sodom & Gomorrah scandal (read Genesis 18 onwards).  So, being a Moabitess, was not something to brag about, at least not around Israel.

But Liz also referenced a few other women in the Bible, namely...

• Tamar: tricked her father-in-law to getting her pregnant, which was in desperation, but still bad.  (read Genesis 38)
• Rahab: was a prostitute, but she protected God's people and was spared the fate of the rest of her people (death) and was welcomed into Israel.  (read Joshua 2)
• Bathsheba ("Uriah's wife"): She slept with King David while her husband was at war.  David later had her husband killed to try and cover-up his indiscretion. (read 2 Samuel 11)
• Mary: was a virgin when she became pregnant with Jesus Christ, but to the people around her, that was probably not what they thought!  Even Joseph needed to be told by an angel not to condemn her. (read Matthew 1)

What is significant about this group of women?  They are the only women who were named in the lineage of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1).  Each one of them would likely be would discounted them from our minds as suitable women to be related to Jesus Christ, Son of God.  Whether personally or through their "upbringing" they were socially questionable choices.  But not in God's mind.  He is in the business of redeeming the broken, the guilty, the flawed, and giving them new hope and a future.  (The more broken, the more glory they bring to God.)

If God can bring about a spiritual and moral rebirth in these women, you need to know that he can do that in you, and I, no matter how imperfect we are.

It is by God's grace, in providing a substitute to take our place on the day of judgement - the only perfect person, that we become acceptable to God.  We don't become perfect when we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior, but we join God's family, full of other imperfect, but faithful individuals who allow God to show his redeeming work in our lives.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Phillipians 1:6

So, while I'm still a work in progress please be patient with me!

Bookworm

This morning I got the kids up in the usual way.  Emma first - I go in and sit on her bed, which usually wakes her up, but she pretends to be asleep until I say "Behold, here lies Sleeping Beauty!"  to which she responds "I'm not!" but still does not move or open her eyes.  Yet she lays there until I plant a big kiss on her cheek!  Then she'll immediately get to important matters - what she wants to wear!  (Which she changed her mind on when it came to getting dressed, but was just fine so no fuss!)

Toby on the other hand is usually FAST asleep in my bed.  Nothing wakes him, so I don't!  I simply take off his PJs and put on his clothes until I have to sit him up and change his shirt!  Depending on how much sleep he got he will either fight with me, playfully, or whine about it!  I try to err on the side of caution time wise!

Anyhow, Emma usually "forgets" socks, so today I handed her a random pair I grabbed out of the drawer.  (Often she will deliberately wear odd socks - but I don't care!  I just want her dressed.  I must be getting more relaxed in old age!!)  As I walked out the room she said "Mom, do these socks say happy?"  (My Mum is now realizing that these are the same socks they bought her over 2 years ago, with various words on the bottom!  Yes, they are not really white anymore, but they still fit and have no holes!) 

Anyway, back to my response.  "What letters do they say?"  "H-A-P-P-Y."  Then yes, they say "Happy".

(Let it sink in...)

In case you are just waking up yourself, you might have missed the fact that Emma is able to read!  I'm not just talking site words here.  The same girl who was able to spell "flamingo" to me in the car by sounding it out, is now applying herself to reading, and blowing our minds!!

For her birthday we got her some kindergarten reading books.  I heard my niece (who is two months younger) could read and my sibling rivalry kicked in (hey, at least I can admit it!), and I ordered the books kids are using in the school she'll start in September.  I figured we'd try and get her familiar with reading herself by then.

I took out the first of the 10 books and read through it with her.  She liked it a lot.

Then she wanted the second book, so I gave it to her, and taped it as she looked at it for the very first time (honestly)...

I realize there are many kids reading at her age (at least in my family!), but what's incredible about this, is that we haven't really "taught" her!  Okay, I have been getting her to sound things out for a while, but this is beyond that!  I expect Nanna and Pops may have been doing some reading since Scott's mom was the only one who read to her for many months as a baby!  But otherwise it's also carefully selected TV (love Super WHY!) and a natural intelligence that frequently outwits us!

Toby does not want to learn how to read right now, but if Emma does, I bet he will!!

School Picture

Here is Emma's latest school picture.  I'm always amazed at how expressive she is in every situation!!

Quote of the Day

Last night, about 9:30pm, Scott and I were watching TV in the living room while the kids played upstairs "until we come up to put you to bed"!  We were both exhausted having worked a whole day and then Scott was painting up at church, getting it ready for the big Thanksgiving celebration this weekend!

Anyway, we hear a little voice on the stairs...

Toby:  Guuuyyysss... (Slow and drawn out for dramatic effect!) I have pokey things.

Us: What??

Toby: I have pokey things!

Me: (internal thought) uh-oh!

I leaped up (quite literally), realizing that he had the box of drawing pins I had left in Emma's room and had thought just an hour earlier "I must remember to take them downstairs, lest Toby should get them."

Thankfully, he had not done any damage to the house or himself by that time, so I removed them from his possession.

Don't judge me - unless you have a boy, in which case I know you've underestimated them too!!

Happy Birthday Emma Hope

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Emma
Happy Birthday to you!

Behind the scenes

I know you didn't forget that tomorrow is Emma's birthday!  Can you believe she is going to be 5 already?!  In all honesty, I can barely remember her as a baby.  She seems to have morphed into a teenager a little fast.

We celebrated on Sunday with a party at the church. I invited all of the girls in Emma's class at school, as well as the girls she is friends with from church - 14 of them in total!!  What can you do with 20 little girls?  Have a rock concert of course!!

My philosophy behind my kids birthday parties is to give them 2 hours doing something they love with their friends.  Toby got to play ball and run around.  Emma, well, what does she love more than being on stage and the center of attention!

I got Emma a cute, rockin, outfit which Emma agreed is "rockstar-ish" as was her hair!!  She decided she should wear sneakers, as "it is a rockstar party"!?  The girl has more opinions than socks!

We scheduled the party for 2-4pm at church.  Now, on a Sunday, there are a few other things going on!!  We had to wait until the second service was over - usually aroun 12:15pm, but then people hang out for a good half hour.  We had to wait and then flip the place.

We cleared the stage, brought in a kids drum kit and an old keyboard!  Emma's pink inflatable guitar was on a stand and the pink inflatable mic was ready for vocals!

Because we were running late on the room setup, we kept the kids in the lobby until the "show" was ready!  This actually built a lot of anticipation with the kids and parents.  Scott came out and took Emma in so she could make a grand entrance.

Shortly after the doors opened and the kids went in and gathered around the stage.  (I'm describing it in detail because I was so flustered I did not have my camera on hand :( !!)  Then our friend Judy, on the real mic announced the birthday superstar and Emma appeared from behind the backstage curtain!  It was really great, and all Scott's idea.  

Judy played some songs on her guitar and had the kids play along on the real instruments and rock out on the inflatable guitars.  They had a great time and when Judy was over the kids got to rock out to Emma's favorite songs from Vacation Bible School and my friend (and Emma's favorite adult) Michele lead the kids with that.  

I could not have done it without them, natural entertainers, and Annette, Emma's sunday school teacher who hung around to help us set up and stayed to help me with the craft I'd gotten for the girls to make.  

Toby was given permission to come to the party and be the only boy, because he's "my brother and I love you!"  We also had help from another church friend Kevin who helped set up and with the music.  It was a team effort to flip the church, but it was great.  

I did get a few pictures and some video, but it was crazy and we lived in the moment for a change (that's code for running around like chickens with their heads cut off!)  Here they are...

With Lainey and Abby

 These kids love to rock!

This was a totally spontaneous pose with Talia from school!

With "Miss Michele"  (seriously, I think she might be more excited at seeing Michele than me when I've been away!!)

Time to say goodbye, with Sienna from school, who, according to her mom, "loves her some Emma!"

Each day I try to count the blessings of having Emma for a daughter, and the amazing little girl she is.  Having a party where Emma would run around yelling and giggling with her girlfriends, feeling like a superstar was not even on my radar even 4 years ago, but it is certainly a joy to behold.