Click

I am a photographer. I love pictures. I love to take pictures. I love the feeling of having a camera in my hand. If I were to walk into your home, you can be assured the very first thing I would do is to search out those pieces of you. To me it is a glimpse into the person, who they were and who they have become, what is important to them.

I see my life in pictures too. Like when I used to play in my turtle sandbox in the backyard of my childhood home all by myself. Click. Or when I first played Oregon Trail on a computer in a little room of the library at school. Click. The day I insisted I needed braces so at least one thing on me would be pretty. Click. The day I stood next to one of my best friends and graduated from Union County High School. Click. The day I decided I needed wide open spaces and moved to Seattle for grad school. Click. The second date with my husband, riding on the back of his crotch rocket and thinking of the bible verse from Joel, "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten." Click.

There was another day that was a click moment too. Picking out the bedding that would be part of Lilla's nursery, 3 1/2 years ago. I remember it was the day of my shower and my mom wanted to get some things I still needed. We were walking around Target and I just loved the Amy Coe collection with pale pastel stripes on the dust ruffle. For the following 2 1/2 years I so enjoyed seeing those lovely stripes when I would go in to her room at night to rock, hold and nurse her. They were lovely. Finally she got to the point of being in her toddler bed and we took down the bedding, only to be put in a box for the next year.

When Anna was born she got a bed that doesn't use a dust ruffle, so when we had the recent MOPS yard sale, in went that dust ruffle. 50 cents was the going rate. The day went by and I didn't notice when it was purchased and gone for good. Or so I thought.

This Saturday I went to the local arts and crafts fair with my close friend, Shelley. A friend who sews, Emily, was displaying her beautiful creations. I was looking through her collection when I see a lovely dress she had made with pale pastel stripes on it. I commented on how lovely it was when she said, "Oh, that was a dust ruffle I bought at the yard sale." I couldn't believe it! The dust ruffle from Lilla's room...click...the snapshots came back.

Sadly, we are having major septic issues so I couldn't afford the dress, but Emily was so kind as to set it back for me for later. Then again, that, of course, may have been due to how tear stained it became after I cried over the snapshot in my head. It hurt me to walk away from the dress, but oh the tenderness I felt when I pictured the snapshot in my head.

Later, as I spoke with the local harvest council rep., my friend Shelley snuck back and got that dress for me. What joy and thankfulness I felt as I opened the package she handed me. Click, one more photo to hold in my heart.
And then, I must say, because Shelley has a little vicarious living to do through my little Anna since her youngest peanut is 5, she also had to get the little lovebug something too. Is this not adorable?



Thank you Shelley, for being part of this sweet snapshot!

Mighty

Psalm 127:3 Children are an inheritance from the LORD. They are a reward from him.

Life with kids lately has been trying. Lilla has been sick with a double ear infection and pinkeye and it is making her particularly clingy. This is difficult since I have a six month old that still needs to be carried everywhere and prefers to be held above all else. Anna has been fussy too, as I think she is teething. We've had a lot of long days, where my husband doesn't get home until late and I just seem to be losing my patience more and more with them. Emotions have run high and crying seems to be the norm. Often during these times it is a bit difficult to be thankful for my children and remind myself that I chose and GET to stay home with them everyday.

This week though, I couldn't help but look at my life and be thankful. Why? I'm glad you asked, because I want to introduce you to the Mighty Molly Mutz. Dennis Rainey, the host of Family Life Today is her grandpa and he wrote a beautiful article on her this past week. I hope you will spend a little time getting to know her too.

And then, hopefully, you will look at your children, and your life, a little different today. I know I have.

Yesterday, Today

Yesterday I was in a hospital room waiting for you to be born.
Today you are sitting up by yourself.

Yesterday I heard a small cry for the first time.
Today I blew on your tummy and got big belly laughs.

Yesterday I was handed a newborn diaper for your first change.
Today, you are in size 4 and growing all the time!

Yesterday you wrapped your little hand around my finger.
Today you are grabbing everything in sight!

Yesterday we became a family of four.
Today it seems we have always been.

Yesterday I fell in love with you, my little Anna.
Today, I'd do it all again!

Happy Six Month birthday, my little lovey! Thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives!

I want to be

Do you have someone in your life that you look up to? Someone who you see as a person you would like to be like, live your life as they have, maybe be as funny as or organized in your home life, maybe someone with a really great work ethic who has been successful or who has a great sense of humor?  Well, I have someone that I want to be like too.

Actually, I am thinking today of three men who’s lives exemplify a quality that I am amazed and in awe of…faithfulness.  Faithfulness to stand up and not only be afraid to go against the grain, but truly be willing to die rather than agree with something that goes against what they absolutely believe in.

Those men?  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who stood against the king in Babyalonia when he demanded they bow down to him.  Faithfulness.  They said they would not as they knew God could save them, but even if he didn’t, they would still not bow down.  Wow!  Faithfulness.  They were then thrown into a very hot furnace where not a single hair on their head was singed and they didn’t smell like smoke.  Faithfulness.

I’m thankful for these wonderful men to look toward as an inspiration, and, I’m praying for that same faithfulness today.

Babywearing Stash

Over at Adventures in Babywearing, Steph is asking everyone to show off their babywearing stash. I actually have a pouch sling, ring sling and two of these:
Both my husband and I prefer to carry her in the backpack. For my husband, he feels less dorky. For me, I have issues with backpain and one chubby little baby so this seems to distribute the weight much better! Anna absolutely loves being carried. She actually gets frustrated in the ring sling and pouch sling but in the backpack she is happy from the word go! It has been especially great when we are on trips, like San Francisco when we didn't even take a stroller. She is at eye level to everything and we can get in and out of places so much easier.

Do you love your slings too?

10 Smile Tuesday

Hey there, after a bit of a break, not for a particular reason but just because life happens, I'm back with some more smiles to share! I just love looking back at the week and thinking about ways that God has blessed us in the past week, both big and small. I love having my faith built as I see how God provides for us in life. Don't you?

So, now, on with the smiles:

1. Anna has started rolling over...ALL. THE. TIME!! She goes from back to front, and boy does she get frustrated there, but it is so cute to see her trying to get her little paws on things. Man, is she a curious little one. So different than a content Lilla at this age who took forever to roll over!

2. Dimple butt. Anna is such a chunk. I'm so not kidding. I call her my Michelan baby. It's so stinking cute I love to just not put a diaper on her. Oh, I just want to eat her up, that chunk is adorable!

3. Forgiveness. I am always so amazed to see the perfect innocence of a child. Lilla recently told me she wasn't going to be friends with someone anymore because they hurt another friend of hers. When I explained to her how we need to treat others the way that we wanted to be treated, she just replied, "OK." And ever since then she keeps telling me she is friends with the other little girl. She'll say, "We need to be kind and loving and nice to other people." Love it!

4. Better eating. It has taken 3 years for Lilla to want to put anything in her mouth, but suddenly she is eating things that are good for her. In fact, she asked me to make meatloaf yesterday! Given, she calls it Cheeseburger in Paradise, but who cares, if she likes it and will eat it, she can call it whatever she wants!!

5. Life lessons. Yesterday I got frustated with Lilla and said something I just shouldn't have. She replied, "We don't watch Spongebob because he says naughty things like that." Yep, she had my number alright! I am so thankful to God though as he humbles me every day and continually shows me how much I need Him. Even through the eyes of a child!

6. Girl time! Since I had Anna I have just not been able to have any alone time, much less time with any girlfriends. Saturday morning though, Michael watched the girls while my friend, Shelley and I just drove around to yard sales in the community. Not a huge thing, but so appreciated for at least a few hours of just being able to be Amy and not Mommy was nice!

7. Yard sales. Speaking of the yard sale, we found some sweet deals on kids clothes, an exhaustive concordance for $1, some homeschooling supplies and random other things. I haven't done that in forever so it was much fun!

8. Monitor. We found a wide, flat screen monitor on like 60% off clearance the other day at Wal-Mart so I got it for Michael for Father's Day. Of course he couldn't wait to put it up so I'm typing on it now and holy cow, what a difference! Not only for space on the desk, but you can see EVERYTHING so clearly, nice!!

9. Gardening. The last few weeks we have been planting, weeding, digging, hoeing and watering, and we are finally seeing things coming up and seriously growing now! We've got green and red peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, green beans out the wazoo, artichokes, honeydew, watermelon, cucumber, herbs, sunflowers...lots of stuff that I can't wait to harvest and share with others! It's been especially fun when Lilla and I go out together and work it like that. Just fun!

10. Steering. On Sunday night all the steering team members for MOPS came to my house and we had such a nice time looking forward to next fall and the planning for it all. I'm excited about what will be!

What are you smiling about today?