Motherhood

I got the following out of a MOPS magazine. It was written by Michelle Grant Scott. I just really liked it and identified with a lot of it--some of them I probably need to work on some more!

The picture is me with Henry when he was four weeks old.

Motherhood has taught me . . .

• to asses a child's well-being through a cracked door

• to tiptoe so hushed that only baby breath is audible

• to kiss an owie so lightly it removes some pain

• to interpret for a toddler who longs to speak with dignity

• to discern when a whimper means danger or simply "notice me"

• to smile at dirty dishes, while marching alongside little legs

• to embrace, not hide, "happy tears" that now come daily

• to laugh at little shoulder taps in the middle of the night

• to recognize God's wisdom in a toddler's voice

• to adapt my dancing style to lead or follow chubby bare feet

• to rely on God's strength to carry me after countless sleepless nights

• to giggle and simultaneously turn a cartwheel

• to harmoniously rock, pat and hum in the moonlight

• to perform ballet while tasting sweet drops of rain

• to appreciate the beauty of baby belly-buttons

• to look into bright blue eyes and feel the world stop

• to know beyond any doubt I am what God created me to be . . .

a MOTHER.


And this is growth.

Mowing the Lawn

So I'm heading out to mow the lawn. I've been putting it off, but it's getting so long that I'm afraid I may lose one of my kiddos out there! :) I thought I would check with Henry to see what I might need to have before I go outside.

Let's see: Helmet? Knee pads? Cowboy boots (or cowboy shoes, as my boys say)? I think I've got it. Actually this picture is how Henry usually looks when he's playing in the backyard. He LOVES to wear his bicycle helmet while he's running around. I don't get it. Must be a boy thing! :) And his favorite boots (bright, shiny rubber rain boots) have a hole in them, so he goes for the cowboy shoes instead. In my defense, he does own a brand new pair of sandals!!

Henry "mowed" for me earlier this week, and when he came in he was quite frustrated--I could tell by the scowl on his face. I asked "Henry, what's wrong honey?" and he said, "Mom, I think I need Daddy to fix my mower. I just keep mowing and mowing, and the grass doesn't go down at all!"

Happy 70th Birthday!

Today is Dave (my father in law)'s 70th birthday!

Even though he will probably never see this, I wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday!

(I had to post two pictures, because after I posted the first one I noticed that David wasn't in the picture--oops! And my husband thought it would be "cute" to goof around in ALL of the pictures that were taken--at least in the first one he's kind of looking normal.)

He is a wonderful man who brought up four kids in a loving, Christian home, and now he has 15 grandchildren (who adore him!) living close enough to see all the time.

Last night we had a party for him at Sam's sister's house. We started the evening off with a treasure hunt (which Dave won, of course!) all over the property and then enjoyed some lovely fish cake (Dave is a die-hard fisherman!)--you'll have to see this, it's a fish with it's mouth open:

It was a very fun evening. We love you Dave and hope you enjoyed your birthday! I hope when I turn 70 I will be surrounded by this much love!

March 27

I don't have anything exciting to blog about today, but I don't want to slack off. :) So I'll leave this passage that is on my heart today (along with an old picture of Sam and Henry!). Hopefully you'll enjoy it too!



Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Baby Names

We are currently contemplating names for our bundle of joy who is coming soon! For some reason, boy names have always come much more easily to us both, and we tend to struggle with a "perfect" girl name.

Well, now the pressure is on! We're pretty sure that we've got a girl in here, but no names at the top of the list.

Sam thought we might get some inspiration by asking our local expert on most matters: Henry. Please remember that his last favorite name for a girl was "McDonald's."

After giving it some thought, he came up with this gem: Tochwa!

I'm not sure if I'm spelling it correctly, but I just tried to sound it out. He pronounces it Touch-Wah. Sam and I both thought he was just being silly, but he came up with it on Wednesday and hasn't forgotten it yet!

I don't think we're going to let Henry name this baby! :)

The answer you've been waiting for....

When you're this cool, you can't be wrong.

Henry knew all along what we are having. He has been 100% sure since we told him there was a new baby coming into our lives.

IT'S A GIRL!!!

I think I have a lot to learn! I'm pretty good with boys, but a girl? What do girls even wear? :)

Any advice, anyone? I'll take it!