Mommy and Me

Moms, if you are in the Denver area, you have a tremendous opportunity!

My friend Mandie at Been Blessed Studio is putting together a "Mommy and Me Photo Session" package from now until the end of April. For $50, you get a 30-minute photo session, 10 proofs, and I'm teaming up with Mandie to include one of my custom photo pendants as a part of the package! It's an unbelievable value!

Oh, and Mother's Day is coming...

I don't know about you, but we have no shortage of adorable pictures of our kids. As a mom, however, I find it so true that I'm often behind the lens of the camera to capture the kids in those moments, but it's so rare that I'm actually in a photograph with them.

This special offer will capture you and your kids. Together. In an unforgettable way.

And have I mentioned yet that Mother's Day is coming? This would be a great way to treat yourself to a gift that will last a lifetime and beyond.

And wouldn't your mother love some gorgeous photos of you with your kids?

My kids and I had the privilege of having Mandie take some priceless pics of us a few weeks ago. Even with a grumpy boy (not Joey!) and a sometimes-I-just-don't-feel-like-cooperating-by-smiling girl (couldn't be Lucy!), Mandie's talented and trained eye still managed to snag some truly precious moments that I'm going to cherish for ages...






(Click here to contact Mandie or find out more.)

Celebrating a Legacy

This day, 45 years ago, was my parents wedding day.

They met during the summer between their Freshman and Sophomore years in college. My dad was looking for a partner to help him teach ballroom dancing the next year, and a friend suggested my mom as someone who liked to dance. She auditioned with him in her living room in Villa Park, IL, while both of their mothers watched.

He told his mom as they left that day, "I'm going to marry that girl someday."

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for continuing to give us an outstanding example of marriage, love, and commitment for us and for our children.

Happy 45th Anniversary! Keep on dancing!

Aussie wedding

Yesterday afternoon (yes, it was Thursday), we attended a cross-cultural wedding ceremony. The son of my husband's Australian boss married a Californian girl at the beautiful little historic Hope Memorial Chapel here in Parker, Colorado. It was a gorgeous 60-degree day, and we had a great time witnessing the laid-back ceremony as the Aussies "endured" some of our American traditions as well.

John and I consider photography a hobby and we love weddings for the opportunity to take numerous photos as we experiment with camera settings, lighting, and artistic subjects (or so we think).

We took 239.

Here are just a few of them...

The bride and groom kiss in the doorway of the chapel after several kids (and excited adults) took their turn ringing the bell with a traditional pull-rope. The Parker folks honked their horns in approval as we gathered on the sidewalk on Main Street.


The red, gold, and brown colors in the flower arrangements were a beautiful complement to the antique pews inside the chapel.


Mother of the Groom and the flowergirl (her granddaughter and Niece of the Groom) await their turn in the family photos in the yummy late afternoon sunlight.


The reception was at the rustic Hudson Gardens cabin in Littleton.


And besides the pretty photos, we used the opportunity to capture just a bit of the cultural flair and fun:

Okay, so this isn't quite award-winning photo quality, but I just had to document the main course: Roasted Herb-rubbed Kangaroo Strip Steak.

That's right, kangaroo. Think hop-hop hippity.

It was very tender and tasty! This followed an amazing Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Apple and Creme Fraiche (yeah, I'm not sure what that is, but I'm just telling you what the menu said), then a Caesar Salad in a Pecorino Cheese Cup. The roo (as the Aussies refer to it) was accompanied by Sauted Zucchini and Red Peppers, and Garlic Roasted Fingerling Potatoes. And ketchup.

Yum!

All of it was so good.


A pair of glass kangaroos adorned the top of the cake, which was an amazing white almond cake with butter cream. I'm salivating just remembering it...


Again, no awards for this one, but after we were served cake, we helped ourselves to some sweets at the Australian Candy Bar. Think 'salad bar' but with much more high fructose corn syrup. All of these beauties were imported (or perhaps transported by family and friends in attendance) from Oz, and we sampled at least one of each.

All in all, a beautiful, delicious, fun evening, and reportedly much less expensive than a weekend wedding -- that's our kind of party!

I can't really be upset about this, can I?

Lucy has been working herself out of her afternoon naps. To me it feels like it's about time, since she will be turning five in about two months, but she has never really been a very good night sleeper, so making up a few hours of sleep during the day has been essential to survival and sanity for us.

But she is growing out of this need. We've seen this in the fact that on the days she does take a nap, bedtime goes on and on and on. She's not tired at bedtime, and therefore we hear the telltale "Mooooommmmmyyyy" or "Daaaadddddyyyy" every twenty minutes or so until we go to bed. It's draining and frustrating.

So I've been in favor of cutting her naps out for a while, but that made our afternoons rough. Until a couple weeks ago.

So needless to say, we've discovered that bedtime goes much smoother on the no-nap days, she sleeps better through the night, and she is getting to the point where she can generally hold her emotions in check through dinnertime. It's a win for us all.

Yesterday we had plans to have dinner at a friend's house, and in the effort to keep peace while spending time with them, we suggested that Lucy take an afternoon nap.

She slept for a solid two hours.

Dinner was great. No complaining, no tears, no signs of tiredness. It was fabulous!

Then came bedtime.

She went to bed without complaint, but she did call down the stairs several times with various requests -- a stuffed animal that had been left on the couch, adjusting the nightlight, etc. Every so often we would hear thud, thud, thud, thud as she ran across her room and back, but we chose not to check on what she was doing.

Eventually it quieted down and we assumed she was asleep. So, an hour after he had officially tucked her in, John went to check on her.

Her room was clean.

She was still awake, but on the verge of finally falling asleep, and she told John, "I want it to be clean for Grandma when she comes on Tuesday, so I thought I'd clean up since I wasn't sleepy yet."

Sounds perfectly logical to me!

I still can't decide if I should be upset that she was getting out of bed repeatedly, or if I should be proud that she used her time well to clean up her very messy room... I think we all won in this situation, but either way, I think we'll skip the nap again today.

DVD Review: Read and Share Bible, Vol. 1

We received the Read and Share DVD Bible, Volume 1 today from Thomas Nelson Publishers, and I popped it in our player as soon as naptime was over...

I am very impressed with this DVD. My daughter is currently watching it—at her request—for the second time in a row.

One problem I typically have with children’s media: annoying to listen to. This DVD is actually pleasing to the ears! The music is a gentle combination of classical instruments and it nicely complements the narration. The narrators’ voices (both a man and a woman), as well as the characters’ dialogue, are completely normal and unforced. And they speak so clearly that even my 19-month-old son was paying attention (for longer than usual).

Another problem I usually have is accuracy. We have received gifts of Bible books for the kids before that are very cute, but not very accurate. It is important to me that in teaching my children that the Bible is true, that the Bible story books I read to them reflect that truth. This DVD is Biblically accurate!

Of the 13 short tracks, eight are from the Old Testament and five from the New. They include the oft-told stories of Noah’s ark and Jesus’ birth, but also lesser-known stories like Jacob wrestling with God and Jesus’ baptism and temptation.

Beautifully done! This one’s a keeper that I won't mind letting the kids watch!

Interrupted

A few moments. A napping son. A nap-less daughter playing quietly in her room. A ray of warm sunshine splashed across the couch.

It's been months since I've attempted to take a so-called nap, but today I just thought I would lie down for a few moments.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the peace. The silence. It was warm and wonderful!

For about 10 minutes.

Then the doorbell rang. Naturally.

Thank you, Mr. UPS Man, for interrupting my few moments.

Oh well. Perhaps I'll try again in April....

(The good news is he was delivering a DVD from Thomas Nelson Publishers for me to review. More on that soon...)

Just what I needed to hear

In a life that has already been full of adventure and amazing things, my children are my greatest joy. But they are also my greatest challenge. Some weeks are harder than others. The last couple of weeks have been those kind of weeks, but as I read the notes that Lucy's BSF teachers gave me this week (called Home Training Lessons), I found great encouragement in these words:

"Recognizing the place God wants you to be, being satisfied in it, and doing your part diligently are significant steps for parents. It is possible to overlook the seriousness of this privileged role. The temptation is great to respond to the world's clamoring that only outside the home can an adult do something worthwhile, fulfilling, or beneficial for mankind. And it is very easy to neglect the daily opportunities to nurture a child. It is a wise, confident adult who can say, 'I am a parent. I am responsible to be with my children. It matters that I am here. No other responsibility is more important.'"

The place God wants me to be... Here I am.

And "daily opportunities." Do I recognize them?

Read that paragraph again. It took me about four times to absorb it.

And also this, derived from the Aaronic blessing in Numbers 6:

"God wants to bless you in the position He has assigned you. Recall the first moment you saw and touched your child. Perhaps you were overwhelmed with the realization that God had brought a remarkable blessing into your life. As you follow His guidance, believe His promises, and trust in His plan for you and your child, there will be constant blessing. God will keep and protect you. He will make His face to shine upon you, even on the most exhausting days. He will be gracious to you, especially when the answers in parenting seem difficult to discern. As you seek Him, He will turn His face to you and give you peace."

You can bet that I'll be seeking His shining face this week, and counting on His peace.

Overwhelmed

Websters defines it as "to be covered over or buried beneath; to be made helpless." Perhaps that's not quite the right word. This definition makes it sound like a bad thing, but the overwhelming feeling in my life right now is all good. Challenging, but good.

I was also inspired by this photo of a newspaper article that an old friend pointed out to me recently:


Fortunately I'm in a place where it made me laugh, but it did get me thinking about why I've been neglecting my blog lately in favor of living life. I suppose to say that I've been busy would be one way to put it, so I started to think about what exactly I've been doing that has kept me from the keyboard and made my life so full.

For starters, I've continued in my study of the life of Moses in BSF. The homework for this study is broken up into segments for each day, and since my kids are such early risers, I most often wait until naptime to sit down with the questions so that I can have a little bit of quiet to focus and learn. I also just began a second Bible study with some women from our church. The gals happened to choose a Precept study for this spring, which I have heard great things about but have never done. This 8-week study on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount comes in a 3-ring binder, so you could say there's a bit of homework for this one, too! I've been feeling like I'm back in school, spending every day at naptime diving in these studies of the Bible.

I have also been trying to squeeze in a little time during these afternoon hours to spend with the newest member of our family: the Eliptical. As part of my desire to keep myself in good physical condition like I wrote about recently, I've been trying to spend several naptimes a week on the machine, and I've been loving that time. Some days my plans don't work out (pun intended), but when they do, I feel wonderful to have gotten that time to push my physical limits and burn off some energy (as if I have so much to spare!).

Besides these few hours of my day, I've been enjoying having my in-laws in town. They have stayed with us for a few days here and there, visiting John's two uncles who both live within an hour's drive of our house in between stays. I dare say we've been wearing them out! Our house is full of energy with a preschooler and a toddler, but their desire to dive in and experience life with us has been rewarding to us, for sure. For one thing, they have helped us with several projects around the house -- accomplishing things on my to-do list like installing a new master bathroom floor, refinishing our oak dining room table, building bookshelves for the loft, and inspiring me to do even more. For another, John and I have had several dates (!) and have cherished spending some much-needed time together outside our home.

And did I mention house projects? I have been dreaming up grand plans for some of our living space, but I've been working on the little things that are more practical and affordable right now. Framing photos, sewing a bed skirt and valance for Lucy and curtains for our bedroom, hanging artwork, organizing closets. And I'm finally getting closer to actually using some of the African fabrics I've been collecting for years. Closer, I said.

I feel like this just scratches the surface of the fullness of life right now. All of this is what's going on on the outside, but perhaps I'll share some of what's going on on the inside in another entry. I could probably try to scale back right now, but the truth is that I don't want to. Like I said, it's all good! So, now, if you'll excuse me, I have some laundry to do, a family to feed, and an Etsy order to fill...

Baby babble

Now that Josiah is a year-and-a-half old, he's feeling the need to express himself. As much as I thought we would be skipping the tantrum phase with our mild-mannered son, my memory of Lucy at 17 and 18 months came back very quickly when Joey decided that life was so hard he was going to just lie down on the floor and scream about it for a few minutes. It was pretty cute, actually, as he glanced at me every few seconds to make sure I was paying attention. And his little pouty lower lip was plain old adorable and irresistible.

Seems like at the core of this lovely phase of toddlerhood is the desire to communicate coupled with the inability to do so. At least effectively. But in these last few weeks we've really seen Joey improve in the sign language that we've been working on teaching him for months. He's been consistent with a few signs, but now he's starting to truly understand, as if a light bulb went on and he's thinking, "Oh, so that's what these silly hand motions are for! Mommy and Daddy don't just do them to make me giggle, they actually mean something!"

Besides the increased sign language, he's really showing a desire to speak and learn to say words. He has had mama, dada, ball, hi, baby, and water mastered for a while (or at least that's what we know he's saying). With John's parents in town he has also gotten quite good at nana and papa.

This last week he seemed to have a vocabulary explosion, associating his new-found vocal sounds with bath, bubble, spoon, moose, bear, shoe, eye, dirty, stop, book, balloon ("boon"), blueberry, potty, cracker, car, buddy, up and down.

Of course, none of this compared to bedtime when John asked for a hug and a kiss. He said to Joey, "I love you, buddy." And Joey leaned in, touching his forehead to John's, and replied in his precious voice: "Yah yoo."

And yes, I cried.

Book review: What's Age Got To Do With It?

When I saw the cover of What's Age Got To Do With It? by Robin McGraw, I thought it was aimed at my mother’s generation, but certainly not for me, in my early 30’s. But then I saw Robin interviewed on a news show. Something she said stayed with me: “I realized that it doesn’t make you a better wife or parent if you’re sacrificing everything—including your health, soul and spirit—for your family.”

Her encouragement was what I’ve needed in my rekindled desire to take as good care of myself as I do of my family. With two young children to care for, it’s easy to use all my time and energy in caring for them, putting myself on the back burner. I haven’t made my own well-being a priority in recent years, but Robin’s words gave me motivation for doing what my conscience had already started prompting me to do.

She balances personal experience with professional advice on each topic. I found good information from the areas of fitness, food, skin and hormones. Probably due to my age, I didn’t relate quite so much in her chapters on hair, beauty, and fashion.

My overall gain: if I don’t put my health and well-being first, no one else will.