Weekend Dessert

I love cake (certain types only, though). I love ice cream even more. This weekend was like a slice of really yummy cake, or a big bowl of my favorite ice cream. It was really completely ordinary, but to me was jam-packed full of sweetness. Delicious and satisfying with every bite!

My day Saturday was completely consumed by getting my digital scrapbooking supplies organized and safely backed up onto a flash drive. Have I mentioned how much I love photography, my pictures, and the creative process of scrapbooking? I. Love. It. I can't imagine a more wonderful lazy-Saturday activity! Well, the beach is wonderful too, but I don't have a beach here. I digress... Anyway, I created a couple of digital pages, scanned a bunch of older pages, and created two digital fonts of my handwriting so I can use my handwriting in my kids' digital scrapbooks! How cool is that? We ate Chinese food for lunch, and ate leftover Chinese food for dinner. It was lovely! In the evening, Snapper played basketball with the neighbor kids at the end of our cul-de-sac, and Matt and I pushed Pepper on the tire swing in our front yard. I had fun with my camera at this point. Here are a few of my favorites.

Pepper--normally timid--is fearless on this swing. He loves it and would willingly swing for an hour, I think.

Yes, he really is as high up there as it looks. At this point he's a good 15-20 feet in the air!

Okay, how sweet is this? Matt is a wonderful daddy.

Underdoggies!!!

The toothless wonder. This shot is the essence of being 6!

Today we went to church, where my pastor preached a message that really made me think. It was convicting, too. I won't fill this post with my thoughts on the message right now. I'm not in the mood to write anything deep. Maybe I'll post about that later this week. After church Debbie treated us to Mexican food at our favorite Mexican restaurant here in town. I had Pollo Adobe...chicken with a cream sauce and fresh, steamed spinach. Can we say YUM!?! We came home from church, and I took my customary post in front of the television for my favorite television event of the week: NASCAR! While I watched the race, I worked on crocheting the blanket I'm making for my soon-to-arrive niece, Giana. Baby is due tomorrow, and blanket still has about 3 hours of work left to do. The race was a particularly exciting one, made completely sweet by victory for my favorite driver, Jimmie Johnson! This evening was community group. We meet every Sunday evening with 3 other couples and 3 single ladies from our church. We have dinner together, talk about various things (we usually get pretty deep), and pray together. I love these people so much, and look forward to Sunday nights. Now we're home, and I'm listening to Matt doing his nightly devotion time with Snapper and Pepper. Have I mentioned how much I cherish his spiritual leadership? How priceless to have a husband who is actively involved in the spiritual development of our family! Blessed.

The frosting on my weekend was a little situation we encountered on the way home from community group tonight. Snapper was talking about needing a shower when we got home. Here's how the conversation went.

Snapper: "I really need a shower when we get home. I'm all sweaty and gross."
Me: "That sounds good. I'm glad you like to be clean."
Matt: "Please take your shower in Debbie's bathroom. If you're going to be taking showers instead of baths, you need to use that bathroom."
Snapper: "But I like your shower. It's a better shower. I don't want to use Deb-Deb's shower."
(note: Our shower is a tiny box shower. Debbie's shower is a regular bathtub/shower combo)
Me: "Debbie's shower is so much bigger than ours. You'll have more room to move in her shower.
(complete silence from the back seat)
Snapper: (in a thoroughly disgusted tone of voice) "I DON'T POOP IN THE SHOWER!!!"
(Matt and I erupt into laughter...and laugh...and laugh...and laugh).
Snapper: "What? Why are you laughing? You aren't supposed to poop in the shower!"
Me: (words choked out between spasms of laughter) "I'm very glad you don't poop in the shower!"
Matt: "Snapper, Mommy said there is more room to MOVE in the shower, not more room to POOP in the shower!"
Snapper: (dissolves into giggles): "OHHHHHH!!!" I thought she said there was more room to poop in the shower!"

We laughed together the rest of the way home. In fact, I'm still chuckling. Matt and I knew by the tone of Snapper's voice that she genuinely mis-heard me. There was nothing contrived about that statement. Oh, was it funny! Yup, definitely the frosting...or the whipped cream and cherry if you prefer...to top off a great weekend!

Wishin'...and Hopin'...and Sneezin'...and Itchin'!

We've had an action-packed 5 days. Pretty ordinary really, but it's my life and I like it. Here's a list--in no particular order--of some of the events of the last 5 days.

Both kids got to go to birthday parties, which means I got to eat cake! And oh, was it yummy!

Helped host a baby shower, for which I made cupcakes. I used my friend Taya's delicious buttercream frosting recipe. And oh, was it yummy!

Saw lots of pollen. Sneezed a lot. Took Benadryl. Slept like a rock and was hung over until noon the next day.

NASCAR proved to be, once again, very entertaining. Even though none of my favorite drivers, or my fantasy team drivers, finished in the top 15, I still enjoyed the race. Can we say crazy wreckage?

Thoroughly enjoyed a great Sunday evening with our awesome community group from church! We're looking forward to taking this Sunday morning off from our regular church activities and going out and serving in our community. More to come on that!

Saw lots more pollen. Sneezed a lot more. And itched my eyes a whole lot.

Went grocery shopping. Took both kids. Got to buy them both candy bars because they both went the entire hour WITHOUT WHINING!!! Take note of the date...I doubt this feat will be repeated any time soon. Oh, and I saved $35 using coupons and my shopping card. That's just over 20%!!!

Played with our kittens, Pixie and Mindy. Both are girl kitties. Both are very much in love with me. They run to the laundry room door mewing at the top of their lungs whenever they see me. Pixie has discovered with joy of chasing things...string, a ball, her mommy's tail, my finger, etc. STINKIN'! CUTE!

Saw lots and lots of pollen. Bought new (non-drowsy) allergy medicine. Still sneezing. And itching.

Rejoiced in Pepper's first accident-free night in big boy underwear! Three cheers for Pepper! This is also a feat that will not likely be repeated in the near future.

Spent a day praying for the needs of our ministry and other ministries affiliated with our ministry. It was a staff-wide prayer day yesterday, and it was wonderful. There's something so powerful about praying with a large group of people who share your faith and your passion for families!

Sneezed. And sneezed. And sneezed. And itched. My medicine isn't working! And there is pollen EVERYWHERE!

Prayed for rain.

Had a very productive workday at the office. Discovered (for about the 500th time) how much I detest heels, and remembered (yet again) why I almost always wear flats.

Ate brownies and watched Idol with my friend Karon. Bliss!

Played "Sharks and Minnows" in the gym with my 3rd-4th grade Awana kids tonight. Yes. I played. The kids loved it and I had fun. And then I realized that all the pollen has done a number on my lungs, as well as my sinuses and eyes. My well-controled asthma has lost control. I spent the next 10 minutes sitting on the gym floor fighting for breath, since my inhaler was at home. It is 4 hours later, and I still can't get a deep breath. There's a catch in my chest, and my lungs are sore. Stupid pollen!

Folded tons of laundry. Have tons more to fold. It's my own fault for not doing laundry for almost 3 weeks.

Got an A- in my first grad school class!!! Considering that 94-97 is an A-, and that the final was the hardest test I've ever taken, and that I didn't know what I was doing when writing the papers, I'm pleased as punch about my A-! The only way I can explain it, though, is to assume he graded on a curve. Otherwise I would have been toast. Three cheers for me! I ate a churro at church tonight to celebrate. And oh, was it yummy!

Am eagerly awaiting the arrival of friends Frank and Tammy from California tomorrow!!!

Am delighting in the buckets of rain which are dumping on my roof right now. I think the Arkansas River will be yellow tomorrow from all the pollen the rain is washing down the storm drains!

Am officially tired and my lungs hurt. And I just sneezed again. And that hurt. I think I'll call the doctor tomorrow. I've gotten away with no allergies ever since we moved here. It has been a welcome reprieve. But sadly, it is over. Time for some testing, I think.

And that's pretty much it for now. It's after midnight, so I think I'll go to bed.

My Core

Every Thursday morning I have the cool opportunity to meet with a group of fantastic ladies at my church. In the past 3 years, we've been through a lot together. We've done several Bible studies by different authors. We've laughed together. Cried together. Shared our hearts and lives with each other. I look forward to Thursday mornings because they are a time when we speak truth into each other's lives, knowing that everything said is said by people who love each other. We've had so many great discussions. So many opportunities to talk through issues that are troubling to us. Times to bounce ideas off each other. To get feedback. Times of comfort and encouragement. Did I mention lots and lots of laughter?

This morning was no exception. Our group was very small today, which made for a more intimate time of conversation and prayer. I come home feeling so satisfied. I'm infused with the truth of God's Word. I'm built up by girls who love me. I've spoken more than 2 sentences in a row that don't contain the words Mommy, NO, come here, obey, don't do that, and are you listening. Ha ha!

These ladies are my core group. So if you are reading this...Pam, Jacqueline, Lannece, Steph, Kelli, Leah, Lauren, Kathy, Ruth Ann, Jenny...I love you. Carol and Alicia, I miss you. You are my "girls." Thanks for loving me despite my uglies. Thanks for doing life with me, and for being the ones I can count on to tell me as it is, and to build me up. You guys are the best!

Just What I Needed!

While we were on the road the last 2 months, I really missed our daily routine and the comfort of home. Now that we've been home for a few weeks and are back in the routine, I began to feel just a tiny bit restless--ready for some good fun. This was a weekend of good fun.

Friday night the staff ladies of our church hosted a lock-in for the church ladies. Good food. Good friends. Well-planned activities. Laughter in great abundance. Sweet conversations. Hardly any sleep...and totally worth it! I have not laughed that much in a very long time. When I first arrived, I was hit by a wave of sadness and lonliness for my Arkansas best bud Carol who moved to Tennessee last month. But that lonliness soon passed, and I had the most fantastic evening. Thanks, staff ladies! We need to do that more often!

I crawled into my bed at home at 7:45 on Saturday morning and enjoyed some dozing and cuddling with my sweet hubby for an hour before getting up to face the day. The kids slept until 8:30, then joined us in our bed for a while. I soak up those Saturday morning cuddles with them. I remember cuddling in bed with my parents, and it is a memory that makes me feel all warm inside. I hope in years to come that Snapper and Pepper have those same warm memories. Once we were up and at 'em, it was project time. The weather was a balmy 74 degrees with a light breeze. I opened the garage door, cranked up my new 90's playlist on my iPod, and spent just about the whole day priming my kitchen cabinet doors. Matt stationed himself on the front porch with his tile saw, and cut all the tile for the living room entryway, fireplace hearth, and downstairs bathroom. Snapper and Pepper played together beautifully all day. Their activities included: Jumping on the trampoline, building cities in our two sandboxes, digging in the dirt, playing Star Wars (stick light sabers), doing gymnastics on our new tumbling mat, decorating our driveway with sidewalk chalk, riding bikes and scooters in the cul-de-sac (yes, Snapper actually rode her bike ALL BY HERSELF), and eating pickles on the front porch. I only had to break up one argument all day. I think that's a record!

When it got dark, we closed up shop. Matt completed the entryway and hearth tile! He ran out of tile before he could finish the bathroom. I finished priming all 19 cabinet doors. All that's left for me is the final coat of paint, putting on the new hardware, and hanging the doors back up. We brought the kids in, and saw for the first time how absolutely FILTHY they were. I don't think I have ever seen Snapper that dirty! And wouldn't you know it, Matt had them in the tub before I could get pictures of them! We put in some bubble bath and ran the jets to create a mountain of bubbles. They were so cute with only their faces poking out of the middle of the mound! And wouldn't you know it, the battery on my camera was dead! Stink! You'll just have to use your imagination to picture them. Seriously though, it was adorable.

Matt made dinner (steaks with savory mushroom sauce and garlic couscous) while I scrubbed the kids. I finally got the sharpie art off Pepper's arms and face. Hee hee! When the bubbles finally dissolved, I was horrified at the BLACK water and the layer of silt at the bottom of the tub. Oh gross! So I put Snapper in the shower, drained and rinsed the tub, and washed Jackson again.

After bundling the clean, sweet-smelling kids into their jammies, we all enjoyed a tasty dinner together. We played tennis on the Wii for a while before tucking two tired kids into bed. Then Matt and I played on the Wii for another 2 hours before we finally crashed. It was an almost perfect day. The only thing that would have made it perfect was if the ice cream man would have come down our street. We heard him in our neighborhood all afternoon, saw him on the next street over, and had our money all ready. What better way to celebrate the first warm day of the year than to buy ice cream from the ice cream man (is this magical for anyone else?)! But alas, he decided not to come down our street. Snapper was so sad. She sat on the front steps and watched for him through her binoculars for a half an hour. Sad!

So I had to blog about our weekend because it is a weekend I want preserved forever in my memory...just a good ol' special, fun day. I'm home from church this morning. Something I ate yesterday does not like my guts today. And Pepper has a lovely seal cough...he always gets croup when there's a major shift in the weather pattern. We're looking forward to a relaxing afternoon--garlic artichoke parmesan dip and a good NASCAR race. Ah yes, my restlessness is gone. This weekend is just what I needed!

Another Step

Each year that passes pushes Snapper to take bigger steps into the world of big kids. Tonight she took yet another step...this time onto the stage. She has begun Children's Theater at church! She came bouncing home with a cd of the music she'll be learning for the Christmas musical the kids will be doing. She's super excited, and hoping to land a speaking part. I have warned her not to get her hopes up, since this is her first musical. I do know that when the time comes, my little diva will light up the stage. After all, she has been performing since the moment she made her appearance into the world almost 6 years ago! Watch out Hollywood! Here comes Snapper!

Wii!

The Wii is a wonderful invention! It provides hours of family fun, and some good exercise, too. We really want one. But that's not the Wii I'm talking about.

Today there was a special event at church called Wii. It was a one-day conference of sorts with the purposes of
1. Educating our church about the goals of our children's ministry
2. Inspiring people to use their gifts and abilities to make a difference in the lives of children
3. Connecting people with service opportunities in children's ministry.
We used the concept of the Nintendo Wii as a platform for this conference.

We had a fantastic turnout, with over 60 people in attendance! Matt did some drama. I ran all the tech stuff. Our children's pastor did a fantastic job communicating our church's children's ministry goals. She has such a great heart for God and for the kids, and has made tremendous strides in the last 2 years in making our children's ministry a place for kids to belong, a place where they regularly experience God's love for them. The overall goal is to effectively develop children who are fully-devoted followers of Christ, and to help them understand their place in the body of Christ.

A big highlight of the day was the inspiring message by Keith Jackson, a former player for the Philadelphia Eagles. He now runs an after-school program to help at-risk high school students in Little Rock to bring up their grades, graduate high school, and go to college. He talked about the keys to the success of the program, and reminded us all that with God, all things are possible. I was challenged by what Keith had to say. If all things are possible with God, what is it that He wants me to do for Him? I know one thing for sure: it will be immeasurably more than anything I could ask for or imagine. It definitely got me thinking, and I guarantee you that I'll be spending more time listening to God, rather than just talking to Him. I want what He wants for me.

Thanks, Stephanie, for taking your vision for today and running with it. I'm going into this year of children's ministry with much clearer purpose, focus, and goals. I know it's going to be a great year, because God is moving in the midst of it. You are one of my heroes.

Awana is Starting!!!

When I was in elementary school, one early-September constant was the start of Awana. If you are not familiar with Awana, it is a program for children age 3 through 6th grade (some churches extend it through 12th grade). Kids in the program memorize Bible verses, hear Bible stories and practical Bible lessons, learn how to use their Bibles, play games, and build relationships with their leaders. A child who stays in the program from kindergarten through 6th grade will memorize over 600 verses.

I remember my Awana days vividly. Each Tuesday night we would make the trek to a church in Felton, CA, for the best evening of my week. I loved the nights I got to carry the flag in the opening ceremony. I loved the fun, interactive lessons from Mrs. Tanner or Mr. and Mrs. Brush. I loved the one-on-one time with my small group leader, Mrs. Dangers. I loved the theme nights, the boys-against-girls fundraisers we had for Awana clubs in other countries, the Awana Grand Prix, the Awana Olympics, the awards, and the time with my friends. Most of all, I loved the half hour of high-paced, fiercely competitive Awana games. I remember the smell of the church, the faces of my fellow clubbers, even the sound of my leader's voice. The lessons I learned during my 7 years of Awana have stuck with me through the years. So many times I have been thankful for the deep bank of Scripture in my memory. So many times as a high schooler and young adult, I determined that my kids would one day go through Awana, too.

And now here we are. Snapper is in her 3rd year of Awana, a Spark in the Hiker rank. Pepper is starting his first year of Awana in the new Puggles program for 2-year-olds. And I am the director of Truth & Training, the 3rd-6th grade club. Tonight was our directors' planning meeting, and I am so excited for this club year! I'm anticipating around 20 3rd-6th graders in T&T, and I have a wonderful year planned for them. I use fun incentives to encourage them to stay ahead of the pace necessary to complete their handbooks. I love to get in there and play with them at game time. And this year, Matt is going to be doing the teaching. He's putting a lot of thought, effort, and energy into the lessons, and I know they will be wonderful. I will post photos and updates in a few weeks, once our year gets rolling. Registration is a week from tonight. Our first club night is on my birthday, September 3rd. What a fun way to celebrate, spending time with the coolest bunch of kids in the world!

Church Camp Adventures

When I was a kid, my parents never let me go to camp, even though I desperately wanted to. I went to VBS, but that doesn't count. My first camp experience was Horsemanship Camp at Monte Vista Christian School when I was 13. But that was day camp, so it doesn't really count, either. Granted, I did get to do some cool stuff, like travel by myself to Colorado and Wyoming to visit friend when I was 12, and to Spokane to visit the Bertholics with my sister when I was 14. My first real, overnight camp experience wasn't until I went to 4-H camp when I was 16. I still look back on that week as one of the best weeks of my life. I packed in every possible activity I could. I hiked, swam, hung out with friends, did arts and crafts, helped lead the evening campfire times, played capture the flag, flirted with the cute boys, and played pranks to my heart's content. Ah, what a great week! It was with those fond memories in mind that I joined the 3rd-6th graders from our church for 5 days at church camp. The week definitely had its low points: high heat and thick humidity; mediochre cafeteria food; gigantic bugs; a cranky Pepper in the afternoons; no childcare at naptime; homesick kiddos; flu-sick kiddos; a basketball to the back of the head; and worst of all, the camp director getting run over by his minivan, breaking his foot and seriously damaging the ligaments in his hip. But the low points were few and far between. For the most part, camp lived up to my expectations, and my kids and I had a fantastic time! I'll resort to my old favorite--a top 10 list--to share my favorite moments of my few days at camp.

10. Watching Snapper and Pepper light up with excitement over our "cannon" (cabin). While it reeked of mildew, at least it was air conditioned, had a clean bath/shower, and comfy beds. The setting was beautiful, too.




9. Eating giant dill pickes and snow cones from the snack shack

8. Sharing a great conversation with a group of 6th grade girls about boys, dating, and the value of waiting to start dating until you are old enough for dating to not be pointless.




7. Walking with Snapper in the dark, watching the fireflies, and talking about what she learned in her classes. If you ever get a chance, ask Snapper about the children of Israel.




6. Playing water games in the rec field with a group of our girls. I got soaked from head to toe, got all hot, sweaty, and sticky, laughed until I hurt, and totally connected with my girls.

5. Helping Matt teach the lessons to 24 kids every morning. This included setting up our pavillion, assisting him with games, answering questions, and hanging with the kids. I love to work with my very gifted and wonderful husband. We make a fantastic team!




4. Eating peanut butter sandwiches in the cafeteria without thinking twice about the nutritional flaws of peanut butter and white bread.

3. Dancing, laughing, and singing like crazy during the chapel times...and watching the kids get into it because I was! Then watching them dig into the Word of God, discovering new things about His love for them.




2. Spending extended periods of time with Sydney and John Wesley, two of the coolest kids in the world ever! (Sorry, JW, I didn't get a great picture of you this week!)




1. By far the #1 moment for me at camp was getting to pray with a 4th grader named Rachel as she asked Jesus to be her forever friend. I walked her through God's plan of salvation in the Bible, and then shared with her Romans 8:38-39: "For I am convinced the neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." I wrote that verse on the back of her nametag, and her face lit up when I substituted her name into that verse and told her it was God's promise just for her. That is what it's all about! It was a great 3 days.

A-Camping We Shall Go

Tomorrow morning our family is embarking on a great adventure--we're going to church camp with the 3rd-6th graders from our church. Matt is packing his suitcase with everything he will need to be the boys' counselor in a cabin full of stinky, little boys. Lucky Matt! The kids and I will be staying in a family cabin. Ours will have air conditioning! Lucky us! Snapper keeps flipping out with excitement (in true Snapper style), even though she hasn't a clue in the world what goes on at camp. Pepper could care less. He's too little to know. So we are off, very much looking forward to the time we get to hang out with the seriously awesome kids from our church. We are looking forward to swimming, playing games, singing, Bible study, and just chillin'. So adios friends, I'll be back to the world of blogging next weekend.