Wordless Wednesday

The B-I-B-L-E, Yes That's The Book For Me

Each year our church presents rising third graders with their very own Bible. I know it's a tradition at most Methodist churches around here and in fact, I was presented with my own Bible back when I was a wee 3rd grader (many, many moons ago).

Each year I watch the proud kids receive their very own copy of God's word. This year, it was our family's turn. I still sometimes have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Anastasia is in 3rd grade!

She was so excited about this milestone in her Christian life. On Sunday, Anastasia stood with her friends in front of the congregation and was presented with her Bible. Some of our family stayed over from Allie's party the day before so they could be on hand to share this moment with Anastasia. After the presentation was over, she and one of her good friends spent the rest of the service exploring it with new eyes. They've been reading the Bible for several years now, but there's something different about being handed a Bible with YOUR name imprinted on the front. I think that even at 8 (almost 9) years old they realize the significance of our church family giving them such a precious gift.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Birthday Pictures...finally.....

So inquiring minds have been wanting to know why there weren't many pictures posted from Allie's party on Saturday. The truth? My camera broke. More specifically, the lens is broken....so I borrowed one and to be honest, the pictures weren't that great. But through some birthday miracle, it started taking pictures again on Monday. I didn't get a single shot of her in her adorable birthday outfit on Saturday, so I made up for lost time yesterday afternoon. She was in a playful mood and we got some fun shots. What a ham she is when a camera is clicking away in front of her!

Allie: The Retrospective

4:41 p.m. on Sept 10, 2009

4:41 p.m. on Sept. 10, 2010

4:41 p.m. on Sept 10, 2011

4:41 p.m. on Sept 10, 2012

Happy Birthday Allie!

Today is Allie's 3rd Birthday. We had a party over the weekend with our dear family and friends. It was a wonderful celebration at our home with those who mean the most to us and who have really supported us over the years. She got so many wonderful things!

Today she took some treats to school so she could celebrate with her friends there. I'll be sure and post her picture this afternoon with the clock (taken at the time of her birth). I still can't get over that she's three!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Fall is still a few weeks off but she gave us a fabulous sneak peek today. We celebrated with a lovely afternoon walk...and some shadow play.

Fresh Flowers

I love fresh flowers. There's just something about the way they brighten a room and bring the outdoors in. Yesterday I made a run to Trader Joe's and picked up an inexpensive bouquet. It was enough flowers for two vases!

Wordless Wednesday

Leave Me The Birds and the Bees

Joni Mitchell was totally right. Spots on my apples are definitely the way to go.

Our church has a "Hunger Helper" market where members of our congregation share of their talents and gifts. It's everything from fresh basked bread to crafts to jams and jellies. The market is set up in the breezeway each week during the summer and the money helps fund our church's soup kitchen ministry. We recently snagged some locally grown apples. I noticed the spots immediately and smiled. I've been singing Joni Mitchell ever since. And I may be biased, but there is nothing like the taste of an apple grown in the orchards of our area.

Mantle Makeover

We moved into our home six years ago this summer and while we've made some big changes over the years, there are some spots that look exactly as they did the day we moved in. Last week I looked at the fireplace in our living room with fresh eyes. I realized how old and tired it looked (kinda like me...). A makeover was definitely in order.

I can't show you the before picture. I was so busy getting out with the old and in with the new that I forgot to take a shot before I made the changes. The fireplace itself had gas logs in it, despite not actually having gas to the area. It also had these fern thingys on top of the logs....which you can see in this picture from Christmas.

I was on a mission to update the area and went to several stores before I found what I wanted. I got some cute details...and more importantly....new art. We've never really bought anything for the walls of our home. Most of what's hanging up is hand-me-downs from my parents or grandparents. The new items have made a huge difference and we really love the look and feel of our living room now. Although, the kids are under strict orders not to place their crap belongings on the mantle. I told them there was a force field up there and anything that was placed on the mantle would be directly sucked into the trash can. So far it's working....

I really love the little owl. And he matches the green vase I already had.

The basket holding our blankets was actually made by my great aunt!

Allie and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Allie recently moved up to a new class for Sunday School. She is now out of the nursery and in an actual class where they do a Bible lesson each Sunday. Now don't get me wrong, there's a healthy dose of playtime and snacking as well, but there's also a curriculum geared towards toddlers.

Jamie and I like to ask Allie what she learned when we pick her up after church. Yesterday we were loading her into her carseat for the ride home and we asked her to fill everyone in on her lesson. She proudly held up a picture she had created as a part of it.

The lesson from Genesis was on Joseph and the coat he was given by his father, Jacob. As you may remember, that coat was a point of contention between Joseph's brothers. Allie's interpretation of the story was awesome. I really should start recording these things, because there is no way I can do it justice. She completely understood the story though. "Joseph's fwends were vewy angry with him. They didn't get a coat and they were jealous."

I'm incredibly thankful for the amazing teachers who can help even my three-year-old understand the lesson behind a Bible story. That is a gift and talent not everyone possesses and I'm sure glad we have such awesome folks at our church!

Olive's First Birthday

My cousin Jamie (also known as "Girl Jamie" in these parts so as to differentiate from my husband "Boy Jamie") has two awesome kiddos. Her youngest, Olive, turned one this week. Jamie is a AMAZING photographer and she snapped some pictures of the birthday girl for her big day. You really should check them out. They are some of the most beautiful photos I've ever seen!

No first birthday would be complete without a huge bash, and we were fortunate enough to be able to attend Olive's birthday party last night. My parents actually rented a minivan so we could all ride together down for the event!

The party was at a beautiful park on the water down in Chattanooga. My cousin went all out. She's so darn crafty in a way I will never be! It was a lovely evening and I'm grateful we were able to be a part of the celebration! My pictures are so-so....I suggest you check out Jamie's blog for a much better view of the party.

Cute party details!

Granddad and Allie throw rocks in the water

Birthday girl in an outfit made by her momma

Ainsley gets silly in the basket

It's Football Time in Tennessee

Okay, technically tonight's game is in Georgia, but Big Orange Country is more than ready for football season.

Of course Allie went to school today dressed in her Big Orange best. Go Vols!

Baby Shower Surprise

My sister's dear, sweet co-workers threw her a surprise baby shower yesterday morning and they were gracious enough to invite our family as well. I picked Allie up from school early and we crept around the church before ducking into the conference room. Trying to keep Allie from shouting was quite a task! She was keyed up and excited!

The shower was so much fun. I clearly have known for years how great my sister is, but it was fun to see how much her co-workers love and appreciate her. They got her so many wonderful gifts!

My favorite part of the shower was when Allie took her gift over to Anna. "It's socks!" she shouted. So much for surprises.....

Here are some pictures from the shower....

Aren't these awesome?!?! I wish I was this creative!

Allie and Anna

They got so many wonderful books!

Allie helped Uncle Chris test out the baby's bath toys

Getting Ready for The Mouse

I get a little silly in the head when it comes to planning a trip to Disney World. I personally blame it on all those years of repressing my Disney feelings since I never set foot in the House of Mouse until I was almost 15 years old. Trust me, a 15 year old going ga-ga over princesses and a mouse is not cute.

Caroline and Mickey circa Summer of 1995

See what I mean? Not pretty at all. For crying out loud I'm wearing a fanny pack! But I digress. This week we've been trying to get our ducks in a row for our trip in January. I follow Disney on Facebook/Twitter/etc so I saw a recent blog post that many of the new Fantasyland attractions will be open when we arrive. This news thrilled my girls and as if riding a new Ariel ride wasn't enough, they also saw the artist's rendering of how the new meet-and-greet for Ariel will look. To say they were pumped is an understatement. Of course their enthusiasm was fueled by a mother who can't get enough Disney.

I'm getting started on my marathon training (more on that in the coming weeks...) and recently Disney released the new medal. It's quite a looker. 

We're still trying to decide where we are staying, but we have made dinner reservations at a few of our favorite spots.  We're hoping to get in at the new Beauty & the Beast Restaurant but from the sound of it, that's already booked. It may take some serious Disney magic to make that happen!

Wordless Wednesday

A Matter of Perspective

Allie and I were running some errands today and I caught a glimpse of the mountains. "What a crappy view," I thought to myself. It's extremely hot and hazy today, you can barely see the Smokies at all.

Moments later Allie was singing and then looked out her window. "Look at those beautiful mountains! They so pretty."

She reminds me that children so often see through the haze of everyday life and find beauty where we adults seldom see it. Take a moment today to look around you and experience the beauty of this day. It may seem mundane and ordinary, but I assure you it is nothing less than spectacular.

Birthday Preps

Jamie and I have a perfect partnership. I'm really good at ideas....and he's really good at executing them. We make a great team that way. So when I saw this cake on Pinterest, I knew we could make it happen.

I am a bit of a planner-type (MASSIVE understatement) so I wanted a trial run of the cake before Allie's actual birthday weekend. We tried it on Sunday and it was perfect. Jamie executed the design flawlessly.

We iced it and have been enjoying our "practice cake." I will NOT be covering the cake in 3,412 M&Ms as the one on Pinterest indicates. Allie's will just have icing and sprinkles she picked out at Kroger. Total cost of our awesome cake? Around $5!!!!

Practical Jokes

Look at my beautiful, angelic oldest child. That's her holding and feeding my cousin's son over the weekend. She looks so sweet and kind. So loving and helpful.

I would like to point out that the very same child in the above photograph also played a practical joke on me this morning. I went to get dressed for work only to find not one, but TWO plastic spiders in the toes of my socks.

Looks like a certain third grader will be getting peanut butter and mayo this week.....or maybe I should opt for the hand full of shaving cream. And there's the always classic toothpaste in the ears. Someone might want to inform her she's messed with the wrong mama.

Noisy Nuisance

Anastasia: "Allie, you are too loud. PLEASE be quiet."

Allie: "I'm Allie because I'm LOUD!!!!!!"

Weekend Wonderfulness

I realize that it is only Sunday morning and, as my kids pointed out, the weekend is not over but we have had a fabulous one so far.

We traveled to Chattanooga right after school on Friday to spend a few days with family. Our first stop was my aunt and uncle's house. They graciously invited ALL of the family over for an evening swim despite the fact they were hosting Anna's baby shower the next day. Which explains why I was on my hands and knees with paper towels mopping up water spots my kids left on the floor when they traipsed inside for the bathroom.

Once the sun set on our swimming we drove up to spend the night with my grandparents. I'm so thankful my girls are able to visit them and really know them. We stayed up late talking and waiting for my uncle and grandfather to get home from a football game. Allie was of course up early and eager to get the day started. There are so many cool toys to play with at my grandparents' house and she made use of pretty much all of them, even some she probably shouldn't have.

I went for a nice run before pretty much anyone else in the town was awake. It was, as always, restorative and cleansing. After everyone had their showers we went down to Signal Point. I've been going there since I was a baby so it is fun to share that spot with my girls now.

After lunch it was time for the baby shower for Anna. It was so nice to have everyone there. Aunts, great aunts, cousins, babies, toddlers, in-laws and outlaws. It was a loud and rowdy crowd to say the least!

Allie had picked out a special gift for Baby L (can't remember if I'm allowed to shared his name...) a cute elephant toy she found at Target.

Anna got so many wonderful gifts and enough gift cards to purchase the bedding for the baby's crib. She still has several more showers including the football-themed one I'm helping throw her at the end of September. I can't wait!

It was such a great weekend. It was one of those where nothing monumental happened, but just lots of little moments that added up to something really special. I'm thankful for each and every one of them...and I do not take them for granted.

Almost Three Years Old

I'm getting ready to make the appointment for Allie's three-year checkup. Three years, that's kind of hard to process. She's seriously at such a fun age right now. I wish I could bottle this up and save it for her teen years when she's texting some boy and rolling her eyes at me.

But I will settle for cherishing the now. The now where she still says, "Mom, I NEED you!" a million times a day. When she wants to be held, she raises her arms and says, "I hold you." I love that.

She can recite her alphabet, even those tricky L-M-N-O-P letters in the middle. She can count well beyond 15 and often beyond 20 when no one is forcing her to do it.

Each day for naptime, we crawl in her bunk bed and sing songs. She still loves Away in a Manger, Feed the Birds from Mary Poppins, and Edelweiss from The Sound of Music. I tell stories about Princess Allie and her adventures. These tales usually involve sleepovers, balloons, and various characters from My Little Pony.

She loves books, especially those Seek and Find ones. She knows where all the objects are now, but she still loves to hunt for them. She's still a huge fan of Sandra Boynton, and can now read all of Blue Hat, Green Hat on her own.

She asks to go to Disney World on a weekly basis. She knows directions better than most adults and has a mind like a steel trap. We drove into a parking lot last week that we hadn't been in for more than three months. She piped up and said, "We going to ballet?" She totally recognized the lot as the place where we parked to take her sisters to ballet class.

She hates veggies and loves fruit. She's eaten blueberries all summer long. She's addicted to fruit snacks and has to have a cup of milk nearby at all times. She's a mimic which means you have to watch what you say.

I love when other people recognize what a cool kid she is. Her teacher recently wrote that she has a strong vocabulary and a creative imagination. I didn't know whether to be proud or scared! Ha! Today the note from her teacher read "She has excellent manners. Everything was yes ma'am and no ma'am. Very sweet and very respectful. You would be proud." I am proud...but I didn't need a note to tell me so. I'm already very proud of her and the little person she is becoming. I'm looking forward to celebrating her first three years on the planet and dreaming of all the ways she continue to grow and learn over the coming years.

Wordless Wednesday

32 Miles for 32 Years

Yesterday my dear friend Mary turned 32 year old. To celebrate this milestone (and yes...when you're fighting cancer EVERY birthday is a milestone) she set out to run 32 miles. She Tweeted her plans on Monday and I told her I'd like to join her for *some* of her run. People like to think runners are crazy. Especially runners who choose to run 32 miles...just for the heck of it. But I didn't see Mary's run as insane, I saw it as inspiring. A testament to everything she is as a runner and as a person.

I've talked about Mary's influence on my running career before. Without her, I would never have run a marathon. It just never would have occurred to me that *I* could actually do it. Thanks in large part to Mary I've not only done it once, but five times. Mary challenges me to look at running differently because it never occurs to her that she couldn't/shouldn't do a marathon or particular event. She's even run a 50-mile race. In. One. Day.

I called Mary after work on Tuesday and asked where I could meet her. She was criss-crossing town on the greenway system so it was easy to pick a spot to join her. When I laced up my shoes and hit the pavement, there was a another runner with Mary as well. It was the amazing Kathy Wolski, although amazing doesn't quite cut it. Kathy has won the Knoxville Marathon THREE times. To say I was intimidated is a massive understatement. I mean, just last Saturday I watched her cruise to a victory at the Butterfly Fund 5k in a time of 18:43. And there I was...sandwiched between Mary and Kathy...running like I even dared to belong among them. But that's the thing about Mary. She's so humble and encouraging. She can make a slow slug like me feel like an Olympian.

So while Mary thanked me for supporting and encouraging her as she did her 32 mile birthday run, it is me who is truly grateful for the miles I was able to share with such an amazing person on her special day. Plus it's pretty cool to see someone kick cancer's ass. The disease may have won a few battles against Mary over the last few years, but it sure as heck isn't winning this war.

August Book Update #1

We are well over half-way through August and I've only one book to show for it so far. This has been a crazy month, one that involved perhaps my biggest work project of the year and considering how much of my life it consumed, it's a miracle I was able to finish a book at all.

When I was at my parents' house recently I came across a set of Jan Caron's Mitford books. I grabbed the lot of them and took them home. So far, I've read the first one. When I started the book, I felt about 25 years too young to be reading it. But then when I really got down to the meat of it, I found the book suited me perfectly. I'm a sucker for a story set in the south and being the daughter of a pastor, this book appealed to me all the more. Father Tim's adventures with his parishioners made for such an entertaining read. But it wasn't all fluff. At many points throughout the novel, Caron delves into faith and its role in our lives. I found it to be a very satisfying read and I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Going Out on a Limb

You just never know where parenting will take you. Today, it took me up a 15 foot ladder in the backyard to fish two sets of penguins (seriously...don't ask) that my children had tossed up there. "For fun," I'm told. Despite the careless disregard for the safety of said penguins, these are valued pieces of plastic merchandise. The girls earned them when they their parents sold coupon books for the recent school fundraiser. And there they were in their resplendent glory, at the tippy top of a tree. 

Anastasia held the ladder (not my brightest idea in retrospect) and I climbed up with a hanger to fetch the string of penguins. Set #1 was obtained easily....if you can count teetering on a ladder while clutching a wire hanger and being eaten alive easy. Oh? Did I forget to mention the flesh-sucking insects? How silly of me. Yes, there were mosquitoes galore out there this afternoon. Set #2 proved more problematic as the ground was too uneven for the ladder. Please don't ask how I figured that out. 

Thankfully last night's rain shower knocked loose a HUGE branch that was long enough to reach the missing waterfowl. I plucked them to safety amidst the thunderous applause of my children...oh wait, that was just the mosquitoes going in for the kill.

All was well so I returned the ladder to the garage (while knocking a small hole in the wall..awesome) and went inside to tend my wounds only to have my oldest child look at me sheepishly and say, "Mom, I sort of did it again." Now they're just going to have to wait for their dad!

The 50, Nifty United States

Ainsley: "My 5th favorite state is Illinois."

Me: "What are the first four?"

Ainsley: "Hawaii is number one, then London....(seeing a Pennsylvania license plate...) Pennsylvania is next and then South Carolina."

Butterfly Fund 5k

My coworker B lost his young daughter, Emily, to cancer four years ago this summer. B's family and another local couple who lost their own daughter just a month after Emily have started a fund in their memory. The fund is doing great work. Tangible work you can see in places like East Tennessee Children's Hospital.

Yesterday the Butterfly Fund held its annual 5k. My friend Sarah was in town to help me celebrate my birthday, so she joined Anastasia, Ainsley and I at the event. We volunteered at the post-race water station. My girls took it upon themselves as a life mission. They worked so hard to make sure each runner and walker had a bottle of water in their hand about 4 seconds after they crossed the finish line.

It was a beautiful morning and I'm glad we were able to be there to support B's family. They've been through so much over the last four years and I remember all too well that helpless feeling that crept in when Emily died. This was a concrete way for us to reach out and show that Emily has not been forgotten. Her life mattered and it still matters today.