Eliza's litle mind

I often wonder what's going on in that little brain of hers. Much more than I would think possible for a 3 year old, I'm sure. Below is a picture she drew that she says is Daddy climbing a hill, with her and Mommy holding Davis's hands so he can walk. A metaphor perhaps for her view of life--Daddy leading the way through the uphill journey through life, with Mommy as a helper??


Nah, it's probably just something she saw on Dora.


What was going through her mind during this recent exchange?

Eliza: "Mommy, I want a baby sister."
Me: "Sorry, sweetie, we're not having any more babies. Our family is complete."
Eliza: "Well, maybe we can give Davis away and get a girl."
Me: "But who would we give Davis to?"
Eliza: (after a minute of deep thought) "How about the popsicle man?" (the ice cream truck has been making the rounds through our neighborhood)

I've laughed over this for days:
After I put on a new pair of plaid bermuda shorts, Eliza looks at me quizzically and asks,
"Mommy, why are you wearing Daddy's underpants?"

Sing it sista

Here's a link to one of my faves on the Selah CD I have listed on the side. Wow, they can sing. I love the classic hymns with bluesy sound. This whole CD just makes me want to jump up and praise the Lord and sing my lungs out.

Our first 911 and ER trip

Well, I guess it's a rite of most parents, but one I hoped would never have to happen to us. Yesterday we had quite the eventful Memorial Day. Stephen did a triathlon in the morning and we all went to cheer him on, then came home for naps for everyone and a pretty lazy day. Our original plans were to meet some friends to go swimming, but then storms came through, so we decided instead just to get together at our friends' Brent and Becky's house, along with friends Tiffany and Justin, with all our kids. Everything was going great and I was holding Davis while I fed him some watermelon; he had been woofing it for quite a while (he must have gotten his mama's watermelon-lovin' gene) when he started choking. I did a quick finger-swipe and got everything out of his mouth, but he continued choking. So I turned him over and pounded his back, but nothing came up. I wasn't in full panic mode, as I could tell his air passage wasn't totally blocked because he was able to get in a couple of gasps for air. However, he continued this horrible gagging and we could tell something was blocking his throat. By this time, Justin (a nurse anesthetist) came over and pounded his back, and said he could tell he was able to get some air through because he wasn't turning blue, but that maybe he had aspirated the watermelon. By the way, thank you to Justin for your sense of calm through everything at the time--it really did keep me from panicking. After a couple more minutes of us all pounding his back and staring helplessly at Davis while he gagged but nothing but foamy saliva came out, Brent called 911. By the time they arrived, the watermelon must have come un-lodged, because he was breathing normally, although nothing ever came out. They checked him out and said he looked fine, but that we should take him to the emergency room for a chest x-ray to make sure the watermelon was not in his lungs. Humorously enough, the pizza delivery guy arrived right after the EMT's, so we had quite a crowd. He had called a few minutes earlier saying he couldn't find the house, and Becky had told him to just look for the house with the ambulance and firetrucks and all the flashing lights.

So then we spent the next 2 hours in the emergency room of Williamson Medical. As we waited, and waited, and waited, I commented that it didn't seem very "emergency-like", as no one seemed to have any sense of urgency. I'm sure it didn't help our cause that by this point Davis was smiling and flirting with all the ladies at the reception desk. I guess I've watched too many episodes of ER, as I expected to see doctors running around pushing gurneys and people coming in with bloody limbs half attached to their bodies. But it was mainly just people sitting around. A woman did come in hopping on one foot and was being quite loud and dramatic, to which Stephen made the comment "Now there's the emergency room action you were looking for."
We finally got called back and Little Man did great for the x-ray, and everything was clear.

Many thanks to the Rutlands and Sextons for watching Eliza while we were at the hospital. It was comforting knowing she was in good hands and having fun!

Although it wasn't a life-threatening situation, it was very scary for those 4 or 5 minutes. We came away very thankful that it wasn't anything more serious, and Big D got some extra squeezes last night, and only yogurt and oatmeal for breakfast. Stephen suggested we put all his food in the food processer from now on. We'll have to see about that.

Sovereignty of God

This week I've been so saddened by the devastating news of the loss of Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter Maria Sue. I've been a huge fan of his music for years and years; he was one of the first concerts I ever attended, and it absolutely breaks my heart to think of about their family right now. Yesterday our pastor's sermon was on the sovereignty of God and how there are things that happen that we can't possibly make sense of, but we have to remember that God has it all in His hands, that he is sovereign over matters of life and death, and His timing is perfect. I know this in my head, but I must confess that it is very hard to make sense of the death of a 5-year old little girl. I just have to keep reminding myself that my little brain cannot even get close to comprehending the greatness of our God; and that somehow this all fits into His perfect plan.

Below is a video of Steven's song "Cinderella", and him talking about the story behind it. What a wonderful reminder to take the time to savor every moment with our little girls (and boys). I love the ages of my kids right now, but sometimes I find myself wishing they were bigger as being a mom right now is so mentally and physically exhausted (hauling around a 24 lb. little person can really wear you out!). This song really makes me want to savor every moment with them, though, even the tough ones. I can hardly watch it without tearing up; it's so hard to think that he had no idea at the time what the future held for his family.

Craft Obsession #2: Digital Scrapbooking

I started scrapbooking 6 or 7 years ago, and have always enjoyed the process of preserving memories while also being crafty. I love the stickers, the papers, the tools, the embellishments. But I hated the mess. Every time I wanted to scrapbook something, I'd have to get out my card table and my huge suitcase full of stuff and spread it all out; then there would be paper and picture scraps everywhere, and just a big huge mess. I got to the point where I just wanted to throw it all out the window because the mess wore me out. But then about a year ago I discovered digital scrapbooking, and it has changed my crafty life. I use the Lumapix Fotofusion software which was cheap and is very user-friendly; there are lots of different kinds out there and Photoshop is probably the most popular, but I felt like I had some kind of learning disability when I tried to use it on a free trial--- I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to do anything on it even after watching several tutorials. But the Lumapix is just right for me. Here are some things I love about scrapbooking digitally:

1.) All the FREE stuff out there on the web. You can find literally thousands of papers, stickers, embellishments, and fonts that you can download for free, and since they are digital, you can use them an unlimited number of times, unlike traditional paper that can only be used once. And the stuff you buy is really cheap too.

2.) Since it's on the computer, I can sit and work for 5 minutes if I have an extra few minutes, then go do something else, without creating any mess. Hurray!

3.) I can change things about my pages any time---nothing is permanent until I have it printed. I usually wait until printing sites have $.99 printing specials and get several 12x12 pages printed at a time.

4.) I can edit the size of my photos in any way, like cropping, zooming, etc. as I'm working to make it fit into the page design; I'm not limited to it's size like regular print.

So anyway, here are a few pages I like:

I've also delved into designing stationery and photo cards with my software too. Here is the invitation I made for Davis's family b-day party in Dyersburg (I just emailed it out---so easy!)

And here's a birth announcement I did for my friend Hanna.

So fun!!!!

Big D turns 1!!

May 15th was Little Man's birthday! It's actually strange to me that he was born only a year ago---it seems like he's always been us. It seem like a lifetime ago that I was pregnant with him, and I can hardly remember what we did before he came on to the scene. From the moment he was born, he's been smiling and moving non-stop; everyone who's met him comments on what a happy, easy baby he is, and I have to agree. He always keeps us laughing, even when he's doing things that exasperate me, like playing in the potty and climbing in the dishwasher. With Eliza, I never really understood why people have to baby-proof their houses; she never went anywhere she wasn't supposed to. With Davis, our house is now a barrage of makeshift barriers keeping him from things I never perceived as dangerous until now. I can't wait to see what God has in store for his life. So here's to you, Davis (aka Little Man, Big D, My Little Munchkin, Mr. Grabby Hands, Swiper the Fox). Happy Birthday--we love you bunches!

Here are a few of my fave pictures of him and Eliza over the past year:

My Little Ballerina

Eliza had her first ballet recital this week, and it was pretty cute. She takes at the local Y so it's not very fancy, but she enjoyed it. All the classes danced to Disney songs, and her class dressed as Tinkerbell and danced to "When you wish upon a Star". All the sequins and sparkles were really sweet and brought back memories of my own recitals. She was her normal serious self while performing; no hamming it up for her. She was all business concentrating on the moves, wanting to get everything right. Oh so like her mama.
Here she is patiently waiting for the music to start. I mean, is she precious or what???





Oh, the sparkles make me so happy!

I would normally not post a picture of myself because I generally dislike all photos of me, but I LOVE this one of her, and it's not bad of me or Stephen. Big D was in the Y childcare---hooray for free childcare!!

My hunka, hunka triathlete hubby

About a year ago Stephen started doing triathlons, something that I'm very impressed by. The way I see it, there are two types of people in the world: those that enjoy being active, and those that do not. I am definitely in the latter category; actually, I despise any type of excercise. I much prefer activities where I can sit down. The only reason I go to the Y is so I can watch 1 hour of uninterrupted daytime TV while my kids are playing in the childcare area. I walk on the treadmill and try not to watch the clock every second I'm on that dreadful thing. Stephen swears he gets a "high" after he runs, swims, or bikes. Unfortunately, I've never had that feeling. I just hate every second of it. But anyway, my dear hubby is quite the athlete and I'm very proud of him!

Below are some pics of him in action from the TriDeltathon he did on the campus of UT a few weeks ago. Doesn't he look handsome??

And yes, everyone does wear that kind of swim trunks, evidently called "jammers" in the "tri" circuit. I still make fun of him every time he puts them on. Juvenile, I know.

I love a sunny day

My favorite time of day is around dusk, especially on a warm day, when the sun is going down and it's nice and warm outside, and the lawn has just been mowed (and it's usually when Daddy gets home for the day---yeah!). I especially love this time of day at the beach. Here are some pics we took the other day of the kiddos. Please ignore Lizy's non-matching clothes. This is why I only let her pick out her own clothes on days we don't leave the house.

Etsy Love

http://www.etsy.com/ is one of my fave sites to browse when I have the time for inspiration or just a little eye candy. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's basically a marketplace for handmade goods; everything from oil paintings to hairbows. I'm determined to go there first for my Christmas shopping this year, as there is so much that is unique and affordable. Here are some of my favorite finds.

ADORABLE hair clips by Pink Owl Creations




The prettiest fridge magnets, pendants and other goodies by The Purple Pear









BEAUTIFUL hantpainted children's art by Sarah Jane's Studio


Do you have some etsy's faves? Please pass them on!

Craft obsession #1: Vintage Patterns

Ok, although I love sewing and crafts of all sorts, there are a few things that I have a bit more of an obsession with, so I thought I'd share some as posts, in no particular order. The first being vintage children's sewing patterns; I discovered them on ebay a couple of years ago, and until recently, I could only say I collect them, as I kept buying them, but had never actually sewn one for Eliza to wear. We did use one for Rosie Posie this last spring season. I LOVE the pictures on the front with the cute hairstyles, and the simple cuts of the clothes; I prefer the girls' patterns from the late 60's to early 70's, a la Brady Bunch. For our Easter egg hunt this year, I decided to actually take one of my patterns out of the package and actually sew it. The one thing I do not like about these patterns is that they only come in one size per package, so you have to alter the pattern if you want to make a different size. I pretty much guess at this part, and my project below shows that I was a little off; this pattern was a size 6, but I needed a 4, so I cut down the length and the sleeves (were supposed to be 3/4 length), but I cut too much so they turned out too short. Luckily I had a pair of pants to match so it turned out ok. I was pretty pleased with the final project:

Here are a couple of other patterns I love that I hope to make soon:

Joining the blog world....

Well, months after discovering the blog world, I'm officially joining this phenomenon. I have a few different reasons for starting my own (I love making lists):


1.) I discovered the world of crafty mom blogs and love to see other's ideas, so I thought I'd post some of my own. I first found blogs through Michael Miller Fabrics , my favorite fabric manufacturer. One of the owners of that line has a blog with a link to this adorable baby shoe pattern using their fabrics (they are actually sponsoring a contest right now for the shoes; I entered these little cuties below I made for my new niece Betsy Hart). Anyway, from there, I went from one blog to the next and made a discovery---I'm not the only craft dork out there!! This was really reassuring! I couldn't believe that there are other women out there that obsess over vintage children's sewing patterns from the late 60's to early 70's and vintage children's books. Hurray! I was at a girls' Christmas party this past year for my sunday school class, and we went around telling the worst Christmas gift we had ever received. One girl said her great aunt had made something for her (I don't remember what), but she said with her eyes rolling, "You know, she's one of those types that goes to craft fairs and thinks she can make everything she sees." Everyone chuckled, like, yeah I know that type. But I felt like I'd been socked in the stomach. That was ME. I'm one of those people. And I have to tell you, I felt like I wanted to crawl under a rock. But, upon discovering there are other people out there that actually embrace this attitude, I felt like I was no longer such a crafty loser. And there are so many people that share their ideas and I'm always inspired, so although I am quite the craft novice, I'm putting some of my creations out there, and if they inspire anyone else, great!


2.) For family and friends to see pics of my best creations---my kiddos. We have lots of family that live out of town, so I thought this would be a great way for them to keep up with Eliza and Davis. I always love to show them off!


3.) Reflection. I've been playing around with the idea of doing this for a while, but was plagued by that nagging thought of "Why would anyone care what I have to say?" But then I came across a blog of a friend I used to go to church with, and she said she had the same thoughts. But then came to the conclusion that she wasn't doing it for anyone else, she was doing it for herself, as a form of journaling. I've never been a journaler, but when I was teaching school, we had to be evaluated a few times a year. The process involved making a detailed lesson plan, teaching the lesson, and then doing a "Reflection" sheet after the lesson, where we had to think back over the class, reflect on what worked and what went well, what didn't, etc. Although it took a lot of time, I learned so much more about my teaching than on days when I just taught a lesson and moved on. I learned what worked, how to make improvements, what I would do differently. There is a lot of emphasis these days on being "intentional" in our lives; I know I'm guilty of just going through the motions of my days without being intentional about them. What did I do today to make meaningful memories with my kids? Was I intentional today about letting my husband know how much I appreciate him? What did I do today to serve those around me? Did I put other's needs before my own, which I'm so bad at doing? So, I'm hoping that through this blog, I will be more intentional and reflective about my everyday life. Although the prospect of being transparent in a forum where people may read my thoughts is quite frightening, I'm hoping I will learn about myself and grow as a result.
So there it is. And here are a few pics of some of my favorite crafty endeavors!


Baby Shoes (here's the pattern)





A couple of my fave scrapbooking pages. I do digital scrapbooking now, which has changed my life. Oh how I love not having the mess anymore.