Perspective

BLOG LOCATION CHANGE

2009-08-12T15:38:00.003-04:00

This blog has moved!

Check out the new blog at http://bethanygaddis.wordpress.com/

Change your Google Readers or other subscription hosts to reflect the new address!

Adoption Blog

2009-08-09T23:56:00.004-04:00

I created an adoption blog called Love Runs Deeper Than Blood

Check it out!

www.gaddisadoption.blogspot.com

Orphans deserve better

2009-08-09T12:52:00.004-04:00

I have been deeply disturbed by the advertisements I've seen for a movie coming out called ORPHAN. One time Nathan even flippantly said, "we do not need to go see that movie." Basically its a story of a child who is adopted who murders and tortures the very family that took her in. Being that we are in the midst of an adoption right now, it crushed me that they would portray such a deep need in such a negative way. Believe it or not, movies influence our thoughts and the idea that some would feel uncomfortable around a child who had no family just makes me sick to my stomach.

Then today I was encouraged when I came across a movement that felt the very same way and is doing something about it! Here is a synopsis from their website:

Orphans Deserve Better is a grassroots initiative to counter the movie Orphan. Join us in taking the side of those who cannot speak for themselves.

However far-fetched some stories are, they can still subtly shape our values and perceptions. So when a major motion picture leaves a lingering impression that orphans are damaged goods and that adoption can tear apart your life, those who know the deeper truth must speak up.

People deserve to know better. They must be told of the great needs orphans face. They should also see the joy found in loving them…and practical steps we can take to do so.

“Defend the cause of the fatherless,” urges the prophet Isaiah. We invite you to join in doing just that:

1) Send a message to Warner Brothers urging them to contribute a portion of proceeds from the movie to help orphans.

2) Share your stories of how loving an orphan can lift a child’s life and those who choose to love them.
3) Consider ways you can act to help orphans today.

Go and be a part of this opportunity to speak out and help orphans have a voice too! http://www.orphansdeservebetter.org/

Yes even there!

2009-08-03T13:26:00.002-04:00

I wrote some quiet time devotions for the high school students at camp this past week. The theme was purity. We talked about sexual purity, mental purity, and spiritual purity. But I felt prompted to write a devo based on character purity and saved it for the last day. I can't help but think that if we could get a grip on maintaining integrity, a lot of other areas in our life would fall into more pure habits. So here it is, the devo. Keep in mind its geared toward students, but I think we can all learn a little something from it.

Character Purity

Psalm 101:2-4

Christian’s are such hypocrites! So much talk for so little walk. We hear this case built against the church all the time, yet we do nothing to change it. Instead we confirm it by our lack of character and integrity. They say integrity is who you are when no one is looking, and for most of us that means we need to take a long, hard look at ourselves and start getting real.

Integrity and sound character are big ideas so let’s break it down. Integrity is:

Trustworthiness: Be honest. Don’t deceive, cheat or steal. Be reliable- in other words do what you say you’ll do. Have the courage to do the right thing. Build a good reputation. Be loyal and stand for what is right.
Respect: Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. Be considerate of the feelings of others. Don’t threaten or hurt anyone. Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements.
Responsibility: Do what you are supposed to do. Persevere- keep trying! Always do your best. Use self-control. Be self-disciplined. Think before you act-consider the consequences. Be accountable for your choices.
Fairness: Play by the rules. Take turns and share. Don’t take advantage of others.
Caring: Be kind! Be compassionate and show you care. Express gratitude. Forgive others. Help people in need.

Read Psalm 101:2-4

“I will walk with integrity of heart within my house.” Yes, even there! Not only did David recognize the need for integrity as king over God’s people, but also within his own household. Even there he was mindful of his conduct and dealings with others. Within our homes there is as much need for dependability, honesty and respect as in any other sphere of our activities.

Genuine integrity is not for certain occasions or to be exercised only in certain places. A person who has integrity in one area of life while neglecting it in another does not really possess integrity.

Let me give you a personal example: Going to the grocery store with two kids can make it difficult to focus on the task. While searching the aisles for the food you need, you are also trying to make sure no one falls out of the cart, one kid doesn’t push the other one out of the cart and you, or they, don’t run the cart into other shoppers. Basically it’s easy to get distracted. Well one day after I strapped the kids into their car seats, I unloaded the newly bagged groceries into the back of the car and I found a small package of taco seasoning that wasn’t rung up laying loosely in my cart. I simply threw the packet into another bag and decided it wasn’t that big of a deal since the package cost maybe .79 cents and wasn’t worth the amount of work it would take to gather the kids up again and head back into the store to pay for it. So I drove off. Most of you don’t think I did anything wrong at this point and would do it too. But a few weeks later the same thing happened again, only the item left unpaid for was a little more expensive but still not that big of a deal. Again, it wasn’t worth the hassle to me, so I didn’t go in and pay for it but instead drove away. Literally a few weeks later it happened again and FINALLY I paid attention. Was God trying to teach me something here? ABSOLUTELY! I had considered myself a person of integrity and yet I wasn’t maintaining that purity of character in the moment God was testing how deep that integrity went. Obviously on the third time I went back in and paid for the item. Yes it was a hassle. Yes I was annoyed and yes it was pointless to everyone other than me and God. But I learned a big lesson that day: Integrity IS who you are when no one is looking. Integrity can only be possessed if it is lived out even in the crevices of your life. Since that day it hasn’t happened to me again. But if it does, I know exactly what I will do because having integrity is more important to me than the hassle it may temporarily cause.

Just think, you won’t have to worry about what people are saying about you when you have purity in character because you know that’s not who you are. But most of the time we get upset because someone calls us a liar or two-faced or hypocrite when its true, we just don’t want anyone to know that about us. Don’t give people anything to talk about and you won’t get mixed up in all the drama. Have integrity, and consistent purity in character instead. As Christians, integrity should be what we are known for, not hypocrisy.

Dig Deeper: James 5:12; Matthew 7:3-5; 1 John 3:18-20; Romans 5:3-5

“It’s not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity.”

- Francis Bacon Sr.

From the vault

2009-07-17T00:35:00.000-04:00

I used to write a weekly devotional called Daily Bread back in my Nashville days. From time to time I look back into those files for ideas and as reminders of things God has taught me. I came across this one, and thought it might speak to some of you blog readers today. So enjoy!

10.13.03

Take on your lions first

Sometimes I get way ahead of myself when taking this walk with Jesus we call Life. I see the potential, the possibilities and the BIG stuff all the while dismissing the small steps I need to take to get there. Let me explain more clearly, I know the calling God has on my life. I am called to impact the youth of our culture with the love of Christ. I have seen that opportunity through inner-city ministry, through working as a youth pastor, through working camps, through missions trips to orphanages etc.The places where this broad calling can be applied are endless. So right out of college I started aiming at all of these places. Am I working in any of these areas now? Nope. Right now I work with the Creative Ministries Team at the People's Church. Im not discounting the effect my job has on people, but its definitely not where I thought I was headed. In fact, in some ways it feels like a detour from my designated path. Although I am in a church, Im not doing what I know I will be doing with my life someday. Is that a bad thing? Should I be discouraged? Well whether or not I should be, sometimes I do feel discouraged by that. I begin to question my calling, or if I've heard God wrong the last 5 years. I start to think, "Im doing this wrong. Im suppose to be with youth. Not in an office doing powerpoint for worship services." After a while of sorting through those thoughts and feelings I am reminded by my husband that I am getting ahead of myself. Every time I vocalize my doubts about where I am at vocationally he always says, "You are in a good place." Sure honey, I love my job but its not what I feel called to. "Either way, you are in a good place," he repeats to me. It is then that I realize I am getting ahead of myself. I am, what I like to call, trying to kill my Goliath before killing my lion or bear.

In the story of David and Goliath we automatically jump to the exciting scene where the little guy makes the HUGE leap in his life and is granted everything he has ever dreamed of as a result of this act. But we fail to go back and see the smaller steps he had to take to get to that point. In 1 Samuel 17: 34-37 David says, " I have been taking care of my Father's sheep, when a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and take the lamb from it's mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this Philistine, too, for he has defiled the armies of the Living God. The Lord who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine." David had the experience necessary to take on this giant b/c God had trained him for this up and coming battle by putting lions and bears amongst his flock. He learned the skills and bravery necessary while working on his father's farm that made him fit to be a king.

What if he had never encountered any bears or lions? Or what if he didn't take on the bears and lions in the field and just let them steal away his lambs? He wouldn't have built up the muscles and faith that were pertinent to taking on Goliath. He saw that God was faithful in the bear and lion incidents and therefore was lead to believe that God would be faithful again to him taking on this beast as well. God used his shepherding job to teach him the necessary skills he would need to be a king. What if David spent his entire life trying to be a king? Running for office, campaigning, becoming a general in the army instead of being a farmer. Who knows if he would have become the "man after God's own heart" that he is referred to as being in the GREAT BIG BOOK OF EVERYTHING.

All that to say that if you are anything like me and you are questioning why you have to work this job instead of the one that seems more directly aligned with where you feel you're headed, know that "You are in a good place." Where I am is strengthening muscles that I will need when I do get around youth, go to the orphanages, and work the camps. Where you are is a training ground for your own personal Goliath. Don't miss the bear and lion moments simply b/c you think you are ready to kill your own giant. Trust that "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it." Take the jobs on the farm- because you never know if that will end up being your training ground for kingship.

Their having been

2009-07-16T12:27:00.003-04:00

"Beneath the face I am a family plot. All the people I have ever been are buried there- the bouncing boy, his mother's pride; the pimply boy and secret sensualist; the reluctant infantryman; the beholder at dawn through hospital plate glass of his first-born child. All these selves I was and am no longer...I cannot even remember what it felt like to live inside their skin. Yet they live inside of my skin to this day, they are buried in me somewhere, ghosts that certain songs, tastes, smells, sights, or tricks of weather can raise, and although I am not the same as they, I am not different either because their having been then is responsible for my being now."

- Fredrick Buechner

The Alphabet of Grace

A Call to Action

2009-07-14T22:26:00.007-04:00

Urgent Advocacy Needed On Proposed New Haitian Adoption Law

SUMMARY:
Haiti is currently operating under an adoption law that was decreed in 1974 by Jean Claude Duvalier. The 1974 adoption law is outdated, has serious limitations that are not in the best interest of children and causes confusion in its application resulting in significant delays in legal processing of adoption cases.

Children in Haiti matched with adoptive families are waiting as long as 4 years to complete their adoption. Other children awaiting adoption will endure this same wait unless a law is passed now.

With the help of UNICEF and others, a new adoption law has been developed for both domestic and intercountry adoption in Haiti. The law clarifies adoption processing protocols and mandates clear government oversight responsibilities which will correct many of the problems with the present adoption system.

Many Haitian children are in desperate need of adoptive families and will benefit from this new law. This includes children who have been waiting in the adoption system (many up to three years) due to confusion and difficulties surrounding the outdated law.

URGENT ACTION NEEDED:
The Haitian Legislature will convene soon. It is URGENT that the new Haitian Adoption Law be included for approval in the agenda for the upcoming session.

Contact your Congressional Representatives [click here for direct link and letter to your Representative] and urge their strong support of the new proposed adoption law in Haiti. Please ask them to contact the Haitian authorities. Please share this Call To Action with friends and family to join this effort.

Not so girlie girl

2009-07-13T08:46:00.003-04:00

I have had a photo shoot idea in my head for quite sometime now and slowly but surely got all the supplies I needed to make it come to life. But yesterday I got antsy and had to see what my baby girl would look like in the outfit I bought for the shoot. There is no editing on this picture. This is my blue eyed girl in her purple tu-tu. I am so blessed! Can't wait to do the shoot!

Bowling Night

2009-07-11T13:58:00.003-04:00

We had a family night last week where we took Jaxon (and technically Jovie) bowling for the first time. Jax loved it! In fact he loved it so much he asks to go everyday but we have to explain to him, everyday, that bowling costs $ and we can't afford to spend $ on bowling, everyday.

They have this new (to me) feature where you can select the bowler that needs bumpers so that every time he would bowl, the gates would come up. But on our turns they would stay down. It was really spiffy! We ordered a pizza to share and drank root beer (not the kids but Nathan and I) in between games. Jovie wasn't too fond of the sound that happens when the ball would knock over pins, which happens a lot in a bowling ally, so Nathan and I had to switch back and forth between holding her almost the entire time. It would have been annoying if she wasn't so snugglie-so instead it was cute.

But needless to say it was tons of fun! I love times like these with our little clan.

Our Home Study

2009-07-10T19:43:00.001-04:00

Well today we met our social worker Donna Bradley from Adoption Home Services for the first time. We have chatted over the phone on many occasions but today we put faces to voices. There were no handshakes, we went straight for hugs. We all know what a bond bringing a child into our home will be and anyone who takes part in that journey (including all of you) become part of the family. It takes a village to raise a child and all of you are a part of that village for us! We let her stretch her legs from the car ride between Tampa and Naples and refresh on a glass of green tea and small talk before we launched into the interview. Basically it was a lot like the application questions. One by one she asked us to describe our background, our families, our childhood, our hobbies, how we met and married, how we handle conflict in our marriage, and what our parenting styles are. Interspersed in all of that was the nostalgic walks down memory lane through our wedding day in Hawaii in 2003 and our trip to Africa in 2006 accompanied by the corresponding photo albums. Of course Nathan broke out the Noodle Arm man Youtube video as an example of how we both love to play with our kids and how our home is more like a playground most days. Never a dull moment in the Gaddis house that is for sure. Over all it was VERY comfortable and we felt at ease during our time with Donna. The kids woke up before we ended so she got to see and talk to them a little bit too. It was neat to watch her apply what we had shared about our children, to her interactions with them. She shared with us that she is a Christian so our talk of God as the center of our life was comforting and a "plus" if you will. Overall our time with her was sweet and we don't get the feeling that there were any red flags that would make us think our study wouldn't pass. So now we wait...

Our feeling about the whole thing is this: If this is God's plan, which we believe it is, there is nothing we can do/or not do to cause it to fail. Therefore we are just going to be ourselves and trust God with the outcome. If we don't pass, then we will see it as God's way of saying WAIT or NOT THIS WAY. But ultimately the results are not on our shoulders, they are in more Capable Hands.

We appreciate your prayers and encouragement. Once this study gets approved we apply for grants while we continue down the paper trail and writing checks we know God will provide the funding for. There are 271 people in our Facebook group...If everyone gave $10 we would have enough for our Dossier! Imagine the possibilities if we all work together to bring this child home!

I look forward to those miraculous moments. We look forward to sharing these exciting moments with you!

Sin portrayed

2009-07-09T14:26:00.003-04:00

I was moved last night, at first in awe but then it quickly turned to disgust and hatred. As I watched dancers Kayla and Kapono portray the power of addictions on So You Think You Can Dance, I was struck to my core. As Nathan and I kept rewinding it and watching it over and over again we began to see the similarities of this drama and what sin does to us. That is when my feelings turned to disgust...not for the dancers, but for the power addictions and sin itself have over us. We go back to it again and again, it tears us to shreds and we cry, and scream only to beg for more. This is a powerful picture. Watch it for yourself with the image of sin (portrayed by the guy) and us (portrayed by the girl) in your mind.

Buy stolen stuff

2009-07-05T21:01:00.003-04:00

My mom pointed me to a new website this week. Its called The Property Room. Its a place where the stuff the police department has confiscated from people they arrest, is sold at low ball prices to anyone willing to bid for it. Its like ebay for stolen stuff that was not able to be returned to its original owner. Pretty cool and pretty funny if you ask me!

Check it out HERE.

It's go time!

2009-07-01T13:56:00.004-04:00

I have been talking about training for another marathon for several months. Because I am so out of shape I am going to have to start at square one again. Then last month I stated to my husband that July was the month I would get serious about working out & running again.

Well today is the first day of July and in honor of that fact, I went to the local running store, had my feet tested and bought a new pair of running shoes (a gift from my dad for my birthday- which was 2 months ago, Im such a slacker.)

Anyway, here I go again.

Gigi and Bobo

2009-06-28T11:51:00.006-04:00

Many of you were prayerfully a part of my life when my mom and stepdad moved here then had to move to Phoenix, AZ less than a year later due to the lack of jobs here in Naples, FL. It was really hard to see them go. Well the difficulty didn't end there. Less than a year after moving to Phoenix they both lost their jobs on the same day. I was so angry with my stepdad's employers who promised him up and down that his job was secure enough to move back across country for it and then they let him go anyway. This hardship brought my parents to a decision point and what it really boiled down to was this: they couldn't make decisions on where to live based on jobs anymore. So they turned to what they could depend on, family. Now my 2 sisters, 1 brother and I all live at different ends of the US (FL, CA, UT and NH) so they did some traveling to figure out which location would best fit their needs and abilities at this point in their life and settled on....drum roll please...Naples, FL. That's right, they moved back! I thought I had lost my chance to live near family but what a gift to be given for the second time. They returned to Naples a few weeks ago and have found a great condo just 5 or so minutes from our house! They are still looking for jobs but thankfully aren't dependent on them to be able to stay here. Please continue to pray that they will find something either full or part time, just to keep busy and meet new people if not for the financial assistance as well. I feel tremendously grateful to have them so close and I look forward to doing life with them, again.

PS this blog post was written in response to being asked what was going on with my parents and the confusion of my Twitters talking about them being here and not knowing why they were in town. Hope this clears things up!

To see past posts about their story go HERE HERE HERE

Daunting

2009-06-25T23:23:00.004-04:00

Some friends of mine needed a photographer for their impromptu wedding before the groom was deployed...for some reason they called me. I don't do weddings but it was low-key, on the beach and she is a girl from the youth group so I said YES!

Then I started shaking. I am afraid of weddings. I always say no to weddings. What about weddings make me nervous? The looming fact that if I don't get it right the first time, then I am screwed. I typically run in the other direction but the family seemed forgiving enough. So I said my prayers and tried to rest easy. Then the day of the wedding came and it was rainy. Quick change, now in the chapel at our church. Ok another thing I am afraid of is working with flashes. I don't understand them and I am not good with them so this was a double whammy for me: Inside and wedding- YIKES!! I tried to play it cool the entire time I was there but I was sweating bullets. Especially when the batteries in my flash decided to die on me. I did my best and some of the shots turned out well so I hope they are pleased with the uneducated, unconfident, and unrehearsed results. Here are a few of my favorites.

Congrats Taylor and Kylie Hayes!

Family Pictures

2009-06-24T12:45:00.004-04:00

One of my students loves photography and is soooo much better at it then I am. Since I can't afford the photographers I like and don't like the photographers I can afford, I asked her to do some family shots for me. We played around and posed a few times & they turned out amazing! Here are a few of my favorites.

There are more...many more. Go to my Facebook account to check out the entire album!

Our adoption letter

2009-06-22T14:37:00.002-04:00

ADOPTION: TO TAKE BY CHOICE INTO A RELATIONSHIP AS ONE’S OWN

At the age of 19 I, Bethany, felt deep in my heart a call to international missions. For some the “where” is not clear but for me, it always has been: Africa. I began dreaming of a life in a red dirt hut working with African children on a daily basis. After I got married those plans were put on hold while Nathan prayed through his length of calling toward Africa. In 2006 Nathan and I made a trip to Uganda that confirmed in our hearts that we were indeed BOTH called to lifetime missions through international adoption. However when we returned to the states we were discouraged to learn that Uganda was not open for international adoption. We prayed and waited that something would change and a way to adopt would present itself. In the meantime we searched the WORD and found that adoption is clearly God’s heart. It says in Ephesians 1:5, “…He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.” There are roughly 100 million orphans around the world and if God can adopt us into His family and call us His own, we too should feel called to follow His example by adopting. So this year we committed to taking the steps toward “legal guardianship” which is available in Uganda but very difficult to navigate through by yourself. A few months into that I received an email from a friend thrilling us with the news that Uganda was now open and that Holt International (www.holtintl.org) was offering assistance toward adoption from that country. PRAISE GOD! We jumped online, learned as much as we could, attended a web seminar, requested the information packet and completed the application. We could not be more excited to see yet another promise God has placed in our hearts coming to pass in His perfect timing.

As many of you know, adoption is a costly process. Please trust that we will be doing everything we can by applying for grants and scholarships along the way but some of the steps have to be completed before we can qualify for those. The first steps are the application and homestudy. This is performed by a social worker and quite simply they are called in to evaluate our home life. Upon approval we begin what is know as the “paper pregnancy” where we complete a dossier telling the Ugandan government about ourselves in great detail and depth. The next step is our child placement stage where they will send us as much information as they can attain about our adoptive child and send it to us for “approval.” Then we arrange travel and go to Uganda to pick up our new child and bring him/her home.

So what are we asking for? Help. We believe God has already provided the money we need to fulfill this calling He has placed on our family. We also believe that some of it has been placed in your care. All we ask is that you take a moment to prayerfully consider if what you have been given might be in part to help us on this journey of expanding our family. We know these are tough times but every little bit helps.

The cost coming up most quickly is for our homestudy. We will be working with Adoption Home Study Services (www.adoptionhomestudyservices.org) and need to raise $1,100 as quickly as possible.

Is that all? No, this is simply a step. But it’s a step toward a miracle. As we continue, the costs will continue. Once we get through the homestudy phase we can apply for grants to help supplement for other parts of the process. We will likely call on you again to help with what is not provided after pursuing those options. For a full breakdown of our costs refer to the attached sheet.

Of course we also ask for your prayers. This is new territory for us but we trust the partnerships we have with Holt and AHSS to show us the way. We also know that we will see God work and provide for what we lack as long as we walk confidently in His calling.

The amazing invitation that God has for us is that when we step into the realm of adoption, we find that God Himself is there, the true Father to the fatherless. The opportunity to enter into adoption is both an opportunity to glorify God by presenting the world with a picture of His heart -- and to come and know Him.

“Religion that God, our Father, accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” – James 1:27

Join with us on this journey!

Humbled and Grateful,
Bethany, Nathan, Jaxon & Jovie Gaddis

DONATE by going to the left column and clicking on the "Gaddis Adoption Fund" link.

Naples residents: We will be having a fundraising dinner in the Fall so come out and support us then too!

A wake up call

2009-06-22T12:40:00.008-04:00

A friend of mine is working in Uganda, Africa at a babies home and periodically she sends out updates letting us know how to pray for them. When I read her most recent letter I was moved to tears at the thought that somehow, so many people STILL don't understand how different and hard things are for the children there. Here is what she said, quite simply:

"I hope that you are all doing well! I am doing great, I have settled back into life here nicely! And I am really enjoying it! The last week or two has been very eventful!

Last weekend some of us volunteers took one of the children ‘Abdul’ out for his 5th birthday, we also took out his friends, some of the special needs children at the babies’ home. It was a lot of fun and they all really enjoyed it! On Wednesday we had a birthday party for all of the children that have a birthday in June.

This week has also been exciting for Abdul because he is going to Kenya for evaluation and possibly surgery to diagnose some of his difficulty eating, due to being fed acid as a baby. I just ask if you could pray for him as he is there that everything goes smoothly and that it is successful. And also for the volunteer Molly that has gone with him!

Today I took some of the children out to the Watoto village “Bbira” for a visit, to get familiar and spend some time there before they move there this Friday.

We took some of the girls out to pierce their ears on Friday, this is for their protection, because it makes them less likely to be abducted or used for child sacrifice, because they are not completely “pure” if that’s the right word...

There are about 25 to 30 children moving up, it is both a sad and happy occasion, because although we will miss them, it will be good for them to be in a family, and have plenty of room to run around and explore!

I am loving every single day here! I look forward to hearing from you as well! Thank you for loving me and supporting me!"

Look at that again... A 5 year old trying to recover from being fed acid as a baby. Girls getting their ears pierced as a way of protection against abduction and use as human sacrifices. This is reality to these people folks. How can you hear something like this and not DO something? How can a person not be willing to make a sacrifice to help these helpless kids?

Here are some places to start:

OUR ADOPTION FUND- we are adopting a child from Uganda Africa right now!

WATOTO BABIES HOME (BULRUSHES)- This is where our friend is volunteering and its owned and operated by the organization we served with while we were there in 2006.

INVISIBLE CHILDREN- Motivated by the unseen war in Northern Uganda, Invisible Children was created by three young filmmakers with a singular mission: To use the power of stories to change lives around the world.

We are...LIGHTFORCE!

2009-06-14T21:54:00.005-04:00

Late Friday night I returned from a 5 day missions trip with our youth choir. This year we went to Immokalee, FL. It is about 45 minutes from Naples and is considered one of the poorest communities in the state.

SIDE NOTE: Ironic don't you think, that the poorest and richest communities in the state are within the same county?

We took with us 38 students from 6th-12th grade to serve the nearby town and people. Originally we were intending to do "backyard Bible club" types of ministry but the week before, plans fell through and the whole trip changed.

Instead of having a ton of interaction with kids, we would be doing a wide variety of service projects through organizations such as IHOPE and Timber Ridge Community Center as well as not only serving, but eating dinner with the residents of Friendship House Homeless Shelter each day.

It was an amazing time! We learned about flexibility, God's ultimate purpose being fulfilled, how our attitude reflects our heart condition & how there are no limits to what God can do through a willing person. I watched kids grow up in a matter of days and I pray the desire they have now for serving the needs of our neighbors will only continue to burn in their hearts as time wears on.

I always love going on trips like these not only b/c its a break from the norm or because I love missions but also b/c its an opportunity to know these youth beyond merely face recognition. I teach 12th graders but I don't often get to know the guys and girls that are in the other grades due to family obligations. This past week I met and spent time with some amazing teenagers.

I walked away from this trip with so many things but mostly with a renewed hope in the future and it being placed in the hands of the next generation.

Nana & Pop

2009-06-13T23:41:00.004-04:00

For the past week or so we have had Nathan's parents in town. I affectionately call them MamaJ and Dr. Bob. It has been such a blessing to have them here so that I could go on the Lightforce (youth choir) mission's trip this year. I will blog about that trip next. But this is post is about them.

I grew up spending weeks during the summers with my grandparents & that is always something I wanted our kids to experience too. Jaxon has gone to KY on many occasions and the Gaddis' have stayed here with him/them a few times as well. Its such a precious time for every one involved.

Now if we can just get to see our nephews more often, we should be good.

Better pictures

2009-06-02T10:09:00.003-04:00

Here are some better pictures of the new look Jax is sporting. He tells everyone he went from surfer hair to rockstar hair! Too cute.

Big change

2009-06-01T13:11:00.003-04:00

For 4 years my son's hair has been long. We love the surfer look and he fit the profile perfectly. But this summer we decided to change things up a bit & cut his hair. I even allowed Nathan to do the cutting- YIKES! Nathan did great though!

Im not sure how I feel about the new look yet since I LOOOOVED having his hair long. But there are moments I like the new do in a different way. A good thing is that it will help keep Jaxon from overheating this summer. Florida summers are HOT! Plus it will grow back- his hair grows so fast! Enjoy the journey through photos.

This is what it looks like flat

This is what it looks like REALLY spiked!

I like it best somewhere in the middle- no pictures of that yet

I'll take one Jesus to go please!

2009-05-31T07:28:00.004-04:00

Last night I was walking my high school students through the following verses.

John 15:1-8 (The Message) “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

Then something I have heard a thousand times stood out. In verse four Jesus tells us to LIVE in Him. In other versions its ABIDE or REMAIN. This is a constant. It means continually being plugged into Christ. Yet often times we have the "Jesus to-go" mentality. We attend our services, Bible studies or Christian events to get what we want/need from them and then hit the road.

Here is the imagery I used last night to explain the difference of what this verse is asking us to do and what we tend to do:

Imagine a bowl filled with punch and to the side a plastic cup. Pour some punch into the cup-This represents Christ in you. You can see Him, and you can conveniently take Him with you wherever you go. You might lose some of His presence (evaporate, spill out as you walk etc), but who cares, “once saved always saved!” But is that sufficient for you? Is that enough? Or would you rather it be like this? Place the cup inside the punch bowl-This is you in Christ. You are so engulfed in Him that all anyone can see when they look at you is Christ. You go where He goes and you are always full of His Spirit when you are in Him.

Notice the differences? Typically we reflect a "Christ in us" attitude where we take Him wherever we go. But Jesus desires an "us in Christ" attitude- we go where He goes.

That's what this verse asks us to do but why? So that we will have life, bear fruit, and grow. The longer a piece of fruit is away from its vine, the more it decays and rots. The same takes place the longer we are away from our life-giving Source, Jesus.

He doesn't want to see us just take some Jesus to go. He tells us to remain, abide, and live with our roots in His love constantly.

A friend is...

2009-05-27T15:46:00.005-04:00

As a child I thought a friend was someone that I played with everyday, that lived in my neighborhood and wouldn't call me names at school.

As a teenager I thought a friend was someone that did the same activities I did, liked the same music I did and wouldn't steal my boyfriend.

As a college student I thought a friend was someone who helped me study at all hours of the night, tell me he was wrong every time I fought with a guy, and took a lot of pictures with me to decorate my apartment with.

As an adult I thought a friend was the person standing closest to me in my wedding, someone who threw me surprise parties, and would come over unannounced just because.

As a mom I thought a friend was someone willing to babysit for free, cook my family dinner if I was sick, or hire a housecleaner when the laundry was overwhelming me.

I am learning that a friend could be all of those things but its much, much deeper than that. A friend is someone who loves YOU. Not who you are as a friend to them, as a neighbor, as a classmate or roommate, as a bride's maid, as a wife, or as a mom. A person who loves you... AS YOU ARE. They don't have to be like you at all but if the love is there, the friend is there. They never have to question your heart because they know yours as well as they know their own. They tell you like it is and not how you want to hear it. They challenge you to be true to yourself. They challenge you to do the right thing- no matter what it costs. They challenge you to take responsibility for yourself and let the rest of the junk, work itself out.

I am learning that I only have a few friends. I know many but not many know me.

Memorial day

2009-05-25T19:27:00.001-04:00

Look the slide is red, Jaxon is in white and Jovie is wearing blue. Thats as American Flag looking as we get.

This post is for the family

2009-05-15T22:04:00.002-04:00

A friend, and another mom from the class, graciously posted videos from the PreK program on YouTube for me to hijack. Luckily Jaxon is near enough to her daughter you can see all of his movements too! Complete with some nose picking and head bonking! Classic! Enjoy....

A mother's day

2009-05-11T16:11:00.003-04:00

Mother's Day wasn't all about spoiling me but I feel like my birthday took care of that need beforehand. Instead, Mother's Day was a day I focused on the joy of being a mom. I have been one for years but honestly this year I really felt the weight of that role and responsibility, in a good way. I felt the life in it. I felt the future of it. I remembered the purpose of no sleep, no glory, and no selfishness. I enjoyed the smiles, hugs, and I love you's of my children in a whole new way. We went to the pool twice but I managed to snag a picture of the kids and I after our second trip right before we left for dinner so enjoy and sorry about our weird hair...

More than just a tan

2009-05-06T13:56:00.005-04:00

I had an amazing vacation but the best thing that came out of it was not a tan but clarity. Stepping out of my smaller story for a week allowed me the time to peel back the layers of my life and figure out what's really going on. Why have I been so tired? What makes me feel so alone? Who are the people I can really count on knowing my heart well enough not to judge me? The questions were numerous and the answers were clear. Through much prayer and quiet time, I came to a whole new understanding and vantage point of my life. When it came down to it I saw the miracle of my family. I have a man that loves me no matter what and two kids who light up when I enter the room. The unconditional, overcoming love of these three people have held me together more than I ever realized before. Most people fall apart from the inside out but my joy, strength and life come from being around these people. Serving them is what keeps me going each day. I feel a miracle has been placed in my hands and for too long I failed to recognize what gift this role truly is. I love being a mom. I love being a wife even more. I am blessed.

Sure there will be hard days. Sure there will be times when I want to run in the other direction. But because of the vision God gave me during my vacation I will never take this opportunity, to love on these three people, for granted again.

Crafty

2009-05-04T13:50:00.005-04:00

One of the best parts of having Jaxon in school is all of the crafts he comes home with. What started out as squiggly lines of glue with glitter sprinkled over top has evolved to this:

Apparently he is studying sea animals in class b/c my fridge was covered with his creations when I got home from the cruise. The octopus is my personal favorite.

But my awe of the creativity of teachers was topped when Jaxon came out of class holding this today:

Can you guess what it is?

Its a sea urchin. I was immediately instructed by Jaxon that I had to be careful with him b/c he is alive. I was so impressed. What a great idea!

The hard part about this is finding a place to put/keep all this great stuff???

my birthday week- Friday

2009-05-02T14:59:00.002-04:00

Friday we woke up at the Port of Miami. I thought my surprises were over but I still had one more to go. Thinking ahead, Nathan figured that b/c we had been so "on the go" at all of the islands we visited, we might need a slow day to transition back to real life. So he booked another hotel for the night and we stayed in Miami. We couldn't check in until 3pm so we headed to a Starbucks, unpacked the books and settled in for a morning of reading, writing, and relaxing with breakfast and coffee in hand. We spent about 2.5 hours there and then took a chance by heading to the hotel to see if they could give us beach access. Even though we weren't checked in yet, they gave us beach passes. They also had free wi fi so that is where I sent most of the past blogs about the trip from- in the lobby of our hotel. After that we sat in the blazing sun again and played in the rolling waves for even more hours at the beach, as if we weren't tan enough. We went back to the hotel, checked in, showered up and enjoyed the beautiful coolness of our room while watching some "Dog Whisperer."

Interesting show I had never seen before. I was craving Mexican food so we used the Iphone app "urban spoon" to locate a good place for dinner and it led us to El Rancho Grande in North Beach Miami. It was delicious! Nathan said it was the best fajitas he has ever had. I devoured my California burrito and most of the chips and salsa- maybe that was b/c I hadn't eaten since Starbucks that morning. After dinner we went back to the store I was yanked out of the dressing room of (remember my Sunday story?) so I could finish trying on the clothes I liked there. Bought a few shirts then back to the hotel for an evening conversation and quiet time with my man by the pool. I am so in awe of how lucky I am to have him by my side for the rest of my life. Tomorrow we go home...Am I ready?

Pictures courtesy of my Iphone.

My birthday week- Thursday

2009-05-01T16:11:00.002-04:00

Today is the last day of the cruise. We are in Key West, FL- just hours from home. I got to pick the adventure of the day so I opted for the catamaran ride and snorkle excursion. We took it slow in the morning, slept in late, laid out by the pool, called my mom and then met up with the crew at 12:30pm. We hopped on and sat next to our friend Bill from the day before. His wife chose to stay back on the boat so it was neat to spend time getting to know him. The waves were high this afternoon, 5-6 feet so the ride out and back in was wet and jumpy. I am thankful Nathan and I don't have motion sickness so we can enjoy rides like these. When we got to the place where they were going to drop us the swells were still 2-3 feet-which causes some adjustments in your swimming style. Nathan and I geared up and literally just stepped off the boat into the sea. The first fish I saw was a couple of feet in length but the rest of the time I saw a bunch of the same fish about 1 ft long everywhere I swam. One time I lifted up my head to find a woman struggling to breathe so I waved down the crew and when they got to her I went right back to swimming. The reef looked pretty dead and most of the people either got bored or tired and returned to the boat, including Nathan. My goal was to swim until they made me stop so I did. I swam out further and found a whole new treasure. A reef that had the most beautiful fish playing on and around it. Some were reflective blue while others were black and white striped and one HUGE one that was pearlescent green. It was amazing. I saw those fish that bury themselves in the sand and then swim sideways to a new spot and bury themselves again-its funny to observe. Then the horn blasted from the boat and I made the swim back in. The waves threw me around a bit trying to get up the steps but I made it out. I met Nathan at the top of the boat where we laid our towels down for some tanning on the way back to shore.

When we got back to Key West we did some walking around (the famous Duval St area), got some coffee and took some pictures. I kept thinking what a great location this place would be for some photo shoots so I made Nathan model for me a few shots.

As we stood in line for security to get back on the boat we watched a few drunk girls make idiots of themselves by falling over, giggling loudly and looking like they were in a middle of a dance club but only the rest of us knew they weren't- they were in a security line. I felt sorry for them. We did our usual shower and dinner but broke the routine to see the last sunset of the trip. It was a beautiful end to a great few days. We sang a duet at the karaoke room before heading back to pack. On TV we caught the Nights of Rodanthe movie: it was a typically emotional Nicholas Sparks story. Another wonderful day.

My birthday week- Wednesday

2009-04-30T11:32:00.000-04:00

We woke up anchored near the Royal Caribbean owned island called CoCoCay. We had to take a boat over but as soon as we arrived we checked in at the parasailing counter- this was my surprise of the day! I have been sky diving but never parasailing- something my mom has always wanted to do. It was incredible. So peaceful and the view was amazing. The water in the Bahamas is so beautiful! Its not royal blue but more aqua in color and you can see all the way to the bottom, no matter how far it may be. We sailed into the sky and I was amazed by the beauty around us.

When our boat returned to shore we snagged some beach chairs and yes, soaked up more rays. Around 2pm we grabbed some lunch from the buffet (they brought it off the boat and onto the island, since they own it and have a set up for it there- so cool). We met an older couple at the tables who we swapped kid stories with (their grandchildren and our children of course.) The man's name was Bill but we never got the woman's name. She shared with us the secret of a long lasting marriage and it was one of those times I felt present in the moment. We said goodbye and headed out for a walk that turned into an hour long nature hike. We found the furthest/highest point had a bench and we sat there and prayed for our family and God's call on our lives while in awe of the view and grandness of God. We headed back just in time to catch the last ferry over to the boat and did the nighttime ritual of showers and dinner with our new friends and then landing in our favorite plop spot in the karaoke lounge, watching the same people sing just as badly as they did the night before. Nathan got a standing ovation tonight though. My stud! We caught a movie on the TV back in the room (Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist). It was cute and quirky. Made me worry about the lifestyle of a NY high school student though. Another fabulous 24 hours.

My birthday week- Tuesday

2009-04-29T11:22:00.002-04:00

Today is my official birthday! Everything has been leading up to this…the big 3-0. Its weird to think that I have left the 20’s- I still feel like a college kid, but I guess the years having been adding up. I woke up to a kiss from the only man I want to be kissed by the rest of my life and started the day with some breakfast. We were in Nassau, Bahamas today and were scheduled to enjoy a beach day at the Atlantis Hotel and Resort.

This place is insanely cool. Its has an aquarium, casino, water park, beaches, shark habitats, several restaurants and of course a hotel. We were transported by boat across the harbor from Nassau to Paradise Island where Atlantis is located. We got a mini tour and then were directed to our beach chairs. Nathan and I laid out for several hours listening to the waves crash and our Ipod playlists. Around us the locals were busy selling jewelry and drinks amongst other beach combing cruise participants.

Then we ventured around the grounds for some lunch, a walk through the aquarium (called The Dig) and to the shark area. We made our way back to the ship, showered up and headed to dinner. The crew sang me Happy Birthday and then we did some karaoke before hitting the pillows. Of course people told me that I should encourage Nathan to try out for American Idol. I never get tired of hearing people’s jaws drop when he starts to sing-he is so gifted. All in all I can’t imagine a better birthday. I have to admit though, we did start wishing our kids were with us at that place- it was so cool and tons of fun things for the kids to enjoy. Perfect Day.

My birthday week- Monday

2009-04-28T11:15:00.000-04:00

I woke up Monday morning to a note by the bed that told me my clue for the day. It read “welcome to the nation of why not?” I was utterly confused but upon a quick Google search I found out that those words are the slogan for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. My jaw dropped. I quickly asked where we were going and my husband said, “The Bahamas!” I could hardly contain my excitement. We were set to board the boat at 12:30pm so we packed up and headed out to roam the streets of Miami some more. We grabbed some breakfast at a famous deli on Collins Ave and did a bunch of walking. We hit the Diesel store where we bought a perfume Nathan absolutely loved on me last time we visited here. I’m a body spray girl so I feel pretty official now. Then we hit Starbucks, a few novelty shops and finally back to the car. We drove to the Port of Miami, went through the all the checkpoints and boarded the cruise. As quickly as we could we threw on our suits and headed up to the pool until our safety demonstration a few hours later.

Then we grabbed a shower and headed down to dinner. One of the unknowns of being on a cruise is who you will sit with at dinner. Luckily we got paired with a couple exactly our age (Hannah and Magdy –pronounced Maj-dy) that have kids exactly our kids ages and genders, from New Jersey. We have a lot in common. So for our first meal together it was a lot of niceties but I think we all understand that conversation is not a requirement for any of us so silence can be nice too sometimes. Finding people who aren’t loud and obnoxious/drunk is another unlikely occurrence on a cruise. After dinner we went to change clothes (I get cold easily so I needed to put some pants on in this AC world) and landed in a piano lounge where we listened to a woman play Billy Joel tunes for about an hour. Then we went into another room where they were starting a game called “Finish that Lyric.” It was like a Singing Bee rip off. I signed up to play b/c I have found I know a wide variety of music and lyrics somehow. I made it through 3 rounds from 10 people to top 4 but lost out when I was hit with a J-Lo techno song I had no clue where to go with it. Then we watched some salsa lessons before heading back to our room around 10:30 or so. We crashed as you can imagine, the sun does that to a vacationer. What an amazing day….my birthday is tomorrow though!

Sunday

2009-04-27T09:20:00.003-04:00

My clue for Sunday's events was: "We are going to feel like kids again." We sure did.

In the morning we snagged breakfast at Dunkin Donuts before we started shopping around South Beach. I thought I had until 1pm but in a rush Nathan made me leave the dressing room and get to the car ASAP. He said we were going to meet someone I knew for lunch. I was excited to see who was on the other end. We pulled into the parking lot at the Miami Children's Museum and he made me cover my eyes as the mystery guest arrived. Then in an instant he told me I could open them and I heard my baby boy say, "Mommy!!!" I turned around and there was my family. They drove up to spend the day with us at the museum! I was thrilled. We snagged lunch at the Subway on site and then hit the museum. So much fun, for all of us. Here are some pictures:

After the museum we said goodbye to the kids, my mom and stepdad and headed to the Adventura Mall. We did some more shopping, or in my case, finished my shopping until our legs were tired. We snagged some food court dinner then headed back to the hotel for some hot tub action. Then we settled in for the night while watching Dave Ramsey on the tele. It was an awesome time with my family. Thanks Nathan, Mom and Bob! Truly a day I will always remember.

My birthday week Thursday- Sat

2009-04-26T08:49:00.002-04:00

Well on Tuesday April 28th I will be turning the big 3-0. A while back I told Nathan that if we were going to be in town I would like to have a karaoke party. I was led to believe that was what was happening. On Thursday last week I got my first gift, a Snuggie. I was so excited. Then I got the gift of having my husband home all day Thursday and Friday. It was blissful!

Sat morning is when things got suspicious. Nathan left me alone with the kids to run an "errand." Upon returning we got the kids and I ready to head out for lunch. He said we had to stop by the church to get the karaoke machine for my party (Clue #1). Then as we were pulling in we saw someone holding a baby with a bow, out at their car walking into the youth building (where we were supposed to be going) and Nathan jerked the car in another direction (Clue #2). He pulled to another side of the parking lot and got on the phone with our friend John supposedly to find out where the machine was located (Clue #3). It was the worst fake conversation I had ever heard. As we were sitting there I noticed a bunch of cars in the parking lot that belonged to my friends. It was obvious what was about to take place.

Then we pulled up, ran into a few late comers that tried to come up with some weak story as to why they were there at this time of day, and we entered the building. I was greeted by a ton of my friends, some I haven't seen in a long time and I started hugging necks around the room. There was a slideshow of pictures of me on the screen, an empty table in the center of the room, and a karaoke machine in the far corner. Other than that, there was nothing to do. It looked like a lame party. I made my rounds, blew out some birthday candles, opened some amazing gifts from my 11th grade girls,

then sat down to watch my friends sing "Its my party" to me and then... it started. People started to hug me good bye. They were leaving and it had only been like 20 minutes since I got there. One after another they all started saying goodbye and walking out the door. Something was up. I decided I wasn't going to let the moment end without me singing one song so I screeched a little "MY GUY" through the microphone to an empty room. Then my hubby stuck my kids with my parents and wisked me away on a mysterious road trip. Apparently what I had just experienced was a 30/30 party. A thirty minute party for my thirtieth birthday. It was a great diversion idea from my real birthday present. So clever!

After a few hours we arrived in...surprise... Miami! We checked in at the Deauville Beach Resort and began an evening of relaxing. We had dinner by the pool/beach, rented Marley and Me, grabbed some movie candy and settled in for the night. We watched the flick on our computer while snuggled up in our bed. It was fabulous. We got to bed by 10pm and thank goodness we did, Sunday was looking to be a busy day.

Picture courtesy of Erin Herrenbruck.

Night off

2009-04-21T13:38:00.003-04:00

A while back I sat with Nathan and complained about how moms never have any time "off." Together we came up with a plan that has helped my sanity, my photography business, and my ministry to high school girls tremendously. Each week we try to give me Tuesday nights off (some weeks things come up and its not possible). I typically try to make sure dinner is made so Nathan doesn't have to worry about it and then at 6 pm I leave the house and do whatever I need to for as long as I want to. (The funny thing about Naples is everything shuts down by 10 pm so Im never later than that.) But for 4 hours I work on editing pictures, catching up on emails, running errands, reading a book, meeting with one of my 11th graders, drinking coffee or whatever else I want. It makes a huge difference in my mood- At least I can feel a change.

But the main thing that makes these evenings possible is Nathan. That is why I said WE came up with a plan and WE try to give me Tuesdays off. Nathan made a commitment to helping make this little breather possible and it shows me that he cares about how tired I am and when he can, he wants to help. He doesn't schedule things he can avoid on Tuesdays to ensure I have my break. Its completely a team effort. I am sooooo grateful that my husband is willing to make that effort for me, and for us. Im sure he can see a difference when I haven't had a night off in awhile and when I have- maybe that is what keeps him helping! HA!

Regardless, I love my nights off. They give me a chance to think, to dream, to write, to breathe and to rest.

What do you do when you need a breather? How often do you take breaks from the everyday routine?

Second string superfoods

2009-04-16T12:42:00.002-04:00

New research has found that some other foods work even better at keeping you healthy than the old standbys!

Guava for younger skin: You've heard tomatoes have lycopene, a nutrient that shields skin from sun damage- but surprisingly, this tropical fruit has more of it than any other fruit or vegetable. It also has 63% more potassium than a banana. Luckily, the cut-up canned version-found in most grocery stores-contains even more antioxidants than fresh!

Walnuts for a happy mood: If you don't like fish, try the good old walnut: a quarter cup contains a full amount of omega-3s recommended to stave off depression. These fatty acids affect the brain area linked to emotion resulting in a happier mood, brighter outlook and greater optimism.

Blueberries to fight UTIs: Sure you've heard that cranberry juice can help prevent a urinary tract infection, but a handful of blueberries will work the same wonders. And, unlike cranberries, they're also proven to boost memory and protect against brain diseases like Alzheimer's.

Sesame Seeds for strong bones: If you don't drink dairy, you don't have to worry about not getting calcium: just one large handful of sesame seeds provided 325 mg of the bone building nutrient-that's even more that in an 8 oz glass of milk. Plus it's proven to reduce swelling and inflammation of arthritis. You can even just sprinkle them over cooked veggies or stews.

Kiwi to fight colds: You probably try and drink OJ when you're coming down with a cold, but research shows you should be enjoying kiwi instead! Ounce for ounce, this tropical fruit has more immunity-boosting vitamin C than any other fruit (2x as much as a large orange). An added bonus is that kiwi is also packed with vitamin E, proven to keep skin smooth and free of wrinkles.

HT: Woman's World Magazine

Tell me how you really feel

2009-04-15T22:13:00.002-04:00

I've seen so many blogs with their cutesy Easter family pictures so when I uploaded the ones I got from the days events I had to share this one. Jaxon was not okay with sharing his egg finds with his sister. Can you tell?

Brotherly Love

2009-04-13T14:35:00.001-04:00

There are certain times when Jaxon actually enjoys his little sister. I caught one of those moments the other day with our camera. If you have 56 seconds, sit back and enjoy the video below.

Baby stats

2009-04-11T16:43:00.003-04:00

I forgot to share where Jovie and Jaxon fell in their appointments on Thursday! Those of you who aren't family and don't care, just bare with me a second.

Jaxon:

31lbs in weight and 39 inches in height. He went from being in the 90th percentile as a baby (at 27lbs I might add) to where he is now, in the 10th percentile. He has gained 4 lbs in 3 years. Crazy!

Jovie:

20lbs in weight and 29 inches in height. She went from being in the 75th percentile at her 9 month visit to where she is now, in the the 50th percentile. She is perfect!

So thats where they landed this week. Funny addition to the story, I got pulled over on our way home from the appointment and got my first ticket in like 10 years.

DR Visit

2009-04-08T15:08:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow we go to the pediatrician for Jovie's one year and Jaxon's 4 year check up. I hear that Jax will be getting shots ( I know Jovie will too). I can't remember the last time he had a shot. But I've been trying to prep him as best as possible for what awaits him tomorrow. Pray for us and I'll let you know how it goes and how they rate.

Im in that place (again)

2009-04-07T13:00:00.003-04:00

Im in that place where being a mom just isn't going well. I feel invisible, unappreciated, used, and valued as less than any other mammal on the planet. Worst part of it all is that I am expected to feel this way and maintain my smile. Not happening. The other day I found myself trying to describe it to my mom like this...

"You know everyone talks about being a mom like its just being self sacrificial. But its worse than that. Self sacrificing I can do. Its not like being on a bus and giving up your seat for someone else and then when another person gets on you give up your seat again to move to the back where you have to stand uncomfortably the entire trip. That I don't mind doing. But right now I feel like I've been told that I need to get out, go around the back and push the bus around town. The exhaust blowing in my face, the mud splattering my clothes from every rotation and every passenger yelling at me b/c I am pushing it too slow and now its my fault they are late. Being a mom is more like that."

Now don't get all super-spiritual on me and start saying things like 'this is what Jesus did when the crowds mistreated him.' I know all that. Im just trying to put words to my experiences. AND sure this is part of what being a mother is all about but I don't think its what being a mother is all about. That is where my tension lies. I love my family, I love my kids. In fact I want more kids! I love being a mom- its the other junk that gets in the way of what is good about being one.

So for now I am going to try and simplify as much as possible in this $ and time crunched society. Maybe then I can sit back and enjoy the life of a mom a little more.

Im moving!!!

2009-04-06T20:29:00.001-04:00

My blog is moving to www.bethanygaddis.com. Join the ride as I revamp this blog! See you there!

Senior Pictures

2009-04-03T14:08:00.002-04:00

I had my first official senior picture session on Monday evening with a sweetheart named Rachel Scofield. I love this girl! She makes taking a good picture so easy. She has such a natural beauty and her eyes were just amazing with how they shined. My favorite look of hers is what we called the "smirk." It was a fun night of hitting the town and taking some shots! Here are a few of them.

PS yes I see that I need to fix the copyright date on the watermark...thank you.

Tomorrow Night- be there

2009-04-01T06:40:00.005-04:00

For the first time ever I participated in an art show called EVENING OF THE ARTS last year. I felt so out of my league. Yet for some reason they invited me back again this year. The event is on Thursday night (April 2nd) from 6-9pm at First Baptist Church Naples in the Commons.

I hope to make a lot more sales this time around ( I sold one print last year). I promise you that I am not just trying to make $ for selfish gain. All sales and/or orders of prints made during this event will be going directly into our adoption fund. We have done a few small things over the years to get something started and as it stands now we have $500 toward a $28,000 endeavour. While there will be a formal auction and fundraising dinner for our adoption later in the year, this is a step toward getting the process started and the word out. Plus you will get to see a ton of amazing artists and their work at the same time. Please stop by and tell your friends, neighbors and family to stop by as well. See you then!

PS this is not an April Fool's joke

Things more important than blogging

2009-03-31T20:55:00.006-04:00

I haven't been blogging because I've been spending as much time with these two as possible. Jovie turned 1 on Friday (27th)

and Jaxon turned 4 today (31st).

Amidst birthday parties, getting sick (throwing up for 2 days), and time with Gpa (my dad in from California) we have been busy!

Currently Reading

2009-03-24T21:57:00.002-04:00

Im not a believer in the "5 steps toward a perfect life" type of books so when I saw the title of this book I browsed right past it. However something drew me back to it and when I read the inside panel I noticed that it was written by the same author of another book I had contemplated picking up many times before. So I gave it a shot and sat down to read the introduction and the first chapter. I was interested in reading more so I bought it. Here are some points from those first two sections of Have a New Kid by Friday by Dr. Kevin Leman:

- It isn't always the big things that wear you down. It's the constant battles with attitudes and behaviors. It's the exhaustion and stress of dealing with children who start swinging from the minute they get up.

- You've got a big job to do and a short window in which to do it. The years go far too quickly.

- You, as a parent, are to be in healthy authority over your child.

- Your job as a parent is not to create a happy child. If your child is temporarily unhappy, when he/she does choose to put a happy face back on, life will be better for all of you.

- Nothing in life is a free ride. The sooner your child learns that, the better. Every person is accountable, regardless of age, for what comes out of his mouth.

- Homes should be based on the cornerstones of mutual respect, love and accountability. There is no entitlement.

- Most parents have spent way too much time snowplowing their child's way in life.

- You are the key to changing your child's thinking and actions. Your child's behavior has everything to do with you.

-The teachable moment: the moment when reality enters the picture and makes an impact on the child's mind and heart.

- The top 3 long-terms concerns for a parent: Attitude, Behavior and Character.

What child rearing books and/or authors have you read that helped refine you as a parent and develop your own style?

Legitimate question

2009-03-19T20:20:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago my husband had to go to a retreat put on by the men's ministry at our church. They were meeting on the campus Friday evening, Sat morning and Sunday afternoon/evening (I think). As the time approached for him to leave I asked if the church was providing child care for the event. Legitimate question I thought. Nathan just kind of smirked and then moved on like my question was a joke.

It got me thinking...

If there is a woman's retreat, MOPS, Refresher or any other female oriented activity taking place at the church, there is always child care provided. But not so when the guys have something. This realization made me angry. I know my husband isn't a single dad or anything but there are some out there. Why is there an expectation of the wives to watch the kids while the men meet and not an expectation for the men to watch the kids while the girls meet?

Its the little things like that that irk me. You can say all you want that society is not gender biased anymore but I think details like this prove that we are still a long way off. Especially the church.

Spiritual Truths

2009-03-16T09:52:00.003-04:00

I am a believer that you can learn spiritual truths practically anywhere. The other day my son was watching his favorite show (for now) on Playhouse Disney. Its called Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Basically the general idea is that there is a problem or they have to practice something or find something and the cast of characters are given all these "mouse-ka-tools" to help them accomplish the task. At first sight these tools make no sense. Its like a MacGyver set of random objects that have nothing in common (IE tape, a pogo stick, a baby elephant, and a mystery mouse-ka-tool.) But as the story unfolds they all come in handy. The mystery mouse-ka-tool is a secret until you find an area of the journey that none of the other tools can assist you in completing or there are none left. Every single time the mystery tool surprises you with how helpful it is.

I read into the show pretty deeply the other day and realized how similar this story line is to our life and journey.

We don't understand a lot of times, why we are the way we are or why such and such had to happen to us. What we forget is that those experiences and personality traits are tools for our own journey. We are going to come upon things in life that require us to use those gifts (tools) to help others, display faith and persevere. We don't recognize them as gifts but they are. They apply to the journey ahead. But we stand at the starting line and think, "why did I have to experience the death of my sister/divorced parents/broken relationships? etc." It makes no sense, until you start walking and living. Then you will see how those events and trials have become tools to help you be compassionate, humble, trustworthy and so on.

Its like I heard in a sermon one time... when Jesus healed the paralyzed man, he told him to pick up his mat and go. Why would he take his mat? That was his past. But Jesus knew it would remind the man of where he had been and it would keep him humble and thankful throughout the rest of his journey. He could share about the power of Christ BECAUSE he use to be limited to his mat. It became a tool.

Romans 8:28 The Message

"That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good."

A breath from my week out of the bubble

2009-03-15T23:17:00.003-04:00

Sorry I haven't been blogging lately but I wanted to make my family feel like a priority during the small amount of time I was home between my showgirl stints. The week was half great and half horrible (that is another story). I enjoyed the new people I met working at the Phil this week. It reminded me of how much I miss being out of the "bubble." If you don't know what Im referring to then don't worry about it. I got to breathe a little easier for awhile. It was a much needed break from the norm of my day to day life. I will savor it as long as possible.

A day in the life of a showgirl

2009-03-12T10:27:00.004-04:00

Its strange to see myself this way but for the past 4 days I have been switching back and forth between the stay at home mom hat I usually wear and a showgirl's headdress. Its been quite the whirlwind. I spend most of the day getting groceries, driving to and from Jaxon's school, doing laundry, and playing with the kids. Then its like a switch goes off and I become a glamorous diva from Las Vegas for a few hours. When I get home I can't sleep right away so I usually catch up on DVR shows and don't get to bed until 12am or so. Then its up early the next day to do it all over again. Its been really fun and it has stretched me a great deal.

Here is what I am learning about myself:

- I love being on stage.

- I don't get nervous about acting in front of a large crowd of people (singing is another story).

- I don't know how to do make-up (I don't even know where it goes).

- I can dance in heels...sort of.

- I don't care what other people think. I only care about what my husband thinks.

- There is more that I can't really put words to yet.

Overall I am proud of myself for doing something so out of the box (for me). I am having a blast and I am so grateful for the opportunity.

Thank You Naples Philharmonic and the Pops goes Vegas cast (from Indiana) for allowing me this time to shine!

Bittersweet

2009-03-08T10:05:00.003-04:00

A sweet family left our church about a week ago but before they drove away, I got to snap some family pictures of the group. Meet the Haines family. Jimmy, the dad, became the counseling pastor at our church almost 2 years ago. During that time I fell in love with every member of his family all at different times. 2 of his kids were in the youth group (Anna and Hunter). Their other son sang every once in awhile in church, other than that I didn't really get to hang out with him (Hutch). Their eldest daughter (Noelle) not only became my husband's assistant but a dear friend to me. The mom, Nan, was one of my favorite people to sit next to at pastors wives events.

The whole group was a blessing to our church and will continue to be for the Kingdom no matter where they are. I always called them the Von Trap family b/c they all sing, act and dance-they are a cast in and of themselves. But alas, the Lord has called them to First Baptist Church Atlanta and there they serve now. If you are in the area, go by and say hello to them! They are truly an inspiring family and they are greatly missed already.

Doing what works

2009-03-05T13:50:00.004-05:00

I have never been consistent with reading my Bible. (Other than when I was a Religion major in college when it was a text book I was required to read.) Sure I have worked through a devotional book from time to time but it never became a habit and it wasn't the WORD itself. Besides, it always felt like something I had to do.

A few months ago my 11th grade BLG and I took part in a challenge I called "Eat the Word." There really wasn't all that much to it other than feeding our spirit before we fed our flesh. In other words... read the Bible before you eat ( breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner). It was a symbol of how our priority was to strengthen our spiritual lives before our physical ones.

The way I chose to do this was through journaling. I went out and bought a 2 pack of school notebooks and at the top of the page I would write the book of the Bible and the chapter I was reading (I read a chapter a day). I would highlight parts in my Bible as I went along and copy the parts I underlined into my notebook. Then I would start a section called "My heart." This is where I chew on and apply what the passage has to say to me. Lastly I pick out one verse that either summarizes it or is memorable from the passage. It looks like this:
Its hard to say why this is working for me but it is. I look forward to it every day. It takes about 20-30 minutes and if I can't get it done while the kids are napping, then I will make sure they are set up to play somewhere nearby where I can fully concentrate on what I'm reading while they entertain themselves for awhile. It really has me relating daily life to Scripture. Isn't that the whole point?!

Anyway, I just thought I would share with you what I have found to work for me as far as eagerly seeking the Word in my life goes.

What works best for you?

Another sign

2009-03-04T10:10:00.003-05:00

There are so many things in life I said I would never do that God pretty much laughs at and then has me do. For example I said I would never live in the south. I moved to Tennessee for college, met my husband and then lived there for a total of 7 1/2 years. Another thing I said I would never do was drive a mini-van. Well two days ago Nathan and I made our first car purchase together and now we own a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. Don't get me wrong, its beautiful (for a van) with a lot of bells and whistle we weren't planning to enjoy but I can't shake the whole van thing. I guess that it's just another sign that I am getting older, my family is getting bigger, and that God really enjoys laughing at me.This is me saying goodbye to my single/post-college/pre-kid car before the trade in. For me it was more than just a car. It was a personal accomplishment to pay that car off myself within 2 years. It was like saying goodbye to a past life. Yes I cried.

Have you ever thought about writing?

2009-03-02T09:37:00.003-05:00

I got to swap hugs with my friend Cathy last night at church and she shared with me that she loves to read my blog. She asked if I had ever thought about doing any writing. I had to chuckle b/c I have many times and I feel like maybe in a different life, I would have done more.

I learned that I love to write while in college trying to sound brilliant for 20+ pages in my theology essays. I did some bible study and devotional writing for Lifeway shortly after graduation and for a woman's devo book called "Chick Flicks: devotionals for girls who like movies." I even (before blogs) had an email club that people signed up for to receive email devotionals from me every day called "Daily Bread." I loved it. I got to spend time studying and then putting together thoughts on how to live a more authentic life. It was so theraputic and challenging! But since then a few things have changed. Two kids later I can't seem to find the time to sit down and study let alone formulate an articulate summary of what I was learning. I started a blog by having important things to say and now it has become a hodge-podge of family updates, photography samples, and links to people smarter and cooler than me. But that is where I am at right now.

Maybe down the road I will be able to write again. I have thought about several book ideas over the years but none of them have really been given the time and attention they deserve. So we shall see.

But along that vein, the conversation I had last night prompted me to go back into the data bases and find some of my old material. The following post is one from the archives- A series I will run on this blog from time to time.

From the archives: "Faith in the Follow Me"

2009-03-02T08:52:00.000-05:00

07.22.03

If I were to tell you that I could tight rope walk from one side of a 5000 foot gorge to the other would you believe me? It would be difficult to, I'm sure. But then, lets say that I took you with me to the gorge, started at one side, set up the rope to stretch across to the other securely, and then began to walk across it right in front of you. If I made it safely to the other side would you believe me then? Maybe, I mean you just saw me do what I said I could do. Then maybe I would do it again- to prove it to you. The more I did it the more you would believe I was capable of something that crazy right? That is what we think of when we talk about faith. Now you have faith that I can tight rope walk across a 5000 foot gorge. But that is not TRUE FAITH.

The Great Big Book of Everything (The Bible) tells us that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1) {Take some time and read all of Hebrews chapter 11 if you would like some examples of faith.} The spiritual faith is more difficult than just seeing it done and then believing, like the tight rope scenario. We must believe BEFORE seeing it if we want our faith to be faith-filled. Its easy to have faith in something you have already seen be done. But how much harder is it to believe in something you have never seen be done before?

When Nathan and I were purchasing our home we couldn't walk through a model of our house because they hadn't built anything yet. All we had to go off of was a one-dimensional piece of paper that showed us the floor plan and dimensions. That was it. We had to have faith that we would like this flat little blueprint of a home because we weren't going to get to see it as anything more until it was built and paid for. But at least we had the floor plan! Ultimate faith is like buying the house without the floor plan to look at or having faith that I can walk a tight rope across a 5000 foot gorge without ever seeing me. If you think that is hard-get ready for part 2.

Lets go back to the tight rope scene- so I tell you I can walk across a tight rope over a 5000 foot gorge and lets say you believe me (without me ever demonstrating it) that we have established as true faith. But what if I then said, "Since you have faith I can do this, how about you jump on my back and I'll walk across the tight rope carrying you." Now, how do you feel?

Heck no!! That's scary! That is called following.

When Jesus called the disciples (and when Jesus calls to us) he said to them, "Come follow me." That's it. That is what the guys had to go off of. Not much of a blueprint. They didn't know who he was, what he did, where he was going or anything that would help them make their decision wisely. But what did they do? They dropped what they were doing and followed him. They had faith in what was unseen to them. They instantly believed that he was capable of doing what he said he could do and they were willing to jump on his back and go with him to do it. It wasn't easy. It isn't easy.

Trust that whatever it is that you are leaving behind to follow Christ it is worth sacrificing for what lies ahead. Your potential future is worth trading your current position for. Have faith AND follow. Its not one or the other and its not easy. So if your not ready for the drills, don't sign up for the boot camp.

Jesus tells us that the chasm (the gorge) can be conquered by way of the cross. Not by way of the golden road of daily bliss, but by the cross. If you want to get across you have to jump on his back in faith and follow. Have faith in the "follow me"!

A family update through pictures

2009-03-01T14:42:00.004-05:00

I set my glasses on the bathroom counter last night without noticing what else was around. When I took a second look I saw this...

My first thought was (literally) "It use to be our toothbrushes, now its our glasses and someday it will be our teeth side by side. I love growing old with this man!"

Jaxon has finally started to draw people in his pictures. While rockets still dominate the subject matter, its nice to see faces on the easel.

Jovie is really into books right now. Her favorite is 10 Little Lady bugs. She also likes to say "hello" and "uh-oh" and loves to wave at everyone.

What's your style

2009-02-26T09:37:00.004-05:00

Most of the time I don't get to to decorate my homes. We have either rented and can't put anything up or buy something that already has decorative elements in place (IE my current home came with every room painted other than the kids rooms and all the living room furniture). But if I could, I thought it would be interesting to see what kind of home I would create. My friend Heather had this on her blog today so I thought I would check it out. It says my style is Modern Elegance and describes it this way:

Variety is the spice of life! And nowhere is this truer than in the design of your home. You may love contemporary but wish it weren't quite so cold and austere or perhaps your drawn to traditional rooms but you'd like to create a less cluttered and busy space. Transitional style is here to marry those apparent contradicting designs.

And guess what? Its the contradictions that make the mix of contemporary and traditional so successful. The result is an elegant room that appeals to young and old alike. A sofa with modern lines blends seamlessly with a pair of traditional chairs. New fabrics work so well on antique pieces. It turns out that modern art looks even more exciting above a collection of traditional pieces. The room feels simple and sophisticated, elegant and hip.

Take the quiz yourself HERE

Then tell me, what's your style?

Every once in a while...

2009-02-25T09:29:00.005-05:00

Most of the time I feel like a failure as a mother. But every once in awhile something that I thought was going in one ear and out the other, finds its way to the surface in what turns out to be a heart melting encounter. Like it did yesterday.

Jaxon, Jovie and I were all playing in Jax's room. Most of the time I let them work out their issues but when he was playing cars and Jovie decided she wanted to play with the car that was in his hand instead of the 20 that were strewn around the room, I stepped in.

Me: "No Jovie. That's Jaxon's toy."
Jaxon: "No, mommy it's God's toy. We can share it."

I could have wept it was so sweet. I swept him up in a big hug instead and told him I was proud of his loving attitude.

Tell everyone you know

2009-02-24T22:32:00.001-05:00

Pssst! Pass it on...

My last day in Cali

2009-02-23T14:42:00.004-05:00

I had one more stop to make before I left California: I wanted to see my sister Tiffany's niche at the mausoleum.

If you don't know the story here is a quick version. Between my sister Kim and I (in age) was our sister Tiffany. She passed away at the age of 12 (I was 6 and Kim was 16). She was in a drowning accident at my grandparents house on her birthday (June 16). I have mentioned on here before that the number 6/16 haunts me but its always in a good way. Basically I think about her everyday.

As I went to Oak Hill cemetary where her creamated remains are, I was overcome by the beauty of the place. She has the best view and the gardens surrounding the buildings are amazing. A statue of Jesus stands at the entrance and its so fitting that she is located on "Rose Court" as we have always kept her memory alive by growing Tiffany rose plants at our homes. The hall is spectacular and the stained glass illuminates the marble with such magnificence you can't help but gasp in amazement.As I sat down and looked straight up to her niche, I was overcome with tears. I just kept thinking about how my husband and kids never met her. All the questions began to flow: What would life look like for her (or us) if she were still here? So many questions left unanswered. But when I looked away I was captured by the beauty of her surroundings again. I was reminded that she is better off. I was comforted by the warmth of the sun I felt as I exited the cold building. I was kissed by the breeze and as I looked around I could feel her whisper, "I love you too." It was a sweet moment.

The perfect ending to a great trip west.

Trip to Cali day #6- Warner Brothers Lot Part 2

2009-02-21T00:02:00.001-05:00

ELLEN! I am a huge fan and was totally shocked when I got the call saying I had 4 guaranteed tickets to be in her audience while I was in Cali. I got the idea to try in an effort to surprise my sister for her 40th birthday (2/28). Its a complete lottery so the fact that I got tickets the first time I have ever tried is amazing! So when Danny, the Ellen rep, called us into line I allowed a few people in front of me before taking my place. Then we were given audience cards in numerical order according to the amount of people we had in our parties. We had 4 so he gave me #s 21-24 and 4 audience surveys. My mom, sister, Luanne and I filled out the forms and handed them in. One of the questions on there was "do you have any talents or silly party tricks you would like to share with us?" I answered, 'I can put my legs behind my head. That's weird I know.' About 20 minutes later another ELLEN rep named Tom (or Tim) came out and asked for audience card #s: 12, 21, 22....and I don't remember past that. He was calling up me and my sister. When we got there we found out that he wanted to film our silly party tricks. I couldn't believe I was about to put my legs behind my head on camera. My sister had written down that she was 40 year old pop and locker. So we both had to fill out a participation form and do our thing. I went first. My shoes kept slipping on my silky smooth hair but I managed to hold it long enough for the camera to get a good shot. My sister did her thing and impressed all the onlookers. It was fun! We were definitely the best two- other people sang rhyming states songs or shook their butts like Beyonce'- LAME-O! Anyway, they said they might put them on the website but I haven't seen them anywhere yet. I will let you know if I do.We returned to our seats and saw people getting randomly picked out of the crowd and taken to a back room. Later we found out that they were looking for potential "Awww Snap" game contestants. We were told by Ellen rep Danny to line up in numerical order so we oblidged and they led us across the street (Olive Ave) to the stage in a single file line. Inside the rif-raf room we looked like a tangled mess of hundreds of people but apparently there was a system to it all. They led us up the steps and down toward the stage and the guy seating people said he would have to split our group up. Since my sister and I had talked before hand, she knew I wanted to be on the dance aisle and she wanted to be on the end of a row. She directed the guy to let my mom and I sit exactly where I wanted to (there were 3 seats left) while she and Luanne would take the end of the row behind that. He agreed and there it was- we were exactly where we both wanted to be for the show. I was so in awe of the moment.

The actual stage was angled differently than it looks on TV but it was still cool. Tim, or Tom, was our crowd energizer and he had us up and dancing for about 15 minutes before the show started. We screamed, clapped, laughed and sighed exactly as instructed and before we knew it, the show was over. It was such a cool experience.

However, I have to say that I thought Ellen interacted with the audience more than she actually does. It was more like we were watching her film a movie and during "commercials" she was getting to her mark and learning the lines for the next scene. At the end of the whole thing she came out and said something to the effect of, "Thanks for all the positive energy you bring to the studio. Goodbye." It was weird. My mom described it well when we talked about it later when she said, "The editing they do for TV must add a lot. Being there live, it was a pretty flat." So true. But even with that set back, nothing could ruin that moment in time for us.

Now for the real question you are asking yourself..."Bethany did you get on TV?" YES and just in case you missed my debut here you go...

The best shot is at 4:25 after the Abs of Steel schtick.That is my mom sitting next to me. My sister and Luanne were on the row behind us on the end so there are some shots of them in the beginning and when Ellen is dancing. There are a few more shots of my mom and I dancing (Ellen comes down our row) and between commercials but they aren't as close up and you have to really be looking for us.

A day I will never forget!

Trip to Cali day #6- Warner Brothers Lot Part 1

2009-02-20T14:24:00.007-05:00

On Tuesday I woke up from my hallway, egg-crate-for-a-bed slumber to a warm shower and some breakfast at a place called P... (can't remember). I had a blueberry muffin and a mocha to start the day off right. Then we went to the designated Ellen check in area where I met Freddie. He instructed me that there was no benefit to standing in line early since seats were assigned at random and not until 1:30pm (It was 10am). So my sister called a friend and former student of hers, Matt, that she knew worked somewhere on the lot to see if he could show us anything in our spare time. Amazingly he was willing to meet us at 11am and said he would show us around the set of the show he was currently editing for called CHUCK. Well I love that show so I was thrilled! We hung out with Freddie for the hour we had to kill until Matt arrived. He then took us through 3 security check points and onto the set of the BUY MORE where they were rehearsing a scene that won't air until April some time (can't tell you what happens or they will have to kill me). We saw, character names: Chuck, Morgan, Big Mike, Emmett, Jeff, Anna Wu, Lester and other Buy More employees. It was great. Chuck (real name Zachary Levi) turned around and waved at us while we were standing there. He couldn't come over though b/c they were rehearsing or he didn't want to (I prefer to believe the first reason). After we watched for awhile most of the cast was shuffled off to their trailers but Scott Krinsky (Jeff) decided to come over and talk to us. He wasn't an airhead like his character at all. He was so sweet. He talked to us for quite awhile and told us about a spoof he did based on the Craig's List craze- sounded so funny. They are getting ready to take a 3 month vacation and he plans to go to Europe- Prague and all those luxurious places. He was really down to earth and kind. Matt then asked if we wanted to take a picture with him and of course I said "YES!" I was told by security that no pictures were allowed unless authorized so I was thrilled to get the chance. Here we are with him and another Buy More employee on the set. As I was putting my camera away the actors had to leave and I guess I missed the goodbyes b/c when I looked up they were walking away. Then Scott turned around and noticed I was now available again and he came back to say goodbye to me. It was really sweet. I know its no big deal but when someone who doesn't have to makes you feel important its still nice. I was really touched by his generous spirit. Then we walked the lot and got some Starbucks and I saw Kristin Chenoweth. All in all a great time on the lot.By then it was around 12:45pm and we returned to the place we started only this time it was more crowded. We decided to send a crew to get Subway while Bob and I stuck around the line in case things started happening. While they were gone I saw Manny setting up shop nearby. I ran over and talked to him for about 10 minutes and he was so humbled to have been on Ellen's show for his head balancing ability. He was so cute. Great guy. Then at about 1:00pm an Ellen representative named Danny called only the ticket holders into line...that is where my Ellen adventure begins...

Trip to Cali day #5- Travel

2009-02-19T10:04:00.003-05:00

Monday was spent in the car driving to LA. It should have only taken 5 hours but because Grapevine was closed (the mountains between Northern Cal and Southern Cal) due to snow, we had to go around. That plus a 1 month old and me having to pee every 5 minutes made our trip about 8 hours long. Once we got to LA we just ordered some Chinese food to avoid getting back in the car and then crashed. Because there are no pictures from the drive, here are some I took at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (a childhood stomping ground of mine) on the Friday prior.

Boardwalk

LighthouseSea lionsThis is what seaweed looks like on the west coast.

Trip to Cali day #4- Baby Shower

2009-02-18T14:40:00.003-05:00

Sunday I got to join in on a baby shower for baby Jordan! As you can imagine, it was instant parenthood for Kim and Luanne when Jordan was born. They were lacking some of the essentials so some of their friends threw together a baby shower and scheduled it the weekend I was there. What a treat! It was so good to see the community of people surrounding this precious boy. He is loved.

JORDAN

Luanne, Me and Kim (my sis) and Jordan

My mom and I

Trip to Cali day #3- It runs in the family

2009-02-17T05:00:00.000-05:00

On Saturday while the rest of you were celebrating Valentine's Day I was celebrating family. Here is the back story. My grandparents lived in a small California town called Oakdale. My grandma loved reading but her eyes were going bad so she started to need large print books. My grandfather was a pillar of the community and decided to get his running club and lion's club to host a 1-mile and 5K race to raise money for the town library (so my grandma would have more large print book options). It was successful for several years when my grandfather passed away (a running accident that led to a surgery he never woke up from). In honor of him the town renamed the run for the library. Now it's the Don Osborne Memorial Run For the Library. Ever since, our entire family has made every effort to attend the race and honor our patriarch each year. I have only made it out twice since I started a family of my own on the opposite coast but each time I go, it is amazing to see how many lives were touched and changed by my grandpa. I felt it such an honor when one of the men in charge of the race asked our family group who was carrying on my grandpa's tradition of running and they all pointed to me! I was surprised and deeply touched to represent his memory in that way.This year I really enjoyed reconnecting with my family. I rarely see them so catching up was such a blessing. I really hope my husband and kids will get to know this side of their family tree better in the future. There is so much rich heritage amongst the people I call aunts/uncles/and cousins that I hope they will eventually tap into. Anyway, we spent the day together before, during and after the race and I am hopeful that we will reunite again soon.
Picture #1: My sister and I were the only ones who participated in the 5k-here I am finishing.
Picture #2: This is my mom's youngest brother- my uncle Orval.
Picture #3: This is my cousin Brett- my mom's oldest brother's son.

Trip to Cali day #2- Jordan

2009-02-16T07:49:00.000-05:00

When I got to my sister's house I met Jordan for the first time.

He has quite the story. His parents are meth (among other drugs) addicts. They are homeless as well. They have had two children prior to him and have lost both to the county due to their inability to care for them. So when he came along my sister, who has been on a foster care/adoption list for awhile, was called up. He was born January 20th and my sister and Luanne were in the NICU with him the entire weekend while the parents spent 20 minutes with him. He has visits with his birth parents 3x a week for 1 hour each but lives full time with my sis and Luanne. On February 24th the courts will decide where he will live permanently. My heart has been breaking over the past few days thinking of all the obstacles he will have to overcome b/c his parents were selfish (insert mean word here). He is doing well despite his inherited disadvantages. So I would like to introduce my potential nephew Jordan (no middle name yet) Beck-Clark.

Trip to Cali day #1- DAD

2009-02-15T11:23:00.006-05:00

I know I'm behind on my Cali trip updates but that's because I'm too busy enjoying the moments. On Thursday when I arrived it was all about my dad. He picked me up at the airport and we went to lunch at a sandwich and soup shop called SPECIALTIES. It was delicious. I had a Mediterranean sandwich on foccacia bread-YUM! Then we got a cookie at Starbucks and met some people at my dad's office before heading to San Francisco. I had to get my bridge view while I was here. There us something about that city that invigorates me. So we took some shots at the bridge then drove around for awhile. We stopped at a Babys R Us to get a shower gift for my sister and then grabbed dinner at Cheescake Factory. Then he brought me over the hill to Scotts Valley (Santa Cruz) where my sis lives.

All in all it was a great day! I love my dad so it was good to hang out with him while Im here.

Next up: I will introduce Jordan. My sister is in the process of adopting him so right now he is my foster nephew but hopefully on FEB 24th we will get the news that he is officially part of our family.

My 6th anniversary trip

2009-02-10T19:08:00.006-05:00

Usually Nathan and I spend our anniversary in Nashville at a creative arts conference. We were unable to go this year due to church budget cuts so instead we planned an overnight trip to Miami. Here is a rundown of our sweet time together.After dropping off the kids at one location and the dog at another we were on the road by 11:30am. We got to Miami an hour and a half or so later and checked into our hotel (The Catalina). We took a tour, then unloaded our stuff and snagged showers. We decided to go shopping first. We hit Urban Outfitters, Quicksilver, Diesel store, etc until around 5pm when we started to get hungry. We walked Ocean Ave. where every restaurant is located so it was crazy jammed with people. We chose a place called PrimeTime for some spinach and cheese tortillina (me) and a japanese breaded chicken basket (Nathan). Then we went back to the hotel and watched the Grammy's in our king-sized tempurpedic bed. It was delightful! We didn't get much sleep (kind of noisy in the surrounding areas) but we stayed in bed until 9:30am. I grabbed a mocha and a bagel for a ridiculous $11 and we hit the streets for more shopping. This time we went to Levi's, Steve Madden and back to some places we decided to buy stuff from we tried on the day before. Then we hit the beach for about an hour until it got chilly from the sun being covered up periodically by clouds. Then we drove further down Ocean Ave. and had lunch at Nikki Beach. They had king size matresses on the beach with linen curtains. The waitor would come out to us and take our order. I got the Nikki Salad (spinach, figs, melon, tomato, parmesean cheese, olives and oil and lime for dressing) while Nathan got the cheeseburger sliders. We stayed there for 3 hours and watched a shoe company photo shoot take place while basking in the sun. It was heavenly. Then we packed up and drove to Sunrise, FL to the IKEA store. We wanted to buy a whole new bedroom set (we want a platform bed) but we didn't think it would fit in the Sentra. We left empty handed but stopped at Jamba Juice for some wheat grass shots and a strawberry smoothie before hitting the road home. We arrived around 8pm to a sleeping baby and a little boy excited to see his parents. We played trains for about an hour before sending him off to bed and I passed out on mine.

Overall it was a great getaway with my man. I love times when we are reminded of how much we like each other. We really are best friends. We even came up with a theme song for our trip: Jason Mraz "LUCKY" featuring Colbie Calliat.

Happy 6 years keiki! Here's to 60 more!!!

Senior Pictures

2009-02-07T23:22:00.003-05:00

I am trying to put together a promo and get my name out there for people needing senior pictures. I decided to utilize my resources and ask students I work with in the youth group to model for me. My first guinea pig is Daniel Head- a pastors kid at our church. He rocked our shoot together this morning. Here are some shots pre edit!

What do ya think?

Tell your friends I'm for hire!!!

What does your Ipod say about you?

2009-02-02T08:29:00.000-05:00

Here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

1. What's my mood like right now?
Divine Intervention - Taking Back Sunday

2. How's tomorrow going to be for me?
Last of days- A Fine Frenzy

3. What kind of person am I?
I don't ever give up- Pattie Griffin

4. Am I loved?
Truly, Madly, Deeply- Ray LaMontagne

5. How can I achieve my highest potential?
River Road- Nancy Wilson

6. What should I do with my life?
Don't go away- Leeland

7. Is everything really going to be alright in the end?
Delicate- Damien Rice

8. What is my best quality?
The way I am- Ingrid Michaelson

9. How does my social life look?
Hosea's Wife- Brooke Fraser

10. What's the meaning of life?
Forgiveness- Pattie Griffin

11. What do people think of me?
You could be happy- Snow Patrol

12. How crazy am I?
Please don't leave me- P!nk

13. Where will I be a year from now?
We could run away- Needtobreathe

14. What is my fondest wish?
Coffee and Cigarettes- Augustana

15. How did my parents meet?
Closer to fine- Indigo Girls

16. What will I dream about tonight?
Noticed- Mute Math

17. What should I be working on right now?
The little things- Colbie Caillat

18. What's my roommate up to currently?
Up against (blackout) - Taking back Sunday

19. What did I do last weekend?
Spitting Games-Snow Patrol

20. Describe me.
Sweet Sweet Baby- Michelle Featherstone

21. What does my music player think of me?
Trouble- Ray LaMontagne

HT: BETHANY ROE

Tips for saving money

2009-01-31T19:23:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of ways to save a little cash by making an extra effort. I don't have time or a subscription to cut coupons from newspapers so I find my own ways to get the most for my dollar.

Here are a few ideas for you:
1. Ketchup. Most of us use it. You can get extra packets from fast food restaurants but also if you have places like 5 guys where you can pump it into little containers, its more fresh tasting.
2. No matter where you are eating, always get a to-go cup and fill it with your favorite beverage (coke, tea, etc) to take home. I suggest no ice so it doesn't get watery. Also if you don't plan to drink it within 24 hours change the cup if its paper b/c it starts to break down and leak in the fridge.
3. If you go to a restaurant and get bottomless anything, get a to-go version before you leave. We do this a lot at Chili's with their chips and salsa. It keeps well and we love munching on them for days.
4. Split meals or eat off the children's menu. Nathan and I don't eat alike so we aren't good at the meal split but Jaxon and I often share something from the children's menu and it saves a ton of food and money being wasted.
5. Use canvas bags at WHOLE FOODS or places like it and get a discount on your groceries as a THANK YOU for helping the planet.

I will try to remember more but for now...share your money saving tips!

PS lying and stealing are not an option.

Tots Getting Internet Identity at Birth

2009-01-29T08:16:00.000-05:00

Besides leaving the hospital with a birth certificate and a clean bill of health, baby Mila Belle Howells got something she won't likely use herself for several years: her very own Internet domain name.

Likewise newborn Bennett Pankow joined his four older siblings in getting his own Internet moniker. In fact, before naming his child, Mark Pankow checked to make sure "BennettPankow.com'' hadn't already been claimed.

"One of the criteria was, if we liked the name, the domain had to be available,'' Pankow said. It was, and Pankow quickly grabbed Bennett's online identity.

A small but growing number of parents are getting domain names for their young kids, long before they can do more than peck aimlessly at a keyboard.

Paci removal day #1

2009-01-28T15:05:00.002-05:00

Today I took Jovie's paci away. She didn't use it as much as Jaxon did as a baby but it's still a hard adjustment. We waited for Jax to turn a year before we removed his but I read somewhere that if you are going to have your kids break a habit you should do it before the one year mark. Apparently there is some data gathered that between 6-12 months kids intensify their attachments to stuff and people. So I picked a day and it has arrived. Jaxon's detox took about two days. So far Jovie is doing better but its hard to hear her cry and know that I allowed this habit to form. I always say Im not doing paci's but both my kids took to them and well...here I am. Its hard to do what is right for my kids. Its easy to do what is convenient for me. But the outcome of the harder road is always worth it!

So here is the day so far and in comparison to Jax's detox:

Jovie:
nap #1 (usually 9-11am): 9:35-10:40am
nap #2 (usually 1:30-3pm) 2:15-3pm

Jaxon:
nap #1 CRIED THE ENTIRE TWO HOURS
nap #2 Cried for 30 min then out

What do you see?

2009-01-26T09:16:00.004-05:00

My son was drawing on his easel the other day. When he yelled, "mommy look!" I turned around to see this. I said, "Oh Jaxon its beautiful," all the while chalking it up to another scribble from my 3 almost 4 year old until he said this: "It's God." I was touched, "Really? It's God? Very cool!" But he wasn't finished explaining, "Mommy it's God like on Prince of Egypt." Then it clicked. This was his re-creation of the burning bush scene in Prince of Egpyt. All of a sudden the picture made sense, not because it didn't before, Lord knows it did for Jaxon whether I understood it at first glance or not. But now I saw what he was seeing and let me tell you folks-it was beautiful!!

Eat right for your type

2009-01-25T13:50:00.000-05:00

According to Dr. D'Adamo, your blood type reflects your internal chemistry. He believes that blood type actually determines the way you absorb nutrients. The particular foods that are absorbed well and the way the body handles stress differs with each blood type. Accordingly, his Blood Type Diet includes four distinct health programs, one for each of the four blood types: A, AB, B, and O.

Go here for products and resources

Stages

2009-01-24T10:27:00.002-05:00

Jaxon has been wearing underwear for a long time now but he wasn't quite ready to go all night without a pull up until now. Actually I probably could have forced it sooner but I didn't. Anyway, for the last few weeks he hasn't had so much as a trickle in his pull ups and when he wakes up in the morning he just goes into the bathroom attached to his room and goes potty. Then he sets up his drum at the base of his dresser, gets some underwear and pants and puts them on before he settles in to play in his room until its time to get up (usually 7am). Then we come in and find him as content as could be and start the day. Its been really cool to watch him go through the stages. So I decided to test the no pull up thing last night and it went great! He is such a big boy.

Jovie is now walking with a walker and cruising on the furniture. She crawls but prefers to walk and stand. Next week I plan on getting rid of Jovie's pacifier. I don't think she is as addicted to it as Jaxon was so it should go well. For a reminder of how Jaxon's transition went go HERE and read the comments for the days events.

All in all I feel like my kids are going through so many stages right now. Wow, they really do grow up so fast.

IM GOING TO BE ON ELLEN

2009-01-22T14:05:00.003-05:00

Hey gang! I just got the call... I have tickets to be in the ELLEN show audience on February 17th!!! I sent in my request weeks ago in attempt of having something to give my sister for her 40th birthday (later that month). When I saw the "no more tickets available" notice online on the date I applied for I was sad. But then, today they called! Apparently I am one of the reasons they don't have tickets left. So it looks like my sis, Luanne, my mom and I are going to the Ellen show. My stomach has butterflies!! Im so excited! When I told my sis she started to cry. Not sure if I will be able to top this bday gift. Oh well, its worth it!

Making the switch

2009-01-22T09:08:00.004-05:00

Recently I partnered with a company named Pictage to be able to offer online photo viewing and ordering to my customers. They are based out of California. The costumer service and promotion techniques were great but it was really expensive. I stayed with them through Christmas, my busiest season, but now that I have been able to do some research, I have made a switch. Now I am working together with a company called Photo Biz. Its really affordable for me and I have features that weren't available through Pictage. By choosing them, I am accomplishing two things with one change. See I have a wonderful friend named Casey who put together a great website for me when I first got started (I knew that was what potential customers would be asking for to see my work). The only problem was that it was hard to update and as my clientel became more extensive I had more material to put on there. So I kept annoying my friend with things I wanted to change and add but finally I felt so bad, I opted to start all over. Through Photo Biz, not only will I be able to offer online photo viewing/slideshows and ordering to my clients but I will be building a new flash website. One that I can manage via a series of point and clicks of my mouse. I am really excited about this transition. It seems to be working perfectly for me thus far.

So go check it out...HERE (or click the link in the left hand column). I'm still working on it but I would love any feedback, suggestions or comments you have! Thanks!

The games we play

2009-01-20T07:49:00.000-05:00

Ok so Jovie is in a new and very maddening stage right now. She won't eat baby food anymore. Yes she will eat food particles that she can pick up with her hand but only some. She has become picky. My son was not like this. All I know is that if she puts something in her mouth that she doesn't want...she spits it out. Not just in a drool but literally across the entire room and into my face/clothes/hair. She will eat carbs (cherrios, toast, crackers, graham crackers etc) and some fruit but that is about it. Sometimes we can shove in some veggies in the mix when she is least expecting it but Nathan is much better at that trickery than I am. I am getting mad. Downright, want to throw something mad. I try to avoid meal time but alas I have to attempt it everyday. I will never be one of those mom's that just feeds my kids whatever they want when they want it so her choices are to eat the sweet potatoes or be hungry. Maybe at our next DR visit her weight will have balanced out and when the DR asks what has changed, I can say, "I stopped feeding her." Im sure that will go over well with the grandparents.

Anyway, please help me!!!

Any suggestions or ideas on what I can do to nip this in the bud before I lose my mind???

What Im learning...

2009-01-19T14:26:00.002-05:00

So a little back story before I launch into this blog post.

A few weeks ago Nathan was reading some twitters on his phone and he saw one from a TN friend of ours talking about doing a "fruit flush" by Jay Robbs. Of course he decided right then and there that he wanted to try it. So the next few days involved conversations with the friend, ordering the protein mix, and downloading the book ($5). We waited for the protein mix to arrive and once it did, we set a date to try it out. We chose Monday but at the last minute Nathan changed his mind and we started Sunday instead. (This is important only b/c I would have gorged myself the night before had I known we were starting Sunday.)

Anyway, I have learned a lot about myself and my food habits over the last 3 days (it ends tonight). They are:

1. I get headaches when I don't eat enough.
2. I can withstand temptation for food (I sat with Jax at a resturant and didn't eat, I went to the grocery store, I made the kids lunches and didn't sneak a taste- Lord knows I wanted to.)
3. My body doesn't have many toxins in it. I will put this as respectfully as I can... Im not "flushing" as much as Nathan has been. So my healthy eating habits must be paying off.
4. I eat a lot when Im not hungry. I was tempted to eat even when I wasn't hungry, just because I wanted to eat. Like a smoker who isn't addicted but does so socially.
5. Jay Robbs shakes make me want to vomit.
6. I eat what my children don't. Often I would find myself getting ready to place in my mouth whatever my kids weren't able to finish from a meal. Made me realize I eat a little bit all day.
7. When Im bored, I go to the kitchen and eat food.
8. I can eat a salad without the dressing and love it!
9. Jay Robbs' shakes make me want to vomit.
10. I cannot wait to eat myself silly tomorrow.

I will let you know if I lost any weight on this thing!

Eat it

2009-01-18T19:51:00.002-05:00

This weekend I challenged my 11th grade girls to start eating the Word based on Jeremiah 15:16: "When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty."

Many people do not even read the Bible. Some read It but do not study the Bible. If we let the Bible go through our minds like water through a sieve, It will not do us much good (James 1:23-25). We need to study God's Word carefully. And it is possible to both read and study the Bible and yet not "eat" the Word of God. To "eat" the Word means to meditate upon It (chew It), to ponder its message to our own heart (digest It) and to apply It to our own life (live It).

So this week, as a class, we have committed to eating the Word. Before we so much as put a morsel of food in our mouth throughout the day in effort to feed our flesh, we are going to feed out spirit first. JOHN 6:63: “It is not the flesh that gives a person life. It is the spirit that gives life. The words I told you are spirit, and so they give life.”

Not only that but we have committed to being as persistent in taking time to read God's Word as Satan is in trying to hinder us. Like D.L. Moody wrote inside the cover of his Bible: "This book will keep me from sin, and sin will keep me from this Book."

So I ask you...to pray along side of me and my 11th grade girls as we take this journey. This is the first week and we plan on doing it for 30 days. Pray that we will have a renewed hunger for the Word. There will be times when we can come up with excuses but please pray that we will remember that if it's truly important to us, we will make time for it or that we are more busy than Almighty God ever intended for us to be and we need to let some things go.

Thanks ahead of time.

Meet the Matteo Family

2009-01-17T15:08:00.004-05:00

Today I was awarded the special privilege to revisit a family I fell in love with last Christmas. First let me tell you how I met them. My friend Amanda use to be a teacher (in a lot of ways she still is...I learn from her every time we are together) in Immokalee. Immokalee is considered the poor area in SW Florida. While I have seen worse, in comparison to the million dollar plus homes I drive by everyday in Naples, these people have it rough. Anyway, while Amanda was teaching she took under her wing this sweet family called the Matteo's. Last year I met them for the first time when we brought some canned goods and food to their home while serving with a ministry called Project Immokalee. I was 7 months pregnant at the time and can still remember racing the boys to the end of the street and back as a way of relating to these precious people. There are 6 kids in the family all under the care of one parent, their mother Maria.

(Here is Maria with Amanda's daughter Maryn)

Their dad has been in and out of the picture but we are glad to know that he is gone now so that they will not have to suffer under his abusive habits anymore. But with the dad gone, Maria had to find work and is now in the fields picking the vegitable/fruit of the season. She gave me a huge bag of green peppers today to say thank you- YUM! The kids all speak English because of school but Maria is still learning so it was great to practice what Spanish I had learned while talking with her. Anyway, today we brought them more food but also some clothing, tennis shoes, and some games and toiletries.
(Here is Angel trying out his new shoes. We took them for a test run!)Before the holidays we had decided as a small group to pull together and get some things for their Christmas as well. Today was the first weekend the majority of us could get together to take it out there for them so that is why it took so long. We enjoyed visiting with the family again and Jaxon loved playing with all the boys (football, marbles, etc). The ladies unloaded the food and kitchen items and helped Maria figure out what clothes would fit which child. After everything was put away in the house and all the kids were worn out from being chased by me with their water guns, we gathered outside and prayed together. We managed to take a group photo as well. All in all it was a precious time with the Matteo family. Please continue to pray for them. Maria shared with me that she is struggling with the rent so pray that she will trust God to provide for their every need.

"Love" and I quote...

2009-01-16T20:12:00.001-05:00

I got this cool sign at Pier1 a long time ago and hung it in our room. The wall it hangs on is gigantic so I kept trying to find something to fill it in a little more but I wasn't ever satisfied. Then I decided to write 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 underneath the LOVE sign. Then Nathan added a quote above it about love. So we decided to start covering the wall with LOVE quotes and verses.

Here are some I am looking to add in the next few days:

Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.

Love is the enchanted dawn of every heart.

Love is friendship set on fire.

If you love me only in my dreams, let me be asleep forever

Love is a dream that comes alive when we meet

Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence.

Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired

All love is sweet, given or returned

Do you have any favorite quotes that include the word LOVE?
Please share them in the comments section- it might be added to the wall!

9 months and counting

2009-01-14T13:33:00.005-05:00

Today Jovie had her 9 month visit to the DR. Its hard to believe she is already 9.5 months old. In just 2.5 months she will be eating cake!!! And another thing, how come 9 months after the child is born flies by but the 9+ months of being pregnant felt like 6 years? Maybe that's just me. Anyway, here are her stats:

Weight: 20 lbs
(75th percentile- in other words out of 100 babies she ranks in the top 25-aka she's big)

Height: 27 inches
(25th percentile- in other words out of 100 babies she ranks in the bottom 25-aka she is short)

Here she is pictured with Dr. Dudley our pediatrician. Unbeknowst to me, Dr D snuck Jovie a cookie before the picture. If you know me at all, you know I would NOT have let that happen but as you can see I was too late. Of course she loved it!

She started army crawling but she isn't sold on the idea of full movement yet. She loves to stand up or ride around in her jeep. She can also sit herself up. She prefers finger food to baby food so we are trying to keep things balanced by giving both equally. Of course she sleeps 12-13 hours a night (has since she was 10 weeks old). She has the most beautiful smiles and always gets complimented on her blue eyes. I can see the beginnings of mommy clinginess but nothing full blown yet. She has two teeth on bottom and 4 on top which she loves to grind together (its like nails on a chalkboard to me). I learned an interesting fact about that today: 85% of kids grind their teeth. That is more common than I realized. None the less I hope she gets over it soon b/c it makes me cringe. She still has a wonderful disposition and makes life easier for us...well...most of the time.

Your turn:
How much did your baby weigh at 9 months?
Did you or your kids grind their teeth?

Going back to Cali

2009-01-13T09:34:00.003-05:00

Every year my mom's side of the family get together for my grandpa's memorial 5k race in Oakdale, CA. This year I am going too. Instead of making just a weekend trip I am staying for 5 days. I was so excited to go this year and then the reality set in. While CA is where I spent the first 13 years of my life, it doesn't feel like home. Honestly more sad and tragic things happened to me while I was there and it always left a bad taste in my mouth. Don't get me wrong, I love being a west coast girl and growing up in the culture of such a melting pot state. I have great memories like going to the Boardwalk and Monterrey Bay Aquarium but something about going back there always makes me uncomfortable. Its almost like I revert back to the little girl I was when I lived there- sad, hurting, not sure of who I was or where I fit, trying to please everyone and never saying what I thought or felt. I think its hard for my family to let me be a grown up while I'm there too. I didn't drive when I lived there so I don't know where anything is or how to get there-so I am transportation dependent. The childhood rooms I had don't exist anymore and they have been minimized to a couple of boxes I now keep in storage. My dad and sister still live there but they have their own families now. When I stay with them its more like visiting a friend or staying in a hotel rather than being home again. So going back there is going to be both wonderful and difficult for me at the same time. Especially b/c I can't distract myself with the kids or Nathan since they aren't going with me. I will be there alone, facing some giants of my past, attempting to be the woman I am now comforting the little girl I use to be instead of going backwards.

So along those lines, here are some things I want to do while Im there (hopefully someone can lend me their car and some mapquest directions or take me):

Run my grandpa's race- honor his memory with my health and attendence. Maybe get a medal.
Celebrate my sister's 40th birthday. I can't believe she is that old!? Man I love her.
Spend quality time with my dad- talking, walking, laughing whatever we feel like doing. No TV.
Go to Monterrey Bay Aquarium and the Boardwalk- take pictures and keep a photo journal.
See my sister Tiffany's marker at the mosoleum- I miss her still.
Hit an In & Out Burger joint- I don't even eat meat and I love this place.
Make new memories that I will look back on with warmth and laughter.

Jaxon on Ellen?

2009-01-09T07:33:00.000-05:00

Im a huge fan of the Ellen DeGeneres show. I DVR it everyday. So during the kid's naps yesterday I was watching Thursday's episode when I heard Ellen request videos to be sent in of your kids watching her show. I remembered that I had taken one of Jaxon a few months ago so I submitted it. Thought I'd share it with you too.

In case you don't watch it, everyday Ellen dances through the audience toward her chair on stage, then straddles a coffee table and then holds herself over the chair for a few seconds before plopping down in it. Without Jaxon knowing it, I snagged my camera when I saw him setting up his chair b/c I assumed he was about to follow along with her. This is what I caught! Precious! I hope they see it b/c I know that if they do, they won't be able to help but talk about it. Right!? Plus, it only adds humor when you see that his underwear is on backwards as well. That's my boy.

Just ask

2009-01-08T10:15:00.003-05:00

I had been admiring the Christmas decorations at Starbucks for awhile when I came across this BLOG entry from my friend Bethany. So I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask my nearby coffee shop what they were planning to do with the stuff after the holiday was over. They told me that they were either going to throw them away, donate them or sell them. I told them that if they were going to throw it away then please call me and I left my info. Weeks went by and nothing happened. Then I heard through a friend that works there that they had sold the stuff. I was sad but life moved on. Then a week ago Daniel (our friend) handed me the wreath and said that the doves were taken but not the wreath. I was so excited b/c the wreath was my favorite part of the group. Then on Sunday I stopped in and Daniel told me that no one had come to pick up the dove decorations and that his manager said they were now "fair game." He handed them over and I placed them in my car right away. It was so cool. Yes I already have my Christmas stuff packed up and in storage but now I have these three lovely pieces to add next year!Just goes to show...it never hurts to ask and even Starbucks who claims to do so much good for the world, can be wasteful.

A prayer for my son

2009-01-07T10:15:00.003-05:00

I pray you will come to know Christ and live for Him faithfully.
I pray you'll always know that daddy and I love you.
I pray that you will be a man of integrity and sound character.
I pray that you will seek adventure and live your dreams.
I pray that I can model the beauty and heart of a God-fearing woman.
I pray that daddy can model a man of honor and that you will want to be like him some day.
I pray that we can model the marriage you want have someday or how to glorify God in your singleness.
I pray that I can have patience and be consistent with you as you figure out who you are the power you have within you.
I pray that you will deserve respect by your actions and your silence.
I pray you will have wisdom and compassion.
I pray that you will get caught if you try to cheat, steal, or lie.
I pray that you will serve and lead.
I pray that I will be observant and sensitive to your needs.That I may give you attention and be available for guidance.
I pray that you will find value in our care for you so that you might experience emotional health.
I pray that we can provide for you.
I pray that I will not forget to try and see things from your perspective before I speak.
I pray that you will love with an open heart.
I pray that you will give freely and experience joy.
I pray you will never forget that you deserve nothing and therefore everything you have is truly a gift of mercy and grace from God.
I pray that you are thankful.
I pray that everytime you fall down you remember to get back up and try again.
I pray you work hard and for One purpose.
I pray that the Holy Spirit will relay the unspoken prayers of my heart on your behalf.
I thank God I am your mommy.

Art takes time

2009-01-04T15:28:00.002-05:00

I know I haven't been blogging. I know I am losing interest every day that I don't post anything. But what I also know is that I have been more intentional with my relationships lately and that my son hasn't had to entertain himself for blocks of time b/c I am gazing at my computer screen trying to sound wonderful and smart to a bunch of people I may never meet. That matters. I haven't had anything that I felt was "blog worthy" to say.

I am picking up the pieces of 2008 and trying to create a mosaic that God's light can shine through and create beauty from in 2009. I am setting goals, tying up lose ends, cleaning the slate, re-organizing my priorities and praying like a dying person that it all falls directly into The Right Hands.

Allow me some more time b/c I need it. Thanks.

New Year's Eve

2008-12-31T15:03:00.001-05:00

How you exit one thing determines how you enter another.
Where will 2009 find you as you enter?

The girl I used to be

2008-12-29T22:07:00.003-05:00

I saw this on Jennifer's blog and I place it on mine as a state I hope to get to someday. I'm still in the "I want to be who I was" phase. Lord help me.

She came tonight as I sat alone...
The girl I used to be...
And she gazed at me with her earnest eye
And questioned reproachfully:

Have you forgotten the many plans
And hopes I had for you?
The great career, the splendid fame,
all the wonderful things to do?

Where is the mansion of stately height
With all its gardens rare?
The silken robes that I dreamed for you
And the jewels in your hair?

And as she spoke, I was very sad
For I wanted her pleased with me...
This slender girl from the shadowy past
The girl that I used to be.

So gently rising, I took her hand
And guided her up the stairs
Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay
Innocent, sweet, and fair.

And I told her that these are my only gems,
And precious they are to me;
That silken robes is my motherhood
Of costly simplicity.

And my mansion of stately height is love,
And the only career I know
Is serving each day in these sheltered walls
For the dear ones who come and go

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,
She smiled through her tears at me.
And I saw the woman that I am now
Pleased the girl I used to be.

Christmas Update

2008-12-27T10:53:00.003-05:00

Christmas was wonderful. It took about 3 hours to open presents. Not because we had so many but because every time Jax opened a gift he wanted to play it for 20 minutes before we moved on to the next one. It was all about Jaxon this year- which in my book is a plus and a minus.

A plus because since Jovie came around he has gotten the shaft in a lot of ways, so it was good to see him get some attention from everyone. A minus because Christmas isn't all about Jaxon, or any of us. Its about Christ. Like I said a few posts ago I really want to change how we do Christmas next year- for the rest of our lives. While I thought the letter to Santa thing was cute, it bred in my 3 year old an attitude of want before need and the long lasting effects of that are tragic.

While he fully enjoys the gifts he was given and was thankful for each and every treat, in some way he felt like he deserved them and more. So much so that the entire day I couldn't even think the words "santa brought this" without my stomach turning. At the end of it all I made sure Jaxon sat down in my lap and thanked God through prayer for all he had received that day. I don't know that he mean't it but I needed the True Gift Giver to be recognized.

So Christmas was a wonderful day- filled with laughter, memories and family but it also awakened in me a desire to draw more attention to the meaning of Christmas. So that my kids don't grow up thinking its about them.

How was your Christmas?

Just because

2008-12-24T20:37:00.001-05:00

Good game

2008-12-22T15:59:00.003-05:00

My husband and I squared off for the 5th place title in our Fantasy Football league this past weekend. Here is the end result:
I am Flip Flops...hear me roar!

Going Giftless

2008-12-21T16:19:00.002-05:00

My friend Shaun has an interesting series going on over at his blog about going giftless on Christmas. I have really enjoyed the comedic challenges he has placed in front of the reader through his questions and word pictures. If you have about 15 minutes to spare read the entire thing. If you don't... read them as you have time. Point being: read it. Its worth it.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

There are a lot of points he makes in these that have been in my heart but I couldn't put words to. I plan to take action and change things for next year's Christmas. So family... be prepared.

Pictures

2008-12-19T20:11:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures I've taken this week that I really like.

Some because they are artistic, others because they are not scripted but all because it is my family.

One of those dads

2008-12-18T09:57:00.003-05:00

My husband said the cutest thing this morning.

Today Jaxon is having a PreK Christmas party in his class. Because Nathan works on the same campus as Jaxon's school I invited him to stop in if he could. However, he has an all day worship pastor's roundtable thingy. But to my surprise Nathan said he wanted to come by anyway. This is how the conversation took place:

Me: "If you can't make it its ok. Besides I can't promise any other dads will be there either."
Nathan: "Thats even more reason for me to come. I want to be one of those dads that other kids see and wish their dad was like me. I want Jaxon to have that kind of dad."

I thought it was so sweet!

So trust me Babe, you are one of those dad's. Jaxon loves having you around at his events and the smile on his face when you walk into a room is priceless. See you at the party.

Snow in FL?

2008-12-17T22:30:00.003-05:00

In an attempt to help Jaxon understand what Christmas is supposed to look like, Nathan snagged some insta-snow leftover from the LCT program and we let him play around a bit.

First we put it in a bowl in the kitchen for him to see it be made. Now its been placed in his "sand and water table" for even more snow activity and fun!Its funny what we have to do to try and remember that everywhere else in the country people are bundled up with scarves and gloves while we are in our shorts and flip flops...still.