"Not Me! Monday"

If you haven't already checked out the blog phenomenon known as 'My Charming Kids' you should really do yourself a favor and check it out. I have the privilege of being actual "real life" friends with "McMama" and I can tell you that she is even more amazing, creative, unique and fun in real life as she is on her blog. That being said, I thought I would join in on her "Not Me Monday" invention that is both hilarious and refreshingly therapeutic.

Here is my rendition of "Not Me's" that I committed this past week:

1. I did not get up at 6:30 a.m. this morning and then sit around in my pajamas until 10 a.m. doing "stuff" on my computer and I most certainly did not let my kids play in their pajamas until 10 a.m. because that would have been highly counterproductive to our always highly productive school routine each morning.

2. I did not tell my kids that, "NO!" they could not have a square of chocolate and shew them out the door and then as soon as they were gone, shove 2 chocolate squares in my own mouth before I headed out the door. Not me! That would be very hypocritical!

3. I definitely did not give in this morning when my son asked if he could wear his Vikings shirt... for the second day in a row... and let him retrieve it balled up from the bottom of the dirty clothes hamper... and I definitely did not let him wear it after he scooped it out. dirty. wrinkled. for the second day in a row.

4. I did not bring along fruit/veggie "spray" and a rag to "wash" off all the apples before we ate them at the orchard as we walked along picking- because that would be semi-neurotic.

5. And, speaking of the apple orchard, I most certainly did not find myself in a very precarious situation in the bathroom stall having to be very creative by folding a diaper in half, inside out, and creating a very bulky feminine hygiene product- no way, no way! Because that would have been very embarrassing, desperate, and made for a very "padded" ride in the tractor wagon. (P.S. thank God men don't read this blog!)

Whoa, Nelly- I should stop myself right THERE. Before this thing gets out of hand!

i love this man...

A decade ago, when my love for this man was brand new and "fresh" I will never forget turning to him as we drove in the car on one of our fabulous dates during those early months and making him promise me that the love that we felt for each other- at that moment, as I squeezed his hand for dear life- would never change. He looked back at me and replied, "I promise! It will never get old!"

But the thing is- it has changed. It has grown roots. Deepend. Strengthened. What started as such intense affection and passion for one another has grown into something so much more. In that moment, nearly a decade ago, I had no idea what true married love could inspire. Such deep respect. Incredible security. And a bond that goes beyond what words can describe.

He has surpased any expectation of what I had hoped and dreamed for as a little girl.

He is the love of my life!

I love this man...

Walk for Autism

Last Saturday, my family and I joined in the Walk for Autism. As many of you know, my precious nephew, Benjamin, is afflicted with Autism. He is an amazing, smart, funny 12 year old and he is a fighter. It was a priviledge to walk in his honor to raise awareness and funds for research to find a cure!






P.S. Thanks Octamom for sharing scrapblog idea!!

i love nature (part 2)...

Some of my fondest memories from growing up are of times spent on hikes with my Dad and my sister. Every weekend, my Dad would always make sure that we spent time outside... winter, spring, summer and fall. Sometimes we'd go to the beach, sometimes build forts in the snow, sometimes just play at the park- but my favorite of all was hiking in the woods. It was during those times that some of the most influential discussions took place. And how could they not? Being out in nature- God's amazing, miraculous creation- always sparked interesting inquiry, discussion and revelation.


Well, life has changed quite a bit, and that group of 3 (my Dad, my sister and I) has turned into a party of 10! And though we may not get a word in edge wise while we hike with the kids, it is still just as meaningful - and, in many ways, even more so to be sharing this with my children.



One of my favorite things about hiking, besides the obvious feeling of communing with our creator, is that my kids always seem to nonchalantly throw out the most insightful questions. Why? How come? What about about this? What about that? And, the questions aren't always about nature- yet walking through the woods seems to give such a sense of peace that it feels safer to ask any question about life....



I have found that God has provided endless parables in nature to reveal the depth of His love and His character to us. And Papa (my Dad) is an expert at identifying a parable in just about anything....



But that involves us listening, and paying attention!






My nephew, Samuel (the observative one), even found some type of vertebrae. It was pretty gross, I'm not gonna lie. Let's just hope that it belonged to an animal at one point...



Times spent together with family are priceless, and even more so when we are blessed by the abundance of God's creativity that surrounds us.