Chattin' with the Chadwicks

Things I Love

2011-04-07T16:07:00.004-04:00

So I'm trying something new and linking up about things I love today. My friend Kathy inspired me to try this so here it goes.

This past weekend I was at home in Summerville with my family. One of the things we ALWAYS do is get at least a dozen of blue crabs. It's mating season right now so a lot of the crabs are down deep (something new I learned) so they gave my sister a deal because they were smaller than normal. It did not matter to me they were delicioso!

These are a lowcountry favorite and my mom and sister seem to know how to season them just right. Living in the ATL, I cannot get them and my sister and mama always know to get a batch when I visit. But really, it's about more than the crabs. It's something special that the women in my family share. It's a girl thing. So we each get our tin pans, a cloth napkin, a cold glass of soda and we dig in! Every time there is a pan of crabs on the table, lots of laughs and love abound.

So, that's what I love on this Thursday. What about you?

Kid's Clothes- Oh Boy!

2011-04-04T14:27:00.009-04:00

So the challenge of the 3rd week was to tackle our kids clothing and toys. I felt like Tsh knew exactly the things that have been bugging me because I had been wanting to get into both of these for some time. One day while the kids were at school(Hahahaha) I purged their toys and cleaned up their room. When they came home they were absolutely thrilled! They did not even notice all the toys that I had gotten rid of and in fact they still haven't! Some of the toys I just took out of rotation and put in the attic, and others I just gave away to Goodwill. I don't have pictures of the 2 large trash bags of toys that got donated because I did this before the actual challenge week. I have posted an after picture of their room though. Less truly is more with kids. I'm even thinking of going smaller. It seems like when I have things in bins like the big green one in the room, they don't dig in there for stuff. It's only when it's out and obviously on a shelf that they play with it.

Gotta admit that the clothing was not at all fun! This is because I like systems and I haven not been able to wrap my brain around how to organize it all so that just led to closets looking like these....YIKES. I know.

So now for the after!!

It's certainly not beautiful because I repurposed things I had other than the large pink tub.... but it is organized. On the top shelf are two boxes turned on their sides with summer clothes waiting to be worn for each child. Beyond these boxes on either side are clothes for next winter. In their drawers are winter clothes since the weather keeps changing here. Once we're hot for good, these boxes will be filled with winter items and on the bottom are going to be 2 more boxes. One for selling/giving (Ellison's stuff) and another for saving (mainly Jude's clothes for Asher).

Organizing these clothes really helped me to see what the kids really need. Ellison is in big time need of shorts (top box on the right) but has a ton of shirts. Jude is stocked for the summer with the exception of a few nicer things for church or family stuff. Shoes are now in the pink tub for Ellison and in the organizer for Jude. Elli is my child who needs to be able to clean up in a hurry and Jude on the other hand will take his time and find joy in matching them up and putting them away...kinda like his mama! Oh... and in the clear bins are underwear and socks, Pj tops, and Pj bottoms. I'm thinking of changing these for play clothes b/c I really want them to be able to get outfits out in the summer and not have to worry about if it's something that cannot be stained or ruined. The majority of our days are spent at home out in the yard or at a playground so it just makes more sense to keep like 4 nicer outfits for everything else. I got that idea from this post. Thanks to that post I have clear goal of 4/5 nicer outfits for each child and 7-10 options for play. I've found a wonderful thrift store nearby where I've been able to score Jude's play clothes at a dollar a piece! That is just AWESOME for this frugal family.

As you can see, I've been having a grand ole time. Totally in my sweet spot doing all of this stuff. I've been wanting our house to be more orderly for so long, but have just not had the margin to do it. I'm so thankful to be able to do this. Really thankful to make this place work better.

Love to all my faithful readers!
BChad :-)

Paper Trails

2011-04-04T11:19:00.008-04:00

Man, these past 4 weeks have really flown by. I've been steady working towards a more organized space and I wanted to reveal a few more pics of some of my accomplishments in project simplify with simple mom.

Second up was the paper clutter. I had started working on some of our paper so I was glad for this challenge to see the project to completion. I managed to go from the pile of papers below to one family notebook and a nicely organized space in my new "office" ( a spot at the bottom of our stairs. it's all mine and I love it :-))

I found in doing this project that the biggest problem was that I had no system for papers coming into our house. Things like bills, artwork, school announcements etc. So after thinking it over here is the system that I've put in place. It consists of 4 crucial pieces: 1. A family notebook. 2. A file box for monthly bills, insurance policies and credit card information. 3. An expandable folder for medical information with a section for each family member and a place for general information about our health and life insurance policies. 4. A coupon expanding file folder for useful coupons.

I don't want to bore you to death but here's how I've put the system to work. Step one: Go get the mail. Step two: Immediately put all papers where they belong. Paper bills in the inside pocket of the family notebook, coupons in the coupon file, medical bills/EOBs (we get a bunch of these thanks to our not so great insurance) in the medical file and everything else either shredded or recycled. The key to success has been not getting the mail until I know that I'll have 5 minutes to go through it quickly. This has been in place for 3 weeks and its' working.

For artwork, I have 3 boxes on our bookshelves in our family room area for each of the kids and I place the artwork directly in there. Once they fill up....it's time to purge.

I am really happy with how paper seems to be so much more manageable now. Whenever I have a question of where something should go, I find another hole in the system and figure out a solution.

In addition to the paperwork of a normal household, we are now starting to amass lots of paperwork related to missions. Thanks to my friend Melanie, that beast is under control....phew.

So I hope this all keeps working. Sure feels good to have a better handle on things.

Well Looka Here

2011-03-15T22:24:00.005-04:00

Before....What a mess.

I can't believe it but I actually finished last week's challenge. When I first read about what it was, I waited a few days (in typical Beth fashion) before I finally decided to go for the gusto and do it. It was not easy to do and I felt guilty spending time on this, but I'm so happy I did! As you can see in the pictures our closet is teeny tiny so I felt a little defeated going in. Then I just went to work and in doing this, I discovered a few things about my wardrobe.

1. Everything that I've bought for myself since having Asher is either black or gray. That makes me a little sad. I need to add some color to my life!

2. I really like to layer my clothing! This translates to lots of shirts to go under things, but not so many to go over them. It's so hard for me to find shirts that I love because things don't fit as well as I'd like.

3. I have a LOT of shoes. Man, I didn't really realize how big the collection has gotten. I did get rid of some them, but I kept a bunch and just better organized everything.

4. Order really is my first love language. Just taking the time to put things in their proper places felt so good. Now everything has a home....AHHHHH.

This week, I'm diving into clearing up the paper trail. Big shout out to my friend Rachel who called me to see how this was going! Thanks girl, you inspired me to keep moving.

Beth

AFTER!!!!! (Sorry one of them is turned the wrong way)

2011-03-03T15:31:00.002-05:00

I'm so pumped about this upcoming opportunity to purge and organize through my favorie blog simplemom.net. I was just thinking today that I wanted to start bloging a little over here again thanks to an email from a new friend in Illinois :-).

So,I just wanted to share that I'm going to be doing these projects and maybe you'll be inspired to join in too. Now that I'm at home full time, I'm finding all kinds of joy in making this place run like a well oiled machine. Love to everyone!
Beth

Follow our Family

2011-01-22T09:12:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone!

I have yet to decide if I want to keep this blog up and running. I've been doing a lot of blogging over at chadwicksinaustria.org under the blog section. Just trying to get in the habit of keeping that site current as we move towards Austria. I can see a purpose in keeping this one too, but just wanted to share that site so that you can keep up with things over there too!

Coming Out With It

2010-10-14T20:37:00.002-04:00

So over the past several months (or year...whoops) you've probably noticed that I am not blogging very much. A lot of it has to do with family changes and just being plain busy. But I have to be honest, the main reason has been because I haven't felt the freedom to share about the biggest thing going on in our family really since last December! So...today I'm finally able to come out with it! WE ARE GOING TO AUSTRIA! It's official folks, we are Austria bound in a very big way. We have a web site- chadwicksinaustria.org which outlines a lot of information about why Austria and why us and what we'll doing there. We are also in the midst of finishing up with the sending of our support letters (but the huge bulk of them are already out) which is why I feel like the timing is good to blog about our happenings. I don't really have much more to say than that right now, but just wanted to announce in another big way that it's really happening and we're excited about the journey back to that side of the sea. Still have lots to figure out in terms of blogging over there versus here or linking them up and all that jazz but for now I just wanted to share our news.

Family Update

2010-08-27T14:27:00.005-04:00

It's been a while. I mean Asher is almost 4 months old. I can't belive how fast the time flies by. Not really sure where to begin, so I'll just give a quick rundown of what we're all up to and follow that up with some pics.

Ellison- Ellison started Kindergarten! She is going to Fideles for 2 full days a week and the other 3 we get to teach her from home. The first 2 weeks were a little tough but this week has really turned around and I'm so glad we made the decision to do this. She is very creative and this allows her plenty of time to do Piano (with Ian's mom) and DRAW which the girl loves! Also the structure that the school helps provide has made it fun to learn and we're constantly doing things to help drive home what she's learning in books..even at Target. So this has been a huge win for our family. She also learned to swim this year and we are really proud of our girl.
Jude- Just turned 3 last week. It's like a little switch went off overnight with him. He is talking a lot more and definitely holding his own. One of the coolest things we've seen in him is that he seems to really be connecting some dots about God. What a cool thing it's been to see. He memorized his verse for this month in record time and from his little preschool reports he is doing a good job praying in class too. He is a very determined little guy and we are still working on reigning him in but we are also just enjoying the fun that he brings to our home!
Asher- A little social guy. Man he really loves people. He enjoys looking at everything and gets a little upset when someone is not paying full attention to him. It's not enough to have you near, you've got to be looking in his face. He's doing a good job eating and sleeping and really loves to pull at toys hanging above him. We are all enjoying him and have decided he is for sure a keeper :-).
Me- Staying super busy! We just came off of a crazy time at work where we promote all of our kids up to the next grade. Tons of changes and things to keep track of but I'm glad I survived. I am really enjoying school time with Ellison and feel like I'm finally getting into somewhat of a rythym with mommying 3. I'm really wanting to start sewing and running again so I'm hoping that I can figure out where to fit those in.
Ian- Ian has been taking a German class every Monday night. He is really enjoying it and is constantly playing a German CD in his car. The kids love to ride with him now! He's still working for ista and really likes the team of people that's he with. He had a company soccer trip to Germany back in June and is always organizing a sporting event of some type for work.

Here are some pics of our crew :-).

Ellison's first day of school.

Silly Jude celebrating his b-day in class.

Happy Asher.

1 Month Old

2010-05-30T11:23:00.005-04:00

Asher turned 1 month old yesterday! It's crazy how quickly the time flies by. With a few minutes to spare I wanted to write about our transition.

Overall he is a really sweet baby. We love to hold him and may have created a bit of a monster already because it seems that he really loves to be held as well. Ellison and Jude both jump at the chance to do anything to help with him. They are doing GREAT at being older siblings.

Asher is waking up about every 3 hours to eat during the day and in the nights he does a couple of 4 hour stretches. I'm finding that I'm very anxious for him to drop that 2/3 AM feeding but I keep reminding myself that he's only 4 weeks old :-). He had some promising long stretches in the beginning, but I think he's settled in on a late night feeding, mid of the night and early morning. He is not very interested in his baby toys like a swing or bouncy but I've found that the miracle blanket comes in handy during the day. When he is swaddled he will tolerate the bouncy for 10-15 minutes. That makes it tough to get things done honestly. Thankfully we've had a lot of help with meals and some play dates for Ellison and Jude as well. For the month of June we are all at home all day together. I'm looking forward to it, but I know it's not going to be easy to juggle everything.

This month has been filled with lots of emotion for me. I really soak up the moments that we get to nurse in the quiet. I look at Asher and realize what an absolute blessing it is to have him here and healthy. It still amazes me that he grew inside of my womb. What a miracle!! There have been moments where I've had to laugh as all 3 of them are needing something and there's only 1 me. I've counted down the minutes on the clock till Ian gets home on many a days and have been more worn out physically and emotionally than I've ever been in my life. There are times when I feel like I can't give another thing. Period.

With all of these emotions, however, I'm thankful for the little reminders of what a small window I have with Asher...for that matter with all of our kids. With Jude's time in the NICU and in light of those around us who have faced tragic losses of little ones, it makes me so grateful for the opportunity to do this again. To have a healthy little baby. It does indeed make the nights more bearable as well as the showerless days and the moments when nothing but my arms will quiet his cry.

So to be honest, it has not been easy but there have been moments of joy in the midst of it all. Just this morning in church I was holding Asher as the worship leader sang "He love us, oh how he loves us." The tears were streaming as I was holding a little tangible reminder of what it means to be held in the arms of God, and to be loved by Him more than we can comprehend.

There you have it, one month under my belt as a mama of 3 :-).

Ballet Recital

2010-05-05T11:25:00.007-04:00

Last night wrapped up Ellison's first year of Ballet. This was the moment she had been waiting on.... to be on the big stage and to get roses afterwards! Two years ago we went to her cousin's recital and ever since then she's been wanting to do this. We were prohibited from taking pictures during the performance but I just have to say that those little ones stole the show! They were all so cute and excited to be out there. We got some pictures from afterwards and of her getting on her make up before the show. It was a special night and my parents got to be there too because they'd come to town to meet Asher which made it even more special for her.

Welcome Asher

2010-05-01T09:32:00.008-04:00

We are so thankful to welcome our son Asher Nelson Chadwick. We were all convinced that it was a girl this time around. Even the nurse in our pre-op room kept saying it's a girl because of the baby's heart rate. So...when they announced it was a boy we were all in shock. So much so that we took a second and rethought his name. The boy name was a tough decision for us from the on set this time. It's funny because the first two names we liked were Piper and Asher and in the end we landed on Asher again. Most recently we thought if we had a boy he'd be a Luke, but once we saw our little guy we weren't sure it fit. Asher means happy and blessed and we feel that my pregnancy and his birth have been such a blessing to our family. Here are a few pictures from the day of his birth.

Neutral Nursery

2010-04-20T16:06:00.006-04:00

So for the first time since having children I have a designated nursery before the baby arrives. With Ellison we lived with family and then Jude came 5 weeks early and we barely had his crib up in Ellison's room. I guess 3rd times a charm :-). I've had a lot of fun putting stuff together. One of the questions that i've gotten is how do you do a nursery when you don't know the gender. Well in the pictures you'll see our attempt at that.

The best part is that God has totally provided everything here through borrowing or hand me downs or gifts. We have had very little out of pocket cost and I've still been able to make a little nest for this sweet gift!

9 days left.....

Nearing the End

2010-04-11T23:27:00.001-04:00

Not sure if I have any readers left but....here goes nothing :-).

I am nearing the end of this pregnancy journey so I wanted to post some thoughts. I am so excited to meet this baby and we will have our first introduction in 18 short days. Here are a few random thoughts on how things have gone....

1. This has been a harder pregnancy physically than the others. I think the primary reason is because I have been taking care of Ellison and Jude. Ellison has really enjoyed her afternoon tv time while mom catches a nap, however.

2. This little one is incredibly active. I mean crazy movement!! This is for sure more than I remember with the other 2. I love it though because it's a reminder of what's going on.

3. Boy or Girl?? Ha I have no clue. I love hearing all the guesses of those around me. The overwhelming majority of people are saying boy, but I keep thinking girl for some reason. I've been wrong on my guess both other times so....

4. We have a nursery ready! This is the first time we've ever been able to do this and I've had a lot of fun. We were living with Ian's parents when Ellison came and little Jude decided to come 5 weeks early. I went into labor the night that we put his crib together. So I have really enjoyed getting things ready ahead of time.

5. I'm really looking forward to maternity leave. It gives me permission to completely stop...everything and I'm really excited about having some down time with all 3 children and watching this new little one become a part of our family.

6. I'm praying Big for a healthy baby that will come home when I get released from the hospital. That is truly a gift and I didn't fully realize that until I had to walk away from the hospital without our baby boy. So I'm really praying that we will be the norm this time.

That's really all that I can think of right now. Just really excited to meet this baby and to see how our kids react to another sibling.

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2010-01-08T14:46:00.006-05:00

Hello Friends!

It's been far too long since my last post but a bit of normalcy has returned so here we go. There is so much that I can update about since it's been ages since my last post but here are a few new happenings in the lives of the Chadwicks.

1. We moved! That's right... the weekend before Thanksgiving we changed residence. It was not really by choice, but as always God provided and we are settling in nicely. There are so many stories of his provision and faithfulness all wrapped up in this one story, but I just want to say...YAY God. We decided to put the kids in their own rooms because the sleeping together was getting out of hand at our last place and led to much earlier wake ups than we wanted. So far things are working out nicely and everyone is happy in their rooms.

2. December was such a great month! We started a some new traditions this year and got to spend so much more time just hanging out as a family. One of the highlights of the month was taking Ellison to see The Princess and the Frog. Man she lit up! She loved every minute of it and I had more fun watching her giggle and smile than seeing the movie itself. She has been asking for us to go on a date and this proved to be such a special time for the both of us. Christmas Eve and morning were very memorable too. The funniest story is that Ellison has been asking for a double stroller since October. So we took her to see Santa and that was all she asked for once again. So we knew that it had to be downstairs when she woke up. About 10PM on Christmas Eve we go to open the box to the stroller and there are 2 wheels missing!!! This led to me running up the stairs in tears and Ian and Marcel headed out the door to find some sort of makeshift replacement. The boys came through and Ellison did not know the difference on Christmas morning.

3. The Beard. Because my friend Allison asked me to please document this I did. I will attempt to post some pictures below but unfortunately I still am not the best at getting the pictures in the right order with captions. This is now a December tradition (according to Ian) but he goes from a full beard to clean shaven in 4 days. The final day is hilarious.

4. Baby #3. We are all very excited about the baby coming in May. Although my due date says the 12th of May, I'm measuring for the 5th at this point. They will determine my c-section date in March. I'm feeling movement and we even got to see my belly move for the first time 2 nights ago!! The verdict is still out on names and we actually haven't really had any major discussion about it yet. Hopefully we'll land on a good one.

For the sake of this post not being too long, I'll end it there. I hope you enjoyed your holidays as well. I look forward to sharing more timely updates now that life is settling in again.

Day 1-Full Beard (sorry hard to see)

Day 2 (This is my favorite of the days)

Day 3 (hmmmm)

Day 4 (This is just funny)

Halloween

2009-11-07T05:31:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to share some pictures from Halloween. The kids had a great time. This year I ventured out and made Ellison's costume. It was so much fun for me and the fact that she loved it made it that much better. I used the pottery barn costume here as my inspiration.

Hope you had a good Halloween too!

Saying Good-bye

2009-10-15T17:11:00.003-04:00

Just as quickly as he came Malik left our home today. We had a feeling that it could happen this week but after a mix up of court dates, and a positive meeting with his advocate, we weren't sure that he would leave. In some ways we were thinking the courts would change the course of action and somehow choose to keep him with us. DFACS called me at around 11AM this morning and said that the judge had granted guardianship to Ms. Jackson (a friend of Malik's family). I was told to have all of his things packed by 1:30. That was it.

My immediate reaction was one of deep sadness. On a number of levels really. Although it's been a difficult 3 months saying good-bye to Malik closed a chapter, (at least for now), in our lives. I feel sad because our hearts had hoped that he would become our son. He had already begun to bond with our kids and with us. He learned how to eat, crawl, cruise and stand while he lived in our home. He started talking and using da-da and ma-ma when we were around. Although we would pass on his scream :-) his squeels of delight were a joy to us all. I will really miss seeing him and having him as a part of the Chadwicks.

As I type my eyes and heart are so very full right now. Maybe I'm hoping that this will help to heal this sore spot that his absence has left. We prayed for Malik as a family before he left. We prayed that God would not forget him and that some day he would be a son of God. Honestly we have no regrets. We had a dream and went for it. It didn't work out the way we planned but we have to trust that we obeyed God and we pray that He was honored by the past 3 months of our lives.

Please pray for our family and mostly for Malik. His mother is currently not complying with her requirements to obtain custody of him. As always kids are resilliant, but Ian and I are sad. I know the sadness will go away and time will ease the ache, but today we just miss him and we are putting to rest the idea that he would be a part of us forever. At some point in our lives we do hope to be on this journey again, but for now it seems wisest for us all to wait.

First Trimester- A challenge

2009-10-06T16:30:00.004-04:00

Although I love being pregnant, the first trimester of pregnancy is always a little tricky. I'm always eager for those signs that show the world that something is really going on in there. Also, my personality is one where It's really easy for me to hold back emotion and I feel like I've been doing that this time around more than normal. Honestly I think I've heard story after story of pregnancy loss or newborn deaths and the reality of the fact that things don't always turn out the way that you want them to is staring me in the face. So I admit, I've been holding back a bit. That combined with a busy lifestyle and the unknowns of Malik have just left me feeling.....weird. I just keep moving and hoping that another week passes quickly. Another week to check off and get me on to the next. I know, however, that that's not how it's meant to be.

Even as I type this I am reminded of the scripture that says, "This is the day that the Lord has made, we should rejoice and be glad in it." It's probably one of the first verses that I memorized as a child because I can remember my dad saying it all the time. (Thanks Dad!) My challenge right now is to stay in each day, to be thankful for the nausea and other pregnancy unmentionables that are going on. They serve as reminders to me that today I am carrying a little miracle inside of me and what a gift that is.

Please pray along with me that I can celebrate each day and put the rest in God's hands.

Good News

2009-09-22T14:33:00.002-04:00

So we have been blessed with some great news in our home. First we found out that we are expecting our next child in May! We are so excited we can hardly stand it. We actually found out before our vacation, but went to the doctor last week and confirmed that there is a little bean in there. I thought I'd answer some questions that we've been getting in this post.

Lots of people have asked us if we "planned" our pregnancy. Honestly after the difficulty of getting pregnant with Jude we earned a whole new insight on the idea of "trying" to get pregnant. The miracle of conception and birth are overwhelming. Because of that we decided that we wouldn't try to "plan" this one. We have just left the timing up to God and we're grateful for each day that I get to carry this child and we are praying for the day that we will bring him/her home.

What about Malik? In case you've missed other posts, we do already have 3 children in our home :-). Malik is still with us. There are lots of emotions that roll around concerning that little guy. As of right now we are still his foster parents and it appears that he will leave our home at some point. (The other day Ellison heard me say that "it looks like he will leave our home" to someone and she said to me later "he doesn't look like he's going to leave our home to me." It's really cute how literal she is.) Our hearts are torn and we are not looking forward to the day, should it come, that he leaves. He really fits in with us so well and we'll have to wait and see what the Lord has in store. The next court date is in mid October. Until then, Malik is our son and we will love him as such.

About the gender? We waited to find out the gender of our first 2 kids. Ian told me that the choice is mine about finding out the gender this time. At first I thought it would be fun but after some thought, I think I want to wait again. We already have one of each and I love the excitement towards the end of the pregnancy and on the day of birth. This child will be delivered through c-section, so we will know the birthdate long before it comes. Keeping the gender a surprise is something special for us so I think I'm going to wait until his/her birthday. As for the nursery, the funny this is, we've been in transition when each of our kids arrived so I've never really done anything super fancy. This time will be no different....

Which leads me to my second bit of good news. Over the past 5 years we have pursued going back overseas. It has indeed been a pursuit. Multiple applications, a trip to Austria, numerous conversations with our missions staff at church, prayer, tears, and more prayer. On our last day of vacation, we finally completed our application to a sending agency that we've had a relationship with over the past 4 years, and last Friday we found out that we are officially candidates! The final step is to become an appointee but that happens a few months or weeks before going to the field. Right now there are lots of details up in the air and we, along with our church, are prayerfully considering where we would fit in. Our hearts have always thought that it would be Austria, but we are not sure that's going to be where God is leading us.

So, there you have it! 2 big bits of news in our home. Please be praying that God will keep this little one safe in my womb and for our family as we earnestly seek God's direction in his will for our lives overseas. We are so excited to see what he's up to!

Soccer

2009-09-10T21:10:00.006-04:00

First of all, hello! It's been a while. I feel like I should introduce all of my posts by saying "This week on I & B +3." (Like John and Kate plus 8) Life is going so fast these days and it feels like the laundry is never done and there is always work to be done. Tonight I have a few free moments (well I'm taking a few free moments) to update so here we go....

For those of you who know our little girl Ellison, this post should come as no surprise at all. Tonight we had our first soccer practice. Ian and I have been so excited. I think Ian has been especially excited since he's really taken an interest in soccer over the past couple years. For about a month now, I've been on the lookout for some soccer cleats and we finally got some shin guards and soccer socks yesterday for the big introduction.

Let's start our story by saying that things were not well on the home front. Ellison had a complete meltdown 5 minutes before we were set to leave (I took away her blanky as punishment for the way she was treating Jude). On top of that, I had to put a "sportsy" outfit together for her which she did not approve of and that led to a further outburst of tears. I mean, I liked the blue on blue ensemble with the orange socks (her team color) but she obviously did not. Through her tears she told me that none of the other kids would be dressed like that. Oh really...and how old are you again??! At just the right time, Ian came home from work and brought some calm to the storm. We may not have made it to soccer had I been doing it alone.

We finally load everyone into the van and within 2 minutes our little soccer player is knocked out cold! Mind you the church where she is playing is only 7 minutes away with traffic. So we wake her up and she and Ian run onto the field. Thanks to the little meltdown, we were unable to leave home in time to be there early. Me and the boys arrive on the field to see Ian holding Ellison running from coach to coach looking for her team. He is finally able to find her team and they are already doing drills. NOT GOOD! She immediately clammed up and would not leave Ian's side. All of the kids practiced their dribbling and shooting ...but not our girl. She watched and observed. She sat very close to daddy the entire time. Nearly an hour passed without a bit of action out of Ellison. That is until the snacks were pulled out. This was the only time she actually sat near the team without Ian around.

I can see so much of me in that little girl. I am the same way. Although it's not approaching a soccer field in an outfit I don't like with kids I don't know and a coach who I'm not sure about, I have to feel a situation out before I'll dive in and try something. It's amazing what they pick up! I am so blessed to be complimented by my husband because he is nothing like that. He goes after life 100%. He really wanted her to be a part of organized sports to help her overcome some of her fears. I'm so thankful for his insight and love for his 2 hesitant girls.

Oh and BTW... I cannot conclude this post without a note about the Juder. He had to be pulled off of the field by yours truly, with Malik in the Baby Bjorn, multiple times. He even lined up with another team as there were practicing their drills. If I could have I would have gotten a picture. He was so ready to kick one into the net!

I hope you are all well. Thanks to those of you who keep up with our lives. The fun just keeps on coming. I hope to update tomorrow about our vacation.

2 weeks in pictures

2009-08-18T21:50:00.009-04:00

We've had 2 weeks of changes in our house. We now have a 2 year old. A first hair cut for Jude. 3 baby teeth gone. A little girl in pre-k. Here are some pictures to tell it all.

Jude Celebrating his second b-day at school.

Love List

2009-08-07T16:09:00.006-04:00

My mom periodically gives me a magazine called Above Rubies. This edition featured an article on a Love List. The idea comes from Mother Theresa's quote "It's not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing." Basically instead of focusing on a To Do List filled with tasks (that I never get done) it forces you to look over your day and think of all the unseen acts of love. To quote the article it says " I believe this list would be more telling as to how productive the day actually was."

I've been thinking about this A LOT!! I am such a doer and I love nothing more than a clean house with laundry done, and meals planned. I am actually a doer to a fault...BIG TIME. It's hard for me to be still and easier to keep things in order than it is to stop and read a book when the dishes are pilled high, or hold a little one after a nap instead of rushing off to cook dinner.

So today I added something to my love list. I decided to pull out the inflatable pool, blow it up and fill it (we don't have a hose mind you) and let the kids go crazy. It was worth all the sweat to hear the giggles and laughs. This created more to my to do list but I hope it was a fun day for them!

What about you..what's on your love list??

PS- The kids must have started their own list, because they all took a nap this afternoon. What a way to love mama!

From 4 to 5- Malik

2009-07-29T15:24:00.002-04:00

Nearly 3 weeks ago we got a call from DFACS telling us that they had 2 little boys who were about to come into foster care. They were both in need of placement. Of the 2 we chose Malik who had come into the system for "abandonment." Since welcoming him in we have learned a lot more about his story. A number of you have asked where we stand with things so I wanted to use this as a chance to update you.

It turns out that at 2 months old Malik's mother gave him to a friend who in turn gave him to her grandmother. This lady took care of him up until a month or so ago when Malik's mom came to get him (Malik is 7 months old). She then left him with another person which is when the grandmother who had been raising him called DFACS to get them involved. So when they called us, he had indeed been abandoned but we just didn't know all of the details surrounding it. A week ago I would have said that it looks like we are not going to have the chance to adopt him, but only God really knows that. We at first thought he was leaving last week Thursday and after a tearful goodbye I got a phone call saying there was a mix up and he would be returning. I was then told that he would be with us through the 18th of August. Last night, however, Malik's caseworker came over and told us that we should expect that he will be here longer than the 18th. (On a side note she told us a story of a 12 month old that she had just visited and the foster parents are about to adopt. So encouraging to hear that!!)

So...how are we adjusting. Well I have to be honest and say that this transition has been really hard. It's difficult because our family has grown and with that comes growth of laundry and our overall responsibilities. I just looked at my post about grocery shopping and laughed. I have not been to the grocery store for a big trip since he came. At the same time, he could be leaving and we'd be back down to a family of 4 again which is why I think we just keep rolling along like "ahh no big deal". When you birth a baby everyone knows that life has to stop. When you're a foster parent it's a little bit different.

Since Malik has come we've had so many cool moments in the midst of the busy. We've watched our extended family become excited and on board with what we're doing, we've had countless conversations about foster care and adoption, and we've loved on this little guy along with our kids. One of the best moments is watching Malik respond to seeing Jude and Ellison after he wakes up! His eyes literally light up. They make him laugh so hard and they love to help take care of him. He has started scooting all around and eating food from a spoon, 2 things he didn't do when he came. Ellison commented that we should call his mommy and tell her.

We feel really blessed to be a part of his life and his story for however long God would have that to be. A friend of mine from small group commented that kids are only ours for a season. That is so very true and something that I've taken for granted with my own children. We are also sad for Malik to think about what his life will be like should he go back to a situation where his mom could randomly be in and out of his life. From what we found out last night, she is homeless and is expecting another baby. Malik had also been termed "failure to thrive" and was without any vaccinations or doctor visits upon his arrival. So sad to think that that is the reality for not just him but so many babies in our country and all over the world!

So we are continuing to press forward each day trying to figure things out and trusting God when we just don't know the answers. Thanks for all of your kind words, prayers and support. What a blessing it is to be surrounded by a community of people so involved in this guy's life.

Change is Good

2009-07-16T21:22:00.005-04:00

There are a number of things that I can tie to the book Captivating lately. My post tonight is no exception :-).

Over the past month or so I've gotten an itch to start changing things around our apartment. Since we've been married we've always lived in apartments, duplexes or flats. With each change (6 so far) a big bubble of excitement rises up in me about decorating! At the beginning of our marriage I was a little bit frustrated that God would wire me to do this stuff so much but t yet we never owned a home. I've now come to see that because I love this stuff so much I've had a part in making each of our places feel more like home. How fun! And the best part is if I don't like it, we'll be moving at some point anyway.

We've lived in our current apartment for well over a year now, so why the sudden changes now you might ask?? At the start of the summer I was invited to take part in a Bible study with a wonderful group of women. On the first week, I got a chance to go in Kristin's home, which happens to be an apartment as well. It was beautiful. Each and every room was painted. It felt so calming and peaceful. My brain immediately started churning as to what I could do to bring some cozy to our place as well. One Friday Kristin came over to my house and she was so encouraging with her words. She commented on how she really liked my style. Together we walked through each room and both of us were bursting with ideas. We were speaking the same language. After she left that day I was ready to take the plunge.

In the book Captivating, I read that women were meant to display God's beauty. Not all of us are wired to do things like this, but in each of us there is a way that we can display beauty. That is our gift to the world and my world begins with my family. Thinking about this and feeling the motivation from Kristin really spurred me on. Add on a husband who loves doing this kind of thing too and you've got yourself a paint party till 2AM. My next stop is just off of Windward Parkway to have fun in my friend Joy's place.

Here are some pictures of some of the things we did. It was so much fun bringing a little of His beauty to our home!

Here is the piano that I repainted. We also painted the dining area the color behind the piano. It's antiqued but you can't really see it in the picture.

These are pictures of our years in Europe. We changed the location of the pics and added the words. The words really sum it up well!

We painted the bottom half of the wall and added a shelf. We also spray painted some of the frames. Oh...and there is a pillow I made for the couch too.

We did it!

2009-06-30T15:16:00.003-04:00

For well over a year I have vowed never to grocery shop with my kids. The last time scarred me for some reason that I'm sure was related to Wal-Mart(it's gigantic and I always need something that's on the other side of the store when I'm on the opposite side), nursing and going potty. Just too much for a mother to handle sometimes. Now that hasn't meant that I don't ever run in quick and get stuff with them but the BIG grocery trip has been done in the late evenings when the little ones are in bed and on a rare occasion or two before they wake up. I decided, that I needed to try it again because for one reason or another I wasn't able to go in the evenings anymore and then we end up feasting on cheap fast food or throwing together a meal of randomness made of whatever we could find in the fridge and pantry.

Now you may be thinking "what's so hard about grocery shopping with kids?" For me, I don't just grocery shop. It's a process. First I spend time evaluating the sales and planning meals (through the help of some great websites couponmom.com, southernsavers.com, e-mealz.com) cutting my coupons and then I'm off. Today I was armed with nearly 20 coupons going to the store. So when I get there I have to spend time comparing the deal I'm getting with my coupons on national brands versus just buying the generic. Children do not understand why I'm closing my eyes and doing the math while they are begging for Apple Jacks or the Orange Juice in the pretty container. I mean I can't blame them there. However, I've heard time and time again that kids will do what they are trained to do so let the training begin...again!

So today was pretty successful day. Other than Jude saying "owwt, owwt (out) every 3 aisles followed by him pulling Ellison's hair just to get a reaction, we all survived. Here are some things that made it work today. If you have any other tips to add, please feel free to post them. This will be a weekly adventure and the more prepared I am the better it'll be...I hope.

Winning Tips of the Day:
1. I tried to be organized. I organized the list according to the locations in the store to make it as quick as possible. I also tried to make notes on my list about the value of the coupon so that I didn't have to search through my envelope to figure out what is the best deal.
2. I hyped up our trip to Ellison big time. I told her we were going on an adventure and equipped her with her camera to take pictures.
3. I shopped at Publix which is right across the street from our complex. This makes for a very quick commute which seems to be a winner. Also, I LOVE PUBLIX. I know they are more expensive but for our basic needs (excluding meat) I go there. They unload my cart, bag my stuff and load it in the car. All I have to do is swipe the card and hand over the coupons. At the end of our trip today a very nice old man gave Ellison and Jude a dollar each. He also told us that he'd be singing on Friday at 12 if we'd like to come and hear him. They also know our family and are always so nice to our kids. I really love the neighborhood feel in a huge suburb where you can feel one of the numbers.
4. I gave the kids a snack and drink right before we left the house and they seemed to be content in the food department.
5. I prayed. Yep! I am a firm believer in prayer and although there were some tantrums, hitting and hair pulling I found that I was able to handle them better.

So there you have it. A grocery trip without too many tears AND I saved 70 dollars my favorite.

You are Captivating

2009-06-16T16:27:00.004-04:00

It is with great pleasure that I announce that I have finished the book Captivating!! Can I just say that I LOVED IT! I have owned this book for a few years and had never gotten around to reading it. In fact, I gave it to a friend of mine to read because I just couldn't seem to carve out the time to make it happen. As I've thought about it, however, our God is not a God of chance but he is a divine God who appointed this as the time to read the book. Let me explain a little bit...

At the end of last year one of my friends told me about a young mother's group that she had been a part of. She often told stories and it seemed to be a real encouragement to her. Back in January I got the chance to be a part of the group. I signed up hoping to gain some more wisdom on parenting only to find that the focus of the spring study was on the Hope curriculum. I was a little bit like "man I really needed some advice about parenting, but ok Lord you brought me here for a reason." As soon as I left the first meeting the reason became clear. As the leader told us (forgive the paraphrase), we cannot be all that God wants us to be as mothers until we are all that we are all that He wants us to be in Him. Hope is a program at our church that helps people deal with times of crisis. The curriculum leads you through a course of digging out what's in your past, identifying those things and replacing them with truth. I can sum it up by saying that it teaches you to have freedom in Christ through abiding in His spirit daily. It has transformed the way I look at things. Anytime I find an emotion rising up in me I start asking and digging as to why it's there and the Lord has been so faithful to reveal it.

So our time together came to a close and the mom's group is taking a break for the summer. I found myself in a conversation back at the beginning of May. In fact it was May 3rd. I was talking about keeping the idea of boys (chasing them, boyfriends etc.) away from my daughter as long as possible (yes I know she's only 4). I wondered though how far was too far. No princess movies included?? A single friend at church heard me talking and asked if I'd read Captivating and I told her that I owned it but never read it. She encouraged me to blow off the dust and read it :-) in light of what she'd just heard me talking about. She had just returned from a Captivating retreat and felt that it would be a great read for me. She, in fact, reads it every year and now I know why!

Off I go to my house to start the book and I can't find it anywhere! Well I remembered that I had given it to a friend which left me without a book. As you've read, I love a bargain and I was struggling to pay 16 bucks for the book again. The next morning I remembered that a volunteer had given me a gift card to Borders for 5 dollars. The funny part is that she gave it to me 2 Christmases ago and I hadn't used it because there isn't a Borders close to my house. So I pulled out the card and on the back I see that I can use it at Waldenbooks which is in the mall only 5 minutes away from me! I called them and guess what!!?? The clerk told me we have 2 soft copies for 16 dollars but we also have 2 hard copies of the book for 4.95 in the bargain bin. Our God is so personal isn't he! So off I went to get my book for FREE.

I couldn't wait to dive into this book! Reading through that book was a spiritual peak for me. It hit me right where I needed. I don't want to give much more detail than this: You, as a woman, are captivating. God thinks you are captivating and He designed you to show His beauty to the world. What an awesome responsibility we have!! To show his beauty to our husbands, friends, children, ministry, work etc. The cool thing is the book nearly parallels the Hope curriculum that I went through. My last point about the book is this: When I read the final pages I cried, nearly sobbed. I was filled with so much hope and purpose. My husband looked over at me and asked if everything was ok. I just smiled and said..it's the book again (I practically read it to him).

Please please please read this book. It has the power to transform your life if you are willing to do the work. I pray that it will cross your path at just the appointed time. Our sweet, personal and loving Heavenly Father has a way of doing just that.

Nashville!

2009-06-12T16:14:00.004-04:00

A week ago today my hubby and I were on our way to a weekend without our children. That is HUGE because we've never spent more than 1 night together away from them. We have been richly blessed with a wonderful set of friends who have become like family to us. They were up to the challenge of keeping the kids which allowed us a chance to get away.

So...off we went to Nashville. Why Nashville, well my husband planned all of it over a month ago. He just randomly asked me if I'd like to go to Nashville the first weekend in June. Since we celebrated our 7 year anniversary on the 25th of May it was great timing. The week before the trip I felt myself getting giddy as I shopped around for a cute date night dress and other accessories to dress up for Ian.

We arrived on Friday to a very nice hotel in downtown Nashville. Ian had arranged for us to get the room for nearly 50% off of the price. As we pulled up all of the luxury cars were parking for vallet. We politely pulled in in our 12 year old Accord and asked where we could park ourselves :-). After checking in to our room I started getting ready for our big date night. Ian had arranged reservations for us at a local restaurant. When we arrived we were greeted by name and congratulated on our 7 year anniversary. After seating us we even had personlized menus. They took our picture and put it in a frame before the night was done. It wa such a special way to celebrate.

On Saturday we slept in, relaxed by the pool and met a friend for an afternoon coffee. During that meeting the real reason for our trip to Nashville was unvieled and confirmed! COLDPLAY WAS IN TOWN!!! So later on that evening we got to go see Coldplay one of my favorite bands. I was going crazy it was so fun and really felt like we were just two twenty year olds living it up.

We woke up on Sunday morning feeling refreshed and ready to resume the role of parents.

It truly was such a wonderful weekend. I'm so grateful for all that Ian did to make it all happen. Lots of sneaking around, planning and organization. Thanks Ian for making it possible. It was a great celebration of 7 years!

Celebrating Sean

2009-06-08T22:44:00.007-04:00

Today Ian and I attended a memorial service for Sean Strickland. Sean was my bosses boss during my first job at the church. When he first came to work I remember that he brought an excitement and futuristic look at things. He was a great leader! We heard that over and over again today.

Ian was in a small group with him 2 years ago. Sadly this is the second death among that group of young men! There were only 8 of them in the group and now 6 remain. It's been tough for the men in that group to go through this 2 years in a row.

Today at the service we also heard over and over about how much fun Sean had with his family. Their family values spelled out FIESTA!! So today we decided to have a random pool party with our kids. We wore party hats and Ellison picked the menu. We enjoyed hotdogs, chips, baked beans and frosted oranges (the homemade version). It was spontaneous and so much fun. When I told Ellison that we could wear the party hats to the pool she screamed "This is so much fun!!!"

Today felt like a day filled with purpose. In some small way our family wanted to give honor to the life that Sean led.

Sean, thank you for the example of never taking yourself too seriously, loving and pursing God with all you had and loving your family with passion. You will be missed.

Here is his obituary if you'd like to read it. http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/obits/stories//2009/06/07/sean_strickland_obit.html

Jude enjoying a frosted orange.

You Hold Me Now

2009-06-04T09:21:00.003-04:00

A friend of our died yesterday in a head on collision. He leaves behind a 7 year old daughter and a wife. I am listening to this song and thinking of him and the promise that we have.

So sad for this loss but glad that he is truly dancing with our King for eternity this morning. I'm wondering what that is like and in a sense longing for that as well. A day with no more sadness, no hurt no pain. An eternity bringing glory to our King!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC3LnXsDkas

Ballet Camp

2009-06-01T16:32:00.005-04:00

Today Ellison started Ballet Camp!! She woke up at 6:30 in the morning very excited to go. We went out on Saturday for some one on one time and got her some new ballet shoes and tights as well.

She is taking ballet at Perimeter Church's Academy of the Arts. Their tag line is "Dancing with a Pointe."

We've waited for a while to get Ellison involved with extra curricular activities for a number of reasons but her love of ballet has been so consistent that we wanted to give her a try at it. I fell in love with this program 2 springs ago when her cousin went through it. I love the empasis that they put on godly values in addition to teaching the girls the fundamentals of ballet. She hasn't been old enough to do it, but this fall she will be enrolled in their full time program.

Losing Weight

2009-05-28T15:08:00.003-04:00

I'm on the journey to lose weight again. UGH!!!! I realized that I had never shared the blog address of a new blog that I started with my friend. Take a look here.

I wanted to share because honestly I don't think I've been doing a good job at staying committed. About a year ago I was so close to a personal best with my weight and almost as soon as I reached my ideal weight the pounds slowly began to creep back on. My dear friend Joy and I share this struggle of discontentment in this area and decided we wanted to make some changes. I've teetered back and forth wondering if I could just live with a 155lbs on my frame and I've decided that NO I cannot. It seems like it's ok when I'm enjoying a hamburger or some fries but then I feel yuck and defeated and realize that I've let my love for food win again.

So this is definitely a journey that I'm pursing slowly. I've chosen not to "diet" but I am weighing and measuring myself each week. At this point I've done some research on healthier choices, met with women who seem to do this well and am back in the gym trying to make some changes. Above all of this, I'm also choosing to believe that my worth and value are not associated to a number (in my pants or on a scale). I do, however, believe that God wants what's best for us and for me that is a healthier lifestyle and way of living in general.

If you have any ideas to share or want to express your thoughts on weight loss and living well I'd love to hear them. If you are on this path as well I know how hard it is and I'm right there with you.

It's our Anniversary....How we met

2009-05-25T22:10:00.005-04:00

Today is the day that I became Ian's wife 7 years ago! The time has really flown by. I found this blog and decided to join in since it's our anniversary too!!

Here's the story of how we first met.

Well honestly I first met Ian during his freshman year (my junior year) at Wofford. I saw him and said "You have got to be Seth Chadwick's younger brother." (Seth had just graduated from Wofford.) That was a stupid thing to say and I'm sure that he was like oh great another person who thinks I'm Seth. Thankfully he didn't remember it. Later on in that same year, he broke his nose playing basketball and a friend of mine wanted to take him a goody bag so I tagged along. He seemed nice but no sparks flying or anything like that.

Fast forward to that fall during his sophomore year, he and my same friend were having breakfast where Ian ranked me as one of the 3 most attractive girls at Wofford and my friend was very surprised. Beth she asked...so tell me more. That led to our very first date together on November 6, 1998. When he called to ask me out, I was really excited about it. Honestly I knew his brother Seth had strong convictions about his faith and I was very eager to have the chance to get to know Ian and possibly start a relationship with him. He was a breath of fresh air to the relationship rut that I had been in during my college years. He told me that we could do whatever I liked as we discussed what we'd do. That response along was so sweet to me. It was more of the way that he said it which I cannot describe in words. My choice was to go to dinner and a movie (still one of our favorite things to do).

Our first date was a home run for sure! I can remember being nervous about my first date with him. After that first night we spent nearly all of our spare time together. When we were together it was truly magical!

Since that first date and our first meeting we have continued to have those magical moments. Life is never dull with him...NEVER. He is anything but an ordinary man and I'm so blessed to be his wife and to have him as the father of my children.

Dry Run

2009-05-21T17:36:00.002-04:00

This weekend we get the opportunity to keep a little girl who is in the foster care system. She is 6 months old and just entered her second foster home a month ago. We got a chance to meet her and her brother on Tuesday night. She gave me a big smile when I held her she didn't cry.

Her current foster mom needs to go out of state to New York and she only obtained court permission to take her brother (2 years old on Monday). DFACS called us and asked if we would be willing to take her for the weekend and we said yes.

So we have pulled out the toys for an infant and a friend just dropped off an infant carrier and an exersaucer. I'm excited and a little nervous to see how we handle having 3 kids this weekend.

Please pray for this sweet girl and her brother. I'm not sure what the story is on their mom but I do know that their foster mom is a practicing Buddhist and is a single woman just trying to learn the ropes on being a parent herself.

We're grateful to be able to be a part of her little life for this weekend. I'll keep you posted on how things turn out.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T23:05:00.005-04:00

I feel really blessed and celebrated today. Honestly the celebration started this week so I'll give you a rundown of the highlights. They aren't in any order just random events :-).

1. Ellison and I were talking this week about Mother's Day and she told me some things that she thought I'd like. On her list were pink nail polish, a movie to watch with Daddy, some exercise clothes and popcorn! It's amazing how much they notice things and pick up on!

2. My sweet husband gave me some money that he's saved from training to spend in any way I like...THAT was such a great gift and it was timed perfectly. Other than the occasional 10 dollar shirt at Target or Old Navy shopping for myself it is just not on the agenda these days.

3. Going to get my hair done on Saturday (ended up taking 5.5 hours) and coming home to Ian who had fed and bathed the kids! He then went out to grab us some dinner.

4. I had a yummy breakfast with the family this morning (prepared by Ian) and we got to ride to church together (I work on Sundays and normally I ride separately from the family).

5. I got some pictures of my mom and I in the mail from my dad this week. It was such a timely blessing to see images of us together when I wasn't quite 3! They've made me hug my girl tighter this week even through some difficult moments (more on that in another post).

I hope you had a great Mother's Day and that you felt celebrated too!

John Denver

2009-05-02T18:31:00.004-04:00

Here is a book I found today for Ellison. Can you tell why I feel in love with it at first sight? If you know anybody with a child of mixed race please buy this book for them (actually all children would love it i think). As soon as she saw it and we read it together she said "it looks like me." My heart melted! It's not often that you find a book like this. In fact this is our first one and I've primarily bought books with animals to take the focus off of skin color.

In the back of the book John Denver is pictured holding his son, a bi-racial little boy! (Didn't know that). And... I got it at a used Children's store for 3 dollars! (I love a bargain). I'm thinking of buying another used copy to use the pics as wall art. They are so beautiful!

I love this song!

2009-04-30T18:51:00.002-04:00

Not sure if this link will work or not, I've never tried this before but I haven't written in a while and the words of this song seem to sum things up so well. This morning I was getting the kids in to school and this song came on. I've heard it before but today it really struck home. Sometimes I feel a little like I'm walking and stumbling. As wonderful as parenting and marriage are, there are days that you grow weary and tired. I love the line "when the world has fallen out from under me I'll be found in you." I hope you can listen to it and you enjoy. I want to get her whole cd. Her voice is beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4KiGN1j1No

Here are the lyrics.

Walking,stumbling on these shadowfeet
toward home,a land that i've never seen
I am changing: less and less asleep
made of different stuff than when i began
and i have sensed it all along
fast approaching is the day

[CHORUS]
when the world has fallen out from under me
I'll be found in you, still standing
when the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees
when time and space are through
I'll be found in you

Theres distraction buzzing in my head
saying in the shadows it's easier to stay
but I've heard rumours of true reality
whispers of a well-lit way

[CHORUS]

You make all things new

[CHORUS]

[CHORUS 2]
When the world has fallen out from under me
I'll be found in you, still standing
Every fear and accusation under my feet
when time and space are through
I'll be found in you

This Day

2009-04-15T14:35:00.002-04:00

Oh my goodness! I had to write about the day I've been having. I just can't seem to get it together. I hope you get a laugh out of this one.

1. Jude was up for about an hour in the night (felt like 5 hours) yelling mama, mama, mama. I went in and rocked him said night night and then he was quiet for a sec. He then started calling mama, mama, mama again and then....dada, dada, dada to which i went YES!!

2. Woke up late..never a good thing. This means no focused quiet time and no shower before the kids. I was not the mama to be around this morning. The morning after my mom's group (usualy means I'm an on it mom the next day, kinda like flying high)..... GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!!

3. Finally got it together and left the house at 10:30 to go to Costco. Got off the exit and discovered that I didn't have my wallet. ( I did the same thing on Monday which is why I had to go today!!!). Headed back home to get the wallet.

4. Get to Costco and decide to get some gas. Pumped the wrong grade of gas into my car which defeats the whole purpose of going to Cotsco for cheap gas.

5. Ellison is screaming she has to use the potty...really bad mind you while I'm pumping gas.

6. We rush into the store to use the potty and I discover that I left my coupons in the car!

7. Back to the car and into Cotsco again.

8. Finally leaving Costco after not using the coupon. Wasn't that great of a deal.

9. Hubbie calls "we're playing soccer nearby why don't you come over with the kids." Oh great I think. Beautiful day I wanted to do something fun with them the park it is.

10. To the bank to deposit checks...yep left them at home too.

11. Wait in the drive through at Chic-fil-a. Can't find my purse. In the line I jump out of the car to look in the trunk. It's not there. I'm panicking. Did I leave it in the buggy at Costco?? I ask Ellison to unbuckle her seat belt and help me look so that I can move up in line. I mean it's 12 peak time for CFA!! "Nope Mommy I don't see it."

11. Find my purse behind my seat just as it's my turn to order. After I place my order a random man runs up to me with a little boy's shoe. Yep Jude's shoe that he had kicked off fell out as I was franticly searching for my purse.....are you laughing yet!!!

12. Head over to Kohl's to get new deck chairs quick...HA...quick. Decide against that since the kids are starving and I can't pull them away from their lunch in the back seat.

13. Go to the soccer field. Jude cries because he can't be on the field with daddy. Try to engage the kids in a little game on the side lines but not as interested as the bleachers that Jude could potentially fall through onto hard cement!

14. Ok enough of that. We head back to Kohl's. Thankfully no drama there. They had the chairs (50% off!) Get the chairs and now we are at home....

I'm thinking I better get that quiet time that I missed. This afternoon has got to get a little less hectic.

Update on Ellison

2009-04-03T16:38:00.003-04:00

We went back to the doctor this morning and found out that she has a sinus infection. I've given her antibiotics and some tylenol to help with the fever. I'm hoping that by the time tomorrow rolls around she will be back to herself.

Poor girl has worn a mark in this spot this week.

One Tough Week...still going

2009-04-02T16:08:00.003-04:00

Stick with me this is a long one.....

On Sunday afternoon my friend Joy and I attempted to make it to Target for a toaster oven while our guys enjoyed a game together. Soon into our trip Ellison started to look really bad. So Joy and I packed the kids back into the car after 10 full minutes of shopping and headed home.

That night Ellison was up in the night feeling terrible. On Monday I stayed home from work to care for her. She was pretty much lethargic but I figured it was a virus. Monday night, no sleep again! Poor Ian had to get up at like 5:30 to leave for a trip so I know he was exhausted. Since he was going out of town, I had to strap on my boots and "get her done." So I kept Ellison at home on Tuesday. Soon into the morning she seemed that she was ok and I was just complying with the 24 hour rule of preschool. She went in to work with me for a little bit and then we had lunch together. Mexican our favorite! After lunch she went downhill once again. My young moms group meets every other Tuesday and I thought I'm really going to have to miss now. After laying down for a nap she woke up with a high temp and vomiting again and I decided to take her to the doctor. This meant me and 2 kids in the rain going to the doctor. I was not so happy! They tested her for strep and the flu and concluded that "it's just a virus. If she is still sick on Thursday bring her back in and we'll do some more testing" they say. I should have said "can you just do it now becasue I don't have 60 dollars to give to you guys in one week." I mean didn't they know I'd had to miss work!!

So on Wednesday she seemed pretty much normal. We even had a friend over to play. She had some moments in the afternoon but I just figured she was sleepy. Last night was small group and I was so pumped to go and have some adult interaction. Mind you the last adult that I talked to was on Monday evening so by Wednesday evening I was ready!! I get a call from the sitter about an hour into our group that she had thrown up and I rushed home. It seemed though that her coughing had caused it more than anything else. She was not running a fever and was smiling when I walked in the door. So I was determined that I was going to work and the kids to school today! HA....it was another eventful night with not a lot of sleep. She coughed for like 2.5 hours straight and then Jude woke up from a storm so I rocked him and helped him get back to sleep. When I was done with that I set up the humidifier for Ellison who was in our room and I slept on the couch. So I had about 4 hours of very interrupted sleep last night. Can you say TIRED!!

Ok now for the confession. Moms out there, have you had one of those moments when you wake up and get everything all ready for something you're looking forward to only to see a symptom in your child that may mean they are sick? You keep moving along trying to convince yourself and your child that they aren't sick but in the back of your mind you know they are? This morning was that way for me. She had no appetite and was very whinny. I was determined, however, to go to work and have 4 hours of time for something that I enjoy. I even had a lunch date planned with a friend...BONUS. There was no way we were staying home. I felt her head.....it was warm. I thought maybe it's because she was under a blanket. Finally I got out the thermometer and sure enough she had a temp. I wish I could say that I didn't think of myself at all when I realized that Ellison was not feeling well again which meant another day at home. I wanted to scream NO!!! In fact I went in the bathroom and said "God... really. I'm tired. I need to go to work. I want to go to work. Why is this happening." So I texted hubbie and Joy and asked them to pray that I not be overwhelmed with feelings of selfishness. I wanted God to give me empathy and mercy for this little one. I HATE that sin and struggle with it all the time.

After about an hour I started to feel a lot better and regained some perspective. I so wish that the reaction time and the correct response could come closer together. Not just in this situation but in every situation. Although this has been an incredibly hard week (and I mean the kind of hard where when Ian gets home tonight I wish I could say see ya for a day or so and head to the Hilton) God has been right here with me. Don't get me wrong, I have been upset (did you see the last paragraph) and I've even cried..a few times... but in spite of that He encouraged me in a number of ways. First through a wonderful letter that the leader of my young moms group sent out that basically mirrored my week, He encouraged me by letting me have an hour with my small group making Easter baskets, He encouraged me through the prayers of those who love me. I've also been preparing my answers to some theological questions this week which has required me to be in the Bible at any moment I could get. Last night I answered the question about the Holy Spirit and doing the research for that question was such an encouragement. We are not alone!! The Comforter is with us and He is ever present when we need Him!! WOW!!

All in all I've survived and the bonus is that I got lots of time in with my girl. I never get to have her one on one and although most of the time has been spent waiting on her and serving her needs there have been moments of joy in the midst of it too. Now I need to go take care of a little boy who is splashing in my cup of water that he stole off the table :-).

If you've made it this far, you really love me :-). I just needed to talk thanks for listening.

Ellison's loosing teeth!

2009-03-29T22:15:00.013-04:00

In the month of March Ellison lost 2 teeth. Here are some pictures.

She is OVERJOYED at losing her teeth. Her mom....not so much.

Approved

2009-03-26T14:19:00.002-04:00

We finalized our foster care process today and we are officially approved!! Today at lunch we received our welcome packet and were told that our names would be put on a list of eligible parents. WOW! When I look at the big picture I am so excited about this. A tangible way to help the widows and orphans (James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress...)

I am a planner, however, so I need to go and organize my thoughts a little and develop some systems. I have to be really honest. Am I nervousYES..Do I have a lot of questions...YES. Many of you are probably saying "why would they want to do this" and I sometimes find myself asking the same question. We have 2 children who are healthy and we are blessed. We have always wanted more children, however, and our ultimate hope in fostering is to adopt our third child.

So now that we are approved we need a toddler bed &/ crib (if anyone has one that they would like to get rid of let me know) and we could use another infant car seat as well. Once we have a child in our home there are resources that we can use, but we have to prepare ahead of time just in case we get the call...soon :-).

As our family and friends we would love if if you would be praying for us through this time. Pray for God's wisdom and discernment as we begin to get phone calls about potential children. We know it will be so hard to say "no we can't help that child" but at the same time we have to be wise for our families sake. Pray as we look for childcare for this child (I work 2 1/2 days per week and would like to continue to do that at this point) that we would pick the right place and that everything would work out. Most importantly pray for the chid who will come to our home. This child is already out there in who knows what kind of a situation. Pray that God would protect him/her either in the womb or in the home. And please pray for all of the children in foster care. We will only be able to help one of these kids but there are over 20K in the US alone in foster care right now!!!

Thanks for your prayers and support. We are so excited about taking this step and having a new little one in our home soon.

Jude gets a baby

2009-03-14T21:40:00.003-04:00

Jude has had quite the week. He had a stomach bug, lice (maybe still not sure about that..i know i know..) and a perforated ear drum! While we were out shopping I gave in to his request for a baby on the shelf. This is a picture of him.

Bread of Life

2009-03-05T15:09:00.002-05:00

I discovered a new blog which is GREAT. If you are a mom of preschoolers you know what it's like to try and think of things to keep your little one busy. Well, this site is fantastic. I have a link to it posted to the right. Check it out if you get a chance...I promise you will love it.

This month the site is helping mothers teach their kids about the I Am statements about Jesus. For the first week of March the statement is " I am the bread of life." So yesterday Ellison and I put together our poster and we baked some homemade bread. I have a bread maker but we chose to do it all by hand to drive home the point and to make it more hands on. While we were making it we talked about the yeast and what it does and how that relates to what Jesus can do in our lives. I must admit that I was more excited than she was but I hope that some of what we did sinks in.

Here are some pictures of our fun times!

Also if you're interested in a good recipe just let me know and I can email it to you.

PS- I really need to learn how to put these pictures on in order and to add captions. If you know would you mind telling me ;-).

Update on the Kids

2009-03-01T20:45:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I have missed updating. It's been a very busy couple of weeks but a lot has happened. I'm beginning to wonder if there is ever a dull moment with kids and I have concluded....not so much!

I have recently had a chance to be a part of a young mother's group which has been incredible. It has really helped to challenge my thinking on a lot of things and it has given me a renewed hunger to discovering my identity in Christ. The focus of the group is on mothering and I've found over the past few weeks a soft spot when I just look at my kids. The blessing of having them and watching them grow just overwhelms me. Now I don't want to give you the impression that every moment is filled with love and laughter because that is just not the truth :-). I have found that it's easier to see the joy in the midst of the difficult times. So, with that n mind I would like to share some updates on the kiddos.

Ok. So Ellison went to the dentist and has 4 loose teeth. She is only 4 and won't be 5 until November. The dentist thinks that they will fall out within the next 3 months. She is very excited, and it's funny to see her shaking those teeth all the time. In other Ellison news she moved out of a car seat and is now only in a booster. This is her first really "girlee" seat and she loves it. She is having trouble getting buckled in so we have to work on that with her. She is really growing up so much and is really growing into a sweet big sister. When Jude gets disciplined he goes and lays his head on her lap and she just rubs his back. She loves being with him and they really get along well (ok, not all the time).

Jude is really growing up too. He is 18 months old now and is definitely a toddler. His favorite things include: throwing a ball, catching a ball, playing basketball...notice a trend here. Really he just loves to throw anything and that is our biggest challenge right now. He throws food off his tray, throws blocks, basically anything in his hands. He has a very high pain tolerance (I'm not just saying that either. The boy barely cries at vaccinations) which makes it even harder because if you pop his hand he just looks at you like "what?". He really is our little cuddle bug which is so sweet.

So here are some pics of our last few weeks.

Aquarium

2009-02-13T14:45:00.003-05:00

One of my friends and I took advantage of the great mommy and me special that the aquarium is offering. For only 20 bucks you can take up to 4 preshoolers, 1 adult and your parking is free. That is an amazing savings! Here is the link if you're interested. www.georgiaaquarium.org/meandmommy.aspx. Here are some pictures of our time. It was so cool! I've never been to an aquarium before so I was just as in awe as the kids :-).

Pray for Carrie

2009-02-11T14:29:00.003-05:00

Hi Friends,

Most of you know about my love for Austria and our desire to go back to serve there. I don't think any of you know that this dream was birthed in the backyard of two of our dearest friends, Lance and Carrie Borden in Austria. It was there that seeds were planted for mission work. Lance and Carrie have been serving in Austria for over 10 years now. Carrie is one of those people who I've always looked up to in the Lord. She has taught me so many things about marriage, God, and children (although I had not yet had children when I lived close to her). She even influenced my decision to go part time at work last year during our week long trip to Austria. She also handed off her trusty spank stick and encouraged me to put it to use :-).

I just got news that she has cancer on her tongue and she is in for a hard long road over the next 3 months. Including taking a portion of her tongue, chemotherapy and radiation. Our hearts are broken for this family. I've posted some pictures from our times shared with them. If you would take a second and pray for Carrie. Pray for God to heal her completely and to be with their family (they have 2 children).

Thanks so much.

25 Things About Me

2009-02-05T22:34:00.001-05:00

I posted these on facebook but thought I'd put them on here too. Maybe you'll learn something new about me :-). Have a great day.

1. Words cannot express how grateful I am for Christ's sacrifice on my behalf. As each year passes the reality of this seems to really sink in more and more.
2. My family is very multicultural. My sister is married to a Native American, My brother is married to a Colombian and my hubby is the hottest white man...man....I've ever known. When all of our kids are together they can all pass for siblings. Pretty cool I think.
3. We name our children for meanings. Ellison comes from Elijah and means The Lord is God. Jude's name means Praise. When he was born he developed spinal meningitis and stayed in the hospital for 3 weeks so he really is our praise.
4. One of the hardest things I've ever done is walk away from the hospital without my baby. It feels so unnatural and makes me count my blessings when I see his little face.
5. Ian and I lived in Europe for our first 2 years of marriage. It was a gift. We were together for 21 out of 24 hours per day...Literally.
6. Because of number 5 I am drawn to Europeans. I love their accents, their way of life and I just love being around them in general. I think that's why I love IKEA so much. Europeans flock there.
7. We dream of returning to Austria to live as missionaries. We are hopeful that 2010 will be our year.
8. We are in the process of becoming foster parents in order to adopt our next child through DFACS here in Georgia.
9. I ran my first 1/2 marathon last November. It was very exciting and I'd like to do another one. Ian and I did it together and it was cool to cross the finish line together.
10. I love my church. It has revolutionized the way I think about God, faith and life in general. I am so grateful for that place.
11. I love my job. I work part time at my church in children's ministry. Would never have imagined myself here, but I'm so blessed to do what I do.
12. I'm really bad at keeping in touch with people...really bad but the internet is making it easier.
13. I have visited 7 European countries and lived in 2 (Austria and Croatia).
14. I have been to Colombia, South America to visit my brother and his family. I wasn't afraid and it was beautiful! I hope to go again soon.
15. This goes without saying but I love to travel. When I go near the airport I have a moment of depression because I'm not getting on a plane to go somewhere new.
16. Although this falls far down my list it shouldn't be. I'm in love with my husband. I thought I knew what that meant after only 2 weeks of knowing him, but I really understand love in a new way. He has taught me so much and he truly is my best friend.
17. I'm bad at taking care of cell phones. I have lost or broken so many of them. It makes me scared to get a cool smart phone b/c I'll just lose it or something.
18. Having children has been a great joy for me. They have taught me how to be silly, they have shown me that they love me just because I'm their mom (I know that won't last forever) and they have taught me how to trust God in a new way.
19. I have regrets in my life. I'm thankful that God has used them to bring me closer to Him and to gain glory for Himself. My regrets make me think hard and long about every decision I make (not always a good thing.)
20. I love being non-traditional. We seem to always do things a little differently than everyone around us and I'm ok with that.
21. I want to teach my daughter how to read. She is in preschool but she has a real interest in it and I would love to have that honor of teaching her. It will open up a whole new world to her.
22. I am hoping to read the entire Bible this year. We are going through the chronological Bible which makes it very manageable. So far I'm staying on track :-).
23. I love taking care of and managing my home. I want to make our home a place where we all want to be.
24. I want to live a more healthy life. I can see the person I want to be but just can't seem to stick with a good plan to make it a reality.
25. I am not where I thought I'd be at this point in my life but I'm so grateful for the journey and the things I've learned.

Mommy's Little Helper

2009-01-21T12:38:00.002-05:00

Check this out. Love my boy!!

Hallelujah for Mixed Chicks

2009-01-02T20:55:00.005-05:00

I was thinking that my first post of the new year would be something reflective, but I've had a breakthrough in the department of Ellison's hair and I had to share. There is this unspoken rule among black women...your hair has got to look good! Once you have a child it seems like you will neglect your own hair to be sure that every piece of your child's hair is in place. God has blessed us with a beautiful little girl with tons of hair to manage. I mean tons! When she had lice a few months ago, it took hours to get through each strand!

Well, many of you know about the countless number of products I've tried for my little Ellison's hair. No matter what I do, it just seems like I can never quite figure out how to manage it well. She has a great head of hair but I began to worry a little as people called it wild, crazy etc. Nobody meant any harm in saying those things, but I was just thinking that a little girl wouldn't necesarrily want her hair to be called wild or crazy. Especically not Ellison who is in love with everything girlee. Over the past 2 years I would guess that I've spent a few hundred (YIKES) dollars on different prodcuts. Frizz Ease, Infusium Frizz Control, Carol's Daughter...and the list goes on and on. The issue is that her hair is a blend of mine and Ian's. Products for my hair weighed her hair down and products for Ian's type of hair dryed her hair out (which probably led to the lice outbreak mentioned earlier).

Well one night I was doing yet another web search and came across an ad for mixed chicks hair products. (http://www.mixedchicks.net). So I looked at the ads and thought "ok right" this is really going to work. Last week I ordered the trial versions thinking "why not." They arrived on New Year's Eve and yesterday morning we tried them out. Ellison sat patiently wondering what all the fuss was about (she could care less for the most part about her hair..which I love!!) Well I am please to announce that the products worked!!! I am emailing this picture in to the website to share our success story. The picture of her in the red dress is pre-mixed chicks and the pink shirt is after.

So if you know of anyone with curly hair that is a little hard to manage tell them about mixed chicks. It's GREAT!!!

OK. There will be something more reflective next time. Happy New Year!

A pre christmas gift....

2008-12-18T16:07:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I entered the world of breadmaking. Here is a my early gift from Santa brought to me courtesy of craigslist :-).

Christmas Update

2008-12-09T15:00:00.003-05:00

I'm really enjoying this season of Christmas. I always love this time of year but this year especially has been so much fun. We went to a Christmas tree farm and cut our tree down for the first time, we've been celebrating Advent and we've already watched quite a few Christmas movies. We went for our annual trip to visit Santa which turned out to be great as well. I've also finished up a large part of my shopping which brings gives me a big relief. Today I finally decided on a dress for Ellison's Christmas program. It's this Thursday night. She and I went out shopping last night for one and we had a great time together. She sang Christmas songs and loved having all of my attention. Although we went to 3 stores I couldn't find one that I loved. After I picked her up from school the 3 of us (Me, Jude and Ellison) went to Belk to get a dress that I'd spotted this weekend during our Santa visit. I can't wait to see her on the stage doing her little songs. I am sad, however, that my parents won't be able to be in the audience. That is the one thing that stinks about this time of year. My brother lives in Colombia and my parents and sister are in SC and they are just far enough away that we don't see each other as often as we'd like. Thanks to the digital age, however, we can keep them in the loop on things. Well here are some pictures from December fun so far. Enjoy.

Grateful

2008-12-03T06:30:00.002-05:00

It really seems like there has been so much sadness all around lately. Don't get me wrong, I'm not living with an unawareness of all the sadness in the world at large, but there is something about sadness experienced by people who you know. In the past 2 weeks we've seen a lady who I was in small group with contract a flesh eating bacteria which required amputating her leg and she still continues to fight for her life, 2 friends have lost their fathers, one co-worker lost her mother and yet more sad news as one of our neighbors, a father of 3 children took his life on Saturday evening. In some of the cases mentioned above the families will have the hope of our God as they walk through these tragedies. In others they are not in relationship with the Lord and will not have the peace that can come from knowing him.

This is the season of Advent. Advent comes from the latin word meaning "coming." It is a preparation for the coming of the Lord. The devotion from yesterday lead us to Isaiah 40:1-11. It's a consolation from the prophet and a reassurance that the the time of darkness will come to an end. "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." Is. 40:3-5

I do love Advent and the way that it draws Christians back to the beauty of this season. As I think of these families and their sorrows, my heart breaks for them. I am reminded of the eternal hope that I -that we- have in Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the gift of Jesus and am praying for all those who will start this day without that hope.

BTW I have been getting the Goshen devotions for Advent each day and they have been really good. If you would like to see what they are like here is a link. www.goshen.edu/devotions/Home

Check out the bling

2008-11-28T21:43:00.003-05:00

We did it! Praise God for giving us the endurance and energy to finish. It was a great race. I had such a fun time listening to my tunes and chatting with Ian. There were times during the race that we would just sing aloud. The people around us were like "what is wrong with them." We didn't care. It kept us moving. It took us right at 2.5 hours to finish. I know the hubbie could have finished much faster, but he stuck with me and I needed it. During the race we talked about a marathon....talked about, just talked about. I can, however, understand the thrill of finishing something like that. When I was done with the 13.1 I really wanted to cry out of excitement and accomplishment. Overall, it was fantastic and I hope to be able to do another one and improve on my time. Here are my top 5 memories and some pictures of the running duo.

Top 5 memories from the race:

5. It was cold! When we started it was right at 34 degrees. About 5 miles in we started to really warm up.

4. Hills, Hills and a little mountain: The race had quite a bit of elevation to it. Every time we thought we were done, there came another one.

3. Singing "Dream On" aloud while running a ginormous hill.

2. Hearing Ian go "Uh...Uh...and do the air drums while singing his music.

1. Crossing the finish line and feeling so much joy with what we had accomplished.

Ready or Not

2008-11-26T21:38:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow morning is the big race. I have so many emotions. I'm honestly mad at myself because I'm not as prepared as I should be. None the less, there is something to be said for finishing....I hope. I'm looking forward to lacing up early in the morning and joining thousands of other folks who are running too. As I go into the race, I really just want to finish. If I finish it in under 2:40 that will be a great bonus too. I'm off now to get some sleep. 5:30 is going to come early.

PS- I'm really looking forward to tomorrow night's post when the race is all said and done.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Advent Conspiracy

2008-11-24T15:48:00.002-05:00

Check this out.

www.adventconspiracy.org

Icing My Foot

2008-11-22T19:17:00.002-05:00

On Thursday I ran 10 miles! Man I was so proud of myself. That was some tough stuff but now my foot is really hurting. My husband assures me that it's just muscle pain and he has me on intense icing :-). It involves me putting my foot in a bath of the coldest water and ice you've ever felt in your life. Last night we got into an argument over it but tonight I'm like whatever it takes, bring it on. Anyways I'm just sitting here icing my foot and obeying my trainer.

Ellison's turning 4

2008-11-14T15:48:00.003-05:00

People say all the time that time flies by, but when I look at our little girl it's not a saying anymore. I've lived it. It is hard to believe that 4 years ago today I was huge pregnant and wondering what we were having. Here I am four years later reflecting on the years since then.

With birthdays come celebrations! This is the first year that Ellison has been really asking about her birthday. We have had countless conversations that go something like this "First is daddy's birthday, then comes Jude's then Mommy's and then Ellison's." So in March she was asking when daddy's birthday was coming (July!!!)? We knew that this year had to be a fun one for her. We had a bit of a challenge however. All of our Saturdays are booked for the month and Sundays(normal Chadwick party days) for her school friends is a work day for many of their parents. The solution-2 parties of course!

Today we started the birthday celebrating with a playdate with Ellison's friends from school. She has been with most of these kids since she was 8 months old. Many of their names have become such household names that it feels like they are a part of our family. Because the kids see each other all the time, it's not as often for us to get together for a playtime outside of school. Ellison also asks for play dates all the time so we thought it would be fun to do a playdate birthday party. I really wanted to keep it simple and a chick fil a party was just the right thing! We got there at around 10 and by 11 everyone was ready to eat. They played some more and then I got to come home to a clean house (well semi-clean)! Chick-fil-a did all the rest.

On Monday, her actual birthday, she will get to pick all the meals(a great tradition that I got from my sister-in-law) and they will sing happy birthday to her at school. That night we will open some gifts from SC and have dinner with her surrogate Aunt and Uncle-J anc C. Next weekend she will get to celebrate Chadwick style with her Atlanta cousins and Nina and Papa to wrap up a true celebration fit for a princess!

I just love watching her soak it all in. It makes me want to be a kid again. This year has been tough in a lot of ways. She is very very determined and challenges me in so many ways. She has really helped me see what an important responsibility parenting really is.

I really am so thankful for all that she's taught me. It is a blessing to be her mom. I pray that my parenting would only improve this year and God would continue to use me to shape her into the child and ultimately woman that He wants her to be.

Clean Bill of Health...Half Marathon Here I come

2008-11-12T12:59:00.003-05:00

Over the past couple of weeks we have had to get physicals for a number of things. Just getting to the doctor and making all the arrangements for 2 preschoolers is work enough. Much less getting there and being poked at, stuck, and questioned to death.

After all of the tests, I found out that all of my levels are good. I had a slightly higher LDL level which means I need to back away from all the greasy stuff and eat what God made :-). (Why is that so hard!!!) One of the concerns that I talked about with my doctor is my knees. Since the age of 16 they have cracked very loudly but haven't been painful. As I've started running more this year I have noticed some pain as well. This morning I went to have my knees x-rayed and everything looks great. The doctor told me that I have runners knees and gave me some exercises to strenghten my legs. So in 3 weeks I will be running 13 miles in the Atlanta cold to accomplish a goal that I set after completing the peachtree. He did say that the pain I'm feeling is my body's way of saying something so I should look into other options of exercise. So for now, I'm still running on Thanksgiving day. It may take me forever to finish, but I'm looking forward to the challenge with Ian at my side and I'm so thankful for being declared healthy!

10 Years Ago Today

2008-11-06T14:43:00.005-05:00

Ian and I had our first date 10 years ago today! That is hard to believe. We've come a very long way in those 10 years. Here are a couple of pictures showing the then and now. I'm so grateful for what God has done in our lives. It is such a blessing to share life with him!

Election Day

2008-11-05T23:22:00.002-05:00

http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/11/eric-redmond-living-soli-deo-gloria.html

Very Interesting.

Halloween

2008-10-31T21:01:00.003-04:00

It has been such a fun day seeing things through Ellison's eyes. She will be 4 next month and this is the first year that she really gets it! After changing her mind numerous times about what she wanted to be (that's genetic) we settled on a fairy. I must say that she was the cutest fairy I've ever seen.

We started the day with 10AM trick or treating at the YMCA. The rest of the day was filled with preparing for our community event. Through it all the kids hung with me and did GREAT. I let Ellison wear her costume all day as a special treat. She had lots of people asking her all about it.

We just finished the day with our community party and trick or treating. At the end of the night, Ellison said "I love this world" after she saw all of her candy.

Here are some pictures from our day.

Dress Up...

2008-10-14T19:33:00.004-04:00

Dress up time..

Adoption makes 3

2008-10-08T14:57:00.003-04:00

One of the things that Ian and I have always dreamed of is adopting a child. The trick has always been trying to figure out the time. Well, we are pleased to announce that we are officially in the process. It all began with one of my volunteers on UpStreet telling me about he and his wife's journey through DFCS (department of family and children services). He told us that they were hoping to adopt with very little to no out of pocket expense. Three weeks ago, we began an exploratory class that teaches you all of the ins and outs and the lingo and legalities of adopting.

At our second class we heard of a bi-racial baby being born in Florida due in January. What a cool possibility! Although we know this baby is a long shot, we are putting together our profile (which I'm taking a break from writing right now as I blog :-)) and sending it in.

In the meantime we have been pursuing the DFCS route as well. We finished up our initial training into the foster care system last Saturday and we are all set for our criminal background checks. We have 20 hours of pre-service training to complete and then a home study before we are approved. Our hope it so bring a child under the age of 3 into our home whose parental rights are severed or are nearly severed.

Today a friend of our family told me "Since you have 2 children of your own, it would be great to offer a home to another child who needs one." That sums it up very well. I don't know how long this will take and what all is in store, but I'm encouraged to know that He will be with us on the journey. After all, He loves adoption. That's what we he did for us.

Someone just twittered a cool quote that I think is so fitting for adoption because let's face it, there are lots of unknowns and scary what ifs. The quote says " Achieving God-sized visions always invloves taking God-sized risks." Perry Noble

The timing is surely not perfect, but I don't know if the timing will ever be perfect. The neat thing is that this dream that we have been thinking of for many years is now upon us and we are taking a God-sized risk for sure!

Pray for us as we continue this pursuit and pray for our number 3 either yet to be born or out there somewhere. Pray that God would prepare their heart and protect them until he connects us as a family.

Everything old is new again

2008-10-03T16:04:00.005-04:00

My latest home improvement project.....

This dresser was used by Ian's dad as a kid. We've had it since Ellison was born. The top of it served as her changing table at one point. I finally had a chance to put a new coat of paint on it and some new knobs. It is a special piece that I hope our family keeps for a long time.

5 things

2008-10-03T11:08:00.004-04:00

After a very long 2 weeks of sick, sick and more sick I felt like today would be fitting to do a 5 things list. Scripture teaches us to give thanks in everything even in the midst of sickness so here we go....

1. I don't talk a lot about my husband but that is in no way a reflection of how grateful I am for him. This week he took on daddy duty while I had 2 girls nights. He also just has the ability to love me so well. In my most stressed out moments he's the first one I want to call or chat with just to feel ok again. He even helped me by typing out a week of curriculum when my computer died! He is a good man ;-).

2. My kiddos..I've learned a lot about my kids through these sick days. I've learned that Jude is a cuddler. This morning his couging woke him up at 6 and I went in to get him. I sat in the rocker and just rocked him for like 40 minutes. When I would peek at him to see if he was sleeping he would just look up at me and smile. Ellison on the other hand wants her space. I just now tried to cuddle with her and she told me she couldn't turn the pages on her book (LOL). She wants me to be there just not snuggling.

3. Yesterday I had a great lunch with a freind of mine. We sat outside on the grass and just talked about life. She asked me a great question which was so right on with everything going on in my life. It was one of those cool "God knows me" moments. Our conversation was sweet and was a reminder to not put God in a box.

4. God's grace for sure! Man I have not been the best mom and wife since coming home from Spain. Things just keep coming at me and it wares on me. Unfortunately my family doesn't always get my best. I am reminded and encouraged in the fact that his grace is so good and sweet. If I had it all right, I wouldn't need Him.

5. The final thanks for this week is for my job. Over the past month or so I've had to be out for a number of reasons. Family in town, lice, mission trip, sickness, computer craash. Through all of it, I've had nothing but support from my co-workers. I love that I can be a contributor even though I'm only in the office for about 8 hours per week. I'm able to do my job and feel valued and wanted. It truly is such a gift to be able to be a part of UpStreet and North Point in general!

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever......

The MInd of a 3 year old

2008-09-30T14:31:00.003-04:00

Ellison has been really sick over the past couple days. It started with a fever yesterday and progressively got worse through the afternoon and into the night. She just had a pita pizza and some ice cream, signs that she is feeling much better! Even in the midst of her being sick she keeps us laughing. She saw my "pregnancy service strips" AKA stretch marks and said " I see those waves on your tummy mama." I said "Do you know why they are there?" She said "Because you went to the beach." HA! Gotta love that.

The beauty of a good find!

2008-09-26T14:38:00.004-04:00

So, just like always, life has been really crazy and I haven't had the time to blog. I find myself experiencing something and thinking..."I want to blog about that." Then 2 weeks passes and it's old news..bummer. So today I bring to you, hot off the press, "the beauty of a good find."

One thing I love about my mom is that she taught me how to stretch a dollar. It's so funny but when we talk on the phone one of us is almost always on the way to Target or Goodwill looking for a steal :-). Some of the first stores that we shopped in growing up were TJ Maxx and Marshalls. Oh the thrill of a good find!

Well she would be very proud of me today as I loaded up the kiddos and headed to Kid to Kid on the hunt. As the cold weather is knocking I realized that Ellison has 1 pair or pants. For those of you who don't know. Kid to Kid is a fantastic place to get second hand clothing for kids and to sell to as well.

There are lots of ladies who blog about great grocery deals and picture their loot, so I will do the same. Basically I got 11 pieces of good quality clothing (Gap, Old Navy, Children's Place) and a pair of new balance shoes combined to make 12 different outfits (yes 12!) for under 50 dollars. YES!!!!! I love a good deal. I didn't have the time to look for little man but maybe I can go back at some point tomorrow to get some goodies for him too. The best part is really the out of pocket cost to our budget is zero dollars because I sold to them last month and made just over 50 dollars.

Happy shopping to you as the weather cools off!

I'm Home

2008-09-17T15:38:00.005-04:00

We landed at about 2:15 yesterday and we were in Alpharetta by 5PM. The best surprise of the day was seeing Ian and the kids at the airport. Man I missed them! Orginally we had planned that I would drive home because I'd left my car down in Buckhead. As I was on the plane I was so anxious to get moving so that I could see them so the surprise of having them there was just GREAT! I could hardly believe how good Jude is on his feet now. In only 8 days he really has the walking thing down.

There is so much that I could write about my time in Spain. Most of all God showed his power at work from the beginning to the end. Bethany, our team leader, gave us a scripture that stuck with me the whole week and really summed up the entire experience well. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever; Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21. He indeed did immeasurably more than I asked and than we asked as a team. We serve a BIG God!

My biggest prayer as I finish this journey is for the country of Spain and for this church East Park Church (Parque Este). On our last day we heard the testimony of Pepe, the pastor, and he told us that on average 2 christians per year come to know the Lord in Spain. TWO!!! There are a million people alone in the city of Sevilla which is the 3rd largest in Spain. This country will remain in my prayers and in my heart as well as this dear family. He and his wife are only in their early forties and have suffered tremendously for the cause of the gospel. It is hard to imagine that people continue to suffer to simply believe in the one true God and His son Jesus Christ. I pray that the mountains would be moved and that a revolution would break out in this country and in all of Europe. I can't help but hope that God would allow our family to be a part of such a revolution!

All Glory to Him, because He is able!

Can't get away from it

2008-09-12T14:42:00.002-04:00

I am so excited that I had the chance to sit and write curriculum for this Sunday. Kinda cool to think about that. Here is a picture of Bethany and I at the computer. We are curriculum buddies back and home and we put our skills to work here in Spain. I've also posted a picture of the finished product. Pretty cool huh?

We Made It

2008-09-10T12:57:00.003-04:00

Hello Friends!

We are here in beautiful Spain. The people are such a joy to be around and there is much work to be done. Thanks so much for your prayers during this trip. I have attached a photo of the church and a view from inside of the church. Be sure to check out www.spainupdates.blogspot.com for more information.

Blessings to you!

How Beautiful

2008-09-07T20:25:00.003-04:00

Today I keep hearing the song "How beautiful is the body of Chirst." I have been the recipient of this beauty in so many wonderful ways in preparation for this trip to Spain. Today was the culmination of it all. On Wednesday, we had our final team meeting and got a report of the support that each person raised. I had not raised all of my support but I was so grateful that as a team we met our goal. Praise God for allowing me to go!

A few weeks ago, however, when I was only a third of the way there I prayed and asked God to confirm that He had called me to go on this trip by allowing me to raise the portion allotted for each team member. As you can imagine, I was a little disappointed to see that I didn't meet the goal. As I thought about it, I was just grateful that other people's gifts allowed me to be able to go on the trip.

Through this journey, I realized that it wasn't a money thing, it was more of having folks on board cheering from the sidelines and knowing that people were excited about me going and were supportive through prayer or financially. More than the money is the support of friends and family.

This morning I was so blessed by confirmation after confirmation that yes God has called me to this trip for this time. It all began at 7:45 with our UpStreet staff praying over me. Every person that I work with prayed specifically for this journey. Each prayer was rich and precious to me! It was such a sweet send off for which I am so grateful. As the day progressed volunteers and friends followed suit with their well wishes.

When I went to church with Ian, I bawled through the entire worship set. Specifically the lyrics "my Savior he can move the mountains, my God is mighty to save, he is mighty to save." All I could think of was God, please move the mountains that separate the residents of Sevilla from you. Move the mountains that separate Spain from you, move the mountains that separate Western Europe from you and please God move the mountains that separate the world from you. Tonight I am so overjoyed that I get to be a light for Him in a place that I've never been before and in a place that I may never return. For all of you who have wished me well, prayed for me and even given to allow me to serve in this way, I just want to say thank you.

On the way out of church today one of my volunteers stopped me with a check for 200 dollars. That is more than what was needed to meet my goal. YAY God! How beautiful is that!

PS-

Check out spainupdates.blogspot.com for information on our travels. I will update if I can but I think our internet will be limited.

5 Things

2008-09-05T10:25:00.005-04:00

A friend of mine from work posted 5 things she liked about her week and i loved the idea. So here's my list this week. If I knew how to do pictures with captions I would do that but I'm still learning here....

1. Last year on this day we brought our son home! WOW! I've attached the only picture that we have of him while he was so sick (thanks to the Northside nurses). It is a great reminder that God is so good and he is faithful. Today Jude is 25lbs., walking, talking and shows no signs of menengitis.

2. I'm going to SPAIN on Monday. I can hardly believe that I'm leaving so soon. I have always wanted to visit Spain and now I have the bonus of being able to do it as a mission trip and launch children's ministry.

3. We are signed up to run a half marathon. It's 12 weeks till the big race and this week I've completed all of my runs so far!

4. Zumba. I love Zumba. Everytime I watch a dance movie, I want to be a dancer. I even start thinking in my brain about how it could maybe work...um no! So Zumba has filled the hole for me. I take it every Friday morning and it is super fun!

5. I'm starting a new study called "Becoming the Woman God wants You to Be" thanks to my friend Joy. Basically it's a 90 day journey to cleaning house (spiritually, finacially, and even literally). I'm looking forward to this book. Along the same lines, I got an ipod touch to help organize my life yesterday!! I got a great deal on it from a friend and I'm looking forward to connecting all the dots in our lives.

Have a great weekend!

Jude's Walking

2008-09-02T22:45:00.004-04:00

It's been another busy 2 weeks here at the Chadwick house. We've been getting rid of lice (yes lice), trying out big boy milk , traveling to the North Georgia mountains, preparing for Spain (next week!!!!)and....WALKING. Yep our little guy is officially taking steps. He's still getting the hang of it, which is so cute. Here is video of his latest steps.

Happy Birthday Jude!

2008-08-16T22:29:00.004-04:00

We're all pooped so maybe I'll write more later but for now, here is a video and some pictures from today. As you can see the happy birthday song did not go as planned. Pure comedy!

A Big Week for Ellison

2008-08-13T13:57:00.007-04:00

This week was the first official week of preschool. Although Ellison has attended Weekday(North Point's childcare for employees) since she was 8 months she now has an official program which requires her to come 3 days a week. Her teachers are just fabulous and so on it! We got a detailed breakdown of how things work in the classroom everyday and man it is really organized. On the first day she barely said good bye as she hugged her teacher and ran into her class. Sadly, she has been separated from some of her buddies who she's been with since she's 8 months but she seems like she is getting into the swing of things. On Tuesday I felt like a true preschool mom, because I just drop her off and go back home with Jude. It is such a blessing to have some alone time with him and I'm really looking forward to that.

Today we went to the dentist which she was very excited about. She picked out a toothbrush and makeup kit as a reward. The dentist is so great. They have a little movie theater, an arcade room and coffee for parents! We do have homework...flossing and stopping the thumb sucking. So we got some m-n-m's (i know it's ironic) and she gets one taken away each time I catch her with her thumb in her mouth. A friend of mine gave me the idea and I hope it works. The dentist said that it takes about 40 days to form a new habit so hopefully we'll be thumb free before she's 4. For the flossing, we all need to do a better job in that department so we are going to implement family floss time each night! HA!

A Declaration

2008-08-08T11:15:00.002-04:00

So there are a number of reasons that I haven't written over the past few weeks. Life has been crazy! Ian got his wisdom teeth pulled, Jude was sick for about 2 weeks on and off, we're in the midst of moving over 2000 kids to new classes at work (aka PROMOTION), my preparations for Spain continue and the list goes on and on. Through it all I kept meaning to update my blog but today I have a few minutes to update so here it goes.

To be honest, the past few weeks have felt like I've been under a spiritual attack. On Wednesday in our starting point group the reference to John 10:10 came up, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy...." I listened to Steven Curtis Chapman last night on Larry King as he and his family talked about the evil one and they referred to this scripture as well. I don't always acknowledge that there is a spiritual battle going on and that Satan wants to get at Christians in any way he can. These past few weeks have been downright tough and he has tried to destroy me emotionally. I feel like every area of my life has been under attack. So today's post is just a reminder for me and maybe for you too that we are the redeemed we are the ones who are free and we belong to Jesus!!! That is a line from "We Shine" which is one of my favorite songs. (myspace.com/stevefee listen to we shine ). There is really nothing we have to fear or be downtrodden about. The end of John 10:10 sums it up well.."I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." So today, I wish you life to the full. May you know that you do belong to Jesus! As satan comes and attempts to steal, kill or destroy remember that the perfect Prince of Peace has come to bring us life and life to the full! That is my declaration. I hope you have a fantastic rest of the day!

Fabric-$6, Wood $5, Chargers $0, Headboard-Priceless

2008-07-23T13:52:00.004-04:00

YAY! We finally have a headboard. I am a total HGTV junkie and if I could, I'd love to go to design school. I've got quite a bit on my plate these days however :-). Every now and then, (ok.. everyday Ian I know)I will see something that I want to try. Time after time host after host whips up a headboard that looks spectacular for a really great price. Well I'm defintely not a host on HGTV, and I'm not exactly sure it's spectacular, but the great price is true for sure! Here it is. The new headboard of the Chadwicks. The chargers were a bonus from a storage clean out at church! SCORE....

Pray for Our Group

2008-07-21T11:56:00.002-04:00

Here is the group of us who are going to Spain to launch UpStreet. We had a great retreat this past weekend and I'm so excited to see what God will do. If you think of us please pray for supportive families, wisdom in our planning efforts, team unity and for God's provision for all of our expenses. Here are some specific prayers from the church in Spain:

1. For motivation and excitement about the new strategy in ministering to children. (Currently the kids leave during the preaching and after our visit they will be having an entire service just for them.)

2. That God will bring more children to the church.

3. That they would be unified.

4. Through their work that God would be glorified.

11 Months

2008-07-16T15:32:00.006-04:00

Today has been such a good day with both of the kids. I had a moment where I wanted to cry just looking at them. I feel so blessed to have these 2 incredible children. Today, Jude is 11 months. He knows how to wave bye-bye and sign more! I cannot believe how quickly the time has flown by. It's been even faster with Ellison. We had fun this morning playing at the soft play area at the mall. When I told Ellison we were going, she asked if there would be a coach like at daddy's games (confused it with soft ball) :-). We had a tea party this afternoon where the 3 of us ate ritz crackers and water. Jude of course had more fun destroying than anything else. Here are some pictures of Jude at the softplay and Ellison in her tea hat (sorry Joy just borrowed it for the party).

Praise God for children. They truly are a blessing from Him! I'm finally starting to get in the groove with having 2 and on a lot of days recently am feeling the itch for the 3rd. It's almost like it happened overnight. 3 months ago I could have been fine with 2 and now I'm beginning to feel like there is another little someone to be added to the family. Ian and I have been praying about the possibility of adopting so it's cool to think that maybe there is a child already born waiting to come to our home. I am open to whatever He has in store, He always knows best.

A lot's happened in a week

2008-07-14T15:53:00.005-04:00

We just got back from vacation with Ian's family. We rented a house at Jekyll island and all in all it was a great trip. It was Jude's first trip to the water and Ellison had a blast playing with her cousins all week long. Ian turned 30 while we were there which made for a special celbration with all of his family. Ian and I got a date night with his brother and wife and we had some chances to run on the beach together! That was fanstastic. The day before we left, we completed the peachtree in one hour and 9 minutes. Here is a pic of team "C.H." after the race. I'm actually looking into a 15K or possibly a 1/2 marathon. I need some motivation to keep me moving. Well, here are some pictures from all of the happenings.

Feeding the Ducks

2008-07-01T15:24:00.004-04:00

Here are some videos from the weekend.

1.2lbs. to go

2008-06-27T14:21:00.004-04:00

For the first time in a long time, I've almost reached a weight goal. It all started with my small group and our discussion of Richard Foster's book Celebration of Discipline. During the chapter on simplicity we discussed our addictions. Foster defined it by saying "you watch for undisciplined compulsions" as a guide to figuring out what you may be addicted to. That was a no brainer for me. FOOD. I have never used food for fuel but have always used it to feed my soul :-). Sad...eat, happy....eat, frustrated...eat, bored...eat. You get the picture. After confessing to my small group I set out on a way to figure out how to shed some pounds. Unlike other times, I prayed and invited God to be a part of this from the beginning. I knew from past failings that I could not do it on my own. A number of people around me were doing weight watchers so I decided to join on line and see if it could help me too. I got serious about my commitment to finish the Peachtree and started training at least 3 days per week. The only thing that I can say that has gotten me to this point is truly the Lord. I LOVE cheeseburgers, french fries and milkshakes. WWatchers has taught me that sometimes I can have those things but not everyday. I have by no means arrived. I mean just yesterday I had a huge ice cream sandwich, that I didn't need and washed it down with a cookie at home. Through lots of prayer and kind words from friends and family I've gotten this far.

So...Here's the deal. I leave for the beach next Saturday and if I can lose 1.2 lbs by then I will have reached the goal that I set for myself. Doesn't seem like a lot of weight, but for the past 2 weeks I've kinda plataued and have lost less than 1 lb per week. I am posting this as a way to stay motivated. To finish the task at hand. Once I reach the 15 lb mark, weight watchers' goal is for me to lose 9 more pounds. We'll have to see about that :-). Okay..I'm off to...not eat :-).

16 Days and counting

2008-06-18T07:30:00.002-04:00

It's official! We are running the Peachtree. Back in January we and another couple had an idea to run it together. We pitched it to our small group but that died a quick death. So the 4 of us are destined to the annual Peachtree Road Race.

As the time approaches I am getting a little bit nervous about the heat and the fact that I haven't been able to run outside as much as I'd like. In fact, my last outdoor run was Memorial Day...YIKES. Thanks to a 5AM wake up call from Jude I was able to get in a long run on the treadmill this morning. Nevertheless...I am looking forward to a challenging start to my 4th of July and what better way to be challenged than with friends.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-06-16T19:18:00.000-04:00

It's been quite sometime since my last post. Today, however, Jude is 10 months, so I had to post. I cannot believe he will be a year in just 2 months. It feels like we just brought him home (other than the sleep that we are now enjoying of course). He is really talking quite a bit. Making all sorts of sounds and he is in love with yummy big boy food. Today we tried some pasta pick ups and he was eating like a champ.

Since my last post I have signed up for a mission trip to Spain! I'm so excited to go. The trip is in September. It took a lot of prayer and convicing from friends and family to go. I am going to be a part of a team that will set up UpStreet. I'm really anxious to see how it all comes together and am selfishly hoping to be able to do the same thing some day in Austria.

Speaking of Austria, we are in the midst of our long term missionary applications so please be praying for us. There is soooo much work to do and the deadlines are coming fast.

That's all for now, hopefully I will be more diligent about updating.

Ian Chadwick AKA David Beckham

2008-06-04T22:44:00.001-04:00

Here is a picture from Germany. My husband was playin' y'all. So cute!

Top Learnings while Ian was away

2008-06-04T14:53:00.000-04:00

So I didn't post that my husband was out of town because you can just call me old fashioned and I was afraid of broadcasting that on the internet. I know...nobody is watching me that closely, but you never know.

Anyhow, Ian returned home on Monday night after 5 nights away in Germany. His company is German owned and every year they have a world cup of sorts where players from different countries come to compete. So last Wednesday we bid him farewell as he went to represent our country in the game of soccer :-). For those of you who know Ian he is an athlete to his core. Want proof? He has athletic jerseys from high school, college and now he's started a collection of jerseys from other countries, thanks to this trip he has now added Poland and Spain to his collection.

So while he was away I had the chance to be alone with the kids all day and all night. Doesn't sound so bad huh? Well here are my top 5 events of the time he was away. One event for each of the nights that he was gone ;-).

5. Traveling to the outlets..So this one is not that bad except for the fact that I tried to go after my kids naps which happened to be at 4:15 on a FRIDAY! Duh..the traffic was horrible. So it took us nearly an hour to make it up 400 to shop. What you may ask was the reason for such a dumb decision..I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket for pottery barn. Yeah, I just had to use it that day..couldn't wait.

4. Not using the double stroller. Has anyone seen our garage? We have 5 yes count them 5 stroller options. Double jogging, single jogging, umbrella, snap and go, and a sit and stand. Of all the strollers to choose from, I chose to go shopping, multiple times I might add, with the umbrella stroller. This always meant that one child has to be held. But Ellison is 3.5 right...wrong! When she gets tired, it's all over she reverts back to a newborn. So many times I had to hold Jude while she was in the stroller. Try pushing around 35 lbs in a stroller and holding 25 in your arms, not easy work. But my love of the game (of shopping that is) fools me into believing that maybe this time will be different. So from now on 2 strollers will have to be in the trunk. Thank goodness for minivans.

3. Before Ian left, we were thinking about lowering Jude's mattress because he has started pulling up to his knees. We didn't find the time to do it before he left and of course, I got awaken at 1:30 AM to find my son standing in his crib! He couldn't figure out how to get down. It was so cute! I've attached a picture of the little guy in action.

2. Having a yard sale. Well, I decided that I could do a community yard sale out of our garage while my husband was away...need I say more? Thanks so much to my friend Joy this went off without much of a hitch. We had some pretty intense hagglers, some interesting participants and a ton of stuff, but that's what yard sales are made of.

1. And...my number one event. Showdown in Wal-mart. So It's Monday, Ian's on his way home and I'm itching bad to get out of the house. I think that we can make a quick trip to wal-mart in search of a quick bathing suit purchase and some other fun stuff to have some playtime at the pool with the kids. BTW..anybody know where to get a fun cute one piece bathing suit? I think that's an oxymoron these days. If it's one piece it's made for 70 and up. So not fair, not all of us can bare our tummies after our pregnancy service stripes. I mean really! So anyways, Jude has a great knack for pulling Ellison's hair..like all the time. It drives her crazy. Well, I guess she like me had had enough of life without daddy. All of a sudden she decides to bite his little pinky. She bit it so hard that the poor little guy screamed like bloody murder and both sides of his finger were indented from her teeth. I said "I cannot believe you just did this. We are going to have to go to the doctor" Ellison looks at me with a blank stare. Not really much remorse. Well then I announce that her new floaties are going back as well as her fruit snacks. Immediately an erupiton of emotion to say it nicely. Keep in mind that Jude is still crying. So, I decide to leave my basket of goodies (very painful for me too I may add) and leave the store. Well, of course Ellison doesn't want to comply and I am dragging her through the store. There are moments when she looses control of her entire body and falls to the ground. People are staring, it's that bad. Man that was tough. We eventually made it home after 2 stops on the side of the road. Once to spank her and another time to hold Jude because he was so startled by all of the loud noise.

And an honorable mention goes to stealing. Yes. My daughter has a knack for picking things up and asking if we can buy them. I tell her not today or let's remember to tell daddy about it (great trick). Well while Ian was away I would let her hold items to look at while we were in stores. Well that translated to her putting things in the bottom of the stroller. By the time I got to the car, loaded them both and was folding the stroller down, there I would find her treasures. What did we get? March of the Penguins(Target), a little teddy bear (Pottery Barn) and a pair of shorts (Target). Don't worry we will return all of the items. Although I'm tempted because I so do not love Target's return policy and I'm now stuck with some shorts that I cannot fit because I used cash. DARN!

Welcome home honey! I really missed you and I'm so glad your back.

The time has come

2008-05-29T22:31:00.000-04:00

So I've had almost a year of 2 kids napping at the same time. Considering I just finished battling Ellison to bed and it is 10:30PM, I'm thinking the time has come to cut it out. So it is with great sadness that I say good bye to my friend the afternoon nap.

But here's the dilemma. She gets so cranky in the afternoons and turns into a child that surely did not come from my womb! If I let her sleep and wake her up within an hour then she is not a happy kid..at all. So it's like I'm stuck with a cranky little one from about 3 until 7:30 or I fight her to get to sleep until 10 at night. The issues, I tell you. They don't write about this stuff in Baby Wise.

So farewell my dear friend. I will sorely miss you. It's been a great 3.5 years of afternoon silence. My time will now be shared with my little princess Ellison. We have been working on room time and it's time for mom to kick it into high gear. For all of your wonder what is room time, it is a chance for Ellison to play in her room while mom has some mommy time. We've worked on like 30 minutes of room time, but we need to push the time up a little more now that she's older. If not, mama will not be happy and you know what they say about that...nobody else will be either :-).

A Quiet Spot

2008-05-23T07:43:00.001-04:00

For the past few years, I've been wanting to have a container garden. I've tried to create a spot but things just never seemed to work out. The idea has been to create a place outside of my house to do some quiet times and to have a place to share with Ian. There have been quite a few factors keeping me from getting it going: lack of time, kiddos and ummm... I don't have much of a green thumb. In fact I've killed quite a few things with the exception of vinka and ivy :-).

I am pleased to announce that as of last night at 10PM, we put the finishing touches on our deck garden! We have been working on it for over a month and it's been so cool to do it together. Ian and I would get out there after kids are in bed and plant and reorganize the furniture. All along the way we would sit in the rockers with some candles and debrief the day. It's been really cool.

So what's in our garden you may ask...We have tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, onion chives and lots of flowers too! So, we will be eating lots of salads this summer:-).

I have to say that a huge factor in finishing this project is once again one of my neighbors. He has a gorgeous deck, I mean it should be in a magazine. So I've been asking him for his help. This year, we asked him to host a container gardening event for the rest of our residents and I was able to learn some cool things from him. In addition to that, he has taken us under his wing and is showing us the way. He even reserved some ferns for us at a local nursery to make sure that we got the healthiest ones. So basically, I've borrowed his green thumb :-).

And, while we are on the subject of neighbors, I think we've got some of the best. We have so enjoyed living here and making new friends. We've been at this complex for about 2 years now and we've made some great friends along the way. Next week Ian heads to Germany (company soccer tournament) and one of our neighbors is landing in Frankfurt on the same day. How cool is that! So they are going to meet for a meal in Germany.

So wish us luck as we keep try to keep our garden green. I just hope our friend is not moving away any time soon, because we will be heavily relying on his help to keep this thing going.

Well it's Friday and that means some fun times with the kids! I think Ellison wants to go to storytime at Barnes and Noble. So I better get off of this computer and get our day going.

By the way..Happy Memorial Day to everyone. We are headed to Summerville this weekend to see my family so more chatting next week.

See you soon,

Beth

Another crazy Saturday

2008-05-17T21:30:00.000-04:00

For the past 3 years we have been serving as a CARES team. We live on a complex and plan social events and care for our residents. Today we had a great day doing both of those things. The morning started off pretty early with a 5K with one of our residents. We left at like 6:30AM and started the race at 7:15. I must say that I am happy to have finished in the top 200! I was number 199 and finished up at 33:45. It was so much fun and I got to hang out with one of our neighbors...Beth!

After the race we set up an event for the dogs at our complex. We had a good turnout and the dogs seemed to enjoy the doggie ice cream and pools. We are not dog owners, although Ian would love to own a great Dane, but it seems like we did a decent job of planning in spite of our lack of knowledge on the whole dog thing.

We finished the day up with shopping where we found some fantastic deals. Gotta love the 2.99 rack at Children's Place! And now I'm blogging :-). This really is addictive.

9 Months Today!

2008-05-16T09:50:00.000-04:00

Today Jude is 9 months. It is hard to believe that it has already been nine months. Jude is developing right on schedule! He is now starting to eat lots of food on his own. He love waffles for breakfast and had some cheese toast last night (thanks Allison ;-)). He loved every bite of it! The stage 3 foods just don't seem to interest him at all so it looks like we're going from stage 2 to table food. Our wallets are very happy for it. He is still scooting all around now. It looks like he is going to stick with his soilder crawl. He loves to walk when we hold his hands but he is not pulling up yet. He is still a very happy baby, lets us get our sleep through the night and he loves his sister. Not sure how long the love relationship between the 2 of them will last, but I'm praying it's for a long time to come.

Going Home

2008-05-15T15:39:00.000-04:00

So we made the big decision to make me part time at work. It was a really tough decision, but one that we are so happy that we made. This is my second week and I'm really enjoying more time with Ellison and Jude. It makes me sad in a sense to think of how quickly the time has just flown by. I want to make the most of every opportunity with them and I am hoping that cutting back will allow me the energy to do that.

First Post

2008-04-16T21:35:00.000-04:00

So here we go! Our first time blogging. So many of our friends have great blogs and we just love keeping up with them.

So in our lives right now our little ones are 3 and 8 months (today). The time is truly flying by. We've posted some recent pictures of the little ones.

We hope to hear from you soon.