Monday, September 29, 2008

Melodic Monday

This song is from the movie Fireproof. I love the melody, but looking at the lyrics makes me like it even more:

You Belong to Me by Grey Holiday

You run, you hide
As tears fall from your eyes
They fall like snow
From a wounded soul
You hold inside
The hurt of great divide
The hole is starting to get old

So come back to the light
To the love, you will find
It’s been here all along
So come back to the start
And you’ll find in your heart
That you always belonged
To me

Just take the rope
I won’t let it go
Give in
We can start again
I’m life, I’m hope
And I’m ready to explode
With how bad I want you back home

You’re my daughter, you’re my son
You’re the one I long to love
And you’ve heard I chose to die
Do you know you’re the reason why?

Seriously...check it out on itunes.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Busy (Great) Weekend

Wow, there is so much that happened this weekend...let me attempt to fill you in.

Friday: Mom Y. came to watch the kids while Dave and I attended our friend's wedding. It was a blast. It was in town and there were a bunch of our church friends there. We all had a great time. The song that they danced their first dance to was "Come what May" from Moulin Rouge. This was the song that Dave and I listened to right after we got engaged. We toyed with it as our wedding song, but for some reason vetoed it. I wish now that we hadn't...It was such a great song to dance to...as well as a great song for a marriage. The wedding was beautiful and we are so happy for our friends. Congratulations!!

Saturday: In the morning, I helped teach Learning to Minister like Jesus (our prayer ministry class). I was pretty nervous, but on the whole it went alright. I have to remember to have grace on myself as I have not done public speaking in over 2 years. I hope I get the chance at it again now that I know what it felt like. I would definitely make some revisions. :-)

In the afternoon, Dave and I went to see the movie Fireproof. It's a Christian movie by the same people that did Facing the Giants. This one is about fireproofing your marriage. Dave and I really enjoyed it, and recommend it. If nothing else, we like supporting those movies in the theaters so that they keep coming. Let's put it this way, with absolutely no tv-previews, the entire theater was packed! Dave and I had to sit in the very first row and got a neck cramp...but there was only a few seats left in the theater and hardly any of them were together. If you're married, it's a good one to see with your hubby.

We then took mom and dad out for dinner to thank them for watching both kids all weekend (dad came later on Friday night). We are so appreciative of them being willing to hang with our brood all weekend. Afterwards, they went home and Dave and I took the kids for an evening stroll before bedtime.

Sunday: Dave worked all day today. I went to church with the kids this morning. Afterwards we had the church's 2 year birthday party at Happy Hollow Park. It was a lot of fun. I'm so thankful to my church family for helping me with the kids. Kauffman took turns watching Noah so I could eat. We have a great group of young men at our church. Whenever I come without Dave, there is always one of them that comes and grabs Callie so I don't have to lug her. It's the same with the other mom's who are toting 2 or more kids. They just come along and help out. It's terrible, but I now always just look for one of them now when it's time for me to leave. I'm not kidding...all they have to see is that I am getting ready to go, and they will come and grab one of the kids. I keep telling them to wait 20 years and I would let any of them marry Callie. Dave and I talk about it often. It's nice to have godly young men and women in our church to help influence our kids. Alot of the young college guys really love playing with Noah. We love it because they are good godly men that can pour into our son. We love it for Callie because it shows her the kind of guys that there are out there and those that are worth waiting for.

Noah's been a doll today. Callie's been a bit fussy. Both kids are in bed now and Dave just got home for the evening. I think it's time for me to wind down after a fun-filled weekend.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Callie

Callie has her two front bottom teeth! They apparently came through together and she has been so amiable, I hadn't really noticed. They just popped through in the last few days. What a big girl she's becoming. She will be 6 months next week.

In other news, I'm doing better. I got some good prayer last night and this morning, so I'm feeling a lot more hope and sense of self. Thanks Jesus.

I'm currently fighting with Noah to take a nap. He clearly needs one as he melts down everytime I lay him back down, but alas...we're butting heads today. Dave should be getting home soon, and if he's not asleep by then...I have a feeling he won't be getting a nap today. Would it be fair to say, "I'll take a nap Noah and you can do the laundry, sweep the kitchen, and iron clothes...Thanks."?

I hear Dave pulling in, so I had better go greet my hubby. Have a great day!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Out of the mouth of babes...

I was settling back into bed to do my quiet time this morning (It's quiet and away from "Finding Nemo"). Noah came back to check on me:

Noah: Mommy go back nap?
Me: No, honey. Mommy is going to spend some time with Jesus.
Noah: Oh, Mommy see Jesus?
Me: I sure hope so honey.

I want to see you Jesus: In the way I live my life, in the lives of my kids. I want to feel your peace over me. I want to see you glorified. I want to see your miracles played out in the here and now. I want to see you Jesus.

Thanks Noah, for the reminder.

Monday, September 22, 2008

...and becomes a better day

My afternoon/evening has gone much better. Although I am still feeling bouts of the "weariness", I was able to spend some quality time with the kids, which was great. Noah and I made an art project, which we were able to frame. Callie and I had some giggle, girl time. Later, we all went swimming at Faith. Callie LOVES the water. It's actually pretty cool to watch a baby's natural instinct to "swim".

I'm re-reading my favorite author/series: Karen Kingsbury's Firstborn/Sunrise series. The final book comes out on Thursday, so I am re-reading the series to be ready. She writes such amazing life-changing fiction. I highly recommend her as an author.

Pray for Dave as he has been feeling pretty sick lately. This is his bad week for work too (hectic schedule). He really needs to be healed and quickly. He's been on/off sick for the last two weeks. Thanks.

Well, I'm off to read a little more before bed. Peace out.

Melodic Monday

I love this song. I need to hear this song over and over. Amen.

Everlasting God-Chris Tomlin

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary
You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

Should've hit the snooze

Ever have one of those mornings where you wish you would have stayed in bed? Today is one of them for me, but as I was laying in bed, I could hear the dog hacking, and then vomiting. Lovely start to my morning. Woke up to find a trail of dog "spit-up" all the way to the kitchen door, where I let him out to finish his business. Then Noah woke up, and immediately "spit" in the toilet...his new favorite thing to do. After steam cleaning my carpets this morning (God bless the Steam Cleaner...perhaps the best purchase we have made in the last two years...and well worth it's salt). Callie woke up, and spit up 3 times all over me. Something smelled poopy. As I went to check Noah's diaper, I stuck my finger in it.

May I go back to bed yet? The morning hasn't been all bad. I've showered. Our toaster is broken (It smells "hot" every time we use it and has recently started to smoke). I called the company and it's been recalled, so they are sending us a new one. That was a nice small victory.

OK...Callie just puked on me again, and Noah is trying to shove Scoop in my face. Perhaps this blog entry will have to wait.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Weariness

I'm weary. The events of the last few months seem to be catching up with me and taking their toll. I've been exhausted lately and having a hard time doing the things that need to be done, let alone all the things that I want to get done. I don't have the energy. I'm feeling melancholy, and sometimes sad. I couldn't figure out why I've just been so doggone tired lately. I was talking to my close friend and prayer partner about it today, and she came up with the word "weary"...and I started crying, because that just about sums it up. I'm just plain weary...for oh so many reasons.

Lord, I give my weariness to you. Help me to cut back where I need to and find some rest in you again. Help me not to worry about things that I can't change and all the other things that I feel deserve my "worry". Help me to just surrender everything to you in prayer...and go from there. I need you to fill me back up and make me useful again. I'm pretty empty here. Thanks. I love you God.

Kiddo pics

This would be when Noah was outside playing with the hose, and Dave and I are standing just inside the door. Dave said, "Noie...get mommy!"...and he did. Good job David.

Callie chilling in her crib.

Notice Noah's hand depositing bubbles on Callie. He was trying to make her have a hat.

Friday, September 19, 2008

A good day

The morning started with some awesome garage sales in Brookston. I managed to buy a brand new top, with tags, for me and a brand new shirt and dress for Callie among some pants for Noah and another shirt and nice pair of jeans for me. (Whew...I'm sure that was a run-on sentence!).

My friend Abby came over to play mid-afternoon. She has a daughter that's close in age to Callie. We had a great time playing and letting the girl's play (Noah ate lunch and then took a nap). It's fun because Callie and Kate are starting to interact (touching each other's arms, faces and smiling at one another). I hope that they can continue to be good friends.

Tonight, Dave took Noah in the bike to the park. Callie and I followed in the stroller. We then decided to go putt-putt golfing. Noah is starting to understand the nuances a little better, but he doesn't have much patience for the game. We ate at Subway for dinner and then came home. Dave and I are both exhausted. Callie's already down. We just need to get Noie down before we crash.

It's been a REALLY nice day. It's one of those days you want to take a mental picture of. Though nothing extraordinary happened...the beauty was in the smaller moments.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Amazing what a 3.5 hour nap will do for both my kids. They both woke up different, happier, children. We've actually had a really nice night. I DID steam clean my carpets...so I feel uber productive. Dave came home and took Noah for a bike ride to the park. Dave and I got to watch Bones tonight...which happened to be about dogs and featured Cesar Milan (the dog whisperer). Given Dave's profession, we enjoyed this episode a lot.

It's been a good day.

The case of the whiners

Truthfully, I don't know where they get it from (Just don't talk to my dad). Both Noah and Callie, thankfully, slept through the night. However, upon waking this morning, found 101 things to whine about. I still think they are feeling a wee bit under the weather, thus the "whines". Somewhere along the morning, I managed to throw my back out carrying one of the kids. I decided (as I was stooped over looking at the floor) that I probably needed to see the chiropractor today. And, while I was out, I would run my other necessary errands and be productive. Well, I was productive...but I paid the price.

Thankfully, the ladies at the chiropractor place know me (and one has two kids of her own) so they have grace on me...as Callie is screaming, Noah drops a load, and I am trying to get my aching back adjusted. I try to change Noah (while one of the ladies gracefully holds Callie) only to find I have no wipes...I had to improvise. Then, I had to get the kids (who are now both screaming/whining) into the van...nurse Callie, pacify Noah, and try not to break a sweat. Meanwhile, my back is still pretty sore.

I ran my other errand successfully and thought, "I really need to go to Meijer. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could get all our errands done this morning. Then we wouldn't have to go back out again unless we wanted to!". Famous. Last. Words. Noah, whined and carried on the whole time. Callie harmonized. By the time I got home and was carrying in groceries, I was so happy to see Dave was home on a lunch break. I applied the divide and conquer approach and now the kids are both taking really great naps. I have managed to clean the house up a bit and my goal is to maybe...just maybe steam clean the carpets today. Ambitious? Yes, I know. At this rate, I might just settle for vacuuming, but a girl can dream can't she?

The weather is beautiful outside, I have found some much needed solace, and my house is slowly but surely getting cleaner. For some reason, a clean house equals harmony for me. Not that I achieve it often, but on the rare times that I do...I like to revel in it for the full five minutes that it stays that way.

Anyway, can't complain too much...I have great kids and I definitely enjoy my time with them. Besides, there is a certain euphoria when you are productive and can get a bunch of errands done. It's like small victories. I'm not one to turn down victories of any size. On that note, have a great day, while I try to reign in victory over my house.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Lifegroup

So, it was our first "real" lifegroup tonight. Perhaps I'm being a bit hard on the situation...but it was a rocky beginning. I'm trying to think back to our first lifegroup with the old one, and I remember it feeling rocky then too. We found our footing then, and I'm sure we'll find out footing again. Meanwhile:

We kicked off life-timonys this week. Essentially, it's your testimony with highlights of your life included. I was completely banking on Dave to go first, to give me time to compose my thoughts, but I failed to convey that clearly to him (apparently he wasn't reading my mind so well tonight). He offers for me to go first...YIKES! So, what happens? My mind goes completely...BLANK. Uh...and it went about downhill from there. We are trying to keep a time-limit on them mostly because we need to get through a lot in the next few weeks. However, because I was so worried about the time, I kept things short and sweet...to the point where I forgot to even mention having Callie (she wasn't in the last life-timony I gave...so I accidentaly forgot...she's still super important though!). To be honest, I think I said most of the important things (just all jumbled up and out of order)...I just didn't elaborate on how they impacted my life and where I am at on a deeper level now.

On top of that, Callie screamed the whole time (and we could hear her since she was just in the basement area) and Noah was upset...and later threw up in their garbage can because he got to coughing...AGAIN. (side note: I'm wondering if I need to take him in because although his cough isn't bad during the day...it's definitely bad at night with his drainage and I don't want him to get worse).

Back to topic: Thankfully, Summer and Mom Y. helped me process tonight. I apparently needed that to wind down. Here's me being vulnerable: I worry about a lot of things. I worry about offending people. I worry about leading well. I worry about worrying too much. Clearly, I need to take this to Jesus and have Him deal with me on it. We WILL find our groove, I'm sure. I'm actually really looking forward to this group. It seems like there are a lot of really great people in it.

OK Lord, I submit myself and this group to you. I know that you have plans for it beyond our rocky beginnings. Work in my life and in the life of this group. Amen.

Museum Fun

We took Noah, Callie, and our friend River (and OK...his parents too) to the Children's Museum today. We had a blast. Noah really enjoyed having a friend instead of just his old and washed up parents. They talk to each other and have real conversations too, it's pretty stinkin cute.

We had some pretty tired kiddos on the way home. Callie was beside herself as she didn't really nap all morning. We are home now and Noah is watching the Little Mermaid (I have a convert!) and Callie is snoozing some more before we head out to lifegroup tonight.

That's about all that is going on in our world. Not too much else to report. Peace out!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

What the cat dragged in...

A frog. Yep, sure did. It's been raining a ton, and we live on a pond so it's not beyond one's imagination. Marmaduke has become an indoor/outdoor cat and had been in and out most of the afternoon. All of a sudden, Dave walked into the kitchen and there was Marm with his "toy" a poor three inch frog laying on it's back, probably cowering in fear. Dave picked it up, rescued it (by tossing it back out into the yard), and I disinfected the kitchen floor (ew, gross).

In other news, Noah is sick. I found this out because as he was in kid's church this morning, he just laid on the floor or with his head on the table when I came in to feed Callie. I finally decided to pull him from kid's church because this was not normal behavior for him. He fell asleep on me in big church and I just snuggled with him, praying over him, but also enjoying being able to comfort my big boy.

Noah, Callie, and I (for a change) all took naps this afternoon. I'm not sure what Dave did, maybe watched football...but I let him sleep in an extra two hours this morning, so it was fair that I got to nap this afternoon.

Now, I'm making ham and homemade mac n cheese...a good rainy day meal. There goes the timer. Have a good night.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Sleep = Manna

Noah woke up 9 times last night and has refused to take a nap today. Guesses on how my day is going?

Friday, September 12, 2008

A good day

It's been a good day. We had lunch with our friends Ryan and Becky and their son, River today. Noah and River are best buds. However, with Noah waking up at 6am this morning, he was in dire need of a nap. It was fun hanging out with them though. Early evening, our other friends, Gabe and Leah came over for dinner. We had to make it early since Dave had to go into work tonight. It was as usual, crazy here because the Comcast guy came at the same time that they arrived to fix our phone connection. Two children and a dog added to the bedlam. Nevertheless, it was great seeing them and reconnecting since they had been gone all summer.

A shout out to my friend Jonelly: "Happy Birthday!!". Congratulations on making the last good milestone, 25. Welcome to the quarter-century club. :-) Hope that you were able to have your birthday gyro.

Now, I'm just watching Pretty Woman and thinking about heading to bed. Peace out.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Where were you?

Seven years ago today I was in my dorm room on the campus of Illinois State University. I was getting ready to go do childcare for a mom's group at a local church. I actually didn't have the TV on that morning, but as I was walking through the dorm lounges, I saw people glued to the television. There was an eerie silence as people watched the footage of what was taking place. I tried to piece together what I could from what I caught. As I arrived at the mom's group, more pieces fell together as they started a prayer vigil. At that time, there was still so little that was known. As the day progressed, a lot of classes were cancelled, or they opted to just allow students to watch the footage of what was happening. It seemed a bit surreal. There seemed to be a camraderie of sorts bonded through the whole campus. Nobody was really immune to what was happening. Thus forging a common bond as people gathered together to watch the events, that rocked the nation, unfold. I think everyone was really panicked about the possible outcomes. There were so many prayer vigils happening everywhere. I don't think my feelings really went beyond shock and horror that day. As the days progressed, I felt more. There was a guy in one of my classes who had lost his brother. It seemed that the tentacles of this horrendous event reached everywhere. I'm too young to remember Pearl Harbor or many of the other momentous events in history...but I DO remember the morning of 9/11 very clearly. Where were you the morning of 9/11?

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Silly Callie

I shot this a little while ago, but she is still pretty expressive. She "sings" a lot now as well. She is definitely chatty...and we love it. :-)

Hooray! We can post videos!



We just upgraded out internet connection and are now able to post videos. I have tried a few times before, but the connection was always so slow, I wasn't able to.

Here's our Noie, having some fun in the pool. He is very good at counting...except for that silly "4". He's apparently not a fan.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Picture Link

So my friend was able to edit and get the pictures up really fast. Here's a link to her website. There are some fun ones even though the Noah-meister was uncooperative. If you want copies of any of them, let me know which ones (number on slide show 1 or 2) and what size and I can let my friend know.

Monday, September 8, 2008

No sleep make Noahs cranky.

It's been one of those mornings. A dear friend who is trying to get into photography offered to do a photo shoot on my kiddos. She originally came over to our house a week or so ago. Noah was rotten and would have nothing to do with pictures. Callie was a ham. So, we got lots of good ones of Callie. Well, then we decided to try it at her house, which would be a change of scenery for Noah, hoping that would help...it didn't. He got only 8 of the 11 hours he normally banks last night (long story)...and so therefore was in rare form this morning. What's worse is that I usually end up feeling like a rotten parent by the end of it. I was trying not to come down on Noah too hard since I actually wanted him to smile for pictures, and I also had my hands full with Callie, so I felt at such a loss as to how to properly handle the supposedly fun situation. Thankfully, my friend's husband, who was home that day intervened and helped out with Noah a little bit. Noah is definitely in a daddy phase and apparently any daddy will do today. We didn't get him smiling in any of them, but he at least sat for a few minutes. He was SO tired by the time we left, both my kids passed out in the car. I stopped by DQ for a much needed blizzard (I think my friend and her hubby deserve one as well for all their efforts this morning) and came home. Noah only took an hour nap, and is now fighting going back down, although he is clearly still very tired.

The long story from before: Remember I said that Noah was a puker? It takes next to nothing for it to happen. I really don't associate it with him being sick anymore because of the frequency. Anyway, we had a meeting at church last night where Noah got sneaky and somehow managed to sneak 3 brownie bites. (Dave and I were at opposite ends of the room as he went back and forth between the two of us. It wasn't until I noticed that he kept having one in his hand that I ran over to Dave and asked how many he had had on his watch and compared it to how many he had had on mine...total being 3) Dave then headed off to watch the Colt's at a friend's house (which we had agreed upon earlier) while I took the over-tired babes home to bed. Well, Noah started running around chasing the dog and laughing hysterically while I am trying to cajole a crying Callie. I finally got her settled and then got Noah settled in bed. He started coughing from the exertion, and then..well, do you really need me to say it? So, I stuck him in the bath, changed his sheets, put him back to bed, started to do the laundry to wash his sheets when out he pops again...situation repeated. Have mercy. I only have two sets of sheets for his bed, so we stripped it again and put on a queen size set to get us through the night. He finally went to bed around 10:30 when all of this was said and done. That's why at 6:30 this morning when he popped in and said, "Noie all done night night", I thought..."Nope...you sure aren't." However, Dave was up for work and even though he put him back to bed, Noah popped back out a few minutes later...thus leading us to the above events of the morning. Here's the final straw...he only took an hour nap. I am now fighting with him to lay back down again because he is whiny and cranky. He needs a lot more sleep than what he has gotten. What mommy wouldn't give for a nap...but I will say the blizzard did have a positive impact on my mood. So, here we go.

A BIG thanks to my friend for putting up with my cranky brood. They truthfully are not always like this...I promise.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Oh, where to start? Well, I lost my patience this morning. I think that it's off at the spa relaxing, which is where I would like to be. However, my day has consisted of a cranky 5 month old, and a commentary-giving-whiny-destructive-in-your-face-constantly-asking-questions-two year old. I must be coming down with the cold that has plagued my kids because I really don't feel awesome. You know the stuffy-head-don't-have-the-energy-to-walk-across-the room-could-lay-curled-up-in-bed-all-day cold. I'm going to see how many more times I can use dashes in my sentences...because that would really just make this blog so much cooler. :-)

Anyway, dramatic emphasis aside, the day has not been all bad. When I was ready to lose it, we headed to the park where the fresh air eased my senses and Noah was able to use up some energy. It's been a fairly quiet evening. At the end of the day, I still consider myself to be pretty stinking blessed. I have a great husband, great kids, and a welcoming home. Life is good.

Speaking of life being good...I have had some fairly cool experiences. I prayed for a friend of mine who is just finishing her first trimester. They couldn't detect a heartbeat and since she has known the pain of miscarriage before, she was (understandably) upset. I was able to pray with her before they did an ultrasound to determine if the baby was OK and then spent some time after I hung up continuing to pray for her. My prayers flittered around life and health for the baby, a fluke in finding the heartbeat, peace for my friend, etc. It was an intense hour. I ended up driving over to meet her and try and offer support. By the time I had arrived, she was walking out, smiling, with sonogram pictures in her hand...the baby was OK...better even, because it was dancing around in there. As we have faced so many friends having miscarriages and suffering trials with babies recently, it was nice to be able to pray for someone in this area and receive the answer that we both desired. Thank you God for healthy babies.

Another fun thing is that Dave and I are doing premarital for another couple in our church. Through the process we have really connected on a deeper level in our own marriage. It's been nice to be able to take the time and chat about all those "big" issues...and it's healthy too.

I had to pause mid-blog to go take care of Noah who coughed so much, he puked. You would think this would really gross me out, but alas no. Both our kids have really active gag-reflexes. They cough, they puke. I've learned to adapt...and pray that they'll grow out of it someday. Their poor spouses. :-)

This entry is really getting silly since I've had to come back to it about 3 different times. I should probably just sign off. I'm headed to Martinton tomorrow to see Dave's side of the family. Mike and Laura will be there with their kids (who are all within months of our two). It should be fun. To close, I will leave you with my favorite picture of the summer. It was taken while we were in Chicago. Cheers. :-)

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Lifegroup

Well, we kicked off our new lifegroup tonight. As always, when starting a new venture, I get really nervous...because it's an unknown. After I got over the initial case of the jitters and took a breath, it went pretty well. All we did were icebreakers this evening. It was just a chance for people to get to know one another. We're still trying to find a permanent place to have group (and childcare). So, we're just hoping everyone has grace on us as we try and get this group of the ground. Aside from all that, I'm excited for the possibilities...and praying that God continues to give us what we need to be effective leaders in this area.

Monday, September 1, 2008

If only I could think of a cool title...

This weekend, my friend Brooke and her husband came for a visit. I have known Brooke since we were both in high school. We both taught swim lessons and somehow have forged a friendship that has lasted almost 10 years. It was great seeing them. They came to church with us on Sunday before heading back.

I keep trying to wait for some witty or deep thoughts before I blog. My fear is that if I wait until that happens, a year will have passed. My brain seems a little on overdrive these days and by the time I sit down at the end of the day, I can barely put together a coherent thought. But, for you faithful readers, here's the gist of my life:

*I love my kids...really love them. They bring so much joy into my life. Noah wakes up and gives me big hugs and kisses everyday. Callie graces us with her beautiful smiles and giggles. If nothing else good happens the rest of the day, those would be enough.

*Dave bought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers the other day. just because. He is actually very good about this. I rarely go long stretches without a bouquet sitting on our kitchen table. Thanks love!

*I'm learning TONS about my faith...where I am maturing and where I need to mature. It's good though. I definitely feel God working in my heart and changing me for the better. I still have a long way to go, but at least I am heading in the right direction.

* We start our new lifegroup this week...and I for one, am really excited about fresh beginnings and to see what God has in store for it.

That's about it. Below is a picture of Callie and her "plume" as we call it. She's a pretty content kid. We're very fortunate.