a family becoming

honey's happy (and hot) day

2012-02-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

(July 23, 2011)

Some of our great friends threw an awesome summer-y party for their newly 2 year old Honey. They even went the extra mile to order an extra helping of HEAT for the day. Holy cow. Good thing it started out at a water splash park- perfectly fun!

As part of the part of the finale, I was really excited and honored to help Natalie (Honey's mom) with the birthday treat: chocolate-dipped rice krispie treat popsicles!

The heat tried to melt them into oblivion (note: best at an INDOOR party!), I think they ended up being a big hit!

The party-planning mom and dad in action... they did it up right and everyone had such a great time.

Happy birthday, Honey! Glad we get to watch you grow, spunky little one!

success

2012-01-25T22:18:00.002-05:00

(July 17, 2011)

We need to take a moment to recognize how hard my husband has been working and how stinking smart he is. He just passed another (really difficult) actuarial exam. If you don't know what that means, you should either google it or ask Curtis directly. Please don't ask me if you want any kind of clear and accurate response because, to be completely honest, what he does is way above my liberal arts brain.

Thankfully, he has some great friends who decided to surprise him to celebrate!

These are the guys in our couples small group. Most of them haven't known Curtis for very long, but apparently just long enough to know that there isn't anything he'd enjoy much more than some good Frisbee golf.

Drew Hill, who seems to live by the motto "go big or go home", came complete with a personalized t-shirt. In case you can't zoom in there close enough, it reads: "Congrats Curtis Chesney on PASSING! (not gas, or a kidney stone, but that test thing)"

Yes, congrats babe.

gleefully six

2012-01-25T21:52:00.000-05:00

(July 11, 2011. Yes, I am 6 months behind. Don't judge.)

Seriously, when you're turning six, does it get much better than an outdoor birthday party complete with sprinklers, water tables, a giant beach ball, bubbles, and water balloons? Doubt it. My sister proved how a such a simple concept can be quite possibly the best idea out there.

Check out my niece Bess' fabulously fun day:

Bess, the birthday girl, in all her joy!

Rosey, her little sister, joining in on the fun.

The little ones, including my sweet Annabelle, loved the water table...

and the big kids couldn't get enough of that humongous beach ball!

Sometimes, when words won't do, you just have to do a jig.

Cooper = gleeful.

Oh, Myer, my uber-cute nephew... I could eat him up faster than he inhaled that watermelon.

For the artistic types, Ashley had sidewalk paint. My son clearly didn't even touch it.

He was too busy hurling water balloons at my car.

Annabelle found a comfy seat to rest off all that partying.

And then it was time for yumminess.

These two are quite a pair, especially when they're awaiting dessert.

A party complete with a decorate-your-own ice cream sundae table. Can we replicate this for my 31st birthday? Seriously.

Proud mommy (and Mammy in the background) serenading the birthday girl.

Nope. No personality at all.

Happy Birthday, sweet Bess! If every one of your birthdays is this fun, we want to be there for them all!

five full days

2011-11-07T21:57:00.000-05:00

(July 11, 2011)

I find it really difficult to describe our trips to Windy Gap. I always have. There is so much history there, both for Curtis and for me; such beauty in the place, people, and the message about Jesus;
and such a tangible sense of God's hand at work.

We spent about 5 days there this time, in the midst of family, some old friends, and about 300 high school age campers who were all having- literally- the time of their lives. We would live it up during the day with the kids, enjoying all the events/meals/pooltime/treats, and watching our little ones soak it all in. At night, we would put them to bed in our awesome two-bedroom suite, grab the monitor and head out to enjoy the rest of the night.

There is no way to explain our time at Windy Gap, but hopefully these images will help to capture it.

At the rodeo, on Independence Day. Too perfect...

Cooper and his Papa. Up close and personal in the rodeo ring.

Cooper was in heaven.

Happy Annabelle.

She loooves her daddy.

Isn't that beautiful? YL does an amazing job of including and celebrating differently-abled kids.

I wish you could have witnessed her joy in person.

My old boss, Harold, and his wife Angie. Harold told me that he and Angie had met at Windy Gap 30 years before- that very week!

Kelly, Marion's boyfriend, in Cooper's hat.

We couldn't let Marion escape the embarrassment.

Marmee and Annabelle, celebrating the U.S.A.

I love this one for some reason.

My precious ones.

At the "county fair", in our old-time country outfits...

3 generations of Chesney men.

The best family pic we could get. It's was a little rough.

Games galore.

So. much. fun.

Oh, the joy!

relaxing fun

2011-11-02T21:45:00.000-04:00

(July 10, 2011)

On our quick trip to Knoxville, we were blessed to get to stay Curtis' brother Luke's house and spend a little time with his family, especially one evening at the pool.

Oh, our precious nieces... Millie (pictured) is 3 and her sister Ava is 5: as beautiful inside as they are on the outside.

And our new nephew! Baby Evan is one of the happiest and most even-keeled children you'll ever meet. Annabelle thought he was just the coolest thing ever.

She kept saying "baby! baby!" and looking like she might climb in the car seat with him.

But how could you not be enamored? He is a sweet and handsome little guy.

Evan, as cool as he is, lost out to a newly discovered love: LARGE chunks of watermelon.
p.s. If anyone ever says that she looks like me, I will direct them to this picture. She is SO her father's daughter.

When we finally got her out of the chair to go play, she found other people's leftovers.

Dig on in, girl. Dig on in.

A happy mess!

The big kids were in heaven in the water, playing with their daddies. Cooper was still a little timid, but was encouraged by watching his cousins and all their mad water skills.

Ava, who gets years older every time I see her.

We miss living closer and being able to have more relaxing nights like this with such a fun family. How cool that we are related!

a quick visit and toddler kisses

2011-09-12T21:37:00.000-04:00

(July 7, 2011)

Though we struggle sometimes to manage the balance between family and friends on our trips to Knoxville, we are almost always able to enjoy a visit with a few friends. This time, we had a fun dinner out with two families of friends. When the kids couldn't stay seated any longer, the dads took them outside to run around. Curtis started snapping pictures of the little ones...

Hadley, 16 months (same age as Annabelle!)

Emery, almost 2

When prompted to give Emery a kiss...

Apparently, she liked it, because she welcomed some more.

Whoa!!! My boy doesn't mess around. Or maybe he does!

What a wonderful night! Emery sure thought so. :)

lessons

2011-09-11T21:38:00.000-04:00

(June 21, 2011)

Cooper took swimming lessons this summer. Friends had mentioned that the city gave affordable group swimming lessons, so we thought, "why not?". Cooper may have answered that question for us...

He pretty much hated them.

The good news is that my friend Millie and her girls were there with me, in the 90+ degree heat. So, while the big kids were having their lessons, Millie and I got to hang out with the little girls under the shade. That is, when I wasn't walking back and forth to calm Cooper down. ;)

Annabelle didn't like relaxing in her stroller quite as much as her buddy Finley (above). She is certainly voicing and demonstrating her opinions lately! Loudly. She had fun though, climbing all over the benches trying out her new walking skills.

Cooper, on the other hand...

After a lot of fearful tears, sitting on the edge of the pool was just fine.

Of course, the noodles were a big hit because they could be used in a weapon-like manner. At least he was attacking the water and not the cute girl in the yellow swim shirt!

Everything was good until Miss Jessica made her way down the line, inviting each child into the water to practice a technique... blowing bubbles, floating, using a kick-board, etc. Though some kids (like our friend Grayson in the green!) were excited for their turn....

Cooper lived in fear of it. Dread. Loathing. Look at that face! And the way he is clutching onto her shirt! He hated it.

I have to be honest. In the midst of the 4 days of lessons, I wasn't the most compassionate mom. When he started throwing a fit about going in the water or flipping out about having to blow bubbles, I wanted to (and often did) roll my eyes and sigh more than comfort him. I was tempted to say "get over it" and "don't be a wuss", though thankfully I managed to keep that nastiness inside. That is embarrassing to even write.

Cooper has always been (and, I suppose, will always be) a cautious person. He can have extreme fear over the first time of doing almost anything, and then be crazy & reckless the next moment without so much as a second thought. He just needs to know he can do it.

What I want is to be a mom who is a cheerleader. I want to push him, to encourage him, to challenge him, but I want to demonstrate ever so clearly that I love him and value him no matter what. If he never swims a day in his life, if he is trapped and bound by fear, I want to boldly fight with him against those lies. But, regardless of the outcome, he must know that he is no less of a treasure.

Being a mom is so humbling. My selfishness and sin just ooze out of me, and I am reminded often of how little I resemble the God I serve. Thankfully, He doesn't give up on me. He uses anything and everything- including swim lessons- to hold up a mirror to my heart and help root out the grossness that is in me. And He reminds me that, because of His grace and mercy, I am no less of a treasure to Him.

baking and celebrating

2011-08-30T22:19:00.001-04:00

(June 19, 2011)

Call it perfect timing or poor scheduling, but I decided to say "yes" to making a cake and cupcakes for a little girl's birthday that was on the same day as the baby shower I was helping to host (and also baking for). So, in the last 2 days, I've made and decorated a cake and over 70 cupcakes. Whew! It is a good thing that I totally love baking for people. It's not a good thing that I'm such a ridiculous perfectionist. Seriously. Is there therapy for that?

Here's my fishy cake (in the box, ready to be handed over for the birthday party)! I think it turned out pretty cute, but I was a little disappointed when everything was said and done, because I decided that they colors I chose made it look almost as much like a chicken as it did a fish. Curtis agreed (how dare he!).

My cupcakes, on the other hand, made me super happy! I worked on the colors for waaaay too long, matching them to the birthday party invitation. I told you that I am ridiculous!

On one hand, I can totally understand why cupcakes are all the rage: compact and transportable yumminess that is fairly simple to make. On the other hand, I don't like cake very much so I don't get it at all. Ha!

That night, I brought a batch of strawberry cream cheese cupcakes to my lovely friend Emily's baby shower. I completely forgot my camera and so failed to get any pictures of the cupcakes or any of the other delicious food and beautiful decor there, but I was able to steal this picture from facebook:

That's Emily, sitting to my right. I guess I snagged the place of honor, huh? Or maybe not, considering the camera angle. :)

Despite the lack of photos, the cupcakes turned out well, the other food was scrumptious, and the night was so much fun. We all loved loved loved getting to celebrate baby Adelyn.

And, after this weekend, I think I'm going to need a nice batch of chocolate chip cookies to recover!

in leaving and coming home

2011-08-30T21:41:00.002-04:00

(June 15, 2011)

As thrilled as I was to get away, to spend several days conversing solely with adults, to take care of only myself, I was equally content and grateful to come home to my husband and sweet children. This was especially true since Curtis had so graciously both enabled and encouraged me to go to New York. It was my birthday present, but he went above and beyond to ensure that I felt freed up, provided for, and supported in taking this trip. He sacrificed 3 vacation days and and single-parented without complaining for almost 5 days straight! I am so blessed. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to give bear hugs all around.

The morning after I got home. Look at those precious faces, albeit a little sleepy!

How could you not want to come home to them?

And guess what happened while I was gone?

Someone decided that she finally (that's right, at 16 months) wanted to walk!

She's been capable for so long (would walk across the room on command), but just preferred to crawl. Not any more! My absence must have inspired her. ??

Warning! Slight soapbox: This is why I am such a huge proponent of mommies (especially the stay-at-home version) getting away once in awhile. Whether it's an hour of errands by yourself, a weekend trip with your husband, or a 5 day trip to New York City with the girls... just go!

When I am freed up to leave, I find that, in coming back, I feel more peaceful, renewed, and equipped to love my family more fully. Not only that, I enjoy and appreciate them in a way that I didn't before. And, truly, they'll be just fine without you...

a breath of fresh, NYC air

2011-08-28T23:06:00.001-04:00

The excerpt below was from an email I received from Claire, one of my seven dear college roommates (if you want, you can read about them here and here). Last October, when Claire got married, we all decided that this spring or summer we would take a trip to New York City for our collective 30th birthday year. Amazingly, it actually happened and 7 of our 8 roommates were there! Because Claire lives in NYC, she acted as our host and planner extraordinaire...

What to bring:

YOU!

Comfy shoes to bum around the city in

Laughs

An outfit that you feel pretty in

A desire to try something new (yes…this is built into our plans;)!)

Play clothes for some walking/jogging/laying around the Park

Toothbrush (we’ll be in close quarters)

And, honestly, with 7 of us in my tiny tree house (you’ll know what I mean when you see it), packing light is probably a good idea unless you want to sit on your suitcase and five flights of stairs can be a doozy with a lot of luggage!

Isn't she precious?

As an aside... all of our planning, however, could not have prepared me for the hellish experience I had in trying to get there. Long story short, I left Greensboro around 3:00pm, spent 2 hours getting to the airport in Raleigh, 5 hours inside the airport and/or in a plane (which never left), 2 hours being shuttled to and from two different hotels, 4 hours sleeping in a hotel in Raleigh, and then shuttling back to the airport for a 6am flight. Whoa. Seriously? The beautiful thing was that I felt the Lord meet me in such a tangible way, filling me with a peculiar sense of gratefulness (what if my children had been with me?!?) and giving me peace (regardless, I will get there and I will see my precious friends). The next day, around 10am, I finally arrived at Claire's apartment! Phew.

Vibrant Claire, leading us on our first adventure.

On top of the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) a gorgeous rooftop bar.

Lauren, slightly preggo (due in November) and cute as a button.

Amy, looking sexy even in two pairs of sunglasses.

Meredith, preggo (due in early August) and stunning.

Can I get a little photo credit here on this series of pics? I need to draw attention to my victories when I'm in the midst of such talent (Amy and Lauren)!

I have beautiful friends.

The view. Spectacular.

On the steps outside the Met.

Because how can you not?!?

After that first day, apparently there were very few pictures taken, which must be because we were just having that much fun. :)

We ate our weight in good food, navigated the subway, shopped a lot (oh, H&M, how I love thee), had a double baby shower, walked all over the city, went to the "You've Got Mail" coffee shop and other fun spots, and just lounged around together in Claire's one-bedroom apartment... laughing, remembering, talking about our hearts, God, husbands, sex, plans, fears, childbirth, struggles, children, joys. Basically, soaking in every moment together.

This is the one picture of us all together (minus Tiffany), after Julie and Kara arrived from DC. Lauren, who gets photo credit for nearly all of these pictures, wouldn't put this picture on facebook with the others because she said we looked too rough.

However, I love it (although she was right- we do look rough) because it is a memory. We had just spent hours picnicking on the grass of Central Park, reading aloud the letters that Claire had asked our husbands to write to each of us, crying, sharing, and belly-laughing. Can't you just see it on those rough-looking faces?

As always after I leave these sweet girls, I am astonished that- 8 years after college- we can still come together and feel nearly as "at home" as we did at 505-C North Greensboro Street in Carrboro, NC. I pray that will never change.

until September...

2011-08-24T22:06:00.001-04:00

(May 27, 2011)

The school year has drawn to a close. Cooper has loved loved loved school this year, and I have been so grateful to have a boy who walked happily into and out of the classroom door every Tuesday and Thursday!

The last week of school, they celebrated with a class picnic...

Sweet Ms. Via, who came in the middle of the year and rescued Cooper's class. She is wonderful.

Ms. Hunt, one of the assistant teachers, Miller (Cooper's buddy), and Cooper sitting dazed on the end of the bench. He didn't even come to school that day because he was so sick, but we couldn't miss the end of the year picnic!

Even Daddy came from work!

This is Ms. Hill. This woman has cared for my boy in the sweetest ways.

She has held him when he was sad, read with him daily, rejoiced with him in his excitement, cared about what he loves (she even bought him a book about David because she knew he was obsessed with David & Goliath), comforted him when he was sad... in short, she has loved him well.

And really, is there much more a little boy or his mama could ask for?

Before we knew it, it was here... the last day! My big boy, carrying his own bags because he is so very independent these days. He looks taller and thinner than he did in August!

He was too distracted to pose when his very favorite friend started walking down the sidewalk.

It's Miller! Cooper talks to us about Miller all the time (well, "all the time" in boy land, which is at least once a week!) and- to my relief- apparently, the feelings are mutual!

Miller told his mom, "Cooper is the funniest kid EVER!". I mean, really. Who doesn't want a buddy like Miller?

And when I came to pick Cooper up that afternoon, it made me smile to see proof of that friendship right on the playground. What a fitting way to end the year! Oh preschool... we shall all miss you until September.

3rd annual buzz event

2011-08-24T15:54:00.000-04:00

(May 23, 2011)

Each summer, it has- at some point- become necessary: Cooper's buzz cut. First at 1 1/2 (when I think of the irony of Annabelle's bald head, I can't decide whether to laugh or cry!) and then last year at 2 1/2, his mop of hair just become too much.

Here's how it happened:

We strap him into the high chair seat.

(I think the fact that I put his hair in a pony tail to get it out of his eyes may have encouraged his daddy to pull out the clippers. :)

Curtis does all of the cutting... that is way too much pressure for me.

DVD player. A necessity for stillness and distraction.

And then, it begins!

I was trying to capture all of the different colors in his hair, before it was gone. Isn't it beautiful?!

Cooper is not a big fan of the clippers, but Thomas the Tank Engine can distract from anything!

Cookies are mighty helpful as well! FYI- Curtis announced mid-way that he was finished. He thought this had a nice early-90s look to it.

Oh, no no no, says his wife.

And there you have it! Much shorter and much cooler. Now, it's off to play...

innocence

2011-08-23T22:02:00.000-04:00

(May 20, 2011)

One thing I love about Cooper is his complete innocence. So far, he has absolutely no concept of embarrassment or modesty or gender norms. I don't know whether it's the fact that he's only 3 or that he's a first-born, or just that he has a sweet naivete about him, but I cherish these moments of innocence...

Right after we bought a water table for the kids, I looked out the kitchen door to see this. Of course my children would end up climbing onto the table rather than just play with it normally.

Oh, but wait... Look closely. Yes, those ARE Cooper's clothes on our back deck. Naked. IN the water table. Oh heavens.

And then there was this: Annabelle's headband on his head like Rambo, her 12-18 month sized floral jacket, Thomas underwear, and rain boots.What?!

I have two words for you:

Rehearsal Dinner.

Just because I love and appreciate his innocence, doesn't mean I won't equally love to embarrass him with it in 20 years!

my happy 30th

2011-04-30T22:58:00.000-04:00

Despite entering my fourth decade, it was a happy day.

Time with these two precious ones...

Then, time with fun friends...

After a long wait (thank heavens we were kid-less!), we had a yummy dinner on the patio at Natty Greene's.

I sure do love having a night with my handsome husband and so many dear friends. And I love when my parents graciously agree to take care of my children so that we could have a night out like this!

Afterward, we invited everyone over for some margaritas (my favorite!) and some dessert. Yes, I did make my own birthday cake. Is that totally lame? What is not lame, though, is what I made. Growing up, I always requested cookie cakes since I'm not a huge fan of regular cake. The problem is, I hate how cookie cakes are so flat and thin and 3rd-grade-skating-party-esque. So, I improvised!

I made a regular batch of cookie dough, baked it in two 8" round pans. Then, I found a tub of store-bought icing in the pantry and threw that on as well. Yum.

Let's just say... this didn't last too long in my house.

Happy Birthday to me!

generational friendship?

2011-04-28T22:00:00.000-04:00

I guess, even when you are the greatest of friends with someone, that friendship is not necessarily passed down to your respective children...

Don't worry, Sarah. They'll be great friends someday. We'll make them.

the best thing

2011-04-27T22:11:00.000-04:00

For our family, Easter was full of so many good things...

an early morning with cousins:

the quintessential family photo shoot that always goes so well:

yeah.

(it got a little better!)

rides with Papa on "Darlene", the 4-wheeler:

fun with Aunt Susan:

(with her tiny pregnant belly!)

extra daddy time:

marmee's* easter baskets for her grandbabies:

(*I'm not sure if Marmee hides from the camera but she is all-too-often missing from pictures. We will try to work on that. And Aunt Marion... was she even there?! Don't know what happened. Kids were too cute, I guess.)

an Easter egg hunt:

a first real visit with our nephew Evan, 6 weeks:

So many good things. There was very little about our time together that I would change even if I could.

Really, though, how can that goodness compare to the reason we gather, the reason we feast, the reason we celebrate Easter at all?

Jesus is alive. That is the best thing.

"Now let the heavens be joyful,
Let earth her song begin:
Let the round world keep triumph,
And all that is therein;
Invisible and visible,
Their notes let all things blend,
For Christ the Lord is risen
Our joy that hath no end."
-- John of Damascus

ahhh, spring

2011-04-20T22:52:00.000-04:00

For a long time, I used to say that summer was my favorite season. This was clearly until my world no longer revolved around school breaks and swimming pools and getting tan and, well, whatever I wanted.

Now I can confidently say that spring is my favorite season. Spring, to me, is hope. It is newness and mercy and life and warmth and light. It is walking outside in the morning and not bracing against the cold. It is watching tiny sprouts grow and stretch and blossom. It is venturing outdoors in summer clothes because it's finally 70 degrees. It is watching the world transform from grey to green. It is a reminder of Jesus.

So, deep sigh of relief. Spring is here. And we have been drinking it in...

I used to listen to Nichole Nordeman "Every Season" a lot in college. It reminded me that God is revealed in every season and is IN every season. Both in the outside world and in my life.

"And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced, teaching us to breathe. What was frozen through is newly purposed, turning all things green. So it is with You and how You make me new with every season’s change. And so it will be as You are re-creating me: Summer, autumn, winter, spring."

Especially spring.

caught

2011-04-15T22:11:00.000-04:00

Annabelle is a mover and a shaker. She is into ev.er.y.thing. As my friend Millie says, "Oh, help us". This morning, I came around the corner and stumbled upon this sight:

Wow. I didn't know whether to laugh or scold or grab my camera. I'm pretty sure I may have down all three.

Look closely at the lovely milk carton Easter basket: "Cooper". He had just brought it home from preschool moments before. Let's say he was none too thrilled at this small disaster.

Annabelle, on the other hand, was tasting jelly beans for the first time in her little life and was enraptured. The black drool was amazing. And disgusting.

The scene of the crime.

Incriminating evidence: she was caught green-handed. ;)

the future tilletts

2011-04-10T22:42:00.000-04:00

I really love throwing showers for people that I love. Marc Tillett is certainly no exception, as he has been friends with Curtis and me since we were freshmen in college... 12 years!! That is weird to even type. Curtis and Marc even lived together in a house of 7 guys called "the Overlook". Oh the stories they can tell...

Marc is marrying a super-cute, creative, and sweet girl named Kristin. And I love that she and Marc are together. See, we always said that Marc would make a fabulous husband. He is servant-hearted, fiercely loyal, strong, and kind. She will be blessed. And, I'm sure, so will he!

Needless to say, I was thrilled to join forces with the other Overlook wives to celebrate the future Tilletts. Not surprisingly, it was a beautiful, classy shower!

I love to see everyone's gifts and talents come together on a table. Doesn't it look lovely?!

The flowers... oh my word. I thought about grabbing a few vases and making a run for it, they were that gorgeous. (Note: Lindsay bought almost all of the flowers at Costco and assembled them herself with the help of her mother-in-law. I am always blown away by the talents of my friends!)

My fellow "accounted for" hostesses: Lindsay, Kelly, and Grace (Allison and Naomi, we missed you!)

My contribution was the cupcakes. I was so pleased with how they turned out! They fit the style of the party just perfectly.

I am slightly obsessed with the new Reynolds StayBrite baking cups. They seriously stay bright (hence the name), not like the normal liners that kinda melt into the cupcake color. And no, they didn't pay me to say that. Also, in full disclosure, I stole the cupcake topper idea off of Etsy. Don't judge. You know you do it too.

Oh look! There's the cute couple peeking in! I think they might be salivating over all of that food. Seriously... did we think we were feeding 100?

On second thought, I don't think they noticed the food.

Gift time! Lots of goodies, conversation, prayer, and laughter.

I am so grateful for this couple, their upcoming marriage, and the fact that I will know the future "Tilletts" for years to come. I mean- what's another 12, right?

Just to prove I was there. :)

poor baby

2011-04-05T21:58:00.000-04:00

Curtis left town on Thursday night go to a bachelor weekend for our good friend Marc. I was really thankful for the fun that he was going to have and, although I can't say I was excited about him leaving, I wasn't too worried about going solo for the weekend.

That is, until Annabelle threw up on Friday morning. After that, I don't think she left my arms the rest of the weekend for more than a few minutes at a time. She was so, so sick. With a high fever constantly, even on medicine, she was one of the most pitiful sights you've ever seen.

It wasn't the fussy kind of sick (thank you, Jesus!). Just the suck-the-life-out-of-you kind of sick. Lethargic doesn't begin to describe it. My active, always on-the-go child did not have the strength to crawl 3 feet. Nor would she even try.

She just wanted to lay on my chest 24 hours a day, like a little newborn. Don't get me wrong, I loved that part of it. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that, over the whole weekend, I watched Pride and Prejudice in it's entirety. The long version! As long as I was holding her, she was content enough and so was I. These pictures are one of the rare moments when she allowed me to put her down.

Her big brother was such a trooper. He was understanding (for the most part), enjoyed playing with our big girl neighbor Gracie, shot a lot of basketball, and was thrilled to watch lots of TV!

Apparently I am dramatic and don't handle these things in stride AT ALL, because my sweet friends were praying for me, bringing me a surprise Frappuccino, treats, and flowers, and checking in on me constantly. I felt blessed and provided for in such a tangible way. Now, if my mom had only been in the country...

By Monday, Annabelle was just starting to move around and eat/drink a little bit. Good thing, because, I had almost diagnosed her with Kawasaki Disease (I had it at age 4). Ha! Oh, what the sleep-deprived brain can do to you! Anyway, the fever slowly went down, she slowly regained a little appetite/thirst, and on Monday took a real nap for the first time in days. I think she's going to be just fine. My poor, sweet baby.

my 505 nephews

2011-03-28T15:44:00.000-04:00

Because I spent the last 5+ years either trying to conceive, pregnant, or caring for small children, I have been anxiously awaiting the day when at least one of my college roommates/dear friends would join me in this parenting adventure. How blessed I feel to have TWO "nephews" born into the 505 family (505 is the nickname for the house we all lived in during college) at the beginning of this year!

We had the special treat of getting to see both families at the end of March, of cuddling with little (big!) baby boys, and seeing my beautiful friends as mommies...

Charlie (born January 1) and Henry (born January 26)

proud daddies, Peter (with Henry) and Ross (with Charlie)

proud auntie :) with baby Henry

baby Charlie and sweet Kara (mommy to Henry)

(Note beautiful Amy in the grey sweater, mommy to Charlie. She tends to stay behind the camera! b&w photo credits to her.)

I can't wait to watch these families and the families of our other roommates expand and grow (a few more are awaiting children right now!). I love the long-term-ness of these dear friendships and am so thankful to share this journey of mommy-ing!

really?

2011-03-15T22:14:00.000-04:00

I love that Cooper is potty trained and that he stands up to pee like a grown man, I really do.

But...

"Oh no!" (coming from Cooper, who is in the bathroom)

Quick reply: "What's wrong, buddy?"

"I had trouble. I got a little bit pee pee on the floor."

"Oh, no big deal, bud. It's okay. I'll clean it up in a minute."

15 minutes later, I finally find my way into the bathroom to clean up that "little bit pee pee"...

Really?

unexpected greatness

2011-03-06T14:13:00.001-05:00

I love Adam Lucas. I've never met him, but I feel like we could be best friends. After every big Carolina game, I wait in expectation to see what he will write on tarheelblue.com. And then I usually cry.

You see, I just love this basketball program. I love what they stand for. I love the university that they represent. I love the history. I love that last night, in what was arguably their biggest game of the season thus far, the coaches chose to start bench-warming seniors (despite critics who said it was foolish), just because it was Senior Night and "This is what we do."

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Adam wrote this article after last night's 81-67 victory over Duke (that feels so good to type!). Just in case you don't want to read the whole thing, though I think you should, here are a few of my favorite excerpts:

"It's one thing to see greatness when you expect it. It's quite another to see greatness when you're a little nervous and maybe even a little pessimistic."

"As Carolina fans, we so rarely get to enjoy a team that exceeds expectations, simply because expectations are always astronomical. We don't get surprised. We just get wins, which can sometimes get a little boring. It is exhilarating, as the 2006 team recently showed, to watch a group discover how to be a team"

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That may sound arrogant to some people, but it's an all too accurate description of the Tar Heel fan's mindset- even I have learned to expect greatness. It's not fair to the kids that kill themselves on the court only to fall inches short of greatness. I realize that. I wish it was different, but it's not. That's why this year has been so refreshing... I just didn't expect it. After last year, I don't think many did. And yet, the boys have shown up and have fought hard against these surprisingly low expectations.

"You know that journey Roy Williams always talks about, and how important it is to enjoy it? We're on it right now. That's why the court was stormed. Not because of the opponent or the awards and rewards involved in the win. But because man alive, as the head coach would say, it sure was fun watching those guys figure it all out together. It wasn't a methodical court-storming. It was a rush, like they couldn't hold back anymore. That's what the unexpected does to you."

It was fun. Joyous, in fact. And, for better or for worse, my expectations are rising!

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--

We let Cooper get back out of bed and join our game-watching party for awhile last night (he was a little too excited to sleep), and he was still pretty amped up about the Heels this morning as well. We start 'em early around here. :)

Happy March Madness!

so close

2011-02-28T22:03:00.000-05:00

Since we moved to NC, we have been blessed to live closer to Curtis' cousin Mary Ellen and her family. (By "closer", I mean that they are now only 3 hours away from their home in New Bern instead of 8!) Right now, it is just Mary Ellen and her two girls at home, because her husband Kevin deployed last August for Afghanistan.

Recently, at our church, we prayed for a military family as the husband was about to leave for deployment. It broke my heart and amazed me at the same time; this brave man leaving his beloved family in order to serve and- maybe even more so- the family standing strong in his absence. Curtis and I immediately were convicted that we hadn't taken advantage of the sweet gift of having Mary Ellen and her kids so close... so we called, invited, and they came!

I have never seen Cooper take to another person quite like he did to Hadley, Mary Ellen's oldest (3 1/2 yrs). The Bells arrived around 5:00 one evening and these two were BFF by their 8:00 bathtime!

Please don't judge the "dumb and dumber" haircut on our son.

A visit to a downtown park so that Curtis could love on Hadley a bit.

Curtis helped Cooper and Hadley build and fort on the back deck one night. They sat out there forever, just the two of them, without requesting anyone or anything from us. They played, then ate dinner together...

... and danced together. We just couldn't believe how well they got along!

This is sweet Ellen Kate, 4 months old. If you do the math quickly, you'll realize that Kevin had to deploy before his baby girl's birth. I tear up just writing that. He has not been able to meet this precious one yet, but I am sure he is counting down the days!

Annabelle sure liked having a little buddy around!

Meanwhile, I loved having this sweet opportunity to get to know Mary Ellen better (more than the yearly Thanksgiving or Christmas extended family dinner). She and I are a lot alike and hit it off almost as well as our kids did. :)

A few more of my favorite shots:

We have already booked some more time with the Bell ladies in the next few months. Not only that, but we're hoping to get to visit with the whole family when Kevin comes home in several months. We really can't wait for that!

By the way, Cooper is already asking daily when Hadley is coming back. I would start to wonder if he had met his soul-mate at such a young age... that is, if they weren't blood-related. Ha!

when you're bored

2011-02-15T23:12:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or are January and February generally really boring months? Here's what happens in my house when people get bored:

Little girls start out jumping on big brother's trampoline but get distracted by the tasty rubber handles...

Little boys and their daddies decide to pretend it's "gettin hot in here" and eat dinner shirtless. Honey, our very small female friend then decides that she must join in...

You decide that it's a good idea to let your 1 year old feed herself spaghetti...

Baby girls "play" with your cell phone and it disappears. 10 hours later, you finally figure out that she dropped it down a floor air vent. Far down. Your husband spends the rest of the evening playing MacGyver to fish it out...

(p.s. Is it just ours or are air vents always this nasty? Ew.)

Looking forward to spring, but loving these "boring" days along the way.

one

2011-02-09T15:35:00.000-05:00

Sweetness and joy, strength and zest... my baby girl. Yesterday, Annabelle Kate had her very first birthday. So, before I attempt to catch this blog up with our life and start using it as I always intended (as a reflection of my current life, heart, and family), here is a tribute of images to my precious Annabelle:

BIRTH:

February 8, 2010

MONTH 1

MONTH 2

MONTH 3

MONTH 4

MONTH 5

MONTH 6

MONTH 7

MONTH 8

MONTH 9

MONTH 10

MONTH 11

MONTH 12

February 8, 2011

It makes me laugh to remember how I secretly wondered, before Annabelle was born, if I could love another child as much as I loved Cooper. I know now that the Lord simply grows your capacity to love with each child He gives you. He flings open doors in your heart that you never knew existed, exposing giant spaces ready to be filled. Annabelle, my darling, my love for you has filled every nook and cranny... my cup runneth over. Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

2nd annual

2011-02-07T14:55:00.000-05:00

You know those friends who you just know will be around for the long haul? The Kehnes are some of those friends.

Seth has been Curtis' friend since middle school... almost twenty years;
Seth and Curtis each proposed on the same day (seven years ago) to their future wives, both of whom are named Katie, and were groomsmen in each other's weddings;
Seth and Katie were our first and probably closest friends during our years in Knoxville, which included the four of us spending almost every Thursday night watching The Office together;
Overall, we have been blessed to walk through a lot of real life with them, rejoicing and weeping together, both recently and in years past.

So, obviously, we were super excited when they decided to make their 2nd annual February trek to NC (from Knoxville), the first trip being last year right before Annabelle was born!

Since their visit ended literally a day before Annabelle's birth day, it didn't make it onto the blog. Here are a few photos from that first visit:

Emery was just a baby and Cooper was... chubbier.

Emery spent that weekend being a little overwhelmed (petrified?) of us all. Especially Cooper.

What's so special about the first weekend in February? The Krispy Kreme Challenge, of course! 2 miles, a dozen donuts, and then 2 more miles. The guys, along with good friend Evan Travis, have done it two years in a row and are surely a few days shorter in life expectancy because of it.

If you're curious and have a spare 10 minutes, you can experience the run with them by watching a few home videos...

Last year:

This year:

That's about as much experiencing as I want to do!

But, we'll take any excuse to hang out with this adorable little girl, who is so much bigger and less of a baby now!

I love thinking about how our daughters will grow up together (only about 1/2 year difference).

Hopefully they will all be the best of friends, just like their parents!

marmee and papa visit

2011-01-23T19:31:00.000-05:00

Blogger screwed up and lost the words to this post... somehow I now only have a draft form and the pictures that were in the original post. It was a sweet post about Curtis' parents, their trip to Greensboro, and their relationships with my children and with us. I'm so sad that it is lost, but I'm not going to try to re-create it. The pictures will have to stand for themselves...

that little voice

2011-01-18T15:41:00.000-05:00

I hope, very soon (tonight?!), to begin blogging again. I can't wait to share with you all about the last 2 months of life now that I can breathe again! Here's a quick story to whet your appetite:

Cooper and Annabelle are sharing a room, as of 2 weeks ago. Listen to the "conversation" I just overheard....

I put both of the kids in their beds and left the room. Annabelle stood up immediately, as she usually does, held onto the crib railing, and started talking/giggling/crying to Cooper. After a few minutes, the crying took over and began to escalate. Just as I was about to go back in to give her back the paci that she inevitably throws on the ground, I hear Cooper's little voice:

"Don't cry, Annabelle. It's okay. It's okay. Here I am- I'm with you, Annabelle! You don't need to be sad. God is always with you, Annabelle."

My eyes are filling up as I type it. When I went into their room, I knelt beside Cooper's bed, hugged him, and thanked him for loving his sister so well. His response, as always, was "yeah".

Thank you, Lord, that some of the words I speak to my children actually are absorbed. And thank you, once again, for speaking truth to me through that little voice.

family party

2011-01-14T22:43:00.000-05:00

We not only had the sweet mommy-baby brunch party for Annabelle, but we clearly had to do a big family bash as well... especially since my sister Ashley and her family (evacuated from Cairo, Egypt), as well as my brother Peter (kicked out of Spain for an expired visa) just happened to be in town for the big day!

Strawberry cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese icing... yum!

Annabelle, interestingly, did not dive into her cupcake. She was very particular and neat, sticking one finger in the icing and licking it slowly.

It wasn't until we broke it apart for her that she really started to gobble it down. That's my girl!

It's too bad she doesn't get any attention. :)

Fun presents, fun party, fun family. This little one year old is blessed!

to celebrate a baby

2011-01-13T14:33:00.000-05:00

With my baby girl's birthday arriving so soon after Cooper's big train party, I knew that I wanted to do something just as special- yet categorically different- for Annabelle. Since there is always potential for her to be overshadowed by her vivacious brother, we decided to have a mommy-baby breakfast party. My dear friends here in Greensboro came, either by themselves or with an under-2 year old little one, and it was a sweet, sweet time. Annabelle loved the attention, loved drooling and sticking out her tongue (teething, much?), and LOVED the coffee cake "cupcakes".

My heart's desire has always been that Annabelle would feel treasured by the Lord and by us. In thinking about that, I asked the girls to write a short note to Annabelle: a prayer, a blessing, Scripture, a word of wisdom; whatever they wanted. As you look at the precious pictures of the party, read their life-giving words to my one year old little girl...

We are so thankful for your life and your sweet spirit! You are always so happy and full of joy- we pray that you always find that in life.

Annabelle, we pray that you will praise our Father all the days of your life. May you come to know Him. May you be able to speak of His wonders because you know His goodness.

May you know Zephaniah 3:17 to be true of your life: The Lord your God is with you, Annabelle. He is mighty to save you, Annabelle. He will take great delight in you, Annabelle. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.

You are so full of joy. Your face lights up with it. Our prayer for you is that you will continue to be filled with His joy and brighten the world with it! We pray that you will hear Him sings songs over you all of your days.

We pray as you get older that you grow to love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength!

"...and I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love, which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

~ Ephesians 3:17-19 Bless you, Annabelle. May you know, deep in your soul, that you are Christ's beloved.

My prayer is that you not take Annabelle out of the world, but that you protect her from the evil one... sanctify her by the truth; your word is the truth. ~John 17:15, 17 (paraphrased)

Precious Annabelle... "The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace, love, joy, hope, and a good night's rest, and someday a godly husband."

My heart is full as I think about these sweet women and the families that they represent... and how they love and will continue to love my baby girl.

choo choo

2011-01-10T21:57:00.000-05:00

December was a little too crazy to plan and host a birthday party worthy of my little man turning three, so we opted for early January instead. Since we were in the thick of Cooper's obsession with trains (I don't think he asked to do anything else from about January to March), the decision on the party theme was quite simple! Not only that, but I found an amazing event designer's blog post about a train birthday party. I love recreating! Now, if I could have only made it an outdoor party in July... but I digress.

Not only was this blogger's party planning incredible, but she included free download-ables for the party (and even sent me a few more over email!). I love gracious people, and I loved these invites!

As is completely typical of me, I was ill-prepared throughout the process: our invitations were emailed instead of mailed, I was up really late working on the cake, my mom had to come over early to help me tie up a million loose ends, Curtis had to hang the streamers for me, and I was running around like a madwoman right before the party.

But then the guests arrived! Big and little guests. :) Along with lots of family, there were a bunch of Cooper's friends (Eli, Maddie, Campbell, Seth, Katherine, Anna, Mac, and more)- it was a great crowd!

People started jumping (the playroom in action!),

donning their red bandannas and engineer hats,

and- of course- playing trains. It was all about trains- both an upstairs table and a (borrowed) downstairs table.

Then, I enlisted Curtis to gather the kids and play "Sir Topham Hatt" (if you have ever had a toddler boy, you are sure to know who I'm talking about).

They were totally enraptured. I decided that, from now on, we needed to wear a black hat and jacket when speaking to Cooper to ensure such cooperation.

He had them following him all over the house, blowing their train whistles and dancing. So cute!

"Follow the top-hat" ended at the table where we gathered for cake. All around the house and table, there was a multitude of blue and red, which made me happy. My obsessive side loved the coordination! Note the cupcakes: I was so pleased with how vibrant the colors turned out!

We had also had a candy buffet that I neglected to photograph (behind the kiddos)... it was a make-your-own party favor and it was a big hit! And, if the parents hadn't been so protective of their children's health, I wouldn't have ended up with 14 pounds of leftover candy!

The cake was really fun too.

The perfectionist side of my personality was very displeased with how rough the icing looked (a product of my rushed cake-decorating), but the fondant face turned out better than I expected.

Bottom line: Cooper was super excited about it and, really, that was all of the affirmation I needed! In fact, he seemed to be pretty thrilled about every aspect of the party... what a gift to us as parents, to feel like we hit the mark.

Blowing out THREE candles... craziness. He didn't even need our help!

He wasn't sure what to do with all of this attention, but he enjoyed every minute of it.

Although the hats, whistles, and bandannas ended up being grabbed out of their shipping boxes and passed out on the fly, THIS is how I had intended them to look. Cooper's friend Grayson wasn't able to come, so she got her put-together party favors a few days later... wouldn't they have been cute if I was more on top of it?!

Oh yeah, and Curtis and I decided that we should throw in some fake buck teeth too. Because everyone loves fake buck teeth, right? Thanks, Sara, for showing them off!

Happy Birthday party, Cooper!

room transitions

2011-01-03T00:13:00.000-05:00

Curtis and I had decided, right before Christmas, that it was the right time to do a room transition. (really? when is "right before Christmas" ever the right time to take on something like that??) Because our upstairs was finally complete, we were able to spread out a little and arrange/rearrange! My favorite part!

Since we moved into this house, Cooper had been living in our home's original "3rd bedroom" (a.k.a. the sunroom). With 2 walls of windows, it wasn't exactly the ideal bedroom for a little kid. Or anyone.

But it worked! Though it barely fit, this little bed ended up being the perfect cozy transition after the crib last spring. The sunroom served him well!

Annabelle's room had also been a little transitional, since it doubled as the guest room. You can barely see her crib tucked in the corner on the right!

The furniture and all of her stuff was crowded into her room and her "changing table" was the top of the guest bed. Thankfully, she was way too young to care or even notice.

I can't tell you how much I wish that I had taken pictures of the condition of our home when we returned from Knoxville after Christmas. We had left it in SUCH shambles... drawers emptied onto the floor, furniture hastily switched from on room to the next, piles and piles and piles everywhere!

When we got back, we transitioned Cooper into Annabelle's room and then slowly, slowly began the reorganizing process. No, they weren't switching, just combining! The idea of sharing a room made us so excited (and a little fearful). We hope that it will help them to learn to sleep more soundly, to share more fully, and to really enjoy each other's presence.

Here's where they are today! A great shared space, though it still has pink walls and is a little lacking on the decor. If you know us well, this is not a surprise! We will get there, one day. :)

It feels so much more spacious with a lot of the furniture moved upstairs.

Cooper's side: green striped bedding that is plenty "boy", while still coordinating well with Annabelle's colorful side of the room.

Speaking of: Annabelle's side.

So, I just have to point out my two favorite things about her space:

1. Her crib bedding: I think I've mentioned this before, but it's called Puzzle Patch, by Land of Nod. Since we had almost all the baby necessities after having Cooper, I was able to buy this special bumper and white eyelet crib skirt for Annabelle that I absolutely LOVE. The colors and spring-iness just fit her so well!

2. Her wall art: Curtis' mom made these canvases! Aren't they beautiful?! For each grandchild, she uses one of her zillion artistic skills to create a gift. From bedroom wall murals to painted furniture to Cooper's amazing quilt, she creates such beauty every time.

When she asked for a preference, all I told her was that I would love something for Annabelle's walls and then I sent her a link to the bedding as a color reference. I could never have expected something so lovely!

Little did I know, she had taken note when I posted about some wall art that I fell in love with, and used that as her inspiration for Annabelle's gift. Perfect!

I know Annabelle will treasure these forever. Or maybe I will, because I'm not sure I'm ever going to let her take them.

Another huge benefit to the room-transitioning is that we were able to create a playroom!

The blinds can finally be opened and the room has a singular purpose again! Also, remember the quilt that Cathy/Marmee (Curtis' mom) made for Cooper? We were excited to rehang it in the playroom (you can see it in more detail here) and hope to use it as the basis for our room design! Wow, I have watched too much HGTV in my lifetime.

There is very little furniture, but I do love that we have a little desk/table that was Curtis' as a child (seen in bottom right of this picture). It has been a great coloring/painting spot for Cooper. You know, when he sits down between basketball shots.

For now, it is mainly just a room to house most of our toys. And, though it doesn't meet HGTV standards, that is perfectly fine with me. I love simply having somewhere to put things at the end of the day!

We have been so pleased with how it's all come together (especially after seeing it all taken apart. yikes!). Stay tuned for a look at the furnished and in-use upstairs!

preparing

2010-12-31T23:58:00.000-05:00

I experienced the season of Advent more this year than I think I ever have, so I just wanted to briefly share why I think that was (apart from simply God's grace for me)... what it was that pointed me to Jesus amidst the chaos of shopping and planning and decorating and socializing and traveling.

1. Behold the Lamb

We fell in love with this humble musical performance a few years ago in Nashville, and we have been listening faithfully and tirelessly to the album each Christmas since. No other Christmas music can remind me of the Truth about Christmas and the God's unique plan quite like these songs. This year's performance, which happened to be at the very beginning of December, was no exception. I left that night feeling more in love with Jesus than I had felt in quite some time. That evening was the perfect kickoff for Advent because it focused my vision squarely on the One who deserved it. (Now, in preparation for next year, please go purchase the CD- one of the best $10 purchases you will ever make- and mark your Google calendar for a show next December. You will not regret it.)

2. Jesse Tree

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(from About.com) The Jesse Tree is a unique Advent tree that can be very useful for teaching children about the Bible at Christmas, and a fun activity, too! The Jesse Tree represents the family tree, or genealogy of Jesus Christ. It tells the story of God's salvation plan, beginning with creation and continuing through the Old Testament, to the coming of the Messiah. The name comes from Isaiah 11:1, "Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit."
Each day of Advent a homemade ornament is added to the Jesse Tree, a small tree made of evergreen branches. These symbolic ornaments can each represent a prophecy foretelling of Christ. Other variations include creating ornaments that represent the ancestors in the lineage of Christ...

I remember someone explaining this to me before I had children and thinking, "Seriously? That is waaaayyy too much effort for a Christmas tradition". Two things changed my mind. First, I was invited into a Jesse Tree Exchange, which meant that I just had to make 25 of the same ornament (and then we had a party and everyone got one of each), so I didn't have to be uber creative. Second, we bought this book (though there are many) and just started doing it. Cooper loved it and looked forward to it every day. Wonderfully, I found that I could only lead him in a devotion if I had spent time reading the Scripture on my own. Hence, I was encouraged to spend time with God (which, if I'm honest, is especially rare that time of year), watching the story of the Messiah unfold throughout the Old Testament.

On Christmas morning, we all gathered around Cooper's bed and- before we even entered the realm of presents and stockings and treats- we read the final Jesse Tree devotion and the Bible verses about Jesus' birth, hung our baby Jesus ornament on the tree, and prayed. It was such a sweet and perfect way to begin the morning.

3. Amazon shopping

This is not a joke. I know I am basically putting the "little guy" out of business and I'm sad about that, but I cannot help it- Amazon shopping saved my Christmas. From the comfort of my living room, I ordered almost every present that we purchased and had them all delivered to my door for free. So much time and energy and emotional well-being preserved by not going out into the holiday madness! And great deals too! I'm telling you- online Christmas shopping is where. it's. at. :)

Okay, so there's my prescription for a great Christmas. 1, 2, 3. All joking aside, these really blessed me this year... hopefully they will bless you as well!

Sidenote: in trying to find a link for "advent", I stumbled across this site. Please peruse, especially the "About" page. So beautifully true.

a full christmas

2010-12-30T15:39:00.000-05:00

We barely made it home on Christmas night because the snow had begun to fall pretty heavily. I think it's the only time in my life that I can remember having a true "White Christmas". How exciting and, as we saw the next morning, how beautiful!

The view from out front door was breathtaking. I love how perfectly clean everything seems after a good snow.

I am always reminded of God's assurance that He will take the "scarlet" of my sinful, disobedient self and make me as white as snow. Pure. How cool is that?

What is not so cool? When your pretty little tree in the front yard is so heavy-laden with snow that it decides to take a nap across your driveway. This is especially problematic when the car you are supposed to drive to Tennessee is on the other side of that tree.

A few hours later, with the unsolicited help of several of our kind neighbors, Curtis had de-snowed the tree and had it high enough off the ground that we could be on our way. Phew!

We didn't dare pack up and go without documenting exactly how much snow we were leaving behind.

Nine inches, thank you very much. We'll be lucky to get 9 inches TOTAL next winter, I bet!

It would have been really disheartening that we were driving away from the most impressive winter wonderland that we've seen in 10 years IF it wasn't for our destination! We were all so excited to be going to Knoxville to spend time with our Chesney family.

It wasn't a well-documented trip on my behalf and I don't think I got even one picture from our Christmas celebration, but I did grab some snapshots of a few random highlights:

Upon arrival...

This beautiful face was one of the first we saw... "Aunt" Susan. When people ask me how Susan fits into Curtis' family, I usually say something like, "Well, she's actually his cousin, but she feels a whole lot more like a sister." Her presence in our family has really blessed me.

Then there's Scott, Susan's other half. He is great blend of goofy (note the face in this picture), thoughtful, and wise, so we obviously love spending time with him as well.

Fun at the dinner table...

In an effort to get all of the kids to eat their dinner one night, Scott created a kind of game-show where they answered "what's your favorite" kind of questions... favorite vegetable, favorite Disney movie, etc. If you check out the windows in the background, you can see that the kids weren't the only ones who were fully entertained!

Each question was met with hands flying up, hilarious answers, lots of giggles, and then Scott saying, "Great answer! Now, take a bite!" My favorite was the way the younger kids would simply repeat the older kids answers and then- as the parents chuckled- just fall over laughing at how funny they were.

Impromptu Congo Line...

Though Cooper and Annabelle did not stay up long enough to participate, there was loads of fun and entertainment after dinner as well.

Sometimes you just can't help what the music does to you! :)

The quintessential kid photo shoot...

Aren't they just precious?

From left to right: Annabelle (10mos), Katy Ann (7 1/2), Ava (4 1/2), Cooper (3), Austin (5), and Millie (almost 3). In case you are wondering, Katy Ann and Austin belong to Scott & Susan. Ava and Millie belong to Luke (Curtis' brother) & Elisa.

When we realized for the millionth time how futile it was to attempt a "pretty" picture, we decided just to go for a silly one. While all the kids were pretty funny, I would just encourage you to focus on Millie (farthest right) in these next few.

Is that the lead singer of Kiss?

... who is possibly throwing gang signs??

Kelly and Annabelle.,.

We even got a little time with Marion's boyfriend, Kelly! He was sweet to hang out with my baby for a few minutes.

She loved it and was so content in his lap. So precious.

Visit with Ninny...

On our way out of town, we stopped by to see Curtis' grandmother, "Ninny". She loved seeing the kids and- as always- telling old stories about Curtis.

What I want to know is- who is that fat kid in her lap?!?

It was a joyous trip to Knoxville with sweet memories. We left, as we often do, feeling really full.

christmas morning at home

2010-12-29T16:48:00.000-05:00

I could tell you that the kids woke up bright and early on Christmas morning, but that would be a lie. There was nothing bright about the pitch-black sky we awoke to before 7:00am. We were joyful, though, (even the sleep-deprived parents) and all snuggled together in Cooper's room for awhile to do our final Jesse Tree devotion... to remind ourselves of a similar dark sky under which baby Jesus, God in the flesh, was born so many years before.

I could also tell you that the kids were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed but that, too, would be a lie. Just look at these faces when we presented them with their Christmas gifts (you may have to click on the photo to enlarge):

Ha! This year, we gave each child just one "big" present and then filled their stockings with little goodies. At first, they were a little... unsure.... of their trampoline and activity table.

Moments later, it was pure giddiness!

It made my heart happy to see them loving their gifts! Success!

The stockings were a big hit- lots of fun surprises. For Cooper, the highlights were a Thomas shirt and Thomas electric tooth brush (can you sense a theme?).

Annabelle was pretty uninterested in her little toys, but was totally intrigued by the edible treats. You can tell she hadn't experienced these before... taking the wrapper off was a new concept. :)

Cooper was soon over the stocking and back to focusing on the jumping. And the face-making, apparently.

Per usual, for Annabelle it was all about the food. She's her mother's child.

This year was our first time celebrating Christmas morning in our own home. While there was part of us that was sad about all that we were missing, the morning was so sweet and so much fun for us all... we knew it was the right decision for our family. And how great to see these two, wearing their new Christmas pajamas, sitting together in front of our tree? Priceless.

----

Later that morning, we headed over to my parents house to spend the day with my side of the family. One of the benefits of living in the same town!

The day held many happy memories with Grandpa and Mammy, cousins, and aunts & uncles, more exciting gifts, and lots and lots and lots of people (15 to be exact)... it was a crazy day!

Cooper thrived and took it all in stride, for the most part. He eats up any time he can spend with his cousins, especially.

Annabelle loved it all, but didn't handle all the action quite as naturally as Cooper. Again, she is her mother's child. It did make for an extra-snuggly baby, which her daddy sure appreciated!

Unfortunately, amidst all of the fun, I didn't manage to take many pictures of the rest of the day. Suffice it to say, we had a blast and treasure time with every one of those wild Andringas!

twas the night before christmas

2010-12-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

I looove "decking the halls" for Christmas (I have 3 large tubs worth of Christmas decorations). However, with Cooper's birthday and more keeping us busy in December, we were slow to get all of our decorating done. After hearing me lament the fact that "I guess we're just not going to have time to get a tree this year" (tear, tear), Curtis surprised me by showing up with one after work!

We decorated it less than a week before Christmas... just in time!

Even our "little old man" Annabelle wanted to help out.

I laughed when I saw this picture. Why? It was strangely familiar...

(December 2007, the night before going into labor with Cooper)

Get some new pajama pants, girl! Or better yet, stay out of the pajamas!

On Christmas Eve, we were able to go to our church's service and then spend time with family. Here are a few favorite shots:

A rare sibling picture (we were all in town for the span of less than a week)!

Katie (29), Kevin (21), Whitney (25), Heidi (23), Peter (26), Ashley (31)

My sweet little nephew, Myer (8 months).

With a smile that is undeniably contagious.

Cousin Bess turning my baby into Rudolph's baby.

Not her best shot, but oh so festive!

Speaking of not best shots, we tried to get a cousin picture.

How does anyone ever get a good one?! Ridiculousness.

And yet, maybe it's just us. We can't even seem to get a family of four picture that is decent!

Christmas Eve dinner, though I'm not sure much was actually eaten.

Sidenote: We will most likely be able to use this picture as blackmail against an adolescent Cooper- dinner at a Disney princess table! :)

My dad finished the evening of festivities as he did every year of my childhood, by reading The Night Before Christmas.

After a new tradition of the kids opening some new Christmas pajamas, we headed home tired but expectant... the next morning would be Jesus' birthday!

three years

2010-12-18T22:59:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that I am writing this, but our little boy turned 3 this week. Three. Three years ago, after 40 weeks and 3 days of carrying him inside of me, we drove to the hospital in the drizzling snow and soon got to meet our precious one...

We had no clue. We had no idea how much we would love him. We had no idea how hard it would be. We had no idea how entertaining he would be. We had no idea how drastically our life would change. We had no idea how deeply soul-connected to that tiny being we would become.

(age 1)

Now we do. Cooper Richard, our beloved firstborn... He is wild and passionate, sensitive and compassionate. He pushes our buttons like no one else can and yet, with a smile or a few brilliantly chosen words, can melt even our toughest anger.

(age 2)

He is smart and stubborn. He is innocent and inquisitive. He is a lover of music, of order, of trucks and trains.
He is the big brother to our baby girl, the laughter in our days, the reminder of our need for Jesus, and our perpetual delight.

When it came time for his third birthday, I wanted to make it special and exciting just for him...

On the morning of his birthday, we brought him doughnut holes in bed. Three of them. There is perhaps no treat in life that Cooper would be more excited about, probably because it usually accompanies a special bike trip with Daddy to Dunkin' Donuts.

Obviously, he hadn't fully woken up yet. Also, I should mention that he had a nasty cough and a fever of 101 the night before. Poor kid.

Nothing that a few doughnut holes can't cure! One chocolate, one cinnamon, and one powdered sugar later... he was all smiles.

It was a fun day as we tried to spoil our sweet and sick boy with special privileges, words, and treats, including a lunchtime trip to Chick-Fil-A with the whole family!

The next day we prepared to have a big birthday dinner with my parents as well as my brother Peter and sister Heidi who were in town.

Birthday baking together (my favorite mommy-son activity) led to Cooper's favorite part... batter licking! We did a brownie tower in place of a traditional cake, because we are holding off on the birthday party until January. Cooper was not disappointed.

He ate up every bit of the event. The song...

the candle-blowing...

and more blowing...

and then definitely the eating.

Annabelle graciously gave her brother center-stage for the evening, but seemed to innately know that she wanted- no, needed- one of those brownies. Reach, Annabelle, reach!

Cooper's attitude was so humbling and refreshing during the present-opening. After receiving the first gift, he was so excited and thankful that he never asked for or even noticed that there were more to come.

Don't worry, he figured it out quickly! He absolutely adored each one of his gifts and couldn't have been happier, especially since he got to play with Grandpa.

Our baby boy is not much of a baby anymore. He is growing and changing faster than I realize (and certainly faster than I can document!). We are genuinely grateful and humbled that God entrusted this little one to us. Every day, it is an honor, a challenge, and a joy. And, it is fun.

transformations: upstairs (ta da!)

2010-12-13T22:22:00.001-05:00

Are you ready for the unveiling? Let's be honest, it's not DONE done... but it's done enough!

The downstairs hallway is a fresh tan color and there is no more near-yellow trim in our house! Woo hoo!

But you want to see what's up these stairs, don't you? Follow the cute little boy.

Notice the light fixtures and switches... we have power!

Almost there!

Ta da!!! Isn't it beautiful and immaculate?! We can finally start using the space and we couldn't be more excited about it. (the blue is not quite as bright as it seems here)

The big excitement of today... carpet! When the guys were finished installing it, Cooper started running and diving all over it. And then maybe I joined him.

This is the nook, from the inside. I am loving the sconces in here.

All of the trim and woodwork looks so crisp now that it's painted.

I just realized that I forgot to take pics of this room post-carpet, but these were taken just this morning.

And that cute little boy is back!

I chose a pretty cream color called "bone white" for the bedroom. I think all the colors upstairs turned out pretty close to what I hoped, which is kind of amazing with my track record.

Guess what else we (read: Curtis) finished?

The bathroom floor!

Here's our mostly-completed bathroom!

The plumber came back and hooked everything up, so we are up and running! Get it?! (Pun intended.)

This is one of my favorite decisions we made... we put a vintage door on our linen closet. It's totally something my creative mother-in-law would do!

This lone newel post is proof that the last major project that must be done- the stair railings/banisters- is underway. After that, we will just have a list of smaller tasks to check off.

But first... we're moving stuff UPSTAIRS! Well, actually, first I'm going to get a good night's sleep. Then it's furniture and organization time! I love this part!

welcome winter

2010-12-10T23:18:00.000-05:00

Only a week after we were in bathing suits on Hilton Head beach, we got our first real snow of the year in Greensboro.

Fall was just wrapping up and we barely got our leaves bagged and on the curb in time. So, maybe everyone else did that weeks ago... whatever. Point is: the snow came really early.

And then there was this!

Gorgeous. And the snow even masks our terribly needy yard!

Certainly not the deepest snow, but it sure brightened the lifeless neighborhood.

For Annabelle, the world was brightened by the fact that the stairs were finally uncovered and available for a new pasttime- climbing.

The moment I realized that she could climb stairs was the moment I turned the corner and found her 3 stairs up. Whoa.

Good news: She absolutely loves it.

Bad news: She absolutely loves it.

After realizing how much excitement stair-climbing was getting, Cooper wanted to be sure to get in on the action. Oh, that giggly face!

The snow was even deep enough for Curtis and Cooper to make a darn cute snowman! Complete with pepperoni eyes, no less.

At one time, their little snowman even had Oreos for ears. But Cooper found those mysteriously unnecessary and disposed of them. Over and over again. :)

Who can blame him?

transformations: upstairs (part 6)

2010-12-06T22:18:00.000-05:00

Quickly, because I really need to get some sleep tonight and yet I feel compelled to share...

We have been hard at work around here and are expecting to have to our upstairs finished (a few details withstanding) in another week or so! Here's what has happened lately...

Curtis used these huge and super-heavy sheets of wood...

(Shout out to my brother Kevin who came over and helped carry them all upstairs! I thought I might never walk again after helping Curtis with the first few.)

...and he created these doors, crazy angles and all! They are going to look amazing. He just has to go back now and use trim pieces to- basically- decorate the doors. Unfortunately, that's going to be on hold until the more pressing to-do's are finished.

Speaking of things pressing... Thursday night we were up until all hours of the night trying to finish necessary tasks and clean everything out so that the painters could come in on Friday morning. Here are some "blank canvas" shots so that you can be amazed tomorrow (or soon after) when I put up the new paint-covered pics!

My fearless- and handsome- contractor... coffee and toboggan in hand, checking in with our painters before he heads off to his "day job". This is our life, people. What are we going to do with ourselves when this is done? Ha!

today is tuesday

2010-11-30T10:31:00.000-05:00

"Oh what fun!"

grateful

2010-11-28T16:57:00.000-05:00

In a slightly last-minute move, we decided to spend Thanksgiving in Hilton Head with Curtis' family. When I think about that long weekend, I think... gratefulness.

We were grateful that my parents were gracious in giving us their blessing to go to HH, even though it was supposed to be "their Thanksgiving" with us.

We were grateful for dear friends who allowed us to stay in their beautiful beach home.

We were grateful for the abundance that God provided over those four days... food, laughter, conversation, rest, adventure, memories, and so much more. Grateful.

Grateful for pajama dance parties on the fireplace

and dance moves that had us rolling.

Grateful for crazy bed-jumping fun.

Grateful for smiles that we don't normally get to see,

and adventures we don't normally get to have.

Grateful for iPads. :)

Grateful for babies in flowered hats,

and little boys exploring the sand.

Grateful for the chance to spend time with Marion's boyfriend, Kelly.

Grateful that we like him a lot.

Grateful for sunset bike rides.

Grateful for time to be goofy,

even when it means you will look as silly as this,

and for parents who aren't scared to join in.

Grateful for warm, sunny days in November,

hot tubs available for swimming,

and chairs available for lounging.

Grateful for shared meals,

and shared storytimes.

Grateful for cousins.

grandmothers.

nieces.

daddies.

aunts.

grandfathers.

sisters.

sons.

mommies.

and baby brothers yet to be born.

Grateful.

So, can we do it again?

autumn

2010-11-18T23:03:00.000-05:00

As the fall comes to a close, these are some images from the season that bless me and make me grateful...

three quarters of a year

2010-11-08T22:23:00.000-05:00

Again, I find myself asking... where has the time gone? Annabelle is 9 months old today and somehow even more lovable than when she was born. Here is what she's been up to:

Lots of preciousness. She's beginning to play more with toys, but usually they just end up in her mouth (she is constantly teething). Annabelle is sitting well but not so interested in being still anymore...

...because she's on the move! Over the last several weeks, she's gone from brief moments on all fours to crawling across the floor. She still spends some time scooting on her tummy, but we're pretty sure it's because we only have hardwood floors to offer as her training ground.

Annabelle is slightly obsessed with the bath. She tries to dive out of our arms into the tub every time she's near it, and she couldn't be happier when she's in it. (sorry the pic is so fuzzy, but it was too cute to not include)

The biggest squeals and excitement are almost always reserved for her brother. Annabelle stinkin' loves Cooper. It has been such a joy to watch their friendship developing!

She's still eating baby food like crazy, and we've recently started letting her try some solid foods. Here she is having her first taste of a baby rice wafer.

She wasn't too impressed, but she's come to love them.

We occasionally try a cup of water, but so far we haven't been too successful with that one other than as a form of entertainment.

She is so much more interactive and is reminding me of why this is one of my favorite stages of infancy... the personality is really starting to emerge.

Annabelle is a charmer, especially in any public location, because she will smile and squeal loudly at anyone who pays her any attention. Old people just swoon.

Not to mention that she's waving now too, which further delights everyone around her... and her.

Annabelle is beautiful, resilient, smitten with her father and brother (okay, she likes me a lot too), strong, and oh so delightful. Now, if only she could grow some hair...

fireside

2010-11-06T22:43:00.001-04:00

I ask you this:

What could be better than coming home from a fun night with friends, tucking the kids in bed, and lighting not only the first fire of the season but the first fire ever in your new house?!

It makes my heart happy. And my body warm.

May be one and the same.

What a lovely sight! Truly, I'm not sure it gets much better.

Except maybe if you factor in a winning UT football game. Curtis might think that is better.

Are you finding ways to enjoy this colder weather?

from the lips of children

2010-11-03T23:14:00.001-04:00

Preface: I've been tired this week. It's a good tired, for the most part... the kind of tired that you are after having lived life fully, gone outside of your comfort zone. The kids and I spent part of last week in Knoxville visiting family and friends, and then met Curtis at Windy Gap for the weekend (more on both of those trips later). After the weekend away, Curtis has been studying constantly for an actuarial exam that he will take on Friday and I've been trying to survive & enjoy my extra time alone with the kids.

----

A few different visitors stopped by today and, as a result, we didn't leave the house this morning. I was feeling a little stir-crazy and a lot adult-deprived, so we ventured out right after naptime to run errands before our dinner playdate at Chick-Fil-A.

In the car, I talked to my friend Jesse. She casually mentioned that she had missed seeing me this morning at MOPS, to which I replied, "We had MOPS this morning?". MOPS is typically every other week and, since I had already missed it last week because of my trip to Knoxville, I assumed that the next meeting was not for another week. Apparently, this week was different. Because I wasn't there last time to be reminded, because I didn't look at my schedule, and because I somehow didn't get the reminder email... I had no idea.

As Jesse explained, I felt my throat get tight and tears well up in my eyes. Why am I crying? I got off the phone, feeling embarrassed at my reaction, and parked the car in front of Carters. Though I tried to brush it off, I couldn't.

"Where's the store, Mommy?", Cooper asked.

What is this? MOPS isn't so amazing that I should have been that upset. Yet I felt a real sadness at that moment.

"Where's the store, Mommy?"

I started dwelling on what I had missed: one of my few opportunities to be with other women, to laugh about the ridiculousness of our children, to muddle through the complexities of parenthood and marriage, to be pointed to Jesus in the midst of it all.

"Where's the store, Mommy?"

Why, Lord? That is what my heart is aching for... why would You keep me from this?

"Moooommmmy, where's the stooooore?"

It was only then that I realized that Cooper had asked me the same question probably 7 times. With my voice cracking, I said, "Buddy, I need just a minute." Then I braced myself for the whine that I knew was coming.

Only it didn't.

"Okay, Mommy."

Silence. As if he understood that I was upset. As if he was trying to care for me.

Even before I could gather my thoughts, I hear my son's little voice, quiet and clear...

"Jesus loves me, this I know, for da Bibulw tews me so. Wittuw ones to Him bewong, they ah weak but He is stwong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bibulw tews me so."

Out of nowhere. We had not sung that song today, maybe not for several days. I had not talked aloud to the Lord. There was no reason that he should have been singing that song at that moment.

Except that, I believe, God gave Cooper that song... for me. He was whispering, Don't forget that I love you. Don't forget that I'm here.

When Cooper finished, I thanked him sincerely for reminding me that Jesus loved me. "I needed to hear that right now," I admitted.

Even in disappointments, God's love for me has not changed. And Cooper reminded me of that.

I have so much to learn from my children....

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. (Psalm 8:2)

transformations: upstairs (part 5)

2010-11-02T22:21:00.000-04:00

Random hour by random hour... late night by late night... our upstairs is coming along! Although we wanted to be able to hire out all of the renovations, the estimates we got for the trimwork were far above what we had budgeted. So, Curtis is doing all of the trimwork himself! This is fine and actually fun for him for the most part, but our life hasn't allowed for tons of time to work on it lately. Would it ever have?? What he has been able to do (with the help of several great friends), though, looks incredible!

Lots of baseboard action.

Cooper especially loves the baseboards in his nook... and looking out his own mini-window.

Because it is really important to us that our upstairs feel like a continuation of the house as a whole, we have done our best to mimic the style of trim that is downstairs.

To make this happen, Curtis was forced to buy a new power tool... a router. He was devastated.

I guess it was worth it. :)
Doesn't the window look great? It has a really deep sill, which I love.

Another big step forward (pun intended)... Curtis and a few friends put in the stairs! If you recall, our builders created the frame but only installed temporary stair treads.

These are now the permanent pine stair treads, which will be stained to match the downstairs hardwood floors, and the risers, which will be painted white.

Two big things left: the banister/railing and the all of the doors.

It won't be too long now!

happy halloween!

2010-11-01T16:10:00.000-04:00

We rushed home from a fun weekend at Windy Gap to scarf down an early dinner and throw on our costumes. We were so excited for Cooper to have his first real experience with trick-or-treating...

Don't my little flower and Curious George look adorable?

We decided to make dressing up a family affair. Why not?!

I guess one reason might be that someone would see me looking like this. Scary.

We all had so much fun together. It's good to get out of your comfort zone every once in awhile. The Scottish mullet wig did that for me.

Cooper loved trick-or-treating. Or maybe he just loved the chocolate. I'm not sure.

This girl matched her costume perfectly... happy girl!

As we put the kids to bed that night I realized that, in the midst of all the rushing around, we didn't really get any good pictures of the kids in their costumes. So, a week later, I dressed the kids in their costumes once more and decided that no one would ever know that it wasn't October 31st. Except that I just told you.

It was worth it, though.

Beautiful day and beautiful little ones.

Until the fearsome neighborhood cat came to play.

Cooper's face is pure terror! Ha!

(Note: the cat has scratched him on several occasions, so it is a somewhat realistic fear)

Thankfully, though Cooper does feel every emotion strongly, he also feels them quickly. Back to smiles!

They are so precious together.

Cute Curious George.

I'm going to call this one, "drunky monkey". :)

That smile... oh, it melts me.

They didn't really love to pose, but I was determined. I had to document "Halloween", right?!

Hope you had as much fun as we did (a month ago)!

windy gap weekend

2010-10-31T15:29:00.000-04:00

Curtis and I love Windy Gap, Young Life's camp in the mountains of NC. It is beautiful, cozy, super-fun, and full of memories for both of us. For that reason, we were so honored and excited when Curtis' cousin and her husband asked if we would come help out with their city's weekend. So, after a quick and just-because trip to Knoxville (just the kids and me), we met up with Curtis in Weaverville for a non-stop and exhaustingly wonderful weekend.

The great thing about our job/role for the weekend was that Curtis and I were able to not only serve together but also to enjoy time with our little family.

And how can you not enjoy that smile?

We enjoyed the gorgeous, chilly October weather with a few walks around camp (with our very authoritative walkie-talkies clipped on behind us).

Cooper pushed...

...while Annabelle chilled.

These boys felt right at home.

Cooper loved the adventure of the camp/giant playground. We even took a trip down to the horse corral!

Cooper was about the same size as their heads. Surprisingly, he wasn't too intimidated!

Wild at Heart, right?

Scott and Susan (our cousins) provided an incredible babysitter, Jess, for the kids. While Curtis and I were heading up a leader meeting or "sweeping" through cabins looking for campers, she was entertaining and taking great care of Cooper and Annabelle. This is sadly the only picture that we have of her (she's the girl on the left)!

Cooper especially loved getting to hang out in back of the club room (where the big group meetings happened). He was enthralled with the "silly mans" (guys who put on funny skits).

Side note: the "silly mans" often wore costumes featuring bleach blond mullet wigs. Several weeks later, while at Chick-fil-a, Cooper suddenly points his whole arm and yells out, "LOOK MOM! The silly man!!" I turned to see to whom he was pointing and then wheeled around as quickly as I could to shut him up. It was a woman. (In Cooper's defense, she was sporting a pretty intense bleach blond mullet hairstyle!) :)

I often joke that the main thing I miss about being on YL staff is having summer assignments (a month each year spent working at a YL camp). I really do wish that somehow our kids could grow up running around camp each summer as Curtis did.... exploring the outdoors, interacting with crazy teenagers, being loved on by staff-people from around the country, and experiencing Jesus. What a gift! Having the privilege of seeing our kids in that environment for even a few days truly blessed me. As did seeing Cooper's plumber crack. Ha!

sam

2010-10-29T15:33:00.000-04:00

The kids and I took a quick trip to Knoxville to visit dear ones. It was fast and furious, but we had a few sweet visits with people that we love: definite good time with Marmee and Papa, a quick and crazy lunch with old friends at Chick-fil-a, a few other quick friend-sightings. The most significant and meaningful visit, however, was one of the main reasons for the trip to TN in the first place... to meet Sam.

A little over a year ago, our dear friends Matthew and Emily began a glorious and relatively quick journey down the road of adoption. In October, they were able to travel to Taiwan and bring home their new baby boy, Sam.

I was delighted that they allowed us to sneak in and spend a few minutes with precious Sam, just days after they brought him home.

Wouldn't you be delighted to see that face, too??

I just kept staring at him, feeling so thankful that God gave this little one to my friends.

Maybe even more so, I am thankful that God gave my friends to Sam. I have no doubt that he will be cherished, protected, and enjoyed.

I know this because I know this little girl... Sam's big sister, Abby.

She is an adorable spitfire of a girl who has provided ample amounts of laughter, anxiety, love, sleeplessness, and joy for Emily and Matthew in her short two years of life.

The new siblings are cuter than cute together and I know that Abby will love this little boy fiercely.

Cooper loved jumping into the mix and meeting this new baby friend.

But Miss Abby is still his go-to buddy. We are hoping that is the case for a long time!

This newly expanded family is so dear to us, and they remind me of God's redemptive love... how He chose me and calls me His daughter.

My hope for Sam is that he would grow to understand the deep love that compelled his parents to pursue him and bring him home... and that, through that love, he would glimpse the Father.

I know I have.

pumpkin farm

2010-10-25T15:50:00.001-04:00

We had the best time last night. After wavering for a few hours, we decided to take the kids 25 minutes away to Razz & Tazz Farm for some pumpkin-hunting and fall fun. We had no idea what to expect, having never gone anywhere like this, but it was awesome! These folks really knew what they were doing. There was a huge corn maze and long hayrides that we didn't even attempt, but there was a gracious plenty for us to enjoy!

Cooper ran right to a cute little cow train pulled by a tractor.

(and we are apparently doing some marketing for Kimbers Restaurant!)

There was a big hay-bale "mountain" to climb.
The sun was setting over the cornfield and it was gorgeous.

A cool picture in silhouette.

I am going to try to take all of my pictures with backlight from now on... I think it takes off about 20 pounds!

Off to the next adventure!

Cooper was thrilled with basically every single part of this farm.

Even Annabelle was enjoying herself!

This, however, took the cake. It was literally a huge bin of corn to play in (think ball pit with corn kernels).

Cooper was beside himself....

the whole time.

You could almost swim in this stuff!

Partly because it looked fun and partly because I wanted a good pic, I got in too.

I'm not sure we got the pic, but it actually was really fun.

Annabelle sat outside the Corn Bin and just squealed. I think she inherently knew it was awesome.

We tried for a family shot. True to form, it wasn't the best.

But it was something, which is more than we usually get!

From the moment we arrived, Cooper had begged to go on the "Thomas train", which was actually a tractor & trailers decorated to look like a train. When he finally got the okay, he sprinted all the way there, yelling the whole time!

It was about as exciting as a 5 minute tractor ride through a corn field can be.

To Cooper, it was a huge adventure. He looked like he might jump out of his seat a few times. Literally.

I told Curtis on the way home that I just enjoy our children more when we are out & about and having fun. I need to be proactive more often and take my kids on these kind of outings...
I think it brings out the best in all of us.

If only this place was open all year round!

Note: if you have small children and are in Greensboro next weekend, GO! You won't regret it.

new york new york

2010-10-10T23:02:00.000-04:00

When Curtis needed to pick a seminar location to attend for work, we were pumped when we found out that New York city was an option! We jumped on that and decided to both take advantage of it. His seminar was Friday to Sunday, so on Wednesday afternoon we boarded a plane together and headed to NYC, giving us all of Thursday just to play.

Cooper was fairly unfazed with our leaving, especially after we explained that we would be going to the "big city" like Curious George did. Not only that, but he and Annabelle got to spend a few days with their Marmee. Curtis' mom came in town just to keep them for us and it was such a gift!

Apparently they all had a blast, which is the best news a parent can hear from afar.

Even little Annabelle handled it all in stride, with only a little fussiness here and there.

Yay for Marmee!

With everything going so well at home, Curtis and I were able to breathe deep and cram in every bit of New York that we could handle. Here are my highlights:

1. Wicked.

image

We didn't want to waste our first evening in NYC, so we booked the cheapest online tickets we could find to see Wicked on Broadway that night. Though I wasn't thrilled with the plot (to be honest, I found it a little contrived and lame at times), the production was amazing. The set, the atmosphere, the voices... oh my word. They were powerful enough on their own. It was a fabulous way to get out feet wet, that's for sure.

2. Salad bar-market-buffet-grocery places:

We ran into one of these markets on our way to Wicked because we only had a few minutes. Also, since we were on a budget, we had decided not to spend all of our money on food. Anyway, I don't know what these places are called and I can't remember the actual names, but they were delicious and affordable (two things that I didn't think could exist together in New York!). So much variety, from sandwiches to salad to sushi, and it all looked delicious. Except the sushi. Not to mention that it was a small grocery as well! What I wouldn't give to have one of these on the corner of my block!

3. The David Letterman show:

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We scored tickets to the David Letterman show as well! After we left out "interview" (it's a pretty thorough audience selection process... because they tickets are free, they can handpick their audience), we thought that there was no way that they would pick us. We were pretty lame. I guess "lame" is what they were after, though, because not only did they give us tickets but they gave us an audience "upgrade" to the first two rows! We were shocked. The taping of the show was a surreal and very cool experience. I love to see behind-the-scenes and Letterman is always entertaining (though getting really old!). I think we even got a little camera love a few times!

4. H&M

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H&M... oh, how I love thee! Curtis gave me a surprise shopping spree when he went to his seminar on Friday and I spent almost every penny at an H&M in Union Square. It was super overwhelming, being a less-than-average shopper, but so much fun! Fashionable and affordable... it's hard to beat. I know it's not specific to NYC, but it just feels "big city" to me. Anyone up for a trip to Raleigh soon? I hear that's the closest "big city" to me.

5. Next to Normal.

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I'm not sure I could say enough positive things about this show. We tried to get lottery tickets (put your name in a hat a few hours before each show for the chance to buy two $20-25 tickets) for several different shows, but only our first try- this show- was successful. I am so grateful that it was! It was a beautiful complement to Wicked, as it was all plot and emotion and dialogue and depth. One of the most powerful shows I have ever seen, I was still thinking about it days later. Not only that, but the raw talent was absolutely breathtaking. I was so sad to see the news tonight that it has just closed, only two days ago. There is still a tour, which I'm sure is nearly as amazing, and you should definitely check it out. I love a show that has something to say.

6. The vitality:

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Forgive me for this somewhat-cliche statement, but I was honestly struck by the pervasive feeling of energy in New York. I sensed it from the beginning and yet could never fully put a finger on it. There was just a vitality that was completely unique and different from anywhere I have been. You could feel it around every corner, and it draws you in and makes you want to be a part of it.

Speaking of being a part of it... we barely took any pictures and only had our little junky camera, but here are a few just to prove we were there:

The vitality of New York and the trip as a whole has left me a little addicted. Thankfully, I was able to con my college roommates and dear friends into declaring the first weekend in June our "30th birthday weekend" and joining me in New York city. I've already got the Jay-Z song playing in my head...

"These streets will make you feel brand new,
Big lights will inspire you...
Let's hear it for New York, New York,
New York."