Godparents Allen and Catherine
A special thanks to NaDean for snapping such lovely pics for us.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Gigi's Baptism
A special thanks to NaDean for snapping such lovely pics for us.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easter 2011
This is us...crying baby, frazzled mama, uncooperative toddler, grumpy daddy, sassy 10-year-old, silly 7-year-old, and 4-year-old who tries her hardest to be like her big sister. And in the middle of it all is our spacey teenager, in her own little world. This is our life, and I love it. Most days.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Announcing...
Gigi's Waterbirth Slideshow
A thousand “thank yous” to my precious friend, Catherine, for the beautiful photography.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Henna Tattoo Baby Party
I have heard people say that baby showers should only be given for the first baby. But the crowd I hang with believes that ALL babies are special and should be welcomed with joy! My dear friend Catherine hosted such a welcome party for our little one this past weekend and snapped some beautiful pictures for us as well. My Sunshine entertained us by giving us henna tattoos.
This was Sunshine’s first attempt at henna art, and she free-handed these designs…
~I am so blessed and thankful to have these people in my life!~
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
St. Valentine’s Day 2011
They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. But I would beg to differ.
My best friend rubbed lotion on my feet and painted my toenails with sparkly pink polish, as my pregnant belly makes it difficult for me to do these things myself.
My best friend loaded up all our children for an impromptu picnic at the park. He pushed them on swings, helped them down the slide, and see-sawed with them. His eyes sparkled as he watched them laugh and play.
My best friend rubbed my shoulders, gazed into my eyes, rubbed noses with me, kissed me numerous times, and told me how much he loves me throughout the day.
My best friend shared a glass of wine with me late at night after he’d helped me tuck all the little hooligans into bed and cleaned the kitchen for me (I didn’t ask; he offered).
And my best friend does these things all the time, not just one day out of the year.
To all the other girls who prefer diamonds…you can have them all.
After our picnic at the park, the kids and I baked and decorated homemade sugar cookies and made homemade pizzas for supper. It was a happy day.
St. Valentine, patron of happy marriages, pray for us!
My best friend rubbed lotion on my feet and painted my toenails with sparkly pink polish, as my pregnant belly makes it difficult for me to do these things myself.
My best friend loaded up all our children for an impromptu picnic at the park. He pushed them on swings, helped them down the slide, and see-sawed with them. His eyes sparkled as he watched them laugh and play.
My best friend rubbed my shoulders, gazed into my eyes, rubbed noses with me, kissed me numerous times, and told me how much he loves me throughout the day.
My best friend shared a glass of wine with me late at night after he’d helped me tuck all the little hooligans into bed and cleaned the kitchen for me (I didn’t ask; he offered).
And my best friend does these things all the time, not just one day out of the year.
To all the other girls who prefer diamonds…you can have them all.
After our picnic at the park, the kids and I baked and decorated homemade sugar cookies and made homemade pizzas for supper. It was a happy day.
St. Valentine, patron of happy marriages, pray for us!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Visiting With My Daddy This Christmas
My Daddy was well-known for his homemade fudge. I can remember as a child watching with excitement as he stood over the stove and stirred the pot, how he would ask us kids to butter the plate that he would be pouring the finished product on, how we would wait with our spoons to scrape the pot. The fudge was most heavenly while it was still warm. And best of all was my Daddy’s giddiness while he was making the fudge. He was like a big ol’ kid himself.
I can only remember one time when Daddy’s fudge did not turn out perfect. He wondered what would happen if he used chocolate syrup instead of cocoa powder. The result was a delightful taffy-like, gooey, chewy concoction. My brother and I loved it. But he never made it that way again.
After I was living on my own, my Daddy came to visit me in my newly-bought house. I had recently gotten myself a new Dutch oven, and I asked Daddy about how to season it. I lamented to him the fact that I had never learned how to make pot roast in the Dutch oven the way Mammy (Daddy’s grandmother) made it. That reminded me that I had never learned to make fudge the way my Daddy made it. All those times of seeing him make it as a kid, I never paid attention to *how* it was done.
”Oh, it’s easy,” Daddy assured me. He started telling me the ingredients, and I grabbed a piece of paper and asked him to write it down. This is what he wrote:
Thankfully, I was able to ask him some questions!
I only attempted to make it once while he was still on this earth. It didn’t turn out right; the fudge never did “set”. He told me once it’s done “You really just have to beat the mess out of it.” He also told me that if it’s raining it sometimes won’t get firm enough. Geez, it was just too much trouble, and I put it aside and forgot about it. I’d just get Daddy to make it for me.
Well, Daddy hasn’t been here to make it for me for five Christmases now. I’ve attempted it a few times, but it has never turned out quite right. Until this year. This year, I made several batches, making notes along the way about how long it should cook, how it should look and feel at what point, and how long it should be beaten at the end. I swear, if it weren’t My Daddy’s specialty, I would have given up. But this year, I finally got something that was close to what he made.
Tasting it brought back all those wonderful childhood memories. And of course, I was stretching my brain trying to recall every time I saw him making the fudge, trying to remember what he did, trying to remember what he said about it. I guess the nostalgia is worth it.
I can only remember one time when Daddy’s fudge did not turn out perfect. He wondered what would happen if he used chocolate syrup instead of cocoa powder. The result was a delightful taffy-like, gooey, chewy concoction. My brother and I loved it. But he never made it that way again.
After I was living on my own, my Daddy came to visit me in my newly-bought house. I had recently gotten myself a new Dutch oven, and I asked Daddy about how to season it. I lamented to him the fact that I had never learned how to make pot roast in the Dutch oven the way Mammy (Daddy’s grandmother) made it. That reminded me that I had never learned to make fudge the way my Daddy made it. All those times of seeing him make it as a kid, I never paid attention to *how* it was done.
”Oh, it’s easy,” Daddy assured me. He started telling me the ingredients, and I grabbed a piece of paper and asked him to write it down. This is what he wrote:
Thankfully, I was able to ask him some questions!
I only attempted to make it once while he was still on this earth. It didn’t turn out right; the fudge never did “set”. He told me once it’s done “You really just have to beat the mess out of it.” He also told me that if it’s raining it sometimes won’t get firm enough. Geez, it was just too much trouble, and I put it aside and forgot about it. I’d just get Daddy to make it for me.
Well, Daddy hasn’t been here to make it for me for five Christmases now. I’ve attempted it a few times, but it has never turned out quite right. Until this year. This year, I made several batches, making notes along the way about how long it should cook, how it should look and feel at what point, and how long it should be beaten at the end. I swear, if it weren’t My Daddy’s specialty, I would have given up. But this year, I finally got something that was close to what he made.
Tasting it brought back all those wonderful childhood memories. And of course, I was stretching my brain trying to recall every time I saw him making the fudge, trying to remember what he did, trying to remember what he said about it. I guess the nostalgia is worth it.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Keeping Christ in Christmas—The Blessing of the Christmas Tree
BLESSING OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE
(Reader One): “Thus says the Lord God: I will Myself take a sprig from the lofty top of a cedar; I will set it out. I will break a tender one from the topmost of its young twigs; I Myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
(Reader Two): On the mountain of Israel I will plant it, in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar. Under it every kind of bird will live; in the shade of its branches will nest winged creatures of every kind.” (Ezekiel 17:22-23)
Prayer: Creator God, Your own Son is the tender shoot that grew to become a majestic cedar. As the birds find safety in its giant branches, so we find shelter and comfort in Your Son. We thank You for sending us Jesus, the Tree of Life. Amen.
Blessing: Lord God, bless this tree in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. May it remind us throughout this holy season that Jesus is the Tree of Life. (Turn on tree lights.) As we turn on the lights of our tree, we are reminded that Jesus, our Tree of Life, is also the Light of the world. Amen.
More of our Christmas Traditions…
http://sonshineinourhearts.blogspot.com/2009/12/were-not-celebrating-christmas.html
http://sonshineinourhearts.blogspot.com/2008/12/this-is-one-of-my-favorite-times-of.html
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