Yum Yum Club

We had so much fun with our friends at the teppan grill tonight. Good friends, good conversation, good food, good times!

Ugh! My tum-tum is too full.

Before Church this Morning

Cutie: My oowie really hurts. I fell at the park yesterday with Auntie Ellen. It really hurts.

Me: Oh no, I'm sorry. Where is it? (Nothing is visible to the human eye.) Hmmm, yeah, that looks like an oowie.

Cutie: I can't put it in the bathtub, because it hurts.

Me: Okay, we'll be careful.

Cutie: (After bathtime) I need a bandaid for my oowie.

Me: Here's a bandaid. Where is your oowie? Right there?

Cutie: No, right there.

Me: Right here?

Cutie: No, right THERE.

Me: Ahhh, yes. Right HERE.

Cutie: Yes.

Me: Okay, let me put the bandaid on. Alright, I think you're all set.

Cutie: (five minutes later) Hey, you put the bandaid in the wrong spot. My oowie is right here.

Me: Oops, I'm sorry. Oh well, we'll get it next time.

Cutie: (Contentedly leaving the bandaid where it is already placed.) Yeah, we'll get it next time.

Our Crazy Clan

• I am married to the man of my dreams. I knew he was wonderful when I met him, but everyday I learn more about who he is, fall more in love, and thank God that he brought us together.
• My three best friends are my sisters. When the four of us get together, which isn't very often, we make a scene everywhere we go. Our curls alone are pretty obnoxious.
• Twins are more common than single births in our family. There are three sets of twins among my siblings, my brother has twin girls, and we are hoping to adopt twin girls. That's five sets of twins. If you didn't get that, I'll draw you a diagram sometime.
• My Dad is the most intelligent person I know, and my Mom is the most generous person I know. They are so loving and supportive.
• My Grandma is a woman of prayer. She listens well and gives great advice. She is so sweet and loving. I want to be like her.

Musings of Little Consequence

Even if you have a REALLY big washer and dryer, you still have to fold all those clothes and put them away. And that takes a really long time. Especially when you have two little girls jumping on the bed where you are folding and sorting.

I really love the zoo. I try to take the girls every Wednesday for about an hour, and I think it's as much a treat for me as it is for them. We have our little circuit that we take around the small grounds. First we stop at the playground, then off to sit in the old jeep and take turns "driving", then we visit the birds and the wallabys and the monkeys. The finale is the train ride that goes around the petting zoo. I'm just amazed looking at all those beautiful animals.

I can't get enough Pride and Prejudice. But there are a wealth of sequels out there. Of course, they're not written by Jane Austen, but thye're loads of fun all the same. Right now I'm reading Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange. It's so good. I've also read Mr. Darcy's Daughters and Austenland (thanks, Mitch). All silly fun. Maybe I'll watch the 5-hour A&E miniseries again tonight after the girls are in bed. Who wants to join me?

Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies are so delicious. Just the right amount of crispiness and chocolatiness. Yum!

Embrace the Chaos

I'm working on letting life be messy, and I'm getting lots of practice! Hopefully I'm making slow, forward progress in trusting God to work out his plan in his timing.

As Matt and I were reading the Jesus Storybook Bible with the girls last night, I was struck by the story of Jacob and Leah and Rachel. Jesus was born from the line of Leah, the ugly sister whose father tricked Jacob into marrying her. I have been thinking about this all day- how God chooses the ugly things of this world, our sin, our pain, and uses them for his glory.

His ways are higher than ours. He uses chaos to accompish his purposes.

We just got back from the coast

and we had such a restful time, just being together. I loved the house we rented with an amazing ocean view. I'm hoping to make lots more family memories there as the girls get older.

We spent our time playing, playing, playing at the park, at the beach, at the house. Little Matty and the girls became the best of friends which was such a beautiful thing for Lisa and me to watch.

Happy New Year

2008



A brand new year, a fresh page, a blank slate. So many possibilities, so many memories to be made.

I love new beginnings.

This year I want to let things be messy.

One of my weaknesses is to try to control my environment so that everything is perfect. It's obviously an impossibly overwhelming, energy-draining, never-ending endeavor. While I know this, I continue to strive and fret when things don't fit the way I think they should.

So extra pounds, dirty laundry, disappointment, uncertainty, whatever, I just want to be where I am, and let it be what it is.