Oh, Coffee! How I've missed you.

Pin It Normally this is my morning beverage of choice:

but for the past few days this has been more of a necessity for me:

and this for my girls (note the variety of flavors):

This morning I was thankful (especially after another sleepless night with a sick baby) that my tummy was finally settled enough to enjoy my morning cup of coffee again. Though I am certainly NOT back to normal by any means, I sure did enjoy my coffee today. I didn't realize what a treat you were but I won't take you for granted any longer!

Photo Story Friday: Wrinkles...A GOOD thing?

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This week I looked in the mirror. I used to do it all the time but now I'm a mom to two girls. Looking at myself in the mirror is something I rarely do (and honestly, don't WANT to do anymore). I might look in the mirror once or twice a week now when I'm in the car on the way to church putting on a bit of makeup so I don't scare the kids in my choir or Sunday school class. Even then, it's a cursory glance in between passing books to my toddler and putting the paci back in the baby's mouth. When I took a good hard look, I was a bit shocked and dismayed by the image staring back at me. There were WRINKLES! I had seen them on other people my age so I don't know why it came as such a shock, but it did.

At first I started to feel a bit depressed, then I thought of a PBS broadcast I had seen about aging. In it there were images of aged people who had obviously lived a full life and had the wrinkles to prove it. Their wrinkles told their life story. People who worried, had a lot of wrinkles in between their eyebrows, people who smiled a lot had more wrinkles around their eyes. I remember watching that and wondering what my wrinkles would say about me when I got old. I just never thought I would be seeing it happen so soon.

So, after I caught my breath from the shock, I took another good hard look and decided what I saw wasn't so bad after all:

Wrinkles in between my eyebrows say: "She is a thinker"

Wrinkles on my for-head say: "She is open"

Wrinkles around my eyes say: "She is a smiler"

Wrinkles around my mouth say: "She is happy"

So the next time you glance in the mirror and aren't happy with what you see, don't be afraid to take a closer look and find the GOOD side of YOUR wrinkles!

Photo Story Friday: Milestones

Pin It Mothers of all ages experience milestones each day. Whether you have little ones, or grown up "babies," it is so exciting to see them grow and change. It's the small, everyday accomplishments that make life so sweet. My mother asks me often if my two-year-old ever pays attention to my six-month-old. Up until recently, my answer was always the same, "They're both too young." Elena has been too interested in playing with her toys to interact with her baby sister and Kate hasn't been able to do much other than try and turn her head in the direction of her sister's voice.

This week the Lord has given me a glimpse of the joys I am about to experience as a mom of two girls. Kate has started sitting up this week which allows her to view her world in a totally new light. She's grabbing at things and whipping her head around in all directions to check out what's going on. As a result, Elena has started "playing" with her little sister. She brings her toys, tries to get her to laugh, and even tries to clean her little face when she drools. Kate adores her big sister and Elena is so gentle with her.

Of course it's not all happy-go-lucky ALL of the time. Kate pulls Elena's hair and Elena snatches toys out of Kate's hands when she wants them back, but that, too is part of growing up. Regardless, I am thankful for these sweet days and look forward to all those future milestones that God will allow me to be witness to.

"Let's have a Picnic"

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 That's what my daughter said to me this afternoon before lunch. Where she got the idea, I couldn't tell you because we have never had one before. It was a beautiful day so I willingly agreed. We took a blanket down by the pond and had a wonderful meal made more wonderful by the weather and the company. Thank you, Elena for your great idea!

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Sleeping Babies

Pin It There's just something sweet about seeing your babies asleep in the back seat of a car. Maybe it's because when they are awake I am constantly on the go. Maybe it's because we are in such close proximity as a family. Maybe it's just because they look so peaceful. Whatever the case, it RARELY happens for us. On the way home from visiting my Papa to celebrate his 87th birthday, both girls fell asleep shortly after we pulled out of the drive. I so enjoyed holding my sweet husband's hand and looking back at our precious cargo. Gosh, I love being a mom!

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Why did I keep all that junk?

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This is why...

When I was a little girl, I remember my mother and I going through my toys each summer to see what I was willing to part with at our annual family yard sale. I loved my "stuff." My mom always had the toughest time getting me to part with anything. I don't know if I got it from my grandfather and my dad who carted home anything and everything from their construction remodels, or my grandmother who buys things at flea-markets just because they are in a pretty fabric. My mom only kept her first Barbie doll, and I remember thinking as a child, how special it was to play with something my mom played with when she was my age. Maybe in the back of my little child brain, I was already planning to have girls and I wanted them to experience that same joy. Whatever the case, I held onto a lot of my childhood toys. Tucked away in the beautiful oak toy box fashioned by my dad, were my treasured "My Little Ponies." A few weeks ago, I unearthed them and presented them to my daughter. The results were more rewarding than I could have ever imagined.

I can't help but think of the Toy Story movies and smile. My old toys have found a new life with my little girl (and they even get played with by their original owner again, too). See their smiles? It's like their eyes are saying, "Thank you for keeping us." All those years of storage has finally paid off for them.

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