Life Moments

As I sit and type these words, I am torn between wanting to get my words down and putting it off until later so I can play with my girls now. You see, last week one of my favorite musicians, Steven Curtis Chapman, lost his youngest daughter in an accident outside their home. Obviously, I did not know the Chapman family personally, but being a fan of Steven's music and keeping up with he & his family on his website, I feel like I do. His music has touched my life, along with many others for years now. He has written encouraging, fun, uplifting and poignant lyrics, comforting many and I pray those same words will be able to comfort them at this difficult time. The Chapmans have also been an important advocate for adoption, something that has been on my heart for some time and increased when I learned more through the foundation they created. It is called Shaohannah's Hope and focuses on adoption assistance, awareness and orphan care. Along with their three biological children, they adopted three little girls from China. Maria was the youngest of these.

After reading several blog entries on Steven's website, they are hurting, of course, but they are still able to praise God and rejoice that Maria is in heaven with Jesus and that they will see her again soon. How uplifting...that amidst a tragedy and loss of this kind, they are full of faith and love for a God that is Sovereign and know that nothing happens in vain. "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for peace, not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11.

Since learning the news, I have felt such sadness and heartache for this family and utter disbelief that something of this magnitude could happen to a family completely dedicated to serving the Lord. However, it is a lesson to me that we should hold onto each moment as best we can, making each day count. This is really nothing new as I have had significant loss in my own life, but yet another reminder that we can never know what tomorrow brings. Although easier said than done on some days, I desire to do this, love the Lord, strengthen my faith daily, be the best wife and mother I can be and enjoy and relish the little moments that may seem insignificant, but are what life is truly about.

Perhaps most touching is the song he most recently released called "Cinderella" and is about exactly that...slowing down and taking time for those little moments. Here are links to the music video and story behind the song. Click on "See More Videos" to access the story. http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/radio/frame.htm

Some tidbits...

Life has been relatively quiet lately, which is why I haven't been blogging much. We are enjoying the warm weather and getting to be outside, whether it's at a park, a friend's house, or our own backyard. Rory is still not walking, which is somewhat frustrating when we're outdoors. Luckily, she doesn't seem to mind crawling on concrete or dirt. I have to adjust my own thinking and recognize that dirt is not the worst thing in the world! Some days I think she is just lazy with her walking. She sometimes won't let us put her feet on the ground to stand her up. She is, however, talking and jabbering a lot, which is fun to hear. She has also been imitating us regularly. For example, when we cough or sneeze, she does a fake one of her own. Pretty cute! We finally got her 1-year pictures taken, oh, just a few weeks late. We got several good ones - she smiles so easily!

Cameron just continues to grow up and is a lot of fun to carry on a conversation with. I love hearing her talk about the kids in her class at church. We are there often, working and volunteering, and she talks about her "friends" regularly. A little shout out to my girls...there are many weekends we are at church for all three services and they don't seem to mind. They're either used to it or just love being there as well! Cami loves playing outside, especially swinging. She loves music and dancing as well. Her favorite artist right now...Taylor Swift, a young country singer. She has the cd in her room and turns it on often. She is also into wearing dresses or skirts right now, although she still doesn't like me to fix her hair.

Royal Tea Party

I took Cameron to her first real tea party, a Royal event featuring Belle, Mrs. Potts & Chip from Beauty and the Beast. She dressed up in her new "Papa Lynn" dress and her Sleeping Beauty crown. Held at the Upper Crust downtown, it was a fundraiser for TRYPS (Theater Reaching Young People and Schools). They have a production of Beauty and the Beasty in a few weeks. We haven't bought tickets yet, but I think Cami would really enjoy it. It was a fun time with our friends Carrie & Lakota. We ate rose-shaped cake, took pictures with the characters, played games, sang & danced, and finished off the morning with a "parade" around the room. Each child took home a rose that lights up. Cami was one of the lucky ones and also won a door prize.

Bon Jovi Rocks!

Well, the big concert was last night and it did not disappoint. Daughtry opened for Bon Jovi and was very good. Then, there they were...Bon Jovi! Those guys can still rock and sound AMAZING! They did a great set of songs, most of my faves...You Give Love a Bad Name, Bad Medicine, Always, Home, It's My Life, Livin' On a Prayer, I'll Be There For You (props to Richie), the list goes on. And Jon...he not only sounds good, he still looks good, ladies. Too bad I didn't have girlfriends with me to share a few moments of adoration. I was lucky to have my wonderful husband with me, though. We didn't exactly have the BEST seats in the house, so people behind us weren't as enthusiastic about standing up even when we did. They never complained, but they didn't join us either. Hello, people, it's a rock concert! Not to mention the group of 6 to our left that had to squeeze past us to get beer more often than not. Good times. However, it was still a great night and a great birthday present!

Happy 1st Birthday, Rory!

Our little redhead is one year old today! I am truly amazed at how quickly time goes by. She is a joy and a blessing and such a happy little girl. It is a strange sight to see her without a smile. She has started taking a few steps if we set her away from us and make her walk to us or a toy, but nothing consistent yet. She knows she can get to where she wants to go by crawling very quickly.





Above are pictures from her birthday party we had yesterday. We were supposed to go to Cosmo Park, but the weather did not cooperate. It was rainy and cold, not unusual, but I was hoping for a warm April day. Maybe one year we'll get to be outside on her birthday. Luckily, the family is flexible and we had everyone over to our house, where we barbecued and had ice cream cone cupcakes. Rory really liked hers and didn't want it to be taken away, but we quickly distracted her with gifts. Of course, she got distracted by the toys that were unwrapped as well as the discarded wrapping paper. It was a good day! As Devon said, "I think Rory really liked her birthday party."

Stupid Jayhawks

Yes, that is truly how I feel. I never thought they were the best team in the nation as some "experts" may have said, nor do I think they are the best team now. Sure, they have a trophy that says differently, but my opinion is that Memphis' poor free throw shooting finally got the best of them and Kansas got incredibly lucky by hitting a 3 with 2.1 seconds left. That's all I have to say about that.

As for tonight, the women's national championship game should be a great one between Tennessee and Stanford. Two amazing coaches and programs. I'm in awe every time I hear the statistics of Pat Summitt's success. If Tennessee wins tonight, it will be her 8th national title, behind only legendary coach John Wooden who has 10. Incredible!

Weekend Fun

We had a fantastic weekend! We were excited when we realized that Saturday we had absolutely nothing we HAD to do. We spent lunchtime at Twin Lakes park with the girls, washed the car (which made Cami laugh a lot) and a short trip to Wal-Mart for mulch. After that, the girls took naps, Devon did some quick yard work, basically putting down the aforementioned mulch. Not long after that, our friends Chris & Hilary came over with their daughter, Taylor, to enjoy some of the cake they made me for my birthday. Then, a bit later, Niki (and JP after church) came over to watch some Final Four action. Very happy about the Memphis win, not so much about the KU win. Hopefully tonight, Memphis will be cutting down the nets.

Sunday, Devon & I went to a Cardinals game with Jordan, Chris, Jeff, Sam, Katie & Greg. Before the game, we had lunch at White Castle. Then, off to see the stadium for the first time (for me). It was a beautiful day for baseball! We had great bleacher seats - right behind hottie Rick Ankiel who had an awesome game! After the Cardinals' win, we went to Ted Drewe's Frozen Custard. What a great birthday celebration!

The Big 3-0

Well, hitting the big 3-0 wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, especially since Devon surprised me with tickets to a Bon Jovi concert before he went to work yesterday morning! I hinted around enough that this would be the best present ever and he totally came through. I will be able to cross this off my list of things to do before I die. The concert is April 22, so I get to prolong my birthday celebration. I usually call it my birth-day WEEK, but now I can stretch into a birthday month!

He also gave me tickets to the Cardinals game for Sunday. It will actually be my first time at the stadium (I can't believe it either), so I'm pretty excited about that. I'm looking forward to a day in St. Louis with family and friends.

My birthday day was very good. Jordan & Chris came over after work and brought pizza and presents. I got a cute Cardinals shirt and some Old navy flip flops. I love them both! My friend, Hilary, brought an awesome chocolate cake for me that she had baked herself and decorated with a little help from her husband, Chris. Plus, I got tons of birthday wishes in person at church that morning, through phone calls, as well as via facebook!

All in all, a great day and the celebration isn't over yet!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to everyone! This is actually Rory's first Easter since it fell mid-April last year. The girls enjoyed Eggstravaganza as well as getting their Easter baskets and hunting for eggs. Well, Cami more than Rory. :) We were very blessed by the Easter service we attended as well as being able to serve in Kidcrest. Devon was the teacher for the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders on Easter morning. He did a great job sharing the message not only of Jesus horrible death, but the hope we are given, because of his resurrection...the true reason for celebrating Easter.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Though I've never really celebrated St. Patty's Day before besides the obligatory wearing of green, we decided to have a special dinner in honor of the day. We made a Reuben Hash, which was a Rachael Ray take on a traditional Irish meal. Made with potatoes, corned beef, sauerkraut, some spicy brown mustard and a splash or two of beer (was supposed to be Guinness, but we went with a slightly thinner beer, 1554) and topped with cheese. It was very tasty!

I also decked the girls out in green. I couldn't get them to turn around, so here are there backsides. I tried to make it fun for Cami..."Today is St. Patrick's Day and we're supposed to wear green.", but of course she still challenged me on which green shirt to wear. Her other choice was still wet from being recently washed, so she conceded without too much of a fight.

Longing For Spring

Winter has seemed so long! With being cold and fighting colds and other sicknesses, we are very anxious for spring to get here. These short glimpses we have had are wonderful, but I'm looking forward to full-on spring! I want to see things blooming and turning green, more frequent warm weather and enjoying being outside. The weather people say this week is going to be pretty nice and I am so thankful for that! Winter be gone, bring on spring!

Spa Weekend

This weekend I was able to get away with the women leaders of our church, while the kids stayed with Dad and Grandma and Grandpa. We went to the Lake of the Ozarks where we relaxed at the Lodge of the Four Seasons and Spa Shiki. On Saturday after some shopping, we enjoyed time in the whirlpool, sauna and relaxing on the lounge chairs while waiting for our spa treatment. I got a Swedish massage and it was amazing! I was hoping I would continue to feel the effects of it, but I think I could already use another one! Several of my condo-mates and myself stayed in for dinner and enjoyed a Friendly Freezer meal. Then we had an incredibly fun group time before heading back to the condos for talking, relaxing and playing games. Sunday we had breakfast in the condo, then had a large group time of connecting with God. After that, we headed out for more shopping and spent most of the afternoon at it! It was a great weekend of hanging out with friends, getting to know new ones, celebrating the women's leadership of Woodcrest and relaxation. Can we do it again next weekend?

Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day!

So, I'm a little behind in my posts. We had a very Happy Valentine's Day! Jordan & Chris came over a couple of days before and gave the girls gifts. A nightgown and cookie mix for Cami and an adorable spring dress for Rory! They also brought gifts from my Dad that he had left the last time he was here. An Elmo mini-lunchbox with cookies inside and for Rory, the QT Pie heart box with chocolates, which we got to eat of course. :)

On Valentine's Day, Devon surprised me with a card, a single rose and a gift card for tennis shoes! He had it all set up very cute with the rose connected by fishing line to a shoe box under the table with the gift card inside. I know tennis shoes don't sound very romantic, but they are ones I really wanted when I saw them, so it was perfect for me! I love so much when he remembers something I've said I'd like to have! He also left the girls plastic hearts with candy inside. Once again, we got to enjoy the M&M's instead of Rory! I know Valentine's Day is a very commercial holiday, but it is still nice to feel special and loved on that day. I am blessed to have an amazing husband who I love so dearly and who loves me in return. Not to mention, two beautiful daughters who I love so much as well!

Branson Weekend

A couple of weekends ago, we got to go to Branson with my brother-in-law's family. Our niece had a cheerleading competition on Sunday, so we made a weekend out of it. We stayed in an awesome condo (timeshare in the family) and pretty much just hung out, relaxed, ate and played Wii. On Saturday, we went to The Butterfly Palace. We enjoyed the butterflies a lot. They even landed on us a few times and there were so many different ones. Pretty cool. We also had a great time getting lost in the Maze of Mirrors included in The Butterfly Palace. Sunday was the cheerleading competition and Megan's team took first in her division!

Super Weekend

This weekend was chock-full of sports, one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend. After spending a few hours with the Solid Rock basketball league at church, I had a Dad-Daughter date at the Mizzou/Kansas State game. It was awesome! I knew it would be fun just to go, but getting an unexpected victory off a nice, steady comeback in the second half just made it even better!

After that game, the entire family trekked over to Fulton to watch the William Woods boys play. Not quite the same atmosphere as Mizzou, but I must say, it was still an exciting game, back and forth until about 3 minutes left when McKendree started to pull away and won by 11. Not bad for the bottom team in the conference against the top team in the conference. Unfortunately Logan (my cousin who we were there to watch) didn't get to play. Maybe next time.

Sunday, of course, was the Super Bowl and though we're not really Giants fans, we were all about rooting against the Patriots. Man, was it a good game. It's been all about the Manning boys the last couple of years, so that's pretty cool. We watched it with our friends Bradley & Carrie and their daughter, Lakota who is Cami's age. They played and we watched and cheered and of course, ate some good food.

Go Tigers!

As an avid Missouri Tiger fan, I want my Tigers to do well all the time, but I am a true fan, meaning I cheer for them all the time, through the good and bad. Once again, something bad happened...off the court. These types of things make me crazy, because I just want the players to care enough about their sport to stay out of trouble. This article from the Columbia Tribune says it all. http://www.showmenews.com/2008/Jan/20080130Spor001.asp

I want to give kudos to Coach Mike Anderson for sticking by his zero tolerance policy and punishing his players that broke the rules. Suspending five players was a big risk, but the Tigers were still in the game and it was yet another they could have won, even using just the seven players that he did. Sorry, Nick Berardini, we really thought you would get to play.

Kid Speak

Cameron has been greatly expanding her vocabulary and adjectives are used abundantly in her conversations. Amazing, incredible, awesome, totally cool, even terrible have been heard on multiple occasions this week. She cracks us up everytime she uses one. It is just too grown-up! She also uses, "well", quite a bit. As in, "Well, I'm just playing, "well, let's do (blank)", and even just "well, ok." I love it!

As for Rory, she has been saying "Dada" for quite some time now and we know she understands who "Dada" is even if she does babble it over and over. She will look at Devon and say it very clearly. I understand that this is the easiest syllable for babies to say, therefore the first, and I do think it's adorable, but God had quite the sense of humor on this one. Since, it seems, moms are still expected to do much of the work involving their children. For example, today Devon took Rory to a restaurant bathroom for a diaper change and there was no changing table in the men's restroom. I will note that not all restaurants are like this, but I still end up being pleasantly surprised when there is one available for men to use because more often than not, they are missing. It's 2008, Dads are involved now, give them a changing table, too!

Three Years Old

Our firstborn turned three on Monday. Where does the time go? It has been and continues to be so cool seeing her personality come alive in all that she does. She is a great big sister who loves to make Rory laugh and whether she means to or not, she makes us laugh more often than not. I believe we have made it through the terrible two stage, although I hear there can be a terrible three or four stage. We're hoping for the best and things are going well so far. One big feat we accomplished before her third birthday was getting her potty-trained. She is doing so well! We love you, Cameron Jo!

Also, here is a link to pictures of Cameron from 2-3 years. Do not feel pressured to look at them. There are quite a few.
http://www1.snapfish.com:80/share/p=938161200499529735/l=340149528/g=8124251/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB