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{this moment}

 Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Very belated Halloween costume pictures

So it's weeks later, but the girls were really cute in their costumes. There was some confusion, but Cadence is a flower.  I sewed some leaves that we put on her legging stems.  Piper even kept asking to wear her costume for days after, and I had to explain that you can't just dress as a pumpkin to say, go to church.  

{this moment}

 Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Cadence is 5 now

 Last month, Cadence turned 5.  It's so hard to believe.  She's so big.  And so interesting and fun.  Her whole life, she's asked really great questions, and that's only gotten better as she's gotten older.  Today's question: how do you make cottage cheese?

The last few months have brought a big change for her - she's going to school everyday, from 8:30 to 3:00.  Which has been an adjustment.  She says she loves school, but it has sometimes been hard for her to dive in and do the work that is challenging.  Like her mother, Cadence tends to avoid anything that could possibly result in less than perfection, let alone failure.  That said, Matt and I have noticed a significant increase in her desire to learn and try new things and to be independent.  And she comes home singing cool songs (although she includes "Australasia" instead of "Australia" in the one about the continents).

And of course, she's got an imagination that won't quit.  See?  Some kind of princess pirate thing was going on here.  We're really into art projects around here lately.  Just yesterday we made playdough monsters and beaded jewelry.  I love that she's old enough for me to give her supplies and see what she comes up with.

Without further ado, her answers to the usual questions:

Favorite color: pink

Favorite foods: peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Favorite song: "Danasay"  I am totally unsure of the spelling of that one. It's a song from Ghana that she learned at school.  She sings it all. the. time.

Favorite toys: princess dolls

Favorite activities: art projects, dance parties in the living room, and coming up with elaborate schemes for parties, costumes, or games

Favorite show: Backyardigans

Favorite movie: Jungle Book

Favorite book: She couldn't give me an answer for this one.  It's so hard to choose favorite books.  We do love the Jesus Storybook Bible read it all the time, so we can go with that.

{this moment}

 Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Piper is 2 now

Can you tell by looking at her?

 

I love Piper being two.  She's so fun.   She talks in these great toddler sentences, like "Mama, wait me. Hold hand." Or, "Where sister?" all high-pitched and excited, then "At school" with an air of disappointment.  "I do it" is definitely a big phrase for her right now.  When she gets tired of riding in the car she says, "I ready get out now."  Ooh, here's one she just said, "Hurt my belly. On box over there."  She also wants to do what Cadence does.  When we took Cadence to dance class this week, Piper was all "I go dance class too!"  Maybe this will translate into potty training progress. 

 

 

Without further ado, Piper's favorites, at 2.

Favorite color: orange (Actually, she says everything is orange.  I'm starting to think she's colorblind.)

Favorite foods: banana, watermelon, and cookies (When I tried asking her what she wanted for dinner on her birthday, all she'd say was "tookies")

Favorite song: "Twinkle Star"

Favorite toys: princess bunny, cell phones, jewelry.  But the one thing she wanted for her birthday was a train track.

Favorite activities: swinging in the yard, carrying around small bags, eating ("SOOO hungry, Mama.  So hungry.")

Favorite show: on the occasion she gets to watch a TV show, she asks for Super Why and "Pablo" - meaning Backyardigans.

Favorite book: I don't think we could pick a favorite book because we read so many these days of all different varieties.  The last couple days she's been choosing a Winnie the Pooh alphabet book and In the Woods by Elizabeth Spurr, in which a boy goes fishing and camping with his dad.  She loves the line, "Boy baits. Boy waits."  Maybe she'll be more suited for fishing than I am.

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

On trying to LET. IT. GO.

 

Wednesday was not my favorite day at work. I had child sexual abuse training in the morning (so important, but so emotionally devastating), a meeting during lunch, and then CPR training in the afternoon, where I tried not to think too much about emergencies and people dying.  Plus, while most of the people at the school have been wonderful and welcoming, I have discovered a couple co-workers who have already made it a habit to "give me advice" couched as "looking out for me", but who are really just telling me what to do in a way that insults my intelligence. 

So, I had to spend some time decompressing and praying and thinking about boundaries.  And letting it go.  I sat with Piper on the porch and looked at our beautiful huge hydrangea bushes.  I coming to terms with the fact that we work at a boarding school and this is registration weekend, so I'll be at work for much of Saturday and then Sunday afternoon.  And I'm teaching 1st and 2nd graders at church on Sunday.  Piper's birthday is Tuesday, and I don't think I'll have time to make her a cake.  And then there's the girls' birthday party we're hosting on the next Saturday (I do have to make the cupcakes for that), and my in-laws are coming to visit, and I think I'm supposed to speak to the entire student body on Monday about volunteering in the library...and...and...ack.

Letting. It. Go.

A night alone

 

 

I am an introvert with social anxiety.  Particularly around people I don't know.  I blame 8th grade.  Anyway, no matter how cool the new people are, it's just EXHAUSTING for me. 

 

So let me tell you about my week and all the events that were full of people, many of them new (or new-ish). 

Tuesday evening - dinner with new faculty. 

Wednesday morning - meeting with new faculty. 

Wednesday evening - meeting with board of animal shelter. 

Thursday morning - meeting with new faculty. 

Thursday evening - parent orientation at Cadence's school. 

Friday - all day faculty/staff meetings at school.

Friday night - faculty/staff party.

Saturday morning - football scrimmage.

Saturday afternoon - help a former student/friend move into his college dorm.

 

I'm tired.

 

Let me share my relief that I had a night alone last night.  Piper went to bed and Matt and Cadence went to see a local production of Annie.  I made hot chocolate (also, it's cold here? random for August) and lit a candle and sat on the couch with the laptop and Amazon Instant Video. 

 

By myself.  Ahhhh.



 

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Crazytown, Also Known As The Month of August

Here's some things that are going to happen in August:

1. Playdate with friends.
2. Matt and the girls attend a birthday party for a little buddy (while I'm at work).
3. Matt goes to band practice at church.
4. Cadence starts school.
5. Matt and I attend a new faculty dinner.
6. Matt and I attend the animal shelter board meeting so we can help with grant writing.
7. Matt and I attend parents' night at Cadence's school.
8. We all go to a start of the school year barbecue for Matt's and my school.
9. We all go to a start of the school year potluck for Cadence's school.
10. Matt goes back to work.
11. We attend all manner of meetings during pre-planning.
12. Matt has weekend duty in the dorm.
13. I finally break down and try on my old work clothes that are in a bin in the closet.  Work clothes from 3 years and one baby ago...
14. Piper turns 2!
15. We throw an Under the Sea/Mermaid birthday party for the girls.

And of course, we do usual things like go to work, do chores, make meals, do laundry.  It's going to be fun. 

Perseverance-or, why I love gardening

In spite of devastation at the mouth of a marauding cow, two separate infestations of Japanese beetles, and the fact that these are June-bearing berries (and it's August), my strawberries are still kicking.  Glory to God, amen.

{this moment}

 Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

 

Florida Trip - Summer 2013

Well, this trip was weeks ago now, but we're about to leave town again so I thought I need to do this now!  Better late than never...here are some of my favorites!

P.S. The last three had to be smaller or they are very blurry.  Sorry.

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

 

Her future's so bright....

Her future's so bright, she's gotta wear shades...at breakfast.

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Life Updates

Apologies for my absence - we've been travelling.  We're home for a bit now, so I'll be back here soon with some great pictures from our trips.  In the meantime, here's a cute pic of the girls.

So, some exciting stuff has happened recently.

1. I got a job.  Unexpectedly. The librarian at the school Matt works out left unexpectedly at the end of the year.  It's a good fit for me, and they made it part-time for me.  Unexpectedly.  I'm excited to be going back to work, although there's a lot of catch-up and organizing I need to do - did I mention this was unexpected?  I start August 1st.

2. I started another blog.  I'm writing about kids and families and outdoor activities at http://letsgoplayoutside.wordpress.com/.  It's called Let's Go Play Outside.  Did you know that the average American child only spends 8 minutes of unsupervised play time outside each day?  That's ridiculous and unhealthy.  Plus, playing outside is so much fun!  I'll be blogging here with the personal life stuff, and there with our outdoor activities.

First Frosty Jr.

She liked it, but she didn't eat the whole thing.  More importantly, got us through driving in Atlanta traffic during nap time.

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Beach Trip 2013

We spent last week on a family vacation with my parents and my brother at my grandparents' beach house.  IT. WAS. GREAT.  My mom and dad both turned 60 this year and this trip we all got to celebrate together. 

 

So, the photo highlights:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Bye, Bye, Beach.