A Mother's thoughts on 10-29-08

"How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the JOY we have in the presence of our God because of you?" - 1 Thessalonians 3:9

For as long as I can remember, my mother has shared a sweet gesture with her girls. Whether we are sitting in church, driving in the car, a waiting room, etc......she will lean in, pick up your hand, gently pat or rub your hand, and sweetly smile. No words are exchanged, you just smile back. It's a way she says "I love you.". It was the other day when I caught myself doing this very thing with Adler. My in-laws were in town and I was sitting in the back seat with him, sharing his world from his perspective. I picked up his little hand and rubbed it between mine. It was then I realized just exactly what my mom was really doing during all those sweet moments. She wasn't just saying "I love you". She was saying....

I remember when I first held this little hand...

when this little hand first held my finger....

when this little hand picked up it's first toy....

it's first bite of finger food.....

it's first crayon......

first back pack.....

I know she was thinking these things because that's what I was thinking as I looked at my now toddler of a baby. His hand is so big now, we can almost inter-lock fingers! (well at least the tips of mine) This of course all occurred in a matter of three seconds because that's how long you have until they are moving on to the next thing and hand holding wasn't on Adler's list. But it was just enough to remember how quickly this time I have with him is going by.

My sweet Adler turns 2 today and I am overflowing with gratefulness. He has brought SO much JOY to mine and Stephen's life. God brought 1 Thessalonians to me today, and there are no better words than "how can we thank God enough for you?". Adler, we love you so much! Happy Birthday!

Famous Uncle PT

So Adler's super cool uncle, PT, is officially famous. He is on the road playing bass for Christian musician and Canadian, Matt Brouwer. Check out Matt's site! They are currently in Canada and played at the Covenant Awards (like Dove Awards in U.S) where he was nominated for Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year for his song, "Beautiful Now", and for Male Vocalist of the Year! We will be missing Uncle PT tomorrow at Adler's birthday party! However, he did send Adler a very generous birthday gift....wooden Thomas the Train and James and DVD! It must be nice making the big bucks as a rock star now :) You can follow PT on his website. We miss you Uncle PT and will be cheering you on along the road!
xoxo

Just curious....

Anyone else stop and wonder if green colored M&Ms really give you special powers? I guess I am a product of 80s advertising. I specifically remember the ad where the kid was getting struck out at a baseball game, he ate a green M&M, then bam...he hit the ball out of the park. (and kids are obese why?) I secretly still think about this when eating M&Ms and I try to eat all the green ones if I am sharing with someone. Yeah, I'm green M&M hog. With the Halloween candy around, I guess I've been thinking about my green M&Ms and wondering if they can give me special powers to withstand the tantrum of a two year old, or maybe fold that pile of clothes that has been growing on my couch all week? I just bought a bag, so I'll let you know if I notice anything different around here!

Here's something that will brighten your day...

Getting a picture text from your bffs!

Benefits of antique shopping with a toddler

Well, my friends, there is only one I could come up with.....


Once the child wants out of the stroller (after 5 minutes of shopping in Adler's case), you don't have to carry around your new purchases!

Maylee Collection

Here are some pics of my "Maylee" collection. :) Stephen says we need a better name than "burp cloths". Any ideas? I've just been calling them burpies....

Happy Birthday, Stevo!

Happy Birthday, honey! Hope you had a great day and a fun surprise birthday dinner! We love you!
xoxo

"Stephen, how do you make mailing labels?".........(laughing) YEEEEESSSSS!!!!!!

Our community group is currently reading a book called "Bondage Breaker". I'm still undecided about the book, but after asking Stephen this question, I realized I had been released from a certain bondage in my life. One that has plagued me since graduating college in 2002. One I thought that a girl with a Marketing degree would never have to face, however, it seemed to follow me from one job to another. That would be the bondage of mailing label making.

In my first job, I was the freakin' Queen of Labels. I could merge you a labels list from Access in under 30 seconds.....with any kind of specifications you asked....alphabetized, by age, by gender, by city....oh, was I good. I made through 3 levels of Access classes. (ok, maybe this was to get out of the office, but that is besides the point) In my second job, they hired me pretty much because of my query building knowledge of Access. So, there I was again, crowned Queen of Labels again, teaching others my skill. In my last job, I wasn't using Access, but I was still the "go to" person in the office when it came to Labels.

Now, I have a toddler and a second baby on the way, and my 2 year anniversary of not driving in Monday morning traffic is coming up in a couple weeks! Stephen and I were sitting at the kitchen table...Stephen editing pictures, me working on Adler's two year birthday party invitations. That's when I asked the question. "Stephen, how do you make mailing labels?". That's when I started hysterically laughing with joy, fist in the air, praising "YES!"!!! I'm free!!! Stephen stared at me in wonder. The memory of label making has been erased from my mind! But let's be honest, it's probably been replaced with the words to the "Thomas the Train" song and the names of all the characters on Adler's favorite shows. Well, friends, I'd take Thomas any day!

Happy Monday!

Adler is the next Nadal