Last Week

Last week while Scott was here we decided to make a brief trip to Fresno to visit some dear friends of ours, Jean, Debbie, and Pat. Once we got to Fresno we went straight to their children's bookstore. Its probably the best kids bookstore I've ever seen. Think Shop Around the Corner from You've Got Mail...only much better. The store is entirely kid centered, and the boooks are thoughtfully selected. I love it. Of course everybody in our family found a book or two they coudln't leave without. I even found a fabulous book that I can't wait to share with my classroom that is apparenlty out of print. The store had one copy left, and since I found it before Scott, it gets to come home with me! Yeah!

After spending a wonderful afternoon swimming, cooking out, and talking with friends, we got up the next morning and set out to meet some other friends of ours, Steve and Lisa and their two cute kids Audrey and Joseph. We loaded up the cars (Steve and Scott in one, and Lisa and I in another) and set off for the Kings Canyon and Sequoiah National Parks to see the "big trees."


We had a fabulous time. Personally, I thought the car ride up was just as fun as anything. Catching up with friends is always good, and a car ride to the mountains was the perfect opportunity. I'm certain Scott felt the same way about his time with Steve.



Once we got there and had lunch, we began to take the hike to through Grants Grove. There were several giant sequoias on this path. The kids looked with awe... well mostly. Emily didn't really think the trees were all that big. She wasn't nearly as impressed as I thought she would be. She kept telling me there certainly were bigger trees some place else. Finally, after assuring her that no, these were the biggest, she seemed to understand the importance. Elsie seemed to be very impressed with the "Big Tees! Big Tees!"




Emily had a great time hanging with Joseph. If only we lived closer. I'm sure these two would enjoy hanging out more.







The kids all loved running up and down the path with each other. Every once in awhile Eli would get a little too far in front of the group. Elsie handled it though. She would run up to him and yell, "Eyi! Stop!" Then she would grab him by the shirt and walk him back to the group. Poor Eli. I have a feeling there will be more of this bossiness to come.
Scott and I decided to drive the long way through the Sequoia National Park to get to Visalia, and then hit the 99 back to Bakersfield. This was a great trip. We loved the beautiful mountains, the foreign travlers, and the clean crisp air. We stopped several times to see the sights, and just take in the view. This one is of Emily is looking down at the Kings Canyon Park behind her, and the Sequoiah Park is on the other side of her. Simply beautiful! There was a controlled burn going on while we were there, so I feel like it probably wasn't as clear as other days. But still, it was amazing.




On the back side to Visalia we got stuck in a traffic jam for over an hour. Apparenlty there was road work where construction crews demolished one of the lanes for a ten mile stretch. These roads are the curviest roads you can imagine, so taking out a lane on a two-lane windy road must be dangerous work. We sat and waited for the hour, and then when it was finally time for us to, we had a pilot car take us down the mountain on a one-way stretch that rivaled the show Ice Road Truckers.



Luckily for us, our fearless driver got us all home safe!


It was a tremendous trip! We are so thankful our kids could see the "giant trees" even if only Emily remembers. I hope that we can return soon when they are a bit older. Its truly amazing to see such old, strong, beauty.

Carmageddon

If anybody has ever flown in to LAX on the 405, you know about the horrific traffic that can plague a trip. LA is notorious for horrible traffic. The 5, the 405 the 10. Scott and I have been stuck in them all. Just a few years ago my parents and I took Emily to Disneyland (Scott didn't make it to CA that time) and we were stuck in traffic on I-5 for so long I thought my dad was going to turn the car around and cancel the trip all together. On the way home from Disney my mom and I were talking about how much fun we had, and recalling some of the things that were certain to be life-long memories. My dad could only mutter that none of that was worth the traffic that we had to endure to get there. Part of me agreed.

That is why I am dreading the trip from the airport to my parents house on Saturday morning. The 405 (one of the most traffic-plagued freeways I've ever seen) will be shut down for just over 50 hours in a section around Sepulveda Blvd. Our flight in to LA arrives just a few hours after the shut-down begins.

Time magazine has an article here that refers to this traffic mess as Carmageddon. Airlines have began offering "Carmageddon flights" from LAX to both Long Beach airport and the Burbank airport. These flights sold out in less than two hours.

Scott was looking around the web this morning and he even found there is a special app that I could download to my iPhone that would show the best ways to navigate in through carmameddon. I think we'll give it a try.

Both my mom and dad are coming in both of their cars to pick us up. We don't all fit in one car, especially not with our luggage. Surely this traffic mess will provide us with countless hours (I'm afraid this is no exagerration) of conversation with either my mom or dad. But since I remember my dad's aversion to traffic from the Disney trip, I think I'll claim the seat in mom's car.

The influential

When Emily was born we had a pediatrician in Clovis. He was supposed to be "the best of the best" and we felt fortunate that he would be our pediatrician. However, Emily had horrible spit-up issues. I mean, we packed the diaper bag with three extra outfits, and literally a half dozen burp clothes. No exaggeration. When I brought her for a two week well check up, I suspected she had reflux, and while the doctor complained about her lack of weight gain, he told me that reflux was "a laundry issue, not a medical issue." I will never forget that quote. His answer to the lack of weight gain was for me to immediately stop nursing and start her on a prescription high caloric formula. Thankfully I was able to muster all of the new mommy self-confidence I had (there wasn't much at this point) and tell him that I didn't agree. I think he literally rolled his eyes.

Since we were moving in only a few weeks, we looked forward to finding a new pediatrician here in Irmo. I did lots of research and found a pediatrician in the area that was supposed to be fabulous. Unfortunately, he was not accepting new patients, but would we like to make an appointment with his colleague? Sure. Its not like we had a lot of options.

From the moment Scott and I met our new pediatrician, we liked him. He immediately told us Em had reflux, as suspected by the spit up, but also because her poor little esophagus was worn raw. Stupid Clovis doctor! He wrote us a script for Prilosec, and while the improvement was gradual, it was there. I didn't have to stop nursing (an idea our new pediatrician was absurd) and our confidence as parents grew as Emily did too.

Since then there have been many, many trips to see our doctor. Emily once had an ear infection for weeks were she would literally scream for hours and multiple rounds of antibiotics didn't have any affect. She had tonsils the size of walnuts that caused her to snore louder than a drunk sailor. Those had to go. Surgery it was. Then the twins came along and brought their own share of hernia surgeries, potential blood autoimmune issues (this was Elsie, and while it took three weeks for the results to show "normal" levels, in the end it turned out just fine) and multiple seasonal allergy issues. With our climate and humidity Emily can get a staff infection from a bug bite, and Eli breaks out in an eczema rash if he merely looks at a tomato. They're not unhealthy kids by any means, but we've made lots of trips to see the doctor. Many times I was in tears and feared that I could be leaving with a prescription for drugs or even a referral to a mental health specialist. But our pediatrician never fails to offer comfort and assurance to Scott and I as well. He never makes me feel ignorant, or like a hypochondriac. He has young kids himself, and I believe him when he tells me that Scott and I are doing a great job.

But most importantly, he knows and loves our kids. Emily thinks he hung the moon and can fix anything. After the earthquake in Haiti, our doc went there to help offer his services for anybody who needed them. I brought Emily in for a well check up shortly after his return, and when she told him, "I prayed for you every day while
you were in Haiti" he got teary and hugged her so tight. After the "big wave" hit Japan, Emily wrote a letter telling him to go to "where the big wave was" to help all the people. She just knew he could help all those people in Joplin, MO.

When I brought Eli in yesterday for potential pink eye and allergy issues, our doc told us that he had been back to Haiti several times, and he actually partnered with a few others to open an orphanage in Haiti. He gave me the website to share with Emily so she would see their faces, and pray for them by name. He and I talked about how important it was to help our children know about the world that exists outside of Irmo/Lexington. We talked about a missional perspective of the world. I left so thankful that Emily has this wonderful person as her doctor. To not only help her with her ailments, but also to share how he's using his gifts to bless those near and far. What an amazing example.

Then I started thinking about Em's Kindergarten teacher. She just returned from Honduras with her church. I've showed Emily several of the pictures from FB of her beloved teacher on this mission trip. Emily beamed. She was proud to know her very own teacher was a missionary! Emily's class had learned all about water last year, and took action to raise money to construct a well in a school in Nicaragua. This left Emily with a beginning understanding of how life was different for children in other countries.

And then there's our own church. Several students and leaders are taking a team back to Belize. There have already been teams there to help construct a church building and to build a bridge where the only way across the gorge was the old bridge that had been destroyed in a storm. All these things have been shared with Emily in her class at church.

All of these people and experiences in her life have helped develop a missional understanding in Emily. This morning she was talking to me about how we had given up cable for the year that I was a stay at home mom. We'd been clear with Emily as to why we made this choice, and she understood that cable was a bill that we had to pay monthly. We went an entire year with no T.V. but now not only do we have cable but we also have Netflix. Emily asked me how much the cable bill cost. I told her and she walked away. Later this morning she asked me if we could donate to the orphanage if we turned off the cable. I was blown away. I think this will be a decision that she will eventually change her mind about. I told her we needed to talk with Daddy about this decision, and that we would probably need to wait until we got back from our trip to California. But that if she wanted to give up cable, that would be an excellent way to help support the Haiti orphanage. Emily beamed.

This morning my heart is swollen. Our Emily is so precious. I'm so thankful for the people in her life that show her what it means to serve God by serving others.

The Deer

On Monday before our Fourth of July festivities began, Scott and Emily decided to go on a nature walk. The twins were napping, and it was one of those rare times when I decided to take a nap too. I was exhausted!

Scott and Emily walked out the door just before I went to sleep. I woke up over an hour later and they weren't home. I waited another hour, and they still didn't show up. My mom called, and I was on the phone with her voicing my concern and asking how long until I contact Search and Rescue when Emily bardged in to the house.

"Mom! Quick! There's an emergency! Mom! You have to come quick!

Oh no. My first thoughts were that something had happened to Scott, which made me heart drop to my toes. I quickly realized that he was coming up the stairs right behind her. Once I saw that he was fine, I had no clue what this emergency may be.

Apparently, they walked over four miles. Scott said they talked about all sorts of things while exploring nature. They followed a turtle to see where he was going. They saw all sorts of birds. They looked at all sorts of trees and vines.

And then when they were making their way back to the house, they saw a deer that had\ obviously been struck by a car. The deer was laying in a ditch on the side of the road. It could hardly be seen until they walked right up to it. It was in a lot of pain, and panting hard. They had no idea how long it had been out there.

So this was the emergency. And to Emily, it was a huge emergency.

A few years ago, my class read a series of books about expansion (think urban sprawl) and we ended up deciding to collect materials for a wildlife group here in Columbia. I remembered this group, and how they cared for hurt animals, or animals who had been displaced by construction. I called only to find out that they were closed (it WAS Independence day!) and that they referred all injured deer calls to the Department of Natural Resources.

So I called the Dept. of Natural Resoources and put in notice about the injured deer. We were told that since it was hard to see from the road, that it would help if we could wait by the deer until an officer showed up. We loaded the mini-van, and were off.

When Emily and Scott showed me the deer, they noted that it had rolled over, exposing its very broken bone-exposed legs. The poor deer! Emily was so concerned.

It wasn't until the two sherriff deputy cruisers rolled up that Scott and I fully understood what the phone dispatcher that I talked to meant when she said "officer." All of the sudden Scott and I had the realization of what was to happen next. Our head snapped towards each other as our eyes told us we were both thinking the same thing. Deputies have guns. I don't exactly know what Scott was execting, but I guess I was expecting some sort of DNR "officer" to come with an animal truck, where the deer would be loaded up and taken away to be cared for. This is absolutely ridiculous, as we live in a state with an overpolulation of deer to the point where they frequently open deer season to include doe. Why would this one deer be one they would want to save? While the deputies parked, I quickly realized I hadn't thought this all the way through.

We walked away from the deer to talk with the officers. They were totally nice and understanding about not wanting to leave an animal in such severe pain, which made me feel better about the thoughts I was having about wasting their time on a probably very busy holiday weekend.

We walked back across the street to show them the deer, all the while waiting for an opportunity to ask the deputies if they could wait before bringing out their guns so we could promptly drive away so Emily wouldn't have to see.

But as we showed them the deer, we instantly noted that it must have just died. The heavy breathing was gone, and it wasn't moving. Its eyes distant, not jerking around like before.

*deep sigh*

Emily wasn't going to have to witness the Bambi being shot by the deputies. I have to admit that I have never been so excited for a deer to die.

On the way back home, Scott told Emily that she was a person of action, and that she decided to do something when she saw something was wrong. He explained that the deer had probably been passed up by dozens of people, not to mention the car who must have hit it. I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw her beaming in the back seat. I loved that they take their nature walks together. I loved seeing the pride on her face when Scott noticed her responsibility and action. I also loved that we didn't see a deer get shot.

Thanks deer. I'm pretty sure this is one of those instances that Em won't ever forget.

Post Vegas

I would have posted earlier, but I am still in recovery mode.

Where to begin.


First of all, I flew in Friday morning and met my sister and her friends at the airport. I arrived at the airport before Mindy, so it was one of those rare post-911 moments when I was actually able to wait for her at her gate when she got off the plane. We were super excited to see each other!

We took a hummer limo (as seen below) to the hotel, where we promptly put on our swim suits and went to the pool.


Now you may think, "Hotel pool. That's not too outrageous. That seems relatively calm."
But you'd be wrong.

It turns out, D.J. Pauly D from the Jersey Shore was there to spin some music. He was supposed to be there at noon, and didn't show up until three. But that didn't deter the almost four thousand people from paying an outrageous $50 cover to get in and wait for him. Luckily, as hotel guests, we didn't have to pay to get in. Which was good since we literally couldn't find a place to put our things. The entire place was packed like I've never seen. I friend of mine commented on facebook that it looked like I was in the scene of MTV's Spring Break. Yep. Felt like it too.


Then in the evening we got ready to go out to a club. I put on my tall gold heels and was ready to go. We stayed out super late, and had a great time.





The next day we went back to the pool, which was wasn't nearly as busy as the day before. But I still found it weird that I was I.D.'ed at the door when it was only 9 a.m. Apparently beer and alcohol is served at the pool from the moment it opens in the morning, to when it closes in the evening.


After a day at the pool, we went back for a brief nap, and then started getting ready for dinner. We walked through some gorgeous hotels before finding a spot for dinner. Then we went to a wonderful show.

That's right. We say Thunder from Down Under. I don't really have anything else to say about that. Google it if you wish.

After the "show" we went to a series of clubs that were within out own hotel. One of these clubs was having Shaq's retirement party. At about 2 in the morning, I finally gave up and walked back to our room by myself. I was having a great time, but 2 in the morning was about all I could handle. I was exhausted.

The following morning we spent some time in the hotel spa. The hot tub and steam room was just what my tired legs and feet needed after two super-late nights in heels.

After an afternoon spent walking through more hotels and seeing some beautiful shopping, we made our way back to the airport to fly home.

I had a wonderful time with my sister. Mindy was absolutely gorgeous, and I the entire trip made me even more excited to see this beautiful sister of mine marry the man she loves. I've never been happier for her! Here are some of my favorite Mindy pictures from the weekend!

If the Shoe Fits...

On Friday I'm flying to Vegas. Yep. Me. In Vegas.

My little sister is getting married in August, and her bachlorette party starts Friday in Vegas. Friday is my birthday. This is terrific because Scott and I got married on my sister's birthday. Yes, it is possible to narrow down every Saturday in an entire season and arrive at only one possible date that just happens to be your little sister's birthday. She was cool with it, but made us promise that we could get married on her birthday only if we shared our first anniversary with her on her twenty-first birthday, which of course, we did.

So now her bachlorette party is on my birthday.

My sister and I are not alike at all, but we're super close. Many qualities that I love about her are those I wished I possessed myself. However, with those differences comes this Vegas trip. My sister will probably rock the Vegas. Me... well, not so much. When I got the itinerary of weekend events, I just about fell out of my chair. Let's just say there will be lots of... "clubbing." Me. In a club. (Its okay if you giggle, I giggle nervously just thinking about it.)

I don't want to be totally out of place in this Vegas scene, I mean my little sister has ten other friends coming, and as the risk of sounding like a high schooler, I want to fit-in at least somewhat. And I didn't think my typical Loft sundress and fake pearls would do the trick. So Scott and I went to the mall and I got some "appropriate attire" that I'm sure I will never ever wear again.

Today I returned to the mall to get a pair of shoes and a couple pairs of earrings to go with my new "Vegas outfits." My friend Amber went with me, and I told her that I was thinking about getting some gold flats, like some gold hercules sandals. Maybe something like this:



Amber just sort of looked at me, and asked if I had talked to Mindy about this. I told her that I'm sure Mindy would agree. Amber insisted that I call Mindy right then and there and ask her opinion.

Fine.

I called Mindy, and the conversation went sort of like this:
Me: Hey Min. I'm looking at shoes for Vegas, and I'm thinking about some gold hercules sandals. That's fine, right?

Mindy: Wha??? Flats? In Vegas? I don't think they even let you in the club with FLATS?!? No Malisa, no way... (laughs and giggles in the phone at her big sister's ignorance of "appropriate Vegas club attire")

At this point, Amber asks to talk to Mindy. I hand her the phone, and this is what I hear:

Amber: Hey Mindy, its Amber.
(silence)
Amber: Yeah I know, (rolls her eyes playfully at me) Uh huh... I know! That's what I told her..... Yep.... (laughter) yeah, I will... no problem... bye!

I get the phone back from Amber.

Mindy: Boy I'm I glad that Amber went with you shopping today. YOU should be glad too! Flats in Vegas! Hahahahahaha!

The phone call ends.

So, Amber and I spent the next hour and a half looking for appropriate foot attire. And these are similar to "wonderful appropriate club foot attire" that we found.



If a single pair of shoes could symbolize the difference between my sister and I, these shoes do it. Pray for me. I don't want another broken leg. I hope my sister appreciates all the sacrifices I'm making for her. :)

Waste

One of our favorite restaurants to go to for lunch after church used to be Chipotle. When we lived in Fresno we would go frequently with the Portelas. Obviously we missed this restaurant when we moved to SC, so we were thrilled when one of our favorites opened on Harbison Blvd.

We've been several times, however I've noticed a trend that I don't care for. Every time I wait in line to get my food I watch as the people in front of me give their order, and when things don't look just right, the food is thrown away and the server starts over.

Last time we went, the waste was extraordinary. First of all, the lady in front of me asked for three steak tacos. Apparently the server thought she meant three orders of steak tacos. There are three tacos in an order, so the server began steaming tortillas for nine total. The customer quickly realized the miscommunication and explained it to the server, who promptly threw the extra six tortillas in the garbage. Then the customer asked for one with rice and beans. The server thought she meant one with beans, and another with rice, but no. The customer wanted one with rice AND beans, and the others with none. This resulted in adding beans to the one with rice, and throwing yet another tortilla (this one with steak too) in the garbage.

Then we began our order. My mother in law said that she wanted black beans, the server added pinto. Another burrito in the trash. I asked for two burrito bowls. The server steamed two tortillas, and then upon realizing her own mistake, threw both tortillas in the trash.

But the real clincher was with the kids' orders. I ordered quesadillas for the kids, with Emily's being a full kid's meal, complete with a side of both rice and beans. I watched as the server wasn't pleased with cheese the oozed out of the foil during the heating process (she threw these away) and then when adding the rice and beans to the kids plate, she didn't like the way the beans overflowed in to the next compartment of the disposable tray, so she threw the entire thing away and started again.

Now I realize that in the restaurant business you give the customer what they want and yearn for complete satisfaction and yada yada yada. But really? I was shocked at the waste.

Scott's class went on this awesome trip to a camp north of here. There are many things that he shared he loved about this camp, but one of the big things was the kids are taught not to waste anything. The camp emphasizes making meals without waste and the kids are expected to take only what they will eat, and the group strives to complete a meal without waste.

I could only wonder what these kids would have said in this situation. I wish I could have known what an appropriate thing would be to say, however I sat their silent. Bummer.

Reading

Every once in awhile Scott and I will find ourselves looking for something to do after dinner is over and the dishes are put away. Many times we find ourselves going to Rita's for italian ice, and then to Barnes and Noble. For some reason, this happened many Friday nights in a row. A few of those times I had a gift card to spend.

Spending money at Barnes and Noble has never been an issue for me. However, I always find myself in a quandary. I will walk straight to the kids section, and begin perusing through the newest children's literature. But then I wander over to the newly expanded "young adult" section and find several titles there too. Eventually I remember that I AM an adult, so maybe I should check out the best sellers shelf, or find one of those titles my friends have mentioned were great.

So which books do I get? Almost all of the time, I go for the children's lit or young adult. I guess there is something so wonderful about sharing a great book with somebody that makes it that much better. Some favorites I enjoyed talking with kids about this year were The Hunger Games Trilogy (I also loved talking about this books with several friends of mine who also loved this book), The Evolution of Calpernia Tate, The Underneath, and A Long Walk To Water. (Though I think I'm missing some...)

This summer started out with my reading through so many things. I re-read Crazy Love. And then I sped through the latest Nicholas Sparks book. But then I started reading what just may be the best book I've read in years. I just finished it today, and I think Scott is thrilled because he's been claiming neglect for the past couple of days.


The Help is an amazing book that looks in to the relationship between female black maids an their female white bosses. Its brilliant in every way. It was one of those books that I had to make myself put down. Several times I just couldn't, like the time this week that I stayed up until 2 a.m. reading. Then when I did put it down to MAKE myself do housework, I couldn't stop thinking about not only the characters in the book, but the lives of those who lived in Mississippi in the 1960's... both black and white. I've always thought that the best books were those that continue to make me think and question long after I finish the last page. This certainly meets that requirement.

The movie comes out in August, and while I'm certain it will not be as good as the book, I've already told Scott I want to see it. Here's a trailer:

Summertime

Every summer I have a lot of things I want to get done. Of course, not everything gets completed before the summer ends, but I do accomplish many of my goals. This summer is no different.

I was thinking this evening about everything I wanted to "get to" this summer. Things like learning how to pickle cucumbers, reading certain professional development books, and cleaning out my closet (I still have my Y2K millennium dance party in there from college!)

Emily was sitting beside me as I went through this mental list. So I started talking with her about things she wanted to do this summer. At first she told me about going to VBS, visiting family, and going to the beach. But when I started telling her about the things I wanted to learn this summer, she immediately responded with what she wants to learn. She said she wants to learn how to tie her own shoes (Boy do I hope she's successful with that one!) in addition to learning how to whistle and snap her fingers. She also said that she really wants to lose a tooth.

Whistling, tying shoes, snapping her fingers, and losing teeth. In my mind, these are all rights of passage that come with growing up. Then it occurred to me: She wants to grow up!

I don't know I how I feel about this. On one hand, I remember so many things that signified growing up when I was little. Not things that many of us share like learning to drive a car or staying home by myself for the first time, but specific things that signified "growing up" for me. Things like the "Moving Up" song at RBG. (Talk about building school community!) and getting to go off the high dive at the pool. Others I thought about were not going to children's church during the service, but actually having to sit through the whole sermon. Or getting to ride my bike on the other side of Kranenburg Ave. without my parents watching me cross Nord Rd. Thinking about this made me wonder what specifics will enter Emily's mind as a symbol of growing up. I can't wait to see what those things will be for her.

But on the other hand, I can't believe my little girl wants to GROW UP! How can this happen? I'm frequently reminded how fast time goes, and with each passing month that my twins are not just two, but two and a few months now, I just can't help but wonder how this can be possible. And to think Em will be in the first grade next year makes me second-guess myself and think maybe I miscalculated somehow.

Somebody once explained to me that the older we get, the more years we have in our memory. So each year becomes a smaller percentage of our entirety. For example, for a 6 year old, one year is only 1/6 of their life, or 17% of their life so far. Whereas my birthday next week makes me 31. Making my past year only 3% of my entire life. Doesn't that automatically make a year seem to go by faster and faster?

Maybe this is the reality that I face as I get older. Perception is everything I guess. And it seems to me that my Emily has grown way too fast, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. I guess the only thing to do is hold on tight.

Things you may not know about Scott Johnson...

Scott and I have some friends who marvel at the many new things they learn the more they hang with Scott. A similar comment was made to me by a neighbor this afternoon, and yet again a few days ago. I started to think about it, and decided this was worthy of a blog post. I'd be curious to know which things shocked/humored/horrified you the most...

1. Scott was originally a music major before he changed majors to education. He marched in the Rose Parade carrying his tuba three years in a row.

2. There is a large tattoo on his upper right arm.

3. When he was (much) younger, he got in trouble with the cops more than once. One specific instance was when he and his brother were throwing hot tar off the top of a building down on to the cars below.

4. He spent a month backpacking across Europe

5. He's had seven different surgeries

6. He accepted Christ on March 26, 1992 when he was 19.

7. He once lived with a friend's grandmother. She spoke no English, so he learned quickly. I still love to hear the way he orders at a Mexican restaurant.

8. Scott listens to crazy rap, heavy metal, and various other genres of music. (all but country, which he swears gives him headaches.) His favorite group is Rush, but he's also a big fan of Ozzie Osborne.

9. He was once a state ranked tennis player

10. In high school he had long blonde hair and wore a long dangly skull earring.

11. In high school he had a teacher tell him that he would never make it in college. His teacher also told him that she hated him.

12. While living in southern California he would ride his bike from the city of Santa Fe Springs all the way to Seal Beach every day.

13. His wife loves him! But I'm sure you already knew that!

Painting

The twins love to color with Emily at the table. So the other day I decided to get out some water colors and let them try it out. Elsie took things very seriously, and sat for over thirty minutes with the paints and her masterpiece. Emily has always loved to paint, so Elsie just sort of watched her and caught on to dipping the brush in the water and then the paint. Eli caught on to one thing: Dumping the cup of water upside-down. We had a short few minutes while I took pictures when things were relatively calm with all three, but shortly afterward, Eli had to be removed from the table. He's such a boy!

Sunny, with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms

Summer always comes with a series of loud afternoon/evening thunderstorms. Last night was no exception. Emily had a friend over and they were watching a movie and munching on popcorn. Emily is sort of weird like her parents, and she typically marvels at the thunder and lightening. It was very apparent that her friend was very much afraid of the storm. As Emily watched her friend cringe at the flashes and jump at the rumbling that shook the house, Em tried to make her feel at ease by saying, "Ya know... that loud thunder is only the sound of angels bowling." (Just as she said that, one of the loudest bolts struck in a simultaneous whip of thunder) Emily paused, and then said, "See! There must be an angel up there doing a victory dance because she got a strike!"

It was a good effort. But it didn't help. Her sweet little friend was scared silly.

By this morning I thought the thunderstorm was a something of the past, so I was a little surprised at the following (precious) conversation that we had on the way to the grocery store:

Emily: Hey mom, take a look at the sky
Me: Yeah, what do you notice?
Emily: Do you see all those clouds gathered around the sun?
Me: Yep
Emily: Its like the clouds are the angels and the sun is God and He's gathered them all around to make an important announcement.
Me: So, what do you imagine that announcement may be?
Emily: I think He's telling them to stop bowling, because its scaring the kids.

All I could do was smile. Because once again, Emily Grace left me speechless. I love that kid.

Summer is here! (and so is my first of many posts!)

Sometimes things just turn out perfectly for me to go to Em's school and participate. Water day was one of those days. My own students had 10:45 dismissal every day last week, and for some reason (I hear something about snow day make-up hours) teachers were able to leave at 11 a.m. This worked out just perfectly for this mom! I raced across town and enjoyed every moment during the final days of Kindergarten!









With summer comes the opportunity for me to update the blog more often. Like most teachers, summer is a time of reflection. A time to consider all the wonders of the year that has passed and to consider the different ways of approaching the year to come. I have many thoughts, ideas, and questions as I form my goals for the next year with fourth graders. But one goal I have for home is to update this little blog weekly... even during the school year. A task that will be fun, I'm sure!

Until then, I'll enjoy every moment of this summer with my sweet family. And what a better way to start off the first blog post of summer than to show of our sweet Emily and her classmates during the last day of school!

Nicaragua Water Project

Emily's class has learned all about water this year. They've learned how much water a child in the U.S. uses and how that compares to children in other countries. They've learned about the availability of water here, and how its not always available in other parts of our world. The result is an effort to raise money for clean water for children in Nicaragua. Scott and I are continually amazed and thankful for this wonderful class and their fabulous teacher. Amazing, right?

Oh, and by the way. In the shot of the whole class, our kid is the one on the top left. Apparently the tree is attacking her. It wouldn't be Emily unless a tree attacked her, or the like! :)

Check out the video here.

Spring Top Ten

Spring is my favorite time of year for so many reasons. Today I woke up so aware of the blessings in my life that I couldn't contain myself. I've always been a list person, so I thought it would be appropriate to begin a list of everything Spring is bringing to life.

1. Our kids. I need to get more pictures posted this afternoon because they are so stinking cute.

2. April is always strawberry month. Last Saturday was the first time we went this season. We picked three gallons of berries. Right in the middle of the picking, the skies opened up and the rain came down, like torrential downpour rain. My kids giggled and stomped in the mud, and rather than the rain ruining out time, it actually made our time better. I loved it.

3. Spring Break.

4. The animals are out. Last week I came upon seven deer crossing the road. One stopped and just stared at us for what seemed like minutes. Even Eli said, "Whoa Mommy. Stop. Stop. Stop!" And Emily has a new pet turtle named Prince Phillip. He was found by a pond, an Em is sure he already loves her. Oh, and I can't forget the wrens, larks, hummingbirds, jays, and cardinals who come to our feeders in the backyard. I watch them and am reminded of our Creator's creativity.

5. Only four more weeks until I'm a stay at home mom again for the summer. I have so many plans for this summer!

6. Our pool doesn't open until the first of May, however, our kids are having a blast playing with water in the backyard. The three of them played outside for over three hours straight yesterday afternoon and on to evening. It was fabulous to watch them play together. I pray that they will continue to love and enjoy each other every day like yesterday.

7. My Bible study is in the middle of an awesome Beth Moore study of the Tabernacle. The study book is called A Women's Heart: The Dwelling Place of God. We're half-way through and I already think I like it more than Daniel or the Patriarchs, which is saying a lot. I've learned so much already.

8. Cleaning. I have some cleaning to get to, and some of it is slowly being cleaned off the list. But doing this with twin two year olds is not always convenient to say the least. However, the other day I was trying to figure out how to mow the lawn with the twins out there with me. I flooded one of my raised vegetable beds that doesn't have any plants in it yet, and then stuck the twins (in diapers only) in the middle of the muddy mess. Then I closed the garden gate and mowed the lawn! I felt quite accomplished when I was done, and thankful for my Rosedale roots! We Rosedale gals know how to get something done! :)

9. Right now there are so many flowers blooming. My favorite is the purple lantana that has overtaken my flower bed in the front yard. I love the flowers all over the yard!

10. The kids are growing. And growing. And Growing! Emily can read so many books its amazing. Every day she seems to amaze us with the growth she's making as a reader and a writer. And the twins seem to learn more words a day than I can keep up with. Right now Eli calls Elsie "Aya" and Elsie calls Eli "Makeen." I have no idea why, but watching them communicate with each other is just about the best thing ever.

Well, later this morning the twins both have dentist appointments. I'm not sure that appointment will be much of a blessing, but we'll see!

Emily's Birthday

One specific area that I've slacked off from since going back to work is this blog. Something had to give I guess, and while it bums me out that I'm no longer keeping track of these precious moments with our blog, it does excite me when I can steal a few moments for an update.

Emily is six. Wow. I don't even know what to say about that, so I will move on to the birthday festivities. Emily decided that rather than having a birthday party, this year she would like to go to Atlanta for the weekend and get an American Girl doll. The weekend was planned, and off we went!

The very first place we went was to the American Girl store. Emily and I knew exactly which girl she was going to get, and Saturday just happened to be the last day they would sell this beautiful doll. Her name is Felicity, and she is from the 1774 era. (And no, I really did let Emily pick, but I have to admit that I was thrilled to begin reading all the American Revolution events during the Felicity American Girl books! What can I say? I love fourth grade Social Studies!) Now this store is amazing! But somehow, the twins quickly grew tired of looking at expensive dolls in boxes. So while Emily and selected the necessary accessories, Scott took the twins to roam the rest of the mall. What a good dad, huh? (Hold that thought... you may change your mind in a few sentences!)

Once we purchased the doll, her accessories, and had her ears pierced (Yep, that's right. The doll got her ears pierced, and much to Scott's dismay, it was more expensive than when Em got her ears pierced!:) We walked out to find this precious pair with Daddy. I quickly informed Scott that not only was the Felicity doll from the 1774 period being permanantly retired, but so was her best friend Elizabeth... the same Elizabeth from all the storied that Emily and I read together. Surely we couldn't leave without Elizabeth, right? Luckily for me Scott agreed. (Really, it wasn't that hard.) I rushed back in to get the doll while Scott showed the kids this awesomely huge clock in a jewelry store.
Now here it where it gets interesting. Scott jokingly tell Emily that he had a giant magic marker so she could print her name on the back of her Felicity doll. No joke, another mom who overheard did a triple take paired with an audible gasp before she caught on that he was joking. But not only that, it turns out while they were looking at the giant clock, Eli started loudly pointed to the clock while YELLING "Big Cock!" Scott's response to the horrified on-lookers? "Oh its okay. We're from South Carolina, its okay to say cock!" *deep sigh*

The rest of the trip was rather uneventful. Emily randomly saw a girl from her class in the food court. She had also gotten her first American Girl doll. The girls were thrilled to see each other!


It wasn't until we got to the hotel room that we gave Emily the Elizabeth doll. She was one happy girl!

The next day we went to the Coca Cola museum. We had a great time except that once we got to the tasting room with over 60 sodas from around the world, both Scott and I realized at the same time that Emily doesn't even like carbonated beverages of any sort. Um... what were we thinking? Emily politely refused tasting many of the beverages and when asked why she didn't speak up about not even liking Coke she simply replied, "I didn't want to be a rude birthday girl!" Even now, neither Scott or take the blame for coming up with the Coke Factory tour. As far as we're concerned, it was somebody else's horrible idea. Luckily, our family had fun anyway!



Finally, here are some cute pictures of the kids playing at the Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. Notice Emily "helping" her twins down the slide! It was a great way to get out some energy before the long car ride home. And yes, Emily brought her dolls to all of the day's events!

Happy Birthday to our sweet girl!

This is what makes Saturday fabulous

We have plans to finally spend the weekend out doing fun stuff. After three weekends in a row with sick kids, we're very much looking forward to plans at the zoo in the beautiful 75 degree weather today.

However, I doubt a fabulous zoo trip can top this unexpected moment that I walked in on this morning.

Thank you Lord for delighting me with this blessing.



And of course, a Saturday morning with three kids wouldn't be complete unless somebody was put in time-out for some reason or another. This morning it was Elsie, who seems to think the world belongs to her. Poor girl.

This is the Stuff...

I was sitting in traffic on Lake Murray Blvd this afternoon while this diesel blocked three lanes of traffic so he could back in to a furniture store loading dock. I was so anxious to get home to my sweet family after work, as always, but especially on this day. Scott had taken the day off work to be with our sick sweeties and when he took them to the pediatrician we found out the girls both had double ear infections, and Eli was suffering from some icky virus that was leaving him tired, congested and relentlessly coughing. I couldn't wait to get home and wrap my arms around them all. And I couldn't even find my cell phone to call home and check in.

While I sat that there getting more and more frustrated at the nerve of this diesel guy (I mean, if you know you have to block three lanes of traffic to make this delivery, could you not choose 5:00 traffic as a delivery time?!) I reached down to look through the package from the pharmacy. I had two sets of antibiotics and one cough medicine. But when I looked at the antibiotics, they hadn't been mixed. Ugh. So now I had to wait for the diesel truck to MOVE and then I had to jet back to the pharmacy to wait in that awful line (again!) so I could get the meds mixed.

As I continued to sit, I reflected on the stressful school day. I had two sweeties complaining that they didn't feel good but neither had a temp. so they were returned to class to mope the rest of the day. I had one high-energy friend that forgot "part of his routine" this morning and was doing everything but pulling out my hair FOR me. Throw in a little fourth grade girl drama, and the afternoon was just not as fun as most. *deep sigh*

And then I heard this song.

My entire perspective changed as I began to feel for the poor diesel driver who probably wasn't from around here and had no idea the trouble this delivery would cause to an already congested road. As I passed I gave him a little wave and a smile, and he looked at me and smiled back with relief. No doubt other passersby weren't extending much southern charm.

What a difference a great song can make!

My Grocery Gamer!

When Emily was just a little thing I had a feeling she would appreciate my couponing. She must have only been two or three when she pushed her baby stroller in the living room and asked me if I could watch her baby while she went grocery shopping. I promised to take good care of her baby doll, and as she exited the room to go "shopping" she turned to her baby and said, "What's that baby?" (silence as she pretended to be listening to her baby) "Oh, I'm sorry baby but we're not going to get that today at the store. Its not on sale, its not on the list, and I don't have a coupon!"

Fast forward to today and just look at my happy little shopper! We went to Publix this evening after the babies went to bed. Emily carefully scanned the aisle looking for the items that were buy one get one free sale items to match with my coupons. When we got to the check out station Emily was just as excited to hear the total as I was: $32.19 for all of this!