Thursday, August 25, 2011

Just two more


They brought Ryder home in the same little feltman suit and sweet booties that we brought Dakota home from the hospitol in. It brought back such sweet memories of so long ago that seem like just yesterday.


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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

New Birth

I know that blogs where people show one million pictures of their offspring are BORING, but if you will indulge me as I show you two million pictures of my offspring and my offspring's offspring, I would be much obliged. I am truly sorry, I just can't help myself!

May I introduce the newest member of our Fam,
 Mr. RYDER CLIFFORD MICHAEL
All seven pounds and five ounces of him arrived this morning in just twenty inches of sweetness!


I was fortunate enough to be allowed to bepresent for the birth, and let me tell you ladies, our bodies can do amazing things with our creators help, miraculous unbelievable things, and we should hold such everyday miracles in very high regard. What a beautiful thing, new birth, a most glorious gift, this honor we females have.


The new Daddy
 With new birth comes new love, and there is always just enough room for more. Sometimes as humans, we wonder, how will one more fit in to this crazy mixed up flurry we call life, but at the very moment of new birth, more room is also born, and then one wonders, where has this sweet soul been all my life, and how did I ever live without it??


Then you realise uncles are also born, and relationships are started, and deep commitments of "I will always be there for you" are made without ever a word being spoken. And little tiny seven pound bodies move man souls to feel, and ponder, and make bold promises in their hearts.

Aunts are also born, with each new niece and nephew that arrives, I imagine the feeling is brand new again, and the commitment to watch over and protect is refreshed. Memories are etched in growing brains, memories that will remain forever.


And growing babies, learn to love smaller babies, and their eyes take every mi nut detail to heart, as they watch and smell, and breath in, and dream of one day experiencing the new birth grow inside of them also, and haveing the joy of their own burrito like wrapped love spreader to hold for as long as they want, without anyone waiting for a turn makes them giddy.

And, Grandparents are born, and the unmistakable understanding that a part of us will remain, as generations fade, is growing inside our aging hearts as we say farewell to older members, and greet fresh smelling newborns. In the face of prayer, for safe and healthy new birth, we rejoice in the promise that every good gift is from above, and that all new births are good gifts.



Sisters too become. She is unaware that this new birth means years of companionship, and a sharing of every rite of passage. She will spend countless hours with this male soul in her life time, and their secrets will be especially sweet. She loved him instantly and we all watched as the miracle of that love took place right before our eyes, today. That new love will spill over her cup as she grows in understanding of the gift she has received.

A family has grown, in numbers and in love, and new birth is so very sweet. Oh so very sweet indeed.


 
Thank you for indulging me, isn't he just precious?
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Saturday, August 20, 2011

waiting

The girls and I are back in Georgia this week, on a very important mission. We are watching this little girl, She calls me Grandmomma and she is just about to turn two. She is also just about to become a big sister!


So, we are watching, and waiting! We are waiting for a sweet little boy to decide to come, and be born to this sweet little family. He isn't even due until monday, and we are already growing impatient to meet him.

One more to call me Grandmomma.

One more to love.

I couldn't be more excited!



So, we are Waiting.
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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

sisters by the water


She was born into a family with three brothers. One is gone now, but for her first five years she had only brothers, They loved her, cherished her even, and like her name she was a safe healing place for our family. I humbly asked the Lord, in the midst of my gratefulness for my three sweet boy children, and my one baby girl, for a sister for her, and he answered my prayer.

 

When we shared the news with little Haven that her Momma was going to have a baby for her to Love, With all the confidence she could muster in that chubby four year old body she replied, "She's gonna be a sista, and we're gonna name her Sally!" She was half right.
And although they are very very different, they are also very alike. And, although they sometimes push each others buttons, they are also the best of friends. They giggle and rough, and whisper sweet secrets, they play and explore, and bicker, and giggle. They build blanket forts and read together with a flashlight, and then spend the night on the carpet amongst plush bunnies and bears, and dream of American Girls, then eat Little Debbie Swiss rolls for breakfast, because they can, and play Go Fish, and did I mention they giggle?

I hope they will always be the best of friends.
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Thursday, August 11, 2011

BUDDY THE BIRD


Just a few doors down from us is a nature center. They often have animals they have rescued. Their normal residents are turtles, and snakes, fish, and recently they cared for a baby opossum until he was ready for release. We love to stop in occasionally to see the critters, and just a few weeks ago we met Buddy.


Isn't he beautiful??? I just love his colors. When he first arrived he was in a large bird cage, alone in the back room. They let us go back and see him, but he seemed so lonely. I guess that was part of acclimating him to his new surroundings.



Now, he is in the main room, sitting on a perch out in the open. Every time the door opens, and rings, he says "HELLO", just as clear as a bell, and welcomes everyone to the center. We haven't heard anything else from him, but we will keep trying.

I would kinda like a bird like buddy for my very own, how'bout you?


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Monday, August 8, 2011

The perfect church




News flash to all those who have been told that there are no perfect churches. You can now rest assured that what you have been told is not true, and that there is indeedy at least one perfect church after all! I saw it with my own two eyeballs, and it is surely not a hoax, as they also have there own perfect website! Although I admit I am quite tempted, I will not be moving to Atlanta any time soon to join...lest they have to change their name!

Other than the aforementioned place of worship, my family and I have yet to find the perfect church. We have moved to three new cities in the last four years (seriously??? what were we thinking???), and searching for a new church home has been the most difficult part of our relocation every time.That, and a new hairdresser, more on that later!

At one point in our search Michael had become so frustrated by a particularly peculiar church service, that when we all piled into the family van afterward he announced that everyone was to find something positive to say about our experience, or they were to say nothing at all! 5 year old(at the time) ElizaJane piped in from the back seat, as I watched her much animated expression in my visor mirror. "Weeellllllll," she said with her usual perky smile, "It wasn't as long as the last one we tried, and their donuts were good!". Kudos for finding the good Liza, kudos all around!

Shopping for a church can be very complicated, and when you add to that mix several opinionated family members, you have a problem. We all have preconceived ideas in our heads about what church should look like, shaped by our childhoods, as well as our personal preferences. And, even though all those external stimuli should not in-fact really matter, let's be honest, they just do.

I know in my head, that when all is stripped away, and we stop comparing the length of the worship leaders hair, and whether any hymns are included along with modern day worship songs, all that really matters, is, "can I be used of God in this body of believers", and "will my unique gifts, and those of my families, be of benefit to the people who worship here."

Beyond that, which is truly the bottom line for Michael and I, it is hard not to consider all the other stuff that goes along with a new worship environment. We have visited over twenty churches combined in the midst of our three recent moves, and we have had a lot of interesting experiences. Some of those experiences have solidified the importance of some preferences in our minds, like do they stay true to the scriptures, and do they practise missions, both locally and globally. Other encounters have put questions in our minds as to the validity of our desires.


We have been in church services lately that have run the gamut from exciting concert like worship complete with flashing lights and jumping guitar players followed by sermons that have convicted as well as admonished, to sweet elderly blue hairs sweetly singing "I come to the garden alone", accompanying a sermon just as convicting although perhaps relayed in a slightly more sedate manner.

Who's to say if either is wrong, or more preferred by the Lord himself, as long as He is honored, and His name is being proclaimed? If I had my way, these two styles would unite, and somehow we would fall somewhere in the middle. That combo however is few and far between as providence would have it, and we are left with a choice to be made.

It is hard not to compare what we are experiencing with what we had found in our last "home town". Although it was not the perfect church,(as we know, there is only one of those) it was our church, and we had grown to love the people there in the short time we attended.

So, what is it you love about your church??

 



Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Advise for Weird Homeschoolers


We started back to school this week.




We do school at home....we are homeschoolers.

I feel like I'm at a homeschoolers anonymous meeting,

"Hi, I'm Amy, and I home school."

Now you all say together

"Hi Amy"




I don't really talk much about homeschooling here on my blog. I'm not really sure why.




When I first became a momma, I had a small circle of friends who were first time mommas. There were five of us who had all just recently given birth, or adopted. We would get together occasionally just to chat, and watch our babies pull each others hair. I was the youngest new mom in the group.




Those other four women L.O.V.E.D to talk about baby gear. Yes, baby GEAR! They could converse for hours, FOR HOURS, about the latest car seat, and it's attributes, or the greatest new stroller. Those convos bored me stiff! I loved my baby, and being a momma,(a good one), was my greatest desire, but when I had the opportunity to interact with other adults, that wasn't my subject of choice. I don't know why, it just wasn't. I would have loved to have had a book club, or discussed current events, or even more helpful would have been just a good ol' bible study, anything really would have interested me more then a debate over highchairs and baby bottles.




Years later when I entered the homeschooling ranks I felt much the same way. Homeschoolers L.O.V.E. to talk curricula, and wrangle over the latest and greatest. They thrive on teaching techniques and learning styles, and field trips. I would rather stick needles in my eyes then "compare" notes on where my child is in any given subject. It so often feels like one upmanship to me. I have enough self doubt all on my own, I don't need anyone to help me in that area. When a mother tells me her 3rd grader is doing pre-algebra, or that Jr. has already memorised the entire old testament, I begin to question what I am doing, and whether or not I am doing enough.

I have strong opinions about home schooling, but I doubt you want to hear them, or would agree with them, so in the interest of being a nice blogger, I will spare you. If you are a homeschooler though, I would like to share just two pieces of advise that I have picked up along the way. I think these two are particularly important for your homeschooling journey.

1. Nike made it popular, but it is still true,

JUST DO IT!

It doesn't matter how much money you pour into curriculum or how many conventions and workshops you attend, if your child isn't doing school at home, then you are not a homeschooler. period. end of story. In order to call yourself a homeschooler, you must actually do school, so if you are saying you are doing it, then just do it! When you don't, you give the rest of us a bad rap!

2. DON'T GET WEIRD

I don't think I have to explain myself here. Just don't. We are aliens and strangers yes, but that does not mean that we have to dress in arm pit choking 80s jeans, or ask one thousand embarrassingly ridiculous questions on a field trip, or dissect every dead animal we find on the side of the road.

That's just weird,

don't do that. You give the rest of us a bad rap!



I hope this helps.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Hello August

Good-bye July, you were bursting with fun, and the brilliant colors of summer!

Thanks for the sweet memories of momma and tiny sweet baby ducks eating our stale bread,




and the moss covered turtles that let us touch their slimy shells just before they sank like rocks into the murky  water,


and your hot summer sun that was shining every day to illuminate even the mundane and make it all spectacular.

 

Thanks for the memories July,
and hello August!
You promise to be a pretty special month,
 and I can't wait!
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