Happy Royal Anniversary

Wow!! A year ago us girls threw a Royal Wedding Party.

That means our favorite Princess and her Prince have made it a full year.

She was stunning!

 

Do you remember this? So magical!!

(this was a photo taken of the wedding on our TV)

It was even more magical for us moms

to have this memory to share with our girls.

We knew saving these bridesmaids dresses would be worth it!!

This group is rooting for you!

Happy Anniversary Will & Kate!!

By 30 You Should Know...

I was at the gym this morning and was able to find one mindless magazine to read, Glamour. As I was perusing the pictures (this really is just a picture book for grown-ups), I found a little article across the bottom of several pages. It listed the things we should know by 30. I found one to be appropriate for me... the others were a little questionable. Remember, this was Glamour magazine after all.

The one I am pondering today is this: "By 30 you should know that you can't change the length of your legs, the width of your hips or the nature of your parents."

Hmmm... sit on that one a bit and take it to heart. I hope my girls will get that one day! Being gracious to ourselves and to the ones who love us the most.

Tree in Spring

It has been so fun to watch the tree this past month. Since I started blogging on it the kids really take notice. Scott on the other hand said, "Now which tree is that?" Um, the tree you've driven by everyday for the past 8 years.  

It is really starting to bloom, we just need more rain.

The tree is greening up, the grass is not.

But there are some lovely dandelions staking a colorful claim.

I Blame Eve

Here it is, the book review I told you was coming for I Blame Eve. I've never written a review, but I'm going to tell you this, it is well worth your time. God speaks through Susanna in such an honest and real way that you can't help but grow.

Maybe I like it because I like Susanna so much. We seem so similar, kind of freaky actually. She's a pastor's wife - check. She has three kids - check. Her husband's name is Scott - check. Then there are the chapter titles: I Am a Perfectionist, I Get Discouraged, I Have Control Issues... Big Ones, I Don't Like Waiting - check, check, check, and check.

She begins with the Bible story of Eve and that sneaky snake. "He just had to introduce some confusion and mistrust and let Eve's brain do the rest." Sounds like the same thing he is doing to us today. We want to be filled by something and can spend a lot of time searching. Yet, "We were made to be full of God's Spirit. The gaping hole in us, that soul emptiness, was meant to be filled with a relationship with our Creator."

Later she refers to the Eden gene... "Even though we never stepped foot in Eden, we hunger for it, this place of untainted relationships and perfect provision... The Eden gene tends to promote two things in us: pride and selfishness." Can I hear a Check! Check! ?

With stories that will make you laugh and insight into His word, Susanna will challenge your thought processes and will encourage you to live the life you were designed for by your Creator.


I Blame Eve, by Susanna Foth Aughtmon

Oh Susanna!

See, I've got you singing another song! Oh Susana, Oh don't you cry for me. For I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee. This makes me think... when I was little my parents used to sing every song under the sun. I think they really do know the words to all songs prior to the '60's, maybe even the '60's. Us kids would just look at each other like, here they go again. Then to really get us, my mom would be in the kitchen and start singing. She'd grab anyone's hand near her and start dancing and singing with them. I personally just stood there while she held on and twirled about! Funny. I now do such embarrassing things to my kids. It's great.

Ok, back to why I called this Oh Susanna! A few years ago one of my favorite pastors, Dick Foth, was all excited about his daughter Susanna's book. This was her first book and with pride he gave me a signed copy, thanks Uncle Foth!! Here is a photo of it, and the book that followed:

Both books are great and so well written. She makes you laugh, she makes you look at yourself, and then she really challenges you... Ok, God really challenges you. I even did a book study with friends using the questions at the back of the book. I have the honor of reading her next book and blogging about it next week. Here is the cover:



 

I hope you'll come back and see what I have to say, it is really good and again, so challenging! What you can't read on the book is the portion in white, which reads:  Freedom from Perfectionism, Control Issues, and the Tendency to Listen to Talking Snakes  Classic!

Saving Up

We have a large mason jar on our counter for change... as in cash, coins, moola. It is intended for our 20th anniversary vacation in the summer of 2013. The plan is for Scott & I to spend a week in an undecided East Coast destination and then the kids will join us for the next week. The other day Tennison asked if we could save for a brother after the anniversary trip. He asked us to adopt a brother, he wants someone to play with. Preferably "a black boy so he can be good at sports". This is a very precious and odd request.

Special Talent

Whitney sent me an email called Tennison's Special Talent & included this video:

The Closet Genius has genius off-spring!

She ended the email with:

Hehe!! Gotta luv him!!!!!! 



Do We Have A Birthday Here?

Does that make you want to sing the Happy Birthday song from Red Robin? Me too!!

Today is Reagan's 14th birthday! I really cannot believe it was 14 years ago that we drove in the sleet, to the finest hospital in all the land, to have our beautiful Reagan Grace. In honor of that sleet-ish night, it snowed and rained today.

To celebrate this year, she wanted to go shopping in Boulder with her best friend. Here is a little snapshot into their day! And it was a long one... lots of time, hours really, spent in one store. The promise land for teenagers across America - Forever 21!! I've blogged about this store before. Brace yourselves, these are taken with an iPod...

Say what? It shrunk since I picked it out!!

We go together like shama-lama-lama-lama-lama-da-dip-de-dong!

My "hooked on phonics" way of spelling that song from Grease.

I feel pretty, oh so pretty! Oh so pretty and witty...

Two sly chicks.

We all met for dinner at Chili's... Mm, mm, Good!!

Birthdays bring out the sillies!

Then back to our house to... Plank?

Mom, can we get on the top of the van?

No... Well, why? To plank. Oh, ok.

I can plank on a car...

I can plank on the stairs...

I can plank anywhere!

(Although I'm not sure why.)

Today, on Reagan's birthday!

Hummingbird Cake

Here is to another great year!

I love you Reagan!

I am so proud of who you are

and who you are becoming.