Can you package up LOVE?

My precious cousin, Rachel, is having her first little girl. So to celebrate Julia Jane's arrival, I got my creative juices flowing and decide to find the perfect material to make her a baby quilt. After much searching, I found exactly what I was looking for...this pale pink toile with chocolate brown accents. Then to really make it nice, I backed it with white minky...oh, so soft. I've been blessed to have made my own three girls their very own baby blankets, and it is funny how excited I was to again go out searching for the perfect blanket... fit for a queen. I would love to do an entire nursery in this fabric. I love it that much. Don't worry though, we are done having girls. I can have fun though celebrating with family members. Then I had enough material left to add a matching wipee/diaper bag...super convenient when you don't want to drag the "real" diaper bag in. I hope she likes it.

Unfortunately, it is bittersweet, because I won't be able to attend the baby shower. I had to mail it..in hopes that it arrives on time. You see...this is one of those moments I hate being in the military. The reality is that we live literally 18 hours away from where I grew up (Madisonville, Texas) and plane tickets are costly when times by 4...where all my family still resides or at least within 2 hours of. So whereas, my cousins can easily drive in that morning for the shower, it is a little harder for me. And when I say cousins, I mean cousins. I was one of those lucky few to actually grow up with their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cousins. My mom is one of 4 sisters, and most everyone from her generation remained in Madisonville. It wasn't until all the grandkids grew up that we scattered to Houston, Dallas, O'Fallon, Illinois, etc.

When I was little, it was my grandparents that made Easter extra special. Oh, the memories of huge Easter Egg Hunts...literally 30+ people all together...and loving it. Now, my Uncle David and Aunt Ola Mae have the huge Easter brunch and Christmas brunch every year. It is a tradition I have grown to love...my mouth is literally watering just thinking about it. Rachel is their daughter and so the shower is this weekend along with the annual Easter brunch. They live out in the country, and it is absolutely something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. The weather is gorgeous, green pasture as far as the eye can see, beautiful flowers blooming, little newborn calves learning to walk for the first time...the presence of God everywhere. Then you add on top of it, the fact that all my cousins now have children close to my girls' ages, and the noise of children laughing...chasing one another. I really wish we could be there.

Fortunately though, since we do live in O'Fallon, IL, we are closer to Travis' family. So we only have to travel 6 hours to Nashville, TN to enjoy the warmth of family. I had prayed that this assignment would bring us closer to his family. When we lived in Texas, the girls only got to see Grandma and Grandpa once or twice a year. Since living here, we have gotten to see them much more. The hard truth I've come to realize is that in every relationship you have to be intentional, and whether or not we like it... distance does hinder that closeness. I wish I could have seen Rachel's face when she first found out she was pregnant or touched her tummy...knowing Julia was inside. As I sewed each stitched, I thought about all the wonderful things I love about Rachel and the amazing gift God has given her. I pray she feels all the love I could manage to squeeze in that box.

What to say???

I'm giving my testimony next month, and as you can imagine I'm super nervous. It isn't good to leave a woman alone with her thoughts too long. Almost everyday this week my thoughts have wandered to what I should say, how I should say it, have I dealt with it, etc. It is interesting. I've never been completely vulnerable to a group before. Felt the freedom to truly reveal the amazing work Christ has done in my life in its entirety. Even on this occasion, I won't have time to truly go into every tool mark the Lord has carved, as He molds me into a masterpiece. I do however have some points I hope to bring out that I pray will bless someone, and wonder if anyone else has this longing or struggle. For those of you that are more "spiritual" than me, I would welcome any scriptures that illustrate these points better. I've found myself being inspired more and more by one of my favorite books in the Bible, Romans. So here they are:

-Adoption- Christ dying for our sins knowing full well the pain of being in a relationship with us. I've never adopted a child, but I can only imagine parents who do adopt feeling the same way I did when I held Carlie for the first time...Oh, the wonder...the anticipation of what she would be like...the incredible love of parent to a child...a certain mystery of sorts. My adoption happened later in life (27 yrs old), when my step-dad, Carl, wanted to adopt me. Every official document I had prior to my married name was changed to Dorothy Brassell, instead of Dorothy Smith. Oh, how I put this poor man through many sleepless nights during my teen years, and yet he still wanted to call me his own. Dad, or Carl, knew exactly what he was getting into and yet chose me. It gave new meaning to me as I viewed it through Christ's eyes, "and while we were still sinners, He died for us."
-God being our Rock. In my testimony, there are a lot of times I wish certain people would have been different, better perhaps, than they were...the rejection, the uncertainty, I felt as a young woman, was almost paralyzing. Yet again, during my Esther study, I realized that NO ONE can be your rock, except God. God purposely put inadequate people and caused me to feel inadequate to His glory...so that the arms I ran to every time I was disappointed or when I failed would only be His.
-Everyone needs to know they are loved...a God shaped hole that wants to be filled. Have you heard, "I love you!" enough? If you haven't heard it enough, are you willing to let God's Word tell you over and over again how much you are? My life is different today, because my mother pointed me to God and His Word...when I felt so unlovable. Somewhere, sometime, I surrendered all...and it made ALL the difference.
That is all I have so far. I don't know if it will touch any one's heart. All I know is that Christ is the only hope I have, and I'm praying for the courage to shout that statement from the rooftops these upcoming weeks.

Ellie started to crawl!!!

Yes, Ellie crawled today. Pretty AWESOME! It was a commando crawl, but she went several steps. It was Ellie's attempt at snagging Mollie's popcorn. Who knew popcorn could be so tempting? So I wanted to be sure to remember today.
I also came across some pictures of Carlie at 3 in a scrapbook and had to do a double take, because I thought it was Mollie. So I've spent a few minutes with my Creative Memories software trying to match the girls up with their ages. You can definitely tell they are related. LOL
I thought this was a funny picture, too. The one on the left is Ellie and Carlie (excuse the powder donut) and then one of Carlie and Mollie on the right.

It is fun to see them at the same age side by side.

These two pictures warmed my heart. The one on the left is Mollie at 7 mths. and then the one on the right is Ellie at 7 mths. Mollie's eyes are definitely more blue than Ellie's, but almost exact same features.

Way too busy, but loving every minute of it!

I feel horrible I haven't blogged in forever. I have definitely become addicted to the convenience of using Facebook. I thought I would share a little bit of what has been going on lately.
The Lord has really been working on my heart, and I am beginning to really love it here. Friendships are growing so much deeper, and I have a handful of girlfriends that I enjoy spending time with. Much like in Abilene, my girlfriends are not all cookie cutter. I have about 5 groups that I love to spend time with: my OSC girlfriends (playgroups and Bunko), my FBA/Creation Corner girlfriends (playgroups and lunch dates), my MOPS group (playgroups , Mommie Outings, and fun meetings), my girlfriends in my Esther Bible study, and my church friends. Being intentional with each group can quickly fill up a calendar. Though, I wouldn't have it any other way. Each dear friend continues to touch my heart in a unique way. Some friends such as Cathy overlap in several groups, and that really helps to grow us closer. In fact, several of us are planning a trip to Chicago for a girls' weekend. I can't wait!!!
Also, it is finally warming up. I worked in the yard this last weekend, and it was wonderful. I have little tulips and daffodils popping up everywhere. Spring and Summer have always been my favorite seasons. We filled the sandbox and the girls had a blast playing with the children from our small group at church last night. I anticipate many wonderful memories this summer of friends coming over all the time. I have a funny picture I need to post. Mollie has figured out a way to hang on to Carlie's swing and make Carlie do all the work. It is hilarious.
Also, Travis is loving his new job. It is very challenging and right up his alley. He gets excited just talking about it. I think it has helped him not think of the back pain so much. Which is actually getting better. He is currently getting off all the pain medicine and we are excited not to have all the side effects connected with it. He is in some pain, but it isn't nearly as bad as what he thought it would be. So we are very thankful because of that.
Our church is extremely small, and lacks a lot of the resources we had grown accustomed to at Southern Hills. So I decide to do something about it, and get involved. I took on teaching Bible Hour...an alternative class for children ages 3-7 to attend during actual worship. It has been a huge blessing. God inspires me each week on what to teach the children and creative ways to do it. We have been averaging about 23 kids between the ages of 3-7 each week for a few months, but yesterday it bumped up to 30 kids. Thankfully, two weeks ago we moved into a larger room. We were meeting in a room that was 8 ft/8 ft...super small. Now, we are almost outgrowing this room. The children are doing so good, and learning more and more everyday. The best part is it has reunited a fire in my heart to know God's Word. To actually prepare the lesson, I dig really deep into the scriptures and try to understand how to explain it in a way they can understand...without watering it down. God has blessed it!
Also, say a prayer for me, as I have offered to give my testimony at the Tea and Testimony for our MOPS group. I pray it will encourage one mother out there. Gotta go...Ellie is teething and has me on a very short leash. LOL

Basking in the Sun...

It was so fun. One of my dear friends from Abilene moved around the time we did to Kingwood, TX (close to Houston). So when I knew we were coming back to the area to visit grandparents, I called Karen to see if we could meet up and see each other's new additions: Ellie and Phoebe. She mentioned going to this place called Lupe's Tortilla Factory (?). Anyway, at first I was like...just Little Tike toys for a playground. Then I saw the sand, and thought "Oh, that is cool." Anyway, it turned out to BE REALLY COOL. My girls literally played in that sand for two hours, while I enjoyed a beautiful day eating amazing Mexican food and enjoying sweet fellowship with my mom and dear friend, Karen. I so wish we had the weather and restaurant here. I could so enjoy a strawberry margaritas and watch the girls play until their hearts were content...at least once a week. Of course, if you go...bring an extra pair of clothes. They were so dirty afterwards.

One day while we were in Galveston, it was especially beautiful. Ellie woke up early from her afternoon nap, and I had already been on the porch studying my Esther study. So I just brought her out with me. She had so much fun playing on the blanket with her toys. Isn't she a doll?


Here is Mollie joining us later. She thought Ellie needed a duckie.

Man, do I love the weather in Texas. I would take a 107 degree day in Wichita Falls vs. the cold days here. This summer my resolution is not to stay indoors at all. You will finding me hitting the parks and the pool everyday, all day.

Ice House, Gingerbread House, and Magic House

I wanted to share some of the fun things the girls and I have been doing together. It was just funny that this particular series of pictures all have to do with places that have "house" at the end. First, I have several pictures from the Magic "House" in St. Louis, MO. They recently added a new wing and I had been dying to check it out. Carlie being out of school for President's Day gave us the perfect opportunity. BTW-- if you come to visit us and bring the kiddos we can definitely go there. For 4 hours of AMAZING entertainment, the cost was only $12. Then next are some fun pictures of Aunt Niese and the girls decorating a gingerbread "house." Then last is our trip to the Ice "House" at the Gaylord Hotel in Nashville during Christmas break...so a little bit older.
First, the Magic House--

They have a whole "Waterworks" section. It is one of Mollie's favorite spots. They can splash, make rivers/waterfalls...and get especially wet in the process.

This is Carlie in a life-size bubble. I can't believe I was able to catch it on camera since the bubble popped shortly after.
This was my favorite part of the new wing at the Magic House...a CSI division. They let the kids crawl through air duct tunnels, use black lights, search out clues...so realistic. The magnifying glass cracked me up.

Here is Carlie pretending to be the President...perhaps one day. :) I can't describe how realistic this room was. On the left they had a courtroom and then on the right a room for the legislative branch. SO COOL!

This was taken in their "Once Upon a Time" exhibit. Here Carlie and Mollie are pretending to be cobblers. It was so fun. You could really pound on the nails in the shoes.

Here is Ellie at the Magic House...completely clueless, but loving every minute of it. She didn't sleep a wink...way too much excitement around.

This was super cool. I know I keep saying that. Anyway, you dropped the ball at the top and as it rolled down it played beautiful music. I bet they did that a thousand times.

This was a neat exhibit. Each letter in the alphabet had a small toy representing the letter. You may can see the red "W"agon.

This is the GINGERBREAD HOUSE WORKSHOP at Grandma and Grandpa Walters' house. I love seeing how much Carlie is concentrating on putting the candy in just the right spot.

This was a fun day at the church where we made gingerbread houses.

Here we are at the ICE HOUSE at the Gaylord Hotel in Nashville. This is Mollie before she got really COLD, and wanted out of there. ;)

The beauty of Christ's birth captured in ice!

Aunt Lanie chases Carlie in Whoville

So there you have it.

Hurricane Ike...

The girls and I went to Galveston, Texas to visit Mammy and Papa (aka my parents) this past weekend. Some of you may remember praying for my parents when Hurricane Ike hit early in Sept '08. The visit was shocking!!! I had been anxious to see the damage and the progress made since Hurricane Ike. Thankfully, my parent's home sustained minor damage compared to their neighbors about 15 minutes away.

Here is a view from their back porch. The flood waters completely demolished the downstairs and men are still digging trash up from the canals. Their garage was on the first floor. So basically lawn equipment, tools, boat supplies...were washed away...leaving tons of mud/trash but nothing too major. Besides some minor repairs that are still left to be done...you can see that most of the neighborhood has gone back to normal...at least on Tiki Island.

We took the ferry though to Bolavear (sp?) and the devastation was SHOCKING! The next several pictures are from there. The landscaping was dead having been under the salt water for too long...homes completely gone...boats tipped over...neighborhoods completely whipped out. People just left and haven't returned. The crews coming in to remove the trash are completely overwhelmed. These pictures were taken just two days ago...several months after Hurricane Ike actually hit. It broke my heart. Homes that were worth literally 1/2 million dollars...worthless. Imagine if your home even survived, who would want to live there? To hear that my parents months before had actually considered relocating to that area was scary.

It humbled me and reminded me what it means to be a good neighbor. No one should have to go through that kind of devastation alone. Galveston is still trying to heal and you can see it even in the smallest ways. The Lutheran church my parents attend had the entire classroom wing washed out...they now only attend church service in the chapel until it can be rebuilt. I asked if they had a microwave to heat Ellie's bottle. "It washed away" replied the girl. Oh, the things we worry about. The things we spend are money on...What a slippery slope we truly live on.