11.26.2010
Baby 3
baby girl is getting so big i can see her breathing! at least i think that's her breathing...
11.23.2010
Unlike the game “Simon Says,” with the church, if Jesus says it – we just memorize it – we don’t do it. If I ask my daughter to clean her room, I don’t want her to come back to me and say, “Dad – I memorized your words. I can say them in Greek. We did a study on what it means to clean my room.” No – I would just want her to clean it.
-Francis Chan
-Francis Chan
11.22.2010
lily might like the new minivan more than i do. she is amazed by the auto sliding doors and continues to exclaim 'mommy its beeeeeeautiful!' when she climbs in.
she is beyond thrilled to be in the middle seat and can see where we are going and can 'see the sky' (through the sunroof). i asked her if she liked it and would help mommy and she said "yes, i'll hold the baby's hand and give her a paci and when eve cries i'll say 'its okay eve, we're almost there!'"
lord i love that girl.
she is beyond thrilled to be in the middle seat and can see where we are going and can 'see the sky' (through the sunroof). i asked her if she liked it and would help mommy and she said "yes, i'll hold the baby's hand and give her a paci and when eve cries i'll say 'its okay eve, we're almost there!'"
lord i love that girl.
11.19.2010
11.13.2010
best feeling all day: watching eve point to the moon yelling 'moon! reach reach reach!' waving her hands in the air trying to jump for it.
most bizarre feeling all day: sitting in the drivers seat to test drive a minivan. i felt like i should be driving a gaggle of kids to church camp instead of my (soon to be) threesome.
feeling i'm most looking forward to of the day: my eyes closing for more than 45 minutes at a stretch. this pregnancy insomnia is for the birds.
most bizarre feeling all day: sitting in the drivers seat to test drive a minivan. i felt like i should be driving a gaggle of kids to church camp instead of my (soon to be) threesome.
feeling i'm most looking forward to of the day: my eyes closing for more than 45 minutes at a stretch. this pregnancy insomnia is for the birds.
11.12.2010
eve moves at 2mph. its fine unless you're actually trying to GO somewhere and its getting really uncomfortable to carry her everywhere and i'm exhausted. which leads me to this morning...
we were going to the bookstore and lily followed me to the car, got in, eve is still standing on the front porch. i said 'let's go eve!' about 5 times and she just stood there. ignoring me.
mind you, she is fully aware of what i'm asking her to do and she is capable of following directions. she is choosing to ignore me.
so i strap lily in and called out 'bye eve!' waving to her on the porch and started to drive away. i slowly backed down the driveway, pulled up to the front curb, and rolled down the window. she's just standing there saying 'mama?' with her head tilted, very confused and i called out 'are you coming???' and she yelled 'yes yes yes!' and ran down the yard to the car.
of course this whole time lily is concerned & saying 'i hope eve decides to come with us! we can't leave her!' and i'm telling her 'we are NOT leaving her lily, i'm trying to teach her a lesson'
all that because i am too tired to walk back up the driveway to get my child off the porch.
and to top it off- it is TOTALLY something my dad would have done to me, who i pretty much thought was crazy until i became a parent and realized he was a genius.
we were going to the bookstore and lily followed me to the car, got in, eve is still standing on the front porch. i said 'let's go eve!' about 5 times and she just stood there. ignoring me.
mind you, she is fully aware of what i'm asking her to do and she is capable of following directions. she is choosing to ignore me.
so i strap lily in and called out 'bye eve!' waving to her on the porch and started to drive away. i slowly backed down the driveway, pulled up to the front curb, and rolled down the window. she's just standing there saying 'mama?' with her head tilted, very confused and i called out 'are you coming???' and she yelled 'yes yes yes!' and ran down the yard to the car.
of course this whole time lily is concerned & saying 'i hope eve decides to come with us! we can't leave her!' and i'm telling her 'we are NOT leaving her lily, i'm trying to teach her a lesson'
all that because i am too tired to walk back up the driveway to get my child off the porch.
and to top it off- it is TOTALLY something my dad would have done to me, who i pretty much thought was crazy until i became a parent and realized he was a genius.
11.10.2010
today i unfortunately have a plea to pass on that makes me doubly sad having just commemorated orphan sunday. so many beautiful children in this world simply looking for a family, for love, and ultimately, for the Father.
this is a repost from my sweet friend Ali's site. please pass this on or contact the woman below if you can be of help.
There's other stuff I want to say today, but this is on my heart and it's really important that this sweet boy finds the right home. I can't say much more without getting really involved in the subject. Please pass this along to anyone who might want to adopt baby Luke!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baby boy "Luke"
born September 7, 2010
Caucasian
Born full-term at 39.5 weeks
6 lbs 4 ozs
19 1/2"
Baby Luke was diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome. He was discharged from the hospital on October 25th, and is with a temporary care family. He is being fed by a g-tube and is doing very well. A speech therapist, occupational therapist, and physical therapist have been working with him weekly. Both birth parents continue to express a strong interest in making an adoption plan for Luke.
Birth parents are educated professionals. Birth mom received excellent prenatal care of this planned pregnancy. No history of alcohol or drug usage. The birthparents are willing to consider an adoptive family residing anywhere in the USA. Their number one concern is that an adoptive family will have a great deal of knowledge about Prader-Willi syndrome and be ready to offer a structured environment in a loving home to their son with full understanding of challenges the child may face. Birthparents are not requesting an open adoption.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to be considered as adoptive parents for this little boy.
Thank you,
Leslie Wright,MSW
Birth Parent Counselor
Family Resource Center
5828 North Clark St
Chicago, IL 60660
Phone:773-334-2300
jturner@f-r-c.org
www.f-r-c.org
this is a repost from my sweet friend Ali's site. please pass this on or contact the woman below if you can be of help.
There's other stuff I want to say today, but this is on my heart and it's really important that this sweet boy finds the right home. I can't say much more without getting really involved in the subject. Please pass this along to anyone who might want to adopt baby Luke!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baby boy "Luke"
born September 7, 2010
Caucasian
Born full-term at 39.5 weeks
6 lbs 4 ozs
19 1/2"
Baby Luke was diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome. He was discharged from the hospital on October 25th, and is with a temporary care family. He is being fed by a g-tube and is doing very well. A speech therapist, occupational therapist, and physical therapist have been working with him weekly. Both birth parents continue to express a strong interest in making an adoption plan for Luke.
Birth parents are educated professionals. Birth mom received excellent prenatal care of this planned pregnancy. No history of alcohol or drug usage. The birthparents are willing to consider an adoptive family residing anywhere in the USA. Their number one concern is that an adoptive family will have a great deal of knowledge about Prader-Willi syndrome and be ready to offer a structured environment in a loving home to their son with full understanding of challenges the child may face. Birthparents are not requesting an open adoption.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to be considered as adoptive parents for this little boy.
Thank you,
Leslie Wright,MSW
Birth Parent Counselor
Family Resource Center
5828 North Clark St
Chicago, IL 60660
Phone:773-334-2300
jturner@f-r-c.org
www.f-r-c.org
11.05.2010
10.31.2010
happy happy halloween! or as lily sang at dinner "happy birthday, dear molll-lllie"
more pictures on the photo blog, but for fun, look at how much they have grown! its hard to believe they will have a third partner in crime next year.
more pictures on the photo blog, but for fun, look at how much they have grown! its hard to believe they will have a third partner in crime next year.
10.26.2010
i remember going to buy lily a 'big sister' book when i was pregnant with eve. she loved it, she still loves it. we hadn't read it in a while and she picked it out tonight for her bedtime story.
i pulled eve and lily onto the bed to read it all together. i read the page:
the baby is too little to walk.
the baby is too little to talk.
the baby is too little to play with toys.
the baby is too little to little to eat pizza or apples or ice cream.
then i said 'lily is eve a baby?' and she nodded 'yes'. i asked, 'does she walk, talk, play with toys and eat pizza?' and a puzzled nod followed.
i said 'she's not a baby anymore is she?'
lily called out 'awwwwwww!!!!!' and gave eve a huge hug.
even my 3 year old is nostalgic.
i pulled eve and lily onto the bed to read it all together. i read the page:
the baby is too little to walk.
the baby is too little to talk.
the baby is too little to play with toys.
the baby is too little to little to eat pizza or apples or ice cream.
then i said 'lily is eve a baby?' and she nodded 'yes'. i asked, 'does she walk, talk, play with toys and eat pizza?' and a puzzled nod followed.
i said 'she's not a baby anymore is she?'
lily called out 'awwwwwww!!!!!' and gave eve a huge hug.
even my 3 year old is nostalgic.
i just sneezed and lily yelled 'BLESS YOU' through the wall. its nap time and i'm at my desk in the office next to her room. it really makes me want to run in and play with her (since she clearly is forgoing her nap today anyway).
i have 7 more weeks with my girls before our world gets rocked again. i am quickly getting to the super uncomfortable phase, still have not chosen a name, rarely sleep and am finishing up the last few weeks of work. as i get more uncomfortable, cranky, and tired i am trying to listen to good music to improve my mood and spend time thinking about what i'm thankful for.
afterall, thanksgiving is just around the corner. i'm so thankful for my husband. so so thankful for my girls. i'm thankful to have learned my limits this past year and chosen to stick by them as much as possible so that my girls and my husband know they are my priorities. i'm thankful for my family and the support of my friends.
i'm thankful that i've refrained from killing my dog no matter how annoying i find him these days. i'm thankful that despite my frustrations lately, i haven't added any curse words to lily's vocabulary. i'm thankful for my housekeepers since i can barely manage to straighten up the house every 2 weeks for them to deep clean.
i'm thankful that in 48 days i get to meet my baby.
i have 7 more weeks with my girls before our world gets rocked again. i am quickly getting to the super uncomfortable phase, still have not chosen a name, rarely sleep and am finishing up the last few weeks of work. as i get more uncomfortable, cranky, and tired i am trying to listen to good music to improve my mood and spend time thinking about what i'm thankful for.
afterall, thanksgiving is just around the corner. i'm so thankful for my husband. so so thankful for my girls. i'm thankful to have learned my limits this past year and chosen to stick by them as much as possible so that my girls and my husband know they are my priorities. i'm thankful for my family and the support of my friends.
i'm thankful that i've refrained from killing my dog no matter how annoying i find him these days. i'm thankful that despite my frustrations lately, i haven't added any curse words to lily's vocabulary. i'm thankful for my housekeepers since i can barely manage to straighten up the house every 2 weeks for them to deep clean.
i'm thankful that in 48 days i get to meet my baby.
10.24.2010
Eve counting
we were having breakfast at my parents' house this weekend and eve just started counting over and over 'ooooone duuuuuu'. now i'm fairly certain she learned this from me threatening her sister
"lily! get over here! one... two........" she always seems to make it JUST before 'three' so eve may never learn to count past two unless i get off my lazy bum and teach her :)
"lily! get over here! one... two........" she always seems to make it JUST before 'three' so eve may never learn to count past two unless i get off my lazy bum and teach her :)
10.12.2010
more life lessons for miss lily. i have a feeling this is still just the tip of the iceberg.
as you have seen from time to time, lily has some serious style. the other day she had dressed herself in a purple shirt, khaki skirt, one knee-high pink sock & one knee-high gray sock with brown shoes. we were at the park and another little girl a few swings down started pointing at lily calling out 'that's funny!' and laughing.
lily looked bewildered for a second, then an expression crossed her face that broke my heart. i watched her cross her legs to try to block her mismatched socks from view and she sheepishly looked up to me for direction. i was quick to say 'sweetheart i love you and i love your socks'.
to be fair, the other girl wasn't intending to be mean, just had a genuine reaction. but seeing my baby be self-conscious for the first time was more than sad. it really made me dread her getting older and being more concerned with what others think.
her amazing dad sat her down at home and gave her a pep talk 'if other people don't like something we like, that's their problem! if YOU like your socks, that is all that matters to me.'
i'm sure lily hasn't given that moment another thought but i'm not sure i'll ever forget the look on her face and her little crossed legs on the swings.
as you have seen from time to time, lily has some serious style. the other day she had dressed herself in a purple shirt, khaki skirt, one knee-high pink sock & one knee-high gray sock with brown shoes. we were at the park and another little girl a few swings down started pointing at lily calling out 'that's funny!' and laughing.
lily looked bewildered for a second, then an expression crossed her face that broke my heart. i watched her cross her legs to try to block her mismatched socks from view and she sheepishly looked up to me for direction. i was quick to say 'sweetheart i love you and i love your socks'.
to be fair, the other girl wasn't intending to be mean, just had a genuine reaction. but seeing my baby be self-conscious for the first time was more than sad. it really made me dread her getting older and being more concerned with what others think.
her amazing dad sat her down at home and gave her a pep talk 'if other people don't like something we like, that's their problem! if YOU like your socks, that is all that matters to me.'
i'm sure lily hasn't given that moment another thought but i'm not sure i'll ever forget the look on her face and her little crossed legs on the swings.
10.07.2010
9.29.2010
one thing i adore about lily is how much she loves her family. i actually showed her a picture of me, kevin, lily, and eve and said 'look its your family!' and she said 'no!! so many people are missing!' and proceeded to list her entire extended family.
this picture of her older cousin lucy holding her really makes me smile. lucy was so proud to be able to pick her up and lily LOVED being picked up.
note: lily is wearing tap shoes that she got out of an awesome bag of hand-me-downs that lucy brought over and hasn't taken them off much since!
this picture of her older cousin lucy holding her really makes me smile. lucy was so proud to be able to pick her up and lily LOVED being picked up.
note: lily is wearing tap shoes that she got out of an awesome bag of hand-me-downs that lucy brought over and hasn't taken them off much since!
9.28.2010
lily was so worn out from her weekend in dallas that she was still napping yesterday when she is usually shouting 'mommy, the clock says FOUR!' and excitedly jumping up and down on her bed.
a few minutes later i decided to crawl into bed with her and enjoy a few minutes of cuddles while she finished sleeping. i snuck under her covers and she flopped a tired arm around me and seemingly in her sleep muttered 'i love you mama' and continued to snooze.
my heart was so full and i laid there stroking her soft blonde hair and her cute little cheeks and found myself praying in whisper.
lord thank you for this child. thank you for her beating heart and for her deep breaths. thank you for her wild imagination and her trusting spirit. thank you for this awesome responsibility of being her mom. thank you most of all that she is your child first and foremost and that i have been trusted with her for now.
the longer i lay there looking around her quiet room with the fan ticking away i tried to see her room through her eyes. this is her childhood. this room will be the faintest memory of pink one day.
its just all so amazing and impossible to encapsulate.
she slowly woke up with stretches and blinks and had a sweet smile on her face upon discovering mama in her bed. definitely a moment to cherish.
a few minutes later i decided to crawl into bed with her and enjoy a few minutes of cuddles while she finished sleeping. i snuck under her covers and she flopped a tired arm around me and seemingly in her sleep muttered 'i love you mama' and continued to snooze.
my heart was so full and i laid there stroking her soft blonde hair and her cute little cheeks and found myself praying in whisper.
lord thank you for this child. thank you for her beating heart and for her deep breaths. thank you for her wild imagination and her trusting spirit. thank you for this awesome responsibility of being her mom. thank you most of all that she is your child first and foremost and that i have been trusted with her for now.
the longer i lay there looking around her quiet room with the fan ticking away i tried to see her room through her eyes. this is her childhood. this room will be the faintest memory of pink one day.
its just all so amazing and impossible to encapsulate.
she slowly woke up with stretches and blinks and had a sweet smile on her face upon discovering mama in her bed. definitely a moment to cherish.
9.27.2010
9.23.2010
9.20.2010
Eve 'no'
a little voice saying 'no' only holds endearment for so long. and its not very long at all, but for now, its still cute...
9.19.2010
there's nothing like hearing the chorus of belly laughs of my three favorite people.
just a few snapshots of them goofing around before bedtime HERE
just a few snapshots of them goofing around before bedtime HERE
9.16.2010
my sweet compassionate lily. i dropped her at her preschool today and looked at the bulletin board where they had put a 'getting to know you' page for each of the 8 kids in her class. i looked at lily's and it had questions about your favorite food (peanut butter & jelly) and siblings (baby eve) and also asked 'i am happiest when....'
the answers around the board were mostly 'hugging my mommy' and 'reading with daddy' type responses.
lily's? 'when i am feeding baby bluebirds.'
seriously? since when does she feed baby bluebirds?? she does have a dora story where they help a baby bluebird find his mommy, but as far as i know she doesn't spend a whole lot of time feeding them...
sweet lily. she has such a tender heart and i love her so much it hurts.
the answers around the board were mostly 'hugging my mommy' and 'reading with daddy' type responses.
lily's? 'when i am feeding baby bluebirds.'
seriously? since when does she feed baby bluebirds?? she does have a dora story where they help a baby bluebird find his mommy, but as far as i know she doesn't spend a whole lot of time feeding them...
sweet lily. she has such a tender heart and i love her so much it hurts.
9.13.2010
9.10.2010
9.06.2010
Eve's animal sounds
oh how i LOVE me a good 3 day weekend. despite being thrown back into work in trial-by-fire fashion (2 weddings and 3 portrait sessions in 8 days) i had a GREAT weekend with family.
tomorrow is the first day of 'school' for us and eve's first day ever!! i can't wait to see how much fun they have. eve and lil have been playing pretend school a lot lately- so we will see if they think the real deal is as fun :)
and because i can't seem to get enough of little eve's teeny voice...
tomorrow is the first day of 'school' for us and eve's first day ever!! i can't wait to see how much fun they have. eve and lil have been playing pretend school a lot lately- so we will see if they think the real deal is as fun :)
and because i can't seem to get enough of little eve's teeny voice...
9.03.2010
one lovely side effect of being a donovan is the curse of fits of laughter that really come from nowhere. once you hear another donovan in the act, you join in and eventually you all have sore sides and are out of breath and no one is sure why or how it all started.
i went in to get eve out of her bed after naps and was recording her because i think its funny that after a full 3 hours in her crib she still doesn't really want to get out. she is such a cuddle bug.
what happened instead was a fit of laughter that reminded me she really is half donovan :)
(excuse my snake noise about halfway through- its kinda scary sounding! ha!)
i went in to get eve out of her bed after naps and was recording her because i think its funny that after a full 3 hours in her crib she still doesn't really want to get out. she is such a cuddle bug.
what happened instead was a fit of laughter that reminded me she really is half donovan :)
(excuse my snake noise about halfway through- its kinda scary sounding! ha!)
i'm the first to admit i love my alone time in the morning. i wake up an hour before the girls intentionally so that i can have time to sip my coffee, read, catch up on the news*, and get mentally awake for the day.
today i slept in unintentionally and was honestly bugged when lily announced over her monitor "its two circles mommy! eight!!" and my coffee was scarcely touched.
i got them up, we started our morning rituals and instead of making breakfast right away i sat down to drink my coffee and before i knew it, i had a little buddy. now this i could get used to :)
*'news' means cnn some days and facebook others. don't judge.
today i slept in unintentionally and was honestly bugged when lily announced over her monitor "its two circles mommy! eight!!" and my coffee was scarcely touched.
i got them up, we started our morning rituals and instead of making breakfast right away i sat down to drink my coffee and before i knew it, i had a little buddy. now this i could get used to :)
*'news' means cnn some days and facebook others. don't judge.
8.30.2010
8.28.2010
i cannot believe august is already coming to an end. this time at home on the weekends has been so precious for me. i have just loved it!
thankfully going back to work next week i'll be shooting a wedding for the most amazing couple- that will help the adjustment back to work so much!
today we took advantage of the cooler (haha) weather and went down to town lake. we walked, people watched, fed swans, then headed to waterloo for lunch.
lots of pictures HERE
thankfully going back to work next week i'll be shooting a wedding for the most amazing couple- that will help the adjustment back to work so much!
today we took advantage of the cooler (haha) weather and went down to town lake. we walked, people watched, fed swans, then headed to waterloo for lunch.
lots of pictures HERE
8.27.2010
Quack
seriously, what is cuter? how she says 'quack quack' or her ridiculous obsession with those darn fingers??
8.26.2010
lily is so not allowed to watch the weather forecast anymore.
she heard the term 'cold front' and got SO EXCITED about it that she insisted on wearing a jacket to the grocery store at 4pm... in august... in texas. it was 95 degrees and she had on a yellow cotton sundress, two left shoes (one black, one navy) and a blue sweatshirt hooded jacket.
she insisted she wasn't hot.
she heard the term 'cold front' and got SO EXCITED about it that she insisted on wearing a jacket to the grocery store at 4pm... in august... in texas. it was 95 degrees and she had on a yellow cotton sundress, two left shoes (one black, one navy) and a blue sweatshirt hooded jacket.
she insisted she wasn't hot.
8.25.2010
so fun to be highlighted on another great blog today!
head over to check it out!
confessions of a city eater
head over to check it out!
confessions of a city eater
8.23.2010
we got an update letter from the 3 year-old little girl we sponsor in brazil today and i read it to lily. she was so interested in fabiana that she brought the letter to bed. learning her favorite color and that she has 8 siblings was super exciting for her, but she was confused to learn that they don't have enough drinking water.
me: do you have all the water you could ever want to drink?
lily: yes! i do!
me: fabiana doesn't have enough water
lily: is she really really thirsty?
me: i'm sure she is.
lily: does she have maybe orange juice to drink?
sweet girl.
me: do you have all the water you could ever want to drink?
lily: yes! i do!
me: fabiana doesn't have enough water
lily: is she really really thirsty?
me: i'm sure she is.
lily: does she have maybe orange juice to drink?
sweet girl.
Whistle
the girls love it when i use grass to whistle really loud and it cracks me up when they hold the grass up to their mouths and squeeeeeeeal like they are whistling too.
8.22.2010
it has been a pretty lazy weekend. we had fun at the liebster berry household saturday night and today we have read more books than i can recount.
just now i was cuddling with kevin in the playroom, eve saw us from across the room and immediately walked with open arms towards us for a group hug. how did i get so lucky??
just now i was cuddling with kevin in the playroom, eve saw us from across the room and immediately walked with open arms towards us for a group hug. how did i get so lucky??
8.19.2010
shared with me this morning based on a conversation had last night by a missionary we bought chapstick and cd's for who is moving to ethiopia in two weeks...**
"Nadine and I would sit for hours in her room," she began. "Mostly we would talk about boys or school, but always, by the end of it, we talked about God. The thing I loved about Nadine was that I never felt like she was selling anything. She would talk about God as if she knew Him, as if she had talked to Him on the phone that day. She was never ashamed, which is the thing with some Christians I had encountered. They felt like they had to sell God, as if He were soap or a vacuum cleaner, and it's like they really weren't listening to me; they didn't care, they just wanted me to buy their product. I came to realize that I had judged all Christians on the personalities of a few. That was frightening for me, too, because it had been so easy just to dismiss Christians as nuts, but here was Nadine. I didn't have a category for her. To Nadine, God was a being with which she interacted, and even more, Nadine believed that God liked her. I thought that was beautiful. And more than that, her faith was a spiritual thing that produced a humanitarianism that was convicting.'"
** how's that for the most random run-on sentence you've read all day?
8.16.2010
8.15.2010
words are powerful- definitely not a subject of controversy. but this morning i was impressed by these amazing images of a study done on the power of words to affect something other than the human heart.
masuru emoto did a crazy experiment of the effects of words over water. he took samples of water and froze them while introducing them to either positive or negative words. through specific messages and prayers, the water took on different forms amazingly reflective of his input.
just a really neat and tangible visual of the way our words impact each other. but as james is quick to point out. its not an issue to tackle at the tongue, its a heart issue.
masuru emoto did a crazy experiment of the effects of words over water. he took samples of water and froze them while introducing them to either positive or negative words. through specific messages and prayers, the water took on different forms amazingly reflective of his input.
just a really neat and tangible visual of the way our words impact each other. but as james is quick to point out. its not an issue to tackle at the tongue, its a heart issue.
water wrapped with "you make me sick" while freezing:
water wrapped with "love & appreciation" while freezing:
water wrapped with "love & appreciation" while freezing:
8.14.2010
purging. i'm in a purging kind of mood (and no, not the sonic oreo blast i just scarfed down, i'll be keeping that inside, thankyouverymuch). i cleaned out our toys last weekend and today started in on my closet.
i only have 3 button down shirts left hanging in what used to be my 'work clothes' section. and honestly, its probably 3 more than i really need.
i talked to my mom in the middle of today's cleanse and she wanted to be sure i didn't give away too much just because i'm pregnant and things don't fit right now. i was sure to tell her i have plenty of clothes no matter what i choose to donate right now.
part of our conversation went a little like this:
mom: you don't have THAT much clothes
me: oh mom, i have a lot. too much. i mean, its true i don't have 29 white t-shirts...
mom: i don't have 29 white t-shirts!!
me: you absolutely do, i counted last time i was in your closet!
mom: well.... it depends on what you consider a 'tshirt' i suppose. i mean some are v-necks, some are sleeveless...
me: mom. i am SO blogging this.
::cue laughter from both of us::
so no, i don't have 29 white t-shirts, but it feels good to look at that pile and get it out of my room and into the hands of someone who needs it more than i do!
i only have 3 button down shirts left hanging in what used to be my 'work clothes' section. and honestly, its probably 3 more than i really need.
i talked to my mom in the middle of today's cleanse and she wanted to be sure i didn't give away too much just because i'm pregnant and things don't fit right now. i was sure to tell her i have plenty of clothes no matter what i choose to donate right now.
part of our conversation went a little like this:
mom: you don't have THAT much clothes
me: oh mom, i have a lot. too much. i mean, its true i don't have 29 white t-shirts...
mom: i don't have 29 white t-shirts!!
me: you absolutely do, i counted last time i was in your closet!
mom: well.... it depends on what you consider a 'tshirt' i suppose. i mean some are v-necks, some are sleeveless...
me: mom. i am SO blogging this.
::cue laughter from both of us::
so no, i don't have 29 white t-shirts, but it feels good to look at that pile and get it out of my room and into the hands of someone who needs it more than i do!
8.12.2010
i was talking to a friend yesterday about a segment she had listened to on npr that featured a christian man whose perspective on social and environmental issues sounded starkly different to the 'religious right'. he was describing the concept that we are to be stewards of this earth and use its resources responsibly.
now i realize its easier said than done, but gosh doesn't it sound like a no brainer to treat the earth as a gift? at least TRY to be intentional about the ways we use and treat it?
i just can't help but feel like this is another example of mainstream western christians using the bible to justify our lifestyle instead of really letting the bible guide our choices & convictions. you can't just cherry pick the parts that jive with you and ignore the hard parts. i feel like everywhere i turn lately that is what i see.
mind you, i am the last one that will line up to throw any stones. i'm just saddened that this mainstream sentiment is what the majority of people have come in contact with as 'christianity' when it seems so far from what jesus advocated.
now i realize its easier said than done, but gosh doesn't it sound like a no brainer to treat the earth as a gift? at least TRY to be intentional about the ways we use and treat it?
i just can't help but feel like this is another example of mainstream western christians using the bible to justify our lifestyle instead of really letting the bible guide our choices & convictions. you can't just cherry pick the parts that jive with you and ignore the hard parts. i feel like everywhere i turn lately that is what i see.
mind you, i am the last one that will line up to throw any stones. i'm just saddened that this mainstream sentiment is what the majority of people have come in contact with as 'christianity' when it seems so far from what jesus advocated.
8.06.2010
'i like your Christ, but i do not like your Christians. your Christians are so unlike your Christ.' -Ghandi
perceptive guy. and sorry, but you're going to have to put up with posts like this while i get through this book. i don't know anyone else reading it so i will continue my dialog with the collective YOU :)
perceptive guy. and sorry, but you're going to have to put up with posts like this while i get through this book. i don't know anyone else reading it so i will continue my dialog with the collective YOU :)
8.05.2010
8.04.2010
read this today (while cramming before small group tonight. seriously one day i will actually stay ahead of the curve) and thought it was oddly connected to the post below :)
community is about god's redemptive work in uniting diverse people together in Christ. the call of community isn't about finding people just like us, or excluding those who aren't. it's most definitely not about christians finding other christian friends. community, in the scriptural sense, is the result of unlike people committing to love and serve each other and the world.
community is about god's redemptive work in uniting diverse people together in Christ. the call of community isn't about finding people just like us, or excluding those who aren't. it's most definitely not about christians finding other christian friends. community, in the scriptural sense, is the result of unlike people committing to love and serve each other and the world.
8.01.2010
prepare yourself for rambling. i am just sitting here and a few scattered thoughts from the past few days are hitting me all at once and their interconnectedness seems to be obvious to ME in this moment but i'm not sure i'll be able to effectively communicate my thoughts.
even as a kid i remember having the distinct feeling that no one really understood me. whether it was my inability to articulate in a way that could draw a commonality or maybe a desire to keep a certain amount of comfortable distance between me and others, i'm not sure. it wasn't really until college that i felt i met a few people who 'got' me. in late high school i was lucky enough to meet a few people who, whether they 'got' me or not, accepted me 100% for who i was.
so all that to say, i'm not sure i'm very good at communicating thoughts like these...
the other day i had my sweet friend erin over for dinner and she commented that in reading my photography blog she was struck by how positive i always sound. she said, no matter the session i seemed to have something upbeat, fun, positive to say. we laughed that by reading it you definitely wouldn't know what a pessimist i can be in real life.
fast forward to this morning at church as we make our way through the book of james, we were discussing what he has to say about preferential treatment. i made it through the service, thoughtful as always, but not necessarily getting anything personal out of it other than my complete bias towards people who 'look' like me, who seem familiar to me, who i see and immediately think 'maybe they will 'get' me. and my complete disregard for the fact that my behavior is contrary to jesus' whole message of grace and inclusion.
that sounds like enough of a lesson to get out of the sermon, right?
i thought so. until i sat here just now thinking about my life and my work. and erin's comment.
it's not that i am not being myself when i post my photography, but its definitely a cheerier version of myself. i have to work at being preferred. its what i do. i work at having my photography, my vision, my colors, and my personality preferred over others so that clients will hire ME. not that there is anything inherently 'wrong' with that, but gosh its exhausting.
way back in april, i set aside the month of august as family time. rest time. anything but WORK time. now i am looking forward to it even more than ever. just time to process the past two years of work, of babies, of family, of changes and be able to make intentional choices about the next few months & years.
i warned you about the rambling...
even as a kid i remember having the distinct feeling that no one really understood me. whether it was my inability to articulate in a way that could draw a commonality or maybe a desire to keep a certain amount of comfortable distance between me and others, i'm not sure. it wasn't really until college that i felt i met a few people who 'got' me. in late high school i was lucky enough to meet a few people who, whether they 'got' me or not, accepted me 100% for who i was.
so all that to say, i'm not sure i'm very good at communicating thoughts like these...
the other day i had my sweet friend erin over for dinner and she commented that in reading my photography blog she was struck by how positive i always sound. she said, no matter the session i seemed to have something upbeat, fun, positive to say. we laughed that by reading it you definitely wouldn't know what a pessimist i can be in real life.
fast forward to this morning at church as we make our way through the book of james, we were discussing what he has to say about preferential treatment. i made it through the service, thoughtful as always, but not necessarily getting anything personal out of it other than my complete bias towards people who 'look' like me, who seem familiar to me, who i see and immediately think 'maybe they will 'get' me. and my complete disregard for the fact that my behavior is contrary to jesus' whole message of grace and inclusion.
that sounds like enough of a lesson to get out of the sermon, right?
i thought so. until i sat here just now thinking about my life and my work. and erin's comment.
it's not that i am not being myself when i post my photography, but its definitely a cheerier version of myself. i have to work at being preferred. its what i do. i work at having my photography, my vision, my colors, and my personality preferred over others so that clients will hire ME. not that there is anything inherently 'wrong' with that, but gosh its exhausting.
way back in april, i set aside the month of august as family time. rest time. anything but WORK time. now i am looking forward to it even more than ever. just time to process the past two years of work, of babies, of family, of changes and be able to make intentional choices about the next few months & years.
i warned you about the rambling...
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