My Top 10 Memories and More of 2010

So many memories!  365 of them to be exact.  With reflection, I have narrowed those 365 memories down to just 10.  And here they are:

10. Flying on the plane with the whole family...was an adventure!
 9.  Welcome Julip!  We got a dog!
 8.  Emma Jeanne is now a Spark!
 7.  Emma Jeanne starts Kindergarten!
 6.  Macen's 1st  Birthday!  My little Macen Man.
 5.  Emma Jeanne is 5!  Wow!  She is growing up.
 4.  Gamma and Popoh Randy visit us for Christmas.
 3.  Our own home!  Yes, we live on a base, but it is ours while we are here!
 2.  Our first family vacation...Cavalier, North Dakota!  Woohoo!
 1.  Our first Christmas together just the four of us in our OWN home.

Wish I could remember all the rest, but now it's time to PARTY!  So, have a safe and happy new year!

Faith Like A Child

"You must have faith like a child."  We all have heard that phrase from various speakers, in various places, at various times.  We read about childlike faith in the Bible:  Matthew 18:2-4, Mark 10:15, and Luke 18:17 (Just to name a few).  But what exactly does it mean to have "faith like a child"?


This morning, my five year old daughter was sitting in front of our Christmas tree.  I asked, "Do you want me to turn on the TV for you?"  She replied, "No, I just want to look at the presents."  I walked out of the room and thought about how I used to just sit in front of the Christmas tree with all the presents around it.  It is a beautiful sight! 

Then it occurred to me what "faith like a child" is like.  It's like Christmas!  It's simple, pure.  Warm and cozy. 

Isn't it fitting that Christmas is the holiday that reminds us what it means to have faith like a child?  Without CHRISTmas, there would be NO Salvation, NO Easter, NO Hope.  Our salvation and renewed faith began with the child born in a manger.  God's only son.  Now that brings a whole new meaning to "faith like a child."

So, while you are sipping on your hot cocoa, sitting in front of the Christmas tree, remember what it was like as a child this Christmas...Pure faith.

Merry CHRISTmas!  and God Bless!

Goodbye Ghosties! Hello Turkeys! (What a difference ONE day can make)

Yay!  Today is November 1st!  Turkeys, warm sweaters, election day, apple cider, family, friends, autumn, wood burning stoves, pumpkin pie...   Just a few things I think of when November hits, but maybe not in that order.  November is the "Thankful" month.  It is also a time for reflection.  On this particular November 1st, I am drawn to the idea of firsts. 

Firsts are beautiful things.  The experience of a first is something that cannot be replicated.  That wide-eyed awe look of a child when they see their first snow fall.  The loss of breath when you see your beloved at the end of the aisle and knowing that they are yours and you are theirs.  Tears of joy shed by a new parent looking lovingly into the face of their newborn child.

This November 1st, has several firsts of it's own for my family.  This is the first November that I have not spent in Kentucky since my parents moved there when I was 3.  This is my family of four first November spent together since my husband Jon joined the Canadian Army.  This is our first November in our own home in the lovely province of Manitoba, Canada.  This is my first November with a sweet little pug cross named Julip.  This is the first November I won't be celebrating Thanksgiving with my family in Kentucky, but with new friends.

Some firsts are sad in nature, but with each sad ending comes a happy beginning.  I lost my first grandparent two years ago, but a year later my son was born.  One sad end was followed by a happy beginning.  Another example, maybe the most crucial one as we come into this time of Thanksgiving and Christmas, is part of the greatest and truest love story ever told.  The end, Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden, to be separated from God.  The beginning, the birth of God's only Son, the Messiah, Emmanuel, God with Us.  Hope, salvation, reconciliation.

So as we start this month of Thanksgiving reflect and be thankful!

Halloween! ("Spooky" as my 5 year old would say)

It's that time of year again.  You know, the time before all the turkeys come out (the bird, not people), and before the guy in the big red suit makes his appearance.  If you guessed it, then award yourself some of that candy you bought for all the ghosts and ghoulies who will be finding their way to your door this coming Sunday.  That's right!  It's Halloween!

Cue the theme music...from the Nightmare Before Christmas.  First, the "This is Halloween" song as the citizens of Halloween Town get ready for the big night.  Next, I have visions.  No, not of sugar plums dancing in my head, but of Jack the pumpkin king being mesmerized by the idea of Christmas.

So, where am I going with this???  Simple.  Whether you call it Halloween, Pumpkin Day, Trick or Treating, Trunk or Treating, Reformation day and the list could possibly go on, there is something that mesmerizes us about this holiday.  Just like Jack was in awe about Christmas.

For some it's the aspect of being scared.  Haunted houses, haunted cornfields, haunted this and that.  Scary movies, ghost runs, decorations, and other scary things.

For others it is the candy.  This is one time a year that we candy is allowed in the house and to be eaten.

But if you are like me, it is the costumes!

Ever since I was really little, I always loved to dress up.  My sister and I would make up little "dramas" and have a blast, while worrying mom a little bit.  Halloween gave us the license to be some else without playing in our bedroom or being on the stage.  As an adult, I find that I still love an excuse to get dressed up and be some one or something else.  Acting must run in my veins somewhere! (Yes, I know you are reading this, Dad.)

Thankfully, my daughter loves to dress up as well.  This year I got to dress up with her for a Halloween party.  We were fairies.  And tonight I get to be part of a "Live" Clue game at our church.   That had to be my favorite game growing up!  So, I'm excited!

In conclusion, my point is also simple.  Halloween is more than just about the ghosties and ghoulies!  So, have fun, be safe!  Happy Halloween!

"Mommy, do you love me?"

A few months ago, Emma Jeanne began asking me, "Mommy, do you love me?"  I exuberantly responded saying, "Yes!  Of course I love you!"

After she was reassured, I began to worry. 

What am I doing wrong if she has to ask me if I love her? 

Do I not say I love you enough?

Once my panic had risen and eventually evaporated with how busy life is, I realized that all my daughter needed was confirmation.  She knows I love her, just like I know my husband loves me...but sometimes even I need to be reassured.

I wasn't doing anything wrong.  And really, how many I love yous is really enough?  So, before you send your child off to school today, give them a really big hug.  If they ask what that is for?  Tell them, "Because I love you."

Off to school...(Wish my youngest was going too!)

My oldest is heading to Kindergarten tomorrow and everyone keeps asking me how I am feeling.  Well, I can honestly say that I am F-I-N-E.  I'm not going to cry.  I'm not going to wonder what to do with myself (mainly because I still have my 18 month old son and our dog Julip). 

No, I'm going to relish in the fact that I have a few hours before lunch and a few hours after lunch with only one child and one dog demanding my attention.  I love my daughter, and yes I do worry a little about how she is going to do (I'm not totally emotionless). 

But just think, NO DRAMA.  Anyone who has a daughter understands where I'm coming from.  I didn't realize that little girls begin acting like teenagers at age 5 (I definitely don't remember signing up for that!).

With my newfound freedom, I'm starting to plan ahead about when my son will be able to start pre-K.  Yes, I know.  He's only 18 months, but boy does he get into everything!  But just think of how much cleaning I can get done without the two kids in the house!  Wow!

Does this make me a bad mother?  No.

I love my kids and it does hit me here and there that they are growing up, but that is how it is suppose to be.  So why be down about it?  Think about the good things that can come from this. 

Yeah, as mothers we want our children to be independent, but when they reach for it we want to break out the old "monkey (or doggy) on the back".  When our children reach for their independence we should encourage it and explore our new independence as well. 

Life is beautiful in every stage!  So have a first good day at school my lovely daughter, and mommy, brother, and Julip will being waiting to here all about your adventures when you come home!  (Encourage your brother into wanting to be away from mommy!)

Can I trade in my weight for my mind back...please???

Okay, I understand the whole "mom-nesia" thing, but sheesh!  Honestly, can a girl get a break?

Here's the deal.  My brain is totally gone.  Focusing is hard and I get distracted easily, which then in turn makes me lose my train of thought.  Simple words elude me. Oh!  And make sure I write down anything you want me to do, or it probably will not happen!

Where the weight is concerned, I am about 10 pounds more than I would like to be.  That doesn't sound like much, but a couple of inches can make the difference in your favorite sweater being a little tight or actually fitting.

On the reverse, you gain weight quickly and don't realize it until you have trouble closing your jeans.  A couple of days of over-eating or eating the wrong stuff can add some weight.  Thanksgiving is coming up with all its good food and desserts.

I just wished gaining brain power was as quick, but no.  It can take years before your brain is fully functional again, but factor in old age, brain damage, and so on, you run the risk of living brainless for over half of your life.

What we do for motherhood!