she did it!

She was so brave!

When we got to the store, the first thing the girl told me was “Just so you know, we can only do one at a time tonight.”  I thought she meant they could only pierce one ear today & then we’d have to come back tomorrow for the next one.  All I could think was, there is no way Ava will come back!  I think I must have had a confused look on my face because she quickly added, “We don’t have two guns tonight.”

Ahhhh, then it clicked!

They could only pierce one ear at a time.

Yeah, I tend to operate a beat behind…

Anyway, Ava chose little pink crystal earrings (those were the ones I secretly liked the best too!).  She only cried a little & we held hands until it was over.  She got a lollipop & then we headed over to the Disney store.  By the time we headed home , she was all smiles.

Doesn’t she look so grown up?

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Happy Birthday Ava Grace

She’s 7 years old today.

Really?

Ava, I remember when you first came into our lives.  And no matter how much I am able to teach you, the truth is you will always teach me more.  God knew exactly how much I needed you.  There are times when I’ll look at you & simply be overwhelmed that He entrusted you to your daddy & me.

Baby girl, we love you so much.

And yes, today you can finally get your ears pierced!

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he makes me laugh

Garrett came running up to me last night.  He was soooooooooooooooo excited!

“Mom!  MOM!  MOMMY!  LOOK MOMMY!”

He held up his finger.

I looked at his finger.

I looked at him.

I looked at his finger again.

I didn’t get it.

Don’t you hate it when your child is showing you something they think incredible, & you just don’t see it?

But, I covered with a “Whoa!  What do you see?” 

“Mom, I lost my nail!”, he replied.

Sure enough, he broke his nail.  I thought he was going to ask for a Scooby-Doo bandaid, but instead he exclaimed…

“Now I can put it under my pillow & the nail fairy can leave me a coin!”

Ha – I admit it, I actually snorted.

🙂

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what’s your choice?

Yesterday, Adam & I celebrated our 10 year anniversary.

Our journey together has been quite the ride.  And here we are, 10 years later, still standing strong…even stronger.

I love this clip.  It’s from the movie “Parenthood.”  In it, the grandmother compares two rides – the roller coaster & the merry-go-round.  It not only is a great life metaphor, but it’s message is so applicable to marriage.

You know what?  I like the roller coaster too.

10 years ago I chose the roller coaster.

I’ve never regretted it.

And I’ll choose it every time…

My husband, I love you.

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guess what????

Today, we had a meeting today at Garrett’s school.  As I’ve shared before, Garrett is part of the IEP program.  Each year, he is evaluated to see if he qualifies for the program.  Last week, his teacher called to let us know some great news.  Garrett has met basically all of his goals & is doing incredible.  She wanted to give us the heads up that most likely, he will not qualify for the program.

All together now…

WAY TO GO GARRETT!!!

Adam & I are so proud of our little guy.  To look back & see where he started & how far he has come is truly overwhelming.

His teacher also needed to make us aware of another factor.  You see, the state paid for Garrett’s schooling since he was part of the IEP program.  However, now that he would essentially graduate & be a “regular” preschooler, we would be responsible for his tuition.  Honestly, Adam & I didn’t know how we were going to swing the extra monthly expense.  But, it was important to us that he continue at his school.  I knew that this was where he needed to be & that somehow we would make it work.

Then came the second sticky part.  While at the meeting, we also found out that there is a waiting list for kids to attend the school.  So, the team we were with couldn’t guarantee that Garrett would even be able to attend.  I admit, that was discouraging.  I was concerned about how Garrett would handle transitioning to a new school.  I shared these feelings in the meeting & told them that if we could make it work, then we wanted Garrett there.  The staff is incredible & we still wanted him with them.  On a whim, someone suggested that he be evaluated for pre-kindergarten assistance.  It turned out the woman was in the building that day & could see Garrett this afternoon.  We gave our consent & left.  I felt a twinge of sadness that he may no longer attend his school.  But, it didn’t in any way affect the joy of witnessing his progress.

And then this afternoon I received a call.

Not only will Garrett continue at the same school, with the same schedule, in the same classroom, with the same teacher, but his tuition is also being covered.  Isn’t that incredible?!?!  So, while he did move out of the IEP program, he still qualified for pre-kindergarten assistance.  I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am right now!

The only difference is that he will no longer ride the bus.  I wasn’t sure how Garrett would react to the news.  However, when I told him that Mommy & Grady will now drive him to school & pick him up every day, he started beaming.

What a day!

Thank you God for our son.  Thank you for providing for his educational needs & for placing people in his life who have directly influenced the amazing boy he is.  You know how rough it’s been & how much I needed this extra touch today.  Thank you, my God.

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ava-o’-lantern

Ava lost her front tooth last night!

I swear, this child has an obsession with her teeth.  She very well may follow in the footsteps of her Aunt Laur Laur & Uncle Brandon.

She came home from school & showed me how she could twist it & wiggle it around with her tongue.  Sure enough, later that night, she managed to pull it out.

The tooth fairy leaves dollar coins in our home.  Now, you would think that after last time, we would have invested in a few coins.  But, alas, Adam & I are sometimes slow to learn.  But, we are resourceful…

So, we took the original coin she got for her first tooth & put it under her pillow.  This morning I just made sure she spent the entire time downstairs with me, so she wouldn’t go looking for the coin.  She was so surprised when I brought down her clothes & toothbrush.  We were working on birthday stuff, so I told her I’d take care of getting her things ready.  Luckily, it worked!

This afternoon, Graders & I are going to the bank & buying lots of coins.  This time, we’re getting it right – ha!

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Rainbow Drive

The timing of the video in this post couldn’t have been better.

About a month ago, I had this strange pressing that I should walk down Rainbow Drive.  It came completely out of the blue.  You see, Rainbow Drive was a block away from the street I grew up on.  I haven’t been on or thought about Rainbow Drive in 25 years!

I shared this with one of my friends the day before I left for Nashville last month.  The very next day, I was in a studio on Music Row.  I met one of the coaches there & in the course of our conversation we discovered that we grew up in the same small town in Illinois.  And he lived on…wait for it…Rainbow Drive.

AHHHHHH!!!!  To call this a “coincidence” would be insulting to God.  No freaking way does a random small town Illinois street from one’s childhood pop into one’s head & then does said “one” meet another person the very next day, in the middle of Nashville, TN who lived on that very street.  Nope.  God-moment all the way.

It was such a sweet moment.  For me, it was a little affirmation from God that I’m taking the right steps down a path He’s laid out before me.

Anyway, I realized just this week that I never did take that walk.  So, Graders & I took a little trip on Friday.  Adam was working from home that day & would be there when Ava & Garrett got home from school.

And yes, Grady & I took a walk down Rainbow Drive (well, I walked…he rode in the wagon).

It was surreal.  I was amazed at all the memories that came rushing back.  I walked past our old house.  It’s still like I remember it, but the tree that I used to fall asleep under in our backyard is now ginormous.  I am thankful to have many wonderful memories from my childhood.  There are parts of it I definitely miss.  As I walked the old streets I could almost here the sound of the tires from our old bikes as we used to race up & down the sidewalks.   However, once you got on Rainbow Drive things changed.  One of the most unique things about Rainbow Drive is there are no sidewalks.  So, you had to ride on the street.  And to this day, there are no sidewalks on Rainbow Drive.  Hmmm…maybe I’ll use that as a lyric.

We watched this Trace Adkins video in church this past Sunday.  It’s called “You’re Gonna Miss This.”  It’s a cool depiction of taking the time to enjoy moments as they come.  Sure enough, one day you’ll look back & miss it.  Of course this isn’t true for all moments.  But, every now & again, we want to rush through life & hurry things along.  And it isn’t until we look back in our rearview mirror do we appreciate what we had when we had it.

Enjoy!

Vodpod videos no longer available.

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keep in mind

I came across this series of verses this morning.  Timeless words of wisdom, whose application is the key to right living with one another:

^“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

~Colossians 3:12-17

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