My toes need sand!

 

This is the first summer since i can't remember when that i haven't been to the beach. I miss the beach. I miss the smells of the beach, the smell of the saltwater, feeling the sun and mostly, the sand between my toes. I miss just closing my eyes and listening to the water roll in, wave after wave. Of course, those days of a self-centered beach vacation for just me, lol, are gone but what will replace it will be even better: beach vacations with Emma. Hopefully, we'll be able to get to the beach in September or October....until then, i guess i'll just have to dream on the sand on my toes and the smell of the saltwater in the air!

Sleeping like a baby.....

 

....is the one thing that i would like to do more than anything right now. I'm still fighting off this cold/step thing and i'm about to wave the white flag and give up. I don't take anything that will really let me sleep as i won't be able to hear Emma in my slumber; so, my sleeping the past few days hasn't been of the restful kind. Of course, i'm surprised that with my stopped-up nose and wheezing, that Emma is able to sleep at all as i'm sure that i am snoring enough to keep the dead awake when i do sleep. Robert is at his high school reunion (that thankfully, Emma and i didn't have to attend) and i'm missing our MOPS Retreat, which i have looked forward to since the last one ended. Yeah, i know, i'm a sad camper...

Thankfully, Emma is not sick at all. I hope that she won't get sick either or at least not with this stuff. I've tried not to kiss on her (which is insanely hard!!) and not let her drink after me so i'm keeping my fingers crossed. She's been a gem while i've been sick....i'm afraid that there were two days were i shut us up in her room so i could lay on the floor while she played in her Dora Tent Houses (very cool, as they are connected with a tunnel you can crawl through!) and read. I was awarded by Emma putting Pachi in arms while i was on the floor so i'm pretty sure that she understood that i didn't feel too hot. And i had to smile when she drug her favorite books to me to 'read' to me...very cute even if she was reading upside down. ;)

I think that the thing that i don't understand about Mommies getting sick is why they don't take up offers of help. Melinda offered more than once to keep an eye on Emma but i didn't want to be a bother. What is that about? I do know one thing-the next time a Mommy friend of mine is sick, i am TELLING her that i'm coming over to get her children so she can rest in peace. I guess it's one of those Mommy things where you want everyone to think that you are SO all together that even in sickness, you can handle things.

Emma is napping....so i'd better nap, too.

"Ewww....."

 

 

...has become Emma's new favorite word....followed closely by "yucky, yucky, yucky".

Food that my little one likes is "mmmmmmm" and food that doesn't pass the "mmmmmm" test is deemed 'ewwwww' followed by 'yucky, yucky, yucky". She's very happy as she gets her Dora plate loaded with strawberries, grapes (both fall under the 'mmmmm' category), cheese (only sharp cheese, 'pweease'), low sodium sliced ham on wheat bread (depending on her mood, this can either be a 'mmmmmmm' or a 'ewwwwww') and some raisins (always in the 'mmmmmm' category!).

Honestly, though, she's not a picky eater....but she has to smell new things, touch them, and THEN taste them. It's really cute to watch her inspect her plate. And i think that she just likes to say the words "mmmmmmm" and "ewwwww"!

Heroes....

Embedded video from CNN Video

...an amazing video that will take your breath away. A woman and her two children (two and four)were pulled from their SUV by two off-duty firefighters...you really must watch this clip.

The only word that i can think of to describe these two off-duty firefighters (who are also brothers) and everyone who helped is the word:

Heroes. True Heroes dressed in everyday clothing.

I've always had a fascination with firefighters and police officers; and it's not just because of their uniforms! (Although, really, who can resist a man in a uniform?!) Firefighters rush into a building on fire when everyone else is doing their best to rush out of the building. Police officers face tough situations on a daily basis that most folks never have to face. I often dreamed of being a firefighter/police officer (all-in-one!) when i was growing up, but in my heart, i knew that i wasn't brave enough. It's hard to be brave when you're scared of fire AND your own shadow....not to mention the dark.

But i am so thankful for the men and women who ARE brave enough to do those jobs on a daily basis. Because without them, well, many more tragedies would occur.

Maybe the next time you see a firefighter or police officer eating out, you could buy them their lunch? Or maybe, if they are behind you in a drive-thru, you could pay for their meal or add a cup of coffee? Or better yet, just tell them how much you appreciate them for the work they do; i bet that they don't get to hear that often enough.

And i need to add this: an over-due THANK YOU to the firefighters and rescue squad of Goodlettsville who got my Emma out of a locked car (yeah, i did that...sigh)in less than 4 seconds on Valentine's Day two years ago in our garage. Not only did they take care of Emma (who had fallen asleep during all of the 'excitement'), but they took care and hugged a crying Mommy who couldn't believe her stupidity and made her feel, well, less stupid with their own funny stories of what other Mommies had done and had to call them to help with.

Really, please watch the clip...it's amazing.

A Crush....

 

It seems that my little Emma has a crush on Cooper.

And got her first "kiss" from him.

I guess it was bound to happen....i just didn't think it would be so soon...

Reading....and learning.

 

(A favorite photo of foot prints on the beach in Maui...i can't remember if those are my foot prints or Robert's foot prints, though.)

I've taken on a challenge of sorts this summer....i'm reading the Bible. I've only read bits and pieces through the years, which is funny considering i went to Catholic School. What's even more funny (okay, not really funny at all, sigh...) was the fact that i had no idea that there were so many Bibles. I had just assumed that there was an "official" Bible and that was the only one there was; because, of course, i totally assumed that everyone in the world was Catholic. Not so about an "official" type of Bible. There are not only different Bibles (traditional, study, reference, "place in life", one year Bibles, Children's Bibles, Pastor Bibles, Parallel Bibles, Chronological Bibles, and a few Speciality Bibles....)but there are different translations of the Bible (King James, New American Standard, NIV, New English Bible, and Free translation Bibles also known as the Contemporary English Version). It actually took one of my very close friends from MOPS to patiently explain the differences to me and which one she thought was best for me to read.....otherwise, i am sure that i would still be sitting on the Bible aisle trying to figure it out or would have just given up all together. Thank heaven for a good friend with lots of patience and knowledge!

I already had a Bible that was given to me at the time of my First Communion. I had long ago given up on reading that beautiful white Bible that my parents had given me that day. At the time of my Communion, i was really too young to grasp the King James version; over the years, i picked that beautiful Bible up to flip through it, believing that i really just wasn't smart enough to read it. And of course, i wondered why in the world someone would write a Bible that i would have so much trouble reading! Surely there were others like me who couldn't understand the Bible! Growing up, i had decided that i wanted to become a nun (yes, you read that correctly, folks) because of the way they took care of others in need and had such a strong belief and such a giving heart. My father wasn't exactly thrilled about what i announced that i wanted to do at the age of 8....and discouraged it over my growing up years. So, i decided that i wanted to join the Peace Corps. Yeah, he totally nixed that idea, too, and me being the 'good' girl at that time, well, i listened. I wonder if parents understand how strong their encouragement (or no encouragement!) effects a child's choices?

Back to the Bible reading....

It's going, well, it's going slow. Very slow. I guess i want to make sure that i understand what i'm reading and that means taking my time. Which is hard to do sometimes when you have a toddler. I usually read when Emma naps or goes down for the night as it's the quietest time for me. I'm treating this Bible of mine like most books that i have--i underline parts that i love and have huge question marks where there is something i don't understand.

Yeah, there ARE a lot of question marks in this new Bible of mine....

...and so i'm in the mist of deciding who to pester with my questions.

It's interesting, the Bible is. People seem to be people whether they are in the Bible or are in the here and now in regard to their actions, thoughts and treatment of others. That has surprised me the most, i guess. And of course, sin and how people act (or don't act...) has been amazing to read. I'm glad that i've decided to read the Bible...this past year in MOPS was difficult in that i was serving with women who seem to have such an understanding of what the Bible is while i, well, didn't and didn't even really own a Bible. But i guess i need to remember that we are all works in the making...and i wonder how many other members are like me?

The one thing that i do know is why reading the Bible has become so important to me. I want to be able to teach Emma about these things and be able to answer her questions; it's hard to teach something that you know so little about. Interesting how being a parent makes you want to be a better person and know more about the world around you....

We are still in the mist of looking for a church where we've moved to and have found two that we like. Perhaps i should attend a Bible Study class? Or maybe corner one of my MOPS mentors? Either way, i still have a lot of reading (and underlining and questions marks!) to do....

...but it's a start. :)

A Kate McRae Update Clip

Farmer's Market

 

 

I love the Farmer's Market. Not only for the fresh stuff, but more so as a chance to people watch. I forgot my camera this morning, so i'll have to take another trip back, but what a wonderful place the Franklin Farmer's Market is! It's not as large as the Nashville Farmer's Market, but it's big enough to have variety and cool, interesting stuff.

My haul today included: yummy tomatoes, Sliver Queen Corn, strawberry jam, handmade soap (my gosh, it smells SO good!), a bag full of peaches (i can't even describe how sweet they taste!), a huge boquet of flowers (for only $15!!) and of course, the "healthiest" of treats: Kettle Corn. Oh, and an amazing blueberry muffin, and chocolate chip cookie.

Emma, of course, LOVED seeing all of the dogs. She was licked, tickled on her toes and petted at least 5 different dogs. There was the "fancy" dog in it's own stroller, a young black lab, a fluffy mutt, a shepard and a dog-horse (you know the kind--the dogs that are so large that they drag you along?) Emma, i think, had a wonderful time...

And i'm thrilled with my haul!

RIP....

I never do two posts in one day...but this is so sad to me that i had to share. So, i have one happy post (our Family Day) and one very sad post about the Billings Family.

When i began researching about adoption, i came across a couple in Pensacola, FL who had adopted many children. I was so impressed by this couple that i read more about them. Byrd and Melanie Billings who lived in Beulah, which is a rural area west of Pensacola very near the Alabama border, mainly had adopted special needs children and children who born to drug-addicted mothers. In total, they had 16 children and 12 of those children were adopted. In a 2005 story in the Pensacola News Journal that i first came across, the couple said they wanted to share their wealth with children in need, but didn't imagine their family would grow so large. They owned a car dealership and a few other companies and folks would say how hard working of a couple they were.

On July 10, Byrd and Melanie were shot and killed in an apparent home invasion. None of the children were harmed....one of the children called a woman who lived nearby in a house on the property; she then called the police. Some of the children slept through the home invasion and were waken by police deputies. The children are now staying with other family members. The police are looking, apparently for a van caught on surveillance tape and three folks who were with the van.

Some times things happen that you can't make sense of. This is one of those times. I always want things to make sense....but sometimes, well, they just don't. And i guess in times like this, you tend to question faith and all things with it. But the murder of Byrd and Melanie were works of evil...

I'm so very sad for the Billing's family's children who have lost a wonderful set of parents who loved them and cared for them. I can't imagine the pain for those children who can understand what happened and for the Billing's extended family. I hope that they know that there will be many prayers said for them...

Our 2nd Family Day!

 

 

 

 

There are special days in every one's life...and then there are SPECIAL DAYS!

Today is OUR SPECIAL DAY!

Two years ago, today, we first met, held, and cuddled little Emma. Who knew that falling in love could be so easy?

Where there were two, we became a family of three...

Life is so much different and better than i think either Robert and i could have imagined. For this little, cute person has taught both of us that love is bottomless and it is possible to love even more than you thought possible. She has also taught us patience, playfulness and how to laugh harder than we ever thought possible.

Emma has given us the best job in the world: To be her parents.

We love you so very much, Emmy...