An update...

Well, a lot has happened since I last posted. At at the end of April we joined the growing number of families who have been negatively impacted by our country's economic situation. After 8 years working for NCR, Jason was laid off. It's been a rollercoaster ride since then and I will spare you all the details, but we trust that God "is working all thing for good." Please keep us in your prayers. Jason is looking at many different avenues, so pray for clarity, opportunity, and providential relationships.

On a funny note (and totally unrelated), I thought I'd share something that Ella said the other day that gave me a good laugh.

As I was laying down with her at bedtime she kept rubbing her nose. I was trying to figure out if her allergies were bothering her or if she had something stuck up there, so I asked...

Me: "Is your nose just itchy or irritated?"
Ella: Replying in an annoyed tone, "No, my nose isn't irritated it's nositated!" She then went on to explain that irritated was when your ear itched, not your nose. (DUH!).

Photos You Should Take of Your Kids

Read this on www.vocalpoint.com and wanted to share...

Page through a typical family photo album and you’ll notice the kids in a few repeating themes—special-occasion shots, vacation photos, and staged portraits. All cherished moments, no doubt. But why not add a little creativity into your picture taking? Here are some memories that could be just as photo-worthy.

1. The first time they dress themselves. Pajama pants, one fuzzy slipper, no shirt, and earmuffs. Sure, you’re not going to let them leave the house like that, but you have to appreciate their unique ability to accessorize. If you take a snapshot now, the “fashions” of their teens won’t look so bad.

2. A big mess. Your little van Gogh has painted your white walls with chocolate pudding. Before you lose it, take a picture. After the mess and tears are scrubbed, you’ll have evidence that those innocent eyes really didn’t know any better. And you can break out the photo when your child becomes a parent—to remind your child that no child (or parent) is perfect.

3. Your favorite feature. The head-to-toe shot can wait for prom or graduation. Instead, zoom in and capture the one or two details you love most about your kid. Snap that swirl of hair atop your newborn, your toddler’s chunky feet, or your 7-year-old’s two missing front teeth—they won’t stay that way forever.

4. Their favorite meals. Keep a separate album filled with pictures of your child’s favorite foods—everything from mac ’n’ cheese to chocolate-raspberry brownies to your famous breaded pork chops. That way, when you’re finally ready to ship them off to college, you can write the recipe beside each photo and give them the book. Whenever they need a taste of home cooking, you’ll be there for them.

5. How they see the world. Go ahead, hand your child the camera for a while (under appropriate supervision, of course). You’ll be amazed at what they’ll shoot without consideration for traditional rules. Fortunately, with the beauty of digital, you can instantly delete all the bad shots and save the good ones.

6. Photos with you. If you’re always the one with the camera, you won’t be in many of the photos. Put your spouse or a friend on point-and-shoot duty and tell them to start clicking. Tell them to catch you and the kids when no one is looking at the camera or during moments that capture you as a Mom—cleaning up from dinner, reading a bedtime story, or helping with homework.A moment of worry. Your child doesn’t even have to be in this photo for it to act as a powerful memory-jogger.

7. Take a picture of their first travel-bag packed for a big weekend away or the next-morning remains after a fun slumber party. You’ll have a record of when you were anxious about them—and how everything turned out okay. Now that’s a nice memory.

The Latest...

Isaac is turning into a little boy very quickly. Some of his favorite words are Vroom Vroom, CCCKKKUUCC, Whoa (yes, I know these are all sounds not really words, but they count, right?). All of which he says repeatedly whenever we're in the car. Until his recent obsession with anything that moves, he hasn't been a great traveler, but he's discovered a whole new world right outside the window. We might have to make a road trip sometime soon!!!


We've been enjoying the beautiful weather and went to an Art Festival and a Garden Show this weekend. I bought Ella an African Violet today at the garden show. Was that a smart thing to do? Now I have a pot of soil resting on a plastic saucer with water sitting on my 4-year-old's dresser. How many days will it be before the soil ends up all over the carpet? That might be my next blog post!

Off to do some reading...before I hit the sack! Here are a few pics of Isaac enjoying his dump truck at the beach.

The Tradition Continues

Tonight was the night Ella's been waiting for...the Daddy Daughter Dance. It ranks right up there in importance with her birthday.

She picked out her own outfit from head to toe. The past two years she's worn the same dress and I gave her the option of wearing it again (yes, it still fits) or getting a new outfit and like any girl she opted for the new outfit (why did I even ask?). Anyway, I loved her pick...wish they made it in my size ;).

This was the third year that Jason has taken her and I love that they have this tradition. Ella looks forward to it so much that she was asking me today when the next Daddy Daughter Dance was going to be.

Jason sent a few pictures from his phone from the dance. He said she spent more time eating cake than she did dancing, which would explain the crumb on her lip in the picture below...:).

My BLOG Anniversary

It's been over a year now that I've been blogging. I had fun taking a trip down memory lane and looking at my old posts.

Some things have changed dramatically (like Isaac). And some things are the same (like Ella's crazy comments). Here's a sampling of both...

Isaac Then (5 Months Old)
Isaac Now (Wearing Jason's Shoes)

Last week I copied an idea from my friend Anne's blog.

Ella had fun making a winter tree and after she was finished we had this little conversation:

Me: What would you think if one morning you woke up and saw snow coming down from the sky and and every thing was covered in it?

Ella: It would FREAK ME OUT!!!

Me: Why?

Ella: Because it doesn't snow in Florida (with a DUH tone in her voice).

Hide and Go Seek

Isaac loves to play the game Hide and Go Seek now. One of Ella's favorite hiding spots is under the desk in the "ploffice" (translated: playroom/office). This afternoon I walked into the ploffice find two little legs sticking out from underneath the desk. As I peeked around to see why he was hiding, I noticed he had my cell phone. So, if any of you received a random call from me, you'll know why!

LOOK AT THOSE CUTE LITTLE FEET (don't look at the dirt on the carpet or the mess beside the desk!)WHO ME???

THE AFTERMATH OF TAKING THE PHONE AWAY

The Civility Project

I came across this article posted by an old coworker from The DeMoss Group in Atlanta. The owner of the PR agency I worked for in Atlanta, Mark DeMoss, has started a new "project."

Whatever your political position, I think this is a great idea. Check out the article below and the website www.thecivilityproject.com.

Odd couple wants civility in politics
By Christopher Quinn
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Mark DeMoss, a Georgia publicist with roots in the religious right, and Lanny Davis, a former Clinton White House insider, have joined forces to try to stop the political blame-fests and name calling they believe are too common in politics.
DeMoss is on a mission, if not for God, for democracy.
“What is at stake is a real disenfranchisement of average people, for whom the political process becomes so distasteful that they want to disengage from it,” said DeMoss, founder of Duluth’s DeMoss Group, which has represented evangelical groups such as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
His odd-couple partner Davis defended former President Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal and campaigned for U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton for president in 2008.
The two men launched their Civility Project on Jan. 18 after realizing they agree on two things: They have nearly nothing in common politically, and they both believe it is possible to have healthy debates or even stiff arguments without resorting to demonizing the other side.
“I’m not trying to put an end to partisanship,” DeMoss said. He is just trying to dial down the hate, like the kind of e-mails he got last year when he campaigned prominently for Mitt Romney in the Republican primary, DeMoss said. Romney is a Mormon. Mormons consider themselves Christian, but many Christians consider their denomination a cult. DeMoss has a collection of e-mails from fellow evangelicals castigating him for his association with Romney.
Later in the campaign, DeMoss noticed Davis’ professional demeanor when defending Sen. Clinton on news talk shows. Last summer he wrote Davis a letter one night, complimenting him on his behavior. The two men had never met.
The letter impressed Davis so much that he framed it and put it on his office bookshelf beside photos of himself and the Clintons.
DeMoss later called him and, at the end of 2008, the two were having lunch “in an increasingly uncivil town, Washington,” Davis said.
DeMoss pitched his idea of a Web site outlining some basic rules of civility where people check off a pledge to treat others with respect, even if disagreeing with them.
Davis, author of the book “Scandal: How Gotcha Politics is Destroying America,” said he and DeMoss are “singing out of the same hymn book.”
Argue with vigor, but stay away from insult, insinuations, and the devolved bickering that passes for debate, he said.
DeMoss said some may snicker at the idea that pledging to be more civil will have an impact.
“There’s a risk on both sides that it’s too simple to be taken seriously,” he said.
Davis pointed out the irony that it would probably get more attention if the two went at it tooth and nail.
“It’s a tough sell that we are not at each other’s throats,” he said.
Information: thecivilityproject.com