my love

If I had to explain to someone what it means to follow Jesus, I would simply point to my husband. I have learned more about grace, longsuffering, and sacrificial love from him than from anyone else. He is proof that people who surrender to God can, by the power of His Spirit, live a life that looks different from the world...one that reflects the absolute goodness of God.

My humble husband does not like to have my camera pointed at him, and I try to respect that...but the other day I was desperate to complete a final assignment for my class and; therefore, I asked him to be my supermodel.

That night, Scott walked into the house after a long day of work. Before he could even get through the door, Matthew began pulling at him and yelling "HOT TEA! HOT TEA!" at the top of his lungs (it is their nightly ritual)...and I started pushing them both outside so I could snag some shots before the sun set. And Scott handled it all with the same graciousness that he always displays...putting the needs of others before his own.

Here are a few of the shots. They may seem super bright and grainy on your computer...because I shot in RAW for the assignment, I had to use an editing program that I am not familiar with.

Here is my unbelievably amazing husband.
My undeserved blessing from God.
My love.

is it already sunday night????

well, as you see, i still haven't posted my book reviews yet. but they are coming. soon. to a theater near you. or a blog near you.

this weekend...we planted trees, picked berries, and some other stuff that i can't remember right now. my heart is heavy for my mom, and it is difficult to be so far away. as soon as we get M's next doctor's appt out of the way, we are headed back to see her! she begins more radiation soon, so please pray for her.

M put two words together today. when i forgot to put the straw in his sippy cup he told scott, "uh-oh dada." oh, and scott and M watched this old sesame street video on youtube where grover sings about around, over, under, through, far, and near. not anything i would have thought to teach M right now, but he totally got it and loves to practice it!

oh...speaking of scott...last night i walked into the kitchen after scott did the dinner dishes, and the garbage can was OVERFLOWING. i told him that i was going to take a picture of it so that when M gets big and shoves garbage in like that, i can remind scott that he did it, too. scott looked at it and laughed and then started to move toward the can. i said "no, let me take a photo first!" scott replied, "i wasn't going to take it out!" and he DIDN'T!!! dirty rotten! and to top it off, today (yes, today as in the garbage was still in a huge heap on top of the can TODAY) i found my candy bar wrapper dangling in the debris. double dirty rotten! he deserved my candy though...he hauled a gazillion bags of lawnscape junk, 2 heavy trees, and some pampas grass...AND he stayed with M in kids' ministry so i could attend service. yes, M still SOBS the ENTIRE time at church, so we are slowly weaning him off us so the volunteers don't all quit.

ok...here are photos. the ones w/ red bridge are from last week when i was practicing in manual. the berry picking is from today but in auto because i didn't want to miss good shots. OH, and i stuck in a photo of M from LAST YEAR'S berry picking so you can see how much he has grown!

stuff

Ok, so after our trip to the science museum I decided to make a toy for Matthew. We trekked over to the hardware store...which is a little slice of heaven for a baby boy...and picked up the necessary items. It's pretty much just a board with hinges and such on it...but good for hands-on fun!



In a previous post I mentioned the stack o' books we keep at our kitchen table. Here is a photo of our stash which includes 4 real books, a book that M and I made using photos from a Buckner brochure, and the info sheet for the child we sponsor through Compassion Int. We read from/talk about these at both breakfast and lunch. If you have any questions about the books, let me know!
Scott UPdate:
Me: You want a piece of licorice? It's stale.
Scott: Yeah.
Me: Yes, even though it's stale?
Scott: That just means it's aged to perfection.

After viewing a preview of Akeelah and the Bee, Scott declared, "Babes, that makes me not want to use spell checker ever again...EVER!

Daddy's boy

Matthew is a Daddy's boy ALL.THE.WAY. I was folding laundry, and M picked up Scott's shirt and started carrying it around. When I asked if he wanted to put it on, he got excited...and then had to check his look in the mirror. Yes, the mirror that is still sitting on the floor.

And for those of you who would like to hear more about Scott...the other day I was demonstrating for him a temper tantrum that Matthew had thrown that day. After I finished my feet-stomping, face-making imitation, Scott said in stoic response "He gets that from your side of the family."

SMOOCH IS COMING TODAY! We are super excited that Smooch will be here for a little visit. M even picked flowers for her room!

Odds & Ends

Happy Monday, everyone!

Just some quick stuff as I don't have any new pics to post yet.

I met an adult transracial adoptee online and, through a series of online discussions, she has decided to create a blog for APs and PAPs. Despite seeming to love her adoptive family, she is very open about the pain concerning her adoption. I think it is great that she is moving forward to host a blog where APs/PAPs can ask questions about everything from cultural topics to emotional ones. As soon as she is up and running, I'll post her new site.

An issue that my conversations with her have stirred up in my mind is one of corruption in international adoption. I'm NOT saying that all international adoption is corrupt!!! But I think it is something that APs and PAPs should be better informed about. If anyone has thoughts about or experience with this, please share a comment.

ATOPIC DERMATITIS - we've started using Eucerin's new anti-itch lotion, but we won't really know if it works until M can talk! It is definitely more user-friendly than the sticky, greasy Aquaphor. The prescription hydrocortisone seems to be the only remedy for "healing" the bad spots...but, obviously, you can only use steroids in limited amounts.


SCOTT - since I don't post much about Scott, here are some of his latest thoughts:

I was telling S about two cruiser bikes that could be used for free. He listened with interest and then stated to M "Bubs, you better learn to run real fast so you can keep up with mom and dad."

S said something funny the other day and I asked him "Are you trying to bring 'sexy back'?" (AKA Justin Timberlake) He replied, "No, sexy LUMBAR...back is too general for me."

Update on Lil' M

So yesterday proved to be our first real "sick" experience with Matthew. Right before bed he started throwing up and did so about 7+ times within an hour. As a first time mama's first time experience with a sick baby, all I can say is WOW does your heart hurt for your kid! My SuperHubby, who normally has a VERY queasy stomach about such things, kicked it into high gear and became MarthaScottStewart...scrubbing carpet and countertops, washing linens and clothes, making trips to stores, and even buying me a bag of M&Ms! A FAMILY SIZE BAG! Matthew seems to be feeling better today...pretty sleepy but keeping down some liquids and light foods.

Since I mentioned Scott above and rarely talk about him, I thought I give you a glimpse into the one who holds my heart:

After my recent trip into the very cool but oh so expensive Anthropologie store:
Me: I really like their clothes but a shirt is like $100.
Scott: Well, did you ask them "When's this stuff gonna make it to TJ Maxx?"

As I was getting out a jar of caramel sauce for my afternoon snack...and eating a spoonful right out of the jar (don't worry, I don't double dip!)
Scott: Ah, sweet nectar straight from the vine.

As I was opening a package of Velveeta to make our nutritious dinner of Rotel dip & chips:
Me: This is rank! Does Velveeta go bad?
Scott: Not for a couple of decades; it's fine.

Reading the label on Matthew's dinner jar:
Scott: Savory carrots. IS there such a thing?

This Friday night we are going to a Robbie Seay concert!
Me: Oooh...this Friday night we have a date.
Scott: Yeah, everyone will probably be screaming and holding up lighters.
Me: Everyone including YOU?
Scott: Not me; I'm too stoic.
Me: no response
Scott: Babes, just kidding! I'll be jogging in place.