The Pain of Loss

Please pray. On Friday, a friend from church delivered a stillborn baby. The baby, a precious little 8 lb. 8 oz. boy, was born on his due date with no previous indications that anything was wrong. I am struggling to understand why this would happen, but I trust that he is cradled in the arms of Jesus. The pain must be nearly unbearable. I've cried a thousand tears, and yet his parents surely have cried thousands more. Mothers,try to imagine having to leave the hospital without your baby and then to return home to his finished nursery without being able to lay him in his crib. Keep Ryan and Rachael in your prayers. They desperately need to feel the comfort and peace that only God can provide.

An Open Letter

Dear Mr. Clean Magic Eraser,

Thank you for allowing me to feel as though I have a brand new shower for the first time since it was actually brand new. For years, the red chalk residue left behind by my husband has been an unwelcome presence in the tub. I have searched long and hard to find a way to defeat this enemy but have been sorely disappointed each and every time. The search is over. This very day, victory is mine. Goodbye forever, pale red ring around my tub. I will not miss you. Mr. Clean, you are the man, and your magic eraser makes me happy.

Love,

Amy

Fall Festival Fun

Here are the rest of the pictures from the Fall Festival. The kids loved watching the parade. They really enjoyed getting to see Pa Pa (on the back in a red coat) riding on an old fire truck with the GHS Class of 1974. A lot of candy was thrown our way from that float! There were also a bunch of bouncy things for the kids to play in after the parade. It was a blast!

Pumpkins and Such

What? I have a blog? Oh, that's right. I do. We've been busy, yadda, yadda, yadda. That's the go-to excuse for not blogging, so I'll choose not to make excuses today. I just haven't been in the mood. Anyway, there has been a lot going on, which I will fill you in on in multiple batches of pictures over the next few days (that's my intention anyway). The girls and I travelled down to KS for the big Fall Festival/Homecoming extravaganza. We had a good trip. I started a new Bible study on Wednesday mornings, which I really like. Both girls are old enough to come with me and go to their own class. They're lovin' it. What else...? Oh, I'm in the process of potty training Lauryn. That's fun. I have been dreading this for the last six months, and here we are. It's going all right, I guess. She pooped in the potty chair for the first time today, so that's a definite improvement! Anyway, here are some pictures to enjoy!

We had lots of fun painting and carving pumpkins at Grandma and Pa Pa's house last weekend! Grandma carved the jack-o-lantern face and the Cinderella, which was a big hit! Too bad it's already starting to go bad.

The Big Two

My baby's 2 years old today! Can you believe it? Me neither. We had birthday blueberry muffins for breakfast and are heading out to lunch with Daddy this afternoon. Later this afternoon Grandma and PaPa will get into town, and Grandpa and RaRa, Aunt Twink, and Aunt Marla will all come tomorrow! We're looking forward to a fun-filled weekend of celebrating! Happy birthday, Lauryn!

Closing Out an Era

So, I turned 30 a couple weeks ago. I've had a little time to let it sink in now, so I have a few thoughts on the end of one decade and the beginning of another. I remember thinking that 30 was so old and was really far away. Yet here it is, not so old at all, and it really didn't take that long to get here. It just kind of sneaks up on you. One day you're 25, and the next thing you know - BOOM - you're 30. Just like that. But what's the big deal? I don't feel much different. One of my friends thinks her metabolism completely shut down when she hit 30 back in June. To that I say, "I never had any anyways, so I haven't noticed a difference."

I didn't think I was ready to let go. My 20's were so good to me. I got married, graduated from college, bought a house, and had two beautiful girls during those years. These are not small feats, mind you. Each of those things changed me in some way, for the better, if I do say so myself. So, I guess I do feel a little different. When the 3rd graders I taught in AWANA my frehman year of college are now in college themselves, a little pang of "oldness" hits the pit of my stomach. Oh well. "Like sand through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives." Right?

Anyway, I guess maybe I am a little older and a little wiser. The next ten years will be good years too. I will get to watch my girls grow up, spend more time with my husband, grow in my relationship with God, and hopefully gain a little more wisdom (and a little less weight). Thanks for the memories, 20's, but I think I'm ready to move on.

Morning Messes

Kaylee rushed into the kitchen saying, "Uh oh, Mom. Come look what Lauryn did." These are not the words you want to hear at 9:00 in the morning, or any time, for that matter. I found the bathroom a disaster: Q-tips, pads, and bobby pins all over the floor. I called Lauryn in and made her help clean up the mess. When we were done, the girls went back to play and I stayed to use the restroom. When I opened the toilet, I figured out why it didn't seem like we had picked up as many Q-tips as I thought we had. Yep, the rest of them were floating in the toilet. Awesome. I attempted to scoop them out with a big spoon. That was useless, so I resorted to fishing them out with my bare hand. At least Kaylee hadn't peed in there this morning and forgot to flush.