Little Roo

I jokingly told a friend the other day that if I had 4 more hours in a day, I could probably manage to exercises. Seems like ever since then, I've been waking up at 5 and 6 a.m. I meant 4 EXTRA hours God. Oh well. At least I can blog early.

As turning four quickly approaches, I get tickled at Addison's excitement for her party. When asked when her birthday is, she answers, "Oc-TO-ber, it's the twenty-third."
So cute. Then ensues the sentence that never ends, "And Cheyenne is coming to my party and Ms. April and Carter and they love me all the much and we're going to the park and we're gonna eat cupcakes and we will be so happy."
Did I mention she's a chatterbox?
I opted for the simple birthday; at the park, minimal clean up and maximum space...just in case all the kids we invited actually come. There will be face painting, balloon animals and possibly a snow cone machine. Addison picked out plates with Rapunzel from Tangled on them. Mickey Mouse is scheduled to show up too. It's a hodge podge of things Addison likes and that's all that matters.

I do have to share her latest development: character play. Here's the conversation.
"Mom, I'm little Roo"
"O.k., Hi little Roo."
"And you're big Roo. Big Roo, would you like to come watch a movie with me?"
"Sounds good little Roo. Which movie?"
"Big Roo, let's watch Shrek."
And the conversation went on like that for a while. The sweetest thing is how polite and kind little Roo is. She has manners and asks permission and seems to really enjoy being with big Roo.
I love developmental milestones.
Well, my alarm just went off.............time to get up. :)

October is here

It's October 9th. It finally cooled off as of yesterday. My poor mums may now survive without the 90 degree sun beating down on them daily. It's hard to celebrate fall when it's so hot. October has always been my favorite month. There are festivals and fairs; tons to do and see and buy. It's also represented by my favorite precious stone; the opal. Most importantly, it is the month my daughter was born...the most perfect month; the most perfect day; my most perfect child.
Well, of course I don't mean she's "perfect" per se, but she keeps me in constant awe and amazement as she charts her path through this new and exciting life.
A lot has changed between 3 and 4...thank you GOD. There were times when I didn't know if we'd make it this far between the tantrums and the obstinance and the dramatic performances that I should have sold tickets to. Happily, we've crossed a threshold of reason and understanding. I can now talk to her and have a somewhat intelligent conversation. I can ask her opinion of things and she has an opinion to give. It's a huge sigh of relief and a win for our family communication. The most wonderful part of it all, however, is the comedy that ensues when that little mind gets to going. She's big on telling me I hurt her feelings whenever I scold her for not doing something she's been told to do. It's funnier though when she tells on me to her dad and points at her cheek to tell him, "Mommy hurt my feelings, right here." She has this laugh that could literally power my house all year if we lived in Monster Inc. the movie. A beautiful, wonderful laugh that makes my day brighten instantly. With the upcoming Halloween festivities, I've learned that she has a real fear of bugs...especially spiders. But that doesn't stop her from wanting her daddy to chase her through the  house with the big hairy decoration as she squeals and giggles. You know that she loves it because after she's cornered and he retreats, there always the "Chase me again, daddy."
We're in 3 Pre-K this year. So far she's learning the alphabet and had some really great field trips to the pumpkin patch and to the fire station. Little Ms. Chatterbox wouldn't stop about the fire truck's ladder that went up, up, up to the clouds. She was obviously impressed, even though she told me that she would not shake the fireman's hand.
Another achievement this year; we've moved into a big girl bed....and fallen off of it at least 3 times. We can now ride our tricycle without any help. We've retired the car seat and bought a new stylish booster seat with blue flames. We've also started eating things like salads and Korean food; burritos and tacos. It's still a pretty strict diet of PB&J most of the time, but that is always dealer's choice. We are fully potty trained and have mastered our fear of the pool. So much growing has taken place that I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of it. Each age we reach I have liked more than the last...except for 3. So becoming 4 brings with it a sense of relief and peace and a promise that we're gonna do this thing and do it well.
As a nearly 4-year-old, Addison has experienced a fair amount of travel last month during our trip to Vegas and California. After 6 flights, 700 miles in the car, cable cars, train rides, boat rides and the subway, she is a professional transportation expert. Do you remember the first time you flew? I was old, 20 or so, and it was still magical. From a tot's perspective it's even better. She'll notice things I never would or question what she sees and describe it in a way I'd have never thought to say.
Think of my sweet on October 23rd (which she can recite as her birth date for the first time). I know the best is yet to come.

4:30 a.m.

Why do televangelists always look so shady? This early in the morning, they are so much more comforting than the 20 other channels of Insanity Workout, Total Gym and Fluidity. If you're not into workouts in your sleep-deprived state, how about updating your kitchen collection with the Ninja blender, Keurig or the New Wave oven. There are some semi-relevant infomercials for this time of the day like Triverex, but I'm still amused that the set-up looks like a valid news programs. Not the best fit, in my opinion, for a male enhancement pill. I personally think I'm going to get the Tummy Tuck Belt! I mean, a big rubber band that magically burns your fat off....and it only takes 10 minutes a day? Jeez! Why isn't this in my closet already?!
I caught myself staring in pain at the screen when I came across a show featuring people that I'm sure are from Georgia...sadly, as they tried to make money off of catfish in a mud bog. At least I think that's what they were talking about. Drunken southerners are hard to understand. I don't even know how Animal Planet found these people. I know they exist. I've seen them. But how they made it on national television is so beyond me that I cannot fathom the TV executive that actually approved spending the money. With a cast that makes Honey Boo Boo's family look like royalty, I am at a complete and total loss.
With points notably taken from my IQ, I continue my search for something that will soothe me. Proactive, Meaningful Beauty and My Pillow aren't doing it either.
I settle on something entertaining and animated. Phineas and Ferb. This show has more clever wit than anything else in the 100 channels I've surfed through TWICE in the last hour. It's humor is sometimes brilliant and way over my 3-year-old's head...although she loves it too. Thank God someone made a show that everyone can enjoy. I'm done with TV...on to the web. Good Morning.

Serenity

My first blanket

Now that I've given this gift to my beautiful cousin Emily, I can share it!

I made this blanket, my first, using Addison's receiving blankets. I embroidered each panel with precious little pictures I spent hours looking for. I even had to go online to learn how to do the silky binding around the edge. I think it turned out beautifully. Not perfect mind you, but beautiful. Who wants perfect presents anyways?

Thanks to my kin in Columbia who inspired this blanket because they made one for Addison when she was born and it has always been a treasure to me.

Sheer joy

I adore this photo.
My child is in love with dogs and the look on her face is sheer and utter joy at holding this puppy.
It's not a cheesy smile. It's genuine.
I think is shows her soul. The same little soul who after pitching a fit, walks over to me to say, "I'm sorry for being mad, mommy." And gives me a hug.
This little face....on my almost 4 year-old, is the joy in my life.

Will you be the one?

Churches are scattered like birdseed throughout the south. On a recent trip to Milledgeville, GA I passed no less than 46 churches in a 2 hour drive. 46!!! They were named things like, Unity Missionary, AME, Church of the Nazarene, New hope, Cool Water, Primitive, Church of Christ and Pathfinders Christian. So many little clicks for one general religion. It's apparently very important to have your own little sectioned off area of beliefs and to build a building so that others will come and share those beliefs with you. Maybe it's worship style or basic biblical principle that divides them all. Maybe it's the modern day version of the Tower of Babel so that we do not build a spaceship to heaven now that our resources are expanded and our knowledge vast.
It just struck me as amazing to see so many, yet so different a church in such a short period of time.

What if church had no building? What if church happened every day with the way we related to the hundreds of people we come into contact with each week? What if the members of all those churches I passed formed a chain, hand in hand. How long would their reach stretch? How much ground would be covered?
On another trip this past weekend to North Carolina, I was driving on I-26 and came upon a very bad accident. Two cars and a van were involved and none of them facing the correct direction anymore. All of them had their fronts torn off or were meshed with the center cable barriers. The police had not arrived yet and vehicles were still smoking, telling me that this just happened. On the ground people were sitting, covered in blood with t-shirts for bandages wrapped around their injured parts. All of this I saw in the 5 seconds it took me.....to just drive on by. I was on a schedule of course and what could I do? I came up with a slew of excuses as to why I did not stop. But sometimes, we don't know what we can do until we actually get into a situation. We have to first be available.
I think we keep ourselves so busy with our churches and our buildings and our programs, that we totally miss people in need as we speed on by staying on schedule, headed for our next church event. Jesus didn't have a building...he met the people where there was need. It would do us and our communities so much good if we kept this concept in our heads and became unafraid to help others. There is a song I used to sing in church called, "Will you be the one?"
I think of those lyrics while pondering these situations:
In a world full of broken dreams
Where the truth is hard to find
For every promise that is kept
There are many left behind
Though it seems that nobody cares
It still matters what you do
Cause there's a difference you can make
But the choice is up to you

Chorus
Will you be the one
To answer to His call
Will you stand
When those around you fall
Will you be the one
To take His light
Into a darkened world
Tell me will you be the one

Oh sometimes it's hard to know
Who is right and what is wrong
And where are you supposed to stand
When the battle lines are drawn
There's a voice that is calling out
For someone who's not afraid
To be a beacon in the night
To a world that's lost it's way