"L" is for Lipstick

Lip gloss, rather! Yesterday, Mary Claire and I joined Jan as he ran some errands and consequently, found ourselves passing the time waiting in the car. At one point, and maybe in an attempt to busy myself, I pulled out my bag to search for my lip gloss. After all, it was Saturday morning...a day when I try NOT to put on make-up or do much in the getting dressed department. :-) "Dress down" is the concept in mind, so lipstick is definitely not an option! Nevertheless, I took out the lip gloss, and Mary Claire immediately cried out from the backseat, "I want some!" Seeing how it was the lip gloss and not the real thing, I gave it to her. And before I could show her what to do with it, she puckered her lips up and slowly began applying it! And what luck to have my camera in the car with me! A kodak moment captured...

Perfect!

Yes, I think that's just the right color! :-)

It's Out!

We've reached another milestone with the loss of Owen's first tooth. The tooth has been loose for a while, and last night after we had put him to bed, he came running downstairs with his tooth in his hand. (No doubt he was probably lying in bed wiggling the tooth instead of going right to sleep.)

He was so excited, and we were, too! He decided to not leave it under his pillow last night so that he could show it off to his little brother this morning. Consequently, tonight we are hoping the tooth fairy will pay him a visit. "Maybe the tooth fairy will leave me 4 quarters or 1 dollar," he just said to me before dinner. We shall see... :-)

Turning 5 and Having Fun!

My sweet Jonah turns 5 tomorrow...7:55 a.m. tomorrow to be exact! I cannot begin to tell you what a blessing he is to us. Jonah is thoughtful, very thoughtful! He sometimes thinks of things that surpass his age, I think. He loves little things. He's always been my "collector"--Sometimes it's frustrating, I'll admit, but I read in a parenting magazine once that it is a good sign of intelligence when your young child does this. No doubt this was probably written by someone who was trying to make themself feel better about the number of little things cleaned up on an almost daily basis. hehe We'll see, I guess. As I have said before, Jonah is my funny man. He keeps us laughing. He has to hug everybody in our family..."A hug for you, and a hug for you, and a hug for you, too." He loves his baby sister and his big brother. I love the way he loves them. Jonah loves to be the "boss", and I think it's so funny how he will tell his brother while they are playing, "O.K., I am the boss here." (He's even told me!) I would not be surprised if he is the boss someday! :-) Jonah is loyal and loving and lovely to be around. His blue eyes are special and beautiful and easily reveal what his heart feels.

My little collector with his little Super Mario and Luigi figures from his cake!

A 5th Birthday Party with friends, Bo and Benjamin

(All born within 10 days of each other)

On the eve of his 5th birthday, we are celebrating with his 1st sleepover!

Bo is here, and Jonah couldn't be happier with a friend, pizza, sundaes, & a Super Mario movie to watch!

Bring on the chocolate sprinkles!

Woo-hoo!

Jonah,

I am so very proud of you and thankful that God has given me the privilege to be your Mommy. I love you, Daddy loves you, Mary Claire and Owen, too!  :-) Happy 5th birthday to you!

Love,

Mommy

Can You Hear Me?

I can't begin to share everything that's on my heart and mind in this post. And I know that even if I don't put it all into words, God knows because He hears it all. 

We decided to continue with our planned family vacation and left last Thursday for the Gulf...yes, despite the oil spill and all. And I am so glad we came. We needed it. Several of the locals have thanked us for coming, and my heart just breaks when I look at the oil in the water and what is washing onshore. (But, honestly, I am not sure if it's as bad as the media makes it out to be.) We have been coming to the Alabama coast since I was about 8 years old. I have such treasured memories of Orange Beach and now Fort Morgan. My children have begun their own memories of this place. We needed each other and this place this week.

We needed Mamaw, (Ms. Sue), but I guess God needed her more. Last weekend and the days that have followed still seem like a dream for us all. The last conversation she and I had was about what to pack for this trip. I walked alone along the beach a couple of different times over the last few days, and I just talked out loud to God. I know God can hear my thoughts, but it just made me feel better to say it out loud. No one was around me and the sound of the wind in my ears was so loud, I just imagined it drowning out my every thought and worry. Good thing about that is that all it would allow me to think about was God's goodness in the beautiful things around me. And despite the pain and sadness still harboring inside me, I gave thanks to God...thanks for my mother-in-law, Ms. Sue, and I asked that she watch over "our babies" from Heaven just as she helped me watch them so many times here on Earth. Lord, I thank you so much for the life of Ms. Sue. She loved us and her 3 grandchildren more than anything, and I just ask that You and she would be the divine protectors of our family, especially my children, so that they might live lives free from destruction, disease, & injury. We may not fully understand the reasons why You chose to take her right now, but I will trust in Your plan. Thank You for the time we had with her and the memories we will take with us. Thank You for the beautiful ocean and Earth You have created for us to enjoy. Thank You, God, for hearing my heart's prayer.