A year in review, issue #2

My favorite pictures from 2008.

January 1, 2008 - last day living on the east coast

first few nights at New Beginnings, bonding with girls who have big bellies

our babymoon suite on whidbey island

meeting my favorite little girl in the whole world

taking the meanest, most beautiful baby you've ever met home from the hospital.

Also, if you want a good indicator of her size - she still wears this 0-3 month coat today.

mothers day 08. a sweet moment with a terrified elias.

a random picture of glory during her colic when she wasn't crying.

Elias busted up after a week of exciting boy falls

the happiest boy in the world with his daddy at a mlb game

around nonny's table with babes, wine, & cheese. we'll be back soon!

you have to love the day you become officially cool

my view most days.

a sweet pic of playing E on the day I found out about baby 3.

the silly way Glory uses a passy.

thanksgiving, take 2.

bright blue eyes. 

when he still liked snow. 

and a family pic to round it all up. 

a year in review, issue #1

One of my favorite things about life is definitely that things never go as you plan. 

This year was the year I think, if I'm honest, I planned to save the world. 

I started the year heading to New Beginnings - with grand plans to help girls who had gone astray and help my husband get through the year so he could bust out some major seminary action and learn from some of the best at our church, and help my kids become theology-speaking toddlers who could do cartwheels & their own laundry. 

Of course, that was not the theme of the year. I realized shortly that living in community was like my cryptonite and actually brought out the worst in me. My daughter was born and really did not like being alive for the first few months of her life, this and homesickness & sin led me to a really nasty period of something that looked a lot like postpartum-depression. All of this led me to fear being away from my husband for more than five minutes and really have a strong need to look at my issues of contentedness with the lifestyle we've chosen. I remember hitting August and repeatedly promising friends - "soon, it won't be all about me anymore... you won't have to keep hearing about my issues soon!" I also repeatedly was shocked at my unwillingness to let people around me be sinful, to let them be themselves while becoming extremely irate if they had anything but passive grace for me. 

But the more I stuck my fingers in my ears and looked at my environment as my problem to overcome, I missed the fact that the real problem of everything was my own sin. Pride, judgement, impatience, blame, laziness, doubt, and a long list of others were all that stared back at me in the mirror when I looked for the culprit of my hurt. Unfortunately, I was the one committing all the offenses. So sometime around September, I started surveying the damage. I knew I couldn't fix it until I took stock of it and while I wanted that to be a weekend-long inventory, it's still going strong. So 2009 is all about that, with a twist.

2009 is going to be all about taking it all in - my humanness, my need for Jesus, my utter lack of capability without him WHILE holding my hands open to let Him pull me up and fix it. It's not about fixing anyone else, saving anyone else, or changing anyone else's lives - it's all about taking responsibility for my sanctification & praying that being really honest about that within my context will be encouraging for someone else and will point them to Christ in the same way. I think that is why I love being a daughter of Christ so much - when we finally step up and take responsibility, we do it by giving someone else full control. Amen. 

Don't get me wrong, I think there is much work to be done through me & the hubs this year - for goodness sakes, we have kids that need correction & teaching & raising and a world that has to hear the gospel. It will just be very sweet for me to speak all those words with the full knowledge that I need that gospel more than anyone else who lives. I need the discipline and the patience more than my little kiddos do, and The Word is like a lifeline that I'm holding onto with all my might. 

So - I've never picked a passage or verse for an entire year to meditate on and who knows, it may change with the next month... but Psalm 145 is my heart's cry for now. Tonight I was walking and listening to Shane & Shane's version of this song and I was just on the verge of literally freaking out. I wanted to stomp-dance on the pavement and scream the beautiful words at the cars that passed me by. If ever there was an anthem that would have me with scabs on my knees from kneeling and sore arms from raising - it would be this part. 

More of the year in review to come. 

But I'm oh-so-excited for 2009.

gourmet goodness

The main ways I receive love are: 

words of affirmation

gifts

& chicken wings. 

My love affair with the wing de poultre began in college when I was on the atkins diet. Nick realized that this was a great way to fill me up without giving me bread & so we figured out which wing places in Columbia had $0.10 wing nights & we'd do that almost every night. He had a happy & cheap date. One night in college, I'm proud to admit I out-ate all of our guy friends and downed 30 hot wings without really blinking. Man, I miss you - Atkins. You did me good. 

Tonight, I relayed my exhaustion to my husband & told him for me to get excited and finish the day strong, work out, & do laundry - I needed a really thrilling dinner & he did not disappoint. I just polished off around 12 wings & a salad & now I'm ready to go. Thanks, husband. 

Just a taste.

I just edited our Christmas pictures and my kids are soooo cute in them, I'm about to go wake them up just to pinch their cheeks and call them good-looking. I'll try to only do a few, but I may go nuts here.

family pic


nativity playtime with Kelly & Jason

big wheel goodness

my whole life. I see this face my whole life.

typical connolly craziness

loving her dolly

practicing clapping for brother

a special minute with dad

overjoyed.

post-christmas,pre-newyear

For the first time in almost three years of blogging, I just kind of want to quit.
I was telling Jason & Kelly about it the other night and Jason asked if I felt like a slave to my blog, and I definitely don't feel that way - I just feel like - come on, you're not that interesting.
However, I think you all are very interesting and I LOVE reading your blogs.
I wish my kids had blogs - I'd love to know what they're thinking about.

So I think tonight I will force myself to put up some pictures of Christmas on the old blog. I didn't take nearly as many as I wanted too, but I got some quality ones nonetheless.
I'll show you. Put up some pics of yours too:)

Also, I think that the period between Christmas & New Years is a confusing space for holiday-centric people like myself. This time last year, I was waiting to fly to Seattle - tracking my cute cross country driving husband as he made his way to Puyallup to set up our home. Now we are praying about where this new year will take us and the new additions we'll be welcoming in our life. Praying for the events we can't even imagine or ask for from our Father that are sure to come our way. Excited for our artificial little holiday coming up when we fly home on the 15th.

I'm also praying about New Years Resolutions - which I take more & more seriously every year. Last year, I'm sad to admit my resolution was to not get pregnant. Sad to say that because now I cherish & praise God for this life inside me that I don't deserve and sad because that resolution was based on me needing to learn patience & discipline and while I do think God hammered that into me in some ways, it wasn't in the area of being careful with my health.

Haha, I just reread this blog & I wish I could put smiley faces all through it. It sounds melancholy & it for sure isn't - waiting on the New Year is never bad. Waiting to grow & learn is always exciting. Now put up some pictures of yourself, your babies, your dog dressed up in Christmas gear so I can look at them tonight!

wrapping it all up

I'll just hit the highlights:

• About three presents in on Christmas morning, Elias realized he was a toy-obsessed maniac. It was kind of fun to watch.
  
• He hasn't really put his guitar down. When he needs to eat or play with another toy, he just slings it around his back. UNLESS he's sharing with the Cowan girls - which they all did quite nicely!
• We got Gloriana dressed up in one of her new outfits from the Ladd donation & she was...EXQUISITE! She usually wears kind of grubby clothing because well, she is a little bit of a grubby girl. But when we put her in her Christmas finest, she was really breathtaking. Today I bought her some sweet hair bows that she finally has a little tuft to hold & she will be wearing tights & skirts for the next few years straight. Sorry, gal.
  
• We had an amazing time with the Cowan/Flower clan. There is no replacement for family, but if there was - it would be good, Godly friends with sweet, beautiful babies who love your babies. Thanks for having us, friends!
• My husband got me some awesome new perfume & lotion, and a smattering of other things which I don't deserve. Books, magazines, christmas flowers & more. Thanks for nurturing my gift-centered love language.
  
• Since our kiddos did so great sharing a room Christmas night up at the Cowans, we used some Target gift cards to buy Glory's new crib mattress so she can finally inhabit the room with Elias! Nick gets his office back & I get my "laundry room" back! Yay!
• and lastly... we booked our tickets back East tonight to see family. It will be three weeks late for Christmas, but we get to see our loved ones & celebrate all over again.

Pics to come!

almost there.

Gifts I'm most excited to give my kids:
...did someone say tricycle?
...play-doh. Classic.
...this hilarious blow up weeble sort of toy for Glory that she is going to pummel. She is such a bully. This is sort of a gift to Elias so she won't hurt him so much anymore.
...A new "cars" sippy cup for E & the cars DVD. He loves that movie and he LOVES cups.

What I'm cooking:
...a new take on my mom's breakfast casserole. Mom, I decided to try & throw some cornbread in there, I'll let you know how it goes! Lauren's thanksgiving stuffing was my inspiration.
...Some precut cookie dough Christmas cookies with homemade icing. I'm like Sandra Lee & semi-homemade, 70% store bought.
...custom made olive oils. Lemon pepper, get in my belly.
...ooooh! This is my fave! Homemade fried donut holes with powdered sugar & cinnamon.

What I still have left to do:
...one last minute gift for Nicky poo.
...wrap all of Nick's gifts.
...put up the kids laundry so there is room to open presents.
...vacuum pine needles so Glor doesn't eat them all while we open presents.
...pry my hard & dried up gingerbread house off my white china plate.
...take a picture of all my Christmas cards from friends.
...pack our bag for the Cowans for Christmas night!

not worthy

So last night I woke up at 4am, because that's what I do when I'm pregnant. I was psychotically checking Nick's email because we're waiting to hear back from one of our supporters that is trying to help us get back to the East Coast for a little visit with family in January.

The whole time I was awake I was thinking, "Lord - I really would appreciate this donation, I really would appreciate to go home & see my family. But even if we get the donation, I think I'll feel uncomfortable - we really don't deserve it." I usually don't mind living off of support because our job is hard & I know what a blessing it is for us to give to others so I know it blesses others to help us out too. However, last night, I was just feeling really really unworthy. We just don't deserve the stuff we have like our kids and our health, much less spending money for coffee and plane tickets.

Today was like a massive day of craziness in response. First, we got a massive box from great friends of ours - Leigh & Gray Ladd, who had gotten friends & family to donate a massive Christmas surprise. Gifts for our kids, gifts for Lauren & Beulah, gifts for Nick and I, maternity clothes, baby clothes, & individual gifts for the girls living with us. Is that for real? Each thing I pulled out, I became more and more in shock.

Later, we got a sweet unexpected gift to help us get home and then Debi & Miles FOUND some more Victorian Christmas money we earned, all equaling almost most of what we need to buy plane tickets. Is that for real?

Tonight, I was cleaning and baking and wrapping presents and just felt really comfortable in my unworthiness. I don't deserve Christ and His everlasting life. I don't deserve this husband I have - who is my best friend & hero. I don't deserve these kids - who are too much & are my absolute joy. My friends, this house, extended family, none of it. I am completely unworthy of it all and I'm just supposed to find peace & a further pursuit of righteousness buried in that.

So, here is a quick thank-you video for Leigh & Gray. We love you guys & we cannot wait to hug your necks in January.

alpha & omega

I wish this was a sweet post about the Lord, but instead it's about the beginning and the end of my Christmas shopping experience... all of which happened today.

Last night, I sent an email to my good friend Kelly, who is also an exceptional mama and planner. I knew I'd get a nice little rise out of her when I told her that I had not yet bought a single gift for my kids or my husband. Sure, I sent some stuff to a few extended family members and I bought Lauren a purse before she left, but I hadn't even begun to shop for the most important ones.

Well - it's done. And I must say, we did it pretty concisely. Nick and I took the kids this morning and split up to shop for one another, then came together to shop for them. And... I'm pretty pleased with the results!

One note on shopping with your kids though... I thought ours were too young to remember, so it would be ok to let them go with us. Nick even semi-hid the gifts on top of the china cabinet so they wouldn't try to get in them. But sure enough during dinner, Elias started yelling "tar!tar!" because he could see his guitar box on the china cabinet! There wasn't even a picture from his point of view, he just saw the box and started yelling! So much for Christmas shopping with your two year old.

Anyhow - the shopping is all done & we may have payed a small price. The kids got no naps and now I've been in bed feeling flu-like for the past two hours. I can't tell if I'm really sick or homesick, or both mixed. Either way - it's time for me to pull it together because this year I'm the mama. Presents won't get wrapped if I don't do it, Christmas pajamas won't get worn if I don't get my butt to Fred Meyer tomorrow to buy them, the sausage & egg casserole won't get eaten if I don't make it. I want to do it all right - not beautiful & tidy, but warm and Christ-honoring. I'm overwhelmed and excited about the prospect of a Christmas with just our family - now, I just have to make it happen:).

snowed in 2008

We've left the house only a few times & we're definitely all going a bit stir crazy. Every day, the snow just keeps piling up & up & up.

Elias is now just freaked out by it, he liked when it was just crunchy & soft beneath his feet, but now it goes halfway up his leg and makes him squeal.

Glory told me this morning if I put mittens on her one more time... well, I won't repeat what she said.

My sweet husband has had about six family days in a row and I know he's ready to sit and just enjoy the company of a book for a little while.

And I would love to just go to the mall & shop and not have to walk a half a mile through the snow in the parking lot to get in there.

But it's pretty and it's fun and it's good quality time.

the weathermen came through

It was snowy when we woke up & it's been going on all day long.
We may never leave the house again.

some inspiration

I said in my blog yesterday that my kids were obsessed with this song, but every day it becomes a little bit more like our anthem. Here are the words - hope they make you smile tonight. Also, if Nick and I were ever to write a song about one another, it would say all of these things:). Not that we're obsessed with being rich - but making the world better than we found it. Whether it is by teaching people how to dance or sharing Christ with them.

you & I
by Ingrid Michaelson
don't you worry, there my honey
we might not have any money
but we've got our love to pay the bills

maybe I think you're cute and funny,
maybe I wanna do what bunnies do with you,
if you know what I mean

Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the South of France
let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters
and teach them how to dance
let's get rich and build our house on a mountain
making everybody look like ants
from way up there, you and I, you and I, you and I,

well you might be a bit confused
and you might be a little bit bruised
but baby how we spoon like no one else
so I will help you read those books
if you will soothe my worried looks
and we will put the lonesome on the shelf

oh let’s get rich and buy our parents homes in the South of France
let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters
and teach them how to dance
let's get rich and build our house on a mountain
making everybody look like ants
from way up there you and I, you and I, you and I

oh, let’s get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France
let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters
and teach them how to dance
let's get rich and build our house on a mountain
making everybody look like ants
from way up there you and I, you and I, you and I

I dare you to download this song, turn it up & dance to it. It will make you a happier person.

What we've been up to.

(a glimpse into our lives as of late)

• Big kid food. Glory is totally over baby food and I swear to you, that girl would eat a steak if I cut the peices up small enough. What can I feed a sweet, beautiful, monster-like when hungry, bottomless pit?
  
• Skiss, Skiss. Also known as music. Elias has to listen to it during naps, all night, while he's getting dressed and during meals. Specifically THIS SONG. Lauren put it on a mixed cd and our whole family is obsessed with it. When we're done, Elias yells "gin! gin!".
  
• Clapping. Glory is clapping her little life away and it is cu-ute.
  
• Family dinners. For the past two nights we've eaten dinner with just the four of us, at the same time. Never happened before last night.
  
• Crying ourselves to sleep. What? All of a sudden Glor-Glor is crying for like 30 minutes when we say night, night. I think she is just really starting to like us and doesn't like to say goodbye.
  
• Trees & Christmas lights. Elias likes Christmas more than Santa, I think. We put a big tree up downstairs for the girls and even though it took about six hours, Elias picked up each ornament and handed it to one of us and showed us exactly where he thought it looked best.
• Fruit snacks. Apparently, they're addictive. Who knew?

I accept your challenge, Larlar

Whether it is the past few days of being locked in by ice, or the prospective massive snow coming in, or the face that my kids are in bed, or the fact that all the laundry in our whole house is clean and put up, or the fact that all the good TV is off for the holidays... Whatever it is, I'm actually excited to do a little internet survey.


8 TV Shows I Watch: NO JUDGMENTS. I'm being totally honest.
1) General Hospital
2) The Office
3) House
4) Gossip Girl
5) Seinfeld
6) Jon & Kate Plus Eight
7) Lost
8) The View

8 Favorite Restaurants: (only eight?!)
1) Original Pancake House (Southpark location preferably at Christmas)
(or the downtown location with Kal & Stace)
(or the Columbia one with Leigh & Gray or Mere, Steph, & Laura)
2) Chik-fil-A. I miss you, baby.
3) Indochine in Tacoma
4) this DELICIOUS mexican place we went to in Redmond that I can't get off my mind
5) Cantina. Oh, Cantina. On a date night with Nick and the kids or with the girls.
6) Beecher's at Pike Place
7) Nordstrom Cafe - anywhere in the whole US, but preferably with Marilee - in a booth where we can nurse our bebes and eat salad at once.
8) Pf Changs with Nicky on a date night


8 Things that Happened to Me Today:
1) The shower water did not scald me for the first time in a month
2) My kids turned me into a short order cook for breakfast and ate like a whole abinet of food.
3) I had time to straighten my hair and made time to put on makeup.
4) I decided I really, really, really want my hair DONE by someone else - much lighter blond. I just can't get it there by myself.
5) I probably laughed at my husband 600 times.
6) I got homesick.
7) Bought a few christmas gifts for my kiddos.
8) I danced with the bebes.


8 Things I Look Forward To:
1) The snow a'coming.
2) Life two years from now. With all our babies out & hopefully walking.
3) June. I love baby days.
4) Lauren coming home.
5) Hopefully being at my mom's house in a month, watching all our kids play on the floor together.
6) Sleeping tonight... just being honest.
7) Celebrating my sixtieth wedding anniversary one day.
8) When Elias starts realllly talking. I can't wait to hear what is going to come from that silly head.


8 Things I Wish For:
1) Enough money donated for us to see family this Christmas and buy them all really thoughtful gifts.
2) All new makeup and skin care regime. Including microderm abrasion.
3) To not gain one pound for my entire pregnancy.
4) Health for my whole family & all friends this coming year.
5) A really clear answer from the Lord about what are next step in life should be.
6) The snow to stick and be beautiful but for the roads to be clear enough that the kids & I can go to group on Thursday.
7) For my husband to miraculously be in my head for a split second so he could see how amazing I think he is.
8) To know the Lord much more intimately at the end of 2009.

oops! I forgot to make some people do it! DOOOOO IT.
Nick, Kalle, Sirkalicious, Rachel P, Leigh Hood, JPH, Annie, & my mom

blog change suggestions?

So, I've just made the executive decision that I am DEFINITELY changing my blog address, for two major reasons.

1. When I check my site meter, every single day I find people who have googled some sort of "babe" phrase and stayed on my blog for tooooo long. Sometimes they've searched really gross & explicit phrases and then I can tell they've searched my history and well - yuck. That's gross. Get off my website, please.
2. I made this blog when we had just had Elias & were trying for Glory and we were definitely in a place where we felt like babies. We had a lot of negative voices telling us that we were crazy and rushing things, and I felt just this incredible burden almost to apologize for our child-rearing passion.

I don't really feel that way anymore, thank God. I've met so many women and Godly people who have affirmed our passion for a big family early on, and while I still feel like I have a whole world of stuff to learn in regards to life & motherhood, I don't feel so much like a 'babe' anymore.

So any suggestions?

Two under Two tips...

I was reading in Parent's Magazine tips for having two kids under two, and I thought - wow, that would have been really nice. Most of their tips we figured out, but we sort of did it on our own, scared we were making mistakes. I highly doubt they'll have tips for doing three under two & a half, but we know we're kind of paving the way with that one. I thought though, if it would be helpful at all - I'd share some tips with my friends who are about to have two under two, they may or may not work for you; but I would have loved for someone to tell me this stuff!

- In the beginning, don't be scared. Think about the things you're terrified of & really weigh out why it scares you or why you go to great lengths to make it not happen. This was definitely a truth I needed to hear when having my first, but I needed to know it all over again with two.
... When Glory's colic/reflux was in high gear, I was TERRIFIED to go places with the kids together, much less ride in the car with both of them. Then I really evaluated, why am I scared of her crying? If I made a sort of game out of it with Elias (getting him to sing to her or try to make her laugh, or even try & imitate her), he was always fine.

- Even if it doesn't seem like the best timing for the smaller baby, try & get them on the same nap schedule as soon as possible. We knew Glory could probably handle three naps a day (beginning as soon as 3/4 months) but we realized if we put them down at the same time (for two naps) and just made her bedtime a little earlier, it saved me a lot of sanity. That gave me two periods of time in the day to shower, do chores, rest, email, or just sit without my hands being full.
... When Elias dropped his morning nap, we just started keeping him in his crib, with the lights on, music playing and books to read. He will still last like an hour & a half, and he gets a little rest in.

- Also, in the beginning, I arranged Glory's nursing schedule to parallel Elias' nap and eating schedule. I'd either nurse her just after he went down for a nap or just after I got his food ready to eat... both were semi-hands free times. I also eventually used that time to eat myself when I got coordinated enough.

- Learn fun ways to carry them both down/up the stairs. You can wait for the toddler to go up & down, but it gets boring. Elias' favorite is when I let him jump on my back and I carry Glory in front. If you don't have stairs and have two under two, just thank Jesus.

- When doing baby-caring tasks with the little one, encourage the toddler to mimic you with a stuffed animal or doll. Sometimes I'll ask Elias to change Glory's diaper and he will very seriously go grab and diaper and wipes. By the time he fetches both materials, I've got her diaper changed. This also works really well with doing the laundry & feeding the baby.

- I'm not a crazy advocate of baby-wearing, it's honestly not my favorite thing in the world. But, I did realize that Glory was PERFECTLY content to be in some sort of carrier from around two months-six months, constantly. Also, for us it preemptively helped her colic. If I wore her for the first few hours of the morning, she was genuinely happier the rest of the day.

- Don't be scared to go places or not go places. I'm a constant worrier-planner, so I can spend days or hours before an event trying to figure out how I'll handle them both. I've learned now that if it really matters to me to go somewhere, I'll just do it and pray people will be there to help me. If one of the kids seems slightly off though, I've learned that it is way more worth it to just stay home and try again another day.

- Lastly, make up your mind that it's not that bad. I had so many people speak negative words to me and sometimes they were just being totally honest, but I had to decide that as far as I know, this is how everyone does it! There are days when I wistfully watch a mom only carry one child into the grocery store and feel a little jealous, but I just choose to believe that while my hands are full - my heart is too.

HOPE THAT IS HELPFUL! I'd love for some of you other moms to write some tip-filled blogs, those kinds of articles & conversations help me a ton!

yes, I am excited.

Yes, husband, I am excited.
Even when I was younger, I don't really remember getting psychotically excited about snow - not like today. All day, I was checking the window, checking weather.com, checking the weather on my phone, checking the window again.

And now, at night, it has started.
The snow is a falling.

Also, the last big snow we saw was just after we moved here.
Elias couldn't walk yet and now he can... well, the boy can get around.
Here is a picture of him almost a year ago, MANY pics to come tomorrow.

Wedding Re-do, Part 1

So, Nick and I didn't get to make it to our fun Christmas party tonight. We got halfway there and the snow was pouring. It wasn't snowing in Puyallup but we were really worried we'd get stuck so we regretfully turned around. We went to dinner at our favorite thai place in Tacoma & talked about one of our favorite subjects: our wedding. So we decided to imagine we were getting married right now, with unlimited money... how would we do it? Now, this is no disrespect to our wedding because my parents put on one heck of a show. It was my favorite day ever & it was amazing. But this was a fun game to play...

So let's start with the basics.
- We would absolutely keep the same location. Little church on the beach at Sullivan's Island, reception at the country club in my parent's neighborhood in Mt. Pleasant.
- However, if we were getting married right now we wouldn't be bound by school schedules so we'd get married around the first weekend in November. This obviously changes the color scheme.
- We'd go with charcoal & purple. Think these swatches for inspiration.



- To start we'd have a much smaller wedding party so we'd have a really small rehearsal dinner the night before. Somewhere in downtown Charleston where we could eat something like soup & drink coffee afterwards. I would still love to sleep in my room at my mama's house the night before, with Mere in bed beside me and my sister on her way up the stairs with some bran muffins as I woke up. Some memories you just can't change:)

- We would still do around six p.m., and hopefully this time of year it would be darker so we could go almost totally candlelight. There would only be one type of flowers and that would be peonies. My sister & I would carry these very simple bouquets with fresh cut peonies everywhere. If I was feeling really anal, I'd wrap these bouquets in purple-dye dripped twine.


- As for the wedding party, we'd rearrange things a bit. We had a few bridesmaids & groomsmen who we have barely spoken to since our wedding and made some great friends since then. For example we'd have to add Lauren, Shawn, Kelly, Marilee, Thadd, & Staci. But that would make our wedding party like twenty people, so we'd just have family up front with us (Leland, Josh, & Katie) then have the rest of everyone sit off to the side in the choir loft - like a VIP section.

-My sis would wear this charcoal dress & this purple cardigan. We'd both wear these quartz earrings.



At the reception, I'd also put on a purple cardigan & the boys would wear charcoal colored 3-piece suits.

Oh, but what would I wear? Honestly, my wedding dress is my favorite dress in the world, but we're doing fantasy -
so I guess it should be different. How about this goodie from Vera Wang?


Hair down & half up - hopefully still as long as it was then:) If not, I'd get extensions.
Simple makeup & smokey eyes.

Ceremony:
- I don't think there is much that could make that hour better than it was. We'd definitely have Gil lead worship and I'd like to walk into his song, "I love your face", I think that is not the real title. Also, I'd love for him to do John Mark McMillans, "How He loves Us".
- Robbie would still have to do everything & we'd keep the same vows, for sure.


... Ok, that is it for now. Thanks for indulging me, If you don't mind, there will be one more part coming up. We have to talk about music & food at the reception, next. This is really fun for me. Thanks, friends. Anyone else want to do a fantasy wedding for me to read about?

fashion friday

I'm bringing it back, sort of.

I love Christmas gifts - LOVE. More than Christmas gifts, though, I love stocking stuffers! Just little things that someone finds on Christmas morning and thinks, "yes! what a great addition to my life!"

So, while all of these items may not be fashion based, they are all stocking stuffers I'd like to get for the ones I love.

For my husband:

The Mac Logos Software, it's not cheap but it's certainly small & I'm sure he would consider it something that would greatly benefit his life!

My son:

He loves to play outside and I'm sure if we get the foot of snow we're expecting this weekend, he's going to NEED to be outside!

My girl-girl:

Enough said. Enough said.

For my Mama:

I like these way better than the ones I got you last year!

For my sweet nieces, so I can cook with them the next time I see them:


Lar-Lar:

Some fashion wellies for her walks with Beu.

Shawn:


Kal:


The preggos living with us right now:



For Kel:

A necklace with Kanah & Grace's initials on it. And maybe I could then get her to tell me #3's name or atleast the first letter:)

for sweet Marilee:

a new necklace for you:)

& Angie -

For all the sweet girly gifts you're going to get for Ava.

and lastly for my sweet sister, Ruby

well, because, she works at a jail. Sorry, Kate.