Goodbye 2008!

Only a few hours left this year... how has it been nearly a decade since I was wondering if I should withdraw the few dollars I had in the bank before the millenium arrived?

My goal was to get Christmas pictures on the blog before 2009, so I'm sliding in at the last minute. We had a great holiday... a few short trips to see family, lots of good food, and very little time spent shopping!

Abby's favorite presents this year: a toy kitchen (thanks DaddyDan, GranAnn, Nana and Daddy B!) and a treasure box full of bandaids (thanks GranKathy and Boompa!).

Our little family:

Waiting as patiently as possible for Nana and B to open presents:

Playing with her new toy while wearing her new backpack:

Christmas Dress

Eventually Matt and I will stop being shocked by the fact that Abby often looks so much older than she is... but for now, we still gasp and stare at her.

Best Room Ever

Our new rental house has a wonderful room that we've made the library/adult living room. No TV, no radio, no toys. I love this room. I think I've dreamed of it all my life. To make it even greater, it also happens to be a perfect Christmas tree room. If I ever go missing, check here first.

I'm What?!

In my experience there's usually at least one younger teacher at high schools, and at least one student has a crush on them... and there's always that friend who says, "Ewww. He's old. Like at least 30!" Well when I dropped some stuff at Matt's school the other day, and a high school boy addressed me as Mrs. Naylor, it hit me that I'm no longer either of those kids... I'm the wife of the teacher! I frequently tell people that Matt is the best dressed male teacher at Denton High School... and I tease Matt about the high school girls having a crush on him. But for some reason I just now realized that I'm the teacher's wife. And it makes me feel a little proud and a little curious as to where the last 15 years went.

Mother's Intuition

I've been thinking about Mary and Elizabeth lately. They were both blessed with miraculous pregnancies. They both gave birth to sons who even before conception were named by angels. They birthed the Messiah and the man who ran before Him, declaring the good news. And these two women, these two relatives, these two first time moms, spent three months together while they were both pregnant. I wish we knew more of that time. I can't help but wonder about Mary and Elizabeth's state of mind.

I keep thinking, we all hope the best for our children, right? We all want them to be happy and loved and successful and generous and smart. And we don't want to even imagine anyone hurting them. We talk about protecting our children like lionesses. We joke about what we'll do to the boy or girl that breaks their heart. How did Mary and Elizabeth deal with those feelings? Their love for their babies, just because they were their own, must have caused the same emotions and I can only imagine that their love for the Lord amplified them. But did they feel as though they needed to protect Jesus and John?

How must Mary and Elizabeth have reacted when they learned that their sons were killed because people actually requested their deaths? Because government rulers, who did not want to kill them, were too prideful and too afraid to say no when it was asked.

I just wonder if while spending those three months rejoicing together, Mary and Elizabeth had any idea of the pain to come?

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for this year... Jesus pursuing our hearts and our lives, Abby, our health, Matt's job, living in Denton, our new home, friends, family, church... the list goes on and on! My hope for you this Thanksgiving is that, like us, your blessings are too many to count.

Yesterday we were able to spend some time with good friends. I had the chance to take a few pictures of Kurt Grothe and his family. Kurt was Matt's best man at our wedding and since he happened to be in Denton last weekend, he was kind enough to help us move. Kurt is one of those friends that long ago crossed the line into family... whether he wanted to or not!

Kurt and his family are missionaries to Argentina so if you're interested in supporting them in either a prayerful or financial manner, go to:

http://serve-international.com/team/team.cfm?regid=107&username=kgrothe

Isn't their son adorable?

Holding a Grudge

Okay... I failed this week. I succumbed to the middle of the afternoon slump and watched Oprah. I know, I know. But it was an episode on medical marvels, basically people who have doctors stumped, and I just love that stuff.

There was this one woman- Jill Price- who apparently has the most amazing memory ever known. Maybe you've heard of her. She can remember every detail of her last 30 years. Tell her a date and she'll tell you not only what day of the week it was, but also what she wore, did, exact conversations had, and most extraordinarily, she feels the same emotions as she did then. Oprah just kept bringing up the issue of how hard it must be to remember every time a person was cruel to her or said something hurtful. Since "time heals all wounds" it seemed to Oprah and Jill that not being able to forget is a horrible thing.

I get that. I've forgotten things intentionally and unintentionally. I can't remember huge chunks of time. And I truly believe that my forgetfulness of hurtful events is God's blessing, not some flaw in my brain.

But here's the thing that hit me hard, the thing I can't stop remembering: what must it be like to be the person who said something hurtful to Jill? How awful must it be to know that she may forgive you for the time you lost your temper, but she can never forget it? I joke that Matt has "selective memory" so I'm not worried about him, but I pray that Abby has a normal memory. I know I won't be a perfect parent and I'm kind of counting on the good times overshadowing my mistakes.

We know that God doesn't forget. That we'll have to account for our lives when they're over. But don't most of us think of that as an out-of-sight out-of-mind issue? Like we can worry about that later? What if we all remembered everything- good and bad- about our lives... wouldn't we wonder each time someone looked at us if they were remembering how cruel or selfish or impolite we'd been? Seriously- how much more cautiously might we all speak and act if we knew our words and actions would, and could, never be forgotten?

I love what I love

Yesterday was spent at the new house unpacking kitchen boxes and loading the countertops with all the crystal and china that had been so carefully bubble wrapped and stored over the past 7 months. After putting it all on a top shelf, higher than Abby will ever be able to climb, it was time to find the perfect place for my candy bowl. No fancy laser etching. No brand name stamped on the bottom. Nothing to make a robber think it worthy. And yet it is priceless to me- it was my great grandfather's. I can distinctly remember walking into his tiny little house and being amazed that the bowl was once again full. Must be some fancy candy to make such an impact, right? Nope. Nothing rare or exotic or even chocolate. It was eternally filled with simple peppermints. And I loved it. I loved seeing it in his home. I loved that he would set it down on my level when I visited and that he trusted me enough to lift the heavy glass lid off and get my own. And after Pa passed away, I loved that it didn't get tossed out. In fact, it earned a place of honor at Granny's house. I feel unbelievably priveledged that it is now part of my home.
So after unpacking all the crystal yesterday, I found the most reinforced cabinet in the kitchen and centered the candy bowl directly on top of a beam- just in case the kitchen were ever to suddenly collapse.
If you bought us special dishes for our wedding- I promise we love and appreciate them! But we've only had them for 6 years... not nearly as long as I've known my bowl.

Writing on the Wall

Kristin V. was nice enough to play around with Abby's picture in photoshop... and I think she did an amazing job!

Now our only questions are:
1. Why does our 2 year old look 13? and 2. Why isn't she paying for her own diapers?

Just Because-

the colors begged me to tamper with them!

Las Colinas

I've been on the hunt for a good location for a Christmas photo shoot. So after seeing Kristin and Jenn's photos from Las Colinas, I thought I'd make Abby earn her keep and use her for some test shots down there. It really is a great place to take portraits and I'd love to spend some time capturing the architecture.

I'm sure there are hundreds of great spots along the canal, but Abby didn't really want to go scouting with me, so we just stayed in one area. Here are some of my favorites.
(Thank goodness I don't have a camera shy kid, huh?)

Moving On Up

We're moving to a house soon and I'm ready... not ready in the packed boxes sense, but ready in the emotional sense. We aren't looking forward to moving 3 couches and a 300+ lb armoire, but I've decided the following outweigh the furniture:

1. Parking directly beside or in front of our house.

2. Having an extra room to accumulate guests or stuff.

3. Not hearing the upstair neighbor's high heels through the ceiling.

4. Walking to the library, park, Matt's work, and Keri's house.

5. Hardwood floors.

6. Using the TWU campus as our personal playground.

7. Letting Abby run out the back door without worrying about cars.

8. Sharing walls only with people I love.

9. Not needing to find parking for the jazz festival.

10. Sitting on the front porch and enjoying Denton.

Help! I can't stop...

making things! I'm pretty certain Matt thinks I've gone insane. The craft corner is quickly becoming the craft room... not a good thing to have happen in a small apartment. In addition to the usual hairbow craziness, today I managed to eek out two other projects. One is a set of baby gifts that I adore, but I'll wait to post a picture until after I give them to the mommy-to-be, and the second is my new favorite thing ever.

Drumroll please.... it is.... a crayon roll!

I love that they are functional, beautiful, simple, and portable. The fabric combinations are endless. They can be made to match a bag or a journal. They can be made for crayons, markers, or colored pencils... and they won't fall apart like those ugly paper boxes. I think they're perfect for kids, teachers and artists. And they may end up in every stocking I have to stuff this Christmas!

The inside holds each crayon in an individual pocket:

The outside is as simple or extravagant as the chosen fabric:

And all rolled up, I think it's perfect!

Red or Blue?

Tomorrow is going to be a new day. No matter what the outcome of tonight, there are going to be some very emotional people. But is it completely unpatriotic of me to say that I won't be one of them? I've been thinking about it and although I care deeply about some of the issues at stake, I know that decisions aren't made by one man alone. And I also know that miracles do happen.

So whether the map is colored red or blue, I'll be celebrating tomorrow. I'll be celebrating that God changes hearts... and policies.

Dear Hollywood,

I write this with a heavy heart. I never imagined we would need to have this talk. I think I've been pretty understanding in the past, don't you? I stayed quiet when you replaced Gene Wilder with Johnny Depp in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake. I bit my tongue when after 20 years you chose to release Die Hard and Rambo sequels. I only grumbled a little when I saw 90210 in the Fall 2008 TV lineup... although I do want to ask- did you not learn anything from Saved by the Bell: The New Class?

I had my emotions in check. I admit I even became prideful of it. I didn't think there was anything you could do that I wouldn't be able to handle. But this? This is low. Even for you. Today I hear that you're planning to remake Footloose? And you want Zac Efron to play Ren?! Why do you hate me so? Step away from the edge. This is a ridiculous idea. Never, never did I imagine one day wanting to bond with my daughter over Kenny Loggins and red boots, only to have to specifically request that we watch the "original."

Don't do this to me. It won't be only me you're hurting. You do know that the writers have not been on strike for a while now, right? Please- do us both a favor and ask them for new material. And just in case you try to relive your other glory days, here is a list of a few things that you should know are off limits:

- The Breakfast Club

- Ferris Bueller's Day Off

- Back to the Future

- Say Anything

- The Goonies

- When Harry Met Sally

- Pretty Woman

- Flight of the Navigator

- WKRP in Cincinnati

Please take this complaint seriously. I'm not afraid to organize an original fan club if I have to.

Heartbroken,

Jeannie

Halloween Fun

I'm not shy about admitting that Halloween isn't my favorite holiday, in fact it's probably the last on my list, but we had a pretty good time yesterday. The Village Church is great in that they encourage community relationships. The church provided a bounce house and candy for us at the home of our small group leader so that we could host a free block party for the neighborhood. It really was wonderful to just relax and get to know people instead of rushing around. By the way- Abby is convinced that Halloween is a birthday party for "Pumpkin" and the candy is obviously in lieu of a birthday cake.

It isn't too shocking that this was Abby's first time to go trick-or-treating, but many of our friends were surprised to hear that it was also Matt's first candy quest. Matt didn't celebrate the holiday growing up so I volunteered him to walk Abby and our friend Kurt's son Josias (dressed as an adorable duck) up each walkway and lead the cry for candy. Kurt and I had a great time pretending to take pictures of Matt's first Halloween! It did feel a little strange that only 2 of the 6 of us had ever gone trick-or-treating before... Kurt's wife Lore has never been either but that's because she's from Argentina.

She is a cute cowgirl:

Even if she does look like she's hatching some sneaky plan:

This is what she looks like when you tell her it's still not time for the party (note the Scarlet Macaw cereal in hand):

Happy to learn that there is more candy present than she knew existed:

Have you ever seen a horse sit? Well this is what it looks like... much easier to eat the sucker while not walking around.

Christmas Idea #3

Gift Idea #3

For Matt- anything that comes with a remote control.

I may not have married a man who watches sports central 24/7 (and for that I am forever grateful) but I did apparently commit my life to a man who isn't becoming more mature in his toy preferences.

Cars, helicopters, airplanes... any item that can be controlled by remote and used to torment both our cat and our child is the perfect present for Matt.

Arts and Crafts

Abby and I just finished carving the "perfect punkin". I haven't scooped out or carved a pumpkin in about 20 years. In fact, the last time I remember doing it was with Dean in the garage a long, long time ago. So, is it any wonder that I feel a sense of accomplishment?

Is the pumpkin truly perfect? Nope. Did it take me trying out 4 different knives before I figured out how to carve it? Yep. Could Matt, the artist of the family, have made a much better face? Definitely. But I've got to tell you- when I put the candle in the pumpkin and Abby began singing "Happy Birthday to Punkin"- I've never felt prouder.

Christmas Idea #2

Gift Idea #2

For Abby- Scarlet Macaw Cereal.

What might that be, you ask? Oh, that's just what my child insists on calling Fruit Loops.

Yep- Scarlet Macaw Cereal.

She loves it. For breakfast, for snack, with milk, without milk.

Perhaps we could stuff her stocking with the little snack size boxes? That, or we could use Scarlet Macaw Cereal instead of popcorn to thread onto string and hang on the Christmas Tree.

No Squeaking Allowed

I brought home a mouse costume for Abby. It was the wrong size... apparently 2T-3T does not apply to my kid... so I took her with me to the store to exchange it. I see now that was my mistake.

Once in the store, Abby spotted a different costume and proceeded to inform me that she did not want to be a mouse, she wanted to be a horse. I finally gave in when she started saying very seriously and very loudly, "I do not want to squeak. I want to neigh!"

Alright then, Abby's going to be wearing a horse costume on Friday... and any other time she can convince me to help her put it on!

She seems to be a pretty good rider for someone who has never been on a horse before :)

Two Seasons In One

This morning it was autumn, so our little family headed to the Flower Mound pumpkin patch. It was a busy morning and Abby split her time between running through the pumpkins, jumping in a bounce house, going on a hay ride, and meeting all her favorite animated friends in the form of cutout shapes!

But this afternoon, it felt more like spring. So Abby, baby Triceratops (the favorite toy of the week), and I spent some time playing outside.

A person for every pumpkin

We went to the Dallas Arboretum yesterday with a bunch of friends... all I'm saying is that there are a lot of stay at home moms in the metroplex, and apparently all of us are willing to sacrifice our sanity to let our children look at pumpkins.

I didn't take many pictures... the 80+ degree weather kind of ruined my fall mood. But, here are a few to hold us over until it's cool enough for an outdoor photo shoot.

Abby tried picking up most of the pumpkins... I feel sorry for whoever has to restack them each night!

Abby and Miller were both thrilled by the water fountains. Aren't those little blonde heads cute?

Let me just say that trying to get three 2 year olds to pose for a picture is impossible. Unless you want photos of their little bottoms.

Clarity

I realized today that it has been nearly 3 years since I've attended a funeral. (No, I have no idea why or how I ended up on this train of thought.) Three years doesn't seem like a long time until I started thinking backwards and it appears that this may be the longest stretch I've gone without a funeral since junior high school. Sure, travesty and natural disasters and terrorism have happened in those three years, but nothing so close to home that I sat in a church grieving. I should count my blessings, I know, but that isn't what I was doing.

Where, you are probably thinking, is this going? Oddly enough I'm not headed down some teary lane. Actually I was thinking about how I always leave funerals with a complete clarity of mind and senses. Do you know what I mean? Where you have cried until there are no tears left, and when you take that first step out of the church or away from the graveside, everything just seems brighter and clearer? You notice the amazing colors of the trees and sky. You actually hear the birds singing. The air smells fresher. You feel a little taller, a little lighter, a little more in touch with every thing and every person around you. God seems a little closer, a little more of a physical presence than a distant idea.

I was thinking today about how I wish I could live every day of my life with the appreciation and understanding I feel after funerals. Not so much a "stop and smell the roses" lifestyle, but more an overall awareness of the bigger picture. I don't want to live my life being afraid that each day could be the last, but rather live it humbled by the fact that there is a day at all. That miracle of miracles, I'm alive. And just like the day after a funeral, nothing else really matters.

Christmas Idea #1

Some of you out there like to get a head start on Christmas shopping... I understand the desire, I've tried to do it, I just can't. I've actually been successful before- I had all my shopping done before Thanksgiving. Do you know what happened? I just ended up buying more things after Thanksgiving. I can't not shop or make gifts or wrap presents in the month of December.

So instead of trying to do my shopping now I'm just going to start posting ideas for gifts when they come to me. I'm hoping by December 1st I'll have a great list of presents and I won't spend countless hours wandering helplessly through the stores.

Gift Idea #1

For Abby- boxes and boxes of band aids. The kid loves band aids. All sizes, colors, shapes. She sticks them on bruises, scrapes, perfectly healthy skin, and on every stuffed animal that has a loose thread. Perfect stocking stuffer. Immediately useful for any paper cuts that come from opening presents.

Whirlwind Weekend

Why has it taken me nearly a week to make a single post? Because the past few days have been entirely too hectic. Here is a recap.

Thursday was Matt's birthday. Unfortunately I had to teach class in Dallas and then I picked up my friend Anna from DFW around 10pm. Not much birthday celebration time.

Friday morning I said goodbye to Matt and Abby so that Anna and I could begin the roadtrip to Bandera. We got to San Antonio around 2, checked into the hotel, changed clothes and left for the start of reunion weekend. Nerves were so rampant that I actually burned my arm on the top of an iron. It's a pretty big burn... not the memento I would have chosen, but it's apparently going to stick around.

Friday night consisted of happy hour at the 11th street bar- found directly behind, across from, and diagonal from churches. Then several of us went to dinner where I almost punched a Frenchman. No really, a guy from France was there (what is he doing in Bandera, anyway?) and he was incredibly rude (talk about living up to stereotypes) and it took everything to hold me down. Then we headed to the homecoming football game where the high school students look much younger than I ever remember being. So we ditched after halftime and went to Bandera's new wine and cheese bar. Sounds fancy, doesn't it? Let me say it like this then: we went to Bandera's new wine and cheese bar that is next door to the Family Dollar. There... that should clear up any misconceptions. Actually it was a pretty nice place. It'd make it somewhere like Denton, but I don't hold much hope for Bandera.

Saturday started with a great breakfast and wonderful friends. You know how movies always show the outcast kids being super smart and cool 10 years later? Well, art imitates life. Among the 6 of us that went to school together, and a few significant others, we have some amazing professions, fancy job titles, and hilarious stories to tell.

Saturday ended with the official "high school reunion" which completely eradicated any remaining "funk" I had lingering. All I'm going to say is that Matt and I don't have matching drink koozies and that makes me proud.

Sunday was a quick drive up I-35 and a stop at DFW to send Anna back home to Illinois.

Overall it was a good weekend. I caught up with some very cool people that I've always thought of fondly. And I became ever more appreciative of my husband and my life.

Only 10 more years till the next reunion... I should start getting in shape now!

For Matt...

from your little girl.

Box of Love

Tomorrow will be Matt's 32nd birthday. We don't have a whole lot of birthday traditions around here... every year's celebration is different from the one before... but there is one thing I love. Matt's first birthday after we were married- his 26th- I decided to write what I loved about him on a piece of paper. I wrote 1 reason I loved him for each of his 26 years, and then I stuffed them all into this little red box. Well, we still have the box, and as of tonight it now holds 32 things that I love about Matt.

To tell the truth, Matt probably thinks much less of this tradition than I do, but I take comfort in knowing that I've put into words how I feel about him. I love that each year I get to sit down and write out one new thing that makes my heart grow fonder. And I've got to tell you- any time I'm mad at him all it takes is a glance in the box to remember the good stuff.

I hope to continue this tradition every year for the rest of our lives... I hope I have to find a bigger box one day. Each year I pull all of the notes out and reread them... some are eternal things, some are more specific to that year of our lives, but all of them are examples of what a great man Matt is.

So if you're in the market for a new tradition then consider creating a box of love for someone else.