Weekend Greatness

Some really good stuff happened this weekend, so here's a recap:

- Abby and I spent fun time with good friends at Owen's 2 1/2 birthday party.

- I managed to turn a giant pile of tulle into 3 adorable baby tutus. So yes, maybe I was making them for twins, not triplets, but I just wanted Jenn to have the best possible color combo she could for their pictures :)

- My oldest niece Kristen turned 13... that means I'm the aunt of a teenager (now I'm bound to be old and uncool).

- I found a pair of new shoes that I absolutely loved and after trying to decide whether or not I should really spend the $ on them, I decided to go for it... only to find out as the cashier rang the shoes up that they were on sale--- for $2.99. Nope, you didn't misread that, I actually bought a pair of high heel shoes for $3.22 with tax included! The cashier was as shocked as you and I both... she immediately went to the back to see if she could find some in her size.

- Matt and I were able to sit at church yesterday and witness our sweet friend Heather get baptized. Baptisms always make me cry, but being able to watch as Heather- 9 1/2 months pregnant- confessed her love for the Lord had me bawling. Add on top of that the fact that our church is awesome and allows each person to choose whomever they want to actually baptize them (instead of requiring that a pastor perform the ceremony). So watching Heather's wonderful husband David pull her back up out of the water was especially touching.

All in all, an amazing weekend.

One Happy Client

Here is Abby displaying her new "dress". So far she's found that it's super fun to wear when running in circles and while doing her "super kick"... unfortunately, it also attracts the wrong kind of attention from Troy the cat... he seems to think the dress is his personal toy.

Oh, and in case you're wondering what shoes you wear with a tutu- barefeet or chucks are the options at our house.

Procrastination Equals Productivity

Here are my accomplishments today:

- a load of dishes
- 3 loads of laundry

- a grocery store run

- put Abby down for her nap on time

- cooked dinner and had it ready when Matt came home

- created the bow which I previously posted

- and made this perfect tutu (which will have to wait until the morning for Abby to discover)

Amazing that I did so much and still managed to not complete the one thing I needed to do: grading papers. I actually worked my butt off avoiding work.

Newest Obsession

The picture above is my latest creation. Thanks to Heather I'm now addicted, and I mean ADDICTED, to making bows for Abby. If you've seen how much hair my child has, then you know that this hobby is actually a useful one. Since I already went overboard buying ribbon in every color I came across, I thought I might need to find another ribbon related craft for when Abby has more hair bows than clothes...the good news: you can make ruffle socks with ribbon! Hooray- another new hobby and I don't have to buy anything else!https://www.theribbonretreat.com/custom/modules/FreeProjects/PDFRuffledSocksInstructions.pdf

Silence

Living in Denton again comes with many advantages... great church, great food, wonderful town square, good live music, lots of walking opportunities, community... the list goes on, but my favorite part is probably being so close to the Daskams. I love that I actually drove past Keri on the street the other day. I love hearing Abby randomly ask if we can go see baby Cake. I love that Abby knows what Kas looks like and that he's Troy's brother. And I absolutely marvel at the fact that Keri and I get to put our girls in the stroller or the car and laugh at their squeaks and squeals.

What started as a loud, noisy, occasionally tearful trip to Central Market ended with peaceful silence as the beauties slept side by side.

Disliking Dora

Abby is going through a Dora phase. Fine, I can outlive Dora. But in the meantime, I have a few issues with the creators. I realize that Dora was created before Diego, but still, didn't she "arrive" around 2000? Not exactly the first cartoon character ever. So what's with Dora's outfit? Why does she have a pink shirt, orange shorts, and yellow socks? Why is her pink shirt just a little too short so that you see a line of belly when she stretches? Why is her head shaped like a football? And why, and this is the big one, why, when Dora and Diego overlap in episodes, is Dora's head twice the size of Diego's?

All I can think is that Dora is the cousin that is just a little bit off. The one you hope doesn't come to the family reunion but of course she'll be there. And you know she'll follow you around the entire time.

Couldn't the creators have made her a little more lovable? A little less mismatched? A little more of a normal sized and shaped head? Why did they do it? And who signs off on these sketches?

To the coolest lady I know...

Happy Birthday Granny!

You are by far the most amazing woman I know... You've lived enough to fill up twice your years.

You are loved and loving.

"Strength and dignity are her clothing and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also and he praises her saying: 'Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.'" - Proverbs 31: 25-29

Thanks for being you.

And to prove Abby is consistent in her strangeness:

Crazy Kid

This morning when I told Abby it was cold outside, she immediately ran to her room and put on her hat and mittens. She didn't seem to care that she was missing a shirt, and socks, and shoes. She did remember to grab the duck whistle on her way out the door though.

Oh, and this is apparently her "super kick" which I have no idea when or where she learned:

two very different things

i know these things are in no way connected, but why make two different posts?

1. today i curled up in a dark room with a pillow, blanket, and sleepless in seattle on tv. a perfect way to spend a rainy two hours.

2. as i was out driving on a busy road i noticed a firetruck with lights and sirens headed my way. i pulled over and watched it speed away. i know this is going to sound insane, but i love watching emergency vehicles on the road. i love that everyone stops worrying about themselves and where they're headed and that all the cars pull over to the side of the road. there's something beautiful in watching a line of complete strangers stop and respect that someone else is more important. this is not a new feeling for me. i've always loved this situation. i feel the same way about the funeral procession. when i see a line of cars with headlights on, and i watch others acknowledge that loss by simply stopping their commute for a moment... it just seems special. maybe it's the community aspect, maybe it's just following unwritten rules. i just know that i feel hopeful when i see it.

Happy Birthday Papa Wayne!

85 years old and still partying- quite impressive!

As you know, things are never done normally around here, so we hope you enjoy the compilation of Abby's new take on an old song:

Politics

So Matt Damon compared Sarah Palin in the White House to a "bad Disney movie."

Here's my two cents:
I like Disney movies. Maybe it's the fact that they're family-friendly. Maybe it's the frequent lack of violence. Or the fact that I'm never really sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen. Maybe it's the happy endings.

Maybe, just maybe, a Disney movie isn't the worst thing that could happen to America right now.

History 101

I've just finished reading The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel. And I know he has written multiple books in the same format, but this one had a specific issue that hit me.

You know how you can hear something and think you know it but then there's that one time that you hear it again in passing and you think, "Wait a minute- what did you just say? That's amazing! Why haven't I understood that before now?" That's how I feel.

See there's the case of Jesus Christ as a physical, historical person and his resurrection being argued. And all these scholars and intellectuals and skeptics all agree that there is an extraordinary amount of proof (outside of the Bible) that Jesus existed, died and was resurrected. I know I already knew that.

Here's why I was dumbfounded:
Why do we (Christians) ever use the phrase, "You just have to have faith" when explaining or defending our beliefs? If there's proof, PROOF, that Jesus lived and was resurrected, why does it seem so strange that we believe it? No one says "You just have to have faith that World War II happened" or "You just have to trust that Martin Luther King, Jr. existed." Those historical events aren't doubted, so why are we defending factual history concerning the life of Christ?

I don't think I'm making the point I want to make... this isn't meant to be a Bible argument, it's much more personal... let me try again.
Why do I have a hard time believing that Jesus Christ really did die for me and that he really will be there for me in the end? Why do I struggle with the "meaning of it all"? Why do I ever wonder if I'm just talking to myself when I pray? How can I have all these doubts? How can I fall back on the "if only I could just SEE Him, it'd make it easier" argument? I've never once asked to see any other historical person to believe.

I just don't understand how I can struggle with something that doesn't require "faith" as much as "acceptance". I don't have to believe that Jesus lived and died for my sins; I just have to accept it.

Milestone

Well, this is apparently my 101st blog post. So to kick off the next 100 posts, I'm posting a video for the first time. Could someone please tell me why my child randomly decides to sing out of the side of her mouth? Is she a future comedian? actress? ventriloquist? I guess time will tell.

Flying High

Matt decided today that Abby should fly a kite. It obviously isn't March so it took a little searching to actually find a kite to fly, but eventually we did- thank you Toys R Us.

Abby was a natural:

The only issue was that when we told her to run, she took off and kept going until we chased after her and screamed for her to run the other way.

Fashion Week

In honor of NY fashion week, I present two looks that will be popular in the Naylor household this fall:

The heart hoodie sweatshirt. Tried it on her during the wonderful cooler weather Tuesday, managed to get it off of her at the end of the ridiculously warm Wednesday. She seems to be a huge fan of the hoodie. Very excited to cover her head for some reason.

The pink hightops. Those who know and love me are aware that I don't purchase pink items willingly. But these may be the cutest shoes ever. It doesn't hurt that daddy has a black pair. If I buy some then we can be the Chuck Taylor-wearing Naylor family.

Unfortunately for Abby, she lives in Texas. So, here she is displaying her excitement that I let her wear her fall shoes with shorts!

Weekend Pics

Blissfully certain that she had outsmarted the sprinkler by staying one step ahead:

Sadly, she didn't notice the sprinkler was gaining on her until it was too late:
And I took this one today. It's her cute Footloose look:

Grandfatherly Love?

This weekend Abby spent time playing hard with her grandparents. After watching four adults anticipate her every need and bend to her every whim, I started thinking.

So many times I have heard a message or read a passage that involved the concept of God as Father. And every time it has been presented to me, I've struggled to connect with it. I wasn't a daddy's little girl. I didn't have a great dad. There were even a few years when I didn't have a dad at all. But I had an amazing grandfather. And here's the thing: I never, never doubted that he loved me. I never thought I wasn't good enough. Never thought that if I messed up he'd stop loving me. Never questioned why he loved me or how much he loved me. I just knew that he did.

Most people think parents are forced to love you. How many times have we heard or said some variation of, "Of course you think I'm good enough- you're my mom/dad."? But grandparents don't have the same stipulations. They didn't choose to bring you into the world. They aren't physically and emotionally connected with you from day 1. They can come and go as infrequently as they choose. They get to "give you back" to your parents when they're tired. But in my case, my grandparents chose to love me. Not merely tolerate me, but to love me passionately and irrevocably.

Here's the point I'm getting at: it may be nearly impossible for me to imagine God as my Father, but it seems to be pretty easy to imagine Him loving me like my grandfather did. If my grandad, who was human and made plenty of mistakes, loved me in spite of my many faults, then how much more must God love me?

So, maybe the title isn't as important as I've made it out to be. Maybe every time the Bible and pastors and teachers mention God as a Father it's because that is supposed to be a universal example of perfect love. Well, if that's the case, I'm just going to start adding a little "grand" in front of "father". Here's hoping that isn't too blasphemous.