Quiet Trouble

This is not what you want to see when waking a child from a nap:
1. She's not asleep. 2. The floor is covered in the remains of 20+ band aid wrappers. 3. She is studiously opening yet another one. 4. You can't see any of the opened band aids anywhere.

Bad news: Abby's Christmas box of band aids is empty.
Good news: All the band aids had been placed on top of each other to form a 3 inch thick bandage over her bed's boo boo.

Lesson learned: Just because she's in her bed and quiet, doesn't mean that she is actually napping.

One More Pound...

forgot to add my least favorite thing about Seven Pounds... as if there could be more... one scene shows Will Smith going into an office and the camera zooms in on the door which says, "Department of Children Safety / Department of Family Sevices". Are you kidding me? No one in the entire cast and crew noticed a giant misspelled word? Unbelievable.

Seven Pounds of Frustration

If you have not seen the new Seven Pounds movie with Will Smith, and have any desire or hope to one day see it, then you should probably stop reading and leave this blog for a later date.

Seriously, I'm about to spoil the whole movie for you if you keep going...

Your choice.

I went to see this last night by myself. (I know- "A movie by yourself? That's so sad!" But not for me. I love going to movies alone. After all, when I go with someone else, it isn't like we're spending quality time together. We sit side by side, facing forward, and hopefully don't speak for 2 hours.) Continuing... I went to see Seven Pounds even though I knew it had received some of the worst reviews of all time next to the Waterworld debacle. But poor reviews tend to intrigue me. I just want to see for myself how bad it is. Kind of like tasting something that your friend has just declared disgusting. I should have stayed away.

In all honesty, the movie isn't that bad. The acting is fine. The cinematography is average. There isn't some unresolvable plot confusion like in The Lake House. My problem lies with the content. So here is the plot in a nutshell, aka the spoiler: Will Smith's character has been in a car crash where he is the lone survivor. In order to deal with his remorse and depression, he decides to commit suicide. But before he takes his life he anonymously goes about finding "good" people who need an organ transplant so that when he kills himself he can be their donor.

I was fine while I was watching it. But as soon as it was over, I was furious. I've never felt such strong feelings about the wrongness of a movie. I hate that this movie attempted to somehow glorify suicide. I hate that it tried to make audiences feel like Will Smith's character was such a nice, good guy for donating his organs to these deserving people. I know people who decided to end their lives and there's nothing glorious or selfless about it. I hate the idea that not only did this character believe it was his right to choose when he lives and dies, but the idea that he would also determine whether seven other people live or die is appalling to me. Deciding that you know better than God when your time is up is one big issue, but feeling as though you can also judge the worthiness of someone else's life is unbelievable.

I know the movie is fictional. I know it's just a movie. I know I need to let this go. But I hate that this movie could change the way in which some people think about suicide. That it could make them think that as long as you're generous on the way out, then killing yourself is an acceptable, even noble option.

Now that you know how I feel, aren't you glad I went to the movie alone?

New Year. Same Story.

The days between Christmas and New Year's are some of my least favorite of the year. It's right after we finish opening presents that I have a panic attack. I know I only have 1 week left to make a New Year's resolution and I want my resolution to be perfect... not so difficult that it's impossible, not so easy that it doesn't require work. I don't want it to be a fitness goal because honestly I'm not motivated to get in shape when I know there are at least 2 more months of baggy clothes weather. I don't want it to be a nutrition goal because I know Christmas candy is at least 50% off. I don't want to make a financial goal because as long as we have food on the table and aren't in debt I don't care too much about the green stuff.

So what do I end up resolving? Nothing. That's right- I never make a New Year's resolution. I think there are enough other times in the year that I resolve to change things: my birthday, the first time I put on a swimsuit, each time we go on vacation, whenever I pay a bill late, every July when I see all those academic calendars on sale and think, "this will be the year I use a calendar. I will faithfully carry it with me, write in it and consult it," and then 5 weeks later when I find the same calendar in the backseat of the car covered in a thick layer of lint and cheerio dust. These events are what make me want to get my life in order. Not the fact that it happens to be the last day of December.

To those of you who make resolutions and are brave enough to speak them aloud, I applaud you. It doesn't matter whether you keep the resolution or not... in my eyes, you are already amazing.

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.