Man Sold Life on Ebay

I read this article on the news this morning & thought it was interesting... sad & yet creative. Let's pray together that the right people come into his life to share Christ's message of "hope & a future."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7479836.stm

Charlotte's Visit

Ellie & I like bugs....and photography...and Charlotte's Web (thanks Mimi). Tonight when the girls & I were swinging in the back yard I noticed that hanging from the treehouse was a spider who was busily wrestling a grasshopper (I think) in her stickiness. Ellie and I (mainly I) watched in amazement as speedy "Charlotte" battled the grasshopper that was 3 times her size. The grasshopper finally gave up and the rest...well, he became dinner, I assume. Pretty cool.

I was trying to capture unique photos of this insect battle, but I wasn't happy with the pictures using the automatic setting on my camera. So, for the first time, I ventured out to use the manual setting. While the pictures I took aren't completely clear, I'm pretty happy at my first attempt at manual photography.

Summertime Sisters

My Little Saed-Saed

RC Cola & Moon Pie Festival

This past Saturday the girls & I went with our friends, Jen & Emmy, to the 14th Annual RC Cola & Moon Pie Festival in Bell Buckle, TN. Can you believe there's an actual festival to celebrate the moon pie? We thought it sounded "weird southern" so we decided to check it out. To our delight, we enjoyed shopping the local vendors, eating real BBQ, & laughing at all the fried food options to choose from (fried snickers, fried moon pies). The festival was pretty crowded, & the girls were tired by the end of the day, so we missed the "cutting of the world largest moon pie ceremony," but no regrets, right? I must say, though, the highlight of the day for me was the drive to & from the festival, simply spending quality time with Jen & getting to know her at a deeper level. I'm truly blessed to have Jen as a friend (not everyone would dig a 2 hour drive with 3 girls under the age of 3... just to check out a Moon Pie Festival...you rock!).

We found a local park for the girls to wear down at & as you can see from the first picture, the girlies were wiped out.

Emmy is too adorable to let this picture slide.

Jen, sampling the delicious Lemonade.

Calling All Moms! Calling All Moms!

So, today I had a special date planned with Ellie- a trip to the waterpark with her good friend Brooke. I made plans to have Saedi in hourly care for about 6 hours to give us enough time. I dropped off Saedi & then Natalie, Brooke, Ellie & I headed out to Tie Breaker Water Park. The girls were having a great time (mainly eating each others snacks) & it was good for the two older girls to have time with their Mommies & no baby sisters.

We had been at the waterpark for about 2 1/2 hours when I received a call from hourly care saying that Saedi had been fussy all morning, they were pretty sure she was hungry, but she wouldn't take her bottle...nor would she take 2 others that they tried! Last week a similar incident happened, but I figured it would pass.

Now I'm not sure what to do. Ellie had no trouble taking a bottle, & Saedi never used to either. I'd like to continue nursing her, but I also want the freedom to be away from her for a feeding or two. What do I do? I'm thinking of trying to give her a bottle myself so I can see what she does. She's always taken a bottle from Riley, although not always very well. Do I spend money on new bottles in hopes that they work? Will a baby give in & eat if she really is hungry?

So, moms, I need any advice you're willing to dish out!

Ode to Natalie

So today I was not a pretty sight. It was one of those days where things just kept going wrong. The line for the oild change/tire rotation was long. My appt for my non-working air conditioner was a no-show, and the appt for the in-and-out internet service was also a no-show. What are the chances of a two in one day??? Then, Riley called saying his school was longer than he thought & he wouldn't be getting home until the VERY end of August. Ellie wet her pants several times today, & Saedi was fussy from being so hot.

God is faithful, though, and he sent Natalie to my rescue. She listened to me vent on the phone & then was over to the house within 15 minutes to watch the girls so I could let off some steam at the Crossfit gym...by myself! When I came home, not only were my girls happy, but their hair was styled in matching pig tails & my house had been picked up! It would not be fair for me to declare this day "A Wreck" like I was so tempted to do before a faithful friend stepped in.

So, Nat, you always make fun of me for being cheesy, but "This One's For You!"

"If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls & has no one to help him up!"

Ecclesiastes 4:10

THANK YOU!

Happy Father's Day!!!

We dropped Riley off at the airport yesterday b/c he's heading to a 2 1/2 month-long school in Washington. You'd think goodbyes would get easier, but they don't. We cry everytime & begin counting down the days until he's home. Since he was going to be away, we celebrated Father's Day early. We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast with The Moons, he set-up swings on the girls' tree fort (which Saedi enjoys more than Ellie), we ate treats at a local bakery, went fishing, BBQ'd pork ribs & ate mashed potatoes & green beans (Riley's menu choice), played games at Chuck E Cheese & settled down to Ratatouille in the evening. What a fun 2-day celebration! We love you Daddy! Happy Father's Day!


Since it is Father's Day, I want to honor my father's as well. I am blessed to have 3 great dads in my life. Thank you, Father, God for being Lord of my Life. Thank you for sending your only son, Jesus Christ, do die for me & enable us to have an intimate relationship. Thank you for persuing me, Lord, simply because you created me & love me. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy my life on earth & for giving me heaven to look forward to into eternity.

Thank you, Dad Mott for raising me to know Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior, for playing with me when I was younger, for making me feel safe, for being an example of how to love others & to give unconditionally.

Thank you Dad Post for raising a son who is a perfect fit for me. Thank you for building me up verbally & speaking life to me. I always look forward to our outside time alone, whether it's hiking, checking traps, touring "Deer Park Fun Land" or just hanging out.

"Daddy, Will You Marry Me?"

Saedi's Laughing & Ellie's Experimenting

Yesterday I had Saedi in the tub...singing songs to her and tickling her boobies and SHE LAUGHED a true laugh. The extra touching aspect of the moment were the words to the song I was singing when she laughed: "Come Holy Spirit, Fall in This Place...I Need More and More of You...Fill Me Again With the Power of Your Spirit..." It was a pretty spectacular moment for me. I know all babies eventually laugh, but there's something about a child's laugh that warms a momma's heart. Beautiful. Tonight I got 3 more out of her as well. I'll try to video her tomorrow for you all to see.

I'll let my first "guest" blogger, Riley, catch you up on Ellie's latest antics:

As for Ellie, we come back once again to the Poop Diaries. I think she could possibly have a seperate blog spot of her own. Maybe she could get sponsored by the book Everyone Poops (I swear this is a real book). But anyway, I digress. So today Michelle and I were in the kitchen when Ellie announced that she needed to poop "by myself." About 5 minutes later, the house was filled with a silence that almost certainly means some sort of mischief is at hand. I went to check on Ellie and found her hovering over the toilet, her shirt soaked up to her elbows, and traces of her latest creation smeared on her hands. Using my superior powers of deduction, I quickly assessed the situation and asked Ellie if she had touched the object in question. In true toddler fashion, Ellie quickly answered "Daddy, I'm washing my hands" which, I guess, was partly true at that point. Well, I suppose the silver lining in this one is that the poop actually started in the toilet instead of some other publicly humiliating place (i.e. McDonald's Playland). Stay tuned for future entries in the Poop Diaries that are sure to come...

It happened at McDonald's Playland...Again!

So, I had a busy day running errands with the girls. 5 0'clock was here before I knew it and Riley was working late. I decided to treat Ellie to McDonald's and hopefully wear her out at the play land in the process.

When Ellie plays she's intense. Therefore, Ellie and I have this "system" where when she gets really quiet and I can't see her I say, "Ellie, where are you?" and she replies, "I'm here," and she shows herself. Well, it had been a quiet moment for while, and she wasn't showing herself as promptly as normal. Next thing I know she says, "I'm here," and is sliding down the slide with shorts full of poo. Let me clarify...not full of poo, but exploding, volcanoing (if this isn't a real word it should be) over with poo. It was the kind of soft poo that happens so quickly and out of control that a person doesn't know it's coming (at least this is my hope as the mom who thought her daughter was potty trained).

Thankfully, there was only one other girl playing, and she was old enough (9) to know not to go down the slide but to evacuate as quickly as possible. Her mom was kind of enough to inform the McDonald's workers of the situation so that I didn't have to show my face (or my naked child at this point) inside. That said, I set Saedi down on the yucky, outdoor concrete, stripped Ellie, threw her clothes directly in the trash can (so sad about those adorable pink striped shorts that were sacrificed!), and used have my pack of wipes to clean her up.

She rode home naked and I'm still asking myself how this could have happened to us again!!! (First incident was a month ago during a road trip)

This One's About Me

OK...no pics of my cute girlies today. This one's about me and all that I've been learning about myself. I need to write out my thoughts on this topic, and maybe you'll learn something along side me!

Have you ever read anything that helped you understand who you are? Currently, I'm skimming through a book called Motherless Daughters by Hope Edelman that a friend of mine (thanks Patti) reccommended to me. The title speaks for itself- it's a book about women who have lost their mothers. It's a thick book, so I started with the chapter that intrigued me the most. I jumped all the way to the back of the book and began reading the next to last chapter entitled "The Daughter Becomes a Mother: Extending the Line." I wanted to know how my experience with losing my mom will affect my parenting. From there, I was so enthralled that this book was explaining so much of me & all that I haven't expressed before that I finished the last chapter as well.

Here are some truths about myself (for better or worse) that I believe Hope Edelman has nailed:

• 1. I would say I have a "whole again" feeling since having children of my own- they allow me to reconnect with my mother (knowing that she went through those feelings with me), & in doing so regain a small part of the original mother-daughter relationship (p268)
• 2. Pregnancy and post-partum are bittersweet because I rejoice in mothering my babies, but instead of mourning exclusively as a daughter, I mourn as a mother as well (mourns for what Ellie & Saedi are missing). More so with Ellie was the new cycle of mourning triggered. (275)
• 3. Benefits of using a doula- "She never leaves the mother alone, & that is an essential aspect of this"...the doula became the mothering figure for me. "I never realized how much nurturing I needed until I had the experience...Your trust in me & your support at that time have made me realize I can do anything I want to in my life." (277)
• 4. A belief that I must be aware of my own limits to succeed (294)
• 5. I set explicit goals for myself & become determined to achieve them before my time runs out (294)
• 6. Feelings of, "I know that if my mother had been alive..." have caused me to become brave & independent.
• 7. Need for distraction through lots of activity & consistent achievement (303)
• 8. Desire to honor mom through achieving what she never had a chance to achieve for herself (304)
• 9. Have a "diminished sense of crisis" because things often feel minor in comparison to losing my mom
• 10. By creating a productive & satisfying life for myself I can attach meaning to my mom's death- "she did not die for naught" (309)
• 11. The courage to journey alone: "I feel very much that home is a state of mind, and that it goes with you. I nest with great enthusiasm when I land somewhere, but it's just as easy for me to pack up and move on." (303)