In my daughter's eyes...

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from Emma's valentine's celebration week. She had a cute party Wednesday night with Mrs. Joene and Saturday she and I baked cookies. This is what she said while stirring the dough - "Mommy, I'm your helper like the men in the boat helped Jesus." M - "That's right Emma and I think Jesus is so happy you are a good helper. I bet you make Him smile." E - "yeah, and I say cheeeeeeeeeese!" Amen for little hearts that already love Him.

Dry Bones

2010-02-05T18:33:00.000-08:00

For those of you who heard Pastor Brent Ross' message on dry bones I wanted to share this video. I saw it almost a year ago and I couldn't help but picture it as Pastor Brent brought his message Sunday, and even those that followed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Man, did we experience God this week or what? If you're not excited about what He did this week you need to have a serious gut check.

Hi World, it's me.

2010-02-05T18:14:00.000-08:00

Yikes - this blog has been neglected, nearly abandoned! I miss writing, so here I am, with things on my heart to share. First things first, let's catch up...

- Christmas was a lot of fun this year. Emma and Avery made their first debut in the Children's Christmas program, dressed as ornaments, and fit to be tied. They just didn't have the patience to "sit on their names" on the stage for too long. It was still a blessing to hear Emma sing her favorite song from the program - "Go tell it on mountain, that Jesus Christ is born." I can still hear her singing that, missing words and all. She was such a tool on Christmas morning too. Troy taught her to be the gift passer so she made each of our piles commanding "don't touch mommy, gotta wait". Her big gifts this year was an art easel that converts to a desk from Nonna and G-daddy, a toy storage unit (yes, she gets excited about cleanliness), a train set from Auntie and Unkie and a cool dvd Bible see / read along.

- We spent new years with the Peacocks. Avery and Emma attempted their first pallet sleepover, but Emma ended up in the guest bed with Troy and me. Robert's pancakes were super yummy :) Later that day we drove to North Carolina to be with Drew, Kelly and the girls as Drew was deploying for Afghanistan. It was so good to see the girls and to be there to send Drew off.

- Here we are in the second month of the year already! God and I have a pretty cool relationship going on this year...stay tuned for what He's doing in me.

Emma Conversations

2009-11-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

Last night right before dinner.

E - I want a snack mommy.

M - We are about to eat supper Emma.

E - Pizza mommy?

M - No, baby. We don't have any pizza. I made tater-tot casserole.

E - (pauses) Call the pizza man mommy.

A few Disney photos

2009-11-15T20:50:00.001-08:00

Birthdays, Disney World and lingering colds

2009-11-14T05:20:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Emma and daddy, happy birthday to you! Emma turned 2 last Sunday and Troy turned 29 the next day. We celebrated birthdays in Disney World this year with my parents and had a "magical" time. We got an amazing deal through the military discount program and were able to arrive on Sunday and visit all four parks over the next 5 days. Emma did really well with the long days and over stimulation...until Wednesday. We decided to try out the awesome pirate ship pool at our resort. It was supposed to be heated, but, well, it was wasn't. So we tried the "big" pool. It was better but still not too enjoyable. We spent more time sun bathing and people watching - yes, she gets it honest. At lunch Emma became comatose - she just layed on my chest - my child doesn't turn down food people. She and I went back to the room and took a nap. After nap we headed to the Hollywood Studios park which resulted in a trip to the first aid center. This place isn't called Disney World just for semantics - this place has thought of everything. They had a nurse who took Emma's temp and offered a dose of motrin and further instructions for "Disney paramedics" who can assist in-room by dialing 911 from our resort phone - you get this? When you dial 911 from Disney, you are not connecting to the world we know - it's the disney people. I'm still not sure if I think this is cool or scary. Anyway, to make this incredibly long story short - we ended up at a "disney" urgent care center the next afternoon to get a shabby diagnosis of absolutely nothing. No flu, no ear infection...instead we were told we brought her "too early".

Troy came down with "nothing" that night, and me, well I was glad I hadn't...until Friday morning. The "nothing" creeped on me too. We still managed to walk through Animal Kingdom, which by the way, is the most disappointing place at Disney World. We arrived home late Friday night and thought we were on the road to recovery.

Sunday afternoon we had a small birthday party for Emma at my parent's house. Poor girl, she just didn't have the energy to celebrate. She laid in the bounce house most of the time and let everyone else's jumping bounce her around. We took intermission while opening presents. We tried to keep our germs to ourselves.

Emma has been to her own doctor this week and still has "nothing" that she is supposed to just ride out. I guess that's what I have too - "nothing" with a side of cough and no voice.

Anyway - aside from colds, Troy and I still can't believe we're the parents of a 2 year old. Emma is doing new things everyday that amaze us, catch us off guard, and sometimes act as a check and balance of our parenting skills. Having a child is the closet parallel we've experienced to understanding God's love and desire for us. Emma is a excellent accountability partner!

Halloween

2009-11-12T19:55:00.000-08:00

I made Emma's costume this year! With the help of an awesome lady from our church I sewed a pumpkin tu-tu dress for Emma. It was so much fun. Emma enjoyed the fall festival at church and trunk-and-treating with her two pals Avery and Natalie. Here are a few pictures:

Emma Conversations

2009-10-31T19:55:00.000-07:00

Scene - Emma's room picking out shoes to go run errands

E - how about this one?

M - those don't match emma. they are pink and green and you are wearing black. how about these? (I point to a black pair)

E - nope, don't want it. this one! (brown flip flops)

M - Emma, those don't match either baby. They are brown and you are wearing black. Can you pick out a black pair that you would like to wear?

E - Mommy? (pause)

M - yes Emma?

E - be quiet please

Circus

2009-10-31T19:46:00.000-07:00

My parents took the three of us the Shriner's Circus last week. Emma had never been to a circus before so we weren't sure how she would like it, but she did incredibly well considering the only nap she had was the one in the car on the way there after church. She mostly enjoyed the lights, music and cotton candy! She had one upset - after intermission the clowns came out and did a scene in which they were "painting" - they kept running into one another and spilling paint everywhere. Emma began to cry and told me through her sobs "they not playing nice" - it was a good time for a diaper change. Oh, and I almost forgot - I hope I get to experience the joy of being a grandparent one day - my child is rotten because of these grandparent people - she came home with 3 light-up toys. I can understand 2 as a stretch, one for each hand g-daddy said, but 3! His argument - the third was a necklace and she didn't have to hold it!

Youth Sunday

2009-10-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

Each year our Pastors allow the youth group to take over the Sunday morning worship service. This year's service pretty much ROCKED!!! I am so proud of the kids and can't say enough how God shows up and suprises me time and time again. I directed the kids in the drama portion of their service and challenged them to allow God to use their talents in a human video presentation. It would be pretty stellar if God gave me the talent to create one of these myself, but I'm not that awesome so we copied one that we found online. Kudos to Heather's mom for video-taping the presentation:

LIFHOUSE HUMAN VIDEO

ღ†ςђгเรtเคภ ςђเςк†ღ | MySpace Video

Emma Conversations

2009-10-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

[getting ready for church]

E - What you doing mommy?

M - Putting on my shirt, Emma.

[I get my shirt on]

E - Good job mommy. [she places her cup on the table and begins to clap] Big girl mommy.

M - Awe, thank you Emma.

E - I'm proud of you Mommy.

Emma Conversations

2009-10-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

E - I talk to Jesus on the phone mommy?

[I hand her my cell phone]

E - Hi Jesus. What you doing?

[Emma looks at me]

M - What is Jesus saying Emma?

E - Cock-a-doodle-dooooooooooooo

Like Father, Like Daughter

2009-10-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

It seems like Emma is being a copy-cat more and more these days. Here's her most recent venture - insisting on shaving like Daddy.

Emma Conversations

2009-09-29T19:31:00.001-07:00

The scene - arriving home - trying to get Emma out of the car into the house along with all of the other stuff I'm carrying. Emma crawls in the front seat and is "driving"

Me - Emma get down please, it's time to go inside

Emma - I'm driving Mommy

Me - I see that Emma, but now it's time to go inside.

[she doesn't move, she's giving me that sideways view and smirk, I proceed to pick her up and put her on the floor and make her walk inside. she starts crying]

Me - I'm sorry baby that you can't drive right now. You need a bath and it's almost time for night night.

Emma [in a pathetic whimper] I'm sorry more mommy

Sophie, meet Jesus

2009-09-27T19:30:00.001-07:00

Here's picture of Emma (excuse our mis-matched pj set) showing Sophie all the pictures in her Bible, pointing out baby Moses, the lions and all the animals on the arc. Our daughter isn't quite 2 yet and she is already talking about Jesus - how awesome is our God!

Today we played house

2009-09-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day. Troy was off. I had to work this morning but it went by quickly. I cooked a big dinner and Emma helped me make home-made mac-n-cheese. Troy videotaped her - she is so funny - she decided she needed 2 bites while we were stirring. We played hide-and-seek outside after dinner and wrote on the drive way with chalk. I baked a home-made cake and the each of us ate a slice at the table together while enjoying a glass of milk. The TV was off. It was nice. Troy and I both got to say bed-time prayers with Emma - a rare treat these days with Troy's work schedule.

We also got to bring Sophie home today. Emma is so happy to have her home but doesn't quite understand that she still needs a lot of rest. We have to force-feed her with a syringe - hopefully she will make a full recovery. We are hoping to have her as a part of our family for a long time.

Today reminded me of playing house when I was a little girl. Pretend play was always perfect - the perfect husband, babies and home-cooked meals - just like today.

Life with Sophie

2009-09-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

Well Sophie has been in our home for 5 days now. We think she likes it here. So far Emma has included Sophie in story time, pointing out all of the animals in the books "Sophie, this a bird, this a dog, see Sophie?" She tells her were to go potty (on her potty mats) and encourages her to go everywhere we go in the house "come on Sophie" - it's so fun to watch Emma incorporate Sophie into her life. She has even picked up on my short name - Soph and will say "come on Soph" - it's adorable. Today Emma asked me for a towel, so I gave her one, but she told me "no, anoder one" so I luckily figured out she needed a paper towel. Once I gave it to her she bent down to Sophie, placed it on her nose and said "blow Sophie." I'm looking foward to Emma having a real sibling one day.

Be careful what you pray for

2009-09-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

God is BIG! I've been reading Elizabeth's George's A Wife After God's Heart and have been taking to heart her challenges each week. After thinking through my letter of committment to God regarding my family (week one) and the role I play as the wife and mother I have been incorporating those desires in my prayer time each day. One of my prayers has been to keep a tidy house, one that my husband doesn't have to go behind me and clean his self. For those of you who know me well, you're going to laugh at God's sense of humor here. For those who might need a little explaining, let's just say this homegirl ain't concerned with a little messiness around the abode - I mean for real, does it really matter that my piles stay piles for weeks at a time? Anyway, here's the "urge" God gave me last Friday after work while Emma was sleeping:

yes folks, that's me, scrubbing my base-boards. It's not spring, we don't have company coming in town, and I'm not pregnant and nesting - go figure!!!

Welcome Sophie to the Henderson Family!

2009-09-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

We got a dog today. Now we're a truly bone-a-fide American family. Meet Sophia (Sophie) Renee Henderson; she's a 2.5 pound silky malti-poo.

Emma's Prayer

2009-09-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

Emma's prayer last night (her list of people she calls out, I'm not sure if she is praying for these or thanking Jesus for them, oh and if you're name isn't listed don't fret - she changes it up each night)..and in this order:
-mommy
-daddy
-nonna
-g-daddy
-memommie
-uncle bill
-unkie
-auntie
-natalie
-noah
(pause)
"anyone else?"
and, baby brother, amen

okay then, there you have it. and for those of you who might question, no we're not trying to creatively blog that we're expecting...not yet at least ;0

on a more serious note, i was sick monday evening and auntie and unkie came to our rescue and took emma for the night. when i talked to emma on the phone tuesday she said 'i pray Jesus make mommy feel bedder' - i just teared up. I am thankful God gives me and Troy the desire to be obedient in raising our child according to His plans, even more thankful we rejoice in it! (um, and again, sickness on monday night not equal to expecting)

Give me your eyes

2009-08-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

so much for more faithful blogging...

2009-08-19T18:58:00.001-07:00

man, so much for making good on my word about blogging more consistently! go ahead and say it out loud - i hear you - yeah, i pretty much suck!

there is a ton to tell to bring each of you to speed on the henderson abode and happenings...first things first, i really do want to list the love dares Troy has covered in our class to date - i need to snag the book from him to get them on here in order. i am really enjoying seeking and understanding in more detail God's definition of love and specifically what that means for loving my husband. it has been really neat to share the journey with the couples in our class and see how God has given each of us our own unique love stories. fyi, my pastor once said that my husband pretty much rocks the planet and not that i'm bias or anything, but i have to totally agree. he impresses me more and more and i fall more in love with him all the time.

speaking of this God character, he sure does have a way of melting a girls' heart. in the past few months He has shown up in my life proving yet again He has everything in control. i have seen my dear friend beat thyroid cancer. i have seen Him work in our church youth group and change young peoples' lives. He has worked out a nifty little plan that is going to allow me to begin working part-time in the next week and a half!!! most of all, He has filled me with a thirst and hunger to seek after Him in a way I haven't in a long time. I am enjoying the adventure so much. I have more peace about my purpose (His purpose) in life and for the first time I am really beginning to wrap my arms around the "love God, love others" mentality. God is good and I am really looking forward to the opportunity to serve Him more now that I don't have to focus on work so much.

Emma is chatting up a storm. Her task de'jour is calling her family and friends from my cell phone each night. She is a total crack up at it too! Last night she told me "i talk to sta-ey" - who she hasn't seen in a month or so. When I got Stacey on the phone Emma asked her "where your puppy?" - she is such a ham! Her last day of day care is this Friday - it's kind of bitter sweet for me because i always wanted my children in a structured learning environment with kids their own age. On the flip side, Troy will be able to spend more time with her and she with him...and on Troy's off days we will have the majority of the day to spend together as a family when i get off work.

here is a recent pic of em and a photo of me, amber, brandi, tiffany and stacey at stacey's celebration cookout - she beat thyroid cancer and graduated with her master's degree all in the same month!

Dare 1

2009-06-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

I don't want to plagiarize so I'll be putting these dares into my own words. This week we are to demonstrate patience by saying nothing negative to your spouse (or friend, parent, sibling, etc) AT ALL. Words often reflect the condition of our heart. If you are tempted to say something negative, choose to say nothing at all.

A much needed post

2009-06-08T00:03:00.000-07:00

I hate it (not in the real sense of the word hate, but you know what I mean) when I don't keep up with posting on here. One day I want to print our blog and put it in an album for Emma to have. It's fun to look back at pictures and videos of her on here, as well as the stories we've written. Anyway, in an effort to be more faithful to our blog I found something that will require me to write on here at least once a week.

Troy started teaching a Sunday School class series on The Love Dare today. My husband always pulls something out of left field to surprise and this morning was no exception. Not that I doubted his ability to teach, but he really impressed me, and I'm looking forward not only to learning from him, but learning more about him from this unique perspective as he teaches our class.

I gave Troy the book as a gift a few months ago after he and I watched the movie - he had expressed interest in wanting it, and he has really taken to it. He told me a few weeks ago that he wanted to teach a Sunday school class using the book, and today was day one. For those of you who haven't heard of the book it was the story line for the movie "Fire Proof" and is a 40 day love dare (challenge) mainly meant for spouses to impact marriages, but Troy says it's applicable to all relationships. Since we meet weekly Troy has made this a 40 week journey and each week he presents us with a challenge. I'm going to post them here for any of you who want to follow along.

Look for my next post for this week's challenge.

Why Me?

2009-05-13T10:15:00.001-07:00

Have you ever asked yourself, "Why Me?" I have been asking myself that question lately, about the blessings in my life. See lately I have been reading a book called, The Love Dare. This book has given me a greater appreciation for my wife and how God wants me to treat her. I dont think i have had a full understanding until last monday when we had a date night at the house. We had dinner and watched fireproof for the second time. As we laid there on the couch with tears coming out of our eyes watching the movie God gave me this passion for my wife that i have never felt. I saw my wife in Gods eyes. I understand that God gave me one of his precious children to take care of while we are on this earth. What a great honor, why would God trust her with me. I feel so unworthy. I will love her with all of my heart and cherish every moment i have with her. Even after all of that God gave me another child of his in my daughter. those of you that know her know what i mean by this precious child has had my heart from the first time i saw her. I am a fool for this girl and just like my wife God gave her to me. What does God see in me to give me these two blessings they are my heart and soul, the reason i keep doing what i do and the reason i ask God, "Why me?"

Ah, the Beach

2009-05-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

Natalie and Emma went to the beach together earlier this week, although, you can see from the pictures they each have a different way of enjoying their time spent there.

Natalie - embracing the sand

and here's Emma trying to pick every single grain off of herself, including those on the bottom of her shoes, which by the way she insists on wearing so her feet don't touch the sand:

Emma - almost 18 months old

2009-04-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

I think each time I write about how much Emma has grown I always say it happens so quickly...well, it does. Just in the past 3 months she's doing so many new things and it always surprises me at how abrupt these new discoveries make them selves known to us. Emma now puts the deodorant stick in her arm pits (cap on of course), files her nails, puts keys into locks, puts clothes in the washer, dryer and our favorite - climbs in the dryer to help pull them out, pretends to shave her face with Troy's electric shaver, puts her stuffed animals "night-night" and tries to help me potty by getting the toilet paper and flushing the toilet.

She talks so much now too. She tells us when she is thirsty and if she wants milk or juice or when she prefers a snack. When she falls or drops something she says "ah, man" and when she doesn't like how her friends treat her she sways her finger and sternly says "no, no, not nice."

I'm not sure if Troy's new work schedule has made her extra clingy to me, but lately Emma has become my little mini-me. She follows me around like my shadow and anytime we get ready to go anywhere she asks "uh, mommy?" to make sure I'll be coming along. These days there are two things Emma doesn't do much without....her mommy and her blanket. Sometimes it's not even sufficient to be next to me - she literaly has to be right on top of me, even in the bathroom.

One Year of Marriage

2009-04-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

April 11 - one year of marriage. Some days it seems like just yesterday, but most days it feels like it's always been this way - perfectly together. I've heard that the first year is the hardest. I'm not sure if that means ours should have been extra hard, given we raised a baby during the first year, lost jobs, started new careers and balanced life while working different schedules. It's actually been easy, almost effortless, but I guess it's that simplicity that most marriages lack. Things between Troy and I just work, and I like it that way.

I love my husband with all that I am. He is the most thoughtful person I know. He always puts my feelings, wants and needs before his own. He is an amazing daddy too. He is making the home that is the ultimate example to Emma of how a man should love his wife and raise his family. I hope God is preparing someone just like him for her one day.

My wife

2009-04-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

its been almost one year since i gave my life to the one person that understands me more than anyone else. i know they say we are still newly weds but i feel like i know her like we have been together for years. this past years has had some wonderful times. i was lying in bed the other day with sabrina and i found myself staring at her wondering what i have done in this life to deserve this gift from God. i focus on her face following the curves, soft and smooth to the touch. she is my whole life now i could not imagine my life without her. i know with out a doubt that she was created for me. so to all of you that read this i just wanted to let the world know that I LOVE SABRINA WITH ALL THAT I AM. honey i will cherish you our whole life and will do everything in my powers to love you better.

Gate River Run

2009-03-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

Troy and I ran the Gate River Run a couple of weeks ago with a few of our friends. Thanks to the Peacock Express we arrived much too early, while it was still dark (and cold). I had an interesting port-a-potty adventure that morning. I'm not that experienced at porta-pottying it and true story - on this morning I went pee while the lid was down. Now, one would think something wasn't right when they didn't hear any pee hitting the bottom of the "hole", but as I said, I haven't had many porta-john experiences. I just thought there was enough whatever already in the hole and that's why I didn't hear my pee. It wasn't until I asked my good friend Emily (who was using the "stall" beside me) "where do you put the toilet paper?" that I realized I had gone to the bathroom with the lid down. SERIOUSLY, what porta-potty has a lid?!!! These must have been top of the line porta Johns. No worries, my friends...my legs, feet and shorts were completely dry. I'm still not sure where my pee went.

Anyway, after an hour or three of walking around and not enjoying the closed expo it was time for the run to start. There were about 12000 runners this year and it felt like you were in the middle of the pact no matter what pace you ran. It was a crowded, brutal run. My endurance wasn't tested, but man, the pavement just reached up and smacked every joint and muscle in my feet and legs. My goal was to finish in under 2 hours. My official time was 2:02 so I wasn't hanging my head low.

My favorite part about the run was going through the neighborhoods on Hendricks and River Road. Families were out cheering us on; kids were handing out water and fruit slices. It was white-picket fence America and it made me smile to think it does exist.

Something really caught my eye in one particular neighborhood. A woman was holding a sign that read "Chase what matters." Wow - I thought about those words for quite some time after I passed her, and they still rattle me when I think about what they mean. As I thought about her sign I couldn't help but think about the hustle and bustle each day brings...most weekdays seem almost robotic in our household - wake up, get ready, get Emma ready, rush to get out the door, sit in traffic, drop Emma off, get to work, work, pick up Emma, sit in traffic, prepare dinner, eat dinner, bathe Emma, put Emma to bed, get myself ready to do it all over again the next day. I have been asking myself what I'm really chasing. Is it sense of family? Is it self-fulfillment? Is it corporate approval and success? Then like a ton of bricks it hit me that we don't exist to satisfy any of those things. We're supposed to be building the kingdom. Chasing His glory. I have been challenging myself to chase what matters daily. I hope you do the same.

Neighborhood Advisory

2009-03-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

We're now at 3 total homes broken in to here in the hood. Here's a few friendly tips we learned at our neighborhood watch meeting if you're interested in knowing how to make your home more secure:

- apparently new construction is so thrifty the screws that hold in the kick plate on most dead bolts are only 1/4 inch thick; they don't even go into the 2x4 in the door frame; you can buy a more secure kick plate with longer screws at the hardware store for $5

- the hinge screws on most front doors aren't long enough either. you can buy longer ones (3 inches are supposed to be sufficient) at the hardware store for a buck or two.

- sliding glass doors are able to be "picked up" off their track and pulled right off. this is the preferred home invasion method in oakleaf these days said property management rent-a-cop. you can buy a pin screw something or another at the hardware store for $3

- if you have a home owners association you should get budget reports monthly. ours is nearly broke and can't afford to repair the front gate. we're not sure what our monthly payment goes to since our grass is dead, we haven't had mulch in over a year and the speed bumps i fought so hard to shoot down but were still approved haven't been put in yet.

life in the hood

2009-03-19T17:23:00.001-07:00

so my friend Allison is blogging about the number of new eggs she finds in her front yard each day when she comes home. i have a tally game of my own here at the fabulous cottages at argyle:

2 houses broken into; 5 cars broken into
$158 per month paid to HOA who won't fix the gate
one hour will spent at a neighborhood meeting this sunday to "learn how to make my neighborhood safer"

the way I add it up - countless hours thinking about this stupid place, one house i can't sell, one mortgage that isn't worth the payment, and one credit score i'm considering ruining just to get out of the hood

"I love Mommy"

2009-03-04T19:17:00.001-08:00

Emma's become quite the chatter box these days and will almost always say what you tell her - Emma say thank you..."tant you"; Emma say that's not nice..."not nice"; Emma say help please..."elb peace"; Emma say excuse me... "use me"; Emma say bye-bye..."bye-bye"; the list goes on. The one thing she has yet to try is "I love you." Tonight I got my moment :)
After church Auntie Laura was telling Emma bye and said "I love you Emma." My baby girl just blurted out in her sweet voice "I love Mommy." There aren't words to describe how a mother feels when she hears her child say they love them for the very first time. I hope the feeling is exactly the same when she's 3, 5, 10, 13, 16, 18, 21, 25, 30, 40 and so on.

Crime

2009-03-03T10:04:00.000-08:00

My mind has spent a lot of time thinking about crime in the past several months. If you live in Jacksonville you know it's unfortunately not unfamiliar to hear about shootings & murders, burglaries, robberies, etc. nearly everyday when you read or watch the news. Still, it's easy to become desensitized unless and until you or someone you know becomes a victim of crime.

My parents' house was broken into before Christmas. The burglars (2 suspected) beat right through the front door. The same thing happened to a guy a work and last year one of the units in our neighborhood was also broken into (via the window). Sunday morning when Troy came home from work he noticed a vehicle had been broken into near the entrance of our neighborhood. The burglars cut through the convertible top and took what they wanted and left the rest of the belongings strung about in the driveway and yard.

I've never understood what compels one to take something that isn't theirs much less how someone can harm another human being. I've heard comments recently that the bad economy is leading people to commit crime, and even in Troy's formal training they teach that people commit crime when their basic needs aren't being met. I'm all for academic and social understandings, but really, the only logical thing it boils down to for me is that people who commit these types of crime have no regard for others. They don't think the same way people who don't commit crimes do. I know that sounds obvious enough as you read the two statements, but for those who have never and could never fathom doing such things, the lack of understanding of how these people can steal, rob and harm others is just so darn frustrating.

It makes me sad that my kids will grow up in a place like this. I've said aloud to a few people recently that I'd like to move to place where there is less crime, and it's puzzled me that the response is always the same - "It's everywhere, not just here." That response bothers me more than the people who say it know. Not because I don't half believe they are right, but more because it's sad to m that we're all settling for a crime-ridden quality (or lack of) of life.

So, in all my conversions with myself in my head about the above, I decided to do a little research. In 2008 Florida was ranked the 9th most dangerous state with regards to crime overall, and 5th for assault and burglary. Where are the safest places to live? Well, my fellow Floridians, it seems we'll have to decide whether the forecast or crime is more important in our formula for quality of life as the states with less crime are also the most cold places to live! I guess criminals don't like to carry their loot in the snow (they're also states with less population). See the list below:

10 most dangerous states: Nevada, Louisiana, New Mexico, South Carolina, Arizona, Tennessee, Maryland, Alaska, Florida, Michigan.

10 safest states: New Hampshire, Maine, North Dakota, Vermont, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Iowa, Idaho, Wisconsin.

Emma's first trip to the Zoo

2009-02-28T05:40:00.000-08:00

Troy and I both happened to be off the weekend of President's Day. We had a fantastic weekend, kicked off by a romantic and delicious dinner at the Charthouse for Valentine's Day Friday evening. The rest of the weekend we spent as a family shopping, playing outside and on Monday we took Emma to the Zoo. We weren't sure how she would take to the zoo, but she LOVED it, and now we're confident we're taking her to Disney this year!!! Emma spotted and pointed out the animals before I even saw them. She didn't miss one single water puddle, pond, fountain, tank or lake. I didn't even know she could say "wader", but she did each time we came across it. She also got to pet some disgusting little things, played on the playground (which by the way has the fastest slide in all the world), and at the end of our visit we all rode the train. I know going to the zoo seems simple enough, but it's these outings that make me feel like we're living life...getting away from the house, chores, work and routine...and enjoying the priceless excitement and smiles from our daughter when we're spending time together as a family.

Cake Baking

2009-02-23T18:34:00.000-08:00

Emma and I baked a cake for Troy on Valentine's Day. I had so much fun baking with Emma. It was her first time and she was all about it...

She even helped me stir

she licked the utensils

and all was good, until...

it was time to clean up and not lick the spoons anymore :)

Here's the finished cake...and yes, Daddy loved it!

pay it forward?

2009-02-20T18:41:00.000-08:00

The neatest thing happened to us Monday during lunch. Troy and I both happened to be off for the holiday so we took Emma to the zoo. We spent most of the morning there and left right about lunch time. Emma fell asleep in the car almost immediately and stayed asleep in my arms when we arrived at Panera for lunch. As Troy ordered I found a table and sat down while holding my sleeping baby. Troy brought the pager to the table and went to get our drinks while I took a phone call. As I was talking on the phone waiting for Troy to come back with our drinks the buzzer went off indicating our food was ready. A nice lady across the way from our table came to me and asked if she would like for her to get our order. I told her thank you and declined, relaying that my husband was already up at the food counter. As I carried on with my phone conversation I thought to myself that it was a nice, yet rare, gesture for a stranger to offer help a mother holding her sleeping child. When Troy came back with our order I shared with him how the lady had offered to get our order. About 10 minutes later the same lady came back to our table and asked Troy if he was in the service. He replied "yes ma'am, I am in the army reserves." She thanked him for his service to our country and handed him a gift card saying "Next time you have lunch here, it's on me." We obviously said thank you right away, but her gesture was the subject of our conversation for some time after she left.

We're still not sure what compelled this nice lady to purchase a gift card for Troy, but all week we've held on her to her kindness. Wouldn't the world be such a nicer place to live if we all did one nice gesture each day; with no strings attached. We haven't used the gift card, and most likely won't. We've been discussing how we can pass it on to touch someone's life real soon.

quiet my heart

2009-02-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

I know it's been 1064 days since I've blogged...I have a few in draft but am in desperate need of a tutorial on how to center photos in between text before posting them (please help!).

In the meantime, I've fallen in love with a song by Brooke Barrettsmith and wanted to share with my readers that it's noteworthy of checking out for yourselves. I posted the lyrics below.

Quiet My Heart" Lyrics
[edit]
by Brooke Barrettsmith from the album Brooke Barrettsmith

My mind wanders away
Dreaming of where I could be on another day
I'm always so far ahead
I seem to miss the one that I'm in
And I regret the time I lost
Slow me down before it's gone

Right here in the moment I'm given
I'll treasure the breath that I breathe in
And I'll rest in You
You quiet my heart
Somehow every second that's passing
Is filled so much meaning
As I wait here with You
Quiet my heart

I get stuck in betweenYesterday and all that tomorrow brings
When all that You want from me Is that I come and sit at your feet
And know that You are God
And with You no time is lost

Don't let me run away
Show me why I should stay
Open my eyes to take in Your beauty

Keep me here in this place
Take me in Your embrace
There's no place I'd rather be than right now

Poo-poo Mom-ma

2008-11-19T19:22:00.000-08:00

Let me set the scene...

Monday night, bath time...washed Emma's body, washed and rinsed her hair...gave her a few minutes of play time in the tub. My mom happened to be over and was sitting in the bathroom talking to me as I bathed Emma. We're tied up in our conversation about whatever as I hear the grunt and look down to see Emma squatting in the tub. I say "mom, she's going to poop." Mom answers back - "No she's not." First I hear it - plop, plop, plop...then I see them...three little people turds. Turds people, real poop, not mushy baby poop, I'm talking real life solid little people turds...floating in the bath water.

What to do? None of the books I've read on parenting has prepped me for this. No problem, reaction time is less than one second. I immediately start screeching, "EWWW, EWWW, mom, oh my gosh, gross, what do I do, what do I do?" My mom is laughing hysterically at this point and I couldn't help but join in. Apparently Emma thinks it's hilarious too because she starts laughing. In between breaths my mom manages to get out "don't let her drink any water."

More laughing....

Mom grabs one of Emma's stacking cups and begins to scoop up the poop while I pull the plug to let the water drain.

Emma looks up at me and says "poo-poo Mom-ma"

3 weeks later

2008-11-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've blogged. I have several topics I've wanted to write about, but the past few weeks have been a series of mechanical routines compounded by some relentless thoughts I can't seem to work out neatly enough to form sentences. None-the-less the world has passed me and some pretty exciting things have occurred these past several weeks:

The citizens of the United States of America elected a new president, the first African-American president, or his he half African-American half-whole American, or Kenyon-Kansan-Hawaiian-not-so-African-American? I think he recently referred to himself as a mutt, let's go with that one (no disrespect intended here for those of you who need clarity). Come to think of it, aren't we all mutts? No matter who you voted for the Bible tells us to be in prayer for our leaders and our country so get to it. There's a whole slew of American corporations who are living on a prayer so to speak (some disrespect is intended here for those of you who need clarity, but not to praying, I'm referring to the corporations).
My daughter celebrated her very first birthday! She had a great time with family and friends last Saturday. It's amazing to reflect on how much a baby learns in his or her first year of life. To think that this time last year I essentially had a breathing glow worm (that's what I called Emma when she was first born and was swaddled all the time) for a daughter, we've come a long way. Today she calls me Momma, walks on her own, eats the same food I do and tells me when she wants more, drinks whole milk and has a personality fitting a child born to Troy and Sabrina Henderson. We're having a great time with her.
Troy celebrated his 28th birthday. Ha, ha, he'll be 30 before me. and no matter what age we are, I'll always be younger.
Through the most unusual person I connected with an old college buddy and am excited to meet his family and for him to meet mine. It's surreal to talk about babies and spouses with someone you once had conversations with that consisted of term papers, study sessions assisted by red bull, other adult beverages and where the next gathering time and place would be.
We had our cable disconnected because we feel the money could be spent on something more meaningful, like food for families who need it.
I made my very first home-made loaf of banana-nut bread for my husband. Watch out Betty Crocker!
I joined a gym with Amber. Be in prayer about this one...I HATE the gym. Our workouts may however make entertaining blogs so stay tuned.
And last, I've recently been reminded by my wise, and almost 30 year old husband, that it's not man's judgment I should be concerned with, but rather God's. Read this one again people and I'll end this entry on that note.

Is that so?

2008-10-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

I saw a bigger than normal bumper sticker Wednesday on a car in the parking lot of Emma's school. The sticker was on the back window, so I guess I should call it a window sticker. Anyway, it caught my attention and what it said has been bothering me since....

YOU CAN'T BE CHRISTIAN AND PRO-CHOICE

I'm not writing to argue my position on the issue. I guess it just reminds me to always be conscience of the way I convey the message of a loving Savior to those who haven't yet accepted His grace.

What motivates you to vote?

2008-10-14T18:58:00.001-07:00

I've typically been the political geek among my circle of friends, most often the only one who seems to even care about politics. This year I've seen an increase in my friends tuning in and taking a stand on who they will vote for, and, ...it's exciting!!!

I'm finding myself asking the same rhetorical question the past couple of days - what motivates someone to vote (or not vote), and more specifically, what motivates one to vote for one candidate over the other?

In my insatiable thirst for coming to the most concrete defensible explanation on who I'm voting for I've tried to pick the brains of those who have decided. Some won't talk about their reasons, which I still don't understand, but hey, who's criticizing? Some seem to be motivated by their own circumstances economically and socially, some point to things said in the media or by those famous "they" sayers (when someone can tell me who "they" is I'll offer a compelling prize), others are voting with their political party lines, some are voting for whoever their parents vote for, and others give me reasons that are too shameful to record in writing.

This year I vote for my daughter's future and all my other favorite sons and daughters out there, I vote for my parents who will be at retirement age sooner than later, I vote for my husband who is beginning a career in public service, I vote for the people of other nations we impact, I vote for those less fortunate who seem to be forgotten, I vote for those who feel helpless, lost and desperate... (this almost looks like my prayer list)...

I vote.

I like this video...

2008-10-12T12:39:00.001-07:00

Words Emma can say

2008-10-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

- dadda...usually the first thing she says when she wakes up, even though he hasn't been home in the mornings to get her ready in quite some time

- momma...rarely said, unless she's held captive by a family member or stranger and she wants to come back to me

- duck...mainly at bath time since her bathroom is decked out in duck decor or when she sees the ones in our neighborhood

- that...which is the name for anything and everything she doesn't yet know the name of...said with a finger pointing at the mysterious object, or person

- dog...mainly said at ms. alma's or laura's...the only houses with dogs we visit

- bye...her short, lazy way of saying bye-bye...mostly said when leaving day care, as soon as she sees me come in the room

- bye-bye...her more adorable parting phrase; she has the sweetest voice

- hot...when mommy cooks, when i get clothes out of the dryer or when i blow dry my hair...she hasn't yet learned what hot feels like, thank goodness

- up...when she wants one of us to hold her, when she can't climb up on the coach, ottoman, high chair, stairs, armour or any other object she's trying to get on

- down...when she's done eating, when we're holding her and she wants something on the ground...or my favorite, when she is grabbing relentlessly on our legs, shorts, or shirt wanting up, but she gets confused and says down

more to come...

at 11 months old...

2008-10-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

Emma never ceases to amaze us. The other night she pulled her comb out of the side pocket of her diaper bag and started "brushing" Troy's hair (or head). Then she tried her own.

The next night she held her shoe in her hand and then placed it on top of her foot and let it go, as if it was going to go right on.

LOVE HER

christianity and politics...

2008-10-05T13:54:00.000-07:00

separation of church and state. the laws of Christ that govern me as a believer. imposing those laws on others...or not. these are the three things that i can't seem to shake as i as i go back and forth on deciding which candidate to vote for. i have a degree in political science but for the first time i'm finding myself trying to understand politics from a different perspective...who would Jesus want me to vote for?

it's not surprising to most that Christians tend to vote conservatively, and i am a registered republican...but more often these days i find myself questioning if the laws i'm held to as a believer should have me voting more along the left side of the isle.

lately it seems like "the church" hasn't been much more credible than wall street, the media or the politicians. Most of us profess his name but forget what he said (including myself)....here's a passage from a book i'm reading "red letter Christians" by tony campolo:

"...when Jesus tells us that he will regard the way we treat the hungry, the homeless, the immigrant, the poor family, the sick and the prisoner as if we were treating Him that way, it likely means that He would not think ignoring them is good domestic policy. Or when He tells us to "love your enemies" and that "blesses are the peacemakers," it might be hard to persuade him to join "wars against terrorism" with so much "collateral damage" to civilians."

i'm still struggling with many issues even belonging in government (abortion among one), but since they are i'm taking them in consideration as i muddle through all the rhetoric when deciding how to vote...nothing i've heard or read about John McCain seems to align with what Jesus commands us to do. he and his running mate have said they're not for abortion or same-sex marriages...most would consider that the views of Jesus. i guess what i like about Obama and his mate is that they seem to be for tolerance....how do we as believers hold non-believers to the same governance we are to follow? most of us seem to be forgetting about the tolerance and love we're commanded to have for these people. we tell women they can't abort their pregnancies but when their babies are born we brand them with a scarlet letter...there are other issues too, like homosexuality, in which we seem to be more intolerant rather than loving. don't get me wrong, for us, it is clear, but we have to remember that these folks don't know and believe the same way we do. how are they to come and know Jesus if all we show is intolerance and nonacceptance rather than love and compassion?

under the Bush administration more than $283 billion was cut from domestic programs in 2007...many of which assisted the elderly, the poor and our education systems. in the same administration we have spent 11 times that of China and 16 times more than Russia have spent on defense ($528 billion v. China's 49.5 billion and Russia's $34.7 billion) from tony compallo's book...

"the prophet Isiah warned the ancient Jews not to trust in military might for their security. He said 'Alas for those who go down to Egypt for help and who rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord'"

i'm not disagreeing that there are "evil" people overseas we are fighting. sometimes i just wonder how different is "the church" when we hold non-believers to the rules that govern us. how different are we when we don't love and accept a mother struggling with the decision to carry out her pregnancy? how different are we when we don't allow a same-sex couple to visit in the hospital and have the same rights in death as we do for our spouses? the list goes on...i guess the point here is that the war isn't working. maybe it's time to try something new. something Jesus would agree with. good can overcome bad. good will prevail over evil - we are promised that. why not start here in our country?

i do believe that it is the church's responsibility to carry out what Jesus has governed us to do. i don't believe however that many church's are ready to take on the responsibility....and if church's aren't ready then i feel like my responsibility as a christian voter is to vote for the candidate i believe is most likely to take my tax dollars and care for the needy and the poor; who wants to give freedom and a better life to the immigrants who come to America for it; who wants to sit down with other leaders and make peace instead of resulting to war; who governs with tolerance instead of doctrine....which candidate is that?

Picture time again

2008-10-01T18:57:00.001-07:00

The pictures from Emma's one-year old session with Melissa are on her site. The pictures were taken at a playground near the beach. To view the pictures go to www.melissaposeyphotography.com / view proofs / emma one year

the password is sabrina

it was a good weekend

2008-09-28T17:36:00.000-07:00

we had a great weekend. it's no secret to those who know me well that i tend to live in a fantasy world and relate everything to movies (gasp if you didn't know...it's okay). in my mind i live in the country in a two story white house with blue shutters with a wrap-around porch...i have a craft room for scrap booking...troy has a work shop out back...emma plays in the yard with friends who live next door but we have to drive and pick them up because the houses aren't stacked and packed on top of one another...

work is getting better, but i still find myself anticipating the weekend so i can come away from the corporate stress to actually make a decent meal for my family and spend the entire day with Emma rather than just getting her up out of bed and back home with just enough time to get her fed, bathed and back in bed.

amber moved into an apartment less than five minutes from us so she's spending more and more time with us. friday night we went to cici's pizza and to wal-mart then home to watch the presidential debate.

saturday me, troy and emma stayed in our pjs until 4:30 pm...we had cinnamon roles for breakfast....played with Emma until she laughed so hard she had hiccups...

one of my cousins who lives in atlanta was in for the weekend - he's pretty much a riot....i had my parents, brother and his family (and amber) over...we sat outside until midnight telling family stories from the past and laughing...i rocked my 5 month old nephew to sleep in my arms...

today we slept in...then we went to ms. alma's and spent time celebrating scott's birthday. i love seeing how much joy emma brings to so many peoples' lives.

tomorrow begins the increasingly more dreaded work week. my schedule is finally letting up some. maybe i'll even have a minute tomorrow to reflect on my weekend....as my mind drifts away thinking about the time i got to spend with family this weekend i won't picture the house in the country with the shutters. i'll think about emma playing with the people who love her the most...and will be thankful that we don't need the house in the country to make the home we want for her.

Hungry, Hungry Hippos

2008-09-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

We watched the debate last night....was glad to see the old Senator decided to show up in the midst of the financial crisis repair emergency meetings. I almost pulled out my old PR text books to see what maneuver his campaign advisor was pulling with the "campaign stall" tactic...or was it a strategy? LOL - that was good stuff last night.

We've been trying to keep an open mind on who gets our votes, but I guess it's no secret we're leaning towards the "brown man" as my niece calls him. I'm not sure I learned anything new last night to help me decide in stone. I did however walk away knowing that the old man knows several world leaders and can pronounce their names correctly....in fact he's traveled to see many of them himself. The brown man on the other hand didn't say my name personally, but I sure did feel like he had a grasp on what I'm going through as a middle class working mother trying to provide the best life possible for my family...it sure seemed like he was talking about me and people I know.

So we have $700 billion dollars at stake in this financial rescue plan (mess). I didn't make the best grade in economics but aren't they forgeting a critical piece of the formula - the middle class? Do you suppose the government will make good on my student loan debt if I simply raise my hand to say my um, yes, hi, see...I borrowed this money without thinking about the future...and now my house hold will fold if I have to make good on the debt...can you bail me out too? I want a President who will consider the fact that working parents can't afford suitable housing, health care and a college education for their children. I want a President who thinks our education and heath care systems are a crisis...and stops playing games of shotty politics to come up with some emergency repair for these systems. There's an idea I'd be more willing to throw my tax dollars towards.

John Stewart made a pun this week about republicans playing a game of Hungry, Hungry Hippo in which they were eating all the poor people. I can't help but think he's on to something.

:)

2008-09-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

I experienced the best thing that happened to me all week long yesterday. During the praise and worship portion of our church service my husband reached over and grabbed my hand, and then held it during the song. That was the highlight of my week.

For Aunt Kelly

2008-09-15T19:11:00.000-07:00

Your brother taught her how to go down stairs...gracefully

Walking

2008-09-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Its been a long week

2008-09-05T19:47:00.001-07:00

I'm tired, I'm worn out, I'm sad, I'm frustrated, I'm confused about what I'm really supposed to be doing for a job, I miss Emma, I miss my husband, I miss my friends, I miss me. It's been a long, stressful week at work. I've had a sick-to-my-stomach feeling about my job just about every day this week. I can't help but feel that there is just something different that I should be doing....something just isn't right. Is it time to consider a career change when you start making pro and con lists about your job? On one hand my job is probably greener than the grass I imagine on the other side, but what side? Any side? I keep asking what keeps me in the job I have. The only answer I can come up with is money. Isn't that sad? The money isn't making me happy, but what's a woman to do? If I take a job that's less demanding it won't offer the flexibility I have (when I'm not slammed) to start and end when I want each day or go on vacation when I want, or go to Emma's functions at the day care. If I work part-time it wouldn't be worth the day care expense. Surely I'm not the only mother who's had this dilemma, but I feel alone. I try to give it to God, daily...okay very frequently daily, and yet I still get no peace. Somethings gotta give, and soon. Tomorrow is Pancake Saturday (our Saturday morning favorite). I'm looking forward to making pancakes for my husband and daughter. It's fun to watch Emma eat pancakes (and put them in her hair). OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - Emma took 3 steps alone last night! She did it after her bath, in her room. She walked from Troy to me. I'm thankful the three of us could share the experience together. You would have thought we won the lottery or something we got so excited. She did it again twice tonight. She lets out the biggest squeal when she does it. I'll see if we can get it on video to share with all of you.

what to wear

2008-08-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

and so the journey to being a woman begins....

Heavy Shoulders

2008-08-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

Today has been a long day. Work has been the pits, minutes with Emma have been too short, and I'm reminded how people disappoint one another from time to time. Today I was let down.

I heard someone recently explain why they don't go to church, because of "people like that" referring to someone they know who disappointed them too. That's just the point though. We're (children of God) not perfect, and we will continue to disappoint. We need His grace and forgiveness. It just sits heavy on my heart to know actions and words of imperfect people deter people from a perfect Savior.

Tomorrow is a new day.

News @ 10

2008-08-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

Family Portraits

2008-08-18T18:29:00.001-07:00

Our family portrait session is now viewable on Melissa Posey's site.

www.melissaposeyphotography.com

click on view proofs

mathews family

password is andy

enter your own e-mail address

happy viewing!

Emma's 9 month check up

2008-08-12T17:15:00.001-07:00

Emma had her 9 months check up yesterday. Only one shot this time, and she didn't even cry! Dr. Stanley says he thinks she'll be walking within 6 weeks - YIKES! All of these milestones are so bitter-sweet. She's still in the 75th percentile for height and weight, 28 1/2 inches long and 22 pounds.

A moment at Publix.

2008-08-12T05:59:00.000-07:00

All right let me set up the seen. It is 930 at night i have just worked eight hours and i have one and a half hours left. I just finished working a 300 piece truck. Now i have to block my section, o joy. now im not sure if you know this or not put Publix closes at 10pm i tell you that because not many people know that, i guess they think it is Walmart.
Ok lets get started. The time now is 950 i am blocking the ice cream section. Around the corner comes a mother and her i guess 8 or 9 year old daughter. the mother is looking for a certain ice cream so she is studying the the labels. while her daughter is grabbing everything in the cooler and showing her mom is this the one. which brings asmile to my face until i realize she is not putting it back where she found it. i just finished that section i say to myself, i am ready to go home. so ten minutes later and 23 ice cream flavors out of place. she asks me if we have what she is looking for. now since i just worked the truck i know what i have in the back and that is not one of the items. so i tell her we are all out that item was not on the truck today. so she says could you check in the back for me. so again i think to myself, Is she serious does she not listen? now i am on my way to the back to look for something not there beause that is good customer service. All the way to the back i am mumbling i told you i dont have any back her your daughter just made me stay here longer and you dont need this ice cream. i was being so hateful what would God say about my behavior, so i pray for a minute get my composure and go back out to tell her there is no chocolate trinity, and guess what this woman is gone. AAAHHHH!!!!!
thanks for listening

On our way to potty training...

2008-08-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

Emma discovered toilet paper this morning! I noticed she was unraveling it and quietley pssss'd Troy over to snap the picture....

Table Food

2008-08-06T19:27:00.001-07:00

Emma started eating table food about a week ago and has since ditched her Gerber jar food. I recognize parenting is always a learning process, but I don't feel prepared or ready for this milestone. The kid eats and eats and eats. I don't know how much is just right, too little or too much. Then there's the issue of what to make / prepare for her, not to mention the fun (mess) she seems to have with it. Monday night my parents had Melissa Posey take our family portraits and we all ate at Golden Corral afterwards. Emma had already eaten before we left and had half a bottle in the car, but man, she wouldn't stop "begging" for the food! I tried to distract her by allowing her to try to figure out how to drink from my straw, but guess what, she sucked water right on in! Where does she learn this stuff???

Marathon Training

2008-08-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

I officially began training for a 1/2 marathon yesterday. I haven't ran since March 2007. It felt good to run again. Troy has committed to the full marathon (26.2 miles). I'm looking forward to running together again. We'll keep you posted on our progress, and hopefully some of you will be at the finish line in February to either help us celebrate finishing or drive us to the ER for some medical attention.

JSO Update

2008-07-31T06:27:00.001-07:00

Troy received a conditional offer of employment yesterday for the JSO!!! If all goes well with the remaining 3 reviews (psychological, medical and oral board) next week he will begin the academy Monday, August 25.

Lottery

2008-07-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

If anyone has any helpful hints on how to increase the odds in winning the lottery I'd appreciate the advise. You all know I'm terrible at math, so I'd really benefit from some you statisticians out there. If I won the lottery I could be a part-time stay-at-home mommy. I think I'd have a job as a Jazzercise instructor to stay in shape and feel like I'm making a useful contribution...so basically my schedule would be like this most days:

7 am - wake up, make breakfast for Troy and Em; eat
7:30 am - play with Em
8 am - leave the house to take Em to a play group and head to Jazzercise
9 am - Jazzercise
10:30 am - grocery store for fresh produce; dinner items
11:15 am - home to shower
12:00 pm - meet with other stay at home mommies for lunch
1:30 pm - pick Em up from play group
1:45 pm - shop at cute baby boutiques, home decor stores, and ridiculously expensive clothing stores for me and Troy....and purchase things here and there for any of you lucky friends and family
3:00 pm - head home for Em's nap and Mommy time (you know to blog, scrapbook or snoop around myspace)
4:30 pm - prepare dinner, which of course includes dinner parties most evenings
6:00 pm - eat dinner
6:45 pm - dessert
7:00 pm - family play time (swimming, swinging in the backyard, softball, kickball or anything else one can do in the backyard....Troy, we can even play tennis if you want)
8:00 pm - Em's bath (in a huge garden tub with bubbles of course)
8:30 pm - story time / bed time for Em; mommy and daddy time
Bed, and then start the day all over again....

k, back to reality...I have an interview to do in 14 minutes....

Funny Car Moment

2008-07-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

Realized I didn't write about the funny moment Em and I had in the car on our way home from Fayetteville....

I decided to stop at the Darrien Outlets, you know, to give Em a break from being in the car - what was more suitable than taking a look at the Gap, Polo, Coach and KB Toy steals and deals; you know Emma just loves her coach bags. Anyway, now that I've had a few days to think about this, it's probably one of those "you had to be there" funny moments, so if you're taking the time to read this and you're disappointed, this serves as my disclaimer....here we go: after browsing the deals in the stores I wanted to change Em's diaper before getting back on the road. As I thought about this, I looked up to see a big sign "restrooms" - perfect! After about I don't know 200 feet or so (Troy, this is one of my off the wall measurements here) I had passed 2 additional "restroom" signs. Being alone with a baby, my shopping bags and fabulousness, I decided this was a lure - a dangerous lure, some kind of backwoods Georgia lure. So, I decided to just change Emma in the car. Taking the advice from my oh so street smart husband I hurriedly jammed all the bags into the car; held Emma (whose diaper was, what do we say, yes, getting it's money worth) in one arm, folded the stroller and power slung it into the back of the truck and then ran to the driver's side, hopped in and locked the doors. For those of you who don't live in the South, let me reminder you here how HOT it gets here. We were both a little wet with sweat and you know my armpits were spicy. I'm not sure what Emma was thinking at this point, but she just busted out laughing. It crossed my mind that her daddy told her about his instructions to get into the car fast anytime we stopped and she was simply amused at how I man handled her stroller less than 2.5. Who knows. Of course her laughter inspired me to do the same. I'd like to think the challenges of changing an 8 month old's diaper in the front seat of an SUV with only a small give between me and the steering wheel contributed to how long it took to accomplish the task, but seriously, me and Em just kept laughing. It was like being with a girlfriend with a good case of the giggles. She's become my littliest best friend. Anyway, I apologize for the delay with the post - dangerous lures and laughter aside, mission accomplished. No restroom, no problem; this mom improvises.

Home

2008-07-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

We made it home. I'm too tired to write all the funny details of our adventure, but I'll make a note to remind myself to tell you all about our funny car moment of the day :)

We made it to NC

2008-07-17T18:44:00.001-07:00

Mapquest projected time for travel - 6 hours 29 minutes; Sabrina and Emma actual time for travel - 7 hours 34 minutes and a few seconds. I didn't think that was too far off. We stoped twice to give Em a break from the car. She watched her first Disney Class - The Little Mermaid (proud mommy moment). I wasn't sure if she was confused or amused that I knew most of the lines and could sing the songs. After we had lunch she slept for 2 and a half hours (boring for mommy). She was a champ, hung in there for the long haul, until about the last 30 minutes. She never cried (thank goodness), but she was sure ready to get out of the car.

Emma and the TV

2008-07-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I had the bright idea to occupy Emma's bumper-to-bumper commute time with her Baby Einstein DVDs in the car. Three days into the endeavor I didn't turn the TV on. After I buckled her, sat in the driver seat, buckled my own belt and started to put the car in gear I heard three grunts....mommy pay attention to me grunts, mommy I want something I can't reach grunts. I turned around to see my daughter, eight month old daughter mind you, looking up at the space where the TV screen would be had I dropped it down from it's resting place and turned it on for her viewing pleasure. Man, two ah-ha moments for me here: 1 - I experienced my first parent / child manipulation stunt...and I gave in without even talking it over with myself and 2 - oh my word, Emma isn't even one yet and I've turned her into a television watching fool. Good thing it's educational videos.

Worship

2008-07-14T18:13:00.001-07:00

I was challenged some time ago to begin thinking about worshiping Jesus in different ways...
Sounds logical and easy enough, but truth for me is that I tend to worship through music, and it had never been pointed out to me directly that worship could (and should) take place in other ways. For some, it's through the actual message or sermon, for others it's through writing, and still for others, it's in the quiet moments they spend away from the hussle and bussle of life and get real with God.
I've noticed lately that church sermons gradually make sense in my life. I find that as things occur from day to day I have a way of tying them back to something I've heard recently. The first time I had the experience of worshiping God without a band and singing was on our honey moon. The last night we were there the resort had a bomb fire on the beach. As I sat in my beach chair and watched the fire burn and listened to the waves crash against the shore I couldn't help but feel the awe and wonder of it all. After a few minutes I realized I was talking to God and thanking him for the amazing husband he gave me and life we would be going back to - our home, our daughter, our extended families, work, friends, church family. God is good.
The next time I had this similar experience was when I rocked Emma to sleep one afternoon for a nap. As she lay still and peaceful in my arms against my chest my mind drifted to a time when I never imagined being able to hold a baby of my own...it wasn't the first time I had the thought, but it was the first time that I felt so overwhelmed and compelled to praise God for all he has blessed me with. Right there in the rocking chair, holding my sleeping baby, I began to praise Him, and it felt good.
I've been thinking about these two experiences a lot lately - maybe that's why I decided to write about them...I've been feeling the urge to write publicly for a while now, but I'm usually into spilling my feelings in cyber space. Maybe this is just another way of worshiping Him - to share what he has blessed me with for all of you to read....we'll see where it goes, but for now, I'm looking forward to more of these moments.

me - a mommy?

2008-07-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

Emma will be six months on Thursday and I find myself still wondering when it's going to really hit me that I'm someone's mommy. I mean, sure, there have been moments when I felt "whoa" I have a daughter...holding her at the hospital for the first time, nursing her, dropping her off at day care the first day, missing her when she has been away over night, seeing her smile at me for the first time, hearing her laugh the first time, worrying about her when she hasn't felt well, getting my first "Emma" craft....each time I experience one of these moments I think I've finally felt what it's like to be a parent, but then a new experience occurs and I find myself in amazement all over again.
Emma's day care / school had their annual Mother's Day fashion show today. I really didn't know what to expect, but it was a very well produced event. There was an actual set, with a runway and ropes lining it, with lights and a red carpet, and music. The theme was "Hollywood" and each class dressed in a different theme. The girls in Emma's class were Starletts and the boys dressed as Cowboys. As I sat in my seat waiting for the show to begin I found myself looking around at all of the other parents and thinking back to a time when I would have never imagined myself blocking an hour on my calendar to walk over to the day care to watch my daughter in a fashion show. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the difference in my life.
The old Sabrina seems like a lifetime ago, but I know that isn't so. As I sat in my chair thinking about life before Emma I realized that life without her was pretty empty, and I didn't even know it! I have fallen so hard for this precious little girl, and I never saw it coming. I never understood why parents lived their lives around their children, often sacrificing their existence (okay so that's a little extreme). I am just so amazed at how naturally the change has occurred for me, and I feel like I keep smiling up at Jesus thanking him for making this happen for me.
6 months...gees time sure does fly. I think I'll make a point to block an hour on my calendar more often, just to walk over and watch Emma be Emma, no runway, no lights, no music, no audience...my daughter

Honey, we've landed in blog land

2008-07-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

Here we are, 2008, and the most convenient way to keep our family and friends in the know seems to be by blogging. I've debated on blogging for a while, but needed to make sure I wasn't caving just because "everyone else is doing it." After contemplating blogging for some time I finally decided to cave - I think caving just because everyone else is doing it almost seems like a better reason than conceding that blogging in cyber space unfortunately seems to be the easiest way to keep our family and friends in tune to our journey, as husband and wife and parents. I'll ramble some random thoughts too along the way just for giggles...who knows, maybe even Mr. Henderson will blog too. I have a few I wrote on Myspace recently I will copy here to get started. I hope you all enjoy the view!