Preschool!

We decided to start Saoirse on a preschool curriculum and, oh my, has it been fun so far! Here's a small taste of our first week of "school".

Her number, shape and color of the week.

Our scripture for the week was Genesis 1, which we'll be working through for a few weeks, learning about creation. This week we learned that God made the light and the dark, and the sky with the clouds and the water.

Our song was  "This Little Light of Mine" which she LOVED! It's now one of her favorites. And our number was 1, our color was red, and our shape was circle.

Lastly, our book for the week was "Llama, Llama Red Pajama". If you've never read this before, I highly recommend it! She loved finding his red pajama's, saying words like "baby" and "momma/ mommy". While that might be a bit easy for some two year olds, it was quite the accomplishment for Saoirse with her speech delays. It was a great way to get her to say those words without asking her to repeat them... amazing.

Some of our favorite projects from the week!

Not only did we have a lot of fun at home, but I think it helped her a lot at speech therapy as well. We've seen dramatic improvements in her speech in the past week. She's also learned what it means to wait and sit quietly, which has been a tremendous help in speech.

One of her new songs in speech class is the "Peanut Butter" song. It helps her make the "m" sound and say "la la la". Repeating those noises will help her with forming new words, as we have seen already and hopefully she will just keep getting better! I even put a video of her singing it here for you to watch. Spoiler alert: It's crazy cute.

Then, of course, this week we were preparing for Easter. We not only dyed our eggs, but also painted them with watercolors! She thought it was so cool to paint something other than paper! And she was really gentle with the eggs as well. I was so proud of her working so gently and diligently on her project.

By far, though, the best part of the week was when I was able to tell her about Jesus. We read the story about him in her Bible. We learned that he was God's son and that he died to save us. At this point in the story, Saoirse hugged me and started crying and hugging her Bible on the page that showed Jesus on the cross. It took me awhile to calm her down and finish the story about him rising again! She was very happy that he came back!

Her reaction was just so humbling, so pure, so real. It made me think, do I still react that way to Christ's sacrifice? I would like to hope that I do, but I know that I become bogged down with theology, politics, heck... ministry itself. Things that should be a reaction to the knowledge that Christ died for me, instead get in the way. It made me think, I need to rearrange things. So, once again, my children minister to me in ways they cannot even understand. Words cannot express how they bless me. Thank you God for these amazing kids!

As for Reuben, he recently said his first word, "Mama"! Yay! Point mommy :) I was pretty stoked since Saoirse's first word was "Dada". It felt good to win one.

He also pulled himself to a standing position for the first time and has been pulling himself up more and more ever since. He's going to be walking in no time. It's hard to believe that he's already 8 1/2 months old. Why do kids have to grow up so fast?

So that's our first week of school. Lots of developments for both kids, a huge spiritual challenge for mom, and another hard week at work for Daddy. Seriously, he works so hard... he's amazing. I'm so proud of the minister he has become. I can see God working in the lives of those he touches. God is doing great things though our Chaplain.

Here's some of the pictures from our week!

Reuben crawling in the background as S works one of her art projects.

Making circles!

We went around the house collecting things that are red!

We traced her hands and cut the yarn the length of her arm span and taped the hands to the yarn to mail to friends and family for Easter... a long distance hug!

Learning how to use tape was fun!

Painting on a vertical surface for the first time.

Yep, that's red paint in her hair. Oi...

Stop at Nothing: KONY 2012

I know that I write a lot of posts about causes that I care for, but here's another one. Sorry people... there's a lot of things to fight for in this world.

But this one hits home as a mother. I can't imagine a life where I have to live in fear that my kids could be abducted in the night. I can't imagine worrying that Saoirse would be forced into the sex slave industry and the Reuben would be forced to carry a gun and kill people when he is just a child.

That is why I am standing behind this. It is wrong that this goes on anywhere in the world. And for once, we have the chance to capture the worst of the worst in Uganda.

I know I ask you to stand with me a lot. I know it must get annoying hearing me go on and on about causes that deserve your attention and support. I know you get tired of me asking you for money for my latest walk or run or army obstacle course or wearing a daffodil costume to collect coins on a busy street. But if you're gonna get behind me on anything, make it this.

Share this video, sign the online petition, write to your congressmen, donate, get the kit... do whatever you can. Please help make this world a better place for my kids... for your kids... for the kids in Uganda... for the children all around the world.

It's a 30 minute video, but it's worth your time.

Saoirse's 2nd Birthday!

Our beautiful little girl turned two. And even though her day was filled with fun activities, she was, well, two! She whined, she cried, she hit, she screamed... yikes. Still, we were able to get some moments of our happy little girl and created some memories that will last a life time.

We decorated the house for her big day with streamers and ribbons. She had cupcakes, presents, soccer, lunch with daddy and got special video messages with her aunts and uncles, her grandparents and her godparents. All in all, it was a day I'll never forget. She is so loved. I hope she never doubts that.

Her favorite gifts included the felt food I made her...

...and a crib for baby doll!

She thought it was so fun to walk through the streamers in the morning!

Cupcakes!

She was so excited at the thought of cupcakes for breakfast.

Blowing out her candles.

Yummy!

Putting baby doll in the crib... with eggs, oranges and cheese. So funny!

She picked out Elmo jammies for her birthday!

Soccer class... her favorite activity!

Playing at the park with baby doll.

Playing dress up with mommy's shoes. Love it!

Happy 2nd Birthday sweet girl!

Two under 2

Today is the last day I can say I have two under 2. It seems surreal that Saoirse is turning 2 tomorrow. I mean, not on the tantrum front. Man alive, she's been throwing tantrums forever! I mean, just thinking that she's officially a two year old... I don't know how to handle that thought.

Every night after she goes to bed, her dad and I come out into the living room and cry because we know that we are one night closer to her being all grown up and out of the house. And hitting the 2 year mark just makes that truth hit home. She's growing up. She's growing up and there's nothing I can do about it.

Tomorrow night I'll post pictures of her birthday and blog about all the fun stuff we did, but today I want to do a brief recap of her year.

She proved how grown up she was when daddy left for training all summer long. For a one year old, that is a VERY long time. 

Especially when you have a daddy as wonderful as hers.

But she got to visit him at Newport. She especially loved playing with him on the beach!

She had lots of fun over the summer! She went to the pool,

she played with her friends, Shirah and Miles,

she discovered the pleasure of a sand box,

she gained another Uncle,

and she became a BIG sister!

She moved across the country to sunny San Diego.

She became OBSESSED with the zoo!

She started soccer.

She fell in love with Lady and the Tramp :)

She met Mamaw and Papaw at the airport!

She fell in love with Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

She started doing everything we did. Cooking, cleaning, taking care of the baby... you name it!

Even playing video games like Daddy.

Oh yeah, and the tantrums. Oh my, the tantrums!

Yet, throughout it all, she still managed to be the most adorable little girl in the world! Although, we're a bit biased.

It has been a whirlwind year. So many changes, so many new things to see and do. It's been so fun watching her little personality develop. She's a pip! She doesn't look a thing like me, but she definitely has my personality. She's smart, she's sassy, she's kind, she's energetic, she's determined, she's loving ... and a million other things. But to sum it all up, she's amazing!

I can't imagine my life without her. She has taught me love, grace, patience and forgiveness. I'm constantly amazed at how I love her. I go to bed thinking, "I cannot possibly love my kids anymore." And yet, every day, I love them more than the day before. I can't believe God blessed us so richly.

Happy 2nd Birthday baby girl! We love you so much and can't wait to see the person God has created you to be!

Loving the sinner

Yesterday was Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. My family and I attended a Rally for Life that was put on by a local Pregnancy Care Clinic. They are trying to open a new clinic up in a location in San Diego that most people forget about. They want to be present in a community that has a large number of unplanned pregnancies and not many options for how to handle such a situation.

It got me thinking. About abortion. About adoption. About how everyone, Christians included, are afraid to tackle such subjects. We are afraid of the backlash. We are afraid of offending someone. I have both fears, but I feel that something needs to be said about it.

I think if you ask most Christians, they will tell you that they are against abortion. And if you ask most of them, they will say that it is an area of our world that desperately needs Christ. Yet, whenever I've spoken to a group of Christians, at church, at a rally, at a fundraising event... you mention abortion and they all begin to shake their heads, raise their eyebrows, whisper to their neighbors about how abhorrent it is... use words like 'abhorrent'. And I think to myself, how is that attitude helping anyone? Especially when you realize that 70% of women who have an abortion classify themselves as believers. These women could be sitting in the pew next to you and you're saying these things to them. Think about that.

Don't get me wrong. I think abortion is wrong. The same way that I think that lying is wrong. Stealing is wrong. You get the point. It's easy to love and accept someone who is a liar and needs Christ. Why do we struggle with those who have gone through an abortion? Don't they deserve love? Don't they deserve grace? Don't they deserve Christ?

I get tired of it. The JUDGEMENT. That's not how you make a difference. You want to stop abortions in this country? Then stop judging and start loving. Stop making them feel like they are unforgivable and show them what it means to be redeemed.

That's what I love about these pregnancy centers. They love on these women. They provide them with choice... true choice. They explain the choice of parenting. They explain the choice of abortion. They explain the choice of adoption. And for a woman in a crisis pregnancy situation, none of these choices are easy. But the staff and volunteers at a pregnancy center will be there for that woman, no matter what she chooses.

That is love. That is compassion. That is Christ. That is what we need to do.

So here's my challenge for you and myself: If we want to make a difference for these women, we need to get involved.

Here's some suggestions:
pray
donate
volunteer
pray
throw the center a shower
buy diapers next time you're out and drop them off at the center
give them all your old baby clothing, blankets, bedding, etc.
pray
serve as an event volunteer
vote pro-life
get 5 friends to do the 'walk for life' in your area
...and did I mention pray? 'Cause that's a big one.

So stop complaining about the amount of abortions in this country and get out and do something about it.

She can laugh at the days to come

Tonight the Chaplain wives in the San Diego area had a "Hail and Farewell". For those not in the Navy, this is a time when we welcome new families to the area and say good bye to those who are moving on to their next station.

This particular event was really special because the farewell was the wife of a Captain who is retiring on Friday. They have been in the Navy for nearly 30 years. They married and had children when they were young (still in their 20's). They've seen the world... Hawaii, Okinawa, and all over the coasts of the US. They've been through wars... Desert Storm, Iraq, Iraq again, Afghanistan. On Sunday they are making their last trek across the country to Philadelphia where they have purchased a HUGE house for the purpose of providing free housing for other chaplains who need a place to stay for vacation and/ or for churches who go on urban mission trips and need free housing.

As I sat listening to her and other women's stories, I thought to myself, can we do this? One of the new wives talked about her fear of deployment. The response of the seasoned? It's all in your attitude. When you're a military wife, especially a Chaplain's wife, you face an awful lot of separation. How do you reconcile that with kids who LOVE their daddy? How does a marriage retain it's strength if you don't see each other for almost a year at a time?

You overcome with a positive attitude. You find a way to make moves, deployments, holidays, etc. fun and adventurous, even without daddy. You talk about him often. You make videos for him. You write him letters. You come up with plans of things to do when he gets home. But most importantly, you keep a positive attitude.

It made me think of the Proverbs 31 woman. The woman who can look to her future and "laugh at the days to come". As for me? I'm terrified. If we stay in this field, can I really handle a deployment?

No. I can't. I'm not strong enough to do that. I need Bryan.

Honestly, that's the first thought that goes through my head. Then I think about our history. Scotland. Saoirse's birth. Reuben's birth. Moving across the country with two kids under two. I didn't think I could do any of that either.

It's crazy how often I need to be reminded of how BIG my God is. You'd think I've learned this lesson by now. But he keeps teaching me over and over again because, apparently, I have a friggin' thick skull.

Bryan isn't being deployed yet. We don't even know if it will happen or not. But if it does, will one of you please remind me that I serve a BIG, HUGE, AWESOME God? Remind me that He is infinitely stronger than I am. Remind me that I'm not alone... that other wives are there to support me.

Remind me that my God is bigger than any of our problems... including deployment. Don't let me forget that. Maybe I can look at those days ahead and laugh because I know that I'm not really in control of anything. And that's the most encouraging thought ever.

A New Year, A New Challenge

I'm not really one for New Year resolutions. If I want to change something in my life, I just do it. I don't wait for a New Year to change things. Plus, I think a lot of people make resolutions just because it's a new year, not because they actually are resolving to change something about their life.

That being said, a friend posted this blog on facebook and it posed a challenge to start the new year that I am actually interested in. Actually, it's not just an interest... it's a need. This is something I need to do.

It's a call to gentleness. Anyone who knows me, knows that gentleness is not and never has been my strong point. I have a temper. I yell at people. I tell people off when I think they've done wrong. And I'm generally not very nice about it.

For a long time, I really liked this part of my personality. People tend not to mess around with me because they know I'll take them to task for it. It served me well in the professional arena. People knew what I wanted, when I wanted it and that I would let 'em have it if they didn't deliver.

However, I've found this quality to be extremely problematic with my role as a mother. You see, a toddler doesn't understand why I'm frustrated. My toddler can't just do what I want them to do because, well, she's just a toddler!

I lose my temper. I raise my voice. I expect more than she is capable of delivering. I take frustrations out on her or her dad when he gets home. Neither one of them deserve that.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I'm a horrible mother and wife. I'm actually a very good mother and wife. But I can be better. This is an area I've been working on lately and praying about constantly. So to start off this New Year, I'm taking the Gentleness Challenge. I pray that I can grow to be a gentle mother and wife.

For any of you who are interested in joining the challenge with me, here's a link to the site.
http://womenlivingwell.org/2012/01/introducing-the-gentleness-challenge/ Encourage me in this. Hold me accountable. Pray for me to become a gentler mother, a gentler wife, a gentler person.