The Sweet Life of Now...

The sweet life of now...

Life is not only a series of experiences, milestones, events, or accomplishments, it is also a series of moments.

So what is a moment?

A moment can be defined as a brief, indefinite interval of time.

I would like to share with you a few of my favorite moments. 

April 8, 2006 ­ The moment that we said, “I do.” 

Later that evening at our wedding reception I stopped and made a conscious effort to remember this very moment.

March 10, 2008 ­ “It’s a boy.” 

Later that day Kenton said to me, “we will have more children but there will never be another moment just like this. Soak in this moment.” 

Griffin James

April 27, 2010­ “It’s a boy!” 

Later that day when I locked eyes with my baby boy. I was finally able to physically see the baby that I already knew so well.” 

Roman Wade

June 13, 2012­ .... Silence... Wait for it... Wait for it... All eyes on me...

“It’s a BOY!” (again!)

Later that afternoon after the smoke cleared and the dust settled and our big boys left the hospital Kenton and I were sitting numbly in that moment thinking, “what in the heck have we gotten ourselves into?!?”

Cohen Jacob

This is just a glimpse into my “highlight” reel. Some of my milestone moments from this particular season of my life. However, make no mistake that my life is not all joyful moments. My life has also been filled with not so happy moments. Moments filled with rejection, heartbreak, anger, depression, sadness, and fear.

Days I just want to hide under the covers.

Days filled with pouty lips and "it's not fair."

Days of screaming and full blown tantrums.

Days of burning dinner several nights a week.

Days of why is being 3 so hard.

When you add my highlight reel and dark moments together all of those combined moments have molded me to be the person that I am standing here at this very moment. Those are the moments that have prepared me and defined me for THIS life of living in the now...

These small moments of time often carry a very heavy significance on the rest of our lives. Imagine that very moment when you hear:

• You made the team... 
• We’d like to hire you...
•  or There’s no sign of cancer.

How about the very moment that you have a “chance encounter” that will forever change your life. The moment that you get to say your first hello or your last goodbye. Or that day that your morning was off to a terrible start so you left the house five minutes late. You left an angry, frazzled, hot mess and you were just moments behind a deadly accident.

So often we take this moment “in the now” for granted and are preoccupied chasing the “next best thing.” We are too busy being busy, or dreaming of what is to follow. Looking forward to the weekend, our next vacation, receiving a promotion, when we have more money, or when we are 10 lbs thinner. 

We are so preoccupied with the future that we never truly savor the JOY of living in the now. It is okay to miss the next best thing if you’re in tune with the here and now. Because sometimes the best thing is what’s happening at this moment. 

God didn’t place you here on accident. That big future we dream of will all of a sudden be over. Then we wish that we could go back and take life just a little slower. The only moment that we are guaranteed is now. Susie once told me that “God only grants you the grace for today. No need to worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow you will wake up fresh and be supplied with the grace to get you through that day.” I think back on these words often.

We live in a world that we are bombarded 24/7 with distractions. We fool ourselves to think that we can multi­task. The reality is that a person can not multi­task and be fully present at the same time. To be present means to first and foremost ask God to be present in our lives and focus on His presence. To be fully present in any situation or relationship must begin there.

I am currently in the midst of a hectic, challenging and busy season of life. I am not proud of my “busy-­ness” but it is the reality of where I am. I have a husband, 3 small children, family, 2 jobs, plus a household to run, volunteer work, lots of hobbies, a long to do list, and an even longer want to do list, and a host of other obligations. Frequently I am living moment to moment just to survive.

However, when I tune into the NOW I have witnessed some pretty amazing things that God continues to blow my mind with and show me. I know that he is in constant conversation with me. I just have to be intentional in tuning in and listening to His voice and the enjoying the beauty that he puts before my very eyes.

God often speaks to me through my kids. Sometimes it is a look or a smile. Just one of those moments that you know that it was no one other than God himself breaking in and showing you just a glimpse.

Roman

Often times he speaks words to me through my son Roman. On a few occasions my  3 year old says something so profound and out of the blue that it has nearly caused me to wreck my “Magic van.” An example of that is, “Mommy did you know that God is white?” Think on that for a second. My kids don’t see color... 

Every night when I pray with and over my kids I say 2 things:

• You are a good boy and will do great things in this world 
• Jesus, shine bright so the world can see your glory.

When I say these words I need to honestly EXPECT God to break in. I also need to fully trust Him when I hand my kids over to him daily because he loves them the most.

Griffin

My newly turned 6 year old has been on a Jesus mission. I am noticing that he has the heart of a missionary. In fact he has already asked how old he has to be to go to Mexico on a mission trip just like I did. So scary yet so exciting!! For two weeks he has been bound and determined to share the good news of Jesus. I asked him to tell me a little more about this good news. He then went into the story of a lady named Mary who traveled to the town of Destrehan. I will be really sad when he figures out it is actually Bethlehem... Last weekend he compiled a song list of “Amazing Grace, Sing Sing, Sing, and Who let the dogs out.” He came up with a plan and was determined to carry out his mission. His plan was to go door to door in our neighborhood and sing song to our neighbor, by chance if they

loved the song they could put a donation into his piggy bank. “But only if they really LOVE the song Mommy.” How can you stop a child who is on mission to share the gospel, right? I held him off for a minute while I put the baby down for a nap. When I returned to him I saw something so special in his eye. He was laying out the plan of how and what he needed to do. I determined at that second to tune into this moment because something special was bound to happen. He was a little nervous and asked me to join him. He asked me to hold his hand as we walked up to the door of our neighbors house. He then sang a song and followed it with a giant hug. I had a tear in my eye and our neighbor did too. When asked why he wanted to do this he said, “because singing makes people happy.” In that very moment I saw Jesus shining through so brightly. Just for a moment I saw a piece of heaven on earth and it was a beautiful thing.

Dancing in the rain

Fully in his superhero imagination.

Batman picking out the perfect block of Kraft cheese.

I have learned so much from my boys. They are the epitome of living in the moment. Whatever they do they do it BIG and that moment is the only one that matters to them. Whether they are full blown into the imaginary world of superheroes, pretending to work on the garbage truck, laughing, or on the floor in a full blown tantrum the only thing that they are thinking about is NOW.

This past New Year’s eve our plans fell through at the last minute. While I was in the shower my two older boys planned out our evening for us. The plans included eating smores by the fire, playing a few games, one of which included draw a portrait of Griffin, read stories, and sing songs by the fire. I can honestly say that was the best New Year’s eve of my life. Roman was playing the guitar and we were singing Amazing Grace. In that moment I looked around

and was so overwhelmed with the absolute beauty of my life. One of those I am blessed so beyond what I deserve moments. I was surrounded by favorite people in the entire world who were singing their hearts out to Jesus. It was such a kingdom moment that was so heavy, rich, and good. The night ended with me twirling my babies around the living room as they squealed with joy. I went to bed with a smile on my face and so much joy in my heart.

God also speaks to me through nature and very often while I am driving. I have come to realize that driving is one of the only times that I am not multi­tasking, but focusing my attention on one thing only.


Last year was year of the rainbows for me. I saw so many rainbows. Not only did I see rainbows, but I saw even more double rainbows. Every single rainbow that I saw reminded me of God’s promise from Genesis 9:

12-13 The rainbow that I have put in the sky will be my sign to you and to every living creature on earth. It will remind you that I will keep this promise forever. 14 When I send clouds over the earth, and a rainbow appears in the sky, 15 I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let floodwaters destroy all life.16 When I see the rainbow in the sky, I will always remember the promise that I have made to every living creature. 17 The rainbow will be the sign of that solemn promise.

God spoke to me through a dark sky. I was driving through darkness and rain. At that moment he showed me that we are not created to live in darkness. We are created to live in light. Once I called that moment for what it was, an attack from the enemy, I felt a burden lifted and felt like I was no longer being held under water. I could breathe again.

Another day I was driving and praying for my husband. At an exact moment in a worship song the clouds moved and the sun peeked out in a wink. Can you believe that? God winked at me through the clouds. He created that very moment just for me. My entire being was overcome with peace and the assurance that all will be okay. It was very cool!

On another occasion I was in a dark time. I told God that I needed Him badly. I actually told him that I needed to see him... today. That afternoon I was picking up my boys. I noticed a weirdly shaped rainbow in the wrong direction. My thought was “that sure is a weird looking rainbow and had no good reason to be in the sky.” It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky. As I drove further I saw another rainbow just like it. Moments later I was driving down an open street and the entire picture opened up for me. It was two side ways rainbows with the sun shining brightly in the middle. That moment was just for me. The two rainbows with the sun in the middle was God with his arms stretched wide open to embrace me. In that very moment I received a hug from God. The hug took over my body. It started at my head and the warmth radiated throughout my entire being. I told Him earlier that day that I needed him. He showed up and as always was on time. He revealed himself in a way to me that only I would recognize. He was in the form of rainbows, the sun, and hug. Funny thing with the hug? I ask him for hugs often.

I later told a friend about this experience. She had also seen that unusual rainbow at that same exact time and took a picture of it. She also thought there is no reason for this rainbow to be weirdly placed in the sky on this beautiful afternoon. She was confirmation of my encounter. It was a beautiful thing.

The Hug

I will let y’all in on a little secret. I do not do public speaking. Actually the thought of it makes me feel like I may throw up or break out in hives. Either way it is not a good feeling. I have been resisting this invitation to speak for a few years. For some reason I accepted the invitation this time around. I did it as an act of obedience. I told

God, “alright, I am doing this for You now you must give me the words.” As I was preparing for my talk a particular bible verse kept coming to mind so I wrote it down in my notes. Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoyce and be glad in it.” Later that evening I opened my Jesus calling devotional to the day that I would be speaking at the retreat. Guess what the passage was for this very day, April 11? “This is the day that I have made.  Rejoice and be glad in it.” As always He was with me and smiling down on me as I take each and every step of this walk that we are on together.

This morning as I was getting in the car and heading toward the retreat I was starting to hear a lot of negative self talk in my head.  You know the, "are you really going to get up and speak in front of 100 people, all of their eyes will be on you, you really aren't going to do this are you" kind of talk. I sat in the drivers seat and took a deep breath.  I looked down at my phone for a second and friend was heading to the retreat and posted Psalm 118:24. A calm spirit washed over me again.  Yes my Lord I hear you!  Just another reminder that I can do all things through him.  The ride to the retreat turned from enemy talk to me talking to God asking if he wanted for me to add anything else to my talk.  A ride filled with worship and praise...

On the way driving today as I asked God if there was anything else He wanted me to add to my talk?  He told me to add this one more story, so here it goes...

One day I was rushed to get out of the house.  I heard the words whispered to me, "die to self."  I remember thinking "those words are so weird."  A few minutes later I heard the song lyrics whispered to me, "I'm alive because a part of me has died."  I realized it was God speaking to me, but it took me a few days to realize that He was telling me that it was time for my baptism.  I had been having an internal struggle with the whole baptism thing for a few years.  My friends knew this.  I had a hang up of getting in a pool in front of the entire church. I didn't want all of the eyes on me.  I really build this up to be a BIG thing in my head.  I had this deep feeling that my baptism was not going to happen that way.  The following week my missional community was meeting in my living room.  I heard the whisper once again say, "be brave."  I told my missional community of my baptism awakening.  I then asked for our group leader to baptism me.  NOW...  At that point the rest of the group jumped in and wanted to be baptized too!  The presence of the Holy Spirit was so heavy in the room.  The feeling was electric and pretty awesome.  Our leader did not baptize us that night.  A few weeks later on June 13, 2013 my missional community was baptized in our neighbors pool by our leader and his wife.  Just as I had known all along.  I would not be baptized in a traditional setting.  My 5 seconds of bravery sparked the baptism of 8 people.  Such a kingdom experience!

I have shared with all of you some of my moments. Just imagine if I would have been too busy or too preoccupied in that very moment and would have missed these events that have altered my very life. These kingdom moments are when God breaks in, and just for a second lifts the veil to give us a glimpse of what is to come. These are some of my most beautiful and precious moments. Moments that I hold very dear. Moments that recharge my battery and refresh my soul. Imagine when we will actually live these kingdome moments in consecutive time. Even the thought of that takes my breath away.

For me living in the moment is never easy. I have to pull myself away from myself, technology, and every other thing pulling me in 1,000,000 directions. Some days I am good at this, other days I fail miserably. For me it is an act of discipline and worth my investment. This is just a glimpse of what living “in the now” look like for me. This is only the beginning of my story of living in the now. When you think of living in the now what does it look like for you? What are some steps that you take to clear your head and focus on the present?

Renew Mexico~ La Mision, Mexico

Last week I went to La Mision, Mexico on my first mission trip.  I had the absolute privilege of serving along with an amazing team of people.  I am having a difficult time trying to put words to my feelings and experience.  There is no doubt that my words will fall short.  I have stories, memories, and pictures whirling around in my head.  It is very difficult for me to pull my experience apart because truly the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.  So for now I will ramble a few stories that were very impressionable along the way.

• We stayed at Door of faith orphanage.  On the trip our goal was to finish a house for a family, serve in the community and work at the orphanage.  

• I have never been to an orphanage before.  The picture that I had in my head was formed by television and the media. Thank you Sally Struthers.   Door of faith orphanage is nothing short of wonderful.  They are the home to 120ish children ranging from infant to college aged teens.  When we arrived we were given a tour of the property.  Everything was bright, clean and well maintained.  The thing that stuck out to me most was that the kids looked really happy, healthy and well adjusted.   

• Throughout the trip God revealed himself to me through people.  He knows that people are the way to my heart.  I heard story after story of rough beginnings, dark times, pain, and suffering which ended in redemption, restoration, beauty and forgiveness.  These peoples lives were turned around by the grace and the never ending love of God.  I saw so much beauty rising above all of these stories.  

• One morning well before the rooster crowed we headed to Tijuana to serve breakfast to the local people.  The place where we served was set on top of a garbage dump.  When we drove up it was still dark outside so I was not able to really get a look around.  Before we opened the doors for breakfast one of the men prayed.  He prayed in Spanish and I have no idea what he said.  Even though I didn't understand the words it was one of the most powerful times of prayer that I have ever experienced.  The Holy Spirit was literally felt in the room.  His presence was so thick that I had to catch my breath.  Through out the breakfast service I made eye contact with the gentleman who prayed several times.  God was shining so brightly through this man.  He was such a joy to be around.  That morning we served breakfast to many people.  Many of the children came back time and time again for more food.  I was not sure if it was because that was the only meal that they would have that day or if they just didn't want to leave.  Either way my heart went out to them.  After breakfast we went outside and were able to see the living conditions.  The church was the last place that received running water.  The rest of the people had to climb a mountain in order to get water.  The homes were made out of any material that they could find.  Tires, garage doors, scraps of wood, and tin were turned into homes.  The average person in this area makes $5 a day.  We spend that on a cup of coffee.  Makes you stop and think...

• The entire time I was at the orphanage it never felt like an orphanage.  I'm not really sure what an orphanage should feel like, but this place just felt like a home.  One night we went into the baby room to watch the "baby march."  The babies in footed pajamas sing a song before bedtime and walk to their cribs.  This was really cute.  Each baby is tucked into bed with a bottle for the night.  As I was watching this I was thinking about my boys and our bed time routine.  Our routine is very similar to this however their was one critical difference.  At home we sing, pray, and read to our boys but then we  cuddle with them.  Once the babies were tucked in for the night the door was shut and we walked away.  This is the first time that it really weighed down on me that these precious children do not have parents.  The feeling was heavy and I had to catch my breath.  The reality of this just makes me incredibly sad.

• There is a stark contrast to my life living in the United States verses living in Mexico.  The conditions are just different.  The opportunities that we have here are so great.  I know people with lots of money.  The people that I met in Mexico are extremely poor.  Never once did I feel sorry for or pity my Mexican friends.  Their lives are much richer than having all of the money in the world.  They are filled with love and God and that is something worth so much more than money.  

• I was one of the last people at the house before we handed the keys over to the family.  I looked at the house and thought it was so beautiful.  Back home I would not have given a second look to this 20x30 home with concrete floors, but in this setting it was stunning.  I think the love was shining through and was blinding.  There was so much love poured into that house with every nail hammered and every single brush stroke painted.  I had a moment alone and walked around the outside of the house.  I prayed that the family about to take over this home would have all of their needs met.  I prayed that they would feel loved and not forgotten.  I prayed that the home would be filled with love, laughter, and good memories.  

• On Friday afternoon we went over to the house to hand the keys over to Pedro and his family.  We prayed as a group before entering the home.  Once inside the reality of the situation must have come over Pedro.  He was just given a home for his family.  He was blinking back tears.  This moment was so heavy that I had to walk outside to breathe.  Once we started to leave Pedro walked into a bedroom and started crying.  He told our Door of faith host that he just couldn't understand why people that he doesn't even know would travel to Mexico, build a home and give it to his family, and just hand over the keys.  It just didn't make sense to him?  I agree that logically it does not make since, however in the kingdom it does.  The kingdom is a place that we are all invited into and is such a beautiful place to live.  I so want to fill my life with these kingdom moments.  

• Every place that we went there was always a child that stood out to me.  These children were such lights in the world.  They shined so bright that I could not help but take notice of them.  I sit back and wonder who they will become.  I pray that they live up to the potential that I see shining so brightly within them.  

• One afternoon Jenny and I had the task of cleaning up the gift shop.  We talked, enjoyed each others company and while we were at it we organized a bit too.  While we were working one of these stand out children that I just referred to came in to see what we were doing.  She spoke some English.  She pulled me and showed me a cross that she wanted for me to have.  She was really adamant about wanting for me to have the cross.  The next evening I was in our dorm room.  Our host came in and said that she had been trying to organize the gift shop for months and was so grateful that the job was done.  For our work she gave us each a cross.  I then told her about the story from the day before and the little girl that wanted for me to have that cross.  Our host was not aware that the little girl had come in and talked to us the day before.  We both smiled.  The cross that she gave me is one of the best gifts that I have ever received.

• As I was on the plane home my brain was spinning.  Memories of the week were washing over me.  I was seeing faces, recalling conversations, praising God for all of the work that he did through me over the week, and wondering what my calling really is.  Once we landed in New Orleans and my kids rushed to me I was reminded that I am exactly where I am called to be for now.  I have the most important job of raising my boys to be good men.  This airport moment is one of my favorite moments in my entire life.  I was so overcome with tight hugs, kisses, and sweet "I love you Mommys."  I can honestly say that life is good...

I am so happy that I stepped out of my comfort zone and went to Mexico.  It was an experience of a lifetime.  It was refreshing to be totally removed from my daily life and countless distractions and responsibilities.  I was able to be fully focused and present while working through each task that was given to me.  I was able to deepen relationships with old friends and also make a few new ones.  We laughed big and loved even bigger.  What an honor to serve such an amazing God.    

    

A mothers love

Nursing babies was my job for 3 years of my life. A job that I was really good at. Each of my boys made it to the 12 month mark exclusively on breast milk as their liquid nutrition.. None of them received a drop of formula. When I step back and think about this it makes me say "wow." My body that I am constantly waging war against was enough. My body produced life giving nutrition to 3 thriving boys. For that I am blessed and grateful.

For me nursing my babies was more than just nutrition. It was a time to dial down. A time exclusively just for me and my baby. A time to talk, sing, pray, and love on my precious child. To sit there and look into the eyes of a child who looked back at me with adoring eyes. This was a gift that only I was able to give them. The bonding time that I spent with each baby was worth more than its weight in gold. I guess this is one of the many reasons that they refer to breast milk as "liquid gold."

I think this chapter in my life is finished. It is so bittersweet. A year committed to breast feeding following  10 months of pregnancy (3 times back to back) has taken its toll. At times my job was hard, painful, tiring, and seemingly relentless. Looking back in my rear view mirror it was worth every single second of my time. The hundreds of hours that I logged feeding babies in my chair was some of the best spent time of my life.  I love these boys that much. They were worth it.

Redeemed- 6/13/13

I am enrolled in the School of Kingdom living.

This is a one year class that I am taking through our church.

My boys fondly refer to it as "Jesus cool." (Jesus school)

This year has been amazing.

It has been a year of personal growth, transformation, restoration, community, and all around goodness.  

Within the class we are broken up into sub groups called missional communities.

I must say that my missional community is the best.

This group of people went from strangers to friends quickly.

We laugh, we cry, we hang out, we pray, and encourage one another.

A few weeks back I felt a strong nudge to be baptized.  

This has been something that I have been wrestling with for several years.

I pretty much received word from The Big Guy that it was time.

I mentioned it to my Missional Community that I wanted to be baptized.  

Like right NOW.

This act of bravery led to 7 others desiring the same thing.

The room was electric.

I will never forget this night as long as I live.

I was happy and free.

Our leader held us off that evening.

The following day I asked my neighbors to use their pool for the baptism and our evening was set.

Our leader and his wife baptized 8 of us.

6/13/13 will be a day that I remember forever.

I have journaled the details.

I was surrounded by God, my family, and my friends.

I felt Him smiling down upon us.

He was there and His presence was thick.

Oh happy day...

2012- Simplify

2012.  

The beginning of another year with so much hope and promise.  I am not one to make a "resolution" but usually try to pick a theme for the year or at least a few goals.  Not going to happen this year. I am a stickler for following through and if I proclaimed something today I would just be setting myself up for failure.   I guess if I had to pick a word for the year it would be "simplify."

I have been pregnant or nursing for just about 4 1/2 years straight.  I know that my body knows the drill, but this pregnancy is taking a bit of a toll.  I am thankful to have had an extra set of hands from MiMi lately.  Tomorrow will be my first day back to work after being off since December 12.  Yes, I am fully aware that it will hurt.  Soon enough the 2nd trimester energy burst will kick in.  Geesh.... I am already just about 1/2 way to meeting our newest blessing.

Okay, now back to simplify.  Nesting has already kicked in and I have a burning desire to  discard of the majority of my earthly possessions.  Just want to get rid of unnecessary stuff and clutter.  I will have a garage sale in the next month to unload extra items that we have accumulated over the past few years.  I have also cut back on some of my volunteer work.  I hate to do it but I feel like I am in survival mode on most days and needed to lighten my load.

Soon enough our family of 4 will include 1 more little person.  The thought of that still blows my mind.  This year will be one of adjusting.  Satch will graduate in May with his masters degree.  (can I get a "ya heard me?!?)  I am so proud of him.  The road to further his education has not been easy on any of us.  He will finish in just enough time to welcome our newest addition in June.

For now I pray for patience.  Most days it is running pretty thin.  I pray for my forgiveness and healing of old wounds.  I pray for the ability to live in the moment.  To savor bedtime stories and prayers.  To photograph the ordinary moments both on film and also on my brain.  I am so thankful for the help from family.  They make the load a little lighter.  I am thankful that my children have an active relationship with their grandparents.  I am thankful for my circle of friends.  In this next year I will focus on deepening relationships.

2012.  

Simplify.  Hope.  Promise.  Hard adjustments.  Change.  Love.  Family.  Forgiveness.  Prayerful.  Meaningful relationships.  Survival.  Laughter.  Blessed life.          

A little of this and that...

The month of October through the beginning of November was jam packed.  I will admit that I over extended myself primarily on causes that I volunteer for.  I knew the month would be intense.  I powered through knowing that it was only temporary.  I was looking forward to now.  My favorite time of the year.  Holiday season!  From now until after Christmas I take time to simplify.  I don't get wigged out on shopping, gifts, and obligations.  My family holds the top spot and we do what we "want" to.  This is a time to spend with our family and closest friends.  I am not an over the top gift giver.  I have some gifts bought, but I am primarily giving hand-made heart felt gifts this year.  

I have worked extra hours so I can take 2-3 weeks off from my pharmaceutical job around Christmas.  Satch will be finished school on December 3 for about a month.  We really enjoy a solid month of Christmas cheer.  I am talking walking down the street holding hands and singing Christmas carols.  Why?  Because it is my favorite time of the year...

In the meantime here are a few snapshots of what we have been doing over the past few weeks.

Step 1 of life simplification:

I introduce to you....

Rosie 3.0

This is our 3rd Roomba robot vacuum cleaner. 

Satch was begging for another. 

I resisted as long as I could.

I had the house under control.

You know vacuuming no less than 3x a week to keep up with the dog hair.

I caved the other morning.

The dog had has gotten the best of me.

Welcome to the family

Rosie 3.0!

How I love you so!

(you are working while I sit her and blog)

The Griff... Stunnin' like his Daddy.

"Calm down Mommy, Calm down!"
Hard to get mad at an irresistibly cute kid.

My world... 

We must not forget about Uncle Al.
My 4 boys.

Baby Bear, AKA The Dude.
This kid loves to play.

Sick Baby Bear.
Not to big to cuddle while waiting to see the Doc.
Baby Bear gave it a good run.
This was the first time that he has gotten sick
and it broke my heart...

This photo reminds me of a Norman Rockwell.
Baby Bear was grabbing his clothes to get the heck out
of the Docs office!  

Gross... sitting on the floor in the Docs office.
The horror!
This was actually after he touched the bio hazard garbage can.

AWESOME brother hugs.

Catching up on a little reading.

Serious belly laughs.

Smiles that melt me.

Enjoying a good book.

Eyelashes any woman would kill for.

This is what I have been up to!!