Words

I keep meaning to write some of the cute words Caleb says because I know I will otherwise forget. So here we go:
Music: this was caleb's first word. It started as "sic" and for some reason is now "meggers"
Guacamole: one of caleb's favorite foods, it started as "go-me" and is now "go-go-mol-y"
Chamomile: the tea bags we have are brown so Caleb sometimes calls it "cammo-brown-meal"

recipes by chef caleb

1. cinnamon (best if made in the bathtub)

• one cup water
• one cup "oil"
• mix

2. ice cream

• two special doggies
• two duplos
• one purple silk flower
• mix using a water bottle

3. cranberry muffins

• make ice cream (see recipe above)
• add two stuffed giraffes and a toy elephant
• mix again (still using water bottle)
• bake
• don't forget to blow on them or you might "burn mouth"

mom

my mom's coming for a visit soon, so i've been thinking a lot about her. i've got so many incredible stories of the things that she's taught me and just the way she raised the three of us kids. and i've tried to put my finger on it a number of times; what is it that made her such a great mom?? some of the answers i've come up with were

• she knew how to be what we needed, when we needed it: mom, friend, teacher, mentor, etc.
• she had a background in teaching so she was able to teach things very clearly and creatively.
• she was in evangelism ministry, so she viewed life as a ministry already.

but you know what mom would say if she was asked what she did right? (and believe me, i've asked!) she would say she had no idea what she was doing, she just loved God. the secret to being a better mom is to love and serve and follow and grow in relationship with God. He created our kids so He knows what they need. and what does He say? Seek first His kingdom.

so when Mom comes, i think this time i'll do less asking her questions about parenting and more time asking her about Him.

bridesmaid dresses and church membership

this week troy and i were talking about church (one of our favorite topics) and our place in defending, protecting, supporting, etc. the church. i began to realize a correlation between church membership and my role as a maid of honor.

as a maid of honor (and really i need to do this for all friends, but i more realize this as someone who has signed a marriage certificate), i see my role as supporting the marriage. it is no longer that i support just the bride, but now i am supporting the couple together. so when there are questions or concerns, i can listen and advise, but only in a way that encourages the marriage. when things get tough, i can support, but only in a way that points toward oneness between the two people.

and recently, i've seen my place at a church in a similar way. as a member of the church, it is my job to support the whole church and the unity of the church, not just individual friends or families. i need to listen and advise, but in a way that encourages reconciliation. i can support, but only in a way that fosters unity.

i know it's not a perfect analogy, but it works for me!

giveaway

here's a great way help out a special family and a wonderful cause. the Ladd family needs our help in bringing their beautiful girl home from Ethiopia.

the Bible says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God is this, to visit orphans and widows in their affliction..." (James 1:27 ESV)

Please visit their website and help them out... just don't win the prize i want ;)

http://bringingourbabyhome-onedayatatime.blogspot.com/

smile that can light up a building

there's nothing better than seeing this every day!

to get to the other side...

before nap the other day, i asked caleb if i could kiss his cheek. he said no. i kept asking...

can i kiss your head?

no

can i kiss your nose?

no

can i kiss your feet?

no

finally, i gave up and asked, "well, what can i kiss?!" he replied, "NOTHING!" i laughed so hard and couldn't wait to tell troy the cute story.

so then the next day i said, "caleb, can i kiss your cheek?" to which he answerer, "NOTHING!"

apparently, the punch line is all that really matters :) he'll be one of those kids who comes up to people saying, "hey, i have a joke... TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE... ha ha"

keep working on that comedic timing, kiddo!

salmon

a few days ago, i took caleb and ali to see the salmon run. if you've never seen it, it's one of those things that's pretty cool to learn about and way way cooler to get to see. we went last year, too, but caleb was not nearly as interested so it was really more about me and getting out somewhere. this year, though, he thought it was amazing!

it was funny getting to see the big ones up close. he looked at me and said, "fish cute??" in this questioning voice like he knew "cute" was not the word he was looking for. then he changed his mind and said, "fish weird??" again, not quite the right word. so i suggested, "ugly fish!" he looked at me and seconded, "SUPER ugly fish!"