Question of the Day

My friend Kristi was wise far beyond her years; though she was only 30, she had a spiritual maturity that I feel was unmatched in her peers (myself included). I noted this often as her wisdom and maturity were displayed in many ways, but especially in the way that she cared for her family and in the way that she parented her young boys. On more than one occasion well before she became ill, I prayed that Ryann will grow up to be like Kristi. She was the epitome of a Proverbs 31 woman. (If you don't know exactly what I mean by that, please check out this link for a great explanation: http://www.proverbs31woman.com/)

Kristi was a beautiful woman, but even greater than her physical beauty was her inner beauty. I have never met a more beautiful person inside and out than Kristi. Despite her 30 short years, she has left quite a legacy and quite a model for those of us who knew her. Her faith in and love for Jesus will inspire others to want to experience for themselves the amazing hope that she had. She will have a lasting impact on her sweet boys as she taught them about the Savior and about His great love for them. Her example will be a model for moms like me to follow as we seek to parent our children in a godly manner, according to God's instructions for our families.

You're probably asking by now, "What is the question of the day?" With Kristi's passing on Friday, I have been thinking a lot about her amazing legacy.

Question of the day: What will your (and my) legacy be?

Angels are Singing

Today is a bittersweet day.

My friend Kristi, 30 years old, mother of three, went home to be with the Lord this morning after a fierce battle with cancer. My heart is broken for her husband and her three young boys, but my soul rejoices that she is singing with the angels right now in the presence of the King! Though I may weep tears of sorrow for this great loss, I will praise my Father in heaven for the opportunity to have known Kristi and to call her my friend. She was a true ambassador for Christ even to her final breath. She was a jewel, and she will be missed by many.

Thank you, Lord, that You are Sovereign and that Your plan is perfect. Kristi's cancer was not a surprise to You, nor was her passing today; and though I do not pretend to understand Your ways, especially in this circumstance, I will trust in You. I know that You are in control of this and every situation. Amen.

Noticeably Absent

As several of my loyal readers have noted, I have not posted in a while. Sorry! There is no good excuse, so I won't even bother trying!

A lot has happened since I last posted. We've been to birthday parties (including Michael's grandmother's 80th), dinner with friends, play dates, hair cuts, swim lessons, children's choir, AWANA, the dentist, a charity auction, and much more! It has been a busy time, to say the least! But that is the nature of life, I guess. It will get way too busy if we let it.

At any rate, I thought you might enjoy a few photos taken over the course of the past 3 weeks.















Making Valentines















At the Dentist

Ryann and Katie at the Pool

Aidan and Ryann under the play gym

Ryann and Great Grandma

Ryann's First Cake

The snow kept us home again today. I am not complaining at all -- I love being at home, not having anywhere that I have to go, especially when I can look outside and enjoy the beautiful snow! Michael braved the elements and headed in to work, so Ryann and I spent the day trying to find things to do that didn't require leaving the house. It isn't that hard for me to do -- I still have boxes to unpack, decorating to do, cleaning and laundry that I never get caught up on. Ryann, on the other hand, seems to run out of things to do pretty easily, never mind that there is an entire room upstairs devoted solely to her toys. Consequently, I decided today would be a great day to break out that Easy Bake Oven that my sister gave Ryann for Christmas.

I must admit that I was looking just as forward to using the Easy Bake Oven as much as Ryann was! I haven't used one of those since I was probably 10! Though Ryann's had a more modern look, it was basically the same as my old yellow and brown one. I was excited to break out some of the baking supplies that I used to use with my own Easy Bake Oven (hooray for my mom for not throwing them away years ago!!).

Because of Ryann's youth (on the box it says it is for kids "8 and up") and inexperience with baking, I did have to do a bit more than just supervise ("Adult supervision required"); but she appreciated the help and had a great time making her first cake and decorating it with frosting and sprinkles. Her mommy had a pretty good time, too.

Maybe tomorrow we can make sugar cookies... or brownies... I can't wait!

Let It Snow!

We woke up this morning to a blanket of snow on the ground! It was really beautiful! When I opened the blinds around 7:30, I was greeted by an even sweeter surprise -- there were two deer in the back yard! I love wildlife, and at our new house, we are blessed to have lots of birds, some squirrels, deer, and an occasional fox or two wander through the yard or through the wooded area behind the house. I was fortunate to get a few photos of the deer and the birds this morning -- I am really glad we got that bird feeder out there before the snow arrived!

Ryann, of course, had a blast in the snow. Our neighbor, Jack, came over this morning to see if she wanted to come out, so we bundled up and went out to join in the fun. They had a great time sledding, and later on this afternoon (round 2) they even made a snowman. The snow didn't pack really well, but Jack's dad came up with a brilliant idea -- we packed snow in various buckets, trash cans, coffee containers, etc. to get it to stick together. The end result was a square-headed snow creature that looks like Wubbzy! (If you have no idea who that is, check him out on wubbzy.com) Anyway, it was a fun-filled day for us all, and from the looks of it, we will probably end up doing it all again tomorrow!

Hooray for snow!

"Staying In The Lines"

Ryann is becoming quite the little artist. When she was 2, she drew a cat all by herself. I was so proud (and had visions of her being the next Picasso)! Recently, she has gotten quite good at staying in the lines when she colors. It probably helps that she gets lots of practice -- she colors A LOT!!

Only God knows what Ryann's gifts will be at this point, let alone what she will be when she grows up. I guess it is really a little too soon to tell. But, my hope and prayer for her is that she will always "stay in the lines" not just in her next masterpiece but in whatever paths God leads her.

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
- Matthew 7:13-14

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And he shall direct your paths."
- Proverbs 3:5-6

Hello Kitty!

We decided last night as Ryann was coughing her head off that it wouldn't be a good idea to send her to preschool this morning. She didn't seem to be feeling poorly, but her coughing told the real story. So, when she woke up early this morning, or should I say, when her incessant coughing woke her up, our decision not to send her to school was affirmed.

Unfortunately, though, we still had to go to school this morning. I signed up to take play dough for Ryann's class this month, and because I completely forgot about it last week, I HAD to take it this morning. So, we got ready as usual, only we didn't take time to eat breakfast. We decided, instead, to take the play dough to school and then go grab a bagel at a local bagel bakery.

We both got our favorites: Ryann had a chocolate chip bagel and I had a cinnamon-raisin bagel with honey walnut cream cheese. YUMMY! If you know my Ryann, you know that she eats slower than grass grows. So, I knew we would be there a while.

Around 10:00, a nice lady came up to our table and offered Ryann a coloring page with some crayons and made her a pink balloon flower. I thought she was just being nice until I saw a couple of little boys come in who seemed to know her. I finally figured out that the lady was a regular Monday morning fixture (and so were the boys). As Ryann continued to work on her bagel, the lady came back with another balloon creature, this time a blue dog.

When Ryann was (finally) finished with her bagel, she colored the picture that the lady had given her. At that point, she realized that there was more to the lady than just crayons and balloons -- she was painting kids' faces, too! When Ryann first asked if she could get her face painted, I was reluctant to say 'yes.' Then I caved. The poor kid was sick all weekend and had to miss out on playing with her friends at school. How could I say 'no?'

Ryann waited in line very patiently for her turn at the face painting. When she got into the chair, she asked the nice lady to paint her face like a kitty (another of her favorites). What a fun "sick-day" treat!