love this image

clearing off cf cards to shoot a wedding tomorrow. it's amazing how images accumulate with digital. i ran across this one of tim and jess holding baby ashley.

taking it easy...

Abby picked up hands, foot & mouth disease from childcare, so we had to cancel everything this week. I think the Lord knew we needed a break. Here some pics of us chilling inside. Abby is definitely feeling better, though she is still contagious.

Before I was a Mom...

Someone sent this to me and it's so true. Thought I would pass it along for all those special moms who can relate...

Before I was a Mom
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop
the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important
and happy.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to
make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,
the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Mother Daughter Bonding Time!

Distractions

This morning Abby and I were at our playgroup. She was hungry, so I was giving her baby gold fish out of my hand. I was in the middle of talking with the other moms, so I didn't notice how many she had put in her mouth. I looked down and noticed she was choking on the goldfish and couldn't catch her breath. She coughed up some, but was still turning red. Just as I was about to ask, "does anyone know the Heimlich" she threw up a gob of gold fish and some of her breakfast.

I'm not saying this to scare anyone. I really didn't have time to get upset or overreact. However, it did get my attention. It made me realize how quickly we can become distracted and in that matter of time, something serious or harmful can happen. I wanted to pass this along so that other parents or caregivers can have a reminder (without experiencing it) that we need to always be cautious. It's easy to become comfortable and fall into bad habits or take chances when things are going well.

Men have a need to tear down and rebuild.

As evidence of the men in our family, there is a need for making things look better within the home and there is no project too large to tackle. Somehow, the projects are always more work than predicted. We used to have a half bathroom, now I call it a toilet in a closet. Brian, you are doing a great job! I mean it :-)
before...


















during...

Happy 28th Birthday Rach!!