A Purposeful Peek

Little C.A., You are 11 months old!  How is it possible that this time last year, I was power walking in the mall with your dad, trying to get you moving towards your world entrance.... and fast forward one year, I am chasing you around the house listening to your giggle as you "run" from Momma (which is more like speed crawl)...?! Your eleventh month has been full of adventure. We've endured the HOT summer with trips to the pool and splashing in our own inflatable version in the backyard. And on the hottest days, we brought your inflatable pool inside, where you had the most fun crawling in and out of it, arranging your toys, and doing it all over again! You are becoming such a communicator! Your sign language vocabulary continues to expand, and you can even form simple signing sentences ("More. Milk. Please.") You are also like a little parrot, repeating everything we say, and giggling after you hear yourself imitate these new so...

When I became a parent, I was quickly made aware of certain expectations. Pinterest and my social media feeds were filled with impressively elaborate details of children's birthday parties - intricate handcrafted decor, fully catered meals, custom cakes and creative dessert bars.  Blowup bounce houses, miniature carnivals, live entertainment, expensive party favors. Scrolling through Pinterest, I could hardly keep up with the latest trends in kids' parties,  each one more elaborate than the last.  Coworkers talked about saving astronomical amounts from their paychecks to fund their child's upcoming party...even 6 months away. Commercials and local advertisements played on parent's desires to give their children THE party of the year.    It suddenly seemed that when I became a parent, I was in a different club. A club with very high expectations... expectations that had never been on my radar now had me noticing the latest in "keeping up with the Joneses"....

It's a funny thing... as life seems to speed up, I am learning to slow down:   Soak up the last rays of evening sun.   Dance in the rain and splash in the puddles.   Plant flowers outside and keep fresh flowers inside. Take time to pray with the grieving family of a critically ill patient. Give thanks to God beginning with the first and last conscious thoughts of the day.  So, when my super-thoughtful-photographer-brother-in-law called me spontaneously one evening and invited me to keep my baby up past her bedtime to catch some of the most beautiful rays of golden summer sunshine during a week when we'd only seen rain, I accepted his offer! We played in a field with the most gorgeous evening light, and breathed in the refreshing breeze, while the talented Gib Park worked his magic behind the camera to capture these images.      We are already over halfway through 2015.  What moments are you ...

Charlotte Ann, You are turning into a fearless adventurer...so let the child-proofing projects commence! You are a speed-crawler, and love chasing your doggies, cousins, or anyone else who dares to race you around the house.  You can stand on your own and have thought about walking, but when you realize it's a slower process than speed-crawling, you change your mind. Only when Daddy's holding your hands do you like to walk, and even then you sometimes prefer to hop (thanks to your doorway jumper that has taught you how to work on your "ups.") My dear, you have two speeds: GO...and SLEEP. There really is no in between. You tackle each new task with full force energy, so at night time you are exhausted and collapse into bed after a full day.  The only time you sit still in our laps, allowing us to rock you is when you we read bedtime stories, and you are hanging on every word. Even then, though, you are an active participant, turning the pages, po...

Fathers. There is something so very special about the role of a father in a child's life that no one else can fulfill in quite the same way.  Even more specifically, there is something incredibly unique about a father-daughter bond.  I have been so blessed to grow up as a "Daddy's Girl" and have many fond memories of my wonderfully involved Dad coaching my softball team, spending hours at the kitchen table helping me with math homework, teaching me how to draw 3D images, laying outside on a starry night searching for shooting stars, and serving as my "agent" in all things relating to "grown-up stuff" such as college applications. This Father's Day, it is surreal to be living only 5 mintues away from my Dad, after nearly 13 years of living hours and many miles apart!  I still rely on him as my "agent" for any life matters, seeking his advice on topics big and small, and even catching a ride t...