Baby Shower!

On Friday, we had a couples' shower for Sean and Chrissie at Sekisui, in honor of their impending arrival of the yet unnamed baby #3. We had a lot of fun, and below are some fun pictures that captured that. I think the KIDS had the most fun. They enjoy each other's company so much. Congrats, you guys! We love you. Can't wait to meet the newest girl: Julie Larkin.
This cake was, in my opinion, not attractive BUT the taste was out of this world. Cappuccino flavored icing with chocolate ganache dripped on the sides and in the middle. YUM.
How cute are they?!
Me and Chrissie.
Sage talks about Harrison more than anyone or anything. They have a blast together, and as far as they were concerned, this weekend was totally for them.
This was a long, kind of low table. They made you take your shoes off to climb up and get inside. They also had big pillows to sit on, which the kids later used for entertainment.
Me, Chrissie and Kelli
Which is scarier? This...or.....
This? Haha
Isacah--look at all of that hair.

Chrissie's mom
Chrissie and her friend Heidi
Harrison

The jacket I got for the babe AKA "the best gift of all."

Sad but so true

I'm COMPLETELY alone at home on a Sunday afternoon, and a movie from my past just happened to be on tv. This wasn't just any movie. I was REALLY young when I first saw and fell in love with this movie--like 5 or 6 years old. That didn't stop me from memorizing it or role playing it. I loved EVERY facet of it. I'd like to say that I don't now because there's not much about it that is NOT evil, but I just can't say that. I still LOVE and know every word to GHOSTBUSTERS. It is STILL one of the best movies ever. There is a Ghostbusters game coming out on xbox that is narrated by Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis, and I can only hope my brother gets it because I haven't played a video game in a loong time.

I actually used to run around in a red silky nightgown off my shoulder to be like the possessed "Dana Barrett." My mom is mortified as I write this. Maybe this is why I'm so weird? Most kids loved Snow White or Cinderella; I loved Ghostbusters. In any case, it was so nice to revisit a wonderful part of my childhood. Next: owning the dvd.

New Chair and the Tooth Fairy

Travis and I found this adorable black leather chair in Sage's size at Target the other day. She thinks it's great. Of course, it has to go directly in front of the tv when she's REALLY sitting in it. Another funny story about her: She is VERY into the tooth fairy right now. I guess she saw it on one of her shows? I'm not sure, but everyday she says, "My tooth is coming loose. The tooth fairy is going to come." So today I told her, "Sage, you have to lose a tooth for the tooth fairy to come. Your's are not even loose yet." She said very defensively, "Well it's GETTING THERE!" I had to laugh. I'm thinking she may loosen them herself!

"Pee in your pants" funny

I think the song is appropriate...

Doctor Visit

Well, after THREE hours in the doctor's office today, I have officially set a record for "most time wasted in a doctor's office." I will be the first to admit that I've become psychotic this year regarding my health, and I really don't know why. The fact is, I've had a lot of sickness this year that has me paranoid, but from what I've heard, this has just BEEN a bad year for junk going around. Anyway, I'm going to choose not to panic. So the past week or so, I've been having some pretty sharp, sometimes alarming pains that caused me to have concern.

This is what they found:

I have some small, tiny cysts that "aren't anything to write home to mama about," though I did call her. :)

My uterus is not only slightly enlarged BUT backwards. Ha, isn't that special? What's better is that Travis goes, "Can they turn it around?"

And lastly, what I really think is causing the problems is that I had some kind of urinary tract infection. For some reason, he missed seeing that until I said something. So his focus was, "we'll monitor this. The only other thing we can do is a scope." I'm thinking, "Monitor what?" Then I spoke up about the infection, and he said, "Oh, I missed that. Let's give you something to clear that up." So, with much confidence and faith, I BELIEVE that's about it. Peace.

When you don't have a slide...

Nice to meet you, Kylie

On Friday, June 13th at 2:10 am, Meagan gave birth to Kylie Grace. She was 20 inches long and weighed 8 lbs even. Though the circumstances aren't what you would dream for a 17 year old, there is still an innocence and purity about a newborn that can't be matched by anything else in this world. If I do say so, I think she's a beautiful girl. Welcome to the world, Kylie.

Sage would not hold her, but she did everything to her baby that I was doing to Kylie. Isn't that cute?
Back to sleep after a bottle.
Hmmm....not so sure. She was so jealous. She told us as soon as we walked in, "I don't want you to hold that baby."

Awake...barely.

Summer Fun

Travis literally worked this entire week, so on Saturday, he promised Sage a day at the park. Keeping true to his word, here are some really fun pictures. There's a great water sprinkler system at this park, and now that it's summer, it's going all the time.

Swings are her favorite.
Her 2nd favorite is taking care of her "kids." She's probably pushing Harrison.

Fun!
Running through the rainbow.

Pure bliss.

Back to the swings.

Beyond exhaustion

Why I hate doctor's offices

Yesterday, I was having some pretty painful issues that I felt warranted a doctor's visit. So today, I called my doctor's office to see if I was correct and to make an appointment. The following conversation is one of the many reasons why I avoid dr's offices at all costs.

After explaining my symptoms....

Receptionist: Yes, you should come in.

Me: Okay...can I make an appointment?

Receptionist: Like today? (doubtful tone)

Me: Um, well I guess not. I guess as soon as possible.

Receptionist: Um sure. What's good for you--morning or afternoon?

Me: Mondays and Fridays, afternoon. Tuesdays through Thursdays, morning.

Receptionist: Okay...how about July 7th at 11:45? (note: TODAY is JUNE 13th.)

Me: Um, last night I was in pretty serious pain, and if this is what I think it is, is it possible that I can come in earlier than a MONTH from now? I'd like to get it taken care of.

Receptionist: Okay, let's see...how about this Tuesday at 10:00?

Me: YES.

WHAT THE....?!

A Sound Mind

Sometimes there's something I need to say or recognize without knowing exactly what it is. I don't know how else to explain it other than that. I need a confirmation or revelation...or some kind of "--ation." So I just started searching. Out of nowhere, I started singing this old song that I used to sing all the time when I was afraid or uncertain.

The song goes:
Peace, peace
Wonderful peace
Coming down from the Father above
Sweep over my spirit, forever I pray
In fathomless billows of love

I wanted to SEE that song somehow. I came across this picture and thought, "That's it." Check it. Lions obviously. But look at the baby. It's quietly resting on the mother's back. The mother isn't alarmed and seems peaceful herself, BUT if someone or something made a move towards her babe for harm, you'd see a ferocity like no other--protecting what is her's. Even though I don't always feel what I'm resting on, I know that I am protected by One with an undefeated record. So no fear, no fear...

Starving

For adult conversation! Travis is spending the night in Birmingham to get a head start on a large house there. With gas being $4 a gallon, I totally don't blame him. Sigh...that still doesn't change the fact I'm adult attention starved....so here we go:

• I've spent the last 10 minutes staring at this shadow on the wall, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out what is making it. It's really annoying.

• AH HA! As I wrote that, I just figured out what it was. Sage made this cloud at school with streamers, and THEY are making it. I was looking at the wrong light.

• I actually had a complete, MALE, stranger in a parking lot say this to me today: "Hey, who does your hair? When's the last time you had it cut? You need to cut it. It'd look cute in a bob. You need to cut that stringy stuff off." He was letting me walk in front of his car, and that is what he said. I PRAYED I'd see him in the parking lot because I was so stunned that my usual quick reply was off. Maybe tomorrow...

• It has been REALLY hot here for a few weeks now. Like 94 degrees hot. Wish we had a pool...oh wait. I wish we had a pool that wasn't GREEN.
  

• We got our house appraised this morning. I discovered that I should have gone into that profession because he was out of here in less than 10 minutes and charged me $400.
  

• Sage is really into hide-and-seek now, but she totally doesn't understand the concept. She won't let me count when she's on her way to hide. Once she's in her spot, she'll scream, "Okay! I'm ready!" So, I just pretend to look other places as I see her sitting in plain sight covering her eyes.

Some lyrics that I wish I had written because they are how I feel.

"When it feels right you're free to leave. When it feels like there's room to breathe, and it feels like you're letting go. You're letting go."

"Please don't go if I'm being unconditional and I was meant to hold you. Please don't hold me to the competition when I was meant to breathe your air in.

• This weekend, I remembered when I first got saved and how God would answer the dumbest prayers of mine. You know, sometimes they weren't even so dumb, but He answered them. I guess He did it to build my faith, to show me how prayer works, to show me that He is really listening, and that prayer really works. As I grew, those kinds of things didn't happen like that, and that's where I learned about faith and maturity. It reminds me of a scene in the new Narnia. Lucy asks Aslan, "Why didn't you come help us like last time?" And he says, "Things never happen the same way twice." Sometimes, I wish He'd answer the way He did at first: quickly and...quickly.
  

''No, it won't all go the way it should, but I know the heart of life is good.''

What is a packrat?

Sage asked us that last night before she went to bed. Apparently, the latest episode of Calliou was about that. So she kept saying, "Mommy, what is a packrat?" Lucky for her, we having living proof in our very own HOUSE of what a packrat is. I quickly replied, "Daddy." and ran downstairs for my object lesson. I came back with this.


Here he is, in the flesh, wearing his one of MANY HIGH SCHOOL tshirts: Mr Packrat himself.
Not only did I bring up one shirt from high school but TWO. He thinks it still fits well. Seriously.
It actually fits Sage much better than it fits Travis.
She said, "It's my dress."

Black and White Beauty

Look at Miss Priss.
We didn't intentionally coordinate.


Where DOES she get that?