rrrrrooooooaaaarrrr

today we made a lion puppet out of a paper plate, construction paper, googely eyes, pipe cleaners, and a stick from outside.  easy!

our creations are cute and fun to make ... but within an hour or so, Sam disassembles, destroys, or hurts it in some way.    it makes me frustrated!  but I guess it is his to destroy, right?  I try hard not to do too much of the work myself, I really want him to create and use that imagination of his.  it can be difficult not to take over.  maybe we should make 2 of everything, 1 for him and 1 for me!

say cheese ... achoo!

I forgot to post pictures!

we never did get a nice one of both of us, oh well.

we had a fun day together anyway.

Sam loves his Papa!

I think this is a great picture of my big boy Sam.  he's growing up, even faster now that he's a big brother.  he's so smart and very funny.  he loves people and loves to talk up a storm, just like his Papa!  I'm anxious to see if Eli will be more like me.

I tried to get one of us, but Matthew had to sneeze.  I [obviously] took the picture anyway.  it was funny ... maybe you had to be there!

love is in the air ... and engraved in the sidewalk.

love you babe.  happy anniversary!

here's to 8 more ... at least!

crazy 8's

yesterday was our 8 year wedding anniversary. wow! I can't decide if it feels longer or shorter ... probably longer since we've been through so much. I feel accomplished in a way; it's great when you can actually learn from your mistakes and get on with your life. our marriage is probably our greatest testimony, a true miracle of what only God can do.

I'll be skipping some of the details and give you the shortened version - sorry!

we started out like all the others, with high expectations of each other. for our first 5 years, we were constantly expecting too much and assuming everything. we didn't communicate, and it literally tore us apart. we each felt perfectly justified and so neither one of us would change. we were perfect in our own eyes. and oh boy, the words that left our mouths! it was nasty, it was completely inappropriate and disrespectful, it was abuse. it did more than scar, it made gaping wounds in our hearts and brought complete distrust between us. he got short-tempered and angry, I got resentful and heartbroken, crying non-stop.

by our 6th year of marriage we split up, not once but twice. after the second time, we were ready to sign divorce papers. only two reasons why we didn't; no money to do it but more importantly, we had Sam. I did lots individual counseling, we tried couples counseling, nothing was working. our hearts were so hard and numb. the only thing I could cling to was I knew in my heart of hearts that God would not have given us Sam if our marriage was going to fail ... even though this happens to couples all the time. everything else about us was up in the air, but this is the one thing I KNEW. this year was VERY difficult, everything was so volatile and that made it scary.

it's not so ironic that during this time we were not in church at all. I started attending before hubby did, but eventually he came too. our church at the time (zion worship center) was able to help us tremendously. we got connected with great people who genuinely wanted nothing more than to see our marriage healed; more than we did!! over time we realize how far, far, far, far, far God was from the center of our relationship. as much as we would say we believe in Him and His Word, we never actually applied it to our marriage. duh, right? God went to work on us, as individuals, and then as a couple. we were able to take responsibility for our part in the abuse. our hearts were healed and we were able to forgive each other. truly amazing.

this time last year was exciting, we were able to renew our wedding vows to each other on our 7th anniversary. we figured as dead as our marriage was, we needed to start over in every way. I wish I had some pictures of that night to post. we took pictures, but they're just not digital.
the way I see it, God has used Sam to save us. our problems didn't come out into the light until we became parents that first time. I used to feel just awful about the possible effects this would have on Sam in the future; how much would he really remember? but since God gave me Hebrews 1:14, specifically about Sam (I think I posted about that before), I'm at total peace about it. I believe Sam was our angel, literally here to save us. so in our 7th year, or sometimes I think of it as the new and improved 1st year, I became pregnant with baby #2. we had fallen in love again and God blessed us with Eli.
I am more than happy to say we haven't gone back to our old ways. we put in a lot of effort to be a team, to talk it out, and to be responsible everyday. we've incorporated prayer into our marriage and that alone has helped incredibly.

and to the girls who know the details ...
Morgan, have I ever really thanked you for all you did for me? THANK YOU!!!! you are an incredible woman of God and I was blessed to have you as my mommy. :) you were always looking out for me, making sure I stayed on the path God was lighting up for me. it's no coincidence we got connected. I truly value what you have done for me, and it's something I will never forget. I hope I can pass on the same blessing to someone else someday.
and to Laura, thank you for being you. you're very sincere and honest, and I always felt your compassion. there are many things you said to me that came at the perfect time, just ingrained in my mind forever. it's no coincidence we got connected either. I appreciate every hug and prayer from the both of you. I love you girls, you helped me change my life forever.

July 4th

Happy 4th of July!

One day, I would looooove to be in Washington DC for the 4th. I would think they have THE best fireworks show in the country. anyone reading ever been?

Hubby and I originally wanted to get married on the 4th. how cool would that be to have fireworks on your anniversary every year?! we also wanted to get married outside and there was no way to reserve the park on a national holiday. we were married on the 8th, so close enough! I'll [hopefully] post some pictures next week, celebrating 8 crazy years together!

our circus clown

like I said before, I'm trying to be crafty and creative with Sam. I will try to post most of our projects, the good ones anyway.

Sam originally asked ME if he could have stilts, which I think is kind of funny. it started with a book - we were reading stories before bed one night, and we had a book about the circus. inside Sam became fascinated with the really tall man juggling and asked if he could be that tall too. so I explained as best I could the 'magic' behind it, and that just made him want it more. I think he actually figured out that anyone could do it. I'm so glad he didn't want to learn how to juggle!

so instead of huge wooden stilts the circus would use, we used 28oz cans and string. I got the recipe from

familyfun.go.com; just type stilts in the search box.

we painted them this morning and once they were dry, I added the string. the bottom of the can, which is now our top, still has a lip to it so that means he can't do it bare-footed, but I don't think he cares much.

I think the recipe also recommends those plastic coffee cans, so you can screw the top back onto it. he's been walking around with these things for an hour or so, ever since I added the string. *warning: using metal cans on a tile floor is loud and sort of annoying, but it does make him smile! and he's learning balance and coordination; by doing stuff like this, he hopefully will not take after his clumsy mother!

I think it's awesome how a book opened his mind up to this new possibility. I myself am not much of a reader; I'll read my bible and parenting magazines, but that's about it.
we are going to the library every week for story time and to check out books. we also joined the reading program this summer too, so we're reading a lot lately.

even with babies just learning to play and pick stuff up, it's usually the simplest things that entertain them the most. books for Sam's age are not complicated, they're still very simple. not only are kids' minds sponges, but we've reached the age where his imagination begins to come out and shine. that's really neat to watch. I guess it's time to get in touch with mine too!