Teenager

On Feburary 2nd at 3:15pm I will officially have a teenager. Where does the time go? I know other mothers have asked the same thing, but wasn't it just yesterday I brought this tiny bundle home? I can remember the day she was born like it just happened and now I have a teenager. Shhh...I'm not even sure I can even say it out loud!!

So let me tell you about this "teenager" of mine: she has a vibrant personality and a great laugh. She has a zest for life that is absolutely contagious! She has a natural talent for playing the flute and working with small children. She is completely obsessed with Harry Potter right now and likes the books, movies...well everything Harry Potter. She says what's on her mind (not always a good thing) and has a heart of gold.

I feel blessed to be Jordan's mommy and look forward to what God has planned for her future. Happy 13th Birthday, Jordan Lynn! I love you!

Sofia Lynn

We are the proud Godparents of a sweet little baby girl named Sofia Lynn born on 1/7/10. I was blessed to be there when she was born!!

Her big sister, Carolina, just loves her. I think Paulo & Juliana are adjusting to being the parents of 2 girls well. They are a sweet family and their girls are just beautiful!!

SELAH...

In the book of Psalms in the Bible, you'll see the word, "Selah". It means to take a pause, to reflect. That is what is going on at our house. I just finished with paperwork and am off work for 10 days. No seminary classes, no middle school band, no studying. We'll sleep in a little, travel to see relatives and enjoy this Christmas season that's upon us!!

This last semester was busier than we expected and I feel like we've been running in fast forward since September. SELAH sounds rather good right now. I may even throw in a bubble bath for good measure!

And I promise to get some recent videos of Jordan loaded onto the blog. I have one of her at our Variety Show at church and of course, her 1st band concert. But not right now...it will have to wait. I'm going to curl up on the couch and finish, "Miracle on 34th St." with my family. Ahhh...SELAH....

Trip to Washington D.C.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We got a real treat this weekend. After celebrating Thanksgiving with friends, we took off for a 2 day "run" through D.C. I'm not sure how we got so much sight seeing into only 2 days!! It was a great weekend! I think God was ahead of us each step of the way. We waited in only one line: to see the original Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independance in the Archives. Otherwise, we walked right into each exhibit.

D.C. is so rich in history and the architecture is really pretty! Jordan had 2 full days of school without realizing it was school...how neat is that!!

I feel blessed that we were able to take a trip like this, planned literally 2 months ago! Another ornament for our tree...

And they're off!!!

Lance got his braces taken off today! I dunno, but I think he looks years younger! He goes to get his pearly whites polished next week. He's still waiting on getting an implant put in the space on the bottom. Post goes in on December 17th and then the implant will go in hopefully in February if all goes well. (He's been working on the implant for some time and has had the post replaced twice!) Let's hope it stays in place this time and he'll be completely done in February!

I met him at the orthodontist's office with a treat bag of Snickers bars, Peanut M&Ms and gum. :) I think his teeth look great and he is so relieved to have them off!! Jordan is next...hopefully January!

The ever famous Gingko Tree

Despite Lance's frustration in me saying it, this really is a year of "lasts". We know that in June we are leaving this beautiful state. In a way having a year of "lasts" is a way of saying goodbye...of letting go. So...this was the last year of seeing our beautiful Gingko trees drop their leaves. They drop in just a matter of a few days, like rain. And the leaves are the most beautful, bright yellow you'll ever see. And then, after they've dropped there is about 2 inches of leaves on the ground for the kids to play in. These trees are an icon here!

I found out more about these beloved trees last night at the inaugeration of our new president. The seedlings for these very trees were brought here from China by the founder of the seminary, Henry Clay Morrison in 1923. He brought the seedlings here as a symbol of how we are to reach out to the world. WOW!! Okay...now I'm really obsessed with these trees!! Good thing I got a lot of pictures!!!

Halloween, 2009

We had a fun night at "Treats on Main". Our last one here since we will be moving in the summer. We celbrated with a bang! We got to see lots of friends, Jordan got candy and then there was the annual costume contest. Drum roll please...Jordan won first place in her age group!! Too cool!! She is really excited!! The judges liked her Hermoine Granger costume. For those of you that are not Harry Potter fans, Hermoine is one of Harry's best friends.

And a great time was had by all!