A conversation with Cash

Tonight before bed, Cash and I were downstairs in the living room. He looked over and said, "A heart, mommy." There was a heart on one of the anniversary cards that we had standing on the bar in the kitchen.


"Yes, it is, Cash. That's a heart on mommy and daddy's card." I took his hand, and we started walking upstairs to get ready for bed.


"A heart is in my tummy just like I was in your tummy," he explained to me as we got to his room.


"Yeah," I agreed even though I wanted to explain to him that your heart isn't really in your tummy, but it was late, and it wasn't the best time for a human anatomy lesson.


As I tucked him in his bed he informed me, "Mommy, I didn't like it in your tummy."


Because he remembers, right? "You didn't? I liked it when you were in my tummy, Cash. God put you there, and you grew and grew and grew until it was time for you to be born. Then you came out of mommy's tummy."


"But how did I get out? There's no hole for me to climb out of." Hilarious!


"Well, remember Bhavini Mashi? Her mommy actually made a hole in mommy's tummy so you could get out." (I had to have a C-section because Cash was breech.)


"And then did I climb out, mommy?"


"Yes, Cash. Then you climbed out." :)

10.29.05

Today Heath and I have been married for six years. I've been thinking a lot about our anniversary this year. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because things have slowed down the past few months for what seems to be the first time in four years. 

I absolutely love my wedding day. It was perfect. Everything went just as planned, at least for the most part. Yes, we forgot to pick up Heath's two aunts and uncle and they barely made it to the ceremony, our unity candle wax melted in the heat of the sun on the beach and then we even forgot to light it, my garter slid down my leg during the ceremony, and we did quite a bit of damage to the floors in the beach house that we rented when we danced the night away. Oh, dear. But it was perfect. Not only because the weather was perfect, the beach was beautiful, my hair did not look like a helmet and the solo guitar player was just right, but because at the end of the day, I was united in marriage to a God-honoring man for the rest of my life.

It seems that so many people take marriage too lightly these days. God created marriage. He intended it to be the union of a man and woman for the rest of their lives. He inscribed in the Bible exactly how He wanted a marriage to look and exactly what he expected out of each wife and husband.

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10

Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 1 John 3:16

For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Ephesians 5:31

And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. Ecclesiastes 4:12

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant. 1 Corinthians 13:4

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate. Matthew 19:6

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Ephesians 5:25

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. Ephesians 5:22

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 

He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22

What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate. Mark 10:9

O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 34:8

A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:4

Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone;" Genesis 2:18

Happy anniversary, Heath! I love you.

Because I love looking back...

While the boys were napping this afternoon, I decided to look through our wedding pictures for some to post tomorrow on our anniversary. Yes, I should have been finishing laundry, cleaning the floor under the kitchen table, and preparing for next week's super fun school games over the letter M, but I love looking back at old pictures.

Crazy. Old pictures?! I guess so. It was six years ago that we walked the beach in Florida and said, "I do." (That's right up there with the active AOIIs calling our hand-me-down AOII shirts "vintage.") It's easy to look through the many, many pictures that we have from our wedding weekend and find hundreds of awesome pictures because we had the best wedding photographer EVER. The hard part is narrowing them down to share just a few. 

Here are some of my favorites from our wedding rehearsal and dinner.

Walking on the beach at sunset after the rehearsal. I was carrying the bouquet made from ribbons that my teacher friends made me.

Heath's family grilled chicken, pork loin and ribs and cooked a huge dinner for everyone. They are seriously the best cooks and grillers I know.

We were so happy. It was the start of a perfect weekend.

The rehearsal dinner was at the beach house we rented. We were so excited to have most of our favorite people there to share this time with.

Afterwards, some of us went to a dueling piano bar called Rum Runners. My sister and I had found the place a few weeks earlier when we were there. I loved it and knew that it would be a fun place to hang out.

I love my father-in-law. He's got to be the best dancer in the family. Here he is dancing with his sister, Tammy.

The piano duelers found out we were getting married the next day and got us up on stage. We had to stand up and sit down (crazy!) while they played My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean... 

I loved it all. Family, friends, fun, and I was going to marry the love of my life the very next day.

No more dirt?!

Looking at these pictures, I thought to myself, "Geez, more pictures of the boys playing in dirt?! Really?" So I had decided not to post them.     

But then I started thinking about it, and these could potentially be the last playing-in-the-dirt pictures. We've finished the retaining wall, ruts have been filled in and grass is growing. No more dirt pictures?!

So I decided to post them.

These were actually taken on October 7th. It was a Friday afternoon, the same day the dump truck got stuck in the front yard.

Heath had borrowed the neighbor's Bobcat (we love you, M and L!), and of course, if daddy was working in the dirt, B and Cash had to, too.

And they worked so hard and were so very busy! I love watching them "work" in the dirt. It's such sweet and simple, innocent play - only a pile of dirt and their favorite "working machines."

B has really come a long way, too. At the beginning of the summer, he had trouble operating a shovel.

Now he's a pro, or as professional as a 19 month old can be.

As for Cash, he's already got a backhoe and a wheeled excavator, "just like Mike Jackson's" on his Christmas list.

He has also told me that Baylen wants a Bobcat for Christmas. Sneaky ...

Yes, indeed, I love my dirt-loving boys!

Boots and jammies

Because sometimes Ruth just can't wait to be fed...

Flashback Friday

October 28, 2005

This is where Heath and I were six years ago today. This beach house, in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, is where we got married. Well, we got married on the beach in front of this house, but had our reception in the house. Yes, six years ago this weekend, Heath and I tied the knot, two became one.

We had around 30 of our closest friends and family with us. It was the perfect weekend - wedding rehearsal, wedding and reception ... Here we are at the rehearsal the evening before. God has indeed blessed us these past six years, and my prayer is that we can continue to use our marriage and family to glorify Him for many years to come.

A visit to the firehouse

My friend, Amy, and I have been trying to organize fun field trip-like playdates for our kiddos and some others that we know this fall. We started out with a day at Jackson's Orchard, two weeks later we watched the airplanes fly overhead at the park while learning about solar panels, and then this past week, Amy scheduled a fun trip to one of the local firehouses in town.

I had told Cash and B throughout the week that we would be going to the firehouse on Friday to see the fire trucks and firemen. Every day I heard the same question, "Is today Friday?"

Finally Friday came. We had learned a lot already that week about fire, but of course, my boys were most excited about seeing the fire trucks up close.

Here they are standing in front of the firehouse (and that's our friend Ladrian in the background!) This firehouse actually has three different sized trucks, which Cash thought was neat. B pointed out that they were all different colors, too.

Cash was asking questions as soon as they lifted the doors. "What are those circle lights, Mommy?" "Where is the ladder?" "Does his ladder have a bucket?"

A fireman friend from Living Hope actually gave us a personal tour. He also read a book to the kiddos. What a special time!

Here's the audience. Notice my boys aren't sitting on the side of the fire truck listening to the story. They wouldn't! They wanted to sit on the floor next to me. (Grrr.)

After the story, Mr. Jason showed the kids all the equipment he puts on when he fights fires.

When Mr. Jason had on his big jacket, B started getting a bit anxious and climbed in my lap. He wasn't so sure about Mr. Jason anymore.

And when Mr. Jason put on his mask and then helmet, B was crawling up me and I had to put down my camera. Now I see why firemen try to show kids what they look like when they're fighting fires. Run towards the fireman in an emergency, not away from the "scary" man...

Here's Cash and Annie Jo checking out the different caps and chains on the truck. I was really disappointed because all Cash talked about was getting in the fire truck, but when it came time, he ran from the fireman that was putting them into the truck. He wouldn't sit in the truck! And since he was scared and didn't, B didn't want to either. (Grrr...again.)

We also got a tour of the inside of the firehouse. Here's Eli checking out the La-Z-Boys in front of the flat screen TV. Mr. Jason told all the Mommys that it's "basically like a fraternity." :)

Each fireman had his own room with a twin bed and a nice closet. They also had an awesome workout room where Cash tried to "get some muscles," too. I got tickled because he told Mr. Jason that "dos firemen have to have big muscles to lift our furniture." (We had two firemen move all of our stuff from storage to the new house.) Ha!

At the end of the visit, Mr. Jason gave each of the kiddos their own fire helmet, badge and coloring book. Thanks, Mr. Jason!

Looking like a true fireman, Cash!

B preferred the badge sticker. He ended up with Cash's, too.

Future fire fighter? We'll see!

(Yes, he finally got up in the airport fire truck after everyone else had already left.)