20 April 2008
Whoa!!!
We are loving our little girl SO MUCH!!! She now walks all over the house and loves to open and shut the new cupboard doors. She has 10 teeth and eats about anything we give her! It is so nice to not have to buy special food anymore, but just cut up what we are eating and put it on her high chair tray! She sleeps through the night, about 10 hours at a time!!!!!! She loves to be outside and taking walks while riding in her stroller or the wagon. The dog is a favorite of hers as well...she says "gog" for dog and points to the back door when she hears him bark. The fish tank is also captivating at times.
Daddy and Calla did very well while I was away for 6 days at the beginning of the month. Next month I leave again for 4 days and I know that they will have a good time then as well.
My parents, Shane and Burlynn were out here yesterday. Calla and Burlynn had so much fun chasing each other around now that Calla can walk. Burlynn is such a great girl and we wish SO much we could see her everyday!
I would ask that you check out Charli's site (link to the side) and see how you can help the fight against Childhood Cancer. Charli's family is helping raise funds through Relay for Life and there is a great offer on her website right now that you could take part in!
We want to thank you all for checking in on us and I will try to be better about updating more frequently!
09 April 2008
Life...
A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...
You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'
'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!!
01 April 2008
1 year pics
Our kitchen is getting closer to being finished. All of the upper cabinets were hung last night. We just now need the shelf built for the microwave and then we can do all the little finishing projects. Obviously painting will be one of the things we need to do! I am leaving in about an hour for my conference in Florida and so Chad gets the honors of putting things away... I will try to update at the beginning of next week with some pics of Calla and the kitchen!