A lot of people assume they have to wait until their kids are older before they can ride rides and enjoy a place like Disneyland. (If you maintain the belief that “they won’t remember anyway,” please click HERE.) The ability of your child to enjoy a magical place like Disneyland doesn’t begin at a particular age….
How We Ditched the Paci in One Day
Childhood can be hard. Just as we as adults sometimes have to go through painful seasons of letting go in order to grow, children also sometimes have to learn to let go as they grow through life. I’d venture to say that watching our children go through difficult seasons of growth can sometimes be harder…
Give Me Hope : The Story of Gavin’s Birth
Isn’t it amazing how a particular feeling can have such power over your thoughts and even behaviors? Some feelings have the potential to be destructive to our lives. Despair, loneliness, and grief for example all have the potential to give us terrible thoughts that sometimes drive us to make terrible decisions. Others however, like excitement,…
Surviving Two Under Two: The First Month
#TwoUnderTwo. Is it a curse word? A blessing? The title of a horror movie? Perhaps a survival reality show. Regardless, it’s HARD. You are now the parent of not one, but two little human beings who are not only still very needy, but each have their own unique set of needs. While I’m no expert…
‘It’s Not Like They’ll Remember:’ A Fresh Look at Engaging Our Children in Life Experiences
When Charley was six months old, we grabbed a great deal on some airline tickets and jumped at the chance for an adventure in California. Much to our surprise, we were gifted tickets to Disneyland and thrilled at the idea that at only six months old, our daughter would already get to experience one of…
Charley and the Sweet Tea
My Charley is hilarious. She is full of joy, she’s animated, and since the day she was born, she has been vocal. This all adds up to daily life moments that leave me tickled as I watch my little tot grow and explore the world. Recently that exploration included a few sips of her parents’ sweet tea. As…
Peach.
Peach-fuzz skin. Tiny wrinkled toes. Remnants of an umbilical cord. There’s nothing like a newborn baby. My husband and I are fortunate to have a large number of friends who are creatives (thanks, in part, to our ministry, which celebrates creative arts as forms of worship and has brought together a unique collective of talented…
Powerful Words
Words. We teach our babies how to say them, starting with simple sounds, like da-da-da and ma-ma-ma. Our babies watch us as we make silly faces and move our lips and tongues. They try to imitate us. We wait for our babies to say their first words. And when they do, it’s powerful. Words. We speak…
Every Beating Heart
Have you ever laid your head on your child’s chest and listened to their heart beat? Tonight, as I responded to Charley’s cries (and returned to the bedroom for the thirteenth time), I did just that. It took me a bit longer to get to her this time, so by the time I reached her,…
Charley’s Birth Story – “In an Instant”
Time and time again as each contraction rose, I took a deep breath, pushed my feet into the wall of the shower in front of me, and grasped the bar, leaning my forehead against the cool metal as the pain surged through my insides.
I screamed.
Like the ocean when the water is rough and you’re out too far, the waves hit me over and over again. I was drowning and didn’t have enough of a break from the waves smashing into my face and leaving me breathless to dig my feet in the sand and gain some footing.
Diapers and Hanes
As any expectant momma nearing her due date, I have been chipping away at the last-minute preparations before my little one arrives. First, it was the daunting task of preparing her nursery (in our 107 year old house currently undergoing renovations)! Thank goodness for a handy husband and the help of our parents, who transformed…
Things People Say to Pregnant Women
You’d think people would learn. …yes, you’d think that after thousands of years of women having babies, people would finally learn what is and isn’t appropriate to say to a pregnant woman – this amazing specimen of a human being who sacrifices her body to complete the miraculous work and privilege of growing and carrying and nurturing…
Charley's Circus 