2 Moore Girls

Holidays In My Family

2012-01-05T17:10:00.001-06:00

This is a paper I wrote for an assignment

Holidays In My Family

You may think Easter and Christmas is all about getting presents and candy. If you do, think again. They mean two totally different things to my family.

In my family, every Sunday we go to church, rain or shine. We wake up early to get there in time. But in my house, Christmas and Easter are special times.

Christmas Eve, we go to a service and hear the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. We hear about how Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, and how the shepherds and Wise Men came to visit him. This year was special because Christmas Day was on a Sunday! That is how we celebrate Christmas.

Easter is also an important holiday in my family. Have you ever noticed Easter is always on a Sunday? Well, three days before Easter is when Jesus died to forgive all of our bad things we did. But on Easter he came back from the dead! That is how we celebrate Easter.

So whenever these holidays are here, think about them as holidays in disguise. (Don’t worry; we still opened presents and hunted for eggs.)

Written by Josephine Hope Moore

Camp Fun

2011-07-06T19:33:00.003-06:00

Hi. Reddy Heady here. A few days ago I came home from camp. It was awesome! I learned about God in a whole new way. I went with my buddies and met a ton of new ones. I went canoeing, fishing, and even went to a campfire! And whats not a campfire without S'MORES! It was awesome and I can't wait to go again next year!

Here are a couple of pics of me having FUN!

Horsing Around

2011-07-06T06:34:00.003-06:00

What a WONDERFUL July Fourth holiday! After letting the house sleep in a bit, and having a yummy french toast breakfast, we packed up the girls for a surprise outing: Warm Springs Ranch -- the breeding facility for the Budweiser Clydesdale horses. What a joy it was to see so many of these beautiful creatures - and so many young ones too! The girls had a great time seeing the horses and Josie especially loved learning all about the care of the horses and the facility.

After visiting the horses, we had lunch and then enjoyed another surprise stop: the local pool! After lots of splashing, laughter, and bright sunshine, we took the fair-skinned beauties home for a quiet afternoon. The evening was, of course, made complete with the local fireworks display.

Josie summed it up best, "We did so much fun stuff today, but the best part was doing it all as a family!" Awww....

"While Sis is away, I Get to Play"

2011-06-26T17:55:00.002-06:00

Josie is off at summer church camp this week. This is her first non-parent over-night camp and to say she was very excited to be going would be an understatement! I am sure she will share tales of her experiences when she gets home. For now, this is NJ enjoying the perks that come with being the "only child" as we make cookies.

And let us not forget all the joy around our own childhood memories of licking the beaters/spoon. I love that this is one of the childhood experiences that we can all relate to across the generations.

I think it is safe to say that NJ is enjoying being the only child, for now. Who knows what other adventures wait for her this week!!

New Friends

2011-06-21T19:49:00.002-06:00

Nothing makes a Moore girl happier than a new stuffy. Thanks to a family friend who cruised around Alaska, both girls have new Husky friends. Neither girl has parted with their pup, but Miss NJ is especially smitten.

Summer Stories

2011-06-21T18:44:00.004-06:00

Hello! It's me, Reddy Heady. Long time, no writing. Today, summer school was out because of water repair. So, I got to spend 7 and a half hours at my best friend, Emma's house. She's going with me to summer church camp Sunday to Wednesday. Emma and I are going by ourselves (no parents!). We are counting down the days till Sunday. Also, in August, I'm going to the Walt Disney World in Florida! That's all for now.

WATER!

2011-06-18T18:20:00.004-06:00

Many of my childhood memories of summer revolve around playing in the sprinklers. Jumping through the rainbow sprinkler or running a maze through the in-ground sprinklers at my grandparents' house was how I remember spending many a hot day. Water is fun, no doubt. But water shooting out from sprinklers is even more fun. I am so glad the world seemed to figure this out with the creation of Splash Parks. With our girls, this is a wildly fabulous hit!

Josie enjoys sitting in the middle of the fountains with the water pouring all over her. NJ, well she is much more practical and really enjoys just sitting ON the sprays of water! For me, this is simply a nice and easy way to provide them with summer-time fun without having to haul myself into a crowded swimming pool. Hip, Hip Hooray!

It's the Little Things

2011-06-12T19:32:00.005-06:00

It's been a weekend of "little things" that have brought the girls, and therefore the household, much joy. First, NJ got new panties. Yes, new panties makes her little 4yo heart sing with pure joy! With the care that she put into picking them out, you would have thought these were her first pairs, but alas, it's just her being THAT kind of excited. After shopping, she was so excited about her purchase, she couldn't even put them down to eat lunch!

Josie's joy is a bigger joy in the grand scheme of things. As a PK, there are certain things that she looks forward to each week, or as she grows older. She can't wait to be a part of youth group, she looks forward to "helping" in Children's Church each week, and she loves singing as a part of the choir. One of the BIG things Josie looks forward to is being old enough to be an acolyte at either one of our churches. At my church, she has to be in 6th grade before acolyting, while at Eric's church the age is a little lower. Today, due to a variety of circumstances, Josie got to acolyte at Eric's church. The smile on her face shone brighter than the candles she was lighting and she was filled with absolute pride for what she was doing. I am sorry I didn't get to see it, but she was quick to tell me all about it once we were all home. So often in our Sunday living, Eric misses a lot of the "firsts" or performances of the girls. I am SO glad that this was a "first" that he got to enjoy with our girl.

I am thankful each day that our girls so enjoy the little things in life. The big things are fun, but in an obvious sort of way. That our girls are already able to enjoy the little things in life, I have great hope for the true joy they will experience in their days to come.

Change of Philosophy

2011-06-12T19:26:00.003-06:00

I have had a change of philosophy. For so long, the blog was a way to share pictures and stories of our children. Then came Facebook and everyone who read the blog was already seeing the pictures and reading our stories there. So what was the point of having a blog when everything was already out there for our friends and family to see? As a result, the blog here went fallow. Today, I am renewing my efforts to bring fresh life to the blog. It will probably have fewer pics (since they are all on fb), and more short stories. We shall see how it works. If you are one of the few continuing to follow the blog -- thanks for sticking with us!

Snow Days

2011-01-23T22:23:00.000-06:00

We have been blessed/cursed with a few snow days in this part of the world. Brings back great memories on sledding down "the big hill" that landed us onto the frozen pond in upstate Indiana. Memories of even bigger hills for bigger kids with faster sleds in my years outside of Chicago. Snowball fights, snowmen, donuts in parking lots (no Mom, not me!), and industrial windshield scrapers.

In this part of the world, folks aren't as accustomed to snow days. Yeah, there is some sledding, but not everyone automatically owns a sled because it isn't guaranteed you are going to be able to use it each year. Ponds never get frozen enough to sled onto on skate on. Snow men are fairly puny and don't stick around long. And yet, when it snows, the world stops and the wide-eyed wonder of our children takes over. This week, our children had two snow days off from school (following two and a half days the week before!). With each day, they bundled up in snow pants that really shouldn't have fit based on how old they were, boots, hats and mittens and braved the crazy cold weather. The snow was rotten for snow balls. Even worse for snowmen. But for these girls, it was the perfect snow for snow angels and sliding into piles of the white fluffy stuff.

A Family Journey

2011-01-23T20:29:00.003-06:00

Life is getting pretty exciting these days at the Moore Manse. Eric has begun a journey that will in the end, be a very good one, but in the short term, will feel a bit like a roller coaster. I invite you to join him on his adventure as he blogs about it on a different site: The Minority Report. In short, it is Eric's journey with bariatric surgery.

This will contiue to be a blog for the family things in life - a big focus on the girls, of course. But do know that Eric's journey is not done in solitude as it will truly be a family experience. Therefore, we will write about how it affects the family and our lived life, in part, over here. But if you want the nitty-gritty on liquid diets, surgery prep, and life afterwards, you will need to visit his site.

For now, know that as a family, not too much has changed. At least not for the girls. They know Daddy is having surgery and they recognize that he isn't eating with us at meal times, but that seems to be the extent of it. In terms of our life together, things have already changed a bit for Eric and I - hopefully, just temporarily so. Meals that used to be cooked together are now cooked by one. The socialization and connection we have shared over meals on our days off are "on hold" until a few weeks post surgery. We know this is just the short-term -- life on the otherside will normalize a bit, while at the same time offering plenty of opportunities for sharing a new and healthier lifestyle with our girls. And perhaps knowing it is short-term, along with knowing a healthier life is on the other side, is what makes it bearable for everyone concerned.

Until then, join Eric over on his site and stay tuned here for updates on home and family here. Know that we appreciate all the love and support you send our direction - we are so blessed by each of you.

Christmas in a Nutshell from Red

2010-12-31T17:56:00.004-06:00

Hey, it's Reddy Heady! Happy New Year! For Christmas I got coal...Just kidding! I got lip gloss, ZhuZhu pets, a Wii game, Little House on the Prarie series, a heart box, and a camrea. Norah got a humongus pink teddy bear. Daddy got a Nook Color. Mom got lots of stuff.

After all that stuff, we went to Nannas' house!

We hope you have a happy, joyful 2011!

A year in Review of the Moore Girls

2010-12-31T17:04:00.006-06:00

One of my favorite things to do is to compile a photo journal of the year gone by.
Here is this year's video -- full of smiles, laughter and wonderful memories.
2010 leaves us on a high note and full of anticipation for what 2011 will bring our way.

Happy New Year from the Moores!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Christmas Traditions

2010-12-30T14:49:00.009-06:00

Christmas has come, once again too quickly, and is already passing us by just as fast. Christmas is a busy time of year for any family -- add in the responsibilities of two pastors to two different congregations during a holy season that some would equate with the magnitude of the Super Bowl, and the busy-ness factors skyrocket off the charts. But even in the midst of the chaos, we found calm. In the midst of noise, we found peace. In the midst of wrapping and unwrapping presents, we once again found Christ.

Just as everyone has their own Christmas traditions, we have ours. Traditions at the Moore Manse include beef and vegetable soup on Christmas Eve, late nights of wrapping with grandparents, lots of baking, and a night full of worship and wonder. This year was no different from other years -- Nana and Papa Mike were up and helped with the wrapping and baking. Worship was beautiful and spirit filled. And at the end of a long day, the girls fell fast asleep with excitement within their hearts about what Christmas morn would be like.

The unexpected, in the midst of all of this, was that Christmas morning would come at 4am when Red became too excited about Christmas to sleep any longer. After some snuggling, reading, and some video gaming, 6:00am came round and she finally crawled into bed with Eric and I for a final hour or so of quiet before the house came alive. Apparently, at any age, Christmas morning can simply be too exciting to bear!

Among the many gifts under the tree this year, was NJ's dream come true -- a pink teddy bear! And not just any big teddy bear -- one that is every bit as big as she is! Already, said bear has become a part of the family and has been a part of many meals, travels, and experiences. We look forward to all the places the pink bear will find itself this year.

In the midst of old traditions, a (hopefully) new tradition has surfaced. In an effort to continually remind the girls what Christmas is truly about, Eric shared the biblical Christmas narrative using candles as the various biblical figures in the story. In doing this, our girls were not only rivetted to hearing the old story in a new way, but they were reminded that the season isn't about the glitz and glammour or the decor and wrapping paper, but about a simple, unassuming babe born for us all. There's nothing sweeter than when NJ turned to me on my lap, as the candles glowed bright and said, "So THAT'S what Christmas is all about!" You got it, baby girl!

Through all the craziness that the holidays bring, our prayers for you include peace and happiness in the coming year. May you enjoy the company of your friends and family. May your days be full of more joy and hope than stress and fear. May you be ever aware of the love that surrounds you and how God is at work around you.

Learning to Pray

2010-09-19T19:58:00.004-06:00

From an early age, basically from when the girls began talking, we have been teaching them how to pray. At first it was quite simple... some "Thank You God's" and "God Blesses." We were teaching them to talk to God and to share their days and the people for whom they give thanks.

As they were able, we added to those prayers the memorized "Now I lay me" prayer (with angels watching through night). This prayer developed for Josie with her own traditions of making "finger crosses" by linking her finger with ours.

Most recently with Josie, we have added a new element of prayer and faith: Where have you seen God at work today? Or sometimes phrased as, "Where was God today?" After a week of this, I am continually blown away by some of Josie's thoughtful and heartfelt responses. Out of respect for Josie and her private prayers, I won't share those responses here, but know that they represent a child who is certainly tuned in to how God stregnthens and empowers her. Such prayers are music to our ears, just as I know they make God's heart sing.

What teaching our girls to pray has reminded me is that prayer is simple. As grown ups, we tend to make prayer too difficult. We worry a lot about praying "right" and praying long enough. But prayer is meant to be a simple converstation with God where we each take time to speak and listen (the latter being the more difficult part!). There is no need for long sentences and four-plus syllable words. It may not work for us to block out hours of our schedule to pray each day. Prayer is simply the words of our heart shared with God in whatever way works for us.

As we teach our girls to pray, I hope we are able to express that our prayers can happen outside the confines of bedtime and the supper table. I hope they grow to know an active God and that they are able to stay in constant conversation with God through their days (and eventually, allowing God a chance to talk, too!). I hope, that not unlike me, they continue to learn more of how to pray and relate to God each and every day.

I saw it written once, but I can't remember by whom: "Prayer is native to our souls. We are each born to pray." My prayer this day is that as we raise our girls, that prayer would not just be native to their souls, but be known and relied upon.

On another, yet similar note, Norah's prayers the other night are worth sharing (I can get into the double standard of sharing her prayers but not Josie's another time...). She thanked God for her day, for significant people in her life, for Jesus, and for her stinky feet. And there in that moment, I knew God smiled with us.

Meet Reddy Heady

2010-08-20T17:17:00.003-06:00

hi my name is reddy heady. last wendsday i started school. i am in third grade and my teacher's is mrs.f. she is really nice.

a little bit about me: i love mucic, math,reading, and animals. my favorite colors are pink, red, blue, and purple. i love school. i play the piano every day and go to lessons on saturday. i play scoccer and basketball. i have a cat named lucy. i love dogs, but i don't have one.

i love writing on this blog. i'll write more later!

Passages of Time

2010-08-18T16:51:00.004-06:00

It has been quite a passage of time since I last posted. I blame this on facebook... it seems to diminish the fire beneath me to get this blog updated since I can update facebook so immediately. Eh, but that is an argument for another day.

Today, we mark a more enjoyable passage of time as it is the first day of school for Josie. This year she enters third grade and continues to be very excited about going to school, seeing friends, and learning whatever is thrown at her. Since beginning her school career, Josie has grown in a crazy love of reading, enjoys playing with numbers in math, and soaks in anything science related that deals with nature, animals, or space. The classroom is most certainly one of her favorite places and we couldn't be more thrilled.

Josie also has a love of all things "computer." It won't be long before Josie becomes more computer savvy that her parents! So, in another passage of time of sorts, we are going to be adding a new contributor to the blog -- JOSIE! Her handle for the blog is Reddy Heady -- so be watching for her contributions. Who knows, with her on board, this might get updated more!!

On Being a Dad of Daughters

2010-06-20T20:04:00.005-06:00

(Wirtten for Father's Day 2010,
To Eric, the household Minority Leader...
With Love, M)

On being the Dad of Daughters...
You endure being the prince for all princess tea-parties;
You are a human jungle-gym;
You are the instigator of many giggle fests;
You are the keeper of bed-time secrets;
You are the apple of your daughters' eyes;
You live in fear of the first crush;
You live in equal fear of the first bikini;
You live in greater fear of the first boyfriend;
You realize it is never too early to start saving for the weddings;
You continually empower them to be anything and everything they want to be;
You are wildly loved and adored.

To you, O Dad of Daughters,
I cannot imagine a better man to be the dad of our girls.
I love you!

Like You, Mom

2010-06-17T09:03:00.010-06:00

No too long ago, Josie and I were at odds with each other as I carried out a consequence to one of her actions (read: punishment for lying). As we sat together in the small room talking about her actions and my reactions, through her tears, she tried to defend her actions. When that didn't work to alleviate the punishment, she pulled out the big guns, "Mom, do you even know? I only ever wanted to be like YOU!" In that moment, with tears streaming down her face, she stabbed a dagger into my soul and turned it deep. Ouch... that statement hurt. It hurt because I knew she was speaking truth. It hurt because it was an otherwise sweet statement said with bitterness in a difficult moment. It hurt because I fell even more in love with her as my daughter in that very moment.

That was over a week ago and her declaration continues to haunt me. It doesn't hurt anymore, in fact, Eric and I have lauged about how manipulative and dramatic it sounded. But I can't shake it off as Josie just "working me" or the situation. Josie is our senstive girl. She speaks from the heart and in those raw moments of life, she bears her soul. There is no doubt in my mind, that while her words were timed in such a way as to be seen as manipulative and caniving, that they were actually truth. And that truth comes with a huge burden for me in yet another lesson on parenting.

As a parent, and as a mother of daughters, I am well aware that I am a role model for living. I know that when I tell them to "use your fruits" in terms of gentleness, patience, and self-control, that I need to make sure I, too, am using my fruits. When I expect honesty, I know I have to be honest. But it goes beyond that. As a mother of daughters I am reminded that they are watching me and how I live in this world on a daily basis. They are watching me as a mother in being nurturing and caring -- that is reflective in their imaginary play. They watch me as a professional clergy-woman as I pray with families, preach, teach, and lead worship and they reflect those learnings as they explore the sanctuary chancel or as they pray for friends. They watch me as a wife in how I love and care for their daddy as they learn what love is all about. And they watch me as a woman as I dress, do my hair, apply make-up, and show off my freshly-painted toes. Everything I do is a witness to who I am as their mom as and a woman in this world, and as such, is potential seed for our girls as they grow to find their way as successful women.

"I only ever wanted to be like you, Mom." Wow. How wonderful to have a daughter who looks up to me that much. I know there are days and years ahead where I will fall from her graces (it's called the teenage years, I remember them well), but to know that in this moment in time, as our daughter thinks about the woman she wants to become, I am one of her primary models to look to -- well, that is just amazing. Humbling, but amazing.

Going Batty

2010-05-23T21:02:00.003-06:00

So, Thursday night Molly and I were sorting through the accumulated junk mail and magazines that pile up under the silly notion that they'll actually get read, and I had the bright idea to bring inside the recycle bin for easy disposal. As we sat in the parsonage entryway sorting, I felt something breeze by my face. From a distance it looked like a large moth -- oh, how I hoped it was just that! -- how I hoped it was anything other than what it was. A bat. In the house. Wildly flying, swooping, crazy as, well, a bat. And the cat had flipped into a gear I never knew capable.

Let me say that Molly and I don't readily fall into typical gender-role expectations in our marriage. That whole PromiseKeepers-the-man-is-the-spiritual-head-of-the-household ethic is wholly lost on us. We tag-team most every responsibility in our life -- we're each as likely as the other to cook supper, wash dishes, or bathe the kids. But there are some things we each are exclusively in charge 0f: when it comes to wiring electronics, it's her domain. And for as long as we've been married, my duty has been to kill the bugs.

I guess flying creatures in the house fall into the bug category, because despite momentarily wanting not to be the male of the house, as Molly bunkered herself downstairs, there was no doubt bat patrol was my duty! While I went in search of a murder weapon, Molly had the good sense to call cousin, friend, and church Trustee, Ted. I don't know what she said to him or Ruth when whoever answered, but he arrived instantly with a box and his typically-unflappable demeanor, willing to take a role in this two-person comedy. By now the cat having cornered the bat into the guest bedroom (thank God it hadn't flown in either girls' bedroom -- each having been tucked in but neither yet asleep) -- the jumps and hisses and bounces of the cat off the guest room walls were clearly audible from my post outside the closed door. Ted quickly entered and closed the door behind him, and managed to get the old, rickety screen out of the window in hopes of herding the bat outside.

Quickly, the bat and cat both disappeared. Worried the indoor-only cat had used this moment to jettison the open second-story window to freedom, I entered the room. All in one instant, Ted found the cat cowering in the closet and I screamed as the bat flew out of nowhere at my face. While I am blind in one eye and thus have no depth perception, I took a mighty swing and hit the bat with the sweet-spot of my broom. Ted's intentions of humanely trapping and releasing the bat proved futile. He had witnessed his pastor commit a murder on church property.

After scooping and tossing the deceased out the still-open window and profusely thanking Ted, I bounded down the stairs with my heart still pounding. My Dad would later help me thoroughly inspect the basement and attic for any of the bat's cousins who might bear a grudge (we would subsequently assume the bat entered the house via the recycle bin I foolishly brought inside), but in that moment all I could think of was my accomplishment. For a moment, my bravery girded by Ted's presence and help, I felt like the man of the house. I flexed and strutted like a peacock. I pounded my chest and probably asked Molly to fix me some meat. Her own adrenaline rushing, once she caught her breath, Molly reminded me that when I screamed, I screamed like a girl.

That's how it is in our marriage. She lets me get away with nothing. That part of her always willing to humble me she gets from her Dad. He heard the great-bat-caper story second-hand, but the picture in his mind's eye was vivid nonetheless. Apparently, he spent the better part of his Saturday preparing a roast of me and the bat -- and pasted it on my Facebook profile. So well written it was, I briefly, erroneously assumed he had uncovered an obscure passage from a Dr. Seuss book -- although Jon West gets the sole credit. I share it now, courtesy of these strange, wonderful people I married into....

Broom Doom, a dark tale

Flutter in the flue, up jumped the cat.
Flutter in the flue, out flies the bat.
Zoom went the bat.
Meow said the cat,
Preacher leaves the room;
Looking for a broom.
Meow said the cat;
Zoom went the bat.
Back in the room
Came the preacher with the broom.
The bat went zoom,
swoosh went the broom.
Meow said the cat,
had enough of that.
Swoosh went the broom;
cat leaves the room.
Bat on his head,
Preacher filled with dread.
Whap went the broom,
Bat meets its doom.

Being a Double PK

2010-03-30T14:37:00.004-06:00

Let me start by saying I don't speak from experience, but I have heard that being the child of a pastor can be difficult. I have also heard it can be wonderful. I would think that as young child, the difficult would often be more memorable than the wonderful. And if it's like this when one parent is a pastor, I can only imagine what life is like when you have have both parents as pastors. Josie, at age eight, is now beginning to understand some of the trade-offs involved with parents who work in the church.

Thankfully, Josie knows no other life. She has been raised in the church - usually two churches - for her whole life. She is used to both Mom and Dad working weekends and keeping odd hours with evening meetings. The last minute hospital run or funeral is not unexpected. But this year, the two-church thing has become more of a challenge for her. You see typically, Josie alternates which week she spends at which church (Norah stays with me for the simplicity of child care). And this works wonderfully because Josie absolutly adores both churches. Her school friends attend Eric's church while my church has new-found-friends and some additional opportunities for children that speak to her heart. The problem comes when she has to choose which church to attend. This past week, Palm Sunday, we gave Josie the choice of which church to attend since both had special events taking place. She struggled with a decision, knowing that whichever one she went to, she would miss something wonderful at the other. Choosing where to worship for Easter is shaping up the same way. These are seriously tough choices for this eight year old who truly enjoys both options.

A newer struggle for Josie is the realization that we cannot participate in many of the extra-curricular activities that her friends do. Sunday sports are out for us, unless they are promised to be later in the day. With both of us as pastors, one parent can't just "take the day off" to do the sport thing. Midweek practices also become a challenge when balanced with evening meetings. Eric and I can generally juggle our schedules to keep the kids out of the nursery most of the time, but add in extra activities and life gets interesting.* Now I know that life for everyone is a balancing act, but for many families, there is usually one parent who can help pick up the slack when the other is tied up. For us, that is sometimes the case and yet other times, not so much.

For instance, this is Holy Week. It is a busy week for both of us with a lot of worship responsibilties. Easter morning comes early, and it isn't because of the Bunny. Nope, the festivities don't even occur here until AFTER a full morning of worship. We have extra services, extra planning, and extra extras. This happens again in advent, with VBS season, and anytime there are weddings and funerals.

But a great trade off is this: flexible schedules. We have been able to join Josie for lunch at school, volunteer in her classrooms, and attend field trips in ways that lawyers, surgeons, teachers, and hourly workers often can't. We can take a extra time off when we know that there is an intense week/end of church activities in the making. While our schedules may seem unorthodox and infleixible, they are actually quite flexible and come with some real perks.

And that is what we remind Josie of when she says, "having two parents as pastors is hard," when she is unable to participate in an activity due to a church conflict. And while she says it is hard, I have to be honest and say, she is full of grace and understanding about it. She knows that while it is sometimes a real bummer to miss out on cheerleading and dance camps due to Wednesday Night Live, that she is going to have a great time doing something she already enjoys. And so far, the disappoint is short lived and the joy of what she does get to do takes over.

Eric and I wondered how long it would be before the first complaints of how our "jobs" effects hers would come up. And truthfully, it took longer than we thought it would. Being a PK is difficult, for sure. Being a double PK may prove to be unbearable down the road. But thankfully, this is the only life either of our girls have ever known and out of said life, have come two wonderfully spirited, compassionate, and flexible girls. Praise be.

*Disclaimer: I readily admit this is also part of our choice as parents to NOT have over-scheduled and stressed out children.

Just Call Me Ted.

2010-03-02T09:37:00.001-06:00

We don’t travel much. We certainly don’t travel often to places that we can’t drive to – it’s just easier and more cost efficient with the kids in tow. But this last week, Eric and I flew to North Carolina so I could attend a conference on children’s ministries. It isn’t often that I attend such conferences, and even more rare that Eric would have the opportunity to steal away with me. Thanks to Eric’s mom coming up to care for the girls, we were both able to escape reality for a week. Yes, I was busy with my conference and Eric spent a good deal of time working on worship plans, but we were out of the normal rhythm of our lives, and that was an escape in and of itself. That is, until you take into account that the weather in Raleigh was just as cold and wet as it had been back home, the sun didn’t shine until we left, and we went through two rental cars due to battery issues. But other than that, the escape was good!

Flying with our family is always an adventure. You see, for reasons beyond our understanding, Josie is on the “no-fly” watch list. Apparently, there is a 50+ year old African-American woman out there with the same name who the government would like to talk to. We encountered this when Josie was just a toddler and have had to deal with it every time she flies. It is a bit of a headache, funny in hindsight, and just real interesting in these days of airline safety. All that said, we figured this would be an easy trip without Josie in tow. We could actually get our boarding passes online, we wouldn’t have to prove to anyone that Josie was indeed a very fair complected 8 year old, and we could breeze right through security. Well, that was true for our flight out. Getting home was another story.

As I said, we don’t fly much. We are not hip to all the new security screenings that happen in the airports – we just know enough not to crack jokes about it as you go through them. At the Raleigh airport, Eric and I were stopped for a random “explosives” screening. For this screening, they have you hold your hands palms up, while they wipe a small cloth over your palms. They then put the cloth in a machine that screens for explosive residue. As the TSA agents were explaining this to us, I giggled internally and thought that if Eric didn’t pass, he would have some real explaining to do. Just as that thought went through my mind, the machine went red, made a nasty squeal and blinked “explosives.” Yeah, it wasn’t Eric that set it off. It was me. ME?!?! Well, Ok. Apparently, nothing gets you expedited through security like a positive explosives reading!! I was personally ushered through the process, patted down (the person who patted me down then had to go through the explosives test), and my carry-on bag was searched. They even emptied my bag so they could run the same explosives test on the bottom of the inside of it. WOW – they ARE thorough! Thankfully, I passed without any further complications.

Now I realize that some would be upset by this… irritated that the screening took longer than the mere seconds it takes to walk through the metal detector. Me? I was fascinated by it. And more-so, I was thrilled to see they were doing their job!! No reason to be angry about it – it has given us a great story to tell!!

As the story continues, we got passed security and found our gate, only to hear that our plane was canceled due to weather in our connecting city of Baltimore. Ugh. Again, nothing to be mad about, just another piece of the story. That said, when I told Eric we could stay with my family who lived in town, he was none to eager to leave the terminal because that meant I would have to go through security again tomorrow and he was none to excited about again being my travel partner in that situation! HA! Thankfully, come the next day, security was a breeze. What changed in 24 hours?? Eric did some research and there is a list of items that can give a false reading on the explosives scanners – one of those items being hand cream. So for the sake of security and our sanity, I traveled with dry hands all the way home. Such a price to pay…

Thankfully, we are the type of people who can laugh about this now, as it is over, but we were also able to laugh even in the midst of it. As the TSA agents emptied my bag, full of church books from my children’s ministry conference, I giggled. I know I look like a shady character in my jogging suit with all my church books – just call me Ted (Kaczynski).

2009 was SO sublime!

2009-12-31T20:38:00.002-06:00

It is hard to believe another year has come and gone... and as truly wonderful as 2009 has been, we look forward to all the possibilities that may come with 2010.

Some of our highlights over the past year have included:

February birthdays for the girls in Florida
Easter with the cousins
Josie playing her first season of soccer
Lots of summer water-fun, including swim lessons!
Josie's first church camp experience (Yay, Jo-Ota!)
A August vacation in Florida
Time with good friends
Thanksgiving with Eric's family
Josie's first season of basketball
Christmas with Molly's immediate family - cousins reunite!

There are, of course, many others, but these are some of the high spots. I am always trying to capture the memories in photos, so here is our photo year-in-review for 2009.

May your 2010 be full of blessings and joy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Basketball

2009-12-17T19:41:00.004-06:00

Did I mention Josie is playing basketball this winter?
She sunk 8 shots at her first practice.
I reckon that is one of the perks of being the tallest on the team!!

Holiday Hub-bub

2009-12-17T17:59:00.006-06:00

Here we are, days away from Christmas, and I realize what I horrible blogger I have been. It has been since mid-November when I last wrote and lots has happened in the world since then.

Most noteworthy, was Thanksgiving. Every year, we rotate with our parents which family will spend Christmas and Thanksgiving with us -- all in an effort to keep the holidays as simple and stress-free as possible without running to everyone's houses each year. This year, Eric's family was on the docket for Thanksgiving, so we packed up the family van and headed south a few hours to spend the weekend with his family.

Thanksgiving was a great day, in and of itself. Eric's mom prepared a wonderful meal and Eric's brother was even able to join us for it (he brought a puppy with him -- NOT helping the whole "Mommy, we want a puppy!" issue, but cute as could be!). Josie was completely smitten with the puppy and loved every minute she spend with Eric's brother, whom we don't get to see nearly as often as we would like. Besides good food, and good family, there were good games and Josie's introduction to Monopoly. Look out world, here she comes!!! Norah, well she simply enjoyed having folks around to listen to her piano playing (read: noise making).

The day after Thanksgiving, Eric and I were able to take part in some of the Black Friday craziness. This is not something we often do -- and we never do it with kids in tow. Since Eric's folks didn't have any desire to get out in the early shopping, we took advantage of the child care and made our way into the craziness. Part of me wondered what on earth we were thinking, but we did get a lot of shopping done (not all Christmas shopping -- why not buy new bath towels on Black Friday?!).

Since Thanksgiving, we have been very busy with the season of advent. This is my first advent at this church and it comes with a lot of excitement, wide-eyes, and a huge learning curve. I continue to count myself blessed that I am able to "train" with the current Christian Educator through this season before she retires at the end of this month. Such as opportunity is rare in the United Methodist Church!

Between Bible studies, worship planning, and shopping, we have enjoyed the programs put on by the kids. Josie has done a Christmas musical at church (where she was an angel) in addition to her Christmas program at school.
Norah's program at preschool is still forth-coming, but we have thoroughly enjoyed her personal renditions of Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Norah talks about Santa daily and is very much looking forward to this event/day called Christmas. She may not understand what it is all about, but she loves hearing about baby Jesus and when Santa visted the church, she was wide-eyed and full of joy!

My folks are headed into town for a week during the Christmas holiday and we will be joined by my sister and her family on Christmas eve. We will have a house full, but we are looking forward to all the joy and wonder that the children will share!!

I promise to get back to blogging more regularly. Wait... I think I have said that before. If only blogging were as simple as updating facebook. Oh well. I do promise to make an effort to be better at blogging. If you don't think we are posting enough, join us on facebook where you can get the scoop on the events as they happen rather than waiting for us to update here. :)

Hope you and yours are having a blessed advent and Christmas season!

Silver and Gold

2009-11-15T17:53:00.004-06:00

In my younger days, I was a brownie and a girl scout. I remember well learning and singing a friendship song during those scout meetings:

Make new friends, but keep the old,

One is silver and the other gold.

This weekend, I had the true joy of reconnecting face-to-face with one of my oldest friends. I hopped on the Megabus, traveled up to Chicago, and spent a very short and fast 24 hours with her before heading back home to the Sunday responsibilities that awaited me. The bus ride was fun, but the visit was amazing. Simply put, there are some people who come into your lives and you become fast friends. Over time, the friendship grows closer and deeper. Over more time, chances are, you lose touch -- for no real reason other than life is just like that. Thankfully, reconnections happen. For a very few folks, reconnecting is about more than just catching up with what has happened over the years -- it's about picking up where you left off with the trust, the love, and the joy that you originally experienced with that friendship. I have had the true blessing of experiencing this kind of reconnection with this dear friend I haven't seen in 19 years. NINETEEN years. Do you know how much happens in 19 years?? A lifetime of events. And as much as we had each changed, and experienced very different things in life, we are each the same. I have said it before, and I say it now... it is well with my soul!

So yeah, make new friends, and take the time to really form a relationship, for one can never have too many true friends. But DO keep the old. For they just make the treasure of friendship even richer.

An Apple for the Teacher

2009-10-19T07:35:00.003-06:00

Josie and Norah have just finished a stint of being sick with high temperatures and nasty coughs. After being more than 36 hours without a fever, I was looking forward to everyone getting back to their normal routines today.

Josie, having slept in the last five days, was having a difficult time waking up today. After I tried coaxing her several times to no avail, Eric took over (he really has a way with her that leaves me standing in awe). He walked into her room and cheerfully greeted her sleepy form with something to the effect of: "Congratulations on your first day back to school!" That got her up and excited as she let out a big "Yippee!!" and quickly went about the task of getting dressed for the day.

Norah, on the drive into town to go to her "school," was talking about how Josie goes to "Big School" and that Norah is a "big girl and goes to big school too." Who am I to argue? So I agreed and said that yes, preschool is big school, to which she yelled out, "School is FUN!"

Ahhh.... an apple to all the teachers who have impacted the lives of children and who make school something that our children joyfully look forward to. It is an admirable calling to be a teacher, and truly, I admire and appreciate you all. I can only hope and pray that my children continue to look as forward to school and learning as they do now.

The (Cute) Terrorist

2009-10-11T18:38:00.004-06:00

Who knew a terrorist could be so cute and yet so mean? You wouldn't be able to tell just lookin' at her. You have to KNOW her - all 30 pounds of her with her big blue eyes. She may smile a beautiful smile, but the way she can hold the remote hostage rivals the bad-guys in Fox's 24. The most recent hostage in this terrorist plot of hers: the recliner chair - aka: Daddy's chair.

Here's my conversation with the sneaky one this morning:

NJ: Momma, see me in my chair?
Me: No, it's Daddy's chair.
NJ: NO, MY chair. (points to the sofa where I am sitting) Daddy's sofa.
Me: No, Daddy doesn't sit on the sofa. Momma does.
NJ: (pauses to consider this) MY CHAIR.

And this is how a 30 pound 2 year old gains control of the comfy recliner and the remote.
Sigh.
Who can argue with cute??

Simply put, a GREAT day!

2009-10-02T21:15:00.005-06:00

There is no other way to say it -- today was fabulous! It was jammed pack with excitement that appealed to everyone in the family. In reality, the excitement started yesterday at dinner time when Eric and I revealed to Josie that we received a call from her principal informing us that Josie was the classroom winner for the reading contest that had been held over the last couple weeks. As a reward, she would get to ride in the homecoming parade today. Josie worked SO very hard on reading over the past few weeks in hopes of winning this contest. When we told her she won (over ice cream as Baskin Robbins), she was so excited that she screamed a silent scream and about bounced out of her chair. She then got a far-away look in her eyes as she imagined how great today was going to be.

But see, that was only the beginning. Today was Grandparents Day at the school. Josie was under the impression that her grandparents wouldn't be able to attend -- only to be surprised by them arriving and tucking her into bed last night. Such excitement for a seven year old. Truly... I have no idea how she was able to fall asleep last night. But let me tell you, she flew out of bed this morning without any problems!!

So today, Mema and Papa went with Josie to school for a couple hours. While they were at school, Eric hung out with Norah while I ran errands. Unfortunately, this is when Norah learned a painful lesson about where Lucy the cat's patience ends. Apparently, it ends with a karate kick from a toddler. Eeks! Anyway...

The day continued on with family fun and classroom fun. We got to see Josie in the parade -- she was so very thrilled and all smiles. Following the parade, Eric and I helped to host the classroom fall party where treats and games brought the school day to a close. Phew! I gotta tell ya, from just that little time in the classroom, I saw first hand how smart those second graders are! Look out world... here they come!!

While Josie spent a fun-filled day at school, Norah played hard with her grandparents. They laughed, they chased, they built, they did it all. So much so that Norah passed out for a good 2.5 hour nap! Following nap time, we were off to a surprise trip to the pumpkin patch and then out to supper! The pumpkin patch was at the local apple orchard where we were the only ones around and dinner was back in town where we were lucky enough to beat the Homecoming rush by a good 30 minutes!

How much more can a person jam into a day? I am sure someone out there can do more with the 24 hours they are given each day, but today, today was a great day for the Moore family. Today we had good quality fun together, fun that spanned the ages, and fun that will not soon be forgotten. It is days like today when I am so thankful that we live in a small town. There is nothing like the fun of fall activities experienced in the intimacy of a rural setting. Do I miss my former big cities? Sure I do. But today, today, I am reminded just why I so value our life in Small Town, USA.

Seasons

2009-09-27T17:17:00.006-06:00

I am not a native Missourian. In fact, when I have to answer the question, "where did you grow up?," which I am answering quite often in these get-to-know-you days at a new church, I often falter as to how to answer. The northern mid-west? Chicago-area? Or do I list the places and then answer the obvious follow-up questions of if I grew up in a military family or if one of my parents was a pastor? No matter how the conversation goes, it usually lands on how I ended up here, here in Missouri. My answer... I married into Missouri and once you marry in, you can never get out.

When my folks moved to St. Louis in my senior year of high school, I never thought I would stay in Missouri when "I grew up." That said, I didn't really have any dreams or ideas of where I would end up. As time has moved along, I have found not only an appreciation, but a love of this state. Now, that isn't to say I don't crave the metropolis of Chicago or the lakeshores of Michigan, but I have come to love all that Missouri offers -- even rural Missouri.

Of the many things I enjoy about Missouri, and life in the mid-west in general, is the change of seasons. We get to experience all four seasons here and I absolutely love it. I drive 30 miles through the rural landscape on my way to work each day. The winter has a quiet peace about the land -- the soil is resting, the livestock are huddled close together to stay warm. The horizon is often grey, but full of mystery and beauty. The spring is so very pretty with the spring-green leaves and the row crops beginning to pop up along the dark, newly turned-over soil. The first hay is cut and baled. The summer brings forth rich greens as the beans and the corn grow. Cows, goats, sheep, horses, and other animals enjoy the summer heat. The lilypads bloom on the local lakes. Currently, with fall, the acres of bean fields are turning from their deep rich green to a bright golden color -- one that takes my breath away each year. The corn stalks are bare and dry. The leaves on the trees begin shifting their colors. The mornings are often cool and foggy. The round hay bales have steam rising off of them during the cool mornings. Experiencing the seasons in rural-Missouri is like nothing I have experienced before. It keeps my perspective fresh and it reminds me of just how dynamic life truly is.

The change of seasons often brings forth a variety of busy-ness in church life as well as our family life. We are getting used to new fall customs as I get my feet wet in a new church home. We are busy with school events, homecoming parades, campus band days, church organ concerts, fall kick-off events, church picnics, and a Blessing of the Animals service. Autumn is proving to be a wonderful season not just in rural Missouri, but also in our home and in our churches. It is easy to get overwhelmed as we think about all the next season will bring (afterall, it isn't "winter" so much as it is "the season of advent."), but with each commute to work I am able to take in what the current season offers and it grounds me once again to the present. Such a great gift.

Enough with that. You are reading out of interest for what is going on with the girls and you are probably hoping for a picture or two (yes, Mom, I am on to you!) Josie is thriving in second grade with a teacher she absolutely adores. She is a spelling machine, having passed every spelling test so far on the practice round. Josie started piano this fall and is thoroughly enjoying that musical outlet. That said, she has plans. She figures once she masters piano, she can learn guitar and then become more like Hannah Montana -- complete with CD sales and the "Rockstar" title.

Norah continues on at Pam's in preschool. She is counting, singing, playing, and having a jolly-good time. She has adjusted well to life at a new church and has taken a strong liking to her nursery worker friends. Our joke is that while some churches have a church cat, MUMC now has a church Norah. Bless her heart, she is with me wherever I go! Josie has also been enjoying her time at MUMC meeting new friends, but she also has fun with her weeks at "Dad's church" with her school friends.

Below are some random pics from the last couple of weeks. Some are from a church picnic while a couple others are from the Blessing of the Animals service we had. The latter aren't great pics of the girls, but they are pics just the same!

Supermom Chronicles: Summer's End

2009-09-07T14:28:00.008-06:00

It's Labor Day weekend -- the unofficial end to summer. Schools are in session, football is being played, and the white shoes are back in the closet until Easter. Summer has come and gone and most of us relish being back in some kind of routine.

With summer being gone, my time off is also gone. I remember posting my list of "Supermom Tasks" in an earlier blog... a list of things I wanted to accomplish during my summer off. I figure it is time to go back to that list to see how I did...

Get NJ sleeping in a big girl bed -- take down the crib. DONE! Now, the crib is down, but still sitting in the guest room. Hmmm.... what to do with an old crib....
Deep clean the girls' rooms. Both have way too many small clothes lurking around their drawers and closets. Sorta done. But just as soon as it got done, they seemed to outgrow more clothes. A never-ending battle.
Purge the attic of baby items. Yeah, we are saving this for a rainy day...
Help Red figure out how to tie her shoes. WAHOO! It took until a week ago, but she can do it!
Help Red get confident on her bike... hopefully with 2 wheels by summer's end. Uh, not so much.
Have a garage sale (the result of deep cleaning the rooms). Decided that the reason our marriage has been so happy is because we haven't had a garage sale. So, several bags got dropped at Good Will.
Potty-train NJ. Hmmm... nope. Instead of potty-training we went to Florida. Twenty hours in the car each way didn't seem like a good time to potty-train. Maybe over Thansgiving.
Enroll Red in swim lessons. BOTH girls did GREAT in swim lessons. J can swim from point A to point B quite well. NJ can blow bubbles and kick like a pro!
Visit my sister. YES!! But I wish I could have done it more. I could use a shopping trip!
Go to a weekend of parent-child camp with Red. YES! And we have the pictures to prove it.
Get out and power-walk at least 3 days/week. The other two days I will do a video at home. I actually walked 5-6 times a week. Thanks, V!!
Finish at least one of the two yarn projects I have going. Well, I didn't finish one of the two... but I did complete a third project all together.
Read at least one fictional book (sounds easy, but I have to keep some perspective in light of the rest of this list!). I have entered the world of Harry Potter. I hope to get back to it soon as I have only gotten through the first two books.
Update the blog regularly. Hmmm... sorta. What is "regularly" anyway??

Considering how impressive the list was, I think I did OK! It was definitely a busy summer, but such a good one! The Supermom Chronicles don't end just because the summer ended and I am back to work -- no, they continue on as this Supermom continues the quest to maintain order, balance, and fun in spite of a busy life. Today, Labor Day, Supermom gets a day of rest. Today is all about fun with friends as we enjoy some fleeting summer moments.

Supermom Chronicles: Back to Work

2009-09-06T18:18:00.006-06:00

June 21 was my last Sunday "on the job" before a summer of forced time off due to the lag time between ministry settings. I will confess, it was not my first choice as to how I wanted to spend my summer, as earning a pay check is pretty important to our family. That said, I spent the summer donning my Supermom cape as I spent time laughing with the girls, attending their swim lessons, and offering them a flexibility that Eric and I typically cannot give them due to our professions in ministry.

After ten weeks off, I started back to work this week. I am serving as the director of discipleship ministries at Missouri United Methodist Church, a stately, traditional, alive, and busy church in Columbia's downtown district. It has been just a week, but I find myself feeling so very full of hope and excitement about what this church has to offer the people of Columbia and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

While I have spent the last few weeks attending worship at MUMC in a effort to acclimate the girls to this new place, today was my first Sunday officially on staff, so I made it a point to be at all the worship services. It was a communion Sunday and worship was full of spirit and the mystery that surrounds the sacrament. During the 8:00am service, there was a time for hymn requests and after a song or two, a wonderful gentleman shouted out (what I learned later to be "his usual") 377 -- It is Well with My Soul. I love this song. I love to hear it, I love to sing it. But somehow, today was different. I opened my mouth to sing and I could barely get the words out. I was overwhelmed by tears as I sat and listened to the congregation sing,

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

In these moments, as the organ played, and voices were united in praise, I had a personal epiphany. I realized what a journey of faith these last 10 weeks had been for me... and truly, more like a journey of 6 months from when I learned my prior ministry setting would need to change. I realized that if I were to be honest with myself, and honest with you, that all was not well with my soul for a long time. I was hurt and I was angry. I didn't lose faith in the church, and certainly not in God, but I allowed myself to doubt my security as a deacon in ministry. But somewhere in the midst of that hurt and anger, I always had hope. I knew God would be faithful to me, so I worked hard to be faithful to God. I kept my hurt hidden and pushed my hope to the front. And as a new ministry setting became a reality, I allowed myself to get excited and look forward with my usual optimism rather than with the prevalent concern about how insurance and groceries were going to get paid. And then today, today as I sat in worship services that culminated my first week of ministry in this new place, I began to realize that indeed, all is well with my soul. Over the ten weeks I was "off," my hurt and my anger drifted away and had been replaced with true hope, excitement and trust that God has me exactly where I need to be and will continue to take care of me and my family -- just like God has done all along.

It is truly well with my soul as I begin a new ministry full of new responsibilities and meeting new people. It is well with my soul as our family once again tries to balance life, ministry, and family around the crazy schedules of two churches. It is well with my soul as I realize that God took ten weeks this summer to quiet my turbulent soul with the giggles of our girls, the sunsets in Florida, time away with Eric, and quality time with family. And it is well with my soul to know that God's hope and joy flood my heart as God continues to be faithful.

I don't often get "churchy" as a part of this blog, as it is intended to be more about the family. I had intended this post to be more about my first week of work, as many of you have kindly kept me in your prayers and inquired as to how things were going. As you can see, I went a different direction. For now, know that the first week was good. It was affirming, it was overwhelming, and it was thoroughly exciting. I look forward to continue my ministry in this place, I look forward to our girls being involved at MUMC, just as they are involved at Linn. And I look forward to being challenged in new and wonderful ways as God calls me. Another day I will write more about ministry in this new place, or about how the girls are enjoying it (Norah gets to sing in choir twice a week -- she is thrilled!). For now, I just wanted to share that for this Supermom who is entering back into ministry, all is well with my soul.

A Celebration of Numbers

2009-08-20T09:20:00.010-06:00

Three weeks ago, I packed up the girls and drove to St. Louis where we picked up my mom and we drove to Florida where she and Dad live. As you may recall, I am not working this summer, so I decided to take some extended time to be in Florida with them. The plan was that Mom would fly to St. Louis, stay with my sister, and then we would pick her up and drive to Florida. Eric would then fly down ten days later after VBS and a wedding to spend a week with us before heading home. So again, three weeks ago, we loaded up the van and headed out for the sun and surf that Florida had to offer.

Tweny hours, five food stops (only one of which was the dreaded Cracker Barrel), and zero emotional breakdowns later, we arrive to our destination! The girls were GREAT travelers -- they watched some videos, played games, sang songs, and took one or two naps. Our meal stops were a little chaotic... the girls were good in the car, but were massive forces of energy when out of it! Each meal stop brough with it a certain kind of crazy and silly. But all in all, no complaints on the travel.

After two nights and one day of rest in Florida, the busy-ness began! Josie had five fun-filled mornings of VBS at Grandma's church and Norah had four days of swim lessons in Grandma's pool. Josie had a ball learning the VBS songs, experiencing the stories, and meeting new people. Norah used her time to become a great kicker and a little easier to handle (read: safer) in the water. Lots of fun for both girls!

After eleven days, Eric flew out and joined the fun! He and I were able to get away for two days to Sarasota to celebrate our twelve years of marriage. We enjoyed a beautiful hotel, some very tasty and relaxing meals out, good shopping, and good-for-the-soul time on the beach. We got to enjoy time together as a couple while at the same time being able to restore our parent-meters. While we were gone, the girls had loads of fun with Grandma and Grandpa (or in NJ's words, Amma and Ampa). Movies were seen, games were played, and cookies were made -- AWESOME!

Once we returned from Sarastoa, Josie lucked out with one Daddy-Daughter date to breakfast and the Aquarium and a second date with both parents to play mini-golf. We got one more trip in to the beach with both girls before it was time to load up the car for another two-day, twenty hour drive home.

Now, three weeks from when it all began, we are rested and remembering all the good times we had. There was no tome for a vacation from the vacation though -- we pulled in the driveway one hour before open house at Josie's school. She started her school year two days after we got home. PHEW! No rest for the weary!!

So this has been a celebration of numbers -- of all the wonderful things we did over vacation and the time we got to spend with family. Now if you know me... really know me... you know I NEVER celebrate numbers. So this is it... your once-in-a-lifetime moment of seeing me enjoy these numbers and all the joy they represent. :) Once this posts, I will be back to my usual disdain for numbers and all things math. Vacation may have relaxed me and helped me restore my paret-meter, but it didn't change the person I am!!

Supermom Chronicles: Camp Fun!

2009-07-19T15:50:00.007-06:00

I don't know what part of the world you are currently in, but where we are, the weather has been beyond amazing. All weekend, the temps have been in the lower to mid 70's with the evening in the 50's... and it's JULY! Absolutely fantastic.

The only challenge that this weather brings is how to pack for a weekend at camp. Josie and I took off for 48 hours of parent-child camp at one of our local UMC Camps in Missouri. For three days and two nights, we took hikes, played games, crafted, enjoyed the bonfires, and so much more! The weather was a huge bonus for this weekend as I can imagine it would have been a bit less enjoyable in 100+ degree temps which are so common for July. But here we are in July, packing for camp, and needing to pack not only day clothes of shorts and tshirts, but also evening wear of jeans and sweatshirts because it really did get chilly! Packing for all those weather variables makes for a heavy bag!

Ha... that is my feeble attempt at complaining about camp. Because really, there was nothing to complain about. This time away with Josie was time well spent as we laughed, talked, and played together. The weather was indeed great, the spirit of the kids and parents there was fabulous, and the fun that was planned truly was great fun!

This was Josie's first camp experience and I was tickled to be able to take her to one of my favorite camps. When asked, Josie really had three favorite activities, listed in no particular order: taking hikes around the lake, tie-dying, and playing in the mud pit! Yes... a real mud pit! Up to right before the mud pit extravaganza, I wasn't convinced that she would participate. In Josie's words, the mud pit "just wasn't as nice" as she expected. HELLO!! It IS a mud pit -- was she exepcting it to be neat and tidy??!! Anyway... once she heard more about the games we would play in the mud, she got very excited about it. And once she got used to the feeling of the mud between her toes, she loved getting down and dirty!! I wish I could have captured her squeals and laughter. Hopefully, you can get a glimpse of it through some of these pictures. I am a firm believe that you can hear Josie's laughter by simply looking at her eyes...

So now we are home from camp and Josie is resting before heading out for a five day stay at Nanna's later this week. Such excitement!!

You may be wondering what Norah was doing during all this time at camp. Norah and Eric had their own "daddy-daughter" weekend, though it sounds like Norah knew she was missing out on where the real fun was. Eric has some great stories about Norah and how she constantly let him know that he was not the parent of choice this weekend. Poor Eric... maybe next year he will be the one to take Josie to camp!!

Supermom Chronicles: St. Louis Fun!

2009-07-12T08:33:00.005-06:00

While the blog has fallen quiet for a few days, it isn't because I haven't been working on my Supermom list. We have simply been busy have lots of summer fun, and that is what summer is all about, right?!

The Fourth of July came and went with an air of relaxation and refreshment. The weather was unseasonably cool and we spent the holiday laughing and relaxing with good friends. There was pool fun, firework fun, and even fun in the rain. A few raindrops were certainly not going to keep our bunch from laughing and carrying on together!

This weekend, I took the girls and scooted over to St. Louis to visit Sarah (my sister) and her family. Everyone had a great time -- Josie played momma hen to the little ones and NJ and Mitchell got along swimmingly! It was a whirlwind of a trip -- we got there Friday afternoon and left at naptime on Saturday -- but that was plenty of time to play piano, chase the dog, giggle, go to the zoo, giggle some more, jump on the air mattress, and giggle yet some more. It is so nice to have Sarah close for these little visits... I just wish we were able to make them happen more often!

Next weekend, Josie and I head off to Camp Jo-Ota for a weekend of parent-child camp. Her former kindergarten teacher is leading it, so Josie is very excited. I have heard rumors of a mud pit... I will keep you posted on what I find out/experience on that topic. :)

Summer is flying by us... lots of plans being made and the weekends are just ticking by. As I think about my Supermom list, I am still working on the house clean-out for a potential garage sale, but I have to confess that giving it all away seems a lot easier. We shall see how the mood moves me. The girls closets and drawers have been cleaned out and are now only stocked with the current size of clothing rather than the past three sizes. Josie is practicing to tie her shoes and getting a little more confident each time. Swim lessons are in full swing and Josie is swimming like a fish! We made the trip to St. Louis and as I said, camp is next weekend. After that, Josie heads to Nana's for a week and then shortly after that, me and the girls will head down to Tampa for two weeks to visit my folks (Eric will join us after a week). More and more, I am realizing that the Supermom list will not get done in its entirety (especially potty-training - 2 trips of 20 hours each in the car does not make for a good potty-training environment!), but it has still been a good thing to keep in front of me as each week passes by. Then again, if my Supermom powers are fully utilized, who knows what can happen!

SQUIRREL!

2009-07-03T08:38:00.004-06:00

If you have seen the movie UP, you understand that squirrels are most loved and hated creatures by the dogs in the movie. I have determined that this is similar to how we experience the squirrels at our house. For the girls, they are a great distraction... one that brings forth peels of giggles as the squirrels throw walnuts, fall out of trees, and play along the top of the swing-set. Eric and I thoroughly enjoy how audacious the squirrels are when it comes to tormenting our cat, Lucy, who is trapped in the confines of the screened in porch. The squirrels seem to know just how close they can get to Lucy to get her to puff up and agitated without fear of her blasting through the screen towards them.

Lately, I have enjoyed the common-sense of the squirrels (especially since common-sense seems to be an on-going issue with our eldest daughter). You see, we have this swing-set that sits under a tree. The squirrels love to scamper across it as they bridge the gap from one tree limb to another. For thrills, we posted a squirrel feeder (aka, a screw holding an ear of corn) off the side of the swing-set to see if they would enjoy it. Sure enough, the corn has been a hit. With the first ear, it took a while for the corn to be eaten. Once we switched out the cob for a new ear, the corn was gone by the next day -- along with the top of the cob. This week, Josie and Eric set out a new ear. On Wednesday, while we were enjoying supper on the screened in porch, we got to watch in amazement as a squirrel hopped up to the feeder and systematically started cleaning the ear of all its corn. That was pretty cool to watch.... but what was more fun to watch was the two buddies of this hard working squirrel who seemed to figure out the easier way of getting their meal -- stand under the feeder and catch everything that falls! It was hilarious to watch and both of the girls seemed to get the humor of what was happening. Who knew that these animals, who seem to love running in front of cars, also had a little bit of common sense? Perhaps that is giving them too much credit...

Now... that is the side of the squirrels that we enjoy... as much as one can enjoy a rodent. But then there is this other side... this side that fills me with frustration as I find my green tomatoes being plucked off the plant and left scattered across my yard. The good news is my tomato plants are growing GREAT! The bad news is the squirrels are going to prevent me from enjoying the harvest! Apparently, love and logic parenting isn't going to work on squirrels, so I can't withhold the corn until they "behave" and stay out of my garden... so I am left to wonder just what I should do about these careless critters?

Confessions of a Frustrated Mom

2009-07-01T06:58:00.005-06:00

I love my children. There is no doubt about it. I love their laughter, their creativity, their sense of humor, their thoughtfulness, and their love for each other and their family. All that said, there are days when I allow myself to get so frustrated that I can't see straight by the end of the night. Yesterday was one of those days.

All in all it was a good day... the weather was sunny and mild, I had both girls home for the day and we took some time to walk to the town square, back to the college campus, and even got to visit with Dad for a while before heading back for lunch and rest time. A good day, indeed! But there were the little frustrations that just needled away at me through out the day.

First, Josie insisted on wearing her flip-flops on this walk we took. I asked her to reconsider, but she insisted. I decided not to fight it and make it a love and logic moment (a great book, if you haven't read it). The walk went fine, but around supper time, she started crying and limping around because her foot hurt. Low and behold, a blister had formed under her toe and had popped. It was raw, red, and I am sure hurt like heck. She was miserable... and I was frustrated.

Norah has taken to not eating her meals while sitting. She wants her meal time to be a bit more European, I guess, taking hours to complete a meal. I can appreciate a slow eater, but when it is because we are disregarding any rules we have about sitting while eating, I have little tolerance. So by supper time, after two other meals, I had had it. I was beyond frustrated.

Last night, after the house was quiet with the girls in bed, I went to throw something in the bathroom garbage can. Upon doing so, I noticed something odd and reached down to pick it up. It my hand, was a 5-inch lock of Josie's gorgeous red hair. ARGH!! You know, I expect children to cut their hair when they are experimenting with scissors when they are 4 yrs old... maybe even 5... but not seven!! My frustration levels went through the roof and I was ever grateful that she was in bed and asleep so I would have to cool down before talking to her.

Now in the morning light, I realize that none of these frustrations are big... but that is the essence of being frustrated. You don't necessarily get frustrated with the big things... there are other emotions for that. But the daily little things... those are the things that can sometimes drive me to the point of distraction. Yesterday was one of those days where the little things just piled up. None of them big... none of them out of the ordinary or unique to our situation. None of them were even because the girls were acting anything but their age (well, except for the hair issue, perhaps). Just little frustrations. I don't love the girls any less because of my frustrations, if anything, it helps me to love them more.

So at the end of yesterday, after I put the long lock of red hair back in the garbage, I sat down and downloaded some random pics we took over the last couple days. Among them were these two of Josie and Norah hangin' out as sisters and enjoying their time together. Moments like this melt all the other frustrations away....

But one additional confession as a new day begins...
I am frustrated with my flaky momma-brain.
I walked Eric and Josie out to the car this morning to help get them off for the day. Eric called just a few minutes ago after Norah handed him something interesting... my van key. ACK!! I had carried it out with me to get Norah's sunglasses from the van. Apparently, I put it in the car door when I was putting Norah in the car and forgot it. UGH! Josie and I need to be to town by 11:30...
Not to mention, today was pay-day for daycare. We forgot. Will take it in later today and that won't be a big deal... but it is just one more thing.

Are you laughing yet?
I am. Somedays it is all you can do... LAUGH.

Beating the Heat

2009-06-26T19:21:00.005-06:00

Today was another stinkin' hot day!! So while Josie finished up summer school with a day of water games and swimming at the city pool, we took Norah into town to play in the dancing fountain -- you know, one of those fountains where the water randomly sprays from various locations. NJ loved it! She was a little wary of getting into the middle of the fountain, but she loved to play around the perimeter as she awaited the spouts of water to spray out around her. Definitely a great way to beat the heat (if only we had remembered the towel for afterwards! HA!)!!

Supermom Chronicles: Day 3

2009-06-24T19:41:00.003-06:00

It's Wednesday of my first week home this summer. As you read in my previous post, I have several items I hope to accomplish this summer while I am off from work. While the list I created was done in no particular order, I did know going into this what priority one was: get Norah in a real bed.

This has been my plan for weeks. I knew I would do it once I didn't have to wake up for work in the morning, so that if Norah had a rough night in the transition, and I was up through the night with her, it wouldn't effect my work. My logic was this: Norah is showing signs of being ready to use the potty. YEE HAW! That day won't come too soon. But in my mind, before I could even think about potty-training, I needed to get Norah into a real bed so she could have the freedom to get up and go if and when she needs to. Seems logical, right? Yes... but...

Norah is her own person. Fiercely independent. Sneaky, even. Transitioning her to a bed, while joyous, is also terrifying. We worry about whether she will stay in her bed all night, much less her room. Josie was so easy to move to the bed -- she was ready. And being the first-child-people-pleaser, she would wake up in the morning and call to us in her sing-song voice, "Mommy, Daddy, time to get up!" It was wonderful. She wouldn't leave her bed until we came and got her. When she was a little older, we were able to tell her not to call us until her clock read, "Seven, zero, zero." It was awesome. We never worried about her roaming the house, destroying her room (though she did do that once or twice...), or you know, doing something extreme like sneaking out of the house.

Norah, on the other hand, has shown us time and time again that she is not her older sister. So while we are ready for her to be in a bed, we are slightly terrified that she will wander the halls in the night, descend one of our two stairwells, and make herself an omlet in the middle of the night. Seriously. This girl can do anything she sets her mind to. Anything. THANKFULLY, she set her mind to enjoy being a "big girl" and moving into the bed. Night one was a little rough for us. No... let me re-phrase. Night one was rough for me, while Norah did well. I sat outside her room with the laptop, making sure she didn't destroy her room or sneak out, while she drifted off to sleep. She didn't get up to play or anything... she went right to sleep. Around 1:45am, she woke up disoriented, so I went in and ended up laying with her for two hours. During those two hours, neither of us slept. In Norah's mind, this was prime "girl talk time." Every time I was about to drift off, her sweet little voice would whisper, "Hey Mama?" And when I would acknowlege her, she would babble about something for a couple sentences... only to repeat the process just moments later. In hindsight, it was very cute and something I will remember fondly. But in the moment... well... I didn't find it so endearing. :)

Night two went much better and she slept longer in the morning. She woke up twice in the night, but she soothed back to sleep very easily. YES! Victory is within our reach! Time to take the crib down and get it out of her room!

Tonight is night three and bless her little heart, she is fast asleep on her big-girl bed. Keep in mind, for now, the bed is nothing more than a twin mattress on the floor, but before too long, it will transform into a real bed with boxsprings and a bed frame. And so far... knock on wood... so far, there have been no escape attempts. Phew! Then again, the baby gate at her door probably helps. HA!

So here we are, three days into my 8 week leave, and I can knock one item off the list. Hmmm. I think it was probably the easiest item, but hey, it counts! I am on my way towards other goals -- Josie is signed up for swim lessons and I am well into a novel. Another "yay us" sucess wasn't even listed on my list, but it is a sucess none-the-less. So far this week, we have eaten every supper at home as a family. I can't tell you when the last time that happened in a regular week. Typically, I have had at least two evening meetings a week which kept me in Columbia until the girls were in bed. Some of those evenings the family would come into town and we would eat out together. Other times, Eric would feed them at home and I blow kisses to them after they are asleep when I am finally home. Well, I don't have those evening meetings right now, so we are eating as a family! WOW! And not only are we eating as a family, we are eating at home. Weird.

There are two more days before summer school is over and Josie joins me each day. NJ will go to daycare three days a week and we will have "girls day" the other two days each week. I had hoped to get their closets deep cleaned out before summer school was over, but alas, I forgot Norah would be with me this week while daycare was closed. Whoops. No closet cleaning with Norah on my heels! Oh well... so the garage sale will have to wait a little longer. No biggie... I have waited/avoided it for twelve years, I can certainly wait a few more weeks.

'Til next time, this supermom is signing off!

The Supermom Chronicles

2009-06-22T18:37:00.007-06:00

It is day one of my summer off -- more professionally known as, "transitional leave" between ministry appointments. This is kinda new and weird for me. While I have had extended periods of time off work in the past, it was always due to a medical/maternity leave, so I was never feeling top-notch and able to use the time to really get things done. But this summer... well, this summer is different. This is time off where I am feeling 100%. This is time off where I get to focus on my family and especially our girls. This is time off where I shall become SUPERMOM!! You see, I am a bit type A, and I can't just sit back and enjoy the weeks off by relaxing and eating bon-bons. No... I am the person who has to have a plan. I am the person who has to be able to show something for my time off come September. So knowing that, I have the list of things that I, as Supermom, wish to accomplish between now and September.

Molly's Supermom List:

Get NJ sleeping in a big girl bed -- take down the crib.
Deep clean the girls' rooms. Both have way too many small clothes lurking around their drawers and closets.
Purge the attic of baby items.
Help Red figure out how to tie her shoes.
Help Red get confident on her bike... hopefully with 2 wheels by summer's end.
Have a garage sale (the result of deep cleaning the rooms).
Potty-train NJ.
Enroll Red in swim lessons.
Visit my sister.
Go to a weekend of parent-child camp with Red.
Get out and power-walk at least 3 days/week. The other two days I will do a video at home.
Finish at least one of the two yarn projects I have going.
Read at least one fictional book (sounds easy, but I have to keep some perspective in light of the rest of this list!).
Update the blog regularly.

Are you laughing yet? I sure am!!

Yes, I know it is quite a list. Perhaps not entirely realistic. But it does give me some direction as to how to spend the days and weeks I am out of work. Better yet for you, it also gives me something to blog about on a regular basis.

Today, on day one, I am happy to report that NJ is in her big-girl bed. The crib is not dis-assembled yet, but I did take the mattress out to let her know we are serious about this transition. We have been trying to ease this transition by having both the crib and the twin mattress available, but she would only take to the crib. When Red was this age, she was all about the bed. Oh well, different kids. So today, I re-arranged NJ's room, made the mattress more inviting with her stuffies and creature-comforts, and stripped down the crib. At first, she wanted the crib, but when I illustrated that she would fall through the springs, she crawled right into the twin bed. I am not yet ready to claim a victory, as I know the night is young and this is just day one. I am currently writing this blog entry from our hallway where I am sitting outside NJ's room, making sure she is in bed and OK. A little nuerotic, yes, but for those of you who know NJ, you know she could cause some significant trouble without much effort! Tonight the baby-gate goes up in her doorway -- the last thing I need is NJ on the loose at 2am!

Stay tuned.... the Supermom Chronicles will be updated regularly. Feel free to laugh, to shake your head, and to call me crazy for even trying to accomplish half of this stuff. I am fully aware that I am very type-A in this mission and I am even congnicent of being a little out of my mind. So don't worry... I am sure the reality check will set in in the next couple of weeks. Now that should make a good blog entry! :)

Even the Summer Heat can be Fun!

2009-06-19T19:24:00.003-06:00

Boy, oh boy, is it hot in these parts! We have officially entered into the hot, humid, and just plain gross part of summer. Up until now, we have been very seasonal, almost cool on some days, and very rainy. Well, the last part of the week hit us with high temps and even higher humidity! None of us are hot-weather fans... but we do try to find ways to have fun in spite of it. This evening was Red's introduction to the Slip 'n Slide while NJ partied hard in the sprinkler. A great time was had by all!!

NJ loved trying to get a drink from the sprinkler!! And oh how I wish you could her her shrieks when she was on the slide.

Art and the Eye of the Beholder

2009-06-13T11:22:00.006-06:00

Yes, it has been a while. I choose not to comment much on that fact, other than there hasn't been much to report... life has been pretty much status quo.

That said, the girls are headed into the summer months with plans of great fun and relaxation. Norah's new source of fun has been the discovery of Josie's art table and the art bucket. Josie has been a great big sister to share her art supplies with NJ, and NJ has taken full advantage of the new "freedoms" being given to her. She has scribbled many a picture... both with crayons and with markers. Unfortunately, in scribbling pictures, she has also scribbled herself! Thank goodness for Crayola Washables!!

Josie is well into summer school. The big endeavor of the 2nd and 3rd grade class this summer is to walk the equivalent of a marathon during the course of summer school. That's right... they walk a mile a day. Sometimes it is just around the parking lot multiple times, and other times they take a walk around the city park. Unbeknownst to the children, there have been a couple days where the walks have been longer... after all, summer school is only 24 days and they need to fit in 26 miles! So far, there have been no complaints.

Last night, Josie had her gal-pal spend the night. They had a great time playing dress up and putting on make-up. Once made-up, they would play the wii games for a while. What doesn't show up in these pictures is the amazing blue and purple eye shadow -- truly a sight to behold!

I am about to transition out of work for the summer... two months spent with the girls will no doubt provide lots of material for blog posts. Do stay tuned... I promise to be better at this!

More Easter Pics

2009-04-18T20:23:00.003-06:00

We waited until AFTER Easter to get the annual pictures done...
ENJOY!

Yes, Norah was as wild as her eyes suggest...

Josie looks 17, not 7!!

The ONLY time Norah came in for a landing was when she landed on Josie.
Great Fun!

Easter Goodness

2009-04-14T06:18:00.008-06:00

Easter weekend was quite a busy one at the Moore Manse, as you might imagine! Not only did we have the general busy-ness of church with perhaps the biggest holy day of the Christian year, but we had the true joy of having my sister and her family out for the weekend! All in all, it was a WONDERFUL weekend full of great worship, lots of laughter, and happy children.

About the week before Easter, Josie started doing some mental calculations and realized that perhaps Sunday wasn't a good day for the Easter Bunny to be visiting us, what with church and all. So Josie put in a request (to her parents) to be in touch with EB and see if he could come on Saturday. Thankfully, the EB was able to make that work and we got to enjoy a beautiful Saturday with an egg hunt and Easter basket goodness! All the kids seemed to enjoy the egg hunt and Josie was tickled pink that the EB came and repaired her swing-set -- giving Norah a new swing and putting up a new tarp over the fort. Such excitement!

Worship on Sunday was great at both churches. The girls came to my church on Sunday and pranced around in their matching dresses. Folks were quite tickled with them!! Norah was all about having pictures taken at church... just not so much when it was time to have them done at the photo studio. Sigh... they affectionately call her "the butterfly that won't land." Probably easier to be nice about it when it isn't your kid.

Josie continues with soccer this week. We had a few weeks off with the weather and Easter. This week we are back at it!! So far, she is really enjoying it! Hopefully, the weather has turned the corner and more moderate temperatures are on the way!!

A Fun First -- SOCCER!

2009-03-29T18:56:00.006-06:00

It's official.... I am a Soccer Mom. That is, at least for the next 7 weeks. We finally bit the bullet and signed Josie up for the county soccer league with one of her best buddies. While soccer is not our favorite sport, it is definitely one that gets her running and having fun! The biggest cost to soccer is that all the games are on Sunday afternoons -- I could get high on my soapbox about that, but not today. Today, we simply relished in the fun that was had by both girls... on and off the field!

Josie's team is a reunion of sorts -- I believe 4 of the 6 players are from her kindergarten class last year and all of them attend Eric's church in town.

Today was the first of seven soccer games. Josie had a ball playing and Norah had just as much fun sitting on the sidelines and cheering for the team. "Go Red!" she would say!! As you can see in the last picture... Norah watched very intently!

Oh... and while no one was really keeping score (thankfully, that is NOT the focus of this league at this age)... the Red Team won 8-6. Wahoo!!

Spring Changes

2009-03-21T19:56:00.007-06:00

In the past, if you were to ask me my favorite season, I would answer autumn. I love crisp fall days, the changing leaves, and the smells of the season. I love fall hayrides, college football, and harvest moons. For years, fall has been my favorite time of year. But if I really think about the seasons, I really consider which one is my favorite, I would have to simply say that I love them all. I love living in a place that experiences 4 distinct seasons and I find wonderful characteristics of each season. For instance, I adore the long days that come with summer -- the early sun that stays up well into the evening hours before the fire flies light up the night. I enjoy the winter wind that howls as I am nestled under comfy blankets. And with spring, I love the long wild branches of blooming forsythia as well as the blooming pear, tulip, and magnolia trees. Both fall and spring bring great changes to our landscape -- changes that I enjoy and anticipate each year. This year, those changes are happening not just in our yard and neighborhood, but in our lives.

This spring, Josie is 7 and Norah is 2. Norah is enjoying this change towards warming weather and is, for the first time, really enjoying the outdoors. She loves to swing, run, play in the sandbox and slide down the slide. Josie adores helping her do all these things as the great big sister that she is. While Norah's spring enjoyment pretty much peaks with the joy of playing outside, Josie's is further reaching as she anticipates the next season to come. Today, in anticipation for summer, Josie and I started some seeds to later transplant into our garden. This summer, Josie decided she would like to grow four things: green beans, tomatos, cucumber, and pumpkins. I am pretty excited about this assortment... stay tuned and I will let you know how it goes.

Other spring changes in our life reflect our economic times. After five years at Community, my time there is coming to an end this June. Due to budget realities, several things had to be restructured in order to help the church continue to move forward in ministry -- one of those restructurings was staffing. I have adored my time at Community -- it has been a good fit for me. I have been challenged to grow, but I also feel I have had a lot to offer. We don't know what the future holds in terms of new emplyment for me , but what we do know is that we (or at least I) have a strong sense of peace about it. While I am terribly sad and disappointed that this is how I am leaving, I believe that something else is waiting for me. Now, I just need to find out what that "something else" is (hard to do when you are still working full-time!).

I refuse to end this blog on such an uncertain note. As I think about the seasons, Spring is the season of hope with the passing of the dark, winter months and the brighter, warmer days to come. It is a season of promise as buds grow on trees, and as life springs forth from bulbs planted the autumn before. Hope. Promise. Golly, you can't go wrong with either of those things -- and I am full of them both.

But just in case that isn't enough to keep your spirits up... here is one final photo to share from our Disney trip in February...

Yes, Josie caught Tinkerbell in her hands... and she didn't even know it until she got home and saw the picture on the computer. So, make a wish - because wishes DO come true!

February = Birthday Fun!

2009-02-20T20:07:00.008-06:00

February is a BIG month in the Moore household as we have two girls with February birthdays. This year, we took advantage of the fact my folks live in Florida and decided to escape the chill of winter for a week of Florida fun during Josie's birthday. What a gorgeous week it was! Sunny, warm, breezy... I can see why people like it down there! Spending Josie's birthday in Florida came with a lot of perks... she got to do a lot of the activities that she loves: riding her bike, blowing bubbles, going to the beach, and yes... even going to Disney! Josie had the birthday to remember as we celebrated her big day at Disney World's Magic Kingdom while Norah stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa. I tell you what... I am not sure who was more tired at the end of the day!

This is Norah, sacked out before lunch was even served. I don't know what magic my parents are able to work, but I want in on it! This would never happen at our house.

Anyway, we spent Josie's day at Disney. A day full of meeting princesses, riding rides, seeing Mickey and Minnie, and was topped off with a dinner celebration with Cinderella, Prince Charming, and the step-sisters. What a wonderful day! I don't begin to know how we will ever begin to top it next year...

While Disney was the big "birthday celebration," much of the week had an air of birthday to it since lots of special activities took place. The temps were such that we could go to the beach and enjoy the shore, but the water was frigid! Norah, having not developed a healthy fear of water yet, was fighting me at the shore line. I finally let her have some freedom and woosh came a wave, Norah fell in, and was most unhappy. After that experience, she was much more willing to let me hold her hand.

Another benefit of where my folks live is that there are mini-golf courses literally across the street from the shore. WOW! Josie loves mini-golf and takes advantage of any opportunity to play.

We have lots of pictures to share from this trip... far too many to post. So, in the tradition of last year's birthday videos of Josie and Norah, we made another video of our Florida vacation.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We are now home from vacation, having flown myself and the girls down to Florida (while Eric enjoyed the peace of the drive solo) and then driving home as a family unit. I gotta say, our girls are pretty good travelers! That said, I also don't know how we ever survived such trips without portable televisions/dvd players!!!

Today is Norah's birthday -- already two years old! She had a busy day that started with her favorite breakfast -- sausage links. Seriously... she can eat her weight in sausage... it is a little gross. Anyway, the rest of the day was a pleasant one spent running around with me and Eric to get her new shoes (she is a growing girl) and some birthday goodies. This evening, we rounded out her birthday with a yummy mexican dinner (one of her favorites) and cupcakes.

So now the girls are both a year older and Eric and I find ourselves wondering how all this has happened as it seems like so much has happened so very fast.

Hold on... I hear it just keeps goin' faster!

The Three B's -- Bruises, Birds, and Obamas

2009-01-28T21:35:00.004-06:00

OK... first of all... I know the title is a stretch. Yes, I know that Obama isn't an "official" B-word, but consider it poetic license!

Now that we have that out of the way... please know it was not our intention to let the blog go fallow for so long. I can't say that we have been overly busy, because we haven't. I can't say I have forgotten, because I have been thinking about this for weeks. I guess I can say that I have been lacking pictures and that would be the truth. And I know that as much as you enjoy my words, you really come for the pictures. :) Read on... you will understand a little bit of why pictures are scarce.

First of all, Christmas ended well. We had a wonderful, laid-back holiday that ended both too soon and just in the nick of time. If you have or have had school-aged children, I am sure you understand the tension there. One of the things Norah picked up over the Christmas break was walking in our shoes. Now, I remember doing this as a kid. Eric remembers doing it. We know almost every kid does it... but the reason it was noteworthy in our house is because we realized that Josie never did this. So watching Norah slip into "big girl shoes," even with her shoes still on, has been great fun! Her favorite shoes are by far Josie's shoes... whom she now calls "Sissy," much to my chagrin. But Josie LOVES the title, so we go with it. Anyway... back to the shoes... Norah spends much of her evening time stomping around the house in whatever big shoes she can find. Eric's shoes have not fallen victim to this... perhaps because they are too big and heavy. Wait... I take that back. I do believe his slippers fell victim to Norah's dress-up habits. While this is great fun, it is also a growing frustration as our shoes are never where we left them and very rarely left as a matched set. That makes for a lot of shoe-searching-chaos first thing in the morning. So shoes.... these are the pics you get for this blog. That's all I got... for now.

And the reason we don't have other pictures is the first B in the title of the post... BRUISES. Norah has had quite a fun time bonding with her sister and playing in Josie's room. Norah also has a love for step-stools. With a step-stool in Josie's room, Norah was in hog-heaven climbing up and down and up again. And that's when it happened. Norah lost her balance on the stool and took a header into the footboard on Josie's bed. At first, we just hugged her and kissed her and all was well. That was evening. Then morning came and the bruises began to show. And I am not talking about little bruises. No. FULL cheek bruising on her face. One whole cheek, circling under her eye, and then the center section of the other cheek. Bruises take a LONG time to heal. So no pictures were happening then...we didn't want anyone turning us into family services! Oh... and in the midst of this, Norah has a completely chapped nose, upper lip, and cheeks (on top of the bruises) from a horrible runny nose. Oh I tell you what... she was a sight! But now the chapped skin is better and the bruises are gone... even the long-lasting green tints of bruises that seem to linger on.

In the midst of healing bruises, we had a bird incident. Let me first say, I don't like birds. I like them fine outside my window or even at the zoo, but in my "space," not so much. On one of the coldest days of January, a bird fell into our fireplace. It flapped around like crazy. That made ME crazy. Now, we live in an old house with an OLD fireplace. I wasn't about to get into it... and neither was Eric. Well, with a friend's help and a good shot of bravery, we opened up the fireplace grate to learn the flue sealed shut. So the bird that sounded like it was all the way at the bottom of the fireplace was actually stuck above the flue that was sealed off. Nothing we could do at that point but wait. A couple of uncomfortable days went by of the bird flapping around and scratching its beak on the flue, but soon ended. How sad. And how "ew!"

But aside from these little pieces of drama in our lives, we did take lots of time out to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Josie woke up on that Tuesday morning and after rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she got very excited and announced, "Today Obama becomes President! How excited is he?!" Indeed, I believe he was pretty excited, but I think the nation was just as excited. It seemed to be a wonderfully historic day that the nation was able to appreciate and relish in, no matter whom they voted for. Now THAT is cool.

And speaking of making history... Eric just told me that today is the 23 anniversary of the Challenger explosion. Wow. I feel old.

So there ya go. I go off the blogosphere for a month and I come back all chatty about nothing in particular. We are gearing up for a family vacation in the next couple of weeks when we will go see my folks in Florida. I am sure with a week of family fun that I will have cute, non-bruised pictures to share relatively soon.

Thanks for sticking with us!

A Very Merry!

2008-12-26T10:34:00.009-06:00

It was indeed a very merry day at our house this Christmas! We had the joy of celebrating with Eric's mom and step-dad who were up from Springfield. And let me just say "YAY" that they were here... they were WONDERFUL in helping us get many Christmas chores done (such as wrapping) that we hadn't had time to do due to church craziness and sick children.

Christmas morning started EARLY, as one might expect with a 6 yr old. Josie was the first one up and we somehow convinced her to row up in bed with us to watch cartoons until Norah woke up. That lasted about 30 minutes. With Norah's first peep, Josie was ready to go!! Remember the anticipation of Christmas morning?! Josie was so careful in walking down the stairs... just trying to peer around the doorway to see that indeed Santa had come!

Norah, while not yet eager to enjoy the day, was filled with Christmas wonder once she saw how the room had been transformed with new gifts under the tree. She enjoyed being in the midst of everything, but it didn't take long to get over-stimulated and to need the "safe space" of her room and familiar things for a short while. Today, the day after, she is still enjoying her new toys. She can't spend much time with any one of them before she wants to explore a different toy, but it is certainly keeping her busy!

This was the first year of toys without the tag, "some assembly required," and also the first Christmas without a bulk purchase of batteries to get us through. As a friend observed, that just means the toys are getting smaller and more expensive. In Josie's case, that is absolutely the truth!

Grandparents went home mid-afternoon after a yummy Christmas dinner (Josie said a most touching Christmas prayer... the mouths of babes truly keep us centered on what Christmas is all about!). After naps, Eric and I drove the girls into town to check out some Christmas lights. This "Magic Tree" is quite the destination for locals out here. VERY impressive and also a nice way to end a wonderful day of family festivities!

Christmas Programs

2008-12-25T16:34:00.005-06:00

With children in daycare and in elementary school, we are blessed with the occurrence of Christmas (I am sorry... HOLIDAY) programs leading up to Christmas. Josie's school program was the Monday before break started and they sang two cute songs -- one called snow angels and another called snowpants. This is yet another opportunity to wear her fancy Christmas outfit, which she simply adores. Any excuse to dress up in a good excuse for Josie!

Norah also had a Christmas program. Yes, she is 22 months and barely talking, but even Norah had a program. There are currently only 6 children at her daycare -- four that are preschool age, Norah, and another boy her age. This is a smaller number than usual -- Josie was in a class of ten her entire way through this daycare. At any rate, we were worried that Norah would get shy, as she often does, and wig out during the program. Indeed, just the opposite happened and she thoroughly enjoyed standing in front of everyone with the big kids. She didn't do much singing, but she clapped every time the parents clapped and she even took a bow at the end. Ahhh... I wonder where she gets her flair for the dramatic. It does seem to run in the family!

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-18T23:12:00.003-06:00

The days are rapidly escaping us as we move through advent on towards Christmas. We do hope all is well with you and yours. Please accept this as our effort to be a bit more "green" in our Christmas greetings this year.
May your Christmas be blessed!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Holiday Hub Bub

2008-11-29T10:52:00.006-06:00

WOW -- as I look at the date of the last entry, I am aware of just how busy November turned out to be! For many in our profession, December is the busy time... along with February and March... but this year, November provided for a lot of busy-ness in our lives. I could run down the list, but I fear you would be asleep before it was half done. Let's just concentrate on the highlights.

Highlight 1 -- My folks came to town for two weeks prior to Thanksgiving. It is always good to have them here, but this time in particular. Eric and I both had very crazy church schedules during the time they were here. We also had a sick little one -- so thankfully, they were here and ready to step into full-time grandparent duty! PHEW! While they were here, cookies and pies were baked for Thanksgiving, the Christmas tree went up and the house kept on going. None of that would have happened without them those two weeks.

Highlight 2 -- Josie was a part of her second Glorify! musical at church. We Are United was a children's musical with a Survivor theme to it -- the characters learned the importance of being united together in Christ and working as a team. Josie was "Marta Stewart" and led the Godly Garden Center Challenge... planting seeds so that they will grow. Her challenge involved telling the participants to choose wisely between rocks, thorns, soil, etc, so that their seeds could indeed grow into beautiful flowers. It was quite cute. She had only a couple of speaking parts, but each part was a good sized paragraph. I never knew if her lines were memorized or not -- she refused to run them with me. Lo and behold, she had them down flawlessly!!

Highlight 3 -- THANKSGIVING, of course! This year, my sister and her family hosted Thankssgiving in their new home in St. Louis. Our parents and our paternal grandparents were also there. Let's talk about controlled chaos... 'cause anytime you add a 6 yr old and two toddlers to the mix, that is what it is!! Josie did a GREAT job at self-entertaining or playing with the younger kids. Mitchell (who is 15 months) is up and running and interested in everything. Norah... well, Norah was too busy being scared of Mitchell, who is 6 months younger than her, but 6 pounds bigger than her. For whatever reason, Norah was completely wigged-out by him. Bummer. We were hoping for good "cousins" pictures... that did NOT happen as we could barely keep Mitchell and Norah in the same room together without Norah having a melt-down. That said, we did get some fun pics of the various children and activities.

There is much to give thanks for this year. We are always thankful for our family and friends... for our churches. We are thankful for each of you who bless us in so many ways. Thank you for being you and for loving us. It takes a team effort to make it through this life, and as Josie and the other cast members of her musical reminder us, we are indeed united together.

Glued to the Tube

2008-11-04T15:48:00.010-06:00

As is my job, I picked up Josie from school this afternoon. As she came out the school door, I observed her in full-blown-panick-attack and tears (she knew we were going to the doctor's to get flu shots, which to Josie is a sentence worse than a day without computer privileges...). I also noticed that she was wearing not one, but two, "I voted" stickers -- one of which was identical to what I received from my election site. I asked her about it, and she said they held a presidential election at school. Josie described their version of balloting, including folding their special papers in half and depositing in a big brown box. She said that everyone's vote was a secret, though she also claimed to know that the boy sitting next to her (whom she talks about a lot -- I suspect is her next crush) voted for Obama. Now Josie really is in love.

Now before I get accused of raising my daughter to be an Obamaniac, I must report that I have never-not once-ever said anything to her about my enthusiasms for Obama. Her class at school has done a terrific job of studying the candidates, and even participated in an exercise in political surrogacy when a few fifth graders came down to her first grade class to represent and enlighten about the presidential candidates. While I'm pleased with Josie's choice, I'm prouder she came to her own conclusion.

Nevertheless, like the rest of the world hours before polls close, Josie is eager. She asked me on the way to get the flu shot whether Obama won. I told her people were still voting, and that she may not find out until after she wakes up in the morning. I explained that later tonight the polls would close and that television news would begin to post election results. Now, Josie is glued to the TV just like the rest of us, only she's not looking to see how Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and Colorado go, Josie is staring at the screen eagerly awaiting Tom Brokaw to tell her the results for Daly Elementary....

Oh, there were screams and wails at the doc's office, and that was even before the shot was given. Actually the drama stopped once the needle struck, realizing that the worry was so much worse than reality. A trip to DQ helped to salve any lingering wound. As for the sound an Arctic Rush makes when dropped from a table onto the restaraunt's tile floor, you'll just have to imagine.

2008-10-29T07:59:00.008-06:00

Happy Halloween!
I would ask how on earth it got to be the end of October already, but I find myself saying that repeatedly throughout the year regarding the various holidays. While time may stand still when you are young, it sure speeds on by as we age...

But for this moment... if we slow down long enough to enjoy it... we celebrate Halloween. Halloween isn't a big holiday in our household and I really think it has nothing to do with our chosen professions. It is a great time for some fun, but it just doesn't have the "oompf" that family-based holidays seem to have. So really, Halloween is just a marker for us -- it gets us one step closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas when we can celebrate time together as a family with our families.

This year, the girls started their Halloween festivities early with the annual Trunk-or-Treating event at my church. Josie took one of her dress-up outfits, made by Grandma, and turned it into a great gypsy costume. The scarf on her head is a scarf that Grandpa brought back from a trip to China. This picture is of Josie and her dear friend Allen. They have been attending this event together since they were three and we have pictures of them from every year. The difficult thing to see this year, is that they look so grown up! I tease Eric that is looks like they are ready for a date -- Josie with her eye make-up and jewelry while Allen sports his fun hat (he is Indiana Jones, btw. He was sporting a pack and a whip as part of his costume that isn't in this picture).

While Josie relished wearing make-up and jewels for her costume, Norah enjoyed a more simple approach as a jack-o-lantern. This was her first Trunk-or-Treat event to enjoy. While she didn't do much treating, she sure enjoyed running around the parking lot and chasing the wind! The wind was certainly howling this day, but Norah would just laugh at it. Such a sweetie!

Today continues the Halloween celebrations as Josie stays at school for a special pumpkin decorating event. Tomorrow is Norah's big hayride and pumpkin find day at daycare. And of course, Friday will meet us with an eager Josie to get out and enjoy the trick-or-treating.

And come Friday night when everyone is tucked into bed, we are one step closer to the joys of the next holidays to come!

Fall Fun

2008-10-18T19:46:00.010-06:00

The past few weeks have been busy ones... long weeks full of church meetings, short weekends with too much going on. Yet somehow, in the midst of the chaotic school schedules and work schedules, we made sure to set aside some time for some family fun!

Last weekend was Central Methodist's Homecoming, which means the town was a flurry of activity. We spent the morning out on the square with many others as we sat back and enjoyed the Homecoming Parade. You know, I couldn't tell you who we played that day... or even if we won or not... but I can tell you we had a pretty awesome parade! Eric and I were hoping for a laid back time while Josie enjoyed the parade with friends and Norah stayed close to us. Boy were we wrong! Norah wanted to be in the middle of EVERYTHING.... literally. We were continuously pulling her out from the middle of the street so that the parade wouldn't run her over!

Other parade highlights included the retrieval of candy tossed from floats, 4 marching bands (CMU, the high school, and two visiting high schools), college floats with a "superheroes" theme, and the political/election floats. Being a small town, the parade does two loops through town, usually with most floats being out of candy to be tossed to the children by the end of the first round.

After the parade, Norah got to enjoy her first walk through crispy fall leaves. She LOVED it.

This weekend, we took the girls north of town to buy pumpkins. I am one of those people who refuses to buy pumpkins from the grocery store, so we went out in search of a local pumpkin patch. Turns out, it was a rough year for pumpkins with all the rain. The place we went to planted 16 acres of pumpkins but was only able to harvest 6 of those acres. Still, even with fewer pumpkins, the girls were able to find their "perfect" picks for the season.

It was a gorgeous fall day, so after our pumpkin picking, we went to a local park to run around for a while. Our hope was that all the fresh air would help them nap this afternoon... we weren't that lucky. Oh well. It truly was a wonderful day which when coupled with the events from last weekend have made for some fabulous fall fun.

and now for a Public Service Announcement...

2008-10-02T18:13:00.007-06:00

At the end of the day, it isn't as important to us WHO you vote for as it is that you simply get out there and VOTE. Voter registration ends soon... get out there and do it! And when November 4 comes, you make the best decision you can with the info that you have.

VOTE.

(Norah's: Vote for my Better Tomorrow.... Josie's: A Vote Today ROCKS Tomorrow)

Pretty as a Picture

2008-09-19T20:00:00.007-06:00

Oh dear... it really has been a while since my last post. My apologies! Lots has been going on, but none of it extremely noteworthy. We have simply been living at that chaotic pace that keeps us on our toes from dawn until well into the night. But today, I found a reason, as well as some time, to post. You see, last week we took Norah's 18mo pictures. We thought you would enjoy some of them....

The challenge of the day was getting Norah to sit still. She was far too comfortable with her surroundings (compared to Josie at a similar age who was afraid of the camera...). But the folks at the portrait studio know what they are doing, thankfully, and were able to catch some pretty good shots. Phew! Hopefully, this little exercise will have been a warm-up for Christmas portraits to come... we shall see!

The Face of "Average"

2008-08-27T08:48:00.006-06:00

I grew up going to school during a time when 70% was average. A "C" was average. It was considered acceptable, but not noteworthy in any manner. Of course, being who I am, average was never good enough... average was considered a failure.

These days I have had to accept a new understanding of the word "average." On a scale of 100, 50 is considered average. The middle ground. There is an equal amount above and an equal amount below. Average. There is nothing wrong with average... I have to remind myself of that... and in fact, I am finding that the face of average is pretty darn cute!!

You see, Norah had her 18 month well-baby exam yesterday. Norah loves spending time with Dr. B. (after-all, he comes to play... someone else gives the shots!) and after giving him all her toys to play with, he gave her the stamp of perfect health. During our visit, we did get quite a chuckle off of how well Norah has stuck to the growth curves since birth. In height and weight, she was born at 50%. Now 18 months later, she is still 50%. Between birth and now... she has always stayed at 50%. Now at first, this was hard to bear. Josie was our 97% and higher baby in all those categories. We loved having a big baby. We were, dare I say, proud to have a big baby. Then Norah came a few weeks earlier than expected and a little more petite than expected, and seems to have stayed that way. There is certainly nothing wrong with her being petite... we just have never "done" petite as neither of us come from petite families. That said, we have found that we adore this "average" frame of Norah's just as much as we enjoyed Josie's above-average build. We are a little surprised that we have the child for whom the size/age chart seems to work perfectly for (Josie was always double her age in size... and still is), but we are adjusting. So Norah, at 24 pounds and 32 inches is perfectly average in the doctor's eyes and indeed simply perfect in this mother's eyes.

And all those negative connotations that we associate with the word "average" need to just disappear, because while Norah may be average in her size, her personality goes well beyond anything one would dare call "average." So look out world... she may not look mighty, but she wields quite a punch of personality in that petite package!

First Day of First Grade

2008-08-22T18:25:00.006-06:00

"I can't believe that I'm in first grade... and I'm only six!!" exclaimed Josie as she was getting dressed for the first day of school on Wednesday. Oh exciting times! Josie has looked forward to this day since the last day of kindergarten. After-all, it meant she was growing up! It also meant she would get to have Mrs. Bentley as her teacher... the teacher that she "wished she would have... and it happened!"

First grade is indeed an exciting time. Her class has a classroom pet -- Iggy the Iguana. Apparently, Iggy can take walks around the classroom during special times. I don't have any pictures of Iggy, but perhaps I can work on that for a blog post later this year.

For now, Josie is enjoying getting back into routine with school. She and her best gal-pal aren't in the same class this year, but reports are that they continue to sit next to each other each day at lunch.

Personally, I am a bit more emotional about having a first grader than I was with having a kindergartner. It seems that once the numbered grades begin, they go too fast. I already feel as though Josie is 6 going on 16... I hope we can slow down time just enough that we can savor this wonderful stage -- the excitement, the joy, the rapid learning... all of it. Yet I know I cannot slow down time. I know time will speed on by as we struggle to balance school with family with ministry.... and with all that in mind, I am a bit afraid to blink for fear I will miss it all...

Perspective

2008-08-22T18:08:00.004-06:00

After Eric posted his blog about his day with Josie, it got me reminiscing. We have been apple picking as a family for years -- it is something we truly enjoy and look forward to every year. Norah hasn't had the opportunity to go as of yet, but Josie will no doubt want to remedy that in the coming weeks -- after-all, to Josie, it is a long-stranding family tradition! Well, as luck would have it, I still have pictures from Josie's first apple-picking adventure at Eckerts Farm in Illinois when she was about 18 months old. Hold these pictures in comparison to the ones in Eric's blog below!

A Day with Dad

2008-08-22T14:50:00.007-06:00

I remember years ago, attending a ministry-as-vocation exploration event, and listening to the speaker frankly discuss ministry's impact on her family. Something she said struck me -- something about how since she often worked 60-70 hour workweeks and was more-or-less on-call 24/7 to beloved congregants, she made no apology for taking time away to be with family who sacrifice so much for her vocation. As in, time away while technically on-the-clock -- as in, a brief respite not on a (rare) day off. As in, a Monday morning after a long week of VBS that consumed any down-time the previous week -- a Monday morning set aside to be with Josie.

We set out with multiple plans. We'd call from the road when the U-pick apple orchard was to open to find out what was in season (we had an hour-long drive, so we wanted to be sure not to be on a wild goose chase). And if that didn't work out, a last-run of some silly animated something-or-other and a bucket of popcorn so big she'd have to eat her way out of suited Josie just fine.

Fortunately, a morning of apple-picking was in our future. The fine folks at the mid-state apples & alpacas farm were open and ready to welcome us. A nasty ice storm a couple winters ago killed any hope of apples last fall, and it seems orchards all around are coming back to life this fall with bated breath, wondering which varieties would endure. The Galas (a Moore family fave) didn't fare well, though it seemed an unknown (to us) variety -- William's Pride -- were having a banner year. Getting to U-pick courtesy of a golf cart provided us by the orchard folks was pretty cool to Josie (and her dad)! Thirty pounds of apples and a brief tour through the alpaca pasture later, we met Mom for lunch and headed off to the park.

It was a fine day with the first-grader-to-be. She talked non-stop -- if it seems like her tongue is against her teeth in every picture, it's only because she chatted through her smiles. Like her mother who has been known to plan one vacation while she was on another, as Josie was getting in the car to head home, she began planning that trip to the movies. That will just have to wait for another day...

The Last Hoorah

2008-08-15T20:00:00.014-06:00

Last weekend, we went to St. Louis for Mitchell's first birthday party. Since it was my last weekend before going back to work, and really, our only vacation this summer, we decided to make a full weekend of it -- a last hoorah for the summer. My folks were still in town, staying at Sarah's house and we came in to help celebrate my nephew's big birthday (you can see him here).

Norah and Mitchell had great fun playing on opposite sides of the patio door and the Lovegreen estate. I don't know what kind of noises were happening on Mitchell's side of the door, but Norah was squealing and giggling in delight as she played with her cousin.

We had great fun at the party -- it was Olympic themed and held outside on a GORGEOUS August day (gorgeous and August are rarely used in the same sentence, but I digress... ). Norah hung out with Grandma and blew bubbles while Josie worked the circuit, blowing bubbles and entertaining the young children that were present.

After spending time with family, we took the girls to Faust Park so Norah could take her first carousel ride. Josie, who adores carousels was very eager to share this part of life with Norah.

Following the carousel, there was plenty of time for playing in the park before heading back home.

It was a good, albeit fast, time away. Now look closely at the pictures... you can't tell Norah decided to cut three molars in three days, can you?! Ahh... the magic of pictures. Hopefully we will forget THAT memory and remember the good ones represented here!

Eleven and Counting

2008-08-09T09:01:00.005-06:00

Twelve years ago, Eric and I spent the month of August making the transition from college into seminary. At different times (as we were still "dating" then), we made the move to Kansas City to attend graduate school. And when I say Kansas City, I don't mean that nice touristy part of town with fountains, shopping malls, and museums... I am talking about living on one of the corners that was frequently highlighted on the television show COPS. ANYWAY... we both moved into our respective cinder-block apartment walls, received our welcome gifts from the school of a plant and "the club" for our the steering wheels of our car, and we were ready to start life.

As Eric was moving into his little apartment, he invited me over in the midst of the moving chaos and in short, presented me with a beautiful bouquet of roses and proposed to start a new life together. WOW. That was twelve years ago this month. TODAY (August 9), we celebrate our eleventh wedding anniversary. I have to tell you, as we are enjoying this day of 85 degree temps in August (this NEVER happens in Missouri), we are remembering that it was not so mild on our wedding day. That said, it truly was a perfect day and we enjoyed every moment of it.

Eleven years. Most days it seems like it hasn't been that long. Other days, well... if you are married, you know how it goes. My dad said it best as he and Mom celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this year. He said there were some long days and even some long weeks, but overall, the years went by very fast. Yes, we do understand that! All things considered, it has been a very fast and fabulous 11 years.

Happy Anniversary, Eric!

Josie's World

2008-08-01T09:27:00.009-06:00

Last Sunday night, this question was asked of Josie: "How was your evening?"

Josie's response: "Rock and Roll!! SWEET!"

Oh My. This was after Josie's "perfect night" was realized... she got to watch the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert on television in 3-D!! For those of you who are somehow blessedly unaware of this Disney phenomenom, Hannah Montana is all the rage among young girls today. What a thrill!! The only thing that would have made it better for Josie is if she got to see the concert in person.

The countdown to the concert was intense. It started a week before the concert with brand new episodes of Hannah Montana on television every night (Disney is brilliant). Then as the days ticked by and the actual date of the concert arrived, the hours passed by like years. Josie would look at the clock and sigh. She laid down for a rest only because she new time would pass faster in her sleep. Supper came and went... and the time had come. Josie was more than ready.

Josie danced and Josie sang. She sat spellbound. She squealed and enjoyed every moment.

Norah enjoyed the concert, too. Getting up to dance and clap with each of the songs.

And yes, Mom got in on some of the 3-D action, too.

What about Dad? Well, he hung out with us, but in his mind, I am sure he was worried about what the coming years of raising girls was going to be like. Poor guy - make-up, tampax, and boys will be here before he knows it!

The Grape Popsicle

2008-07-24T09:25:00.007-06:00

It is summer time. And while we have been blessed with fairly mild weather for the summer thus far, there are still some basic rites of passage for every child during this season. For Josie, those rites include swim lessons and riding a bike. For Norah, the rites include playing barefoot and eating popsicles on balmy summer nights. Just a couple of days ago, Norah took great pleasure in enjoying a purple popsicle with Grandma. They sat out on the back porch after supper and Norah sat the stillest she has sat in days as she thoroughly enjoyed her grape popsicle.

Unfortunately, all good things do eventually come to an end... including the grape popsicle. Here's what Norah thought about that:

In other news, Norah is talking up a storm. Unfortunately, we rarely understand her. However, there are some key words we are picking up. For instance:
"waff" is waffle
"goo coo-ey" is good cookie
"aga" is again
"up" self explanatory
"all clean" not referring to herself, but to the vacuumed rug
"book" and "ree" for read... which she loves to do.
And of course, she says "pees" and "tanks" as she learns her manners.

Norah is proving to be a LOT like her sister in that once she starts talking, she doesn't really stop... even to take a breath. Oh how we dread the phone bills....

Lazy Summer Days

2008-07-11T08:59:00.004-06:00

Not much has been happening at the Moore Manse these days. I have been slowly recovering from surgery and the girls have been enjoying time with my parents. Among the highlights for Josie has been learning to ride her bike, attending the county fair, and taking swim lessons. Grandpa has been a real sport with the "bike training," as Josie calls it. They have been having a couple "training sessions" each day as she learns to master training wheels. We all agree that if her leg-work were as fast as her talking, she would be in GREAT shape!

Swim lessons just started and Josie is already doing great. She won't be an olympian swimmer when it is over, but hopefully she will be a lot more confident and self-sufficient in the water. She is having a GREAT time!

And the county fair is happening this week. Among Josie's highlights at the fair have been taking a pony ride (an annual event) and the kids tractor pull. Gotta say, she didn't break any records with the tractor pull, but she had a ball and got a 3rd place ribbon. She also got to see lots of the animals up for judging and auction, which is always a treat for this "city girl."

Grandma, Norah, and I have been laying low while Gpa and Eric have been tending to Josie. Me on the sofa, Gma maintaining the house, and Norah everywhere in between (I guess gma wouldn't say she was laying low... she has been busy keeping up with everyone!). Maybe next week I will have some energy to chase Norah around and get some pics to post.

What Molly did on her summer vacation

2008-07-01T12:50:00.003-06:00

No pictures today. You'll have to understand why!

Yesterday, Molly made it through a successful hysterectomy, if in fact those two words can legitimately be uttered in the same sentence. All took a little longer than expected, but she's begun the slow mending process. She'll be in the pokie for another day or two, and then continue recuperation at home for a few weeks helped in no small measure by her folks who are in Missouri for an extended summer stay. While none of it easy, I suspect the hardest challenge will be not being able to pick up Norah for quite a while!

Please feel free to drop her an email or post a reply here -- she'd love to hear from you. We both love and appreciate you for your support and prayer.

Time to Relax

2008-06-23T12:05:00.007-06:00

What a great day it was!! On Sunday, we got to take a much needed break to enjoy some very good friends of ours. How wonderful it is to be in the presence of folks who just let you be you. Josie spent the time running around with her gal-pals and Norah spent the time being high maintenance. Nah.... she wasn't so bad... she just mooched off of everyone's plates except ours! Silly girl.

This was the last round of friendly fun for a little while. Eric flies down to Tampa tomorrow to help my folks drive up for the rest of the summer to help care for us during my 6 week forced vacation (they will do some shared time with Sarah in STL as her family gets settled into their new home). It will be so good to have them around -- Josie is just giddy with excitement! I will have lots of down time, so perhaps that will mean more blog time. We shall see...

Red

2008-06-19T19:30:00.005-06:00

If ever you ask Josie her favorite color, 99% of the time she will say red. If there was ever any doubt why (you have met her daddy, right?), this should help....

Oh... and she would add... "And you can't have pink without red!"

That's our girl!!

Nuttin' Honey

2008-06-16T12:57:00.006-06:00

Not much to report from our end -- been a busy start to summer with Josie in first grade summer school and the UMC annual conference last week. Won't be too long before my folks come stay with us for the rest of the summer to lend a hand. But for now, we bought a new camera. What that means for you.... optimistically... is that we will update the blog more regularly. Realistically, who knows if that will really happen, but it is fun to dream! For now, enjoy some simple eye candy.

It's That Time

2008-05-23T15:27:00.008-06:00

It's that time. That time of year when the church calendar (and therefore our calendar) is crazy with confirmations, graduations, youth worship services, and summer preparations. It is that time of year when I love to be outside and digging in the dirt. It's that time of year when the birds sing and the squirrels prance... all in an effort to torment our poor indoor cat. It is that time of year when bombshell changes can be made within a local congregation of the United Methodist Church without much warning (Linn folks, relax...we aren't expecting anything). And it's that time of year when I begin to realize just how grown up our "little girl" is.

See, this week was Josie's last week of school. Thursday was her final day of kindergarten. She is now a first grader. When she starts summer school on Tuesday, it is as an official first grader. She is doing math, she is reading, she loves her music and art classes... she is a real elementary student! For some reason, having a kindergartener wasn't that hard. Sending her to school on that first day wasn't as emotional as folks told me it would be. But for whatever reason, this, this first grade thing, THIS is hard.

With the last day of school came a little awards assembly. Awards for reading, attendance, fitness, etc. All the kindergarten children received reading awards presented by their way-cool-and-now-retiring principal. Josie took great pride in her award because she absolutely cannot get enough of reading.

As if the last day of school weren't enough hype for the day (we started the day with a special "graduation" breakfast at McDonald's), Josie had her dress rehearsal for her annual dance recital. This is a big deal because she gets to dance at Jesse Hall on the Mizzou campus-- and that IS a big deal!! For the actual recital on Saturday, Eric's mom and step-dad will come up. For the dress rehearsal, our dear friends, the Richardsons, came out to see Josie dance followed by an enjoyable dinner together. Seriously... dancing at Jesse Hall... that is a big big deal and we treat it as such.

But today is that time of the calm before the rest of the storm. It is a day of rest -- no school, no meetings, no dress rehearsals. Going into a long weekend, we are grateful for today, because tomorrow turns into a big 'ole ball of stress -- weddings, church services, and the dance recital. Oy. It is indeed that time...

Being "Momma"

2008-05-12T10:35:00.005-06:00

This Mother's Day, I took a few moments to begin recounting all the things I love about being a mom. This list is by no means exhaustive, or in any kind of order, but it speaks of my heart.

What this mom loves about being a mom:

sticky kisses
the smell of freshly cleaned heads after a bath
being a witness to the wonder that comes with learning
being privy to the prayers of our 6-year-old
nose rubs
the deep steady breathing of a sleeping babe
long walks and long talks
"girls nights"
the contagious laughter of our daughters
being able to invoke the contagious laughter...
baby feet
jammie-days
teaching our girls about God's love and grace
holding hands -- both big and small
being able to see the world through the innocence of a child's eyes
blanket forts
home-made cards and gifts
spontaneous "I love you-s"
baby kisses
dandelion bouquets
morning snuggles
rocking the babe in the quiet dark of night
muddy feet
toothless grins
being able to "kiss it and make it better"
being called "Momma"

Livin' Life

2008-05-10T08:30:00.007-06:00

Nothing fancy been going on lately -- hence the pause in blog posts. May is a busy month professionally -- full of confirmation services, graduation recognitions, youth worship services, etc. After all the professional activities are done, we will end the month with Josie's dance recital -- what a joy!! This is when we once again give thanks for having kids who are fairly laid back and can handle the scheduling chaos.

Josie is finishing up her kindergarten year. They took a trip to the dairy farm recently -- even got to milk a cow. Wish I had pictures of THAT to share with you!!

Instead, I have Norah pictures. Norah is beginning to be quite the little girl. She is walking everywhere and wants to be with her big sister all the time. This picture was taken before church one day -- Eric thought she was looking especially "Little Girl."

Besides her sister, Norah LOVES Lucy the Kitty. Sometimes, this is the only time Eric can get Norah to sit on his lap -- by coercing the cat there first.

Laundry day is a fun time for Norah. Usually, she carries random pieces of clothing around the house to be found during a scavenger hunt for said articles much later in the day. This time, the clothes weren't nearly as much fun as the empty laundry basket.

And I know I have posted a lot lately about what Norah has done when I haven't been looking. Have I mentioned she made it to the top of the stairs one day before we even blinked? Anyway... surprisingly, she came out of those events unscathed. Today, however, with me watching, this happened:

No, she didn't fall down the stairs. She simply tripped. Tripped right into the corner of the speaker. And seriously... talk about your slow-motion moments. I saw it happen. I heard her head hit. I wait for that eternally long pause between the hit and the scream. I am sure it all took just a second or two, but in that slow-motion moment, it was an eternity. I swooped her up, rushed to get the Tylenol and ice -- just like I am sure my mom did for me as a toddler (skinned knees and bumped heads were my specialty) -- and then I called my mom. I believe I said something to the effects of, "I broke the baby!" Ahh well, she stopped crying quickly and was back to playing in no time. That doesn't mean I wasn't still trying to chase her down with the ice-pack. You try icing a baby's head -- much easier said than done. And tonight... tonight I get to take her to church looking like this. Oh, I can't imagine what they are going to say!!

So like I said... we are just livin' life over here.... bumps and all!

Norah is at it Again!

2008-04-23T18:20:00.007-06:00

The things Norah is able to do in just a moment when my back is turned is AMAZING! Last time it was Kleenex... this time it was Cheerios.

Apparently, the "eyes in the back of my head" haven't quite grown in yet. Sigh.

Oh... and if you are wondering what she is wearing... Josie got a new swimsuit today. I kept asking Josie to try it on, but she wouldn't. Norah, on the other hand, was obsessed with it -- so she wore part of it instead!

Quick, before Momma sees!

2008-04-06T13:16:00.004-06:00

Norah was in my office with me before meetings one night last week. She was off in a corner and quiet -- something I was thankful for because I had a few tasks to take care of. I had forgotten that when small children are quiet, parents should be worried. I looked over to Norah and found this:

Good clean fun is the best!
Unfortunately, stuffing them back in the box isn't as much fun.
How much is a box of Kleenex these days?!?!

Yes, I CAN!

2008-04-05T07:02:00.006-06:00

People who study child development have often said that babies can't learn to talk and walk at the same time. Because of that, we often label our children as being "verbal" or "physical" based on which order they chose to develop each skill. Now that we are parents of a second child, we are, of course, experts on child development and have added our voice to the many who say that major skills like walking and talking need to be taken one at a time. Josie talked at 9 months but didn't walk until 16 months 1 week. Even today, Josie is more verbal than physical.

And then there was Norah. Now that Norah is over a year, we are often asked if she is walking or talking. Our common response is that no, she isn't doing either because she thinks she can do both at the same time. Miss Norah is fairly physical -- she is a climber and she is definitely more adventurous than her older sister. But at a year, she wasn't walking. Was she talking? Well, sort-of. She had her inflections and babblings for certain things. We knew what she was saying, but no one else would have. We kept teasing Norah, telling her to just concentrate on one or the other because babies can't learn to walk and talk at the same time. Norah would just giggle at us -- as if she knew exactly what she was doing.

Over the last two days, Norah has become increasingly verbal. She is repeating words, she is interested in communicating and wants to be a part of every conversation. This isn't to say her words are clear... she is just a baby, after all. But she has a rapidly increasing vocabulary in just the past two days. Not only does she say Mama, Daddy, hi, bye-bye, yes and boom, but she also says versions of these words: Josie, cat, blanket, thank you, Alan (friend at church), Emma (Josie's Friend), buckle, out, and the list goes on. The last two days has been a joy to be present as this part of her brain developed. The way our children learn language has always fascinated me.

But Norah wasn't going to stop there. She was not going to let us be right -- she was going to prove that she knew what she was doing. Last night, at 13 and a half months, Norah walked. Just three or four steps, but she walked. She took a step or two Wednesday night in the church nursery, but last night, she walked repeatedly. And I have to say, she did it like it was no big deal. Truly, I would have to say she even did it with a smirk on her face as though to say, "told you I could do it!" Apparently, Miss Norah is going to be the child that will not be held back by what the norms are. You tell her that she can only walk OR talk... and she will prove us wrong and do both. Look out, world... Norah will not be held back by your societal standards!

I don't have any pictures or video of her walking -- that will have to come another day. I do have this silly picture of Norah in one of her new onsies for summer. We always buy clothes a little on the big side -- we figure if we buy them when they fit, they won't fit for long. We just didn't think we were buying them THIS big. Where are her knees?!?

She Gets It!

2008-03-25T19:39:00.011-06:00

As a parent and a pastor, there is really nothing more rewarding than when your child seems to "get" a theological moment. As I was driving to church with the girls on Easter Sunday, having already torn apart the Easter baskets, the girls were fairly quiet. Suddenly, from the back of the van, Josie hollers, "MOM!"
As I ask, "What?" and look around for a deer or something about to run into the street, causing Josie to yell, Josie simply says, "Today Jesus is alive! Today he rised! (we will worry about words and grammar later... she IS only 6)." I complemented her understanding of the day when she added, unprovoked, "And that is better than candy!" Wow. She gets it. Or at least, she talks like she gets it. But for this pastor mom, that was good enough -- my day was made!

That little moment happened in the midst of a big Easter weekend for us. MeMa and Papa were up, along with cousin Anna. Anna is 3 now and Josie had a blast playing with her. They spent much of the weekend playing dress-up, decorating eggs, decorating cookies, eating cookies, etc. MeMa kept the girls good and busy while Eric and Papa worked on some odd jobs outside.

Easter morning comes early at our house... even earlier if you try to fit in any of the Easter hoopla before church. Typically, our tradition is that the Easter bunny delivers the baskets early, but then swings back by while we are at church to hide the Easter eggs. There is just NO WAY to get an egg hunt done before church! So far, there seem to be no issues with the fact that the bunny makes a second stop by the house. Heck, it means more candy, so I would think Josie is smart enough not to take issue with it!

After Easter worship services, the egg hunt, lunch, and a farewell to the family, we are snuggled in bed for our Easter snooze. I gotta say... whether there are extra worship services or not, Easter just takes on a different pace at the churches and when nap time comes, it is a glorious event. I would dare to say, even better than candy!

What's New Pussycat

2008-03-14T14:21:00.007-06:00

We had a real treat of some gorgeous weather earlier this week. It afforded us the opportunity to clean off the grill and enjoy daylight savings time with a mini-cook-out. Eric and I initiated the upcoming spring season with brats, but the girls had hot dogs. This was Norah's first bout with them and overall, she loved what was given her. That said, a full hot dog is just too much for this gal and she left a lot behind. Lucy-the-cat was very eager to see if she could help out!

On the warm day, Josie also took advantage of the warm weather by playing on her swing-set and riding her scooter and big wheel. Josie is very safety conscious -- and even though the big wheel rides low to the ground, she wanted to be sure to be safe and wear a helmet. The catch: Josie doesn't have a helmet that fits. So, she decided to wear Eric's. She rode the big wheel so hard, one of the back wheels popped off! Who knows, maybe that will be the push she needs to want a bicycle!

And finally, at the end of the day, Josie enjoyed one of her favorite past-times -- playing on the computer. Norah enjoys watching what her big sister is up to!

It was a great day for everyone! Here's hoping that more of those days aren't too far away! Some more spring days would be much appreciated!

Panties, Panties Everywhere

2008-03-13T14:34:00.005-06:00

I don't get out much. This is a fact I own up to freely. After all, I work in the church and I have two young kids... neither of these lend themselves to a lot of recreational socialization. So when I do get out, it is a big deal. No, I don't mean when we get out to see Curious George or Horton Hears a Who (although, I am looking forward to seeing Horton), I am talking about the "grown-up" version of getting out. Dinner with Eric, a non-animated movie, or even a concert.

This week, I was afforded the opportunity to go out and live an adult life for a night. Eric kept the girls -- picking them up after school and getting them back to school the next day. Eric did all this so I could accept a friend's invitation to a concert. I had been looking forward to this since November when the tickets were bought. Stephanie and I were going out, without our kids, for an evening of fun and music at a Tom Jones concert. Yes. Tom Jones. THE Tom Jones. Tom Jones who released his first greatest hits album the year I was born. When Stephanie invited me, I jumped at this chance to do something completely silly, all the while leaving Eric to wonder if he really knew who I was.

I have to say, the concert was a hoot. Watching the wide variety of people was a thrill. Ladies wrapped in boas.... others wearing their kitty cat ears. Grandchildren in their 20's sitting alongside their grandparents... and yes... 65 year old women twirling their thong-panties and throwing them on stage. Again, I don't get out much. I had no real idea that Tom Jones was the kind of guy ladies throw their panties at. But they did. And not just one or two pair. We are talking about lots of panties -- some making it the stage, some getting lots in the security-abyss between the audience and the stage. Still -- seemingly normal, mature women, were swooning and throwing panties at Tom Jones -- something I will never understand.

Don't get me wrong. I had a great time! I laughed, I sang, I gasped at the wonder that is Tom Jones and his fans. It was a fantastic night out and one that has refueled the Momma-tank for quite a while (we must do this again, Stephanie!). Eric is still enjoying the opportunity to poke fun at me that I went to this concert. But you know, how often do you get to go out and do something that is just silly and random -- just for the sake of fun? Life is often too grown-up, we need to take time out to fill up our fun-tanks until the next time rolls around.

I may not get out much, but when I do, I make sure it is worth it!

Unconditional Love

2008-03-06T09:13:00.004-06:00

As a parent, one learns very quickly about unconditional love. I remember when Josie was first born and realizing that feeling of love for my child that mother's talk about as being immeasurable and indescribable. Indeed, they were right. There isn't a thing that I wouldn't do for our either of our girls. I love them when they are happy and silly, when they are sad, when they are dirty, and when they say something absolutely heart-warming and sweet. I even love them when they yak all over me.

Yes, that's right. Yak. Puke. Vomit. Barf. Whatever you want to call it, we are experiencing it in high volume. Little Miss Norah who has been relatively healthy her first year of life, has come done with the stomach virus -- complete with glassy eyes, high fever, fitful sleeping, and unpredictable vomiting. Ew. We got the call from daycare on Tuesday that she was sick... she "got sick" three times in the half hour it took me to cancel my day and get to her. By evening, her fever was spiking around 103. 5. Early in the evening, we bathed her, trying to clean off the nastey puke smell, while also hoping to lower her temp. I am not sure we succeeded on either issue. By 9:00pm, it finally happened... she emptied the entire contents of her stomach (which really, considering she hadn't eaten all day, was quite a bit) right on top of me. Ew, ew, ew. And yet more than "ew," all I wanted to do was make it better for our baby girl. Yes, I was gross. Yes, I smelled. Yes, I was fighting my own gag-reflex. But that unconditional love popped into action and all I wanted to do was comfort this sick little girl who was just so obviously miserable.

Well, that isn't totally accurate. I wanted someone (read: Eric) to comfort her while I took a shower. But as soon as I got out of the shower, I was ready to take over again!

So for the past two days, we have been busy caring for our sick little girl while also trying to balance the ongoing life of our healthy 6-year-old. There has been lots of rocking in the rocking chair... another act of love when her head is so close to your nose and the poor thing just stinks to high heaven. There have been many late night Norah-sessions -- thankfully Josie can sleep through just about anything! And there have been many changes of clothes for both Norah and her parents. But through it all, more than being grossed out, more than being frustrated that work isn't getting done, more than being at a loss for what Norah needs, I just want to hold her and love on her, and let her know she isn't alone.

After all, I am her mama and that is just what mamas do.

Sorry Grandma, no pictures

2008-03-03T21:12:00.004-06:00

"Now one of Clinton's laws of politics is this: if one candidate is trying to scare you, and the other one is trying to get you to think ... if one candidate is appealing to your fears, and the other one's appealing to your hopes, you better vote for the person who wants you to think and hope."

October 25, 2004, by President Bill Clinton

Norah's Big Day

2008-02-20T06:26:00.006-06:00

Happy First Birthday, Norah!
You are simply amazing!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Birthday Bash

2008-02-17T21:25:00.017-06:00

What do you get when you put three children, 4 grandparents, 2 parents, and an aunt and an uncle together? A great birthday bash for two fabulous girls! This weekend we had a lot of family over to the house to help celebrate both Josie and Norah's birthdays. It was a great day made up of good people, yummy food, and lots of laughs from the children. Among other goals of birthday celebrations, there was a goal of getting some good pics of the cousins to mail to my folks in Florida. Well, that didn't exactly go so well. You can check out the video story of it at my sister's blog. One picture that sort-of sums up the whole ordeal of the picture taking:

Now, what we learned today, is that Norah had an excuse -- she was cutting a tooth. Today, now that the tooth is trough, she is MUCH happier!

Aside from the picture taking ordeal, we had your normal birthday festivities... food, presents, cake, and candles.

Norah and Mitchell played well together -- though she did try to steal all of Mitchell's toys.

Presents were a huge success... as they seem to be for any child. Norah enjoyed climbing the tower of presents, while Josie enjoyed ripping them open. Josie loved all of her gifts, but is especially taken by her new American Girl doll, Molly.

Norah slept through the food part of the party, so her cake happened tonight. To say that this child has discovered her sweet tooth would be an understatement. The cake was only so-so, but that icing... she was all about the icing!

Over all, a good time has been had by all! The party may be over, but there is celebrating yet to come... Norah turns one on Wednesday!

Passages

2008-02-11T22:28:00.001-06:00

I’m a boy, living with a bunch of chicas. Hence the “Minority Leader” moniker. I freely admit there's so much of life with the other of the species I don't get. But I'm completely fascinated by it.

It seems that when you’re a little girl, you never forget this moment in your life. Today will linger in Josie’s memory, I figure -- she got earrings today! Molly, who legend has it got earrings after nagging her mother over and again, and her mother said yes as long as Molly promised not to cry (rumor is she didn’t), got them at age five. So many times in this past year Josie had expressed great interest in getting her ears pierced like Mommy’s, but when offered Josie would say “just not now”. Then, a couple weeks ago, Josie declared it would be time on her 6th birthday. Today was the day. I was just along for the ride, literally watching from afar. In the span of a split second, I witnessed Josie’s wincing from the pain, and then when they turned her toward the mirror the utter delight at the result. Apparently the pain was worth it, with nary a further thought. Another passage eclipsed, another moment further securing Josie into the sisterhood, another of those moments that I feel ever so slightly less relevant. After all, I will always be daddy … but I’m a boy!

And just when I think I’ve lost all importance to my ever-becoming bigger-girl, she proudly shows me her new earrings. They’re red. Of all the lovely pinks and purples and blues and greens to choose from in the starter sets, Josie chose red – her favorite color, “because the [St. Louis] Cardinals are red.” Yes, I am responsible for giving the world one more Cardinals fan. Mayhaps my influence is not totally lost after all.

And then Josie reminds me the other reason red is her fave: “Dad, you have to have red in order to get pink.” Such a girl.

6 Years!

2008-02-11T08:34:00.004-06:00

Six years ago today life changed...
And what a wonderful change it has been.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

'Twas the Night Before...

2008-02-10T21:05:00.001-06:00

'Twas the night before Josie's birthday and all through the house, all the creatures were stirring, even a mouse....

OK...so I really don't know if there is a mouse stirring. And truthfully, I hope there isn't! What I do know is that our family has had one heck of a roller coaster ride this weekend and it didn't end before the whole family, save one, had the stomach flu. This is one of those rare times when I find I am thankful for my 20-hour work weekend -- it kept me out of the germ-fest that is our house (Thanks to our dear friends who helped pick up the pieces and enabled "the show to go on" on a Sunday when our lives fell apart!). So far, hear me knock on wood, I have escaped the virus. That said, we also all have the upper-respiratory "goop." Sigh.

Stomach virus aside, Josie has big plans for her sixth birthday. She gets to have Daddy in for school lunch. She gets to bring in birthday treats in the afternoon. Her big plan for the big sixth birthday also included an appt to get her ears pierced! She has plans for her special supper. She dreams of her birthday dessert. Of course, none of Josie's plans included the stomach flu. It didn't involve being up all night and it certainly didn't involved not being able to enjoy her favorite foods. Bless her heart, she has never had the stomach flu until his weekend. So now she is having to process the fact that her "perfect" birthday may be put on hold for a day or two. You see, not only is her health at issue, in these parts of the world, we are due for quite a weather event tomorrow. Even if her health is restored, some of her birthday events will be put on "wait and see" status based on weather. Poor kid. No one should have to ring in their birthday with the stomach flu!

Sí, se puede

2008-02-04T20:02:00.004-06:00

"We have been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story of America, there has never been anything false about hope."

Several weeks ago, I thought I knew whom I was for. I definitely knew whom I didn’t favor. And late the night of the Iowa caucuses, I heard a speech and found my interest piqued. A few days later, I heard Barack Obama utter these words on the evening of the New Hampshire primary and I was mesmerized. Words and ideas are powerful. I’ve been a cynic far too long … tonight, idealism creeps within me, anew.

I don’t care who you vote for tomorrow. Just go vote.

Counting the Days...

2008-02-02T09:18:00.001-06:00

The calendar page has turned -- it is officially February. Here in the lives of our 2 Moore Girls, that means the birthday countdowns have begun! Josie is eagerly counting down until her sixth birthday. With her sixth birthday comes the promise of a friend to spend the night with an evening full of little girl manis and pizza. To say she is excited is an understatement! That said, 6 yrs old comes with some nervousness for her. I have declared that at age 6, children must at least try the "grown up food" that is made for dinner. She is terribly fearful that I am going to force her to eat broccoli and salad by the bucket full. Somewhere along the line, our happy eater became a picky eater.

Norah's countdown is also in progress. Not much longer until this little one is officially "1" and not so little. In the middle of the month we will celebrate both girls' birthday with one party for the local family to come to. You know, local is a relative term... let's change it to "in state." Anyway, Norah is growing by leaps and bounds... standing independently for short periods of time, playing with blocks, helping with laundry, and babbling like crazy. One of these days, those babbles will turn into real sentences and she and her big sister are really going to have to fight for air-time.

This past week were were predicted to get the snow to end all snows. Hmmm... not so much. We got about 3 inches. Not enough to call off school, but definitely enough for snow angels!

Fast Friends

2008-01-22T21:51:00.001-06:00

Tuesday night we had the joy of having some friends over for dinner. We would like to say we do this a lot, but when you are friends with other pastors, it is hard to coordinate the calendars to find meal time. But somehow, we got this to work with only minor scheduling issues. The occasion was a final gathering of the families before they move to Chicago to start a new life and a new job. We wish them all the best on their new endeavors and we know that with the miracles of internet and messaging, we can still stay in close touch.

One of the many things we have enjoyed together is the raising of our babies. Their little boy is just 6 weeks younger than Norah. We haven't been able to get the kids together a lot, but tonight the two were fast friends. Hopefully, they will have lots of opportunity to catch up in the years to come.

Just another day in the life...

2008-01-18T20:38:00.001-06:00

All has been fairly quiet around here -- back into the routines and rhythms of everyday life. Josie is back to school and making some really great strides in learning to read... as a kindergartener! Was it really that long ago that kindergarten was simply for learning letters and numbers? Not so much anymore! Ahh, but Josie loves school, her teacher, and her friends. All this helps to make an environment where she can truly begin to soar in learning. We are SO very proud of her (bragging momma moment). One of her first self-written sentences home included her skills at sounding out words: "We lrnd the wrd AND." I can't tell you how proud I was... but I can tell you I am going to frame that page. It may be full of mistakes, but you say that sentence...go ahead... say it out-loud. She spelled it exactly the way it sounds!

Norah is busy growing as well... more teeth are making their way, she is standing and starting to cruise around furniture, and she has mastered stairs. Yes, our little 11 month old has conquered the stair realm. You see, our girls have several favorite past-times in our house. Josie loves to draw or play dress-up. She also loves to play her Leapster (this is a common position for Josie -- how very "pre-teen").

Norah's favorite past-times include chasing the cat, hoovering cheerios, and climbing. She will climb anything she can. She will climb over pillows, over people, and yes, even the stairs. To explain further, both our girls adore bath time. And these sisters, as many sisters do, bathe together. Usually I get Josie in the tub first so I can wash her hair and get that chore out of the way so Norah can join in on the soap-party that follows. Well, when Norah begins to hear the bath water running, she starts moving heaven and earth to get to that tub. Even if it means climbing 17 stairs to get there. Nothing can stand in her way when it comes to getting in the bathtub with her sister!

I tell you what... we are in no hurry for this child to walk -- she has already proven that she is going to be a child on the move!!

So as I said before... not a lot going on here. We are just enjoying the opportunity to live the everyday one day at a time. What a blessing this little break from the hustle and bustle has been!