She's a half a year

Look at my little Potato Bug! She's just 6 1/2 months. This one of my favorite looks... She always sucks up her bottom lip and just observes with those beautiful eyes.


It's hard to believe she's growing up so fast! At her last doc appointment, she weighed in at 20 pounds 11 1/2 ounces! True to Matkovich form, she is a chubba-chubba baby! We love all those rolls!


And look how round and happy she is!

Daddy was helping her roll around... Little did we know that in just 2 more weeks she'd be on the verge of crawling! Daddy is such a good coach!

And then, of course, there's Big Brotha Jeffrey who loves to make his sister laugh! He'll do just about anything to get a giggle out of her. He jumps, he dances, he wiggles... He kisses her fingers and her forehead, and squishes her cheeks together saying, "Hey, chubba-chubba baby!" 

And Eden is already taking great interest in fine food and drink. Here's proof. She'll be off to culinary school soon! 


Happy Half-Year Birthday, Potato Bug! We adore you!

I have a friend!

Last Friday afternoon, we (Scott, the Picklebean, the Potato Bug and I) were all hanging out at my mom-in-law's house. I was sitting in her office with Eden on my lap playing some silly hide -n- seek game on the computer. I love that office. It has a huge bay window that lets in a ton of light. It faces the front of the house, so I have a great few of her flower bed... and the neighbor's house. 


We love her neighbors. This is where Bella (Jeffrey's little girlfriend) lives. Michelle & Jeremy (mom & dad) are seriously two of the sweetest, funniest, most generous and thoughtful people we know. And being in Oregon, they pretty much stick out like a sore thumb. Just sayin'. (I don't want to forget Brayden, since I'm doing the big introduction. Brayden is their almost 2-year old son. Oh my goodness, what a cutie patootie he is! More about him later.)


So, I'm sitting there playing reindeer games, Eden had just fallen asleep, and I notice Michelle pull up the drive. She parks... gets out... runs inside... comes back outside... and I hear, "Hey, lady!" I yelled back, "HI!" very enthusiastically. (I get excited when people say hi to me. I don't know why.)  I figured she was going to jump back in her car and leave, but noticed she was walking over to mom's house. So... I got up and met her at the door. 


She said she was going to EZ Orchards (this great local produce market just a half-mile away) - and one of our most favorite little places to get fresh fruits and veggies; not to mention their fresh, homemade donuts! TO DIE FOR - and asked if I wanted to go. 


Um.... WHAT??? 


Remember in cartoons when, say, Bugs Bunny got hit with something, and he'd make that "Aye-ee-aye-ee-aye-ee-aye" sound? That's totally what I was thinking at that moment.


Scott was in the kitchen cooking up a late lunch so I ran in to ask him if I had enough time to go with Michelle before lunch was ready. I came around the corner and just blurted out, "I have a friend!!!! A REAL FRIEND!!! Michelle just asked me to go to the Orchard!"


Now, you may be thinking, "I don't get it. Why is this such a big deal?" I'll tell you why. This was not a planned event. We didn't pencil this in our calendars 4 weeks ago. We didn't even talk about it over the phone or text message. This was completely spontaneous. She was going... saw me there... and thought, "I wonder if Kyra would like to join me..." 


THIS, people, is what I've been talking about all these months. THIS is what I miss. No big event. No fancy dinner planned. No big to-do about checking the calendar or I'll-have-to-get-back-to-you thing. It was the spur of the moment request. She was going and thought perhaps it would be more fun if we went together.


Excuse my language, but that was a Holy Shit moment. 


We went to the Orchard (to pick up a bunch of donated apples for an event she was having at the YMCA - where she works...) and on our way back, I just told her, "Thank you." And then told her how much she and Jeremy mean to us. 


I just want to say publicly that I SO appreciate this kind of friendship - at last!!!! If you don't have that kind of friendship, try it. It's awesome. Shopping trips, a run to Starbucks, a trip to the gas station, all those mundane tasks that we all have to do are much more fun with a friend in tow. If you think that no one would want to do that, just ask. You might be surprised.  This was (is) a normal occurrence in all the other parts of the world where I (and Scott) have lived. It's different here in Oregon. People just don't do that. 


But I found one who does. I love it!


The next day, I was going shopping for Mamasan - kind of a personal shopper kind of thing - and asked if Michelle wanted to go. I was planning on going first thing in the morning. She said she had this event until about 1:00. I said, "Well, I can wait until 2:00 or so if that would work for you." She said it would and that she would love to come with me.


Again, this is what I'm talking about. I didn't say, "Well, I'm going at 10:00 so if you're busy, I'll just go alone." I changed my plans to accommodate her schedule, so that we could be together. 


I did, and we were. And we had a great time! Then, later on our way home (after a couple hours of shopping) Jeremy had ordered pizza, and the rest of our families were over at her house waiting for us when we pulled up. We ended up staying until 11:30 (when Jeremy had to work at 5:30 the next morning). We laughed so much I think I might have broken a rib. And I came **this** close to making her pee her pants.  Just all of a sudden she got up and literally ran to the bathroom - the pee-pee dance at a full sprint. Awesome.


This is always the goal: to make her pee her pants from laughing.  


The day prior, Scott and I went to the park with the kids. I called Michelle to ask if she and the kids wanted to join us. She said they were headed to the circus and asked if we wanted to join them.


See? Just two spur of the moment invitations.... 


So, I just want to say that all these months of talking about community (or the lack thereof) wasn't because we didn't have any friends to speak of. It's just that friendships are done differently here.


But not anymore! I have one friend who does friendship in my language. 


Readers (whoever you are), I want to introduce you to my friend Michelle (and her little guy Brayden). I love this woman. I love her family. I love that she (they) is such a great neighbor to my Mamasan and that they watch out for her. I love that she is SO dedicated to her work at the YMCA that she puts in over 70 hours a week to help make the Y a welcoming place for people in the community. I love that she has such a fun spirit and loves to laugh! (Totally my kind of gal!) I love that she can laugh at herself. I love that she adores her children and her husband. I just love her to pieces. She's a great buddy to hang out with, a great friend to talk to, and a great distraction to all the chaos that is happening in my life at the moment.


We have known Michelle and Jeremy for the last 3-ish years, but it wasn't until last summer that we really started spending a lot of time with them - mostly in the shared drive while the kids played together.  We both have commented that we wish we had known each other longer. We both have had the same experience trying to make friends here.... It sure would have been nice to have each other to pal around with all this time. 


And, to top it off, we share the same birthday! 


I have a friend! The kind of friend I've been missing since I moved here. Life in the last several weeks has just been so much... brighter... because of her.


Michelle - You're awesome. I love you. Bing Bang Bong!


PS - Here is Bella and Jeffrey cuddling on the couch under a blanket. Bella wanted to hold him... She probably weighs maybe 5 pounds more than he does (but is at least a foot taller). How cute are they? And look at little Brayden sitting in the corner all by himself. Soon, Eden will be big enough to cuddle with him. 


Seriously, how cute is he? He has the most tender little face! And, oh, those eyes!  


I have some more shopping to do for my Mamasan. I think I'll give Michelle a call....

Another funny word for "The List"

Hoof

I was reminded of this word tonight when my realtor (love you, Mia!) came over to fix our 'for sale' sign (that the ghetto neighbor hit 2 days prior when she was backing out of the shared drive like a bat out of hell at 9:30 at night, hitting our FULL recycle can, which hit our FULL trash can (which were both waiting patiently and innocently on the curb for trash day the following morning), which lauched and hit the "Exclusively by John L Scott" sign, knocking it off of the pole. Yes, this is true. You know there had to be some serious speed involved if you knocked a (I repeat) full recycling receptacle into a full trash can, launching it up and into a for sale sign, knocking it completely off the pole it was hanging from. Trash all over. All I can say is 1) Oregon driver; and b) thank you, Jesus, it wasn't my or someone else's kid.) 

The funny thing about that is we went running out there seconds later, and we heard at least a couple of girls running and giggling down the side of their house (clearly trying to run away). Scott marched over to their house ready to kick some butt. He thought it was Fathead (ghetto neighbor - father of at least 7 out of the 9 kids that live there) was responsible.  The mom (Fathead's girlfriend/wife) had zoomed onto their front lawn and was hurriedly trying to get out of the car and run inside like the others. Seeing it wasn't Fathead, Scott just said, "So, ya gonna clean up the trash?" She responded, "Yes, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry...."

Ok, maybe it was an accident, I'll grant that. But she was clearly trying to flee the scene. Nice. (Love thy neighbor, love thy neighbor, love thy neighbor...)

I digress.

So, Mia came to fix the sign - blah blah blah. It was perfect timing as Scott was out there manhandling it back on to the pole when she pulled up. She inspected his handy-work and gave him the two thumbs up.

The three of us got to talking - and she mentioned that she needed to head out because her girls were waiting in the car, and probably eating chocolate which surely would be getting all over.

Another side note (seriously, funny stuff happens all the time), Mia's girls are art ninjas. The minute she steps away, they are drawing on stuff - with whatever happens to offer color at the time. Sometimes it's pens. Sometime's it's paint or crayons. Sometimes it's juice or another food item. She has caught them on numerous occasions drawing (or spilling) things on her white carpet. A couple of weeks ago, we ran into each other outside church. They had climbed into the minivan while she and I talked. Fifteen minutes later, she says, "I better go. Who knows what they're doing."  Two minutes after that, I receive a text that says, "This is what they were doing," with a picture attached of some scribbles all over the tan leather seat. Awesome.

Anyway, that led to my "kudos to you" comment for giving up chocolate for over a year! (That's some serious discipline right there!) She then made the comment back that she just had to do this because she's so addicted... it makes her "unclean." HAHAHA!!!

So, like clockwork, that got Scott and I on a roll. I said, "She's like a woman with the issue of chocolate."

And then Scott said, "It's like your hoven cloof."

What?

He said it again, but then quickly added, "That doesn't sound right. Hoven? Is that right? Kyra, what am I trying to say?"

I said, "Hoven cloof?" Pause.  "OOooohh, you mean 'cloven hoof'!"

HAHAAHA Oh, we had a good laugh at that one.

We laughed about that well into the evening. I realized around 8:30 this evening that the word "hoof" is hilarious.

Thus, it's on the list.

Addendum to "So much..."

After thoughts:

So I was thinking about this last night (again). And one thing I missed is reiterating that while we haven't experienced community in the way we are used to, we have been welcomed into some people's (your, perhaps) lives. Over the years since we've lived here, we've been invited to a few dinners. We've been invited for breakfast dates. We've been invited to a movie night. We've gone wine tasting and on a couple of road trips north to Bridgeport. We've been invited to a few birthday parties and a couple of barbecues. We [used to] go to happy hour on Friday nights with some co-workers. (Which, by the way, we miss...) And, we've also done a lot of inviting ourselves.  So as I mentioned here, we have experienced a very wee community. Yes, we have some friends. No, we aren't completely alone or abandonned.

Every time I wrote about community it was simply from the perspective that it's different here than what we're used to. That's all.

We actually had a really wonderful community when we first moved to Salem (5+ years ago) and started up our Friday night Bible Study (seen here) with a bunch of other relatively new-to-Salem folks.

Scott and I SO looked forward to those evenings! Every Friday, we'd share dinner (potluck style), then dive into God's word (usually) and then we'd end up just talking and laughing until late into the evening - sometimes early morning.  Bible Study soon was nicknamed BS... for obvious reasons. We were all (save one) in similar life situations, all around the same age, and all just looking for friendships. We did camping trips (although Scott and I for one reason or another never made it to those), barbecues, birthdays, and coffee once in a while. We were there for each other when someone would move, helped plan weddings and baby showers, etc. There came a time when life just got crazy, lots of life changes were happening - moves, jobs, babies, extra-curricular activities - and we stopped meeting on Friday nights. Since then, one couple moved to another town, and the rest of us just kind of lost (regular) touch with one another. We still email once in a while, and we even run into (or plan to run into) each other from time to time, too. But we don't "do life" like we used to. I miss it. Very much.

Now, we have a new Friday night Bible Study (seen here).

We love it, too. We, too, meet for dinner (potluck style) every Friday night, study God's word, and then stay late into the evening talking and laughing. It's very different. Scott and I are the youngest. Everyone else has grown children and grandchildren. We feel very loved and supported by our BSers. We share our lives, debate theological differences, and deeply love one another.  And, boy, do we have a good time!  We do birthdays and holidays and barbecues and movie nights, too. We just miss doing life with people in our same life scenario. It's not better. It's not worse. It's just different.

Scott and I both come from places where our friends were our families. We got together several times a week - coffee, dinner, shopping, hanging out, going to church, whatever. There was never a weekend when we weren't with other people. If we were busy, and someone wanted to get together, we'd either change plans or invite them with. We never had to schedule time. We just made time. We, more often than not, had to schedule alone time because we were always with a group of friends.

It's different here. It's a treat when we get together with our friends. And it's WONDERFUL when we get our kids together. (Look how cute these guys are!)

There's a lot of scheduling that has to take place. We have to compare calendars. Who's doing what and when, and maybe there's a small window where the "nothing on my calendar" line matches up.  Everyone is busy. Busy with kids. Busy with sports. Busy with church functions. Busy with families. Busy with jobs. Busy with out of town guests. Busy with hobbies. Busy busy busy. And everyone has their closest friends that they do those things with. You and your closest friends may spend a lot of (spontaneous) time together. We just haven't made the cut. And that's ok. We don't have to be everyone's BFFs.

It's just not our style to have to schedule out everything in advance. It's not the way we choose to cultivate relationships. We tend differently. That's all. Not worse. Not better. Just different.

I just want to emphasize that if you have invited us to your home or out for a meal or any other reason, we are grateful. Truly. And we are equally as grateful when you have accepted our invitations to join us in our home.  We have had some wonderful times hanging out and getting to know you and your families. We just want more of you, not less. We don't want to push you away. We want to draw you in. We would love to support you in whatever you're doing - moving, new babies, new homes, home improvements, kids' sports, etc.

So, please don't be angry or hurt at anything I said or wrote. If something bothers you, or you were told by someone that I said something, please just come talk to me about it. It was never, and will never be, my intention to demand more from anyone that they are willing to give. Just so ya know, I love being a friend... if you're willing to let me in.

Now that I have bludgeoned that topic to the brink of death, that's all I'm going to say about that.

The end.

It still stands...

I will have grace regarding other posts I've written that may have hurt people's feelings. I'll submit.

But, I stand by my statement that Oregonians are terrible drivers.

Don't take it personally. A few of you are decent drivers. But the vast majority are not. Case in point, I was traveling east on Silverton Rd (where there are no turn lanes) at 38 mph in the right lane. In the left lane was a bunch of traffic, all coming to a stop because someone was turning left. (As I said, there are no turning lanes.)  A gal decided that rather than wait, she would pull out directly in front of me, from a dead stop, so she could continue on her merry way. What she failed to realize is that I was only 10 feet from her bumper. She never looked over her shoulder. Never used her turn signal.

It was pouring rain.

I slammed on my brakes. I hit the horn (for a really long time). She never so much as glanced in my general direction.

It was by the grace of God alone that I didn't skid out and slam directly into the back of her, which probably would have caused her to hit at least one, if not two, other vehicles. (There were pedestrians on the sidewalk... It's not outside the relm of possibilities that one of them could have been hit, as well.)

Guess what? She was on her freakin' phone. And she was too busy talking to realize that she almost caused a massive accident.

This kind of thing happens not just daily, but often several times in one day. 

Sheesh.

A season of quiet reflection

To tag on to my last post....  This is the reason I've entered into a season of quiet reflection. I figured, rather than trying of my own accord to make sense out of these last couple of years, I would just slip quietly into a season of co-laboring with my Creator. Really, this means a lot of inward (and upward... or downward depending on your position) focus. Who am I? Who am I becoming? How is God using me? Am I open to being used in this way?


My hope, of course, is that I am becoming more of who Jesus created me to be. So it isn't enough to be self-aware. That's a great start, but that's when the real work begins. If, for example, my words cause distance, it's not enough that I just acknowledge it, and, say, accept it. Certainly, that would not be honoring to God. Rather, I want to not just honor God with my words, but honor others, as well. Scripture is loaded with verses regarding our tongues. Why do you suppose that is?


Regardless of whether I meant what was written in the manner in which it was understood by others isn't necessarily the point. No matter how something was written, it will always be open for interpretation - either correctly or incorrectly. It doesn't matter if what I wrote was in a time of heartache and sadness, but it was interpretted as condemnation and criticism.  (Interpretation is obvious in the way we hear others apply scripture. I'm quite certain that God did not intend the meaning of His words to be twisted and ruined as they so often have been.)


Recently, I just felt God nudging me to draw closer to Him. I've often found my worth in what others think about me. I don't want to care about such things, but the truth is, I'm human. (I know. Scary, right?) But isn't that a big fat lie of the enemy? I mean, not about being human, but about finding our worth outside of Jesus? So, rather than worrying about how many friends I have, or what people really think of me, I'm trying to believe what God says about who I am. Life, after all, is not a popularity contest. This is just one more layer that I must peel away and give to Him if I want to continue to grow.


See... these past couple of years have really been about trust. Do I trust God? Do I believe He is who He says He is? Am I really willing to take up my cross and follow Him? Am I willing to give up everything for Him? I was willing to release my baby to Him when He asked... but am I willing to release myself to Him? (Now, I don't mean that in a "Don't take me, take my baby" sort of way. Any parent would sacrifice themselves to spare their child. That's not even a question in my mind.) What I mean is, do I trust Him enough to give up all those things that we all hold on to because they are familiar and comfortable - chalk it up to a crappy childhood or broken hearts or whatever - because it's easier to sit back and say, "Either way, God loves me" than it is to do the hard work of being a student of Jesus? That means, trusting Him enough to take the driver's seat and relinquishing all of that crap to Him so He can make it all beautiful - the way He intended. We muck up our lives quite a bit. And He's willing to unmuck it if we let Him.


So, I'm letting Him.


And time after time I'm learning that I really can trust Him. Our experience hasn't proved any different. 


Side note. I find it kind of funny that I can trust Jesus with my marriage, my children, our home, our tummies, our bank account, etc., but it's hard for me to trust Him with my thoughts....  Seems kind of backwards to me.


I'm open to new relationships - and mending broken relationships - but it seems that with all of my efforts, I'm sinking faster than if I had just left well enough alone. (I'm learning that sometimes fewer words really are best. Imagine that!) So, I'm focusing on developing those relationships with people who desire the same, rather than chasing after people who really don't care to engage with me in that way - either now or later. Sure, I'm still lonely. Yes, I still long for meaningful relationships with others - particularly those who are close in age and are in a similar stage of life (i.e., have children around the same age as mine, etc.). Of course, I want to feel a sense of belonging in a community.  And I sorely miss the communities I once enjoyed in other parts of the world. But... God has us here for a purpose. For HIS purpose. I need to remember that. It isn't about me. It isn't even about "them" (i.e., you, whoever you are). It's about Jesus.  I believe the relationships I desire will come in time. I have to give them the room to materialize. Nothing good comes from force.


The good news is this season has been an incredible journey! God has been so faithful, our burden has been so light and Jesus' yoke has been so easy - just as He promised.  It feels as though I've been sitting on my Daddy's lap and He has been whispering sweet wisdoms into my life. And all along I just cling to his pant leg and walk in His steps.


So, as I said once before here and here and here, I am surrendered, commited and open to what God has in store for me - for my beloved husband - for my family - no matter what darkness and stink I have to go through. I'll follow Jesus anywhere.


And that's the truth.


Ppppbbbbtttthhh




Anyway, all this to say, I've unplugged a bit. You may have noticed that I disabled my Facebook wall (except for my family and closest friends). This is primarily because I don't want anything I might post to be taken out of context, so I'm just keeping my life private for the moment. I haven't initiated any social contact - although I've been receptive to others. I've been going to work and coming home. I've felt like this is a time for me to just listen, observe and learn; not whine and complain about not getting something I think I deserve.

So much for words of affirmation

I believe I am cursed. And not in a good way. In my attempts to be honest and vulnerable, I think I probably come across in some other way. I'm not really sure what "that way" is - but you might....


Over the last couple of years, I have written on more than one occasion about our lack of community. I was making sort of general statements - and I guess I assumed that when I mentioned we did have a bit of community (which I referred to as 'my Willage') that the people who were included would just know who they are. (I mentioned that here specifically.) Apparently this is not the case. Because I have come to realize that I have very effectively alienated myself from almost everyone - save a precious few who, thankfully, understood me.
I'm not sure what to say or do about this. I guess I just took it for granted that those who I do consider a friend knew that.... I certainly wasn't going to make a "Friend List" - I mean, seriously, how old am I?

Despite popular belief, I'm not a "words of affirmation" person. My husband can tell you that Words of Affirmation is not my love language. It doesn't even come close to second place. It's probably a distant 4th or 5th place.

The truth of the matter is that sometimes when I think my words are clear, they are, in fact, general, ambiguous, and condescending. Especially in writing when you (the reader) don't have the benefit of nonverbal communication - which, as we all know, is primarily how we communicate with others. Body language, voice fluctuation, gestures, eye contact, and so on. The result is that only 10-ish% of what I say can actually be communicated in writing. The other 90-ish% is left open for interpretation.

Over the last several months, I've felt more and more isolated. It has been a very odd journey... But I certainly can take the blame for much of that. I had a couple of people (relatively recently) approach me about how my comments have hurt them. Ouch. That was SO not my intention. Especially when these are people who I considered as part of my inner circle. But that SO explains these last few months.

What I really value about these people is that they had the courage to come speak to me about it. They patiently confronted me - and then humbly asked for forgiveness that they let this go on for so long. Wow. (Isn't that so unlike the world we live in? Praise Jesus!) It's tough to approach someone and be vulnerable enough to confront a person and tell them that you have sinned against them - even if it was unknowingly.

Their coming to me gave us the opportunity to reconnect - and for me to explain why I've felt the way I have felt, and to also ask for forgiveness. I truly hope that what came across is my heart. I'm not trying to accuse or reject or criticize (although, clearly that's what has been communicated).... I was just trying to share my heart - that I miss doing life with people, I feel lonely, and that I just miss having a sense of 'belonging'.

I appreciate honesty. I'm not a big fan of bottling things up and sweeping things under the rug. I would much rather someone come to me and say, "You know, you really hurt my feelings (or pissed me off) when you wrote - blah blah blah" than to just ignore me and/or the issue. Things like that put a wedge in relationships. Relationships are incredibly important to me. The last thing I want to do is be the cause of a wedge. (Now, a wedgie, on the other hand... I'm ok with being responsible for that.) What are we without others? Certainly not fulfilling God's command to love one another. (This is as true for me as it is for anyone else!)

Because I'm not a "words" person, I'm often completely oblivious to how my words affect others. But I do pick up on other cues. I've been getting a lot of cues lately. They're really more like blaring neon signs.

So, I just want to say for the record that I apologize if what I said hurt your feelings and has caused you to distance yourself from me. I don't necessarily know what makes everyone tick. And maybe I'm horrible at showing people that I love them. But I'm certainly teachable and would love to know you well enough to show you, in your language, that I care for and value you.

In my blog, I wasn't pointing my finger at any one person. I was simply making an observation that I just have a different expectation of "community" than maybe what is considered the norm for this part of the world. Maybe it's better. Maybe it's worse. Clearly it's just different. Fair or unfair. My experience has just been VERY different and when I moved to Oregon it has been a huge culture shock. Everything it just done differently here. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Some people are indifferent. All of these opinions are equally valid. We're different people, with different histories, from different families, with different experiences. Obviously, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work.

I deeply value people and the unique qualities that make them who they (you) are. You may have found your community here - you love it and you feel loved and well cared for. I think that's great. Everyone should feel that way. The fact is, I don't. That doesn't mean that you've done anything wrong, per se. Maybe we just speak different languages. I'm an acts of service and quality time person. Words carry very little weight with me. (I have a long history I could share, but I won't.) I know it's unfair to assume others feel this same way. And, if I'm being completely honest, I have some self esteem issues. I get my feelers hurt easily. And sometimes what bubbles up as a result is a defensive and critical spirit. I detest that about myself. I am, thankfully, pretty self-aware. But it's a process... This will be, I fear, a life-long process. (Dallas Willard says we should be generous in our thoughts towards others. Wow. That brings a whole different perspective to "love thy neighbor." I just heard this last week, but it has had a profound effect on my thought process - which is sort of what sparked this entry.)

I don't know who was (is) bothered by what I have written in the past, and who it resonated with. (I have received many private emails from people who said they have felt the same way, so I know I'm not alone in this.) But I do know that people who once were relatively close to me, are no longer. I don't know if this is due to what I have written or for some other reason that I'm unaware of. Either way, I would very much like the opportunity to mend fences. I am learning to be patient with others... and simply request that you be patient with me, as well.

If this is you, I'd love to hear from you. I wasn't my intention to condemn.

And just so you know, I'm sorry.

My little house in spring

Isn't it pretty? I love when our tree blooms... This was taken in March. Now (beginning of April) most of the pedals have fallen to the ground. When the wind blows, it looks like snowflakes dancing.

The front entry is planted with hyacinths. That's a nice homecoming aroma!

Jeffrey likes to help daddy mow the lawn. He's such a helper.

And Eden is all rolly polly. She's getting bigger by the day. She likes to suck her toes, coo, and blow bubbles with her lips - which really is more of a spit than anything.  And her giggle!!! Oh, her giggle! I love those first laughs.

I have such happy kids.