Monday, September 26, 2011

the par-tay

Quinn & his buddies spent the afternoon
with a wonderful friend of Brian's
who taught the guys how to shoot bow & arrow...
a dream come true for the birthday boy!

too cute, or what?!

Quinn, the huntsman

time for a little football action


"do you like my sheeeens?"

someone needed a little "daddy attention"
b/c she wasn't the CENTER of attention :)



more fun that evening w/ Grandma & Grandpa
& our friend Diane!

"I'm TEN!!!"

to top off the weekend, big sis Ali
    took Quinn a Sunday afternoon date.


the sugar high continues...

Saturday, September 24, 2011

double digits!

10 years old!!!



happy, happy birthday to our
handsome
creative
compassionate
nerf-loving
lego-building
faith-filled
son.

we love you Quinn Samuel!!!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

blessed beyond measure

yesterday was lovely...
my honey took the rainy day off from work.
the best gift ever!

the day was sprinkled with surprises...
my favorite candle

2 dozen roses accompanied by
a tiny teddy bear (claimed by Gracie)
and a box of chocolate (claimed by moi)

the first Pumpkin Spice latte of the season

and dinner at one of my favorite places in the world!

20 years = a priceless gift
I'm so in love, and so blessed!


aaaand
to make things even more joyful around here,
Gracie's appointment went so well the other day.
NO MORE NOSE TUBES!  YayYayYay!!!
after the doctor took the tubes out,
Gracie asked me if they were out forever.
when I said "yes", she said
"I wuv you Dr. Matthews!"

tah-dah!


when I looked at her in her carseat on the way home
I was flooded with emotion.
Gracie has walked through so much in the last 2 years.
there will be more procedures in her future,
but today we celebrate so many amazing milestones
as well as celebrating the wisdom & skill of her surgeon.
ultimately, we celebrate the wisdom, healing, love and care
of our heavenly Father!

Psalm 34:1-3
"I will praise the LORD at all times.
I will constantly speak His praises.
I will boast only in the LORD;
let all who are helpless take heart.
Come, let us tell of the LORD'S greatness;
let us exalt His name together."

2 years ago

today!
"You are worthy, O Lord our God
to receive glory and honor and power!"
Revelation 4:11

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

two decades

 twenty years ago today
I married my best friend.

4 beautiful children,
8 cars/vans,
1 dog,
2 cats,
1 rabbit,
a dozen or so fish,
one apartment,
3 houses,
uncounted birthdays & holidays,
many, many road trips,
hours and hours of prayer,
countless laughter & tears later...

and he's still the love of my life!



I love you Honey!

Monday, September 19, 2011

it's electric

we're heading back to Charlotte early
tomorrow for another post-op appointment
3 months after Gracie's last surgery.

we believe this will be the day when
we're told she no longer need the nasal stents.
PLEASE!!!!
she's been such a trooper,
but I think we're all quite ready to
be done with that aspect of her recovery!

she'll also be having the second in  a series
of treatments called microcurrent 
therapy for her scar.

what is that, you ask?
instead of pitifully limping through
my limited-knowledge explanation,
I'll share what what we've found  
in our research... 

Microcurrent is a novel therapy that utilizes extremely low-level electrical currents (microcurrents) to treat nerve and muscle pain, inflammation, and other health challenges.  Each tissue in your body has its own signature electrical frequency, which may be disrupted by injury or disease.  Microcurrent therapy simply restores normal frequencies within the cells, resulting in remarkable improvements in pain, inflammation, and function.
Microcurrent treatment is also used on scarring. The electrical impulses when applied to scar tissue can change the color, texture and fabric of the scar reducing its appearance and also lessening any sensitivity in the area. It works by promoting healing from within the cells that make up the scars. EA-MP technology can help with most scars though not all. The more healthy tissue around the scar the more likely it is to heal completely while larger scars with little healthy tissue may not heal as well.

how's that for exciting?
we like to live on the edge of
medical coolness around here.

here's miss sassy at her first session a month ago.

 other than feeling a little 
"tingly", she did great.
when I asked the nurse if it would work
on stretch marks and/or cellulite,
her nervous chuckle of
"hmmm, I don't know."
just sucked the air right out of that 
room, I tell ya.
oh well, it never hurts to ask.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

feelin groovy

we've been blessed so far with a three year old
who doesn't ask/beg for things...yet...
but
over the summer, after her big sisters
& her daddy acquired new tie-dyed t-shirts,
this three year old has made it
her mission to have one of her own.

"PWEASE may I have a shirt like daddy's?!!!!"

yesterday I happened to score big 
at the dollar rack of Goodwill.
Lands End, no less!
you would have thought I had bought
her the moon...one happy girl.

have a beautiful week!


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

the mother's day gift that has rocked my world

the flowers are long gone.
the chocolate still lives on...on my hips.
the cards, probably in a landfill keepsake box somewhere.
the one gift I'm still savoring 4 months later...

this book
One Thousand Gifts
a book that dares you
"to live FULLY right where you are".

right where I am?
a stay-at-home, homeschooling,
toddler chasing, teenager embracing mom
& wife to a very busy super hero?!

this read is a life-changer, for sure.
one chapter in particular has been read
and re-read, underlined, and sprinkled with
some grace-cleansing tears.
you see, one of my life-long struggles,
my "f" word, if you will, has been
fear.

here are some of the quotes that
I've been chewing on the past few months.
it's as if the author's been reading my mail,
so to speak...


"Anxiety has been my natural posture,
 my default stiffness...
How I refuse to relinquish worry, an identity.
Do I hold worry close as this ruse of control,
this pretense that I'm the one who will determine
the course of events as I stir and churn and ruminate.
Worry is the facade of taking action
when prayer really is."


"Fear keeps life small.
Stress isn't only a joy stealer.
The way we respond to it can be sin."


"Trust, it's the antithesis of stress.
I can't fill with joy until I learn how to trust.
Romans 15:13
'May the God of all hope
fill you with all joy and peace
as you learn to TRUST in Him.' "


"Stress brings no joy."

wow-weee
that's Truth.
Truth that can set me free
from allowing fear to keep
parts of my life "small".
Truth with a capital "T"
is Jesus, and His perfect love
is promised to cast out fear.

yuck
I'm so done with that word.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

harvest moon festival!


the traditional mooncake

my surgeon doesn't need to know I ate sugar, right?
ahhh...it's a holiday

chopstick queen

2 fiiine lookin men

chopstick princess

the 1st thing Gracie asked when told we were
going to the Chinese festival...
"is dat dwagon gonna be there!!!"



  Zhong Qiu Jie!!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

bring it on

my favorite season
aka FALL


a cool morning properly greeted with
mugs of Red Zinger tea & hot cider


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

“Allez! Cuisine!”

Iron Chef Quinn is up for a challenge

he must have misplaced his white chef jacket,
yet he wields the spatula with controlled strength.

today's secret ingredient...

Bobby Flay's got nothin
on these skillet skills
(although he probably wouldn't let his kids  
cook shirt-less around hot grease...)

the crowning glory...
"bunny salad" for dessert
our own little kitchen stadium
where cuisine reigns supreme