Wednesday, September 28, 2011

I'm being watched...

OK, so I have my VERY. FIRST. FOLLWER.  And I'm SO excited!! Only, I dont know who my follower is...is it a friend? A stranger? My husband? If its YOU, step forward, leave a comment (you'd be the first to do that too!)

Theres something kind of thrilling knowing that someone thinks what you say is worthwhile. 

Speaking of worthwhile...
I contacted my pastor's wife the other day after church and mentioned that I'd like to put together a project, or even a mission trip, to support a foreign orphanage. She then put me into contact with a fellow member who had adopted a bunch of kids through our foster care system, but who has the love of adoption in his heart...
I'm hoping he and his family are willing to be on board! I'm at the very beginning phases of this plan...I've heard of an orphanage in Honduras that needs significant help with basic supplies (and seeing as we have a cruise to Honduras coming up, I might check it out!!) The woman who told me about this said that the orphanage is close to the port, and is on the route of one of the local tours.
Another thought is China...we have a couple Chinese babies in our family through adoption and we have several friends as well.
And then of course, the Eastern European countries...which I've heard are a bit more hostile to American involvement, but the need is so great.  Teenagers weighing less than 20 pounds...its just horrifying. 
So, where to begin??? I want to travel, but when I think about how expensive it is and how those thousands of dollars could be used to purchase needed items that would last much longer than my potential visit, it almost seems silly to waste it on airfare. 
Anyways...its exciting and scary. Pray for some wisdom on this because I have no clue what I'm doing!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Ironic? Or...perfect timing?

Thursday was Big A's birthday. All in all, it was a good day, but that day, I did something I was not proud of. In fact, I've never done anything like it in my life. A little background: It had been a rough week. The life of a social worker is full of stress and emotion related to situations that aren't your fault, but that its your job to fix. I had just gone to court to have three children removed from their mother's home. It was a gut-wrenching decision, a year in the making. Other clients had come in throughout the week, and I was at my wit's end with their feelings of entitlement...fix this for them, pay for that, arrange that...I was just wore out.
So, Thursday came and we had some time to kill before dinner and the girls and I decided to hop into Target for a little bit.  There I sat, waiting for someone to leave, for a good two minutes. I had my blinker on, politely waiting.  Well, no sooner had that person backed out, another car came flying from all the way down the aisle, and because of their position, swooped in my spot.  At that point, I did what any self-respecting Christian woman would do.  I blocked her in. Sigh...I know, I'm not proud of that.  I just wanted to tell her that I thought she was rude and I had three kids to shuffle in and would have appreciated MY spot that I had waited for.  So I sat there, behind her car....for a while. And she refused to get out of her van.  Can I blame her? No...I probably looked insane.  When I finally pulled up into a different spot, she RAN to the nearest Kohls.  

I felt horrible for acting like such a jerk, even though no words were ever exchanged. Even though I was SO SICK of entitled-acting, "gimme gimme gimme" people, I have no excuse for MY behavior. I know better than this.

So Sunday came around and the girls and I went to church. Fittingly, the sermon was about Grace...receiving, and more importantly, giving.  Ugh. If I didnt already think I was scum, I sure did at that point!  My pastor is phenomenal and somehow, every single week seems directed right at me. The lessons, the passages, all relevant to whats going on in my own life. 

Then today I had a training with Father Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries. His mission was to create an organization that supported gang members in their quest to better their lives. His group provides education, jobs, tatoo removal, counseling...you name it. He has reached thousands of men, women, and children who were once considered "worthless."  His lesson today followed Pastor's lesson on Grace so appropriately it was as if they planned it!  He shared some amazing stories of survival and growth, and some that were so heartbrakingly tragic I wanted to cry. His point was that all these people....all humans...we belong to one another.  No one of us is any more important than the other, and before we judge, remember that we have no idea what these people have been through unless we'd been there ourselves. Fr. Boyle did a much better job at this than I, but it just followed so fittingly from yesterday's sermon that it hit home particularly hard. 
So, lesson learned...my temper will never get the best of me as it did in that parking lot again. Instead of being angry and frustrated with others, I need to focus more on prayer. Not that Jesus ever drove a minivan, but if he did, would he have parked behind that woman specifically to tell her how wrong she was?
Mmmm, probably not. 

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to my Biggest A!!!

Nine years ago right this second, I had been in labor for 22 hours already and still had another 10 to go! It was worth every second of misery to get my sweet, awesome girl!!  You are so much fun and so very smart! Happy Birthday baby!







Sunday, September 18, 2011

Busy weekend!

So we had a super busy weekend...we hosted two parties, two days in a row. It was a whirlwind! The first was a 31 party...if you're not familiar here's the link.
They specialize in the kinds of monogrammed stuff I can't make, plus they're a Christian based business which just makes me feel good about buying their stuff. It was a fun night with my girl friends and I scored a ton of free stuff!

Today we threw Big A an Angry Birds party. I had SO wanted to do a mess party with food fights and paint and shaving cream everywhere, but she said she was too old for it, so it'll have to wait until Middle A turns five. I have this AWESOME cake maker I use who is incredibly reasonable and can make just about anything out of cake (a la Cake Boss). Here's the pics!









The only snafu we hit was the game I had planned. I had dyed a bunch of eggs green and painted pig faces on them, and hid them throughout the yard. Because I didnt have much time to get them ready, they were raw. SO, our guests start arriving and my friend points out a ton of shells all over the yard. Turns out, the dog likes raw eggs.  The game was totally botched. But, we rolled with it and hubs broke out the four wheeler and gave kids rides instead. They were cool with that! 

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

mommommommymommamamommymom

When Big A was little we went on a road trip...she said mommy over 60 times (and thats only from when I started counting). Our conversation went like this:
Mommy mommy mommy mommy
What
Mommy mommy mommy mommy
what darling
mommy mommy mommy mommy.......60 more times...mommy mommy.....SHOE!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

9/11

I've thought long and hard about what to post regarding tomorrow.  Most of the blogs I follow has paid tribute to the lives lost, and I'd like to do the same. Everyone seems to remember where they were that day when it all happened. I sure do.

I was 22...waking up from a typical college night to an IM on my computer. My friend Kevin had posted, "turn on the tv!!!" I did, and what I saw changed me, and my fellow Americans, forever. In my little apartment, I watched live as the second plane crashed into the tower. It was horrifying...a moment too real and too frightening...it seemed like a movie. The panicked people...all cast members. These could not be people just like me, getting ready for a day at work.

As the towers began to crumble, I wanted to shut it off. I wanted to pretend that everything was ok, but the reality was...this was just the beginning. The other two planes went down, and it was confirmed that this was not an accident, nor a coincidence. This was a plot. 

I was in Delaware at the time; my family in Connecticut. I couldn't get to them.  We faced a reality that we might not see each other again. At that point, who knew when the attacks would stop? Who knew if they'd take the bridges down too?  Who knew if we'd be the next victims. 

It was much more than my 22 year old head could wrap around. I had no idea about political implications and conspiracy theories and international affairs. I didnt know because I was 22 and I felt SAFE all the time. I was naive and stupid, and trusting. 

That day rocked my world. I no longer feel safe. I am eternally grateful to the men and women who try to keep us protected. I make sure my children know why we celebrate Veterans day. The day my daughter saw a soldier in the airport and asked him if she could talk to him, a real soldier, with such awe and respect, was one of my proudest days. She knew...it takes someone special to lay their life on the line to protect this country of ours. 

This post is dedicated to those beautiful and innocent lives lost on that day.  It is dedicated to the soldiers who have committed their lives to protecting our country in this war against terror. Please know, we are GRATEFUL to you.

Today was a beautiful day here in VA. It was so much like the beautiful day of 9/11/01...it was eery.  That day, I looked at the gorgeous blue sky, abundant sunshine, and colors of early fall...and felt more scared than I'd ever been before.

I'll spend tomorrow doing a mix of things. Primarily, I and my children will be praying for the families of those lost on that horrible day and for the troops who have fought to keep us safe since. Secondly, I hope to enjoy the day that God has given us with our family and friends...simply because we can. 

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Back to School!

Summer is over...sigh...BUT, we're getting ready for Halloween! I love the fall and taking a ton of pics of the kids with pumpkins, leaves, and costumes! For now, I just have First Day of School pics, but the fall ones are coming! The kids are already fussing over what to be for Halloween. Baby A just wants to be a pumpkin...simple enough! For YEARS, Big A wanted to be a skunk...really.  FINALLY Old Navy came out with a skunk costume, and she was happy as a clam (dressed as a skunk!) This year, she has picked out a totally inappropriate witch (who looks like a streetwalker) costume. I dont like my kids dressing as witches, skeletons, ghosts, so I encourage the more playful things. But for now, school pics!


This was my little sickie over the weekend. Poor thing had a fever for two days. She's all better now though!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Hey Gymboree Addicts!

Hello, my name is Meghan, and I am a Gymbo addict. I spend way too much on my kids' clothing because I like to dress them the same. Sigh.  BUT, the good news is, if you are fellow Gymboree addict, you can use this 20% off coupon once their Circle of Friends promo is over. Its good until the end of September, and all the cute fall-y stuff will be marked down. I scored some cute stuff for Baby A this morning. LOVE Gymbo! Heck, when you work the sales right, you pay Walmart prices for high quality duds!