Point of View

I am taking a photography class. I must admit I am already behind, but am hoping to learn a lot as I catch up. What I am concentrating on in these pictures is view point or perspective. Perspective can change your subject from being a portrait to telling a story or the other way around. Last night before bed I took these pictures just to see if what I am learning is true. You'll have to forgive the quality of some of the pictures because I am still learning to manually focus my pictures, but I think you'll see what I am talking about.






As I was looking at these photos and how the look of the same exact moment changes with perspective, I of course got to thinking. I was thinking how important the people around us and, more importantly, God is in our lives. Each day we walk through life and if we only ever see our circumstances through our view point, we seriously lack information. However, when we can talk with those around us and pray to the God who sees and knows all...how very different and well rounded our view becomes. Just like in these pictures, each angle tells a different story. If I hadn't laid on the floor, I wouldn't have gotten to see what this shot looks like with me below Reagan. It's my favorite shot. Well except for the terrible reflection in the glass of the fire place. We all need people to be a witness to our lives. People who will stop and say, "wait a minute let's look at this, or think about it that way." Everyone has a different perspective on so many different issues of life. I think we lose out if we don't seek them out on occasion. For a particularly fun perspective ask a child. They really see life in an unique and fun way!!

Blueberries

Rebecca has not eaten a blueberry since the day she fell out the window four years ago. Today we went blueberry picking which I have not done since she fell out the window four years ago! We had tons of fun today searching for the best and biggest berries. Ryan did well but mostly walked around and stole my berries so he could show everyone how many he had. When we got home I washed them up. Some for the freezer, some for a pie and a bunch just to eat. When Bec came into the kitchen I asked her to do a very big girl thing and she did it. I asked her to put aside the story of how she doesn't like blueberries and pick a nice big blueberry and eat it. I asked her to think only about how it tastes and to see if she does in fact maybe like them as she used to love them. As she put it in her mouth and took a bite, her eyes lit up!! " I really like these" she squealed and then asked for a small bowl of blueberries so she could go show Ron and Reagan how much she now enjoyed them.

What I learned from her today, is that sometimes we have to revisit things or experiences that we think we don't like, just in case we are missing out on something great because of a predetermined mindset. I wonder how much of life's experiences we let pass us by because we don't have the courage to try it and see if we like it. I am proud of my blueberry eating girl and I laughed when she told me she was going to limit how many she ate because she didn't want to throw them up. I guess the details are still a bit blurry for her. I hope to make her some blueberry pancakes so she can enjoy that delicious breakfast for the first time. Today I am so glad that we could make a new memory with blueberries. Such a small little fruit, such a big day.

Ten Years

I can hardly believe Ron and I have been married for ten years. Last night we actually got to go out and celebrate. A friend of mine offered to watch the kids. I believe that by the time we got home it was an offer she regretted. Ryan and Rebecca have a bit of a cold. Ryan's is starting to break up so there is a lot of "stuff" when he coughs. Well apparently he got busy coughing after he went to bed and threw up spaghetti all over his blankets. On a super fun note, she let them catch fire flies. To which Rebecca wanted to show me so she slept with hers. LOL that cracked me up. As I tried to pry the container from her clutch of death she woke up. Then she told me i could let them go. Lucky me. I hate bugs, let alone bugs that have been trapped for a couple of hours. I was brave, though, and I took the lid off outside. Only one guy had a light left and there was a huge one in there. I was later informed that the big one was the queen. Rebecca also decided to fake and ear ache. I am not sure if I should send this friend and Thank You card or an I'm Sorry card.

Anyway, back to happier things. I decided that we needed to do something different for our 10Th anniversary. I asked Ron if I could plan the evening and also asked him to keep an open mind. We went to a pottery painting place. We chose and oval platter and on it we are creating pictures of some of our most significant memories over the last 10 years. It's pretty cool and was super fun to see what things we could recall. It was also fun to create something together. We didn't finish it so we know we will have a few more date nights there to get it done. I will show a picture when it is complete. I have to say it looks a bit like elementary students worked on it, but we never claimed to be artists. It will be a piece that I treasure though because it is all about our lives.

The Bible is true once again when it says our lives are like a vapor. I just can't believe how quickly 10 years has gone by. As I take a step back and look at how big my children are, it seems like just yesterday I held my little 5lb, premature baby. Now I see a girl who is knocking on the door of becoming a young woman and I am shocked. The good news is that as we took the time to look back, we realize that we have really lived out these last ten years. They weren't wasted, we have no regrets of what we could have done or should have done. That alone makes me grateful. We have lived a lot of life together in these last ten years. We moved 4 times, said goodbye to Grandparents and Others, made friendships that will last our lifetime, and have grown as a couple. It would be a lie to say that I feel the same about Ron as I did when I married him. What we had ten years ago was new, fresh and exciting, but what we have now is deep, tested, and thankfully still exciting. I am thankful for my husband and the way we work through things together. Thankful that there are no yelling and screaming fights between us. Thankful that because Jesus is the center of our relationship, we have a solid foundation that hasn't been shaken. Thankful that after all of this time I can say that he is the love of my life, deep and true. We've walked through a lot of life in our few 10 years, but it has been great life and I am so thankful for it. Who knew that the crazy couple that met through email and married "too quickly" would be such a success story?!

One Thing Is True

A man I've only met through family stories lies dying in a bed while his parents grieve outside his room. A family member is in the hospital cheating a situation that normally would take a life. A friend has had an adoption fall through for the second time and is grieving that loss. Jobs are lost, health fails, wombs are closed. All of these people have one thing in common, they are good people. Great people, in fact, and the rest of us that are supporting them are wondering why this is happening. I have no great answer. I wish I did. Most of us automatically blame God for being cruel or unkind. We expect that if we are good by our standards that nothing should ever go wrong, nothing should hurt and nothing should be taken from us. The fact is that God only promised that when everything fell, we'd be held. That's from a song I've heard. Most of can't see it in these situations and I guess that is where faith comes in to play. Faith that resounds in our hearts and minds that says, " I choose to believe that God is most definitely Good and He is Good ALL of the time." We may never get the answers we seek on this side of life, but God also says that He has a plan and a purpose for our lives. That His ways are not our ways and they are Higher than our ways. He also said that He has sent His Holy Spirit as our Comforter. I encourage all of you who are having things around you fall apart, let Him hold you. Ask for the grace and the love of the Comforter and He will most certainly run to your side. We may not get our "Whys?" answered, but we can choose to trust that God is aware of the details of our lives and He is there if we but choose to seek Him when we hurt.

Ryan Turns Three

Ryan's birthday was so fun this year. He is finally old enough to understand and be excited about what is happening. We planned a carnival birthday party and invited his little friends over. The kids played games outside and we had a BBQ with the children and their families. It was a perfect day. Everything ran smoothly and the weather was amazing. My son is getting bigger every day and I am just so thankful for him as a person. He is a delight and a joy and I couldn't imagine our family without him!

Ryan just loved his cards this year and carried this one around until he ripped it in half.

This was on Ryan's actual birthday. His party was a couple of weeks later.

Getting Ry to look at the camera is next to impossible, but I love this picture because he is right in the middle of a belly laugh.

Ryan does NOT like to have the Happy Birthday song sung to him. As soon as it was over he took his hand down!

When we talked about Ryan's birthday all he really wanted to do was blow out the candles. So we got him trick candles. Really good ones. It took forever to blow them out. At least all the kids got a turn. Since I got to blow them too, I also made a birthday wish for Ry!

My son got his wish early. Pure sugar and no one to stop him from eating it! Fun Dip was one of the prizes from the carnival games.

TIred of Seeing Nothing New?

It's been ages since I have written and for that I apologize!! I started working at my own Target and have since been trying to find some sort of normal balance around here! My crazy shift is 4AM to 8AM a few mornings a week. I like it because it doesn't effect my day too much, but I hate it because I have to go to bed so early. It wasn't bad when it was nasty outside but now that summer is here I am finding it hard to go to bed. I imagine that is why my children always complain about going to bed so early!
We are in the home stretch for this school year. The girls will be done on Friday. I am so ready for summer vacation to be here. We are making plans for visits all over the place and just some fun in general.
I went to the doctor yesterday and it turns out that I have done the unusual and have gotten carpal tunnel in BOTH wrists!! LOL only me. The braces seem to be helping so hopefully that will be the cure. I have Zero desire to go to the next step which is some sort of shot right into my wrists by the nerves. Um, yeah. I don't see that happening!
Ron finally found something that he really likes to do and it's his new motorcycle!! It is very cool and once he gets all of his stuff on to ride, I have to say my man looks pretty darn hot!! Needless to say I am certainly enjoying this new hobby of his and i can't wait for him to get good enough so I can jump on the back.
Lastly, this is my birth week and you all know how much I love my birth day. Ron has certainly not disappointed. Last Friday started with me waking up at 3AM to an amazing red rose, an energy drink and a snack for work along with a lovely note. Imagine my surprise as I had forgotten birth week had begun. Saturday I was greeted with breakfast in bed. It was so yummy. Sunday Ron brought me home a nice, yet simple, watch that I can wear to work so I can see just how much longer i have to go! Monday I got to go get this super cute pair of Capri pants. I don't actually have them yet, but the idea is for me to pick them up. Tuesday I discovered that I have once again inspired poetry. This is too awesome not to share so here it is:

Worthy
What makes on worthy? Is it the gifts one gives? or the ability to always say yes to any request? Perhaps one is worthy for their acts of random service or for their open ear by which they take in the spoken anxiety from the lips of others.

How does one show the worth of another? Is it through flowers, chocolates and fine jewels? Or through the heaped words of praise spoken in their absence? Perhaps it is through the written word or by being the open ear when the weight of others needs release.

Yet as much as it is tried and failed to reflect your worth in words and deeds, all that one may need is to speak these words: "You will forever inspire me to love you completely."

Isn't that so great?? I smile and ooze with mushy feelings every time I read it. I am truly blessed with an amazing husband who makes me feel more loved than I ever thought possible. I have more to share and some pictures too, but I want to get this posted so I will close for now and continue a little later.

What Happened to the Ribbons?

Today was field day for Rebecca. Even though I have a terrible cold, I dragged myself out with Ryan to watch. Thankfully it was a nice day and I was glad I went. It's amazing what a few crocodile tears will make a person do! As I was watching this field day and all the little "sporting events" the kids do, I remembered my own field days. In my day, LOL, we used to have races and all kinds of events. We competed and got ribbons. There was a first place through sixth place and then if you didn't get any of those you got an honorable mention. In fact I remember in one race I was about to beat a girl named Rachel and she pushed me out of the way to win. I was angry at her, but I lived. Clearly I am not bitter!! I remember being so proud of my ribbons even if most of them were honorable mention! Today as I watched the kids, it all seemed pointless. It was like having gym class outside. At what point do our kids learn about the challenge of competition, the "ok-ness" of not coming in first?? It seems everyone is so worried about little Zach or precious Victoria having hurt feelings that we've forgotten failure is what makes us great. I think this idea of protecting their little feelings actually breeds complacency instead of self esteem. There is zero reason to do your best. Zero reason to try harder next time and zero reason to be apart of a team. There is no goal if you just play until the whistle blows. Unfortunately for most of them they will never learn these lessons until they are much older and it is much harder to adapt to the fact that in the real world no one really cares about your feelings, just their own. Thankfully as a family we play games where there is a winner and a loser. Games where if you don't come in first you can try for second. Games that if someone else wins you get the chance to be happy for them and plan a rematch where you can try to conquer the game. It's not easy learning to be a good sport, but it is necessary. We do our children a disservice if we don't teach them that failure, and effort and trying again and again are the very building blocks that will lead them all to a successful, fulfilled life! I guess for my Kindergartner who will never know different at school, all that running around was for the double Popsicle at the end!! A great prize in her book. As for me, I will leave wishing I could have shared the excitement of hearing her relive her ribbons and wondering why on earth that man gave me a dirty look when I cheered for my daughter. Oh well, I am too hopped up on Cold medicine to care. Great job Rebecca...you get a ribbon of every color in my book!!