Lions and Tigers and...Choo Choos?

Since the arrival of Edee 9 weeks ago, Mary Ellen has been orphaned. No, she is still 100 percent ours, it just feels that with all the feedings, the burpings, the rockings and diaper changings, poor Mary Ellen hasn't had enough Mommy and Daddy time. Slap a gruelling Southern Nuclear outage on top of that for Brannon (he was gone from 5:00 - 7:00 everyday) and Mommy and Mary Ellen were ready to head to the looney bin. I'm being dramatic, of course. We had plenty of help from his parents (THANK YOU)!!!!! But with all the newness and excitement of Edee Ann, Brannon and I knew we needed to spend some special time with big sister.

This past weekend we went to visit my mother in Eatonton, Ga., and took the whole gang with us. Travelling with two youngins' is um.....fun. But we made it safely and with all of our hair in tact, so life is good. We had a really great time. Brannon and I took Mary Ellen to Zoo Atlanta while Mommom kept baby Edee for the day. Mary Ellen had a great day with Mommy and Daddy. We got to see all the animals, except for the elephants - they just wouldn't come outside. Too hot I guess. We ate lunch at the zoo, which for Mary Ellen consisted of french fries and a bag of potatoe chips. But hey, it was her day so who cares! Plus, I couldn't talk. I ate french fries and deep fried chicken fingers.

Mary Ellen's favorites were the giraffes and the choo choo train ride at the zoo. You could hear the whistle of the train when parking your car at the admission gates. Mary Ellen didn't let us forget about that train the WHOLE day. lol. I never met a little girl more into trains than she. Trains and "Giddy-Up-Horses." And Princess curls. That's what she calls her hair when I curl it on Sunday mornings for church. She also thinks every women with curls in her hair is a princess. :)

"Boppy," (she can't pronounce her M's, so she calls me Boppy), "Pwincess curls in hair, Boppy, okay, okay."

Things have finally been settling down at our house with the arrival of Edee, who is just precious, so I know we will have plenty of more moments with Mary Ellen. Besides being more vocal with her temper tantrums, Mary Ellen is finally adjusting to life with a little sister. We still have many jealousy fits, but they have gone down considerably.

Until next time, we love you and go to the nearest zoo. It still just as fun as when you were a kid.

The Best Life

I love it when God's word smacks me upside the head during church - or any time for that matter. Bro. Van Sunday built his message on Colossians 3:1: "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set you hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God."

When we are "raised" up with Christ, we put on a new self and do away with our earthly desires. How can we say Christ lives within us, yet continue to live as if He is just our neighbor, checking in on us every once in awhile? We can't. At least not if we want Him to shape us into what we should be, what He calls us to be. When we are raised up in Christ, we not only accept Him as our Savior, but we accept Him as our Lord. This means we must submit to His lordship. This means we must live in a way that is pleasing to Him - in a way that allows us to be the best we can be. This means we live this way all the time, not just sometimes. As Bro. Van said Sunday, God is not an insurance salesman. It's not His intention for you to just call on Him when you're in desperate need. He's not just there to put out your fires, to deal with your not-so-good moments. No. He wants ALL of your moments.

This message hit home because I all too often catch myself spending just a little more time in His word and in prayer when I'm in need. Don't hear me wrong. He is there and always will be. But where is my desire and obedience when I am thankful? When life is good? When life is complacent, calm? It's like saying, "Yea, I know you're there Lord, but I'm good right now. I kinda don't need ya at the moment becasue I got it all under wraps. I'll check in with ya later when the road gets a little bumpy. Okay?"

How would you feel if your child responded to you like that? Your spouse? Your best friend? I sure wouldn't like it, so why should He? And I get it! He just wants me to be the best me I can be, and He knows I can't do that without Him. There is no "best" without Him. That word doesn't exist in my life if He doesn't exist in my life.

I share this reflection with you because why keep an "aha" moment to myself? I sure wouldn't aprreciate it if our pastor kept all his "aha" moments to hiself. Do you call on God only when you need Him - when you think you only need Him? Do you live one way on Sunday, and ignore His Lordship on Monday? If so, He doesn't want that for you. He wants the best for you.

His best.

Bad, Bad Baby

What constitutes a good baby? Is it a baby that sleeps all the time? One that rarely cries? One that knows not to mess up that diaper you just slapped on 30 seconds ago?  What do people mean when they say "good" baby? I get asked that question all the time about Edee since her birth four weeks ago.

"Is she a good baby for ya?" people ask. Sometimes I feel like throwing a curveball out there just to see if they are really paying attention to their own question:

"Well, the other day she actually cried out for my attention. And T-H-E-N she had the nerve to mess up her newly washed bib. I mean, I don't know how to get through to this kid. I guess she's a bad, bad baby."

There is no such thing as a "bad" baby. There are babies who cry more than others. Some who cry louder than others. There are babies who fuss more, spit up more and have a little trouble soothing themselves to sleep more so than others. There are babies that prefer to be held - at ALL times. There are babies that don't like strollers, or car seats or cribs even. They are all so different, but not one of them is bad.

They are all good babies.

Those asking if Edee is a good baby know that she is good - just as all babies are. They are asking to be kind and show interest in my family (so if you were one of those people who asked, I'm just having a little fun picking on you :/ ). This is just one of those questions people ask. Another popular one is, "Does she sleep good?" The answer to that is always, "Yes, but I don't."

Edee truly has been a blessing to our family. In some ways, taking care of her while she is an infant reminds me of when we took care of Mary Ellen as a newborn, especially that sleepless part. (Circles under the eyes are just that - circles under the eyes. All babies cause this and those dark spots all look the same). There are differences, however. Edee is already proven to be her own person with her own set of characteristics and temperamant. She is great at soothing herself to sleep after a little bout of fussing, whereas Mary Ellen wanted to be rocked, and rocked....and rocked. Edee is also a very s -l-o-w eater, much different from Mary Ellen who could chug down a bottle faster than an over-excited frat boy on a Friday night. Edee also LOVES to be held, and with her head up over your choulder so she can see what's going on. She can't stand the swing or the bouncy vibrating chair thingy for too long. Laying her down on a blanket to play is out of the question and about those activity mats - forget it. She rather you pick her up and fling her over your shoulder. This is not so great when you have a two-year-old also wanting to be flung over your shoulder. Yea. Fun times.

In all, Brannon and I are loving our new baby. And for those who just have to know - yes, she is a very, very good baby!

:)