Monday, June 25, 2007

Father's Day pics





Here are a few recent pictures of Neely, a few from Father's Day. Marcus is such an amazing dad! I am constantly in awe of how much he loves Neely and how great he is with her! I am truly blessed with a wonderful husband who is also a fabulous dad.

Oh yeah, her green t-shirt says "Daddy's Caddy."








Saturday, June 16, 2007

Contempt for Contempt

I played tennis yesterday for the first time in a long time. I was keenly aware that many of the attitudes around me were filled with complaints, or to put it more bluntly, they were drunk on entitlement. What is it about Americans in general (myself included in this) that makes us feel like we are entitled to so much- or really anything at all? The person in the drivethru is taking WAY too long to take my order, or this car in front of me is really slowing me down, or where are the towels and cups that should be out on the courts and why should I have to walk all the way inside to get them? You get the picture.
So, I was reading Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas ( highly recommend) and he talks about having contempt for contempt. One way to do this is to cultivate an attitude of praise and thanksgiving. Doesn't that sound fantastic? My first effort in this is to list

10 Things I am Happy About Today:

1. Marcus watched Neely this morning so I could go for a run-- without the jogging stroller! I seriously forgot what that feels like!

2. Having lunch with my dear friend Melanie today. I have missed her!

3. You. I have friends who are actually willing to read my ramblings on my blog, many of whom are mothers who can absolutely relate to what I am talking about.

4. Summer TV shows to replace the void American Idol and the Bachelor left when the season ended. A new show is on Monday night with Mark Philopusis (sp?). He is a tennis player on the tour and he is looking for love. It is like the Bachelor on the tennis court! I seriously can not wait. And "So you Think You Can Dance." Yes, Sarah, I love it too!

5. T-town. I can say that after 4 years, I finally feel like this is home, and I like it here. I am super thankful for our home. It suits our needs perfectly!

6. Longer t-shirts. After the low rise pants craze, I have been waiting for longer t-shirts to make up for the crack gap when you bend over. And I have finally found some. Now Marcus does not sound the "white back" alert every time I bend over to get Neely.

7. Great books. I am finally reading "Shepherding a Child's Heart" and "Honey for a Child's Heart" along with "Sacred Marriage." There are too many great books!

8. Neely's first birthday rapidly approaching. The theme will be Strawberry Shortcake. Remember her, girls?

9. Vacation. Marcus and I have been throwing around some fun vacation plans- Hawaii is in the mix. Wow, that would be so fun! But just the thought of getting away is very exciting.

10. I am going to take a nap. Peace! SO thankful for this.

Have a blessed day!

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Bookworm
































Neely has a new friend, Alina, who likes to come over and play. She is 8, but she LOVES to play with Neely. She actually made Neely a teddy bear in the Build-A-Bear store in the mall. She takes lessons from Marcus, and she is the cutest little girl ever! She came over last week, and Neely is almost as enamored with Alina as she is with books! Actually enamored with books is an understatement! She is obsessed with books. I hope the trend continues and she loves reading for a lifetime! Here she is reading with Alina.
Also, Neely is getting close to taking steps. She is pulling up on everything and likes to stand "bup" by herself! She is so much fun and is saying new words every day. She said "thank you" to the Chinese waitress the other day and yesterday she said "cracker" and "golf." We are working on "tennis!"