Go, go, go!

Our little guy is on the go non-stop. He is crazy about cars, trucks, motorcycles, police cars, fire trucks...you get the picture. It was only appropriate to have a "car-theme" birthday. Here's how it went down:

The cake:

"Stoplight" Jello
Bulldozer ride-on. Awesome!
Motorcycle-oh, yeah!
Bike with handy steering for the grown-up. Nice.
He also got 2 great books with lots of pictures in them to keep building that vocabulary. We read them before nap and bedtime EVERY day. I now know the difference between an excavator and a skid steer and a bulldozer. Love it! It was a fun day. We missed our dear family that couldn't share the day, but want you all to know we love you.

Birthday Boy

A big happy birthday to our handsome son.

It never ceases to amaze me how one can love another so completely and then grow in that love more and more every day, every year for a lifetime. Again I find myself the giver and the recipient of that kind of love.

A car-theme birthday party is coming on Saturday. Today there were kisses, birthday candles, singing and some small gifts before the big fun on Saturday. I'm pretty sure he said more new words today than ever before. I'm looking forward to this year with him.

Fun and Easy Craft

Check out this link to a fun craft. I'm all about the practical stuff in a fun package. The cards would be a good hostess gift (I never know what to give in those situations...do you?)

Does anyone have a suggestion on a place to buy tags or blank cards/envelopes that are reasonably priced? (as in, not more expensive than the gift itself!)

Have a great day!

Celebrating!

Today a little boy I've never met from a place I've never been is sleeping in his new bed with his new mom and dad very close by. Every journey is special. Every homecoming profound. To see his little smile, you can look here. Welcome home Joshua. We can't wait to meet you!!

And They're Off...

I've been sort of coasting since we returned from Florida. Trying to soak in the summer and my kids. It's been both busy and restful. There are more pictures and stories to come, but today, let me share the happy faces of our girls' first day of school. E was so nervous about Kindergarten for a long time. I kept trying to figure out the right thing to say. Nothing worked. Finally I realized I hadn't prayed about it at all. One of the recurring themes of parenting for me is that my kids are God's first. He designed them. He can do for them what I can't. I can't change E's fears or insecurities, but God can. How? Why? I don't know, but I've seen it happen over and over. So I prayed. She changed. She used to refuse to even go into the Kindergarten room. Today she woke up smiling and confident. So excited her little body could hardly contain her pride and anticipation. It makes a mother's heart happy. It also grows my faith a little more.


David and I took our time walking back to the car. The pace of a (nearly) 2 year old rarely gets indulged. Today was the day to go David-speed. We ended up at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. This is truly one of my favorite places. We parked and just walked the beautiful grounds. As a kid I loved the book The Secret Garden. The grounds of the IMA are like that for me...paths and wonders, sculptures and wide open green spaces that let me breathe deep. There was some outdoor construction happening, so my little guy got to see some real tractors in action. This makes him as happy as hydrangeas and flagstone paths make me. It's a good day.

Home from Florida

We're back home after a lovely and relaxing 10 days in Florida. A HUGE thank you to our friends who let us stay at their wonderful condo. The highlights for me were introducing (and re-introducing) our kids to the warm, wide ocean. Carolyn was fearless. Emily was content to stay on the beach. David was busy going back and forth between the two. Emily did great in the swimming pool. She wore a life vest and it gave her confidence to do the backstroke all over the pool. She also ate her first sushi! We had seared ahi and she was a big fan. The other highlights for me were sunset at the beach and finishing the Digging Deep book. I had an afternoon to myself at a bookstore. I sat in a deep leather armchair, sipping my iced coffee and, for the first time, drew a first draft of my dream garden in the back of my journal.

As kids, we're told to not tell our wishes or they won't come true. I think the opposite is true. Taking my dreams from vague ideas to something tangible brought them one step closer to reality. Speaking one dream makes me realize there are many more waiting to be spoken. And pursued into reality.

In-Joy

In the last few months, I've finally found this part of myself that had been asleep or silenced for a long, long time. Letting myself create is bringing me to life in new ways. For me, the only thing better than this experience would be to bring creativity in it's many forms into community with you and those you know.

So, with the help of friends and the permission of emily, erin and tracy, I'm announcing the beginning of In-joy: A collaborative creative project open to anyone. This is in the spirit of Wordplay, a creative experience I've enjoyed watching several artist-bloggers create. The idea is that a word is given with 6 weeks to process and create something that uses that word in some way. The parameters of what you create and how you create it are wide open. A poem. A song. A photograph. A collage. A painting. A quilt. Anything. Really.

My hope is you will let yourself be free to create and not just enjoy what comes out at the end, but that you will learn something about yourself in the process. I'm really as interested in the process for you as in the outcome.

You are invited to post pictures of your creation on a picasaweb page. I wanted posting to be as easy as possible. Just email me at christin dot nevins at gmail dot com to get the id and password. To view postings, go to this link.

The word for this first In-Joy is light.

Postings are due on or before August 19, 2008. You can post as many creations as you'd like.

I'll give a new word on August 20.

Can't wait!