Bouncy, Trouncy, Flouncy, Pouncy...

In lieu of Kindermusik this quarter, I signed Kendall up for a Parent/Child gymnastics class.  We have been attending since January and boy....does she LOVE it!  "Bounce," as it's called at our house, happens every Tuesday morning, and having buddy Jasmine in the same class makes it extra fun!  The class begins with free play, followed by warm-ups and stretching, then practice of a focus skill.  Kids can take part in centers, where they earn stamps for completing a task.  Kendall comes home with stamps from her head to her toes!

Time for the "Pit!"

Touch your toes!

Coach Marcy helping Kendall with her bar skills.

Coach Mac helps Kendall walk the beam.

Kendall's FAVORITE is the trampoline, but she will ONLY jump alone.  Sometimes it creates more drama than fun.  Oy.

Kendall and Jazzy get jumpy with some music!

And the BEST part, of course, is getting STAMPS!  Kendall keeps her coaches entertained with her enthusiasm :)

God's Definition of Good

I love reading Jon Acuff's blog, Stuff Christians Like.  Good stuff, funny stuff. 
On "Serious Wednesdays," he digs a little deeper into the Christian faith to encourage and inspire.
Today's devotional resonated with me, so I thought I'd share an excerpt of his thoughts on Romans 8:28:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Why did this happen? How can this thing possibly work for the good? Why do bad things happen to good people? You promised good, God, and this isn’t good.

But we’re not promised our purpose. We’re promised God’s purpose. We’re not promised our definition of good. We’re promised God’s definition of good. And in the moment when life crashes down, and our own expectations of what “good” should look like fall apart to ashes, we tend to think God has failed us. Or does not love us. Or that “all things” don’t work for the good, just some things.

The truth, though, is that all things do. How? Because his purpose is exponentially bigger and more beautiful than mine could ever be. He is painting pictures with the universe as his backdrop. He is unraveling stories with generations as his paper. His vision and his ability to define good is so much grander than mine. So when I get his purpose, when whatever situation I’m in works toward his purpose, I don’t get my small definition of good. I get his massive definition of great.

That doesn’t make it easy. That doesn’t make the Christian life carefree or painless. That doesn’t mean you won’t have nights or even years when you don’t doubt and say to God, “You promised me good, and this is not good!” You will. I will too. But my hope is that, when we hold up our broken definition of good to God and ask him what’s going on, we will remember what Christ said about the father in Luke 11:
“For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Today might feel like a snake, but it is not. Tomorrow might feel like a scorpion, but it is not. Our great God always works toward a good greater than we can possibly imagine.

Daddy's Little Helpers

For Kendall's first Christmas, she received a pair of baby scrubs from Grandma and Grandpa Petersen.  Daddy was pretty surprised when we dropped in on him between surgical cases!  I've been cherishing this photo on my phone for a while...

Recently, one of our good friends gave Carter a little scrubs outfit, too!  So, we again stopped by the office to see Daddy.  Dr. Carter, scrubbing in!

Today's Funny

When Did...

When did naptime go from the most hated to the most loved part of my day?

When did my BABY girl turn into a little girl?

When did cleaning became therapeutic?

When did half my wardrobe become fleece?

When did my feet become so dry, my socks stick to them like velcro?

When did my parents' friends become MY friends?

When did a shower become a luxury?


When did I stop caring if my hair is perfectly straight?

When did I become so dependent on my cell phone?

When did grocery shopping become my personal retreat and not a mundane task?

When did I start preferring a night at home over a night on the town?

When did I start referring to 30 degrees as "warm"?

Just wonderin'....

Pictures are Priceless...Or Are They?

After 854 posts over almost 8 years of blogging, I was notified that I've met my quota for free photo storage on Blogger.  Did you know there was such a thing??  I didn't!  That wouldn't have deterred me, but bloggers beware- you, too, could have the same fate!  Sheesh, that's what I get for having such photogenic children. 

I know you're panicking right now.  WHAT!???  No more pictures of Kendall??!  Carter??!  Random Stock Photos!??!  OH, THE HUMANITYYYYY!!!!!

Calm yourself down.  I paid five bucks for unlimited photo storage space.
You're welcome.

Pass the Water, Please.

My wine post has turned into water.  Jesus works reverse miracles on my blog :)

Speaking of Jesus, the season of Lent is upon us!  Happy Fat Tuesday, fatties.  Though I'm not Roman-Catholic, I enjoy observing Lent- not necessarily as a time to "give something up," but as a time to refine my personal disciplines.  This year I'm undertaking one aspect of my health that has ALWAYS been a challenge for me.  Drinking water.

That's right.  Starting tomorrow, my daily goal is to drink a MINIMUM of 6 glasses of water.  I know the recommended number is 8, but considering water in food products, I figure 6 is decent.  And going from 1 to 6 is enough of a challenge for now considering I don't like water.  But I've added some fruit to a couple pitchers full and am optimistic that will make it enjoyable enough.  AND I'm gonna give myself stickers, too.  (Hey- if it works for 2nd graders, maybe it will work for me.)   I'm hoping that this 40 days will help me develop a lifestyle change that I can continue at the end of it all.  Maybe, just maybe, it will prevent any more of those ridiculous kidney stones.

As we crawl closer to the Resurrection celebration, I am excited to allow God to refresh me both physically AND spiritually.  The Bible declares that HE is the LIVING WATER- and, boy, do I need it every day!  

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” —John 7:37-38

A Toast to You!

Today is National Drink Wine Day!  So, I thought I'd break away from my crying baby for a moment to sip a glass of Chenin Blanc and compose a blog.  I'm not a big drinker, but I enjoy a glass of wine from time to time when I need to feel all relaxy-like or fancy.  And, since I've never cared for red wines, my friends here have made it their mission to "broaden my wine horizons" (and give me red wine stains on my lips in the process).  I attended a "Wine Tasting Party" a few weeks ago- my first real venture out of the house for an extended period of time.  There, we had a tournament-style crowning of the "Best in Show" for white and red. 

 There was, um, a LOT of wine.  But don't worry- all my "sips" added up to about two glasses.
In May, I'll be drowning my sorrows in wine celebrating my 35th birthday with friends in Napa, and I'm SO excited to be revisiting some of my favorite wineries.  I love the wine tasting experience, especially if the winery grounds and tasting room are picturesque.  So, if you oblige, here are a few of my favorites from years past:

Domaine Chandon gets the award for the prettiest tasting room.  The whole winery is spectacular, really.  They are recognized for their sparkling wines and champagnes which are not regionally exclusive- you can probably pick up a bottle at your local liquor store. 

St. Supery Moscato is the go-to wine for people who don't like wine.  I've always likened it to Apricot flavored Capri-Sun.  Super sweet, super fun if you aren't in a drinky-drinky mood.  The winery itself is kinda contempo-artsy, if you like that kind of thing.

Located not in Napa, but in the Shenandoah Valley, Charles Spinetta Winery is a fun and friendly stop for wildlife art lovers and people who don't take wine TOO seriously.  We served several varieties of Spinetta wine at our wedding, my parents having struck up a friendship with the owners after years of visits.  In fact, the Chenin Blanc in my hand is a Spinetta wine.  Yum :)  But you won't find this wine at your local store- it's a gem for which you'll have to travel.

So, cheers to you on this fine Drink Wine day.  I wish you many wonderful vintages and fruitful searches for the perfect glass of vino.  And boys- remember that you can make a dull night romantic with a pretty glass and a little grape juice :)  Just for fun:

My Little Valentine(s)

Finally getting around to sharing some of the newborn cuteness from Carter's photo shoot!  Of course, we snuck in a few pictures of Sister Bear, too...the camera just gravitates to that face!  Check out the sweetest Valentines on the block!

Carter is already fielding calls from his agent ;)

The Queen of Hearts

If there is one thing that makes my daughter happy, it's hearts.  She can spot a "Hot!" a mile away, and if you give her a heart-anything, she'll behave as if you just bestowed upon her the freaking Hope Diamond.  Really, it's bordering on obsession.  Whereas she wasn't really into Halloween and all the candy she couldn't eat, I have a feeling Valentine's Day is going to BLOW HER MIND.  She's already noticed the presents wrapped in hearts on the table, and I'm surprised they haven't been ripped open.  She doesn't know that Mommy and Daddy are giving her a pretty heart necklace!  It might be the best day of her life :)

 For her friends this year, we made cookies.  Her two favorite things in the WORLD collided in this project...hearts and MICKEY MOUSE.  Holy cow, she was excited about these cookies!  (Obviously, my inner Paula Deen was on vacation today.  Pilsbury to the rescue!)

MICK MOUSE!!  Oh, and take note of the hearts on her jammies AND socks.

She also wanted to show you the Valentine she made in Sunday School.  She put hearts over "God Loves You," but you get the point.

 

As I was writing this blog, I looked up on our computer desk and saw this (above).  Grandma Donna gave Kendall some heart stickers when baby Carter was born, and Kendall decided to share them with everyone in the room.  She even put one on Uncle Derek's picture- which I left just where she put it that day.  I think it was such a sweet moment- and our "hots" still smile when we think of Uncle Dizzle!

Mommy's Little Rock Stars

Our weekly playdates resumed at our house this week.  Kendall shared "her" instruments with buddy Jasmine and they made some beautiful music together!  We mommies were a proud audience indeed!

Little buddy watched the girls, too.  Someday soon he'll be pounding away on his own little keyboard :)