Jocelyn birthday party

Jocelyn's birthday was at the end of January, but this post is only a couple months past due because her party didn't happen until mid-March. It was party, take 4. (Take 1: snowed out. Take 2: almost all guests were too sick to attend due to nasty norovirus. Take 3: Robbie was in the ER with croup.) Or, as we more aptly named it mid-party, "the Eat-and-Beat Dora party." Because, well, we ate her.




And beat her.



We'll get to more pinata pictures later; first some party candids!

J's best bud, Carly, was sporting her party hat and eating from her party plate. Jocelyn LOVED all the Dora stuff (and I loved that I got it on sale AND with a coupon on top of that - woohoo!).



As usual, Leaina enjoyed the museum of toys (aka our house)...



and then rocked the hat in her own unique style.



I'm not sure if Robbie was more bothered by the Dora hat or by the too-short nature of his overalls. But ain't he cute?



Sutherland seems ready for the pinata in this picture, don't you think?



Lee explained the Dora-beating pinata-hitting rules.



Don't they look so bored um, I mean, anxious to start orderly? Pay attention to the line in the background of the following pictures; the spectators will often be as entertaining as the child swinging at the pinata (or more so!).



Methinks Lizzie doesn't want to wait any longer!



I think Lizzie and her siblings have been groomed by their MWAC (mom with a camera) to smile for the camera no matter what activity is taking place. Look at her smile as she whacks the poor explorer!



CE doesn't have as much of a smile, but it's still there.



And HK smiles as well! Funny, ain't it?



Leiana thinks about it...



...considers it up close...



...and promptly expresses her interest (er, disinterest) in it.



But the birthday girl comes back for another attempt!



And, yes, she is wearing snow boots with her shorts.



Sutherland has nice form, don't you think?



See Lizzie swing. See her older siblings talk in the background.



See Lizzie hit the pinata. See her brother threaten her sister.



See her brother doing a wee bit more than merely threatening Dora.



I enjoy Derek's response as CE smacks Dora.




And HK is still cheesing...



...and keeps on smiling. (Though Dora's face is starting to be a bit concave.)



Leiana reconsiders...



...and walks away from the pole once again.



CE cheers for Jocelyn - how sweet!



Finally, in an effort to put Dora out of her misery, Lee swings Jocelyn and the pole.



See Dora's head. See Dora's body. We have a successful beheading. (And anyone else notice Lee's smile? Perhaps he's related to Heather too...)



What you don't see in any picture is this: Lee swings. Pole hits Dora and slows down as the impact breaks the pinata. Jocelyn's face smashes into the pole. Candy falls. Children collect candy. Jocelyn lives out, "It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to. You would cry too if it happened to you,"



But she got over it. And then announced with her friends that it's cupcake-eatin' time!



And, shortly after that, we noticed that a spade had shown up in the pizza box. Yummy.



And here's a shot just for Dana...



...who will forever be haunted by the headless Dora.



Oh, and did I mention that the cupcakes were rainbows?



Hmm, perhaps this picture is more palatable.



It was a wonderful birthday party, well worth the wait! I am so happy that God blessed me three years ago with the best job ever: being her mommy. I love her so much!

Enough.

I ordered pizza tonight. And I almost posted something on Facebook about the yummy goodness that is Domino’s (seriously, if you haven’t tried their new crust and sauce, you need to!), but I didn’t. Why? (I’m so glad you asked!)

Because every single time in the past two years that I have posted something like that, I have gotten a comment (sometimes online, sometimes in person) from someone telling me that I’m killing myself with stuff like that and insinuating that I must have brought my autoimmune disorders on myself by eating such junk. Or, instead of insinuating anything, the commenter informs me that I would be well if I stopped consuming anything that has ________ (it varies, so take your pick from some of the suggestions I can remember: sugar, fat, processed items, dairy, salt, meat, tomatoes, aspartame, dark-colored sodas…) Or, in response to my mentioning one of my specialists, someone suggests that my doctors are too caught up in the world of illnesses to care about seeing anyone get well and that I would could be well if only I would see their preferred doctor (once again, take your pick: chiropractor, homeopathic practitioner, acupuncturist, naturopath, herbalist…). Or, in a couple of particularly bewildering cases, I’ve been advised that I would be well if I just prayed a little more.

Nope, I’m not kidding. It’s happened more times than I can count from more people than I can remember at this point. And it’s hurtful.

It’s hurtful because almost every one of those comments has come from someone who didn’t first pause to ask me a single question about my health, someone who chose assumptions and judgment over friendship and compassion. It’s hurtful because I have been blessed with a phenomenal team of specialists who do care deeply about their patients and who have worked together (and continue to do so) to figure out how to treat my health holistically, so it saddens me to hear or read people denigrate them. It’s hurtful because I would not have chosen the diseases I live with, and it hurts to be blamed for them (although, given how much God has taught me through them, I am inexpressibly thankful for them). It’s hurtful because I love God, so it hurts to hear someone warp His message by simplifying it into “health and wealth” prosperity gospel mumbo-jumbo. And it’s hurtful because, simply put, it’s kicking a gal while she’s down.

I’m not being passive aggressive and trying to call out any specific person or people by posting this; it’s just happened enough times for me to say, “Enough!” Enough already. Seriously. (I truly don't think that any of the hurtful comments had malicious intent behind them. But they did have thoughtlessness behind them. Which can be just as bad. So, enough.) I’m just saying, “Think before you comment.” Please.

And I’m saying that the blogging here will resume as previously scheduled. I’m ashamed to say that one reason that the blog has been so quiet is that I allowed the hurt to keep me from sharing our prayer requests and praises with friends who do care and who do think before they post. If God brings it to our lives, then – within reason – we won’t stay quiet because we believe that one purpose He has in all this is for us to share it with others to glorify Him. That’s our aim, and we’d rather not leave it up to the rocks.

(Oh, and here are a handful of clarifying notes that aren’t necessary but that I feel like adding anyway: We have gone down a more natural path for some aspects of my care, and some of my daily pills are supplements, so I have nothing against alternative medicine. We rarely eat fast food or any other food that we don’t make ourselves, and we’re big into eating whole foods rather than processed pseudofoods. We have prayed and continue to pray about every single health decision, including which types of specialists I see, and we feel that God has us exactly where He intends for us to be. And while my health isn’t ideal right now, which I’ll post more about in the near future, I am in a much better place than I was last summer, thanks be to God! And one final note: the pizza was very yummy.)

I heart the beach.

Two friends and I abandoned our families took a much-needed girls' weekend at the beach a couple weekends ago. It was, in a word, blissful. Ah, the sun. The salty air. The relaxation.

And, of course, the company. I love these girls!



As you can see above, I love them so much that I'm doing my weird Hulk (Hogan or The Incredible, take your pick because either works) thing with my neck.

The waves in the picture below were very pretty and picturesque...



...but they were also Hulk-esque. Being a Florida girl (who liked to escape to South Padre Island when I lived in TX and who heads to NC beaches whenever I can), I've experienced many a wave. These had more force behind them than any I've ever experienced, including waves in the Gulf of Mexico when a hurricane was nearby. Jenelle put it well in her comment for this picture on Facebook: "They look so peaceful and pretty... rather unlike the killer monstrosities that they were."



I'm not sure why, but piers make me feel all joyful inside.



I'm ready to go again. Soon. It was perfect. (Well, perhaps a bit more sunscreen was needed before it reached the perfect point, but it was mighty close.) Before I was pregnant with Robbie, I had two overnight work trips without Jocelyn, but other than that these were my first kid-free nights since she entered the picture. I am so amazingly blessed by my two sweet children and my wonderful husband, but this weekend away was a rare and sublime delight. I'm glad it's rare, though, because it does make my heart ache to be away too much or for too long. But that sweet spot of "just right" is splendid.

(This will be another post for another day, but the timing was a very cool God thing. We planned it to be the weaning weekend for Robbie and Hannah, Kristen's daughter, with both of us mommas cutting down to one or two feedings per day and then being out of sight and out of mind for the babes. However, both kiddos weaned in the month prior to our trip, so it was the weaning weekend...in which no one was weaning. However, God knew this trip would be perfect timing for me - for reasons that I'll touch on in a future post - and I am so thankful for His flawless scheduling!)

Thanks, Jenelle and Kristen, for a wonderful weekend! And thanks, Lee, Derek, and John, for taking care of everything else so we could go!

Our own little Teddy

"I have always been fond of the West African proverb: 'Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.'"

~President Theodore Roosevelt

Rules of strawberry pickin'

Strawberry attire: optional. Strawberry on your face: required. Both: ideal.




Feel free to be picky.




Bond over your berries.




Fill your bucket.




And your belly.




If you're really skilled, fill your belly while filling your bucket.




If it's your first time and you're not sure if you're allowed to fill your belly, do it covertly.




And, if you get caught, look cute. It helps every time.




Speaking of cuteness, feel free to express unabashed joy...




...before and after the outing.




Get sticky.




And dirty.




At the same time.




If you start to feel full...



...start running...



...until you are tired enough...



...to work up an appetite for more.



And, as usual, appease Mom with patience when she has to take several shots before she gets a decent one with both of you in the shot.