Feel the Love.

Tonight, I was driving in the car with my mom and the girls.

We passed by the hospital where Lexi was born, and I said "There's your hospital Lexi!"

The following is the remainder of our conversation.......

Lexi : That's where I was born.

Me: (feeling all sentimental) Yes it is.

Lexi: I don't want to have a baby.

Haley: Why, cause it's gonna hurt?

Lexi: I don't want to have a baby.

....perfectly setting up a moment that could be oh so sweet, my Mom says: But Lexi, Mommy had two babies, and look what she got.

Haley: A STRETCHY BELLY! That's what she got!

(sigh).

Reason #4692 I love Yoga.

Have I mentioned I like yoga? Oh, like is not the word. I love it. I really, really love it.

And the weird thing is, I just happened into it. Thought I'd give it a try. And now I spend every day thinking about when I can practice some more.

Why do I like it? So many reasons...

But here are a few...

It relaxes me.
It helps me focus.
I am slower to anger.
More hungry for peace.
I feel healthier.
I feel stronger.

And reason #4692?

It is healing my body. HUH? You say. Yes, it's true.

I have had undiagnosed leg pain for 15 years. 15 YEARS people! So many doctors, therapy, etc. My right side has been in pain since I was in Jr. High. Started with my hand and moved down to my leg. The leg pain is so severe at times it hurts to walk. Countless massages and physical therapy have only been a bandaid.

I hadn't slept on my right side since college.

Then I started yoga.

It's been 3 months of practicing at least twice a week.

And guess what? The pain is slipping away. I can sleep on my right side.

Yoga is helping me take back my body.

And I couldn't be more happy.

I take Vinyasa Style Yoga...which is power yoga. It is not easy. It is definitely a workout. One of my favorite things to hear my teacher say mid class is, "Whoever told you yoga was easy, lied to you to get you here." I think that is true.

All that to say, the class may be hard, but the rewards are plenty.

So try it. It may change your life and your body like it has changed mine.

Library Germs.

I took Haley to the library this afternoon. She got her first library card, and we had a pretty awesome time.

Then I went over to pick out a few books for myself, and I thought, "hmmm...why don't we do this more often?"

Then I thought...wow...these books go into a lot of different homes.

And I'm not saying it happens in my house, but I have been to a house or two where "reading material" is present in the bathroom.

So I just stood there...wondering...how many bathrooms have these books been in?

Yeah, you shouldn't let your mind go there. It can get pretty gnarly.

Picture Books.

I like looking at pictures. Sometimes more than words. For example....I usually read PEOPLE magazine more often than a wordy novel. (Which to be honest is a time thing more than anything else.) So for that reason, I thought I would just post some recent pics...with a word or two about each one to kinda catch you up on our life since I was missing from the blogosphere for awhile...


We spent a little time in Old World.




My sister had a beautiful baby girl named Kinley Grace. And I obviously need more pictures of her since I only have the delivery pictures to show.



But with the baby, came more time for me to spend with my niece, Emily.



Lexi and I went to the park with Cousin Emily.





We enjoyed the California Sun and have had some fun Beach Days.




We rode some tiny trains.



This came home in Haley's weekend packet...apparently she's really good at math!


She was also picked to help lead in chapel.


Peter Pan and Tink showed up at the house!


And my sweet husband made us some yummy homemade pizzas! That's Amore.


We've had some good times lately.

And that concludes my Picture Book.

The end.

Blogging again. Oh, and Lexi is a Holy Roller.

I am a total slacker at this blog thing.

Life got busy. And let's face it...Facebook is a lot easier. Especially for those of us with ADD. A quick status update...and I'm out. Off to do 346 other things...and of course, not finish a one of them.

But here I sit, on a Sunday afternoon...with nothing to do. Well, I suppose I could clean my house which happens to look like a college dorm room at the moment. Or I could work on the garden, which appears to be turning into a tropical rain forest. Or I could scrub the toilets, which appear...ah well, I will stop there.

Instead, I think I will blog. I will give it another chance.

So what to talk about?

Well...lets see. A lot has happened recently...but I think I want to write down a story about my precious Lexi before I forget it.

We do this thing at our church...Baby Dedication. It's where the parents come up with their little tot and dedicate them...well, really, it's the parents saying that commit to raising them in a Godly manner, in a home where Christ is at the center. It's lovely. And they give the parents a rose to signify something (Which I forgot)...and they give the baby a little tiny Bible. You know...the tiny ones that you can barely read without putting on your bifocal glasses. The one that has no pictures and is in the King James Version...no offense...but neither of which are very "kid friendly."

So to be honest...Lexi's little Bible has sat in her dresser drawer for 3 years. She found it about 3 months ago, and carries it with her around the house. She will come up next to you and say, "Read me my Bible." And of course, you have to. You also have to translate it to a more "kid-friendly" version. But she loves this. I mean, she loves this little Bible like most kids love Dr.Seuss.

So now that you have that little backstory...tuck that away. We'll come back to it.

But first, you need to know this. We moved into our current home almost a year ago. We are friendly with our neighbors...everyone is very nice. But I have other friends that live in neighborhoods where there are kids everywhere...always coming and going. And I've always been a bit envious. I would love for my kids to have that.

So last week, we were outside playing, and the girls finally connected with some kids who live several houses down. Before I knew it, these kids were in my house, hanging out, playing. Which is cool. I liked it. But please keep in mind...we don't know these people at all.

So imagine my shock when I hear my sweet Lexi go up to this little 8 year old girl and say, "Can you please read me my Bible?"

Silence.

Me. (Suddenly frozen...but waiting to see what happens.)

And the girl in her soft spoken voice says, "Okay?" Emphasis on the question mark...cause she really wasn't sure.

So here's what you need to know. I know the Bible isn't for everyone. I mean, well, it is...but some people aren't into it. I get that. And I am sensitive to it. Do I wish they would be? Of course. But I'm not so sure thrusting a little tiny King James Bible onto a girls lap and asking her to read Revelation is the way to bring something to Christ.

So then the little girl looks at Haley and says, "I don't have a Bible." And Haley says, "WHAT?" And she says, "I don't go to church." And I kid you not...my sweet, church mouse daughter DROPS THE TOY SHE HAS IN HER HAND, and says, "YOU DON'T GO TO CHURCH?"

Me. (In the kitchen making noise...getting real nervous and wondering how to handle it.)

"Haley" I say... "Not everyone goes to church."

"WHAT?" She says. She is completely confused.

Enter Lexi.

Lexi clueless about what is happening is persistent with her question... "Can you read me my Bible?"

Okay, now I realize this is getting a little crazy a little too quick. "Lexi, honey...Mommy will read it to you a little later. The girls are going to work on a craft now."

Lexi is okay with that. And she goes and takes the Bible away from the girl and then as if we are straight out of some crazy evangelistic movie, Lexi starts walking around the house with her Bible in her hand saying, "This is God's Holy Word...a light into my path...a lamp on my head." (Ah well, close enough.)

She must have said it about 10 times...over and over. And I am a crazy mixture of laughing to myself...cringing out of nervousness for the girl who probably thinks we are straight up Jesus Freaks and will never come over again...and also partially wondering if this isn't God moving/speaking through my child... Yep, all those feelings...all at once.

And right about that time, Lexi busts into the song "Waves of Mercy, WAves of Grace...Everywhere I look, I see your Face."

Seriously? When did my daughter turn into such an evangelist?

The truth is, it all made me a little nervous because I know that religion is such a polarizing topic. And although this wouldn't be the way I would choose to tell my neighbors about Jesus...I love the innocence of both my girls. I love their boldness. I love that they want to read the Bible, that they think everyone should go to church. I love that they are forming a relationship with Jesus that they want to share with their friends. I love what they are teaching me!

The good news is, we didn't scare the little girl off. She's been back over to our house since that day. So maybe my girls will keep building a relationship with her and who knows? The Little Holy Rollers might even lead her into the best relationship she could ever have....one with Jesus Christ.