BABY PEYTON!

I was so thrilled to visit with Kipp & Sarah yesterday and meet Baby Peyton. She's so beautiful.

After visiting Sarah shortly after Tanner was born, I walked out of the hospital room sad. She had such a rough delivery, and as a friend, my heart was just hurting for her.

She looked so beautiful, happy, and healthy yesterday. I couldn't have been more happy.

Kipp just seemed giddy. He's gonna be such a good Daddy to little Peyton.

I took a picture on my cell phone (I forgot my camera) of Kipp as he was having some snuggle time with Peyton. I think it's so sweet....



Congratulations Friends!

THIS IS NOT OKAY.

I've always been a fan of Chris Brown. I'm sad that I won't get to see him perform anymore. But this is not okay.

I hope he gets the help he needs.

I hope this is a wake up call to anyone else out there that would even think about hurting someone they love.

Domestic Violence is NOT okay.

Congratulations Haley....

Dear Haley,

Today was a big day for you. I told you that you were going to visit Mrs. Marsh (your pre-school director) because she's heard how smart you are and wanted to ask you a few questions. Both are true. But there was more to the story. We were actually going to take an entrance exam for Kindergarten...but I didn't want to make you nervous with words like "test", so I left out that part.

When we got there, mommy decided I would sit in the room with you and listen. But I wasn't allowed to talk to you and you weren't allowed to talk to me.

You sat in your chair and did such a good job listening. You listened intently. You love to make people happy. I could see that shining through you today.

There were a couple of times that I could tell you needed help. I wanted to help you so badly. It was hard for me to sit and just watch. But I guess as you keep growing up, that's part of my job. Learning to let go. Letting you learn on your own.

You've done a lot of learning Haley. It was fun to watch you answer the questions Mrs. Marsh asked. Here are some of the things you did today:

--You identified each letter of the alphabet correctly.
--You wrote your first/last name.
--Mrs. Marsh built shapes with blocks. You looked at them. She knocked them down, and you rebuilt them in the same shape. This one was your biggest struggle...but you still did great!
--You identified your numbers correctly (except for number 10.... that was a tough one.)
--She showed you flash cards and you correctly identified each picture - except for yarn & overalls. But we don't have yarn or overalls in the house...so that doesn't surprise me.
---You drew every shape correctly.

She asked you questions...here are some of my favorite answers.

What do you do when your hungry? --- I eat something healthy.
What is healthy? ---Vegetables
What is your favorite vegetable? ---Steak.

What do you do when your cold? ---I snuggle.

What explodes? ---Volcanos.

What growls? ---My stomach.

Who swims? ---Sometimes people.

What boils?---Whales. And popcorn.
...I think she misunderstood this one at first...Then remembered that Grandma makes popcorn on the stove and waits for the oil to boil.

What do you do when you are sleepy?---I pull the covers up.

After you were done answering Mrs. Marsh's questions, she let you go color a picture in another room with a teacher. Then Mrs. Marsh and I talked about what a good job you did on your test. She said you were outgoing, happy, and kind. She told me that I have done a wonderful job with you. You are respectful to the teachers at school and sweet to the other kids. Academically, you are prepared for Kindergarten. And Mrs. Marsh seems to think you are an auditory learner.

And with, I was given a registration packet for you to go to Kindergarten.

I can't believe how quickly you are growing Haley. I am so proud of you. I love you more than you will ever know.

I am looking forward to watching you learn more next year as you begin Kindergarten.

Congratulations my sweet little girl!!!

Kindergarten...Really???

This was a picture I took on September 18, 2007. Haley's first day of Preschool.

Tomorrow, she is taking an entrance exam for Kindergarten. How did time slip away so quickly?

Big Day at The Pool.

My favorite day of the week is Tuesday. It is Swim Lessons Day. And I can honestly say that nothing makes me happier than watching my kids swim.

Haley has always been a natural in the pool. She has no fear and just goes for it. She's actually teaching me how to swim properly now.

Lexi loves the pool, but she's had some issues with her ears. (She has tubes.) So she hates laying on her back because of the sensation of water in her ears. (We even use ear plugs and swim caps). But usually tears are involved.

The last 2 weeks, however, she has come out of her shell. And it is SO awesome!!!

The swim program that we are in requires the child to be able to swim and then flip over onto her back and float before she can learn ANYTHING else. It is a safety issue...so if she starts swimming and can't catch her breath, she can flip over onto her back and be safe.

Today she did it...over and over...on her own...without help...without tears....




When her lesson was over, she asked her teacher if she could do it again. It was an exciting day!

Counting Down #19

I LOVE COFFEE.

Like the French love wine.

But I'm weird about it in the morning. I am so dehydrated that I have to drink about 2 glasses of water before I will let myself have a cup. I also have to eat something sweet right before I drink it. I think it enhances the taste.

1 CENT MOVIES.

If you have TIME WARNER CABLE....movies are only 1 CENT! February 14 & 15.

Break out the popcorn and enjoy!

My Journey.

I like to take pictures of pathways and roads because they remind me that I am on a journey.

Since it's Valentine's Day and "LOVE" is in the air...I'm thinking a lot about love tonight. And I've decided one thing...I have so much to learn.

I want to love boldly. Courageously. Without fear.

I want to love selflessly. Without thinking of what I will get in return.

I want to love unconditionally. Even when it's not reciprocated.

I want to love the sick, the poor, the people that don't look like me...talk like me...think like me.

I want to love like Jesus.


I'm reading a book - IRRESISTIBLE REVOLUTION - by Shane Claiborne that has opened my eyes to what a horrible lover I am. Nothing sexual here people. Just talking about loving others the way Christ loves me.

And can I boldly say that if we loved people like that, the world would be a different place.

I want to take a few posts to share some of his thoughts that have messed with my head. Made me think a lot about this journey I'm on.

Maybe they will mess with you too...


It is a beautiful thing when folks in poverty are no longer just a missions project but become genuine friends and family with whom we laugh, cry, dream, and struggle. One of the verses I have grown to love is the one where Jesus is preparing to leave the disciples and says, "I no longer call you servants....Instead, I have called you friends. (John 15:15) Servanthood is a fine place to being, but gradually we move toward mutual love, genuine relationships.

...And that's when things get messy. When people begin moving beyond charity and toward justice and solidarity with the poor and oppressed, as Jesus did, they get in trouble. Once we are actually friends with folks in struggle, we start to ask why people are poor, which is never as popular as giving to charity.

...Charity wins awards and applause, but joining the poor gets you killed. People do not get crucified for charity. People are crucified for living out a love that disrupts the social order, that calls forth a new world. People are not crucified for helping poor people. People are crucified for joining them.

Counting Down #20

To Recap: I'm just sharing 25 riveting, life-changing, fun facts about my life to bring inspiration and joy to my friends and/or stalkers. A.K.A. I am being horribly narcissistic and writing about stuff that only my mother probably cares to know...

#20... Hanging with the Wrong Crowd.

So, growing up...I spent my formative years at a little Bible College in Knoxville, Tennessee. My parents were highly respected employees of the school. Not to mention, just a lovely couple that had devoted their lives to following Christ.

So here's what I remember of what can only be acknowledged as a 8 year old kid having a pre-tween, Christian crisis. Let's set the stage.

I went to a tiny school that had no more than 100 kids in it. I lived in a beautiful home just a few yards away from where my parents worked, so after school, I would go home or hang out in the main building on campus.

I had some good friends...a lot of whom had parents that worked at the school. But I also had the tendency to hang with the troubled kids too...you know...the one's your mom tells you not to hang out with.

So...one day, I'm hanging with the good kids. Upstairs in the main building of the college campus. Somebody said something to me that hurt my feelings, so I replied, "Shut your damn mouth." RECORD SCRATCH. ROOM IS SILENT. ALL EYES ON ME. And then some girl (whose face I can remember, but name I can not) says, "I'm gonna tell your mom"...and she rushes downstairs to my mom's office.

Knowing I couldn't stop her, I pulled a Forrest Gump, and just started running. I finally got hungry and figured I should head home at some point. I can still remember my mom standing in the kitchen, putting something into a pot on the stove. And she very calmly said (without looking at me)... "do you have something you want to tell me?"

To which I replied, "Mom... I know that "Suzie" told you I said a bad word today, but I didn't. I was talking to Suzie, and at that very moment, I thought of my Uncle Dan, and I said, "Shut your DAN mouth." Oh, how I swore up and down that is what I said. My mom knew better.

.......Hanging with the bad kids......

There was 1 boy - I think his name was Eric. Maybe Kevin. We'll call him Kevin. He wasn't a part of our "Christian" campus. He lived down the road. My mom told me he was "bad news." I thought he was funny.

He'd come around our neck of the woods every once in a while. One day, he dared me to pull down my pants and moon the neighborhood boys. The good kids. The Bible Professor's son... The Music Professor's son. That meant nothing to me.

I still remember rounding the corner of the house where the boys were playing, yelled their names, pulled down my pants, and then ran off!!!!

I also remember writing 100 sentences that said "I WILL NOT PULL MY PANTS DOWN" on my writing tablet paper. And my parents hung it all over their china cabinet for me to dwell in my shame for days to come.

Let this be a lesson to you...be sure to keep a close eye on your 8 year olds...you never know what kind of pre-tween crisis you might experience. Heaven forbid it be as scandalous as mine!

So Curtis is doing my laundry...

and he pulls out a pair of pants and says, "Babystyle?"

Curtis: Why are you wearing maternity clothes?
Kristi: Surprise.
Curtis: Ha Ha.
Kristi: I know. So...yeah...those are called Transition Pants.
Curtis: Huh?
Kristi: You are supposed to wear them after you have a baby until you "transition" back to your old size.

Pause.

Kristi: Apparently, I never made the transition.