Random thoughts

Just some thoughts that I've had the last few days:

• as my toddler grows older, I am convinced more then ever that people, humans, are inheritedly (if that's a word) evil. This is a strong word for such a small person as my daughter, so for Sweet Pea, she is inheritedly mischievous. Even with great examples around, there is that tendency to want and do what she feels right at that moment ex: throw toys, hit dog and parents, pretend like she doesn't hear the word no, throw fits, smirk as she drops food on the floor
  
• How much more joy and peace I would have if I grasped and believed in my heart the magnitude that God has plans to give me a hope and a future and how much he loves me
• This pregnancy seems to go by really fast in one moment and then in the next moment crawl by. I think in my 1 and 1/2 months remaining, I will go to the bathroom over 500 times easily
• We should buy stock in toilet paper
  

The First Day

My husband has always contemplated whether he would ride his bike to work. Nothing has ever materialized as he would take Morgan on a bike ride when he got home from work on some days. But as the need to exercise is calling him and his time after work is getting filled up quickly, he decided to bike (or should I say cycle) to work today and hopefully everyday. The distance isn't a problem as his work is only 2.5 miles from our house.

The obstacle for him is not working to much of a sweat as he has to go to meetings and be dressed in business casual. Another minor obstacle is finding a secure place to lock up his bike.

I'm excited as this will kill two birds with one stone- him exercising and the bonus of less gas used (although this wasn't to much of a factor).

So, please give cyclist lots of room if you seem them on the road as that could be Andy and no honking :)

Walking Beside

My brother is going through unbelievable emotional pain right now. Certain situations are becoming clearer to him and he is choosing/having to move forward. I never imagined that things would turn out this way in this particular situation but they are and it's always easy to give a pat answer such as ' oh well, God knows best.'

Warning: beware of a flying fist if these words come out!

Andy and I feel the pain as well and it's one of those times where there is nothing that can be done except listening and giving gentle encouragement. Andy does better then me in this area as I feel I need to talk to make it better, but in this situation no amount of talking will change what is happening. I will then take the clue from my husband and listen compassionately.

Translation

My day is consisting more and more of translating the words coming out of my toddler's mouth. This is taking a lot of guessing and pointing to. Funny how our speech develops. A side note, before I was absolutely sure I wanted to be a nurse, I wanted to be a linguist and I almost pursued it as a career. So I guess I sorta've am one now except it's my toddler's English language not some African tribe language I get to learn at home :)

Here are some words I have translated so far from Sweet Pea

die=bye
Geico= bike (seriously, it comes out sounding just like the car insurance!, can't figure out the connection)
Bubble= the color yellow or all markers/crayons.
Caaaa= car
Dah- that
rah rah= dog
Moooo=cow
No No No= cat (she's trying to mimic a cat's meow)

and the two words she says the most and no translation needed is..mama and dada

outdoor pictures

Here are some pictures of our time this past weekend. Yes, I'm 8 months pregnant and I still went camping. I did sleep on an air mattress though which was a luxury rather then the hard ground. call me crazy. The3rd picture is how we cooked our dessert. It's called a dutch oven and the coals cook it just like at home. Last one is our dog, Brooks so happy. There were lots of extra hands and smiles which made the trip enjoyable and the work load less.

Salalah #1

I've been thinking about doing a series for awhile, and inspired by Laura and others, have decided to do one of the previous places where I lived during my adolescent years.

These places, I don't have any real crazy stories but just interesting pictures and living in each place was a great great experience. Out of the two places that we lived (further blogs will clarify), Salalah is me and my family of origins favorite. We have many fond memories and just connected to the people in a special way. They have large hearts and put us Westerners to shame when it comes to showing hospitality. I've tried to convince my hubby to visit the place with me, assuring him it's nothing like what we think of that place in the world is. Maybe some day.


More pictures will follow, as I have to dig them out of a box and scan them, but at least your geography knowledge will be expanded a bit by this one.

And this may clarify if you have wondered what this word is on my vehicle

Happy Birthday Morgan!

Tomorrow, Morgan turns 2 years old! What an amazing two years. I was inspired by Noel's blog to do a birthday blog, thanks Noel. :)

These are just a few of the things her dad and I love about her:


Her amazing smile
Her curiosity (although on some days, this causes headaches)
Her laugh and the funny faces she makes
We love how she pretends to meow like a cat which comes out as a high pitched ow ow ow ow
I love how the greeter at Wal-Mart totally freaks her out and she screams when he tries to give her stickers
We love how much she loves books and pretends to read
Love how she dances to the BeeGees and does the John Travolta (Saturday night fever dance)

We love you Morgan and how much you have changed our lives

Anger

I have learned a hard lesson or have had my eyes open to the fact that....who and what people say they are is not always true. I would guess this is nothing new to others but having the very core of who someone says they are and then it coming out that they are not only not the person but completely the opposite is hard to sit with.

My reaction, anger and wanting to live on a mountain top and avoid people/relationships until I feel ready. I know this is not the way to live life to isolate myself but it sure is tempting. And then I think how much I would miss out of the very deep and wonderful relationships that I have and just cause one went sour not to throw the rest out....still the anger remains and I realize the importance of forgiving again and again. On-ward, and I am going to choose to still invest in people and relationships with a bit more wisdom now...and this picture made me laugh really hard