cuteness

First pic:

Lia's cute new hair cut! Does she look like Mulan?

Second pic:

Lia with our beautiful friend, Chelsea at the hat shop in Westport.

A hunting we will go . . .

No! Not deer hunting! Or any other type of hunting that involves shooting a weapon at some cute furry animal. I can't even bare the thought of that.

We are house hunting! Yes! Now that Todd has a secure job and we are just two months away from our lease ending, we can start to search for our next home. To say that I am excited about this journey would be putting it mildly. Every day I am on-line searching for a house that meets our criteria. One of my main criteria and it may sound silly, is that outside landscape must have trees! Yes, trees! I know that has nothing to do with the actually house but trees are important.

Our first house was lined with trees--large-mature-trees! Zach actually has a picture of the tree in our backyard on the shelf by his bed. That tree provided hours of play time and shade for a very happy and active little boy. We often told people we bought the house because of that tree. A slight exaggeration but only slight.

Other things we desire--Openness. Backyard. 2 baths. An extra room for when people stay with us. Wood floors.

I don't feel stressed about this at all--thank God! We have a great realtor, great possibilities and much to look forward to!

Let the search begin.

It's too quiet

It was quiet, my beautiful and small little shadow wasn't following me around as I cleaned up the kitchen. Why would this be a concern? Well, there are hardly any moments in the day where I am not in Lia's view. She keeps close tabs on me and doesn't allow me out of her sight--that includes when I go to the bathroom--she feels that I need company.

So, I went on my search to find her. Was she playing in the bathroom sink? She loves to play in the water and has been told numerous times not to do this. Nope. She wasn't there. Perhaps the other bathroom. She loves to get into my makeup. Again, she knows that this is a no-no so I was hoping she wasn't there. Nope. I guess I should try her bedroom. There was small movement under her blanket. That's strange. Why is she under the blanket? This can't be good.

I slowly removed the blanket to find Lia curled up underneath. A look of surprise and guilt was on her face. Then I saw why. She was holding a pair of scissors and around her were locks of her beautiful black hair. Not just a few strands of hair either. My first grab was at least one hand full.
I took the scissors and tried to assess the damage. Bangs--gone. Around her face--shortened. She quickly said, "Mom, I want my hair short." I tried to explain that we can go to the special hair salon to get her hair cut but she wasn't allowed to do it on her own. "I'm sorry. I just want my hair short."

I cleaned up her bed and then noticed on the floor several more large strands of her beautiful hair. Sigh.

Since her hair is so dark you can't tell the chunks that she took off from the back. We will be taking a trip to the hair salon--soon!

I was able to get a picture of some of what came off today. She is such a funny little girl! As we
were driving to pick up Zach I discovered what inspired act of spontaneous craziness--Mulan! I think we need to put that movie away!

Conversation with Zach

I usually have notable quotes from Lia but today I must note some thoughts and advice from Zach to his Dad.

This is the conversation between Zach and Todd about his new job.

"Dad, do you think when you get to work your first day people will smile and say hello to you?"

Todd smiled and said, "Ya, I think they will."

"You'll probably make some new friends. That's nice."

Todd, "I'll be working with 4 other people who seem really nice. I'm sure I'll make some new friends."

Zach, "Mom told me that you are a Scientist. Are you going to work with fossils or something?"

"Yep, I am going to be a Scientist working with molecules. I'll use an instrument called a Mass Spectrometer to help me study those molecules."

Zach and I were looking puzzed at this point and just said, "Cool!"

As Todd was walking out the door this morning for his first day at the new job, Zach shouted,

"Dad, remember to smile!"

can you start on tuesday?

After 2 1/2 months of searching, praying, applying, praying, interviewing, praying, waiting and praying . . . Todd was offered a position today with a Pharmecuetical company. Wow! Todd has had numerous interviews and has applied for a number of positions. The process has seemed long. He had two interviews yesterday. After the second interview he called before coming home and was really excited about the way things went. Of all the positions he has applied for, this position was exactly the type of work he really wants to do--he had begun to think that a position like it didn't exist in KC. The HR guy said that they would contact Todd in a week to let him know their decision. That sounded reasonable--it was just more waiting and we were use to that. This morning they telephoned Todd to say that they were all impressed with him and would like to offer him a position with their company. He of course accepted their offer and starts work Tuesday.

Our dear friend Rachel was visiting me when Todd called with the good news. We both cried. We thanked God for His faithfulness and hugged! It was nice to share that moment with her--how great to share life with such amazing people who really rejoice with you when you rejoice and carry the burden with you when life throws a few curve balls.

Todd has said several times that we wouldn't have asked for this season in our lives but it has been extremely wonderful to experience such beautiful acts of provision and kindness that have been shown to us. I thought today about how much I want to continue in this time of dependance because it's been so wonderful despite the moments my heart has felt so burdened.

I went back to Psalm 37 this afternoon. When all this began I read this Psalm over and over. I meditated on each verse. Waited. Cried. Rejoiced. I don't want to rush away from this place of surrender. Every day, regardless of what state or circumstance I find myself in, my life should be lived in the place of surrender and trust. Is He not trustworthy?!

Peace.

tea makes the world go round

It's been awhile since I last posted. It's not because I've been so busy that I can't find the time to post. And it's certainly not because I don't have anything to say. There are always stories to share about the kids, updates to give about our family and of course what stirrings are floating around in my heart. I've just plain been lazy I think! Laziness is behind me . . . I've cleaned and done laundry all day--I'm feeling productive and thought it would be good to give a little update.

A notable quote from Lia at bedtime. I was sitting at the kitchen table with a friend and Lia, who was suppose to be asleep in her bed, ran out to me and said, "Mom, I just want you to know, I'm fast asleep." That was pretty darn funny. There are far too many things that Lia says on a daily basis for me to keep up. I should keep a pad and paper with me at all times.

Zach is surving 3rd grade. He still misses his old school. He misses three recesses, lunch around the round tables and of course his friends. Zach will be 9 next month. It's amazing to think he is about to leave the single digits. Where have the last 9 years gone. He loves to wrestle with his dad, play baseball, build with legos and beat his dad at soccer on Gamecube. Often after a 7-0 win Zach says to Todd, "it's o-kay Dad, you played a good game."

Todd is still in search of employement. It's been over two months since his contract ended. We wouldn't have asked for this time but God has certainly enlarged our hearts and provided for us in beautiful ways. This week Todd has had several phone interviews and has an on-site interview scheduled for next week. We trust that God has the right job for Todd and that he will soon be back in the work force!

Last week my mom was hospitalized for congestive heart failure. It was a very scary time for our family. Thankfully, she has responded to treatment and has improved throughout the week. I'm grateful for everyone who prayed for her and our family.

A friend of mine gave me a small gift book for my birthday about friendship. It's a fun little book. Great quotes and thoughts about friendship. Lia was looking at the book today and asked me to read it to her. One of my favorites:

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? --

How did it exist? I'm glad I was not born before tea!

William Taylor Coleridge

I'm thankful for all the friends that have sat at our table enjoying a cup of tea and shared life with me.

Peace.