Lyla's Birthday Party!

I said it earlier this week, but I'll say it again:

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY, LYLA!



new ride? of course :)

 Joe is still out on business, so Sydni and I made our way over to the Thompson digs today for Lyla's birthday cookout. It was everything a 4-year-old's birthday should be, complete with a hand-decorated cake [sidenote: Becky, those princess eyes were to die for! hehe], Dora cupcakes, a mountain of pink and glittery-wrapped presents, and of course, a brand new convertible.


awesome cake[by becky!] + dora cupcakes = kiddie sugar overload ;)

Thanks again, for having us over! We had a blast. Mo even made the suggestion that Lyla, Sydni and Emma should be getting together at some point in the near future to do some drag racing in the church parking lot. Haha. We'll have to see. I think Sydni may have the advantage only because she hasn't figured out the driving in a straight line yet, and with the bigger SUV of the three, she may be more of a bowling ball than anything else. Hah. 

happy birthday, lyla!!!
[jarod, we'll all be happy to give you some free pointers on
managing synthetic barbie doll hair ;) lol..]

Anyway, not a bad way to spend the bulk of a Saturday. We followed it up with some errands before heading home to catch us up to now, relaxing and waiting on Joe to get home from his week away.
Oh, and yes, I decided on a song to sing tomorrow. Say a prayer for me, yeah? :)

xo | cmd

How's THAT For a Midweek?

I think I have a problem...
Seriously.
I'm addicted.

I watched the third night of blind auditions for The Voice tonight, and I've gotta say I'm goin' on night 3 of inspired by some of their stories, their talent, and the fact that they're putting it all on the line for the approval of the industry's megastars.

This one, by far, was my favorite from tonight:


I've always been a fan of the Marley vibe - there's something so relaxing about the emotion behind reggae in general. This kid's got it nailed down, and I'm kind of excited to see how he does in competition.

Then there was this one, by a guy whose family suffered through extreme political turmoil in Nigeria; his father was wrongfully incarcerated, while he and the rest of his family fled the country and made it here to the U.S. It's one of those heart-string stories that makes me stop and appreciate the gravity of the life with which I am blessed [magnified by the whole adoption thing]. His testament that music saved his life is dually-noted [no pun intended].


Suave, yeah?? I like the natural rasp in his voice. Major talent. 
Oh..  ... and just in case I'd forgotten this is still mainstream media programming, I'll include this one particularly unique gal: You can search her audition on your own if you feel inclined; I'd rather not have it on here... I didn't realize until I went back to watch the others that she ["Domo"] is on crew for Rhythm City [ABDC]. Interesting. Definitely conceited, though. Too bad, too - she's a pretty talented dancer, if nothing else. :/ 
Well.. all things The Voice aside, I caught some of the opening moments of America's Got Talent before retiring the TV for the night, but I did see this, which I thought was cool [apparently they're in the finals now? Sure.]: David Garibaldi & His CMYK's - I'll let you look that one up on your own too [video.overload]. Pretty amazing stuff! 
****
Anywho, today was about as decent as they do come.
Do I dare forget the birthdays for today?
Umm, absolutely NOT! ESPECIALLY since we LOOOVE these two munchkins! 
HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY, LYLA!!!

beautiful lyla! 

and of couuuuurse,

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY, JACOB!!!

silly candid from the dual bday party we had a few weeks ago : jacob!

We have the privilege of having both of those little ones [along with Landon, the other September birthday kiddo] in our small group every other Friday, so we get a little extra dose of them from time to time, and we love it. Happy birthday to both Lyla & Jacob [& no, in case you thought to ask- they are not related. hehe]

**** And in other news: 
Nancy stopped by to see us late this morning - her new job seems to be treating her well and she's enjoying it. I'm so happy for her, but slightly reminded still that we miss her. Well, I miss her. A whoooole lot. *Sigh. So good to see her though!! Miss you, Nanc!! To top off the morning, I gave some blood and such to the life insurance medical examiner. I found out today that my heart's still beating and my arm still bleeds like it should with a needle in it. It's a start. :p.
Sydni and I did some more damage to the weed infestation that keeps threatening to overtake every spare inch of soil in the front and back gardens. I'm almost glad for The Voice airing at the same time every evening for the past 3 days - it's brought us back inside after about an hour of digging and pulling. I don't think it's over-exerting work by any stretch, but the mosquitoes have taken an equal liking to the moderate temperatures and it's made for very itchy evenings. My arms and legs look a little bit like broken brail sentences right now. Oy, bugs. >:[ Grawr. 
It's been a jam-packed week so far; I've got some last minute details to do on one of the Towerfest mail-outs, so I suppose I should get back to that before tomorrow. Oh, and I'm slated to sing this Sunday and have yet to solidify a song choice. 
Hey procrastination, heeeey. 
xo | cmd

THREE. YEARS. OLD. [omg!]

I'm having a total bittersweet mama moment......

September 1, 2009:

September 1, 2012:

I don't even have words. I'm trying to come to terms with "that feeling" that all the other moms told me I would have when one day I start realizing that my little one is growing into her own. Granted, she's only three, I still have what are very fresh memories of everything from speed-labor [another story for another day], to nursing, to first teeth, to first and second birthday, first steps, everything else that was in between, and now, to the big 3. It's very hard to believe.

Happy birthday, to the little girl who captivated my heart even when we swore the doctors were wrong and that we would have a boy. I understood there was a reason then that I would have a little girl first, and I am as always amazed by the gift that she is. YES, there are those days when flowery poems about her excellence are about the last thing I want to verse [potty training, temper tantrums, bed-time refusals, bold disobedience and the forever battle of eating vegetables], but in the grand scheme of things I am beyond blessed with a healthy, happy little girl who has changed my life in ways I couldn't have imagined.

But enough of the fruit and flowers.. let's get down to celebrating, yeah??!

DUH.
My parents were able to make the trip in for the long weekend, and so were a part of the birthday bash we threw for Sydni at Vetta Sports here locally. We decided to partner up with another family in our church, whose little boy turns 4 in a couple of weeks, to do a "dual" party of sorts. So it was the Goble family and ours, along with all of Sydni & Jacob's little buddies that invaded Vetta for an hour and made to it with bounce houses, soccer, pizza and of course SUGAR [because honestly what is a kid[[x2]] birthday party without cake and/or cupcakes?!] We had a blast, and so did the mini's.


birthday kiddos!

Birthday fun is far from over, which Sydni doesn't know yet, but she'll come to find out. We get to visit Mamaw in just a few short weeks back in Ohio, and there's a pink powerwheels jeep en route, compliments to the Alexanders. Spoiled [rotten]? Yeah.. but hey, she's only 3 once. :) Many, MANY thanks to all of our friends and family who made an appearance and/or sent a little something for playtime. We love you, and are blessed to have you in our lives.

I'm not even sure where the rest of the day went; we were done with all party festivities by 2:45, but it felt like 6pm by that point and for all I know, all of us came home and crashed for a few hours before dinner. That's the way a birthday should be when you're 3. Haha. We're wild, I know.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SYDNI [& JACOB] !!!

xo | cmd

VBS Day #2 | Softball

I wanna walk, I wanna talk, I wanna live in your power! I wanna pray, I wanna stay, I wanna move in your power! I wanna walk, I wannt talk, I wanna live in your power! I wanna pray, I wanna stay, I wanna move.. IN YOUR POWER!

^ Day 2, complete.
*Whew.

Conveniently enough, Dawne had asked early last week if Sydni could spend the night at her place tonight with Olivia and Lu, the two other little ones that she watches, for a slumber party. That left me free to really gauge how much time I would need to get from work down to church. I found I was good to go with enough time to stop at the house and let the dog out before heading over. With fifteen minutes to spare, I snagged some food with the rest of the VBS staff downstairs [many thanks to Miss Margaret, Miss Shirley, & the volunteers preparing this all week!]. Then it was upstairs for three hours of cardio ;)



we stole a vbs'er! ;)
cori. lyla. mo | softball



It seems to go by much quicker once the end approaches, but we're having a blast and doing our part to exhaust the little ones before we send 'em back home to their parents. Haha.

Tonight was extended by the weekly softball game to which us VBS workers slowly trickled once we were finished with our festivities at the church.

We didn't walk away with wins this week, either, but us bystanders had some fun of our own.

That being said, it's late, folks.

I'll be up and at it again in a few short hours!

xo | cmd

Micah 6:8 Laundromat Outreach | Somber Loss

Today was a bittersweet day. Emotions are all over the board in my church family as the day closes with a ministry success shadowed by a tragedy.

caitlin

We've met so many fantastic people so far as part of the Towerview family. Jarod and his daughter Lyla are just two of them. Late last night,  Lyla's mother Caitlin was involved in an ATV accident that cost her her life. I personally didn't know her, but what I do understand is the effect that losing a parent can have on a child, and even on the other parent, regardless of whether or not they are still together.

My heart breaks for the Thompsons, and for Caitlin's family. The gravity of this, the freshness, proved to be a dark shadow not easily cast from our minds over the course of our morning on ministry. It's going to be a long road for Jarod and for Lyla; My continued prayers for peace, comfort, and strength are theirs.

It's hard to transition from that. If there is one thing I have discovered about my church family, it is that they are able to emanate their own sense of mercy and grace while simultaneously displaying perseverance and strength unlike any other. Today's example of being faced with news of this tragedy yet still completing the ministry we had planned, with genuine smiles on our faces and in our hearts for its purpose, not only encouraged me, but made me proud to be a part of it all.

towerview bus!

Back during our 40 DITW study, my study group had developed a plan for our Micah 6:8 project. It started with a church-wide yardsale [remember that??], the profits of which would fund a community outreach. We collectively decided that we would break into teams and hit a few of the local laundromats, armed with coffee, donuts, laundry detergent and quarters, and just pay for people's laundry. No catch, no fee, no sermon. Just free laundry and breakfast. 


 << Oh, btw, our Towerview bus is now complete! Just in time for the youth group missions trip, which heads out tomorrow. It looks great! :)

We arrived at the church this morning and divided up into three teams, quick to plan our routes and off we were. I joined Diana, Olivia, and three of the youth group at the Maytag in Fairview Heights. Our very first offer was met with flat-out denial. I was amazed over the course of the morning at the wide range of response elicited by our desire to load quarters into washers and dryers and provide the detergent to go along with it. While it was slightly discouraging to be turned down, what mattered more was the handful of people who accepted, perhaps questioningly, but accepted nonetheless, and were so deeply moved by it that some of them even began crying. I met a woman today whose husband is in the hospital for a medical condition that has almost taken his life twice. Her two children's lives with their father consisted more of hospital visits and stays than it did of him being home. The trips to the laundromat are a family outing for them. I sat and listened to her story after we'd loaded quarters into the washers and dryers, and realized that this was more than just gratitude for her laundry being covered for today. She poured out her heart to us, and I would be willing to guess we'll see her soon, at the Tower. I was moved by this, in a sincere way. I was reminded today just how powerful God's love is on a simple Saturday morning, in a laundromat, over coffee and a donut :). I was blessed to be a part of this.

look at this little guy!! adorable friends at the laundromat

these things are expensive!

yummm summer salads!

The other two groups had very similar stories: rejection by some, whether by pride or fear that a 'church group' would demand an ear for preaching if they ceded to them paying for their laundry. Others were more than receptive, appreciating our efforts, and even delving into conversation over life in general. We all ended up at the Page house, where the kids had spent the morning along with Lara and Cathie. We ate lunch there before we all headed home. 

It's going to be a very difficult remainder of the weekend for the Thompsons and Caitlin's family. I hate that tragedies like this are what it takes sometimes to put life in perspective. Our very deepest condolences go to their families, and our love and support will be among the flood of such for which our church family is so well-versed.

xo | cmd