After I picked up the girls from class at church today, we were walking down the hallway filled with people when this quiet conversation took place between me and Addison:

Addison: “Mom, I used potty talk in my class today.”

Me: thinking. . . oh heavens. . . what could she have said. . . but very calmly and quietly saying, “What kind of potty talk honey?

Addison: “Boy parts”

Me: thinking. . . oh for the love of all that is good. . . why did I find it necessary to tell her the CORRECT names for the boys parts and the girl parts. . . and saying. . . “Did you say the P word?”

Addison: nearly in tears and knowing she shouldn’t have said what she did, “Uh huh.”

Me: about to have a heart attack said, “Oh honey. . . we only use potty talk in the bathroom and there is just no reason for you to even say the word for a boy’s privates.”

Addison: “I’m sorry mommy. I know I shouldn’t have said that.”

Me: dumb question. . . “Why did you say that?”

Addison: “I don’t know.” Tears are really ready to fall about now. . .

Me: “Who heard you say it?”

Addison: “Elizabeth and I think Lily.”

Me: panicking as I can picture the conversation of a mother calling me wanting to know why my daughter scarred her daughter by using the P word in Sunday School of all places. . . “Addison, I need to be able to trust you not to use potty talk anywhere but the bathroom and not to talk about boy parts anymore.”

Addison: “Yes ma’am.”

At this point we are outside waiting for daddy and there are still plenty of people all around. Addison apologized to me. I thanked her for telling me the truth and told her that it DOES make me trust her when she is honest about when she does wrong. (That is a quality that I hope she has FOREVER). Then I told her that she needed to ask God to forgive her. This always gets her and she started to cry. She asked me to ask God for her. I explained that I can’t ask God to forgive her. . . only she can do that. Then I asked if she wanted to repeat a prayer after me. I don’t think she quite knew what she needed to say to God (especially since she said the P word).

So, right there outside of the church building while Ava Jane is climbing all over everything. . . I prayed sentence by sentence as Addison repeated after me. She told God that she was sorry for using potty talk and asked God to help her not use potty talk anymore. . . especially at church and school (I added that for my sake). Then she thanked God for forgiving her and wrapped it up with a good ole AMEN.

Whew! It was a sweet time of bonding between us and allowing her the opportunity to talk to God and ask for forgiveness. Luckily, there have been no phone calls from upset moms! I am hoping that I know which Elizabeth and which Lily she was talking about and that their moms know and love us enough to forgive!! I’m sure I will need to be reminded of this a few months from now when Addison comes home from Kindergarten and asks me what some horrendous word means that she heard some kid say at school. I pray that I will be forgiving too.

Oh, and can I just let you in on something. . . potty talk in our house is using words like “bottom, toot, tinkle, poo-poo, etc”. . . I figure it is safer if they only use those terms in the bathroom (great suggestion from my friend, Kim). Just wanted to make you were clear on what potty talk ACTUALLY is in our house!

Yesterday we celebrated our 10 year anniversary!  Whoo hoo!  We really didn’t do anything grand.  It was just a pretty ordinary day. . . Our big anniversary gift to one another is this awesome house that we are living in and the beautiful dining room furniture that should be delivered soon!  We did have a delicious strawberry cake from my friend, Mandy.  Our wedding cake was strawberry so we decided on that flavor to remind us of our big day.  Here is the cake.

It was unbelievable delicious!  We both wanted some for breakfast today, but decided maybe we should at least wait until after lunch!  Thanks Mandy for the Sweet Treat!

We all (girls included) went to eat at Fulin’s last night.  Not really our anniversary dinner, but some place yummy that we could all enjoy - and we did.  We plan to celebrate in a couple of weeks when things aren’t so crazy busy and when more of our unpacking is complete.  Rick wrote me the sweetest letter (and I had written him a letter too)!  I always treasure it when someone writes down anything for me.  Especially how they feel.  Addison asked if I would tell her the story of our wedding day, so as we put them to bed we told them about our wedding ceremony. . . who was there. . . that we kissed in front of EVERYONE. . . the cake at our reception. . . the little bells that everyone rang as we ran out of the church. . . and we stopped it there!  HAHAHA!  They told us “Happy Anniversary” so many times yesterday and last night.  It was so sweet.  They even told people that we saw that it was mommy and daddy’s anniversary.  I am grateful that they know how much Rick and I love each other.  And I pray that they will find great security in that always.  I have always heard that one of the best ways to love your kids is to love your spouse.  And I love Rick more than anything.  I am grateful that God allowed me to be his wife.  And I am grateful for the wonderful husband he is to me!

Oh, I almost forgot.  Here is a picture that Addison wanted to take of us before dinner.

Praise the Lord!  Addison had a FABULOUS first day at kindergarten!  You don’t know how relieved this mamma’s heart is.  I have prayed for a long time about this day for her. . . specifically that she would like it and would not cry or meltdown or cling to me.  And God answered everything as specifically as I prayed for it!  I am so grateful for that today!

Here she is as we were getting ready to go.

That sweet face wasn’t one bit nervous or scared.  Hallelujah!  She prayed specifically that she would not be scared. . . and she has been praying that all week long.  She was so happy all morning and almost a little “giddy” - which isn’t really like Addison.  When we got to school and started walking up the sidewalk, she saw her friend Bradley that was in her class at preschool last year.  That was a relief for her to at least know one person.  Here she is with Bradley before they went inside.

When we got inside, we found Addison’s name on a list in the K hallway.  She was going to Mrs. Moss’ classroom.  (I know Mrs. Moss and was thrilled that she was with her in some way today.)  There were three teachers with Addison’s group of students.  Addison promptly began to kiss me and tell me goodbye at the door.  I told her that I was going to go in the classroom today.  I could hardly believe that she was ready to see me go.  But oh, so grateful that this was her reaction instead of clinging and crying.  She did not cry once.  Ms. Talbot came over and said hello and gave her a name tag.  Addison got her lunch money out of her backpack (the only thing that was in there today) and gave it to the teacher.  She was REALLY excited that she was buying her lunch.  She asked me a million questions about it last night and this morning.  It was so cute.  It was apparent that my time was done, so I hugged her, kissed her and watched her give Ava Jane a hug.  I told her I loved her and to have a great day and walked out of the room.

Oh, my heart.  I was ready to burst into tears. . . But she was so happy and that made me the happiest mommy ever!  Just what I wanted for her. . . and so I went about my morning NOT worried about her and telling God “thank you” over and over again.

I snapped this pic from the car as her class came outside.

As soon as she saw me she had a smile that could warm anyone’s heart.  Here she is just beaming as soon as she got in the car.

And finally, I decided to video her telling me about her day (for her daddy).  Here is what she told me about.

So, thanks to those of you who have been praying for my sweet girl and for me.  We have felt the prayers.  I think the best part has been that Addison is beginning to understand the concept of trusting God.  She wants to pray all the time and she tells God how she feels and prays for such specific things.  And it is so amazing when God answers her so specifically and we can help her tie it all together.  It is a totally different ballgame when our kids start understanding at a deeper level about who God is. . . what he has done. . . and what he can do in their lives.  I love it.

I’m sure we will need continued prayers. . . Addison goes back next Thursday and then everyday starting on the 25th.  That will be when this mommy needs LOTS OF PRAYER.

Sorry about the glare.  I took a picture of a picture.  WHO IS THAT GORGEOUS COUPLE????

It’s me and Rick at my senior prom in 1992.  Seriously, I would give my right arm to look like that again.  And look at my Rick.  Uni-brow and all!  Thankfully that is gone. . . but he still has those good looks.  DO NOT post a comment about how skinny I was then. . .it will just depress me more.  But dang, I looked good!  And that was my favorite dress of ALL time.  Very cool in the early 90’s!

Speaking of the early 90’s. . . I found this box of cassette tapes that I have been keeping.  Rick just about died when he pulled it out of the POD.  “Why would you keep cassette tapes, Ame?  You don’t even have a way to play them anymore.”  I had no answer except that I am a pack rat.  And very sentimental.  I even found a “mixed tape” from a fiend in college. . . why would I want that?  Basically I just want my kids to know what a mixed tape is and what a GREAT gift it was in the day because it took FOREVER to make.  Do you still have some of these?

As an act of love for my hubby, I threw them in the dumpster.  Agghh!  It hurt me a little. . . kinda like I was throwing away part of myself in all those tapes.  He thinks I am crazy. . . and I would probably have kept them forever, but he was stressing out over all my “junk.”  Purge, Amy, purge.

Okay. . . here is the BEST item I have possibly EVER OWNED. . . and if you knew me when I carried this, I want you to leave a comment for me (Christy and Susan)!!  Are you ready??

Are you seeing this?  I think I had this in middle school.  It is a black patton telephone purse.  That is an actual telephone.  The handle was the phone receiver and inside the purse was a little box and cord that you plugged into a telephone jack.  SERIOUSLY. . . I was THE COOLEST person EVER with this thing.  And remember that this was WAAAAYYYY before cell phones.  I want to carry it NOW.  I might just bring it to church on Sunday.  Do you think I might be able to bring something back kinda cool, like Katie Holmes and her tight rolled jeans??  Did you ever have a purse like this?  I have never seen any other, than mine.

Okay. . . enough of memory lane.  I love going through my old stuff and reminiscing.  Sometimes I think I am getting Alzheimer’s in my mid-30’s because I cannot remember anything.  Until I dig out something from the good ole days and then I am back in that moment in no time.  Do you keep things from your past growing up?  Do you like to look back at them?  I will have more pics to post as soon as I figure out how to scan them in my computer.  Thanks for walking with me down memory lane. . .

This will be all over the place. . . but I had lots of pictures of random things that I intended to write entire posts about. . . lucky for you, I am reducing it to the pic and a short thought!

Today the girls and I had haircuts.  Our fabulous hair dresser, Julie, came to our house to cut, color (me only, of course) and style our hair.  Here are the new looks (Addison just got a trim.  She wants to let her hair grow.  Oh, and she got a hold of the water bottle and doused herself just before the picture. . . her hair really isn’t greasy!)

The girls found this enormous American flag in our POD and decided to have their own little patriotic parade down the sidewalk.  It was too cute.

Do you like Addison’s headband that she is wearing?  All her own style!  Nice.

Here is Addison in her new chair that Mimi gave her for her new room.  She looks like a mini teenager to me in this picture.  I can just envision her 10 years from now and it makes me want to cry.  I think she is beautiful!  Inside and out!

Last but not least. . . here are my two cutie pies all dressed up for a birthday party a couple of weeks ago before we moved.  Absolutely adorable!

That’s all the randomness for now. . . stay tuned for more!

Here are some of the questions Ava Jane asked me over the course of the day today:

When Aunt Kate’s dog had it’s puppies, where did they cut her tummy open? What, they didn’t cut open her tummy? Then how did the puppies get out of there?

Why do those boys only have on panties when they swim? (asked about the divers on the Olympics tonight)

Does God drink out of a plastic cup?

Oh, do you think God has a water maker in heaven?

Does God have 10 hands? How does he do all that stuff?

Can I just eat yogrut (yogurt) for dinner tonight?

Can I pleeeaaassseeee have a chocolate chip cookie?  (even though all she had for dinner was yogurt)

If you know Ava Jane, you know how cute she looked when she asked each and every one of these questions. And she was dead serious about each one.

Ah!  I just enjoyed a great walk in the cool of the morning, then having a cup of coffee and reading God’s word ALL before my kids got up.  I need to start every day like this one.  I have lots to catch you up on since I have not blogged in some time (packing, moving, unpacking, and being without the internet for a few days can make ya miss out).  But I wanted to first share some reflections from God’s word.

I have been reading through my chronological Bible, obviously starting in the Old Testament.  I am just in Exodus.  But I am continually amazed at how everything in the Bible is relevant.  “Of course it is” you may say.  But haven’t you mostly studied the New Testament, or at least some of the more interesting books of the OT, like Psalms, Proverbs, Ruth, and Daniel?  Who would think Exodus would be exciting.  Yes, I know all of the Bible stories from my childhood days. . . but my relationship with God is so much better than it used to be. . . and especially since last June (’07).  And I have learned so much and become so much more  hungry for his word in the past 15 months.  Now, you probably know what I am about to tell you, but since this fact has been brought to my attention, I have found it to be very true:  Everything in the Bible points to Jesus. Yes, EVERYTHING. . . in some way points to our need for a Saviour.  I never read the OT that way. . . and now that I am, I can see it everywhere. . . even in Exodus. . . especially in Exodus. . . I mean, it is one of the five books of the Law for goodness sake.

Here is what I discovered today.  God has totally lead the Israelites out of Egypt. . . through the desert and has already performed countless miracles.  He parted the Red Sea and then closed it again killing the Egyptians.  He gave them a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to lead them.  He provided manna and quail to satisfy their hunger.  Then Moses disappears for a while (to meet with God on a mountaintop) and the people completely disregard what God has done for them and make a golden calf and begin to worship it.  All the while complaining that Moses has been gone too long. . . where is God anyway. . . (can I get a little cheese with that WHINE please??)  Enough already. . . and then it hit me -

I DO THE SAME THING!  I get stuck in a bad place and think God has left me for good.  Whining and complaining that God must not care enough for me.  Blah, blah blah!  And I totally disregard that I am where I am because HE LEAD ME HERE.  And I forget the countless ways that he has provided for me and met me and walked with me.  And I forget that he really does love me. . . so much that he sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sins.  So, this morning at my kitchen table in my new house, I confessed to God and told him how sorry I was for acting like the Israelites acted.  What a disgrace.  And then I continued to read in my Bible about the repercussions for their sin.  And the sacrifices they had to make for atonement.  And all the “hoops they had to jump through” so as not to be destroyed by God for their disobedience.  And then I saw it so clearly. . . the need for Jesus.  I don’t have to do all that.  Jesus did it for me.  And as I read several chapters full of specific directions for the sacrifices they had to make, I became even more thankful for the sacrifice of Jesus.

Now, I know that seems so elementary.  And it really is something I have known all my life.  But it has always been head knowledge.  Today I felt like that small lesson from Exodus became heart knowledge.  And how grateful I am for heart knowledge. . . that is what changes us. . . and makes us more like Jesus.  As my dad always says, “The 12 inches between your head and your heart is a long way.”  So many people just have a head knowledge of God and what is in the Bible, but not a real heart knowledge.  Until we KNOW him in our heart and have that personal relationship with him, it doesn’t mean anything.  Knowing about God doesn’t do so much for you.  Knowing God makes all the difference in the world.

Do you KNOW God?  Or is he someone you just know about?  He can change your life. . . but that change takes place in your heart. . . not your head.  If you know him, tell me your favorite story from the Bible that point to the need for Jesus.  I just love reading God’s word with a new hunger.

I have two top ten lists:  Top Ten Great Things about Apartment Living and Top Ten GREAT Reasons to Move into a BRAND NEW HOUSE in a BRAND NEW NEIGHBORHOOD

Here we go. . .

Top Ten Great Things about Apartment Living

1.  You don’t have to cut the grass.

2.  Small spaces = less cleaning

3.  Small spaces = lower electric bills

4.  No water bill

5.  Decorations were as simple as EVERY art project done by my 4 and 5 year old, and nothing else (except for the Christmas cards that stayed up until July)

6.  There are always people around and you can sit outside while your kids do sidewalk chalk and say hello to many other people.  I love that!  AND the kids were exposed to different racial groups while living here.  And I am serious about this being such a great thing.  We had black neighbors, Hispanic neighbors and more.  And my kids never knew the difference.  I love that about kids.  They don’t see differences like adults do.  But I am glad that we all “lived here together” so that they could see everyone is the same and that all of our neighbors were so kind to my children!

7.  Being in an apartment forces you to be “close together” - bedrooms side by side, only a livingroom and dining room to be in, it’s a decent size apartment, but pretty small at the same time.

8.  Small refrigerator and small pantry = small grocery bills - just no where to put all the stuff - so how did I manage to gain weight while I lived here?   Oh, I know. . . because I was losing my mind and ate chocolate chips to soothe the insanity!

9.  Waiting at the glass door for daddy to come home - wouldn’t you love to drive up and come up the steps to two precious little girls hanging on the glass door to welcome you into the apartment building?  And then walk you down the hall until you reached “home”?  It was so sweet!

10.   God has a unique way of showing us things. . . who dreamed that apartment living could be so full of good life lessons for all of us!  God has taught me so much during the 10 months we have lived here.  Not all lessons from apartment living, but these walls have have heard me cry out to God so many times for so many reasons.  And I am forever grateful for all that God has been and is doing in my life to continue to draw me closer to him!

Okay. . . here’s the next list:

Top Ten GREAT Reasons to Move into a BRAND NEW HOUSE in a BRAND NEW NEIGHBORHOOD

1.  It’s a new house. . . new appliances. . . new everything!

2.  The neighborhood ROCKS!  We have the greatest neighbors.

3.  Neighborhood Pool!

4.  There have been numerous neighborhood parties hosted by Creekside - pool parties galore and we even had an Easter Egg Hunt in the spring.  All of these have given us an opportunity to meet those people living around us - and it is a great way to meet your neighbors.  It kinda feels like the good ole days when people knew their neighbors, talked to them and even cooked out together.

5.  Everyone is new to the neighborhood, so we are all in the same boat

6.  This will sound funny to some, but we all have the same builder. . . none of the homes are custom homes. . . so there is no “whose house is nicer” feeling.  There were x number of homes to choose from and we all live in one of them. . . so no comparison about anything.  I really love that!!!  I already feel at home there and I haven’t even moved in yet.

7.  My kids will have a backyard again. . . to run and play.  And they will have their own rooms (which they have informed me that they will NOT be sleeping in a room by themselves.  They still want to sleep together, and we are perfectly fine with that.  I hope they always find that kind of comfort from one another)

8.  When one of the kids has a meltdown they can scream as loud as they want.  I can put them in their room and shut the door and not worry about the neighbors upstairs or on either side of the wall hearing them!  Whew!  That will be a relief, although now that we are about to move out, most of that has stopped.  Wouldn’t you know it.  But hey, that’s a good thing. . . I don’t like it when my kids meltdown!

9.  My kitchen is the best!  It is big and very spacious.  There are lots of cabinets and lots of counter-tops!  I bet I don’t even fill them all up!  But I love the kitchen. . . I love to cook and it just seems that so much of what happens in a house revolves around the kitchen.  Homework, meal time, chatting with company. . . and I am looking forward to YEARS with this kitchen!

10.  My final great reason for this great new house is to see how we can use it to bring God glory.  That may sound a little cliche’ or even cheesy, but you see, this house journey for us was such a God thing.  And God has been the one to work out so many details that only he could do.  We know that God has us in our new home for a great reason.  And we give him the glory for getting us in it!  We could not have done this by ourselves.  In fact, we weren’t even looking to do this when the opportunity came along.  And it has been a long journey (see #10 from the previous list). . . but God has used every part of it and I know he will continue to use this home as part of our lifelong journey.  This is where our girls will grow up and probably the home they will leave one day. . . okay, that made me teary, so I will stop there.  But I just want you to know how grateful I am for this new gift God has given us.  Not everyone gets a new gift like this.  And I also need to thank my hubby who works so hard to provide for us.  He is so excited about this house too.

Signing off for now. . . until my cable is hooked back up. . .

Well, my friends. . . the days of living in an apartment are coming to an end.  Can I get a “Hallelujah” from the crowd!!??  It has been 10 long months and we are so excited about moving into our new house.  We made it official today as we closed on the house and got our keys.  Yippee.  We moved a few boxes and things into closets so we didn’t get in the painter’s way.  The house is being painted tonight and in the morning and then we will be moving in.  Well, most of our stuff anyway.  The POD won’t be there until Monday and that will be like Christmas!  Rick’s theory is that if we haven’t seen it and missed it for the past 10 months, we probably don’t need it.  My theory is. . . we do need it to fill the extra rooms that we haven’t had before.  And the girls have plenty of toys packed away. . . hmmmm - maybe I should hide some and just pull them out for Christmas - not a bad idea!

You would think that having 10 months to plan and “get it all together” I would be ready to move, know exactly how I am going to decorate, and would have been shopping for months in preparation for a new house.  Well, if you know me at all, you know I am too busy to think about all that stuff.  And you will also know that I am not really the decorator type. . . I like nice stuff, but don’t have an eye for it.  I just picked out my paint colors last week (which has stressed me out a bit) and I am nervous about walking in tomorrow and seeing how it looks.  The new house is such a gift for me.  New and spacious with plenty of room for our kids to grow up.  We will be there for a nice long while.  Unlike many of my friends who have moved “up” in house several times already. . . this is our “move up” and I am happy to stay here for years to come.  And I have all that time to make it look like I want it.  So don’t rush to judgement when you walk in the door.  We want to make our home a welcoming and inviting place for all who want to come in.  Stuff isn’t so important, so you won’t see lots of new furniture (except for my dining room) and it for sure won’t be decorated to the hilt.  I love walking in homes where everything is neat and tidy, and every nook and crannie is decorated with perfection. . . but that’s just not how we roll! I saw a sign in a lady’s house one day that said, “Please excuse the noise and mess, we are busy making memories!”  That needs to be my motto!  So, if I have to scoot over some laundry so you can sit on the couch, just know that you right at home!  And I’m just holding out hope that my mansion in heaven will be all decked out with decor’ galore so that I don’t have to worry so much about it here. 

I have so many thoughts about the apartment life and moving to a new house. . . but no real time to blog about it right now.  If I can’t sleep tonight, I’ll get up and share them with you.  I’m sure you can’t wait!!  I have lots more packing to do before tomorrow.  I don’t like unpacking from a trip. . . I can’t imagine how long this unpacking is gonna take me. . . whew!  I am tired just thinking about it.

Oh, and on a separate note. . . my phone number will be changing. . . which can I tell you, just about made me break down in tears.  I begged the company to let me keep my old number. . . it just feels like part of me.  But no such luck.  Remember how I told you change is so hard for me. . . well, here we go!!

Okay. . .don’t freak out. . . but listen to this rendition of Amazing Grace by C.C. DeVille, the lead guitarist for Poison. This was just a couple of days ago in a concert in Atlanta. I’m sure you remember this rocker group from back in the day. You know, Every Rose Has it’s Thorn! Well, my blogger buddy, Pete Wilson, had a unique opportunity (read about it here) to share with this dude a while back. Incredible story.

I just think it is amazingly cool to have a rocker play something for God’s glory. I love seeing what God is doing EVERYWHERE in the hearts of those we may never think would come to know him. Remember that God’s word tells us that God is able to do immeasurably more than than all we ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20) and that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). I am praying that God will move in Oprah’s life next.