happy birthday, my dear sweet child. i cant believe i didn't know you a year ago, and now its like i've never not known you.
you are the most curious little child. you are restless for entertainment. you have such an intensity that i see in every move of your tiny body. you want to touch and taste everything you see. you wear your heart on your sleeve. you are completely fearless. you drive me crazy but you are my sanity. you are so forgiving and kind (for those times when i am a bit crazy). your smile lights up a room. you have the largest bank of silly expressions that you pull from constantly (and they twist my heart further 'round your tiny finger). you don't tolerate any nonsense. you are so very serious sometimes (i guess you get that from your father). you love going to the swings, even if it means freezing your tush off for as long as you can stand. you love apples and oranges, even to your own (and my nose's) discomfort. you squeal and squawk when you see that i forgot to put away penelope's water dish in the morning (then quickly put your hand in it and splash the water out). you can crawl like a little flash of lightning nowadays, and because of that, you have no desire to walk anymore. you (almost) always wake up happy, chatting away to yourself till i come get you. you carry on all sorts of conversation when you're in the mood, and i have no idea what you're saying (but its so dang cute).
you are the best girl i have ever known. i am so glad to see you grow everyday, and i cant wait to see the lady you will become. i know i have only seen one of your many years on this earth so far, and you're going to have to work really hard to top it, but my goodness girl, you really are the best.
ps.
i love you.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
st. patrick's day
and I always get thinking about this day. and how one whole day a year, millions of people gather to celebrate (ok, or they just wear green, get drunk, watch parades, and get in fights) this tiny little island and it' s place in the world.
but sadly, this day has nothing to do with it's namesake. and I think dear old St. Patrick would turn in his grave if he knew half the shenanigans that went on around the world on his day.
instead though, can you imagine what would happen if everyone put down their drink and prayed for this place? Ireland doesnt need another excuse to party, it needs another revolution like the one in St Patricks time. and it needs it badly.
BUT God is doing something too. and He desires a revival just as much as we do (even more!). and if I may say so, I think He is in the beginning works of one. so while we have yet to see fully the plans God has for this place, rest assured, He does have some great ones.
so while your eyes are on Ireland today, would you put your celebrations on hold, for just a moment, and pray for this place and it's people? and maybe celebrate this day for what it was meant for. that God used a man, small and insignificant as he was, to do His great and meaningful work in this country, and changed people's lives for an eternity.
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
winter, please be over soon?
this winter has felt like the longest, darkest, coldest, meanest one yet! I don't really know why it seems any worse than the rest, but it sure is a fighter. and maybe it's because last year we had a baby to look forward to at the end of it? or maybe because IT ACTUALLY IS, but I'm reallllly ready for it to be over. poor willow just wants to go on the swings for longer than 5 minutes without freezing her tush off and I would my toes to stay intact when we spend any amount of time outside!
but I guess it's only the beginning of march. maybe I'm asking too much of Ireland? or maybe I've seen too much sunshine on the other end of Skype calls with people in California that it's making me antsy. either way, could we get this over with? I'm ready for a summer of light layering with cardigans and skirts and medium denier tights (cause this is still Ireland guys, lest you forget). and ill leave you with a weather forecast for this coming week.
not so much COLD as it is wet, wet, wet.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
5 years
5 years ago today (or tomorrow, whichever you fancy. we were wed on the leap day) I married the love of my life. I think back about these years, and all the memories they are filled with, both the good and the bad, and it's weird how five years can seem so short and pass so quickly, yet be so full and endless, all at the same time.
our life together has been one crazy adventure (think white water rafting :) ), and God has done more than we ever thought possible. and now we have this little girl, who took our marriage and filled up all the empty little places, places that we didn't even realize were there in the first place. and because of her we are stronger and happier and better and so very fulfilled.
so here is to five happy years, with a wonderful man. may there be (oh, there will be!) many many more!
our life together has been one crazy adventure (think white water rafting :) ), and God has done more than we ever thought possible. and now we have this little girl, who took our marriage and filled up all the empty little places, places that we didn't even realize were there in the first place. and because of her we are stronger and happier and better and so very fulfilled.
so here is to five happy years, with a wonderful man. may there be (oh, there will be!) many many more!
Friday, February 22, 2013
this week.
its about time i wrote another post to put that last post in the past. all of the things mentioned are still very much in our present, but hey, that doesn't mean you should be re-reading it, does it? goodness, no! nor should i! lets move on, shall we?
this week has been one of no extraordinary kind. its been terribly windy and freezing weather, so we haven't even made it out to the swings but one day! we did make it in for a shop though, when we dropped clay off in town, that was thoroughly exciting. i speak the truth! there could be disastrous consequences if you pick out the wrong bag of clementines! i mean, ask willow how long we stood there investigating. not only are we paying €3.15 for said bag, have you ever eaten a clementine that wasn't perfectly tangy and sweet? we are eating one of those as we speak, and its so disappointing! and willow, she is like the clementine queen around here, she wants them non stop. every time we pass the fruit basket she points and jumps and makes her little lip-smacking noise (which she does every time she's hungry or she sees something she wants, its the cutest). in fact, she had eaten so many once it made her sick (disclaimer: i have cut back on her allowance since that incident).
so on a week like this, when we are stuck inside and clay is very busy so we cant tag along in his adventures, what do we do? we play with a lot of blocks (she cannot stand to see one block on top of another, so its mostly me playing, and her destroying), we watch some baby einstein (the only one she likes is the neighbourhood animal one. sign language or baby poetry? she scoffs!), we chase the cat around the house (penelope hates it, but hey, she sleeps 20 hours a day, what does she know?), we try to fit the square into the circle on the shape sorter (to no avail. we'll let you know if we're ever successful), we (ok SHE) likes to make laps around the coffee table showing off her growing walking skills (and she is crawling properly now too, like not on her belly but on her knees!), she likes to find the things she's not allowed to have and see how times ill say no (and then laugh because apparently its a funny word), she's getting way too good at climbing the stairs (not so good at not falling down them, but since we got a gate, she now spends her time trying to open it), she'll bang on pots and throw around spatulas and measuring spoons at my feet while i make dinner (and i try not to trip), she'll soon get bored of those kitchen utensils and head straight for the recycling bin (not as dirty as it sounds, wash and squash people!), she still takes two naps a day and feels great afterward (mostly because she almost always wakes up with a poo in her pants, but also TWO NAPS!), and of course there are various other activities to keep ourselves busy, but PLEASE can we get some sunshine and warmth around here soon anyway? thank you.
this week has been one of no extraordinary kind. its been terribly windy and freezing weather, so we haven't even made it out to the swings but one day! we did make it in for a shop though, when we dropped clay off in town, that was thoroughly exciting. i speak the truth! there could be disastrous consequences if you pick out the wrong bag of clementines! i mean, ask willow how long we stood there investigating. not only are we paying €3.15 for said bag, have you ever eaten a clementine that wasn't perfectly tangy and sweet? we are eating one of those as we speak, and its so disappointing! and willow, she is like the clementine queen around here, she wants them non stop. every time we pass the fruit basket she points and jumps and makes her little lip-smacking noise (which she does every time she's hungry or she sees something she wants, its the cutest). in fact, she had eaten so many once it made her sick (disclaimer: i have cut back on her allowance since that incident).
so on a week like this, when we are stuck inside and clay is very busy so we cant tag along in his adventures, what do we do? we play with a lot of blocks (she cannot stand to see one block on top of another, so its mostly me playing, and her destroying), we watch some baby einstein (the only one she likes is the neighbourhood animal one. sign language or baby poetry? she scoffs!), we chase the cat around the house (penelope hates it, but hey, she sleeps 20 hours a day, what does she know?), we try to fit the square into the circle on the shape sorter (to no avail. we'll let you know if we're ever successful), we (ok SHE) likes to make laps around the coffee table showing off her growing walking skills (and she is crawling properly now too, like not on her belly but on her knees!), she likes to find the things she's not allowed to have and see how times ill say no (and then laugh because apparently its a funny word), she's getting way too good at climbing the stairs (not so good at not falling down them, but since we got a gate, she now spends her time trying to open it), she'll bang on pots and throw around spatulas and measuring spoons at my feet while i make dinner (and i try not to trip), she'll soon get bored of those kitchen utensils and head straight for the recycling bin (not as dirty as it sounds, wash and squash people!), she still takes two naps a day and feels great afterward (mostly because she almost always wakes up with a poo in her pants, but also TWO NAPS!), and of course there are various other activities to keep ourselves busy, but PLEASE can we get some sunshine and warmth around here soon anyway? thank you.
Friday, February 08, 2013
phew...
wow, well.... where do I begin?
have you ever had that feeling, when you're running super fast, and you can feel your top half moving just slightly faster than your feet can catch up? and you think you're headed straight for a tumble of great proportions, but somehow your feet slow down or your body stops leaning forward, and you get ahold of yourself again?
well, these past few weeks have kinda been like that in our lives. except that this was one of those times that you don't catch up, and you fall head first, into a great and powerful flurry of body and legs intertwined.
I mean, it's not all that bad, depending on how you look at it, but its an intense mix of things both personal, church-related and otherwise, that have knocked us down good. they are things that you may already know, things that you can't know, things that i cant know (but i see them in my husbands eyes when he comes home), things you will eventually know, and things that I can't share here, except with vague references.
but I do know that it won't last forever, I know it won't always be our reality, and I know that God has some great and awesome plan that I can't even imagine. and that's what's getting us through it.
and we will get through it. we always do. time passes, things change, we grow. in fact, we really shouldn't be surprised when things are rough, "as though something strange were happening to you" (1peter4:12). I mean, didn't Jesus say these things would happen? and didn't he also say that He would be our strength? and that we would come out the other side, perfect and complete, lacking nothing? so really, if you could see past your own circumstances and see the future God has planned OR look to your neighbor who has it worse off than you, then heck, it's not really that bad after all.
also, I'm sorry if this post is a bit sad in comparison to my usual happy-go-lucky-cute-pictures-of-my-baby-only-share-stories-from-the-happiest-of-days posts, but guys, it's my reality right now. and I understand if your feeling down after reading it, so here's a cute picture of willow to lift your spirits, she always does mine.
have you ever had that feeling, when you're running super fast, and you can feel your top half moving just slightly faster than your feet can catch up? and you think you're headed straight for a tumble of great proportions, but somehow your feet slow down or your body stops leaning forward, and you get ahold of yourself again?
well, these past few weeks have kinda been like that in our lives. except that this was one of those times that you don't catch up, and you fall head first, into a great and powerful flurry of body and legs intertwined.
I mean, it's not all that bad, depending on how you look at it, but its an intense mix of things both personal, church-related and otherwise, that have knocked us down good. they are things that you may already know, things that you can't know, things that i cant know (but i see them in my husbands eyes when he comes home), things you will eventually know, and things that I can't share here, except with vague references.
but I do know that it won't last forever, I know it won't always be our reality, and I know that God has some great and awesome plan that I can't even imagine. and that's what's getting us through it.
and we will get through it. we always do. time passes, things change, we grow. in fact, we really shouldn't be surprised when things are rough, "as though something strange were happening to you" (1peter4:12). I mean, didn't Jesus say these things would happen? and didn't he also say that He would be our strength? and that we would come out the other side, perfect and complete, lacking nothing? so really, if you could see past your own circumstances and see the future God has planned OR look to your neighbor who has it worse off than you, then heck, it's not really that bad after all.
also, I'm sorry if this post is a bit sad in comparison to my usual happy-go-lucky-cute-pictures-of-my-baby-only-share-stories-from-the-happiest-of-days posts, but guys, it's my reality right now. and I understand if your feeling down after reading it, so here's a cute picture of willow to lift your spirits, she always does mine.
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