Thoughts on Beauty

I have started a new Bible study at church. It was written by Beth Moore and is titled "Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman" Today during the video portion of our video Beth touched on Esther's beauty and how her true beauty is concealed in her heart. All of this got me thinking about Emma and my prayer for her as a woman in this culture and child of God. Here is the thing... I think that my child is so beautiful! From her bright blue eyes to her rose bud lips, I think she is a little baby doll! I can say this honestly knowing that all the mom's out there think their child is beautiful as well! I realize as she grows her features will change... she may be thin or chubby, tall or short. She may have zits or freckles, braces or straight teeth. She will probably go through an awkward stage and have a hairy upper lip and bushy eyebrows and feel like a stranger in her body. (I say this because it happened to me!) :) I know there will be a time when she feels ugly and will compare herself to all the other girls in her class. But, this is what I pray she will know and that I am strong enough to teach her. We are ALL beautiful!!! Each woman on this earth was created by God and with him present in our hearts we are lovely to all those we meet. We all will age, get wrinkles, gain wight, acquire possible scars we cannot hide. What is so great however about possessing the beauty of the Lord is that is CAN be sustained. 1 Peter 1: 3-4 tells us " Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade- kept in heaven for you." See! When we love the Lord and hold that knowledge in our hearts we have a wonderful beauty mark others without God in their lives don't posses! And the best thing about this news is that is will always be there! As she moves forward in life, I pray Emma will shine so brightly her beauty can be seen for miles! As Beth Moore says, "May the beauty of the Lord be with you!"

I'm Back!

I know I have been away for a while but I am back now with lots to tell you so hold on! As you can see I changed my blog up a little. I decided to change my blog title, the background and banner! (thought it was time I added pics of Emma on the banner) :) Also, I thought with the new year I wanted a fresh look for the blog so here it is! :)

I have a lot of updates to share so I thought I would start with the most recent and work my way back to the beginning of December.

Emma's 1st Birthday!

We rang in the New Year in a big way! Emma turned one and we had a princess party to celebrate the occasion. Amy and Greg opened up their home and both sides of our family (along with my best friend Amber) helped us love on sweet Emma! I can't believe my baby girl is already celebrating her first year! It feels like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital and I was a mess not knowing what I was doing or how I was going to handle such a big responsibility! She has been such a joy in our lives and keeps me on my toes most days. She can say mama, dada, gabby, hi, hi-dee, pappy, and we are working on many other words... She finally has her fist tooth and she took her first steps on January 1st! (eight to be exact!) She loves water, dancing, Cheerios, sesame street, waving hello to everyone, and her blankie! She has beautiful wavy hair and her blue eyes make my heart melt! I am so in love with her and I am looking forward to many more firsts with my sweet Princess!

Christmas 2009!
Christmas break was an eventful one! I decided to head home to Denison on the 22nd and stay until after the new year. Charles had to work up until Christmas Eve so he was going to drive on the 24th and stay through the weekend. Well, it just so happens Oklahoma had an actual blizzard on the 24th and Charles called me from the highway. He was stuck and unable to drive any further. So, he packed up his belongings on his back and hiked a few miles to our friends home. He stayed the night and bravely took to the streets the next morning. It took him 6 1/2 hours to make the 2 1/2 drive but he made it to my parents home on Christmas Day! We were all so excited and most of all, Emma. I think that was her favorite present on Christmas! Here are some pictures from the Christmas holiday!

Pioneer Woman

The day before I left to head home for Christmas I went to a book signing for a little jewel "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" In case you are new to my blog let me tell you about The Pioneer Woman! She is a city girl who moved to the country after marrying the love of her life. She has four kids, is a photographer, home schools her children, loves to cook (and just finished her first cookbook) and she has a blog about it all! Where does she find the time?! Anyway, I am a fan and we love her recipes around this house so I had to meet her in person! I waited in line for about an hour and I swear once I finally met her I was such a total dork! I had no idea what to say and I was nervous... I just don't handle myself well around famous and semi-famous people! But I managed to pull it together enough to get her to sign my book and take a picture!

New York City 2009!
Charles and I headed to NYC aka "The Big Apple" for a little mini break around the second week of December! I had just turned the big 30 and thought we should celebrate in a big way! We left Emma with Grandma and Pappy and left for the city! We went with another couple, Jeff and Qunicie. (They are friends from Charles' residency program.) Charles and I have a friend in NY from the med school days so we had a free place to crash! Adam lives in the East Village area of New York and it was great! Super hip and super cool. :) To me, the best way to see NY is to live like a new yorker for a few days and really experience life in a big city crammed in a small apartment! :) We were able to see a few shows "West Side Story" and "The Lion King"! Let me just go on th record saying if you have yet to see "The Lion King" broadway style, you are missing out! It was so increadible and I was crying within the first five minutes due to the greatness of it all! Go see it! We also did some shopping of course! China Town is always a hot spot for cheep knock off goods and Bryant Park had tents set up for venders along with ice skating and hot chocolate. New York at Christmas is something everyone should see at least once but disclaimer... IT IS SOOO COLD!