Everything's more fun with Daddy

Leave it to Woodrow to find a way to make even eating more fun. They really had a system going here. This green goo is her avocado which she likes okay. Tomorrow starts the real mean green food: asparagus. Pray for Hope's mom to chill out with the healthy foods. She's not crawling yet, but she is more mobile. She's started to flip around while she's sleeping instead of just laying on her back. Most mornings she ends up completely sideways. This has turned my champ of a night time sleeper into a bit more of a normal baby with some night waking as she often gets stuck. AT 4:00 in the morning the sound her crib makes when she kicks it can be terribly similar to what a mom could mistake for a robber coming in through her window. I've lost lots of sleep over this! That's what I get for reading the paper about the string of burglaries in Owensboro.

Don't you just love this weather we've been having? I have taken Hope outside to play in the shade more often. We love the outdoors. Here she is watching a neighbor power wash the side of his house. Hope was amazed.

Allow me just a few words...

For the past 13 months or so, every time my mind has had idle time to think, I've struggled through the decision of if and how much I should work. I've asked everyone who would listen for their opinion. I've fasted (from sweets as pregnant/nursing women shouldn't really fast from food entirely, but trust me, it was a sacrifice), I've prayed, I've fought with Woody for not just telling me what to do...still, no answers. I felt I could "hear" God literally telling me reasons for both working and not working. Who would have thought that my most clear direction and answer on this subject would have come in a focus group for basically expressing our opinions on the direction/pro's/con's etc of First Baptist Church?

One of the most significant reasons why I (and I'd venture to say most people) work is to make money. I don't love my job, I don't even find fulfillment in it. One might say, I hate it. Still, I was terrified to not work as I knew that my not working will mean a significant change in our lifestyle. I want to provide Hope with the opportunities, etc that every parent hopes to give their children. If I were honest with myself, I'd admit that I want to "fit in" at church and with my current circle of friends. I do go to "First Baptist Church" which can be a little stereotypically "first baptist-ish" at times. Tonight, I came face to face with what I'd feared I wouldn't fit in with and am disgusted. You, dear reader, are bearing the brunt of what I wish I'd been bold enough to say to them! Allow me to explain...

The topic came to hoping that everyone the community would feel welcome at our church. One focus group member said (no exaggerations here!) that probably "those people" would feel more comfortable with people of like socio-economic status and frankly so does he. He felt they (referring to downtown residents) should be bussed to churches where they fit in better rather than be welcomed at our downtown church.

If I'd been more like Jesus, I'd have angrily flipped over the tables and told the guy to quit making my Father's house a country club! My hope for my little girl is that she grows up to see all people as God's children with value because of simply who they are in Him. I want her to know that self worth comes from the LORD and not from what men think of her because I want her to have a self worth that can't be shaken. (see Ps 62:1-2) I don't want her think for a second that she's better or worse than anyone because of what she wears, the car she drives (whew, that was a tough lesson for me to learn..sometime ask me about the Caprice Classic!), or what she or her future husband does for a living. Suddenly, it became perfectly okay with me if she doesn't fit in with the children who's parents teach them otherwise. My not working isn't going to mean a change in lifestyle as I'd feared. Our lifestyle is going to be seek first the kingdom of Heaven. That won't change if I work or if I don't.

Jesus teaches in Luke 9:24 that anyone wishing to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for His sake will find it. To myself, I say that I may need to be willing to let go of the life I'd hoped to give my little girl and try to instead teach her that life is in Christ alone. But to First Baptist Church I say, you precious church, need to stop trying to save your life as you know it and be looking for how God breaths life into a church. Maybe we should measure success not in numbers of attendees but instead by insuring that the comments made by my group member represent the exception and not the majority of hearts in our congregation.

Ruff, Ruff!

Hope got to meet Joan-officially- on Mother's Day down at Jingo. She LOVED her. I'm not sure if she likes her big face or the fluffy tail more. She just squealed in delight. Thankfully, there is no more gentle dog than Joan because in her excitement, Hope kicked Joan in the nose a couple of times. Joan didn't seem to even notice. Hope sees her dog, Daisy most every morning. Daisy is my best entertainment for her while I'm fixing Hope's breakfast or our dinner in the evening. Daisy is much more hyper than Joan, so this is the most interaction that they have. We have taken them on walks together, but Daisy is more interested in the outside world than Hope and leaves her alone. She did sneak a little "kiss" on our last walk...right on the face. YUK!

And silly Daddy... these shapes are what Hope likes to play with these days. Dad also likes to play with them.

Ben Hawes State Park is right down the road from us so I've taken Hope there a few times. Here's her first trip on the swings. I've got those practical sunglasses on and a hat...and the sunscreen. How's a kid to have fun with all that?!...and all for 15 minutes on a swing?

Dad came along on this trip and she got to swing much higher (and lose the shades!). Mom's palms are still sweaty thinking about it.

Friday was Relay for Life. Since Hope's grandmother died of cancer around Relay time, I decided to make a tradition for Hope to walk there her memory. This year, we just joined up with Radiation Oncology from work. (their t-shirts were cuter than Outpatient chemo's shirts). The department was kind enough to order Hope a matching onsie- only hers has the initials of Mrs Maglinger instead of the very corny "we Ra-D-8" that we all wore.

And....if you haven't gotten a chance to check out Hope's 6 month pictures...go see them! http://www.woodfallfamilyphotography.com/. Choose slideshows, then Maglinger and use the password HOPE. Enjoy!

I love babies!

I love babies for lots of reasons, but one of my favorites is that they love the simple things. Blowing a bubble with my gum was absolutely thrilling for Hope. Here's Hope on her way to her first of what I'm sure will by many softball games. She's sporting a Cardinal's onsie as she doesn't have a FBC outfit, yet. She actually did great for me. Our game was at 7:45- her bedtime, but I hated to miss the first one, so she came along. She slept in her stroller and then came home and let me change her and put her to bed really late with no trouble at all.

I did let her bring her bat along to the game with her.

We've had a great couple of days at home lately. Still using that Boppie to support her a little, but she's doing much better sitting up on her own.

And...the food again... This time, it's mango. I thought for sure she'd love it. I ate part of the one that I pureed for her and it was good. She made the most hilarious faces. The only time she even smiled was when I couldn't hold it in any longer and was laughing at her. Her face seemed to say it was too sour, but we'll try again tomorrow and see if it was just too different from the vegetables she'd been eating.

We've had what seems like weeks of rain. The sun finally came out today so we were outside for some fun on our new swing.

Okay, I can't stand it. I had to put this on to show you these adorable cheeks!

There's no place like home!

Every morning I let Hope pick out her outfit. She loves clothes! She always goes for this outfit if it's clean. I thought it was cute and picked it up for $2 at the Pigtails and Cowlick's sale. Woody calls her Dorothy from Wizard of Oz...he just doesn't understand fashion at all :) Woody and Hope look so much alike! I keep trying to capture it in a picture. Here's my best attempt at a profile shot of them both.

And the food... cereal is going some better and veggies are going great! She loves butternut squash and sweet potatoes. It stinks, though, to have a dietitian mommy who also makes you eat avacado. She eats it well, but her facial expressions say "Seriously, they call this food?"

Where do I sign her up for the chinese acrobat circus act?

Anybody need a good picture to blackmail Woody with? Every little girl needs a very silly Daddy. Hope is blessed with one of the silliest! Woody loves her laugh and there's not much he's not willing to do to get her to laugh! He's also responsible for the above picture.

Remember movie star Hope? Well, this is biker dude Hope. Grammy got her those sweet sparkly sunglasses with the princesses. So cute. But, when she lays her head against the carseat or stroller, they slip down as the ear pieces are a little long for her face. So, Mom is already embarrassing her with these practical rap around the face ones. Sorry Hope.