Meet Egg!!

I would like to welcome the newest member to Kyler's clan... Egg! Egg was found in Kyler's Easter basket early last Sunday morning. Kyler was so excited, and I asked him what he would like to name his new friend. He thought for a moment and proudly exclaimed, "Egg!" So, here he is! Below, from left to right, we have Alex (Mommy's favorite stuffed animal- Kyler recently discovered and adopted him), Egg, and Buddy (Kyler's first and most treasured attachment item). What a cute ensemble! Welcome, Egg!

Potty- Training Saga

So, we are at this fork in the road. Will he use the toilet, or is he destined for Depends? It seems that every time I decide that I have enough time and am feeling especially patient to knock this one out of the park, Kyler refuses to comply. Yet, whenever I am rushed or having a melt-down day, he asks if he can sit on the potty. Those days, I just don't have it in me to sit there with him and wait for very long. I think he is a little scared of the thought of giving up the diapers. He thinks Pull-Ups are cool (thank you, Disney), he thinks that the music-playing potty chair is simply way more boring than the actual toilet, and he loves flushing. So why will he not GO?!? I know that I need to be patient, but where is my magic wand when I really need it? As I write this he is wearing a Pull-Up with strict orders that he needs to try to go in the toilet and not on the Pull-Up. Oh yeah, and I am SO not above bribery! If he actually does go, it's off to McDonald's for an ice cream sundae! I really want one too...

it is well with my soul...

Women's Conference 2008, Crossroads Church, Grass Valley, Cali
Kay Strom
Kay told us many stories today, about how God is working in our lives and in the lives of others all around the world. She talked about our turbulent lives and that even when faced with adversity, our Savior is there. She told us about a man whose entire fortune, home and material things were lost in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. He and his wife, along with their four daughters decided to start over in England, regroup and eventually return. He trusted that God could heal their family and deliver them from this horrible event. He sent his family along to England aboard a ship, promising to see them soon when he was able to get all their affairs in order and join them. Halfway across the Pacific, their ship was struck head-on by another ship and it sunk in minutes. Rescuers retrieved the woman from the water, but all four of the couple's daughters drowned. On his journey to reunite with his wife, the man asked the captain to please show him where his daughters had died, so that he could pray for them and say goodbye. Overlooking the sea that took his children, he began writing a poem. The words to "It Is Well With My Soul." A few years later, his wife gave birth to a son who lived for four years before a sickness took him from them as well. And still, all was well with his soul.
Then came the story that sent shivers down my spine and made me fight back tears... On one of Kay's trips to India, she visited an all boys orphanage. There was a beautiful little girl amongst all the boys. Kay asked a woman why there was a girl there at this strictly boy refuge. The woman proceeded to tell the little girl's story. When this tiny child was born her father said that they had no use for another girl in the family. He dug a hole, dumped the newborn child into the hole and replaced the dirt- burying her alive. The girl's grandfather didn't want another girl anymore than the father, but couldn't handle the thought of burying her alive. So he dug her out, took her an orphanage (I think), and left her on the doorstep. The orphange workers heard a noise outside and found the little girl, covered in dirt and gasping for air. They had no use for another girl either. They called the people over at the all boy's place and told them that if a girl was important enough to waste their time on, then they needed to come get her or she would just die. They rushed over to find the infant blue and not breathing because her nose and mouth were filled with dirt. They cleaned her up and got her breathing again. She was important enough to God for Him to sustain her life. She was important enough to the orphanage. I believe that little baby girl with do great things. Big things. Maybe she won't become a world leader or an esteemed scholar. Maybe she won't live to see tomorrow. But she moved me. She touched me. I'm ready to get on a plane and go to India tonight. If I could, I would. That little precious person really just set my desire to save a child (or 2 or 50!)... and someday, I will. Someday, I will give a child a home just like the girl in the story deserves.

fun friday...

Every Friday, I do "Fun Friday" with my class. Sometimes we show a movie on the huge projector screen, make yummy snacks, play silly games, do a cool art project, or like today, a science experiment. I have never used dry ice before, so I thought it would be interesting to check out this mysterious, reportedly dangerous substance. It was SO COOL!! The kids, about 35 of them, sat in a circle and I, not knowing anything about dry ice, gave them a brief description of what we were about to do. I explained that they must all sit in their spots and not move closer to what I was going to bring into the room. I told them that what we were about to experiment with was potentially very dangerous (that got the boys to sit up a little straighter) and told them that under no circumstance were they to touch the "experiment." (My aide then decided to pipe in with, "It will burn the flesh off of your bones if you touch it.") Nice touch. So I go to get the ice and a pitcher of water. I set it down in the middle of the circle and asked them what they thought would happen if I poured the water on the ice. My favorite comments? "It will explode!" and "Start a fire!!" We discovered that you could touch the ice as long as it was dry- well, we didn't try to touch it when it was wet, so maybe we will never really know... (another aide moment: she pretended to touch it, and screamed, said "Gotcha!!" and we all laughed- one little boy almost had a panic attack, but eventually laughed too). Anyway, it turned out to be a pretty neat little experience- I've decided that dry ice is a must for any party in the future. Oh, and there were no explosions or fires!

bad things i'm good at...

i have become rather good at doing quite a few things that are harmful to myself. one example of such actions is eating crap and too much of it, and another is choosing men that are absolutely, completely wrong for me. i am learning how to manage the first- i have actually lost 5 pounds this week- but it is a struggle. would you like to know what the most delicious foods in the world are? french fries. with cheese. or anything deep-fried. with ranch dressing to smother it in. or ice cream. the kind with all sorts of yummy deliciousness mixed into it... and i'm talking about the whole pint. but i'm training myself to eat differently. not so much cutting out any of those things, just cutting down the amount that i am consuming- and it's working! yay! as for the other thing... men. why does it have to be so difficult? i mean the whole thing about the good girl and the not so good boy together is proving true for me. i meet a nice guy, he's too boring. i meet trouble, i'm not very happy after a while or i end up trying to hang on to something that's worth nothing. i recognize that i like a challenge. but why are the challenging ones so challenging? i mean there has got to be a balance, right? well, i have yet to find the right balance. obviously. i have faith- i mean i still believe that He has a plan for my life- but i am so stupidly impatient. i hate waiting. i guess i'll just keep doing what i'm doing- kyler, work, school, work, kyler, school, kyler... only one of which is something that i absolutely love- totally and completely. not that i'm venting or anything. but hey, look on the bright side! i lost 5 pounds in a week!!!

Everyone needs some encouragement sometimes...

this song is the most moving prayer i have ever heard and reminds me every time i listen to it, that there is someone bigger than myself that loves me unconditionally and will never let me go through life alone...

everything

find me here, and speak to me

i want to feel you, i need to hear you

you are the light that's leading me to the place where i find peace again

you are the strength that keeps me walking

you are the hope that keeps me trusting

you are the life to my soul

you are my purpose

you're everything

how can i stand here with you, and not be moved by you?

would you tell me, "how could it be any better than this?"

you calm the storms and you give me rest

you hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall

you still my heart and you take my breath away

would you take me in?

take me deeper now

because you're all i want

you're all i need

you're everything