Silly Willy

It's amazing how much entertainment $2 at the dollar store will buy you.

"A moment that will define a generation..."

(quote from Barack Obama's inauguration address)

I bribed them with heart candies to get this shot :)

Putting aside political parties and political beliefs, there is no denying the fact that today is historic. I hope that it "defines a generation". A generation that loves eachother, respects eachother for who they are as a person, rather than the color of their skin. I pray that God will guide our new president as he makes decisions that will effect our future and the future of our children. As I read books like Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry and The Cay to my students, I can't help but be in awe of the ability for a nation to change so drastically over the course of 50 years. I can't imagine what it was like to live in a world where people were considered inferior simply because they were a different color. And now our president is African-American. Historic.

Chinalyn

Portraits by the wonderful, talented Lorie Chambless

This stunning beauty is my little sister (one of them). It's hard to believe that she's a senior. I still distinctly remember the cute little cowgirl who was obsessed with Barney. I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old. It's funny though becuase as much as she's grown up, she's still so much the same. She's always been a social butterfly. She loves everyone and everyone loves her. She's just one of those people that almost seem magnetic; you're drawn to them. I guess it comes as no surprise that she was the school mascot this year. At her photo shoot, we were laughing about how she smiles behind her panther mask as she poses with little kids. Rarely is she not smiling. She's just that type of girl. She's more than just a smile though. She's an intelligent girl with morals and values. She's not only book smart (she's always been at the top of her class), but she also makes intelligent decisions in her life. I know that she'll continue to make smart decisions as she enters the next phase of life. I'm so excited to see what the future holds for her!

I love you China!

Besties

They live around the corner from eachother.
They're the same size.
They like the same things (pacis, Mickey Mouse and kitchens).
They are both strong-willed.
Their parents are good friends.
They talk about eachother all the time.

THEY ARE DESTINED TO BE BESTIES! ;)

The interview- for Uncle Gibby

One day a couple of weeks ago, we asked Aubrey what her name was and she responded with her first and last name. It was so cute that we started this little interview where we would ask her about herself. We were showing it off to Grandma Kim, and she thought that Aubrey's Uncle Jacob would enjoy it. Of course, as soon as the camera came out, Aubrey's interview skills weren't ideal. Both of these interviews are the same, but I thought it was funny to see her actions in both. I sure hope she loses some of her less appealing interview skills as she gets older (ie...picking her nose then putting it in her mouth and whispering the whole time). Oh, to be 2 again...

Hope you and Uncle Gibby enjoy our girl! :)
(Oh, and on a side note, I swear that the green on the wall isn't quite as obnoxious as it looks in the video)

Holy Roller

Lately, our girl hasn't only been obsessed with baby Jesus, but she's also been quite the fan of church. I don't think she's quite old enough to truly understand what it's all about, but she sure is interested in finding out. Just the other day, we were walking to our mail box and our neighbors have a plastic, illuminated nativity. Aubrey HAD to walk up to say hi to baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary. Before we could leave she had give each of them a kiss, and she kept saying, "ahh...baby Jesus".

Last Sunday, she was especially excited about going to church. Despite her excitement on the way there, she of course had to do her momentary burst of crying when we left. We can always hear it stop just before the door shuts. Anyway, as we were waiting in line to pick her up (YES, a LINE...because there were TWENTY 2 year olds in there last week), I saw a girl I used to work with. She could see her son being held by one of the helpers, and she commented on how he looked sad. This was her first time visiting, so he was a little anxious about the new environment. She asked where my daughter was, and we had to scan the chaos to try to find her. Finally, Justin spotted her at the back wall KISSING HERSELF in the mirror. Crazy kid! It's funny because our girl used to get us paged every. single. week. as a baby. Now, she doesn't even care that all the kids are getting picked up. She's having too much fun.

Yesterday, Christy was driving the kids to Riverwalk park to meet a friend. As they were driving down Stockdale Hwy. Aubrey started yelling to Christy, "Auntie, Mommy, Auntie (she uses these terms interchangeably for Christy), that's my church!" Christy said she was giddy with excitement. How cute is that?!

I'm so happy that our girl is already starting to learn about Our Savior, Jesus Christ and His body of believers. Eventhough her knowledge is very superficial and basic, I love that she is already excited about it. I pray that her desire to really KNOW him continues to grow as she grows.

Perspective 2009

Aubrey on the tractor at Auntie's cabin.

Mommies and daddies, have you ever thought back to your days as a young, married couple with no kids and wondered what you did with all of your time? I mean, seriously, before my world revolved around little people, what did I do? I don't remember having a ton of free time, but I'm sure I did...or at least from this perspective it seems that I would have. And back then, I remember thinking about my plans for life when I had little ones. We would go to this place, and do that thing, and it would always be a breeze. Funny how going to this place requires planning around nap times and kid friendly food options. And doing that thing isn't something your little one likes to cooperate with. I would never give up any of these unforeseen changes to my life. After all, that little person who complicates things, also brings me my greatest joys. It's just funny how things change as your perspective on life changes.

Take work for instance. To the working mom, it's easy to envy the stay at home mom, after all, it seems you do everything she does...on top of working. But for the stay at home mom, sometimes it would be nice to just get out of the house, away from all the obligations of being at home with the kids, and communicate with adults while making money. Working out of the house (a little bit, at least) sounds kind of nice. And then there's me...the part-timer. The best of both worlds, right? But then I have my sister's kids on my days off, so is that really a day off? And then there's the complication of figuring out part-time childcare. Next year, Christy and I are going to try to find childcare instead of swapping kiddos, so that we'll be able to spend more quality time with our own kids on our days off. Thursday, Friday and every other Wednesday is no easy arrangement. And is there any greater stress then figuring out a suitable guardian for your children? Perspective, I tell you.

Justin's Uncle Bob left a comment a while back. He said something like this, "if the grass looks greener on the other side, fertilize your own lawn." I love this quote. This year my goal is to do just that. And I'm also going to change my perspective; I'm going to stop looking at the other lawn and just focus on my own. There's no point in wishing for the free time of years past or a different work situation. This is the life I have, and it's a pretty good one.

My resolution for this year is to keep a healthy perspective. To focus on my blessings instead of my desires. To try to spend more quality time with Aubrey and Justin and less time on this silly computer. To focus on who Aubrey is right now before she grows up so fast I don't remember. To make sure I document the little things that make my her, her.

Things I don't want to forget about who Aubrey is at the beginning of 2009:

*You've become aware of your feelings. When you're upset about something you'll tell us that "Aubrey's sad". After church on Sunday you told us, "Aubrey have fun with her friends. Aubrey's happy."

*You're really into your ABC's and counting. You haven't quite mastered those ABC's but you're doing really well with a little prompting.

*You love giving hugs and kisses, especially to mommy and daddy. You'll kiss me over and over again and just keep your arms wrapped around my neck.

*You're still sensitive to large groups and new places. You take a while to adjust to situations, and you don't like it when people pick you up before you're ready.

*Lately you've been a big sleeper. All Christmas break you've been going to bed around 8:30 and sleeping in till about 9 with a 3 hour nap at around 1:30. (Mommy likes this!)

*You like playing a game with daddy where you'll say "Love you, mommy" instead of "Love you, daddy" because you like to see his reaction.

*You've decided that you like meat. You never ate meat before, but now all of a sudden you eat it like crazy.

*You randomly say thank you for certain things as you go through your day. It's the cutest thing ever. Ex: "Ahhh...thank you mommy for finding my shoes".

*You like to make us potato soup on your new play kitchen (I'll do a post about it soon :) ). Daddy made potato soup the day after you got your kitchen, so it seems you've got that stuck in your head.

*You like to hide in Mommy's closet and the pantry.

*You want us to go in your big girl room with you when you're playing with your toys.

*Whenever you dance, you say, "Shake your booty".

*You're a good girl, but you like to do things on your own terms. You don't like to be forced into doing something. We've figured out that counting works really well as a transition after a command. Usually you listen.

*Whenever we leave you somewhere like a relative's house or church, you constantly remind yourself that "mommy and daddy be back soon".

*You brighten each and every day I get to spend with you! You are the greatest gift I've ever received and each day I love you more!

At the cabin in Auntie's boots.