A Rich Legacy

leg·a·cy: something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past

Legacy. It sounds like a word you only hear in books, text books to be more precise. But it is something we are all a part of. We wouldn't be here today without our ancestors, predecessors, and the things that they've passed on. Whether it be knowledge, material possessions, a "name"... something you cling to from the past. What is your legacy?

I am blessed to have a rich legacy. The legacy I am referring to goes back only one generation and it is what my parents have given to me... what they have given to their grandchildren. Something I hope to pass on.

A Legacy of Love
Today is my parents 26th anniversary. 26 years ago on April 19th my parents were poor, way too young, and in love. They got married on the front steps of a friend's house in North Dakota where they were stationed at the time. They hardly knew anyone there, but did it matter?? 26 years say no.

Mom and Dad met in the air force after dad spotted her through a window using a pay phone. They became friends thanks to their roommates and then started dating. This picture was taken on New Years Eve right before dad was deployed to Turkey:

He was gone for a year with a short summer visit in there somewhere, but was back for good in January after cancelling an order to Germany that he had originally put in for... just so mom would marry him.

Through deployments, moving state to state and country to country, a decade plus some of military life, raising three (now four!) children, struggling to get by, and hardships that I was probably never made aware of, they are still together and still in love. They serve as a wonderful example of marriage. A legacy of love.

A Legacy of Faith
Even greater and richer than the love they've exemplified is the faith that they have in HIS love.

Mom and Dad were reintroduced to a loving, personal Savior by Dad's supervisor in North Dakota, Mark Wilz. Mark will forever be a part of our legacy. Mark gave Dad a bible before he was deployed to Turkey and then got in touch with him again when he got back to the states. They started studying God's word together and in February of 86 Mom and Dad started visiting church with him. Mark was also the man who married mom and dad after convincing them not to go to the Justice of Peace; they were married at his house, on his front steps, and surrounded by the people they hardly knew from the church they visited with him!
Mark baptized them anew on (roughly) March 27th in a freezing cold North Dakota baptistry. Afterwards, they went to eat at Ground Round soaking wet. They started living their lives for Him from that day forward and it is clearly evident in all they do.

Mom and Dad have passed on this rich legacy to all four of their children and now their grandchild as well. A legacy of love and faith. One that will permeate our lives and the lives of our children and their children.

It all started with a boy looking through a window at a girl making a phone call home to let her mom know that she made it North Dakota...where ever that was.

Happy 26th Anniversary Mom and Dad. Thank you for your legacy.

Spring is in the Air!

The weather is warm, the pollen is out (sufficiently covering everything in a yellow dusting), the park is filled with children, and SPRING is here!
Let's see, last spring Eli was just starting to crawl and this spring he is talking, running (I really don't think he WALKS anywhere!), singing, dancing, making daddy proud by kicking his soccer ball... it's just crazy!
I must say, although it is hard to believe that he is now closer to 2 than 1, I am loving this stage! Especially since it is now warm enough to play and explore together outside.

Around February it really started to warm up and we started walking down to our neighborhood park to play in the afternoons. Now that it's April and the weather has been more consistent this has become one of Eli's favorite things to do after we get home from school! Aside from throwing the wood chips, Eli's favorite thing at the park is the slide and especially the really tall one, go figure! He goes down all by himself now!

In March we were able to visit lots of our friends and take advantage of the beautiful spring weather! Early in the month we met up with several of our "Mommy Group" friends! We got to spend a whole weekend with five other 18 month olds all born in September! We all stayed in a house together and it was so much fun! We went to the Parthenon one day and were able to run around outside, the other day we went to a children's museum!

The next week was our Spring Break and we went to visit our friends Jenny and Haddy. One day we went up to the North Georgia Zoo because all of the new baby animals were being born! We were able to play with all of the animals thanks to Hope, a good friend of Jenny who owns and manages the zoo. She also has an 18 month old, so all three babies had so much fun together! We held and touched a monkey, a baby wolf, baby goats, a baby deer, and many other exotic animals! So fun!

And that brings us to April! Phew! We have been busy!
For my birthday weekend we went back to Georgia and Eli was able to do his first Easter Egg hunt at the church! He caught on pretty quickly to looking for eggs with the help of Haddy! There was also a big Easter bunny at the church, which they did NOT like! I don't think they appreciated us putting them in his lap either!

We expect the rest of the season to be just as busy! This weekend we are going to visit Gram and Pap, then the second week of May we are going on our Disney Cruise(!!!!!), then we will have a BBQ at Nana and Grandpas house! Before we know it summer will be here! THEN Eli turns 2!!! Ok, let's not think about that right now ;)

Happy Spring everyone!

18 months

Dear Eli,

You are exactly one and a half years old today. I can hardly believe it!

Whenever I day dreamed about my children I never saw the cuddly newborn (although, boy were you cute!) and I never saw the infant blowing spit bubbles.... I saw a child who was putting on my shoes and trying to walk around the house. These days I seem to be living in my dreams!

It's amazing to see how you've grown into this little person all the while maintaining your sweet spirit. I don't think I have ever met another toddler with such a loving nature.

I could write to you about all of your milestones:
How you are talking more and more each day...
How all of your teeth have finally grown in...
How you are now climbing into and out of your own car seat...
How your last "baba" was on Monday, but you are still sleeping like a champ...
How you are showing so many signs of being ready to potty train (AH!)...

Instead, I want to write to you about how proud I am to be your mom.

Many people, especially over the past several months, have praised us for what WE have done. How WE have taught you, how WE have "trained" you, how WE have guided you. While I would love to take credit for molding you into the little person you are, you MUST know that God created this light in you. I pray it is something that stays with you throughout your whole life.

There is something about you that brings a smile to people's faces; The way that you can make friends with whoever is in the room, the way that you smile at those who seem to need it most, the gentleness that you approach others with. Some might scoff at how I describe your spirit, but those who know you can see it too. You have a light and I pray that it always shines bright. God made you with this gift, never forget it!

Eli, I have received no greater blessing than the blessing of watching you grow and learn. Each day that we have together is so precious to me because it is another day I get to love you and teach you to love others as we figure out our way in this world. I pray that you will always show others the love of Jesus, even when this world gets dark.

I want you to know that I will always pray for you, I will always love you, and I will always want your snuggles.
I want you to remember that you are special. You have purpose. And you are important in this world.

18 months. Such a short time in this world, but you have brought so much joy to it!
I love you Eli Grey!

Love,
Your Mama

Raising a Bookworm

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers." ~Charles W. Eliot

At age 4 I learned to read. Not too much later, I fell in love with books.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have the worst memory... but I still remember the first time I really fell in love with books. It might have been first grade? My teacher took me aside and filled my backpack with books to take home. I couldn't get enough. It was then that I was introduced to Amelia Bedilia. She became a companion in my early childhood where all I knew or understood was moving from one home to the next. I could always find her and she would always make me laugh.

Throughout the years those companions have changed: Alice, Elizabeth, Anne, and the girls from Dear America. Waldo, who was a bit more difficult to find. Then Macy, Harry and Hermione, Julie, and Loni. Now Katniss and Peeta, Sarah, and Tally.

My love for reading is something I hope to pass on to Eli.
I want him to be one of the few who raises his hand when the teacher asks, "Who likes to read?"; like I did.
I want him to quickly hide his book and flashlight under the covers when I come to check on him at night, like I did.
I want him to buy a book at a bookstore and take in that new book smell with a smile, like I do.
I want his favorite books to be worn in and dogeared, his favorite passages underlined, and covers falling off, like mine are.
And yes I even want him to resort to his kindle when he just can't wait to get his hands on a new book, like I do!

He is only 17 months, but it makes me smile whenever he brings me a book, sits in my lap, and looks down waiting for me to open up to the first page.
One day he will sit down with some of my "old friends" and I hope they make him as happy as they have made me.

Big Machine Day at McWane

This weekend Eli's cousins came to town! I don't think the way his face lights up when he sees them will EVER get old!

As soon as they arrived at our apartment Eli was ready to wrestle! The weekend consisted of wrestling, lots of hugs, wrestling, going to McWane, wrestling, eating lots of yummy food, wrestling, and.... oh, did I mention wrestling?? Eli is definitely starting to hold his own; it was funny to see him take Owen down! The boys were such good sports about Eli constantly climbing on top of them!

On Saturday we spent the day at the McWane! They had rigs, forklifts, firetrucks, and other "big machines" set up outside. The boys were able to get up close to them and even sit inside them - they thought it was great!

The rest of the museum was fun and exhausting as always! We only lost Owen ONCE, so it was a successful trip! The boys had fun exploring all of the exhibits!

It was both a fun and tiring whirlwind weekend for everyone! We wish we lived closer to family, but these visits will be special memories throughout the years!

Our Growing Family

We have two children. Two. That fact will never be stated or acknowledged without enormous weight and meaning. It's been just over 3 months since we lost our baby girl... and just typing that sentence makes me grasp for breath, my stomach drops. Unfortunately and yet thankfully, life and time march on.

We recently received a letter in the mail from the President. It was addressed to Finley. I was pleased thinking it was a letter of condolences, something I could put in her scrapbook. Something besides her birth certificate and pictures that would acknowledge her LIFE. Instead it was a blunt reminder of something we will never have: our daughter. It was "Congratulations" and "Welcome to the World"; phrases that should have been.

After days of sitting on it and being angry and wanting justice or acknowledgement of our pain, strangely enough, I read this letter for the millionth time and saw a different message.

"Dear Finley, Welcome to the world! Your arrival is a cause for great celebration for your proud family"
Precious Finley, your arrival WAS a cause for great celebration for our family. We are PROUD to call you our daughter. We hang your picture PROUDLY in our home.

"Your birth speaks to the aspirations we hold as we look to a brighter future."
We aspire to be better parents because of you.
We aspire to hold each of our children in our arms and cherish their life more deeply because of you.
We aspire to be gentle and loving with our words and with our actions because of you.
We aspire to grow in our faith and purposefully live a life worthy of heaven because of you and our hopes to hold you in our arms again one day.
We aspire to LOVE better. Because of you.

"We hope your life is blessed with rich experiences, boundless opportunity, and love"
Your life here on earth was not blessed with rich experiences or boundless opportunity and it was not blessed with the dreams that I had for you either; laughing and dancing and spinning and falling over in fits of giggles with your brother, reading and snuggling with your daddy before bedtime, letting me brush your hair and hold you so tight, finding love and your place in this big, scary, amazing world we live in.

But your life here on earth WAS blessed with love. Love so deep that I remember the last time I felt you move. Love so deep that tears start falling before your name even reaches my lips. Love so deep that my heart swells when your brother grabs your stuffed elephant and kisses it; he still remembers the word sister. Love so deep that when we look at the stars together, I ache to know if I am making you proud. Your life was filled with love. There is no denying it.

At work yesterday I was rocking one of the new baby girls. One of the grandmothers who I hadn't seen since before Christmas break came to pick up her granddaughter. She looked at me, smiled, and said, "OH! You had your baby!" I didn't know what to say. I stumbled over my words and finally got out, "No, she's not ours... Our daughter passed away." My heart broke, just one more time. This was the first time I said it out loud.

We have two children. Two. One is on earth, one is in heaven. We love them both. They both make us proud. They both make us aspire to be better.
Hopefully soon that number will be three. And then maybe someday four....five....

We know that God is faithful. He has plans for us to prosper...plans to give us hope and a future. A bright future awaits us.

The Circus

On Saturday we brought Eli to the Circus! It was a first for us all and it was so much fun!

At first Eli was scared; the clapping, the dark HUGE arena, the loud screams and cheers. He did not want to leave my lap! But by the time the first musical number began, he was entranced!

He loved the elephants and the horses! He would point and giggle at them as they circled the ring!

Here are a few more pictures of our day at the Circus:

We can't wait to go again one day!