guerilla-wannabe

the closest i come
to guerilla gardening
is
planting my flowers
after dark.

[i'm infatuated with the concept;
have you read the
richard reynolds book?
such a slick/pretty book,
full of hope;
terrific photos.]

marigolds remind me of me mum.

here’s the thing:
every year, diane and i
plant things in the
squat stone planter
we inherited out front,

and every year,
they get swiped.
they vanish.

plucked,
stolen,
adios.

one at a time
until it’s just a little plot
of dirt with holes
where the plants used to live.

new year,
fresh hope.

fingers-crossed.

my lovies
on a radio shack run.

don’t judge my happy coleus
plants just yet;
sun + time = flowing, radiant beauties.

surely.

and anne marie is building my
confience that i can handle some
prettypretty impatiens
in the back yard.

breathe in,
breathe out.

now, imagine you’re a competent gardner.
i can so totally do this.

right?

whew

‘lay your deadly doings down,
down at jesus’ feet;
stand in him, in him alone,
gloriously complete.’

-j. proctor

fun-draising

ninety degrees?

the perfect day for a
lemonade stand
in honor of our school’s
walk-a-thon this weekend.

house rules:
your workers get all the
free lemonade they
can handle.

kai’s new dog.

henry tallies it all up.

good luck to the volunteer
who has to
decipher the total amount.

remember your smile

laran + i hit
lee’s and kate’s
and i snatched up this
sassy bit of snow+graham
as a souvenir.

yay for fresh design
in the bathroom,

that room in our apt
not often associated
with the word,
‘fresh.’

ps -
previously, the signs were on
that clever polka dot paper
from print icon
before this blue/red/swirly bit;
a win-win in my book.

pps -
overheard from downstairs,
where the girls were supposed
to be in separate beds,
going to sleep,
from c to b:

‘i’ll stop licking you
if
you’ll stop licking me.’

lulu

there might be a
hole in our backyard fence
and
gentle lulu from next door
might be making
a habit of
frequenting our backyard,
(and into our apt,
if we’d let her)

and we’re
positively
in
love.

babymaking 101

the chocolate is strong with this one

light saber assembly line

cheesy cutie ten-year-old

rounding out the school-bday-celebration
with a hit from the nice italian ice man.

ps -
a serious shout out
to karen for the
‘try hershey’s for the vader-head’ tip;
worked like a charm.

keeping tabs

it’s friday and
i’d love to wrap up
my to do list
for the week.

if only.

but the one thing
i can do
is to finally close
my open tabs in firefox.

here’s what i’ve been
looking at this week
and just can’t seem to
say goodbye to:

1. 100cameras.org – our friend, angie, is
their pr girl; such a cool cause.
event on may 6;
let me know if you want the scoop.

2. word search generator
i love making them for
the kids to do afterschool.

esp if they contain words that have
to do with things i’m proud of
them for this week.

3. button maker starter kits.
i don’t need one.
i just need to find a friend
who has one.

is it you?

test your sleuthing skills

hmmmm,
anything look different?

anything to notice?

something is different;
i can’t put my finger on it.

(kindly overlook the frankenstein-red
paper-airplane-landing-strip eyeball;
that’s not what we’re looking for here)

be patient;
it’ll come to you.

easypeasy;
that one’s a dead give away.

that’s right:

from this sadness,
to this restoration.

the good dr. cates
got down on one handsome knee
in our living room tonight,

to the cracking-up delight of all
four kiddos huddled around him,

and repeated the beautiful phrases
of over thirteen years ago
and then gently placed this
new+improved+sturdy+fixed lovebauble
(same stone, new setting)
right back where it belongs.

four long finger-naked months.
and now,
all is right.

the girls wanted to sleep
with the jewelry box.

cory didn’t let them
take it to their bed,

but i just might
tuck it under my pillow.

thanks, love;
happy early lucky-thirteenth anniv
to you, too.

ps -
nathan and i
just might watch
this bike stunt video
ten times in a fascinated row.

kiss the potato

no-fly zone

don’t be afraid
when you see me.

i took a paper airplane
to the eye.

but it was one
wicked
paper airplane.

good form,
strong, fast flight,

then *smack*
right to the eyeball;
i actually didn’t
see it coming.

i may look like
frankenstein for a bit,
but at least nathan’s
gained some promising
test results from this
new plane design.

and, really,
what’s more important?

no pain,
no gain, baby.

ps – do you think
we can figure  out how
to make these darth vader helmets
for nathan’s bday celebration
at school tomorrow?

(the rest looks obvious)

a spoonful of sugar

i needed a laugh
to distract me
from the pain
of shop vac-ing
our soggy basement.

chucklewithme.

spin doctor

after cory read james 4:13-17
to us this morning,
substituting ‘toy store’
for ‘town’

nathan piped up,

‘how about this:

if the Lord wills,
can we go to
toys-r-us?’

i think i’m going to be
hearing this a lot.

¹³come now, you who say,
“today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town
and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—

¹⁴yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.
what is your life? for you are a mist that appears
for a little time and then vanishes.

¹⁵instead you ought to say,
“if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
¹⁶as it is, you boast in your arrogance.
all such boasting is evil.

¹⁷so whoever knows the right thing to do
and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

ps -
we sang  ‘mourning to dancing’
afterwards at which point
caroline pulled off her nightgown
and was spinning and groovin’ and
flinging it around
dancingcrazy.

think: king david
notsomuch: hannah montana.

sunday-fun-day

i rejoiced with those
who said to me,
‘let us go to
the house of the Lord.’
psalm 122:1

red roof =
almost there.

the eagle has landed.

en route home,
happy as a peach.

(cheers to j+a
for that hot red bag
they gave me for
christmas.
loooove it.)

waitforit…

two blocks later,
she’s all smiles + kisses.

it’s just hard to be
three
sometimes.

not pictured:
emily’s famous strawberry ambrosia
that we enjoyed in the backyard
w/ fg friends.

ahhhh,
sabbath-loving.

aptly named

today,
i like that
my paper towels
are called,
’small steps,’

that my
lipstick is called
‘lame’
(pronounce it either way
depending on how
the day is going)

and that
my stain remover
is called
‘oxy deep;’

(the manufacturer has
obviously seen
this morning’s sliding pants.)

swat

they’re
gone.

xoxo
to
san
diego.

(sealed w/ a tear?
i think it works.)

swak

he’s
home.

and i am telling you

a
jennifer hudson +
jennifer holliday
duet?

whoanellie.

i say,
happy friday afternoon.

one more sleep

until c is home;
threecheers.

j’s adorable yarnguy

confetti brownies;
elena + jandro are coming!
elena + jandro are coming!

after a brilliant day at river run,
some risk and chess are in order.

we’re feeling the zara-love already
with this pink-haired kooky girl.

emily is so patient.
and cheerful.
and clever.

i want to be like her
when i grow up.

our 2009 inaugural
backyard dinner
with p + lu, em,
the famous clemente crew,
and a cameo by m + m

oh,
the sweetness of the Lord
in the faces of our friends.

whew

i’m loving some psalm 25
action today.

(as are all the rest of you
who use the m’cheyne plan;
i know you’re out there)

v1
to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
in you i trust,
O my God.

v3
no one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame…

v7
remember no more
the sins of my youth
and my
rebellious ways;
(whew)
according to your love
remember me,
for you are good,
O Lord.

v14
the Lord confides
in those who fear him;
he makes
his covenant
known to them.

v22
redeem israel, O God,
from all their troubles!

nathan and i are talking about
what ‘confides’ and
what ‘fear’ mean
from v14.

God’s generosity stumps me.

such a covenant-renew-er,
that God of ours.

i’m relieved to read
these words this morning when
‘life-disrupting anxiety’*
so wants to
tempt and distract me.

*p. 758 of the
reformation study bible.

re: psalm 25:12,
it says,
‘the fear of the Lord is
reverence and awe toward God,
not life-disrupting anxiety.’

ps -
can you hear
me laughing out loud
at those pictures?

ahhh, to look that
contented, peaceful,
and thoughtful.

these are the days

a gentle wednesday

we like to get our
artwork started early.

making mud pies

library time w/ lydia

hey, you can only get by
with wearing your
snow white dress
as Legitimate Clothing
for so long in life;
she’s milking it.

not even two yrs old
and he’s reading chapter books.
awww, buddy.
that’s our ezra.

it’s all good…

…until someone starts
licking.

henry reads lucy a bedtime story;
he takes his big-brother-ly duties
seriously.

not pictured but
also Very Important:

1. caroline spent the afternoon at
karis’ house;
‘i had such a nice time.’

[thanks, ava]

2. the boys got to play @ river run
with the post-homeschool-co-op crew;
‘it was The Best!’

[thanks, em]

2a. paula and nathan made
‘paula’s famous french toast’
for lunch.

with icing sugar
and
fresh strawberries.

holykamoli,batman.

3. nathan, jules, + i got to
go on an evening walk
down to columbus circle
to hit jamba juice
and
guess what
opened?!

zara.

and
double-guess-what?!

children’s section.

and the men’s wear is hot.
hot.

and the summer dresses?
to die for.

i digress.

4. in anticipation of
spring break +
cory being away,
david and felicia graciously offered
to host fellowship group for me
last night.

and nathan
got
to
go.

hooray.

as he enthusiastically,
very enthusiastically,
jumped into my bed and
told me the highpoints,

my favorite bits included,
‘ms. emily told me
on the way home
that the comments i made
really made her think!’

[thanks, em]

and

‘i only ate half my dessert
because, you know,
me and sugar at
bedtime.’

[huge thanks, fg friends]

5. tim on msnbc,
‘are we nearing the end
of a christian america?’

6. did you see the new
brooks brothers windows?
(@ 65/bway)

i surely never thought i’d ever write that sentence.

fab.
fab!

those orange-and-white stripe drapes?!

7. playing @ the playground
with jordyn, lydia, and ezra:
three cheers
that the Lord
brought them to the ‘hood.

whoo-hoo.

ps – a free (to you) tip
i stole from ava:

nutella
inside
crescent rolls.

bake.

mmmmmm.

lazyhazy

lucy prefers to
hang with the Big Boys.

say, ‘meatball!’

caroline + leah
get it done.

like ‘charlie’s angels’.
only different.

a monkey’s uncle

. central park zoo .

and we walked back into our
front door
right
as the heavens
opened up.

whew.

same slide,
100 different pile-up configurations.

henry looks comfy.

ab totally holds her own.

a lonely sand volleyball court =
our utopia

rake protest.

clown car

i have an open-duvet policy
when cory’s away:

if you turn up at my bedside
during the night,

(and you are one of
my biological offspring)

i accept you with
warm and open arms.

but there is a
critcal mass of,
say,
four humans
in our bed.

and then its just better
if i leave.

good morning, world;
bummer that it’s so early.

missyou,c.

testimonies

one of the best things
about easter sunday
is the
testimonies.

testimonies of changed lives.

listening to how God has worked
and is working
melts me.

thank you to the three
courageous women
who gave their testimonies
at the 5pm service.

may the Lord continue
his brilliant work in
your lives.

wow
and
amen.

the inagural top-o’-the-mornin’ spin
on their new easter scooters.

what with it being
1. easter sunday morning
and
2. spring break
and
3. 37 degrees and unspeakably windy
on the hudson river,
the dodgers
only had four players
for their second t-ball game.

uniform hand-out is this week.

surely next weekend will boast a full roster
in their spiffy new gear.

scootering downhill,
walking uphill.

ahhh, the schlepping of
baseball equipment to
and from the field.

c sure never complains,
but my attempt at helping
left me with red, throbbing, numb fingers.

kara’s magnificent easter brunch;
we could’ve stayed all day.

(now, that’s an idea.
next year we’ll show up with
our little overnight bags in hand
and just curl up at the end
of the happiest day…)

jim, jack, cory, and henry
hold court at the table.

john + michael share a moment

yay for the markey fam.

the girls + ellie

even the magnatiles
knew which holiday
we were celebrating.

mr. p + ellie

jj

perfection.

hooray for easter dinner
at lisa + julia’s
(and soon to be carrie’s)

a girl gotsta stay warm.

the eight-block saunter
to church with daniel + leah
(aka. rockstars)

have you been to the 5pm (or 7pm) service?
we meet @ first baptist,
79th/bway.

(take the 1 train or m104 to 79)

let the confetti eggs begin;
the perfect end to the
perfect easter.

we even lured dan k
in for a direct hit
to his tall head.

score.

chocolatey-confetti-y smiles

see (hear?) the squealing sister
trapped between two brothers?

Christ the Lord
is risen today,
alleluijah.

bon courage

my least favorite
view of my love:

my most favorite view,
from last night:

happy london +
we’ll see you saturday.

xoxox

ps -

i’m going to cling to
the last thing his blackberry
chirped to my email
before the bigol’jetairliner,
in fact,
carried him away,
these gentle evening words:

‘kj,

may god bless you and keep you.

may he grant you sweet dreams and
fill you with hope and promise
for tomorrow and this week.

may you see his face and
feel his love as you
pour out compassion and grace
in daily servings to our blessed children.

may you love him and
know him all of your days
(but especially the spring break ones)

i love you.’

he is risen, indeed

‘God made him
who knew no sin
to be sin for us,
so that
in him
we might become
the righteousness of God.’

2 cor 5:21

singwithmenow,

‘because he lives,
i can face tomorrow,

because he lives,
all fear is gone.

because i know,
i know,
he holds the future,

and life is worth the living
just because
he lives.’

out+about

yay for
date night.

yay for
superduper babysitters.

yay for cjc.

(boo that he’s leaving
the country in 48 hrs.)

1. we hit union square.

2. anthropologie.

(birthday giftcard burning
a hole in my pocket.
c was happy to let me peruse
and anthro always has interesting
coffee table books to thumb through;
he caught up on a century of
‘vanity fair’ fashion.
whew;
he needed that.)

3. the strand
(we were on a quest
for just the right thing
for nathan.)

4. cory’s rookie visit to
trader joe’s

(have you had one of those yet?!)

5. our driver* picked us up
(grocery-laden)
and drove us right
to our doorstep.

6. we cozied up to the new 30rock.

loveyou,babe.

*i can never remember
if sarcasm translates
over the internet.

sugar high

top o’ the rainy mornin’ to ya:

t, b, and a,
with a rainy
surprise
egg delivery.

hotdog!

pajama-clad kiddos
can’t believe our good fortune.

ring,
ring,
we ring the neighbors.

what’sthatyousay?
egg hunt at 3pm?
hooray.

daniel, jane, caroline, + betsy
hunt downstairs in the girls’ room

lucy + laura
master the living room

the big sisters
cheer the little girls on
‘over there! over there!’

happy hunters

b looks like she’s been
through a battle
but c looks like he’s
ready for another round.

can you hear the footsteps overhead?
the hunt for the
Big Boys
was underway in
the morgan’s apt.

adam, eli, ethan, chakumwa,
chinedu, nathan, and henry.

noteworthy:
six lucky eggs
contained
$1 each.

thanks, morgan fam.
thanks, tracy/brent/amy/carolyn/crew.

here’s to easter in central park 2010.

loveable goofballs.

cancelled

rain,
rain,
go away.

bummer about the rain.

the easter egg hunt has,
sadly,
been cancelled.

it’s pouring as i type.

good luck with your back-up plans, friends.
excited children will need re-directing.

(here’s our back-up short-list:
-’monsters vs. aliens’
-the library
-barnes and noble
-some combination of the above)

ps – huge massive marvelous
thanks
to
tracy, amy, carolyn, brent, and crew.

8,000 eggs
sitting there, sadly,
waiting to be hunted-for.

sigh.

thank you, thank you, guys.

buns

‘half for you and
half for me;
between us two
shall goodwill be.’

thumbs-up
to our first
hot cross buns
this morning.

henry took the
‘kiss the cross’
before you eat it
folklore seriously.

two-thumbs up

disclaimer:
this is the world’s longest post
for what felt like
the world’s longest day.

in a good way.
seriously.

but i sure hugged cory
tight
when he walked in our front door.

the boys and i brought home
cider donuts from the
green market
for a morning picnic + artfest.

the black bird henry saw
perched on our birdhouse.

that sucker was huge.

do you think he was there
(like every other bird in the ‘hood)
for cory’s grass seed?

i’ve never seen that big guy before.

picture-worthy, indeed.

an easy way to earn
five extra minutes of media time?

read to your sister.

the only drawback to
nathan-style ring crossing
is that the rings keep
clonking you in the forehead.

‘we’re sisters!’

henry + ethan enjoy some privacy

clowns

thanks, inchmark, for the
clever easter card idea.

we were feelin’ the ribbon-love.

four years later and
these french bull monster plates
are still my favorite.

somehow i have six of them.
‘zapzap’ and ‘hughug’ are my
extra two.

yes, and these are the
interesting
details of my life.

decorating our easter baskets
in prep for the Big Hunt.

proud to show daddy
our artwork.

when the girls went down,
cory and the boys
queued up a Significant Number
of ‘meerkat manor’s on
the boys’ computer.

finally at 9pm,
i hinted to c that maybe
they needed to close it down;
henry was happy to jump into bed
but c + n could hardly
tear themselves away.

those newborn meerkats
are killercute.

on bunnies

the height of style

of course,
of course!
our stylin’ brent+jenni
have that rad table
we saw.

sweet.

and now
i’m jealous.

p. 286

the hot topic in mom’s grp
yesterday was to tell of an
easter tradition or memory
you have from growing up
or
something you’re doing with your
family currently.

goldmine.

lots of
easter dinners
(ham and the like),
easter photos
(handmade dresses + pretty fabrics),
multiple church services*,
and
egg hunts**
(handmaking paper baskets, even).

confetti eggs,
water balloons,
a silver basket that sat on her dresser
all year long and then on easter was
magically filled with chocolate eggs,
hot cross buns,
sunrise services***,
dyeing eggs ukranian-style with
intricate waxes and double-triple color dipping,
raiding sibling’s easter baskets when they’re away,
and the like.

and right as we were
wrapping it up,

patricia brilliantly reminded us
to bust out our handy copies of
sally’s ‘the jesus storybook bible’
(sally goes to our church)

and start with p. 286,
‘the servant king’

and then to p. 301,
‘the sun stopped shining’

and,
after we’re done weeping,
to collect ourselves
and
read it to the children.

onward and upward, indeed.

happy maundy thursday, friends.

*why not kick things off with
a good friday service?

5:30pm and 7:00pm,
first baptist church, 79th/bway

there are also east side services;
check redeemer.com for info.

contact carolyn, carolyn@redeemer.com,
for nursery availability.

(thanks, carolyn)

**come one, come all,
to redeemer’s egg hunt.
second annual;
last year was a Blast.
(thanks, t2 + crew)

saturday at 10am,
central park, east 90’s,
register (free) at redeemer.com

***sunrise services in central park
are wonderfully similar to the
sunrise services i grew up with
in kansas city.

do join us:
easter sunday morning,
7am, west side of hernshead lake,
enter at 77th or 72nd.
the big boulder.
rain or shine.

ps -
thanks, bebe, for stocking
us up with confetti eggs;
hilarious friend.

i’d give my right arm
to have you here
so i could crack one
over your gorgeous head.

missyousomethingterrible.

a gentle wednesday

caroline fashioned a blackberry-y ‘p’
on the cheesecake for mom’s group
in [sad] honor of paula’s last wednesday.

gulp.
it’s hard to type those words.

glamorous babybellies

waiting for the splendid m104
to take us home
(jordyn, janice + ava)

erenei, c, lydia, ezra, b, + lu (and a bit of p)

beads and markers.
let. us. create.

not pictured:
checed, ezra, nathan + henry
in the living room
howling with laughter.

(l.o.u.d. and happy,
my boys are)

ahhhhh, now;
we’re on spring break
as of tonight.

hip
hip
hooray

ps -
did you see the
snow flurries
today?

cream puffs

cory had healing prayer
(one of his favorite elder-ly duties)
after church sunday night,
so we snagged some
beard papa’s
and played across the street
while we waited for him
to get home.

ps -
anyone else out there
who was teary thru almost
the entire 5pm service?

the music.
that sermon.
the communion.

oye.

what a special palm sunday.

eggy

summer lovin’

cory cheerfully took
the girls to the
‘preschool at daddy’s work’
so lisa + i could race out
of the city to do some
quick shopping yesterday.

whew:
the girls love going,
so it was an easy sell.

two trains each way +
madison sq park playground
on the way home =
a fun monday
was had by all

interesting concept:
the dining chairs are rounded
so when you push the set together
they almost disappear.

except that you’re eating dinner
on the corner
of the table.

curious.

now, that’s a friend.

who:
shops with you,
unloads with you,
and
then volunteers,
‘can i help you unpack?’

props, lbrn.

what will this become?

happy playtime
while dad/mom/henry/ethan/nathan
try their hand at the handy hex key.

henry and i did two chairs by hand.

and then mr. cheater here
skipped in and said,
whoa hey there,
lemme get my cheating-tool.

my palm still hurts
from that 2″ phillips head.

when i left for L@7,
it looked like this…

voila.

bring on the summertime, baby.

little league, pt. 2

sunday morning
was much warmer.

go, dodgers.

exhibition t-ball game=
the ball is hit,
the runner runs straight to third,
nobody in the outfield finds that strange
and they just field it to third.

loveit.

boo-yah,
a single.

coach looks fine
in dodger-green.

i love these fields.
75th/on the hudson
right next to the marina
not too windy
and way-sunny.

see the gwb in the distance?
splendid.

ps -
hop on your bike
this weekend
and join us:

n- bulldogs (lt blue)  sat, 11am, 103/rsd
h- dodgers (green) sun, 8am, 75/rsd

yes, 8am
easter
sunday
morning.

He is risen,
and so will we.

(rise.)

(bad joke.)

(nevermind.)

little leaguers

dear extended cates family,
i know this is the season
you wait all year for.

baseball. time.

and nathan’s hilights from saturday:
-a really great play
(i’ll let cor give you the play-by-play)

-first time to catch.
liked it.

the magic m5
takes us to
nathan’s 103/riverside fields

henry’s stick
(aka. watch out, sisters)

exhibition game;
handsome 3rd base-er

the fields are right on the hudson river,
and this was a particularly bitter day;
i can’t explain how cold
the little kids and i were
watching them play.

well, cold.

i think this is the 3rd year
cory and rich have coached together.
(fourth?)

palm sunday

what a concept;

a King
on
a donkey.

ps -
the hilight for nathan?

when he delivered one particular
little bouquet to friends
around the corner,
they tipped him.

4 smackers.

dude,
that’s one way to make
a boy love palm sunday.

we left our heart

…in san diego.

we’ll miss you terribly,
ryan + paula + lucy.

and we’re so grateful for
three fabulous years
of being your neighbors.

here’s to the future, friends.
we love you.

spot-cleaning the rug
to get everything all tidy

almost ready

ready for recycling day.

in his own words

‘it’s the toast of the town’?

i’m loving watching n’s
thank-you-note-writing personality
develop.

‘warmly’ and ‘yours’ -
reminds me of the olden days.

please won’t you be my neighbor?

here’s your chance,
or a chance for
someone you really like:

a 1-br apt in our building is
open for a 2.5 month sublet;
14 april thru 30 june.

super sunny,
top floor,
Great Neighbors,

loft-like triplex,
neighborly-environment,

skylight in bedroom,
full-wall-o’-windows in LR,
eat-in kitchen,

and
i can totally vouch for the
neighbors.

contact me for more details.

did i mention the
neighbors?

from google maps
(notice the pink balloon;
it was caroline’s bday
when the photo-car was tooling by)

it’s official

i’ve officially had
The Happiest
birthday ever.

thanks, friends,
for such a splendid week.

sweetsie jane

corrupting paula with her
first proper ‘float’

how thankful am i for you guys?
profoundly.

as [self-appointed] president of the
‘bartholomew family fan club’
it was such a perfect treat to get
to enjoy tuck + connor tonight
(missedyou,stac)

friend-ly friday

post-preschool
playtime

we love our lucygirl.

on anger

how genius is number 1?
(see below)

totally applicable to
grown-ups as well.

i mean, how many
fight-ish-skirmishes-rude-words
do we encounter
Every Day
on the streets
of this beautiful city?

and i’m not talking about juveniles.

(example 1:
the prepared-foods-counter
at fairway.
am i right?!)

from biblical parenting:

1. never argue with children who are angry.
have them take a break and continue the conversation later.

2.  identify the anger cues that reveal
your child is about to lose control.
point them out early and stop the interaction.
don’t wait for explosions before you intervene.

3.  help children recognize anger in its
various disguises like a bad attitude, grumbling,
glaring, or a harsh tone of voice.

4.  debrief after the child has settled down.
talk about how to handle the situation differently next time.

5.  teach children constructive responses.
they could get help, talk about it, or walk away.
these kinds of suggestions help children to have a
plan for what they should do, not just what they shouldn’t do.

6. when angry words or actions hurt others,
individuals should apologize and seek forgiveness.

by doing these things you will teach your
children to do what james 1:19 says,
“be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

thanks, scott + joanne + staff.

my first day

…as a 35 yr old
was
peachy.

thanks, friends.
thank you,
thank you.

i went to bed with
a huge smile in
my heart.

(cory’s going to call the
Cheesy Police on me
when he reads that last line)

fresh off the night shift
(little miss pediatric nurse)
lisa brought birthday coffee
and muffins.

(can you hear the children
whooping-and-hollering
in the background?)

dyeing eggs with hattie
(and josie and ms. betsy)

do we like hardboiled eggs?

the delayed answer: yes!

(subliminal message to your brain:
please put those two shots together
for a happycomplete photo of the four of us.
thanks,
the management)

ballet with miss jessica

while caroline, jane, brennan, and charlotte
are at actual ballet class,
b insists on dressing up as well
and prancing around the apartment.

for her ‘class.’