Flowers

My love gave me flowers for a couple of weeks ago and they are still beautiful. They cheer me daily as I stand at the sink to wash....small things that make my day better.

Maybe a boy?

So maybe I'm thinking we could get a boy.......

Celia's First Festival

There were no balloons. No dunking booths. No bearded women ...that we saw ;)..... This festival of sorts is a piano assessment and theory test.

For weeks Celia has been diligently working to perfect her two pieces. This morning was the big event.

She walked alone into a room with an unfamiliar piano teacher, handed over her music, sat down and played. I couldn't be more proud!!

Room Service

Surprise breakfast in bed courtesy of my littles....

Friends that are family

You know how it feels when you walk into a place that is so familiar, so life-giving, so peaceful, so .....right? It's like that for us with the Cospers. Graham and Lisa have become some of our dearest friends and every time we walk in their back door we can just exhale. It's so natural and we are so grateful. They hosted us for a week this past fall when Obama and his buddies came to town as our place was rented out. My favorite thing to do is to sit in her kitchen drinking a glass of wine and watch Lisa cook something fabulous (girl knows her way around the kitchen)!

We were there last night for dinner and I'm so grateful for depth of conversation and affirmations....topics from adoption to occupational therapy, lung surgery to maker's mark, you name it, we speak it. Nothing is held back. Honesty flows as does grace.

Our kids had a ball too! They always do...James and Caroline are precious gifts to our girls..... here are a couple of pics I snapped as we were leaving....

We love you Cospers!

School day

We were off Monday and yesterday was a rainy cc day so we are struggling to pull it together today! Hoping to be finished by lunch time.....

Tuesdays

Every Tuesday we have our classical conversations day for our schoolday. I'm teaching the 9 year olds this go around. Camilla and Bennett enjoy their own teachers and I get to watch Celia in her element with her friends. I continue to be thankful for how the Lord has blessed us with community.

That said we come home tired. So after lunch and tea we rest before Bennett has violin. Today it's a rainy day so we are lighting a candle and cuddling up to watch a movie....

Safety at all Times

Thawing out nicely......

Lady Love

We are beyond psyched to have Haven for the next 24 hours. I'm wondering if this will push Dave toward another girl.....

New life

New life.
2013 brings much joy to our family!
Adoption, Prague, sabbatical.
Much awaits us this year and we are grateful.

His faithfulness.....

"Come and see what God has done.." Psalm 66:5

There is much to be thankful for!  Here are some recaps....

Camilla turned 4 at the end of March and is spunky as ever!  She is the cuddliest bug we have and exudes joy most of the time- still loving all things puppy and people.

We finished our homeschooling year and thrived thankfully!  Maybe the first year I'd say that- thrived.  Its been a gift to see how God is molding us through the process.  Next year Camilla will be joining us at home for Pre-K and the bigs will keep chugging along.

For Dave's birthday we headed to Charleston for some fishing, boating and reuniting!  It was my highschool reunion after 15 years!  Many of these folks I haven't seen since graduation (except for good ol' facebook) so it was a fun time of reconnecting.

We are thankful to have met some new neighbors that we really enjoy and we have been sustained during some harder experiences these last few weeks during election time which quickly brought very honest conversations with them.  Its also served as a natural environment to explore truth with Celia in new ways.  We're thankful how the Lord uses all things for His glory.  Actually as I type this Dave is currently cleaning both of our cars.  Its happened to both of them this morning.  Dog (hopefully) mess on our driver side windows and all over the doors.  Honestly its hurtful.  But this is low level persecution comparatively.  Pray for us to endure well. 

Dave took the girls to the ballet and they had a blast!  It was a special Daddy-daughter date for sure!

 We're also seeing new church friendships grow that are offering grace and depth.  I (Mary) personally am really encouraged by a new friend in particular- It seems our lives have many common themes and am thankful to see this new grace to me.  Pray that I would be genuine and loving in this.

I've been playing the banjo quite a bit and have enjoyed playing and singing with some friends.  We played at an event for youth and families which was pretty fun and ended up with some gig requests.  How funny is that?

Also on the musical front I was able to weasel my way in to singing back up for the Welcome Wagon who is a folky fun musical duo from Brooklyn.  Their songs range from quirky weird to Christ worshipping and thought provoking.  Here's a little sample from the night.....

Our fantastic lifegroup was challenged to a kickball game and we dominated!  Seriously, who's next? The Andrews/Pyrch group hosted us at the Covenant Day Baseball field and though they brought their sweet orange shirts, they forgot to bring their skills.  ;)  so we shut them out.  Better than the win, was the fellowship and laughs had by all!  Sadly for me, my knee injury prevented me from playing fully....surgery will be this summer once our business reaches a short-lived lull.  Pray for me to cope well in the mean time.  Days are mostly ok but some days are really painful.  Its inconsistent pain but the MRI showed I have bone fragments that need to be removed and my bone surfaces smoothed. Hopefully just 2 weeks on crutches and a couple of months til I'm back to normal!

We hosted a missions night for friend, Michael Treadwell, who is home continuing to raise support to return to Ethiopia.  And next week we'll get to reconnect with our dear Jake and Melissa as they are stateside for a surprisingly longer trip than expected. 

Speaking of missions, Dave is headed to Southeast Asia this month to visit and encourage some friends of ours.  I'm especially jealous that he will see the Gainors.  Its been over 2 years since they left for India and have 2 sweet boys we haven't even met in person yet!  But it won't be long til they're back in the States for a much needed furlough.  

 Camilla was recently confirmed as having asthma.  She's just prone to get nasty wheezing coughs when a cold comes which leaves her depleted.  She's never had an asthma attack but more often she just really struggles to breathe well while sick which results in difficult nights and tired days.  Please pray her medicine will help her to cope well!

Overall we are encouraged.  We are currently feeling loved and cared for by our family and friends.  Most of all we are feeling held by our Lord!

offline...

So all 4 of you readers might realize I've been a little MIA.
Its been intentional.
I can quickly play into the "I need to do it all" mentality and I'm so thankful when the Lord reminds me that I need only to do what He wants me to.

Some days this looks like reading lots of books with an eager 8 year old.
Some days it looks like making dinner for my sweet friend who's daughter just had surgery.

Many days it means cutting up apples and wiping off counters...sorting laundry, washing hands...watering flowers, folding clothes.....

On those days- on most days, it can be dangerous for me to head into the blogosphere- I can compare myself to those moms who have it all together-

I realize that I try to come off as one of them- sometimes.....but I really can't stand that part about myself. The Lord is doing a mighty work. Much has changed and much more to be changed- and I find myself grateful.

Thanks to a friend, I read a great article about pinterest, facebook, and the like....I found it refreshing.
Enjoy!

Bloodlines

With Octavia Spencer winning so many awards for portraying Minnie in The Help- conversations continue in my mind....one sided conversations that will never be. See they're with my grandmother, Virginia Dickens. She was a tiny little woman, not even 5 feet, but she was full of life. Living in Holly Hill, SC for most of her life, I wonder what she'd say about this book, this movie- these ideas, these themes. How would she feel now, in 2012, to watch a movie that portrayed her life.....would she sympathize with the help?

At the same time so many I love have adopted or are adopting cross-culturally. There is a lot of conversation as well as to how these children will grow up- will they feel divided? Will they feel cared for?

I read a book recently, The Color of Water, that tells the story of James McBride, an African American writer, one of 12 black children born to a Jewish mother. Its about his constant struggle to know where he belonged. Hard to put down, this book is a tapestry of racism and love. The threads of pain and redemption run throughout.

And now this morning I sit at my desk, mug still warm from coffee, and watch the trailer for John Piper's new book Bloodlines. My brother sent it to me...he sent it to many. I wonder if he would have sent it to Gran. Would she have watched? What would she think?

Please watch this. Its a short 20 minutes but the message is timeless. Children are made in the image of God. Racism is a systemic dysfunction that the gospel alone remedies.

Lord, redeem this world.

Loving as a mirror.....

Sometimes love is holding up a mirror to someone so that they can see themselves.....That truth sunk deep into my bones a few years back. I learned what it was like to receive love that way. Sometimes its even harder to hold the mirror yourself.

A dear friend, Christy, recently held a mirror. Not specifically to me- but to America.

Christy has recently returned to the states after 2+ years in Egypt. I was able to visit her in October of 2010. The Lord used her love for Jesus and teaching to take her across the world to a country so different from ours. I loved reading all of her captions of Cairo.

Upon her return though, her reverse culture shock is blinding at times. Here are a few things she's noticed about our country.....

Here is a sampling, but if you want to read the entire post- you can over here.

If we aren't:

Obsessing over our figures, aging process, or health...

Then we are:
Running our children around to their overload of social activities...

Ordering and training ourselves how to use the newest technological gadget...

Researching the best organic products...

Scheduling in our long runs for these half marathons...

Signing up for classes for our newest hobby...

Making plans to watch the "Big game" as if it's a matter of life and death (news flash, it's not)...

Squeezing in our work outs to stay fit...
Ordering the newest self help book for our Kindle...

Spending waaay too much money on our child's birthday party to prove something to ourselves and our friends...
Paying four bucks for a cup of coffee to keep up and stay awake for our fast paced schedules (soy milk and natural products only of course cause we are so high strung about health)...

Trying to find time to watch our Tevo shows from the week...

Checking off our bucket list items so we feel "accomplished and cultured"...

Signing up for this and that, to be well rounded in the community...
Running to the sale at the mall to get the new boots we found a coupon for...

Micromanaging our kid's teachers (again)...

Trying to meet and befriend as many people in our church to appear friendly and social...
Bragging about how we are all "organic" now even making our own soap and using the safest water bottles or baby products...

All while trying to appear relaxed, well adjusted, and natural at being this way...

we are killing ourselves, and our relationships.

I wanted to stand up and shout "AMEN!"

But, how am I playing into this?

Most of these don't all apply to me, but if I'm honest I can say that these desires are all too natural- How do stay in this world but not of this world. In the midst of life I need to see a mirror. I need to have women in my life, especially ones not in my normal circle of life, to hold a mirror. To ask me to consider hard things.

Thank you Christy, for being a mirror in the midst of your transition.

I pray that I will reflect Christ and not my world. I need Jesus to transform me.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Happy New Year!

I'm back!

We had a great Christmas.

A Happy New Year!

A trip to Disney World!

(Dave and B on a blurry Buzz)

An 8th Birthday at LegoLand!

A Happy 10th Anniversary....
(can't believe we didn't get a picture of the 2 of us!)
oh well- here is me squeezing into my wedding dress.....

Happy 2012 to y'all!

The Babies....

So several of my dear friends are pregnant and one just had her sweet baby girl LAST NIGHT!

Everybody's pregnant! (Well almost...)

Carrie just had Haven not too long ago, Lisa is "pregnant" in the adoption process, Debbie is due in April, the same exact day as Sage (standing beside her!) Then there's me, thankfully NOT pregnant, and the ladies of the hour- Anna Greta, Lindsay and Crystal! Those 3 ladies were/are due within a few weeks of one another...

Here we are at Lisa's house for the baby shower- it was so sweet- a cookies and milk shower for Anna Greta, Lindsay and Crystal.

Thankfully I snagged this picture from Crystal's facebook page because I don't have one of all of us- so the supporting cast continues.....

Anna Greta- (bottom left) is a newer friend- She just welcomed her second sweet baby last night! Mary Ella Anne Taylor- how precious is that?! We're so thankful to have the Taylors in our lives!

Debbie- (top row, 3rd from left) is such a fun friend. She has a great take on life and copes well with the chaos of a traveling husband and 2 little ones- (She's also pregnant with numero 3!)

Crystal- (bottom right) is a dear dear soul who I consider my personal trainer! Even at 8 months pregnant she's had me at the Y pumping iron! She has a tender spirit and is quick to share honestly and openly-

Merry Christmas, precious friends!

the supporting cast....

I've thought for some time how much of my words here focus on me- my family, my life, my day to day....but what is missing is who supports me in this journey- I've wanted to post on my "supporting cast" for some time and this picture is the beginning....

These are some of my most precious friends- *definitely some are missing*, but this picture captures much of my heart in Charlotte.

Evyn, Lisa, Carrie, Mary, Sage, Lindsay

These women share life with me honestly and openly. They receive me, faults and all, encourage me when I'm down and hurting....

Evyn- celebrating sweet baby Knox this Christmas and the fact that Jordan is finished with RTS and can fully focus on pastoring CrossPark Church. She is showing me balance and reliance on the Lord as she's mothered 3 children during seminary and through planting a church.

Lisa- loves her children well and is learning what waiting is all about. She is showing me how to trust God with timing and living with the ache of waiting to have all of her children under her own roof.

Carrie- she challenges me regularly to examine my heart and believe truth- She is also maybe the funniest woman on earth.

Sage- She is a tender-hearted listener. Even from my oldest memories of her from Clemson, this holds true. She has the grace to block out all distractions, focus her heart on mine, and encourage me. I've been thankful this year that she's come along side me in homeschooling and on staff at church at church as her husband is now the pastor of youth and families!

Lindsay- probably the closest thing I have to a sister in Charlotte- She is fiercely loyal and is never afraid to get into the trenches with me and fight for me and with me to be more like Christ-

I love these women.

The Lord has indeed blessed us during this season in Charlotte with precious friends. My hope to is to highlight others as well time to time and share what they are teaching me in the midst of life.

Behold the Lamb of God

This week, Christmas came early for me. My dear friend Christy called at 4:30 to let me know she had 2 free tickets to Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God show that night at 7 in North Charlotte. After quick-texting Dave, we went full press in finding a sitter for the girls.

After Lauren Bonnema came to the rescue, we jumped in the car with Adam and Lindsay and headed North- I was really excited!

I'd never seen this show live- and to be honest I'd only heard a few of the songs- I'm not a huge Christian Music fan. Most of the songs on local Christian radio are too cheesy-pop for me. I typically live in heavy rotation of my usual suspects of Indelible Grace, Red Mountain Music, Bifrost Arts, the Welcome Wagon.....so I was a little nervous about being disappointed. Some people talk about BTLOG night's as if they are ultimately life-changing.

But we walked in, found our fantastic seats, and waited for the show to begin. I really enjoyed the lineup....Jill Phillips was my favorite during the songwriter set of the show- She sang a song called "If you were here" about life without her father- She was amazing!

When it was time for to run through the album itself I was curious how the Lord would stir my heart. I was not disappointed- I felt met and encouraged and pointed to Christ- At the end of the show Colossians 1:15-20 was read:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones of dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

I'm thankful for the reminder to sit in this Advent Season and "behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world". I'm longing for him in new ways this Christmas-

Thank you Christy for this gift- it was such a blessing to me!

Poor Monica....

Remember the friends where they all go to the Bahamas and with every passing humidity-filled moment Monica's hair grows....up, out, in all directions....

I could so relate. I grew up with loads of blonde-headed, stick-straight-haired friends and tried to live my life their way. There was no curly headed Barbie....her buddy Whitney was about as wavy as it got back in my day.

I had a brush and knew how to use it. I tried to wear bangs. And brush them.

My childhood best friend Liz laugh now as we just knew we'd seen the light when Frizz Eaze entered our scene round about the early 90s. We were going to make it.

Oh if I could have just met Lorraine Massey way back then, I could have lived frizz- ( free from the womb- (and avoided those dreadful purple-shirt pictures....sigh)....but alas, that was not my story. I did figure things out somewhere around my senior year of highschool, but wow. Things could have been way different....

Then a few years ago my dear friend Molly, alerted me to this book. It was like someone had read my curly mind and published it. This book was illustrated and fantastic. There were tutorials and I was in heaven!

I felt empowered and wanted to help every fuzzy headed friend I knew "release her inner-curl". So please, do the world a favor....If you know anyone that has curly hair, or especially if it is a straight-haired mom with a curly headed child- please get them THIS for Christmas-

The folks who sit behind them in the movie will thank them.