American Idol Update....

Okay, okay.... so every Wednesday, we're bummed at our house to hear that Sanjaya is sticking around for another week. So, I happened to see a link to an interesting website on my friend Esther's blog. What?!! Also, I've heard that Howard Stern is telling his listeners to keep calling in to vote for Sanjaya as well.... just for the purpose of messing up the results. Last night, I just thought, "How in the world is this guy NOT in at least the bottom 3?!!" (even after the mohawk!) Well, maybe, just maybe this is the answer. How sad for the other great contestants if this is really true.... and how sad for the people who are forced to produce his album if he should happen to win. (sorry if any of you are Sanjaya fans.... but I can't imagine that you are....)

Thankful Thursday

Today, I am truly thankful....

#1) That we leave for Florida in the morning!!! We are all excited to have a full week+ with Scott and with the rest of my family, too. I am certain that my boys will come home spoiled!!! :)
#2) For a minivan and portable DVD player. I can't imagine traveling 19-20ish hours in a four-door car.... yikes.
#3) For Dr. Jungbauer and antibiotics. I took Isaac in yesterday, and he has his first ear infection (boo-hiss!) We had debated and debated about whether or not we needed to take a trip to the doctor; I sure am glad we did, or we probably would have been hunting down a doc in Florida.
#4) That this is Isaac's FIRST ear infection.... Aaron already had tubes at this point as a baby and was on his way to his second set!
#5) For God's patience. I was just talking to a friend yesterday about the issue of "spiritual growth." It's amazing that sometimes, God brings us healing and freedom from specific sins overnight, and yet sometimes, it's about what we learn in the journey. He is such a GOOD AND PATIENT GOD!

Have a great 1 1/2 weeks, my dear blog readers! I'm looking forward to sharing some fun pictures with you when we return! Much love!

Googling....

Deanna Greene, Miss First Coast 1993 (in the Jacksonville, FL area)

Have you ever googled your name.... really? Have you? So.... I must be feeling a little loony tonight and decided to do this myself. So, I learned a few things:

*Deanna Greene was the Miss First Coast 1993.

*Deanna Greene is a Operations Support Specialist in the Margaret M. O'Neill Building in the state of Delaware.

*Deanna Greene appeared on Broadway in "Smokey Joe's Cafe" (one reviewer says that I.... I mean, SHE.... stole the show!)

*Deanna Greene also contributed to the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation.

*Deanna Greene is the president of the National Wheelchair Shooting Association (this title had me worried.... but it's actually an organization for hunters in wheelchairs... I think).

*Deanna Greene is the administrator for the West of Jersey Catholic Parish.

*Deanna Greene spent 60 days in jail with credit given for one day served, two years probation, after pleading guilty to fourth- degree child assault in Spokane.

*Deanna Greene is a triathlete from Irvine, California who likes to listen to REM's 'End of the World' at the end of a race.

Huh, very interesting.... Just a note: I (THIS Deanna Greene) did actually show up when I googled my name.... but just for my comments on Scott's Two Weeks Back site!

"It's Playtime"!

* Aaron and Blake loved boucin' on these toys!

* Isaac cruised around the joint.... and nearly got trampled at a few points!

* Isaac and Brooklyn, just hangin' out!

What a fun outing! Today, our MOPS group had a mega-playdate at a newer place in Fort Wayne called, "It's Playtime"! It was wonderful!!! Aaron absolutely loved it.... we stayed for FOUR HOURS! Let me tell ya.... for the Greene family to stay ANYWHERE for four hours, it has to be pretty darn good!!! He was the perfect age for this indoor playplace extravaganza and was absolutely dripping with sweat at the point when we left, begging for more and more and more water!

I Love THIS Day!

Do you ever have days that are just better than others? Days that you are just SO thankful to be alive? Days that there is a little more skip in your step?

Today is one of those days for me! I love THIS day! My windows are open to the wonderful, comfortable breeze (for those of you who don't live in Indiana.... our high is 78 today.... amazing!) My yellow and purple crocus are blooming outside (go Taylor U!) My boys are both wearing adorable Hawaiian shirts. My hubby didn't go into work until 10:00 this morning. We have a playdate in an hour. We leave for Florida in four days. AND.... Isaac slept for NINE HOURS STRAIGHT LAST NIGHT!!!!! YAHOOOOOOOO!!! Yep, it's a good day. Thank you, Lord!

A little history: the night before last, Isaac was up from 2-5 A.M., screaming at the top of his lungs (yes, if you're a blog reader of mine, you know that was the night following "Ze Pasta Bar" and Scott and I were both already exhausted!) Anyway, it was very, very hard (he is typically still up once or twice a night for a bottle). So, last night, as I was rocking my sweet babe to sleep, I prayed and prayed over his sweet little head..... believing that God, as his Creator, could help with this sleep thang. And, He so faithfully answered!!!! Again, thank you, Lord!

True confessions.... I am sometimes so selfish and controlling and think that I can do it on my own.... and now, I ask myself, "Why do I not pray about the little details more quickly?!! Why do I think that God does not need to be bothered with the fact that this little man will sometimes not sleep for anything?!!" So, my encouragement for myself and everyone else today: God does care about the details. God does want us to pour our hearts out to Him! Now, I am fully aware that Isaac could be up again tonight (I am BELIEVING for better though!), but I am just thankful to my PERSONAL, LOVING God who cared about Scott and I receiving 8-hours of sleep last night. I am truly thankful.

Hope that you all have a wonderful, God-filled day!

"Ze Pasta Bar"

Whoo..... "Ze Pasta Bar" at the church was a success! Wow, that was a WHOLE LOT OF PASTA!!! We had a HUGE fundraiser at the church tonight to raise money for camp scholarships for "Big Stuf" camp. Scott and about 20 other adults (I'm still debating...) will take somewhere around 150 kids to Florida this summer for an amazing, life-changing week.... and "Ze Pasta Bar" tonight helps the kids fund their week. We served somewhere between 1000-1200 people spaghetti, fetuccini, and lasagna tonight.... and that doesn't even count the number of kids who ate pizza in the childcare rooms! Yep, it was a HUGE night. Thanks to those of you who volunteered (and who ended up staying for all three shifts!).... and to those of you who came to support the kids and to "Stuffa Your Face, [to] Send a Kidda to Camp!" (hope you got plenty to eat!) Scott is still cleaning up with a whole group of AMAZING volunteers.... yeah, it will probably be after midnight! I am certain that he, Evan, and Jen are relieved to have it over with though!

Welcome Home, Daddy!

I love this! When Scott gets home from work, Isaac gets SO excited and can't wait to get into his Daddy's arms (have I mentioned recently what an amazing daddy Scott is?!) Well, just in the past week, he has started laying his head on Scott's chest over and over and over again, but it's funny.... he only seems to do it when Scott first walks in the door, as if to say, "I love you, I love you, I love you.... and I'm never going to let you leave me again!" Such love!

Good for a laugh.... AND good to think about....

So, I discovered this website and really like it for the most part. It's basically a "spoof" on NBC's "The More You Know" commercials. I think it certainly gives us something to think about in the "traditional church." It's good to think about the church-isms that we sometimes have going on as the "body of Christ." Here is how the site describes themselves:

"Welcome to TheChurchYouKnow.com! We love Jesus and His Body. This love compels us to question some of the characteristics and practices we see in the church we know...and this site is our way of doing that. We look forward to discovering with you what part each of us has in helping the church we all know to become more like Christ."

So, now for the fun: click on these links and check them out (there are more videos on the site if you would like to see those... they really do make you think about the odd things that we do and say and, unfortunately, sometimes think as the Body!)

Clothing

Worship

Titles

Flashback Friday!

This is Aaron....
And this is Isaac...

What fun! We decided to give Isaac spaghetti for the first time last week.... as you can tell from the pictures, he loved it!!! It made me think about how much another, sweet little boy liked spaghetti when he tried it for the first time, too!

Absolutely adorable...

Of course, I'm crazy about this kid!!

Thankful Thursday

How in the world is it Thursday already?!! It seems like time really does fly by! Today, I'm thankful...

#1) For the countless packages of diapers my parents have bought for my babies in the past 4 years.... amazing, amazing, amazing!!!
#2) Again this week.... for my washing machine!!! In spite of wonderful diapers, Isaac has had a week FULL of blow-outs. Ug!
#3) That my four year old is potty-trained (not at night though.... any advice on that one mommy friends?!!)
#4) For our wonderful library. It's always so fun to have new books to read to the boys.
#5) For two coffee nights and a night of scrapbooking in the past week. It's been WONDERFUL to have girl-time!!! I feel like I've been catching up with friends after a bit of a lull! THANK YOU, SCOTT!

"Be Still"

Well, I had a cool opportunity this morning. My friend, Shanda, called me last week in order to ask me if I would do a devotion at our MOPS group this morning. She said that there would be a speaker from Sunrise Photography, too, and that the MOPS steering team wanted me to share a little bit about capturing family memories and passing on our legacy to our kids through scrapbooking. Well, I felt like God directed my words in a specific direction.... and one of my main points as I started out was that we feel like the words of Psalm 46:10 ("Be still and know that I am God") somehow don't apply to us as moms of young children. So, I issued a challenge to the moms (and myself!) today.... what does it look like to "be still" in this season of parenting and to actually deal with the "self-care" issue in our own lives? Then, I did transition a bit and talk about how scrapbooking is a form of "self-therapy" in my life.... that it is a way that I enjoy life and pass on my faith journey to my kids. My prayer going into this morning was that I could be an encouragement to the moms who were there. Yes, I did get pretty nervous going into it (as I always do before speaking in front of a group), but I am glad that I did it!

This is crazy...

I received this in a forward from my friend, Anne, and it floored me. Very interesting how the mind works!

How Smart Is Your Right Foot?
This will boggle your mind. And you will probably keep trying it at least 50 more times to see if you can outsmart your foot. But you can't!!! (at least I couldn't!)

1. While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles with it.
2. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change directions!!!

Well, did it?!! Did it?!! Pretty funny.

Isaac at 9-months!

Well, better late than never! Isaac is 10 1/2 months now, but thought I'd finally post some of his 9-month pictures. As you can see, they turned out great!!! He is such a happy baby; these were even taken at about 1:30 in the afternoon... in the "middle" of naptime!

A boy and his big brother...

This picture really makes me laugh because Isaac was beating Aaron on the head five seconds before it was taken!

Play it! Sing it!

Wow, I love these kids! After posting the YouTube video of little Logan last week, I thought I should post this video of our kids from a few weeks ago. Have I mentioned that I'm crazy about them?!! Such tender hearts! Enjoy!

* My pots and pans will NEVER be the same after life with little boys, and I love it!

Thankful Thursday

Today, I am thankful....

#1) That bodies get over stomach viruses with God's help.... THANK YOU, JESUS!!!
#2) That Scott is absolutely incredible. He has been so helpful with the boys and the house (and so patient with me as this bug decided to hang around for quite awhile!) He even took Monday off to help his sick wife and has done EVERY night shift with Isaac since Sunday! I love you, Scott!!!! THANK YOU!
#3) For the Disney Channel and PBS!!! What a lifesaver this week!
#4) For a great day with Isaac on Saturday before I got sick.... and even time to work on some scrapbooking!
#5) For the person who invented the washing machine and dryer!!! It's so GREAT to sleep on clean sheets after being sick!!!

HA!

For a day when you just need a laugh....

Ooh, the bug

Sorry to my daily blog readers out there; I've been out of commission with a nasty bug. I keep hearing that it's been going around.... and if you recall, I was "thankful" on "Thankful Thursday" last week to have avoided it. Welp, not so lucky..... I'll spare you the details, but it hit me Saturday night and is still trying to hang on a bit (although, I am doing MUCH better!) I can honestly say that I think this is the worst stomach "bug" that I've ever had in 31 years! The "bug" for me has added up to missing church and Summit on Sunday, two playdates, small group, and a meeting at work..... grrr, no fun! I must say though.... it has been a reminder to me that we can't take our health for granted. It's actually amazing to me that God has created our bodies to fight off infections and disease.... I'm thankful for that today as I am on the mend!

Would appreciate your prayers for ALL of my boys.... that they will ALL avoid it!

The sweet side...

Thought I would share some pictures of the super sweet side of Aaron!!! We were playing in Isaac's room last week, the sun was shining in the window (yea!), and I managed to get my darling 4-year old to sit still long enough for some pictures! Enjoy!

Future Worship Leaders of America

Our friend, Stevan, posted this on his blog a few days ago. Although it is a little dark, I assure you that it is definitely worth it to watch.... this little man totally warmed my heart! I am sure that God smiled as this little guy worshipped!

So this is silence!

What a weekend this is turning out to be!!! Scott flew to Maryland early this morning to speak at a conference, and he took Aaron to his mom and dad's yesterday afternoon to spend the weekend with them. So.... it's just Isaac and I! What a treat, really! Yesterday afternoon, as Isaac napped, I was sitting in the kitchen and thought to myself, "Wow, so this is silence!" I don't have a lot of silence in my life throughout any given day, so I really just treasured it.... and I am sure that I will treasure it at points today, too.

I spent yesterday morning cleaning up clutter, vacuuming, and cleaning the bathrooms, so that I could REALLY enjoy the rest of the weekend without thoughts of what I SHOULD be doing lingering in the back of my mind! YEA! I already finished four pages in my scrapbook.... hopefully, many, many more pages will be created today!!! I always tell people that scrapbooking is my personal therapy, and it REALLY is! It feels so good to have a hobby.... and I love scrapbooking in particular because it always causes me to reflect on what a true blessing my family is and smile as I look back at beautiful pictures of memories I treasure!

I love this spread that I worked on yesterday because it captures so many different expressions of Aaron and his wonderful Daddy! I had SO much fun putting ALL of these pictures together.... Like Father, Like Son! (sorry, it's not the best picture, but you'll get the point!)

Our sweet, mellow, jovial baby

Hope that you enjoy this video of our sweet, mellow, jovial little guy! We are all crazy about Isaac at our house!

Too good not to share...

Oh my goodness.... this is a favorite at our house. If you're familiar with YouTube, I'm guessing you've already seen it since it's had nearly 44 million hits, but if not, you simply must take 6 minutes of your time to watch! Scott and I can sit and laugh at this time and time again! We keep thinking, "Is this guy a youth pastor or what?!" Enjoy flashbacks as you watch... and have fun singing along!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM AND AUNT!

As you look at this picture, my mom is on the right and my aunt is on the left!

Happy Birthday to my Mom and my Aunt Pam!!! Yep, my Mom is an identical twin, and we had fun celebrating together on Sunday. I won't mention what # this is for them (I'm 31 years old, and I still don't want to get in trouble by my mom.... even though she claims to not have time to read my blog anyway!) but HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TWO SWEET LADIES ANYWAY!!! I love both of them and truly admire the fact that they are still impacting lives as teachers (my aunt teaches 4th grade in Noblesville, and my mom teaches middle school math at Edgewood!)

Aaron enjoyed the party, too!

100!

YAHOO! This is my 100th post!!! I started this blog in October and have really been enjoying it!!! Hope that you have, too!

Thankful Thursday....

Today, I am thankful for:

#1) Beth Moore Bible studies.... I did her study on the life of Paul last fall (ha... that rhymes!) and LOVED it! I've actually done 5 or 6 of them, and they have each touched my life in a special way. Can't wait to do another one, but for now, I just ordered her new book from Amazon and am loving it already!
#2) A new dishwasher!!! Our old one nearly made the whole house shake, kept falling out from under the counter, and the door (with no springs) would surely send one of us to the hospital in no time. Thanks to a Christmas gift and tax refund, we decided to take the plunge and make the investment! In one week, it has already been worth every penny!
#3) That my hubby saved us $120 by installing it himself; bless that man, he gave up a lot of his Saturday to do it!
#4) A tax refund!!! That child tax credit deal really is amazing! Also, it's an added blessing that one of the tax places in Warsaw specializes in doing pastor's taxes since there are little quirks about it! YEA! :)
#5) That the sour stomach I was experiencing last night didn't turn out to be a bug (I think!) One of my precious friends has been fighting "the bug" in her family for over a week.... not fun.

(P.S. Today, I am thankful for you, my blog reader, too!!!)

The irony of it all!

I had a funny thought as I was attempting to lay Isaac down for a nap today. I had just rocked him for 10 minutes, and he seemed to be drifting off to sleep. However, as I started to lay him in his warm, comfy, little crib, his eyes popped open.... he pushed up on his little arms.... sat up.... and started to cry. He finally drifted off to sleep a bit later, but I walked out thinking, "Oh, sweet little one.... do you know how much I wish someone would hand me a soft, silky blankie and tell me to go to bed three times a day!" Really.... it's quite ironic, don't ya think? Our babies fight sleep.... and we crave it because we can never seem to get enough!!! Yep, quite ironic....

Dove's "Campaign for Real Beauty"

I think that everyone should see this. It stinks that women in our culture are compared to a completely unrealistic standard that DOES NOT EXIST!!! I love the Dove campaign using REAL women.... love it, love it, love it! Click HERE to see what I'm talking about and then go to the bottom of the page where it says "Evolution Film" and watch it! Very interesting.... and very sad that this is what is really happening to the "models" of our culture! I thought that this woman was a normal, beautiful woman to start with! Can you imagine being her.... she's probably living each day comparing HER REAL SELF to an unrealistic version of HERSELF! YIKES!

Hope that all of you BEAUTIFUL women out there have a FANTASTIC Monday!!!

Oh dear.....

Can I just say, we've had a "rough" adjustment to crawling at the Greene house? Yikes.... yesterday, Isaac had a brief yet emotionally traumatic encounter with the stairs (yes, he is fine.... the nurse at the doc's office was very encouraging.... but I felt AWFUL!!!) And today.... yep.... he played in the toilet!!! UG! Neither of these things happened with Aaron as a baby even though he has always been quite an active child.... "child-proofing" is certainly interesting with baby #2.... I feel like Aaron literally walks behind me and opens the doors that I close and tears down the baby gates that I put up! I am sure that we'll ALL adjust and that Isaac will be fine.... Scott and I are CERTAINLY going to up our efforts though! Yikes!

* For any of you who are truly concerned... please note the outlet covers in the picture! At least we've done ONE thing right! HA!

Thankful Thursdays....

I have decided that I am going to attempt to post a list of five things that I am thankful for every Thursday (yes, I MAY miss a few Thursdays, but in an attempt to have a more grateful heart, this is my new idea!) Please note: the biggies.... my salvation, my wonderful family, my godly husband.... will not be mentioned specifically.... OF COURSE I AM THANKFUL FOR THOSE WONDERFUL BLESSINGS! These will be the sometimes smaller (and sometimes silly!) things that I often forget to think about..... so, here it goes.....

#1) My new Swiffer dry vac that I received for Christmas.... I LOVE IT and would highly recommend it to anyone with laminate, linoleum, or hardwood floors!
#2) Diet Cherry Coke
#3) That we are not in the ER right now after Isaac "tumbled" on the stairs this morning.... yikes!
#4) My mommy friends who blog and give me a little outlet when the four walls of my house start closing in....
#5) When my boys both nap at the same time....... YAHOO!!! Now, it's 2:00, and I'm off to enjoy a little snooze myself............. :)