{30 days}

i just realized today that in 30 short days my very best friend on this entire planet is moving. i've known since last fall that this day was coming and to be perfectly honest i've been pretending it's not really going to happen. but it is. and it's happening in 30 days.

i've known jean for about 12 years and we quickly became bff's. although we have many of the same awesome qualities and characteristics, we are completely different in other areas. people confuse us for the other...even though we really don't look anything alike. we're both loud. we're both hilarious! we're both stunningly gorgeous! she can sing like an angel...the angels ask me not to sing. she has a zillion friends...i have a handful of close friends. she can put on a happy face...i can not. she's a softy...i don't put up w/much. she makes friends quickly and easily...i take a little longer to open myself up to others. she likes the taste of yellow play dough...i do not.

i've been trying to figure out what i'm going to do jean no longer lives 20 minutes away and can meet up for some grocery shopping or just to grab a soda and chat after a long day. truthfully, i don't know what i'm going to do knowing that i won't be able to see her whenever i want to.

i know i'm a grown woman w/a husband and children, and you might think that she's "just" a friend, but she's so much more. jean is the sister i never had. god sent her into my life knowing she was the kind of friend i needed to help smooth some of my rough edges. jean is the 2nd person i call when something awesome has just happened or when something crappy has just happened. we raised our kids together and spent many hours in chuck e. cheese and mcdonald's playlands sharing our lives together. our lives are intertwined and i'm so thankful for her friendship.

i think i'm going to have a shirt made that says "part of my heart is in derby"...would that be weird?!

my girl....at 11

yesterday, my girl turned 11. how in the world did that happen so fast? as her mom, i've gone through just about every emotion leading up to this day....ok, maybe not every emotion, but you know what i mean. emma is no longer a little girl, but she's not yet a teenager, so this stage is a little awkward for all of us.

here is a list of some of my very favorite things about my emma grace:

• she's the most generous person i know


• she is very quiet...until she gets to know you


• she loves jesus and isn't afraid to let others know


• getting her to wear a dress is like pulling teeth...i was the same way


• she loves to read


• she is a great and loyal friend


• she stands up for people who are being picked on...i love that about her!


• her laugh makes me laugh, which makes her laugh even harder, which makes me laugh even harder...


• she still wants me to sing "you are my sunshine" to her at bedtime


• she has a tender heart


• she loves animals...especially orcas


• she is an amazing big sister...she didn't get that from me, i was a rotten big sister


• she can usually be found in the driveway, shooting baskets


• she loves to help her dad and me


• she adores her grandparents and great-grandmas


• she paints her fingernails funky, fun colors...and does a HORRIBLE job! ;)


• she is just my favorite girl in the whole wide world!

emma grace, i love you right up to the moon and back!

a boy turns 7

today, my favorite boy is 7!

how in the world did he go from this:


to this:

these past 7 years have been a blast w/this boy! holy cow, i love him like crazy!

eli,

you are the most fun boy to be around! you are loving, compassionate, giving, caring, kind, funny...all these wonderful qualities that I've loved watching the lord develop in you. you're also a bit of a chicken and i get such a kick out of hiding and jumping out to scare you, but you hate it and get mad for about 15 seconds before you're smiling again.

you can find something fun to do no matter where you're at...a great-grandma's 80th bday party, a wedding, a funeral, anywhere! and you always invite others to play with you! i love that you always want to stick around a movie so you can dance to the credits music...cracks me up!

you are FINALLY starting to enjoy reading! of course, you still want us to read to you. my current favorite thing to read to you is Skippyjon Jones. you love it when i use different voices and accents for the different characters. don't tell anyone, but i do too! i crack up just as much as you do when we read it together!

your love for jesus is also growing more and more each day. it melts my heart to hear you singing along w/one of your praise and worship cds while your in your room or in the playroom w/the karaoke machine. i pray that you continue to make jesus the most important in your life.

i could go on and on about all the things i love about you. but more than anything i want you to know that YOU are my favorite boy in the whole world and i love you just to pieces! i can not wait to see how you grow through your 7th year...maybe your two front teeth will come in this year!

i love you right up to the moon and back, bubba!