When it rains....

This past week has brought our first steady rains in quite some time.  The Woodlands is usually lush and green with flowers everywhere, pretty much the tropical part of Texas.  But 15 inches behind in our annual rainfall has left this area brown and dried up with people hiding in their AC filled homes this summer including on July 4th which for the first time that I can remember has not ended with a bang due to fire fears.  With the rain this week, I was thankful that my yard is beginning to look green again, but I was also reminded of a few very special days in my life.

I've always loved rain and big storms, there's just something so awesome, scary and calming about them all at the same time.  Maybe it's the intensity with which they come and hit, or perhaps it's that part of you that just wants to snuggle under a blanket with a good book listening to the rain, or the fun moments when you're caught out in it and it makes you giggle and want to step in a puddle.  And it's kind of cool that three of the most important and memorable days of my life happened on dark and stormy days.

On September 24, 2000 in Sydney, Australia, as I headed to the Olympic venue nervous and excited for my final five dives, the ones that would end up catapulting me to the top of the podium, I stared out the bus windows watching the rain start to fall.  As I walked down the long corridor between the pool and a wall of windows, I watched the rain come down harder, even a little sideways.  I remember smiling, thinking, "These conditions are just perfect."  And they were.

Two years later on September 7th, I was supposed to have a beautiful, much dreamed of outdoor wedding.  But a few days prior we started tracking Tropical Storm Fay that was headed right for us, like a last minute uninvited guest.  Fortunately the night before the wedding, an available room inside opened up for us to use.  This room happened to be all windows on two sides over looking a pretty lake.  I had the joy of being married nice and dry inside with the view of a lovely rain outside.

As we were counting down the days in May until our little bundle of joy came, it was really hot and dry and drought conditions were already apparent.  I remember telling Eriek one day that I wouldn't be surprised at all if it rained the day Arella was born, it just seemed right.  Well, she showed up two weeks early on May 11th, one of the only rainy days we've had this year.

There's just something about those rainy days.  Maybe I just have a thing for water.  But I think it's more of a reminder for me of God's promises. 

Back in the day people were running amok, doing whatever they pleased, totally corrupted and full of violence.  God saw that their wickedness was great and that every intent of their heart was evil, except for Noah who pleased God.  So God decided to destroy every living thing (except those on the ark with Noah) with a great flood. After the rain stopped and the flood waters receded, God made a sign, the rainbow, to mark a covenant that He would never again use a flood to destroy the earth.  So when we see the rainbow it is for God and for us to remember His covenant.

Dolly Parton has a great quote, "The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you've gotta put up with the rain."  I think that is why I love rain and storms so much, for the hope that follows it.  Not every rain storm promises a great event in my life and not every great event will happen on a rainy day.  But we all go through the storms of life and sometimes just feel like we're drowning.  If we can look forward with hope and excitement for the rainbow to come, it makes putting up with the rain a lot easier.

Arella's Room

Many of you know I started working on Arella's room back in February, and I have yet to post pics. Well, I finally took pictures and had a few minutes to get them on my computer

Everything is hand painted except the verse on the wall is a vinyl sticker.  I'm tickled every time we change Arella's diaper because she loves to stare at her little monkey and even reaches out for it and smiles at it!  That makes all the time and effort worth it!!!  Enjoy...

 

 

Let the Games Begin

I've had all of these absolutely brilliant ideas to write about on my blog, but as you can see it's been a month since my last entry.  As any mom knows, these moments of wisdom and insight come at the most convenient times to write them down, like while driving in the car, or nursing a baby, or on the really rare occasion you get the chance to take a shower. 

I feel like this past week has given me a fresh start.  We discovered Arella has reflux and her medicine has helped in a huge way this past week and a half.  So my previously upset and in pain baby is back to her happy little self, and this mommy now has a new sense of calm and peace.  Last Saturday my husband watched Arella so I could go do Piyo at the gym.  It kicked my butt and I was sore all over- one of the best feelings in the world to me!  So that jump started me to get back into shape, and now I look forward to doing a little physical activity every day.  And of course, my mom gave me this card that just hits the nail on the head:

I laughed so hard at this because it's so accurate!  But it's also really made me think about a few things.  Obviously things have changed for me in a big way.  I have always been an on-the-go kinda gal and an athlete constantly working out.  Now, there might be several days in a row where the closest I get to leaving the house is opening the garage door to throw the trash out and I glance at my car.  I was a good girl and didn't work out at all until the doctor cleared me.  Six weeks has to be the longest I've ever not done some kind of workout!

I knew these things would happen, I was ready for the change and had an idea of what would be coming.  And I have to say, I'm absolutely LOVING having so much time with my daughter- priceless!  But what keeps crossing my mind now, is what's next? Where will this road lead me?  What does God have in store?

It's scary for me not to be planning out the next four year cycle of my life like I've been accustomed to.  However, it's also freeing and invigorating to be on a new winding path.  And today I will find my contentment staring into these beautiful bright blue eyes God has blessed us with.

New Mommy Musings

Just some random thoughts from a brand new mommy.

• For the first time in many months I can look down and see my feet, and boy do I need to take a chainsaw to my toenails!
• I have only patted my stomach once referring to Arella then realized she's not in there any more.
• My once little cute innie belly button looks more like a cavernous hideout for bad guys as my belly is shrinking back to normal size.
• I have never had to pre-plan bathroom trips before.
• A shower is now a rare treat instead of a daily necessity.
• I used to plan my life in 4 year blocks of time between Olympiads; now I plan in 3 hour blocks around feedings.
•  Sleeping in spurts leaves me feeling like I'm in a state of eternal jet lag, but no cool new destination. However the view of my baby is breathtaking!
• I'm the kind of person that doesn't sit still very well, but my daughter has trained me to sit and stay for hours on end and just stare at her.
• I always wanted an iPhone because I thought they were really cool and you could check email on them.  Now I have one and the only functions I use are an app to keep track of diaper changes & breastfeeding and texting pictures of Arella to her Daddy while he works.
• I'm pretty smitten with this little girl of mine, and it breaks my heart when she cries and I can't figure out what's wrong.  Sometimes I just cry with her.
• So far she's a very happy baby and her accidental smiles and silly faces absolutely melt me!
• I never thought I would be so entertained by diaper changes.
• I think my wrist surgeries really helped me prepare for parenthood.  I am very efficient at left handed typing and can do almost any domestic chore with my left arm only.  That right arm works very well as a cradle even though my wrist doesn't bend much any more.
• I was worried about how the dogs would react to the baby.  Sam thinks she's a squeaky toy that smells good, and Charlie just wants to be near her most of the time.
• It's amazing how an hour and a half round trip to the doctor's office can be a much needed and exciting outing, and then cause me to sleep most of the afternoon.
• Even though my baby is on the smaller side, I keep looking at her and can't figure out how she was ever inside of me.
• It's amazing how you can go from just another person to Mommy literally overnight.  
• I have been waiting for this for so long, after nearly 2 weeks, I'm still amazed it has already happened.
• I find it a bit funny that we're taking Arella for her 2 week check-up tomorrow, on her due date.
• I knew Eriek was excited to have a baby, too, and he's so good with kids, but he's taken the Daddy thing to a whole new level.  He is the most amazing and supportive Daddy- I love you Honey!
• I could keep writing these little tidbits all day, but I have to go stare at my sweet little angel while she sleeps.

She's Finally Here

The moment we have been waiting for came upon us before we even knew what happened.  Two weeks before her due date, she just couldn't stand it any longer, she had to come meet us.  I'm glad she was as excited to meet us as we were to meet her!

Arella Joy was born on May 11, 2011 at 9:11am weighing in at 6 lbs. 10 oz. and 20 inches long.  She's small but mighty, and (stealing from Mary Poppins) she's practically perfect in every way.  We are absolutely in love with her and captivated by her presence.  I cry pretty much every few hours because I'm so full of joy and awestruck wonder that she's actually here in my arms.

It's just starting to sink in that she's for real and here to stay, and I'm realizing it's already been a week.  Oh time, please stop stealing my daughter from me!  I am thoroughly enjoying every single moment as I'm finally a Mommy.  Thank you Lord for answering my prayers when You didn't have to, You didn't need to, You simply wanted to.  I am so unworthy, and so forever thankful for this most amazing blessing!  Glory to God!

The Race

In sports you have to believe in something before you will ever see it become reality.  In sports you have to discipline yourself, training hard for hours, day in and day out for years to even attempt to accomplish a daring feat. In sports you have to keep your eye on the prize because it's the motivation to keep you persevering through trials and tribulations.  In sports you have to have your head in the game every day at every practice so you continue to build on what you have learned before, so your limits become stretched and your ability grows beyond them.  On the biggest stages in sports, desire, determination and perseverance will always win over talent alone.  In sports, champions are often made after many failed attempts- that means they got back up again after a defeat.  In sports, becoming a champion doesn't happen by standing on the top of the podium.  You become a champion during the pursuit.

Life is really no different.  The biggest problem in life is we have our eyes focused on the wrong prize.  We're usually in pursuit of things we think are worth while like gold medals, diplomas, money, fame... the list goes on.  While none of those things are bad things, they are all only temporary.  Gold medals represent quite an accomplishment, but they will always tarnish and the ribbon will eventually begin to unravel.  Diplomas show you have put a lot of time into studying, but not living. Money can solve many issues, but it also leads to unnecessary spending and distraction from what is truly important.  While sometimes people can use fame to help bring awareness to certain wonderful things, fame in and of itself is basically idol worship.  While there are truly wonderful people in the world, we are people and we all fall short of perfection.  We will all stumble and mess up at times; people were not made to be worshipped but to worship.

There is only One who will never fail us or change or forsake us.  There is only One worthy of our worship and praise.  There is only One who can teach us how to truly live.  And there is only One who can actually save us from ourselves and our final destination.  He is not temporary or a fading icon.  He is Jesus- the One who conquered death to save us.  He is the One we run the race for.  Life eternal with Jesus is the ultimate prize.  That is where our focus in life needs to be so we run the race of life with desire and passion because we know Who we're running for and why we're running. 

Now watch the race below with this in mind.  This is not just any race, but one where a girl in a very important race with a team depending on her falls flat on her face in front of her own home crowd.  But it's what happens after that we need to pay attention to.  This video is not about the race.  It's about Who the race is being run for.  Let us run like this everyday in our lives for Christ.

Jonah- As Told by Stuffed Animals

Eriek had to come up with a big final project for his class this semester.  He decided to get creative this time and make a children's book of Jonah using our stuffed animals as the main cast.  He wrote a script out and then started envisioning what pictures he needed.

We live in The Woodlands, TX and there's this area called the Waterway that just fit the bill for this little endeavor.  He wanted the Pavilion (where all the concerts are held) to be the big city of Nineveh, and there's plenty of water, boats and trees around it to capture the rest of the story.  All-in-all, it was the perfect setting. 

What I liked most about this project was that I was able to be of some help and spend time with Eriek while he worked on the project, instead of him being stuck on the computer writing for days and days on his own while I barely get to see him.  Basically, I was the Puppet Master, arranging the characters as he described what he wanted for that part of the story.

Here I am setting up the Ninevites outside of their city as Eriek gets the framing for the shot set up.

As you can see though, these guys were tricky as they didn't want to stand on their own.  We propped twigs under their feet and that helped until the wind kept blowing them over!  Eriek finally got a great shot in between gusts...

Nice evil Ninevites, huh?  They are happy little Beijing mascots plus a little Kuwait bear :)  Then we moved on to the boat scenes.  Jonah is the bird because his name means dove (foolish bird).  The Athens mascots are the mariners.  The people at the boat house were nice enough to let us use a kayak for our photo shoot!

Jonah being thrown overboard is one of my favorite pics!  We used a wire hanger and I was dangling him over the water and we photoshopped it out :)

And, of course, the whale spitting up Jonah on the shore near Nineveh.  (The whale was the mascot from the Montreal World Championships.)

And one of the last pictures was Jonah writing his story in the Bible.

There were many more pics, but I don't want to steal Eriek's work of art!  It was just so much fun to do, and I think it would be a great project to do with your kids!  Not only is it a lot of fun to take your silly stuffed animals and make them act out scenes in the Bible, but you get to know the story you're acting out much better and deeper.

Even if you don't have kids, be your own kid!  I encourage you to try it with a friend- you'll laugh so hard while doing it, then you'll have pictures to look back on and smile at.  And you'll probably get to know God a little more in the process.