It's Hereditary

Lots of people have "SD Card Disease."

They let their pictures pile up on the flash cards on their cameras to the point where they get so full that you have to stop mid-pose when they realize, "OH NO! My card is full...Hang on! Hold that smile while I erase some pictures from 5 months ago so I can capture this moment right now!"

I don't have that disease.

I can't stand having pictures on my sd card from even last week. I put pictures on my computer pretty regularly. Or if I don't do it, then I just delete them...assuming that I didn't need them anyway.

That's kind of how my life is really. You will never. EVER. see me on that Hoarders show. Sometimes when I need a little "pick-me-up" I just go throw something away and it makes me feel all better. Getting rid of stuff is therapeutic for me.

This afternoon was no different for me.

I emptied off my SD card from the past few days.

I moved them from the camera to the computer. Then therapeutically, pushed the delete button on my camera. That little button is like medicine for my soul. Purging what's not needed anymore.

There are always lots and lots of pictures of the kids. Occasionally a few of cousins. Grandparents. Sometimes Brandon.
But never me. As a mommy, I'm coming to grips with never being remembered in photo albums. I think it's a duty as a mommy to be the permanent fixture behind the camera.

Brandon took the kids yesterday to get a bunch of pumpkins for this pumpkin carving thing we're attempting. (more to come on that)
While they were at the pumpkin place, he took the token Fall-ish Hay and Pumpkin pictures.
He did pretty good. As well as you can do with a 3 and 1 year old.

The process of getting those pictures is tough though.

"Smile!"
"No look at the camera and smile!"
"Say cheese!"
"Say cheese and look at the camera, Eden!"


"No look HERE, Salem."
"Now smile, please, Eden."
"No a real smile, please."
"Salem, this way buddy! Smiiiiiiiiiile!"


"Look here, please."
"Salem, where's the camera?!"
"Smiiiiile...."
"Eden, look here!"


"Salem! yoo-hoo!!"
"Eden, look at the camera!"
"Over here! Smile!!"
"Ok Eden. He's crying now. Get off your brother!"



and then eventually you just don't care anymore and either take their picture anyway, or give up altogether.

That's probably the way all kid's pictures look.
Half-smiles.
Staring at birds in the distance.
Grumpy from saying "cchhheeeeeeeeeeese" too long.

I guess it's too much to ask for a 3 year old and 1 year old to both be looking at the camera AT THE SAME TIME and both with pretty, plastered, smily faces on so we can remember them in photo albums for years to come.

And then that's when I saw it.

The ONE picture on the SD Card with me finally in it.



I guess it's too much to ask for a 27 year old to be smiling normally and looking at the camera.
I'm afraid that's the way most of my pictures look.

It all makes sense now.

No wonder my children find it hard to make normal smiles when the camera comes out.

It's in their genes.

Purse Party!

Some of you read the title and think someone hijacked my blog to write about purses.

Or maybe you think I've gone and completely lost my mind.

No, no. It's me. April. Writing about purses.

There's a first time for everything in blog-land.

Be encouraged though. I'm not talking about Coach, Gucci, Juicy Couture, or whatever-other-name-brand purses there are out there that I'm completely unfamiliar with.

I'm talking about burlap purses. Rice bag purses.

And these purses are way too cool for school. Not just because they are made out of burlap.

But because these purses have been sewn by Haitian women in Heartline Ministries.

I'm quickly learning about this ministry, it's purpose, and how it's reaching out to women trapped in poverty, struggling to find truth, struggling to feed their children... Scratch that...struggling to KEEP their children.

I first learned of this ministry from the Hendricks living in Haiti. They are friends of a friend from our Virginia days. (wow that seems like a long time ago!)

She gets to be involved with this incredible ministry, changing lives one woman at a time. One baby at a time. One boob at a time. (they teach them how to successfully breast feed! awesome!)

And one stitch at a time.

They teach them to sew. They teach them to make purses. They teach them to make purses to sell so they can provide an income to house, clothe, feed, and ultimately, keep their children.
PLEASE go read more about this ministry by clicking the link above!

So I was moved. Beyond moved. I wanted to pack up the family and move to Haiti. I was ready to learn creole. I was ready to be a lactation consultant. I was ready to figure out how to work a Haitian sewing machine...as if they are completely different.

Since we're in that waiting period of returning to The Big Chicken though, God's making me be patient.
A purse party was a way to be involved with impacting these women's lives without changing our plans to move to China.

So I ordered 22 purses. They sent me a box full of them and a few other goodies.

They included some recipes. We made the Bananas Flambe served over ice cream. Which was awesomeness in a bowl.

Included in the box was a dvd of this short video. Go watch it.

Did you watch it?

No?!

Stop it. Just do what I told you to do. Go watch it!

We had 14 women come. 17 purses sold.

At $20-$40 a purse, this helps the women move out of poverty. (you'd know that though, if you'd watch the video. :)

It also helps Heartline Ministries continue to provide the materials for the women to continue to sew purses. It helps Heartline Ministries continue to minister to pregnant women, nursing women. It helps Heartline Ministries share the TRUTH of God's word, about Christ's blood spilled for them, and about his redemption!

I got sooooo caught up in the excitement of the evening that I didn't even pull out my camera to capture the moment. Which is incredibly shameful for a photographer to admit.

But it was so much fun. The purses. The fellowship. The bananas flambe. The prayer over the Haitian women whose lives we want to impact...all the way from Texas.

I chose a burlap purse made by Suzanne A.

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And it's so cool. Thanks to Suzanne, I look hip now. Everyone needs a little burlap slung over your arm. Me and my Haitian Couture.

I've got 5 purses left. They are sitting on my dining room table. They aren't burlap. But they're still hip.

Interested?
You've got a week to let me know before I need to ship them back. :)

God's word commands up to care and provide for the poor. the oppressed.

Supporting them in their efforts to make a product (these purses) gives them more value as a woman.
It empowers them to know THEY are working and providing for their family. And it allows them to keep and care for their children.

From the belly of a Whale

A few minutes after tucking Eden in the other night we heard an ear-splitting scream come from her bedroom.

We both jumped up and sprinted to her room without thinking twice.

She was sitting up in bed. Completely fine. But breathing a little heavily and doing the dramatic-sobbing-cry and repeatedly saying, "I don't want to be swallowed by a WWHHHAALLLLLLLLEEEEEEEE!"

Confused.   "Umm...what?"

"I. don't. want. to. be. swa. llowed. by. a. WHALE!"

And then in my best attempt I tried to explain (and doing my best not to laugh) why she'd most likely never be swallowed by a whale. (especially in West Texas.)
After some cuddling, drying of tears, and coaxing back under the covers, she feel asleep. (without being swallowed by a whale, of course)

My mind started to search for answers as to WHY ON EARTH she'd be soooooo terrified of being swallowed by a whale.
I mean, not that it wouldn't be really terrifying, by seriously, WHY would you ever truly be worried about it?!
It's not like we read about Jonah every night when we read her bible:

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But then my mind started to flood with all the references she HAS had of being swallowed by a whale...

Her favorite book for the first 3 years of her life:

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And then of course there's the VeggieTales version of Jonah

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She's got a couple different copies of Jonah books...

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Oh and my mom exposed her to Pinocchio. Who, oddly enough, is also swallowed by a whale.

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And of course the VeggieTales version of Pinocchio...Pistachio is swallowed by a whale too. (A whale with a full-fledged African American Veggie Choir inside it's belly)

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And then I remembered Dori and Nemo too...sheeeeesh. The list was getting long!

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Okay so maybe it's NOT so unreasonable for her to be terrified of being swallowed by a whale. As far as she's concerned, there's been a lot of references to being swallowed by a whale! Sure, they're all repetitions of a few different stories, and of course they're not actually digested by a whale. Still, in her 3 years of life so far, that's a lot of whale swallowing going on.

I haven't tried it yet, but I'm pretty sure that if I threatened that she'd be swallowed by a whale, she'd be the most obedient little girl ever.  I can hear it now...
"Eden, little girls that are mean to their brothers get swallowed by whales!"

Well, ok. That's a bit mean I guess. I won't go THAT far!

The Birthday Girl

Three.

I have a three year old.

I know people have 9 year olds. 16 year olds. 30 year olds.

But not me. yet anyway. For now, I still can't believe that she's already three.

Three years has gone fast.



We had a full blown Tinkerbell themed birthday party for Eden on Saturday evening.



Eden was INCREDIBLY blessed with some cool new toys and cute new fall clothes. Brandon and I got her a bike for her birthday but she got it a couple months ago so she could use it before it got too cold outside...pictures to come. :)

Birthday parties are an awesome reason to have family and friends come together!



Eden with all four of her great-grandparents. On the right, Gigi, my grandmother. Grandma Harriett, Granny and Grandpa, are brandon's grandparents.



Brandon's brother and sister and soon-to-be sis-in-law.



E and S can't get enough of their cousins, Audrey and Judah. It's not a great picture, but you get the idea!



After cupcakes, Salem sported his favorite shirtless look.



Eden, and what remained of her neon pink cupcake.



We asked Eden what she wanted to do for her birthday and she wanted to ride Granddad's horses. (my dad) We couldn't do it on her actual birthday, but saturday morning we headed out there bright and early. Granddad was ready to go! As always!



It wasn't Eden's first time to ride Suzy, Granddad's new pony, but she still got strict instructions again from Daddy on proper saddle horn holding etiquette.



Salem's turn!



While Dusty took a snooze, Salem was in horse heaven.



From one ride to the next...







When we asked Eden at the end of her birthday week what her favorite part was she said, "Tinkerbell chonies and riding the tractor."
So next year, if you can't ship a tractor to Chiner, a new package of skivvies ought to make her day! :)