Biased

I know I'm biased... but this child of mine is just about the most awesome thing I've ever seen. 

Dressed up like Cinderella for the first-time viewing of the classic movie.

Certain there is more in the present.

A favorite gift - old-school stick horse.

My heart.

Some Holiday Pictures

Angry Birds with Grandma.

Merry Christmas from this guy...

...and this guy (it still surprises me that my brother doesn't have hair)...

...and this guy.

Violet is loving her princess gear!

Ready for Santa

We are ready for Santa! Cousin Brooke taught Violet all about picking the best cookies. The reindeer have their carrots. The milk is poured. Now all that's left to do is convince this kiddo to fall asleep!

We are ready for Santa!

Brooke instructs Violet in the proper cookie arrangement. 

Finally Ready

So, it's been a while. Sorry. The usual blah-blah of report cards and holiday bustle and stress. But this moment marks an important occasion because I have just finished putting in my grades and I'm officially ready to begin my Christmas break!

This last week of school has been crazy. My parents helped throw an awesome party for the kids and yesterday we all wore PJs and watched the Polar Express, complete with a hot chocolate delivery in the middle of the movie. But due to some logistics, yesterday also meant we had to stay in the classroom all day. We ate lunch in our room. We had specials in our room. Thanks to the nasty weather, we had recess in the room. So it's safe to say I was as ready for the day to be over as the kids were!

Here's a little glimpse into first grade. One of my favorite writing samples, with an excellent illustration. Safe to say I "laft and laft" when I read it.

I watched the Dirty Birds vs-ing [versus] the Giants. My dad and brother cried. Me and my mom laughed and laughed. Soon the game was over.

Last week Matt and I gave ourselves an early Christmas present in the form of Cirque du Soleil tickets. I've always wanted to go and I will definitely be making this a tradition. It was nuts! It's amazing what random talents some people have. Like being able to ride a unicycle with one foot while flipping bowls onto the head with the other foot. And how did they even discover they had such a talent? Hmm. I wonder if I can balance a 40-foot pole on my head and support some other crazy dude at the top (who is also balancing on his head)? Hmm. Let's try that and see.

Violet and her BFF after ballet class at school. Precious!

First photo shoot with Santa - total success! (Sorry, it's a photo of a photo. So lame, I know.)

Now I'm finally able to get my holidays on! I think I'll kick it off with my PJs, a warm beverage, and a holiday movie. See you soon!

About Friday

It's been one hell of a week.

Friday's tragic events in Connecticut were too unspeakable. I'm still processing them. Today I sat on my couch and just cried and cried. It hit close too home as a teacher, as a mother. I've run through the disaster scenarios in my head, trying to figure out where I would hide my kids if something like this ever happened at my school. I know the chances of it occurring are so small... and yet it happens.

I keep thinking about the Christmas presents those children will never open. What will happen to them, all wrapped up in their shiny bows, waiting for little hands that will never eager tear off the paper? Who will clean out their desks?

I know there are probably some people who look at the events in Newtown and think, there's no god. I think of Newtown and I'm grateful there is a God. One who is delighted to be giving His precious babies big hugs in Heaven right now, a God who is devastated to see the suffering of those who had to be left behind for now.

What happened on Friday doesn't make sense. It never will. This world is a brutal place. But my name is written on God's heart. I can look beyond what is happening on this earth with hope because I know my life is already safely hidden in Heaven, just waiting on me to get there. God is faithful. Come Lord Jesus. Good will triumph.

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on his hands,
My name is written on his heart;
I know that while in heaven he stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the One,
Risen Son of God!

Behold him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace!

One in himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by his blood
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God 

Hair Cuts and Holiday Stuff

Today's message at church was right. It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it time of year. It's so easy to get distracted, to forget what's important. We packed in every minute of time this weekend, and already next weekend is booked to the brim. Here's my way of taking a breath, slowing down.

First time under the hair drying hood!

Friday evening on my way home from school, I was chatting with Matt, telling him how excited I was to be coming home, ready to put on my jammies and chill out. Not 30 seconds after hanging up, I had to call him back with a change of plans. PJs would have to wait; I totally forgot about my hair appointment.

The time had come to break up with my old stylist. Not in a bad way, she's still fabulous. But I just can't make the trek down to Peachtree City to see her. Googling around, I happened upon another stylist who specializes in curly hair, seeing as she's a card carrying member of the curly girl club herself. (I only let curly girls cut this mane.)

So I showed up at this new salon to meet this new stylist,  hoping for the best, and got better than I expected. Not only was Angela great, willing to give me her opinion (I hate it when stylists want me to tell them what to do - um, I didn't go to school for this!), and also willing to go back and make adjustments based on what I wanted, but... they serve free wine. Best hair appointment ever.

Violet and Santa

Saturday morning was my school's Breakfast with Santa event, and this is the first year we actually attempted a picture with Santa. Violet was gung-ho about it until she had to climb on his lap. She slowly warmed up once the candy cane bribe came out, and by the end she was smiling, so I'm hoping for a decent picture. She told him what she wanted for Christmas (Minnie), and told me afterwards in a puzzled voice, "Santa didn't say ho ho ho." Still, I don't think she was scarred for life by the experience, so I'm chalking it up as a win.

All lined up, ready to distribute to the first graders.

Saturday night I just couldn't contemplate cooking, so we decided to go to a little eatery near Matt's office, Wildflour. By day they offer up sandwiches served on homemade bread, but they are starting a dinner menu as well. We walked up and realized we were the only customers. Not a terrible thing, since Violet could literally have the run of the place without disturbing anyone, but still a little awkward. The place definitely had the feel of a lunch joint, even though they were trying to fancy it up with white table clothes and wine glasses. And things are always a little suspect when you are the only customers.

Fortunately, the food was delicious and the dessert (on the house!) was divine. A few more groups came in before we finished and livened the place up, Violet behaved herself, and it was fun to be out trying something new.

My love.

Sunday the weather was so warm that Violet got to play outside a little bit. Despite the mountain of school work awaiting me inside, I tried to let go and just chill for a while. Watching Violet run around, so happy, it makes me marvel. I had something to do with that joyous thing running around the yard with glee. And she's not turning out half-bad, if I do say so myself. I had a little Kairos moment, there in the fresh air.

Bah humbug.

Which is good, because this stack of papers was waiting for me. Oh, how I want to just get through the next two weeks with my sanity and holiday cheer intact. The good news about times like this is it makes me grab hold of Jesus' hand and hang on for dear life. Daily I'm begging Him to stick by my side in a very present way. A friend of mine suddenly lost her father this week and it was a jolting reminder of how life can change irrevocably in the space between one breath and the next. So we soldier on, doing the best we can today, trying to slow down, appreciating this life.

Beard Beats Blog

Matt's annual holiday beard.

Okay, I'm back. Turns out, google (in trying to hawk their google plus facebook wannabe) will give me free photo storage on google plus, AND let me upload every picture I take on my phone (let's face it, the only way I snap pics these days) automatically. Now, while I find it a little creepy that my phone is automatically uploading every picture I take to the internet, google swears I'm the only one who can view them. We'll see about that. But here's the test run, Matt's luxurious winter beard, looking oh so fine.

Best Ah Ever

Violet would like to demonstrate the best "ah" ever. Also, I gotta get this girl to the dentist.

Also, I'm now posting under Matt's name because google/picasa/blogger has decided I'm maxed out on photo storage space and won't let me upload any more pictures to the blog. My husband's account doesn't seem to have the same problem, so I'm hijacking it until I figure out how to solve this little dilemma.

Now Reading

Well, a week back at work and I fell off the blog wagon. I just don't seem to be able to do both - focus on surviving work and have the creative energy needed to blog. Ah well. The Christmas holiday is nigh.

I did, however, find time to read a new book this weekend. Yep, I started it Friday night and finished it Saturday afternoon. Because it was so good. Late Saturday night (well, 9:30 p.m, which is late for us teachers) I texted my neighbor that she had to read it, too, and then left my Kindle out on the back porch so she could sneak over and pick it up.

So, if you're looking for a good book to read, you liked The Hunger Games and need your next fix, you're into dystopian YA, you like reading strong female protagonists, or any of the above combination, may I introduce you to...

Divergent

In this dystopian setting, every 16-year-old has to choose a faction of society to join, each with its own values and rules. One faction values honesty, one knowledge, one courage, and so on. Tris first has to choose whether to stay with her family in the faction where she was raised, or cut ties with everything she knows to follow her heart.

And of course, what follows is danger, bravery, heartbreak, angst, a little bit of unrequited love, and a cliffhanger that will send you straight to book two, Insurgent. (Disclaimer: I suck at book reviews, so just go read what Amazon has to say!)

One of the reasons I like these books is that they have more depth than some of the crap that has topped the best seller list lately (I'm looking at you, Fifty Shades and Twilight - both of which I've read, but only under duress and with mounting disgust (ha! see what I did there?)). Much like The Hunger Games, there's more going on in these stories. Bigger themes. Which trait (honesty, knowledge, selflessness, etc) is more valuable to society? How do the values our parents instill in us affect our choices? Plus it has a strong female character who has to make choices for herself and deal with the consequences (and not the consequences of which hottie to end up with or whether to let her boyfriend whip her in the name of true love - seriously, how does this page-turning crap become so popular?) And I think I'm on a dystopian kick. It's fascinating to imagine a familiar society but with vastly different rules.

But you don't have to take my word for it! (Although if you do pick them up, let me know what you think! And if you have any other recommendations of this genre, send them my way.)