Prayers Needed

Please pray for a little girl named Annabelle Obersteadt. She has been battling cancer now for a year. She is just three years old. She underwent an operation in Feb. that removed most of her tumor, but, her parents have just now learned that the cancer has returned. They will be going to Vanderbilt in the next 2 weeks to undergo many tests to determine where the cancer is this time. Please pray for this little girl and this family. They have been through so much this year. The little girl's father is a high school classmate of mine.

Nature Exploration

So, today I took the kids to do something different. We have been a little cooped up the past couple of days. I mean, we've been outside, we've just been outside at home- no driving. GAS!!! It's so freaking expensive. Everytime I fill up (yes, my Honda minivan- I'm old), I want to throw up. Anyway, I took the girls to this old country club in Franklin. It closed down about 3 years ago, and the city of Franklin bought it with aspirations of creating a big park. But right now, it's just an overgrown golf course. There are all sorts of cart paths throughout the course. However, the best part is that there is an abundance of wildlife at the 3 different ponds on the course. I took the girls in the stroller down the path and we discovered some geese, ducks, and even a crane. We had brought some dry bread to feed them and we, including me, had a blast! The looks on the girls' faces were priceless. The geese were very friendly, not that I let the girls touch them though-let's be honest; birds are filthy. But, they didn't hiss or fly away when we got close to them.
The reason why I wanted to post this is b/c today, just for a moment, I felt like a bit of a hero. When the girls looked at me, it was if I had been hiding this magical spot and revealed it to them at that instant. I felt so thankful that God had given me these little babies to be able to amaze with His own magnificent creation. And though it may sound cheesy or nostalgic, it was such a favorite moment. It really was.
I am constantly telling my friends, I feel, about how hard it is to be a parent. And it is- lots of cleaning, making meals, disciplining, and less sleep. I'm afraid that I don't talk enough about how incredibly wonderful and rewarding it is. Sometimes, I don't talk about that aspect b/c I'm trying to be sensitive to those who are unable to have children or those who desire a family and are not at a particular point in life where that is a reality. But, I am realizing that life should be a celebration of all avenues- whichever ones we happen to be traveling down. B/c I want my children to know that even though I have to be Courtney and not just Mommy sometimes, that they, along with their Dad, are God's greatest gifts to me. B/c we choose our friends, to an extent, and we can take some pride as to who we choose and why we choose to continue the friendships. But, our children are given to us specifically from the Father who knows how to choose well for us. And what we do with them and for them molds them into the people that they will grown into. That is a great responsibility and an incredible honor. Today as I got to watch their little minds reeling with all that was around them, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude. And when they looked at me, I also saw their little hearts swelling with love for their mommy b/c they were grateful for what I had done for them and with them today. You can't buy that, create that, take that, or make that - that is a gift from a Father who looked down on me today like I looked at my very own children....

Introductory Pics

Titles

So, I have finally entered the blogging world. Well, I have technically been around for a bit now, but, without a blog to call my own. The title is one that a few of you out there may know. I will make my first blog entry on that, I suppose.

In high school, most of my friends and I were very involved in our church youth group. It was our total social atmosphere. I attended a very small, private Christian school and attended the church that it was affiliated with. See the bubble here? Everything we did socially, for the most part, was with our youth group or school. I'm sure that others branched out more than I did - or, I know they did, rather - somewhat, but, since I was also involved in sports, it was church and school and that filled my time!

O.K., on to the title. About once a month, our separate high school discipleship group leaders had the "brilliant" idea to get all of the junior and senior girls together for a sleepover; Mug-A-Muffin, if you will. We all piled into the house of one of the leaders, and went on from there. This was one of the worst ideas for high school girls. If any of you can remember slumber parties, this one was worse than what you remember. There were many tears, much gossip, and less "discipling" to boot. However, I look back on them fondly. I don't know why. Maybe I was the one making people cry instead of crying? Perhaps, but, I don't remember that specifically.

I chose this title for my blog b/c I think that it represents something. An idea made with incredible faith in God's creation. You see, our leaders thought that bringing all of these young women together would bridge the gap. We all remember high school - the rich kids, the athletic kids, the fine arts kids, the band kids, the smart kids, etc. - being about fighting to find your ground and attempting to declare your independence. Yet, it became more than that. It also became about stepping on others to get to your piece of ground that made you feel safe. Many of us carry scars from these battles to this day. Others of us still revel in the warmth of the friendships we carry from those days. We learn alot about how to divide and conquer, or how to gather to ourselves in high school. And then we go on to college and figure out what works and what doesn't. But, the methodology was there long before sororities and dormitories.

So, Mug-A-Muffin is the name. This idea of coming together as women or men, mothers and fathers, and friends is age old and long ignored. We, as a society, embrace the idea of divisiveness as Biblical and proper. But, it is neither of those. Should we as Christians separate ourselves from evil and sinfulness? Absolutely. But, from the sinner? I think not. Democrats, Republicans, drinkers, abstainers, smokers, non-smokers, bloggers, lurkers, boys, girls, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Church of Christ-ers (?), etc. - it's time for a Mug-A-Muffin.

That's what my blog will be. It will be about life and kids and work and whatever comes to mind. But, I hope that there is something for everyone, if anyone reads it. I'll put alot of pics of the fam up here so that those far away can keep up. But, that's how I hope it will go. Talk to you all soon.