{daily delaney} where's waldo edition

delaney got to sing in her christmas program this weekend at church.

let me tell you.  this was her shining moment.  she was looking forward to this for {weeks}.

can you find delaney in the photo below?

in case you are having trouble finding her...

let me help you out.

she is {such} a tiny little thing

and the sweet muffin girl standing in front of her was just happy to stay in front

thankyouverymuch

despite a teacher asking her to step behind.

{ha!}

it's just such irony.

laney looking so forward to wearing her red christmas dress and red bow headband

 and being on stage singing

and then not even being able to be seen.

pride comes before the fall, right?

or before the getting placed behind the tall kid i guess.

pardon the red-eye...i'm not photo keen enough to fix it...

here is a shot of her before the bigger girl came onto stage.  you can see how serious she was about singing.

hands folded neatly together, ready to perform.

oh.  i love this girl.

{dear you...}

i've been gone a while.

it's been a long {faith increasing}, {knee bending}, summer, fall and winter.

but thankfully it seems that we are settling back into life in Ft. Collins.

we're still busy with parenting, spending time with friends and family, homeschooling, holidaying,

 and other such things.

delaney started kindergarten.

amelia started preschool.

remi started walking.

as much as i'd love to update you on our lives...i've been convicted to do something else.

i need to talk to some people. 

i want to write an open letter.

here goes:

dear woman, 

whether you are a wife. mother. single woman. girl living at home. whatever you are.

(i'm sure this applies to men too, but i'm gonna speak directly to the ladies today.)

stop comparing.

stop looking through the window of the lives of the other women around you.

chances are, it's not so glamorous on the inside.

i'm not saying that everyone's lives are a wreck, i'm just saying it's probably not what you expect.

we are all fallen, stumbling sinners.

not a single one of us has it all together as a mom, as a student, in our marriages.

i've done plenty of comparing.

"oh, look at her!  she's so together.  i'm sure she is the best most engaged self sacrificing mother.  i'm sure she is the best most selfless and giving wife meeting all her husbands needs with never a nag.  i'm sure she is such a faithful friend, never forgetting to return that phone call, write that email, send that encouraging text message.  i'm sure she never misses a quiet time and certainly she has the book of james memorized. i'll bet she's consistently in prayer throughout the day, never being anxious about tomorrow.

{if only} i could be more like her."

if only.

if only we would choose to hear what our dear Savior is trying to tell us...

my sweet sweet friend, liz, talked a couple of times this summer about how much she was impacted by Jesus words to Peter in the end of John 21.  and her words and her passion to believe truth has inspired me numerous times.

John 21: 20-22 (emphasis mine)

"Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following the, the one who had been reclining at the table close to him and had said, 'Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?'  When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, 'Lord, what about this man?'  Jesus said to him, 'If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?  You follow me!'"

so women, you follow Jesus.  {what is it to you} what other women are doing?

Jesus has individually called us to individual lives.

i am accountable for myself.

not for that woman who seems to have it all together.

i'm not accountable for the faith that that woman seems to have.

i'm accountable for my own faith.

if you look into my window, i can guarantee i don't have it all together.

so let's stop comparing and let's ask God what He would have for each of our lives individually.

much love,

the girl who doesn't have it all together.

{bitty girl}

i cannot even fathom how the time goes so fast.

when i was young, i remember adults telling me: oh, you grow so fast! the time goes so fast!  

and i remember thinking: wow, this person is crazy.  time {drags} by.

but it's true.

i heard a quote once that really stuck with me-

"these are the longest days and the shortest years"

it's SO true.

my bitty girl, my millie may, my little bits of love is 3.

3 stinking years old today.

this girls is my daily dose of challenge and affection.

she is unique to the core.

and i adore her.

happy birthday baby girl.

{running for Jr.}

hello friends and family!

some of you know, i started running a few months back and i really really like it.

geeze, i never EVER thought i'd day that.

ever.

anyway, i'm running a race for a {great} cause.

do you remember my post about a sweet little man named Jr.?

you can refresh yourself here.

Jr. has certainly come a long way since his original diagnosis, and that is no small feat!

when his mama invited me to run in this 5k i didn't hesitate for a second.

this is something {worth} running for.

do you want to run too?  or perhaps walk?

would you consider donating to the 

                           Colorado Pulmonary Hypertension 5K Run for PHun 2011?

Even the smallest donation means a lot to the people affected by this and their families.

and if you cannot donate money, would you consider praying for them?

pray that they would raise a lot of funds, that Jr. would continue to grow healthy and strong.

that his doctors would have wisdom on how best to treat him in the future.

you can donate through my page at 

 http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/robinegger/ColoradoPulmonaryHypertension5KRunforPHun2011

or through Matt and Marie's page.

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/MatthewWrightJr/coloradopulmonaryhypertension5krunforphun2011

Here is a little more info from Marie:

This is VERY near and dear to OUR HEARTS! Our little man "Jr.", has a long list of Cardiac and Pulmonary problems! Pulmonary Hypertension being near the top. Please join us to celebrate how far our little man has came and not to forget we has a very long road still a head of us. Bring the family for a 5K Walk/Run, learn a little bit more about Pulmonary Hypertension, help raise much needed money to continue research, and meet the most amazing medical team and some Awesome Kids!

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA), The University of Colorado Denver, and The Children’s Hospital, will be hosting its second annual Colorado Pulmonary Hypertension 5K Run For PHun on Sunday, September 18th at the Anschutz Medical Campus.

Visit: Team Matthew Wright, "Jr." at the link below to join in on the 5K walk/run, show your by donating or both!
http://www.firstgiving.com​/fundraiser/MatthewWrightJ​r/coloradopulmonaryhyperte​nsion5krunforphun2011

Visit: http://www.firstgiving.com​/phassociation/colorado5k

For more information, registration, donation, and more!!!

{can it really be true?}

really?  can it really be true that he has already been with us for a whole year?

this mighty little man,  he is a joy and a delight to us.

he has grown to be full of life.

handsome.

determined.

affectionate.

we are so thankful for his life.

Happy 1st Birthday Remington David!

{the monster inside me}

i am truly {terrifed} of that monster.

which is why i want to share it with you.

things seem less scary when they are in the daylight, right?

a lot of people know this about me, so it may sound redundant, but i struggle in an eating disorder.

i can pinpoint the start of my skewed self-image perceptions to about the age of 5.

i can pinpoint the incident.

my actual bouts with anorexia started when i was about 16.

i can recall working as a lifeguard, sitting up on my stand feeling intense hunger pains.

and what was my initial thought?

not, oh, i better get something to eat on my next break.

that would be logical, right?

well, nothing is logical in the mind of a person trapped in the disease of an eating disorder.

my initial thought was,

yay!  this feels good!  i'm proud of myself for not eating anything today!

it feels good to feel in control. and that's how i feel in the midst of my battles.  in control.

when life seems hectic, and there are so many things one can't control....what goes into my mouth is something that i can.

why am i telling you all of this?

because it's important that you hear what it's like for a girl like myself.

it's easy enough for you to say, well, just make the choice to eat.

but it's not that easy to do.

it is an obsession.

a sick compulsion to starve my body of nutrition in order to look "skinny".

to feel comfortable in my own skin.

for girls with an eating disorder, we have a terribly skewed perspective when we look in the mirror.

you look at me and see a girl who has a little softness to her weighing in at about 125lbs.

totally average and normal. (for my height, at least)

when i look at me, i don't see a little softness.

i see mounds and mounds of excess fat.

i see stretch marks from having 3 babies.

i see flabby arms.

i imagine myself as carrying the weight of a 5'1" girl weighing in at 150lbs.

that's what i see when i look in the mirror.

if i try {really} hard to be logical (which as i said is nearly impossible) i realize that my perception is skewed.

but i don't care.

i want to control what goes into my mouth and get rid of an excess 20lbs.

i've gone through peaks of success in fighting this monster and deep depressing valleys loosing to the monster.

right now is a deep valley.

after i had reminton, i was determined to loose the extra few pounds using {healthy} methods.

plus the benefits of breastfeeding.

so i started swimming again.

i did a couch to 5k training program and ran a 5k in june.

i average a 3 mile run about 3 times a week.

i struggled at first with practicing self control with eating.

which was hard to do with all the delicious desserts that people brought when bringing us a meal after having remi.

those meals are such a blessing!  and so are the desserts!

i just lacked the self control to not over eat.  or to ask them to not bring me dessert.

i read a book that was gifted to me by my sweet sister in law called

The Diet Alternative.

i really enjoyed reading it, and felt like the author had some really sound advice.

basically just eat when you feel hungry.  learn those hunger and full signals.

she also suggested fasting one meal a day.

what ever meal would be hard for you to give up.

as a means to place a sacrifice before God and as a means to learn self control in eating.

because i was still nursing, i decided it wouldn't be wise for me to give up an entire meal.

so i choose to give up snacking.

i'm a big snacker.

or used to be, because praise God i gave it up.

so after remi bit me while nursing and drew blood and i promptly weaned him,

i decided it was time to sacrifice that meal.

i started giving up lunches.

at first it was a battle, it  is hard not to eat when you are in the habit.

so it had been about 2 months of not eating lunch.

and i enjoyed the feel of choosing not to eat.

it was my choice.

my choice to control.

recently my dr. has brought up some concerns with me about my risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

(i had gestational diabetes twice, and i have family members with it, which greatly increases my risk despite diet and exercise)

because of that concern, my loving husband asked me to stop fasting lunches.

and i had a loving friend share her concern with me as well.

so under submission to casey, i have started to eat lunch again.

and this is when the monster began rearing it's ugly head again.

from day one of eating lunch, i obsessed about the calories i was eating.

how many extra miles would  i need to run to counter them?

i can already feel the addition of weight on my body.

i can already feel the anxiety it causes me.

i can already feel myself mentally preparing to begin starving myself behind my husbands back.

and that's why i'm telling you this.

not for the sympathy votes.

please friends, i don't want your sympathy.

i just {have} to be open and honest about it.

because it's dangerous.

it's not something that i {ever} want my daughters to see in me and mimic.

and if you have daughters of your own, make yourself aware.

talk to them about their bodies.

tell them they are beautiful.

help them to make healthy food choices.

teach them about self control.

and if you would, pray for me.

{Then Sings My Soul} a book review

Then Sings My Soul is a great collection of hymns sharing the historical facts and background surrounding each hymn.  This book does a great job of compiling a wide variety of well know, and not so well known hymns.  The aesthetic style of the book in and of itself is beautiful.  The pages are nice and think, and the edges are given a faux worn and rustic feel.  I received it back in December and gave it as a gift to my father in law, who is a lover of hymns. 

I suppose the one thing I might change, or that I didn’t really enjoy about this book, is that it does not provide the entire hymn.  It only gave a piece or a selection of the hymn and not the whole thing.

It is fun and exciting to be able to learn the historical background of a hymn.  If feel like it simply enriches and brings depth to the hymns and generally heightens the experience.  

Overall, I would give this book an A- on the grade scale, deducting only for the lack of full hymns.  I think it is the perfect coffee table gift for any parent, grandparent, or hymn lover.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the www.BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisdx_03/16cfr255_03.html : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

{crazy aunt millie}

it's been a while since i've had anything to post on my {crazy}girl.

her hair is pretty long, so  it's been surprisingly {tame}.

until last week.

she is a hot sleeper, and often wakes up covered in sweat.

this is how her bangs dried the other day.

totally 80's.

how rad is she?

of course, i couldn't resist turning this photo into {pop art}.

{Hillybilly Bone}

Press play on the video, but don't watch it, just listen while you read and enjoy the pictures of remi d.

with a daddy from {sterling}

and

a mama from {lochbuie}

remi couldn't help but have a little {hillbilly bone} down deep inside.

he worked on this tooth for several day.

several days of fever, diaper rash, and pure {cranky} baby.

but i have to say, it's so worth it.

every single time i see this tooth i can't help but giggle.

he's such a hillbilly with his hilbilly tooth.

please, mom, no more photos.

oh, ok.  just one more.

this kid.  he is so great.

he is a {wild} man.

at 11 months old:

he is obsessed with his bottle.

he has several words:

ba ba (for bottle, of course)

mama

dada

hi! {with exuberant arm waving thrown in}

aaahhh-dun (all done)

he is a crawling machine.

he always has a bruise on his forehead  (from trying to stand up on his own too near tables)

he attempted his first step a few days ago.

he is {terrified} of the bath.

i mean, i know boys like to be dirty, but geeze!

when i say terrified, i mean full body shaking, screaming at the top of his lungs to the point of nearly vomiting.

so right now bath time is few and far between (stinky boy!)

and when we are forced to plop him in, it's a 2 man job.  one to wrestle the boy still and the other to quickly soap up and rinse off.

oh. and he LOVE love love love's his mama.

and i'm ok with that.

{daily delaney}

so yesterday i told delaney that we were going to poop scoop in the back yard.

little known to me, this would be a thrill unlike one she had never known before.

seriously, she was so {excited} to go on a poop hunt.

like, she was so excited to do it, that at nap time yesterday we had this conversation:

"ok lane.  if you do not ignore amelia (millie can be a bit of a pest during sleep times) and go to sleep right away, you will not get to help me poop scoop the yard."

lane: "but MOM! i  WANT to scoop poop."

me: "ok, then you need to obey my instruction and go right to sleep."
lane: "ok!"

and she did.  man, she's never taken such a great nap before!  all at the prospect of getting to pick up dog turds.  {weirdo!}

so this morning we headed out on our poop adventure in the giant back yard.

as we were walking searching for poop, lane says:

"mom, i think i saw something black.  must have been poop.  or a butterfly."

WHAT?  a butterfly?!?!  how do you mistake a butterfly for turds!?!?  or vice versa? 

oh, that kid. she blows me away.  i have so much fun hanging out with her.

the next time you see something that resembles poop, take a close look, it just might be a butterfly.

{rourke jonathan and remington david}

6ish years ago, my sister Sam had a little boy and they named him Rourke Jonathan.
Jonathan after David's dear friend in the Bible.

unknown to us, roughly 5.5 years later, i would birth a little boy whom we named Remington David.
David after Jonathan's dear friend in the Bible.

it is my prayer and my hope that these two little boys carry on the honorable attributes of their namesakes.
Rourke and Remi are already good friends.
i'm eager to see how their friendship will grow!

{embrace the camera} May 9, 2011

a quiet morning before we closed on our house and moved out.

without mornings like these....i'm not sure how i would have handled the roller coaster of emotion that has been the last month

emily reposted the rules this last week, so go read them here before you participate.

and have fun!

{women and modesty}

"As women, clothing and appearance are some of the most powerful and important means we have of sending a message about our hearts and our values. So here’s the question. What do your clothes and your appearance communicate about you? What message are you sending? Unfortunately, this issue represents an area where too many Christian women have accepted the secular world’s way of thinking, with the rationalization that 'Maybe it’s okay so long as we just don’t go to the farthest extremes.' That’s why we have to go back to the Word of God and ask, 'What is God’s way of thinking about all this? What message should we be sending? And how can we send that message with our clothing and with our outer appearance?'” Nancy Leigh DeMoss

i was struck pretty deeply when i first read this quote.

i am a woman who has struggled since roughly the age of 5 with my body image.

i experienced about 8years caught in the traps of an eating disorder.

i learned over the years that my body and the clothes i choose to wear speak many

 words about my character.

we as women wear clothes to be noticed.

or not noticed.

i don't care who you are as a woman, you use your clothes to place an identity on yourself.

you wear them to say, "look at me.  i'm sexy."  

"look at me, i'm trendy."

"don't look at me, i'm insecure."

and so on.

i was (and still very much am) the girl who falls into the "look at me" category.

i know.  get over myself, right?

and it's this funny thing for me, because though i want people to look at me, it's not because i'm confident....it's because i'm immensely insecure.

i want to come off as girl who is trendy, and confident, and well, attractive.

i use my clothes to do so.

recently, though, i've been rather convicted on the choice in clothing i make.

the trend right now, is really one that lends to modesty.

most tops are loose and flow-y...

bremuda type shorts and far more popular then the short little hoochie ones.

i guess my big struggle is to wear those flow-y type tops and not feel fat.

or not want people to think i'm fat.

my insecure flesh wants to wear tighter fitting clothes, so i can prove "i've lost my baby weight, look how great i am!"

uugghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gross.

then only person who needs to know what my body looks like is my husband, and if he is well satisfied in me, then that's all that should matter!

i'm getting there.

really, i am.

what are your clothes speaking about you?

{what'sa goin on?}

yikes.  can you say neglected?

cuz, that's what this blog has been these last few months.

i have some good excuses, i promise.

so have you ever prayed that God would refine you?

well, let me tell you...this is not a request that is going to go unnoticed.

(not that any do, really, but you know what i mean).

really, if you pray that God would refine you....expect refinement.

and expect it to be hard.

and tiring.

and well, refining.

over the last months, i have run the grommet of:

*planning to move in Feb. and delaying that move until our house sold.

*serious skin issues and working through figuring out that i apparently have allergies to

 both purex laundry detergent and eggs.

*multiple friends experiencing high-risk pregnancies and miscarriage.

(you might wonder why this is refining for me, but these are women that i love dearly and grieve for and share in the emotions of their experiences on an incredibly deep level....one of the challenges of having the spiritual gifts of compassion and mercy)

*financial stress beyond anything that casey or i have ever experienced in our entire marriage.

*realizing that some friendships are friendships of convenience--meaning that if it's convenient for them, then they are my friend. and dealing with the fact that this has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with their own selfishness.

*emotions dealing with our house finally going under contract and planning our move to Manhattan, KS

*having my husband experience hesitation and doubt in moving...and the emotional impact of seeing him waver in his confidence---he's an INCREDIBLY confidant man and it shook me to the core to see him struggle.

*losing the money we thought we were going to have after closing.

*deciding that it was in fact not in God's will for us to move.----the day before we closed on our house.

*being homeless (not in the sense that we are living on the streets....we have generous friends and family who are letting us crash on their couches and in their basements).

*grieving not moving to Manhattan.

*experiencing  feelings of being displaced and out of sorts in Ft. Collins.

just to name a few of the things that's we've had going on.

and yes, i have been refined. and refined. and refined.

it's been good for me to step out of my comfortable american lifestyle .

to lean on my husband, my friends and God.

it's been a roller coaster of emotion...but i'm certain i'll look back and see God's hand.

i'll see what i can do to post a little more as i continue to couch and basement hop over the next months.

{for aunt radene}

aunt radene,

in anticipation of getting to see you after nearly a year

(and in remi's case, ever)

we dedicate this blog post to you.

much love,

laney and millie

{doing the "aunt radene"}

and remi is so excited to meet you, he wanted to pass on a little hello as well....

never mind that mild {self-inflicted} chocking in the end of the video.....he was perfectly fine!

 we {love} you aunt radene!

and are {so} excited to see/meet you!

{joy in laughter}

a little back story for you:

in 6th grade, my best friend Leah and i decided that i had a really terrible laugh.

like we thought it was so bad, that one night, we sat up for

probably 20mins straight {practicing} and trying to come up with a {better} different laugh for me.

we did not avail.

hence:

i tend to not laugh out loud.

we decided that since we couldn't find something better for me, it was just better if i laughed silently.

i'm like this girl:

oh man.  it's {lame}.

i feel almost certain that i've annoyed quite a few people by saying "that's so funny" instead of just laughing.

i've also come to realize that people might interpret my quietness for being {humorless} which is just not so.

the truth is, i {love} to laugh.

do you know who makes me laugh the most?

this guy:

it's no wonder delaney's so funny with him for a daddy!

casey had done many great things to aid in seeing me grow as a woman and grow into my own identity.

he's helped me countless times work through insecurities, find their roots, and battle them down.

i am so {thankful} for him.

casey makes me laugh more then any other person or thing...and it's a darn good thing he loves me...

because boy oh boy, when i let loose with my laughter, it's all kinds of:

snorting

crying

wheezing

and just plain {crazy} sounds.

and i have so much {fun} laughing with him.

even during some of the most inopportune times, thankyouverymuch mr. egger.

 i'm finding the {joy} in laughing.

laughing out loud and having fun with it.

and not caring what people think.

so be prepared.   

i just might let loose on you someday soon....

maybe, i'll even put my guard down enough to let casey attempt to get it on video.

to be continued...

{embrace the camera}

i'm not feeling very wordy today.

so i'll just post this weeks {embrace} photos without remarks.

this is from easter.

enjoy!

go!  {embrace the camera} today!

{daily delaney}

somebody got a {sewing machine} for christmas.

well, she got one for christmas that was for kids....and it didn't work.

so we (my mom and i , since the gift was from her) decided that instead of wasting money on another insufficient kids machine, we'd just go with a {very} basic real machine.

delaney's {manga} brought the new sewing machine to her a week ago.

needless to say, lane was {quite} excited.

so that day,  i let delaney go {shopping} through my fabric stash and pick out 

some fabrics to make her very own bag..

of course, she picked out several different {purple} fabrics.

she fully designed this little tote from which fabric went on the outside, inside, what fabric was the pocket and the handle.  she was quite proud of herself!

since this is a real machine we talked a lot about how to operate it.

i explained the pedal and how she needed to control the speed.

i pressed her finger on the needle so she could feel a little pain, and learn that she needed to watch her fingers, 

and be self controlled in working the speed.

i showed here where to hold her hands, and how to guide the fabric.

i showed her how to put down and lift up the foot.

and you guys....

she did {incredible}!

she did it, almost completely by herself! 

every now and then she would go a bit too crooked, and i'd stop and re -adjust her fabric,

but other then that, she did it all on her own!

i was so proud!

at one point, i needed to take over because it was a bit tricky, and as i quickly sewed away, delaney exclaimed:

"mom!  you sew like a REAL girl!"

HA!  i laughed pretty good on that one....i'm sure glad i sew like a real girl!

i love that she loves to do something like me.

i think i have a sweet little seamstress on my hands!

i'm excited to teach her more, and see her hobby grow.

{daily delaney}

as our kids get older, we slowly add responsibilities for them.

lane's first was to help unload and re-load the dishwasher.

since her sister has graduated into that role, her new {responsibility} is to get herself and her sister dressed in the mornings.

now let me share a little about myself.

i'm prideful.

i'm a people pleaser.

i like for my kids to be well dressed, fashionable, and put together.

i know, it's ridiculous.

well, let me tell you.

allowing delaney to {select} her own outfit is some days a great challenge for me.

days like this day.

yep.  it's true.

that is a long sleeve shirt (cuz it was cold).

a shorts jump suit.

leggings.

cowboy boots.

this ain't no {april fools} joke.

and she was {so} proud of herself.

i like that she's defining her own style.

i like that she is creative.

i like that she is getting herself dressed so that i don't have to.

it's just a good lesson in pride for me.

i love this girl.

{embrace the camera}

i promise to do better about posting other then just on {embrace the camera} days.

but aren't you glad i'm posting at all?

maybe you don't care.

anyway.

here's this weeks {embrace}.

this was yesterday, a family affair in the bathroom

millie on the potty.

remi taking a bath.

lane {helping} me to bathe her brother.

me. organizing the chaos.

i love my life.

your turn!  {embrace the camera}

{embrace the camera}

i have so much fun with these girls.

they are sweet, silly, affectionate, daring, confident, loving ...

and truly a joy to my heart.

i'm so thankful to have daughters.

now go!  {embrace the camera}!

{amber van, betty lou, and casey egg}

the 3 people in the title are who i have to thank for inspiring this post.

i'll explain each.

amber inspired me with a blog she wrote the other day called "i heart dresses".

you can read her post here.

one thing she mentions, is that she had a goal to wear a dress a day all summer.  i think this is so fun!

i like amber.  she is the one who encouraged me to wear lipgloss....even if i didn't need to be dressed up.

so thanks for that am!

inspiration number 2 is my grandma betty lou o'neill.

i was thinking about her a lot this week (as it was st. patrick's day yesterday, and likely her favorite holiday).

my sweet grandma passed away this last year, but i was blessed to be able to spend some quality time with her in her last months.

one time we were sitting at her kitchen table and she was telling me how every day before my grandpa would come home from work, she would mow the lawn  (if it needed it), tidy up the house and put 

on a little makeup.

i love that she would both mow the grass and put on makeup.

she was one of the funnest and quirkiest women i've ever know, and i admire her greatly.

i love that she would do her best to make both her home and herself attractive and welcoming to her hubby.

inspiration number 3 (and my biggest inspiration) Mr. Casey Egger.

my handsome man.

he is all about the girlie girl.

he loves all things lipstick, long hair, dresses, peep toe heels, dangly earrings...

on a woman...on this woman to be exact.

if i wore peep toe high heels and lipstick every day, he'd be the happiest man alive.

however, so often i can get in the mindset that i don't really need to put effort into how i look because, who's gonna see me anyway?

then, when i go out into public, where there are total strangers, i put in an effort at my appearance.

what matters more?  

that strangers find me attractive, or that my husband finds me attractive?

there is such a temptation for men to be looking elsewhere rather then at their wives.

though i love summer and i love warm weather, i dread the clothing that appears (or disappears) along with it.

so if i can do a few {simple} things to help keep my husbands eyes on me, and not give him an excuse to look elsewhere, then why the heck wouldn't i?

plus, dresses are a great way to look cute and stylish, while being modest and helping out a brother.

so what i've decided is:

thanks to amber, i'm going to attempt to wear a dress a minimum of 5 days a week this summer.

and thanks to my grandma, i'm going to make a conscience effort to put on a little lipgloss and tidy up the house before casey comes home.

and thanks to casey, i'm going enjoy putting effort into my appearance, feeling like a girlie girl, and helping to keep my husbands eyes on me.

{embrace the camera}

ok.

i know it seems like a post a lot of photos of remi.

he is just so darn cute, i can't resist busting the camera out on him!

i'm gonna try and get myself behind the camera with lane and millie a bit more in the coming weeks.

so keep posted.

anyway, here's this weeks {embrace the camera} shot.

we were outside on the deck watching  casey practice his {archery}.

while delaney was admiring her daddy and  lovin on the dog.

and millie was swinging away.

i love warm days.

and i love my family!

go {embrace the camera}!

{daily delaney}

yesterday, we were driving over to a friends house and delaney asked which direction we were going.

i told her, "we're heading north."

"then what way will we turn?"  she asked.

"then we will turn left, and go west." i said.

quickly, she responded, "but i want to go towards easter!"

at first i had to giggle at her miscommunication.  

obviously, she meant that she wanted to go east...

though i'm not sure why.

but the more i thought about it, the more i realized how profound her words were to me.

  i want to go towards Easter {too}.

the direction i want to face in my life is alway towards Easter, towards the Cross.

over these last few weeks, i've realized that the direction i set myself towards in life

is not always going to be in the direction that God wants for me.

i've made plans to move to KS.

plans to parent my children better.

plans to be a better wife.

plans to never own a minivan.

plans to be physically thin and spiritually fat.

and i'm realizing, thanks to my sweet daughter, that unless i'm facing {Easter}...

i will always be going the wrong direction.