Chase turned one!

He might have turned 1 three times. Once in Texas, once in OK, and once for his official 1 year pictures. And it was all over a month ago, how did that happen??
First birthday was in Dallas with all the family and we also baptized him on that day. Crazy and fun and so special because Rev. Willis was the one who baptized me with water from the Jordan River. Apparently all that Holy Spirit wore him out.

All but one of his Great-Grandparents.All of his immediate family minus an Aunt who just had to be on her honeymoon!
Like any good little boy he woke up for cake.
And then he destroyed it with a victory yell.
Moving on to OK - if you have never seen the inside of my house, here it is. What's so special about this picture? Why the paper airplanes of course! Here's the story about the paper airplanes.
I tell Brian at least a week before that I want paper airplanes hanging from the ceiling, since we don't have a ladder can you call Isaac to borrow his? "Sure I'll take care of it"
11:30 PM the night before the party I ask Brian when he is going to hang the paper airplanes. He says we don't have to have the paper airplanes. I don't remember what I said but I remember what I was thinking and it was along the lines of "If we don't have these paper airplanes you will ruin our sons first birthday and it will be all your fault!" So Brian and our new brother and law Austin decided they can cheat and hang one string of paper airplanes across the living room. I'm pouting in our bedroom and he comes in all excited saying we figured something out and your going to like it! So I walk in and my mom is laughing already because she knows I'm going to hate it and as soon I i turn up my nose the string falls down. Brian sees my face and says "Fine I'll go get the ladder." So Chase and I had our multi-level scattered paper airplanes and the party was perfect. The kind with lots of kiddos running around and lots of food. Ok I made enough food to feed the troops but it was still fun!

I am getting everything ready to ice the cake and Brian comes over and asks if he can decorate the airplane on the cake. I don't know whether to laugh or cry but I give him the go-ahead and I'll be damned if his wasn't better than mine was going to be.

Chase was nice enough to share some cake with mama.

I don't think he ate any of the cake, just disintegrated it. I know it's blurry and poor Isaac's eyes are closed but he was having so much fun!

Lots of fun airplanes for everyone!

9/11 Photos

This post won't be particularly reflective or moving, just some pictures we took today in town. Although, nothing makes me happier than a bunch of American flags and babies. And glitter on poster board. And baby handprints. And America. And thinking about Brian.
We can't decide if her was yawning or laughing in this picture but it's cute either way right?

We got a lot of these pictures, he would sit still for .02 seconds and then take off with a combination of crawling, walking, falling, and running. So stinking cute.

The Mother on the Sidewalk

The mother on the sidewalk as the troops are
marching by
Is the mother of Old Glory that is waving in
the sky.
Men have fought to keep it splendid, men have
died to keep it bright,
But that flag was born of woman and her suf-
ferings day and night;
'Tis her sacrifice has made it, and once more
we ought to pray
For the brave and loyal mother of the boy who
goes away.

There are days of grief before her; there are
hours that she will weep;
There are nights of anxious waiting when
fear will banish sleep;
She has heard her country calling and has risen
to the test,
And has placed upon the alter of the nation's
need, her best.
And no man shall ever suffer in the turmoil of
the fray
The anguish of the mother of the boy who goes
away.

You may boast men's deeds of glory, you may
tell their courage great,
But to die is easier service than alone to sit and
wait,
And I hail the little mother, with the tear-stained
face and grave,
Who has given the flag a soldier-she's the
bravest of the brave.
And that banner we are proud of, with its red
and blue and white,
Is a lasting holy tribute to all mothers' love of
right.

Edgar A. Guest, 1917

You'll have to forgive me, day 1 of longest deployment ever (for us anyway) and I'm a little sappy. But I have this awesome necklace to keep my company, thank you etsy!!
Of course I'm saying goodbye to my husband in pajama pants, doesn't everybody?

Chase was going crazy over the grass, he had never seen green grass because we are too cheap to water in a drought. Love this little boy walking!

Mama Bear

It's common sense not to get in between a mama bear and her cubs (because everyone who doesn't know that is dead). I feel like a mama bear right now. There is an enemy in the camp. And I want to maul the enemy's face off but...

Romans 12:20 "On the contrary; if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head."

Well I'd much rather just heap the coals without the good stuff but...

Luke 6:27-28 "To you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." There are probably thousands of other verses about forgiving. It's the foundation of our faith. But what if it's not your enemy?

What if it's your loved one's enemy? Where's the Bible verse for that?

It's not my hurt I'm trying to forgive. It's the hurt of my family. I can deal with pain that comes my way, but watching the pain of others and not being able to take it away is too much for this girl. And this hurt is constant, steady, and always present. I have not been able to forgive the enemy. In fact I have not even tried but I think I've succeeded in making them my enemy too. I twisted this verse to let myself openly display my displeasure with the enemy -

Proverbs 27:5 "Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

But I know that's not what the verse means. I have reached a point in my faith that I can't go any deeper without forgiving the enemy. But at the same time, I want to protect my family.

1 Corinthians 13:7 "(Love) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

I can refuse to stand by anymore and let pain be inflicted on them. I can refuse to let the enemy say hurtful things. I can refuse to let hurtful actions continue. But how do I walk to fine line between human/revenge-seeking anger and righteous anger? How do I love the enemy while letting them know that their behavior is not acceptable without causing a world war? Because if you met the enemy you would be installing a bunker under your house as we speak.

Any advice my wonderful blogging friends of faith?