The Secret Message

No sooner did I step into my steamy shower today, than a secret message slowly appeared on the glass sliding door. It was a huge heart surrounding the name "Grace," who recently is the object of Mark's affections. Wow! Now that's classic!

Funny thing is...I'm not sure if it was written by our young, dreamy Mark...or by his jokester father who loves to poke fun at Mark's innocent infatuations. Both cases are highly likely. But what I DO know is that it's time for me to scrub my shower! Any bath that can archive a message like that is definitely overdue for a scrub!

Do Some Digging

Only a couple days from election day. And I encourage you to think. Do some digging. It will take effort. There is information overload out there. And at the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, I'd venture to say there's a whole lot of propoganda floating around. No, not floating...but intentionally targeting voters, college students, even kids. (Have you watched Nickelodeon lately!?! Oh my!)

Everyone seems to have something to say. Lots of anger. Heated words. Flaring opinions. So, I won't be one of them. All I will say is PLEASE do some digging. Read. Listen. Look beyond the rhetoric. Both candidates have reiterated (til they are blue in the face) the problems we face in America. We don't need to be reminded. They've both said that they are for the middle class. For economic reform. And are looking to put country first. Both candidates have offered 'Change.'

Yet, in our desire for change, I warn you not to blindly hop aboard a bandwagon. The 'opposite of Bush' doesn't necessarily mean the 'correct change.' DIG DEEP. Seek out answers. What exactly does each candidate's plan for 'change' entail??? What would be the respective consequence? I suspect that as people search for such answers, they will be forced to explore their own opinions regarding issues like socialism v capitalism, our freedoms, and what kind of policies would seek to slowly take those freedoms away. People will be led to ask themselves things like, "Do I think it's more profitable for government to have more control? Or is it more profitable for people to have more control?"

Decide what your values are. Then listen wisely and sharply to the things the candidates have said. THEN at that point, decide who lines up with your views. I think it would be a tragedy, though, for people to simply mark their ballot based on what's popular or based on the party they've always voted for. We've got minds. Let's use them. This election process is one of our amazing freedoms. May God bless Tuesday's outcome! And may we expend the same amount of mental energy (or more!) seeking out our Creator, Whose motives (thankfully) we never have to fear. xoxo

Trick or Treat

Last night I had a date with a pink cheerleader, a sheriff cowboy, and a spooky alien. We circled the neighborhood in pursuit of candy...until Daddy came home from work. Then we hit a few more houses before heading to Grandma and Papa's house, to show them our costumes. And I just gotta chuckle when I think of little Marina. She is such a cool girl...as we approached spooky houses with moving parts or scary masks, she had no fear. Just a great sense of humor. The spookier they were, the more she would just laugh. I love it. Afterward, we spent some time @ the Grove's house. They were roasting hotdogs and marshmallows over a firepit and had a huge bouncy set up in their front lawn for the kids to jump in. What a fun night!

There's a New Sheriff in Town!

And his name is Sheriff Brody!
Reese dressed up for the Halloween parade at school today. He wore his Sheriff costume, complete with a leather vest that his daddy once wore as a child. Too cute!

This little sheriff has more than just a quick draw and a fast punch. He also has learned to read this week! Last night, while he was at the table practicing writing the letter 'j' he surprised us all when he began to sound out words on his own! "J-A-M....jam!" "J-U-G...jug!" We were so thrilled at this little guy's accomplishment! Now he's ready to take on the world, and has the sheriff badge to prove it.

Newlywed shopping...

I was doing my weekly grocery shopping last night. And as I was browsing the paper products, a very young looking couple passed by. They looked so young that the wedding rings on their fingers must have hardly been legal. They seemed to be struggling to figure out just what to purchase. As they passed, the girl stopped short, touched a package of paper plates, and asked her young counterpart, "should we get plates?"

He quickly replied with a laugh, "we have plates. I mean, PLATES plates."

She shot back with a creative line that almost made me bust out laughing, "Yeah, but if we use paper plates we'll save on our water bill."

Oh my word! That's a new one.
Girlfriend! Just stick your hands in that dishwater and wash your plates!

Celebrating Reese's birthday

Friday night, we celebrated Reese's birthday with the Brody family and the Grove's. Miss Kristi helped Mommy make the Thomas the Train cake! I think it turned out well & Reese was certainly thrilled!

Reese had that shy little smile on his face while we sang happy birthday to him. I know he was loving every single moment of it!

At bedtime, I snuggled in bed with Reese and showed him the photos on my camera from that evening. The cake. The candles. The birthday boy. But, before I could kiss him goodnight, he asked in the sweetest little voice, "Mommy, can you sing 'Happy Birfday' to me one more time?" So, we sang it together. It was so precious. Well...it was precious until about halfway thru when he let one rip! Aye! Such a Brody!

Reese Turns Six!

My sweet little Reese turns 6 today! I cannot believe how quickly time has flown! There was a time I thought we'd never get through those terrible two's (and three's). LOL. But since he has developed in his vocabulary and has grown in his temperment, he has become such a fun, sweet kid. He has hit milestones so quickly that it feels time has just flown by!

Now he is in kindergarten. He is acceling beyond our expectations. And he is an awesome big brother to Marina, while looking up greatly to his big brother, Mark.

He was thrilled, this morning, to bring treat bags to share with his kindergarten class. And he is anxious to get home after school to play with his gift from Mommy and Daddy...the Thomas the Train table (which I have to quickly assemble before he gets home!)