something to say

Hello friends!

My name is Norah.

I hopped (hijacked?) on over to AB! today because it came to my attention that my Naynay has barely strung two posts together about me yet and well, we need a proper introduction, you and me.

Plus I just have things to say.

You understand, right?

I'm six weeks old now and when I'm not eating I can be found filling the role of a strawberry.

Which is fitting since my Naynay thinks I'm yummy.

My big sister and brother tend to be Naynay time hogs but nevertheless she and I have persevered and gotten in a few snuggle times much to the Big Kids' chagrin.

(But not too many snuggles. Don't tell anyone -because I like to do it myself by screaming my head off to anyone else who finds me 'yummy'- but I much prefer my Mama. We're BFF's, she and I.)

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Don't come between me and my Mama is all I'm sayin'.

BUT, if someone HAD to, I think I'd like it to be Naynay. She tries hard.

She also cooks yummy food and lets all of us kids destroy her amazingly clean and yummy smelling house and takes Big Sister to a birthday party and brings fountain Pepsi on ice and has a DVR filled with Doc McStuffins and Mickey Mouse.

Yep, she's pretty great.

So I guess we'll let her off the hook for the lack of bragging blogging about me.

Thanks for all the chaos-embracin' you do, Naynay!

Love, Norah

(for Audrey, Owen, Peyton, & Sadie, too!)

27 is completely ridiculous

I've tried and tried to come up with a plausible explanation for my bloggy absence but let's face it, I have none.  I suppose this could be because there is no explanation. 

Apparently I've become slothful and lackadaisical during the rainy season here in the Carolinas.  I don't care what the locals say, I'm despairing of ever again experiencing more than 12 hours in a row of bonafide sunshine.  All that to say oh my word ALL THE RAIN.

But we aren't here to talk about the rain, now are we?  We are, in fact, here to talk about how my place smells like chocolate cake a full day after baking Katie's birthday cake.

And even more than that, we're here to talk about how today is Katie's birthday!


Happy Birthday, Katie! 

(I can't even believe you're so old no offense.)


Back to the cake.


Kate found this particular culinary delight on Pinterest and requested that I make it happen for her special, special day.  Now I'm not gonna lie.  It wasn't so much hard as it was time-consuming what with all the mini Reese's unwrapping and chopping.  Exhausting really, but apparently worth it as I might or might not have stuck my head in the bowl in order retrieve the last vestige of residual batter.  Of course I exaggerate.  I used my finger and a large spatula.  I should also warn you that the frosting includes such foolishness as heavy whipping cream, but really it couldn't be helped.  I was merely following my daughter's directive to go big or go home. 

Go big, is what we went with.

(Un)fortunately, it was as  yummy as predicted and I requested, nay ORDERED her to take every last bit of it out of my house immediately following dinner.  Ain't nobody got time for gaining 10 pounds in 24 hours on leftover birthday cake. 

She's on her own...I figure no one will be judging the pregnant birthday girl if she eats a whole cake in mere days.


Anyhoo, if you're brave enough, or thin enough, or have a treadmill in your living room, enabling you to cope with the danger involved, you can find the recipe here. 

Proceed at your own risk.

(You've been warned.)



p.s.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!!  Thanks for introducing me to yet another something I liked but should never ever eat before never.


I love you, sweet firstborn of mine :)

the one in which I bury the lead

I should spend some time catching up with y'alls no doubt about it, but I'm woefully lacking in both energy and motivation.  I am also decidedly runny-nosy with a healthy dose of lethargy.  (Still!)


It does appear the crazy that has been life for the last, oh I don't know - let's be generous and say six months or so - has left me dreaming  literal dreams of moving days.  
Over and again.

Moving days on a loopy-loop, if you will.

And it's not just my worldly belongs that are perpetually being moved in my dreams, but I'm now branching out and sharing the joy by taking my loved ones with.  How, you ask?

Well.  Last night I dreamed I was moving.  Then I dreamed I was helping Kari and Drew move.  And then I dreamed my sister's family was moving.  And I was helping them all with their daggone contact paper.  However, my sister's move was thwarted because my BIL was sick (in the aforementioned dream) so they postponed for a day or two and I was SO VERY EXCITED about the delay that I woke up, true story.  What is also true is that Rex has been sick in real life this very week, so I guess my horror at the sound of his voice when I called the other day crept into my dreams.

All that to say I really really don't wanna relocate any boxes for at least a month or 20.


(Not that it hasn't been worth every single box, of course.)


And in other, oh so slightly-related news, looky at what my Katie's got going on?

Looks like I got here just in time :)

Safe Trust and Undeserved Grace

If I close my eyes I could almost believe I'm 26 years younger and holding my firstborn in my arms.


(Well.  That sounded terribly melodramatic, didn't it, ha!)


A mom doesn't forget the birth of her child.

She just doesn't.


And evidently it never feels more than a closing of the eyes away.


Katie was born amidst a flurry of drama and activity after my doctor discovered on a routine visit that I had preeclampsia.  So they decided right then and there to do a C-section.  You can imagine the frantic goings-ons as we tracked down her dad and other family members while preparing me for surgery.  

I was much too young to be even remotely concerned.  Now that I'm creeping toward oldness I realize that had to be an unsettling time for family who had a clue, but I was all YAY BABY and not the least bit worried.  About 5:32 p.m. (give or take, ha!) she was born and life was never the same.


The end.


Yeah, not so much :)


When my first child was born my life was a swirl of stress and fear, and off-the-charts anxiety.  I couldn't imagine how something so perfect (again, ha!) could be growing in the midst of such real-life hard but isn't God wonderful to insert the wonderful right in the middle of all our hard.


Even when the hard is often of our own making. 


Due to physical maladies, Katie was the baby I never expected to have.  I really hadn't even asked for her...I had already accepted adoption would be my probable path.  And yet there she was.  Here she is.  The deepest desire of my heart in the form of utter joy placed in my arms when I least expected it.


Oh how I love Him so much for that!





(A Thousand Gifts #956-966)


beauty in the middle of hard


fulfilled heart desires and sometimes He doesn't even wait to be asked


trust in a safe place


sweet undeserved grace sprinkled through all of my days


talking without a point on the phone for a long time, and hearing her using her mommy-tone, and how she loves Jesus and how she loves her family, and how she wants to bring honor to His name


her smile, and her laugh, and her cranky face...all mostly the same to this mom


memory...another little something He gives us to make our lives beauty-full.




Happy Birthday Katie!

(I am so hugging you right now)

31 Days: I Love Being Their Mom

   



Have a great evening!

 **To read more of the 31 Days of Things I Love just click right here

Forty-Six

Well Folks, it was quite the weekend.

My birthday was Saturday.  Now I have known this for quite some time because although I quite often forget the birthdays of my friends, my peeps, and occasionally the mailman, I have never once in all these many long fast years forgotten my own.   

I was expecting it to be moderately busy because I was throwing a shower for one of my favorite mama-to-be's ever on Saturday morning, and also my little brother (who is now waay bigger than me) and his family were driving in from Knoxville to spend Labor Day Weekend with us.  Frankly I was giddy with anticipation, and already my cup was full.

Well. 

As it turns out, that was just the beginning. 

Late the other night my doorbell rang, and there stood sweet Audrey in the dark just waiting for a hug :)  And a very Happy birthday to me!  I can't even tell you how excited and thankful I was to be able to see "my babies" and my daughter on my birthday.  Of course I had secretly wished I could maybe catch a glimpse of their faces at some point, but to actually have them spend the weekend with me was certainly far more than I had hoped for.  Kate's a busy mama with quite the full life going on at home these days, and I completely get that.

I actually had a bit of a tummy situation going on all weekend that we won't get into on the worldwideweb so I was quite pleased and content to consider lying around and watching some Kipper & what have you when I wasn't showering Samshe or hugging Keith.

Well.

As it turns out, that was just the beginning.

Kari came by the next morning with her two littles, and we had barely said our hello's and can-you-believe-they're-here's when she says they have more.  Turns out Katie came to town with a mission, and the mission was not to just eat my Friday's leftovers.  

She and Kari had BIG PLANS to completely re-do my bedroom Extreme Bedroom Makeover style.  All I needed to do was snuggle the littles while they disappeared for approximately 30 hours behind closed doors.  Oh! and I needed to get whatever I would need out of my room because I wasn't allowed back in.  

What followed included all manner of banging and thumping around, and yes, my very favorite scent...paint fumes wafting down the stairs :)

Needless to say, my weekend shifted dramatically from moderately busy to FULL-ON CRAZY just that fast.  Just the way I like it :)

In approximately 20 minutes I was wearing all manner of Gerber in my hair and on my person, we had scattered Cheetos and assorted edible miscellany all around the floor, and the obligatory toys and cars and papers and diapers, etc. had landed in their usual places...underfoot, ha!

We snuggled, and giggled, and napped and refused to nap, and repeatedly answered repeated questions...and laughed hysterically at all The Crazy.  

What we didn't do was watch a single episode of Kipper.  Turns out when The Mysterious is taking place Noodle loses all interest in media.  She was all up in everybody's business all weekend long, and we were pretty much okay with that.

I'm not posting the before pictures because I have my pride.

We'll just say that my former bedroom was the room that received zero tender loving care...no matchy-matchy, no precious little theme...not really even any furniture.  It was where all my home decor went to die.  When you are funds-limited you have to prioritize, and the room no one ever saw but me was certainly expendable.  

But I have to tell you, waking up in my pretty room with all the love splashed all over the walls?  It's the gift that will keep on giving.

I loved-loved the new bedding, and the new headboard/footboard combo...I loved-loved the shelves Drew hung (love you Drew!!)...I loved-loved the Pinterest-y ideas for art by the babies...and OH THE JOY at the sight of those bright yellow curtains. 

But the thing that stirs up the deep in my heart and makes me thankful to be a mama is not how they wanted to work so hard on my behalf, or their generosity, or even their desire for my life to be a little prettier...but how they know me, how they listen to things I've said over time about things I like, and how they understand what matters to me.  

It appears that my kids get me.  And as someone who has always struggled with feeling like enough and with feeling worth the effort, I can't even articulate how valuable a gift it is to me...to be gotten :)

I'm just going to say it because it has to be said.

I love you Katie, and I love you Kari.

I actually feel sorry for all the other parents in the world who don't have you for their very own :)

Happy Tuesday!

Four!

Happy Anniversary Jeremy & Katie!

I love you :)

Five Minute Friday: Motherhood Should Come With...

It's Friday!  So without preamble...


{Start}


I think motherhood should come with a pause button so we can sit and stay a while in those precious times when everything lines up just right, and we are all happy and smiling and clean...and life feels just too full to bear.

It should also come with a rewind button so we can hop back just a bit (or a lot!) and undo the cranky tones and frowny faces and exasperated sighs and distracted hearts - -

- - and also so we can re-do the big days, like when she toddled into my arms that first time, or that first day of school...the day I drove away from her freshman dorm or that last night with my babies sleeping in their own beds before becoming married women.  


Yes, a go-back button would be quite desirable to help grab the tail of those days that fly by in a lightening-fast blur.


That little hollering bundle of joy should come with an unlimited supply of tissues, and energy, and extra time - and an always-turned-on video camera to capture all the things going unnoticed while busy wiping up the messes.

Motherhood should come with perspective, and patience, a great sense of humor, clear priorities, and an unlimited supply of understanding the big picture.


Right from the start, motherhood should come with a warning that my heart will never be truly safe again, that it will fill with unfathomable highs and break with remarkable ease.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

{Stop}

Happy Friday!



p.s.  I went over approximately five minutes on this one.  To my shame that means I doubled my time limit.  Very not cool, I know.  I'm officially sorry for breaking the rules - - next week I'm back on the straight and narrow, so to speak :)  Have a great weekend!

That Katie, I love her

We celebrated Katie's birthday this weekend.  She is now 25 years old! 

There are lots of things I would like to go on and on about, but she is a very private person, and I'm not gonna lie... she told me in no uncertain terms that she did not want me to wax poetic about all of her wonderfulness. 

This is so hard because one of my favorite things to do in the whole world is to wax poetic. 

I want to say things like, "Isn't she beautiful?" 

 

...and, "She's such a wonderful mommy..."

But it is her birthday, so I'm going to respect her wishes and refrain from the like.  Therefore, instead of all the bad poetry, and bragging, and maybe even sliding toward the gushy & sentimental, I'm going to do as I do each Monday morning.  I'm going to share a few of the lovely ways God has brought beauty to my life...this week through the life of my beautiful birthday girl :)

 






















So on this sunny, Valentine-y, Monday morning I am feeling particularly thankful...

for my daughter, who loves Jesus and wants to make Him happy...who is principled, and strong, and has a clear sense of right and wrong

for her sense of humor, and patience, and love of family

for her understanding of priority and willingness to sacrifice the convenient for the eternal

for the pure joy I experience as I watch my daughter mother her babies

for staying connected with our kinda/sorta regular chats about sometimes a lot and sometimes nothing much

for giggles on road trips, sharing large quantities of chocolate, and enduring the teasing when my two girls team up to mock and ridicule...me

for remembering again, for perhaps the 42-millionth time, how completely, and beautifully, and undeservedly I have been blessed with the gift of being a mom

Twenty-five years ago Katie was my miracle baby...

and today? 

Well.

Today I still find her completely miraculous!

It's not even a cliche, my friends....I really am most abundantly blessed :)

Happy Happy Monday!
Renee

(A Thousand Gifts #291-305)

Happy Birthday, Katie!

  

I may or may not have more to say on the subject tomorrow,

but for today feel free to join me in thanking God for this

awfully-special daughter of mine :)

Love you Kate!

Momm

I miss my girls!

Come home soon!

Love,
your fabulous mommy

Five Minute Friday: The Women

Oh Five-minute Fridays, how you challenge and liberate me so. 

Today's topic?  Women.  Hmmm.

I'm finding this little exercise rather intimidating this week for some reason, primarily because I like to talk a lot  and I'm not sure I can even begin to articulate the thoughts popping into my head when contemplating women, in only FIVE MINUTES.  It's easier - and harder - than you might think :) 

However, I'm nothing if not game, so here goes.

{Start}

I just got off the phone with Kari. 

Sometimes I'm shocked when talking with my sweet baby girl at how grown up she is.  When God gifted me with my daughters 20-some-odd years ago I didn't understand the magnitude of that gift.  I knew those sweet babies were precious, but oh the wonderfulness of having these dear women in my life.

Who knew that in some ways the adults would be even more fun, and dare I say - even more terrific  than the babies I couldn't get enough of?

These little girls have done me proud.  They are friends and wives and teachers and leaders who love Jesus with all their hearts and are routinely encouraging the other women in their lives.  I'm so grateful that God trusted me with them for a little while when tiny...but I'm even more grateful that we are able to share our lives together now.  Who knew that those sweet things could and would teach me so much?

{Stop}

Fun!  Feel free to link over with Lisa-Jo and give it a whirl.

Oh! - and have a simply swell Friday!
Renee

Watching My Daughter...

...with her son...

...leaves me with wordless.

Happy Wednesday!
Renee

(Beautiful photos taken by Kari)

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Today's musical selection is Away in a Manger.  Enjoy!