Lift Up Your Hearts With a Smile-- It's Family Time

I think I've been putting this off for fear that someone is going to get mad at me.  .  Emma had a four day weekend not too long ago so we planned a trip home so that we could catch up with everyone.  Well, that four day trip ended up turning into a two day trip since we had a long photo shoot on Thursday night and we didn't end up getting everything ready to leave until after lunch on Friday and we had to get up at the crack of dawn on Monday to get back for a parent teacher conference.  So, as usual, we did not have time to see everyone we wanted to see.  There are some dear friends from high school that I haven't seen in years and I didn't see any of my dad's side of the family this round.

It was the first time I had been home since Tony's funeral in May and I was just sort of longing to be with other people that understood the enormity of how the world has changed since losing him.  The girls had been asking me about Tyler (Tony's son) non-stop and I  felt like we needed to be near them.  All of us getting together was a painful reminder that Tony wasn't with us..  But, it was almost like I could hear his laughter mixed in the conversation in the next room.  So bittersweet.. We have so many precious memories.  But they are still so painful to think of.. I love them all so much.  

My hope is that we'll have a little bit more time when we go home during Christmas break.   Here are a few highlights from our trip.. We made a point to get family pictures as I'm determined to get more acquainted with my tri-pod so that I'm in more pictures. The one  in the middle is my favorite and totally captures who my family is and who we want to be.  I decided to hold on to the rest until we decided what everyone wants to put on their Christmas cards.  

Blessings,

Dana

... AND LOVE REMAINS

The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.  NLT James 1:11

Over the course of my life, I've spent a lot of time studying James 1: 1-8.  It's the go-to scripture when trials come into your life.  I actually have most of that scripture memorized.  Here's the "Dana Ellis Modern-Day-Paraphrased-Version":

 When life does what life does, and gets tough; be happy about it.  When we face trials, our faith is tested.  And when our faith is tested, we develop perseverance and perseverance is the thing that develops character.  So hang in there, and let perseverance develop.  One day, you will look back on those trials and know that you are fully developed and not lacking in anything because you survived them.  

If you lack wisdom, if you don't know what to do about these trials...Ask God.   But, ask without doubting.  Keep hold of your emotions and keep your head on straight and know that God is going to handle this.  When you're unsure, you are like a wave tossed about the sea and blown around like the wind.  Reacting to trials in that way causes a person to be wishy-washy and terribly unstable...and that never helps anything.

It might not be eloquent, but that's how it translates in my mind.  And though I can't say that I've grown to the point that I am happy about facing trials, I have begun to endure them with the knowledge that there is a purpose for them.   But, when I was reading Karen Kingsbury's "Above the Line" series (which I highly recommend) and James 1:11 was mentioned, I realized that I had been stopping short at verse 8.  As it turns out, verse 11 actually validates why we should consider it pure joy.

Since losing my cousin Tony in May and my friend Susan in September,  the past few months have really been for me a time of evaluating the things that I make priorities in my life.  James 1:11 solidified those thoughts for me:

The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.  NLT James 1:11

So often, life gets in the way and I find myself wasting a lot of my time, resources, energy, etc. on things that aren't permanent.  I have really started trying to ask myself: "Am I investing in something eternal here?  When it's all wrapped up and said and done is what I'm worrying about here going to matter?"  And I'm learning that a lot of time, the answer is "no",  I am learning that often, I, my family, my friends and the world will be better off if I turn my attention,f my time and my heart in another direction.  

God, please help me to make your concerns my concerns.  And please give me peace about those things on which I unnecessarily waste my time, effort and heart.

Blessings,

Dana

Rainy Day Activity-- Bathtub Fun

I'm gonna make this quick as my bottom is not enjoying the hard bathroom floor that it is sitting on.  It's a rainy day here in South Carolina.  And though we desperately need the rain,  rainy days leave me looking for activities that won't have us sitting in front of the TV all day. 

 Solution:  Bathtub paints.. So easy to make and chances are, you already have everything you need at home.

What you need:  

Baby shampoo

food coloring

paint brush

small containers for holding paint

camera to capture your materpiece

Simply put five drops of shampoo and five drops of food coloring in separate containers for each color you want.  When the masterpiece is done, take a picture, then hand your child an old wash cloth (this might stain). Have you child go to town washing the walls.  Finally, rinse child and bathtub and you have a clean artist and a clean bathtub.

Caution: While this washes off quite easily from fiberglass or marble tubs, it does not wash easily from grout.  I learned this lesson the hard way when our non-toxic fun resulted in me resorting to bleach for clean up in my bathtub which is surrounded in tile and grout.    

 

Blessings,

Dana

Meet Lizzy

As in Lizard.  As in the one that Emma caught as her pet and is now loose in my dining room.

Who said I needed boys?  

And the other side of Sisters..

You might recall the super sweet picture that I posted of the girls a week or so ago.  Well, I have several posts that I need to do but I just couldn't wait to get this one up.  Here are a few of the pictures I snapped before we went trick-or-treating..

This is Emma refusing to smile at Chloe

And this is Emma after Chloe hit her on the head with her pumpkin because she wouldn't smile.  

And what was I doing?  Creating a future in which I will regret the past because I was laughing instead of parenting..  I'm still laughing.. The other picture was posed.. This is truly them..  Just keeping it real.. 

Blessings,

Dana

Halloween

Posted on November 23, 2010

Her First Love

Scene: A mother and two daughters in the car driving through town, passing a church.

Three year old, Chloe: That's where mom and dad got married.

Very old feeling mom: No, dad and I got married in Alabama.  But that kind of looks like where we got married.

Chloe:  I'm getting married

Seven year old, Emma: giggles

Mom: You are, who are you going to marry?

Chloe: I'm going to marry my daddy
.
Mom:  (quickly wipes away tears and reaches for the phone to tell daddy the good news.. )

But  [she] treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.  Luke 2:19

Blessings,

Dana

Sisters

Thoughts on Life AFTER Diapers...

Can you believe it?  The Ellis house is diaper free!  

Clearly, I didn't have much foresight when I came up with the name for my blog..  But, in my defense, I started this blog  when my oldest was still in diapers.  And, with at least one other child in the plans, it seemed as if diapers would be a permanent part of motherhood...   I never imagined that I would stick with blogging...  But here we are, over five years later...

Oh wait... let me answer the questions I just raised when I said "at least".. As far as planning goes.. We're done.. Though we have not taken official steps to take care of this..  I'm not sure I want to take votes on what should be done about this issue.  However, if your opinion is that my husband should take care of this matter since I birthed the babies, I know he'd be thoroughly stoked to hear your thoughts.    Anyway,  Emma and Chloe have made it clear that they don't want a baby brother.   If we could have stuck another one in the middle of Emma and Chloe, we might have gone for three..  But, they are getting to ages where we're really being able to do some fun things with them.. And I think we're happy where we are... Plus, I'm really nervous about the thought of being outnumbered anyway.

Anyway, despite my refusal to admit that Chloe was old enough to be potty trained, the kid succeeded in potty training herself.. So I waited until we were officially totally out of diapers, even at night, because I didn't want to have to change my blog name.. I know, lame..  But, my clever friend Jay came up with a solution that wouldn't rock my little mommy world too much.  And who knows,  maybe I'll keep this long enough to take that "after" back off when I have grand babies..  It'll be here before we know it!

So to those mommies out there who are up to their elbows in baby poop... It really does "pass".  Pun intended.. And despite what people who have clearly forgotten what it was like to be covered poop say... You might miss the sweet, sweet diaper days when you hung the moon and they didn't have the ability to talk back.. But, YOU WILL NOT MISS THE POOP...

Blessings,

Dana