Gianna's first birthday party

I realize that this post should have been up a month ago, but I almost didn't write it, and then decided that I wanted Gia to have the memory.  My hesitation was that we couldn't invite everyone who we love, and who love Gia, and I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by posting pictures of the party.  Our budget and our backyard just weren't big enough to invite everybody we would have liked.  But I hope that those people can forgive me, and know that I'm writing this post for Gia, and not to make anyone feel bad.
The weather on the morning of the party started out cloudy, almost as if rain was looming.  It had rained the Saturday before, so I was a little nervous that it might rain on her party.  And since the party was outside, that would have really put a damper on things.  Fortunately, before the party started, the sun came out & made it a gorgeous day!  My kid picked a good time of year to be born.
The theme for Gianna's party was a rainbow theme.  I love lots of bold colors, especially on Gia, and I thought this idea was awesome and original.  Of course, when I looked up "rainbow themed party" on line to get some ideas, I realized that it's a pretty popular theme.  Oh well :o)  That also meant that people had come up with some GREAT ideas.  Like a 6 layer rainbow cake, rainbow balloon banner and tissue pom-poms.  We had great friends show up and celebrate with us, making it such a special day.
Cori and Mari helped me make these.  I got the idea on pinterest, and decided to do two of each color.  Turns out, they are super cheap to make and make a great decoration!  I went to the dollar store and spent $5 on materials (but I ended up having to get more tissue paper at Target in order to make orange ones).  So, here was the finished product:

The balloon banner I got off a another blog.  I couldn't have done it without my mother-in-law.  She's amazing with a needle and thread.  I think it turned out really well.

For the food, I chose to do one food of each color of the rainbow.  This was my own idea, not from another blog or website :o)  Red = Watermellon, Orange = cheeze balls, Yellow = Lemonade, Green = green jello (it's a Utah thing), Blue = chips, Purple = Grapes.  Then I had some rainbow candy in jars and a vase of skittles with flowers.  I had a game going where whoever guessed the right amount of skittles in the vase got to take it home, but the vase got knocked over a couple of times, and Hannah ate some of the skittles, so I ended up giving it to Josiah.  He made a guess;  I have no idea if he was right or not.

We also had hotdogs for everyone, and a trampoline to entertain all the kids.  I think they had fun!

And then there was the cake.  I was nervous to make it because I had never made a 6-layer cake before, but I'm so glad I did!  Since Bobby's mom was with me, I felt more confident that she could help me.  She made the icing from scratch (it was awesome!), but I have to admit that the pilsbury dough boy made the cake.  I did dye each layer and stack the cake, though!  I was so excited that it turned out.  I got the idea from pinterest, but I put my own twist on it:  I put blue sprinkles on the top so that when you cut into it, it would be like the blue sky on top, white clouds on the bottom, and then the rainbow.  And then, because no cake is complete without some chocolate, I piped a litte and put mini M&Ms around the bottom.

Gia had her own cake that I had ordered from Smith's (only $2.50!), and she had fun with it.  However, I think that the watermelon was her favorite thing of the day.

Nola enjoyed it, too!

We used Gia's wagon (that Grandmama and Granddaddy got her) to hold her presents, and then we opened some of them outside.

The last neat thing that we planned was getting everyone who came to sign her scrapbook.  I got the idea from my dad, who made a birthday poster for everyone to sign at my first birthday party.  I am so touched that he did that for me, and love having it, but it's big and it just sits downstairs.  So I made Gia some scrapbook pages that she can keep in her room.  Years from now she can read back over these encouraging words and know how much she is loved.

You are so special to us, little girl.  We love you unconditionally and are so blessed to watch you grow.  Happy birthday, Gianna!  Mama already has next year's theme planned...

And thank you so much to Laura Ewton for taking all the pictures for us!  You have blessed us immensely with these memories!!

Sweet NOLA friends

We were excited to go to the SB Convention in New Orleans (and vote for Fred Luter!), but if I'm totally honest, my true joy was seeing all of my sweet friends that I miss so much.  This verse runs through my head everytime I think of my Westwego peoples:

"I thank my God everytime I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now... It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart..."   Philippians 1:3-7

I can't express the love I have for these people; my heart aches to see them again.  I desperately want to take them all to Utah with me!

I love these sweet children!  Canon, Bethany, Ella, and of course Gia!

I was always sad that we left Westwego just as Katie and her husband had joined the church and we begun hanging out.  And now they have a sweet baby, Tripp (which we helped give him his nick-name :o) )

Marcia, my dear friend!  I miss our talks and your Boston Cream dessert!  She always has a smile on her face, no matter the circumstances.

Janna and Daniel!  We love your humor and your music!  I miss hearing ya'll lead us in worship.  It was so special to spend time with them and introduce them to Gia.

Chris and Sena had us over for dinner one night, and we ate Sena's famous Red Beans and Rice!  There has never been a more sacrifical couple than these two.  They practically made our wedding happen!  I miss them so much!

My buddy Canon!  Such a special young man.  With everything he's been through, he has mantained the sweetest spirit I've ever met.  We are BFF.

Gia loved him, too!

WILL!  Bobby's roommate...that I had to kick out so that I could move in after marrying Bobby.  But he got my old room in the church, so it was a trade.  Right, Will?  I miss laughing with you, Will, and I know Bobby misses giving you a hard time :o)

Bill Taylor, Bobby's old boss and our dear friend.  He will never know the impact he has had on our lives.  And to his lovely wife Rose, not pictured, we love you as well!

Dana, I MISS you!!  I miss talking about Jesus with you and seeing your smiling face!  She never has a harsh word to say about anyone.  Such a sweet friend!

Pastor JayAHHHH!  Bobby and I could write a whole book on how you have changed our lives.  You are the reason we are married (well, you and the Lord), and you have deeply affected our theology and the way we view ministry.  We miss you so much, Jay.

Bryan and Amanda came over for a visit while we were in New Orleans, too!  What a fun couple!  I miss laughing and talking with you guys, and I can't watch Phantom of the Opera anymore because it makes me think of you, which makes me sad.  Come see us in Utah!

Amanda S, you have grown into such an amazing, capable young woman.  You are doing a fantastic job raising your son.  He's a great kid!  Keep seeking the Lord in what you do.  He will be faithful in your life.  I was so glad that we got to spend time with them during our NOLA visit!

The precious Adkins family!  My heart is so full of love for you.  Quint has gone from a smart, funny, loving little boy that I watched graduate from kindergarten, to a SUPER smart, funny, loving young man.  You are going to do great things!  Michelle, you have raised wonderful boys!  You are such a great mom.  I miss just hanging out with you and hearing your wise advice.  Sigh.  Come visit us!

My two favorite quotes from our week:

Quint: "We have to go to Baskin Robbins, because Lindsay is here and that's what we always do."

Canon:  "...and then I could hang out with my best friends."   Me:  "Who's your best friend?"   Canon: "You are!"

And finally, the Eslers.  Organized, talented Kelli, smart, laid-back George, caring, generous Bethany, and fun, spirit-filled Ella.  We spent the week at their house while we were in NOLA, and stayed up way too late watching the Duggars and talking theology.  I miss having these friends close to us.  Kelli, no one else (except the other Kelly) loves all the same TV shows that I do.  I wish we could watch them together all the time!  Thank you SO much for your hospitality, motherly advice, and friendship.  

Sweet Bethany, loving on Ella and Gia.

Bobby's buddy, Bethany.  

There are other friends that we love dearly who, for some reason, I didn't get pictures with.  Billy & Mae, Denise, the Crespos, and many others.  I have a full heart of love for you all, and I miss you so much.  I hope that we can visit you again (sooner than 2 1/2 years!).  And Denise, thank you for the Mardi Gras beads!  Gianna LOVES them!

NOLA... my heart

Six years ago, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, devastating thousands.  After that day, my heart was forever sealed in the city of New Orleans.  I took multiple mission trips there to do Disaster Relief, and spent a summer with Kelly in Westwego (15 minutes outside New Orleans).  There are so many reasons I love this city.  Namely, the people, but that's for another blog post.  Today I wanted to remember the little things that make New Orleans special, so that one day Gianna can look back and know why her mom and dad talk about it all the time.

Have you ever had a Po Boy?  They're awesome... particularly in NOLA because the fish are so fresh.

These railroad cars give so much character to the French Quarter.  We've had fun riding them, but also been faced with bad-mouthing drunks sitting in front of us.  You take the good with the bad.  Fun times.

Everywhere you go, people have town-spirit, especially when you talk about the Saints.  I saw so many "who-dat" signs... they made me smile everytime.  I love how people in this city are connected by a love for the same football team.  They take pride in the Saints and root together for them to win.  My pictures aren't great, but I did the best I could while in the car.

The bridges.  Kelly and I love the bridges.  They are so beautiful, and you can see the whole city everytime you get on the highway.  I've never experienced any highway system like the one in NOLA.  

Fleur De Lis.  Everywhere you look, there is a fleur de lis.  Even on the trash cans!  Everytime I see one now, my heart gets happy and I am tempted to buy whatever it is that has the symbol on it.

Red Beans and Rice, the most delicious meal you've ever tasted.  I know, if you've never had it before, it sounds really strange and not at all what you'd want for dinner.  I remember eating it at a meeting when I was a NAMB missionary there, and I thought, "this is what they're giving us for lunch?"  But one bite later (and especially after eating Sena's red beans), I was hooked.  I'm working on perfecting my recipe.

And the sky.  I don't know if it's because NOLA is below sea level, or because I just love the city so much, but there is no sky more beautiful than here.  The clouds often look so low you could touch them, and sometimes in the morning the sky turns a rich purple-red.  I could ride over those bridges looking at the New Orleans sky for hours.

And, in case you were wondering, yes we did name our dog after the city.  Nola = NOLA (New Orleans LouisianA)

Friendship over Freedom

I don't have any pictures for this blog, but these two things were too cute for me not to write about.  

1.  Yesterday, I was putting away laundry in Gia's room.  Gia was playing near me, and she crawled up and began handing me the ::already folded:: laundry.  So I would take a onesie from her, say "Thank you!" refold it, and put it away just in time to recieve another one from her.  She was so happy to be helping me!  Hopefully she will continue to love helping me with things, and do it as cheerfully as she did yesterday!

2.  I had forgotten one of my letters when I went to the post office, so I came back to look for it.  Now, don't freak out... I left Gia in the car for a whole 10 seconds as I went into the kitchen to get the letter, and I left the car doors open for ventilation.  I was hurrying, so I closed the gate but didn't lock it.  When I came back out, the gate was wide open, and Nola wasn't responding to her name.  I ran down the driveway to see if I could see her, but she wasn't there.  I figured she had run around the back of the neighborhood, so I went to get Gia out of the car, and there was Nola.  Sitting in the back at Gianna's feet.  I laughed, then scolded Nola, put her in the kennel, and continued to laugh.  Nola loves that little baby!  She'd rather play with her friend Gia then escape to freedom... makes my heart happy :o)

The Plank

I was sanding down a bench that we had in the garage on Saturday morning.  I wore gloves and had a large piece of sand paper that I was working with, so I thought I would be safe.  Unfortunately as I was sanding, a chunck of wood broke off and implanted itself in my hand.  There was a little piece sticking out, so I tried to pull it out... FYI, don't do that.  Obviously, it broke, and I was left with a searing pain in my palm.  

I ran to the bathroom and soaked my hand for about 10 minutes.  Bobby tried to squeeze it out, but I just cried and cried, so he stopped.  We decided to go to Urgent Care and have the doctor look at it.  On the way there I moved my pinky and felt a sharp pain.  It was then that I realized the splinter had gone clear across my hand and was pushing the skin out at the base of my pinky finger.  We knew at that point that the doctor was probably going to have to do something more invasive to get it out.  We started refering to it as a "plank" because, as Gina said, "splinter just seems too insignificant."  It made me think of the Bible verse that says, "...first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  

We got to the doctor and signed in.  I got a funny look when I said, "I have a really bad splinter."  Who goes to Urgent Care for a splinter?  What a wuss.  When the nurse came and got me, she took us in the office and got information from me.  As she was typing, I asked her, "do you have novocain here?"  She kind of laughed, apparently thinking I was being dramatic, and after a pause said, "I don't know if that's necessary, but yes, we do have lidocaine here."  

Well, turns out I was not being dramatic.  The doctor came in, also thinking it was no big deal, took one look at my hand and said, "hmm, I need to go get my tools."  He said that he had only seen a splinter that bad on one other person who sat down on a bench the wrong way.  So, after a little bit, the nurse came in to prep my hand.

The doctor (actually, he was a PA) numbed my hand up really well (it took him 2 tries), and then spent about 15 minutes trying to dig it out.  He kept saying that it was bleeding too much for him to see what he was doing, but he could feel the "plank" with his needle.  At one point he said to us, "if I can't get it out, I may have to call a hand surgeon in to make an incision."  Not a great thing to say in that moment.  After a long time, he finally was able to push the plank up and grab it with the tweezers.  He got the whole thing out (thank you, Lord!) and it was an inch long!  

I also had to have a tetanus shot, which now hurts worse than my hand.  Oh well, I needed one anyway.  Bobby and I had planned a date that morning while his parents watched Gia.  We kept joking that it wasn't what we imagined, but at least we were creative in our dates and got to spend some quality time together.  But hopefully this will be the last time we spend our date in Urgent Care.