Thanksgiving

I realize this year just how blessed I am. God has blessed me in ways I could never have imagined 10 or even 5 years ago.

He has given me an amazing husband who adores me (he even texted me so!). He gave me the gorgeous red-head to make me a mom for the first time. He allowed us to adopt Mac and share our love and receive his. And just 10 weeks ago, God granted us a second son in Jay who is a joy and whose toothless grins melt my heart.

But I am also blessed with amazing parents who would move the world for us. Fabulous in-laws who support us and love keeping the kids. Terrific friends who will drop what they're doing to be with you and help you.

Not to mention our new house. The washer and dryer that are STILL going after 13 years. Food in the pantry. Shoes on our feet, clothes to go in that washer and dryer.

I am so thankful for all of this! It's so easy to look and God and say all the things you want, ignoring the things you have. If you live in America, Canada, the UK, Australia and other advanced countries - you have way more than most of the rest of the world. Be thankful! Thank the good Lord for the things you have already been given!

Happy Mother's Day

I wanted to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, grandmas, aunts, foster moms, and want to be moms out there.
Whether you can hug your children this weekend or not I pray you have a blessed time and that God will bring your prayers to fruition.

Happy Mother's Day!

Greek Easter & The Red Eggs

Christos Anesti!
Christ is Risen!

My dad's family is Greek Orthodox, and even though I'm not, we still like to celebrate Greek Easter. Teaching my children to say, "Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!" has been one of my parenting highlights.


If you're not familiar, it translates to "Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!"
In Greek, Easter is called Pascha, pronounced PAHS-kha. Or it might be referred to as Anastasi (ah-NAH-stah-see), which means resurrection.


This year, Greek Orthodox Easter is April 15th, but occasionally Orthodox and "Western" Easter line up.


So what makes Greek Easter so special? I'm so glad you asked!


One of the big things we do in MY family is to do Red Eggs.

Red eggs (in Greek: kokkina avga, κόκκινα αυγά, pronounced KOH-kee-nah ahv-GHAH) are perhaps the brightest symbol of Greek Easter, representing the blood of Christ and rebirth. We also dye eggs other colors, but rarely will a Greek Easter be celebrated without lots of red eggs. 

We play a game with these eggs called Tsougrisma and it involves two players and red eggs.

Each player holds a red egg, and one taps the end of her/his egg lightly against the end of the other player's egg. The goal is to crack the opponent's egg. When one end is cracked, the winner uses the same end of her/his egg to try to crack the other end of the opponent's egg.
The player who successfully cracks the eggs of the other players is declared the winner and, it is said, will have good luck during the year.
The word tsougrisma means "clinking together" or "clashing." In Greek: τσούγκρισμα, pronounced TSOO-grees-mah. 

We play around the entire table, you try to crack the eggs of the person to your left and right, and whoever ends up with the last un-cracked egg wins. 

Of course, playing egg games is not what Easter is all about - Protestant or Orthodox.
It's about the Resurrection of Christ. The slaying and raising of the Holy Lamb, the Perfect Sacrifice.
Orthodox Christians (like Catholics, Greek and Russian Orthodoxes) observe Lent - a period of fasting of some sort for 40 days. They attend services on Good Friday and again on Resurrection Sunday. 


But the Eggs... the Eggs white and pure, unblemished like Christ. Dyed RED to show that Christ took on our sins, then cracked like the opening of the empty tomb.
They pretty much sun up Greek Easter for me.

 

*Just a note, Greek Easter is next week, but we typically celebrate on regular Protestant Easter.

I Learned a Lot Last Year

I know the popular thing in a New Year is to post resolutions, but since last year I resolved to not make any more resolutions, I'm not doing that. But I did want to tell you what I'm proud of from my 2011.

• It's okay to cry publicly. 
• Since the loss of our sweet baby in early April, I have had several people come to me telling me that my story has helped them through their own journey's with infertility and miscarriage. While I would never wish the loss of a child on anyone, I am so grateful that I can be a Christian sister to those enduring such a hardship. I have learned that through this small platform of the blogging world, I can be "Jesus with skin on" to someone who needs it desperately.
• I can do anything I set my mind to doing.
• This week I have come incredibly close to finishing my second novel. It's an amazing feeling. And there are so many times I have felt more than overwhelmed with my writing because I'm trying to write while the kids are at school, while they're watching TV or while I should be spending time with my spouse. It's so hard to balance it all. Of course, the book comes after the family, but I still have done my best by it and I am so thrilled to say that it's just about done! Two novels! If only I could get them published!
•  I attended a blogging conference.
• Attending Bloggy Boot Camp in October was one of the biggest highlights of my year. Most of the local writer's conferences I want to attend are both expensive and inconvenient time-wise. But this blogging conference (and hopefully more to come) was such a blessing to me! I loved meeting the other women and connecting with people who have passions very much like mine!
• I supported a friend in need.
• I'd like to say I supported every friend I had have who had a need this year. But two in particular had some rough things happen this year and I am so happy to have been able to support them, encourage them and love on them through their hard times! I hope that I was able to be an effective witness for the love of Christ and that they know they can come to me any time!
• I helped someone make a decision toward adoption.
• You know this is a big one for me! I have a friend who has been talking about adopting for a while now, but one day I said to her, "What are you waiting for? Don't wait for 'the right time' to come along, because it never will. THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME!" And you know what? She seized the moment and spoke with her husband about adoption. They signed up to go to an informational meeting in January. Only God can move someone to adopt, but sometimes a person needs a little push to take that step and I cried happy tears when she said they were going to a meeting soon!
• I taught my children the real meaning of Christmas.
• My kids know what Christmas is all about. They know Santa is just a character and that Jesus is the star of the show. I am so proud of that! It excites me to no end that my children told everyone that Christmas is Jesus' Birthday. I can't wait for next year!

 There are so many other things I'm proud of accomplishing this year, but these are the biggies. 2011 was certainly an interesting year for me, I can't wait to see what 2012 brings!
What are your biggest accomplishments of 2011?

Santa Doesn't Come Here

I am recycling a post I did last year about this topic. My view hasn't changed, so neither has my post!

Sorry, Virginia, there isn't a Santa Claus.

I think I'm going to upset someone with this post. Oh well...

Why is it that at Christmas it's okay for your child to sit on the lap of a costumed complete stranger - one whom you have no idea where he was or what he was doing just an hour before? At any other time you would be clutching your child to you, running away from the laps of strange men like people running from a shark at the beach. And why else is it okay for said strange man to break into your house in the middle of the night while you and your children are SLEEPING? At any other time this would be a panicky situation and the police would be called.

And I don't want to hear about the "spirit of Christmas" making it okay. No. It's not fun. Imagine yourself as a 4-year-old. Mommy & Daddy are paranoid about making sure you don't go near strangers then they plop you down into the lap of one. He might be a child molester. You just don't know. And then telling that child he's going to break into your house?

There's a reason why children cry and scream when they see Santa. He's scary!

We don't do Santa at our house...but this is not (the whole reason) why we don't do Santa.
Now, I do appreciate Saint Nicholas and all he stands for. Saint Nicholas - the precursor to Santa Claus - was a Greek man and a Christian man. Nicholas was known for anonymously giving to those who had nothing. One of the most famous legends about him is when he provided a dowry for three young girls so that they could marry. He put the coins into their drying stockings hung over their fire.
In his legend, his name became the Dutch Sinterklaas (Saint Klaas). This gave way to the American Santa Claus, which roughly translates to Saint Claus (Claus being a short form of Nicholas).

So Santa was born out of the spirit of giving, which I think is wonderful. But in today's America, Christmas and Santa have come to represent the GIMME, GIMME, GIMME attitude of the world. We tend to think of Santa as a free pass to ask for and get whatever we want (provided we've been "good," which none of us really are).

We only give our children 3 gifts at Christmas. When the Magi came to see Jesus, he got 3 gifts, so that is our basis for 3. But we also do this to emphasize GIVING rather than RECEIVING. Marshall and I have worked hard to explain to the kids that we give presents to those we love as a way of showing that love. We only receive gifts because others love us.

Now, of course, we want the main point of Christmas to be Christ's birth. Not Santa & gifts. We want our children to know that while you can't see Jesus, He is there. His birth is why we have Christmas, not because we want presents. While watching Glee this week, one character said that Christmas trees were the "basis for Christmas." Um... no. I already covered trees before, but really. The world doesn't want us to think about Christmas having anything to do with Christ. I don't want to add to that for my children, Santa is a distraction.

Before we had children, we had friends (a revelation there!). One set of friends had two little girls and they said they did not do Santa. I was so intrigued and we talked at length about it. Marshall and I talked about it. We agreed.

One of the biggest reasons Marshall and I are not doing Santa in our house is that it is blatantly lying to children. Sure, it's pretend and fun, but my kids know when they're playing cowboys they're not really cowboys. With Santa, people want children to think he's actually real. I have a problem with that, purposely lying to my children. I can't do it. And if we lie about Santa, what's to keep them from thinking we're lying about God?

My kids know who Santa is. They've heard of him, but they will tell you that he's just a man in a costume. It's just pretend. They call "Santa hats" "Christmas hats," and most of the time little Santa figurines are called "Christmas men." We tell them about Saint Nicholas and how he was such a wonderful person who loved Jesus and people want to keep his spirit alive by pretending there's a Santa Claus.

Most of my friends do Santa with their children. I have told Sarah Bradley & Mac that people like to pretend he's real and to go along with it. But if she ruins it for your child, I'm sorry. But I won't apologize for for following my heart.

Thanksgiving Top 10

Tomorrow is the day we all have been waiting for - it's a month till Christmas!
No, I'm just kidding. I'm not ready for that yet. Tomorrow is the day we sit down with the families we have - be they the family we were born in to, adopted in to or those we chose for ourselves - and give thanks for all that we have.

It's been a rough few years for us. Everything with Mac's adoption, the expense involved, Marshall being in business for himself (which means not having a regular income). The kids are growing into the sassiest things alive. We had the miscarriage earlier this year. There are so many things we can look at and says, "Geez, it's been so hard (living a middle-class American life where we get to do things like eat every day and we have two cars and a mostly solid roof over our heads). You know, it's been hard."

But why is it so hard for us to realize just how blessed we are (you know, that we do get to eat not once a day, but any time we want! and that we have cars and electricity)? So I wanted to give you what I'm most thankful for this year.
Drumroll please...

1. The ability to stay home with my kids. Even though I would LOVE to have a career (not a job, a career), I realized this year just how blessed we are are I can stat home and raise the kids. Yes, my working would mean a  lot of our financial peace, but it's not worth the cost of our children's formative years. 
2. Smartphones. Yes, they're a hassle. They never work right. But through this awesome technology I can be in touch with anyone at the touch of a button. It's amazing to me that I can chat with my friends in Hong Kong and New Zealand any time I want. It's a blessing when prayers are needed.
3. My parents. They are awesome.
4. My in-laws. Also awesome.
5. New friends I have made this year. At the end of 2010 I felt very alone when the BFF & family moved to Mars (Okay, Texas. Might as well have been Mars). I'm so glad they're back and that I've also made some amazing other friends this year though my No Kids Allowed Mom's Club. Marshall and I have been hanging out with people over 4-foot-tall all year and it's been fantastic! I'm so thankful God brought me friends!
6. I'm thankful for my church. For the leadership we have, for the people who are passionate about spreading the word about Christ's unfailing love even when we fail.
7. My two BFFs. Michelle is an amazing person whom I love dearly. And Sindu has been my rock for the last 25 (gulp!) years and I love her so much. Without them I think this year would have sucked. A lot.
8. The three people I live with. Marshall, Thing 1 & Thing 2. They are the most amazing people I have ever met and I adore them all. God has blessed me more than I could ever know with them.
9. All the things I take for granted - food, hot (running!) water, sweet tea, scotch tape, television, insulation, ink pens, microwaves, cars, public schools, our teachers, freedom of speech and religion, toys, games, cameras, LIFE!
10. The ability to worship the Alpha and Omega, Adonai, El Roi, El Shaddai, Abba. Father. I am so, so blessed to live in a land where we can praise Him freely. I am so thankful to God for adopting me into His Forever Family. I am so unworthy, but He wanted me anyway. Praise Him!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours this Holy Day. May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Happy Halloween!

I just wanted to say Happy Halloween to all you gorgeous Ghouls and Ghosts out there, from my Family to yours!

The Three Lovely Butterflies and the Football Player

My Amazing Little Boy

My Gorgeous Little Girl

Boo!

Independence

Today I am blessed to be an American. Every day, I am blessed to be an American. A middle-class American. I could have been born anywhere in this world, and God chose to put me here and I praise Him for it. I know He has a plan for me, I only hope I can fulfill His plan in a way that makes Him happy.

4th of July Celebration Ideas

Independence Day is fast approaching, and I thought I would cover some family-fun activities we could all give a try this weekend:

1. Host a Neighborhood Parade. Okay, if you're like me, there are no other neighborhood kids, but maybe do a Facebook invite and ask your friends to come over for a mini-parade, some lemonade and cookies.
2. Light Sparklers, set off small-time fireworks, or just use some glowsticks to have twilight fun.
3. Play Games - like Flag Relay where kids run little flags back and forth. The winners can get some yummy cakepops.
4. Make cakepops. If you're not familiar with these sinfully delicious and easy-to-make treats, check out bakerella's site.
5. Host a lemonade stand. And be super-sweet and donate the money to a good cause like the United Way or a local mission organization.
6. Make fans. We all know it's about 10 bajillion degrees in SC in July (what? It is!), so these useful and patriotic fans would be a smash! 
7. Have a water-balloon fight. Come on, adults, you can join in, too.
8. Tell the kids WHY we have Independence Day - tea parties, Jefferson and Washington, the whole bit. Extra credit for acting it out with costumes.
9. Have a cookout. Invite over the fam and friends and crank up the old grill! Burgers, dogs, corn - what more could you ask for?
10. Watch Fireworks. Of course - this is a no-brainer.

Day of the Fathers

Today is Father's Day, in case you missed the 10,000 Lowe's commercials that have been on TV this month.

And in honor of Father's Day, I wanted to salute my dear husband, Marshall, who is an amazing father and husband. He provides for us, he puts up with my only slightly better than adequate cooking, he himself is an amazing cook who should do so more often, he handles the children when I decide I need to hide under my covers, and he kills bugs.

The bug thing is very important.

He's also wonderful because when I begged him to tell me something he wanted for this joyous and festive day, he could come up with nothing, so we all lugged off to Lowe's (home of the 10,000 commercials). He picked out a few things here and there so he could get back to fiddling with woodwork and graciously allowed me to buy Bakerella's Cake Pops book that cost more than his items combined (and hey - it was something like 25% off).

I thought, in honor of Dad's Day, I would do a Top 10 things that make a good dad.

1. He keeps Mom happy.
2. He allows the kids to use him as a pony & jungle gym.
3. He changes poopy diapers.
4. He gives the kids a bath at least once a week.
5. He lets the kids play with his iPhone/Droid even though they make the screen sticky.
6. He agrees to tea parties with Mr. Snuggles and Mrs. Pricklybottom.
7. He knows when to hand over the car keys and when not to.
8. He attempts to listen and discipher his drama queen daughter's latest plight, but in the end turns it over to Mom.
9. He sticks up for his son when he's being picked on.
10. He prays with his family each day.

Whether you've been a dad for a few days or a few decades, we honor all of you father's out there!

And to the father of my children (yes, I mean Marshall!), thank you for all you do. I love you!

The Unspoken Hero

Today is Mother's Day.

And today I want to recognize all the moms out there who are missing children from their arms.

Whether it is from infertility, loss...however those arms are empty. There are moms out there without children. They are my hero today.

We went through a few years before SB was born where the minute we walked into church I stood out in the crowd. One of the only ladies who did not have a carnation handed to her to mark her as a mother. Those were difficult times. People told us we needed to get on the ball. We were trying... apparently our ball wasn't rolling like the others.

Then the moms had to stand up to be recognized. Again, I was one of the only ones over the age of 20 who wasn't standing.

It hurt. But I was hopeful. I knew one day I would be a mother. And now I am. I have two beautiful blessings here on earth and two more waiting for me in heaven.

But it's a hard day.

So if you are an unseen mother who's children are not in your arms - whether they're in heaven or they haven't made it to your arms yet - this Mother's Day is for you.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/treekins/3177406945/

The Official Name Nerds Holiday

The Social Security Administration has released the Top Names for 2010, making this a name lover's holiday!

http://www.marketingcharts.com/topics/unique-baby-names-reveal-narcissism-epidemic-9252/

Here are the top names for 2010. You can see all Top 1000 on the SSA's website.

Here are the Top 50 for your pleasure!

Popularity in 2010

Rank	Male name	Female name
1	Jacob	Isabella
2	Ethan	Sophia
3	Michael	Emma
4	Jayden	Olivia
5	William	Ava
6	Alexander	Emily
7	Noah	Abigail
8	Daniel	Madison
9	Aiden	Chloe
10	Anthony	Mia
11	Joshua	Addison
12	Mason	Elizabeth
13	Christopher	Ella
14	Andrew	Natalie
15	David	Samantha
16	Matthew	Alexis
17	Logan	Lily
18	Elijah	Grace
19	James	Hailey
20	Joseph	Alyssa
21	Gabriel	Lillian
22	Benjamin	Hannah
23	Ryan	Avery
24	Samuel	Leah
25	Jackson	Nevaeh
26	John	Sofia
27	Nathan	Ashley
28	Jonathan	Anna
29	Christian	Brianna
30	Liam	Sarah
31	Dylan	Zoe
32	Landon	Victoria
33	Caleb	Gabriella
34	Tyler	Brooklyn
35	Lucas	Kaylee
36	Evan	Taylor
37	Gavin	Layla
38	Nicholas	Allison
39	Isaac	Evelyn
40	Brayden	Riley
41	Luke	Amelia
42	Angel	Khloe
43	Brandon	Makayla
44	Jack	Aubrey
45	Isaiah	Charlotte
46	Jordan	Savannah
47	Owen	Zoey
48	Carter	Bella
49	Connor	Kayla
50	Justin	Alexa

Top 10: Things I Would Like for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a week away. The day mom's get appreciate for all the hard work they do - and still get to do all that hard work while their families sit around and simply "appreciate."

All moms want to be appreciated. But I think something all moms want is to be appreciated every day, not just some Sunday holiday that accounts for the most card and flower sales in the country. Not to mention the most long-distance calls.

So here is my Top 10 things I would like for Mother's Day. Honey, take note!

1. A day off. I can't complain, because I had a week off of parenting recently, but I would still like a break from laundry and dishes - and that does NOT mean leaving it for the next day. That means the family doing it for me.
2. A spa day - mani, pedi, facial, massage and getting my hair done. Then having the day off after that so as not to ruin afore mentioned coifing. 
3. My favorite meal...for breakfast, lunch and dinner...that I didn't have to lift a finger to prepare. Don't care who makes it, as long as it's not me.
4. I would like a new patio set. Okay, forget new, I just want a patio set. We eat outside a lot when it's nice weather and we're eating at a plastic Dollar General table I bought about 10 years ago when I was in college. I'm now 30, it's time to upgrade.
5. A cake. Who doesn't love a cake? Again, doesn't matter who made it, as long as it's chocolate and I didn't have to bake it.
6. A date with my hubby. Yes, it's mother's day, but that would be very nice.
7. A date with each of my children, alone. I would love to have that one-on-one time with them.
8. More children. Yes, I'm crazy. I would love to adopt again.
9. Okay, I'll take the card and flowers...
10. Lots of hugs and kisses. Because that's what being a mom is all about!

Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!

In Greek we say, "Christos Anesti!" He is Risen! The response, "Alithos Anesti!" Indeed, He is Risen! Amen!

 The resurrection, seen first by sinful women. Jesus Christ alive - amongst them. The women, in awe, fell to his feet in worship. Oh, how I long to fall at his feet and worship him - thanking him for the sacrifice he made for ME. ME! And you, too. He did this for you. Doesn't that amaze you? It amazes me daily.

 Matthew 28: 1-15 NLT

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, because an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now go quickly and tell his disciples he has been raised from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember, I have told you.

The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to find the disciples to give them the angel's message. And as they went, Jesus met them. "Greetings!" he said. And they ran to him, held his feet, and worshiped him. The Jesus said to them, "Don't be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there."

Good Friday

It's Good Friday.

Today is the day Jesus died for our sins, fulfilling the prophesy in Isaiah that the Messiah would come and be crushed for our sins (you can read it below).

Today is the day. He died for my sins. He died for your sins, no matter what they are. Theft, hate, deceit, murder - all of them. It doesn't matter what you have done in your life - God will forgive it all if you just ask Him to.

I'm not saying this as a self-righteous person. I fall in line with every other person as a sinner. I have coveted other people's property, I have lied, I have deceived others. I am no better than anyone else, nor would I want to be. I need the blood of Christ to wash me anew on a daily basis. I need his loving arms to envelop me and to pull me out of the pit on a continual basis. Daily. Sometimes hourly.

In our culture, Good Friday doesn't get the attention I think it deserves. We celebrate Easter - the resurrection of the Lord and the coming of the Holy Spirit... but today.

Today is the day he died for us. Today is the day he bent down lower than the low and took my sin from me. He chose to take my sin from me and wash me clean. I am crying typing this out because I don't deserve it. God knows I don't deserve it. But I can just picture Christ at my side, patting my back and saying, "It's okay, Allison. I want to do this for you. Because I love you." Oh, how He loves us. All of us.

1 John 4:9-10 (New Living Translation)

 ⁹ God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. ¹⁰ This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Isaiah 53

 ¹ Who has believed our message?
      To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
 ² My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
      like a root in dry ground.
   There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
      nothing to attract us to him.
 ³ He was despised and rejected—
      a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
   We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
      He was despised, and we did not care.
 ⁴ Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
      it was our sorrows^[a] that weighed him down.
   And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
      a punishment for his own sins!
 ⁵ But he was pierced for our rebellion,
      crushed for our sins.
   He was beaten so we could be whole.
      He was whipped so we could be healed.
 ⁶ All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
      We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
   Yet the Lord laid on him
      the sins of us all.
 ⁷ He was oppressed and treated harshly,
      yet he never said a word.
   He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
      And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
      he did not open his mouth.
 ⁸ Unjustly condemned,
      he was led away.^[b]
   No one cared that he died without descendants,
      that his life was cut short in midstream.^[c]
   But he was struck down
      for the rebellion of my people.
 ⁹ He had done no wrong
      and had never deceived anyone.
   But he was buried like a criminal;
      he was put in a rich man’s grave.
 ¹⁰ But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
      and cause him grief.
   Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
      he will have many descendants.
   He will enjoy a long life,
      and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
 ¹¹ When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
      he will be satisfied.
   And because of his experience,
      my righteous servant will make it possible
   for many to be counted righteous,
      for he will bear all their sins.
 ¹² I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
      because he exposed himself to death.
   He was counted among the rebels.
      He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

How Not to Photograph Your Children

In our attempt to save money, I'm working very hard to take the kids pictures myself (or have Marshall work with me in taking them). I mean, I've done this for a living for years...you would think it was a piece of cake. But it's not.

Now, I should tell you, I hate doing the kids' pictures. For several reasons.
1. I'm Mom and there's no way the kids are going to listen to me - it's much more fun to listen to and obey to complete strangers.
2. I am too critical of my own work, especially when the subjects are my children.
3. It's much more time consuming than going into a studio, sitting for 30 minutes while the photographer does her work, then picking the pictures up a week later.

And there are more, but that covers most of it. So today we went to Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet and took the kids' Easter pics to avoid paying $100 for them.
If we had it - I would have rather paid the $100.

Here's why:

Occasionally a good one turns up. I'll have to photoshop SB's tooth (and now you can see what happens when you fall on a window sill), but lovely pictures nonetheless!

Wearin' O' the Green

Warning: I'm not actually Irish. I'm Scottish and my family merely passed through Ireland for a generation here or there. But, I am "Scotch-Irish," so that should count for something, right? Plus, I have a very Scotch-Irish daughter with the sought after red hair and green eyes.

But it is Saint Patrick's Day (Lá Fhéile Pádraig). It was, of course, named for Saint Patrick who preached Christianity to the pagan Irish.
It is widely thought that Patrick used the common Shamrock to teach the trinity - each of the three leaves standing for the father, son and holy spirit. The occasional 4th leaf was for luck. But he explained that each leaf is it's own piece, but all a part of the bigger plant.

The holiday has become much more secular than religious. Now it seems to be a day about drinking and partying, when originally it was about the religious conversion of the Irish to Christianity.

Did you know that originally the color for Saint Patrick was blue? Over time the color changed to green when people would wear Patrick's shamrock on their clothes (known as the "wearing of the green.").

And, of course you know that if you don't wear green you risk getting pinched. Thankfully both Marshall and SB have green eyes. I actually have a shamrock tattooed on my back... that just leaves Mac who will be appropriately green!