Daddy Love

If you know us, you know that we change our plans as often as we change the TV channel.  This is where we currently stand:
Rusty has been interviewing at a local coal mine (Before you get nervous, it is an open mine, and he would be driving a giant truck. Health risks are low), but after going through the process, he doesn't believe it is the right thing for us.  He would have been able to come home every night working four days on four days off, but we would have to be up here longer in order to accomplish our goals.

So, we are back to the Oil Rig (You can be a little nervous. Canadian rigs are safer than American rigs, but there is still danger involved in drilling).  He is out of town now taking a course, so he can start soon. Taking a job on the rig means working two weeks on (two weeks in a camp up in the middle nowhere, and I mean the real middle of no where.  Not where we currently reside) and one week off.  This is seasonal work, so he will be done in April which is the main appeal. Also, it is the same price to fly to Atlanta as it is to the closest airport here, so Izzie and I can stay in Georgia if we decide to do this again.

The hardest part is that we will be without him for two weeks at a time.  Izzie is changing and growing so much that I hate for him to miss it.  She LOVES her daddy, but has has a tendency to be a little distant and kind of mean to him when he returns from being gone for a while.

I have been praying for God to reveal what is right for us, and I believe this is it (for the moment...ha).  I just ask for prayer that Izzie and her Daddy continue to have a strong relationship even if he has to go away periodically.

I am so thankful for the prayer warriors I call friends and family. We love you all!

By the way--this is the silliness that goes on when Daddy watches Izzie.

The 2nd Avenue "Bapple" Thief

Be On the Lookout: RCMP is searching for a notorious "Bapple" thief.  Witnesses described the Person of Interest as just a couple feet tall, has crazy hair and sounds foreign. It has been said that she frequents the local parks and hangs out near the Apple Tree on corner of 2nd Avenue. Consider her very sneaky.  She will use her considerable cuteness to melt your heart and turn you into an accomplice.

Little Conversations

Izzie is at such a fun age.  She is learning so much, so quickly.  Who knew I could be so entertained by watching a 1 year old's mind work, and boy does it work.  That little runt is sneaky.  Yesterday, she really wanted to go outside, but we were all in the middle of something.  It wasn't a good time to go out despite her persistence.  So this little stinker got a tennis ball and threw it out an open window and said, "Uh oh! Outside!" hoping that would be her ticket to freedom.   

She has been talking in sentences for a while, but this morning we had our first real conversation.
Well our first conversation other than her asking to watch Dora.  We have this little gem every morning:
Izzie: Watch Dora?
Me: No, Izzie, we are not going to watch Dora.
Izzie: Watch Dora?
Me: No, Izzie, we are not going to watch Dora.
Izzie: Boots?
Again, she is a sneaky little thing.

Anyway, we had our first conversation this morning, and even though it was about stinkin' ol' Ross, it melted my heart.  Here it how it went:
Izzie: Wanna see Uncle Ross
Me: Ross isn't here.
Izzie: Where he go?
Me: He's at G's house
Izzie: Wanna go to G's house.

How sweet is she?

This got me thinking...since this blog is supposed to be about keeping you folks in the loop, I thought I would start another weekly series called Izzie Says.  I will record the memorable things she has said for the week.  I say this is for your reading pleasure, but we all know it is really for my benefit.  I want to be able to remember all of this stuff.  I mean, I am going to need good material if I plan to fulfill me parental obligation of embarrassing her any chance I get.

This week in Izzie says:
I wanna hold you.  Translation: Hold me.
Bess you, Ross.    (This is said anytime he makes a noise that sounds anything like a sneeze.)
Pease, Mommy!    Translation: I know you will give me what ever I want if I say this.
Dank Kew!            Translation: Thank you
I Sneaky!               (She yells this very loudly while tiptoeing to sneak up on someone.)
Reach Bapple         Translation: Can someone taller than mommy take me down the street to steal apples out of the neighbor's tree?
Poo Poo                  Translation: I want to sit on the potty and not do anything, so that you will give me a piece of chocolate.

Now for your daily dose of Izzie.  This is a picture from earlier this summer, but I just love it so much.  She rarely smiles for a camera

Have a great weekend!

10000 Reasons

Bless the Lord oh my soul, Oh My Soul...Sing like never before

I can't stop singing Matt Redman's 10,000 Reasons. The first time I heard it was in church two weeks ago.  We had a Service of Praise because we were celebrating the miraculous return of a local three year old boy that had been kidnapped from his bed. I heard it again last Sunday, and I have been humming it since.  I can not remember the last time a song has had this kind of hold on me.

Now I don't know if many of you are like this, but I am the type of person that will be really into the music of a song but have no idea what it even says.  Several times I've found my self singing along to a super catchy, slightly raunchy song and then have to do a double take because I had never paid attention to the lyrics before.

What ever may pass and whatever lies before me, Let me be singing when the evening comes


I downloaded it this week and really focused on the meaning of this beautiful song of praise.
No wonder I was tangled up in it! It is amazing how God speaks to you even when you are not fully listening.

I have been in such a negative place lately.  I HATE uncertainty. It makes me a nervous wreck, but that has been the status of my family's future since December.  I know everyone thinks we are crazy for picking up and heading to Canada for Rusty to work, and they are right.  We are insane, and I have been letting those thoughts consume me to the point that I have not been a very loving wife or patient mother...forget about dutiful servant of the Lord.

I recently regaled two of my best friends with a long ventfest/pity party about how we have no certain plans right now and how angry/scared that makes me, and they reminded me that my Worst Case Scenario for the future is that I get to be with my husband and child while we work toward a better future for our family.  God has a plan for us, and He is greater than anything I can worry about.

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing, 10,000 reasons for my heart to find


I am starting to believe the Lord brought me here to pull me away from hundreds of distractions and  to set my heart on fire.  I think He is as tired of me being luke-warm as I am.

I hope you will hold me accountable for singing a symphony of His praises rather than the cacophony of complaints that usually roll out of my mouth.  I would like to start by doing a weekly "segment", if you will, listing some of the 10,000 reasons I have to praise Him.

10,000 Reasons Week One: I praise you Lord for your wisdom in my ignorance for your strength in my weakness.  I praise you for the healing power of music and good friends.  I praise you for answer prayers I haven't even prayed yet.

And, I praise you for this face and the joy it brings me everyday.

And on that day when my strength is failing, The end draws near and my time has come
Soon my soul will sing your praise un-ending, 10,000 years and there forever more


10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman. Check it out.

Mad Scientist Hair

When I was in the third grade I had a best friend who had the best hair.  Perfectly neat, straight hair.  She kept a brush with her and brushed her hair at school so it always looked nice. I, on the other hand, had a mop that grew in circumference when brushed.  After a hard day of learning and playing, that mess would evolve into what my mom would call "a rat's nest" by the time I got off of the bus.

I don't have a picture from third grade but this picture from 7th grade will give you an idea.  In fact it was in middle school I was given the very sweet name of Chia Pet.  Kids are so nice. PS- what is up with the button down shirts we didn't actually button?

Anyway, when I found out I was having a girl, I prayed for her to grow up to know Jesus, be healthy, be sweet like her Nano, smart like her daddy and to have normal hair.  Oh well.  Don't get me wrong; I am glad God didn't say yes to that final request.  I love her crazy hair and her sweet curly tendrils, but it is never going to be neat.

See the evidence below:

This is Izzie's morning hair.  My nieces, Ellie and Anna Grace, call it Mad Scientist hair.  I took these yesterday morning while she was playing.

That is a future rat's nest, but at least she makes it cute!

Welcome to the Avenue

Hola!

This will be my second attempt at a blog (The other had the same name, but I am not original enough to come up with another one). Oddly enough, I believe the last time I started a blog was when Rusty and I moved to Canada right after we got married.  Of course, I only posted two entries or so and then abandoned the idea of chronicling my life.  I am only starting another one because my friend, Lauren, said I should, and I pretty much do whatever she tells me to do. If you know her, I suggest you follow suit.

I was trying think of what I should focus on with this blog, and I finally decide to "Frazier Style" it which means I 'm not really making a plan for the blog.  I am just going to go with it and see how it turns out.  More than likely it will just be a bunch of pictures and stories about my kid.  Let's face it, she's the star of the show I call life.

Hopefully you will find some amusement out of this (hopefully I can keep it up for more than a week). I of course love feedback...well I love compliments.  Please direct all complaints to Lauren B.; this was her idea after all.

As promised, a picture of Izzie.

This was what she insisted on wearing the other morning.  She gets her fashion sense from her dad.

Love, peace and tutus!

Jess