Le Deux (now referred to as La Do Do)

How funny this life is! Travis and I "got into" one of the hottest (most talked about) clubs this past Saturday. I was so excited to go and see it for myself. To be able to say that I had experienced it first hand.

Well, it was exciting but it wasn't ALL THAT! It was sad actually, a lot of the people in there were so caught up in the LA scene that I think that they had let go of what really matters. Sure a lot of them looked fabulous, but that was about it. From what I could tell and they way that they were acting (Sodom and Gomorrah type behavior), the had put their trust and heart into something that really isn't going to amount to much.

What God offers can not be bought in a store. It is way more special than anything this world has to offer. I should be excited about "getting in" to the coolest club EVER Christianity. I am in Jesus Christ's club and it is way more exciting than any Hollywood scene. I am in the club with a bunch of people who want to know their creator personally and they want to challenge there hearts and minds. That is such much cooler than some silly handbag or shirt.

I am not judging these people. I have and do struggle with wanting to "fit in", but in LA I think it comes at way to high of a price. Part of the reason that I think I was hit so hard by this experience, is because I am still tempted by the world. I am a new Mom and I am trying to figure out my new identity. My new body. My new life. And at times what I read in the magazines makes the Hollywood life sound fabulous. Now I know that it isn't fabulous, at least not in my opinion. The life that I have been gifted by God is Fabulous. Not perfect but pretty GREAT!




Brian, Travis, me and Matt Hepp. I seriously think that I was with the coolest people in the whole place. I respect heart way more than I respect what someone is wearing. It was a fun night out and I learned a lot. About Hollywood, about myself and about what I really think matters. God! He is the most ultimate celebrity in my book.

He was a Moo Cow

Halloween has come and gone, and I am kinda in shock that we are in November. Where does the time go? Next thing you know it will be Christmas!

So the story behind is costume selection. I had no intention of him being a cow, but when I went to pick out his costume he went crazy for the cow. I told him he could be a cow for Halloween if he could tell me what it said, and he answered back mooooo with the funniest look on his face. That is how my child "talked me into" being a cow for Halloween.

So I have been busy trying to get ready for Christmas early, so that I can avoid the stress. But somehow I have just become stressed about doing it now. I have to laugh at myself, because I never thought that I would become this woman. But I am who I am, so I have to run so I can try to get more Christmas stuff done. Hahaha

He's 1!

It has been a whole year!! What an amazing year it has been.

Here is what Kai is up too at the ripe old age of 1!

1. He knows that a kitty says meow


2. He loves to play ball. He thinks it is the greatest thing ever.


3. He still likes to be spoon fed. If we try to get him to feed himself, it ends up all over the carpet.


4. He just took his first 2 steps 3 days ago. So only time will tell how long it will be till he is upwardly mobile.


5. He has an obsession with cellphones. It blows our minds that he is coming into such a technology driven culture.


6. Whenever he goes to the park with his Dad, he always comes home with ripped pants.


7. Changing his diaper is not like pig wrestling!


8. He is a trip! He has such a fun little personality. He loves to play and explore his world and we love him more than we could have ever imagined.
   
   

Flashback Friday

Last year at this time I/we were 8 days overdue and not exactly comfortable. I was pretty scared of labor and anxious to meet the little person who had taken up residence in my belly. I had no idea how the rest of our lives was going to change when we met Kai.

He's Gone Buzzy

Ok--so this is a scene that I thought that never in a million years would I witness and certainly not be allowed to photograph.

I got some fun masks at IKEA the other day and we have been playing with them ever since. I just didn't expect for Travis to get in on the action. But to my surprise--He Did!! I am putting my marriage in jeopardy posting these pictures but I think that this is something that should be shared. It is just one more piece of evidence that parents will do whatever it takes to get their kids to eat a healthy dinner. (I was smiling the whole time that I was typing this!!)

Kai had fun trying on the mask. We are starting to get really excited about Halloween!

Dining Out 2007

Last Saturday night was the LA Air Force Base Dining Out 2007. It is a once a year event where the entire Base gets dressed up and has a night out. Look at Trav in his uniform!

Michelle Idol was cracking me up. She kept me smiling.

Kristin and John look quite smashing, if I do say so myself.

It is always fun to hang out with Amber and Nat.

The pick of the Patch

Ok! I know that it is kinda cheesy but I have always looked forward to the moment when I could take my kid to the pumpkin patch and turn them loose. Last night I was priviledged to see fullfillment of that dream and I LOVED it!

We took Kai to the punkin patch and for the next hour and a half we were cracking up. He hit, rolled, threw, crawled over and tried to consume the pumkins. It was greater than my heart ever imagined that it could have been. This year Halloween time has a whole new meaning. It is a time of celebrating Kai's birth and starting new family traditions that I hope we can enjoy for the years to come.

Look at that face! He could have had every pumpkin he wanted with those puppy dog eyes and pouty lip. :) I know I am a sucker!

I don't know who had more fun...him or me!

We hurried back to Jackson, not due to happy circumstances, but we are learning that life has many seasons. We lost a good man and friend Al Forbes, and we came back to pay our respects and condolences to the family. While we have been in Jackson, we have been sad but also seen how amazing this life is and how it can be cut short. Al's funeral really made an impact on Travis and I. We walked out of the service wanting to live with more purpose and love with our whole hearts.

The Magic Kingdom

We did it! We went to Disneyland!!

Tomorrow is September 28th (my "celebrate my life day") and so we headed to Disneyland as a family. Travis surprised us by being able to go and it was great to have him there. Trav had never gone to Disneyland, so he had a good time checking it out and getting acquainted with the Magical Kingdom.
I am surprised that as active as Kai is, he didn't really enjoy the rides. He might still be to little, but it was cute what he did enjoy...his Daddy! This child LOVES his Daddy! It was Fun and I am wore out and I need to get some sleep :) to get ready for the 28th. God has given me a lot to celebrate!

Like a Fish out of Water--and then back

I have a whole new respect and appreciation for single Mom's, Mom's who husbands are deployed and women whose husbands travel a lot. After being on my own for 2 weeks (I know I am a wimp), I was thrilled to have Trav back last night. Kai was so excited that he wouldn't let Trav out of his sight, he was attached to his hip all day long. It was pretty cute!

Trav thought it would be fun to spend a family day at the aquarium and I was thrilled! So we headed out to Long Beach for a day of family fun :) Kai loved watching all the fish and we got a huge kick out of watching Kai.

Did You Know?

• 1.1 billion people (18% of the world's population) lack access to safe drinking water
  
• In a world of unprecedented wealth, almost 2 million children die each year due to a lack of clean water and inadequate sanitation
  
• Access to clean water and sanitation can reduce the risk of a child dying by as much as 50%.

Wow, I can honestly say that I didn't know that. I know that their are a lot of people that don't have access to clean water but I didn't know how vast the problem is. It is pretty embarassing admitting how ignorant I am on critical world issues. But I can tell you how Britney Spears did at the VMA's. Man--I want to do something different. I want to be different. Talk is cheap-I know, so I am going to try to be more about action.

A friend of mine sent me a link to a website that has really made me think today. Think about how little I am doing to contribute and how many issues that are out there that need people of action. The website is http://beta.razoo.com/welcome and it is SO cool! You should check it out for yourself, because if I try to explain it, I am sure to mess it up somehow.

So, what made me laugh about this website is I got the link from my friend. He is involved in a contest that if he can get 100 people to join his community on Razoo by Sept. 15th--then they will be entered into a drawing for $10K that will go to the issue that he supports. So I rushed over to help him out, joined his group and once I was done, I went to check out the rest of the site. When I looked at my profile I saw that it tracks your action, goals, issues etc. and it totally convicted me. Haha I love it!

So, Trav and I have talked and we are going to be more active. In our community and our world. Even the smallest effort is better than no effort.
The picture below is a link to a website called Play Pumps. They are doing something AWESOME and I hope and pray for their sucess and that I can help in some way. Thanks for reading this far :) I really appreciate it!

Time in Maine

Travis and I were fortunate enough to be able to go to Maine for Zach and Liv's wedding. It was just the two of us. Kai stayed in NC with his Grandma (and had a blast!) It was a fun time, and we did get to go out and see some friends from Jackson and Trav got to play a few games of pool.

Here is Sean making quite an entrance to the Quarterdeck bar--after hours! :)

And Carl wowed us all with his mad break dancing skills.

On Friday Trav took me out for a day of romance! :) It was really sweet of him and I enjoyed it a ton. We went and checked out lighthouses and saw the coast, and even found some wild orchids! Of course, I brought my camera along, and Trav even agreed to a few pictures, in between skipping rocks and playing.

Zach and Liv had a beautiful day and their ceremony was so heart felt. They are a great couple and we are gr8phul that we got to be there, to share in their celebration. It is so excited to see them start out on the rest of their lives--together!

If you are interested to see more pictures from Zach and Liv's wedding, I am working on my first real slideshow and I am going to put it on my Willcox photography blog. Hopefully soon, I am trying to learn how to do it and where to upload it. :) Always learning!