Shimmy & Shake!

 Have you ever gone to a Concert in the Park?

For those of us who live in this particular cluster of towns, it is a Summer tradition.

I have a confession.

I don't go for the concert part.

I don't go for the park part.

I go to be with friends,

to relax,

& maybe to enjoy watching the slightly inebriated lady who proudly shows off her one dance move (picture a shoulder shimmy shake thing whilst leaning forward....and then leaning back. oh, & picture that over and over and over....).

She is there almost every Friday night, and for some reason, her consistency brings me comfort.

The "friends" I love to sit closest to, in the traditional attendance of auditory art in the great square shaped outdoors, are the Dubs.

This Friday was no exception.
I tagged along with the Dubs and their special guests,
Uncle Karl & Aunt Kristy.

The difference was that I enjoyed the nephews dancing with their Aunt Kristy, all three of whom have way better rhythm & more varied dance moves than the slightly inebriated shoulder shake lady.

It was delightful!

This little man, besides being a great dancer....

is also skilled in the art of comedy!

He climbed up on my blue plastic lawn chair, and proceeded to play "peek-a-boo"....

& "Smoosh-a-face-a-boo"

& "Not-sure-if-I'm-breathing-a-boo"

& "Scrunch-a-face-a-boo"

 & "Peek-a-scrunch-a-boo"

 & "Oh-my-goodness-I-want-to-eat-you-up-course-you're-so-cute-a-boo"!

 After E-baby got bored, 

Pilot J tried out the "Smoosh-your-face-a-boo" too!

Pilot J abandoned me shortly after, because of important frisbee throwing business,

and left me to face the "authorities" by my lonesome.

I think Sheriff E-baby thought I looked suspicious because of the whole
laughing-so-hard-I-almost-peed-my-pants thing.

He let me go with just a warning.

Which really was only fair, since the fun I was having was mostly his fault

beauty & the rest

Since moving twice in the months of December and January, I am just now beginning to settle into my new place. Our apartment is upstairs in this little duplex close to downtown. Perfect location. Good space. Really great landlords. It was worth the stress of living in a temporary location so we could get it. Roomie & I have slowly but surely purged old things that don't fit, and added the things we like. I have enjoyed the process. I don't know how Princess Francesca (aka Roomie) has faired, but however she feels, she is beginning to put photos on the wall & pretty up her own room. I take that as a good sign. Through the process of working on my room, I have realized that beauty matters. There is something in the way I was made that needs a place of rest at the end of the day, and a place of rest to me includes order, color, & memory. Beauty inspires me. It invokes reminiscing, creativity, hope for change. The author of my favorite blog often describes the conflict between the desire for things to be made whole (a part of beauty) & the reality of a broken world. It has been freeing to realize that this desire is a part of God's image reflected in us. I believe God loves beauty, because He created it. I believe that He will restore this broken world, because He sent His son to do it. I like looking around my room and finding reminders of that. Come take a tour of the things that have inspired me lately... a quote board on the front stoop.

the top of my file cabinet, home to some bling & an african violet (which I am thrilled is still living)

notice the grey curtain in the background. My sweet sister-in-law found it, brand new & cheap, at our downtown thrift store. I had stopped myself four times from buying it at Target, so of course, I squealed like a girl. 'Cause I am a girl! I have had this cool frame forever, have wanted to use it, & finally did... This is still in process, but I like it. I used some of my favorite scrap fabric pieces and put them in some inexpensive crosstitch hoops I found. I bought the hoops to actually crosstitch, but am using them as deco until I learn how...

I took some more scraps of my favorite fabric & framed a card I like so much I can't ever seem to send it to someone.

I also, made this framed art from peacock feathers a patient gave me, burlap ribbon left over from cousin Jindrew's (Jina & Andrew) fall wedding, and more fav fabric remnants. A second card I couldn't part with so I framed it in burlap.

I actually tend to buy cards because they are beautiful, and end up saving one or two of them because I like them too much to use up completely. I decided to put them out since I didn't want to use them. I snagged a black wire angled file holder at a garage sale and have them displayed on my desk.

I love how it turned out, and am please that this area of beauty is actually functional.I think functional beauty is also an important reflection of who God is. Please excuse this next photo, couldn't seem to hold the camera still. My Mumsy's husband (Papa Carl) made this chicken wire in a simple black frame.

I love having all my jewelry out, makes it easier to pick out what to wear. For the ones I don't tend to wear, I still can enjoy them. I added a mirror I found at Walmart, placed it behind the blinging chicken wire & viola...Functional beauty! I have this white milk glass light from my Grandma Ardis. I have had it for years & keep not using it because it just doesn't go. When I started thinking about changing my room, I kept coming back to this lamp. Because my space is small, I wanted everything to be white or glass. I gave this special inspirational piece a place of honor...

I am a little embarrassed that I bought the two books next to it because they were beautiful and matched my room. That was not the only reason I liked them, It was just the reason I bought them. I tend to read from either of them, A Field Guide To Western Birds by Roger Tory Peterson & Sonnets From The Portuguese And Other Love Poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, if I am having trouble falling asleep. The bird book has been especially entertaining since I discovered the section on owls. Peterson wrote and illustrated the book, but I don't just love it because it has pictures. HA! I love it also because he writes out the sounds that these birds make. For example, the Pygmy Owl's voice is described as " A single mellow whistle, hoo, repeated every 2 seconds. ALso a rolling series, ending with 2-3 deliberate notes: too-too-too-too-too-too-too-too-took-too-took. Wanna try it? I did & it's fun! These three lockets hang above the milk glass lamp & the beautiful books of fun...

The one on the left, a gift from Brookie & Rachie, middle - from Grandma Ardis, right - gift from Tim & Jill.

...which hang below a shutter I found at one of my favorite stores, Consignage,

...and whose color inspired the color of my room. I have been pretty occupied on working way too much, setting up my room, and not much else. Princess Francesca & I taking a break to walk downtown for a beer & tappas. Notice the crowded wall behind our heads. Yes, I have way too much up there, but the hall is small and hidden & I have tried to restrict my favorite things to a space that doesn't take over the place.

I spent a hot morning with Tim, Jill & the boys last weekend touring of the Warbird Museum. It is so fun to see Pilot J so so so excited about airplanes. I think he told me three times that day about getting to fly in an airplane. See Pilot J on Tim's shoulders & Jill in background with Dino E strapped in his "vehicle"

Dino E on the other hand, was so so so excited about walking, and was very clear that he wanted me to hold his hands so he could cruise "on his own".

The adults were thrilled about the delicious icies we pigged out on. Another fun reason to head out of the work / room set-up cave was to celebrate Dino E's 1st Birthday!

I cannot believe that he is one! He is getting so big which is great & also depresses me to no end. Why can't they stay babies? Today, I am spending my Saturday working, catching up on emails, praying for my sweet niece A.G. who is recuperating from surgery, & celebrating my sweet baby Sister-in-law Susan's birthday! Here is one of her presents, waiting to be mailed.

I hope you are finding moments of beauty today!

Five in 20

One day after work, it hit me, and & I sat down to do the math.

1 plus 1 plus 2 plus 1.

That's five
in case the hint of a word problem caused your eyes to begin to glaze.

Five nieces & nephews in the short span of 20 months, have arrived into the Whitacre family.

The next math problem I started to work out was how many vacation days I had saved to visit this gaggle of newbies.

I was able to fly back to see my sweet sister, Jules, and meet her twin bundles of squeaks in April. Ava Gray and Havyn were born March 7, 2011. Tiny but mighty (like their Aunt Jill).

(me, Jules, & Havyn)

It was such a precious and difficult time.

We spent a lot of time at the hospital as Julie's oldest twin is still in the NICU. In between the back and forth of the hospital I was able to enjoy some beautiful Tennessee Tornado weather.

(Julie & her eldest Ava Gray)

It is just crazy & cool to me that you can love someone so much before you even get to meet them, and then you meet them & your like "Oh good, here you are! I love you like crazy & now I am going to kiss your face a bazillion times!"

And let me tell you, I have kissed their faces a bazillion times...
and it is just never enough.

Exhibit A:
me kissing Havyn.

Havyn trying to kiss me back...



Did I mention some other faces I had the pleasure of kissing?


love


love


love them (Susan, Rose & Brian)

It was also delightful to see my sister in her new role as a mother. I knew that she would be a tender, selfless, & creative mom - because that is just who she is. Trust me, if she was all those things to me, her annoying baby sister, then those are her true colors. I am proud to say that I in some small way feel less guilty about the "bug" that I was growing up, because I can see that God has used my strengths (read sinfulness) to grow her strengths (read angelic-ness).

I am surprised that she has taken to it so naturally. I don't know what I expected, I think it was just the going from "what will that look like?" to "Oh, that's what she's like as a mom! Cool!"

Another thing that is so precious to see is that God continues to draw her heart out in newer and deeper ways. And she in turn is learning to let the rest of us "in". I am grateful for His love and care for that new little family.

The 5th Whit kid to arrive opted for an exciting entrance into the world. I won't tell his story (or Tim & Jill's), but I will show a photo I took 5 minutes after Tim delivered his son & moments after the paramedics arrived.

Elijah Ryan!

Doesn't he seem surprisingly relaxed compared to the drama surrounding his birth?

I, on the other hand was not relaxed. It seriously happened so fast.

You have no idea!

Which is exactly what I stammered to the paramedics & firefighters who swooped in after I called.

I had a lot of anxiety that increased over the following few days. I kept flashing back to Jill's scream, or to her & Tim on the bed, me running to find towels, running to call 911, running to find a robe for Jill.

I normally love that kind of excitement, but having literally 3 seconds to change gears from "This is going to be a long night" to "IT'S COMING!!!" sort of freaked me out. I also thought something was wrong for everything to happen so quickly, and then Jill couldn't talk after the baby was born & so I had a lot of anxiety about her being ok.

I am so grateful that God had everything under control. His timing is perfect, and I am learning that in new ways these days.

I had some good talks with my important people - Annalaura, my siblings, my roommie, Brooke, God - and by Sunday evening I was sleeping better & really felt like I could let it go. I can't even imagine how I would be coping if anything had gone wrong. I am grateful for God's care about the smallest things - like babies & unnecessary anxiety.

I prayed, and kept saying "Jill & Eli are ok" every time I remembered something stressful or thought of something I could have done differently. Also, Susan, my other baby sister-in-law, encouraged me to be affirming in how I thought through it afterwards, which really did help.

Another thing that helped me work through my post traumatic stress (Brooke laughed when I called it that - but it felt like it!) was this...

holding Eli.

I also wanted to hold Jill some, but I settled for talking with her. She's so precious & strong & hard on herself & honest & cool!

A few things that made me laugh when I replayed the night in my mind were these:

1) The phrase "Babies having babies" popped into my head at one point when I ran into their bedroom after Tim called for me to give him a hand. I realized what was happening and thought "we can't do this here" and "wait a minute, these are two babies, having a baby, shouldn't a grown up be in charge?"

2) Right before the paramedics arrived Tim asked me to find a robe for Jill. I ran all over the house, searching the packed hospital bag I had thrown into the van in the 3 seconds between Jill's water breaking & the baby crowning, through their closet. I could not find a robe, or any robe-like thing, for that matter. I did find one of Tim's flannel jackets and pulled that out to throw on Jill. She held up her hand when she saw it and said authoritatively "I'm not wearing that! That's Tim's favorite Jacket!" Both Tim & I tried to assure her that it could be easily cleaned and that it was fine. She was adamant. Thankfully I found a clean sheet in the dryer and we wrapped her up like a Greek goddess.

3) When Jill's mom & I arrived at the hospital later to bring Tim & Jill their car & bags, Jill was already joking that she had planned this dramatic birth so that I could meet the handsome firemen & paramedics who helped us. She is so thoughtful. She even waited until Kelly (her sister) & I could go with them to thank our heros with a plate of cookies.

4) Jude meeting Eli for the first time was precious. He kissed Eli's face so many times. And I knew exactly why. You just can't resist, no matter how old you are!

Here is the first face I couldn't resist kissing...

(Jude getting his face painted at our little Art in the Park festivities)