Snapshots of the Heart ~ Generosity

Think back to the last time you experienced an act of generosity.  An over-flowing, running-over, sweet-to-the-soul act of generosity.

Maybe it was someone volunteering to take your kids for a spell so you could have a break.  Maybe it was a trip out to dinner and not being responsible for the bill.  Perhaps it was when you added an extra dollop of whipped cream to your kid's mug of hot cocoa.  Or perhaps it was sending a special surprise in the mail to a loved one.

Sometimes we have the opportunity to be the generous ones.  Sometimes we are blessed to be on the receiving end.  And sometimes we simple get to witness the joy on the faces of those caught in the act!

Yesterday was a generous day.  Generously sugared.  At the end of the day, this was the sweet haul that sat upon my kitchen table:

I am particularly endeared to the Perry found there among the loot.  That was one ambitious mom!


These pink and red packages are chock-a-block full of little love notes, a few like notes and no-small amount of fully processed, white sugar.  I get a twitch just thinking about my kids consuming half of this treasure trove of sweetness.

But this isn't actually the act of generosity that caught my heart yesterday.

Just after lunch - the lunch of non-carbohydrates that I forced upon my little girls - Ashley started asking if she could have something from her stash.  Lydia was still nursing her cheddar cheese (a little protein to offset the sweet treats) when Ashley reached in her pink lacy pouch and pulled out a Tootsie Pop.

"Can I have this?"

"Sure.  But you have to sit here and eat it."

"Okay."

And then before her baby sister could make one cheese-muffled protest or whine, she reached back into that magically sugared envelope and produced a second Tootsie Pop.

"Here, Liddy.  Now we match."

Joyful, sticky-faced three-year old sissy.
Gleeful, lollipop-licking five-year old sister.
Teary-eyed, happy-hearted Mommy.

Generosity is sweet.

"Grant that my children may be generous and 

willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves 

as a firm foundation for the coming age." 

 1 Timothy 6:18-19

A Family of Rockstars!

Norah has a rockstar Daddy.  We already knew that, but then recently he did something even more amazing.  It wasn't that he bought plane tickets for us to travel back to Denver.  It wasn't that he willingly pays for her to cartwheel, arabesque and practice back walk-overs at Kidzplex.  It wasn't that he happily forks out the cash for her buy a new sparkly leotard every season.

No.  He's amazing because he was willing to drive cross-country with his other three kids in a van for two and half days so that she could compete at the State Meet and I could cheer her on.

Do you see where Norah gets her Rockstar-ness?

Thank you, Daddy, for supporting our little girl ... and letting me be along for the ride!

Here is a little snapshot into Norah's first meet at the state-level.  That little rockstar rocked the gym!



I don't know that there is anything more amazing than watching your little person walk out onto the gym floor and with fantastic confidence take on the challenges before her.  I know that she is only 7 years old, but that day, she had poise and self-confidence that even me with my 30ish years have trouble mustering up.

I'm proud of you, Nuna ... and I hope and pray that you will always be able to face life with that same level of tenacity and faith.

It's Just What We Do Around Here

In our house, there is a constant buzz of gymnasticking.  Yes, it's a noun.  You can also use it as an adverb.  For example, "Norah cartwheeled to the bathroom and gymnastickly retrieved a kleenex."  I have also been known to use it as an adjective, like when I say, "Can we keep our gymnasticky tricks out of the kitchen while I'm cooking.  Thank you."

I have yet to use it as an exclamation, but I don't doubt that, "Great Gymnastics!  You have to stop somersaulting in your bed," could just roll off my tongue.

In light of this condition, I thought I would share with you our girls most recent gymnastic endeavors.  Ashley and Norah have participated in several meets this Spring.  It has been fun to see all their hard work showcased ... and it's been a shot in Mommy's arm, too.  All those hours of practice and driving to and fro are so very worth it!

Here is a SmileBox of Ashley's two fun meets.  It's obvious that she is having a good time!  I love how pointed she makes her toes ... she's at least 2 inches longer!


This next video is from Norah's home meet this past weekend.  We missed seeing it because we were on the Eastern Slope, but, thanks to our wonderful family, we have this to show!  Thanks for being there and cheering on our girl!

Yeah .... I'm a just a little proud of my girls! :)

And if you are not family and you actually watched those videos ... you need another hobby! :)  Thanks for pausing a bit and listening to me ooze about how amazed I am by them!!

I'm Just So Proud!

I hope that you will forgive me a post that is purely a "Proud Mama Moment"!  I promise that tomorrow's post will be more about you and less about me.  :)

This past Saturday, Norah had her first competitive gymnastic meet.  She has enjoyed participating in several fun meets, but this weekend was her first experience with actual judges, awards and the added hype that comes along with it.  And I am supery-dupery excited to say that she did great!

It was so amazing for me to watch her not only do very well in each of her routines, but also to show such confidence, poise and maturity.  If we had sent her out into that gymnastic fray two years ago, I can only imagine that upon arriving at the gym, I would have had to pry her off my leg, then "force" her to be brave while I walked away from her and given her lots of, "You can do it!" thumbs-ups throughout the competition from across the room.  In contrast, I watched her run off toward her coach for warm-ups with a gigantic smile on her face, march out with her team with her chin held proud, tackle each routine with focus and determination and wrap up the meet with a smile, a medal and a team trophy!  What a day!

If you are so inclined, I have included in your post today (at no extra cost!) a condensed version of Norah's meet.  Here are the highlights of the event, the actual routines and all the smiley snapshots we could get ... and instead of sitting on a hard bleacher, keeping three other kids happy and peering over the tops of other people's heads, you can sit back on your comfy seat and see our girl in action. :)

Enjoy!

Oh ... and as an added bonus, Norah also qualified to compete at the State level for her age group!  So this appears to be just the beginning for our little gymnast.  You, go girl!