Is is Becca or Mommy?

I got my hair chopped off last weekend and after arriving home from the salon, my little peanut didn't recognize me. She thought I was my sister! Even this weekend we were at my parents' house and Will was giving C a bath. I walked in the bathroom to grab something and C shouts out, "Becca!" Um.. not quite. I am your mother. You know, the one who was in labor for 2 days. The one who nursed you until you were almost a year old. Remember me?
Here's a before pic of me and the hubby at the International Justice Mission Twin Cities Benefit:


And here's one of us at my cousin's wedding this past Saturday. Do I really look that different?

Mommy and C playing at the park before the reception:

First Haircut

Before the haircut


The has finally come for C to get her first haircut! As much as a milestone it was to get rid of the fuzzy little baby hair she has had since day 1, her new haircut is really cute and looks healthier! She did a great job sitting in the salon chair, looking at the "wish" (i.e. the fish) on her cape, and trusting the stylist. Of course, she moved around a bit especially when another little boy walked into the salon, but I am so proud of her for not being scared of someone cutting her hair. Yeah!!

During the haircut

and an after photo of the back:

Gotta have a play space!

The great thing about having a split level house is that in the summer, we hang out downstairs where it's nice and cool and in the winter, we keep warm upstairs. With the very hot summer weather upon us, this morning Chloe and I were busy setting up her new play area in the bottom level of our house. Tuesday a friend and I took the girls (the one pictured with C on the four wheeler in the pic below) to IKEA to purchase a table, chairs and a rug for the new space and later that day, I very easily put them together. This morning, I had the chance to dig through my closet of teacher supplies (yes, I have a whole closet for this stuff - and it's full) to find fun books, whiteboards, markers, and the laminated alphabet to include in C's new area. While it's still under construction as we have to get rid of some "junk" we don't use anymore, I am very pleased with C's area of the family room. Once we get rid of the other stuff in that room, I'll be able to expand her play area to include more toys and books (and I'm also in the market for a play kitchen). Let me know if you have suggestions for storage!


The alphabet which I used command strips to adhere to the wall:


A picture of her rug where she can drive her car and tractor:

Our Garden

As I mentioned before, I have started a garden! Now to realize how big of a deal this is to me, one must realize that I have had one or two (indoor) plants in my entire life and killed both of them in a matter of days. Let's hope my outdoor luck is a bit better :)
It all started with two little tomato plants last year that I attempted to grow in a grow bag. One plant sprouted a bunch of little cherry tomatoes and the other, well, I think we got about 3 worthy of eating tomatoes out of the whole plant. So this year, I have increased my probability of success by planting 11 tomato plants (so far, I still have nine more that I'm not sure what to do with): two romas and nine early growth. During our little outing to the Home Depot nursery, I also purchased a few gerber daisies and planted them in our yard along with a large hanging plant that I separated into two.

Here's a pic of my tomato garden on the south side of the house:

And one of the gerberas:

And, just for fun, one of my "helper" cleaning off her feet:

Play Time!

Chloe and I absolutely adore play dates! My friend has a daughter who is only 25 days younger than C and they are best friends already! C gets really excited when I say we get to play she'll talk about her the whole way to the play date. The girls are so cute with each other too. They love to give hugs to greet one another and then when it's time to leave, they embrace again. Seriously, it couldn't get cuter! I also have the chance to watch Chloe's friend occasionally while her mom is at work. Sometimes it makes me wish we had twins because it's almost easier with two the same age. They have the same schedule and they are also great play mates! This picture was taken at their house this evening while Will and I were out on a date (I took him on a date to see the new Star Trek movie). Aren't they just adorable?

Officially shorts season

With the 70 degree weather in full swing, I have made the decision that it's officially shorts season (at least for now, until it snows again in May). Chloe and I were gardening this morning and, after our flowers and one of our tomatoes was planted, went for a walk. This warm weather definitely calls for fewer clothing items so I decided to pull out my shorts. I don't know about you, but every time this season rolls around, I get a little anxious. Will my shorts still fit? Did I end up with a little extra "winter insulation"? What if they don't fit? Then I'll have to stop eating! Oh, please fit, please fit! Perhaps to avoid the mental torture session I endure every spring, I should just invest in shorts with the elastic waist band.

Why We Love IJM

"The trafficking of persons is the third largest criminal industry after drugs and weapons, and the fastest growing criminal activity in the world. According to UNICEF, there are nearly two million children in the commercial sex trade worldwide and, according to the U.S. Department of State, 80% of human trafficking victims are women and girls, as many as 50% are minors. “When it comes to fighting human trafficking a relatively small amount of money goes extremely far because authorities can leverage the impact of the law,” said Holly Burkhalter, Vice President for Government Relations at IJM. “This can change the entire calculation of crime in that community and trafficking numbers go down.”
Groups like IJM are seeing big improvements over short periods of time. In just under two years of collaboration with local authorities in Cebu, Philippines, IJM has seen the number of child prostitutes reduced by 70 percent."
-information copied from an IJM Press Release
Sara Groves sings this beautiful song called "I Saw what I Saw" as a reaction to her visit to post-genocide Rwanda. In that song she says, "your pain has changed me, your dreams inspire, your face a memory, your hope a fire. your courage asked me what I am afraid and what I know of love. and what I know of God." Sometimes it hurts to care but if we allow another person's story to touch our lives and if we live in the pain with someone, we too will be changed. This is why we give our resources to organizations such as International Justice Mission. This is why we pray for victims of human trafficking. This is why we love.