An Eggs-tra Special April!

"I'll take Holidays with Infants for $1000."

"Alex, what is 'Emerson's First Easter'?"

You win the GRAND PRIZE!!!

Here's hoping that you have a bowl full of 75% off Easter candy in front of you, because tonight's post is full of sugary sweetness.  This month has been packed with more excitement than a one minute trip to an amusement park.

Sorry, but even a Fast Pass isn't that quick...

We kicked off the last few weekends with a Birthday/Easter themed lunch for my Dad, Mom, and Nanny.  

While decorating the cake I decided to abbreviate names in order to include all three of them on the cake.  What's particularly hilarious is that the first initials of "Wendy, Ann, and Randy" actually spell "war." 

Isn't that just about accurate with family?

PS...208 is their combined number of ages...as if Birthdays don't make one feel old enough already!  It wasn't my intention to cause any emotional damage; I just kept eating those delicious, sugary numbers.

Ryan thinks a weekend with my family will include a little R&R?  HA!!!

Spring is also full of love, right?  The following Saturday was Jennifer & Justin's lovely outdoor wedding.  And my wedding caterers were there.  Have I mentioned that I'm obsessed with them???

*This is an unsolicited advertisement for Rick's Catering in Laurinburg, NC*

Husbands are funny creatures.  Ryan may be quiet, but he's also absolutely hilarious.  I'm going to catch him on camera one day.  A recent notable quote took place while I was decorating our house for Easter.

Me: "When people walk in our home, I want them to automatically know what season it is."

Ryan: "Well, when's cleaning season???"

In Ryan's world our home decor would be the same on March 15th, July 4th, December 25th, you name it.  It would include nothing festive.  But that's just not the Katharine way.

Last week I had a small Easter themed dinner, and somebunny was the life of the party!

Those GLASSES.  Thank you, Daniela!!! Emerson loved them so much that I don't think we took them off the whole evening.  Shouldn't we all be able to see life through such rosy colors?

I was super stoked about doing my first "teacher" gifts for the amazing ladies that keep my bundle of love every day.  Did you know that you can customize greeting cards at Walgreens?  My imagination is running wild with future possibilities, and I put my spin on this card from front to back.

The inside of the card read:

Happy Easter to my Incredible Infant teachers!!!

Thank you for your EGGS-cellent care and your HOPPY smiles each day, even when I am a BASKET case.

Love,

Emerson Moody

2014

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another..." 1 Peter 4:10

Part of last weekend's fun took place at Outback.  You may remember Emerson's last visit there, aka the Outback Blowout, so naturally I was nervous about this trip.  The poor baby was so tired all the way there but thought she would be Chairman of the welcoming committee upon our arrival.

This kid is a people MAGNET.  She made friends with people outside on the porch, around the waiting area, the waitress, those sitting near us, and even a nice lady in the bathroom who looked on in pity as I fought with the "Koala" changing station- appropriate for Outback, might I add. 

Excuse me, but where's MY cup of sweet tea?!? 

She was such a precious cuddle bug during the meal, and it was only at the end of the evening that her pterodactyl noises began garnering attention from our fellow eaters.

ARRRRKKKKK!!!!!

Our first Easter weekend as a family was magical for many reasons, one being a reveal party for Ryan's cousin Scott and his wife, Laura.  We brought our little bunny along to hear the big news.

IT'S....A........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, in case they want you to hear the news from them, I won't steal the thunder.  But suffice it to say, we are SO happy for Laura and Scott. : D

And it's always a blast to spend time with my friends AND Emerson.  That's double the sweetness.

Easter Sunday was the MOST special day!!!  It started out with a wonderful, packed service at church.  It's always fun to see a sea of pastel in the congregation.  But more important is the fact that everyone is there to hear the Word and celebrate our risen Lord.

After church the flood gates opened for Emerson's visitors.  

Look, it's the golden egg!!!

And she had her first, traditional Easter Egg hunt at the Coleman's!

For the record, who would have thought that Easter Sunday at the end of April would be so windy and cold???

Peter Cottontail freezing-his-tail-off

Just as I did for her Valentine's Day photos I hit up every store within a 50 mile radius of our house in order to get ideas for Easter props.  One morning our living room became a makeshift studio as Jay kept her attention with car keys and toys while I snapped away.  I'd venture to say that aside from the latest bag of Cheetos my Nikon camera was an excellent investment.

"They" told me all along that having a baby changes your life.  What I didn't realize is how much physical evidence there would be all over the house.

Every. single. area of our home has something pertaining to Emerson in it.

Kitchen? Rice cereal all over the counter

Great room? Jumper, swing, and play gym

Drawers? Bows and bottle parts

Bathroom sink?  Soaking the latest soiled outfit

The list CONTINUES!!!

She is now in the stage of putting everything in her mouth, making our watch over her increasingly challenging.

Put that thing back where it came from, or so help me...

This newfound hobby of hers got me thinking...what if adults put decided to chew on everyday objects?  Can you imagine me at my next office meeting, smacking on a stapler in between presentations?

I'm sorry, can you repeat that part about this year's revenue goals?  This Scotch tape roll is DIVINE!

And speaking of things that are awkward, last week I and several coworkers went to lunch.  In this edition of customer service 101, here is a friendly reminder of how not to handle your table as a waitress:

We were ignored for the first ten minutes, she got extremely huffy with us when we would ask for something as simple as a refill, and when one of us asked why our salad dressing was missing we were told, and I quote: "I am not an Octopus.  I don't have eight arms.  I'll get it."

Wait, WHAT?!?

In hindsight I should have thanked our waitress; I laughed away all of the calories contained in my meal.  It was so rude it was downright hysterical.  So the next time someone asks you to do something, politely tell them to go get another arm. 

In other world news, did you hear about the recent devastation that took place in Belk?

It appears that Hurricane Ann and Katharine caused a whirlwind of destruction in the baby clothes section.  

I believe our work here is done.

My name is Katharine, and I am addicted to baby clothes.

The odds of looking at baby girl clothes and not buying anything would be comparable to getting a letter from the government saying you're tax exempt.

It's not going to happen.

"I WANT YOU to clear out the inventory at Belk.  I believe you can do it.  It's the American way..."

And behind every cute baby outfit is a good detergent.  Did you know that I'm now a certified dump truck driver?  That's right.  At least once a week someone decides that the car seat doubles as a port-o-potty.

Striptease: it's not what you think.

You know what was pointed out to me this week?  "Christmas" is taboo, but all over the news stations this weekend, EVERYTHING said "Happy Easter."  We can celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but not the birth?  So strange.

Speaking of all things that are Spring, pollen, like sin, takes over us.  It's impossible to avoid it, and it dirties a Ferarri just as easily as it does a rusted, old bicycle.  Jesus sees all of our sins, regardless of anyone's social status.  He sees the famous and the unknown.  Take a look at this picture for a reality check:

As we reflect on the meaning behind Easter it reminds us of the incredible sacrifice our Savior made on our behalf.  No other religion has a "god" who rose from the dead, LIVES, and WILL LIVE forever.  It's so difficult for us to grasp the concept of eternity, but it's a reality.  If Christians don't stand up in a world that's against Him and spread the news when that same world wants us to hide it, who will?  

Some people don't want to believe in a Hell.  Why would a loving God allow people to go there?  They don't deserve that. To which I would ask that person: Why would a just God allow a sinner to live in eternal glory in Heaven?  They don't really deserve that, either, do they?

My prayer is that everyone would choose Him and serve Him; not just on holidays and special occasions, but every single day of their lives.  He knows that we'll fail, but if we've accepted Him we are covered in His mercy.  It's really not much more complicated than that.

This weekend I have several musical commitments that I so much enjoy and will be running in more directions than a feline in a catnip store.  Thankfully, I thrive on chaos and busy-ness!!!

May you be blessed and healthy with an occasional cute selfie,

Home: Where Every Day is April Fool's

Yesterday I ran five miles, rescued a litter of puppies, mixed formula and changed diapers with one hand, and actually styled my hair...all while making a delicious homemade dinner that was ready when Ryan got home.

APRIL FOOL'S!!!  This is about as truthful as the message you hear over the phone while on hold…

“Your call is important to us." :::15 minutes later:::  "No really, it is!”

:::As the sun sets that evening::: “Did we mention that you’re a valued customer?”

Fortunately, Emerson seems to have adjusted to knowing when night time is, but when I read her sheet from daycare each afternoon and see the occasional three hour nap, I know that night is going to be tough.  I have visited her during the day at the nursery, and I absolutely adore the ladies there and don’t know how they do it.

Daycare is like a used car commercial;  everyone is screaming for no apparent reason.

I WANT MY BOTTLE!!!

0% APR!!! NO MONEY DOWN!!!

MY DIAPER IS WET!!!

NO CREDIT CHECK!!!

Birds of a feather...

Our little brunette has gone almost completely blonde, with the exception of a few long strings of brown hair at the top and back of her head.  And I wouldn't dare cut them; those are her newborn hairs.

Come to think of it, her hair sort of resembles an express lane at Wal-Mart.  It appears short at first glance but ends up being longer than you thought.

It’s 15 items or less, Missy!

Baby girl is such a lady until it’s time to eat, and that’s when all manners fly out of the window faster than the speed of spit up light.  Sometimes, though, she falls asleep while drinking her bottle, but she’ll still notice immediately if you take it away!

It’s kind of like my Mom being asleep on the couch on Sunday afternoon with a Lifetime movie blaring.  The moment I turn the TV off or change the channel she says…”HEY!  I was watching that!”

“That last scene was intense!”

We’re thankful for technology though, right?  Who am I kidding; our generation would be lost without social media at their fingertips.  Take Facetime for example.  Back in the 90s (my good old days) “face time” was pretty much this:

A pie in the face

Tripping over a banana peel

But now it’s video chat that takes place in our house every night between Emerson’s grandparents and uncles.  A night without Facetime is like a trip to Outback without cheese fries.  It’s just empty.

She’ll smile, make noises, roll over, and just be plain adorable.  Then all of the sudden when she gets angry our parents quickly change their tune.

"Well, better go now!  Look at the time…it’s been fun!!!"

In fact, most of our final moments on Facetime look like this:

But we’ve had lots of fun lately, including but not limited to:

Turning five months old!

Celebrating Remy’s first Birthday

Meeting and playing with Audrey

Laughing at Daddy while he simulates a car ride.  You've gotta see this one in action.

Being a ham at Nanny & Papa's

Watching the crib soother instead of letting it put her to sleep

Stressing out over that bottle

Helping Poppy on the computer

Hanging out in the Bumbo seat

Having a date with Daddy while Megan & I attended a Kari Jobe concert...AMAZING!!!

Meeting several of my Mom's colleagues at East.

You better be a good girl, or I'm sending you to the Principal's office!

Refining her social skills

Wishing Poppy a Happy Birthday

Falling asleep at the wheel

Flying around

Being SUCH a cuddly, snuggle bug.  Seriously.  I walk her around the house all the time like this.  I love her so much that it feels like a part of me is missing when I let go of her.

One thing I wish I was missing??? This cold/sinus infection I've had since mid FEBRUARY!  For Halloween this year I should just be the Mucinex guy...

Trick or treat Cough or sneeze!

The only positive result is that for a while there, I lost my sense of taste.  But as soon as it left, it came back with a vengeance.  With Easter right around the corner and candy displays rampantly placed in stores it is extremely difficult to stick to a diet of healthy eating.  This reminds me of an R Kelly song...

"I don't see nothin' wrong....
with a little piece of pieeeeee....."

I started singing my variation of this song one evening recently, and I thought Ryan was going to split his gut.  We have a running joke with each other when it comes to food.

Life without laugher just wouldn't feel real to me.  And as much as I love to laugh I also take things to heart and can get very emotional.  One week ago this evening, a beloved member of my church, Charles Snipes, passed away unexpectedly.  I remember so many things about him.  He was not only a musician who would lead worship when our worship pastor was out and an incredible florist (who arranged the flowers, decorations, and bouquets, etc. for our wedding ceremony); he was my friend...my brother in Christ.  He had a permanent smile on his face.

I remember many laughs with him and my Mom as we planned my ceremony decorations, him popping in the church on Saturday mornings to drop of a beautiful arrangement (an arrangement that would "hear" a wonderful message the following morning during the service), I remember him saying "quarter turn to the right" a hundred times during the collective judging of the Latta springfest pageants, the choir Christmas program he directed in 2007 where he asked me to play "Angels From the Realms of Glory."  That song will always remind me of him, because that's where he is now...in Glory and among angels.  He did so much for our church, both in the physical sense with flowers and special touches, but also as a member of our body.  He will be sorely missed, and over the weekend I told my Dad that I just wished I could talk to him again.  "You will," he assured me.  And I needed to hear that.  Charles, you were so loved...loved enough that the Lord needed you with him instead of with us as of one week ago tonight.  FBC will carry on, but your absence leaves a void that won't be replaced.

How appropriate for our choir to have his favorite hymns incorporated into a flower arrangement.  Keep singing!

I've been thinking a lot lately about why we are the ages we are in certain time periods.  Does that even make sense? Allow me to explain...the Lord knew the age you would be in which year and who else would be around at that time to witness the way you live your life.  In addition and in many cases, it may be someone else that influences or mentors you, so it really works both ways. He placed you with your peers for a reason!  Maybe you are there to build them up, vice versa, or maybe together you can further His kingdom!  Think about the people you grew up with in your neighborhood, in your school, etc.  I'm positive that your circumstances, surroundings, family, and friends are His doing.

Speaking of holy things ...let's talk about cows for a moment.

Did you know that my car was ordained today?  That's right.  I made a quick stop at the grocery store during lunch and proceeded to go about the remainder of my day with a fresh gallon of milk in my trunk in 80 degree heat.

Why buy the cow when...?

No use crying over...!

So allow me to save you the headache: next time you hear the phrase "got milk" ask yourself if you completely emptied your car after a trip to the grocery store.

I bet you'll never think of that phrase the same way again.  You're welcome!

From yours truly the MOOOOOdy,

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