Intermittent Exotropia

Caleb was diagnosed in July with this. We had been noticing it for a while and made an appointment with an ophthalmologist when it got worse. (Have you ever realized how hard that word is to spell?) It means that his eyes don't focus in the same direction at times. It happens only at certain times (hence "intermittent") and they move slightly outward (hence "EXOtropia"). It is pretty minimal, and no one has ever noticed it besides us and Dr. Simmons.

He has worn a patch everyday since July 8th, and will continue until September 15th. His eyes are improving, but he might have to have surgery to fix it. Please pray that the patches are sufficient.



I wore the patch with him the first day...as he got used to it. As you can tell, we didn't get out much that day. :0) Caleb did so well, and he never tried to take the patches off. We finally found some that don't fall off when he sweats but have yet to find a way to remove the new stickier ones without causing the poor little guy some pain.

Six weeks down...four to go...

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Since we can't celebrate WITH you...



WE LOVE YOU!

Thoughts

Tonight, Caleb developed a cough...just at the end of another round of antibiotics. It has been a seemingly unending season of sickness after sickness in our home, and the swine flu scare doesn't help. When I became a mom, I began to struggle with fears I had never dealt with before.

I have come to believe that the news is designed to scare us and cause us to think that the world is falling down around us. But the fact is, we live in a world that is very marred by disease and death and crime and war. Yes, there are incredibly beautiful things about this world...like my family, tonight's sunset, friends, the Organ Mountains, etc. But, I felt like God reminded me tonight that all the wonder and beauty of this world is a mere taste of the world to come. Earth compares not at all to the splendor of Heaven. He has promised us that "in this world we will have trouble." But we can "take heart, for He has overcome the world."

"I sought the Lord, and He answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears."
Psalm 34:4

In Limbo...

Unless you have been living in a cave for the last few days, you are probably aware of the swine flu pandemic. We are scheduled to fly to Mexico City on May 12th. Obviously, with the recent events in that city, our plans are now up in the air. Parents of students going with us are understandably concerned, and we are now watching the news regularly. Please pray for us as we make some important decisions in the coming days. We need to decide whether to cancel the trip entirely, relocate the trip, or postpone it.



We are really bummed about it. The group that we have going is such a great group, and I was so looking forward to getting to know the students better. Angie, Brandon's amazing cousin, works with prostitutes and street kids in Mexico City...and our plan was to work alongside her for two weeks. Please pray for her as she serves the Lord in a country of people who must be asking some serious life questions right now.

Boys will be Boys

I have few memories of kindergarten, but one thing I can clearly remember is spending my free time playing with red cardboard bricks. We made forts. We made houses. We used them to make walls to keep the boys away. So, when this package was opened at Christmas, I was so excited. I didn't even know they were still around. Thanks again, Peltons.



I couldn't wait to see what creations his little mind would conceive. I pictured us spending quality time together building fortresses for Caleb and houses for "Wala" (his koala).

Instead, this is what Father and Son spend quality time together doing:









...over and over and over again. You should hear the laughing as the blocks crash on top of him. I don't understand those two half the time, but I enjoy them pretty much all the time.

Our Easter

I am just so excited to have a working camera and space on our computer...so there will be several postings of pretty much just pictures. :-) We celebrated Easter with good friends, good meals, an egg hunt, basketball games and egg-throwing contests. We love our team so much and had lots of fun with them on Sunday. Thank You, God, for making us alive with Christ...and for giving us good community. I am grateful.

Way too ambitious...

Aren't they pretty? I found them on Bakerella, a blog that my amazing-baker sister-in-law, Julia, mentioned on her blog. I fell in love with this site and couldn't wait to try her cakepops. It seemed pretty easy...just bake a cake out of a box, crumble it, mix it with icing, dip them in melted candy and voila!

Well, this is how mine turned out...



Nice sculpture, huh? I laughed a lot.



I did manage to get a few decorated. Nine total. Though I think thirty or so ended up in the trash, it still was a lot of fun making them. Practice makes perfect, I am sure, but I don't think I will be doing much practicing any time soon.

You have to check out her site! It's cuteness overload.

Happy Easter!

"That's what Christ did definitively; suffered because of others' sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all, was put to death and then made alive to bring us to God."

1 Peter 3:18
The Message

Happy Birthday, Brandon!

I have such a wonderful husband. Every day, I think about how blessed I am to be his wife. We celebrated his birthday yesterday with a trip to hit range balls and another trip to El Paso to our favorite restaurant, Taco Tote. Several of our good friends joined us...in spite of the drive.

Thanks, babe, for being the perfect husband for me. I love you.


(And thanks to all you sweet people who commented below. I really like you guys and am excited to make something for you. :-) Andrea and Kel, I don't think I have your addresses. Could you give me those?)

For you. Love, me.

A few of my friends have posted this on their blogs and I think it sounds really fun and creative. So feel free to comment and enjoy something fun from me to you!

The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something made by me! Lucky you!

My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a mask. I may sew or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

(Sidenote: I copied and pasted the above...I don't even think that five people read this, but it still sounded fun. I just got my camera back from Nikon yesterday, and an external hard drive is about to help me clear out some more space on my computer. So, I hope to start blogging again more regularly.)

Why I am not blogging...

Lately, I haven't been blogging as much. I haven't been blogging as much because I haven't been taking pictures as much. I haven't taken many pictures for two main reasons: 1) My home has been absorbing all of my creative energy...and 2) I haven't taken very many good shots. And I just found out why.

My camera is broken. There is something wrong with it, and now I need to send it into Nikon. I think that there is something wrong with the light meter, and so it will be out of commission for a while. I am sad. Honestly, it seems that technology is getting a shorter and shorter life span these days. But, it may all have something to do with the fact that Caleb somehow got a hold of it and dropped it. Crazy kid. And Julia, if you are reading this and still haven't bought your new camera...one thing to add is that the more expensive the camera, often the more difficult and expensive it is to fix.

Minutes after I realized this, I shattered our patio door. There are literally huge shards of glass protruding from it, and I am not sure how I will keep Caleb away from it. Thankfully, however, God reminded me yesterday once again of how He really does care to answer prayers about such things. After over a week of a massive plumbing problem, an amazing plumber (the second of two to attempt it) fixed our drain after two days of work and only charged us $100. I thought we would have to break into our emergency fund. We were amazed.

"Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you." 2 Peter 5:7

A Weekend to Remember

When we were married, Brandon and I committed to try to attend some type of marriage enrichment event every year. This year, we were able to do it the weekend of Valentine's Day!**

Family Life, a ministry of Campus Crusade, has an amazing marriage conference called A Weekend to Remember. Because we are on staff, we get to go for free. So, of the almost five years we have been married, we have been to three Weekends to Remember, one Love and Respect conference, and a weekend in a cabin with some friends and our nursing infants. I am so grateful to have a husband who values our marriage so highly.

I HIGHLY recommend this conference. Family Life's materials have been such a significant help in our relationship, and this weekend was one of the best of our marriage.

**NOTE: We were only able to do it this weekend because Caleb's favorite babysitters, Denise and Trevor, sacrificed their Valentine's Day to take care of our little boy. It was their first V-Day as a married couple, and they gave it up for us! Thanks so much, friends!

My 25 Things

On Facebook right now, a lot of people are posting "25 Things." The idea is to list some things that people might not know about you so that they can get to know you better. After weeks of reading the lists of others, I made one too. I am posting it here in hopes that it will get me in the habit of blogging again.


1. I am a big fan of change, and I strongly dislike routine. I hate getting ready every day, and the only reason I feed my child three times a day is because it keeps him alive…and I like him.

2. I love reading classics because I know they’re good, and I won’t be wasting my time. I don’t have much.

3. One of my life dreams is to hike the Appalachian Trail. Georgia to Maine.

4. I am notoriously horrible at keeping in touch with people. My closest friends are the ones who practically chase me down to talk to me, unfortunately.

5. Someday I would love to live in a foreign country again. I LOVE other cultures, landscapes, and languages.

6. Almost all of my best friends are people I have lived with in some form.

7. I love color…and need lots of it in my life.

8. I am married to an incredible man. He is a wonderful balance of grace and truth in my life…and he bought me flowers a few days ago.

9. I am a huge fan of Pandora.com. It has replaced itunes in my life. Right now, I am listening to a U2 station, and it is lovely. This website knows me so well. ☺

10. I took a test called the Birkman a few years ago and was very surprised to learn that I tested highest in the artistic category. I was told that the reason I love hiking so much is because I love and need the beauty of God’s creation…not because I need to be outside. It’s so true. And since then, I have loved making things with paper…and now I am playing with photography. It’s been so good for me.

11. I love my job. Being a mom is the best ever...though he does make me crazy sometimes.

12. I don’t miss Indiana weather, but I miss Indiana people.

13. I can flip my eyelids inside out. Brandon doesn’t like it too much.

14. When I was born, my parents chose my name because they liked it and nobody else had that name. But, then I was always in school with at least three other Amandas.

15. I detest running but joined the track team and cross country team in high school because all of my friends were on it. I lasted one year.

16. My favorite passage in the Bible is Psalm 63.

17. Guadalajara, Mexico was the last place in the world I wanted to go after I graduated…and I decided to go because my mom wasn’t a fan of all the land mines in Kosovo. But, now I cannot imagine what my life would be like now if the Lord had led me elsewhere. In Mexico, I met some of the most wonderful people on this planet, experienced God as I never imagined I would, and met my husband. In the end, it was clear that God definitely knows what is best for us.

18. I can’t sing...but I really appreciate people who can.

19. I have a blog that I have been very bad about updating lately.

20. We have a cat named Millie who used to lick my eyelids while I was sleeping.

21. My son is obsessed with the guitar, and we spend a lot of time each day practicing. ☺

22. I met one of my best friends, Heather, when we were in second grade and we traded jelly bracelets on the playground. We have been through many stages in our friendship: unicorns, dolphins, the Monkees, New Kids on the Block, and now photography.

23. I always round up when I tell someone my age…to the point where I really have a hard time remembering how old I really am.

24. My parents still live in the house we moved into on my first birthday, so I had lots of consistency growing up. They are still happily married, and my mom stayed home with us when we were kids. The older I get, the more grateful I am that God gave me the family He did.

25. Jesus changed the course of my life when I was eighteen years old…and now I don’t know how I lived all those years without Him.

Very Scary

Read this. Amazing.

Facebook Hackers

So, I hear about identity theft all the time...but I really haven't known many people who have been affected by it.  But, I just found out about a friend of ours, Geoff, whose facebook account was hijacked.  The hacker posed as Geoff, started chatting with his friends, and claimed something happened to him in England and he needs money wired to him.  The hacker even had accomplices posting things on Geoff's wall.  Scary. 

Check out Ryan McReynold's blog post.  Geoff was sitting next to him as the hacker contacted him for money. 

Word Frames

I made a couple word frames as Christmas gifts this year, and they were SO FUN to make. I am putting a picture up for two reasons: 1) My good friend Heather asked me to, and 2) I want to say thanks to the people who gave me the pictures. I didn't take the pictures...just played with them in Photoshop and put them in Target frames. I got them off an amazing blog full of wonderful people who contributed them for people like me who didn't have time to go out and find all the letters I needed.

I just have a picture of one of them...the one I made for Mike and Melissa. The other is "Cross," Patrick and Hannah's last name. I might post that one too if I get a picture of it.

Thanks SO MUCH to all of you who shared your skills with us. :-)

HOME...at last!

After almost a month of traveling, Caleb and I are now finally home.  It was a wonderful few weeks, but it is always so amazing to be in our home.  I am actually excited to do laundry and clean our house!

For the past nine days, we were in Colorado for Denver Christmas Conference.  It is an incredible conference, and God uses it again and again to change the lives of the students (and staff) who attend.  

The morning we were leaving to make the two-day trek out to Denver from Indiana, Caleb woke up with a barking cough.  Unfortunately, the cough and the congestion that accompanied it never went away throughout the entire duration of the conference, and we were unable to put him in childcare.  Although I had hoped to participate more this year, I really enjoyed getting to spend fun time with people.  And I also didn't mind too much not having to cook or clean. 

This morning, Brandon went back to Kansas to go pheasant hunting with his dad and brother. Caleb and I came home to a fridge stocked with the basics, freshly made bread, a very excited cat, and an amazingly leaf-free yard.  Our friends, Daniel and the Wong Family, all took great care of our home and Millie while we were gone.   I cannot say THANK YOU enough!  We love you guys!

Our trees finally decided to dump all their leaves just as we were leaving...and I was not looking forward to dealing with that when we came home.  A group of friends from church took it upon themselves to rake all those leaves and bag them up.  Our yard looks amazing, and there must be twenty or more bags out there on our curb waiting to be picked up by the trash truck.  What an incredible BLESSING you guys are!  Thanks so much!

I am off to go do some laundry now.  :-)

 

Christmas in Indiana

Christmas at my parents' house was wonderful. All of my family was together, and we had such a great time spending time with everyone. Caleb especially loved "Mamaw's house." He was often the center of attention due to his being the only grandson/nephew. His vocabulary exploded with essential new phrases such as "Go Boyers!" and "Go Coats!" ** And, he received more presents than I can describe. My parents are amazing. Thanks, Mom and Dad.



He loved building towers with his new alphabet blocks with "Gam-pa..."



...and loved destroying them even more.



He received a set of golf clubs from Uncle Patrick and Aunt Hannah and did the only thing he knew to do with them...use them as microphones. :-)



But then he got a new guitar with real strings!



And of course he had to have a few jam sessions!





And the boys did what they do every Christmas...gamble away their Christmas money. :-) Well, not really. They do what they call "Cross betting." They never really call up the debts. They're so cute.





** Translation: "Go Boilers (Purdue)" and "Co Colts"

Roadside Americana

When I was a kid, I was so blessed to get to see so much of our amazing country on road trips with my family. And it's funny that what I remember most about those trips isn't the amazing destinations we were driving towards (such as the Grand Canyon and Glacier National Park) but instead it was all the random little stops along the way (such as Wall Drug, Custer's Last Stand, Dodge City, KS). As I have gotten older, I have realized that for me, the journey is as important as the destination. When we travel, Brandon often humors me by letting me stop and see things I find interesting. And living in the Southwest, I have become fascinated by Route 66.





On the first leg of our month-long travels, we stopped at Cadillac Ranch outside of Amarillo. It is a really interesting old landmark on Route 66. We had driven by it before, and I was eager to get out of the car this time and go see it. So, we planned it (because Brandon needs planning). But, after leaving the warm Las Cruces weather that morning, I couldn't handle the 15 degree (below 0 wind chill) weather outside of Amarillo...and barely got a picture of the place. My fingers hurt too much. :-)

More Family Black and Whites

I have taken countless pictures since we have been traveling, but I am not uploading any of them to my computer. Unfortunately, I have completely filled my computer with music and photos...and am having a hard time getting the files backed up. So, the only recent pics that are actually on my computer are those I am using for projects.

These are some of the pics I took for a Christmas present I did for my parents. And to answer your questions, Angie, I use natural light and place them by a window with indirect light. I usually place the velvet (I think it's two and a half yards long) on a wall at a ninety degree angle from the window...and just try to get it to stay up however I can. This time I attached one corner with the binder clip to the top of some blinds and stuck the other corner into my parents' wall with one of those corn on the cob holders. Yay for improvisation.

I really have no idea what I am doing. I am just figuring it out as I go along. But I did want to answer you. :-)


MIKE (my brother who is two years younger than me) and his girlfriend of two years, MELISSA

He is a lawyer in Colorado Springs and loves hiking and photography. So, he's always fun to talk to. Melissa I met for the first time this week, and she is such a sweetheart. She fits so well in our family, and I hope to get to see lots more of her over the years.



PATRICK (my brother who is 4 years younger than me) and his wife, HANNAH

They have been married for almost four years now and live in Indianapolis. After many years in the army including service as a medic in Iraq, he is in school at IUPUI and is beginning his studies to be a doctor. He got all A's and a B, and I am so proud of him. Hannah is wonderful and an amazing wife for him. She is a property manager, so they get their housing for free. Pretty sweet deal.



BRANDON and ME

I think that, if you are reading this, you know who we are. :-)



JEFFREY (my brother six years younger than me) and CALEB

Caleb loves Jeff, so I thought that I could coax Jeff into getting his picture taken by having Caleb pose with him. But, Jeffrey is purely nocturnal and never seemed to wake up until Caleb was down for his nap. And by the time our little man was up, it was dark outside and I could no longer get the picture I wanted. So, in the end, we used a bounced flash, a bribe of chocolate and some Colts jerseys. :-)