{Maine} Watchin' for whales

I had no idea when we quickly posed for this photo that I'd end up liking it so much. We said, "Cate, stick your head through there." And she did. The lady snapped the photo. And we ended up buying it. The bonus was they emailed an electronic version.

We left for the whale watch tour from Bar Harbor, where the sun was shining and the temperature was in the mid-70s ...

I'm not sure who Ben was waving too. Probably an elderly man we'd never met that he called "Papaw" and asked to "holda." The farther out into the Atlantic we got {and we went 20-something miles out}, the colder it was.

Ben also stopped waving to "Papaw" and gave into a nap, representing our home state while he slept. So the rest of us cuddled up ...

And then we eventually saw a whale. Yes, singular. Its name is Canine and it's 7 years old. Yes, it. The whale watch tour guides track them by their markings, but they hadn't identified whether Canine is a girl or a boy. My girl insists Canine is a girl, go figure.

Honestly, I wish we could have seen more whales. But I'm glad we at least saw Canine come up near the boat a few different times. And Cate is still talking about how we saw a humpback whale.

I'm posting about our vacation as I have time. I took a lot of pictures in Maine. You can see them here. The posted blog installments are here.
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{Approved for You} Google Calendar

This is new, occasional series about things that help me, entertain me and inspire me.

I have a secret to share: Google improved communication between my husband and me. No, we didn't Google "how to better communicate when one person is far more into details than the other."

Truth is, Google Calendar is our friend. Quite some time ago, I created a color-coded calendar. Events are orange if they're for our family, blue for Greg, pink for Cate, purple for me and green for Ben. Then I shared it with Greg, giving him access to edit, add and change calendars. It took him a little while to realize how beneficial this could be. But now he uses it too.

He knows when I have playdate lunch plans or a doctor's appointment. And I know when he has a lunch meeting or an appointment that may keep him a little later at the office. One day he even added "Lunch with wife" to a Tuesday without me realizing. Honestly, we should do that more. Perhaps I'll make some dates with my husband soon; I'll be sure to put them in blue so he knows to show up.

We can access it from our phones or any computer. It's a living document, always being updated and tweaked. Sometimes his additions prompt questions from me. But, hey, that's how communication works. Right, Google?
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{Maine} A view from the top

The top of Cadillac Mountain, that is. It's the highest point on the North Atlantic coast. We drove up and then walked around once we got up there. We even had a picnic while we were up there.

The view down toward Bar Harbor was beautiful. Something about looking out over the ocean is always magnificent.

And my kids liked climbing on the rocks. Climbing on the rocks became a vacation theme, especially for my boy.

Of course there are more photos from Cadillac Mountain and from other places in Maine. You can see them here. I'm posting about our vacation as I have time. The posted installments are here.
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{Maine} The Coast @ Acadia

I love the ocean.

Looking out into an ocean always makes me feel small. It gives me perspective. It whittles away what's not important. It washes away fears. And even if I'm sharing the shoreline with strangers, I somehow feel like it's just me and God enjoying his creation.

The southern Atlantic coast and I are friends. And I was so happy to meet its northern counterpart, which was more of the same while being something new. Acadia National Park had a sand beach and beautiful rocky coastlines to explore.

Did I mention the rocky coastlines were beautiful. I watched the ocean waves come out of the calm waters and break against the rocks, creating a powerful splash. The waves are mighty and move. The rocks are still but oh-so mighty. It's a forceful yet beautiful meeting with the waves upon the rocks. I watched it over and over.

And I could have sat there watching it more, but my husband wanted to walk, my 4-year-old girl had questions and my 22-month-old boy was finding another rock to climb or stick to carry.

But that's life.

And I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm thankful my vacation included some time on a beach with people I love. And, really, they're pretty fun to be around ...

After we visited Acadia's Sand Beach, Cate requested a second trip the next morning. I seconded the request and was happy to have another chance to walk barefoot in the sand. My heart also beamed watching my daughter enjoy the beach. That's my girl. And my boy didn't mind. There were rocks to climb and sticks to use to dig.

This is only a sampling of the pictures I took in Acadia National Park and elsewhere in Maine. Want to see more? You can. I can't help but to look at them and think about how majestic and powerful God is and how his personality came through in his creation of this beautiful coastline.

I'm posting about our vacation as I have time. I took a lot of pictures in Maine. You can see them here. The blog installments are here.
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{Maine} Pumping on the Go

I told the security lady at Nashville's airport that I was wearing an insulin pump before I walked through the screening checkpoint ahead of my two kids who had been freed from the double stroller for security purposes. She nodded and told me to step over to a guy who was going to check my hands.

I still have no idea what he swabbed my hands for, but he said, "So do you have a Medtronic pump?"

"Yes. I've been wearing it less than a week," I volunteered on what was the early part of my fifth full day wearing a device that works as an external, mechanical pancreas.

He surprised me when his response was about how he'd been wearing an insulin pump for seven years. "You'll get so used to it that you won't think about it until you have to enter your carbs. Counting carbs is the most important thing."

I felt at ease as I walked away from him on the first leg of my day-long journey to Maine. I still had no clue why he had wiped my hands. But I felt good about the pump in my jeans pocket.

And, really, other than an exception that involved too much snacking on sweet treats while sitting in the van while going from Ellsworth, Maine, to Boston, I've had blood sugar readings that affirmed insulin pump therapy is welcome in my life. Even when life goes on the road, the pump provides freedom in its convenience. I spent my 10-day vacation on the go. The pump just went along with me and I often didn't think a thing about my new friend Izzy tagging along.

I'm posting about our vacation as I have time. I took a lot of pictures in Maine. You can see them here. The blog installments are here.
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Marketplace 29 A.D.

God brought many, many volunteers from 17 local churches together to transform a downtown alley into a first-century marketplace. At least three more churches joined the 17 in support of the inaugural Marketplace 29 A.D. by sending kids. Ninety-four kids came. And we hope they experienced Jesus in a way that will stay with them. They learned Hebrew words, songs and dances. They made things that could have been in a marketplace in which Jesus walked.

I've never witnessed such a display of God being glorified through a unified community. After a 10-day vacation, I dove back into Marketplace details while preparing the week before. And then we opened the marketplace for business. And dancing. And teaching. And loving.

And I came home last night after our family night exhausted. But I'd do it all over again. It was such a fulfilling exhaustion. I poured out myself as God poured into me. Over and over again. I was blessed as the kids soaked up the sights, sounds, smells and skits around them. They were happy, even in their first-century costumes.

Take a look ...

That's my sweet daughter, who was one of the youngest participating, but who loved every minute of being in that marketplace. All of the kids, volunteers and even visitors wore costumes.

There was a tax collector who meant business.

The blind beggar touched the kids' hearts as she roamed through the marketplace.

Jesus visited the children, teaching them how to pray and blessing them. He even healed a sick woman early in the week and then on Friday night healed the blind beggar.

This blacksmith talked about the nails he'd made for an upcoming crucifixion and shared powerful words about Jesus. You can hear his words here.

The musicians were awesome. Not only did they add to the sweet spirit of the marketplace, but they also reminded the kids to worship the Lord in everything they do and with everything they have.

The dancing was so joyful and added so much to the marketplace atmosphere. Watch some tribes dance here.

Stories were told. And soaked in. And repeated by little mouths.

That's Jan and her husband Butch. She trusted God when he planted this idea in her heart. She recruited me. And I'm thankful for this new, sweet friendship that has encouraged me so.

The whole experience certainly can't be captured in pictures, but you know I tried. There are many more in my Facebook album, if you'd like to take a look.
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{Maine} The Bar @ Bar Harbor

Here is a view of the water at Bar Harbor one morning, when the tide is in. But then it goes out in the afternoon ...

And you can literally walk across to that little island. This bar at Bar Harbor is covered in shells and rocks.

See, that's Greg pushing the stroller and Cate walking next to him. And, so, the seashell hunt began ...

Yes, every one of those shells in that cup came home with us. And then the water returned to cover up the rocks and shells that remained. The next afternoon the low tide repeats, allowing more people to hunt for natural treasures on what is sometimes the ocean floor.

There are more photos on Facebook and many, many more to come. I'm posting about our vacation as I have time. The blog installments are here.________
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{Maine} Timber ...

We spent part of our first day in Maine at a lumberjack show. Appropriate, huh?

The Great Maine Lumberjack Show is in the small town of Trenton, ME, which is between where we were staying in Ellsworth and Bar Harbor, where we went often.

When we got there, Greg and I noticed the news clippings hanging up about Timber Tina, who owns and operates the show. Turns out she was on Survivor: Panama, briefly. She was the first one voted out of the season. I mostly remember her job description as a "lumberjill," which is clearly her occupation.

During the show, Tina and three lumberjacks competed in various sawing and logging activities. The audience was split down the middle and each side cheered for a two-person team. Cate will tell you we cheered for the green team because she, me and the lady next to us were wearing green. Really, it's because we were sitting on the right half of the bleachers. Even so, the competition and banter that accompanied added to the show.

Greg got a try at the two-man saw during the intermission. And then it was back to business for Timber Tina ...

She made that log into a rabbit and then a chair, which she gave to Ben.

He really likes his chair.

And even though we had no idea what to expect going in, we loved the entertaining lumberjack show. It was definitely a fun introduction to Maine.

There are more pictures in my Facebook album. And there are many more Northeast stories and snapshots to come. I'm posting about our vacation as I have time. The already posted blog installments are here.________
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One thing. And then another thing.

One thing at a time.

God's been speaking that message to my heart. And I've been repeating it to my mind.

One thing now. Another thing later. And another thing after that.

Tuesday morning I woke up and dove back into everyday life after being on vacation for 10 days. I had a wonderful time away. But it's always sweet coming home. And, yes, there are pictures. In fact, there are 523 I am eager to upload from my camera card and share with you. But that's one thing that's being pushed back by these other one things.

I've spent most of the day tending to details related to next week's inaugural Marketplace 29 A.D. It's a Bible school-type activity that gives kids a chance to learn about what a first-century marketplace, where Jesus would have walked, was like. About 20 local churches are involved and 90 kids are registered to participant. I'm grateful for the testimonies of community and God's faithfulness that have been weaved throughout the preparations for what we hope is an annual event.

My notebook has been close as I spent my day thinking about the little things related to the big thing. God whispers, "One thing at a time." And I've tackled some of the things. One by one when there's time between being a momma and spending my once-a-week afternoon tending to the bookkeeping for my husband's law practice and real estate investment companies. It's been a busy, full day. And I'm thankful for the opportunity to be part of something that's so much bigger than me and my list of one things.
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And the winner is ...

Congratulations, Tabitha! You won a hardback copy of "Bear's Loose Tooth" by Karma Wilson. Be checking your inbox for more details.

Thanks for entering everyone else! Hopefully I'll have another family-friendly giveaway soon.
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{Guest Post}Karma Wilson talks about multi-tasking

Today is the last day to enter for a chance to win "Bear's Loose Tooth" by Karma Wilson. All you have to do is answer the prompt on the giveaway post and you'll be entered to win. And, you know, somebody's gotta win ...

Until then, how about some writing-while-mothering wisdom from Karma herself? The mother of three kids, Karma published her first book -- "Bear Snores On" -- in 2002. Since then, she has published more than 30 children's books. You can read more about her here.

Welcome, Karma. Thanks for sharing some insights to those of us with stories waiting to be told.

Deadline and kids, are the two mutually exclusive? When my children were little, it seemed to me that they weren't. Writing with small children running amok felt impossible, and I missed more than one deadline. However, I managed to get a system down that worked for me. Here are a few tips:

1. Adapt to YOUR environment.

I read a lot of advice telling me to find a secluded, quiet place to write--EVERY day. Usually as I read these helpful tips I had a toddler at my feet demanding food, a baby on my lap demanding boob, and a list of "to-dos" that I should have been reading instead of writing tips. We were poor, so hiring a nanny or building a secluded dream office was out of the question. I just needed to write.

I quickly learned to have food at the desk to hand to children. I also learned how to breast feed and type at the same time and ignore to-do lists during any firestorm of inspiration. And as a survival skill I became adept at tuning out background noise and zeroing in on the manuscript I was working on.

To keep the kids involved I would stop every few minutes and read what I'd written to them to gauge their response. This served the two fold purpose of letting me know if I was writing boring drivel that kids would hate, and showing my children that writing is a process requiring rewriting and hard work to get perfect.

This approach won't work for everybody, but if you are anything like I was you may have no other options. So learn to adapt, because writing, like so many professions, is survival of the fittest.

2. Force yourself to take breaks.

Once you get the first tip down it's very easy to get so engrossed in writing your masterpiece that you FORGET you have children! Then suddenly you hear a blood-curdling scream and realize that you have zoned out while your child climbed on the roof. Not fun or desirable, and certainly a damper on further creativity. This is why it's important to time yourself take some breaks to give the kids undivided attention.

You also need to take breaks for your own creativity to reset, and to keep from getting repetitive stress injury. Writing may seem like mostly mental work, but sitting hunched over a desk all day pecking away at a computer can lead to physical problems like back injuries or repetitive stress syndrome. Back in the day I had to set a timer, but these days there is nifty software made specifically to help you take timed breaks--Skirocco Take a Break is a good, free program that will give popup alerts when it's break time.

3. Beat them out of bed.

Sometimes a little quiet is the ONLY way you will get something accomplished. These are the times you need to try and get to bed early enough that you can beat the rugrats out of bed by a couple of hours.

For me, it was the research and networking more than the writing that required solitude. If I needed to search something up, or take part in an online discussion about getting published, I had a very hard time focusing with Sesame Street music in the background. So I made it habit to get up very early, rev myself up with double strength coffee, and sit in the quiet of the morning to get some critiques done or research the market.

Some people find they would rather stay up after the kids went to bed. That is also an option. Just make sure you get enough sleep to actually keep your brain functional, or writing progress could slow.

4. Write ANYWHERE!

I have written books camping, sitting in restaurants, driving down the road. I have scribbled phrases on ketchup-stained McDonald's napkins and old doctor bills. There is never, EVER a time that writing is off limits. But be sure to keep a tablet and writing utensil on or near you at all times, because sadly I've also written a lot of great books, poems and stories "on the go" and forgotten them because I didn't take the time to write them down. I have a nagging suspicion I forgot a best-selling, timeless classic somewhere along the way, and it's now gone forever, floating in the creative black hole.

Is writing with kids a challenge? Yes. Is it worth it? Also yes. But breastfeeding while typing isn't a skill for the faint of heart.

What about you? How do you balance what's important {writing, working, or anything else ...} with what's ultimately important {raising your kids}? Now, back to filling my son's cup and answering my daughter's questions ...
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Bear's Loose Tooth {A Giveaway}

Eating. Seeing. Reading.

Those are pretty much my favorite things about vacation. And I'm going on vacation. Tomorrow. To Maine. Then Boston. I will tell you about what I eat, see and read when I get back, I promise.

But until then, I have something for you. Well, one of you.

"Bear's Loose Tooth" is Karma Wilson's newest installment of the adorable, rhythmic Bear books. My dear friend Sarah introduced me to Bear and his friends. Cate -- my 4-year-old who loves books -- is loving Bear these days.

So you can imagine I was excited when I saw on Facebook that Karma Wilson offered to giveaway "Bear's Loose Tooth" to interested bloggers. She included a signed paperback copy for Cate and a hardback copy for one of you.

My favorite lines I've read in any of Karma's books comes from "Bear Feels Scared" ...

With a flap and a flurry
all the friends gather near.
They give him bear hugs--
and they calm his bear fears.

And then there's these sweet words from "Bear Feels Sick" ...

Mouse squeezes Bear tight.
He whispers in his ear,
"It'll be just fine.
Your friends are all here."

Entering this giveaway is simple. In the comments below, tell me what your favorite book by Karma Wilson is. If you haven't read her stuff, what other children's books and authors do you love? Please include your email address unless you have no doubts it resides in my email contacts.

For additional entries, you can ...

• Follow me on Twitter. And tell me in the comments below you did.
  
• Subscribe to this blog. There's an email sign up in the right sidebar. And tell me below you did.
  
• Tweet about this giveaway. You can do so daily. And, yes, post the link to your tweets below.
• Blog about this giveaway. And, I know you know, but tell me below with your link.
  

And then when I get back from vacation, I'll randomly choose a winner. You have until Wednesday, Oct. 5 to enter. Until then, happy reading.
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Meet my insulin pump ...

I started wearing an insulin pump on Monday evening. It's like a mechanical pancreas that is connected to me most all of the time. Yes, having it attached to me constantly was my biggest hesitation, but less than 48 hours in I'm already seeing why people love this way of managing diabetes.

Diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic more than seven years ago, I have had far more good days than bad days. But it's a chronic condition with so many variable to attempt to balance. And, honestly, this summer was rough. I had lots of unexplained ups and downs. I adjusted insulin doses {with the help of my doctor} and started trying harder to pinpoint problems.

As I learned more about insulin and my body, I decided Lantus, a long-acting insulin that is suppose to maintain blood sugar levels throughout a 24-hour period, was giving me trouble because I took a dose every night. Some days that dose was the right amount. Other days it was too much. I'd go low in the morning and then have my blood sugar spike up in the afternoon.

My doctor encouraged me to think about changing to pump therapy, which uses just fast-acting insulin, like what I've been taking at meal times. Small doses of Humalog are injected throughout the day. The pump allows for various settings that can be tweaked should I require different amounts of insulin in the mornings and afternoons. Before I could only inject full units at time, but the pump can inject fractions of a unit to be more precise.

The pump remembers my carb-to-insulin ratio so when I enter the number of carbohydrates I'm eating it can calculate how much insulin I need. My glucose monitor communicates my blood sugar readings to the pump, which knows the range I'd like to have my blood sugar. Should I need more insulin to bring a high down or less insulin to keep it from going lower, the pump calculates that along with what I need to cover the carbs I'm eating. It's just math, but it's nice to have the equations figured out and information stored on my mechanical pancreas in my jeans pocket.

It's going to be a good friend, I can tell. Perhaps I should give her a name.

It attaches to my abdomen like this. There are different infusion sets, but I chose the Sure-T set for a couple reasons. Unlike the others that use a plastic cannula to deliver insulin, mine uses a small steel needle. It also that extra loop of tubing that I thought would help if the small hands in my life pulled on the tubing. It tugs on the adhesive that doesn't include the needle {left side in picture} rather than pulling directly on the needle site {right side in picture}. And it doesn't require anything extra to inject it, like the other one I was thinking about. I figured the less I had to haul around, the better for the weight of my purse with diapers, wipes, my wallet, sippy cups, snacks, glucose monitor ... and whatever else makes it in for a trip to the grocery store, a weekend away, or a play date with a friend. I guess the one drawback is because it's a needle, I have to change it ever two days, rather than every three days like the other sets.

I can disconnect from the pump for short periods of time to shower or swim. When I do, this is what is left ...

It's waterproof and I don't really even feel it. When I'm ready to resume, I reattach the pump to the part on the left of the above picture. And go on about my life. Diabetes is always going to be part of my life, but I don't want it to define my moods or steal my joy.

So welcome to my life, Izzy the Insulin Pump. I hope you're everything I want you to be.
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{Football. Family. Fall.}

The above picture captures so many good things.

First, look at all those sweet faces. Seven of them. That's my kids and their five first cousins on the Taylor side. And they're all decked out in blue and gold, which must mean one thing ... Yep, game day. The weather finally cooled down and we were ready for some Murray State football.

And we saw some football Saturday evening, that's for sure. But, first, a couple more pre-game shots of us and our Racer pride ...

And, now, back to the football that was played on a gorgeous night that finally felt like fall. Murray State beat Tennessee State 58-27. Racer quarterback Casey Brockman passed for 600 yards, including seven touchdowns. And then he went on to catch a TD pass on a fabulous trick play.

The stats are impressive, indeed. But my favorite thing was watching the energy on the sideline. Every time a defensive player had a convincing hit or with every first down, the players lining the field erupted with cheers, high fives and dance moves. I saw more than one coach jump into the air more than once because of excitement.

It was a good night to be a Racer fan.

And there were plenty of opportunities -- eight! -- to see Racer One, who really is an old grey mare, circle the field. Murray State has an awesome tradition of having a horse -- you know, a Racer! -- run around the track when a touchdown is scored. Racer One ran 2 miles last night! Hope the horse has trained well because I get the feeling he'll be running quite a bit more this season.
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He reigns

I was cranky this morning thinking about my week while I was getting ready for church. Mostly, I was thinking about how my husband is going to be gone overnight one night. Really, I don't think I'll ever like going to bed without him home. I'm also going to start using an insulin pump. I'm really excited and I have high hopes that it's going to help my diabetes management. But some nervousness set in because I have a love-hate relationship with change.

And then I said it out loud to my husband: "I am sorry I was cranky because I was anticipating the busyness and you being gone one night. I know I have a bad habit of stressing about things that haven't even happened yet. I'm done doing that for now."

So I gave my week up to Somebody who really knows what he's doing. And not long after I was encouraged with every single song we sang at church. He reminds me time and time again that he's in the details.

It's all God's children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns ...

He reigns over my days and over my plans and over my emotions. And I know the peace that passes all understanding when I let him be King.

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender ...
Savior
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save ...

He conquered the grave. And he conquers every insecurity and worry that crosses my mind. He is mighty to save. Yes, he's preparing a place for me in heaven, but he's also saving me over and over again as I live my life here. He saves me from a permanent state of crankiness and disappointment and worry.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God ...

He's greater than my concerns that busyness is encroaching our time as a family. He's greater than my to-do list and responsibilities. He's greater than me and all the times I don't handle things as well I wish I did.

Thankfully, my heart and head are full right now of thoughts of how our God is greater and mighty to save. And, yes, he reigns. Even when I feel crankiness coming, he's reigning and waiting for me to give it all to him, again.
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I believe in community.

Sharing our lives is powerful. And I mean really sharing. Like not mopping the kitchen floor before your friends and their kids come over for dinner. Like telling them you really don't feel well when you don't. Like asking for help when you're overwhelmed. Like ignoring to pile of dishes in the sink to sit down talk with someone you love.

Community is about letting people in. It's about knowing you're not alone. But sometimes that's means having hard conversations. Often it means sharing meals, planning playdates and just being near. I think about the meals people brought me after each of our adoptions and the way people cared for us physically and emotionally after my father-in-law died unexpectedly and I know the power of community.

And I believe technology can help foster community.

Having phone conversations when, like me, my closest friends have small children in their homes, and probably at their feet, is hard. Texting and emailing to schedule times together often works because we can go about our lives -- getting preschoolers ready for the day, packing lunches, filling sippy cups, changing diapers, washing clothes, doing dishes, reading books, playing Memory, sweeping up crumbs from breakfast -- and make plans and check on each other while doing so.

Facebook makes the world smaller. And it makes community come together as moms encourage each other, ask for advice and warn of trials that could come. It's a place we can share wisdom we've read and songs we've heard and then plan parties for our families.

But just because we text and email and Facebook doesn't mean we shouldn't hang out. Being intentional about meeting at the park or the restaurant with the ball pit is also important to living in community. While the kids run together, us mommas can talk and bond, even if it's interrupted. And it will be interrupted. But 'tis the season for us to multi-task to take care of everyone near us.

And in community these same people take care of me.
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Becoming a momma

Four years ago was my last day as a news reporter at the Murray Ledger & Times. I had been hesitant to dive into community journalism four years before that when Greg and I moved back to Murray, but it's the only job I could find. Turns out, I loved it. I love small-town journalism. I loved the challenge of working where I planned on living for a long time. And I still believe communicating what's happening in government, at the university, in community organizations and among families who call this town home is important.

But I traded that in to be a full-time momma. And, honestly, this motherhood job is much harder. I was trained to be a journalist; I'm called to a momma, and I'm still figuring it out. Before Cate was born, I assumed I'd keep working, balancing my professional and family lives. I went back to work when she was six weeks old, but I quickly learned this baby girl changed me. And was going to change me. And I didn't want to miss it.

I was nervous about giving up a paycheck when my husband had only been out on his own for a year as an attorney also managing a real investment company. I had to figure out how to get health insurance because there was no way we could pay for insulin and other diabetes supplies without it. And I had to trust my heart in a world that encourages women to work simply because they can.

I gave a month's notice, but Cate was four months and eight days old, I finished my last day as a news reporter in this town I've grown to love. And I haven't regretted it once.

{Here's my farewell column, if you'd like to read it.}

I don't get a paycheck to tell stories anymore, but I still have plenty of stories to tell. And I haven't stopped writing. It's for you guys here. And it's therapeutic for me. Plus it addresses my fear that I won't remember the details of this season of life.

I spend the majority of my time tending to my now 4-year-old Cate and 21-month-old Ben, who rocked my world in ways Cate didn't but fits perfectly in our family. I like to eat dinner at home and spend evenings with my family, but I've gotten a chance to tell some stories for other people along the way. I've helped Ken Winters with his re-election campaign because I believe in what he has to say and how he treats people. And I've written some press releases for the local Republican party.

Then more recently I prayed that God would give me some ways to use my communication and organization skills in ways that help families. And not long after I saw that Randall Goodgame had some open dates for Slugs & Bugs Live. I left a comment on his blog that Murray, Ky., would be a good place to bring the children's concert. He emailed me and one email led to the next and I found myself planning a communitywide concert, sponsored by my church. And an hour after it was over, I realized I want to do it again.

I'm also in the midst of helping with the inaugural Marketplace 29 A.D. -- a Bible school-type activity that is going to be take place during the local schools' Fall Break and give kids a chance to learn about Jewish culture and Jesus' heritage in an alley that is going to look and sound like a first-century marketplace. So far, at least 17 churches are involved. I became involved because the organizer Jan Seargent called and asked if I could help with publicity. In the weeks since, Jan and I have become friends and I've gotten to witness some of the awesome things about community.

Yep, I'm a stay-at-home momma. But I don't just sit at home and change diapers. Yes, I change plenty of diapers and fill countless sippy cups. On the days with the dirty laundry piles are high, dishes are filling the sink, piles of preschool papers clutter the kitchen counter and my all-boy boy is getting into something else, I can get frustrated and lose sight of what's important.

Motherhood is hard. This is harder than any of the 88 city council meetings or two murder trials I covered. This is more challenging than asking U.S. senators and university presidents questions about controversies.

But motherhood is rewarding. It's more thrilling to listen to my son learn to tell stories in broken, incomplete stories than it was to write a breaking news story. It's more precious to hear my daughter talk about Jesus than to hear about our public hospital's budget. And my job here is far from over. My kids are little. They have a lot of growing up to do. And I'll get to have a front row seat that doesn't require any media credential.
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All boy, my boy

Ben has no idea he's small. He has no idea he's not quite 22 months old or that he's not towering off the growth charts. He's fast and loud and stubborn and quick to try anything. He's always moving and discovering and moving some more. And he wants to do what big kids do because he has no fear.

Yep, he's all boy. Even when he colors in a My Little Pony book.

And he likes being a big boy, leaving his momma to wonder what's next.
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