LOST

I'm sad to say that I do not know when it was my camera went missing (NOT the nice one). It isn't that I haven't been taking pics of DT, my head has just been a blur lately and I can't differentiate days from others. Anyway, I've hunted high and low and... to no avail. I am certain it will turn up, but for now, God knows where it lies. :(

ALSO lost, are many many pictures taken of DT. My computer crashed before TDD's hiatus and hundreds of pictures in several albums were lost forever. Among the missing are DT's first birthday, zoo pics, apple picking, pumpkin patching...

So now I'm hooked up to an external hard drive and back in business of photodocumenting DT's every everything. I kindly ask (beg, plead, beseech... ) that anyone reading this with any priceless and irreplaceable pictures of my Boogie please send them my way. Of particular importance, I would love photos of DT's birthday party. These were the saddest I've lost. :(

And PLEASE keep an eye out for my camera! :)

Happy Mother's Day

You may not know this about me, but I was baptized on Mother's Day. It was before I was a mom, so you might think that it should hold no special significance, but it is important enough to me that I remember it was Mother's Day. When baptism symbolizes outwardly that one was reborn inwardly, I was reborn on Mother's Day.

A lot of men don't get Mother's Day, and a lot of women think it's overrated. This is not so with me. I don't think they understand what happens to a mom on Mother's Day. It's a day where you think, you remember, you envision. I look at my baby and I think about where we've come from and where we're going. I remember holding my son for the first time after carrying him inside my body for 9 months. I envision him at the ages of my older nieces and nephews, drawing me pictures and burning my breakfast in bed. I envision him calling me on Mother's Day when he is grown, and him having his children call me when he has his own. It's a day of reflection, a day of appreciation. EVERY MOM DESERVES A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. Show your mom you love her. Spoil your wife rotten. Wish every mother in your life a happy mother's day. Because she deserves it.

I was reborn again on another Mother's Day, this time 22 months ago. My own personal Mother's Day when I gave birth to Dane Thomas. My life was forever changed on that day, the day he made me a mommy. It's no secret to anyone that has ever known me that this is all I have ever wanted in life: to be a mom. Nothing has and nothing could ever bring me such joy and satisfaction. There's not a day that goes by that I don't tell my son how very much I love him or how proud I am of him and there will be no question in his mind as he grows that he is loved. I am grateful to him and for him, for reminding me every day of the gift of being a mommy.

Hey, Meet K & Jay

Lately I'm hearing a lot of "Jayden, Jayden, Kristen, Kristen, Kristen...?".

Jayden and Kristen are the newest members of our family. Kristen is a friend in the same boat as me (well, her boat was near mine...). She has a 4 year old named Jayden, and is working on getting her life in order for her and her son. She and Jayden moved in with myself and Dane Thomas. DT and Jayden quickly became buds and took on the roles of "big brother" and "little bother" <-- That's not a typo! :)

The single mom thing is hard, and Kristen and I have been able to offer support and help. Our situations are not ideal, but we're both making the most of things. So, please meet Kristen and Jayden. I hope you'll get to like them as much as DT and I do.

Happy Birthday, ME!

I am now the big 26. My birthday has just passed and I want to thank all of you who called/texted/left messages on my phone or Facebook/emailed/sent cards/ or wound up at my surprise birthday dinner.

I have only spent the last 5 years as a wife, and the past 2 as a mom. But at heart, it's always been who I am. It feels as though I have been DT's mom for the past 26 years and I am so thankful that God had him in the works even though MY plans fell through. Without question, Dane is the greatest part of my every day and for the rest of my life, if I get a card and a hug from my baby, each birthday will be better than the last. So happy late birthday, me. A very happy birthday indeed.

Easter 2010

So we've been gone and YOU'VE been missing out. We'll use this week to help catch you up on the highlights.

First, we'll go over one of my favorite highlights ever and always. EASTER! I get pretty excited about Easter, and I hope that I'll raise Dane Thomas to be just as excited about remembering and celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior! With the help of the fabulous Elevation Church, we're well on our way.

This Easter we gathered with more than 11,000 friends to fill up and rock out Time Warner Arena (YES! THAT Time Warner Arena!). It was amazing with powerful worship, true Gospel, baptisms and several hundred lives being saved by the grace of our God. We took the service as an opportunity to show the city God's love by collecting donations to go back into the community. We asked each attendant to bring an item of food, clothing, book, or toy. In total the church gave more than 18,000 things. That's some serious love! :)

I know most of you reading this have been vested in the Howard Family for some time now, so many of you will share in our delight as you remember the time, work, commitment and sacrifice we poured into the church since it's been 100 people strong. We boast in Christ alone as we tell you to watch out for the marvelous things God's doing for his glory in our city. Look out, Charlotte!

It was intense. And I know Dane Thomas is but a child, and remembers not what he ate for lunch today, much less Easter. But I am proud to call Elevation my home and Jesus my Savior. I can barely contain my excitement to watch his faith grow as he develops his own personal relationship with the Lord.

There were also egg hunts and candy...

They weren't nearly as exciting.

Don't Call It A Comeback

Okay, call off the search party; we are alive. So much has gone on in the past couple of months, and we've been working on sorting things out.

We are sad to report that Daniel and I are officially separated and on our way to divorce. I keep retyping sentences to explain or talk about the circumstances, but I suppose it's meant to be a private matter because no words seem appropriate. I will say that we are attempting to be civil about it, and for now, that will have to do. I don't want anyone thinking that they have to stay away from Dan, me, or DT because you are on the "other side". If you're reading this blog entry, then you're on Dane's side. We want you in his life.

So thanks for allowing us the time and space to grieve and heal. Continue to watch the blog because we've returned. But don't call it a comeback. :)

Picture of the Week

ALL computer issues fixed, at least for now. There is bad news to that though, but we talk about that later. FOR NOW, PotW is back!!!

This week, we were doing our weekly shopping as Charlotte everyones prepared for the snow by stocking up unnecessarily on bread, milk, eggs. The extra traffic and the fact that mommy was shopping with a buddy and dawdling (after a playdate and nearing nap time no less!) made for a boring and tiring trip for DT. I couldn't resist when I saw DT had shopped 'til he dropped, and stopped in the frozen foods to get a couple of snapshots.

DT asleep at the wheel!