Absolutely Perfect

"Are my ears broken?"

Is my 2-year-old really asking me this?! Give me wisdom, Lord.

"No, sweet girl. They're not broken. They're perfect. God made your ears perfect!"

"For everything God created is good..." 1 Tim 4:4

So THIS Is What Heaven Is Like

I don't really know how Sophie survived her baby months without an older sibling to help her. Mommies just don't understand exactly how to take care of babies the way their big sisters do.

Last night, Sophie made sure to demonstrate how I am supposed to give puffs to her brother by dumping the entire bottle onto Will's tray. I love this picture - she is so proud, he is startled (and hoping this doesn't end), and look at his little hand - grasping as many puffs as he can!


Check out the sheer determination on that little face... and also note how widely he spreads his hands, making sure to take in every last puff possible.


Sophie just might have had an ulterior motive.

You're Gonna Be Just Like Me, and You're Gonna Like It.

You can see how much Sophie's digging this picture dressed just like her Mommy. I'm already looking forward to the teenage years.

Will, on the other hand, has no choice. He truly is a mini-me of his Daddy, and he's gonna have to learn to deal with it. Case in point: I left him on the floor the other day with a bottle while I went to get Sophie after her nap. I was only gone about 1 minute when I came back and found him like this. He couldn't care less about eating (see the bottle in the background?) - he had better things to do! Also, he had one hearing aid on and one off (the arrow points to the one laying on his back).

I don't know how I ended up with both a husband and a son who choose play time over eating - that certainly is not my philosophy! At least my Soph agrees with me...

Real Men Wear Pink

Don't judge. You'd do it, too, if you were out of his pj's on the night before laundry day.

You've GOT to Be Kidding Me...

No, I'm really not kidding. Just a few minutes ago I put the numbers 1-15 into the doohickey on random.org which assigns a random number. Those numbers were given to each of the fifteen people who entered my contest, because I just couldn't do the totally biased choose-my-own-winner after reading all your nice responses. You people are desperate for some Veggie Tales, that's all I have to say.

So, why the title of this post? Because what other number would pop up first on the generator but the number 1, thus assigning the DVD to the first person who commented and none other than... my sister, Katie. (BTW, this picture of us CRACKS. ME. UP. It's ages old and for some reason I'm greatly amused by it.)



I really almost lied to blogger world and ran the numbers again, until I remembered how truly ironic that would be given my sister's OCD-ness with honesty. So, for the boring, cliche, you-probably-think-I'm-lying-about-the-random-choosing post this will be, there you have it - the winner is my sister, Katie.

Congratulations, Kate! Lucky for me, at least I won't have to pay to ship it to Alaska or Oklahoma or some weird place like that.

200 Is the New 30

Can't you hear the fanfare playing? It's my 200th post, so I decided to do it up right!

**Stay tuned to the end of this post for the exciting 200th-post contest!**

If you're in Google Reader, make sure to go to my real page so you can check out the new look for Nuggets! I can hear your voices now: But Kelly, we did NOT agree on the name "Nuggets of Pure Joy!" Why yes, faithful readers, you are correct. And you win two extra points for remembering. However, during the small trial we faced this past week with Sophie's decline of hearing, God was SO GOOD to bring my attention to James chapter 1. We are reminded that ANY trials in our lives are to be viewed as pure joy... and so, "pure joy" has truly been my motto this week.

Perhaps the Nuggets slogan will change from pure joy to something else after awhile; I haven't yet decided. But "pure joy" is what we must think on for this season of our lives, and thus, it will be on my blog as well.

Now, it seems to be the fad to do a contest for a big post number, and I could not bear the thought of being seen as a cyber-nerd. I'm dorky enough in real life! So, here's the dig. You have until Sunday evening, Oct 11, to leave a comment that answers ONE of the following two questions:

1. Which of my past posts belongs in the Adventures of Sophie & Family/Nuggets Hall of Fame? In other words, which of my past posts was your favorite and why? Or, if you don't have a favorite and wish I'd quit blogging, you can tell me that, too.

2. Why do you think I should read your blog? If you don't have a blog, why should I be your friend on Facebook? If you don't have a blog or FB account, then - congratulations! - you just became the newest resident in Cyber Nerdville. I feel much better about myself already.

You can answer both if you are feeling so inclined, but no bonus points just for being a brown-noser!

Make me laugh, make me cry, make me kick the computer screen off the desk. My favorite answer will win... drumroll please... the newest VeggieTales movie - Saint Nicholas, A Story of Joyful Giving. You don't have to have kids for the Veggie Tales, people. I watched them pre-Sophie. Really, I did.



If you've never left me a single comment, now's the time! Have fun, and remember, no one is a winner if someone ends up with a black eye!

Perspective

Oh, that sweet face.



Her eyes pleaded with us to stop as we forced her to drink. Then she felt funny. And sleepy. And she didn't like it. She made sure to let us know. And my mommy's heart ached to help her. To make it better. To ease her confusion and fears. As sleep overtook her, my heart shouted prayers. Please, Father, let her sleep long enough. Let nothing go wrong. Let the results be good. Use her healing to prove your goodness and power to unbelievers.

She awoke, thrashing and crying. We held her and read to her, caressing her hair, whispering in her ears. She calmed and rested on us. How beautiful it felt to let her just be.

And the audiologist turned to us. A waveform is no longer present... it used to be there... the results are clear... she will need hearing aids.

Suddenly it wasn't just my heart, but my whole body that ached. And though I desired them not, the tears fell. I watched her as she lay calm and still on her Daddy. Oh, that sweet face. How will we teach her? How will she begin NOW, after two years without?

And there He was, where He always is if I will but listen. You WILL do it. And it will work out. I have good plans for her.

We will. And it will. And truly, He does.

A Totally Rad 7 Month Old

On Friday Ben threw me an "Awesome 80s Party" for my 30th. When I told him that I was only 10 when the 80s rang out, he said that we needed to celebrate the decade in which I had my "formative years."

Here are Ben and I. I was going for the 80s-Madonna/Cindy Lauper look; Ben was going for the hilarious men-wore-their-pants-too-tight-and-their-shirts-too-bright-in-the-80s look.


Will was sportin' the faux-hawk and had on a shirt that said "I rock it old school."


Sophie is cute in anything she wears, even ugly things.

If you want to see more pics of other fun 80s costumes, including Kimberlee who came "pregnant" because she was prego 2 times in the 80s, follow this link: Kelly's 80's Party.

Will turned 7 months old yesterday. He is so precious to us! Thanks to our friend Jamie for the adorable little hat!

30 Never Looked So Good!

Sorry, this is Ben again.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!

I gotta say, you still got it going ON, even at the Triple-Decade!! You all that AND a bag o' chips!

Doesn't she look rad?

I LOVE YOU!

Have a tubular day, dude-ette!

If the Sock Fits...

Or even if it doesn't.