In Celebration of the Jeglums

The other day I posted about a day full of parties.
May I take a moment to highlight just one of them?

For, I am NOW the proud possessor of evidence
that Love CAN be fit into a box.
Well atleast into a photograph sized 'box.'
Stay tuned and you'll see what I mean.

Here are just a few of the people who joined us 'In Celebration'
for Mrs. Dena Jeglum.
She and her hubby Dennis greeted over 130 people at their door that day.
And in the end, these were the only ones worthy to be in her keepsake picture.
Can you see why?

Ok, fine, those funny faces were made by request......
and we were only caught on camera by default ----there was no scale of worthiness.
For who are we anyways in the sight of a perfect God??

Ahem, I am now digging a hole!

In order to make up for that comment, I'll now post the 'real' faces of those who were snagged for a group shot.
Many others had come and gone throughout the day. Most stayed for hours.

Through soaring temperatures we basked in the fellowship, and chatted on into the evening.
Only the Jeglums could succeed in bringing folks from all walks of life to join them in celebrating!
I know this is a day they will treasure always.

I saw a tiny glimpse of the partying we'll be doing at the end of this life.
Filled with laughter over good things, and smiles over feasting.
Koinonia at it's finest if you ask me.

It was a day worthy of a beautiful life lived. And lives that continue to be lived beautifully.
Dena and Dennis live not only in word, but also in deed.
I admire their candor, their fervent faith, and their genuine interest in the lives of others. They LIVE hospitably both inside the confines of their home, as well as in public.

It was a pleasure to join in your celebrating. May the Love of that day radiate always from boxes that overflow!

The Wedog Chronicles- Saturday's travels....

Saturday was a busy day. I think I posted we had 3 major shindigs to get to...and lots, and lots of people to see :D

The first was a kid's birthday party.....swimming, BBQ and all that perfect summer fun!
The Wedog didn't show her face there, she's a little afraid of shrinking in the water ;)

Next, we attended a beautiful event for a dear friend. She titled it "In Celebration" and indeed she had much to celebrate. Three years ago she received two new organs which have taken her from being a diabetic to a healthy young, 50 year old!
Also, she and her hubby just bought a gorgeous, new home that they hope to use for home bible studies and other ministry. So along with her birthday, her second chapter of life with her 'new' body, and the exciting prospects of this new abode, they really just wanted to gather with family and friends. We were so thankful help them celebrate that joy! She is such a blessing to so many people.....families travelled from far and wide to spread the love.
You are So adored Ms. Dena!

This frame hangs in one of her washrooms:

Now that we had tuckered out the kids with swimming and visiting, we dropped them at my parents and made a mad dash to an adult birthday party.

These dear friends were up visiting from So. California and it was so good to laugh with them a bit and share in their excitement at their growing family.
Near or far, God is so good to remind us we have much in common :D
and isn't there something so comfy about this restaurant?

Thankfully, we were nearby one of these shops....so we even fit in some book browsing in our blissful, kid-free state.
Saturday had much to offer each of us.
And our Wedog was a happy companion....well I'm sure she would be if she had emotions.
But don't tell her that ;)

Until next time.....

Our Ambassador

For those of you who KNOW us, it's easy to 'get' our blog title.

You know WHY we had Oscar Meyer Weiner Whistles at our Wedding (say that 3 times fast!)

You can appreciate our latest pet.....being a 'must-have' and a 'requirement' for our family....as stated by my mom.

So if you know all that then you can TOTALLY get why my dear friend Des made me this for my birthday:

Not only do I think Amigurumi is the coolest....as evidenced by these great

sites.....(click HERE and HERE for A-dorable pics!) but I think the actual execution of said cuteness is amazing!

I can crochet a scarf like nobody's business....but that's using a 10 guage needle so that the work goes by quickly and productively.

These little critters take a small exact stitch...and well, I'm just not there yet!

All that is to say that I TREASURED my little red wiener dog (Wedog for short...are you catching on yet?) And the deep dark red......ah, it's perfect.........especially since Des had asked my favorite colors without me suspecting a thing!

So there will be a new series running around here....

The Wedog Chronicles

Since I limit my family photos on this site, our Wedog will be our stand in.....that way those of you who aren't subscribed to our family blog will get a glimpse at our happenings.

So much fun to be had.....and so much less exposure.....because a Wedog expose' could only be so appropriate ;)

So for your viewing pleasure..... I give you our Ambassador.....Mrs. Wedog, ahem:

Nestled around the camfire at a KOA....ready for some smores roasting. Not too close sweetie....people have been known to roast weenies...I know it's appaling, let's not speak of it again......

Splashing around at a water park...doesn't she look chipper here?

Looking a bit forlorn at the DMV.....but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

So stay tuned for more adventures with inanimate objects....

I know, you can hardly contain your excitment ;)

Summer in our world is....

Lost sleep and memories gained

Waterlogged and hot dog stuffed

dry and breezy, sticky and sandy

ball games and waterparks, bbq and birthdays

pooltime, not schooltime, camping not studying

embers bursting and ice cream melting

families gathered and friendly outings

more s'mores and movie nights

splashing and surfing, sharing a Slurpee

Salt water taffy and playing catch

I'd like to slow summer down with a bop from my theoretical pillow. Until then I must sleep for tomorrow is another summery day!

What would you say?

Do you remember that line in Nemo....when the little octopus, and his friends are introducing themselves to Nemo?

Where Sheldon says, "I'm H2O intolerant."

And the other one says, "I'm OBNOXIOUS!" ?

Just how great it would be if everyone came with immediate disclaimers?

For instance Jay and I might say:

"Hi, I'm Jarrod and I am opinionated. Chances are I will offend you, it's not on purpose, I just need to get my opinion across. I appreciate your patience ahead of time."

"Nice to meet you! My name is Nikki and I tend to be bossy. If I'm not in control, then things probably will go wrong, and just so just know, I'll blame YOU for that later."

The longer we get to know a person, the more evident our flaws are....

and sometimes it would just be easier if we knew a little bit more about those quirks from the get go.....

Another friend stated:

“Hi, I'm ______. I am not responsible for anything that my husband says or does. He’s crazy like that.”

Which really isn't bad, unless that hubby gets too far out of line ;)

Then it might be good to know ahead of time! Before he asks a stranger to cover up their g-string plummer's crack in public or something....

One of my favorites came from a new friend, she said:

"I'm passive aggressive. You're probably going to tick me off at some point. And I won't let you know...."

I think we're all a little misundertood....like this ginormous fella.....

Sunfish can't have too many friends when they are as large as a dining room table.

"Hi, I'm a Sunfish. I lost half my body in a bet with God. My inferiority complex is only slightly smaller than my size. Do not comment on my appearance. Thanks"

Or these fish might say:

"We are co-dependent. If our neediness is off putting, feel free to see yourself to the door. We'll still have each other."

I'm just tired of the surprise, ya know........I think life should require a menu, or some placards at a first meeting......before we invest all this time, only to find out that there was something surprising hiding away in the seafood platter. Not that we expect to 'order' friends........but some form of disclosure wouldn't hurt ;)

Now it's your turn.

If you came with a placard, what would it say?

Cummon, be brave!

My Native Tongue.....

I'm reading this book about the 5 Love Languages of Children, by Gary Chapman.....and it's made me think about what makes me tick.....

He lists the five ways we feel love as through:

Quality Time,

Words of Affirmation,

Gifts,

Acts of Service,

and Physical Touch.

It's certainly worth reading....in any of it's versions (for Couples, for Teenages, for Children, etc)

Check out The Five Love Languages, now....before you forget!

So my goal is to identify my kid's love languages and to keep their 'Love Tanks' filled up.......ensuring that THEY feel loved....but in the meantime, I have to figure out what MY primary Love Language is.....

Now without going into excessive detail, I am pretty sure that I FEEL loved when I am receiving something/or to put it another way...when someone is speaking my primary Love Language of Gifts.....Case in point: my birthday week:

Whether it's friends devoting their time to make sushi.......

or flexing their baking muscles fashioning a homemade cheesecake.....

or crocheting my adorable new mascot.......

I felt loved last night.....celebrating the second of my birthday days in 2009!

In case you're wondering....
My FIRST birthday celebration involved an AMAZING pedicure.......

treated by a dear friend.....

Now do I think I'm materialistic? Nah, but I certainly associate 'getting' with 'loving'......

so it's very interesting that I enjoy when my birthdays drag on for a week or two....the longer the better....that way MORE people can share in the celebration! It's not meant to be selfish.....I just love parties!! And I love having a reason TO party!

And truly, God has surrounded me with some majorly generous hearts that seem to KNOW how to speak to MY heart.

A hug would be nice, kind words are wonderful, just 'doing' things out of kindness is good.....but when I receive something...in my mind I KNOW that I am loved, no question about it. I'm sure I sound terribly selfish....but according to Dr. Chapman I'm normal.

Ah, sweet validation!

It's all making so much sense too....how I felt about my parents growing up. I knew they loved me.....and I knew I was spoiled....to an extent...I received anything I wanted.....if I whined enough....and I think they spoke a similar language too......since they showered me with the things I asked for.

The beauty of this journey is that there is hope for all of us. Those of use who emphasize one gift over another.....we can learn to appreciate love in ALL it's forms!

I need to work on the Love Language of Touch. One of my kids has this one....and I am SO NOT a SNUGGLER! I'll rub my kid's backs at night, or read a book to them in my lap, but I have to make a conscious effort to pat their head throughout the day, or randomly grab them for a hug. I'm not good at spooning my hubby, I would rather sprawl on my tummy. But in the meantime I've cheated us all out of a beautiful, and necessary side of love.

So my goal is to identify each of our kid's, as well as my hubby's language......only then can I Love and Be Loved! I am excited to start this year off right! A new birthday means a new resolution....and what better resolution than to LOVE BETTER!

Writer's Workshop: Mother's Guilt

Flashback to where it all began..........my first decision as a mother:


So I'm huge and wondering about labor pains, and almost two weeks overdue with our very first baby....our boy....who is apparently a big boy......like up to 12 pounds BIG....or so the Dr. guesstimates!

It's the 1st or 2nd of July when we go in for my check-up and we're presented with options....but not the ones I'm hoping for.........

I would LOVE for someone to speed up this process.....but that's NOT going to happen according to the Dr.

The potential size of our baby brute is complicating matters. First we lose the option of induction....and then slowly.... anything else that might help along the process........(messing with membranes, etc-sorry for the ick factor).
We have two options...though my hubby is leaving it mostly up to me, since it IS my body we're dealing with...........

We can contine to wait a few more days to see if I go into labor naturally.....
or we can schedule a C-section.

I'm game to wait for God to do His thing...but the Dr. keeps stressing that this baby is SO big he might get stuck.....and end up needing an emergency c-section. I'm starting to wonder if he doesn't have a special deal with my insurance......a BOGO of sorts or a bonus for each surgery he charges them for....

But then the Dr. goes into detail about the ramifications of large babies getting 'stuck'........shoulder dislocation, broken collar bones, failed forceps attempts....
and the list goes on.

So despite wanting to put all that Lamaze to practice.....
(seriously I was SO excited to go into labor!) we opted for the c-section........

How could we go into this SO informed and allow our ginormous baby to be harmed in his first few moments on earth??!?!

So then we contemplated b-days.....and here is where my mommy guilt comes in.....

As close as we were to Independence Day we figured we'd do it right ON the 4th!
I mean who wants to be born the day BEFORE a major holiday...or the day after....if you're going to get stuck celebrating around it anyhow....it may as well be right on.....Or so we thought.

That way he could get his bday off work,
have national fireworks displays each year,
and be able to BBQ with his friends at pre-organized venues!

It seemed like a peachy idea....until this year. When he's old enough for a sleep over, but his friends are STILL young enough that their parents want to stay together as a family on Independence Day. I can't blame them.......but it certainly complicates planning!

Oh, tears have been shed, sad faces have been made, and all the while I can SO relate!

Let me qualify......my bday is also days away from the 4th of July and I remember that it was Always an ordeal to plan my parties....since most people took their kids out of town in the weekends around that holiday! It was bad enough that I was a summer baby who NEVER got to celebrate during school...but then I couldn't even have a HUGE swim party because a handful of people were always gone :(

So I've told this story in front of him enough times that he KNOWS the details.

Today while we were discussing the 10th incarnation of this year's party (dates/times continuously adjusted for several kids he HAD to have there!)

He pouted, "WHY did you have me on the 4th of July!?!?"
Argh.


Just when I think I did something right......there will ALWAYS be someone to second guess a decision :(

Sweet boy....you'll thank me when you're turning 21 and you and your friends ALL have the day off....and NO ONE will have to answer to their parents......

Until then....you can keep blaming me and we'll sniffle together...........