The Eyes Have It

In black and white...


or in color...

the eyes have it when it comes to a photograph.

The eyes are the focus.

They tell the story.

They capture the moment.


Ella Beth and Landon got their daddy's eyes, that is for sure! But with this mama's little photoshop magical skills, I can take a little bit of credit - right?!? If you have photoshop and would like a few pointers on how to make your kiddos' eyes P-O-P right out of a picture, let me know and I'll gladly share a trick or two. I'm not into changing eye color b/c that seems pretty straight-up weird to me, but enhancing what God has given...I am all about that!

(Some photos were taken by Jason Pendley; thanks for letting me "enhance" them!)

Love Differences

Something I have found surprising being the mother of two is how different my children are. I guess I should have expected it, but my goodness! I mean, they come from the same Mommy and Daddy. :) I love both of my kiddos more than words could ever express, but I can honestly say that I love them differently. I have to parent them differently, discipline them differently, and love on them differently.

Ella Beth is our little leader. My! She has a very strong personality for such a tiny little body. She is hard headed, bossy, and she knows what she wants. But - for the most part, she exerts these characteristics in very positive and encouraging ways. She knows what she wants, and even to her friends (which I have to be honest and tell you that I l-o-v-e) she will not back down. She is not easily swayed into doing things that she doesn't want to do. Do I even need to tell you how hard I pray that this character trait will continue to develop through her teen years?!

Of course, with this type of personality there is a general struggle at home between Ella Beth's will and the will of Mommy and Daddy...but it is a struggle that we manage. And, I am learning, the more gentle my response is with her in this battle of wills, the more easily Ella Beth submits. Talk about learning from your children! Which is another way that I love Ella Beth differently than I love Landon right now. Ella Beth teaches me more and more about life, about dealing with others, and about myself on. a. daily. basis. ;)

Loving on Ella Beth requires undivided attention and intentional words. She is my little Words of Affirmation and Quality Time lover. I can show my love for her best when I am able to sit with her and spend one-on-one time with her. Her little ears are always open, too. Sincere words of affirmation (not just praise, but really building her up) light Ella Beth's eyes and her spirit like nothing else can. I am truly learning the power of words with this little girl.

Landon is our generous little helper. What a sweet spirit this fella has! If anyone within Landon's ear-shot mentions anything like, "I can't find ______" or "I'll have to go get ______" - Landon will stop whatever he is doing and immediately say, "I'll find it!" or "I'll get it!" and he runs off to do just that. It is absolutely precious. His overwhelming willingness to help anyone melts my heart and takes my breath away on a daily basis. And, I'll be honest and tell you that he doesn't get this trait from me. While I'm always wanting to help others and do more, I can usually find an excuse not to be as helpful as I should (e.g. not enough time, I'll just do that later, etc.). But not for Landon. There is not enough time for him to serve others! I can also tell you that I pray that this trait continues well into his manhood.

Landon has always been a snuggle bug, too. It was easy to pinpoint his love language down to personal touch. A cuddle or a carry go far for our little fella. However, it's also a challenge because there are times when it's not easy, feasible, or even inviting to carry around a two year old. There are times when Landon's craving to just be held comes across as being whiny. And, let's be honest, no one likes a whiny child. ;) It requires me to be very aware of Landon's needs so that I can truly see his heart behind the reason why he wants or needs my touch.

Loving on Landon, though, is quite easy to do. And 99% of the time, I am willing and ready to give him the physical contact that he desires. I simply realize that this time of sweet physical touch is going to come to an end - I don't see him as a 14 year old boy curling up in my lap! In fact, it's already changing. 75% of the time he wants to snuggle or be carried (during his "love me" moments...not all day!) but there is the 25% that wants to be just plain physical - wrestling, tag, "I'll get you" punches. I'm a little worried about the time that these numbers flip-flop and there are more jabs than hugs, but I still appreciate and understand how Landon needs to be loved.

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I know I am only the mother of two children, and that there are mothers of 4+ out there, but giving your children individual and intentional love is difficult and can be demanding. It's easy to try and create a one-size-fits-all "love band-aid," but that is just selling ourselves and our children way short. God gave these precious little ones to my care, and He has given me the great responsibility to love them and grow them as individuals. It is my daily prayer that God will give me the wisdom (and often times the creativity!) to love Ella Beth and Landon equally, but uniquely.

And isn't that what our Heavenly Father does for each of us? Could you imagine having to love billions of people? And having to love them all as individuals? Wow! I'm just glad that He is God :), and that His love knows no end. I'm so thankful that He loves me the ways in which I need to be loved; He prunes and grows me in the areas He deems best. And that is all I can strive to do for the two precious children He has blessed me with.

How do you love and love on your babies?

Summer Evenings

Summer evenings are full around here. Full of laughs, giggles, muscles, and silliness. :)

If you look closely, you can see just how dirty this girly-girl gets. She loves to wear dresses, but she loves playing in the dirt just as much.


And Landon, well, he just loves being outside. And being silly. ;)


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Spoiler Alert - someone has a birthday coming up!

Why Was I in Haiti?

People keep asking me, "So, how was Haiti?"

It was amazing. As a team member put it, my time in Haiti was life-bending. I won't say life-changing because my life hasn't changed much at all since I've been home - still working part time, still a mama and wife full time. However, my view of life has changed. When I look around, what I see "bends" and everything looks different with my new perspective.

The devastation and living conditions in Haiti are beyond explanation; pictures don't - can't - do it justice. The living conditions are deplorable. The closest I can come to explain the conditions are to tell you that Slumdog Millionaire had them right. (BTW, if you haven't seen that movie, I highly recommend it.)

Despite the devastation of the earthquake and the already indescribable abject poverty, the people of Haiti are hopeful people. And when you ask them what gives them hope their answer is always, "Jesus." Can I tell you what those precious people did to my small faith??? They GREW my faith in a BIG way. Isn't Jesus our ONLY hope? Truly He is.

I spent most of my time working in an infant and toddler orphanage called The Creche. It was the most difficult time of my trip. There were 18 infants in one room, about the size of a "normal" bedroom here in America. 14 Cribs were stacked two-high, and the other 4 babies (around 11-13 months) slept on two pack-n-play mattresses pushed together on the floor. The older toddlers slept in the same size cribs one room away. There were 32 children ages 14 months-8 years old. The oldest children slept two to a bed, many times with a younger sibling. The smells inside The Creche were nauseating. The sounds of so many babies and toddlers crying were deafening and heartbreaking. There were usually only two women in the infant room. Two women and 18 babies. Sometimes there was only one. Our team did the best we could, usually with two babies in our arms, to soothe them. Those precious women are somewhat numb to the cries of the infants, but I suppose they have to be...in order to get everything that needs to be done, done. They must wash all of the babies, apply lotion b/c the temperature is so h.o.t., change the sheets, change diapers, feed the babies, clean the nursery, change more diapers, feed more babies, and it goes on and on. I admire what they do, and pray for just a fraction of their patience, because four days wore me slap out. And broke my heart to where it will never be the same.

I guess I was so touched by my time in the orphanage because I am a mom. I can tell you that I desperately wanted to take home Judeson with me, and I would have gladly opened my arms to a couple more. Which is where the answer to the question, "So what was the number one thing that happened to you while you were in Haiti?" comes in...It was Wednesday, the last workday in Haiti, before we were headed out to the airport early Thursday morning. I had been working in the Creche all day, and our group decided that we would call it a day at 3 p.m. We were all tired, and I was covered in poop, urine, spit-up, food, you name it. The guys and the rest of the ladies from the other worksites had not returned yet, so I was in my room alone. I started packing things in to my bag, and then I sat down to journal. Now, Haiti is far from running on electricity like we do here in the States. There was a Very. Loud. Generator. outside of our room that ran almost all day long. As I was sitting on my bed, I could hear babies crying over the generator. It made me pause and think, "Awww, that just breaks my heart." But that's about it. Then I heard God ask me, "Amber, why are you here?" I stopped journaling for just a moment and thought to myself, "Well, I have some time to kill so I just wanted to write about my day." So I continued on. About a minute later, I heard God almost audibly ask me again, "Amber, why are you here?" I stopped. I thought, well, I've been packing to prepare to go home tomorrow (because that is what Amber does) and now I'm journaling about my day so that I won't forget anything. And one more time God asked, "But why are you HERE?" I broke down. I literally ran down to the Creche.

When I first stepped in the door of the Creche I was nervous and overwhelmed. Despite the fact that I had been there all week, this was my first time alone with all of those precious and very needy children. With tears streaming down my face (oh, it happened all the time to me while I was at the Creche. The women working there were used to it.:) I scooped up two infants in my arms, I had two toddlers on my lap, and 5 older children sitting around me. And I sang "Jesus Loves Me" to them for well over an hour. That's all I did. Through tears, because let me just tell you that they never stopped flowing after that, I sang and sang and sang. I changed the words about half-way through, and I sang "Jesus Loves You." I touched the children over and over again when I sang the word "You." The older children began singing with me and would touch themselves, too. More than anything in this world, I simply wanted them to know that Jesus. Loves. Them.

And THAT was why I was in Haiti. That was why God called me there.

It is that specific moment that I have been processing over and over again since I've been home. Yes, it's difficult to re-adjust to life after being in a third world country (even more so after a disaster), but processing my time with those beautiful children has been so hard. What is it that God is calling me to do? I am prayerfully waiting for His answer, and I can honestly tell you that I am up for anything. For the first time in my life I feel totally surrendered. It's not easy being a "planner" and not know what's coming, but there is peace in my waiting.

Thanks for letting me share about my time in Haiti. I promise to have more "life" back soon. :)

Why Was I in Haiti?

People keep asking me, "So, how was Haiti?"

It was amazing. As a team member put it, my time in Haiti was life-bending. I won't say life-changing because my life hasn't changed much at all since I've been home - still working part time, still a mama and wife full time. However, my view of life has changed. When I look around, what I see "bends" and everything looks different with my new perspective.

The devastation and living conditions in Haiti are beyond explanation; pictures don't - can't - do it justice. The living conditions are deplorable. The closest I can come to explain the conditions are to tell you that Slumdog Millionaire had them right. (BTW, if you haven't seen that movie, I highly recommend it.)

Despite the devastation of the earthquake and the already indescribable abject poverty, the people of Haiti are hopeful people. And when you ask them what gives them hope their answer is always, "Jesus." Can I tell you what those precious people did to my small faith??? They GREW my faith in a BIG way. Isn't Jesus our ONLY hope? Truly He is.

I spent most of my time working in an infant and toddler orphanage called The Creche. It was the most difficult time of my trip. There were 18 infants in one room, about the size of a "normal" bedroom here in America. 14 Cribs were stacked two-high, and the other 4 babies (around 11-13 months) slept on two pack-n-play mattresses pushed together on the floor. The older toddlers slept in the same size cribs one room away. There were 32 children ages 14 months-8 years old. The oldest children slept two to a bed, many times with a younger sibling. The smells inside The Creche were nauseating. The sounds of so many babies and toddlers crying were deafening and heartbreaking. There were usually only two women in the infant room. Two women and 18 babies. Sometimes there was only one. Our team did the best we could, usually with two babies in our arms, to soothe them. Those precious women are somewhat numb to the cries of the infants, but I suppose they have to be...in order to get everything that needs to be done, done. They must wash all of the babies, apply lotion b/c the temperature is so h.o.t., change the sheets, change diapers, feed the babies, clean the nursery, change more diapers, feed more babies, and it goes on and on. I admire what they do, and pray for just a fraction of their patience, because four days wore me slap out. And broke my heart to where it will never be the same.

I guess I was so touched by my time in the orphanage because I am a mom. I can tell you that I desperately wanted to take home Judeson with me, and I would have gladly opened my arms to a couple more. Which is where the answer to the question, "So what was the number one thing that happened to you while you were in Haiti?" comes in...It was Wednesday, the last workday in Haiti, before we were headed out to the airport early Thursday morning. I had been working in the Creche all day, and our group decided that we would call it a day at 3 p.m. We were all tired, and I was covered in poop, urine, spit-up, food, you name it. The guys and the rest of the ladies from the other worksites had not returned yet, so I was in my room alone. I started packing things in to my bag, and then I sat down to journal. Now, Haiti is far from running on electricity like we do here in the States. There was a Very. Loud. Generator. outside of our room that ran almost all day long. As I was sitting on my bed, I could hear babies crying over the generator. It made me pause and think, "Awww, that just breaks my heart." But that's about it. Then I heard God ask me, "Amber, why are you here?" I stopped journaling for just a moment and thought to myself, "Well, I have some time to kill so I just wanted to write about my day." So I continued on. About a minute later, I heard God almost audibly ask me again, "Amber, why are you here?" I stopped. I thought, well, I've been packing to prepare to go home tomorrow (because that is what Amber does) and now I'm journaling about my day so that I won't forget anything. And one more time God asked, "But why are you HERE?" I broke down. I literally ran down to the Creche.

When I first stepped in the door of the Creche I was nervous and overwhelmed. Despite the fact that I had been there all week, this was my first time alone with all of those precious and very needy children. With tears streaming down my face (oh, it happened all the time to me while I was at the Creche. The women working there were used to it.:) I scooped up two infants in my arms, I had two toddlers on my lap, and 5 older children sitting around me. And I sang "Jesus Loves Me" to them for well over an hour. That's all I did. Through tears, because let me just tell you that they never stopped flowing after that, I sang and sang and sang. I changed the words about half-way through, and I sang "Jesus Loves You." I touched the children over and over again when I sang the word "You." The older children began singing with me and would touch themselves, too. More than anything in this world, I simply wanted them to know that Jesus. Loves. Them.

And THAT was why I was in Haiti. That was why God called me there.

It is that specific moment that I have been processing over and over again since I've been home. Yes, it's difficult to re-adjust to life after being in a third world country (even more so after a disaster), but processing my time with those beautiful children has been so hard. What is it that God is calling me to do? I am prayerfully waiting for His answer, and I can honestly tell you that I am up for anything. For the first time in my life I feel totally surrendered. It's not easy being a "planner" and not know what's coming, but there is peace in my waiting.

Thanks for letting me share about my time in Haiti. I promise to have more "life" back soon. :)

Why Was I in Haiti?

People keep asking me, "So, how was Haiti?"

It was amazing. As a team member put it, my time in Haiti was life-bending. I won't say life-changing because my life hasn't changed much at all since I've been home - still working part time, still a mama and wife full time. However, my view of life has changed. When I look around, what I see "bends" and everything looks different with my new perspective.

The devastation and living conditions in Haiti are beyond explanation; pictures don't - can't - do it justice. The living conditions are deplorable. The closest I can come to explain the conditions are to tell you that Slumdog Millionaire had them right. (BTW, if you haven't seen that movie, I highly recommend it.)

Despite the devastation of the earthquake and the already indescribable abject poverty, the people of Haiti are hopeful people. And when you ask them what gives them hope their answer is always, "Jesus." Can I tell you what those precious people did to my small faith??? They GREW my faith in a BIG way. Isn't Jesus our ONLY hope? Truly He is.

I spent most of my time working in an infant and toddler orphanage called The Creche. It was the most difficult time of my trip. There were 18 infants in one room, about the size of a "normal" bedroom here in America. 14 Cribs were stacked two-high, and the other 4 babies (around 11-13 months) slept on two pack-n-play mattresses pushed together on the floor. The older toddlers slept in the same size cribs one room away. There were 32 children ages 14 months-8 years old. The oldest children slept two to a bed, many times with a younger sibling. The smells inside The Creche were nauseating. The sounds of so many babies and toddlers crying were deafening and heartbreaking. There were usually only two women in the infant room. Two women and 18 babies. Sometimes there was only one. Our team did the best we could, usually with two babies in our arms, to soothe them. Those precious women are somewhat numb to the cries of the infants, but I suppose they have to be...in order to get everything that needs to be done, done. They must wash all of the babies, apply lotion b/c the temperature is so h.o.t., change the sheets, change diapers, feed the babies, clean the nursery, change more diapers, feed more babies, and it goes on and on. I admire what they do, and pray for just a fraction of their patience, because four days wore me slap out. And broke my heart to where it will never be the same.

I guess I was so touched by my time in the orphanage because I am a mom. I can tell you that I desperately wanted to take home Judeson with me, and I would have gladly opened my arms to a couple more. Which is where the answer to the question, "So what was the number one thing that happened to you while you were in Haiti?" comes in...It was Wednesday, the last workday in Haiti, before we were headed out to the airport early Thursday morning. I had been working in the Creche all day, and our group decided that we would call it a day at 3 p.m. We were all tired, and I was covered in poop, urine, spit-up, food, you name it. The guys and the rest of the ladies from the other worksites had not returned yet, so I was in my room alone. I started packing things in to my bag, and then I sat down to journal. Now, Haiti is far from running on electricity like we do here in the States. There was a Very. Loud. Generator. outside of our room that ran almost all day long. As I was sitting on my bed, I could hear babies crying over the generator. It made me pause and think, "Awww, that just breaks my heart." But that's about it. Then I heard God ask me, "Amber, why are you here?" I stopped journaling for just a moment and thought to myself, "Well, I have some time to kill so I just wanted to write about my day." So I continued on. About a minute later, I heard God almost audibly ask me again, "Amber, why are you here?" I stopped. I thought, well, I've been packing to prepare to go home tomorrow (because that is what Amber does) and now I'm journaling about my day so that I won't forget anything. And one more time God asked, "But why are you HERE?" I broke down. I literally ran down to the Creche.

When I first stepped in the door of the Creche I was nervous and overwhelmed. Despite the fact that I had been there all week, this was my first time alone with all of those precious and very needy children. With tears streaming down my face (oh, it happened all the time to me while I was at the Creche. The women working there were used to it.:) I scooped up two infants in my arms, I had two toddlers on my lap, and 5 older children sitting around me. And I sang "Jesus Loves Me" to them for well over an hour. That's all I did. Through tears, because let me just tell you that they never stopped flowing after that, I sang and sang and sang. I changed the words about half-way through, and I sang "Jesus Loves You." I touched the children over and over again when I sang the word "You." The older children began singing with me and would touch themselves, too. More than anything in this world, I simply wanted them to know that Jesus. Loves. Them.

And THAT was why I was in Haiti. That was why God called me there.

It is that specific moment that I have been processing over and over again since I've been home. Yes, it's difficult to re-adjust to life after being in a third world country (even more so after a disaster), but processing my time with those beautiful children has been so hard. What is it that God is calling me to do? I am prayerfully waiting for His answer, and I can honestly tell you that I am up for anything. For the first time in my life I feel totally surrendered. It's not easy being a "planner" and not know what's coming, but there is peace in my waiting.

Thanks for letting me share about my time in Haiti. I promise to have more "life" back soon. :)