Baby Showering

In September, the captains of the Salvation Army are having their first baby, Rebecca Joy, and we jumped at the chance to give them a baby shower.  They serve so many of the most poor and needy in our town on a daily basis and with such compassion that it felt wonderful to give them a morning of hospitality in return.

It's been a long while since I've baby showered anyone.  I looked around on Pinterest and nearly had a nervous breakdown from all the exceedingly cute projects.  I didn't use a single one.  Plain and simple, idea overload short circuits my creative batteries (what remains of them).  Zap.

Since the captains are moving into a new home this week, I decided to do potted flowers in simple arrangements that they could take home and plant in their yard.  I think they worked out just fine.

Madeleine laid out the pretty invitations using our favorite easy graphic design program and helped me with the cooking and meal planning. I also benefited from some last minute pinch-hitting from Auntie Anne and Costco.

The baked cheese grits were definitely the most popular thing on the table.  Since I was unexpectedly running low on time, I took some shortcuts like upgrading store-bought  brownies with homemade creme de menthe buttercream and mint leaves from our yard.  Quick but yummy.

(Puppet break for the little guy.  Hey, someone had to keep him from destroying the table arrangements!)

The mom-to-be is a Brazilian beauty who is usually decked out in her Salvation Army uniform.  Today she wowed us in a beautiful turquoise maxi dress.  The moment Luci came in our front door, her eyes welled up with gratitude.  It was so touching and felt marvelous to do something small for this delightful woman.  She truly has laid down everything to serve others.

Baby food guessing contest.  Had to do it.

Presents and games aside, my favorite part of the shower was getting to pray as a group for her sweet baby.  It was a memorable moment that required no input or inspiration from Pinterest.

Congratulations, Captains Luci and Julio!

Costume Roundup

By golly, the past three months have been so riddled with costumes that you would think our household resembled a Disney parade, a Halloween-themed sitcom, or a highly trained improvisation team with a specialization in historical characters.  Yes, it was a banner few months at the Roberts casa, with the Amazon Prime guys working overtime to facilitate the needs of the costume crack we regularly consume, much to the aggravation of Kate Middleton (the dog, not the princess. Ooooo, brain flash!  Next UPS box might need to be a royal doggie costume!)

The highlights: my husband wore leggings and a kettle suit in front of thousands of people (Tallahassee Democrat said 30,000, but gentle readers, you must err on the side of skepticism when it comes to the Democrat), my son went completely gray, and my daughter swapped candy with Abe Lincoln.

Lest you think I am exaggerating, I present for your viewing pleasure the Costume Roundup of Fall/Winter 2013:

Tom Sawyer Day, early October: We eased into it with a red gingham shirt and braided pigtails.
To quote City Slickers: "Scoop o' chocolate, scoop o' vanilla. Don't waste my time." 

Fall piano recital (don't let the guitar fool you): dress up required for this occasion. 
We went with the free, go-to costume for all red-blooded
American moms with blonde-haired daughters. 

Halloween was just a drop in the bucket.  As mentioned here, M followed the theme du jour: Scarlett O'Hara.

Boys went all-star--Star Wars that is--complete with little Yoda (green Eeyore? Shrek baby?)



And---BOOM---historical worlds collide!  Who knew that Scarlett
was head and shoulders taller than our tallest president?

Turning the corner to November: okay, not my people here, but I DID shop for this rad gladiator ensemble. Veni, vidi, vici!

Reidy's kindergarten class had the cutest pilgrim hats. If he had been my firstborn,
I would have preserved this getup.  As I recollect, it got squashed in the dark recesses of the car.

December, bring on the candy-themed fun.  The whole Roberts gang participated in the Winter Festival Parade in rockin' downtown Tallahassee.  I innocently asked M if she'd be willing to wear a gingerbread outfit.  She pictured facepaint, her sassy MK Shetland boots, and a puffy pen-decorated T-shirt. I deviously pictured Gingerbread Man from Shrek.  (insert wild laugh here).

All night, kids asked to have their picture taken with Ginger.  She hated loved it!

My cute cookie working the local crowd.

Which brings me to the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Hubs dressed up
as Red Kettle Man (or, as folks in the crowd shouted, "Hey Mr. Cupcake!  Red Guy! Bucket Dude!")

The entire SA gang just before the parade began.  Note that Ginger's little sister (green pants, center) got to wear the very ensemble that Madeleine was denied.  (insert second wild laugh here, this time by AM.)

And introducing our artist-in-residence, Andy Warhol, who created a to-scale masterpiece for the 4th grade exhibit of the (Mini) Metropolitan Museum of Art.  If you want to chat about Pop Art,  50s feminism, or Warhol's raison d'etre, Collin's your guy.



In honor of Charles Dickens, M used her stash to purchase this lovely green-and-red, fur-lined, plaid-accented getup to attend a Victorian Christmas Party.  Perhaps she can save it for next year's Winter Festival and pass Ginger off on her unsuspecting brother?

  

Happy New Year to you all!  Sorry I can't offer any Deep Thoughts in honor of the big day--I'm still fried from all the (mercifully costume-free) Christmas festivities!  2014---here we go!



My Anniversary Card

Today I celebrated my 17th wedding anniversary.  There was no fancy dinner, no roses, no quiet hand holding.

Instead, today was a day of action, and it reminded me vividly of the “why” behind those 17 years.

Our special day started at 6am, when we bounded out of bed to head into the cold dark to finish the setup for a youth adventure race that our kids’ school was organizing as a fundraiser.  Although unquestionably a huge team effort, David was an integral part of the race, having spent many hours figuring out the nuances of the course, creatively naming the obstacles after the classical theme of the event, staking and taping off the 1.2 mile route, assembling the best playlist in the history of amateur races, and generally problem-solving a 200-person, 10-obstacle, slightly dangerous and logistically challenging race involving children as young as age 2 that had never taken place before. 

He was into it.  Why?  Because he believes in the fundamental mission of our school: to raise intellectuals for Christ.  He is passionate about our children knowing Jesus and one day being the most well-spoken, well-educated people in the room, able to defend and articulate their faith.  The school is all about such goals, and this race was designed to support its mission.

But for David, it’s not enough merely to have a sound opinion about something.  He doesn’t believe in things politely, stand aside, and leave it at that.

He is a person of innovative ideas and trustworthy actions. 

He spent his time today (and many days prior) dedicated to working with the team and making that race a smashing success.  And it was phenomenal.  We had children from all sorts of origination points—public school, private school, homeschool, our student body.  As he released coordinated 2-minute wave after wave of age groups banded with the color coding he set up, running through stakes that he personally had buried to define the race course, listening to tunes he had thoughtfully selected (Aaron Copland, Toad the Wet Sprocket, U2), his fingerprints were all over this event, and it was a resounding accomplishment. 

There is no doubt that David is a doer in the utmost sense of the word. 

But this just takes us to 10:30am on our 17th wedding anniversary.  For my husband also chairs another board, which he doesn't take lightly.  He rushed off to change in the race parking lot, Superman-style, and head to the public ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new 37,000 square foot Salvation Army headquarters that has been in the praying, purchasing, fundraising, and renovating stages ever since he joined the board. 

So, imagine David at 11am, wearing slightly wilted khakis and a button-down that I half-pressed last night and standing in front of around 100 folks in dark suits and tie-pins from the mayor’s office, numerous Salvation Army officers in their full-dress uniforms from chapters from Atlanta to South Florida, various members of the press and dignified officials and businessmen.  As he set aside the thoughts and concerns of the race earlier that morning, his clothing ceased to matter as his words connected with the crowd and he delivered from the podium on the gleaming front steps of that building a rousing, inspiring, call-to-action-type speech.  “Jesus tells us to serve the poor and needy, and this building is not only a place where the poor and needy can turn to be served, but a place where those desiring to serve Him can come and live out those words.  If you desire to serve Jesus, come here—do it here (gestures to beautiful new building).”  His words, spoken with great emotion, caused many (who pastor their own SA churches and speak regularly) to seek him out afterwards and thank him heartily for expressing what was in their hearts.

Looks neat and tidy, but we still have mud spatters on our faces from the race.

Would I take this man to be my lawfully wed husband, to have and to hold from this day forward?  I am thankful that on my 17th anniversary, by lunchtime, David reminded me many times over exactly why on November 9, 1996, I said yes and continue to say a resounding YES to that question.  Why I can't help but respect and admire him more every single day.  His thoughtfulness about faith, service, parenting, business, relationships, education and every matter that has any importance always translates into real-life execution of his ideals.  There are not enough people like that in the world.

And I’m here to testify that there is something magical about waking up with a godly man of action.  You know that the days with him will have meaning greater than your wildest hopes and dreams, and they will be an adventure ordained by God, satisfying beyond measure.

So a quiet day, some roses, and a restaurant dinner are always nice, but somehow David took this day and make it into a vividly illustrated, live-action card painted in broad and living strokes with this bold message:

I love the Lord my God.

I love our children.

And I love you.