A Need for a Little Transparency

If y'all will allow me, I feel the need to be a little transparent and share something with you. I can't really explain why I'm sharing all of this other than that I'm supposed to. I admit that I can be wordy at times, but I'll do my best to keep it simple. So, here goes. I have two confessions to make before I really get into the "meat" of what I want to say.

First of all, I enjoy blog surfing. That's right! During occasional free moments or during those times when I just feel like escaping to someone else's world, I will get on fellow friends' blogs and look at the blogs of people they know and then the blogs of people those people know and so on. I find it so interesting and definitely recommend it. Some would call it blog stalking...I just like to think I'm getting to know a variety of people. Hehehe.... Anyway, when I am getting to know these new "friends," I often find some very interesting posts, and recently, I have found a very interesting post that I want to share with all of you. At least, I will share it with you after I share my next confession.

What is that next confession, you might ask? Well, I am a control freak. One of my greatest struggles is to let go of control that I so often want to grasp onto. I won't belabor much about this or go into very much detail, but during several times in my life, it has seemed to me that my life was slowly beginning to spin out of control, so in response, I grasped onto anything and everything that I could control. I think so many of us do it without really realizing it, because as a matter of fact, we don't control our lives. Someone with far more omniscience and omnipotence controls it, and so often, we forget that God is in control, and we think we are. Anyway, I am slowly making progress with my issues of control and am learning to recognize when I am trying to control things.

I came across this post I am sharing with you during some of my blog stalking...I mean, surfing....and wanted to share it with you. I am removing some of the personal stories from it, but I just had to leave the first story about the hand gel. I was laughing so hard that I was crying when I was reading it, so I just had to leave that personal story in there. I'm not sharing the author of the story, because I just really want you to concentrate on reading the story. Y'all can feel free to do the same with me if I ever write anything as eloquent or beautiful as this....my writings are not copyrighted, and you don't have to share me as the author. Hehehe.... The person who wrote this has an amazing personal story that goes along with this, but I feel it's more important to make your own story when reading this. Because, I think all of us have control/fear issues to some degree. Hope you enjoy this post as much as I did, and I hope you can identify some of your "hand gels." :o)

My in-laws are wonderful people. Not long ago, the family went out to this local Mexican spot to grab some dinner. The whole group was there: my husband, his parents, his sister, and her 2 little girls. As is routine in restaurants, we got seated, the waiter took our drink order, and then made his way back to take the meal order. Then, as is routine with my in-laws, my mother-in-law pulls her purse into her lap and begins to search for it. My father-in-law is looking, in anxious anticipation of it. It is of vital importance to their dining experience, and I have never seen them eat without it. Then, she finds it and sets it as a centerpiece on the table. The travel size bottle of anti-bacterial hand gel, claiming to kill up to 99.9% of germs. She coats herself with it, then he coats himself with it, and they attempt to get everyone at the table to coat themselves with it. There truly is nothing like the aromas of alcohol and sizzling fajitas colliding together. I politely decline.

I can only speculate on how the restaurant gel routine came about. Maybe my father-in-law saw a very convicing commercial, or possibly, my mother-in-law had a friend tell her of the preventative powers of the gel. Regardless of how they got there, they have their gel. I guess we all have our gel - something that makes us feel better about the inevitable "germs" that are out there in the world. I would venture to say that for most, the deep-rooted issue of the "gel" is one of fear intermingled with control. We fear something, something we don't like or would be unpleasant for us, and that fear leads us to think we just have to control the situation to make it right or clean or safe or healthy or better. It's sort of like when we learned about "if-then" clauses in grade school. If I put on this hand gel, then I will not eat germs. If I have a net on a trampoline, then I can bounce and not get hurt. If we pass laws against abortion and homosexuality, then the country will be morally "safe." If I eat right and exercise, then I will not get cancer. If I study and search enough, then I have it all figured out.

I have no problem with any of those things. They are wonderful things: safety nets, hand gels, healthy lifestyle, and knowledge. Laws speak of responsibility and stewardship, both of which I am a huge fan of and both of which honor God. My issue is not with the "if's" but with the "then's." We have this tendency in our western, comfortable culture to hang our hat on those "then's." Everyone feels above them: the harm, hurt, accidents, pain, sickness, death, and all the things that are a part of our mortal lives and the fallen world in which we live. We feel about it all, because when the feear of those things creep in, we go into super control mode. More hand gel! Taller nets! A newer vitamin! Harder helmets! I can control this fear! I can make my world safe!

The truth is that the Creator of us, of the universe, of all that we are and see and experience is the only One in control. He is the only One that redeemed what went wrong in the garden on the cross. He, not us, is the only One that sees past the momentary "unsafety" and hurt to the character being built in us in adversity. We can not make all things right or safe and believe a lie when we think we can. Only One can...and does.

I am no expert on the matter, and in fact, more times than I'd prefer, I give into that sneakly lie. Thinking we can do enough to be safe and do enough for our kids to keep them safe is simply a myth. Only One holds our days in His hands. "For YOU have delivered my soul from death, indeed my feet from stumbling, so that I may walk before God in the light of the living." Psalm 56:13

Wow! I hope that spoke to you as much as it did to me.

A New Leader

Wow, can you believe it's finally over and that we've elected a new leader? You may be leaping with joy, or you may be weeping and discouraged. Regardless of how you feel about America's choice, it is important to put the election into an appropriate perspective.

First, we must realize that, as Christians, our temporary citizenship is here on earth, but our eternal citizenship is found in heaven. Now, that doesn't mean that we should ignore the difficulties facing humanity on earth. God clearly does not. Instead, the longevity and value of our dual citizenships should serve as guides to how invested we become in them. Simply put, eternal issues matter more than temporal ones. We should not allow politics and social issues to overtake our commitment to eternal issues. To do so is to risk idolatry.

Next, we must remember that God is bigger than elections. No matter how strongly you felt about one candidate or another, and no matter how disappointed you may or may not feel about the candidate who won, God is bigger than all of that.

Finally, there are certain things that will never change - no matter who is the American leader, no matter how good or bad our economy is, no matter what people define marriage to be, and no matter how people view the value of human life. I found this on someone else's blog, and I think it's quite appropriate. The Bible still has all the answers. Prayer still works. God still pours out his blessings upon all of His people. There is still room at the cross for those who seek it. Jesus still loves you unconditionally. Jesus still saves the lost. Jesus is still King. Our responsibilities as Christians have not changed. The greatest agent for social change in America is not legislation but is winning people through the gospel. The cross, not the government, is still our salvation. My neighbor is still my neighbor, and loving them is the second greatest commandment. The fact that "Jesus is Lord" is still the greatest truth in the Universe.

God is sovereign. God is in control. Now, let's trust God with the results and join together in prayer and support for our new leader, Barack Obama.

Hayden's First Halloween

Hayden enjoyed his first Halloween! We are so lucky to have a church who has a yearly Fall Carnival on Halloween, and we attended that last night. Even though Hayden couldn't trick-or-treat this year anyway, I'm glad we won't have to worry about trick-or-treating when he gets to that age. Unfortunately, trick-or-treating just isn't as safe as it used to be.

Anyway, as you can see from the pictures below, Hayden was a monkey. He looked so cute in his costume (complete with a banana on top) and really enjoyed his first Fall Carnival. It was so cold, but his costume kept him nice and warm. We ate with my brother's family before the carnival, and Mariposa (Lindsey) and Thomas the Train (Kristopher) were also quite cute.

It is so much fun to have a house, so Chris and I even got festive and carved a pumpkin (actually, I carved the pumpkin...hehehe). We also got an idea from my cousin to buy these special Mr. Potato Head parts for a pumpkin.

Hope you enjoy our Halloween pictures below! Also, I have another post from today, so keep on reading!

Catching Everyone Up

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted! I've been so busy with work and trying to keep up with a 3-month old. We're doing well. Hayden is getting so big and is such a blessing from God each and every day. Chris and I often talk about the fact that we can't imagine what life was without him...and it's true.

Hayden had his first night away from home last week and did great. Chris and I were tackling a painting project on our fireplace, and I thought it would be best if Hayden wasn't near any paint fumes. So, he stayed with Gran last Thursday night and did great. He had a lot of fun and met my favorite toy as a child, Teddy Ruxpin. Teddy is now at our house, and Hayden just loves talking to Teddy as Teddy talks to him. It's so cute! Oh, and mom and dad did fine with Hayden's absence as well. We missed him, and it was awfully quiet in our house...but the fireplace looks great!

I've been super busy with work and have several upcoming deadlines. It's such a blessing that I'm able to do alot of my work from home, but as you can imagine, it's quite difficult to get very much done with a baby who just loves lots of attention. So, this Monday, Chris stayed home from work to watch Hayden so I could get some work done. On Monday morning, Chris was talking about trying to get some of his work done during the day, but by the afternoon, Chris saw what I meant about not being able to get much done. I overheard him talking to someone from work on the phone and telling them that he needed to get back to work so he could get some rest and that keeping up with a 3-month old was harder than he thought. I think Chris really enjoyed the day and getting to hang out with Hayden, and I was so greatful for the chance to get some work done.

Hayden has two new toys - a Bumbo and his exersaucer. Well, he's had the exersaucer for a while, but it has just now gotten put together. Hayden enjoys his Bumbo, and I recommend this for all new parents. It is a contraption that actually allows a baby to sit up. Hayden loves being near us and is especially needy when we are eating supper, so we thought putting the Bumbo on the kitchen table so that Hayden could see us might help things out. It worked...Hayden loves eating supper with us and especially enjoys staring at our food. No food yet, son....wait a little while longer. Hehehe.... As you can see from the pictures, Hayden also thinks his Bumbo is great for sleeping. He's so funny! He is also really enjoying his exersaucer. I'm surprised how much he can do with it already. He can turn himself in it pretty well and especially loves reading the book about a duck and a dog. He's a very studious child!

Well, I'm posting some pictures below. Hope everyone enjoys!!

A Good Night's Rest

Well, I don't want to press my luck by saying this will be a permanent, consistent thing, but it seems that my present for the 3-month mark is to be able to sleep through the night. That's right...for the last three nights, I have been blessed to have restful nights. Hayden usually has his last night-time bottle around 10 or 10:30. He woke up at 5:45 on Tuesday morning; 6 o'clock on Wednesday; and 6:45 this morning. Woo hoo! For all of you moms out there who appreciate getting up for months and months every hour to go to the bathroom (while you are pregnant) and then getting up at night for feedings, I know you know how wonderful it is to get some much needed rest. And, for all you moms who are still getting up at night with your little ones, just realize that your rest will come, and it will be wonderful!

Hayden's Film Debut

I realized that I haven't shared a video of Hayden yet, and I couldn't resist getting him to "talk" for you guys. He is definitely the most expressive baby I've ever been around, and although this video doesn't really do justice to his expressiveness, it gives you a little sneak peak. He loves to smile, talk, coo, and squeal to almost anyone he is around, and it definitely warms my heart to have such a wonderful person to "talk" to each and every day.

Also, you will hear me reference him "sucking on his fist." He hasn't quite found his thumbs yet, but he rather enjoys sucking on his fist until he can figure out how to open his hand.

Just a Fishin' and a Splashin'

Last week proved to be a busy and fun week in the Davidson household. Weekend before last, Chris, Hayden, and I went on our first trip as a family to Gran's house to fish with Gran, Kris, Tracie, Lindsey, and Kristopher. Hayden and Kristopher looked so cute in their matching Tigger fishing shirts (Tracie and I didn't plan that, by the way). We had a lot of fun just relaxing, fishing, feeding Gran's pet bass (she spoils her fish, which makes catching them pretty easy), watching some football games, and grilling some hamburgers.

As I think I've shared with everyone, I've been swimming at the local YMCA. Last week, I decided to get Hayden some swim diapers and a swim floatie and take him for his first swim. After wasting most all of my breath blowing up his swim floatie, we headed to the pool. Hayden really enjoyed his first swim. He looked kind of perplexed when he first was placed in the water, but after a few minutes, he was kicking and smiling and squealing away. He had a great time!

On Friday of this past week, my mom, Hayden, and I headed for a shopping trip to Foley. Chris left this weekend for a work trip in West Palm Beach...By the way, he called it a work trip, but he spent most of it playing golf and hanging out with Jesper Parnevik at his 30,000 square foot house. Doesn't sound like he got a whole lot of work done to me. Hahaha... Anyway, Hayden did great on his first big shopping trip. He had a great time hanging out with the "girls," but both of us are ready for Chris to get home from his trip tonight.

Here are some fishing and swimming pics for you to enjoy!