Several of my 'blogger friends' have links to Perry Noble's blog, so I thought it was worth a looks-see. DANG! (And for those of you who already read PN's blog, you are chuckling right now.) My cutie husband does not even read MY blog...complete with pix of his cutie girls...but now he reads PN's blog. Guess I need to get more insightful, or funnier, or both. Probably both. ANYWAY...I was catching up on some of this week's posts, and even though I always come away with something, this one was so good that I am going to include it here:

Jesus’ Mom Was So Smart

Yesterday I was preparing a message for May 20th…and in doing so began reading in John chapter two when Jesus changed the water into wine. (Popular miracle with some…not so much with others.)

Anyway, if you’ve read the story then you understand…Jesus and His disciples are hanging out at a wedding (so much for Him being boring) and the celebration is going great…until…they run out of wine. Now in this culture and time period…this is BAD, REALLY BAD…and Jesus’ mom comes to Him and asks Him to help out.

Some servants are evidently standing near Jesus and she turns and looks at them and says one of THE single most profound statements in Scripture…

“His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever He tells you.’” (John 2:5)

STOP for a minute! She didn’t say, “Oh wow, we have a problem–hey servants, SIT here and sing songs to Jesus for an hour, if that doesn’t work then use the prayer of Jabez to try and manipulate Him, and then if that isn’t doing the trick then here are some verses I heard from a TV preacher that will unlock the secrets of blessing…”

Nope…she said DO–WHATEVER–HE–TELLS–YOU! In other words–He’s going to tell you what to do and then you are going to need to take action. Yes, He is capable of handing the situation…but He is going to handle it through your willingness to obey Him and take a risk!

One of the greatest tragedies in Christianity today is that too many Christians are sitting around “waiting on God,” when in actuality they are using excuses such as, “Well, I’m praying about it,” and, “I don’t want to get ahead of God.” What I have discovered is that MOST of the time these are excuses for laziness, fear and a lack of faith.

Christians DO NOT need another Bible study…another book…another seminar…most of us need to simply just do what we know we should do…that desire inside of us that we know is from Him!

Bottom line–do whatever He tells you.

Is there an area in your life that you need to do whatever He tells you to do…maybe…

• You need to forgive someone
• You need to have that tough conversation
• You need to begin to worship God with your money
• You need to invite that person to church
• You need to start a church
• You need to give something away
• You need to admit your addiction
• You need to spend more time with your family

Do whatever He tells you!

Many times it is not that we don’t know what to do–its just that we don’t want to do what we know we should!

I wrestle with this just as much as anyone else. There are times when I feel the Lord speak straight to my heart…and I argue, rebel…and even at times try to bargain with Him…but life is so much better when I just do whatever he tells me to do.

Uh, speaking of things getting better…once the servants obeyed Jesus…things got a lot better at the wedding. Jesus never screws anything up–EVER!

Do whatever He tells you!

One more thing–as the pastor of this church I do my best to listen to the Lord–this is HIS church and I want to do whatever He tells me! Folks…what God has in store for NewSpring…the steps we are going to take over the next several years…let’s just say that the Upstate of South Carolina is going to be shaken…lives are going to be changed…and His kingdom is going to advance in a way that none of us have ever seen! Our best days are ahead…

Do whatever He tell you!

Walk For Life

Ruth Harbor ... A Compassionate Solution, A Safe Place

I am passionate about Ruth Harbor.
Ruth Harbor is a local home, ministry, safe place for young women who are pregnant, and need a place to live until their baby is born.
I just wrote, and deleted, a bunch of logistical information about Ruth Harbor, because I realized that their website says it better than I ever could, so check it out by clicking on the above link.
This blog is to raise $ !!!
Saturday, May 12th, will be the 2nd annual Walk for Life to raise money for Ruth Harbor. Mark and I had the privilege of being involved in year #1, and it was so gratifying. In previous years, Ruth Harbor had done a flower sale to raise funds. Last year, with only minimal additional effort, a substantial increase in money was raised. LOVE THAT!!! But in my opinion, raising AWARENESS of Ruth Harbor is as important as raising money. So please consider giving of your time (and join us on the walk at Meredith Trail in Des Moines), or of your talent (contact me to sponsor our family as we Walk For Life)!!!
And how cool is THIS...Angela Sustala has also become passionate about Ruth Harbor, and she had the fabulous idea of organizing a Jordan Creek Family Church TEAM! This is her idea...I only wish I could take credit for it:) Team members will receive a Walk For Life t-shirt with our "JCFC" logo on the back. Then we will all meet at Meredith Trail @ 9am for registration, walk together, and then go have breakfast together afterward. So if you would like to join our "TEAM JCFC" that would be even more cool than sponsoring our family.
Either way, get involved!

Happy Birthday PaPa, We Love You!

When I took that 1st picture of Isabella and my Dad at her 4th birthday party, I labeled it 'blackmail'. I did not blog then, and had no idea when it would come in handy, but now it has! The next pix was taken later that same month at Paige & Murf's wedding, then the next summer when Alex came home from 2 months in Spain, water fun at Lake Panorama (have any of you EVER seen my Dad without glasses???), and finally, at Alex's White Coat Ceremony last August in Iowa City. So much fun, love, and great memories. Dad, here is YOUR birthday list!

• My Dad is one of the most hilarious people I have ever known, but, trust me on this, he cannot tell a joke
• He LOVES his job as an ophthalmologist.
  
• He loves being PaPa to Isabella and Lisi even more:)
• This summer he will celebrate 30 years in practice, AND 30 years of marriage!!!
• Although he has lived in LA, London and St Louis, he is truly an "Iowa boy" at heart
• Cars and 'kicking tires' are his hobby
  
• My Dad still owns the 1st car he ever bought on his own~ a 1974 Pontiac Grand Prix (and Mark added, maybe the newspaper that came with it ...hee,hee,hee)
• My Dad LOVES to jet ski (the faster the better!)
• He can water ski all of Lake Panorama and back again
• My Dad and I are great going out to dinner together~ he eats all the beef, and I eat all the veggies
• He is known as a doctor who prescribes plenty of "Vitamin C~ Vitamin Chocolate"
• Eye ointment will cure what ails you, from a squeaky bike chain to a broken heart
• He has a secret stash of GUM (and clothes, and newspapers, and napkins, and dry roasted peanuts)
• He is an amazing and loving son, brother, husband, Dad, doctor, friend and, of course, PaPa

I don't think I have ever had as much fun or laughed so hard thinking of a birthday list. Thanks for everything, Dad, we love you!!!

Heather said...

Just a few things I think you forgot to mention about the "birthday boy"....

1. His orange plaid pants that a store "gave" him for being a good customer and your mom threatening divorce if he ever wore them. Am I the only one who remembers this??? I think it happend about 25 years ago:).

2. I swear he looks just like Ozzy Osbourne when he gets off the jet ski. Not sure if it the crazy hair or just that crazy look in his eyes:):):)

3. Uncle Mike looks "smashing" in the red boa.

4. He thinks there is too much traffic in WDM....clearly he has not been to LA in a VERY long time. We could really show him the meaning of traffic.

5. One of my favorite all time memories (and I don't just mean an "Uncle Mike" memory). Is spending the day with Uncle MIke and Alex wandering around DC and ending up at Jonny Rockets for a milkshake. Which leads me to #6...

6. Not many people would take a day out of there vaction to DC to help a relative move, but that is exactly what Mike (and Di, and Alex and Sha) did for me:)

And last, but not least....

7. Miss Amy forgot to add "Amazing Uncle" to her list.

Happy Birthday Uncle Mike!!!!
We love you whole bunches out here in LA!!!!
Love,
Heather, Nick and Emma
xoxo

April 23, 2007 10:00 PM

amain said...

oh my gosh!!! That is the BEST 'comment blog' I have ever read! Only 1 correction: the FREE pants were, I believe, solid orange, where as the PLAID pants were red & green, and bought & paid for. And when I started working downstairs from my Dad's office, I introduced myself to the maintenance guy in the building and told him who my Dad was, and the maintenance guy said, "You mean the doctor who wears those plaid pants???"

April 24, 2007 6:09 AM

Grandma Mary said...

Amy, obviously I loved the blog. That first picture with Iz is one of my all-time favorites. And the one with Alex. He's the greatest son anyone could ever have - you're lucky and so are we! Love, GiGi

April 24, 2007 8:01 AM

Hiatus and Boundaries

Well, I made it a few more days into my "Bible in 90 Days" commitment than I did a year ago. When I try for the 3rd (and FINAL!) time, I will have Genesis down pat. But for today, I need to take a hiatus from The Good Book, and delve into a new book.
A friend recommended the book Boundaries by Drs. Cloud and Townsend. I wasn't sure what I thought of reading a book about "when to say YES, When to say NO", so I went to the bookstore while Iz and Lisi were at school this afternoon, and decided to just begin reading it before I decided to buy it. Well, I read almost through Chapter 2, had margin notes like crazy and 8 pages 'dog eared' before I even bought the darn book. So good. As I was reading it I realized that I would not be able to commit to 12 pages of the Bible AND this, but also realized that I was inspired to again attempt to read the Bible in 90 days after hearing Pastor Josh's sermon on getting to a point where you have run out of wine to serve your guests~ when your reserves are tapped and you have nothing left to give. So now I am thinking that a 'cannot put it down it is so good' book about setting boundaries (physical, emotional, time, words) and what God has to say about all of this, is really a much more relevant choice.
And as much as I would love to stay logged on and tell you more about what I read this afternoon, I would much rather use this time while the girls are playing outside on a beautiful evening to read a little bit more:)

If you gave a Mom a muffin...

A friend of mine just blogged about a term that she learned:
WILFing (derived from the phrase, "what was I looking for")
It is when you sit down at your computer to, say, pay a bill, then you notice that you have e-mail, so you decide to check that, and someone mentions something to you and you decide to do a Google search, which leads you to a website you have never been to before, ...
Personally, I was glad to know that if there is a word for it, then I cannot be the only one who does that...and ultimately forgets to pay the bill that I originally set out to do:)
But it also reminded me of one of my all-time favorite e-mails that I got from a fellow Mom:

If you give a mom a muffin,

She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her
she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook
("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is setting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The check book is in her purse
that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two-year-old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her
that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are... If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

And by the way, I sat down at the computer to, well, OK, I have no idea what I originally sat down to do, but I did check e-mail, which prompted me to check my calendar to make a dinner date, and the calendar is in the laundry room, so I put wet clothes in the dryer and hung some up to line dry, which put me in the girls bathroom, which reminded me to give them a tubby, and while they were playing in the tub I decided I had time to catch up on some blogs, which is when I read about WILFing, and I decided to update my own blog, which I am doing, and as I am thinking about how in the world I remembered the 'If you give a Mom a muffin' e-mail and the chain of events that led to posting this blog, I remembered that my kids are still in the tub...

Bike Riding

I can honestly tell you that the Main family is enjoying our nice spring weather like we never have before. For those of you who know me well, you know that I am just not keen on being outside. When the girls were really young, I was known to hire a sitter just to take them outside to play:) But I think this year is going to be different for me. This is all just too much fun to miss out on any of it. Playing on the swings, having a 'bike wash', side walk chalk, and today, Isabella rode her 'big girl bike' with training wheels outside for the 1st time. Now, she has ridden it in the basement, and had a GREAT time. But that is a pretty finite space. She was just SO excited to put on her helmet, and ride down the sidewalk and into the driveway. Of course, Lisi was not far behind her on the tricycle. And as the last picture shows, Lisi IS her Momma's girl...driving that vehicle right off the road...

Scrap Mania

I have a confession...I have never been to a Scrap Mania at Archivers before last night. And I only recently began to scrapbook...1 slow page at a time. For those of you who know me, this must come as a surprise because I have an entire 'rubber room' devoted to stamping, paper, card making and general 'crafting'. I have told Mark for years that my 'spiritual gift' is in paper. Some people can sing a song of psalms, or pray like the angels, but for me, I have paper. (On a side note: for a church in the 21st century that meets in a movie theater, my giftings have expanded to include the computer. Love that!) But I digress. Last night made me a changed woman. A group of girlfriends got together to meet for a Scrap Mania. It begins at 5pm, and ends at 11pm. They provide dinner, snacks and pop. There is a fabulous open area with tables set up, and access to all of their die-cut machines and patterns. I don't know what I thought I wouldn't like about it, but I have always been reluctant to scrap with a group of people. That is 'my' time. Boy oh boy, did I have it all wrong! I accomplished far more than I have ever done working on my own, there was a greater sense of accomplishment being able to share achievements, and stories!, with my friends, and we were all able to get to know each other without kids pulling on our pant legs and asking for juice:)
So Dara, THANK YOU for organizing the night out. Let's meet there again ... SOON!!!

Happy Birthday Elisabeth!

It is my pleasure to be able to post this birthday blog~

Elisabeth is Nick's Mom, and MIL to my (favorite) cousin, Heather
Her only grandchild is Heather & Nick's stinkin' cute daughter, Emma
Elisabeth & her husband, Max, were both born in Germany
She is "Oma" to Emma (that's German for 'grandmother')
Oh, and Emma Elisabeth was named after her, too!
Elisabeth has a genuine smile and a laugh that will fill the room
She enjoys traveling, and has recently been to Hawaii (but I do not think she has been to Iowa yet~ hint,hint)
She is very proud of her family,
and will be spending her special day with them.

Happy Birthday, Elisabeth. We love you all the way in Iowa!!!

Happy Birthday Will !!!

With pictures like these, do I need to add many comments???
Today is Will's 11th birthday!
He is my cousin, and lives in St Louis with his parents, a brother, 2 sisters, a dog, & alot of fish.
He is great at sports.
Will is always up for a good time, & making it more fun than it would have been without him:)
These pix were all taken last summer at Lake Panorama, and our family is looking forward to Will, all of his family, and the Kirkwood/ Webster Times!, coming back this summer.
Happy Birthday Will! We LOVE You!!!

Spring has Sprung, Part II

You know that Spring Fever has hit the kids when you look outside and they have a 'bike wash' set up. Mark and I decided to go with it, and offer them dinner outside for a 'porch picnic'. And they sure did think that was a great idea! Lisi got so excited, well, and so WET, that she changed into her new swim suit...and added a hat and sunglasses to top off the look.

Sometime Between 8 & 5

"Yes Ma'am. We will have someone to your house on Monday to take a look at your washer & dryer. The repair man will be there sometime between 8am & 5pm." WHAT?!?
And then the woman goes on to say, "He will probably give you a 'courtesy call' as he is leaving the job before yours so that you will know to expect him."
"However, if he is unable to reach you, he will assume you are not home, and forfeit the repair." WHAT?!?
So if you are looking for me today, I will be home ALL THE TIME between 8 & 5...

Spring has Sprung!

Just a quick follow-up to my April 11th post, just 4 short days ago, that not only has it stopped snowing here, it is GORGEOUS! After church, Mark, Isabella, Lisi and I went outside to swing, and then went on a golf cart ride to visit the horses up the street, and then to the neighborhood park. It was FABULOUS!!! And now my cutie husband is firing up the grill to cook us some steaks and eat dinner on the back porch. Oh, life is good...

90 Days

Josh preached an amazing sermon today on the 1st of Jordan Creek Family Church's 10 Commandments: Thou Shalt Turn Water Into Wine. Now don't go getting any crazy ideas. No water was turned to wine in service. And as a church, we do not promote drinking wine. It was such an awesome message, you should listen to it for yourself on iTunes (and then come visit us for the next 9 Commandments!) But what I came away with is that Jesus is in the business of TRANSFORMATION. He did not just 'convince' the wedding guests that He had turned water into wine. He actually transformed the water brought by the wedding servants into the best wine that had been served! Josh went on to explain that "Jesus did not come to give us information; he came to give us a transformation. He came to transform people." Revelation 21:5 says, "I am making everything new!" We serve a BIG God. My needs, your needs, are not too big for His abilities. And conversely, my concerns, your concerns, are not too small to be His concerns, either. So what is your "I have run out of wine to serve my wedding guests" situation? What has happened where you just have no more to give? I know mine. And I am trusting God to take that situation and turn it around for His glory by His miraculous doing.

And what does all of that have to do with "90 Days"? I was just so encouraged and motivated today that I have committed to reading the Bible in 90 days. Beginning today. I tried this once before, about a year ago, and made it thru Exodus. I LOVE that story! Then 'life' took priority. But I am going to give it another worn-out Mom try:) If you read this blog, hold me accountable~ ask me about what I am reading! Better yet, join me in my 90 day adventure, and we can be prepared for a miraculous transformation together.

Happy Birthday, Pastor Lori!

I have been thinking about this 'birthday blog' post for more than a week now, and then Pastor Lori beat me to the punch with her own post yesterday of what she is most passionate about. And let me tell you, she knows herself pretty well, because she 'bout covered it all. But that is not going to stop me, so, Pastor Lori, here is YOUR birthday list...in purple!!!

• Pastor Lori is crazy in love with her "hunky husband" Randy
  
• She almost ALWAYS refers to Randy as "hunky" (love that about her!)
• She is so proud of her kids Micaela (a student at Evangel) and Keaton (also a children's pastor, and super funny to boot)
• She IS the best children's pastor EVER (ask ANY of the kids as they come rushing out of Creek Kids on any given Sunday)
• Pastor Lori refers to any child who has ever been in any program she has ever overseen as "her kids"
• She enjoys sugar-free cinnamon dulce lattes from Starbucks
• She is so happy to be surrounded by family and friends and feeding them well (check out her recipes and more 'good eats'!)
• She's no quitter! (Were you at the Egg Hunt???)
• She says "Oh, My-Lan-Ta" when she cannot believe what she just heard
• Purple is her color of choice, and purple jewelry is an even better choice:)
• She has the biggest heart of maybe anyone I have ever known
• And she is totally passionate about Christ, and being His ambassador on Earth
• Pastor Lori has a wonderful, all-out laugh
• Isabella just asked me to add "she is great at teaching kids in Creek Kids" (told you she is the best children's pastor EVER)
• Her friendship has totally blessed my life

Happy Birthday, Pastor Lori. The MAIN Family loves you!!!

MONET

Cowgirl Isabella with her paint horse, Monet. This is the true test of those of you who LOVE her. If you really do, you will plainly see Monet standing beside her while she offers sugar cubes in her hand. Oh, how I love this sweet girl!!!

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like...

April 11th ?!?!?!?!?!?


These pictures say, "It is beginning to look alot like Christmas", but, in fact, it is the middle of April. This post is more for those of you in California and Florida. Those of us in Iowa, and further North, are living it...

UPDATE: I initially posted this about 8am. It is now after 4pm, and it is STILL snowing!!! Not much accumulation, but it is still SNOWING...

Easter and Barbie

Leave it to Grandma Jill to make Easter seem like any other kids' Christmas. When the box arrived, Lisi said, "Mom, it is bigger than Daddy!" Now, it was not, but for those of you who have been with Lisi recently, you know that she is "Lisi the Liar". So Isabella had HUGE expectations, and although the box was not bigger than Daddy, the box did have a Barbie for each of the girls. Thanks for following through on that Grandma Jill! (When we were visiting last month, she was SHOCKED that we do not have Barbies at our house!) Lisi got photographer Barbie with super-cute Anne Geddes-esque babies, and Isabella, most appropriately, got Petsitter Barbie, complete with enough puppies to make a puppy parade. Love that! There was also an assortment of bunnies, bath toys, stickers and, of course, candy. (refer back to my earlier Easter post where I mentioned that we were waiting for the SUGAR BUZZ to wear off...) I am hoping to just get the girls to drink some milk with their well-rounded dinner of chocolate bunnies, Dora jelly beans, and a candy bracelet for dessert:)

New Family Photo

Flounder

Mark just walked in as I was writing my last post and said, "If Flounder should die, well, I was standing in the kitchen, felt something gooey under my foot, and when I looked, it was Flounder." Yipes! So he tossed Flouder back in his bowl, and we are hoping for the best. (This pix was taken just 7 months ago.)

Family Fun

We came home from church, and the Easter Bunny had brought us...Uncle Alex! It was really cute. E. Bunny visited our house while we were at church, and when we came home, Isabella ran straight for the Dora Pony Place and the baskets, and Alex was 'hiding' on the couch! I kept saying, look what the Easter Bunny left on the couch, and she kept seeing hidden eggs and going for those. And there was Alex laying on the couch, with only his head hidden under a pillow. Once she 'discovered' him, plenty of fun was to be had by all. And the pix of Alex with a sad face...he and Mark wanted to see what would happen if they 'nuked' a Peep. (It inflated, deflated and melted...duh!)
He left to have dinner with the rest of the Versackas family, and Mark's brother, his wife, and Manndy, Mackenzie and Mr Robert came over to have dinner with us. I know I just did a post on Resurrection Sunday, but isn't the Easter Bunny cake FUN?!? With Bill & Nancy out of town, I think it was the smallest family dinner we have ever hosted. It was very low-key, but a great afternoon.
Now we are just waiting for the SUGAR BUZZ to wear off for Isabella and Lisi...

EASTER

I think I like referring to today as "Resurrection Sunday" more than Easter. Easter is a great, fun day with images of a giant, friendly bunny hopping across the yard to hide eggs and leave baskets filled with all sorts of goodies. (This year he left Barbie eggs and Dora's Talking Horse Place and Trailer). And this year I was even inspired by Dara and Becky to have Easter dresses for the girls and myself~and it was fun! And all of that is great, but today is the day that we, as followers of Christ, remember and CELEBRATE the resurrection of Christ. As Pastor Josh reminded us this morning, this is the foundation of Christianity, and what sets 'us' apart from every other religion and every other person who believes that Jesus was a great man who lived and died 2000 years ago. The other day I asked Isabella if she knew the real reason that we celebrate Easter, and she said that "Easter is about Jesus". Great answer! Then I asked her if she knew the reason that we were put on this Earth~ if she knew 'the meaning of life'. She cocked her head to the side, in that characteristically Isabella way, and said nothing. I told her that we are here on Earth to honor and worship God. And she said, "Well, Mom, if we did not worship God, then the rocks would have to cry out!" Even better answerY

10,000 EGGS

So I was a little skeptical about filling 10,000 plastic Easter eggs, but it happened! Pastor Lori, our ever-fearless Children's Pastor at Jordan Creek Family Church, had this vision of a community egg hunt, and she pulled it off. Even at only 28 degrees outside, and a windchill making it, oh!, so much colder!, she pulled it off. There were more than 200 people there, and had it been a nice, warm, sunny Saturday in April, there would have easily been twice that many. Our nieces, Manndy & Mackenzie, walked down from their house and brought friends, too. It was great! But Pastor Lori says..."Next year, we're doing this in Jamaica!"
Oh, but be sure to check out the DM Register website for more pix...including a super-cute one of Isabella in bunny ears:)
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=galleries

Go to that page, then scroll WAY down under
"communities". click on the picture captioned "Jordan
Egg Hunt".

Isabella's Bubble, Part II

Oh, I am going to have to look back on my blog posts to see just how different this pix is from the first "Isabella's Bubble" post. Isabella just LOVES bubble gum!!! She must have gotten some at church, and when she came home, we reminded her "no gum in the house", and she said, "OK, but first take another picture of my bubble!" So tries so hard, and is SO proud of her accomplishment. Have I mentioned how I love being the Mom of a 5 year old and a 3 year old??? It is just joyous.

FRIENDS

Just a super-cute pix of Iz and Lisi being 'book ends' to our friends Jake and Jordan. 2 year old Jadyn must have run off before I snapped the pix~ I think she had been filling the gap between Jordan and Lisi:) Texas' loss was definitely our gain when the Sustala family moved here just over a year ago. Our kids all just stair-step down in age, and they get along and play so well together~ love that!

Build A Bear

Isabella and Lisi would like to introduce you to our 2 newest family members: Princess Kitty Cat and JoJo Monkey (wearing a green Tinkerbell ensemble, complete with wings and a wand). Build A Bear is the end-all, be-all "treat" in our family. I held off on letting the girls go there until last summer, when Isabella was 4 years old. I thought I did pretty good:) But since then, we have added, oh, maybe 8 Build A Bear friends to our family. CRAZY!!! But I do have to thank the Bigsby's and Mr Robert, and Bill & Terri Byers for the gift certificates and cash to spend there~ the girls have a GREAT time! This time was on me, though. Iz had been asking to go since way before Spring Break. I kept putting her off, and then suggested that maybe they could go in St Louis, and then promised that we would not leave St Louis without new BAB friends (because Isabella was SURE they had different friends there!). And then we got sick on that Sunday night there, and cut our trip short and left first thing in the morning. So when we were all well, we went to BAB just because we could. And it was fun. Really fun. We had the store to ourselves, and the girls had so much fun deciding which friend was just right for them. I don't think that anyone who knows Isabella is surprised that she chose a pink kitty. And, well, the monkey is not a big stretch for Lisi, either:) But the Tinkerbell outfit on the monkey...still makes me chuckle....