Liv is the kind of kid who chooses to play with pets over other kids. We’ll go to someone’s house to play and if she spies a cat or dog, forget her little buddies! It’s all about the furry creatures. Needless to say, she’s been asking to be a “pet owner” for a l-o-n-g time.

So we decided to get her a small critter for her birthday.

And after rotating through everything from Madagascar hissing cockroaches to rats, we settled on… a dog. We had two specifications in mind. 1) The dog had to be kid-friendly because s/he was going to get a lot of loving from an almost-five year old. 2) The dog needed to be as hypoallergenic as possible since several family members are allergic to pet dander.

Details of our plan fell together quickly this last week and it all culminated in a roadtrip yesterday to pick up our 10 week old Coton de Tulear named Shiloh. We told Livia that Daddy had the day off and we were planning to have a picnic and a few adventures. Halfway through our drive we handed her an early birthday gift. Here is her response:

Now taking it all in…

Sheer delight.

And finally, a Mommy-induced pose.

I’ve surrendered part of my sunny kitchen counter to future hopes of tomatoes and radishes, zinnias and marigolds. It still amazes me that tiny seeds can yield a seedling, and then a large plant with flowers and maybe edible fruits and vegetables. A little moisture, a little sunshine, and there they go, the seedlings unfurl their leaves towards the light. Livia tends to these babies with great care as well and it’s fun to watch her excitement at the new life.

Spring is all about new life. I found myself explaining to Liv the difference between Easter Sunday and our Easter/spring celebrations of bunnies and eggs. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve loosened up about a lot of things, but I still believe it’s very important to teach my child the importance of Christ’s resurrection apart from the hoopla of colorful eggs and chocolate. Some folks do their egg hunts and baskets on the first day of spring to separate the concepts for their children (great idea, by the way). So far we separate them by repeated conversations about Jesus’ death and resurrection—and by holding our egg hunts on a day other than Resurrection Sunday (thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!).

Livia learned the real purpose of the cross as I explained Jesus’ death to her. It’s amazing how the cross has become something we talk about and refer to with casual ease, and yet it was an instrument for a horrific death for criminals in the past. As a Christian, I can see a certain beauty to the cross in the same way I can refer to tomorrow as “Good” Friday. Still, I struggled with sadness as I explained how the Son of God was hung on a cross to die. At times in parenting, you wonder if you’re explaining too much. But Liv grasped the concepts in a very easy way and moved on to laugh out loud at a silly picture of Doubting Thomas pointing at Jesus’ scarred hands. We talk more about Thomas’ gaping mouth now than we do the cross. LOL.

Bring on the bunnies and eggs—we certainly have fun with them. Come Sunday we’ll be celebrating the resurrection of Christ and the truth that our awesome God has conquered sin and death.

Yesterday was awesome. The weather was phenomenal, Jeremy was finally feeling healthy again, and my little family played and worked together all day long. Lovely.

Step 1: Find the park in question. This usually involves Mommy driving around previously unknown neighborhoods in Lincoln, Nebraska, saying things like, “No, we’re not lost. I’m sure that park is here somewhere. Let’s drive around the block again.”

Step 2: Let child loose in park. Eagle eyes, with the help of given clue, will eventually spot the post.

Step 3: Take rubbing of aforementioned post. This part gets a little tricky when Mommy tries to take pictures at the same time.

Step 4 (opt): Since camera is present, make child stand by post. Smile in amusement when four year old holds up the rubbing to complete the perfectly posed moment. Wonder when she learned to pose like this.

Step 5: Take advantage of God’s creation and the beautiful weather and climb a tree. Notice powdered sugar still caked around child’s lips. Be overwhelmed with Mommy Love for this little face, powdered sugar and all.

Step 6: Take advantage of the man-made playground and put imaginations to work. Socks should be removed in order to climb up slides from the ground.

Step 7: Rinse and repeat a bazillion times in the different parks of Lincoln, Nebraska.

If I had the stamina to do so, I would write something about Lent—why I’m doing it, why anyone should do it for that matter, and how it prepares us to celebrate Good Friday and Easter Sunday. But the past few days have been rough family-wise and frankly I don’t want to explain much to anyone at this point in the evening.

Livia is sick. Again. As in viral illness, vomiting, fever and constipation. Tuesday night was incredibly rough and Jeremy and I ended up with around 2 hours of sleep apiece. Last night was better, but still involved a child waking in the middle of the night—a child who then didn’t exactly embrace sleep at that point. Now both Jeremy and I are feeling run down. This is a serious issue for prayer, friends. We’ve had various illnesses in our household for the past 3-4 weeks and it is really wearing on us now. Blah.

For Lent I’m taking a break from blog-surfing. I’m skipping Facebook and ignoring my Google reader in order to do some spiritual focusing over the next 40+ days. I’m excited about spending more time reading the Bible, reflecting on Truth and doing what God asks of me. So forgive me for not commenting on your blogs; it’s nothing personal, I’m just not reading them. When the opportunity arises or when I feel creatively compelled, I’ll continue to post here. I’ll also continue to check my email on a regular basis.

Q: How hard it is to find decent photos of you and your spouse?
A: Very hard.

Photo credit goes to Charity P. (Thanks for snapping this shot, and for sharing it, CP!) I tried to look at my blog with fresh eyes tonight, to see what it might look like to someone who hasn’t seen me for years and I quickly realized that I rarely post photos of Jeremy and me together. Not a huge problem, but one also not easily remedied with help from my iPhoto files. Apparently Jeremy and I never take pictures of ourselves. Okay, so never is a long time. But it’s a rarity. So next time my husband and I are standing next to you, friend-with-a-camera, be certain I’m going to ask you for a favor.

This picture captures my 31st birthday celebration at Blue Orchid. I believe 31 is the age where you begin to forget how old you are. Either that, or I was so worked up at turning 30 that nothing else is memorable.

I could not have been happier with a special delivery to my door yesterday and here are the reasons why. 1) My husband gave me this delightful gift. 2) I love chocolate truffles, and 3) these phenomenal chocolates are handmade by my very talented friend Elaine Cranford.

Aren’t they beautiful? They are, honestly, the best chocolates I’ve ever eaten. Divine.

For more information on these truffles, check out Zola Chocolates.

Yes, it’s technically February, but I have so many fun pictures from the last day of January that I can’t help but post a few here. In one day we celebrated Adam’s birthday at Lazlos, Simon’s first birthday (1/30) with his family, and Joie’s 30th with a bunch of folks at Grace Chapel.

Kristin and Madeleine. I can’t resist a mom-and-daughter shot.

Adam and Matt. Matt made the blog! Hope I didn’t promise you otherwise, Matt.

Birthday Banner. Renae made this gorgeous banner for Simon’s birthday. It was so cool!

The Paparazzi. Simon was surrounded by adoring grandparents, great-grandparents and aunts and uncles.

Birthday Boy. Eating cake for the first time.

Joie and Keri. I love this pic of Joie laughing.