I’m just as shocked at this news as the rest of the country is. It’s surreal to imagine such violence at a mall I’ve been in many times. What a tragedy.

My friend Erin Wood creates and sells these adorable bears and burp cloths. I think it’s a perfect Christmas (or shower) gift for a new baby. Erin is relying on word-of-mouth advertising–and I want to help her out in any way possible. Afterall, she was the coolest RA at Covenant College during my time there.

A few friends wondered if we were growing a beanstalk in our front yard. Though our young catalpa tree certainly has been through an awkward stage–all leggy with enormous leaves–it truly is a tree and not a beanstalk. And because I’m obsessed with close-up shots, here ’tis, the wee catalpa in all its winter glory.

* Peter Pan, while highly entertaining, definitely shows its age when it comes to socially inappropriate terms. the song “What Made the Red Man Red” made both Jeremy and me both cringe in horror.

* A Thanksgiving book my mom gave Livia does a much better job with terminology… as in, “Squanto was a Native American.

* Final note on socially appropriate terms. The other day I read of some Hollywood woman and how her family includes “a son, Matt, and an adopted son, Joe.” Uh, hello? A son is a son is a son. There should be no distinction between how a son came to be a son. I feel pretty fiercely about this topic and I’ve been surprised at how inconsiderate some folks are in regards to adoption. By all means, let’s talk about the ins and outs of adoption, but thinking before speaking is definitely advised. People commonly ask me questions about Livia’s mom without realizing what they’re saying. For the record, I’m Livia’s mom. We call the mom of her birth quite simply, the birthmom.

* Is the phrase “politically correct” still widely used? I don’t think the points above fall under the politically correct label, so I used other terms instead.

* I planned to write a post on observations, and it turned into a mini-rant on terminology instead. I get kind of wound up about adoption–but only because it’s so near and dear to me. Read this article on the topic… It warms my heart!

Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe.

My stomach hurts from laughing so hard. Comedy, drama, education, not to mention the ultimate reality show experience–this show’s got something for everyone.

My favorite Mike Rowe quote so far came after he crawled out of a shark cage where he was up close and personal with a few great whites. The ship captain asks if Mike was scared at all and Mike replies, “Only literally and metaphorically.” Excellent.

A lot has been happening in the life of Zion Church since the fire destroyed the building last June. It’s encouraging for me to see new life rising from the ashes (the potential metaphors abound) because I was particularly troubled by this loss. To this day, when I hear sirens zooming down 9th Street I pause and wait for them to stop in the Zion parking lot. Just the other day Livia asked, “Why you frowding [frowning], Mom?” and I realized that sirens now have power to transport me back to images of black smoke and emergency vehicles and the beginnings of red flames licking at my beloved church. It’s amazing how such memories can stick with you.

Yet, today I am encouraged because why? Because now we are going to see two churches existing where only one did before. Tobey Brockman, our associate pastor, is partnering with Adam Odell, our youth pastor, to start a new church (in the PCA we call it church “planting”) in Zion’s old location. Zion has actually purchased property several miles south–and we’ll hold our first worship service there on December 2. Less than six months after a fire took our lovely old building, and God has provided a new place for worship. Pretty phenomenal, if you ask me. The past six months have been filled with a lot of beseeching (for wisdom from the Lord) and thanksgiving (for all that we have). Though I haven’t particularly enjoyed the past several months of church homelessness and have handled it less than gracefully at times, I am incredibly proud of the leadership of my church. Stu and Tobey have used every opportunity to thank God for His goodness in the midst of hardship, and they have refocused the church body, over and over, to the ultimate sacrifice paid by Jesus for our sins. I believe their attitudes not only glorify God, but also encourage the rest of us to follow suit.

For all two of you who are still reading this lengthy blog post, what’s next for the Tredways? The church plant. When we moved back here, after our sojourn in St. Louis, we decided to live in community with our church. We drove down every single street in the neighborhood, eyeballing every place for rent to see if it passed the “would Rebecca feel safe here?” test. Eventually we bought a house near the church. Suffice to say, we are invested in the neighborhood; we want to stay involved here. Beyond this paltry explanation there is much to say about “leaving” the church I’ve grown up in, the body that has nurtured us to adulthood, the pastor who has cared for me from young teen to young mom. A decision like this doesn’t come lightly. Perhaps I’ll blog more about it in the future.

But for now, there is much excitement. Let’s see what God has in store for Lincoln, Nebraska.

Trip down memory lane… Livia’s baptism.

All the Tredways have been bitten by the cold bug. Even Little Tred had a cold, though her amazing immune system has handled it beautifully. I think my lack of tonsils is finally working for me as I’m sick but not terribly sick. That leaves my poor husband bearing the brunt of the illness. We’re all kind of lam-o and unmotivated and lethargic over here. It’s pathetic really. How many times can one family watch Ratatouille–and how many times can one small child watch Ratatouille’s film short Lifted? The answer to the second question is: more than you think.

I have no idea why Liv connected “good mommyness” to “teaching children to obey.” I even questioned Jeremy on that one because she tends to repeat what she’s heard (he said he didn’t coach her to say it). There are a lot of sentiments I didn’t express in this blog post… Like how I feel like Jekyll and Hyde on most days, swinging back and forth between this crazily frustrated woman I hardly recognize and a loving, compassionate mom I always imagined myself to be. See how that works? I imagined this sweet, cuddly, consistently patient mother, not factoring in how I might feel my child, oh let’s say, dumps copious amounts of fish food into our friend’s aquarium or unexpectedly pitches a total fit during quiet time/naptime. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I don’t mean to toot my own horn by that last post. Liv’s statement was, as I posted in the subject line, unexpected. And super heart-warming.