Amundsons

Charlie and I had a girl's night out yesterday, and it was a blast. First we went to CPK. Ok... let me take a moment to say that Charlie is really funny. Seriously, she cracks me up all the time, and as she is getting older her little personality is just screaming sassy, fun, firecracker. I really enjoy doing things with her, and not just cause I have to cause I am her mom. She is fun. However I digress, the main event of the evening was our tickets to the MUNY to see Annie. Charlie's first live performance of anything. I was a little nervous at first for the follow reasons : 1. That little firecracker personality can also turn mighty crabby very quickly when she is tired, and the show wasn't going to be over until 11ish. 2. She picks up on a lot and I didn't think the singing/dancing extravaganza would completely distract her from the concept that there are kids out there who don't have parents. Were we ready for that conversation at 3? 3. She really hasn&#

So Charlotte was playing house with some of her friends. She was the "daddy". She gave the mommy and the kids a kiss goodbye and announced that she was going to Africa. Just as if she was heading out to work.

A special message from Charlie: "jkmnhy8ijhgfggyuikl.,m vfyuuk, ftyui;/ cfcfttyy8u;/ u zdxgujkl,. . , vcb n." Love, Charlie Happy Father's day to the greatest grandpas ever!

A place of peace, created by Juanita Wright- Potter....

My mom come from NY to visit us this week. Last Saturday we went to see my uncles on the farm and stopped by a Strawberry patch, so that Charlie could find out that her favorite fruit doesn't actually come from Dierbergs in a plastic container. My brother Adam and his girlfriend Leah joined us, and we all made quite the team. Although one member took some serious hits in the finally strawberry count! I love this picture. She looks like such the farmer-girl. And then the amazing Strawberry Jam that we made with our plunder. It was beyond delicious!

I see the face, the toes, the nose and still I don't really believe it. Cause you see, I am not "supposed" to get pregnant. I have issues. Actually some pretty major fertility issues, and lots of them, 7 different reasons in fact that medically proclaim I "shouldn't" be able to get pregnant. Charlotte isn't "supposed" to be here either, but after 4 years and countless drugs and surgeries we got her. I tried not to ponder the miracle too deeply, I wanted to just take her and run. But almost immediately thoughts of having another one came... and I had to deal with this issue. Why does God give to some and withhold from others? We tried for 3 years after Charlie, more surgeries, more drugs, and more prayer. Prayer of faith, prayer of determination, prayer of desperation, prayer of confidence in his provision, prayer of solitude, prayer of community... you get the picture. Then after 2 failed IVF's and a new 8th reason why I "sh