Never A Dull Moment

The past couple of days I have been working with Luke on asking "What?" instead of "HUH?" when he needs me to repeat something. I have NO IDEA where he learned "HUH" from?! His parents don't say it, I don't think I say it to him, etc. Today, he finally started to realize and catch himself before he said "HUH." I recognized this and praised his efforts, saying, "Good job, Luke, you didn't say 'HUH'!" He giggled, and with a huge grin on his face said, "HUH, Mare?" Is this kid funny or what? Yesterday, we were walking into Barnes and Noble for story time when Luke fell flat on his face on the sidewalk. I mean this in the most literal sense. No hands, knees, or elbows broke his fall. The kid just busted. I quickly put Emme down and picked Luke up, worried he had broken the fall with his face, only to see huge tears streaming down his cheeks. An older lady, who witnessed the fall, walked over to Luke and told hi...

I'm not biased. They really do get cuter everyday! I hadn't seen Emerson and Luke in nearly 10 days and was about to go crazy with thoughts of how much they might have changed during that time! Luke is officially potty trained. Yay, Lukie, you are such a big boy! The kids start school a week from tomorrow. I still can't believe summer is almost over. Today, Jennifer and I took both kids to get their shots. Luke calls them "sharks." Poor guy broke our hearts when he said he was excited to go to the doctor and see Dr. Ernie. He is really into playing doctor kit right now! Emme did great, too. All said and done, Jen and I were probably more anxious about it than need be. We were really blessed.  The pics above: 1) Reid and I got Emerson a little Mexican dress on our trip and she looks precious in it. 2) Luke wanted to show off his funny face for the camera.

The Mission of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women  is to promote friendship,  develop women of intellect and integrity,  cultivate leadership potential  and enrich lives through community service. -Pi Beta Phi Mission Statement I don't even know where to begin when I talk about Pi Phi. When I think about college, I think about Pi Phi. When I think about my friends from college, I usually think of some fun night we spent hanging out in the rec room. Some of my favorite and not-so-favorite college memories happened in the Pi Phi house (pictured above) where I lived for my sophomore, junior, and senior years of college. Even though I didn't learn domestic skills - cooking, cleaning, etc.- I did learn a lot about time management, people, and myself. I will forever be grateful to my dad for allowing me the opportunity to join such an amazing group! For those of you who might not know, Pi Beta Phi is a national fraternity for women. The University of Arkansas chapter, known as Arkansas...

We are back from our vacation in Cabo. While we always have mixed feelings about coming home from a trip, it is nice to be back in Dallas - a place we love so much! Our week was nothing short of much needed relaxation TOGETHER! With Reid's crazy travel schedule these times together have been few and far between. We are thankful that his job does allow us time away from computers and the Blackberry.  Our days were pretty relaxed - wake around 9, breakfast, beach, watch Lost, take a nap, dinner, and to bed around 10. Why can't life always be so leisurely? The weather was great. It wasn't as hot as Dallas and only rained as we were leaving for the airport. The Westin was awesome, and though it was "black flag" everyday, we still enjoyed hearing the waves crash while we sunned on the beach. I realized I didn't get any pictures of our actual room, only the view of the ocean from our balcony (which are not yet loaded into the albums above). One of the seven pools at...

My sweet cousin, Mary Daniel Johnson, turns 11 today (She is the one with long blonde hair on the far right in the picture above). Mary Daniel was what I think of as my first baby cousin. This was the first birth of a family member that I was old enough to understand. I remember being so excited to know what name they had decided on for her, how sweet her mint green nursery was, and how graphic the home video from the delivery room (yes, I have warned you my family is open)! She is now known as "Mare" to all the cousins that came after her. I am so proud of the girl she has become. She is sensitive, thoughtful, and loving of God and her family. She is beautiful and girly , but can rough it hunting with her dad. It was a joy to be part of her first 11 years, and I can't wait to see how she continues to grow in the years to come!  Happy Birthday, Mare! Love, The other Mare

For reason's I do not yet know, God has given me the ability to talk about my family's situation without shame. I thank each of you who reads for encouraging me as I lay it all out here. My aunt called the AR Alzheimer's Association with the hope of finding another woman in Arkansas who had experienced a parent's early on-set diagnosis as a teen. Her hope was that someone with a similar situation would be willing to talk with my sister, as none of us can truly relate to the affect it had on her at such a young age. My aunt was shocked to learn that there was, in fact, a woman with a similar situation, but she refused to talk about it because she was embarrassed and pain-stricken. Obviously, I don't have the same outlook as the anonymous woman, and I pray I continue to feel freedom to express my pain, doubt, anger, frustration, joy, and peace.   I'm was angry. It's simple. I hated what was happening to my family. At the beginning, when Mom was first diagnosed...

This week Emme was quite a little mess. She is into everything. She loves handing things to people- toys, things from my wallet, food, etc. The other day she even helped me fold her laundry (meaning she handed me everything I had already folded). So sweet. On Friday she did something amazingly sweet. She picked up her pink baby, held it to her shoulder, and started swaying. I think her mom got an action-shot so I will see if I can get a copy.  Luke is still potty training. Friday was his first day to realize the urge to use the restroom. We also didn't have any accidents Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday! What a big boy! He also got a new pair of shoes with his dad last weekend and is SO proud. He has asked everyone if they want shoes like his. We, of course, tell him, "YES!"  The kids start school in less than a month. I can't believe the summer has gone by so quickly. Emme will be going for the first time. She isn't even my child and I am feeling nostalgic about h...

Last night I explored the unthinkable. That sentence might sound dramatic to you, but I assure you adding "drama" to my life is the last thing on my mind. Four years ago my dad and I visited a support group for family members of Alzheimer patients. It seemed silly for us to go; my mom was not like any of the people they described. I went to two meetings and decided that my emotional well-being was being greatly jeopardized . My take away from those meetings was something that would continue to haunt my thoughts- "You will know when you can't take care of them anymore. It is then that you must get help." And so, it is with every passing day, days when she seems worse, when she can't remember how to hold and eat a sandwich or put her arms through her bra straps, that I think, "Is it time to get help?" I remember telling my dad at dinner after one of the meetings that we would not ever need help. He agreed. I was empowered by the unconditional love ...

We cannot, Lord, Thy purpose see, But all is well that’s done by Thee. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this family. Some of you may have seen part of this email, but I wanted to post the like to the entire letter. Dennis Rainey is the President and Cofounder of Family Life, a division of Focus on the Family. He and his wife, Barbara, have six amazing children. I had the pleasure of growing up with one of their daughters and getting to spend time with this amazing family. One of their daughters, Rebecca, and her husband, Jacob Mutz, had a baby girl in June. God had bigger plans for her life than anyone expected, and she was only on this earth for seven days. Please continue to pray for this sweet couple and their loss. Pray that they will continue to see the blessing of baby Molly's life. http://www.familylife.com/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dnJHKLNnFoG&b=4289829&ct=5598961

Reid has been catching up on our finances since he has been home. He said he was disgusted with the amount of Starbucks and Sonic we consume. We each survive on Americanos and Diet Coke. I argued that my addiction was cheaper and healthier than his, and therefore, totally legit. He did not argue. Instead, my smart husband did some research at work the next day and found the article below. Thanks, Reid, the findings are lovely and I probably should stop drinking diet coke. Check out this article I saw on MSN .com today ( http://health.msn.com/ nutrition/ slideshow . aspx ? cp - documentid =100211575& imageindex =3 ). It talks about 8 common foods and their (sometimes) supposed health benefits.  Here's two I found interesting: Coffee:   No need to feel guilty anymore about that double-shot Americano that gets you going in the morning. In fact, coffee is looking more and more like a health drink. Among its remarkable benefits, new research shows, coffee may reduce the risk of di...

I wrote this on August 31, 2001. I was a senior in high school. "Closed like confessionals" was a writing prompt in my Creative Writing class. I would never have guessed my mom would be diagnosed with a disease that would slowly and painfully lead her to be the person I described. Closed like confessionals was her heart which ached from within. Her emotions showed nothing. The look on her face always dim and confused. She thought about a lot of things in her mind sealed with silence. She wondered how long it would be until someone let her soul out of this dark room. How she longed to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but that light was nowhere near. She spent her days among rambling thoughts echoing in the darkness. Her heart was still. She showed no movement. Did the people she used to be friends with notice her anymore? Did they wonder where the loving woman had gone?Maybe they did, but she would never be able to express how much she missed them. She was closed up ins...

Not gonna lie, it is really cool to see how many people all over the country are reading my blog. I never anticipated it being something people would visit everyday, but here you are. What an encouragement it is to know that you read, and it motivates me to continue to honestly share my life with each of you. Thank you for making this worthwhile. Mare

My sister was going through a box of pictures and found notes from my mom. There were two letters folded together. One for Eleanor (almost 5 at the time) and one for George (8). "Well, where the heck is my note?" I asked, only slightly offended. Our conclusion is that I had already accepted Christ into my heart, and therefore, did not need a letter. On a side note to all parents, if you are going to write a letter to two kids just jot down something remotely nice for the third! Anyway, my sister said I could share my mom's sweet words. George is out of town, and has not yet learned of these letters, so I will wait to post his after he gets the chance to read it. I never thought a simple note, not even written to me, would be so special! 11-5-93 Eleanor, I look at you as you sleep and cannot believe how big you are. Almost 5 years old! I hope you will always know how much I love you! You are so very special...so very determined. I pray each day that God will use that de...

It has been a big week at the Lilja house! Luke is almost potty trained! We are so proud of how quickly he has caught onto this new way of life. He has really cute dino and sports underwear and is very proud. Today was his first time to go on an outing wearing big boy pants. We went to play at the mall (August in Texas is not park friendly), ate lunch, and then went home to have a rest time in his room. He made it all day without an accident. No naps and almost potty trained...next thing we know he'll be driving! Funny story I might get in trouble for sharing ;) Today, Emme's mom was talking to her while we were in the kitchen. She was calling Emme "Princess" and "Pea Pie." These are the usual endearing names she uses for Emme, but all of a sudden she called her "Pea-ness" or as I heard it "penis!" I didn't say anything for fear I was the one that had heard wrong, but she quickly realized her mistake in combining "Pea Pie" a...