New Blog

Hey guys..my faithful friends :)

Well, I decided to start a blog that was more family oriented. I am gonna be less busy with the toy thing, so wanted to take the focus off of that (and get a name that is more "us").

So, for some great new pictures of the boys...

www.steedlyboys.blogspot.com

Thanks for visiting!

I am Invisible

Hey all, I found this little treasure this week. I brought tears to my eyes, and hope it touches your hearts too....

I'm invisible It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way One of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be Taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping The floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see Me at all. I'm invisible. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you Tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock To ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a Car to order, "Right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes That studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now They had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going she's going. She's gone! One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a Friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and She was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, Looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to Compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; It was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was Pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut Butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a Beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why She'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte , with Admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees." In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover What would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could Pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives For a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and Expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith That the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the Cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird On the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you Spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by The roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees." I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost As if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the Sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of Kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is Too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great Cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become." At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the Disease of my own self-centeredness.It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right Perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who Show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something That their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to Say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are So few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's Bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the Morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three Hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a Shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And Then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there." As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

What a great reminder. So, all you Cathedral Builders...hope you have a blessed week!

Quote of the Day

"Mommy, I BREEKED my new car!"

Translation: Tyler attempting to use his new grammatical awareness to place the word "break" in the past tense.

We have heard some interesting guesses at words, but this is my favorite thus far :)

Look WHO is THREE!

I can't believe my little man is THREE YEARS OLD! This was definetely the best birthday so far, as he understood what was coming, and was SO excited about his special day.

Adrian's birthday is exactly two weeks before Ty's, and his best friend Joey's birthday is a little over a month before his, so he has been anticipating it for that long. He kept saying, "Mommy, when is it gonna be MY birthday?"

Thanks goodness it was only a few weeks difference!

Adrian was as much fun as Ty to watch...the guy went nuts running all over town looking for the right Matchbox cars to fit Ty's current obsession with construction vehicles. He, of course did find some and they are now a proud part of the parking lot that constantly overtakes my living room.

Also, we had a little party for him at the house. Nothing huge, just a couple of friends and a hundred balloons (another birthday fantasy of Adrian's). He managed to convince me, his mom and his dad to blow up and tie the 95 balloons he brought home. He only got half his wish when we all pooped out at 50ish - but it was still fun when we had Ty close his eyes and we poured them on his head. Adrian had visions of the entire living room filled with balloons..maybe if we start now we can do that for his #4 birthday!

The OTHER part of the fun, was when I finally got tired of kicking them all over the house and Ty and the neighborhood kid got to take them outside and pop them all the next day. No doubt we had people wondering if the neighborhood was being overtaken by gun-slinging lunatics..but the kids had a blast! :)

So..having that one behind us, we look forward to the big #1 for Canon in a little over a month! I am excited we will be home with my family to celebrate that one, so it should be fun too!