It’s a BOY!

Before we knew what baby#2 was going to be, we decided to do the big reveal using balloons: blue for a boy and pink for a girl. I saw it on Pinterest. (Its one of those rare things on Pinterest that I actually did rather than just Pin and pretend I did). Anyway, we invited over some friends and family to watch our balloon launch. Several things went wrong. 1. We didn’t get a professional photographer because we are in the business of saving money, so i handed our camera to my step-dad and told him to shoot. The problem was I had it on a setting that did one shot/second and he started a bit too soon…so we don’t REALLY have pictures of the balloons come out of the box. HA! 2. The second thing that we didn’t expect was that the balloons were so tightly packed into the box they did not float out like we imagine…we had to keep pulling them out. Makes for an awkward reveal. Either way, my mom cried and we are having a baby boy. Two boys. Brothers. Sons. It took a day for me to wrap my brain around all the testosterone that will be invading my house for the next 18 or so years. But I am elated. I get to have boys (emphasis on the s)!! Here are some pictures from our balloon failure to launch:

Being a dad

This is what being a dad in our house looks like.
It looks like dreaming. And telling stories.

And playing games.

And telling secrets.

It looks like going fast and having fun.

Like running in the rain once or twice.

And having lunch.

It looks like watching movies.

And feeling the wind on our faces.

It looks like learning to fly.

And sharing a morning bowl,of cereal.

Often, it includes getting a ride.

And just doing stuff together.

It looks like standing in awe of the bigness and coolness of the world.

And teaching a new way to do something.

But mostly, in our house, being a dad looks like joy and wonder at the goodness of God’s gifts to us.

But that’s because, in our house, we have a really fantastic dad.
Happy Father’s Day 2012:)

I believe that’s what the promise is for – here’s to 6 years

For our six year anniversary, I rewrote the lyrics to one of our favorite songs. The song is pretty amazing as is, but I customized it for my love and I.
You can check out the video of Andrew Peterson’s Dancing Through the Minefields on YouTube here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtTa81LyuQM&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I dare you to watch it and not cry. I do every time.
Happy Anniversary, Joseph Chandler. I will love you all my life.

“I was twenty-two, you were twenty-one
The year we got engaged
Looking back now, we were oh so young
But we did it anyway

We said “I do” in the the very church where we said our first “hello’s”
We made our vows and took a leap
Now just 6 short years ago

We went dancing in the minefields
(don’t give up on me)
We went sailing in the storms
(don’t give up)
And it was harder than we ever dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for

“I do” are the two most famous love words
A beginning and an end
But to lose your life for another I’ve heard
Is a good place to begin
‘Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your old life down
And I believe it’s an easy price
For the life that we have found

And we’re dancing in the minefields
(don’t give up on me)
And we’re sailing in the storm
(don’t give up)
This is harder than we ever dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for

So if I lose my way – find me
And if I loose love’s chains – bind me
At the end of all my faith, till the end of all my days
If I forget my name – remind me

‘Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man
So there’s nothing left to fear
So I’ll walk with you in the shadowlands
Till the shadows disappear
‘Cause he promised not to leave us
And his promises are true
So in the face of any trouble, baby,
I will dance with you

And we’re dancing in the minefields
And we’re sailing in the storms
This is better than we ever dreamed
And I believe that’s what the promise is for
I believe that’s what the promise is for