Did you watch 20/20 last night? If so, you know what orthorexia is, if not, you are probably stumped. I had never heard of it prior to last night's 20/20. It is an obsessive compulsive disorder focused on health food.
This was a timely episode for me, as I have been on an organic kick. I took a trip to Whole Foods this week and purchased some items. And at home I made homemade graham crackers and homemade nutra-grain bars (after reading the ingredients in graham crackers on the beach last week with Christy, I vowed to attempt to make home-made snacks for my family. . .I hate putting ingredients into our bodies that I have never heard of, especially Madeline's and Ryan's bodies). Yesterday at the grocery store, after looking at the ingredients in a loaf of bread and then looking at the price of organic bread, I decided that I would go home and make my own bread with my kitchen aid mixer. And then I saw the 20/20. Thank you 20/20 for stopping me before I developed orthorexia!!! I still might make the bread, but I'm not going to obsess over food.
You can check out 20/20's story at http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Stossel/story?id=5735592&page=1. It's fascinating.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Beach Fun
This afternoon we returned from our 5th annual trip to the Outer Banks. We were blessed with a week filled with great weather, special family time, and incredible fellowship. I can't wait to share more, but a week at the beach has left us exhausted and we are heading to bed early!
Maddie and Ry LOVE playing together in the sand.
The girlie beach bums. Emmy, Maddie, and Kate-Kate cuddle together on a chair. Many times during the week the three girls shared this chair. These three girls, plus Ryan filled our beach house with giggles.
Here's our tough guy in a tractor. He's warming up before going out on the race track.
Here's Maddie performing her pre-race warm-up. Daddy treated us to go-carting during a rainy day at the beach. I must confess that I was dragging my feet when Matt told me we were going go-carting. I just did not think it would be family fun, BUT. . .I was wrong. It was one of the best 10 minutes of our vacation. Maddie and I rode in one car while Ry and Daddy rode in another. Though Matt is a much better go-carter than me, he still let me lap him and bump him a few times. Madeline thought we beat him and she was ecstatic. Little did she know that if she was not in the car with me and if Ry was not in the car with Daddy, Mommy would have been far from winning and would probably have needed rescuing after being spun off the track.
Our little Ry-guy. Oh. . .he is too stinking cute!!! This picture is so him. Both he and Madeline are so joyful.
I tear up almost every time I look at this picture. It is so precious and captures the sweet father-son relationship that Matt and Ryan share. The boy loves his daddy, and Daddy is in love with his tough, sweet boy.
Sweet and beautiful friends--Lanie and Christy.
Our best friends, Bobby and Lanie. We love them so much. They are both so fun and caring and thoughtful. It pains me that we live so far away.
Yes, it's Sarah II. Some of you may be wondering, "what in the world were you thinking getting another hermit crab". You may remember stories of Sarah 1 hanging from Ryan's lip, pinching Madeline's fingers, getting lost under the coaches, escaping from her cage, and biting the dust on a cold November night (when Daddy was on a business trip and Mommy had to take care of the dead, stinky crustacean). How could we say NO to our sweet children. . .I mean, check out how cute this crab is! And, do you know how much free time it gives Matt and I to hang out together. The kids love taking Sarah out of her cage and playing with her for up to 30 minutes at a time. It's the gift that keeps on giving!!!
Maddie and Daddy love their beach time together. They really bond searching for shells and crabs together.
Ry enjoys feeling the sand between his toes. I love this picture of him. Can you tell that our sweet, pudgy baby is thinning out!? I guess that's what happens when you're about to turn 3.
Check out the blond beauties in their pink bathing suites.
Daddy, Mr. Chip, and Uncle Bobby dig a big hole for the children.
The fam.
Maddie and Daddy just chillin.
Emmy and Maddie in bed together. The girls got to share a room together at the beach this summer. One of my best memories is waking up to singing at 5am. Half-awake, I stumbled into their room and found Emmy sitting straight up in her bed, singing a song at the top of her lungs. I told her that it was too early to wake up, but I don't think the girls went back to sleep after I left the room. Maddie and Emmy are so sweet together. They are both fun and sensitive.
My tough guy, taking on the waves. He likes to get bowled over by them and kick them and run from them. Once we hit the sand on the beach, he does not stop moving until we return to the beach house.
Surprisingly, Ryan and Emmy became great friends and playmates this week. They played lots of pretend games together and had fun running from sand spot to sand spot drawing pictures. Watch out Nate, I think Ry might be moving in on your territory. :)
Maddie and Emmy in their movie star sunglasses.
Mommy and her Ry-guy.
Me, Lanie, and Christy. Our times of fellowship were so special. One of my best memories from this vacation is taking a walk down the beach with these ladies and praying with each other and for each other. It was such an uplifting and encouraging time, and truly drew us nearer to the Lord and each other.
Daddy and Ry working hard to dig the hole.
Daddy, Mr. Chip, and Uncle Bobby transformed our sweet babes into mermaids and mermen.
Madeline and Aunt Lanie. Aunt Lanie is such a special part of our lives. No, she not a biological aunt, but she and Uncle Bobby are just like family to us. Aunt Lanie is fun, caring, funny, energetic, and godly. She rarely stops smiling or ministering to people.
Daddy and Maddie search for sand fiddlers. This year, Daddy managed to surprise Mommy by "housing" one of the crabs in Mommy's bathing suite. You got me Daddy!!!
Maddie and Emmy drawing together in the sand.
Our last morning together at Stack'm High. . .Lanie, me and Christy. It was so hard to leave, as our week together had been so good and special.
Maddie, Kate, Emmy, and Ry wait in line for yummy pancakes.
Emmy and Maddie loving each other.
Mr. Chip playing with the kids in the water. I think they were dancing in the waves.
A rare picture of Matt and me! And guess who is behind the camera. . .sweet, little Madeline. She loves taking pictures. Mommy is thinking of buying her a camera for her birthday or Christmas.
Daddy and Maddie enjoy some sweet time together on the beach. They both love little critters and spend large chunks of time digging in the sand for fiddler and sand crabs. Our girlie, girl has no problem picking these creatures up and letting them walk up and down her arms and legs. Her brother is another story. Though he loves the crabs, he squeals like a girl if one is placed on his body.
Watch out Michael Phelps. . .Ryan Wells is on your tail. The boy LOVES the pool. He prefers it even to the ocean. Out on the beach he consistently asked me when we were going to the pool. And he wants nothing to do with his floaties. The boy wants to swim on his own. Even after heartily coughing up pool water (when I say heartily, I mean gagging on it), he is ready to go back under. Matt and I are both a bit frightened of dry drowning so we NEVER put him to bed after pool time.
Maddie and Ry LOVE playing together in the sand.
The girlie beach bums. Emmy, Maddie, and Kate-Kate cuddle together on a chair. Many times during the week the three girls shared this chair. These three girls, plus Ryan filled our beach house with giggles.
Here's our tough guy in a tractor. He's warming up before going out on the race track.
Here's Maddie performing her pre-race warm-up. Daddy treated us to go-carting during a rainy day at the beach. I must confess that I was dragging my feet when Matt told me we were going go-carting. I just did not think it would be family fun, BUT. . .I was wrong. It was one of the best 10 minutes of our vacation. Maddie and I rode in one car while Ry and Daddy rode in another. Though Matt is a much better go-carter than me, he still let me lap him and bump him a few times. Madeline thought we beat him and she was ecstatic. Little did she know that if she was not in the car with me and if Ry was not in the car with Daddy, Mommy would have been far from winning and would probably have needed rescuing after being spun off the track. 
Our little Ry-guy. Oh. . .he is too stinking cute!!! This picture is so him. Both he and Madeline are so joyful.
I tear up almost every time I look at this picture. It is so precious and captures the sweet father-son relationship that Matt and Ryan share. The boy loves his daddy, and Daddy is in love with his tough, sweet boy.
Mommy and Maddie love their time together at the beach. One of my best memories is taking walks through the waves to collect shells. And before I forget, I must record a sweet story from a shopping event. We were in a store and I had to go to the bathroom. Upon finding the bathroom, I told Madeline we would have to go elsewhere because it was disgusting and I really needed to use the bathroom. My sweet girl looked up at me and said, "Don't worry Mommy, you can go like this and it will help you". She proceeded to place both of her hands between her legs and look up at me waiting for me to do the same. It was so sweet and funny because she was genuinely trying to offer me valuable advice.
Sweet and beautiful friends--Lanie and Christy.
Our best friends, Bobby and Lanie. We love them so much. They are both so fun and caring and thoughtful. It pains me that we live so far away.
Yes, it's Sarah II. Some of you may be wondering, "what in the world were you thinking getting another hermit crab". You may remember stories of Sarah 1 hanging from Ryan's lip, pinching Madeline's fingers, getting lost under the coaches, escaping from her cage, and biting the dust on a cold November night (when Daddy was on a business trip and Mommy had to take care of the dead, stinky crustacean). How could we say NO to our sweet children. . .I mean, check out how cute this crab is! And, do you know how much free time it gives Matt and I to hang out together. The kids love taking Sarah out of her cage and playing with her for up to 30 minutes at a time. It's the gift that keeps on giving!!!
Maddie and Daddy love their beach time together. They really bond searching for shells and crabs together.
Ry enjoys feeling the sand between his toes. I love this picture of him. Can you tell that our sweet, pudgy baby is thinning out!? I guess that's what happens when you're about to turn 3.
Check out the blond beauties in their pink bathing suites.
Daddy, Mr. Chip, and Uncle Bobby dig a big hole for the children.
The fam.
Maddie and Daddy just chillin.
Emmy and Maddie in bed together. The girls got to share a room together at the beach this summer. One of my best memories is waking up to singing at 5am. Half-awake, I stumbled into their room and found Emmy sitting straight up in her bed, singing a song at the top of her lungs. I told her that it was too early to wake up, but I don't think the girls went back to sleep after I left the room. Maddie and Emmy are so sweet together. They are both fun and sensitive.
My tough guy, taking on the waves. He likes to get bowled over by them and kick them and run from them. Once we hit the sand on the beach, he does not stop moving until we return to the beach house.
Surprisingly, Ryan and Emmy became great friends and playmates this week. They played lots of pretend games together and had fun running from sand spot to sand spot drawing pictures. Watch out Nate, I think Ry might be moving in on your territory. :)
Maddie and Emmy in their movie star sunglasses.
Mommy and her Ry-guy.
Me, Lanie, and Christy. Our times of fellowship were so special. One of my best memories from this vacation is taking a walk down the beach with these ladies and praying with each other and for each other. It was such an uplifting and encouraging time, and truly drew us nearer to the Lord and each other.
Daddy and Ry working hard to dig the hole.
Daddy, Mr. Chip, and Uncle Bobby transformed our sweet babes into mermaids and mermen. 
Madeline and Aunt Lanie. Aunt Lanie is such a special part of our lives. No, she not a biological aunt, but she and Uncle Bobby are just like family to us. Aunt Lanie is fun, caring, funny, energetic, and godly. She rarely stops smiling or ministering to people.
Daddy and Maddie search for sand fiddlers. This year, Daddy managed to surprise Mommy by "housing" one of the crabs in Mommy's bathing suite. You got me Daddy!!!
Maddie and Emmy drawing together in the sand.
Our last morning together at Stack'm High. . .Lanie, me and Christy. It was so hard to leave, as our week together had been so good and special.
Maddie, Kate, Emmy, and Ry wait in line for yummy pancakes.
Emmy and Maddie loving each other.
Mr. Chip playing with the kids in the water. I think they were dancing in the waves.
Has anyone seen Mr. Chip?Soccer
Our sweet little girl decided that she wants to play soccer. Last week she had her first practice and she loved it. When I asked her what her favorite part of the practice was, she told me that it was having Daddy with her. So sweet. It melted Matt's heart.
Madeline all decked out and ready to play.
Ry gives Maddie a hug of encouragement before she takes the field. Of course, Ry wanted to know where his soccer practice was, so. . .Mommy spent the hour directing Ryan's soccer practice on an adjacent field. The practice involved Mommy kicking the ball and Ryan chasing after it, and Mommy kicking the ball and Ryan chasing after it, and . . ..
Who is that flash of pink and purple beauty. . .it's Madeline dribbling the soccer ball down the field. So far, she is the only girl on her team.
Madeline all decked out and ready to play.
Ry gives Maddie a hug of encouragement before she takes the field. Of course, Ry wanted to know where his soccer practice was, so. . .Mommy spent the hour directing Ryan's soccer practice on an adjacent field. The practice involved Mommy kicking the ball and Ryan chasing after it, and Mommy kicking the ball and Ryan chasing after it, and . . ..
Who is that flash of pink and purple beauty. . .it's Madeline dribbling the soccer ball down the field. So far, she is the only girl on her team.Thursday, August 14, 2008
Morrisville McDonalds, Lunch with the Ladies, and Silly Ry
For those of you who first visited us 4 years ago, can you believe that Morrisville has a McDonald's??? I must confess that I love it and so do the kids. The dollar menu makes it fun to go there for a quick snack and the play area is inside and awesome. The kids can climb three stories, slide down, and do some virtual skateboarding. On Wednesday we went there and while the kids played, I updated my coupon notebook, make a huge list for our beach trip, and spent time journaling to the Lord. It was such a blessing. . .so, if you head out to Morrisville, chances are. . .you'll see me there. :)
Jackson, Maddie and Ry try out the skateboard together.
Sweet Jackson.
On Sunday, the ladies from church got together for lunch. I love these women. They are such a special group. I can't wait for our women's retreat in October!
This boy is always looking for a laugh. Wondering what's on the top of Ry's head. That would be his glow-in-the-dark Transformers big boy "pants". This is what Ryan has been up to while Madeline do school work. :)
Jackson, Maddie and Ry try out the skateboard together.
Sweet Jackson.
On Sunday, the ladies from church got together for lunch. I love these women. They are such a special group. I can't wait for our women's retreat in October! 
This boy is always looking for a laugh. Wondering what's on the top of Ry's head. That would be his glow-in-the-dark Transformers big boy "pants". This is what Ryan has been up to while Madeline do school work. :)
Daddy's girl
I love this picture. It captures Madeline's sweet love for her daddy and Matt's delight in his precious daughter. There is nothing better than a hug with a little arm wrapped around your neck.Lance's Birthday
A few weeks ago, sweet Lance turned 3. We decided to make a cake for Lancey. I baked and frosted it and the kids covered it with candy and decorative icing. Madeline actually spent an hour with the icing bag covering the cake with tiny, little dots. Ryan spent about five minutes throwing skittles onto the cake with one hand and eating them with his other hand. I love how different Madeline and Ryan are! It keeps me on my toes!!
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