Hair Trauma

I will venture to guess that no parenting books even written cover the topic of your child biting her hair off in clumps without hinting that there is some serious neurological condition or something. So when Kendall began doing this I was suprised to say the least. We tried pulling her hair up all the time, threatening to cut her hair like her brothers, time-outs, etc. Nothing worked.

Finally her hair got to be such a mess we had to cut it. First mistake - going to a new place. The lady seemed to know what was best so I sat down to watch the other two kids. What she did was not terrible but certainly worse than what we walked in with. Kendall looked like she was growing out a bad haircut, all shaggy and choppy.

I hoped as it dried it would look better. Nope. Maybe after we wash and style it ourselves. Nope again.

I knew what I had to do. I had to cut it. It had a couple terrible layers so I had to remove one of them and soften it. It also came to a point in the back so I had to even that out too. We talked about it first and she sat very still while I did it. Once she looked in the mirror though she was no longer "OK." She was crushed that her beautiful long curls were gone. It took some talking to get her to settle down but she is still pretty upset over it. I was crushed too but hid it better - I hope.

I am getting used to it and really think she looks adoreable. Pony tails and piggy tails may not be in our near future but that is OK. And to be honest last year her hair was not much shorter than it is now. So it is not the end of the world but in our house it was quite a big deal. Such is the life with little girls!

Good Luck!

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Random Memories

I am amazed at how memories and messages can be sent. I was reading another blog for the first time a few minutes ago which I have now added to my favorites. One of her posts were about a memory she had as a child preparing a Christmas surprise for a family in need. She and her family wrapped gifts, then protected them in a bag, left them on the doorstep, rang the bell and ran! How fun!

I can remember as a kid preparing a dinner not for us but to leave on our doorstep. A family we had never met and would never meet, but who were involved in Marriage Encounters (my parents were instructors) were passing through town on a long road trip, had small children with them, and no time or money for dinner or something like that. Keep in mind I was maybe 6 years old or younger at the time so these details were not important to me. I can remember helping my mom make sandwiches and snacks, wrap them and place them in bags. The family was supposed to be coming by in the middle of the night so we left them on our doorstep.

The family never came by and again I don't remember why. What I do remember was the excitement for having something unexpectedly fun and meaningful to do for some people we had never met. I remember how quickly my parents jumped at the chance to do something to help someone else. We did not necessarily have extra money or food but it didn't matter how much we had - just that we had the opportunity to help someone so we grabbed it.

I think this single event planted a seed of service and giving in my heart which the Lord has cultivated in me every day since. I love to help others and wish I could do more. What a simple and seemingly random memory, but it is etched in my mind and one I and thankful for and think of fondly from time to time.

Christmas Again?

How can it possibly Christmas already? I am not ready to be here again!


This year we are lucky that we will get to see virtually all of our friends and family. My parents moved to Tulsa, OK in October and Steve's family is in Iowa. The plan is to spend Christmas Day at my uncle Mike's with my extended family. The next day we are going to drive to Iowa and spend a few days with Steve's family. It will be so great to see his grandparents, aunt, uncles, brother and sisters, and our niece and nephews! Out kids are so excited to see their cousins! It has been so long since all the grandkids were together I imagine my mother-in-law will be thrilled!


On Dec. 30th or 31st we are going to drive to Tulsa to spend a few days with my parents and see my uncles. Again we are really excited! I cannot wait to see what Mom and Dad have done with their house. From the pictures they have sent me it looks great!


I am just so excited to get to see all our family. It has been so long since we have had this opportunity. It is sad that being with your family is almost a luxury anymore. With a family of 5 we cannot afford to fly and then rent a car so the hardest part of the trip will be driving. It is 12 hours to Steve's mom's house, then apx 8 hours from her house to my parents'. Thanks heaven for portable DVD players! It is actually a lot of fun for the most part. We talk and listen to music and play games. It is a gift to have this time with our family in such close quarters. On the other hand it is a drag to loose 2-3 days with our family to traveling.


The only thing we have to do other than almost all of our shopping is find someone to take care of our dog, Chipper and our three cats. Pray we will find someone soon!


God bless!