And then there were two...

You know the rhyme, right? “Sugar and spice and everything nice, that is what little girls are made of.”

Nancy Caroline Chaffin Thomas was delivered from her heavenly Father into the hands of her earthly father on July 9, 2006. She was a beautiful baby, with darker hair than her brother and dark, dark eyes. I can still see her newborn face as she was placed on my chest for the first time…her eyes squinted shut, her mouth wide, but no sound, and I began to beg, “Cry, baby, cry”. After what seemed like an eternity, that sweet baby girl began to wale, and my world has never been the same.

Nancy Caroline is named for my grandmother’s great grandmother…my great, great, great grandmother. She, of course, is a woman that I have never met. As a young girl, she witnessed the horrific days of the American Civil War. As a young woman she raised a family on a peaceful and beautiful farm in Jackson County, Tennessee. In her last years, she shared a bed with my then, very young granny, sending her off to sleep with stories that she would one day share with her grandchildren. Nancy Caroline White Chaffin spent many days rocking on a front porch of a farm house out on a ridge. At less than six months old, my Nancy Caroline was rocked by “Granny Ila” on the same peaceful front porch.

Our middle child is very independent. She has a happy spirit, sometimes has a strong will, and is high energy. She is loud with life, and squeals with delight at the drop of a hat. She is outrageously funny. Nancy Caroline is a big daddy’s girl, and that is one of the few things I see of myself in her. She takes after her father in so many ways…they think alike, laugh alike, and they never slow down, and if they do they fall asleep. She is very thoughtful and attentive, a bit mothering, which I suppose would be the other glimpse of me. Even though younger, she is constantly taking care of her big brother, making sure to include him and share everything she is given with him. Her favorite things include playing dress up, bubble gum, holding her baby sister’s hand in the car, baby dolls, four wheeler rides with her daddy, Bible stories at night time, her new bike, chocolate, painting her toe nails with me, and going on vacation.

I learn a lot from my little “Fancy Nancy”. She teaches me to stop and enjoy the small things in our days. She teaches me patience. She teaches me that no matter how many children I have or take care of or how old I get, I still have a lot to learn as a mother. She teaches me to have no fear. She teaches me to be joyful and have a happy heart. She teaches me to pray for even the smallest of things.

Sugar and spice…everything nice…yes, that is about right.

The First of the Three

A little over six years ago, I was a Missouri middle school teacher in absolute bliss, having a beautiful, crisp October day off. I slept in, and then sleepily tried to enjoy my usual cup of coffee, which of late had not tasted so good. Some things just hadn’t been making a lot of sense to me during the weeks leading up to this day, and I knew that day was a good day to put some concerns to rest. So, I hopped in our little green Nissan Sentra and headed over to the local Eureka, Missouri Schnucks. Once there I ran in, didn’t make much eye contact with anyone, grabbed what I needed, along with some Haagen-Dazs mango sorbet that I just had to have, and headed back to the apartment. In that next hour in that little two bedroom apartment, my mango sorbet melted on the couch as I stood at the bathroom counter, staring down at the evidence that I was going to be someone’s mother.

That someone arrived May 31 of the following year. He was given the name Jackson Edward…a name which his father and I had chosen years before out of love for our own fathers. He had deep blue eyes, which reminded us of the Caribbean Sea, and flaming red hair, which made everyone from me to the nurses smile with wonder. Even in those first few weeks, he was full of expression, smiled as he slept, and loved to snuggle with his dad, all things that are still true to this day. As he has grown he has developed a great love for people…someone once told me, “Jackson loves people, and people love Jackson.” He enjoys baseball and football. He loves to play the sports, but more importantly he loves the opportunity to be with his friends and teammates. Jackson likes to travel, especially to Saba, but his favorite thing in the world is to be home with his family. His laughter is contagious and makes the worst days turn into the best. He is as outgoing and funny as his father, but like me, has to have that quiet time as well. Some of Jackson’s favorite things are his scooter, using his imagination with his toys, being read to, swimming, and watching movies.

Through his six short years he has brought a lot of laughter to my days, surprised me with his wonderment of life, and humbled me with his unconditional love. It is my belief and hope that the greatest man that I will ever know isn’t even a man yet and I am thankful that God gave me the opportunity to be called his mom.

Something New

We all need some change once in a while. It is always fun to try something new.

Those two sentences sum up the reason for this blog. I decided that I needed to do something new, something different. And as simple as most of you probably think it is, blogging seemed new and different enough for me. Me…a 32 year old wife and mother of three…a preacher’s daughter…a baby sister…a doctor’s wife…a former Dutch citizen…an aunt and sister-in-law…a struggling Mary in a Martha world…a mommy…a Saban at heart…a daughter-in-law…a princess, daughter of a Heavenly King…a dog owner…a friend…a granddaughter…a sinner…a child of God. That about sums me up. I am not starting this blog because I have an exciting everyday adventure or because I am someone famous, at least in human eyes. I am not writing to win a contest or because I think I am a literary genius. I am choosing to do this not to win peoples’ praise or for everyone to love what I say. The reason for this blog is simple…it is for me. Something new that I can do to relax and to do something that I know I use to love to do…write. I also have been thinking a lot about James 1:19 lately…you know, the “swift to hear, slow to speak” verse. It is my prayer that I learn to listen better and to be slow to share the things that come to my mind. I have always felt I usually walk around with my foot in my mouth the majority of the time. So just maybe God can use this blog to teach me to think through my thoughts and put them down in writing rather than rambling and stumbling on and on out loud, trying to fill beautiful silence with useless words. I pray He guides me.

So here I go, beginning something new, sharing about life, motherhood, my marriage, my walk with Jesus, and about a little piece of Heaven on earth in the middle of the Caribbean Sea…things that mean a lot to me. Me…a blogger.