Today I Want...

Today Daddy I want...You to run me down and catch me by surprise, grab me up in Your arms, smile at me, make me laugh till I cry, spin me around and around, throw me in the air and listen to me say "do it again Daddy!", let me dance on Your feet till I get tired, then hold me in Your lap with my head against Your chest, read to me from Your Word and tell me things I've never heard before, stroke my hair and listen to me tell You of my day as You tell me of Yours, sing to me, sing over me, let me sing to You, kiss me and squeeze me real tight before You go, tell me You promise to come back and we can do it all over again...today just let me be little again with You...I love You, my Daddy God, love Your little girl...

My Knight In Shining Armor...

God doesn't always come as you expect Him to. He doesn't always ride in on the scene and whisk you away from danger, from heartache, from life, from yourself...oh, that last one was a mouthful. From "yourself"... For a solid week I could not see, I could not hear, I could not breathe without hurting, and it seemed I couldn't cry one more tear. Then He came. He came to my rescue but it wasn't as I expected. You see, sometimes God has to let us endure our self, hear our self, live with our self, see our self so that we can get over our self. I wasn't going to go to the women's function Sunday night. I was just to beaten down and tired to go, but something in me shouted at me that said "you have to try". So, try I did. I did not break until I fell into the arms of two very close friends who endured this week with me. Endured me. Was there a pity party with them? No, I had had enough of those on my own this week for all of us. And by the way, God never talks to you in a pity party, never, unless it is to tell you to straighten up! When I broke, then I could see what the enemy had been up to all along and had it not been for God and His unending grace, I probably would not have made it to the meeting and I would have never heard the sermon my friend and Pastor gave and I probably would not have broken. We have to break. It is the prerequisite to humbleness, the precursor to repentance, the light to a dark path. Without breaking, there would be no progression, no softening of the heart and no lesson learned. If we hurt enough and get fed up enough, we will give way to God's breaking. Surrender comes, breaking comes, the light bulb of revelation comes, momentary shame and sorrow comes, repentance comes, healing comes, newness enters, progression is made. I had allowed the enemy to place a burden on me that was never meant to be. And God in all His mercy held me this week until I got fed up enough with my own self and with the enemy to finally do something about it. One thing that Pastor Sabrina mentioned that really made all the difference was when she spoke of the man at the pool who had been stricken for 38 years lying there until someone carried him to his healing. Jesus said "wilt thou be made whole?". She posed that question to all of us. Are you going to lie there waiting for someone to carry you to your breakthrough? Are you going to continue to allow the enemy gut shots and to kick your teeth in? Or wilt thou be made whole?!?! No more excuses. No more "it's not me, it's them". That doesn't fly anymore. So, with that choice to make, I answered and said "yes, I wilt be made whole"! And the weight began to drop off like a coat that had been to large for me to wear. The light bulb began to flicker and my path was beginning to clear and my eyes began to focus once more. No more!! I will live as if my next breath is my last and it will be a breath full of joy bubbling over! Should I be ashamed as seasoned as I am for letting this sneak in? Well, some might say I should have known better and I am old enough in Christ to be more discerning, but this time I just wasn't and I refuse to carry the weight of any shame or guilt. It happened, I lived, and I learned and I am all the better for it. Ladies, we have to be so careful to catch the red flags God throws up for us. I can look back now and see the warnings that proceeded the open door to the enemy that is now closed. I chose not to heed them as I should have out of misunderstanding them completely. Do yourself a wonderful favor, if you don't understand the red flag, SEEK UNTIL YOU DO UNDERSTAND OR SEEK SOMEONE WHO DOES AND WHO CAN TELL YOU!! You will not regret it!! Life has taken on new meaning through this whole ordeal for God will never waste pain. You will learn from it and good will come of it. I will not look at the people around me the same that God has placed in my life for a blessing to me. I will love them more, bless them more, laugh with them more, hug them more, encourage them more, lift them more, praise them more for a job well done, try to understand who they are more, enjoy there presence more... I will live my life for God and God alone, for my vessel is empty without Him and I am a dry and desolate place without my Source... I hope I have entered into a new place with Him and I cannot wait to fully see myself through His eyes because then maybe I can see others through His eyes as well without my preconceived ideas...and as a new friend of mine, Tiffany, so eloquently put it, "people matter, love matters"... and you know what, it is all that matters... thank You My God for being my knight in shining armor...You came not as I expected but right on time...I give You ALL the glory for all you have done for me that no one else could have...Jehovah Jireh, you are my provider and YOU ARE ENOUGH....I love You with all my heart and soul and mind...

I Need To Know...

Today Lord, I don't care about Your miracles. I don't care about Your power. I don't care about the parting of the Red Sea or the raising of the dead. All I care about today is knowing that You still care for me. Knowing that You still want me. Knowing that You still love me. I need to know that You still know the number of hairs on my head. I need to know that You care that I can't stop my tears today. I need to know that You still want to fix me. I need to know that You are aware of me. I need to know that shame is not the final outcome. That it is not my crux. I need to know that You are here and most of all that You want to be... I need to know that what You see in me is not what I see...I need to hear the footsteps of horse and rider coming to my rescue...I need You...and I need to know...

My Place Is With You...

I stray, You lead me home. I lose my center, You guide me. I lose my sight, You give me Your eyes to see. I rebel and kick and scream, You don't relent. I pull away, You grip tighter. I panic, You are the voice of reason. I stumble, You catch. I fall, You hold. I hurt, You heal. I cry, You cry too. I can't walk, You carry. I see no worth, You see treasure. I see filth, You see righteousness. I see no reason to finish, You see the end. I plead, You hear. I ask, You answer. I need You, You already know. My place is with You. My home is with You and there is no other place for me. I may see no worth but You see a beauty that my eyes have yet to see and You will not relent until I am able to see through Your eyes. I see no reason, no evidence to keep trying, to keep fighting, but You remind me that You are enough. You will always be enough. Take me into Your secret place and show me once again who I am and whisper to me what You think of me. I need to hear that You love me and that even in my worse moments when all I can see is ugly, You still see beauty, and You still want me. Let me hide under Your wings until this has passed. Until You and I are one again... give me a glimpse of the end that You see once more Lord...I surrender, You take...I desire, You give... My place is with You...

God, First Lady, and a Helicopter...

Well, maybe I am at least down to cloud 3 so that I can talk a little about my helicopter experience yesterday. First of all you will have to understand that I have never flown in anything. I have never even ridden so much as a roller coaster. I have always been a rather cautious person I suppose. Always walking around the edge of the pool persay but never diving in. So, when that helicopter left the ground yesterday, it was the very first time my feet had left the ground too. And at 11:00 on a brisk and cool Sunday morning in November, my heart left the ground along with so many fears that I had been battling for it seems a lifetime. Now, I suppose you are wondering why I was not in church but I was in church. It was our Pastor Appreciation Day and my husband somehow had talked to a friend and had gotten two helicopters to come and pick up Pastor and First Lady from their house and after a short tour in the air, fly them to church where they would land on the front lawn where everyone would be outside to welcome them. Well, so happens that two people could ride to their house in the copters so that their cars could be taken to the church so they could get home afterwards. I have been so afraid of flying but something inside me jumped up and said "I want to!". I thought to myself, now who said that, sure wasn't me, hush!...lol. And believe me, I was nervous and scared, but I went on anyway. Then when I get there, this copter is about the size of half a small car and about 150 degrees it felt like on the inside, but I strapped in anyway. Then here we go! In about two seconds flat we were about 5oo feet above the trees and I thought "UH OH, there is no turning back now!". Aside from a few fleeting moments of absolute fear, it was the most exhilarating thing I have ever experienced. I didn't want it to end and I would do it again today if I could and since he offered to take me up anytime I wanted to go, I probably most likely will. I learned two things yesterday. Number one, you CAN do all things through Christ. He showed me in living color yesterday that if I will just put one foot forward in faith that He will meet me there, He will show up and take care of the rest. He showed me that even though it may feel even up to the very last second even as you are taking off in the air that He is nowhere around, suddenly He rolls up on the scene and everything changes. He showed me that there is no fear that you cannot conquer with Him. I was strapping in my seat belt in the cockpit and was still not sure if I could do it. He showed me that I could. He showed me that He cannot take the first step for me. That it is my job to step out in faith. But that when I do, I open the door wide open for Him to come along for the ride which is why right now I am going to take a moment to say thank you to the Holy Spirit for taking that helicopter ride with me. I couldn't have done it without Him, without His strength, His grace and I give Him all the honor and glory that is due Him for the miracle in me He has done. Thank You Lord!!! Now, my only question is "What adventure is next for You have got me hooked?" The second thing I learned is that there is always a driving force behind the attempt. I know that without something driving me to conquer this fear, I never would have. But let me stop right here and interject that still no matter how much I am driven or no matter how badly I may want to conquer something, without Him there would be no way. I know what was behind my determination to fly in his helicopter. I guess I should say someone was behind. We all have someone in our lives that drive us to conquer and to be better than we ever could on our own. There is always that sandpaper that polishes or that person that influences us to make them proud. First Lady would have to be that person in my life. For six years she has been. No one in my life has ever driven me more to want to get better, to be better, to be all I can be than she has, her life has. I doubt she even knows that she has had that great impact on my life but because of her influence, I have been determined to be all that God wants me to be. There are many times she should have left our friendship and never looked back because believe me, I was messed up good! She may have backed off, but she never left because she saw something greater in me than the enemy would allow me to see in myself. She has pushed and pushed and pushed me towards this great God that I would have never known so deeply without her constantly driving me forward. And most of the time the greatest push that would make me fall on my knees and seek Him harder than ever before and make me work double time to find out what needed fixing in me next was when she never said anything at all. So when I found out I had the opportunity to ride a helicopter, something in me drove me that was greater than my fear. Before I knew it my feet were walking towards the helicopter without me and my hiny was in the seat and strapped in before I could say no. And when that thing landed and I stepped out on solid ground, the first words out of my mouth were "I CAN do anything!!!". And at that moment for the first time in my entire life, I felt like I could. I felt like I had just climbed Mt. Everest or won the Superbowl! It was the best feeling I have ever known. And now all I want is more of the same. It has opened up a door in my life that has always been shut. And I was so absolutely humbled beyond words that I got the chance to share this experience with her. I will never forget it. So, thank you Lord for the ability, the strength, the grace, the love that helped me do something I will never forget for a lifetime. Thank You Lord, for victory! Thank You for helping me conquer Mt. Everest. Thank You for never letting me go and for coming along for the ride all my life. There is no one like You in my life and it is my one desire to get to know the One who is behind all these changes in me and all this love and all this wonderful exciting adventure more than I ever have known You and as deeply as I can.
And thank you First Lady. I know you may never read this, but somehow may you know that I thank you for all those years of pushing and for all those years of that wonderful sandpaper that has been shaping me and making me beautiful all along even though it was hard to see. Thank you for your friendship that has been more of an impact on me, on my growth, on my life, my destiny than you will ever ever ever know. My heart cannot contain all the gratitude that I have. Thank you for never leaving and hanging in there. Thank you for your patience with me that I still find amazing!! Thank you for your love that for the better part of 6 years I couldn't see or understand because of my own selfish desires and my own agenda. This has been an adventure and a journey that I am so glad you were willing to take with me and I wouldn't have wanted to take it with anyone else and I am honored. My heart can't even begin to find the words to say thank you properly. Pam called me that evening to ask how I liked the ride and she made the statement, "Well, we all discovered one thing today, that you will do absolutely anything for First Lady". And she and Chris both agreed that you could get me to do things that no one else on the face of this earth could ever ever get me to do, guaranteed! And I guess in a way they are both right because there is just something in you that makes me think I can do anything and makes me want to try to. There is just something in you that makes me want to know who I really am in Him and makes me want to know why you are the way you are and how you got to be that way. There is just something in you that makes me desire to sit at your feet and learn the worship that you give and why you give it. There is something in you that makes me want to know Him in ways that I cannot even explain because every time I think of you, of your life, I think of Him. There is just something in you that draws me to God. There has just always been something in you. And you and God have driven me to fly! There was something driving me that was greater than my fear and I hope my feet never touch the ground again. Silently you pushed, First Lady. Silently I received. I hope that on Sunday November 19th 2008 at 11:00am I made both you and He very proud of me. I hope that your reward is great on account of what you have done for and put up with in me...and don't stop pushing me and I will never stop pressing forward... we must keep going forward... And my wonderful Savior and King, it is only by Your great love that I can do anything at all...without You I am nothing at all....I love You more than my next breath...Now, on to the next great adventure, Daddy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And First Lady, I'll fly with you anywhere and at anytime... :0) I hope our great adventures have just begun!!!

I Flew...

I flew in a 2 seater helicopter today at around 1000 feet...I'm still so thrilled at just the thought of that, that there is not much I can say for now...when I get off of cloud nine and my feet touch the ground again, I will tell you all about it...for now, just know that it was thus far the most amazing thing I have experienced...talk to you in a bit...

OK now...

Ok now, Lord, I know that my telling You to go ahead and cause me pain if that is what it takes is something you take extremely literal, but could You let up just a little or at least let me catch my breath?!?! I love You, Lord, and yes, still whatever it takes...let it be unto me according to Your word, o' Lord, let it be...

What Doesn't Kill you Only Makes you Stronger...

Sometimes Lord, I don't know if you are trying to make me better or kill me...it gets so hard to distinguish between the pain that cripples and the pain that heals. Sometimes I wonder which one actually hurts worse. The cuts that people and that life give don't seem to bleed near as bad and cause as much pain as the pain You cause when I need to be cut away on. But there is a difference I cannot explain when I feel and know that it is Your hands working as a skilled surgeon on my heart. There is a difference in the pain. It is a knowing in the end that all things are working together for my good that strangely helps me to be able to say that it hurts but please don't stop. Not yet. There are still dead things there that without You will never live again. You bring me to the brink of death to revive my black heart back to life. My very breath turns to ice at times because sometimes my heart is so sick and cold and swollen with all of me that I can fit in it and none of You, that the pain You bring is the only thing that can heal. The only thing that gets my attention. The only thing that brings me to my knees. Pain is sometimes the only thing that can open the eyes of my heart. If I can and will endure the knife, Your knife, then I can and will endure anything. You are causing much pain right this very moment but Lord, I will not resist Your hand. I will allow You to cut away and if it causes pain and death to bring newness of life, then so be it. Until You know You have all of me, You will never cease to drop me to my knees. So, if I find myself there for the next little while like I know I will, I will know that something is dying and something is beginning to live...I know that to die is to live, and to lay it all down is to lose all while gaining everything in You, but Lord, this hurts so much, and Your little girl is struggling, so I may need Your help to lay some final things to rest. I know You will not rest till You are my one desire, my one focus, my only love, till You and You alone sit on the throne of my life, till every dream, every desire, every idol has fallen at Your feet. You will not rest until You know my heart truly means the words that my lips have said so many times before. I love You more than the very air I breath, and I want more than anything to give You what You are asking of me. I need You to cut away and make all things new but please hold my hand through it all so I don't fall and hold on tight so when I am tempted to run, I will know I can't get away. I want to want this more than anything I have ever wanted. Help me to want You more than anything else I have ever wanted. Keep causing me the pain that heals. What doesn't kill me Lord I know will only make me stronger...make me stronger in You, Daddy...I love You so very much and I know that I owe You my life for all You have done for me...You are my song and I will sing of You forever...

Psalm 29...I Exalt You, My King...

I have so few words to describe You, my Lord... You are so indescribable... What can I say to someone who is so great, so beautiful, so unbelievably awesome? What can my heart ever minister to You? What can my mind ever say when it cannot even comprehend You? The only thing I can say is You are God! You are God! You are God!!!! Today I will let Your word exalt You and say what I cannot say.... You are God...

A Psalm of David.

GIVE unto the LORD, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name;
Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The LORD is over many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
The voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars,
Yes, the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes them also skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
The LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth,
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everyone says, "Glory!"
The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood,
And the LORD sits as King forever.
The LORD will give strength to His people;
The LORD will bless His people with peace.

SELAH!!

To Worship You I Live...

Today the only thing I want to do is worship You. I love the song line "to worship You I live", because there are times when I feel it is the very reason for every beat of my heart. People think me so strange sometimes, I know, because I see You and sense You in so many things.
I know You are there in the wind, in the sky, in laughter, in tears, in joy, in pain, in everything...there You are. I cannot open my eyes without seeing You in something staring back at me. You are everywhere and You are everything. To worship You my heart beats. To worship You I breathe. To worship You I rise. To exalt You, to praise You, to worship You I live... there is a song in my Spirit that never ends for You even when the words are no more and the melody ceases within my flesh...it's my song to You that continues even when I cannot find my voice, like today when it is hard to remember it is there... You are my God and forever I will praise You. Forever... It's the very reason I live and I absolutely cannot contain it...If I did, my heart would sing without me and my soul would dance anyway...I have to give You my worship...I have to...I just pray what I have to give pleases You...

I hate 180...

Where do 180's come from? I hate them. What I hate the most is when you wake up one morning and realize a 180 has taken place and caught you off guard. I hate them so much, that I plan with all the strength in me, not to have anymore. I woke up and BAM there it was! 180 all the way! Then you have to battle and scrap and scrape and dig and claw not to go further down in the pit the enemy so wants to push you into. You can't feel God, you can't feel anything so faith comes in handy in a big way and believing the Word is true and standing on it is all you have. I've been here before and that is what makes me so stinkin' mad! Where did I miss it?!! I'm just so thankful that God has given me eyes and ears to see and hear more quickly than I have before. I don't have to remain here. I just have to make an adjustment or two. I'm just mad I am here at all! I don't give up easy. With God's help, I will stand on top again. I pray I can be even more quick to discern the next time the pit has an opening the size of Texas! Thank you my Lord for Your faithfulness and patience. Thank you that You are the one person that doesn't give up on me and that stays with me through it all, even through every careless mistake. Thank you for loving me. By your grace, I will never give up because I know that You are faithful to complete the good work You have begun in me and to be honest, I've had just about enough of not knowing the person You see in me... I could not be more ready to meet her...I love you forever, my King... Do what You what You must in me till there is no me, only You... I'm ready... no more 180's...no more...and just between me and You Lord, I let that part of me go, and I know you will know what I'm talking about...

"We're Coming Home!!"

I got the call this morning from the voice of a weary but excited mom that said "We're coming home!". Think about that statement for a moment, "we're coming home". Could there be any phrase more comforting than that one? Not hardly... After a week long battle of tears
and inconsistencies and unknowns, there could not be any sweeter words than those. There is something about those words that makes every burden roll away and peace flood your soul. It makes you think of relief and rest and mashed potatoes and gravy and mac and cheese and soft pillows and cozy socks and all things comforting... I have watched this wonderful woman of God handle this battle with both tears and strength. I've watched her hold his tiny hand and stroke his little face and sleep night after night on the corner of a less than comfortable hospital bed and never once has she complained. Not once. And the tears she shed were in private and never in the sight of her little man. She was graced to be the strength for her husband and her children when she didn't think she could even have enough for herself. The surgery he had to have to remove a clogged up lymph node in his neck Thursday seemed to have been evidence that the node was the culprit to all this chaos in his body because it could not filter out all the strep throat cases he had endured lately and the strep entered his blood stream and kidneys. And today he is more like his old self than ever. They may never know what the true diagnosis is. All that matters is that is that he is well and he is coming home. They are all coming home. What a happy happy day this is!! And one day what a happy day it will be when we all get to say "we're coming home"...I'm so proud of the Fort family and so proud of her... What troopers they were through it all...and wonderful and awesome God, none of it would be possible without You, our wonderful and faithful Lord and Savior. Without You, there would have been no strength. Without You, there would have been no grace to hold on when it all looked hopeless. Without You, there would have been nothing and there would have been no "coming home". Today or Ever... Because of You and only because of You, we can come home. Thank You for Your never-ending faithfulness... We give You all the glory and honor for it all... You are so very good...

Finally!!

Finally some good news!! A blood report finally came back with a positive result for little man Ike which is good because I was beginning to wonder how much more negative his momma and dad could take. Of course it was only a slight change but praise God, it was a change!! Today was the day they were to decide whether to move him to MUSC in Charleston. No improvement meant another starting over with new docs and new sticks and new fears. So praise the Lord for some improvement. I watched his tired momma follow him with his IV pole as his dad pushed him around in a wagon in the hospital playroom yesterday. Smiling but so weary in every way possible. She needed some relief. Thank God He sent some today and I know the Calvary is coming soon. To watch a mother's heart break for their child is unbearable almost. This was her Isaac. They named him that because it meant promise and laughter. And he has brought allot of laughter to say the least. He is quite the little jokester and you never know what he might say next or where in the world he came up with it. But Ike was a promise. She lost her little boy Noah to stillbirth not very long before she became pregnant with this little man. He was the promise and he still is. No matter what the enemy tries to do, there is still no weapon formed! He cannot steal her joy, her laughter, or her promise unless she allows him to and I can promise you this one thing, she won't allow it!! She is not only momma and Pastor's wife but she is music pastor and I guess the enemy is trying to steal her song as well but what he doesn't know is that she and God have their own song that he can never touch and she will always have a song within her. It may be deep down but it is still there for her to draw on when she needs it. She will always have a song and no devil can take it. Again, I am proud of her. She is a remarkable momma, wife, leader, and friend. Hang in there, sweetie, the Calvary is coming!! They are ready and waiting for His signal to charge...

A Mother's Love...

Ike(left) and Matthew(Buddies)

I know I haven't been to the blog in awhile but I have been at the hospital and on my knees for my Pastor's son. He is only five and my son's best friend and his name is Isaac or as his momma calls him, "Ike". He has been stuck, probed, and prodded for almost 3 days now and will be there for a little while longer. I have listened to him cry for his mommy as she has bravely held his little hand not allowing her feelings and emotions to show. I am not only proud of that little man, I am so proud of my friend. Today she even shed her blood for him as she allowed the nurse to stick her to show him that it didn't hurt so much. A true sacrifice of a loving momma who would do whatever she had to do for her child. Her blood spilled to the floor and even got on Pastor's shoes and all I could think about on the way home is how much of an example that was of Christ and His love for us. How He spilled His blood so we wouldn't have to hurt so much. He shared in our pain just like she shared in his. It truly was a beautiful thing and I think it made me love her more and respect her even more than that. Her birthday is tomorrow the 7th and will be celebrated at his bedside. She doesn't care. The only gift she says would mean anything would be for him to get better and it is the only gift she wants...Spoken like a true mother...I couldn't be more proud of her than I am right this minute. Please, pray for Ike. His kidney is swollen as large as an adult's, his urine is purple, and he struggles with fever all the while smiling and trying to play. They need your prayers and First Lady, if you ever do read this, please know that I am and will always be here, and you can rest assured that I will never ever leave your side for wild horses could not drag me away, and I will forever be your friend for you and your friendship have left lasting footprints on my heart and my life that can never be erased. I love you so much more than you could possibly know and I love that little man as if he were my very own...I really am so very very proud of you...hang in there my sweet and brave friend... :o)

Kids...woowee what a challenge..

For all you moms out there who are still changing diapers and sterilizing bottles or even still going to some little league games, ENJOY IT!! Pretty soon there will be the rolling of the eyes, the expressions such as "OMG momma!" followed by a heavy sigh and the eye rolling thing. And for you moms that have perfect children who never argue with each other or become the champion of all greed, please let me know what your secret is cuz it sure ain't that way at my house lately. Oh boy, I have a 13 year old daughter who is just now coming in to herself, her own identity separate from her mom and dad's. She no longer needs a set of encyclopedias since she now knows it all and her momma apparently knows absolutely nothing. The ll year old daughter still has her very submissive and sweet spirit but her sister knows which buttons to push and with her hormones beginning to take their place in the society of womanhood, she can get a little upset and just a tad fierce. Then it's "let the fights begin"!! The 7 year old "BOY" is just about had it with the girl drama period and to defend himself, he piles right in with them and has learned the buttons to push as well, that is when he takes a break from jumping off the walls!! Now, I'm not complaining mind you. They are my babies and I love them more than my own life, but I tell ya, it just ain't easy these days. So much drama and of course the grounding that goes along as a consequence of the drama . Whewwww, Lord help see us through these teen years!! Like I said, moms enjoy those sweet moments of silence while they last and the great moments of being able to buy clothes they will actually wear. I thought I was a pretty cool chick, a pretty hip mom, apparently I'm not as cool as I thought I was. If I were you moms, I would begin to study the encyclopedia from A to Z and from cover to cover because I promise you there will come a day when you will be no smarter than a fifth grader...lol. In fact, I think I will go freshen up on it myself... Kids, you just gotta love 'em...