A Love Story

If you have not read any of my previous blogs about an amazing little girl named, "Whitney" then you have missed out on an incredible story! Sean and Sheyenne are not only friends of ours, they are an encouragement to everyone who has read or heard about their personal journey into parenthood!

Let me step out of the way and open the door to their story...

http://www.churchonmission.typepad.com/seanandshey

Love you guys!

Charlie Bit Me

If you haven't seen this clip before, then you've probably been living under a rock somewhere. That or you don't do YouTube very often. Either way, this is probably THE most watched video clip ever posted on that site. So whether your seeing this for the very first time, or laughing at this clip again for the 100th time...here you go!

Laughter can be contagious

Things have gotten away from me today so instead of not posting anything, I'll leave you with a short video clip. And if you haven't had much to laugh about today, this may be just what you needed.



Who knows, maybe your smile today is just what he/she needed

Not Just A Receipt

Recently we went to Taco Bell for some lunch. Cole was still hungry and so we gave him some money to buy another soft taco. He went and paid for it ALL BY HIMSELF, which apparently to him was a BIG deal! As you can see in the picture, he was so proud of his receipt! It was kind of like his verification or certification that HE did it ALL BY HIMSELF!!! It was his trophy! His confidence has now grown to a level that he now feels ready to carry the tray to the table, drinks and all. (Although I've let him, that's not an easy one to sit back and watch!) But I guess that's all part of the whole learning process.

When I see these moments of him not needing dad or mom anymore, it quickly makes me realize that he's growing up right before our eyes! And it's in those vulnerable moments, as a daddy, that I want to be sad. But I soon realize that these are the signs of what I have hoped to instill within him as his daddy. I hope to raise my boys as independent, confident young men who will see possibilities in life rather than limitations in life! And although I haven't done this perfectly, I am beginning to see signs of these accomplishments!

So as I look at this picture, I begin to see that what he's holding is more than just a receipt for food...

Whose life/lives are you intentionally investing in?

Whitney's Story Continued

For those of who you read my blog entitled "Whitney's Day," you know that our good friends have been moving through some difficult days here lately after being separated from their daughter. Rather than pretending I know what to say in situations like this, I'm just going to post their follow-up story of Whitney.

http://www.churchonmission.typepad.com/seanandshey

TODAY'S WINNER...

If you're just tuning in, yesterday there was a MAJOR...HUGE...GIGANTIC...TITANIC-LIKE competition, (yeah, that big), as to who could guess how many pieces of Lucky Charms that were in the bowl below. Anyway I'm pleased to say that as cut throat as this competition was, nobody was hurt.


Okay, okay now getting to the winner!
As I painfully counted these out piece by piece, I came to this number...(which I will tell you right after this commercial.) Hey that's what they do on American Idol. Can't stand that.

The highest number submitted was: 615
The lowest number submitted was: 155
The closest number submitted was: 262

Actual pieces of Lucky Charms = 387
So the WINNER to this competition is...............

KRISTAN!!!

For all of you who submitted numbers, thanks for playing and I hope you had a little bit of fun with this! Special thanks goes to the makers of Lucky Charms for providing the tools for this strange, but fun competition. And for coming up with the phrase, "They're Magically Delicious" which is just fun to say!

Let's play..."Are You Lucky?"

Are you Lucky?
(How many pieces of Lucky Charms are in the bowl?)

Okay so yesterday I sat down to eat a bowl of "Lucky Charms!" You know...the cereal that says, "They're Magically _________!" (Please tell me you didn't just sing that out loud) Anyway if you managed to finish the phrase correctly, then you either love the irresistible taste of this marshmallowy cereal, or you just watch WAY too much TV! ....L..i...k..e ME...HIGH FIVE!!!

Well my son Cole is big in to numbers and said, "WOW, that's like a thousand pieces of cereal Daddy!" And I said, "Eh, it's probably more like 3oo." Then while we were both just staring at each other in a trance-like-sort-of-way, I looked away and thought, "I wonder how many there really are?" So I began counting. Stupid you say...Why? There wasn't any milk in there yet. Anyway I wasn't about to lose this guessing competition to a 5 year old!

So now here's your chance! You need to guess how many pieces of Lucky Charms were in this bowl in the picture above! The closest person to the actual number gets a BRAND...NEW...CAR!!! (I even said it like they do on the game shows!) Okay you don't get a car, but I will mention you as the winner in tomorrow's blog. Hey if you're going to whine about the trophy then don't play. Alright, clock is ticking...I will only take 1 guess per person and will stop accepting guesses by 3:00pm / Wednesday / February 17th / 2010!
(That's my fine print, legal stuff)

Email guess to: chershner@visitparkside.com
"They're magically delicious!"...GO!!!

Whitney's Day

Some real good friends of ours have been pregnant with their first child, whom they have named Whitney. Just as any first time parents would be, Sean and Sheyenne have been excited to meet this little girl of theirs! Today they got the opportunity to meet their little girl, however it was not under the circumstances they had hoped for. Yesterday doctors could not find Whitney's heartbeat and so Sheyenne was scheduled to give birth to Whitney today, as still born.

I don't write this so you can feel sorry for them. In fact I write this to celebrate the fact that, although Whitney's time on earth was limited, she has impacted MANY LIVES...including mine! How is it that a little girl, who has not seen this side of the womb, impact so many lives? I don't have that answer. I just know she has! Sean and Sheyenne, although wading through this painful situation, have managed to carry an amazing story of hope throughout their whole pregnancy! I couldn't possibly say things better than them, so here's the link to their AMAZING journey with their little girl Whitney!

www.churchonmission.typepad.com/seanandshey

Love you guys!


A similar story of the complications that Whitney had

Just a Snowman...or something more?

Yesterday I posted some things to do in the snow with friends or family. It isn’t just advice that I gave for others, because when I got home Holly, the boys and I went out and built a snowman together. The best part was when we got him finished, Cole looked up at the snowman and asked, “Is he alive?”

You know building this snowman wasn’t just about rolling up 3 sections of snow and piecing them together in order to create a snowy sculpture. It was more about intentionally creating some fun and memorable moments with my family! Weeks from now, “Frosty” will have melted away, but those memories of building him will last much longer.

It’s funny how many opportunities we find
when we intentionally look for them!

SNOW DAY!!!

Here’s a picture from my office window that I took this morning. I personally like this weather A LOT!!! Granted I don’t like it for the people who have to drive on the roads, but for me there’s nothing like a good snowy day! I know this excitement isn’t shared by everyone, so I’ve posted some things that might help you enjoy it a little better.

Things to do on a day like today:

* Be grumpy and complain about things the entire day...or...
* Get out and make a snow angel (Seriously, when's the last time you did that?)
* Have a snowball fight! (If you don't have someone to pick a fight with, call me! It's on!)
* Go out and make a snowman! (This was our 7 1/2 ft tall snowman! Good memories!!!)

* Get some hot chocolate and make tonight a movie night with family or friends! (This past Thursday night I set up a full 6 man tent in our basement for Holly, the boys and I so we could watch a movie right from the tent! I recommend it! It definitely gives a fun feel to a movie night!)
* Or get out and shovel a neighbor's driveway!

Either route you take, there are some opportunities that come with this new day! Enjoy it, regardless if you like the white stuff or not! Who knows...maybe by creating a fun memory in the snow it will change the way you view it in the future.

For what it's worth, enjoy it! I know I will!

Drew Brees

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints, winners of this years Super Bowl! In case you don't know who Drew Brees is, he's the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. That's not the title that he's most proud of though. Here's a semi short video of Drew in an interview talking about something that matters more to him than a Super Bowl win!

Brotherly Love

This is a video of my boys back in the summer of '08.
A fun clip that I thought was worth sharing!

"Trip to the Dentist"

Video #2: "Trip to the Dentist"
Leave it to a dad to video tape his son's trip to the dentist!
And being a dad myself...I laughed!

Video #1 "Flip...the News Reporter"

Each day this week I'm going to post a video.
Feel free to write your thoughts about the video or you keep them to yourself...your call.
Either way, hope you enjoy this one!