When my husband Daryl and I first started dating, one of our pastors asked us to be his newborn daughter’s godparents. We were honored, but also a bit miffed. “We’re not…married,” I said to Pastor K. “I’m aware,” he said. “Then how can we…?” asked Daryl. “You’re both wonderful people,” K said, “and even if you … More Appearance and Truth
Before having a toddler myself, I didn’t realize how vital parks are to parenting success. As one of my friends put it, “Kids are like dogs. You have to run them or they’ll tear up the house.” So, so true. South Orange County has an embarrassing number of phenomenal parks. From playgrounds to sports parks to adventure-themed spaces, … More Top 10 Parks in South Orange County
My husband and I had a grumpy friend in seminary who always wore a scowl. Yet on Easter morning, Daryl walked by him and the man was beaming from ear to ear. “You okay?” Daryl asked. He’d actually never seen the guy smile before. “It’s Easter!” the man exclaimed. “It is just the BEST day!” … More Easter’s YES
(My husband and son, enjoying our church’s Palm Sunday worship.) I missed Palm Sunday this year. I wasn’t at church on Palm Sunday for I what I truly think was the first time ever. From my days of little girl jelly shoes to high school years in the church’s youth group trailer (yeah, we kept it classy) to college … More On Missing Palm Sunday
Are you the mother of a preschooler or an infant? Have you thought about finding a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group? It’s my second year in MOPS, and it has been awesome. So for this week’s Top 10 Tuesday, the Top 10 Reasons to Join a MOPS Group. 10. This parenting thing? It is haaaaaaard. … More Top 10 Reasons to Join MOPS
[Photo borrowed from Ana White‘s awesome DIY website. Ours doesn’t look exactly like this because we own more than six shirts.] There are hundreds of perks to living in Southern California. It’s sunny 99% of the time. There’s rarely any humidity. Mosquitos? Don’t really have ’em. Beaches? Got lots of ’em. Disneyland? Oh yeah, that’s just … More DIY Small Space Nursery
We’re in the last days of only child-dom here at the Ellis house. Our little preschooler is about to have his world rocked. We’ve had some really sweet moments of playing and reading and snuggles. I’ve cherished his smile and being able to give him every last ounce of my attention during the days we … More The Last Days of the Only Child
I’m a generally happy person. The only ministry job I’ve ever resigned from was hospice chaplain. I love end-of-life care, but nine hours of hospice a day almost did me in. I used to come home and cry for hours. Daryl would talk about a difficult test he took at school, and I’d respond, “Really? … More Sitting in the Sad
Our son is in love with the Muppet song. You know the one – the catchy “Mah Na Mah Na” that shows up in most of the movies? Yeah. He loves it. When a preschooler falls in love with a song, it ends up on repeat for hours. I used to like this song. I used to like a lot … More Waiting. And Muppets.
Glad you asked. [Photo from here.]
Courtney Ellis 