gina had a little lamb

it was almost disastrous. the picture of the lamb costume from marthastewart.com looked cute and cuddly enough, but our (ok, let's be honest...gina's) first crack at reproducing it in real life resulted in what could only be described as a deranged fluffy ghost. the halloween aisle at walmart started looking pretty good. but she went back to work with a mother's love and a fear that her daughter would be "that child" driving her, and voila! the cutest little halloween lamb you've ever seen.

we met up with some old friends from CTS to trick-or-treat in our old decatur neighborhood. i wish i had a picture to show you the neighborhood...i've never seen a place go so all out for halloween. i'm talking multiple smoke machines, colored spotlights, crazy lawn implements, even a boat in one front yard converted into a pirate ship! very fun.



last year for her first halloween, anna was hardly big enough to hold her head up. this year, she marched right up to houses with her pumpkin basket in tow like she'd been mooching candy for years. and seriously, how could anyone resist emptying their entire stash of chocolate when she "baaah"-ed on cue? next time you see her, ask her what a sheep says. i guarantee you won't be disappointed.


fortunately for us, Anna wasn't really all that interested in the candy despite how deliberate she was about picking each piece and placing it in her basket. no, true to form, she preferred picking flowers off people's potted porch plants or grabbing a handful of driveway gravel. i do need to teach her that daddy likes Reese's far better than DumDum's, however.


in conclusion, if you have trouble sleeping for fear of ghoulish creatures roaming the streets this halloween, just let this little sheep leap through your dreams tonight.

Perdido Key

Last week Greg kicked off his new job at Bread for the World with a week of training in D.C. Gina tried to take advantage of his absence by grabbing Anna and fleeing to Perdido Key, FL, to her aunt and uncle's beach condo. But Greg learned a thing or two about intelligence operations in our nation's capital (thanks, Patriot Act!) and successfully tracked them down for a more joyous reunion than this hyperbolic narration suggests.

Now, we knew our girl loved dirt, sticks, and the like, but we weren't sure how she'd react to the sand and high seas. Holy sand dunes, she loved them so much!! The first time she set foot on the white stuff, she took off like a woman possessed. She had a blast digging, shoveling, and yes, even swallowing a few mouthfuls of sand. Greg dodged an army of wily jellyfish to take her out for her first dip in the ocean (editor's note: he sustained one sting for his brave fatherly efforts). The pool proved a less dangerous but equally exciting aquatic experience. Anna kicked and paddled like Michael Phelps (at age one).

All in all, we had a great few days with Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Jack Ed, cousins Lindsey and Michelle, and Michelle's hot boyfriend, the "Flaming Colleen". Bottom line? Anna is as big a beach bunny as her California-kissed mother.

moving out of CTS

Where did everybody go?

I don't care...I'm happy as a clam with my balloon!

mother's day

Remember the old TV sitcom "My Two Dads"? Well Anna could be the star of its modern counterpart, "My Two Moms". Mom #1 - in every way possible - was surprised and delighted by daddy's thoughtful and creative Mother's Day gifts (if those weren't her exact words, i'm sure that's what she meant). Anna helped him out in this department by leaving her footprint not only on mommy's heart but also on quick-dry plaster. The watercolor touch-ups were daddy's brilliant idea.


Our CTS neighbor and Anna's nanny over the last year, Nutei, proudly holds the title of Mom #2 in Anna's heart. Nutei has cared for Anna since she was just 3 months old and the Hmar family has practically adopted her as one of their own. Anna surprised her with a dangling token of our appreciation for all they've meant to us this past year. We miss having them so close!

master of the divine?

Hardly. But after 3 years of laborious love, I finally graduated with my Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. Commencement took place on May 17, the same exact day that my sister, Laura, graduated from Christian Theological Seminary (also CTS for the acronym-ically savvy) in Indianapolis with her Master's in Counseling. Way to go, sis!! As for me, it was a satisfying day to pause and look back over the previous three years: the ways in which I and my family have grown relationally, spiritually, intellectually, and physically (I'm referring mainly to Anna though my waist size has unfortunately grown ever so slightly as well). Anna was there to celebrate the accomplishment in her own special way...by sleeping through the ceremony. Right on cue, though, she woke up as we were beginning to take pictures inside the sanctuary. She's obviously beaming with pride :)

As of graduation, I still did not see clearly how seminary fit into God's purpose for the next stage of our lives. Within a few weeks, however, I was offered a job with Bread for the World, a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad, as their Southeastern Regional Field Organizer based out of Atlanta. Truly a gracious invitation to employ my theological training on behalf of poor and hungry people around the world. So we're staying put in Atlanta, at least for the time being. And get this: my office is 6 floors up from Gina's in the same building! Normally this would be fertile ground for office romance, but what do you do when you're already married?

running is for the birds

After traipsing 13.1 miles on foot through the streets of Nashville, Gina might tell you walking is, too. The last weekend in April we made the journey to the homeland for the famed Country Music Marathon. Initially the plan was simple and painless: spectate. But the day before the race, in a show of unparalleled kindred solidarity, Gina decided to register so that she could walk the half-marathon with her mom, aunt, and 2 cousins.

She had not trained, mind you. Not one bit. But my bipedal wonder persevered and completed the course in a scorchingly fast 4+ hours (editor's note: I'm pretty sure they stop counting minutes once you cross the 240 barrier). Anna proved the decisive factor in her mommy's and nana's will to conquer Nashville one step at a time, popping up along the course at critical moments to lend moral support.

A spectator's observation: it's almost as exhausting driving all over town and getting in and out of the car with an infant just for a 2-minute pit stop as it is actually racing. But it was worth it. Way to go Gina, Phyllis, Marilyn, Lindsey, and Michelle!

the next american idol

I can see the video montage and hear the Ryan Seacrest voiceover now..."her parents knew she had music in her blood from a very young age". What do you think: a cross between Brooke White and Katharine McPhee?

the future's so bright...

I gotta wear shades

Better Late Than Never

So after much harassment from my wife and the plaintive urging of others across the country, I'm finally trying to bring our blog up to date. So much has happened since our last post in February that I can't show it all. But I'll try to hit the highlights in this and the entries that follow. First up is Anna's dedication to the Lord at Harvest Community Church on March 7. The Nazarene Church performs both infant baptism and baby dedication, but after some deliberation we opted for dedication largely so that the exhortation "Remember your baptism" might actually have some concrete referent in her memory. Our pastor, Derek, gave beautiful voice to our faith in God's grace toward Anna and our hope that she will grow up to walk in the way of Jesus. For her part, she hammed it up throughout, clapping her hands and pulling up her dress. She's got Gina's flair for the limelight!

I've also thrown in a few Easter pics for good measure. The bunny ears were Gina's idea, not mine. Who knew heresy could be so cute? Enjoy!


Pretty girl in her dedication dress


The family and in-laws representin'


First Easter...you can glimpse the living cross behind us


Cadbury ain't got nothing on her!

Everyday is Valentine's Day in Our House

Even 2 weeks later you can still feel the love... :)

Obama Attracting Younger Voters

That's right. Apparently Barack's appeal extends beyond the young adult demographic to the "I don't have teeth yet" age group. Gina gave Anna a head start on her civics lessons by taking her to the neighborhood polling station on Super Tuesday to cast a ballot (bold prediction to follow) for the next President of the United States! The three of us matched the rest of the day with our "I'm a Georgia Voter" stickers proudly displayed.

Snow Bunny

No, the national news reports about snow in Atlanta yesterday were totally unfounded (fascinating that I had 2 non-Atlantans ask me about snow when I didn't hear a word about wintry weather predictions on our local news stations). I guess the global information network can't replace good 'ol local journalism. Anyway, these pics are from the only snowfall of the year to date, back around New Years. It was Anna's first encounter with the white stuff, and she was relatively unphased by the whole thing. Hopefully, that'll change. We did teach her how to make the perfect snowball and launch a surprise attack, though. Daddy will make a hurler out of her yet!

First Christmas

They've been a long time in coming, but finally here are a few pics of Anna's first Christmas. She followed Santa clear across the country, nipping at his heels first in Portland, OR, and then in Nashville. She actually caught up with him at Macy's in downtown Portland and snagged a picture or two with the man in the red suit. The trip to Portland to be with Gina's family marked Anna's first flight in an airplane...a big deal. Gina was understandably nervous, but mother and daughter did very well on the flight out. The flight back wasn't quite as pretty as Gina was miserably sick and had to hold Anna in her lap the entire time. But they made it home safe and sound, which was all we could ask for.

Anna got plenty of attention over the holiday from both sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, so much so that when we finally settled back in Decatur I think she was disappointed to find only Gina and I available to entertain her. We only intensified her frustration with our decision to let her "cry it out" in order to break her habit of waking up multiple times at night. She surprised us...after only 2 nights of parental and infant anguish, she began to sleep for a solid 8 hours. We really do have the perfect baby :) We've moved on to sampling solid foods now with mixed results. Spitting and bright orange carrot mush is a lethal combination! More on this new culinary adventure in a later post.