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Family

12 Years with My Favorite Little Mister

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Julie Chen

This past weekend, we celebrated My Favorite Little Mister’s birthday. TWELVE YEARS!!!! Where did the time go?! I remember receiving the above outfit as a baby gift, thinking, “How will this ever fit him?!” {as it appeared to be “huge”} And, now I am almost eye to eye with my beloved son. {I keep teasing him that next year he will be taller than I am … not too hard to do though!}

His “bird feathered hair” was just one of my favorite traits about this unique boy. Unfortunately, his first hair cut took that light texture away forever. I cried. What had I done??? {At age 4 he was obsessed with Mustang cars & asked for a “racing stripe” on his head and I asked, “Like a mohawk?!” & he said, “What’s a mohawk?” and we did it anyways!}

We live a block from the train tracks and thus began the obsession with trains. He was 2 years old in this photo & he learned all of his colors & numbers based on the Thomas characters. And, boy if I gave him Gordon instead of Thomas {they are both blue} he corrected me right away. Oh, I loved those toddler years. That is when the humming began. I knew when he was really concentrating on something, like building tracks, a puzzle or Duplos, because I could hear humming from the other room.

From a very young age he developed what I would call a special relationship with nature. He is truly in wonder with the natural world around him. This is one of our favorite trees at the arboretum.

And, then came LEGOS!!!! Sam bought him his first set when he was 4 years old {the batmobile set – not shown here} & there was no looking back! It is his current dream in life to grow up & become a LEGO designer & apparently we are all moving to Denmark. Sounds great to me! I LOVE how he plays with LEGOS: receive a set, build it in seconds per directions perfectly, set it up for a day, take it apart the next day & build via his imagination. He literally floors me every day with his new creations.

In first grade came origami. Almost daily he is still creating origami. If you have not seen the documentary Between the Folds, you should. It is very fascinating!

Meet Bubo. His best friend. We got him this stuffed owl at another one of our favorite places, Willowbrook Wildlife Center. When he was in 3rd grade, he and his sisters organized a fundraiser to raise money to “adopt” owls at Willowbrook. It was a huge success!

Some call My Favorite Little Mister “the animal rescuer” & that is a great nickname for him. He is famous for rescuing spiders before they are smashed to death & above he caught a salamander while we were hiking in the Smoky Mountains {one of the hardest animals he’s tried to catch by the way!}Here he is with a caterpillar. I love how gentle he is with animals.My Favorite Little Mister also loves botany. Have you ever seen a sausage tree??? Crazy! You can come see them here.If LEGO designer does not work out for him, his other profession of choice is to be added to The Piano Guys. He currently plays both piano & cello & LOVES their music. He even wrote an entire essay on how Steven Sharp Nelson is his hero!And reading. While not found playing music, building or chasing bugs, you will find this kid reading. LOVE!Happy Birthday to you, My Favorite Little Mister. I love you more than words can say & it is truly fascinating being your mama. You have taught me more than you will ever know and I am intrigued by you daily.Here is some of my art that features my son.

Grace & Peace,

Julie

Family

Some Thoughts on Motherhood

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Julie Chen

These 3. Be still my heart. Nothing compares to being their mommy. And, nothing has taught me more about the unconditional love that our Heavenly Father has for us as motherhood has. I would move mountains for them if I could. I would dry every tear, melt every fear & surround them with pure joy for the rest of their lives if it were possible.

I became a mama at the age of 29. I remember being totally in love with my Favorite Little Mister instantly. When they say “love at first sight” it is TRUE. {Though, really I had already fallen for him as he grew in my womb.} When he would sleep, I would just stare in wonder at this little child of mine. Two years later Sunshine Girl arrived on her due date, not a minute late. Those chubby cheeks & double chin, OH the cuteness! Then another two years passed and Pumpkin Poos completed our little family of 5. Her Chinese name means “The Lord’s Peace” as with any third child, I just wanted a peaceful baby who slept A LOT… well, that did not turn out & as you can see she is full of joy, so my hubby has renamed her “The Lord’s Joy” and it fits her so well.

And, here we were last summer in the middle of the Badlands. See those black dots in the background to the left of my head? That is a herd of buffalo! We were FREE — free to run {while being mindful of possible rattle snake attacks}, free to jump, free to feel the wind in our hair in such a spectacular place. My name means “Youthful Spirit” & I think one part of motherhood that I love is the playfulness, creativity, and silliness we get to experience together.

And, can I just add — motherhood gets better & better. I LOVE the stage they are currently in {almost 12, almost 10 & 7} Not that it is easier by any means, but anything besides the baby stage is fine by me … I am NOT a baby person. But, seriously to travel, play sports, games, create art, have deep & meaningful talks & see who they are becoming is such a gift every single day.

I created this piece of art with my own mom in mind. When brainstorming the text of the piece, I thought of my mom & how she truly raised us with kindness, tenderness, and ENDLESS devotion. My mom is THE epitome of selflessness & truly always put us first. She kept family first & strove to make our home a haven. She never missed a game. Always had time to talk. She gave me the gift of love and continues to be one of my best friends. She is such a support to our entire family and I love her so.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms out there! YOU are truly changing the world!

Grace & Peace,
Julie

Behind the Scenes, Family

Firefighter Art {Behind the Scenes}

Posted on April 23, 2015May 10, 2015 by Julie Chen

{Firefighter art is available HERE}

Today I wanted to share with you the “behind the scenes” artistic process of my firefighter art. This piece is near & dear to my heart, as I originally created it not to sell at all, but simply as a gift for my father who is a retired lieutenant of the Rockford fire department. That is his helmet in my photo, as well as a piece of hose he normally hangs on “the fire wall” in my parents’ house.

Firefighting runs deep in my blood. My family uniquely contains 3 generations of firefighters: my grandfather, father & now brother who is active on the force. I grew up loving to visit my dad at the station, sliding down the pole, hopping in the truck, and gleefully covering my ears while the sirens wailed. I also heard countless stories around the dinner table of the thrills of firefighting, some of which would make me put my fork down & say, “Enough!”

{talk about a throwback! My Favorite Little Mister visiting Grandpa at the fire station!}

I created this piece for my dad’s birthday. As I researched quotes, most often the firefighter’s prayer would pop up in search engines, but I did not want to use something so common. Then, I came across this quote from Chief Edward Crocker who was the fire chief of New York City in 1910 and something moved in my heart, knowing THIS is the quote. You see, every firefighter I know believes their work is so much more than a “job”… it is their calling. They live it, breathe it, and quite literally sacrifice their lives for it. Here is Chief Crocker’s famous quote:

I have no ambition in this world but one, and that is to be a fireman. The position may, in the eyes of some, appear to be a lowly one; but we who know the work which the fireman has to do believe that his is a noble calling. Our proudest moment is to save lives. Under the impulse of such thoughts, the nobility of the occupation thrills us and stimulates us to deeds of daring, even of supreme sacrifice.

When I gave my art to my father, he cried. When I gave it to my brother, he cried too. I know their hearts of service. I know how meaningful it is to be appreciated and honored, something the unsung hero does not often receive.

Recently a firefighter from Texas purchased my canvas

& this is the note he sent me after receiving the art:

When I first saw this piece of art it really stirred up a lot of old feelings I had about being in the Fire Service, and as I look at it now hanging on my wall between two of my old helmets, I can’t help but feel extremely proud about my chosen profession.

But at the same time, I am also extremely humbled that you have honored all of us in the Fire Service this way, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you for this wonderful and heart-touching expression of love that you originally made for your own family of firemen, but have also made it available to firefighters everywhere.

I am so grateful to be a small part in encouraging such a profession! Now thru the end of April, the firefighter art is 30% off as I hope you too will touch the firefighter in YOUR life. {And, we all know how every firefighter likes to decorate with fire stuff!}

Grace & Peace,

Julie

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