adventures in the potty

So today was "daddy/daughter day" at the Hall house. We had a pretty great day. Natalie seemed to be having a good time. I was becoming "father of the year" in my own mind. All was right with the world until the following episode happened.

"Daddy, hurry, hurry, I need to potty before I pee pee in my pants."

Alarms went off in my head as Natalie grabbed my hand and we ran to the bathroom.

Sensing the urgency of the situation I rapidly pulled Natalie's pants down and lifted her up and placed her on the potty. That was where I made my fatal mistake.

"Daddy, no...you don't do that!!!"

*Extremely confused look on daddy's face*

"I do that!"

Ok...my independent child is now squirming her way off of the seat and pulling her pants back up only to turn right around and push them back around her ankles. Now she is ready, without the assistance of Daddy, to wiggle herself back up onto the toilet seat.

"Do you need my help?"
"No."
"Ok...let me know if you need help I'll be in the bedroom."
"No, daddy, NO!"
"Ok, what do you want me to do?"
"Sit."
"Do you need help?"

Now, I know this was a silly question seeing as I had already asked it but I figured...hey, why not. She changes her mind often and I might luck out and get a different response.

"No."
No such luck.
"Then why am I here?"
"Because I want you here."

Ok...so there I sat with my half naked daughter who was sitting on the toilet trying to figure out if peeing was the ONLY matter of business she had to tend to at the moment.

Daddy/daughter days are rarely if ever boring.

Going global

It's official. My blog has now gone international. I received a report today that I received at least one hit on my blog from the country of Spain. Thank you to that one person one stumbled on my blog long enough to be counted in the number of hits for the day. WOW...and to think...it all started with a simple dream...mmmmmmm

leadership video clip

Craig Groeschel made a great video clip about leadership. Try. Fail. Learn. Adjust. Try again. Great lesson for any leader especially pastors. Check it out here.

My wife...the superhero

Some say that she has one of the hardest jobs in the world. The level of compassion and professionalism that is required of her on a daily basis is more than most can bare. The amount of selfishness, greed, and hurt that she faces on any given day can send a grown man home in tears. Yet she stands strong. She feels the hurt but it does not stop her from helping the next family.

Then when her normal amount of energy is spent she comes home and still has enough left to love her husband and hug her daughter. All of this while feeling the new baby growing inside of her. She goes to bed exhausted. However, the next morning she gets up, gets ready, puts on her hospice name badge like a super hero does a cape and heads out to do it all over again. She is hero in so many ways.

Yesterday I was told that she is such a good pastor's wife and has such a heart for ministry. I don't know how she does it all.

She is a wife, a mother, a hospice social worker, a ministry partner, an encourager, a creative partner, a theologian, an author, a friend, a resource, a cheerleader, and so much more.

She is my wife...the superhero.