In Brief

Life is exhausting, but good. My girls are willful, but sweet and loving. My husband is busy, but helpful. Our anniversary was odd, but wonderful. I'm growing closer to some dear friends, and it is refreshing. I'm loving making and selling my jewelry.

Deep Breaths

I love the way my baby smells.  I'm convinced that God made her smell that way for a reason.  Because sometimes when things are crazy I snuggle her and just breathing in her smell convinces me that everything will be all right.

Easter

It's been a busy few days.  The weekend was packed with wonderful birthday parties for precious little girls.  The week so far has been a beautiful blur of visits from my family.  It's quiet in my house now.  Things are slowing down a bit before the holiday weekend.  It's giving me time to think.  Easter is coming.  It's my favorite holiday.  Everything in my life hinges on this Sunday, on these words,

"He is not here; He has risen, just as He said..."

-Matt 28:6

That changes everything.  All of history, eternity, and I will never be the same.  Breathtaking!  I'm astounded by the miracle and the simplicity of God's unending grace.  I can't forget though that Good Friday is also coming.  I can't forget what had to come first.  The sacrifice that was required so that grace could be extended, so that I could be forgiven.  It's heartbreaking and humbling - the depth of His love for me...and for you.

Happy Easter!

He is Risen!

For Today

I read this this morning and it spoke to me, because it is so very true.

"It's a good life, Honey, if you don't grow weary."  

-Alexa Woodward

It reminded me of this:

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  

- Gal. 6:9

Life Is Good

Smiles on a Sick Day

My oldest is sick.  She has the cutest little froggie voice right now.  Rainy inside days with a sick toddler and a baby in the midst of a growth spurt are not known to be full of smiles, but today I was thankful for the little things.  That made quite a difference.  The other, even bigger thing was getting some time with God.  Here are some of the things that made me smile today:

Coffee from my sweet husband

A no real reason phone call from my mom

Reading this awesome book to my sickie face

My beautiful girls (matching outfits c/o Nana)

 This super fun dress by Jelly the Pug I ordered for A

Even better?  Getting it from modnique for $13 instead of $36

Can't wait to see her in it!

Texting, FBing, & E-mailing with Janette, 

my best friend since we were 12

Sharing music I love with my littles

This "album cover" photo of Boo

Notice the drum around her neck while playing harmonica 

This post & just how much God loves ME

 

This hat

One of my babies might need one

I wonder if I could make it

and this song...

I hope your day was full of smiles too!

Best Thing I've Done All Day

My daughter ran into the living room yelling, "Mommy, Mommy, I can't find the baby!  They can't fly away from the big bad wolf without the baby!"  The crisis has been averted.  I found  the baby!  Now Sharkie, the baby, and a pink monkey have flown away in various shoes to "America" and escaped the big, bad wolf.  I am amazing!

Comfort

What brings you comfort?  Not on a grand scale like the beautiful, all encompassing comfort we find in the reassurance God is there and cares deeply about all you are facing, but on a small scale.  I mean the little comforts that make such a difference.  For me it's watching my 3 month old blow bubbles or hearing my three year old tell me she loves me.  It's hearing, "Touch of Grey" by The Grateful Dead or the way my ancient Dr. Marten's cradle my feet (Peter is convinced they are beat up beyond wearing in public, but I'm not so sure).  It's laughing with friends who have known me long enough to have seen me at my worst and knowing they still love me.  It's remembering I'm a mom, but knowing that part of me is merging with all the other dynamics of who I am, not becoming my single defining role.  It's walking in the rain.  All of these things are filled with the beautiful promise of God's grace and a new day.  They are reminders of the joy we can find in such a broken place.

Today's Lesson

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." 

---Gal 6:9

Today I'm weary, but still doing good.

Every Day

"Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day He carries us in His arms." 

---Ps 68:19

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Incredible!!

 

Being a Mom Means...

....that when your bed is invaded an hour before you wanted to get up you find yourself with a tiny knee in your back, kicks in your tummy, & a huge grin on your face.

It's Been A Long Time Coming

I've been remiss.  I'm sorry to those of you who follow this blog.  Most of you already know why.  I've been incredibly busy chasing my precious toddler, going back to work one day a week to help out (the center was having to close that day for lack of a counselor supervisor), and enjoying (for the most part) my pregnancy with our second child.  It has been a very exciting time!  I am 16 weeks along right now.  This pregnancy has been a wonderful, but very different experience than my pregnancy with our first.  I can laugh about it more now that I'm in my second trimester, the "sweet spot" of pregnancy.  What I've learned so far is:

1. Being pregnant and the stay-at-home mom of a toddler is exponentially harder than being pregnant with your first while working.  I told Peter that being first trimester exhausted while mothering a toddler was the hardest job I've ever had.
2. Lesson one was very concerning to me considering I want more children so I asked a mom of four how she did it.  What I learned was very valuable.  She said, "Some days my husband would come home from work and I would tell him, 'Everyone is alive.  That's all you can ask of me today."  The lesson?  You do the best you can and you honor God.
3. Each pregnancy is different.  This can be scary, but it can also be wonderful.  It means just because I had some complications last time doesn't mean I'll have them this time.  Each pregnancy is similar in other ways.  Knowing what to expect this time meant I got to start feeling my little one move weeks and weeks earlier this time.  That is one of my favorite parts!
4. As with all of life, you don't know what you don't know.  Be open to learning.

I'm enjoying this pregnancy and trying to take in little moments here and there to enjoy it.  This time around I know how quickly it flies by.

Sharing

Read this.  I love it.  That's all.

"Every breath is a second chance"

That is a line from Switchfoot's new song "Your Love Is A Song."  I love it.  It is such a perfect reminder as a new year begins.  I usually don't do resolutions.  This year I've decided I'm going to.  Here are a few of them:

• Be more patient.  I guess really my resolution is to get more time with God so that more of the fruit of the Spirit grows in my life.
  
• Reconcile with my Wii Fit.  We had an argument a few months ago when it told me I'd gained 4 pounds since I'd started using it.  We haven't been on speaking terms since.
• Be the best wife & mom I can be (with God's help).
• Do more silly things just because.
• Show those around me just how much I love them and not be afraid to be vulnerable.
  

Good-bye 2009.  You were a good year all in all, but with some horribly difficult times.  Thank you, Lord, for being faithful to see us through another year!  Thank you for every new day and every "second chance."

"Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall Come To Thee, Oh Israel"

This morning was rough.  It started out wonderfully.  My baby girl awoke as Peter was getting ready so he placed her next to me in our bed.  We both fell back to sleep snuggled up together.  The trouble began when we woke up just 25 minutes before we should have been leaving for church.  For anyone without a toddler, that is not nearly enough time to get ready.  My daughter is getting her canines in and is almost two.  These two facts alone can double our usual getting ready estimate.  The clearest picture of this is that it took nearly ten minutes to put her pants on.  I'm laughing about it now, but earlier I was not laughing.  One we were both dressed and ready I couldn't find my keys.  Once I found my keys I looked at the clock and found that church was ending in about a half hour.  Roughly the same amount of time it takes to get from our apartment to our church.  I was disappointed.  We were out of town last week & missed church so I really wanted to be there this morning.  When I don't make it to church I miss worshiping in community.  I miss seeing loved ones.  I miss hearing God's word preached.  This morning there was nothing I could do about the first two, but I could still hear God's word preached.  I pulled up iTunes & looked up John MacArthur (a pastor & author my Dad-in-Law respects greatly) and listened.  As I played the first sermon my toddler settled in and played quietly for the entire twenty-some minutes it took to listen.  It was such a blessing.  That being said, it is taking several attempts to listen to part two.  I'm including the first message in case it can bless you as well.

Rejoice Always, 1

Merry Christmas!

Visits, Dream Shopping, and What Really Matters

I've had more of those wonderful reunions since I last wrote.  My family and I were able to celebrate Thanksgiving as well as Nana's 80th, Richard's 29th, & Lindsey's 27th birthdays in Portland with my mom's whole side of the fam.  It was wonderful!  I also got to spend the day today with Amaya who is home from NY.  It was so good just to be with loved ones.

Warning : This is going to be a fluff piece.  I'm feeling fluffy ;)

I'm still contemplating a tattoo.  I want the theme to be unconditional love.  If you can think of a line, phrase, pic that exemplifies me please post it so I can include it in the ideas I'm mulling over.

I love wishlists.  We've been over this.  My lists are full of things I don't need, but still love thinking about.  I think they are the most fun right before birthdays & Christmas because of all the possibility.  Currently there are a few things I've been drooling over.  One of them is in my "lately" list to the right.  I saw it at Nordstrom tonight and now I'm longing for it.  Gorgeous and fun while still pulling off sophistication.  I'm also loving Hobo's Lauren wallet in Mogano.   My Sephora wishlist is bursting.  Amaya got me one of the fragrances I'd been wanting - Saint by Kat Von D.  The other one I'm wanting is Unconditional Love.  Sorry, for all the silly gushing.  Amaya & I wandered the mall and I got all starry eyed.

Here comes the substance:

With Christmas coming I wanted to let folks know of some great places to donate to help those in need.  A number of my friends & family are donating instead of exchanging gifts.  I think it is awesome and wanted to encourage my readers to do the same.  These are only a few options.  There are so many other places to give.  Please consider giving gifts that will last and change lives this year. 

Heart to Heart International
Community Pregnancy Centers 
CityTeam Ministries
Living Water International
Covenant House 

Little Joys

My brother was in town for the weekend and this morning we dragged our exhausted selves out the door to take my daughter for a walk.  We meandered along talking while my toddler rode in her stroller.  When we were a little more than half way home we wandered through the park and A wanted to get out and walk.  I let her and she ended up walking then running then walking again the rest of the several blocks home.  It was amazing.  I loved watching her explore.  She picked up acorns and stuffed her pockets with them.  She greeted dogs out on walks with their owners.  She shrieked, "run, 'mon, 'mon" (her shortened version of 'come on') and ran gleefully as Richard chased her along.  She watched squirrels run up and down trees.  She wandered into patches of tall grass and bent down to touch it just to see what it felt like.  She counted things just because she can now.  When we got home she was exhausted and asked for an early nap, but she had loved every minute of the morning.  It was a reminder to me of the joy we can find in God's creation.  It was a reminder of how often I let the day get away from me without letting myself really experience the wonders that I'm surrounded by.  It was a challenge to me (and I hope it can be to you as well) to enjoy every day and all the tiny miracles scattered like acorns along the way.

This Weeek

Here is a summary (in chronological order) of the past week and a bit of what's to come the rest of this one.

Low Points:

• Baby & I have been sick
• Had to miss couples' group breakfast, church, Bible study, AND women's study
• Not enough down time to get better quickly (Mom's only get down time when children are sleeping)
  
• Missing going to SF with Kerr & Arndis today (P got called in & the rest of us are still recovering)

High Points:

• Curled up in my favorite sickie outfit (complete with comfy footwear) and read a good book
  
• Fall weather got here!
• Got to hang out with Kelly, Kerr, & Gina  (Amazing to have Kel & Kerr in town at the same time!)
• Sent Tula off to her new home with Kelly in AZ
  
• Found my baby girl sitting on the couch with her hands folded and head down saying, "Daddy, Daddy, Uncle..."  She was praying for Peter & Richard.  Cutest thing I've ever seen.  
• Being silly with my hubbie 
• Listening to long unheard songs on my iTunes and remembering the wonderful people God has placed in my life over the years
  
• Will get to go see Poppa Bill, Momma Lynne, Deb, Ted, & my precious nephews

I'm ready to be done feeling like someone is standing on my face, but beyond that it has been a pretty great week.  I'm continuing my work on T.J.'s birthday gift.  I'm excited about it!  Her birthday was last week, but I wasn't done yet.  I may post about it once she's received it, but can't before then (it'd ruin the surprise).  Today we're going to focus on resting, getting better, and trying to get things done around the house.

A Sigh Of Relief (and more prayers)

First off, I want to thank everyone for the prayers, comments, and text messages (unfortunately I just got all of them because my phone was malfunctioning). Our appointment with the doctor went well. Our Babes was amazing and stood still for the examination - miraculous for a toddler. Our pediatrician thinks it is probably a cyst, hernia, or hematoma. He is not concerned right now because it hasn't grown and isn't causing her pain. He gave us a referral to a Pediatric Surgeon for a clearer diagnosis, but doesn't think we will need to do anything about it. I'll call tomorrow for an appointment so we can find out exactly what this is. I'm beyond relieved that they don't feel it is anything to be worried about. Peter and I have been paising God all afternoon/evening! I'm sorry I wasn't able to get this posted sooner. Peter had to do some work from home. It has been a long day. I'm exhausted, but so thankful that she is O.K. I'm going to go sleep soundly now. Thank you again, Friends. You are blessings to our family. I'll leave you with a shot of her playing with another favorite (and free) toy: