Thank you mom!

Trying to remind myself that someday this stage of my life will only be a memory. Most of the time I absolutely love being a mom but having a sick baby makes me tired. I'm the kind of person that does best with a lot of sleep. I've adjusted to getting up in the night, but consoling a sick baby all night (for going on four nights) is completely different. And of course this is happening on Josh's last week of graveyards, so I'm flying solo.

I guess my point is:

1. I'm exhausted.

2. This week has really tested my patience and ability to put another person's needs before my own.

and

3. I am so thankful for my own mom. There have been countless times throughout my life that she has stayed up to console me when I've been sick. And she has always put my needs before her own.

I know I'm not the only mom with a sick child this week. And I know that a cold is not that big of a deal in the scheme of life, but right now it's my life. And it's stretching me to my limits. I hope by the time Harry is old enough to have memories I will have learned how to be less selfish.

Thanks mom for being such a good example of how to love your kids! I love you and am so grateful to call you my mom and friend!!

Merry Christmas (a day late)

Our Christmas was wonderful and exhausting all at once. More details coming soon, but for now I'll leave you with this:

Sigh of Relief!

I'm officially on my Christmas break and I couldn't be more relieved. Since Thanksgiving I've literally been a crazy woman. From conferences in mid-November until Christmas break, life as a teacher is just craziness. Throw in being a mom to a busy boy and having a husband who works the graveyard shift...and you've got a recipe for chaos.

The only thing that got me out of bed this morning was the fact that I could put on some fresh pjs for our annual polar express day at school. Right now I'm snuggling (aka: nursing) Harry before he goes to bed and realized the reason I'm so comfy (aside from the comfort of baby snuggles) is because I'm already in my pajamas. Aahhhh. Seriously, this is the life.

It's probably a hood thing that I have to get dressed for work, otherwise I might consider wearing pjs all the time ;)

Looking forward to (almost) two weeks home with this handsome fellow! :)

Merry Christmas!!!!

Advent

This year I've been terrible about changing our little advent calendar each day. And I used to enjoy those chocolate filled ones when I was a kid but not anymore.

Instead I've been following along with "She Reads Truth" and their Advent reading plan. It's linked to my "You Version" Bible app so I can read it online, on my phone, or on my kindle.

Especially in light of Friday's tragedy and the heavy heart that I've had all weekend, the only thing that makes any sense to me is to focus on the Truth of God.

Have you ever checked out "She Reads Truth" before? I am really loving this website and the encouragement that it is to my faith. Following along with their Advent reading plan has been a good challenge and encouragement to me during this season of anticipating Christ's coming to be with us, and all that his life, death, and resurrection mean in my life.

If you're looking for a way to be encouraged and challenged to grow in your relationship with Jesus...or you're just curious about what the Bible says and how it applies to your life, I highly recommend checking out this site!

Lately

So we took Harrison to see Santa. It was not his favorite thing. Clearly!

If you look closely you can see a tear on his cheek in the family shot. Poor kid had no idea what was going on...but he got over it quickly.

In other news, Harrison can now wear jeans (we have never been able to find a pair that fits his waist). But recently we found some for "robust babies" at Gymboree and I am so excited that he can look stylish and be comfortable at the same time! Wahoo for baby jeans.

Other things to note about our little man:

• He has been sleeping well for about 2-3 weeks now. Mostly sleeping through the night or only getting up once (which is a huge relief to this worn out mama)!
• Harry finally pulled himself up to a standing position. 
• He is a scooting (almost crawling) machine. He gets anywhere he wants these days (and mostly places we'd rather he didn't go). On to the baby proofing!
• Got his first haircut last weekend! Such a grown up boy :)
• Says "mama" more and more
• Also "duga, duga, duga"...he literally makes this sound all. day. long! It's pretty cute, but I am dying to know what he thinks he's saying!
• My personal favorite: when Harry hums to Christmas songs in the car :) PRECIOUS!!! He sometimes gets fussy in between songs...we may be listening to our Christmas favorites until Valentine's Day this year ;)

Tears Before Bed

So thankful for the gift of being alive and putting my baby to bed tonight...and equally heartbroken over today's tragedy. Praying to Jesus, the Prince of Peace, that all those connected to the shooting today would find comfort in the coming days. I don't know what to say, but I do know that Jesus promises peace and justice. It may not come today, but I believe that God is faithful and will wipe away every tear in the life to come.

10 on 10 :: December 2012

To learn more about the Ten on Ten project, check out Rebekah's blog:

 "A Bit of Sunshine"

Click the photo below to check out all of the amazing installments from today's 10 on 10! 

I've been terrible about taking photos this year and posting them on the 10th, but every month I look forward to perusing the blogs who link up their sets.

Happy 10th everyone! :)

Today was a busy day from morning until night. Isn't every day as a mom...or as a grown-up for that matter :-/

The highlight was of course being home in the evening with my son (though I somehow managed to avoid taking any pictures of him...don't worry I'm sure I "instagrammed"at least one picture of him today).

At school however, we had a lot of excitement when THREE of my students lost teeth, in a matter of about an hour. I only managed to take pictures that documented two of these momentous occasions...but seriously?! Three in one day?

And I managed to post my 10 on 10 set before bed...

...and Harrison has been sleeping all night (or for at least 8-9 hours before waking for a little snack).

My life is made of Christmas miracles these days!

:)

Laying it All Out

I had a conversation with my husband recently that inspired me to kick into full gear.

And then my best friend came to visit me this weekend, and we had a very encouraging conversation that has inspired me to just lay it all out

Have you ever felt too overwhelmed by your dreams or goals (or just life in general) to do anything about it?!

Well, I hate to admit it, but I have been feeling like this a lot lately.

My life the past month or so has consisted of waking up, working, spending time with Harry & Josh, and then going to bed (at like 7:30pm).  None of these things are bad (well, maybe the early bedtime is  a little extreme) but I have really struggled to do some of the things that inspire me spiritually, emotionally, creatively...

In all honesty, I have been watching episodes of mindless TV shows before I fall asleep and in the morning while I get ready. But somehow I haven't found time to do things that I really want/need to do.  I want to be healthy spiritually and physically, but I choose to go to bed (too) early instead of praying, reading Scripture, or exercising.  I love to create things whether it be stamping, sewing, or taking photos and editing them...all of which I'd like to get better at, but I haven't put much any energy into these aspects of my life. I love connecting with the people in my life, but I have been so overwhelmed that I have slipped into "autopilot" and have basically been just trying to survive through each week, one. day. at. a. time.

Until this weekend, that is!

After spending a dinner date complaining to Josh about how overwhelmed I am by the demands of motherhood, working full-time, etc. he pointed out that if I want to grow spiritually, or have a more successful Etsy shop, or grow my readership here on my blog (all of which are true)...I need to work on my time management.

Ugh!

Even though I knew right away that his words were true, my gut reaction was to keep on grumbling. I just wanted to be self-centered and continue living in the pity-party I've been throwing in my head.

Poor me: I'm tired, and I'm stressed, and I want my life to be __________ but I don't want to do anything about it. Instead I'll just watch another episode of Gossip Girl (I hate to admit it, but it's true).

Wah, wah! I am such a whiner! (something I get after my students about all the time)

So here I am making this confession on my blog. And as embarrassing humbling as it is to admit, it's the truth and it feels good to just write it all down.

After thinking about my life and who I am today, I've realized that there are ways that I can manage my time differently that will move me closer to who and where I want to be. I'm not talking about being more successful in the way that people normally think about success.

I just want to make progress.

Baby steps.

I want to do one thing today to be a more loving wife to my husband. I want to make small steps to pursue the kind of creative outlets that make me feel inspired and fulfilled. I want to write more because I tend to process things better when I write them out. I want to eat healthier meals and exercise more than I have been (which won't be hard since even one day a week would be an improvement).

In short, I want to find a healthy balance with my time; to whine less about not having enough of it, and instead make the most of my time each week.  If time is money, I need to be more wise in how I steward it.

My focus needs to shift.  Instead of always thinking of me, me, me I want to turn my focus onto God.  Then I will be able to love the people He has placed in my life well instead of just half-heartedly, and use the gifts and desires God has given me to bring Him glory (instead of myself) and bring joy to others.

How much more fulfilling will that be in comparison to throwing myself a pity party!?! Seriously, life is about so much more than me!

Thank you Josh for speaking truth into my life and challenging me to be the best version of myself! 

Thank you Heidi for visiting me today, and encouraging me to think about these things as well (and to be okay with just taking a small step in the right direction).

And above all: Thank you Jesus for being so patient and full of grace. I am so ill-deserving and cannot fully wrap my mind around your sacrificial and selfless love. But I want to be made more like you because being selfish is doing no good for me, or anyone else...and it certainly isn't bringing you any of the glory that you deserve!

So here's to taking a step and moving forward in grace!

I feel better already!!!

.     .     .

What is one area in your life that you'd like to change? 

Just do one thing this week to make a move in the right direction. 

I promise you will be SO GLAD you did!!!

.     .     .

I have been so inspired lately by the gorgeous prints of Katygirl Designs and Jones Design Company. Wouldn't this be a lovely print to frame and hang in your home? 

Click HERE to view this print in Katygirl Designs' Etsy Shop.

Click HERE to visit JDC, home of many inspiring prints as well!

Letter: Month 10

Dear Harrison,

And just like that, you are on the move; more a boy than a little baby to me.

 

Except for when you’re sleeping. Then you seem so much smaller to me. Like right now. I’m typing this as you snooze on the carpet next to me. You’re so peaceful when you sleep. And thankfully the past week has been your best sleeping record in months. You slept three nights in a row, ALL NIGHT, and then the rest of the week it’s just been once a night that you’ve woken up. It’s taken a few days, but I finally feel like a fully functioning human again. For most of your tenth month I’ve been relying on coffee and people’s patience with me as I did my best to be a teacher and a mom on not nearly enough sleep.

You’re so worth it though!

This month has been so much fun – even if it has been a busy/exhausting one. We have watched your desire to move grow by the day. You can pull yourself up onto your knees, but not quite to a standing position. You do enjoy standing however, and you’re starting to walk around holding onto our fingers. Last night you were standing against a toy barn and kept lifting up your arms, so proud of yourself. We’ve never seen you stand so long without holding on. I think you’re getting more confident, which means we’re not too far off from having a walking toddler around the house. No rush though…if you wait until after you’re one we won’t mind!

 

Even though you haven’t officially crawled yet, I think you’re close. You love to get on your belly from a sitting position and have gotten really good and scooting backward (especially on the hardwood floors). Before we know it you’ll be all over the house and then I think we’ll really understand what “baby-proofing” means!

We celebrated your first Thanksgiving TWICE in one day. First at your Grandma and Grandpa Lamb’s house and then with Daddy’s side of the family at Uncle Dwayne and Aunt Denise’s. You enjoyed lots of attention at both celebrations! By bedtime though we were all wiped, and your poor Dad had to go to work!

We also went to get your first Christmas tree, which you LOVE by the way. We tried to go to a tree farm and make it a special event, but they were all closed (before 6pm) so it was off to Fred Meyers. You could have cared less where we got it, but next year we’ll try to go to a tree farm during the day!

 

It is so fun sitting by the tree in the evenings and watching you touch the branches and play with your special (plastic) ornaments. We have one that plays “Away in a Manger” and lights up. It’s your favorite, and every time the song comes on you starting making this adorable noise, like you’re trying to sing or hum along. I die every time from your cuteness! I can’t wait to teach you all about the real purpose of Christmas as you grow up: celebrating the birth of Jesus and how lucky we are that God chose to come down to earth to be our Savior. I LOVE that you are enjoying this sweet ornament and song already.  Someday you’ll get to help me set up our nativity (but not for a while, since it’s breakable). That was always my favorite part of Christmas decorating with my mom, and she gave me the set we had growing up.

 

It really feels like you, Daddy and I are a family of three. Something about this season, and all of the traditions that we will get to share with you each year makes me really feel like I’m actually a mom. I know, after 10 months you’d think it would have sunken in by now, but there are moments when I just cannot believe how blessed we truly are to be your parents.

 

Well sweet pea, I am up way too late finishing up this letter (yes, it has taken me more days than I'd like to admit to finish it).  The older you get, the less time I have during the day for things like this. But laughing and playing with you are way more important to me than sitting at the computer, so I’ll just have to stay up a little later at night to write these letters from now on.

Know that my love for you only grows with each season that we share together. You are the BEST little baby I know!

Love Always,

Mama

Capturing our Blessings: Days 28, 29 & 30

Capturing our Blessings: Days 25, 26 & 27

I'm a little behind...and I don't remember what photo I took on Sunday so I included two for that day: Happy baby who slept through the night and our decorated Christmas tree :) Both exciting and worth documenting! The other photos are from this week...sorry if they're in a weird order. But at least I'm posting them ;)

Capturing our Blessings: Day 24

Naps! We may not get to decorate our tree until tomorrow because Harry is napping with Josh during the small window of time we have today before Josh has to work, but nothing beats a nice afternoon nap!

Capturing our Blessings: Day 23

Post-Thanksgiving breakfast with my family. Much more relaxing than Black Friday shopping!

Capturing our Blessings: Day 22

Harrison's first Thanksgiving :) he had a great day (don't be fooled by that serious lip) ;)

Capturing our Blessings: Day 21

Capturing our Blessings: Day 20

Capturing our Blessings: Day 19

Capturing our Blessings: Day 18

A quiet evening gave me time to update my etsy shop tonight. Thankful for a chance to get creative this weekend!

Capturing our Blessings: Day 17

Capturing our Blessings: Day 16

Capturing our Blessings: Day 15

Capturing our Blessings: Day 14

Capturing our Blessings: Day 13

Capturing our Blessings: Day 12

Capturing our Blessings: Day 11

Went to a couple's baby shower and couldn't resist taking a photo of the guys getting suckered into playing one of the games!