I know it has been forever since I last blogged. Keeping two children, 20 months apart, fed, healthy and going keeps me busy. Overall, it has been super rewarding though. My daughter is now 6 months old! Yeah for her. She is growing so fast and I am so proud of her. She is giggling, rolling over, eating well and growing like a weed. My son, is just as rambunctious as ever. He is talking more and more and his jibber, jabber is becoming more and more understandable. My husband is working hard and still spending time with us which is so precious.
I have started a new adventure and am loving it! I started selling Mary Kay. I am in love with the products! The skin care is amazing and I feel like, even though I am aging, my skin is not. That makes me happy. I am totally on board and embracing being 28 and am looking forward to my 30's, but I want my skin to stay as young and vibrant as I can allow it. :) If you are interested in checking out the amazing products that I love so much and are interested in buying anything, you can always check out my website! I am happy to help answer any questions!! www.marykay.com/mray62795 is your one stop shop! The best part about it, is busy moms don't have to leave their home. We ship right to you and its fast and easy! It makes my life on the go so much easier to know that I can order my makeup, thats high quality, without even leaving home! Seriously, try it! Its worth it!
Life here is amazing. I have the kids napping at the same time, which helps a bunch! I started that right off the bat. She naps for about an hour in the mornings and then they both go down around 1:30 or 2 and are asleep for at least a couple hours. I have them going to bed at the same time too. So even, if they tag team me on naps some days...since my 2 year old isn't always in a napping mood...I still get mommy time once they head off to bed around 7-7:30. I am hoping to get back on track with my blogging! I will endeavor to do better. Until then, I hope everyone is having a wonderful spring and I look forward to blogging more!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Lego Birthday Party
My little boy turned 2 on Valentines day. Its amazing to see how fast he's growing and how he is learning new things daily. For his 2nd birthday party we decided to do a lego theme. He loves his legos, so what better way to celebrate! My sister in law is an amazing baker and can do some amazing things. She made our wedding cake, which was fabulous and she has pretty much done a cake for every event we have had since.
This was our wedding cake. Each layer was a different flavor and I had each layer twisted so it wasn't symmetrical. I like to do things a little different.
Anyway, she also does cake balls and let me tell you, I have had some cake balls from bakers all over, and hers are still the best. She is a stay at home mom with my adorable niece and bakes on the side. She has done so well, a few years ago she made it into a full on business that she does from home still. She is fantastic. Her website is at the bottom of this blog for anyone interested. So here are the pics from the party.
We had her do a lego cake that looked like legos on the inside with lego molds on the outside of the cake. She also made a little lego man to go on top. So cute!! We decorated the table with his lego animals. And I got blue and red plates for the table and yellow napkins. Over all, the party was a hit.
Perfectly cute little lego man!
She made these cute lego cake pops for the favors for the little kids. And I got vases and put some of my son's mega blocks in them. You can see some of the lego cookies in the back.
Happy birthday baby!!
His lips were blue from the cookies that I made. He kept eating the little m & m's off them and leaving the cookie part. Silly kiddo.
He helped me sort out the green, blue and yellow mini m & m's for the cookies. He was such a big helper. He ate all the other colors first, then sorted the one's I needed. :) I got a small rectangle cookie cutter for the cookies, iced them and put the mini m & m's on them. My lego cookies were a success. Not perfect, but still good!
Happy birthday, dude! You are the sweetest, most handsome little guy and we couldn't be more proud of you!!
For anyone interested in using my sister in law for cakes, her website is www.arayofcakes.com. Like I said she does awesome work. If you are in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, check her out. I know she has shipped her cake balls before but I am not sure if she still does that, for those of you who are out of town.
Until next time...
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
How to survive the night
I can honestly say that my 14 week old is now sleeping through the night and I am so thankful for that. I am slowly regaining my sanity and sleeping through the night. However, I discovered early on some things that really helped me get through the night and not lose my head completely. If you have been in this spot, are currently in it or are expecting to be here at some point, you know or will know that being up in the middle of the night can be maddening. I think its because everyone else is asleep and you're not. When the baby needs you during the day, its easier and part of your job, but at night, it just seems cruel. BUT, it doesn't last forever and some of those moments can be precious. I did love cuddling with her in the dark, in the quiet. With an almost 2 year old running around during the day, quiet is hard to come by. But at night....silence. And it can be so sweet. Anyway, here are my tips to survive the night and make it easier.
Don't count the hours. Go to bed at a decent time, prepared to get up at any moment, and just sleep. Don't count how many hours you may get until your wee one wakes up. When the baby does cry and you get up, don't count how many hours you may get once you get back to bed. Just be present. It really does help. Go feed the baby, cuddle and put the baby down and go back to bed. Let that be it. By not counting, you're not allowing yourself to dread it or be frustrated that you may only get 3 more hours before you have to be up. Just go to bed and do your best to get what you can while you can.
Don't use electronics. I know its 4 in the morning and you are so tired and maybe you can't sleep while the baby is eating, so you want to distract yourself with facebook or twitter. Don't. All it does, is brighten the room, awaken your brain and make it harder for you to wind down again when you finally go back to bed.
Don't talk. This is more for the baby than me, but it works. I have a strict policy, we don't talk to our babies at night. I shhhh her if she needs it, but other than that, I stay quiet. This helps separate the night and day for baby. During the day, before nap time and bed time, we may sing, I'll tell her a story, but in the middle of the night, she needs to know that we are just going to eat and then go straight back to bed. I think this helped her know what was expected and as a result, she would eat and go straight back down into her cradle next to our bed or her crib without a peep.
Keep the lights off as best you can. Try to turn a hall light on and crack the door if you need light. The dark is another thing that would help baby know its quiet time, eating time and back to bed time. The dark also helps you be able to close your eyes.
Close your eyes. Even if you don't go to sleep. I was always in a rocking chair and so its not like I could go to sleep. Some moms feed the baby in bed on their side and are able to sleep while baby eats. I am not that talented and we don't co-sleep, so I was always sitting up. But closing your eyes helps your brain and body relax and stay in a very serene state while feeding. Then when you go back to bed, your body has an easier time going back to sleep because its not having to wind down.
Know that you are not alone. You are NOT alone. There are thousands of mom around you that are up right now when you are. So when you are awake and tired and frustrated, its always nice to know that there are other people out there doing the same thing you are. I live in a neighborhood where there are a ton of stay at home moms with babies my kids age. We get together and talk about how we were up last night at what times and its fun to know, they were up too. So find some new moms or dads and let them be your support when you're tired, because they are tired too and get it.
Be flexible. My last tip is to be flexible. If your kid is sleeping in the crib and there is a night where they just won't settle back down, then maybe for one night, take them to the couch and let them cuddle with you. I did that a couple times. It seemed she would only sleep on me and when I would put her in her crib, no matter how many times, she would wake up. So I just took her to the couch and slept with her on me. It let me get rest and sleep and it let her sleep. Then the next night we went back to normal and she went back into her crib.
Here's the bottom line, being up with the baby can be extremely rewarding. You're the only one who gets that precious time with them at that hour, you get extra cuddles and it can be so sweet and full of memories. But it can also be nerve wrecking. You're tired, you're baby won't settle down, all sorts of things can go wrong at night. But just know that here are ways to make it easier on yourself. These tips might not work for everyone. And every baby is different, but what can be constant is to be flexible and know you really are not alone.
Don't count the hours. Go to bed at a decent time, prepared to get up at any moment, and just sleep. Don't count how many hours you may get until your wee one wakes up. When the baby does cry and you get up, don't count how many hours you may get once you get back to bed. Just be present. It really does help. Go feed the baby, cuddle and put the baby down and go back to bed. Let that be it. By not counting, you're not allowing yourself to dread it or be frustrated that you may only get 3 more hours before you have to be up. Just go to bed and do your best to get what you can while you can.
Don't use electronics. I know its 4 in the morning and you are so tired and maybe you can't sleep while the baby is eating, so you want to distract yourself with facebook or twitter. Don't. All it does, is brighten the room, awaken your brain and make it harder for you to wind down again when you finally go back to bed.
Don't talk. This is more for the baby than me, but it works. I have a strict policy, we don't talk to our babies at night. I shhhh her if she needs it, but other than that, I stay quiet. This helps separate the night and day for baby. During the day, before nap time and bed time, we may sing, I'll tell her a story, but in the middle of the night, she needs to know that we are just going to eat and then go straight back to bed. I think this helped her know what was expected and as a result, she would eat and go straight back down into her cradle next to our bed or her crib without a peep.
Keep the lights off as best you can. Try to turn a hall light on and crack the door if you need light. The dark is another thing that would help baby know its quiet time, eating time and back to bed time. The dark also helps you be able to close your eyes.
Close your eyes. Even if you don't go to sleep. I was always in a rocking chair and so its not like I could go to sleep. Some moms feed the baby in bed on their side and are able to sleep while baby eats. I am not that talented and we don't co-sleep, so I was always sitting up. But closing your eyes helps your brain and body relax and stay in a very serene state while feeding. Then when you go back to bed, your body has an easier time going back to sleep because its not having to wind down.
Know that you are not alone. You are NOT alone. There are thousands of mom around you that are up right now when you are. So when you are awake and tired and frustrated, its always nice to know that there are other people out there doing the same thing you are. I live in a neighborhood where there are a ton of stay at home moms with babies my kids age. We get together and talk about how we were up last night at what times and its fun to know, they were up too. So find some new moms or dads and let them be your support when you're tired, because they are tired too and get it.
Be flexible. My last tip is to be flexible. If your kid is sleeping in the crib and there is a night where they just won't settle back down, then maybe for one night, take them to the couch and let them cuddle with you. I did that a couple times. It seemed she would only sleep on me and when I would put her in her crib, no matter how many times, she would wake up. So I just took her to the couch and slept with her on me. It let me get rest and sleep and it let her sleep. Then the next night we went back to normal and she went back into her crib.
Here's the bottom line, being up with the baby can be extremely rewarding. You're the only one who gets that precious time with them at that hour, you get extra cuddles and it can be so sweet and full of memories. But it can also be nerve wrecking. You're tired, you're baby won't settle down, all sorts of things can go wrong at night. But just know that here are ways to make it easier on yourself. These tips might not work for everyone. And every baby is different, but what can be constant is to be flexible and know you really are not alone.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
How to clean your Keurig
We have a Keurig and use it often! Its fast and efficient and we love it. But it does get dirty. I noticed after we made hot chocolate one day that there was some powder that got in the cup holder and as other cups were made, the steam was causing that powder to turn into hot chocolate in the cup! Gross. So I looked in the manual and discovered how to clean it. Here are pictures and step by step instructions. It really is easy!
First, open up the lid and pop out the cup. You do this by holding onto the top and pushing up from the bottom. Ours was gross.
I then got a damp paper towel and cleaned the inside of the Keurig.
Thats it! Pretty simple, pretty quick too. But if you're like me and weren't sure where to start, then here you go.
First, open up the lid and pop out the cup. You do this by holding onto the top and pushing up from the bottom. Ours was gross.
The tray got pretty gross too from drips. So be sure to clean that too. Nasty!
The cup that comes out breaks apart into two pieces. I cleaned both of those.
The long part that extends from the cup is where the coffee comes out. I got a toothpick and cleaned it out. You can use anything thats small enough to fit in there. If your Keurig ever gets clogged, thats where you go first.
After I reassembled the Keurig, I dumped the water tank, refilled it and ran it for a couple times without anything in it (coffee, hot chocolate, tea). A lot of dirt came out.
Thats it! Pretty simple, pretty quick too. But if you're like me and weren't sure where to start, then here you go.
Friday, January 4, 2013
A perfect new years day
New Years eve I woke up in a baking mood, so I made breakfast for the family! We had pumpkin waffles! Super easy, super fast and super yummy! Here is the recipe:
Pumpkin waffles:
1 c. all purpose flour
1 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 c. milk
1 large egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp melted butter
1 can pumpkin puree
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Mix the wet ingredients together. Combine with the dry ingredients and then stir in pumpkin. Top with whip cream and/ or syrup!
This is a great way to get your kids to eat something good for them without them even knowing it.
Having something this delicious sure was a great start to a great day. My husband and I are fortunate enough to have his parents live close, so they were able to watch our kids while we went off and had a dinner just the two of us!! Then we went and got our kids and went to a kid friendly party in our neighborhood!! Our almost 2 year old made it to 10 pm! Whoo! We stayed out later than we thought. LOL! its funny how much things change when you have kids. We never would have thought that we would say we stayed out late at 10pm.
But we rung in the new year with two kids in bed and asleep by 10:30. A perfect day.
This was taken on our way to dinner!
Enjoy the recipe everyone. More to come...
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Women's choice to have choices
I was on pinterest the other day and I came across this pin that was titled, "Are you a wife that is easy to love?" I liked the sound of that and I am always looking for ways to better myself as a person and a wife, so I clicked on the blog. It's a good article. It has some decent advice and I took it for what it was meant for and nothing more. However, some of the comments that followed made me very angry. For those of you interested, here is the blog: http://joleneengle.com/are-you-a-wife-thats-easy-to-love/
The main point to the blog was this: respect your husband and in turn he will love you which is what we want. I agree with her point of view. Men want respect. That's how they feel loved the most. We want love shown to us or given to us whether it's through flowers, the husband doing the dishes, or simply the husband saying "you look beautiful today". It differs from women to women, but if we show our husbands respect, they feel important, meaningful and well, respected and then they want to show us how much they love us and appreciate us for helping him feel that way. Simple. I truly believe, this is how God meant it to be.
But woman started commenting on this blog about how disgusted they were and how disturbing this concept is. One lady stated that she needed to get respect in order to give it. Seriously? When did our world become you have to get something before you can give? As I was taught and raised and as the bible states, you do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It didn't say, you get from others then you give to them what you got from them. I am not going to get into religion with this post, because it is also pretty simple in the fact that if you do not believe in the bible, then this whole conversation about wives submitting and respecting their husbands and husbands cherishing their wives and loving them as Christ loves the church, is just moot. But I will say this about women who choose to treat their husbands differently than the norm and that is: we are more fulfilled.
I don't always enjoy getting up and doing chores, but I do know that my husband goes off to work and is stressed and weary by the time he gets home. He doesn't want to come home to a cluttered home or a home thats a wreck. I think I have stated this before in my previous posts, but I will state it again. Your home should be one that when your husband walks in, he walks into peace and not chaos. Its not always going to be perfect. He may walk in and two kids are crying and dinner went too long in the crock pot and is burned, but the way I greet him is the difference. If I shove a baby into his arms and say you need to go get dinner while I get this kid a bath, then he is going to think, really? I came home to this, maybe I should have worked late and waited until the kids were in bed. Instead, I smile, I laugh and I say we're having a moment. I kiss him. I let him change out of his work clothes. I get the kids to calm down and then I explain dinner. He's happy to help once he's changed clothes. He can sit and hold the baby while I get the toddler to bed and then we can calmly discuss dinner and make a plan together. This is respect. It's respecting the fact that he has a job too and I don't want him telling me what to do, so why would I do that to him. Because I choose to make a difference and respect my husband, he cherishes me and loves me in ways I never thought possible. He will fetch dinner at any hour in any weather condition, he will give me a Saturday off where I can do whatever I want while he watches the kids, he rubs my feet, he even runs off to get me some dessert from wherever just because. He brings me flowers just because and he is often surprising me with little gifts here and there. And he gets that my job is harder than his.
We did not get here by demanding that our needs come first. We got here because we put the other person ahead of ourselves. I completely understand not wanting to give respect if you are being disrespected. And in some extreme cases, this is true. Always know who you are and what you are worth. Stand up for yourself and don't let someone walk all over you. But this is not what this blogger was talking about, yet some woman took it this way. Life is too short and frankly, there are some pretty easy things one can do in a marriage to make a marriage run more smoothly, why take things to the extreme and complain about not getting yours. These ladies were making comments about how this is from another century and this blogger is living in the 1950's. I know that not every woman back then was happy and I know the divorce rate was very low because it was frowned upon, but look at the divorce rates now! I don't know about you, but if giving respect in turn means I am loved the way I need and want, and that saves my marriage, then I plan on respecting my husband always and putting him first.
I will say, however, that there have been one or two occasions when we have had fights and I stand up for myself and remind my husband of my worth. He stops, calms down, and we go back to discussing whatever calmly. There are times, when women need to stand up for themselves, even to their husbands. But we don't have to make a huge case about the women who choose to live their life by submitting. If you disagree, fine, disagree, live your life the way you choose, have a marriage the way you want and be happy, but don't lash out at those who choose to live differently.
I chose to stay home. I wanted to stay home and I do not get to stay home because I married a wealthy man as one woman stated, and he certainly DID NOT tell me I HAD to stay home. I make my own choices and truthfully, we will always make sacrifices so I can be here. Day care costs so much anyway, it would take my whole paycheck nearly, so I stay home because WE (my husband and I) believe that is what is best for our kids. I may go back to work someday when they are in school. I may go back to school and get my masters or my law degree. I may never do either and make a life out of being a homemaker, but know that whatever I choose, I choose.
Women's rights were designed and made a big deal because women wanted the right to choose, the right to vote, the right to work and earn what a man earns. Women wanted to be treated equal. So lets treat each other and all women as equals regardless of what lives we choose to live. Women wanted rights, now we have them all, so respect your fellow women's right to live. Don't bash it because it is not what you want. Truthfully, there is no right or wrong. There is not any two people on this planet that are exactly alike. There is not any situation or circumstance out there that is identical to the next, so how can one person say what someone should do or shouldn't do? How can someone else think they know better? Lets love more, support more, respect more, be more considerate, compassionate and tolerant and then maybe the violence will go down, divorce will go down and hatred will subside.
I was infuriated by what these women were saying to this one woman, who is bold enough to write and announce to the world that this is how she lives and how her marriage works. I agree with almost everything she said, but I am not going to be mean to the girl next to me who disagrees all the way. I want people to know that marriages work when people stop caring about themselves first and put their spouse ahead of them. Put their needs and wants ahead of ours and in turn the joy you receive from loving them like that is worth more than anything I could have asked for. Seeing my husband happy and excited to come home after a long day is what brightens my day. So I write this and I intend on posting this onto this blog I read in response to all those comments, to say that we need to love and let go a lot more. Live more Christ like if thats what you believe and if not, then just live to be more tolerant.
The main point to the blog was this: respect your husband and in turn he will love you which is what we want. I agree with her point of view. Men want respect. That's how they feel loved the most. We want love shown to us or given to us whether it's through flowers, the husband doing the dishes, or simply the husband saying "you look beautiful today". It differs from women to women, but if we show our husbands respect, they feel important, meaningful and well, respected and then they want to show us how much they love us and appreciate us for helping him feel that way. Simple. I truly believe, this is how God meant it to be.
But woman started commenting on this blog about how disgusted they were and how disturbing this concept is. One lady stated that she needed to get respect in order to give it. Seriously? When did our world become you have to get something before you can give? As I was taught and raised and as the bible states, you do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It didn't say, you get from others then you give to them what you got from them. I am not going to get into religion with this post, because it is also pretty simple in the fact that if you do not believe in the bible, then this whole conversation about wives submitting and respecting their husbands and husbands cherishing their wives and loving them as Christ loves the church, is just moot. But I will say this about women who choose to treat their husbands differently than the norm and that is: we are more fulfilled.
I don't always enjoy getting up and doing chores, but I do know that my husband goes off to work and is stressed and weary by the time he gets home. He doesn't want to come home to a cluttered home or a home thats a wreck. I think I have stated this before in my previous posts, but I will state it again. Your home should be one that when your husband walks in, he walks into peace and not chaos. Its not always going to be perfect. He may walk in and two kids are crying and dinner went too long in the crock pot and is burned, but the way I greet him is the difference. If I shove a baby into his arms and say you need to go get dinner while I get this kid a bath, then he is going to think, really? I came home to this, maybe I should have worked late and waited until the kids were in bed. Instead, I smile, I laugh and I say we're having a moment. I kiss him. I let him change out of his work clothes. I get the kids to calm down and then I explain dinner. He's happy to help once he's changed clothes. He can sit and hold the baby while I get the toddler to bed and then we can calmly discuss dinner and make a plan together. This is respect. It's respecting the fact that he has a job too and I don't want him telling me what to do, so why would I do that to him. Because I choose to make a difference and respect my husband, he cherishes me and loves me in ways I never thought possible. He will fetch dinner at any hour in any weather condition, he will give me a Saturday off where I can do whatever I want while he watches the kids, he rubs my feet, he even runs off to get me some dessert from wherever just because. He brings me flowers just because and he is often surprising me with little gifts here and there. And he gets that my job is harder than his.
We did not get here by demanding that our needs come first. We got here because we put the other person ahead of ourselves. I completely understand not wanting to give respect if you are being disrespected. And in some extreme cases, this is true. Always know who you are and what you are worth. Stand up for yourself and don't let someone walk all over you. But this is not what this blogger was talking about, yet some woman took it this way. Life is too short and frankly, there are some pretty easy things one can do in a marriage to make a marriage run more smoothly, why take things to the extreme and complain about not getting yours. These ladies were making comments about how this is from another century and this blogger is living in the 1950's. I know that not every woman back then was happy and I know the divorce rate was very low because it was frowned upon, but look at the divorce rates now! I don't know about you, but if giving respect in turn means I am loved the way I need and want, and that saves my marriage, then I plan on respecting my husband always and putting him first.
I will say, however, that there have been one or two occasions when we have had fights and I stand up for myself and remind my husband of my worth. He stops, calms down, and we go back to discussing whatever calmly. There are times, when women need to stand up for themselves, even to their husbands. But we don't have to make a huge case about the women who choose to live their life by submitting. If you disagree, fine, disagree, live your life the way you choose, have a marriage the way you want and be happy, but don't lash out at those who choose to live differently.
I chose to stay home. I wanted to stay home and I do not get to stay home because I married a wealthy man as one woman stated, and he certainly DID NOT tell me I HAD to stay home. I make my own choices and truthfully, we will always make sacrifices so I can be here. Day care costs so much anyway, it would take my whole paycheck nearly, so I stay home because WE (my husband and I) believe that is what is best for our kids. I may go back to work someday when they are in school. I may go back to school and get my masters or my law degree. I may never do either and make a life out of being a homemaker, but know that whatever I choose, I choose.
Women's rights were designed and made a big deal because women wanted the right to choose, the right to vote, the right to work and earn what a man earns. Women wanted to be treated equal. So lets treat each other and all women as equals regardless of what lives we choose to live. Women wanted rights, now we have them all, so respect your fellow women's right to live. Don't bash it because it is not what you want. Truthfully, there is no right or wrong. There is not any two people on this planet that are exactly alike. There is not any situation or circumstance out there that is identical to the next, so how can one person say what someone should do or shouldn't do? How can someone else think they know better? Lets love more, support more, respect more, be more considerate, compassionate and tolerant and then maybe the violence will go down, divorce will go down and hatred will subside.
I was infuriated by what these women were saying to this one woman, who is bold enough to write and announce to the world that this is how she lives and how her marriage works. I agree with almost everything she said, but I am not going to be mean to the girl next to me who disagrees all the way. I want people to know that marriages work when people stop caring about themselves first and put their spouse ahead of them. Put their needs and wants ahead of ours and in turn the joy you receive from loving them like that is worth more than anything I could have asked for. Seeing my husband happy and excited to come home after a long day is what brightens my day. So I write this and I intend on posting this onto this blog I read in response to all those comments, to say that we need to love and let go a lot more. Live more Christ like if thats what you believe and if not, then just live to be more tolerant.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
The New Year
2012 was a great year. We learned lots, laughed a lot and were productive in many things.
As I look back and think of where life started this year and where it ended, I am blown away at how blessed this family is and how lucky I am. This is what exciting things happened to us this year:
We started it out by celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary in Jamaica.
Celebrated our sons 1st birthday party with a dinosaur themed party and were surrounded by many friends and family.
We ended up finding out we were pregnant again 2 weeks after our sons birthday!
We finally got settled in our home by getting the things we wanted to make it complete (office furniture, a leather ottoman)
We hung everything left that needed to be hung and can say we are officially moved in and happy with the home we built last year.
We found out we were having a girl!
We made several trips out to the lake house and spent lots of fun times with family and friends.
We travelled to Chicago and Santa Fe!
We had our baby girl!
And we finished up the year with time with family.
This year was also a year of a few hard things. We had a really bad couple months this summer. Our son got really sick, our lab had to have two sets of stitches within a month from two separate injuries, our german shepherd had to get on joint medicine because of a bad hip, we had an infestation of ants in the house and had a couple of house things that cost way more than we wanted it to! We found out some good friends were getting divorced, we had our daughter who is still dealing with a heart murmur and then to round off the year, we found out another set of friends were divorcing.
I have learned many things though through it all. I learned that no matter what happens, God is always in charge and will get us through. I learned that sometimes you have to sit back and laugh, Just laugh at everything that is going on because you can't control it. We couldn't make it all go away fast enough and sometimes we felt that we had to just duck our head and bear through it. Laughing helped. We learned that we can in fact raise two kids, and do it successfully at that. We may only be 8 weeks in, but we have a pretty good handle on it thus far. I learned that I am an awesome mom, I love staying home with my kids, I love having two kids and I am in love with pinterest, cooking, blogging and being a homemaker. I learned several things like just because the detergent bottle is almost empty does not mean that its ever empty enough to just pour directly in the washing machine and forgo the little cup that comes with it. Result: detergent all over my wall that I still am trying to clean up. I've learned that multitasking is not only necessary these days but it can be an art form! I have learned how to live doing everything with almost one hand. I breastfeed using one hand while I play with my son with the other. I cook with one hand and carry a baby in the other while feeding a toddler in a highchair in between stirs and hey, I learned to blog with a squirming baby on me.
My husband and I also learned how deep our love for each other is. Believe me, having two kids this close together is not a little reward for your marriage that says, "good job on your marriage so far! Heres a treat!" Its more like, "ha, you think you guys got this and can handle this, watch this....BAM!" And you get a curve ball that smacks you in the back of the head before you know whats coming. Meaning, life didn't get easier. It is certainly filled with more joy, more love and compassion and more laughter and smiles in this house, but with it came hardships, sleep deprivation and work...ALOT of work. :) We have learned that we got this even though we learn new things daily. As my husband likes to say, we went from zone defense to man to man. And he is so right (as he is almost all the time. Just don't tell him I said that). We have learned that at the end of the day, even if its just 5 minutes of silence, we need it for us and we take it. Now because we have amazing children we usually get more than that, but I make my point in saying that our love for each other has grown deeper and we have bonded in ways I never thought possible. We have also watched two of our very close friends go through a divorce. Thats been hard on us because we looked up to them. We wanted our love and marriage to be like theirs. Happy with two kids and both following their dreams. Little did we know, that whats on the surface is not always whats behind closed doors and we had NO idea how bad it was. It scares us, it saddens us and it makes us want to hold on to each other a little tighter and do everything we can to make sure dreams come true for us as individuals without sacrificing our unity, our friendship and our marriage. We are brokenhearted about our friends, but it makes us more thankful for one another.
As 2013 approaches, I hope to learn more, to love more and continue to blog and manage my household in a way thats efficient and leads to a happy and healthy home and family. We have a few trips coming up this coming year that I am super excited about! We are going to Las Vegas for Philip's 40th birthday! We are going to Oklahoma to see Matchbox 20 and going to San Antonio for a conference in which Philip will be learning and me and my kiddos will be playing. Next year I want to continue to create recipes for my cookbook, I want to learn how to sew so I can actually bring my pins from pinterest to life! I want to continue to raise my kids to love one another, to play with each other, to respect their daddy and to cherish the time they have with their mommy. Our son will be starting a mothers day out program this year which is exciting and sad for me all wrapped up in one and our daughter will continue to grow this year, learn how to roll over and probably learn how to walk! Wow!
So heres to another year full of fun, laughter, joy, happiness and life lessons. I look forward to alone time with my husband as our children grow and I look forward to all the milestones they will accomplish this year! Here's to baking, cooking and making mistakes in my kitchen and here's to hoping Philip will buy me a sewing machine knowing full well that I will do my best to learn how to use it and create many things and know the possibility that I may only use it a few times. :)
Happy new year every one! Don't drink and drive, be safe and cheers to new beginnings!
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