Marshmallow Pelter

Thanksgiving is a fantastic day to remember and reflect on all the ways we are blessed and thankful. We should have hearts of gratitude every day of the year (though I often fall short)...but Thanksgiving is always a special day that seems to highlight some of God's sweet blessings.

This morning, I find myself grateful for so many things...my salvation, my husband, our sweet little boy, our families, our friends, our church, God's continued provision, our health, our pup, memories from this past year...and even marshmallows! 

Let me explain (the marshmallow part), this past week I think I have started to feel our littlest one move. In effort to articulate what it feels like, I told C that it feels like something inside of me is pelting marshmallows against the inner walls of my stomach...this may seem like a funny or random analogy but I think it really provides an understanding of the sensation with words.

We continue to be so grateful for this precious little life and greatly anticipate what blessings we might be celebrating next Thanksgiving!

Here's to thankful hearts...marshmallow pelters...and tasty Thanksgiving meals.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Be blessed.

Patience

This song (from my childhood) needs to get stuck in my head...today and everyday until our little house sells...

"Have patience, have patience...don't be in such a hurry! Remember, remember...God doesn't want you to worry!"

I know it has only been 2 weeks since the sign was posted in our front yard...but having a house on the market with a little one and a four legged friend is a lot more of a challenge than I ever could have anticipated!  

Maybe this is God's way of making me more okay with this future transition in our family's life...of maybe this is His way of teaching me about His provision and His plan...or maybe it's His divine way of reminding me to trust him...or maybe He is simply teaching me about patience...

In all honesty, there are probably countless lessons that are being taught throughout this time...and deep deep down I am grateful for each and really want to be teachable...though in the same breath...it would be nice to get a phone call that someone is interested in our sweet little house.

Until that call comes, I will have to work on having a teachable heart and humbly admit that at least I am becoming a super efficient cleaner, launderer and cook...and fan of my car which has turned into B's, Ella's and my temporary apartment during showings. 

Here's to life lessons and potential buyers!!!!!!!!

Be blessed.

Little Dipper

It seems like everyone (especially in this part of the country) loves to dip their food…these being the  popular dips of choice:  queso, ranch, hot sauce, honey mustard…

Our little man has taken rather fondly to this southern tradition… at this point he is quite the fan of ketchup and queso.

These photos from a recent trip to Fuzzy’s Taco Shop capture the intensity of his dipping capabilities with a little (or should I say, a lot of) queso…

The task of dipping can get rather messy…B’s shirt is evidence of this fact (I need to be better about packing bibs, thank goodness for stain spray).

Be blessed.

Go Frogs!!!

This past weekend, we were able to cheer our favorite frogs on in person as we celebrated their last home game of the season.

B attended two games this season and proved to be quite the little Horned Frog fan!  Both times, he just sat in C’s lap and took everything in…he wasn’t nuts about the fireworks…but loved it when the crowd erupted in cheers and applause!

We were thrilled to be able to get our hats and mittens out…I’ll be honest, we probably didn’t need them, but wearing them made it feel like official football watching weather!

Despite the bright lights, we tried to capture one last photo of Amon Carter Stadium as it was when we attended TCU…come next year, it will look a little bit different…hopefully we’ll be able to make it back as a family of four to cheer on our favorite team!

Go Frogs…and come on National Championship!

Be blessed.

First Tricycle Accident

This photo doesn’t do B’s lip justice…but thank goodness the swelling has gone down!

Last week, B took a spill over the handle bars of a tricycle at school. He fell smack dab on his face onto a ceramic tile floor…needless to say IT WAS NOT A PRETTY PICTURE!

After about a half hour of uncontrollable wailing (and bleeding)… B (and I’ll admit, myself included) were able to calm down enough to assess the situation his face and mouth. 

B was quite a sight, his lip was initially so swollen that it almost touched the bottom of his nose…he also had a small bruise on his nose and forehead.

After visiting with our pediatric dentist we learned that B’s lip and upper gum were severely injured…but ALL of his teeth were still in tact…which we are so grateful for! The dentist assured us that he should be ship-shape in about a week and encouraged us to prepare soft foods for him to eat.  With that said, we have been enjoying lots and lots of smoothies in our neck of the wood!!!!

We are so grateful that God protected B from a more serious injury…and feel like we are getting acquainted with some of the joys of parenting a very active and very busy little boy. 

We’ll see if he gets back on the trike the next time he heads to school…Be blessed!

It’s Beginning to Feel…

Okay, maybe not like Christmas quite yet, BUT it has gotten cold in our neck of the wood!!!!!

B has gotten decked out for the weather…I could just eat him up in his little long sleeves, long pants and down vest!!!!

Enjoying every aspect of this time of year!

Stay warm & Be blessed.

Our Dance…

This past week, we celebrated our fourth anniversary…I truly don’t know where the time has gone!?!

We celebrated by enjoying breakfast together as a family and then enjoyed a dinner date out…just the two of us.

This week, this photo came to mind as I’ve reflected on our past year.  The photo is of our first dance together at our wedding reception.  We danced to “Better Together” by, Jack Johnson. 

As we danced I remember thinking that we had made it…that we were finally together, wondering how it could get better…even though hidden underneath my dress were two feet that were all over the place…stepping on C’s toes and completely off beat. 

Little did I know that that dance was only the beginning…figuratively, not literally (C and I are not big dancers).  I didn’t realize that our dance would only continue…that we would perfect some steps and really stumble over others as we move through life together. 

At that point, we were at our best…C in his tux and me in my dress. We hadn’t really hit any bumps in our married road that had allowed us to sort of practice and perfect our dance… we hadn’t changed jobs, experienced loss, experienced major challenges, experienced change, experienced each other at less than our best and also hadn’t celebrated joys, become parents, experienced ‘firsts’ through our children’s  little eyes…etc.

This past year was filled with many firsts, though in the same breath, not-so-much.  I feel like we both had the opportunity to practice and perfect some of  the steps to our dance (even though some occasionally felt boring and  mundane) and feel that we have been able to work on some new and more intricate moves.

I am the first to admit that our dance isn’t perfect…and know that it won’t ever be this side of heaven…but really feel like we have hit more of a rhythm and have started to better follow the beat of the music that life seems to present. I am anxious to see what dance steps we might learn this next year, I hope the steps are easy…but know deep down that the challenging steps are what brings growth and refinement…

So here’s to four years of dancing… and Lord willing many more to come!

I love you C!

Pumpkin, Pumpkin!

We recently enjoyed a trip to the Dallas Arboretum with C’s parents. B got to see lots and lots and lots of pumpkins as we all explored the beautiful gardens.

At the beginning of the trip, B was full of energy…so much that he pushed his own stroller.

B and his Grandma J found fun fountains to watch…

And then we found the pumpkins!

B loved carrying this little pumpkin as his Grandpa B chased him around some bales of hay.

The pumpkin houses were pretty unbelievable, I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like them…B didn’t seem as impressed by the houses, he really just liked running around all the pumpkins.

After exploring each pumpkin house, we found the frog fountain…B’s energy level seemed to have peaked by this point…

(If you look close you can see our littlest one in this family photo…no totally obvious baby bump yet, I’m still sort of in the “did she let herself go?” phase, though I anticipate a more definitive bump any week now.)

We really enjoyed our time at the arboretum, it was fun to see the thousands of pumpkins that we were able to see and even more fun to spend time with Grandma J & Grandpa B.!

Happy Fall!!!

Grandma J & Grandpa B, thanks for a great memory!

Committed...

I actually did it...after much thought and careful consideration...I rsvp'ed to attend my ten year high school reunion.

There are so many emotions that seem to be attached with this decision...

Am I ready?

Will it be fun?

Will people remember me?

What will I wear?

Will people know that I am pregnant and haven't "let myself go"? (totally vain I know)

Will I feel like I am back in high school?

The questions seem to go on and on as they cycle in my mind. It is honestly as if I am concerned about being "cool" all over again.

So much has happened since walking the halls of high school...college, meeting C, getting married, having my first real job, having B...surly I'm ready and over the pettiness of high school...right?!!?

Here's to appreciating the past (because it is all part of my story)...but being so grateful for the here and now!

Be blessed.

Closing a Chapter

It's pretty surreal to be typing this, but I really desire to be transparent and share what's happening in our neck of the wood...

In an earlier post I eluded to sifting through items in our attic. It's true, we have been sifting through items in our attic and in our closets all in effort to get our humble little home ready to sell.

Getting the house ready has been one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I know a house is just a house...and I am trying not to allow it to become an idol in my heart...but so much has happened underneath our first roof...we have truly made a little house a home.  

Some of my favorite memories include...C carrying me across the threshold after our honeymoon, finding the "perfect" place for each of our wedding gifts, enjoying our first meal in the house sitting on the kitchen counter because we didn't yet own a table and chairs, our big bulky plaid hand-me-down furniture that used to engulf our entire living room, steaming awful floral wallpaper off walls one inch at a time, hosting Bible study in our living room by squeezing in tight, finding just the right spot for our very first Christmas tree, hanging stockings from our fireplace mantle, playing fetch with Ella in the backyard, displaying photos of family and friends all over our house, becoming empowered as we tackled various home improvement projects like the kitchen and front room, learning the responsibility of home ownership through trials of leaky pipes, washers and dryers,  smelling banana bread in the oven, enjoying meals around our large dining room table with family and friends, cider on the stove around Christmas time, enjoying fires in the fireplace, transforming our guest bedroom to a nursery, red-box movie and pizza dates in the front room, dinner on the back porch (before B), swinging on the porch swing, bringing B home from the hospital, giving B baths in our fantastic kitchen sink, hosting family and friends for dinner and overnight stays, celebrating B's first birthday and dedication surrounded by family and friends, learning about our second little one...the list goes on and on.

As of tonight, there will be a sign in our front yard reiterating the impending close of a precious chapter in our little family's life.  I'm thankful I don't need to hand the keys over today and grateful for the chance to continue making memories...even if they seem to be surrounded around keeping the house clean for potential buyers.  I know there will be a day when someone else's mail will be delivered to the front porch...and that makes me sad, but really it's bittersweet because it means that our little family is growing and anxiously anticipating whatever God might have next for us.  

Preparing to sell our home has humbly reminded me of our Heavenly Father's call for us live in light of eternity...that everything this side of Heaven is temporary...this isn't our forever home...and we shouldn't get too attached with anything that's not eternal. At this point, this truth seems so much easier said than actually put into practice...I pray that my heart will be able to chose the ladder.

It is crazy, and I'll admit, scary (I have lost sleep from fear) to think that we don't know where our second little one will come home from the hospital to (I had furnished the nursery by this time in my pregnancy with B).  However, when I think about our precious home I don't think about its configuration, about the pier and beams, the roof, the type of floor, etc. I think about the memories...and need to remember that memories can continue being made anywhere!

Here's to our new chapter...whatever it might look like.  

Here's to trying not to cry when I see the sign outside.

Here's to whoever our buyer might be!

Here's to our incredible Heavenly Father for being so totally in control!!!

Be blessed.

Rain, Rain…

You actually don’t have to go away…

B is already to play!!!

Happy Wednesday.

Be blessed.

Trains, Planes and Automobiles

I found this set of Duplos blocks several years ago at a garage sale. At the time, I purchased the set (for all of about $5.00) for my classroom.  The set was stashed away in our attic after my classroom got packed up, all in anticipation for our little ones to someday enjoy.

Recently, C and I have sifted through items in our attic (more on this later)  and upon sifting, rediscovered the set of Duplos just waiting to be played with by B.

I tried to capture some photos of the toys recent rediscovery…

All I heard as he played was “chooo chooo” '”too, too” (apparently these are the sounds that trains, helicopters, ambulances, trains and cars make…at least in B’s little world.)

A little side note…C pulled B’s slippers out this past weekend.  B’s Grandma J & Grandpa B found picked these out for B on our trip to Colorado this summer. It was hard to imagine his little feet wearing the cozy socks in June, but much easier now that the temperatures have dropped. Walking in the slippers have proven more difficult than bare feet or shoes…B has slipped a couple times…I’ll be honest it has been pretty funny to watch.

Here’s to the joys of being a little boy…chooo chooo (or little girl, depending on each child’s interests).

Be blessed.

New Kicks

B is all geared up and ready to head to the park to experience our recent fall-like blustery weather…of course donning his new kicks!

Such a big little guy!

Happy Tuesday.

Be blessed.

Pause

Today has been one of those days when I would love to press pause...really for a few reasons.

Let me explain...

First...B has recently discovered his own little will. Yes, this is exciting because it means that he is hitting a very important developmental milestone...with that said, I am missing my almost always compliant little buddy!!! I am very aware that this new avenue could be long as B discovers his own feelings and C and I discover creative ways to try to reason with our little guy, teach him appropriate obedience and try our best to extend grace all while keeping our sanity in tact.

Second...It has finally started to get cool in our neck of the wood...something I praise God for!!! The cooler nights mean warmer "jammies" are a must...we tried putting socks on B's feet a couple nights in a row only to discover them pulled off within minutes. In effort to prevent cold little toes, I set off to purchase warm footed sleepers for the fall and winter.  As I shopped for the sleepers I discovered that B's weight and height put him in a 3T!!!! This is the last size of footed sleepers, the next size up is footless!  It's as if we have blinked and B has gained several inches and pounds...it is unreal...he really isn't a baby any more. (I really shouldn't be that surprised though because our pediatrician commented at his 18 month appointment that his height is comparable to a 33 month old!)

Third...This reason is similar to the second.  The other day, to our surprise and astonishment we noticed B's little foot poking out of his sandals.  These particular sandals are the size SEVEN shoes that I bought a couple months ago!  I proceeded to try some of his other shoes on, only to find his little toes jammed inside each leather encasement.  This reality lead us back to the store to discover B's foot had yet again grown almost an entire size...so as of today, B is donning size EIGHT shoes!!! Though, on a side note, I think his new kicks are adorable and all little boy (I'll try to capture a photo of them to share).

The only consolation for each of these reasons is the reality that our big little guy is still little and totally in need of his momma and daddy.  He continues with the "la luuus" and holds his arms up when he wants your attention or wants to be picked up.  His need for love and affection is most obvious before bed, when his busyness slows down and he cuddles as he listens to stories and is rocked.  I savor these moments when I can rub his little back, kiss his little cheeks and hold his little hands.  It's the moments in the rocking chair that I realize I can't press pause and need to appreciate each and every moment, even if the moments are hard to accept because he really is growing up before our very eyes!

Here's to great wills, large jammies, big feet and little buddies!

Happy Monday.

Be blessed.