life lately...

i had such great blogging plans for November... 4 posts in the first week... and then nothing.
bummer. 
but moving on. 

life lately... 

 

my Asher man is almost 6 months old. so cute & chubby & cute. 

 

we've been talking a lot about baby Jesus born in Bethlehem. we went to say hi to baby Jesus and his mommy Mary at the little nativity set up on the corner by our house. now every time we drive by it Joshua says "hi baby Jesus" and tells him where we are going.

 

as part of Joshua's birthday celebration we spent the day with Jackson and went to the zoo. SO fun! 

 

November proved to have lots of warm days mixed in with some cold & snow.  on the warm days we went to the park and soaked up the sun and on the cold days Joshua displayed his love for snow.

{mostly eating it} but really he loves the snow.

 

as winter approaches {currently it's -9 out} we spend most of our days just me and these boys cooped up in the house. there are hard days but lots of joy. there are days when i can't wait for naps but also can't wait for them to wake up so i kiss those baby Asher cheeks and hear the funny things Joshua has to say. we're figuring each other out and loving each other through it all.

 

december is finally here. 

we've got lights {!!!} and stockings {!!!} and i'm pretty much done with my present shopping {!!!} 

life is good. 

it's ok.

42 days later i have completed  Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred

30 days... it took me 42 days 

BUT 

it's ok. 

i got some nasty ankle tendonitis and rested for a week right in the middle

it's ok. 

i didn't lose the "20 pounds in 30 days"

BUT 

it's ok. 

i am NOT back to my pre-baby weight

BUT 

it's ok.

i cheated on more than just my cheat days

BUT 

it's ok.

BECAUSE for 30 days {technically 35days} 

i sweated my rear off.

i worked out early in the morning, during naptime, or after eveyone else was in bed. 

i did something for myself. 

i ate better than i had in months. 

i gained muscle and strength and some self-respect.

after 42 days i can say: 

I DID IT. 

 with my 3 month old watching me, 

with my 2 year old mimicking my huffing and puffing, 

before or after just nursing, 

after a busy day, 

before a full day, 

in the midst of the long days, 

I DID IT. 

{and i'm pretty proud}

next goal- get back into running shape

here we go!

4 years

i keep thinking back to myself and how i thought our lives would be at this point... 

never would i have thought that in 4 years we would have:

had 2 babies

bought a little green house in Monument

help start a church

buy the cars we bought 

work the jobs we've worked

traveled to the places we've seen 

moved 5 times

struggled through what we've been through

or known such great joy!

these four years have gone by quickly &

i am so thankful for each day we spend together!

 .this adventure is better than i could have ever imagined.

i can't wait to see what the next four, twenty, and fifty years bring! 

Manny,  you are beyond the greatness.

i love you too much. 

Happy 4 Years!!!

{see what i wrote for our 2 year & 3 year anniversary}

Currently

I’m Currently…

Watching…Breaking Bad. manny and i have been watching a couple episodes every night since we brought Asher home. it's pretty interesting and always has us curious as to what will happen next. i also get a pretty good laugh out of the character Jesse Pinkman. ha.

Enjoying…watching my Joshie's imagination grow. his stories are always exciting and he's recently started playing more on his own, "reading" to himself, wearing blankie capes, and playing pretend (or at least what i think might be pretend). it's pretty stinking cool to see his little mind develop and learn! 

Planning…what i will do this weekend. manny is taking Josh to south dakota for his grandma's memorial service at the ranch up there so it will be just me and Asher for the weekend. i see lots of organizing and possibly setting up the nursery/Joshua's downstairs room in our future :)

Excited for…my house being pretty much done! minus a few closet doors that need to installed and the kitchen light needing to be hung and maybe some paint touch up our house is perfect. in the future we will paint the exterior and we need LOTS of landscaping help but right now the inside is perfect. i love everything about this little house and am so blessed to raise our boys in it. i am so thankful for all the hard work my dad, manny, and friends put into it and each night i just sit back and thank God for such an amazing place to call our own!

Cooking…not much of anything. we've been graciously blessed by meals from our church community and family so i've really not made much of anything lately. it's a nice break!

Pinning…more ideas for Asher's nursery. i have a couple solid ideas and things i know will go in it but i'm still searching for ways to fill the space and work with the color palette i have in my head...

Inspired by…all mom who have more than 2 babies! at 1am when Asher is still not sleeping and seems to be hungry AGAIN i lie there thinking "how could i possibly do this no-sleep-chase-toddler-nurse-and-care-for-infant-all-day-long thing with 2 toddlers and infant? or 3? or more?" i really have no idea. so mad props to all you moms out there with more than 1 kid! seriously, i don't know how you do it.

Remembering…that i can do all things through Christ how gives me strength. that He sustains and supplies all love, grace, peace and strength. that when i seek Him i will find Him. that in my weakness He is strong.

we're waiting... not very patiently.

this is my giant belly. 

i have very little motivation to do anything besides have a baby this week. 

last week i was crazy nesting/ getting ready/ cleaning/ building/ preparing. 

this week i am ready for that baby to come! 

joshua's been helping me get ready. 

trying out all the baby gear & even got a nasty cold/ cough so i could practice waking up in the middle of the night to rock a baby. 

thankfully he's feeling much better :) 

i am so ready to be done being pregnant... 

but i am pretty scared about how this baby will change our family. 

manny asked me what my biggest fear was and my honest answer- 

i fear how joshua will respond/ react/ feel...

i KNOW that this baby is what the Lord has for our family, 

but change can be scary. his little life is about to be turned upside down and he's not going to understand that in about 9 months he'll have a built-in best friend and playmate... 

transition and change will be hard, but i KNOW it will be SO WORTH IT. 

praying my heart remembers that when my joshie boy is struggling with sharing his momma and daddy, our time, our laps, our mealtimes, our house, our bedtimes, and everything in between.

so these days are all about waiting. not very patiently.

not wanting to cook, clean, or do much of anything 

(especially bend over, move quickly, or really move at all- thank you giant belly)

but we are waiting... 

baby #2- come out whenever you are ready!

all this snow...

farm boots in the snow {the only ones i could find in my size}

in the past 10 days we've gotten 3 pretty decent snow storms. 

most of the time, i'm not a very big fan of the snow. 

the main reason- i hate being cold. 

but i don't know if it is because of my job- that relies on moisture for the grass to grow in the summer and snow in the winter for plowing or my cozy little house... 

the view from my backyard & part of our little green house

but i'm warming up to all this snow. 

i can chose to look at the snow as a trap... 

keeping me trapped in my house with a crazy {recently sick} little boy

with nothing to do besides sweep & mop & eat. 

or i can chose to see it as a blessing... 

soaking up the nights when youth group gets canceled & we get an extra night together, 

staying warm with homemade soup, 

playing cars & building towers & reading books, 

enjoying the warmth of our cozy little home with our little family.

it's easy to chose trap.

i want to chose blessing.

***speaking of soup- here's a CrockPot Baked Potato Soup Recipe that we LOVED! 

Check it out here! We added lots of bacon too :)

my days.

ever since we actually moved into our house, my days have looked drastically different (than they looked prior to living in our own home...)

most days look the same.
most days i don't leave the house.
most days it's meals & naps & playtime & cleaning.

and i easily find myself thinking of how meaningless & boring & lame my days are...

it's easy for me to place my pride in the things of this world.
in work, school, and even the money i make.

but the Lord has literally stripped me of almost all of those.
i'm not taking any classes (nor do i plan to anytime soon) & work has waaaaaay slowed down.

it's just me & Joshua & this babe growing inside.

our days look the same.
our routine is pretty set.
and i question, how are we using our days to glorify the Lord? 

it's easy to just go through the motions of meals & naps & playtime.
it's easy to get bored & feel insignificant when i spend my days with someone who barely speaks.

 

most days, i let the routine and ideas of meaning set by the world rule my attitude...
i want to change. i need to change. 

Lord, change my heart. allow me to see ways to bring You glory in the everyday, in the routine & the naps & the meals. i want my life & the life of my babes to reflect Your love and grace. allow me to raise my boy to love You with his whole life. i know it starts now. i know it starts in the days just him & me, not leaving the house. give me patience for the hard days and grace everyday. thank You for providing and giving me these days. thank you for my precious boy & the babe growing inside. thank you for this gift of being their momma. thank you for this life.

his great-great gram

there are few people i love more than my gram. 

she's amazing. 

she has been a very special part of my entire life. 

and seeing her play with my baby boy brings joy that i have rarely known. 

they sat all squished in the back. 

my mom, gram in the middle, and joshie right next to her. 

she tickled him & kissed him & made him giggle. 

she also fed him ice cream. lots of ice cream. 

and i just smiled.

 only my 94 year old gram can give my baby ice cream. 

as.much.as.she.wants. 

it was a short trip. 

but so great. 

love my gram. 

joshie loves his great-great gram. 

back to normal... for now.

june has been a crazy month.
i can hardly believe it's actually july 2nd.

we traveled.
to montrose & minnesota. 

we prepared.
for Joplin Mission Trip. fundraisers & bike rides.

we prayed.
for the Waldo Canyon Fire.

 

all pictures from facebook

i feel like that pretty actually sums up the month.

our little trips were great. such a blessing to spend time with joshua's great-great Gram & his great-Grandpa Huntley & Grandma Chris.
he was an excellent traveler. airplanes. and hotels. and naps all over. and long car rides.
he is a champ.

we're so close to Joplin. less than 2 weeks now. most of the funds have been raised.
now it's just preparing. and not forgetting. and keeping tabs on everything.
and praying that God will prepare my heart to leave my little boy for 6 days. in a million years, i never thought it would be this hard. i already miss him.... seriously. just pray for me.

and the fires. my goodness. one week ago today, was really one of the most surreal nights of my life. driving down woodmen rd. seeing the mountainside lit up in flames. chills and tears. knowing families who have lost everything. but confident that this was all part of God's plan. but lives were lost. and firefighters keep waging war against this monster... an end is in sight. Praise God!
but it makes you think. if i knew i would never see any of this "stuff" ever again... what would i take? what's important? even our wedding album could be replaced... just interesting and terrifying to think of....
God's in control. He's got a plan for this city. for this firestorm. He knew all along.

in other news. my boy is 8 months old. in just 4 months, he will be one year old. i just don't think i can handle it.
8 month post will be coming late...
as i... left my camera in kearney, ne. i'm so lame. bah.

so today. it's so nice to be home. settle back into our normal routine.
for 13 days at least.
leaving for Joplin july 15th.
i'm going to enjoy this normal life... for now.

what a difference 1 year makes...

it started at prom this year. 

i just couldn't stop thinking about how last year at prom i had a little baby bump, was pretty exhausted, had a pretty queasy stomach, but was starving... and then eventually threw up everything i ate at after prom. haha.

 

it's so funny to think of the huge difference between last year and this year. 

last year we were living with my parents. i was working full time with jackson. 

i was sick all the time from that baby in my belly. 

we were so full of joy and anticipation. 

just wondering what in the world our baby would be, look like, sound like, smell like. 

how it would change us. change our lives. 

and now he's here. 

at prom this year, my sister graciously babysat and we enjoyed a night out. 

no sickness (thank goodness). probably just as tired. 

but i left early to get home and sneak into joshua's room to give him kiss. 

this year our lives our still just as busy and full...

 but we have this baby to make us laugh, hold so tight, and love. 

what a difference 1 year can make...

 

another last year/ this year picture of us at manny's triathalon. 

so as this year continues i just keep thinking of where we were exactly one year ago. 

and were we are today.

so thankful for where we've been and what we now hold...

currently

time to blog is limited... here's a little snapshot into life around here lately in the form of "currently" 

CURRENTLY

{i don't know why but i love this picture}

{my little peanut}

Loving: the lyrics to this song. it pretty much perfectly describes my heart right now. my cry. my praise. to Him. 

I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you to open my eyes
To see that You’re shaping my life

All I am, I surrender

Give me faith to trust what you say
That you’re good and your love is great
I’m broken inside, I give you my life

I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you pierce through the dark
And cleanse every part of me

I may be weak
But your Spirit’s strong in me
My flesh may fail
My God you never will

Thinking About: how i really need to vacuum tomorrow. joshua pretty crawls everywhere. gets into everything. today i picked him up after he had followed me into the kitchen and his shirt was covered crumbs. YUCK. bad mom of the year over here.  

Anticipating: going to my great-gram this weekend! manny, my mom, joshua & i will be going over the river and through the woods to see seriously one of favorite people in the whole world. sometime i'll tell you more about my gram. 

Listening To: GIVE ME FAITH. 

Eating: trying my hardest NOT to eat this giant bag of chocolate that was left over from our bike ride this weekend... so tempting. so good. 

Wishing: joshua would not wake up at 5/6am... he has been sleeping 8:30pm-7:00am for many months. until recently. he'll just start crying.then.screaming. and i just get up and feed him. he's so sleepy. sleeps through the whole feed & then sleeps till i finally wake him at 8. so i put a giant sheet over his window. hoping it's the sun that has been waking him up & he'll sleep till normal wake up time. otherwise, i just don't know. {really, i can't complain, he's such a good sleeper}

that's all i've got for today. adios.  

my daily struggle

get it all done. 

wash all the dishes. 

clean off the table. 

pick up the living room. 

change your flipping clothes. 

finish your sewing project. 

clean off the desk. 

mail those tupperware invites. 

work on the baby album. 

organize his 3-6mo clothes. 

o and don't forget about your job. 

this is my daily struggle. 

fighting against the voice in my head that tells me i have to get it all done. 

that voice. it's a voice that lies. 

it tells me that if i don't get it all done i'm worthless, 

that i'm not good enough, 

that my husband will think less of me, 

i am not enough. 

but there is another voice out there, a voice of Truth.

that voice tells me I am His, 

that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, 

that my worth is found completely in Him, 

that He loves me. 

Christ loves me despite my inability to get it all done. 

Christ loves me despite my sin. 

Christ loves me right where I am at. 

and right now, 

i'm struggling to find balance, 

struggling to fight off that voice that lies, 

struggling to open His Word and read His Truths, 

but I know He loves me and forgives me. 

and that's what keep me going. 

literally, an answer to prayer...

i was lying in bed today thinking of all these amazing people in my life.

each and every one of them is literally an answer to a prayer. 

maybe it was prayer i prayed years ago, or just the other day. 

and with with most of them, my prayers were small, but His answer was big.

as i look at my wonderful friends i see God's faithfulness all around... 

most of my life i prayed for my future husband. 

a man of God. a man of character. someone to love like nothing else. 

the man of my dreams. 

~manny~

in high school, i prayed for a Godly friend. 

one that would walk with me in my faith, challenge me, and hold me accountable. 

~nicole~ 

i also prayed for laughter. for a friend who i could have fun with. 

~holly~

my first year in college, i prayed for just one true friend. just one. 

~genna~

after we first got married, i prayed {and cried} for friend's who would walk alongside us. who were right in the same stage as us. one for manny, one for me. some sweet couple friends. 

~tyler & kaci~ 

after we met them & became close friends i prayed and begged the Lord to bless them with a baby, all in his perfect timing. 

~jocelyn~ 

today, i got to hold and kiss and love on that precious baby girl. God is so faithful. 

all along i prayed for our family. sometime. in His timing. our family. 

~joshua~ 

i remember feeling like i was doing this whole thing alone... all i needed was some advice! i prayed for women to walk this journey with. strong, prayerful, wise, loving, courageous. 

~mandy, amber, kacy, tara, dani, sarah, renae, sarah & so many others~

i prayed for a job. 

~jackson, indy, & jack~

i prayed for support. for community. 

~alethia church~ 

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Psalm 36:5

there are so many more. so many answers to prayers. 

God is so faithful. 

His love is unending. 

i am so thankful. 

this is why i blog...

i blog so that i can remember... 

remember moments like these:

it's been a long day. a good day. but a long day. 

jackson came to play. we meet auntie nicole at the park for lunch. i worked quite a bit. we went to a friend's 6th birthday party. manny's been working lots of overtime. it was 8:43pm on a friday night and he was sound asleep. 

but i was feeding my boy. 

after his belly was full, it was time for bed. 

being way past normal bed time i thought... 

maybe, just maybe  he'll lay his head on my shoulder and cuddle a bit... 

so i pick up that cute boy of mine and start to lay his head on my shoulder. 

he fights. 

i will not surrender, momma. never. 

after a few minutes he unwillingly lays his head on my chest.

so sweet, i think. 

then he starts babbling. 

the funniest babbles i've ever heard.

and all i could do was giggle. 

and he babbled some more. 

and then, suddenly, sat straight up, looked me square in the face

and flashed the most beautiful grin i'd ever seen. 

and i teared up and thanked God for this amazing boy. 

i blog so that i can remember... 

remember moments like these.

4 miles w/ the jogging stroller. 2 firsts.

on the calendar --- 4 mile training run

{remember friends my fake race is just 1 week away}

also today --- manny playing golf with friend & prom

{yes, we're going to PRHS Prom... as chaperones}

manny's been working tons of overtime, like till 7pm every night this week.

which meant i was not getting any runs in. 

so my gracious sister-in-law let me borrow her jogging stroller. 

so i can get my runs in, even if manny is at work. 

so back to saturday morning...

beautiful spring day. manny out all morning. prom all evening.

let's do this. 

4 miles with the jogging stroller. 

{here we are ready to go}

the wind was pretty wicked. so i immediately put the sun/weather shade down. 

tried to pick the best route with the least amount of giant hills. 

tried to run well. and not walk every time i wanted to. 

first time ever with a jogging stroller. 

appreciated: 

i could run with my baby- no sitter. 

joshua was comfy, warm, blocked from sun and wind. 

he even fell asleep around mile 3. 

it was very light.

had a handle in middle so i could hold the stroller with one hand & run with the other arm.

not my favorite: 

the front will was stationary, making it quite difficult to turn. 

{are all jogging strollers like this?}

the front easily got very jumping going downhill. 

was much more comfortable pushing/steering with my right arm, wish i could have done the pushing/ arm pumping equally with both arms. i think the right is going to be sore. 

HILLS.

overall: 

i'm pretty darn exhausted. 

but i'm proud i did it.  

i'd never once ran with a jogging stroller before. 

4 miles is my longest run since my half when i was 16 weeks pregnant. 

i did walk up most hills... need to gain a little strength! 

didn't walk at all the last mile after i ran past a friends house & she cheered me on :)

i don't know if i'll rely on the jogging stroller for every long run, but i think it will be really nice to use on weekdays when i have time, but no one to watch joshua. 

{little man asleep under there}

{my view. aren't those little white socks adorable?}

{and we're done. and home.}

yahoo!

what a craft can teach me...

So i had great plans for this really great blog about my cool art project... 

but i think God had a much different plan. 

I got these awesome scripture prints for this great Etsy shop- Naptime Diaries 

i got four with an awesome sale & her buy 3, get 1 free. 2 for our house. 2 as gifts.  i was most excited about the Joshua 24:15. i have honestly dreamt about having this verse in my home since i was a little girl... 

so i started with a blank canvas & some paint {i know, i'm like a professional...} 

 i started painting...
 red to match my house... 

and then i tried to mod podge the print to the canvas...

lesson 1: patience... i have none. i wanted the paint to dry. i wanted the mod podge to dry. i wanted the final product. now. i even got out the hair dryer to speed up the process...
but why? joshua was sound asleep. manny wasn't going to be home for dinner for a while. i wasn't being timed.
i just couldn't wait. i wanted the final product. like 10 minutes ago.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 

and as i mod podged the ink started to run... the paper started to warp... 

it started to look so much different than my idealistic version of my little art project... 

 and i got frustrated. mad. upset. depressed. 

seriously, it's just a canvas with an 8x11print. 

1 Thessalonians 1:3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, you labor prompted by love. and you endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  

my heart was ugly. my attitude was lame. and why? 

because what i thought would be an awesome blog post & awesome new art work in my home didn't turn out the way i thought it would...? 

that's not what i want my life to be about...

it's not about cool blog posts. or being really good at crafting. or being the perfect wife. or the best mom in the world. 

it's about CHRIST. 

striving daily to be more like Him. 

Colossians 3:1-5 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on each. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is you life appears, then you will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you... 

that's what it's about... that's what i need to remember. 

yahoo!

mthere is too much to be thankful for.

including that i finally got a new blog design. i couldn't be happier about it.

even though i've had joshua's announcements done since the beginning of february, i finally sent them all out.

i finally sent my great-gram some updated pictures of baby joshua. she will be so happy. that makes me very happy.

i've been listening to this song. over. and over. and over.

i lost 2 pairs of sunglasses. finally bought new ones. found one pair at sister in laws house. just found the other pair at my parents. now i have 3 pairs. hope i don't lose any of them...

march 12th- we are getting the internet at house!!!

doing pretty good at the no dairy thing... until last night when i had cheesy bread. but come on, it was soooooo good.

manny, joshua, and i went on a walk sunday afternoon. pretty perfect.

spring is coming.

went to the park for the first time this year last week! it might have been windy and only last 15 minutes but it sure was lovely.

going to start researching starting baby on solids. so not ready for that...

i'm so happy i have a new blog design.

we are insanely busy. but we are seeing a lot of people we really love. so i'm just thankful.

i have the most amazing tuesday night book study. these women are incredible & spur me on like no other.

the snow is coming.

kaci is going to have a baby real soon!

i'm going to do my devotional.

{so happy for a new blog design!}

got milk? ... got acne?

it all started about a month ago...

my mother & i noticed a not so sweet looking rash on my very sweet baby boy...{yea he's not too happy about it either}

and i was reading this post over here {ps. this is one of fav blogs to read}
and she, also with a newborn with a rash did some googling & found a face rash in breastfed babies can sometimes be caused be the momma's dairy intake. she stopped eating/drinking dairy and no more baby face rash...

so i gave it a try... it also cleared my babies face. yay.

{see he's pretty psyched about it too}

and then my mom noticed something else...
it had cleared up my face as well.

it started around 6th grade. didn't go away when i got my period. didn't go away when i started high school. didn't go away when i got my braces off. didn't go away when i started college. didn't even go away for my wedding day. didn't go away when i graduated college and started my masters. didn't go away when i had my first child. has never gone away... until now.

ACNE that is.

{yea, here i am. terrible acne and all}

i though it was a hoax. my skin was looking pretty clear... but being my stubborn self, i drank an entire glass of milk {and ate some chocolate chip cookies, of course}. the next morning: 3 terrrible. huge. red. painful. yucky zits.

ugh. so i looked it up... "At least three large-scale studies reported in the American Journal of Dermatology found a link between drinking milk and acne. NaturalNews reported about a study that found those who drank two or three glasses of milk a day had 44% higher chance of developing severe acne." source. also found website- www.acnemilk.com. and a few other sites/studies.

so this was no joke.
now i just have to come to the reality that i may never get to enjoy a nice, cold glass of chocolate milk again. no more pizza. no more mac n cheese. no more ice cream.
i literally just named my top 3 favorite foods in the whole universe.

for some people {like my mother} this would be no big deal. but for others {like picky picky eater, cheese and milk lover me} this will be hard.

but i have a choice. finally get rid of ACNE for the first time in over half my life?? or drink some milk. i think i'll chose the first.

so tonight i will be grocery shopping for coconut oil, coconut milk, non dairy cheese, etc.
wish me luck!
and if you have any suggestions about how to do this whole dairy free eating thing please let me know...