A week in the life...

... of staying at home. I thought I'd share a little bit more about our lives and some things I'm able to do by staying at home.

In being genuinely honest, there are some days when I'm not joyful or grateful to be at home. There are days when my patience runs low, when the routine of cooking and cleaning is boring and mundane, when I question if I'm doing a decent job as a mother, and wonder if I'm making an impact on anything or anyone else other than Steve and Jack... and the first months of being pregnant were specially rough as the tiredness and nausea did not help.

These last few weeks I've been praying for a changed perspective. I know it's just about to get more difficult when I have two little ones to care for in two months! I really want to cherish this time with my little ones and fully enjoy this season.

Anyways here are some blessings of being at home during this time... (Besides the obvious and most important one which is taking care of this little guy)

- It is wonderful to be able to go on playdates. I try to limit playdates to once a week (so I can also take care of the house, groceries, running errands, etc). This is a picture from a Valentine's day playdate in South Tampa last week. I really, really enjoyed the time with these ladies... and enjoyed the beautiful weather that day too!

- On Wednesday mornings Jack and I head over to Beallshoals church for Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). It is a Christian non-denominational bible study and women from different churches attend. We are going through the book of Acts this year and it has been wonderful. The first hour we meet with our small group (about 10-15 women) and the second hour we hear an incredible speaker expand on what we just learned.

Here is a picture with my small group leader Carolyn (middle) and Kelly who is also in our group. Carolyn is a wonderful leader, she calls every week to ask how I'm doing and how she can pray for me.

On a funny side note- Jack has found himself a cute little girlfriend in his class and talks about her all the time! He also gets to learn about the bible, quiet time, and has a lesson for the day.

- On Thursday nights Steve and I started hosting a small group bible study at our house. We are going over 'Crown' which is a study of what the bible says about money, working, and other topics. There are three couples from our church, and one of our neighbors joined us. We've really been enjoying this study, although it is a lot of work.

We all laughed bc Steve look gigantic in this picture. For some reason he
looks a foot taller than everyone else :) 

(Now although the small group is at night, I am glad to have the time to be at home to get the house and dinner ready on those nights)

 - And although I don't have a picture, every other Tuesday Jack and I head over to Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS). The children are watched in the nursery, while the moms get together for breakfast and then a speaker for the day. I am praying about next year and whether to be in leadership at MOPS or continue BSF, as I don't think I'll be able to do both. Hopefully I'll get some direction soon!

So these are the things I'm most grateful for today. Wanted to write them down as a reminder for myself of really how much I've been given. And partly to share what is going on in our lives as I've been pretty private about it overall.

Wishing everyone a blessed week!

All the Ways I Love my Husband

With today being Valentine's day, I wanted to share a few of the reasons why my husband is such a blessing to me. Not to come across as if we have the perfect marriage or he the perfect husband (We've certainly had our struggles these past 6 years of marriage), but there are some nights when I look at him and wonder how I have gotten so lucky to have married him.

This is the earliest picture I could find of us- at our rehearsal dinner on June 2005

Here are a few things that come to mind today...

I love that no matter how tired or what kind of rough day he's had at the office... he is never too tired to help out when he gets home in the evening.

I love that he gives Jack a bath almost every night.

I love that on the days when I fall short (our house is a mess, dinner is not ready, I'm still in my pajamas from the morning, etc) he is not critical. Instead he is encouraging, loving, and knows just the right thing to say.

I love that he has come to every single doctor appointment with me with all three of my pregnancies. He does not care if he's the only man in the ob-gyn's office (which he often is).

I love the respect he shows his parents.

I love that he can make a crowd laugh in ways that I can't.

I love that he is taking guitar lessons and will hopefully be able to serenade me soon!

I love the he works hard at his job and provides for our family.

I am so thankful for him. I know he will fail at times and that I can't idolize him and expect him to meet my every need. I've learned through some tough lessons only God can do that, and when I put Him first everything else falls into place. But tonight I am truly thankful for the many ways God does use my husband to love and encourage me!

Best and Worst Mommy Moments

We are tired from a fun weekend in Orlando attending a friend's wedding. We had a wonderful time catching up with old college friends, and I will try to post pictures later on the week :)

My friend Kindra has encouraged me to write down the funny stories I've shared about things Jack has been doing lately. So here is my worst and best moment as a parent this past month.


Worst Moment

A few weeks ago my Wednesday morning bible study group went out ot lunch Chicafila. Most of us brought our children, which made it more fun as we usually meet without children.

It was a very fun outing... until Jack decided to poop in the playground!! And of course me being the wonderful prepared mom that I am- I had forgotten his diaper bag in the car. A few of the ladies watched Jack (mind you while he is sitting in his poopy) as I went out to the car to get the diaper bag. I then took Jack to the bathroom to clean him up, and he had poopy everywhere! Not only in his underwear, but pants... socks... and even his shoes. It was then that I realized I had forgotten to bring a change of clothes for him (Really, who forgets a change of clothes for their children?). Thankfully I had clean underwear but nothing else.

I carried him outside in his underwear, and when he realized he was not going back in the playground... he threw the mother of all temper tantrums! His head rolled back as tears are rolling down his face. I quickly gathered my things and left with Jack in nothing but his shirt and 'Thomas the train' underwear.

It was quite a humbling moment for me. At least I have been able to look back and have a good laugh. Being 7 months pregnant with a two year old can be quite the humbling experience!

Most Rewarding Moment

A few weeks ago during a conversation with Jack I asked him what he thought of going to see animals at the Zoo. Well Jack's response was...

" Yes Mommy, but me go ALLLL by myself" "No mommy come with me"

Umm... interesting I thought. So I asked him again "Are you sure you want to go to the zoo all by yourself?"

"Yes mommy- me big boy. Me go ALLLL by myself"

I responded with "But Jack mommy needs to come with you... If you get hungry, who is going to give you food? And if you get tired, who is going to pick you up and hold you?"

He looked at me straight in the face and quickly said... "Jesus!"

He said it with such confidence that it melted my heart.

Nesting Time

I am now 27 weeks along, and 12 weeks until the date when this baby boy # 3 should make his appearance! I am in full nesting mode as we've spent most of January organizing, rearranging, and cleaning the house in a borderline unhealthy way. And I am blaming it on my nesting instincts.

The first big project of the year was my 'work' area. We replaced this desk, with a longer desk and added shelves for storage at the top.

Before

After

I am so thankful and excited for the additional room. It allows me to do so much more and be more organized!

I've been spending most of my free time learning how to sew/embroider. I have been SO excited to learn and have really enjoyed it so far. But I must say it's easy to get caught up on it and spend too much time on this when I should be doing other things.

Here are two of my first fun projects

An embroired onesie for my dear friend Bethany who is expecting her daughter Piper in just two short weeks...

Hemming this dress from a gown...

To a cocktail dress....

(Will post the shorter dress once its done)

And hemming most of Jack's clothes which are too wide for him.

We have also cleaned and reorganized our entire garage. Although it took a lot of work, I think the new organization method will work well long term. Hoping it will anyways.

We are also cleaning out our guest room (aka. storage room) so we can turn it into a bedroom for Jack. We were able to clean out most of it last weekend but it still needs a lot more work. And we still need to order the bedroom furniture soon otherwise Jack might not have a place to sleep soon! :)

(Before cleaning it out)

I am focused on getting everything ready for this baby to join us. I am really excited and hoping it will be an easier transition than I anticipate it will be. Those first few months with Jack where very difficult for me. I am hoping this time around I will be able to enjoy the baby much more... but I have heard the transition from one to two children tends to be more difficult. Praying and hoping it will go well!