Valentine’s Day Weekend

Friday was a little rough. I didn't feel well thanks to an ear infection and my mood wasn't as cheery as it usually is. I was frustrated with a lot of things and quite honestly,  I felt in need of a good pout session. Then, as the Lord sees fit, my mood was lifted...in the sweetest of ways.

A student whom I totally adore, came and gave me a spontaneous hug in the hallway. His sweet smile never fails to warm my heart. Later that same day I received a special "turtle-rific" surpise valentine. The kids could pay to send these little goodies to their friends. I received one from one of my former students. Despite having been out of my class for 3 years now, she still takes the time to make me feel appreciated. 

After a long day, I came home to a sweet surprise. My husband had gotten me flowers! Mind you, we said no gifts this year. He's just sweet that way. He had to work on Saturday and was not sure if he'd get to come home on Sunday so he gave them to me early.

On Saturday,  G and I headed out in the bitter cold to her friend's birthday party. The kids had a blast and I had a good time catching up with my adult friends.

We came home and warmed up the rest of the day. G came down with a cold and quickly became a pitiful mess.

Sunday was a creature all of its own. My earache was still going strong and G's cold (i.e. runny nose and congestion) had gotten worse. We didn't go to church since she had been up almost every two hours the night before. She had thrown up because she gagged on the mucus and she just couldn't get rested. Of course this means Mommy was up too. I'd do anything to help her feel better. She and I ended up in the living room on the couch. We finally slept a solid 3 hours before N woke up ready for the day

Eventually my hubby came home and I made our Valentine breakfast. We loved on the kids, gave them their goodies and celebrated N's first Valentine's Day. 

My husband surprised me again, only this time I felt awful. Grateful and in love, but awful. We said no gifts and he gave me this!

Of course he had a super sweet explanation that made me fall in love with him all over again...but I still felt bad that he only got a card.

I did make up for it some baking the meal he requested. I began cooking around 2pm and finished around 6pm. Things like this take lots of prep...a true labor of love.

Homemade...Bacon Wrapped Green Beans, Bang Bang Shrimp, and BBQ Ribs. 

We ended the evening by putting the kids to bed and cuddling on the couch. He had to leave for work since the weather was going to get bad. He left a little after 9pm and I was in bed by 10pm.

I am so thankful for all the love in my life. Above all, I'm thankful that God loved me enough to send Jesus in my place, to forgive my sins, and to provide a light when all seems hopeless. He is truly Love.

Why We Celebrate Birthdays

Birthdays. 

I feel like you fall into one of two categories.  You either love them or don't. You may say you are indifferent but that means you don't "love" them, so...I am one who loves birthdays. I do not forsee a day when I will want to stop celebrating them.

Here's why we celebrate birthdays:

Gratitude 

This is the day the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it.

Ps. 118:24

Life is such an amazing gift. We've struggled with infertility in our attempts to grow our family. Our children our truly our greatest joy and we feel that our words and acts of thankfulness will never be enough.

Our daughter

2013

Our son

2015

We celebrate our birthdays as an act of thankfulness. We rejoice in the gift of life and want our children to know that our lives deserve to be celebrated. God did an amazing and humbling thing by placing us in this world and we honor Him during the celebration.

Family, Food, and Fun

Next to God, our family is the most important thing. Birthday celebrations give just one more excuse to get friends and family together. I love hosting and this gives me a rare opportunity to bake and share the things that make me happy with others.

Aging Gracefully 

I turned 30 last year. While I know it's one of those milestone birthdays that many dread, I welcomed the coming of age. It made me feel like a "real" adult. Something about leaving my 20s was both exciting and sad...bittersweet. I've always said that I want to age gracefully. I don't want to worry about gray hairs or wrinkles. I want to earn every single one of them. I look at each birthday as a time to reflect on the past year(s) of my life and how I want to live the next. I'm also reminded how short our lives actually are in the grand scheme of things and I want to make my moments count.

"Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
    Remind me that my days are numbered—
    how fleeting my life is.
You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
    My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
    at best, each of us is but a breath.”
We are merely moving shadows,
    and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
    not knowing who will spend it.
Ps. 39:4-6

It's Just Silly Not To

If for no other reason, it's an excuse to eat cake!

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Baby N: 7 Months

 

 

 

We watch in awe as you change right before our eyes. So many wonderful things have happened with you over the past month. It's hard to believe how quickly you are growing. You are seriously one of the happiest babies in the world!

Weight: 18+lbs

Height: TBD

Clothes: 6-9m

Eat: 8oz of formula every 4 hours and 2-4oz of baby food twice a day
You enjoy lots of different food combinations and you now eat your green beans without complaint.

Sleep: You have been consistently sleeping through the night (7pm to 4-5am. There are rare occasions that you'll sleep until 6am and that is complete bliss. When you wake up in the mornings,  your big sister wakes up with you and you two chat until she comes to tell me you're awake. Your "conversations" are the sweetest things to listen to over the baby monitor.

Play: You continue to love music and movement. You love to bounce in your exersaucer and your bouncer. You and your sister continue to be best friends. She loves to make you laugh.

I promise...they really are best buds

You are still so ticklish. We get those giggles out of you any way we can. You continue to play well on your play mat and you scoot around on your belly to get where you want to go. It is almost impossible to keep socks on your feet. You are constantly pulling them off and playing with your feet and toes (which occasionally make their way into your mouth). You are always so happy!



Odds and Ends: You are sitting up so well on your own! You are still a little wobbly but you'll be independent before we know it.



You definitely have teeth on their way. Your drooling has continued to increase and you gnaw on everything. We can now see a couple of indentions on your bottom gum. These were indicators for your big sister so we'll see if it is the same for you.



You experienced your first snow...and loved it!!!

We had several snow days which meant extra snuggles.

You babble so much now. There are times it definitely sounds like you are saying "da-da". Your daddy is so excited. I'm still holding out for mama to be your real first word ;)

Watch him grow...

When It Snows...

It's a well known fact among my circles that I love snow. Most folks call me nuts and I'm ok with that. I've loved it since I was a small child growing up in northern Indiana. Even now it all seems so magical.

This past December was unseasonably warm and I desperately wanted to share some snow play with my littles. We've gone through January with a couple of dustings...that was until Friday. As predicted,  winter storm Jonas hit our part of central Virginia. We were stocked up with food and wood for the woodstove. We were ready to be homebound for a few days.

As I mentioned,  the snow began Friday. School had been canceled in anticipation of the storm. It was the perfect opportunity to make homemade hot chocolate and play in the fresh falling snow.

It came down so quickly.  We were gaining 1-2 inches an hour.

My little lady did not want to come in but the increasing winds eventually forced us inside.

Saturday was spent inside. The wind and snow were fierce. 

Sunday was much nicer. Our roads were not safe so we stayed home from church. My hubby had gone into the fire department on Saturday night so it was just me and the kids. The sunshine was such a welcome sight so we took full advantage of it.

N's first snow

Monday was more of the same, except we made our way down the road to the grandparents' house for some snow fun.

G built her first snowman (she added hair).

She also had her first sled ride.

Overall it has been a blast. I wouldn't trade these moments for anything. 

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Big Change Can Be a Chance for Big Faith

A few years ago my husband came to me with a heavy heart. He was not happy with his job. I don't mean it had been a bad day kind of unhappy. I mean the kind of unhappy where he dreaded heading in, his sleep and health were suffering and his joy had been suppressed. He wanted out.

I knew how hard it was for him to come to me with this. He had a great paying job with good benefits. I had just started to work as a teacher after having had to quit my job to complete student teaching. His paycheck is what pulled us through. We were talking about trying to get pregnant and we had several things on our plate that would make him leaving this particular job difficult.

While I wasn't surprised, I was a little nervous. He proceeded to tell me that he wanted to go into full time firefighting. Becoming a professional firefighter had always been his dream but he did what he was advised upon graduating high school by applying and then working for that particular company. If he had followed his heart, he would have already been in full time fire service.

He said he felt called. Who was I to argue? God had called me out of my previous career to teach. I also knew in my heart that he was meant for this. He lived and breathed firefighting and his passion was to serve others...neither of which he really got to do at his other job. So, we stepped out on faith. He applied for a job through the city, and after several interviews and tests, he got the call that he had been chosen. I have never been so proud.

I was, however, a little anxious. This would mean a lot changes. He would be working 24 hour shifts and depending on the need and demand, he could be working as long as 72 hours at a time. It also meant a HUGE pay cut...as in thousands. It also meant he would be going into blazing buildings while others were running out. He would be willingly putting himself in danger for the sake of another and their possessions. My husband could die doing this.

I prayed about my concerns and in the end I had complete peace about all of it. God had led us to this and He would lead us through this. Of course, when we announced his decision and change of employment I was met with multiple responses:

"He could die! Doesn't that scare you?"

"He's leaving such a good paying job. Is that a smart idea?"

"Many firefighting couples don't make it. The stress is too much on a marriage."

"Won't that be hard when you have kids?"

"I could never do it. I don't like sleeping alone and I wouldn't want my husband gone all the time."

Each question and response were valid. I had played all of those things out in my mind, but I KNEW we were making the right choice. Following God's direction is always right, sometimes hard, but always right. The transitions we faced were sometimes daunting (maybe I'll share about that later) but not for one minute have I regretted our decision.

Sure. He could die in the line of duty, but he could also die in his sleep. He could be in a car wreck or have a heart attack. That's God's call, not mine. I have been blessed in the fact that He works with a true brotherhood. They don't leave their men behind and if he were to die on the job, I know without a doubt that everyone will have done all that they could. I also know he would go doing the job he was called to do.

People have also gotten hung up on our financial sacrifice. God has proven time and time again that He will provide. We rebudgeted and live within our means. We've yet to have a bill paid late or a need that wasn't met.

I cannot sugar coat it. Being the wife of a firefighter is hard. I'm well aware that many marriages don't make it in this line of work. It's stressful and lonely but our marriage is not just about me. It is about us and we work hard to make it work. Do I like sleeping alone? No. Have there been nights I lay awake and worry? Yes. However, when you truly love someone and you truly trust the Lord, you have to put that person's life in His hands and leave him there.

It also definitely poses challenges when it comes to the kids. Being mom and dad to your kids can be really hard. It's important to not vent your frustrations about your single parenting to your children. There are nights I'd pay big money to have him home to help me, but I signed up for this. God gives me enough grace and provision to make it through each day he's gone. Instead of focusing on the time he's gone, I look forward to when he'll be home again. I want my kids to be proud of their daddy. I want him to remain their hero and they can  only do that if I set the example.

God has taught me so much through the course of our marriage and this is just an example of how these opportunities can be used to grow our faith if we let it. God continually remains faithful, even when I struggle. The next time you are faced with a big challenge, try to view it as an opportunity to grow some big faith.

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Committed to Dating My Husband

With two little ones (2 1/2 years and 6 months old) consuming our time and energy, my husband and I have not had a lot of time for us. We'll be married 8 years this fall and we do not want another year to pass consisting of such small amounts of quality time. His job as a fire fighter keeps him away from home a lot and my work as a teacher has me exhausted before my feet ever hit our doorstep. Then we take into account that our evenings consist of making dinner, baths, bedtime, prepping for the next day etc. By the end of it all we're dragging ourselves into bed, falling asleep almost immediately. Romantic I know.

One of my goals this year is to work on some of my relationships. One of those is dedicating more time to my husband and I. We have a great marriage, but with a little more effort and together-time, it could be that much more amazing. Thus our Dating Commitment was formed.

He and I decided to plan for at least one date night a month. We choose our date, mark it on the calender IN PEN, and then decide where we'll go. I've begun collecting a lot of ideas for local dates and we're looking forward to making the most of this time together.

We recently went on our first date of the year. It was super low key and perfect.

We began by heading out midmorning to the local farmers market. We enjoyed browsing various venders and some delious, fresh ground specialty coffees.

We tasted the sweet treats made by Mrs. Joy. She is the winner of this past year's Food Network Christmas Cookie Challenge. Her chocolate chip cookies are some of the absolute best I've ever had. Seriously. I know cookies.

We then browsed a local antique store where we found some inspiration for our future home. 

For instance, this table...

We took part of the afternoon to enjoy an uninterrupted meal.

We finished the afternoon by running a couple of errands. It was so nice to have conversations that didn't revolve around unexplained messes and dirty diapers. We got to talk about our future, our dreams, and hold hands. Normally our hands are holding children, bags, etc. All in all, I honestly would not want to go back to the days before we had kids for anything. However, I did enjoy this first of many dates with my husband. It's so important to take the time to focus on one another...to remember why you fell in love in the first place. You owe it to one and other.

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