Day 30 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

I'm glad it's the last day. I know that probably sounds horrible- but it's been a lot of work and sometimes stress to do this everyday. BUT, it has made me more thankful, even sometimes if it's for silly things. Just like our purpose statement says, we want to be a family that is characterized by gratitude.

Day 30: On the Wall (Our Family Purpose Statement)

Day 29 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

So thankful that today is Thursday! It's been a crazy week and I'm so ready for a normal weekend!

Day 29 : Big

Day 28 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I'm thankful that Wednesdays are a day off for me and Jacob! We can get back on our schedule and do things on our time and just hang out! Love Wednesdays!

Day 28 : Vehicle
Cleaning out the car is on our to do list today!

Day 27: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today I am thankful for the news that Scott Feldman is no longer a Texas Ranger!

Day 27 : Tree (Christmas, of course!)

Day 26 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I'm thankful for my step-mom! Happy Birthday, Stacey!

Day 26:: In the Cupboard

Day 25 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, on this last day of Thanksgiving vacation, I'm thankful for a day home with my little family and time to decorate for Christmas. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday (fall is my favorite season!) because it means we get time off to spend with family and doing lots of fun things. It is after all, the MOST wonderful time of the year! I'm excited to spend Jacob's first Christmas with him.

Day 25: The Sky

Day 24 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

I'm thankful that Christmas season is finally here! It's going to be Jacob's first, so I'm excited to decorate and start and continue traditions. Today, Jim went to his parents' house and I had time to clean the house and de-autumnize the house in preparation for decking the halls!

Photo A Day: A Sound I Heard

Day 23 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I'm thankful that the day wasn't any worse than it was. I'm not sure that's something to really be thankful for, but it's what I got today. My mom's key fob for her Altima was run over by a lawn mower which made for an interesting day of towing the car to the dealership and my child not napping.

Photo A Day: Black

Day 22 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful today for an ENTIRE DAY to spend with family and friends!

Photo A Day: Grateful for my ENTIRE family!

Day 21 :: Photo a Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I'm thankful for the means to be able to "cut back" to save some money. It's never fun eliminating luxuries, but some people need to cut back, but have to pick between much harder things, food or heat, car or house payment, etc.

Photo A Day :: What I Wore

Day 20 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I'm thankful that vacation from work has officially begun. I have no dance classes this week and my Mom is off the rest of the week, so no kid duties (as far as "work" goes!) Of course, I'm learning that as a Mom, vacations don't really exist anymore. Even if I get some time "off" I can't not be in "mom" mode. He's totally worth it, though!

Photo A Day: Work/Play
Like I said, I'm "off" work, but we did have some things come up today and I had to go assist with the siblings. I went to get my little brother (he was home sick) because he was scared and when we left, I unknowingly locked my older siblings out of the house. After some magic and Zac skinnying through a window, we got in. I don't have a picture, but I do have the text from my Mom that was going on.

Play time always happens during nap times (after the necessaries are done, of course!)

Life Update

You know what happens when you wait too long to write an actual update on life? You stare at a blank screen because it's so overwhelming. So, let's start at the beginning.

I love my job. Sure, some days are trying, but that's life with 3-9 year olds. The only problem is that it was a serious pay cut and now we've got some decisions to make. THEN, our garage door broke twice and our gas dryer went out. Thankfully, the garage door company came and repaired it for free since it had been less than a month between breakings. However, on top of purchasing new appliances, we had to have an electrician come out and run electricity to the laundry area because our previous dryer was gas; we needed more power!

So, we got all that taken care of. And, we're trying to wisely pray through the process of where our family is headed. Thankfully, my husband is a rockstar steward of our finances and we have taken the steps to be ready for this situation. And more than that, GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES FOR US. Sure, it doesn't mean he provides for all our little luxuries, but it means we'll have everything we need. And folks, you don't really need much. And yes, it's way easier for me to type this on this blank page. Sure, I'll probably have to be reminded of it, but it's the truth. It will be a good exercise in the discipline of contentment and not comparing myself, my belongings, my life to others.

Life definitely ain't all bad, though!

• I'm super excited about the Thanksgiving holiday. I love having the whole day to spend with your family and eat good food. We'll be spending this Thanksgiving primarily with my family as Christmas will be spent with Jim's family out of town. 
• While spending the money wasn't fun, especially on something boring like a washer and dryer, it's nice having new stuff that works! We can actually dry our diapers now! The gas dryer was either on or off- but this one has a high, low and medium setting! It's the little things....
• Christmas decorating and the Christmas season officially begin Friday. I'll be taking a hard look at the Christmas stuff we have and paring down the collection.
• I've become quite the chef if I do say so myself. All the Food Network watching has paid off a little bit. Just ask Jim- he'll tell you. He'll also tell you that my watching Food Network has paid off way more than when I watched HGTV all the time and was constantly discontent about what my house wasn't.
• Oh yeah....and there's these things that I'm super thankful for and I've been picking one thing a day; and even on the bad days, I still have something to say "thanks" for. 

Day 19 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, my photo a day and "thankful thing" go hand in hand. My Mom bought us dinner and gave us some beautiful flowers just as an extra thank you for "everything." My Mom pays me for my "work" for her, but sometimes things come up, so she just wanted to make sure we knew that we were appreciated. Of course, she doesn't realize that sometimes things come up on our end, too, and we know we can always count on her for help!

Day 18 :: Photo a Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Day 18- Today I'm thankful for my church and my Pastor. I don't know first hand, but I've heard from lots of people that our body of believers is unique! I love where I serve, I love my table and the challenge and laughs as well as they joys and sorrows they bring, and the Bible Study I attend!

Today's photo: Happened this weekend, the installation of our new washer and dryer!

Day 17 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I'm thankful for the help my in laws gave us in getting our new washer and dryer to our house and installed!

Day 17 :: The Last Thing I Bought

Day 16 :: Photo a Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I am thankful for my sweet cousin, once removed (but let's not get technical!) Jett! We celebrated his first year of life tonight (his actual birthday is on Thanksgiving) and it was super fun getting to hang out with family and friends and expose Jacob to lots of kids! He loves feeling like a big boy! I'm of course thankful for his whole family (Justin, Amber & Lila-Kate)- but it was his day today! We love the Bindel family!

Photo A Day :: View from my Window
We have a window inside of our house that looks out onto the sunroom. A window that doesn't look outside. I was bathing Jacob and saw these sun streaks streaming through the blinds.

Day 15 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I am thankful for the people in our lives that we look to as mentors! Jim and I both have been blessed with great ones who speak truth into our lives, help us view our circumstances wisely, pray for us and encourage us!

Day 15 :: In your Bag
This is what was in Jacob's diaper bag while we did a 3 mile mall walk this morning.

Day 14 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today I am thankful for an entire day off so that Jacob and I could accompany Jim on a quick business trip! Even though it was an early morning (4:30 AM wake up!) we had so much fun and Jacob was so good! I love hanging out with my family!

Day 14: Man Made
I actually made these a couple of days ago, but it was a Pinterest recipe and it was oh so good!

Day 13 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I am thankful for the ladies that make Tuesday Morning Bible Study happen! We have been studying Covenant this semester and it has been awesome. It has caused me to look deeply at things in my life and has changed the way I look at the Bible. Thanks for your obedience and hard work, Anne & Rebecca (and everyone else involved behind the scenes!)

Day 13 Photo: Where I slept (my unmade bed!)

Day 12 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I am thankful for the random days Jim has off. Jacob and I love having him home during the day!

Day 12: Drink
I'm pretty sure I've officially become a Coca Cola drinker.

Day 11 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, as we celebrate Veteran's Day, I'm thankful for those who have and who are serving our country. Closer to home, I'm thankful for my late Grandfather, who fought in WW2 and Jim's grandfather, who I only knew for a short time. I wish Jacob could have known his great-grandfathers.

Day 12: Night
(Indiglo function on my watch so I can see it at night!)

Day 10 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I am thankful that we live less than 10 minutes away from grandparents! They're always eager to watch Jacob so that Jim and I can go on dates and spend quality time together. Dating still happens after you're married.

Day 10: Something I can't (won't) Live Without
Ponytail Holders...My hair doesn't go a full day without being in a ponytail. Most days, it's wadded up on the back of my head wet.

Day 9 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I'm thankful for the wise encouragement of a great friend in helping me deal with Jacob's completely unpredictable schedule these last couple of days. It's such a blessing to have people to walk this road of motherhood with.

Day 9 :: Something Small

Day 8 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I'm thankful that I was able to find a sitter (thanks, Tiffany!) to come sit with Jacob while I taught dance. Growing up, babysitting was such an easy job for me and I always felt like people over-payed me for what I actually did, but now I completely understand the peace of mind you have when you leave your child with someone you trust. I would hate to not have ANY other choice and have to leave Jacob somewhere I didn't feel comfortable.

Photo A Day 8 :: Something I do everyday is drive a car.

Fall Decor in My Home

I liked decorating for seasons and holidays, but I don't want to stress myself out about it. I also don't like having a ton of stuff to store, so I try to keep things simple, but still fun! After all, part of our family purpose statement is that our home would be a place of love, safety AND FUN!

Our mantle has some tiny artificial pumpkins with our fall smelling candles. I made the banner last year; it says "Thanks." The back of the banner says "Autumn" (double duty banner!). I changed it from Autumn to Thanks once November showed up on the calendar.

The wreath on our front door was an after-season buy from Target a couple of years ago. I got it on clearance. Before November, a happy Jack o Lantern hangs on the door, but I change it out, obviously, once Halloween is over. 

The bottom left picture is our entertainment shelf that houses our cable boxes, game systems and movies/video games. I just put these three candle holders with that I got for my birthday from my Dad a few years ago to make things a little more special.

The bottom right picture is a picture of my table. The picture above it more closely showcases my centerpiece. The brown table cloth is from Target, the table runner (with embroidered leaves) is from Wal Mart. The black tray is from Jim's cousin and the glass pumpkin from Jim's Mom. The artificial leaves, gourds, pumpkins and pine cones are also from Jim's Mom. I just filled the pumpkin with the pine cones and put it in the middle of the tray and added the leaves and other stuff around it.

So, thats Fall at our house! Do you decorate for seasons?

Day 7 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I'm thankful for the means to be able to seek out healthcare (specifically dental care, as I went and had my teeth cleaned!) and to be able to have a role in deciding who we see for our medical care. I'm also thankful for the nurses in my family (Mom, Aunt, Cousin and my late Grandmother) who always give us their honest opinion with a dose of love!

Day 7 Photo A Day: Reflection
I didn't want to take a picture of myself, so I tried to think of other ways to interpret the word reflection and decided to do a search on YouVersion.

Day 6 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Day 6: Today I am thankful to live in the United States. We have the privilege and right to vote and take part in our governmental process. We have many freedoms that were bought with a high price that others in the world don't enjoy. I really have no reason to ever complain about anything because I'm better off than like 90% of the world. While all the debating sometimes annoys me, I remember that there are few places in the world that people could openly debate such things and I'm thankful.

Photo A Day: A Favorite Thing
I always prefer to right with Sharpie Pens

Day 5 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Day 5: Today, I'm thankful that we did the hard work of making Jacob learn to put himself to sleep. Sure, he still wakes up in the night to eat, but putting him down at nap times and bed times are most of the time stress free. We do it about the same time every day, following his cues as well. We went through some hard weeks of letting him cry a while. He still fusses a bit, but puts himself to sleep.

Photo A Day: 5 o clock
I was at my nanny job and this is what it looked like at 5...

Day 4 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

For today's 30 Days of Thankfulness, I'm going to lump my family in together. If I took a day to be thankful for each member of just me immediate family, well, that'd take up the whole month. I'm the oldest of 11 kids. That doesn't count parents, in-laws, aunts and uncles, cousins....you get my point. Sometimes, family members are difficult to deal with, but I know I'm difficult to deal with sometimes, too, so it all evens out. I wouldn't trade any of them for the world. Marriage is a beautiful thing for a lot of reasons, but one important one is the expansion of family. I have twice the love, friends, encouragement and support! Jacob is well loved by them all, and so are we.

Photo A Day 4 :: TV
Most every Sunday, we watch NFL on TV and watch our Fantasy Teams.

Day 3:: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Something I'm Thankful For:

It probably goes without saying, but I'm crazy thankful for my closet ally in the world, Jim. Sure, it goes without saying for me, but sometimes those things are the most important. I was just reading on Facebook last night about someone going through a difficult divorce and it hurt my heart. 

Jim is my best friend. There's no one I'd rather spend a free day with than him. He speaks truth to my confusing emotions and helps me sort out my thoughts. He is an amazing Dad and loves us both so well. He is the man of the house, the leader that I look to for guidance and I know Jacob will do the same. 

Day 3 :: Breakfast

Today was a picture of breakfast! This is what I eat EVERY MORNING.

Day 2 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Day 2 of Something I'm Thankful for: So thankful for a healthy, happy little boy! He is the most challenging and yet at the same time the best part of my days! His smile and giggle make me smile, and when he shakes his fists at me because he wants me, even though it means he's probably a little bit spoiled, my heart is full because he loves his momma! I'm so thankful God chose us as stewards of his life; we seek His wisdom daily in doing our part the best that we can.

Day 2 of Photo A Day: Color
The Autumn color palette is by far my favorite of the year!

I realize the link may not be working from yesterday's post, so here's the list from her website (Fat Mum Slim).

Jacob :: 9 Months

Yesterday, Jacob turned 9 months old! We went to the doctor for his check up, so here's what we found out, plus some other important information in my favorite way of writing, a list:

• He weighs 26 pounds 2 ounces
• He is 31 inches long (that's almost a yard!)
• He is still off the chart in height and weight, but follows a proportional curve above the graph
• He can play Pat A Cake, Peek A Boo, give high fives, wave (sometimes at appropriate times) and has good control of the "pincer" grasp (using his index finger and thumb to grab things) and a good "vocabulary" (makes lots of different sounds with his mouth in response to things).
• He is wearing 18-24 month clothes, but we've even had to venture into 2T for pajamas and some t-shirts.
• He was a skunk for his first Halloween
• I did find some shoes from Old Navy that will stay on his feet (as long as he isn't able to pull them off!)
• We will start offering table food to him since he seems to be snobby about preferring nursing over baby food. Feeding my child has been the hardest part so far about being a Mom. I never know if I'm doing the right thing or when to change. That probably sounds weird because you would think eating would be something you wouldn't have much trouble with, but it's hard for me. I need a checklist!
• He got a flu shot today and cried less than a minute.
• Still loves jumping-jumping-jumping in his bouncer and is content to sit in the floor with toys to play.
• Has made no motion toward crawling. He's got until 12 months to start or we'll have to do some physical therapy. I've been assured/encouraged that this is not uncharacteristic by other mom-friends. Things change so fast, anyway, I'm not worried about it at all. We'll be adding in some baby massage/exercises to see if that helps.
• He still doesn't sleep through the night. We go 7 hours at the most, but some nights he wakes up 2 or 3 times. If I didn't have a job, I'd probably be more into to crying it out in the middle of the night, but knowing nap times are my only "me" time at home to get stuff done (like showering or Bible Study or cleaning) before I go to work in the afternoons just makes me want to get him back to sleep ASAP so I can go back to sleep, too. I figure once he weans from breastfeeding, I'll be more gung-ho about making him cry it out.
• He's been wearing a disposable diaper at night- every diaper he was wearing was leaking and I was done changing sheets/jammies in the middle of the night. We're hoping for some different diapers for Christmas that will change that.

And now, for cute pictures:

Day 1 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

I'm going to jump on two bandwagons for the month of November.

NOVEMBER

The first is Photo A Day. I've tried this a few times, but it was before I got my new iPhone and so it's much easier to share pictures now. I'll be doing this Photo A Day Challenge!

The other thing is 30 days of Thankfulness!

Being thankful and focusing on the things you have and not the things you don't can do WONDERS to your attitude and perspective on life. It's pretty much a guarantee! Join with me?

This means I'll occasionally be posting twice a day, but it's my blog and I'll do what I want!

Day 1 :: Something That Starts With "C"

Day 1 :: A fitting place to start for being thankful is the beginning. For me, that's my Heavenly Father's love. All the rest of the good gifts (i.e. things I'm thankful for) are from Him through the work of Christ on the cross! Without it, I am dead in my sin, doomed to a life of hopelessness.