Thursday, December 20, 2012

Christmastime is Here....

I can finally exhale (for the most part) and enjoy the rest of the week knowing that I am completely ready for Christmas to be here! All of my gifts are purchased, made, and wrapped under the tree! Don't get me wrong- I've enjoyed every minute of the season so far! I haven't been stressed out to the max or anything. It's just nice to know that it's all done. The list has been checked twice and I'm excited for people to open the gifts we purchased or made for them.

I can't get too relaxed, though. There's still 17 things on my list of things to do today! Sheesh- I will never be ahead again. That's okay.

In other exciting news, Jim surprised me two nights ago with a note and a gift. He said it's the 12 Days of our Anniversary. I mean- what a guy! Sweet notes and little gifts... love my man! He didn't even use Pinterest... Yesterday, I went all around the house looking for my gift, but it turns out I get them at night. Ha.

Oh, shout out to my little brother, Alijah. He turns 11 today! Happy Birthday Dude!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my Mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom!

Jacob and I took her Starbuck's and flowers this morning. After Jacob's nap, we're taking her to lunch. She didn't want a big party, so I honored that. Instead, she wanted some golf lessons. Yup, golf lessons.  Plans are being made for a trip to DFW to get that done. I could seriously go on and on and on about how awesome my Mom is. If you know her, you know these things. She is one of the most giving, selfless people I know, she's a great Mom (I know she would disagree, but I turned out pretty good!), she's a great nurse and soon to be Nurse Practitioner, she loves her kids and her grandkid (probably more than us kids somedays- but he's still all cute and no "real" work save for carrying him around), and love her animals!! She's a good cook, a great listener and gives super awesome wisdom when you need it.

Today is also her sister's, (and my aunt, obviously) Lisa, birthday! Kinda cool that they were born on the same day 4 years apart, huh? Aunt Lisa is just like her sis in many ways- sometimes she's a little bit crazier (in a good way of course!), but she's had a tough year of taking care of her husband and dealing with everything that comes with that and still gives to her church and her family with a smile!

Happy Birthday Girls! We love you!




Sunday, December 16, 2012

When the To Do List gets put on Hold

Zero things got done this weekend. I woke up Saturday feeling incredibly nauseas. I then spent the rest of the day not being able to keep ANYTHING down (not even water) and was afraid I was headed for a repeat of an August trip for IV fluids because of dehydration.

Instead of shopping on Saturday and annual sweets baking day with my Mom and sister on Sunday, I was in bed or in the bathroom.

Shout out to my awesome husband who spent his entire weekend single parenting it with Jacob. It's hard enough to do all day on your only day off, but even harder when you're not used to having to do it all day by yourself. I knew he'd be an awesome, hands on Dad (that's one of the reasons I married him) and it just makes me love him even more when he shines at it!

Now, I have a lengthy to do list, days to complete it, and a headache that only goes away while I'm dosed up on Tylenol. Maybe I should just not worry about any of it since the world ends Friday, right?

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Christmas Vacation

Christmas vacation has officially started for me. Save for picking up my siblings next week, which really isn't that much "work," I can now completely focus on the to do list that is filled with mostly holiday tasks and some first of the year projects.

To start off my vacation, I cut a couple of inches off of my hair. I was wadding it up into a messy bun on the back of my head every day and never fixing it because I would rather do other things than fix my hair but I also felt like a slob. That was a bad sentence, but it was my thought process. Now, it's shorter and thinned out so I can wear it down and curly (which is what will happen most days)' pulled back for dance and working out and straightened for special occasions. I also got some side bang things that are going to drive me crazy for a while.

I'm not finished buying/making Christmas presents which is a must. Then, they will need to be wrapped. I really haven't thought much passed that and probably don't need to as it may cause unnecessary anxiety for my OCD personality. PS: I love Amazon. Not only do I get free two day shipping on most things, it's sometimes cheaper and you get a free box. Could not be any easier.

So that's what I have planned for the weekend along with some family things. I'll be back Monday to let you know more about it. I know you're dying to know.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

So Thankful for my Church

Yesterday, I had one of those weird moments where you feel like you're walking through a flashback in a movie or tv show. I was at my church getting ready for our dance recital and I had to go in a different entrance as they were doing some exterior work at the main one. I was walking down the long hallway and all of these memories flooded my head.

I set foot in that church for the first time to attend the funeral of my teammate and friend Lacey. She had decided that the world was more than she could handle and had ended her own life my freshman year of high school.

I didn't start seriously attending services there until my junior year. From that point forward, God began great things for my life that were, well, life-altering. My journey on this earth took a drastic turn from where I thought it would be going.

I graduated from high school and decided to stay home and attend school here, met a guy who would be instrumental in involving me in children's ministry and introduce me to my mentor, Julie. Walking down that long hallway, I remembered walking into offices and getting schedules and tasks, helping out and learning new things about ministry. The walls were a different color and the break room for the janitors was filled with faces, some who still work there, others who have moved on in jobs or from this world, and I half expect one of them to come around the corner.

I would move on from children's ministry to youth ministry. There is a special group of girls that hold their place in my life when I felt so alive and really loved what I did. They're all in college now, taking on their own journeys. Julie would introduce me (in a most embarrassing way) to my husband. I became an assistant after directing the sports ministry and learning that being in charge is NOT my thing. Being an assistant was hard, but I was so appreciated by my bosses and loved what I did that it made it worth it. Now, I'm just a volunteer and love doing what I can to help out and teaching dance to four sweet girls.

As I pushed Jacob down that hallway, I just connected all those dots and got a little sentimental. Of course, it was God's plan all along, but my life is what it is in part because of all of those memories and circumstances that the hundred year old building holds. I am who I am because God used them for my good and His glory. There are some rough spots and some spots that weren't very fun, but I'm so thankful for each of them. I'm thankful to be on this journey with my Lord, and it makes me excited for what's down the road: the good and the bad, but all beautifully orchestrated.

Taco Soup and Missouri Cookies

Last week, it was eighty degrees and yesterday it snowed 2 inches. My favorite tweet yesterday came from a girl in our college group that said something along the lines that there were two types of people: those who freak out about the snow online and those who complain about those posting about the snow online. Like I said yesterday, this wasn't Jacob's first snow, but we got out and took a picture anyway.



For the record, the roads were pretty bad yesterday morning as it was in the twenties and school got canceled for high school down (two area colleges went on with finals scheduled as normal I believe). We took Jim to work around 8:30 and then came home for our morning routine of playing and napping. We went to my Mom's house to visit with her and my sister, Lexie, ran some errands with me. We did some grocery shopping and Christmas shopping, and I took her home before Jacob's afternoon nap. I made Taco Soup for dinner and we gave Jacob a bath after picking up Jim for his office. We did our Jesse Devotional and put Jacob down and then watched Monday Night Football. Jim and I are playing each other in our Fantasy league this week. I won. Boo ya!

Oh, I also made some delicious Missouri cookies yesterday during Jacob's afternoon nap. Yummy. Here are those recipes:

Missouri Cookies

2 cups sugar
Dash of salt
3 tbsp. cocoa
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
3 cups oats

1. Mix cocoa, sugar, butter and milk. Heat until bubbly.
2. Turn off heat and stir in salt, vanilla and peanut butter. Mix well.
3. Gradually add the oats
4. Drop onto wax/parchment paper.

My Grandmother's Taco Soup

2 lbs. hamburger meat
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 can each undrained pinto beans, ranch style beans, corn, rotel
1 can drained diced tomatoes
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning

1. Brown meat and onion together.
2. Add pinto beans, ranch style beans, corn and rotel and stir until combined.
3. Add tomatoes, taco seasoning and ranch seasoning and stir again.
4. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes and serve with cheddar cheese on top.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Baby It's Cold Outside

This month is flying by and the weather has finally caught up with the calendar. Temperatures have been in the 60s and 70s during the day and 40s at night. The windchill last night got down into the 20s! There is actually snow on the ground this morning and schools are delayed. This isn't Jacob's first snow, though, as it snowed randomly in February just days after we came home from the hospital.

Friday, Jim was starving when we got off from work, so we called an audible and had sonic for dinner. We played a board game on the iPad (Ticket to Ride) and watched a movie that was on TV. I also finished sewing our stockings and so the house is as decorated as it's going to be for Christmas.


Saturday, Jim took Jacob to his parents' house so I could have some "me" time. I mostly worked on the house and cooked a delicious lunch. Jim came back home to lay Jacob down and then went to watch our high school alumni make history and get the farthest in the playoffs in football. (I feel like that is a terrible sentence.) When Jacob woke up, we braved the mall and did some Christmas shopping. My sister and her boyfriend were in town, so they came over that night to watch Jacob while Jim and I attended a church Christmas party.


Yesterday morning was a normal Sunday for us. Jacob woke up a little earlier so he went down for his nap a little early. It worked out because we actually got to church on time and I got to take a nap after feeling like I couldn't keep my eyes open. He wore a sweater vest for the first time (Jim's Dad loves sweater vests) and looked super handsome. After church, an afternoon nap for Jacob, we bundled up and went to look a local lights display.


Tomorrow night is my first dance recital as a teacher. I've got a few things to finish up before it and we've also got grocery shopping and some people to visit.

What did you do his weekend??





Friday, December 7, 2012

Blogging's Been on the Backburner

I haven't been blogging regularly. It's not because I haven't had time; it's just because I've been spending on it things that were more important to me than the blog. I'm a firm believer in that you make time for what's important. 

There's lots I want to blog about. It's Christmas and with that comes the usual hustle and bustle of the holidays. It's our first Christmas as a family of three and I want to make is special, but not go crazy. After all, Jacob won't really remember this. But, it's important that we make Christmas special for our family with our traditions and for the right reasons. We've been doing an activity every day to count down the days until Christmas. We've also been participating in a Jesse Tree devotional. I'll share all about it when we're done.

I'm excited for some time off from one of my jobs to completely refocus and plan for next semester. I'm excited for Jim to get some time off to to hang out with us. We've got fun Christmas plans ahead and I can't wait!

Today, Jacob and I made some Edible Arrangement deliveries for my Mom. She's finishing up her FNP degree and had to do some clinicals. She wanted to thank them so we made the deliveries for her to save her the $24. Jacob was a rock star on the two hour errand. He played with his toys, talked to whatever was out the window, and we listened to the "Twas the Night Before Christmas" from the Holiday Traditions station on Sirius. We made a stop at small town Sonic to eat lunch. He deserved a car seat break and I was hungry. I put him in the front seat facing the highway and he watched the cars and trucks drive by while I ate. 



We did a diaper change and headed home. He ALMOST fell asleep in the car but I kept him awake until we got home. I laid him down almost 30 minutes ago and he's still in there talking to Mr. Grinch. Hopefully he gets a nap in before we have to go pick up my siblings.

I'm going to try to update on a more regular basis, even if it's from my phone or iPad. Getting behind makes it more overwhelming to start back up! 

Monday, December 3, 2012

Jacob :: 10 Months

My baby boy is 10 months old. I can't believe in 2 more months, we'll have a one year old! I better get planning for his baseball party!!



It is so fun watching Jacob learn new things. He has a toy that requires two steps (putting a toy on it and pulling a lever) and he does it without help (and then claps for himself!). He is waking up just once a night (sometimes two but we cry it out) and napping so well now (two naps a day anywhere from 1-2 hours each). He is talking constantly and saying "da da" ALL THE TIME. The only time I ever hear him say "ma ma" is when he is crying. We got a different diaper to try (for chunky thighed babies, but it didn't work out.

I got out a tub of clothes that I purchased last summer. They were clothes I assumed we'd be wearing next year, mostly 24 months and 2T, depending on the brand. The table food thing didn't last, as he constantly gagged and is having trouble with that pincer grasp (guess the few times he did it last month were just lucky!) He loves playing in the floor with his toys and jumping in his saucer.

He scoots on his bottom to move around. He's made the crawling motion a few times. Last night, he even pulled up to a sitting position in bed (while he was sleeping). I'm not sure he realized what he was doing and then couldn't figure out how to lay back down so he started crying.

So excited to be getting ready for his first Christmas!