Birthday & Baseball

We have had a great past few weekends! We were able to go visit family and celebrate one of my nephew's 2nd birthday! Caden is such a joy...always smiling and happy! Here's the birthday boy:



After cutting the cake, we let Owen dig in! He has had cake before, but he has never been able to eat it on his own. He figured it out rather quickly!!


After the party, we got all the grandboys dressed in their Easter best and got some shots of them together! We are truly blessed with such sweet, handsome boys!

(L to R) Caden, Owen, Logan, Davis & Reed

Logan (4) & Caden (2)
Davis (3) & Reed (1)
Owen (8 months)

The next weekend after Caden's birthday party, Matt, Owen & I went to Dallas to help with Leadership Training for Christ (LTC). It is a Christian conference where thousands of Christians come together and use their talents to glorify God. Kids from 3rd grade though seniors in high school choose different areas of ministry to showcase the talents God has given them. They can participate in puppets, modern drama, power point, songleading, Bible reading, Bible quiz, chorus, etc. The kids from our church did a great job and we were blessed to be there with them.

The following Monday was opening day at the Ballpark in Arlington. Matt was SO excited to take Owen to his first baseball game!

Although our life is crazy & busy...we are so blessed and are enjoying every minute with our precious son!

First Steps!

So Owen started taking some steps behind a little push toy this weekend! It was SO cute! Each time he tries, he gets a little better!

Watching him learn so much in the past 8 months has been amazing. It seems like he just grows a little more each day and learns a little more each day. It truly is fascinating to see a baby, who has only been here a short while, be able to learn and comprehend so much. It really is a miracle.

Having Owen has completely changed my perspective on life. It also has changed the way I view my relationship with my heavenly Father. From the love I have for Owen, I have seen a teeny tiny glimpse of how God feels about me. That unconditional love is so powerful, and if I never had had a child, I'm not sure I would have grasped that. Its so refreshing to see God as my father, and not this big, bad judge peering down his nose at me. He is rooting for me. He wants me to succeed. For so long, I just had the wrong idea of who God is. No matter what Owen ever does to me, I will always love him and he will always be my son. I'm excited to know that no matter what I do to God, He will always love me and I will always be His daughter.

And knowing that God is rooting for me and not peering down his nose at me gives me the desire to do better because I know he wants me to, but he's not making me. I know these seem like simple concepts to Christians, but for some reason it had not clicked with me until I had my own child.

All this to say, I'm grateful God has blessed me with a child, and because of Owen, I am a better person. :)

Copy/paste the link below into your browser to see the video of Owen walking (not sure if you can click on it or not):
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1412922168868

Our crazy life...

So I keep naively thinking that "next month, our life will slow down a little bit." WRONG! I just looked at my April calendar today at work, and we have something going on every weekend in April except for one. Just ONE. It is crazy. So anyway, that is another reason I have failed to update the bloggy-blog, because between work, hubby, baby, church, new photography business (I'll get to that in a minute), friends, family, birthday parties, trips, website maintenace, facebook maintenance, my prayer life, my Bible reading, exercising, calorie counting....I'm just going to stop there because I'm exhausted just from reading that, but between everything going on, there is just no time. It has really become frustrating because I feel like in every area of my life, I am just treading water, just enough to stay afloat. I am never on the surface or ahead, I'm just always barely making it work. And that is not typical for me, so it has definitely been an adjustment.
One thing I've realized on this new ride of motherhood, you CANNOT have & do it all. I would like to think that if I was a stay-at-home mom, my house would be cleaner, more organized, more dinners cooked, etc. Not sure if that really happens since I see now that it is hard to get things done with a little one around. But I know for a FACT that I cannot do it all while working. I go to work, to the job that helps pay the bills, then I come home to the job that I truly love. And the funny thing is, the job I truly love is the harder one. But, I have learned that my house is going to looked lived in, and if someone drops by unexpectedly and sees our lived in house, I will just tell them "Welcome to our home! Just move the laundry over and have a seat or you can just sit right on top of it! Or better yet, why don't ya fold it?!" Haha...its kind of nice to be at that place..of realizing that I don't have to be perfect.
I think you have to let go of things and realize that its more important to play with your kiddos and spend time with your family than have a house that sparkles. So, I can TOTALLY deal with that. :) And, I mean, look at this sweet face. Wouldn't YOU rather love on him than do house chores? I THINK SO! :)

On the bright side, our yard guys will be starting soon, so that is one area I'm GLAD to let go of!
Ok, quick note about the photography business...it is just a side thing we are doing, more like a hobby that I get paid for! Which is great. It has really started picking up and I feel like with each shoot I learn a little more and get a little better. But I still have a ways to go and a lot to learn...which I am looking forward to!

Lists!

I have always loved making lists. Lists of people to invite to parties, lists for the grocery store, lists of things I need to do, etc. Now I have reached a point in my life that I have to have lists in order to function! As I mentioned in my last post, my brain is on overload mode and its easy to forget things. If I don't write it down, it doesn't get done. I have an iPhone that I love. One way it helps me with list making is I keep a running list on a dry erase board on the door to our laundry room. Then, when I'm ready to go to the store, I just take a picture of the list with my phone, and away we go!

Speaking of lists, I could list so many things that I am blessed with. My wonderful family, my health, great friends, my church family, my home, my job and a really happy, easy life. Sometimes, it is kind of scary how blessed I am. I see so many people around me struggling in a bad marriage, struggling with death, sickness, diseases, struggling with their walk with God...and I could go on. I feel kind of like I'm waiting for someone to pull the rug out from underneath me... almost as if I'm waiting for the bad thing to happen to me. But it is so reassuring to know that no matter what happens in this life, God has His hand in everything. A friend and I were talking about this very thing a few days ago, and she said that when she prays and thanks God for her blessings, she is sure to mention that even if He takes it all away, she will still praise Him. I'm with her on that one. When thinking on this I am reminded of Job 2: 10:

He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman.
Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

I'm thankful today for all the wonderful blessings God HAS chosen to give me, and if he takes it all away, I'm still thankful. Speaking of blessings, I will have to be a doting mother and post a couple of pics of one of my biggest blessings, Owen. :) Enjoy, and not only have a blessed day, but be thankful for it!

Moms are Super Heroes...

After getting into a little scuttle with my hubby about my forgetful nature, it occurred to me that men just DO NOT understand what it is like to be a woman, and especially a mom. Now, this is not "new" news...there's been books published about this very thing, like Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus and I'm sure hundreds more, but it just made me realize how he doesn't understand that I forget things because my brain is in overload mode. I'm constantly taking care of everyone else.

I read someone's blog the other day that summed it up nicely. When asked what super power she could have if she could be a super hero, one mom answered, "I AM a super hero! I grow babies and make milk!!" AMEN, SISTER!

So this just made me think about how so much, well really, ALL of the time I do not think about myself. My child and husband are constantly on the forefront of my brain.

"Did I pack enough diapers? Did I throw the wipe box in his bag? Oh NO! I forgot the gas medicine! Did I pack a toy? Is he dressed warm enough? Do I need to bring his bumbo? " These, along with thousands more, are some of the thoughts that go through my head, and it is not even 7 a.m. yet! So I'm thinking of someone else from the time I wake up, until the time I get in bed when my mind starts going again with, "Does Owen know how much we love him? Did I sing to him today? Did I read enough to him today? Am I doing everything I should be doing regarding his deveolpment and well-being? Am I showing my hubby enough attention? Am I doing a good job letting him know how much he's appreciated?" And then, at that moment, I stop.

And I pray.

I ask God for wisdom and guidance and peace. And then, my brain turns off and I can drift off to sleep. Isn't that wonderful?

I'm so grateful to have a relationship with God. I'm so thankful for a Heavenly Father that is rooting for me and not peering down His nose at me tallying my mistakes. I'm thankful that when I feel like I can't possibly go on, His strength makes me a super hero.

Phil. 4:13: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Yes we can. And that, my friends, is super. :)

Our life COULD be a sitcom...

When Matt and I were first married, we would hang out all the time with my brother, Michael & his wife Bekah, and we still do! At that time, Michael managed a pizza shop and Bekah worked there. So when Matt and I got off work, we would just go hang out with them while they worked. Many funny events happened at that pizza shop.

One time in particular, Bekah was really wanting a new rug for her house. She just decided to go get one from Lowe's. Michael, on the other hand, was trying to keep a tight budget. So we were sitting in one of the booths at the pizza shop and she was telling me about this rug she bought and Michael overheard her. I will never forget the image of Michael grabbing her car keys, taking that rug, throwing it in the back of her Honda (the rug was sticking out the back and the trunk was still open) and peeling out of the pizza shop's parking lot. All was saw were the tail lights! He returned the rug to Lowe's. She bought another rug shortly thereafter, and she got to keep it this time. :)

There are many other fond memories from the shop...Matt & I had our engagement party there! So I've always said the life of us 4 was so funny, because we were always laughing and getting in funny situations. I said we need to have our own TV show and call it 2 Guys, 2 Gals & A Pizza Place. Michael & Matt said that was stupid. But I REALLY thought we could make some money! We were funny to us, so surely other people would think we were funny, too, right?!

Most recently, Matt & I had a small grease fire in our kitchen. Another story that would have added comedy to the show. Long story short, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off and Matt was calmy sprinkling flour on the fire as if he was seasoning a steak. I was ready to call 911 for a fire that was the size of an oven burner. That is why I could never be a firewoman or policewoman. Not the best handler of sticky situations!

I'm so glad God has given me this fun life that while it always keeps me guessing and not knowing what will happen next, it most DEFINITELY keeps me laughing. I'm so thankful for that.

Here's an old pic of Bekah & I at our old hangout. :)

Michael had the sign ready for our engagement party. He also made us a heart shaped pizza! :)

2010...Really?!?!

So it has been THREE months since I last blogged. And I had to change my blog url because I changed my email address.

So to play a little catch up: My quiet, sleep-all-the-time baby has woken up! :) He is SO much fun and such a joy. He loves playing with toys and being read to. At only 5 months! I am so proud. Haha..I think every Mom has the smartest, cutest, ahead of the pack child, don't you agree? He is still a really easy going baby, though. Not fussy, just very smiley and content. Loves to be talked to by ANYONE, especially the girls at church! He is rolling over, laughing, "talking," pushing up during tummy time- the typical 5 month old.

It is amazing how when I look at Owen, I'm so in love with him and he can't even talk to me yet. It just reminds me of the love our Heavenly Father has for us. Being a mom has TOTALLY transformed the way I view God and my relationship with him. I'm so grateful, and so humbled.

As far as what is going on with Matt & I, we are just enjoying life and enjoying the new year being a family of 3. 2009 was very good to us, and I know 2010 will be even better! We've made some resolutions together. We have prayed together every night since we've been a couple. Even during the time we lived away from each other, we would pray together on the phone before we went to bed. Well, in the last few months, that routine has gone out the window! So we've resolved to make that a habit again. Another resolution for both of us is weight loss!! It's time we get these out of shape bodies ready and conditioned to keep up with our little man! So we are in a "biggest loser" contest with some friends that started Jan. 1. So far so good!! (This is only day 4, but its a start!!) Another resolution I have that was nudged on by a friend is becoming part of a memory verse team. She has a blog, scripturememoryteam.blogspot.com,(if you'd like to join us, feel free!) and on the 1st & 15th of each month, we are writing what scripture we are memorizing. So by 2011, we will have memorized 24 verses and written the Word on our hearts. SO excited about this! Thanks Anna! :)

Well I wish you all a Happy & Blessed 2010!! Here's a pic from the holidays!