Sweet Snippets

Wash it all away...

2012-04-07T11:26:00.002-07:00

There is something about a spring rain.
Something that wells up inside of me and makes me feel more alive.
Winter is always so long and trying.
It weighs heavy on me.
Spring comes and there is new and beautiful life everywhere.
It's refreshing.
It's inspiring.
Yet winter still weighs heavy...
Until it pours.
It washes away all of the sadness.
The despair.
The darkness.
It cleanses from the inside out.

It is pouring outside.
It is refreshing.
It has brought with it a calm.
A much needed calm I might add...
She has been teething!
We are worn out.
We needed a refresh.

Being a parent, I learn more and more about God's love for us each day.
If I would gladly take my Sweet Afton's pain and bear it for her...
How much more He for us.
I hate to see her in pain.
She doesn't understand it either.
She doesn't know why she is hurting.
How familiar.
I know that it is because she has tiny little teeth pushing through.
How often are we hurting and don't understand why?
He knows why and He desires to take us through it.

I have more mommying to do now...
I love to sit and watch her play.
I just adore her.
Everything she does is precious.
Then, just when I've had my fill of Afton watching...
She looks up and flashes me a devious smile.
What a reward...

Oh the places you'll go...

2012-03-30T20:20:00.002-07:00

I wish that Afton could remember all of the adventures that we have taken her on.

We took a vacation!
It was quite spectacular to get out and have absolutely nothing to do.

No phone calls to answer, no e-mails to check, no fires to put out.

We started in Eureka Springs. The views were quite amazing.

We checked out the glass chapel. As I'm writing this I have totally forgotten it's actual name. :-/

On the way out of Eureka and on to Branson we stopped in at Cosmic Cavern.

It had 2 bottomless lakes that were quite pretty.

It also had many, many steep and wet stairs.

Todd wore Afton to insure maximum safety. ;-)

When we got to our 'hotel' we were happily surprised to find that we were actually staying in a condo out in the middle of nowhere. It was so very quiet.

We could hear the crickets and frogs in the evenings, something we haven't heard since we sold our house in the country.

We went to the Dixie Stampede the evening we got to Branson.

We didn't take any pictures. :-(

It was very entertaining.

However, it was late in the evening and so we were pretty busy keeping Afton happy.

The first full day we were in Branson we went to Silver Dollar City.

Once again, we didn't take any pictures. :-(

Have you ever been to Marvel Cave in Silver Dollar City?

A-MA-ZING!

It was sooo cool, not to mention free.

When you have a baby you don't get to ride many rides.

So we walked around and shopped and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

That was all we did that day. It was exhausting.

Afton LOVES driving!

Driving a Duck!

Well worth the money.

Fun for the whole family.

We also went to the Titanic Museum and Downtown for shopping and food.

Bradford B&B

Relaxing for the whole family.

Lunch with friends on the way out.

Etc., Etc.

We crossed this bridge on the way home and at the end of it there was a sign that read, "You are now entering Nostalgia."

Quite fitting for the end of our journey.

nostalgia |näˈstaljə, nə-|nouna sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations

A day at the park!

2012-03-13T18:07:00.001-07:00

The weather was so beautiful today!
Late this afternoon we went to the park and had a picnic!

Afton loved being outside and Todd and I really enjoyed the quiet time with each other.

Baby Beauty

2012-03-12T20:40:00.002-07:00

When did my sweet girl get so big?

Having a baby really shows you how relative time is.

Just as soon as I wrap my brain around her being 6 months old she goes and turns 7 months.

What am I going to do?

We are so in love with her.

I have been really busy with being a mommy lately and blogging is not on the top of my to-do list so I will start posting at least a picture with a few sentences AT LEAST every couple of days. :-)

go baby go

2012-02-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

No one told me just how challenging a 6, almost 7, month old little girl can be.
She desperately wants to crawl, but she just doesn't quite have the strength.
So she rolls until she gets stuck on a piece of furniture and then screams until I move her.
Fun. :-)
She has recently decided that she loathes playing on the floor with her many toys. I think it just reminds her of the fact that she can not yet crawl and it makes her very angry.
What does she want to do with all of her spare time?
Ride on my hip.
I did not say sit on my lap. That would be too easy.
She wants to GO and I am her chauffeur.
She also wants to touch, grab, hold, eat everything that is not appropriate for her to touch, grab, hold, eat.
Scissors, pens, forks, cords, pictures, anything breakable, and anything small enough to choke on.
Replacing her desired object with anything age appropriate results in a very unladylike grunting session or crying.
I must say that this extremely high maintenance phase makes her happy and content moments SO much more enjoyable and quite precious.
She LOVES her high chair. Maybe it's the grown up food association, or maybe it's the view. I don't know nor do I really care.
When all else fails, I strap her in and give her some food to throw on the floor.

She is extremely happy to go on any venture involving riding in her stroller.
Even Atwoods with daddy to get plumbing parts.
She is all about going.
Part of me wants her to learn to crawl so that she will be happier, and then the other part knows that once she can crawl she will be GOING all over the house and into everything that is not age appropriate.
I also fear that reaching this next milestone will bring with it the need to practice in the middle of the night, bringing on another month of sleepless nights for mommy and daddy.
Each new phase of wonderful brings it's bitter side right along with it.
I'm glad that the wonderful outweighs the bitter by tons and tons.
It makes the challenge of mothering such a head strong child quite enjoyable.
I almost forgot to mention that there are only two people that can hold my sweet girl without me in the room without her searching and sadly whimpering for me.
I absolutely love this.

I love being the one she wants.

Making the effort

2012-02-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

Is it completely strange that our Valentine's plans consist of a simple steak dinner at home?
Maybe throw in a few candles?
I've always completely adored getting flowers and chocolates on Valentine's Day.
I've always loved giving a well thought out love letter to my wonderful husband.
I've always ended it at that. :-)
I don't decorate my house with red and pink hearts.
I don't spend any time on lovey crafts either.
The only reason I am planning on having a steak dinner by potential candlelight?
Because we desperately need the effort.
We're not really disconnected but let's face it, life with Afton is not the same as life without her.
We need to make the effort of wooing each other over a romantic candlelight dinner... with Afton. :-)

Yes, our 6 month old daughter will be joining us during our romantic Valentine's dinner.
Will it be a different kind of romantic?
I imagine so.
Does that make it any less important or meaningful?
I think not.
I was pleasantly surprised tonight when Todd arrived home with pretty red Tulips.
Simple?
Yes.
Perfectly wonderful?
Absolutely.

This is our new romance. :-)
I knew it would change someday and I know that it will continue to change.
It takes adjusting. It takes practice. It takes being deliberate. It takes grace.
It takes the two of us making an effort.
Our Valentine's theme this year is not love or lust or infatuation.
Our theme is effort.
That is our Valentine's theme this year.

Happy Birthday!

2012-02-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

Tuesday marked my 6 month anniversary of being a mother.
It was also the day that Afton turned 6 months old.
What a coincidence. :-)
As I sit here and listen to her trying to sing herself awake with her foot in her mouth, I can't help but smile.
What a joyful journey this has been.

Have their been days that I wanted to crawl under a rock and disappear?
Yes.
Have their been days where I could not wait for her next nap?
Absolutely.
Even in the midst of those difficult and tiring days she brought so many smiles to my face.

Some days she wears me completely out.
It's 5 o'clock. Todd is on his way home.
I still haven't had a shower and the only food in my stomach is a cookie or a slice of cheese.
She is supposed to be going down for a nap.
Instead, she is singing to her foot.
Before I have a chance to hop in and out of the shower she grows tired of singing to her foot and starts screaming her head off.
She does not want to nap.
What a surprise.
I am unbelievably frustrated.
I smell.
I havent' even brushed my teeth.
We've been awake for almost 9 hours and I am still in my pajamas, and it is not because I want to be!
I peek in to see just how mad she is and it's apparent that this is going to be very difficult.
I peer over the side of her bed and...
I get the biggest, most beautiful smile.
It's contagious.
I am then smiling from ear to ear, despite my frustration.

She is stubborn.
She is beautiful.
She is mine.

Most days are not like that.
Most days we wake and eat and play.

Most days are incredibly happy and fun.

She is such a happy baby.
I am a happy mama.

Would I trade the frustrating days for a day without her?
Not a chance.

Time for quiet

2012-02-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

There's something about the quiet that beckons me to sit and sip on hot tea, despite the mess of a house surrounding me.
Maybe it's because the quiet moments are so few and far between that I am in desperate need of time to sit with only my thoughts to keep me company.
That's something about having your first baby, that no matter how many times you've been told, you can not understand until it's upon you.
I don't miss the long hot showers or the uninterrupted sleep.
I don't miss the ability to stay out late or watch a movie in a theater.
I don't miss the time freedom or relaxing evenings.
I don't even really miss the hours of alone time with my husband.
I have adjusted to our new life.
We are a family of 3 now.
We make it work, and it works well.
Todd and I find time.
We still go out, even if it's a little more difficult.
What I miss is time for myself.
Only me and my thoughts.
I didn't realize how important they were to my well being until recently.
Up until lately, I have been filling the quite in the house with chores that were undone and fun projects that I wanted to do.
I filled the quiet with a shower and hair and make-up.
Dinner.
TV.
A book.
I have always filled the quiet.
I believe this has hurt me.
My patience is shorter.
My compassion and grace less.
I believe this is because I have filled the quiet moments.

One a day.
I will take one quite moment a day to just sit and be.
An experiment.
I believe this will be good for me.
Good for my family.

They need me at my best and that is what I desire to give to them.
One a day.

2011 in a nutshell.

2012-01-30T14:15:00.000-08:00

Well the first month of the new year is coming to a close.
Life has finally slowed down for a moment and allowed me to reflect over the past year and prepare for the one to come.

2011 was the most eventful year of my life.

I've had many other eventful years, but none of them hold a candle to 2011.

Todd got a new job at New Beginnings Baptist Church.

This was a huge blessing for us.
Previously, Todd had worked for his dad's wrecker company doing service calls and managing the few service drivers.
This was good for us for the phase we were in.

Just a married couple. Living in a claustrophobic house in town.
My daycare closed due to the move.

Trying to figure out the next step.
We were making a really good living and I was able to spend all day with Todd as he worked. This allowed for him to work 10-14 hours a day, 6 days a week.
Then we found out we were going to have a baby.

This surely wasn't going to work.
No benefits. Long hours. Family business stress. I certainly couldn't tote a baby around with us.
I started to panic.
I cried.
A LOT.
What were we going to do?
Then, just like always, God provided a new way.
New Beginnings was part time contract work in the beginning, but we were all hoping and praying that it would become permanent and full time in the church's new budget year in April.
God delivered.
April 1, 2011
A weight so heavy was lifted off of our shoulders.
Meanwhile, we had purchased a foreclosed house in Sand Springs.
January 3, 2011
For the first 4 months that we owned the house, it just loomed over our heads like a dark storm cloud.
I was deathly ill with the gift of life growing inside of me and Todd was unbelievably busy working for TowBoys AND New Beginnings AND keeping up with his website business.
This was another reason working full time at New Beginnings was such a blessing.
Todd finally had time to work on the house and it was a good thing, because if you didn't already catch it...
I was pregnant!

We had a baby due in August and were living in a two bedroom, 500 sq ft house.
Todd has a baby grand piano.
We were having a baby.
The two babies were going to be sharing a room.
Not completely ideal.
The house needed to get done.

We hadn't decided yet if we were going to rent it out and move closer to Bixby, or if we were going to live in it ourselves.

On rolled the remodel and the pregnancy.

In case you don't recall, the summer of 2011 was THE HOTTEST summer of my entire life.

What a time to be pregnant and due in August. :-)

It was finally baby time.

Only 5 days late... in the hottest summer of my life.

This was not only the 2nd big event of 2011, it was also the biggest, most glorious, most precious, most wonderful event of our lives.

August 7, 2011.

We are now parents.

We have the most beautiful baby girl.

We finally knew what everyone was talking about.

This is when I really put the pressure on Todd to GET THE HOUSE FINISHED!

I never yell. ;-)
The days became VERY long for the both of us.

Life with a newborn is tiring enough, but adding the house on top of it was just exhausting.

The long days and sleep deprived nights soon paid off.
The house was ready to move into in November.
November 14, 2011
Whew. What a year.

It was such a busy year, that the busyness even bled over into January of 2012. :-)
Life is finally slowing down.
We are getting into a routine.
Todd has settled at New Beginnings.

Afton is almost 6 months old!

The house is unpacked and almost all decorated.

(project preview)

New job.

New baby.

New house.

Those are all on the top 5 list of 'big life events'.

Does it get any better than this?

Crazy Mommy!

2012-01-25T19:59:00.000-08:00

I entered Afton in a photo contest.
I had no idea the craze that would overtake me.
I have spammed my friends inboxes.
I have blown up my family's phones.
I have mentioned it to every single person that has commented on how pretty her eyes are.
Vote for Afton!
Oh goodness.
I have a problem.
Fortunately for all of you voting ends on February 9th.
So you will only have to deal for 15 more days. :-)

I must say that the brisket I made last night was quite excellent. Todd even took the leftovers to work today.
It was SUPER easy.
I combined:
1 1/2 cups of head country BBQ
1/8 cup worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup steak sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp brewed coffee
1 tbsp sweet hot mustard
garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and pepper to taste
Then I marinated it in the refrigerator overnight.
The next morning I popped it in the crockpot wrapped in foil and cooked it on low for 7 hours.
YUM!

Group Effort

2012-01-23T21:21:00.000-08:00

This little chair belonged to Todd's Papa Brutus. It's quite cute in it's almost original state. However, I felt the need to update it for Afton's full benefit.

I can not take full credit for the cuteness of this.
Liz did the hard part of sewing the adorable cushions. Even though I picked out the material. :-)
I did do the painting though, and that was not exactly easy.

I think I will avoid painting rocking chairs as much as possible in the future.

I am pretty excited about a purchase that we made tonight.
I was ever so casually browsing craigslist on our tiny loveseat in the den when I came across a bargain.
Leather sectional for $250.
Say what?!
That's right. It was a bargain.
Finally, two months after moving in we have furniture in every room. :-)
My dear Todd is quite excellent. He is so strong and moved furniture back and forth all through our house tonight until I was satisfied. I guess I probably owe him a back rub.

It has been a long day. Todd was home from work and we definitely seized the day.
Tackling all kinds of projects and such.
He will be home again tomorrow and I think we will seize the day by actually relaxing and lazing around the house.
Oh wait, I already invited my dad over for dinner.
Brisket and baked potatoes.
YUM!

I guess I will have to seize another day...

Silver Lining

2012-01-22T18:11:00.000-08:00

Days like today I search for the silver lining.

In the last couple of weeks Afton has been up through the night.

A LOT.

Two nights ago she was up every hour.

I don't know about you, but after a night like that I'm not all rested and refreshed in the morning. ;-)

It caught up with us today.

Mommy and daddy are tired.

Pooped.

Groggy.

Tuckered out.

Sleepy.

Completely and utterly exhausted.

Not only are we exhausted, Afton is also very tired and very cranky.

Where is the silver lining in all of this?

For starters, her sweet smile.

Through our blood shot, burning eyes we still get to behold sheer preciousness.

She smiles and it lights up the whole room.

Her adorable little giggle.

We kiss her belly and out come the belly laughs.

It brings such joy to my heart.

The silver lining is so bright amongst the dark and gloomy storm clouds.

I remind myself that this too shall pass.

I think that God would be spoiling us if He allowed us to have perfect children.

Everyone loves babies. They're cute and cuddly and oh so tasty.

However, no one loves getting up all night and changing poopy diapers.

We must take the good with the bad.

If it was all daffodils and lilies we would become spoiled.

We would not understand as well God's love for us.

He loves us so deeply and profoundly.

We would not understand as well that depth if raising children was easy.

If it was all happy and cheery and a walk in the park.

Lord knows WE are not a walk in the park.

All about Afton

2012-01-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

Life is grand! I am so wonderfully blessed. There isn't a day that goes by that my heart doesn't swell with love and joy for my husband and daughter.

My sweet girl is still growing! Who knew?

The world is her playground. She has so many new skills and is learning more every day.

She does love to watch tv. Does this make me a bad mommy?

It snowed a few days ago so Todd and I bundled miss Afton up for a photo op. I don't think she even noticed the snow, but she was happy to have her picture taken.

Since she is the first I am constantly waiting for the next milestone and I have to remind myself to enjoy the stage she is in.

I love every moment of every day.

It's a wrap!

2012-01-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

Slack-ER! That is what I am. I can't believe I am so far behind. What can I say?
It was the holidays. ;-)

Christmas is such a busy time for us.

We had to get a tree...

Coldest day of the year.

and decorate it.

I hate these curtains, but haven't bought new ones yet.

Todd has a Christmas production at work and then we have 5 or more 'Christmases' to attend, not including our own.

Not to mention all of the last minute Christmas shopping that must take place.

Todd and I don't fight very often, but this year during one of those last minute shopping trips we argued right there in the middle of the Sears isle. :-) Looking back it was quite comical, however neither one of us were laughing at the time.

Oh the joys of Christmas.

We did attend two Christmas events this year of our own choosing.

Celebrate with Family and Rhema Lights.
When we arrived at COTM I was quite unprepared for what was about to happen.
No children under the age of 5 in the auditorium. What?!
I protested, I mean really protested.
Then I said I wanted to go home.
Finally, I settled down and asked to see the nursery where I would have to leave my sweet girl for an hour and a half. When I walked up to the counter all I could muster was, 'can I see the...'
Oh the tears started to roll.
I couldn't believe myself. Here I was blubbering to a complete stranger about having never left Afton with anyone before other than our church nursery for a mere half an hour.
I was an emotional wreck.
After all was said and done, we enjoyed the show very much and Afton was fine. :-) A lot of fuss over nothing.

Next, we went to Rhema.
It was bitter cold.
It was also spectacularly magical. Afton was bundled up and didn't make a peep the entire time.

Completely mesmerized by the thousands upon thousands of twinkly lights.

Now that everything is somewhat back to normal, gifts are unpacked, house is cleaned up, tree is down.... oh wait, my tree is still up. Ha.
I am picking my projects back up and trucking on. So far I am quite satisfied with the progress I have made and believe that I will be very happy with the end results.

Afton has grown a great deal in the last couple of weeks.

She is officially rolling over. She is also rotating a full circle while on her play mat in order to play with ALL of the toys.
She is growing up.

She is reaching for everything and putting everything in her mouth.
Including, but not limited to, her feet, our noses, our fingers, her fingers, toys, my hair, her blankets, her clothes, etc.
My favorite... she puts her hands out and touches all over our faces now every time she gets the chance. I love it. This is also when she tries to eat our noses.
She babbles and talks all the time. Especially when she is trying not to fall asleep.
She also throws little fits when she drops the toy that she has been playing with, which can be quite tiring for me.

She has been sick for a few days now and up at ridiculous hours of the night. You would think that this would make me tired and groggy all day, but instead I think I am so sleep deprived that I am running on adrenaline, because I am getting A LOT done. Who knew?
I think she is just making up for the fact that she has pretty much slept through the night from day one.
She also probably overheard us talking about another baby....
She says, "I don't think so!"

I will save writing about the new year for another day.

Rainy Day.

2011-12-19T15:58:00.000-08:00

This has been an odd day for me.
Last week was unbelievably busy as Todd was working late every single night and all through the weekend on our church's Christmas production. It was a very, very long week for all of us.
However, it most definitely paid off.
The production was excellent. I was very impressed and super proud of my dear Todd. :-)
So now, we're getting back into the groove of things.
This has been especially hard on Afton.
She is at that age of fighting sleep tooth and nail! It's not like I have a magic trick that always works either.
Everyday it's something different. I try everything!
Today I have given up (for now). I've been trying to get her down for over an hour, so now she is sitting with me as I blog.
I <3 her.

Sometimes I find myself getting very frustrated with her. She is so unbelievably precious, but also unbelievably stubborn.
When I get frustrated I just remind myself that she is doing the best she can with what she knows. She is not crying in order to be difficult or make my life hard. She is simply letting me know that something is wrong and she doesn't know how to fix it.
That is my job. That is why I am a mommy. I take care of all of her needs and wants and grow her up with love and compassion.
Today as she cried and I grew frustrated I asked God for patience and wisdom and understanding. He's the one that blessed me with this beautiful child. He knows what her needs are and He wants to equip me to take care of them, but if I don't ask I may have to learn the hard way.
After I prayed, Afton and I just sat in the chair and looked at our hands. Suddenly all was well and I knew that God was granting me a moment of peace so that I could recollect myself and do better next time.

As I looked at our hands I thought about what Todd mentioned earlier last week.
Her hands are so tiny and just learning to reach out and grasp for things that she sees.
When she was born they only grasped our fingers. Her tiny fingers, just long enough to wrap around one of ours, a perfect fit.
Now she's reaching for everything. Her hands big and strong enough to pick up toys and put them in her mouth. Controlled enough to reach for my pretty necklace and pull (hard).
Soon her hands will help her crawl across the floor and then pull up onto the furniture. Then, she will use her tiny little hands to balance as she toddles across our living room floor.
Her hands will hold onto the handlebars of a tricycle and dolls. Soon she will be using her hands to pick up a book to read and then using her hands to write out her name.
Her tiny little hands will grow bigger and then they will fit perfectly into our hands as we cross the street and walk through the mall.
One day, all too soon I'm sure, she will flutter her hand at me as she walks out of the room because she is irritated with a decision I have made. She will use her hands to steer a car for the first time.
I dread the day she comes home and that precious little hand is in the hand of a strange boy.
What will we do then?
Those precious hands that once only grasped our fingers will be holding onto an unworthy boy.
On the day that her daddy gives her away she will loop her hand through his arm and I hope that she remembers how much she used to love to hold his hand. I hope she remembers how much we loved her and cherished her.
I hope that when the day comes and she has a sweet baby of her own, she will understand just how much we loved her when her little one wraps his tiny little hand around her finger.
Only then will she understand. A perfect fit.

Panic time?

2011-12-16T15:51:00.001-08:00

I love to give gifts! I really do.
It is really hard for me to Christmas shop.
I can't just wander around in a store and find something to buy someone. I don't want to buy something just for the sake of it. I like a gift to be thought out and meaningful or something that I know they will absolutely love!
So what do you do?
Gift making is not going so hot this year. Maybe it's the sweet little baby that is consistently distracting and demanding me? ;-)
I still have a little over a week though, maybe I still have a chance.
I went shopping yesterday. What did I buy?
Clothes for Afton. :-)
I did manage to get a few things for Todd's stocking and got the rest of the gifts for the nephews and niece. Not a total fail.
I'm thinking that getting gifts for everyone in the family is going to have to change a little bit. Buying a gift for 15 different people is a little overwhelming to me. What to do? What to do?

Procrastination and Time

2011-12-11T19:30:00.001-08:00

I will write about it tomorrow....

JUST KIDDING!

Where am I at on my Christmas gifts? Nowhere!
I don't know if it's procrastination or just lack of inspiration. I did manage to get all of our Angel Tree gifts wrapped and delivered. :-)
What have I been doing all day? Playing on Pintrest.
No inspiration. Blah.

What else have I been doing?
Organizing photos on the computer! Oh my goodness. I hadn't realized how many hundreds and hundreds of pictures we have taken of Afton in the last 4 months. I have done some serious organizing... and a little bit of crying.

In the days following my Sweet Afton's arrival I was so unbelievably tired I don't remember half of these pictures.

I didn't know what to do with her...

The ones with her and her daddy really cause the tears to well up inside of me.

I can't believe how much she has grown and how fast time has flown.

I just rhymed. ;-)

Having a child really proves how relative time is.
The last 13 months have been the fastest, most exciting, most eventful months of our entire lives!
Especially the last 4!

Everyday is a new adventure better than the last. I try so hard to cherish everything, but the time still passes all too quickly.

For Afton, 4 months is her whole life, but for us it's just a short 4 months.

It just goes too fast. When I found out I was pregnant I thought to myself, 'wow in 9 months I'm going to have a baby!' and now looking back those 9 months were some of the shortest ones in my life.

No wonder parents bargain so easily with 5 more minutes. To us, they're meaningless minutes, but to a child!
To a child they are an eternity.

Then life goes on and you get older. 5 minutes isn't very long anymore.

You grow up and have things to do and people to see, children to raise and spouses to love. There aren't enough minutes in the day. Those once so precious minutes, are now just small moments in our lives...

...they turn into tiny sweet snippets.

All Aboard!

2011-12-10T12:57:00.001-08:00

The Christmas Train in Dry Gulch USA is magical. I don't have a lot to say about it. You should really experience it for yourself.

I am looking forward to taking pictures of my crying children with Santa Claus. :-)

Not really, but you have to admit they're pretty funny.

I think I know why kiddos scream.

We tell them their whole lives not to talk to strangers and then we walk into a room with this big ol' man with all kind of hair covering his face that they've only ever seen in pictures and movies and plop 'em on down on his lap. Creepy! I would probably scream too. I think if we introduced the kids to him before setting them on his lap and then asked them nicely if they would like to take a picture with Santa then they just might comply.

But where is the fun in that? ;-)

This year at the Christmas Train we had our first photo shoot with Santa. I must say it was quite spectacular. Not only did Santa graciously tolerate Sweet Afton 'tugging' on his beard, but Afton cheesed it up for us. She is so beautiful.

Sweet Afton as we know her

and with her lil' hat

and one of all of us

I am on the greatest journey of my life.

Fail!

2011-12-08T20:37:00.001-08:00

So, I started my gifts tonight with the help of my dear husband. The first project on my agenda was a Christmas ornament. A Christmas bulb with a butterfly made out of my Sweet Afton's feet. :-)

Almost like this one, but switch the feet and put a body and antenna in between.

Here are my supplies. Glass ornaments, icicles, glitter, paint brushes, and paints.

I got the glass ornaments for $3 at hobby lobby and I had the rest.

Step 1. Carefully fill the glass ornament with the icicles....

Nevermind, that took way too long.

Instead just shove as many in there at one time as possible.

Look, pretty icicle filled glass ornament.

Next, you'll need one of these. :-) She's pretty precious.

I recommend stripping the baby down to a paper diaper. It gets messy.

Cover their sweet little foot with paint...

And now... place the foot on the glass ornament!

Here is where I ran into trouble. Not only is my dear baby's foot too big, she is also way too squirmy. We tried multiple times. It was just not going to work. :-( Afton did have fun with the paint and I did manage to get some cute pictures.

She was having so much fun.

Caught red handed!

And to finish the project up.... a bath to scrub all of the red paint off.

That did not go at all as I had planned. I recommend a larger set of glass ornaments AND a sleeping baby. Good luck with that. :-)

It's beginning to look....

2011-12-07T12:37:00.001-08:00

Okay, the pressure is on. Christmas is less than 3 weeks away and I have no idea what I'm going to do.
I'm all about homemade gifts. They're cheap, fun, and more meaningful. AND I don't have to go to the mall.
Question is, when do I have the time to make everyone gifts?!?!
And what on earth do you make for men? Particularly the older gentlemen...
If only all of my family and friends were 20-30 something girls. THEN I would have all the gift ideas in the world!!!! :-)
Needless to say, I have gifts to give for men and women of all ages and so the creativity must begin.
No more procrastinating!!! The next couple of weeks will be consumed with gift making. I will do my best to post my gifts and their progress. We'll see how that goes.
I will start today, well maybe tomorrow. :-/
But I WILL go to Hobby Lobby today! I absolutely love that store. I could spend hours in there, and I could spend oodles and gobs of money in there.
I will start in the gift wrap department so that I can wrap our Angel Tree gifts and then I will make my way through the entire store adding completely impulsive items into my cart. When I get home I will lay it all out and go to bed. Ha!
I will start tomorrow. I will have something for everyone!
I think I can...
I think I can...
I think I can...

P.S. If you are on my Christmas list and like the surprise factor in gift opening then you may not want to read anymore until after Christmas. :-)

Pretty in pink

2011-12-05T09:50:00.001-08:00

Here's the thing about babies... They grow really fast! You try on an outfit and it's a little bug, and then you try it on again in two weeks and it's almost too small! What is a mother to do?
Before ya know it they're sitting up all by themselves and laughing at you for no apparent reason and then they're moving out!
I hope that in 25 years I can look back and know that I cherished every moment to the best of my ability. I loved with all my heart. I want to have no doubt in my mind that my children know just how much I love them.

Sugar Cookies

2011-12-02T20:21:00.001-08:00

Days like today make me miss the normalcy of the non-holiday season. It is Todd's Saturday and rather than getting to hang at home and play with Sweet Afton we have oh so many errands to run. First we must go to the mall to exchange a pair of jeans that I bought on the day that I call 'crazy people Friday.' Why I even went out on this day, I'm still wondering myself.
Anywho, I bought a $40 pair of jeans for $22. Good deal? I think so. I wasn't so sure about them just yet, but thought, 'hey if I change my mind I can just exchange them.'
WRONG!
What kind of store doesn't do an even exchange? AE of course! When she told me I had a difference of $17 how do you think I responded?
With an ever-so-sweet, frustrated out of my mind, 'well then, I'll just return them.' :-)
How do ya like me now?
Next, we stopped by to see an old friend who doted over my unbelievably precious little girl and then we shopped for my unbelievably precious little girl a Christmas dress.
First Christmas! It's cute. I want her to wear it every day until New Years! Mostly, because I paid $19 for a dress that she'll likely only wear once. :-/ We didn't get the $20 shoes to match.
While at the mall I saw Todd eyeballing a very cool gadget that I just happen to know he will be getting for Christmas from the grands this year. Way to go grands!
Next, we were off to the plumbing and air supply to get some kind of valve thing for our heater. It was boring. I waited in the car.
On the way home we were stuck in traffic (not fun with a hungry baby) because an 18-wheeler full of 82 cattle turned over. Eeesh. Bad news for the cows.

It took them a good 5 hours to get that all straightened out.
Then to Atwoods and the grocery store and so on and so forth.
The most frustrating part of today? We almost died half a dozen times because of all the holiday crazed maniacs on the road! Slow down and use your blinkers people!

I promise you we almost got hit at least twice and someone pulled out in front of us from a dead stop on the highway as we were traveling at a good 65 mph. My life flashed before my eyes. I must say that I was rather surprised by myself when I realized that my hand immediately grabbed the carseat holding the precious cargo in the backseat.

This is why I miss the normalcy of the non-holiday season.

What is it exactly about Christmas that makes people so insane? A beautiful time of year to celebrate the birth of our Christ brings out the worst in people.

Everyone is in a hurry. Everyone thinks that they are the most important person in the room. Everyone becomes so unbelievably selfish.

Todd and I decided today that in order to make our children grateful for the gifts they receive on Christmas, they will only ever get small, simple, special gifts. Nothing extravagent. Not the latest gizmo or gadget. Not even what they've been begging to get for the last 25 days.
No, they will get Christmas socks and pajamas. A simple necklace or pocketknife. Books and puzzles. A new coat.
Then, when dear great grandma gets them only a sweater with an ugly snowman on the front they will be grateful, because they never expected anything more.

Atleast, that's what we're hoping for.
It saddens my heart when I hear a child tell me what they're getting for Christmas. It saddens it even more when I hear about the unbelievably extravagent gift(s) they're getting for Christmas.

Why? Because I feel they have been ruined. It's not their fault.
I will not ruin my children.
They will be loved beyond belief and they will know it. However, I will not show it with things.
I will show it with actions and words and attitude and time.
I will smile when they walk into the room. I will look up from what I am doing when they have something to show me. I will cherish them.
I know that it will not always be easy and that there will many days that I will have to work at it. But this is the choice that I have made and I will see it through.
I choose to love them. I choose to cherish them. I choose to see them as the gifts from God that they are and will be.
I am now going to bake some cookies.

Thanks!

2011-11-25T19:42:00.001-08:00

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Rejoice always, pray comstantly, give thanks in everything for this is God's will for you in Christ."
What am I thankful for? I'm thankful that I enjoy spending time with my family and have been so busy with the festivities that I haven't had time to sit down at the computer. :-) I am unbelievably thankful for my husband! He is more than I ever asked for. He is loving and supportive. He cares for me and provides for me. He leads our family so well. I am very thankful for him. I am thankful for my beautiful daughter. Even when she is a stinker. She brings so much joy to my life. I look at her 100 times a day and think about how much I love her and how grateful I am that God has given me the privilege of being her mother. I am thankful for God's faithfulness. Time and time again he says to us, "I've got your back." Blessings come to us every day. Not just little blessings here and there, BIG blessings. God is so good to us. I would have to be really rotten to say that I don't have anything to be thankful for.

We will begin our 5 hour journey home tomorrow from Hot Springs. Afton was so good on the way here, I was so proud of her. I am so proud of her everyday! It's always something new. I cried last night because as Todd and I were playing with her she started standing up on her little bitty legs, and she did it over and over again. It just made me realize how fast she is growing up! I am trying so hard to cherish these moments and lock them away deep in my heart because I know I will never get them back. This morning I decided that I missed her too much to let her sleep any longer. As I made my way up the stairs Todd flew by me to get to her first so HE could have her morning smiles. Jealousy and joy all at the same time. I love how he loves her! He is the BEST daddy! I'm not just saying that because he is my husband and it's what you are supposed to say. I really mean it! I am so thankful that God led us to each other! :-D

Busy Working Bees....

2011-11-23T15:12:00.001-08:00

I have been so busy the past two days. We're allllmost unpacked :-) and today was warm enough to paint. I just wrapped up because it was getting a tad chilly for Sweet Afton, but Todd is still busy painting. We have the front and two sides painted and almost all of the trim has been kilzed (it was a dark blue).

My sister, Jackie, and I Painting Trim

My Handsome Todd Painting

The back should only take about 30 minutes. Sooo, by tomorrow around noon we should be ALL done painting! Once it gets dark Todd will come in and we will finish getting busy on the unpacking. All I have left, other than wall hangings, is the kitchen. It's about halfway done, but we are painting the insides of the cabinets first and we have two more to go. I am so excited and so ready to close the painting chapter. I will definitely be posting more pictures once it's all done.
I must run now, for my Sweet Afton just filled her diaper. :-) Oh the joys of motherhood.

I love spray paint!

2011-11-21T16:53:00.001-08:00

So in our 'cozy' little house we have a serious lack of cabinetry in the kitchentry. My MIL gave me some cute little shelves a while back that were all cutesy and painted with flowers. I like flowers and all but they just weren't quite blending well with my decor, and I had no earthly idea where to put them. Lack of cabinet space, extra shelves, think..... light bulb! A can of pretty blue spray paint, some hollow wall fasteners and a drill and viola! I have spice shelves! So unbelievably easy. I love spray paint! It can fix anything. Now to find some cute little spice jars so it doesn't look so janky. :-)

Love this!

Flowery Shelves

Blue Spice Shelves

(btw these are above my oven, but I cropped it because it's still unlevel)

I also spray painted an extra frame and some ugly orange flower buds just for fun.
I have a new goal. I want to be completely unpacked and have the house ready for a CHRISTMAS TREE!!!! by Sunday. Cross your fingers because I will be seriously disappointed if I don't accomplish this. My dear husband is busy painting our cabinets right now so that I can finally unpack all of my kitchen boxes.

It would be so much easier to get things done if my Sweet Afton didn't want so much mommy time. Although, I absolutely LOVE spending time with my sweet girl.

Isn't she precious!