Visiting Miss Carla

Yesterday Abby Ruth and I were able to drive to Montgomery to visit our sweet friend, Carla.  We were neighbors for years before Tom & I moved and Carla got married and did the same – now we live around and hour and a half apart and I miss her dearly.  However, as her husband said, “When you move 80 miles away you find out who your friends are.”  This is very true and I’m thankful Carla is a true friend to me.

We didn’t have any big plans – Carla made a yummy lunch and then we headed out to the mall to walk around.  Of course, this is one of Abby Ruth’s favorite things!  She loves to be out and about – looking at people and checking out new things :-). 

 Everywhere we go people comment on what a happy girl we have – she really is quite happy most of the time – and incredibly silly!  I got a couple pictures of Abby Ruth hamming it up for the camera – she has decided to give a very silly grin when the camera comes out.     I’m not sure where that came from, but it sure does crack me up! 

Another thing she is really into all of the sudden is purses.  One day Abby Ruth was playing in my closet and found an old purse – she began carrying it around like a “big person” and so I gave it to her.  She now carries any kind of bag around and puts her special “treasures” in it as she finds them.  Of course when we arrived at Dillards it didn’t take her long to find the bags and purses in the children’s section.  She immediately picked up 2 lunch boxes (having only one would be silly – right?) and began to carry them around with her.    It is quite amusing to see and amazing how she is “wired” to be such a girl!  I love it :-)

It was a fabulous day – we loved seeing Aunt Carla and having some “girl time.”  Abby Ruth was totally exausted when we got in the car.  I was able to get a picture of her when we got in the car, and then 15 minutes later – pretty funny, and typical!

Blah…

Today I don’t have much of a plan – this is never a good thing for me.  Without a plan I tend to wander aimlessly around the house getting random things 1/2 done…. hopefully I’ll get some motivation shortly!  So far all I’m motivated to do is sit here and drink my coffee while my daughter plays.

I started the morning by sleeping in… maybe I should clarify that – sleeping in when you are the mama means you sleep until the babies wake up, so don’t think I was lying in bed until 10 because I didn’t even make it to 8 :-).  However, I did choose to stay in bed instead of getting up at 6:30 and getting some chores done before Abby Ruth woke up.

The little one kept me running all morning and by naptime I was in an official funk!  It is so frustrating to constantly pick up toys, sippy cups, and other random items Abby Ruth decides to put on the floor.  Fortunately my husband was there to remind me that she is a sweetheart and we are truly blessed.  It’s easy for me to get caught up in the things that aren’t getting done and miss out on the sweetness of life.

I am sure I will have to remind myself of this again tomorrow, but for now I am thankful for that little girl – regardless of the mess in my house :-).

Exhausted

I’m officially cooked for the day… and I’m not really sure why.  It isn’t that I did a lot today, but I sit here typing with a headache, backache and a desire to “kick it sideways.”  This is an evening where I wonder, how in the world will I do this with TWO children.  Oh Lord – only with your help!

I did however have a moment of clarity this morning, and for that I am very thankful.  On the way home from the grocery store I looked back at my sweet girl with her adorable pigtails (yes, we have started pigtails!  pictures coming soon) and had to smile as she babbled in her little nonsense language and began eating her toes.  It was a sweet little reminder of the little things that children do that can make you smile.  It was also a reminder of how sweet this time is! 

So for now I will enjoy the quiet as my little one sleeps.  I’ll remember the sweet moments of the day and try my best to enjoy the season I’m in without wondering how the next season will be.  I will remind myself that I won’t be able to figure it all out today… or in 6 months for that matter.  But I don’t have to know how it’s all going to work – which is a good thing because I’m totally clueless :-)

Are we in high school?

This morning’s church service was great – great  music, encouraging message and professions of faith to celebrate.  There was just one problem – the whispering girls behind us!  I sat there for a long time wondering if I had the guts to turn around and ask them to hush… then I wondered if that would show the love of Christ.  In the end I prayed God would close their mouths – and He did… at least during the service. 

I’m not exagerating when I say they talked through every song!  The worst part… they are older than I am and both have children that in the next few years they will be training on how to sit through the service.  I left feeling very frustrated, but have since realized this could have been a lesson for me- someone is always watching! 

What I do affects others and as a mother there are always little eyes and ears paying attention to my actions.  When my little girl is next to me in church one day, I hope I will remember this frustrating moment and teach her how to worship and listen with reverence and respect for our Savior.   Thank you Lord for teachable moments – espescially when they are directed to me :-).

Pedicure, Shopping, Nap… HEAVEN!

Today I was reminded of how absolutely wonderful my husband is – he is awesome. 

A friend of mine is due with her first baby this week and asked if I would like to join her for a pedicure on Saturday – uh… yes please!  My plan was to run out and get the pedicure, then come home and relieve Tom from watching the little one.  Tom insisted we have girl time and he could handle the rugrat. 

Long story short, I had a fabulous morning and got home a little after noon.  Tom had just fed Abby Ruth lunch and put her down for a nap.  This meant I had another 3 hours to be “off duty” and truly enjoy my Saturday.  What a guy!

A visit with Kimmy

We were blessed to have Tom’s sister visit over the past couple of days.  It was a whirlwind trip but really sweet and I’m thankful Abby Ruth got to spend some time with her Aunt.  The weather cooperated and allowed us to take a nice walk and head to the park – such fun! 

One thing I will not soon forget was our trip to Dairy Queen.  Tom ordered a large strawberry shake – not realizing it would be massive.  But not to worry – Abby Ruth was ready to help out :-).  It was such a thick shake that Tom and I both had difficulty getting anything out of the straw.  However, he handed it over to our daughter who slurped up gulp after gulp with no difficulty at all.  I guess that is an example of how hard she has to work for every drink – sippy cups are no joke! 

We had a wonderful time visiting with family – lots of laughs and even more love.  It makes me sad that we live so far away, but we must be thankful for these little trips and the fun we have.  It just makes us long for the next one!

The sweetest sound

Wednesday, July 8th

Well, today was a pretty exciting day.  I started my morning with a trip to the doctor where I got to hear my sweet baby’s heartbeat for the second time.  That’s right, we are expecting another bundle of joy in January.  We’re very excited to be adding to our clan -  though it is going to be a “game changer” to say the least (that phrase isn’t mine, but it describes our feelings perfectly!).  Having two little ones under the age of 2 is one of those things I don’t think you can really prepare for – so I guess we’ve opted to just embrace it!

It was a good visit – nothing much to report since it’s still early.  The heartbeat was at 163 beats/minute, and I’ve only gained a few pounds so far.  All good news as far as we can tell and in a little more than a month we will find out if it’s a boy or a girl!

Tom and I both think it will be a boy, but we’ll see.  I go back and forth about whether I want a boy or a girl – of course the Lord knows what we need and I’m thankful I’m not in control of this decision!  When I was pregnant with Abby Ruth I very much wanted a boy.  I’m the oldest in my family and always wondered what it would have been like to have a protective older brother.  However, God knew better and gave us a sweet little girl who will be very excited and “helpful” when the new baby arrives.    A friend recently commented on how amazing it is that this is the family God had in mind for us before we were born.  Whatever the outcome – knowing this is part of His plan is simply amazing.

We are very eager to know if a little brother or sister is on the way, but since 2009 is flying past us – August 11th will be here before we know it!

A fun 4th

So I’ve been MIA for a few days due to a sick child followed by a busy weekend.  Hope everyone enjoyed the 4th and remembered those who fought to give us our many freedoms in this country.

We were able to have lunch with some good friends who were visiting for the weekend – what a treat.  In this world of emails, facebook and texting it seems hard to have and keep good relationships.  I’ve heard it said several times that we have, “relationships a mile wide and an inch deep.”  So true – we keep up with a hundred people on facebook but know very few of them.  Anyway, the friends we “caught up” with on Friday were the really good kind.  The ones that you pick up right where you left off with and they actually care about your life and vice versa.  Wonderful afternoon – it left me wishing they lived closer, but I guess that means we are supposed to keep trying to cultivate relationships where we are.  Bloom where you are planted – right?