Love and Lattes

pictures

2012-01-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd put up some pictures from Christmas since I neglected to do so...

above: My family

below: Our Wil...I love this picture of him. He looks so handsome!

Shaun's family - his Dad, brothers, Mom and us.

It's a...

2012-01-06T19:04:00.000-08:00

Well, to start from the beginning:
We had my ultrasound two days before Christmas so we decided to have the technician write down the sex of the baby in an envelope and we gave it to Shaun's cousin to make us a cake with blue or pink in the middle. As you can see, we are having a GIRL!! I am glad for so many reasons...although at first I think I was nervous since all I know is how to take care of boys and I know that moms and daughters dont always have the best relationships. God has given me peace over those silly fears and I am ready to embrace all the pink! I'm excited to dress her up and teach her so much. I'm excited to watch Shaun with her - I know she will have him wrapped around her finger! I'm excited to watch her big brothers protect her. I'm especially excited for my mother-in-law since she never had a girl. My husband is one of 3 boys and his dad in one of 3 boys. We broke the 'curse' of boys I guess. I'm also glad because it makes it easier to stop at 3 kids. Although I really love being pregnant and I've had wonderful births, I think I will enjoy getting my body back in shape and moving out of the baby/toddler years (I know,all you moms out there are thinking that I'll regret saying that).
It is a new year, and although I am constantly coming up with 'resolutions' all year long, I do have a few I want to try to start at the beginning of this year. One of them is to not talk about myself so much, and ask people questions about themselves and their families. I realized I have not cared enough about other people. I know this isn't an excuse but having little ones to take care makes my mind run at a hundred miles an hour - there are always things on my mind but when I'm with others, I will try my best to focus on them.

Goals

2011-11-29T06:36:00.000-08:00

WHOA!!! 2 Posts in one day?! This is a first! In light of my last post I thought I need to take the time to write out some goals.
1) eating healthier - If Id like to eat something unhealthy, I will make sure the thing I ate before that was healthy and the thing I eat afterward is healthy. (To keep the unhealthy foods at a minimum!)
2) workout when I can - TRY to workout 3 times a week at least.
3) stick to a budget - skim through Financial Peace again with my husband Shaun and come up with a budget for December and STICK TO IT.
4) keep up with friends better - call one friend a week that I havent seen or talked to in a while.
5) Reach out to other ladies at church. Talk to someone new each week.
6) be more prepared for Praise Band practice. Listen to the songs ahead of time and practice on my own time.
7) put clothes away at the end of the day - dont let them pile up all week.
8) Pray daily! Set aside time to get quiet and just talk to God.

Hopefully by the next time I write I will be able to say I am doing well at 3 of the areas.

large and in charge

2011-11-29T06:10:00.000-08:00

Although I'm not at the point where I should call myself large (although, yes - I am in charge - of some things I guess), I can definitely see myself fitting that description in a few months. I'm not sure how much I've talked about it on here, but at a couple different points in my recent years I've eaten extremely healthy or at least mostly. I have followed the Maker's Diet and I still try to some degree. However, I find myself eating Eggo waffles for breakfast and throwing away rotten celery and carrots and plums that I never ate. I have only gained 3 lbs this pregnancy (Im 17 weeks along so thats pretty normal I think) I feel SO out of shape! Im surprised I haven't gained more although I guess chasing kids around every day is my saving grace. Dont get me wrong, I know it's probably annoying for pregnant women to complain about gaining weight because its supposed to happen, right? But the fact is, I have nothing to complain about if I've only gained 3 lbs...I just FEEL so out of shape! And I definitely notice area's on my body that are fatty. I LOVE being pregnant and I know its possible to feel beautiful even when you have a huge belly! With Wil, my second boy, I felt so skinny even though I had a huge belly because I was working out a lot since I worked at a gym. I'm not a morning person, so getting up early to work out sound horrible to me and my boys nap at different times, not to mention I watch kids almost every day at my house, so working out while the kids nap is not practical either. by the end of the day, Im way too exhausted to work out! ugh...I guess I will have to either push through the procrastination and just find time to do it, or wait till life gets a little less crazy. I guess for now, I'll just have to make healthier choices with what I eat. How do you guys stay feeling beautiful, and healthy?

This is my story and I'm sticking to it!

2011-10-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

^Hebrews:1 "Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. ² And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe."

I'm EXTREMELY happy to announce that today was the first good day I've had in a long time! I finally confessed to the hubby that I think this (stress/depression/anxiety) is a very serious issue and he prayed over me and I asked him to remember to pray for me during the day while he's at work. I also talked to some ladies from our church last night and I'm sure some of them were praying for me today too. Have you ever felt like someone was praying for you and God was reaching down and giving you peace, or comfort or whatever you need in that moment?? It's an amazing feeling and I have really felt peace today. Not stress like I usually feel (almost every moment of the day). I can't say I have felt stressed at all today. Sure, there have been instances that didn't go the way I wanted but I didn't let it ruin my day. There have even been instances that Matthew and I have really bonded.

Thank you God for surrounding me with your presence and peace today! I love you!

Stress

2011-10-24T05:59:00.000-07:00

Well the stresses of having kids, or really having a 3 year old, is really catching up to me. Something I haven't thought about till now is how all this stress is affecting the baby growing inside me. That is my real motivator for trying to have more patience. I'm sure part of the stress is not being able to keep up with cleaning the house. I feel guilty about it, and I really don't enjoy having it messy. I wrote out a time to clean every day, depending on what we have going on, but I haven't been good at looking at it. When I have free time cleaning is that last thing I want to do. I know it makes me feel better so I just have to force myself to do it. Am I the only one that has a hard time keeping a clean house?

Another thing I have to be better at is reading in my Bible and praying. I know it would help my morning to go better if I could just peel myself out of bed a little early. I'm really not a morning person so this is hard to do. I occasionally am good at reading and praying in the afternoon when the kids are napping but I've already lost my patience and had a negative attitude all morning. Maybe I also need to only focus on the positives and humor in life instead of always complaining. Which I must add that I've NEVER been a complainer. If I complain about something, I've probably already forgot an hour later what it was about.

There are also stresses with my family. Mostly with my older sister and sometimes with my little sister. My brother is really the only one without issues, haha. I think I could also use a weekend getaway with Shaun. I think we will try over Thanksgiving break when he'll be off of teaching. To be honest, I've been sleeping well though. I fall asleep on the couch around 10 give or take go up to bed around 10:30 or 11 and usually I get up around 6:45 or 7 to get ready for the kids coming over that I babysit. That's 8 hours give or take. I think my body would prefer 9 hours but 8 is pretty average for what they say the adult body needs.

Anyways, I'll try to make the next blog more positive. I just had to get that all out of my system.
Hope you all are doing well! :)

ooops!

2011-10-10T05:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been a while, hasn't it?! I've been super busy with the boys, getting over a cold, watching kids almost everyday at our house, enjoying time with family. Did I mention we are expecting baby #3 around May 4th?!?! Yup, it's true. Wil and baby#3 will be 18 months apart which is my minimum for being sane. Anything less than that and I would be stressing out! We are planning on this being my last pregnancy and we would like to adopt when our kids are older. Maybe when Matthew turns 13, baby#3 will be 9. We think we will adopt a toddler. I like the 3 year old age even though its difficult, they say the funniest things and toddlers aren't adopted as much as babies. Anyways, on a personal note I'm very torn about what to do to prevent getting pregnant again. I obviously get pregnant pretty easily. Any suggestions? I have my opinions but didn't want to go too personal and turn you all away from reading my blog ever again :) Maybe I'll open up if anyone else has input.

I've really been enjoying the boys lately. Its really funny how Matthew likes soccer and karate even though my husband and I have never been into those sports. We drove past a soccer game yesterday and Matthew was shouting "SOCCER!". First of all it was impressive to us that he knew that's what they were playing and second of all it's pretty interesting that he is so into it when we have never talked about it or watched it. My hubby is into football, basketball, baseball and tennis, and I would like our boys to be into any of those (no more than 2 sports - don't want to overwhelm them). If I had to pick a sport for our boys to play that neither me or Shaun were into, I think I would pick hockey. I don't know why, I just see it as still being a 'manly' sport with potential of being successful. I don't think it's too dangerous, is it!?
Wil has been fun to watch now that he is almost one. His personality is really coming out, in good ways and bad ways. Today I noticed if he doesn't get what he wants he throws himself on the floor. The tantrums are being already. But he is a lot of fun too. He has this cheesy smile he does which just makes me crack up! And he loves to be tickled and is climbing on everything. I just love him to pieces. Matthew has been harder to love lately. He has really been a brat lately and is always trying to wrestle with me. Sometimes I would just like my space, especially with being pregnant again, I don't want him jumping on me and when I was going through my nauseous phase I didn't even want him sitting on my lap. He is just so loud too, and always shouting commands at me. Like at this exact moment he is demanding "drink, momma!" He always asks me for things as soon as I sit down. He sure is a lot of work, but a lot of fun too. He says the funniest things and I love when he want to cuddle with me. I love when he kisses his brother and shares things with him and I sure do wish I had his energy!
Anyways, just wanted to catch everyone up on what's going on since I know it was a while. Hope you all are doing well!

# 6

2011-08-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

Challenge Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.

" Oreo is a very sweet boy, about 3 years old. He was already neutered and declawed when his owners surrendered him because they could no longer keep him. We had him vet checked,updated on shots, and flea treated. His adoption fee is only $20. Can you give this very friendly guy a home?"

I want a kitty very badly. I want a dog even more, but I think a cat will be a little lower maintenance. You do not need to come home in the middle of the day to let it out to go to the bathroom like a dog, but pregnant women can not clean out littler boxes :/ yikes! Don't tell my husband that one.

Shaun and I have a deal (because he HATES the idea of having a pet) that if his high school football or basketball team (boys) can win states then we can get a pet! Oh boy. luckily they are the biggest high school in Ohio but they still seem to get beat in the finals.

Do you have pets? If not, what kind of pet do you want?

Day #5

2011-08-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

Day 5 – your favorite quote :

hmmm...I don't really have a favorite quote per say, but I do have a favorite bible verse.

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

I think this is so encouraging especially when you're going through a drought in your life or a hard time. It means that God will bring something positive out of whatever is going on; that He will bring glory to Himself in the end. And...if you love Him and obey him through it, you will be blessed!

Jesus Culture - Rooftops

2011-08-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

I love this song!! :) :)

Anniversary

2011-08-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd take a moment to put up some pictures since we celebrated our 4th anniversary this past week! (couldn't find our professional pics on our computer. I know I do have them on facebook though)

(below:) at our wedding shower

It looks as if we danced a lot but we really didn't, we aren't really fond of dancing - except slow dancing - and I really hate being the center of attention, so we mostly walked around and talked to our guests.

And here are pics from this summer. One from each month.

MAY: Wil - 6 months old

JUNE: Matthew - fun on the slip-n-slide at Grandma and Papa's house. (This should be on a funny card!)

JULY: My birthday boy - he's 3!!

AUGUST: eating a cupcake. It was chocolate if you can't tell :)

Day #4

2011-07-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

...your favorite book:

Well, I'm not sure I can pin-point my favorite book but I can talk about the books I have read.

My favorite book in the Bible is Acts. I really love Paul and all of his adventures and how he is so courageous. I love toward the end when he gets shipwrecked. Not that I love this happened to him, but its just and exciting story that sounds like it could be made into a movie. It just really held my attention which is sort of hard to do when you're reading the Bible. Right now I am reading through the Corinthians. I am half-way through 2 Corinthians. Sometimes my husband and I read it together and sometimes I read it by myself. I haven't been reading it everyday like I wanted to, but it's still always uplifting and helping me to grow in my relationship with Christ.

In High School I used to love romance novels. My aunt would give my sister and I Christian romance novels when she was done with them. Then after I graduated, I was more into 'self-help' books. I really like Joyce Meyer's books. We have The Ransomed Heart by John Eldridge and some of his other books too. I kind of want to read 'The Case for Christ' and 'The Case for a Creator' but I'm not super motivated because I am back into the Romance Novel phase!

I have 3 books that were made into movies...'A Walk to Remember' (long time ago), 'Water for Elephants' and 'Breaking Dawn'. All really good books. I remember that the movie 'A Walk to Remember' was a little different than the book, but I liked them both. The book 'Water for Elephants' was a little boring to me at first and it took me a while to finish it, but once I got to the climax I was hooked. I loved the movie especially because I love Reese Witherspoon. I did really like Robert Pattinson in it too! I was worried when I heard they were making it a movie, that it would be rated R and would be a little inappropriate but they left the parts of the book out that I was appalled by. I loved 'Breaking Dawn'. It was the only book I read of the series, but I'd seen all the movies. I can't wait for it to come to theaters in November!!! I'm sure I'll be going with a group of ladies :)

Well, I guess that about wraps up my reading experiences...well a summary and the highlights at least. I can't write about EVERYTHING I've ever read.

Day #3

2011-07-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

So...My hubby deleted the list I had saved of the 30 day challenge (probably didn't know what it was), so I figured I'd take different questions/suggestions that I like from random ones. Here's day #3 of one I liked:

A picture of you and your friends: (Please take note that I look way different in each photo, haha...they are all from different points in my life and I tend to change my look)

This is me and my bestest friend (besides my hubby), Missy! She is one of the few people that is always there for me and does so much for me and my family! She is also one of the best, most generous people I know! I'm so glad to know her! This was taken last weekend at the beach!

This is my lifegroup from 707 (minus Heather :( ) Kristin (our leader) just had her baby so we all gathered for a photo.

These are my old friends from youth group. We were such a fun group, but unfortunately I don't see them much anymore. I try not to let it bug me and cherish the times I was with them.

This is me and Holly. We have been friends since 6th grade! We see each other every once in a while and I love hanging out with her! She's a lot of fun!

This is my older sister on the left and my cousin on the right! We were in florida (visiting my cousin and family)

This is my husbands cousin Angie. love her! This was at a murder mystery dinner at church! She was quite the actress

This is me and my little sister Madi. She is one of my best friends! We have so much fun together

This is Kelsey...we dont see each other much, but when we do, its like we're best friends again! Wish she lived closer!

Well, that about wraps it up! I have a lot of random friends from random times in my life and although sometimes I get kind of depressed and angry with myself for not being a better friend, I really appreciate all the friends I have!

Day #2

2011-06-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

DISCUSS: WHERE YOU'D LIKE IN 10 YEARS

Hmmm...10 years from now, I will be 34. I will have been married for 13 (almost 14) years. Matthew will be almost 13! (his birthday is July 31st). Wil will be 10 and we will most likely have one or 2 other kids. Hopefully they will be 8 and 6 (a girl and boy...I want one girl, but mostly boys). I know its not up to me, obviously, but just wishful thinking. If it was different I'd still be happy! I'm a go-with-the-flow type of person. Hopefully we will be in our house we have just purchased. Haven't moved yet though. Our close date is Monday! (Super super excited!!). I will be a doula, having maybe 2 clients a month and most likely watching kids at my house for extra money. Shaun will hopefully still be teaching at Cardinal Middle School in Middlefield and coaching basketball in the winter. Maybe Shaun will be the pastor of a planted church. Our pastor (Shaun's uncle) and the congregation are very passionate about planting churches in different cities and towns instead of expanding one church building to be huge. We feel like it's hard to get plugged into church activities if it's too big. Its just overwhelming then. Maybe I'll even be on the praise team and provide them with input on more modern songs. (Our praise team tends to do older songs, around 10 years old, and they don't introduce new songs very often).

Well, that's all I can think of discussing for this topic.

WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE IN 10 YEARS???

30 day(?) challenge

2011-05-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

So, I stumbled across this 30 day challenge when I was looking at random blogs today. I think I would like to use it as a guideline for what I write about, but I KNOW I will not be able to write everyday. Maybe over the summer, when my husband is done teaching in another week, but don't want to make any promises since I'm a busy mom. Okay, so here's #1: "Discuss your current relationship..."
Shaun William Spence is my husband, best friend and the best Daddy to our 2 boys!
Want to hear the (short) story of how we met? :) Of course you do!
Well, it was 2005, the fall right after I graduated high school. It was his last year attending the local community college and my first semester. He was the Campus Crusade for Christ bible study leader and I was very intimidated by him at first since he was so smart (and serious). I was used to dating guys who were 'jokesters', if you will, and so I can't say I was immediately attracted to him, although now we joke with each other all the time. The 2nd or 3rd time I came to the bible study, I was the only person to show up besides him, so we just sat there and talked for a couple hours. We soon found that we liked some of the same bands, both love to play tennis, and even loved the movie 'Clifford' with Martin Short. (I know very few people who have seen this movie from the 80's, and if they have seen it, they usually hate it for some reason). Then we found out we had some mutual 'friends' we knew. The rest is history :)
Here are some pictures of us over the years:

Thank you God for blessing me such a godly man who serves You and puts others before himself! I am truly blessed!

Living

2011-05-22T05:25:00.000-07:00

I came across a strangers blog today that really inspired me. It was about all the hype about the rapture. The writer didn't say whether or not she believed the rapture would happen yesterday or not, but she used it as a moment to teach her sixth grade son. She talked to him about how we should live as followers of Christ on a daily basis. I hope that this will be me in 9 or 10 years when my older son is that age.

I leave you with this scripture from my devotion:

The scriptures say: “Do what your king commands; you gave a sacred oath of obedience. Don’t worryingly second-guess your orders or try to back out when the task is unpleasant. You’re serving his pleasure, not yours. The king has the last word. Who dares say to him, ‘What are you doing?’ Carrying out orders won’t hurt you a bit; the wise person obeys promptly and accurately.” (Ecclesiastes 8:2-5, MSG)

Osama bin Laden

2011-05-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

I know some of the hype about Osama bin Laden's death is over, but will it truly be over? His name and story will forever be in history textbooks. So, since I haven't blogged in a while, I choose this topic. I know it is a difficult subject for Christians, so my husband and I talked about what we both thought about his death.
First of all; is it really fair to expect God to extend grace to us, but not to someone else who was created to bring glory to God? I know you and I never have and will never will kill innocent people, but what if, what if you had a family member who was a murderer (or did something else horrifying) and they confessed at the end of their life that Christ is Lord and they were extremely sorrowful about the things they have done. Would you also think that God should not extend grace toward them? There are rewards in heaven for those of who have done God's will for most of our lives. And I'm not saying that Osama confessed Christ on his death bed, or toward the end of his life. I'm just saying that it isn't fair, or Christ-like to judge others or celebrate someone's death when God mourns their life here on earth. We should be mourning because we know that he isn't with our Heavenly Father. In an article I read (http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/current-events/op-ed-blog/25463-should-christians-celebrate-the-death-of-osama-bin-laden), the author says we should instead be relieved that he cannot harm anyone else. After all, he was responsible for so many deaths. The author's last sentence is this: "Yet even as our spirits lift knowing that this man will do no more evil, our eyes should burst forth with weeping knowing that bin Laden will likely spend eternity like he spent his life: separated from the true God. " Let us leave justice to our all-knowing, holy God!

P.S. DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT read the comments after the article on relevantmagazine.com unless you want to get very angry at some people. I just did. Why do atheist and Christian haters have to comment on things like this?? Im pretty sure that most Christians, or at least REAL Christ-followers would never seek out atheist articles and leave nasty comments on them! I know people are going to disagree in this world because of sin, but can't we all just have respect for each other??

Sorry to get all serious on everyone :) I'll try to make the next one a light-hearted fun one.

January

2011-02-15T16:21:00.000-08:00

My cousin Brittany and her new husband dancing

My beautiful little sister

My cousin Christen with Wil

Our friends Kelsey and Micah got married!

Wil is 2 months old!!

Matthew and Uncle Baxter at the airport on our way to Florida for the wedding

Wil Kenneth - Nov 2nd

2010-11-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

Birth story to follow soon....

Can't get focused...

2010-10-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

"Even in her thinking place, she still couldn't get focused."

Well, I don't want to make any promises, but I'm going to TRY to make an effort to blog more often. Even if it's just once a week, I'd be happy with that! The problem is that my husband takes the laptop to work with him, so the only time I would be able to do it is in the evenings or on the weekends! Not to mention that he's usually using the laptop for his sports things, or lesson plans, or even things for coaching basketball. Then, if he's not on the laptop, I feel guilty for being on it because thats time we could be spending together. Basically the perfect scenario for blogging is if he's playing with Matthew (like right now), not here, or watching something on TV that I'm not interested in. Because, sorry blogging friends - but my husband takes priority over blogging :)

So, if you couldn't tell...I'm having a hard time being focused today. I have this free time to blog since Shaun is upstairs (probably fell asleep since Matthew is now down here, unless Shaun is playing with trains or puzzles - haha) but yet I can not quite figure out what to write about...

Sure, I could write about the fact that my due date for baby #2 was and my doctor wants to induce me on Wednesday, which I'm not thrilled about c

onsidering I'm a huge advocate for natural birth. I almost feel like God wants me to go through the experience of getting induced so that when I'm a doula (taking classes in March), I can speak to other women about it from my own point of view. Wow, I'm really staying positive here, aren't I? I think a little too positive. Part of me want to argue with my OB about being induced, but I know she is the professional and I do trust her. So, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray that this baby decides to come before Wednesday! I do have an appointment again on Monday to test the baby's heartbeat for 15 minutes and test me for contractions too. The most annoying part of not having this baby (besides being excited every time I get contractions then being disappointed when I realize they are just braxton hicks), is feeling like I'm ready for the birthing process one day, then the next day I'm really nervous and scared, and back and forth.

Okay, so maybe I do have a lot on my mind right now, but I'm just kind of tired of talking about the fact that I'm past my due date now.

Anyways,

Because I love pictures, here are some randoms since I haven't posted any lately:

- Shaun and I on our anniversary date in August

Matthew's new fascination - rides like these...he says "coins please" and..."ride?"

"Come, Holy Spirit"

2010-10-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Pastor Ken challenged us to pray a simple prayer each day..."Come, Holy Spirit". When I pray this, I get such a peace and I hope that the rest of our community will remember to pray it as well!

Today, er...yesterday, was my due date (the 26th) - My new prediction/s...Well, Friday would be nice because Shaun would have the whole weekend to be with us, then a whole week off, plus another weekend - But, I'm thinking November 2, 2010, will be the day. Why? well, only because on the 3rd, my OB would like to induce me. I'm hoping the baby will take that as a threat and come out before hand! Preferably labor would start anywhere from 9am till noon and maybe have the baby around 3 or 4, because it would be really nice to have the morning to relax and then have the evening for visitors to come! Hey, I can dream, cant I? :)

Things I want

2010-08-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

Well, we found a house to rent and we are hoping to start moving our stuff over next week. Here's some inspirations I would love to use to decorate:

Love this bedroom. Its so clean and simple but yet elegant and somewhere you want to be. Very relaxing!

left: perfect decor for fall! We don't really have a foyer, but I was going to put the couch so that there's a 'walk way' behind it when you first walk in the front door.

left - a mirror I REALLY love from Target.

above - IF IF IF this next baby is a girl, this would be the perfect room! I LOVE purple and its got great accent colors and designs!

Right - a pillow I really love from Wal Mart!

Okay, well I don't want to spend all day on here daydreaming about things I can't have (yet). Shaun says that AFTER we move in and get settled I can start buying a few things at a time that I like. I guess I will just have to be patient :)

changes

2010-06-25T05:57:00.000-07:00

So many things going on in life...I'm more excited than overwhelmed right now, but I feel the stress starting to creep up.

1) Shaun got a full-time teaching job for the fall!!!!!!!!!

- for those of you who don't know us personally, we got married in August of 2007. My husband was in school still but I decided not to waste my money on school if I didn't know what I wanted to do as a career (I now know I want to be a doula). So we got married knowing we would only have one person's school debt to pay off instead of 2, plus my husband has always been very good with money. He had saved up enough from his high school/ early college years that we could afford to get married and also had a good paying part time job. It was a little difficult, Id be lying if I didn't admit that, but well worth it. Anyways, he graduated December 2008 (4 months after our son was born). He worked 3 months (March-May) at an urban school in Cleveland at an after school program (along with his previous part-time job). When he didn't find a job that coming school year he got offered the job as the head teacher of the after school program. He did that for a year (still, along with the part-time job at Progressive Insurance). It was really tough for him. The kids were very disrespectful and he felt like he was babysitting more than teaching. So when school ended this year, honestly I was a little worried he wouldn't find anything again, or at least not something he would really enjoy.

-How he got the job for the fall:

I was at a baby shower sitting by 2 girls I've met before but did not know very well. They both teach (or taught) at a Christian school kind of in the middle of nowhere. They were saying that the only male teacher at the middle school was moving up to the high school so the school was looking for another male teacher. They got Shaun in for an interview which went pretty well. Even though Shaun (or should I say 'we') have promised to use the gifts God has bestowed on us for His glory, teaching in a Christian school just wouldn't be Shaun's passion. He would really love to use his career as a mission field. There are a lot of kids out there who have really hard home lives, or are just searching for something Greater than themselves. I'm not saying he's going to be preaching in the classroom, but actions speak louder than words and if any of the kids find out he's a Christian all he has to do is show by his actions that living for God instead of yourself is well worth it! Anyways, At the interview at the Christian school, there was a man there who is on the board (of Agape Christian) but is the principal of a public middle school, again, out in the middle of nowhere. He liked Shaun so much that he asked the Christian school if he could interview Shaun for a position open at the middle school and he called Shaun. I am so amazed how God worked all of this out! The principal called him, and Shaun didn't even apply to that school, plus - he doesn't even have a degree for the position they needed to fill (Technology teacher)! They had an interview and Shaun said he was willing to take some classes and the principal said Shaun can work along side the math teacher and social studies teacher and maybe even take over one of those if the position eventually opens up. So, they offered Shaun the job yesterday and he said YES!!! Like I said its in the middle of nowhere. I mean NOWHERE! Amish country. All they have there is a giant cheese factory.

okay, I'm going to have to finish this post later. Enjoy what's here so far!

Easter outfit

2010-04-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

Matthew seemed to go through shoes really quickly in his first 5 months of walking (11 months - 16ish months). My in-laws bought him his first pair at Stride Rite. A really nice (kind of expensive) pair of brown ones with a little bit of black in them. They were perfect because he could wear them with anything black or brown. Well, about a month after having them we lost one of them. Most likely from him thinking they were toys he could run around with. We still haven't found it to this day (he is 20 months old now). Then I bought him a really cute pair of blue ones at Target which he only wore for maybe about 2 months before we lost one. I did find it in my car about a month ago when I was cleaning it out, but now they don't fit anymore of course. Does anyone else seem to have this problem??
I then bought him a new pair of blue ones at Target although they're not as cute as the first blue pair. He has actually had those ever since (6 months now?). However, those would not look good with his fancy Easter outfit, so my mother-in-law bought him a pair of brown shoes. Im pretty sure these are the shoes.

Anyways, I CAN NOT wait to put his Easter outfit on him. It looks something like this, but I will probably post pictures of him actually wearing it soon. The only difference with the outfit is that our tie is more of a blue color and I think the vest is more vintage looking. And the pants were the same color as the vest, but I think we are going to put navy colored pants on him because the other ones were a little big.

Those of you who have kids - are you doing Easter outfits this year?
Do you yourself as an adult still buy something special for Easter? I think I am going to wear a dress or skirt instead of pants.

'baby on board'

2010-03-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

We are officially telling everyone that we are expecting again!
I am due on October 26 which means I am about 8 weeks along! I have known since I took the pregnancy test almost 4 weeks ago and slowly over time I just couldn't keep my mouth shut anymore. I didn't tell any of Shaun's extended family or people at church, only people at work and a couple friends. But now, if we have mutual friends, I give you permission to tell whomever you want. I will write more later, I'm just too tired to concentrate right now (surprise, surprise)!

What really matters

2010-03-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

My sister was talking to me about how much she misses the way everyone at college was more outgoing in their worship. That really challenged me to think about why I'm not more outgoing in my worship lately. I cant remember the last time I regularly raised my hands during worship every week and just totally focused on God during that time. Lately I find myself trying to close my eyes and focus on the words but then I realize I'm thinking about something silly like what we're going to eat for lunch, or even things that have already happened like what I ate for lunch the day before. Anyways...Ive been trying more lately to read my Bible daily, but I could be better with my prayer time. I still feel like it's hard to focus on God throughout my day, but what really matters is that I'm trying, right?

Newlyweds

2010-03-03T05:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks for sharing this Sara!! :)

1. What are your middle names? Mine is Ann and his is William.

2. How long have you been together? Our first date was in November of 2005. We liked each other before that, but both of us had just broke up with our ex boyfriend/girlfriend.

3. How long did you know each other before you started dating? 2 months

4. Who asked who out? He asked me out of course

5. How old are each of you? I'm 23 and he is 26

6. Did you go to the same school? No, I grew up in Concord (Riverside High) and he's from Mentor.

7. Are you from the same home town? Nope, see above.

8. Who is the smartest? He is, definitely.

9. Who majored in what? I dont have a degree, but aspire to be a doula soon. He has his bachelors in Middle School Education (teaching) and is going to get his Masters in Gifted Education.

10. Who is the most sensitive? Me, no question there.

11. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Las Vegas almost a year ago (Matthew was 6 months old).

12. Who has the worst temper? Me. We're both very stubborn, but he can remain calm and I blow up easier

13. How many children do you want? 3 or 4.

14. Who does the cooking? Mostly me, but he cooks when he has to.

15. Who is more social? Both of us, but usually at church he's the one talking to people 1/2 hour after the service is over and Im ready to just go home.

16. Who is the neat freak? Neither of us! We have a messy apartment, although he cares more even though he wont do much about it.

17. Who is the most stubborn? mm...its pretty even. We both are able to pick our battles though.

18. Who wakes up earlier? Him, but mostly cuz he has to for his new teaching job, which is not good because Matthew tends to wake up whenever Shaun gets up.

19. Where was your first date? He would say Chipotle. But Bravo was our first official date!

20. Who has the bigger family? Immediate family is me, extended family is him. His family is huge. But, I have one more sibling than he does.

21. Do you get flowers often? on special occasions.

22. How do you spend the holidays? Oh goodness. We try to do both, but luckily our families live close to each other and everyone gets along so sometime one of our families will invite the other one over.

23. Who is more jealous? Why would we be jealous?

24. How long did it take to get serious? A few months, I guess. We decided to wait to say "I love you" but he told me he loved me before I thought he would.

25. Who eats more? Probably him, I have this thing where I dont think I should be eating as much as my husband.

26. What do you do for a living? I work in child care and he's a teacher.

27. Who does the laundry? We each do it at my in-laws house. I'm sure mostly my mother in law and Shauns great aunt who lives with them does it, but I usually try to get it started if we bring laundry over there.

28. Who's better with the computer? It depends, but usually him.

29. Who drives when you are together? Generally him; I prefer not to drive his car and he prefers not to drive my car, so it usually depends on who's car we have to take.

30. What is your song? We have two, 'God Blessed the Broken Road' by Rascall Flatts and 'The Luckiest' by Ben Folds. Those were the 2 first songs we danced to at our wedding.

quiet place

2010-03-03T05:42:00.000-08:00

"Dear Lord, help me know You are good. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Mark 6:31, "Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'" (NIV)

(http://proverbs31devotions.blogspot.com)

Today's Devotion

2010-03-01T05:12:00.000-08:00

Taken from http://proverbs31devotions.blogspot.com

"God is glorified through His people, and trying to shake off the personality with which He created us is dishonoring to Him."

Lord: "Allow us opportunities to use our talents for Your glory and the good of the people around us, both those who are part of Your body and those who do not yet know You. Let our uniqueness be a light for You in the darkness. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

February Pictures

2010-02-24T05:46:00.000-08:00

Matthew playing in the snow for the first time!

mini vacations

2010-02-23T05:25:00.000-08:00

What things did you and your spouse like to do while you were dating? Do you still have a regular date night, or occasional get-away?

My hubby and I like to go on mini-vacations. When we were dating, we went to Buffalo a couple times to visit some friends of his and we went up to Niagara to go sight seeing (and gambling). After we got married we went to Niagara, just the 2 of us, and 6 months after we had Matthew we went to Vegas with his parents. We've also been to Pittsburgh just for a weekend (to watch the Indians play there), and we've been to Columbus a few times (although most of those were to visit friends). We are planning a trip to Windsor in March. I told him that I would like to visit a bed and breakfast, or tour spot in each state, starting with the states around us. We are going to Windsor first because his parents got 2 free nights there, and they are giving us one of them. Im always sad to leave Matthew, but I enjoy time away too. Maybe we'll have to take one more get-away later in the year before we have another baby. We do have 2 local weddings this year, and 2 in Florida (one of them in which i am a bridesmaid for my cousin Brittany). Brittany's sister is getting married in September, so Ive heard . . . but I dont think we'll be able to go. I was thinking a good time to go down there before Britt's wedding would be May, or August. No other months work! Anytime before May would be not enough time to prepare, but maybe April would be possible...June and July we have a wedding here, and July is Matthew's birthday. August might be good because it would be before Shaun starts whatever full-time teaching job he will have. Im thinking it would be either just me, or all 3 of us. I dont think I would want to go by myself with Matthew (considering hes never been on a plane before). September wouldn't be good because of Shaun's future job, and Octobers not good due to certain reasons. November is Thanksgiving and December is Christmas. Britt's wedding is January 23rd. Well, so in conclusion, May or August would be good months. I guess I should figure all this out soon! Im looking forward to all the mini-vacations we will take this year!

(" Dear Lord, show me ways to nurture friendship with my spouse, so we can continue to enjoy each other through the passing years.
Is there anything you can take out of your life to allow space for your friendship with your spouse to grow?")

Music

2010-02-22T11:48:00.001-08:00

Just curious:
Who did you look up to in your youth? Was in a celebrity, or musician? Or someone you knew? Why did you look up to them or want to be like them?

For me, I really wanted to be in a rock band which was pretty uncommon for girls. I don't remember too many girls in rock bands when I was growing up. Especially not in the Christian music industry. Sure, there was Jackie Valesquez, and Amy Grant etc...but they definitely dont count! It wasn't until around my senior year of high school that the band 'Flyleaf started to become big, then Fireflight, and now Im really into Lights (not Christian...more of an electric style). I was really into music when I was in high school. I was always looking for new bands to discover, making mix Cds and going to concerts a lot. But when I started dating/ got engaged to Shaun I lost my love for music. I think maybe its because we dont listen to a lot of the same bands, or maybe it wouldve happened regardless of my surroundings. But anyways, Im starting to get back into it a little bit. My mom took me, my sister and her boyfriend to see Owl City (touring with the band Lights) in Columbus a few weeks ago, then my friend Andy talked me into going to hear his band Dolson (which Ive heard in the past but it had been years), and now I just purchased tickets to go see Copeland for their last tour (very bittersweet) :( . . . When we went to my friends show, my mom bought the other bands CD's too which she let me put on my ipod. They are really awesome! (Green River Ordinance and Sleeperstar)

Well, off to probably take a nap!!
Have a great day everyone!

talking the talk, and walking the walk

2010-02-19T04:50:00.000-08:00

"Dear Lord, give me the strength and faith to keep praying for my child. Help me understand, though it might take years, You are a God who hears and answers the prayers of a praying parent. In Jesus' Name, Amen." (taken from http://proverbs31devotions.blogspot.com/2010/02/wandering-children.html)

I made a commitment to start praying for my future children when I first got married and when I got pregnant and had Matthew it was so cool to pray specifically for him (and the future kids too still). I know this doesn't mean that all with go perfectly with parenthood, or that my kids will only make the best decisions. But I pray specifically that they will make friends with people who are also Christ-followers. People who strive to serve Christ better, that can be an encouragement to my kids. I pray the same for any one else I'm praying for, because I think that the friends you make are an important factor in who you are. I also pray for their future spouse to be not only a Christ-follower, but to be COMMITTED, and PASSIONATE about their faith in Jesus. I also realize that no matter how much I pray for them, the more important thing is that I am a good example of what a Christian looks like. An everyday Christian, not just a Sunday Christian. Therefore, I do make sure I pray for myself as much as I can!

I want this kitty =D

2010-02-18T13:23:00.000-08:00

Domestic Short Hair-orange, Tabby - Orange

Medium Adult Female Cat

Click to see
full size

More About Baby Cakes

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One down, 39 to go

2010-02-17T17:03:00.000-08:00

Well today, it was a little hard not to go on Facebook this morning. Luckily I wasn't home all day, and wont be home all day until Monday. I work/worked Tue, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun...Off again Monday (hopefully). Its just rough because usually I'm just watching my friends baby, Kellen on Thursdays, but she needed to switch to Wednesday. I was excited to get the day off on Thursday but a lady from work called me and was in desperate need of me covering her shift..Which actually worked out, but now I don't get any time off till Monday. I'm going to try not to let Blogging be my new Facebook for now, because if I did that, then what's the point? Shaun (my husband) has stepped up to the plate, and recommended we read and pray together every evening when Matthew goes to bed. This has been something both of us have wanted to do regularly together, but it never became a habit. If we can do it for 40 days, we should be able to do it longer, right?!

Okay, well off to the banks website to finish writing everything down that we've spent so far this month. Dave Ramsey would be very disappointed we haven't been keeping track!

Lent / Cleaning

2010-02-16T19:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I've decided to give up Facebook for Lent once again. I did it last year without even peeking once! Shaun was so shocked, haha! Im hoping this will not only allow for more time in prayer and in God's Word, but also more time for cleaning! I made a cleaning list for myself a while back, but its been hard to follow because the way I set it up was to clean a different room every day. We have 6 rooms in our apartment and I chose Monday through Saturday to clean (resting on the sabbath). I think its a pretty good plan, but if Im not following it, and the apartment is getting messy, it would look pretty silly to only have one clean room. So I normally just clean a little bit in each room which tends to get frustrating because after an hour, it doesnt look like I did very much. Anyways...Im going to be off on Thursday so I think I will do a little bit in each room, then work on Matthew's room. Its actually not as bad as it's been in the past, but I'd really like to clean out the closet, clear off the futon, organize his dresser, and dust/vacuum.

Anyone have any tips on keeping a clean house?! :)

P.S. I have decided to give up TV/Computer time for the first hour after getting up and the last hour before bed.

confused

2010-01-24T17:18:00.000-08:00

I am confused. Emotionally, physically, spiritually...as a mother, as a wife, as a Christ follower, as a friend etc...
hmm...where to start....

First of all, Matthew has been SO EXTREMELY crabby the last 3 days now. He is currently crying in his crib (which doesn't usually happen at bedtime), but I refuse to get him up because as soon as I do, I know he will start throwing things and hitting me. Is it really worth it? I think he's been so crabby because he's trying to get over a cold, he's been trying to poop (has always had a hard time), and keeps getting hurt (got a bloody/fat lip at my parents yesterday, and today ran into the wall and hit his head pretty hard). Not to mention, he hasn't been taking good naps lately. Im So drained I want to cry right now. Our apartment is SO messy and I have no energy to clean it. Im not pregnant this month, yet again and Im starting to lose my positive attitude about eating organic (The Maker's Diet).
A good thing: I have been working out a lot lately and have finally lost 15lbs since June (25 total since I had Matthew a year and 6 months ago). More 'bad' things: We do not have the money for me to go get new clothes, and we are WAY over on our food budget this month since I have started eating organic/healthier (partly cuz I still have to buy all the unhealthy stuff for Shaun, ie pop tarts, lean pockets, etc..), but he refuses to eat healthier. He says when something medically goes wrong with his body then he will consider it. Its frustrating me so much that he doesn't care about his body, or about the possibility of future medical bills. Oh yeah, did I mention my car broke down on the highway the other day? yet another expense...

and...Matthew is STILL screaming in his room. I need a vacation. By myself...no one else. Just me and God. a nice refresher...oh well, a good cry will have to do for now.

P.S. sorry for being a 'debbie downer' but blogging helps me to get my frustrations out and clear my head.

Now, just have to figure out what to do...
clean? (its not going to clean itself and I dont have a maid)
relax and watch a movie
take a bubble bath (even though our bath tub needs to be cleaned very badly)
get Matthew up and hope he will just cuddle with me and watch TV
scrapbook in silence or with music
read a book

I hate making decisions.

new pictures!!

2009-12-17T19:17:00.000-08:00

we have so much fun together :)

very dramatic!

Best buds!!

What a ham! (and what a mess! yikes)

Saving

2009-12-16T18:50:00.001-08:00

First of all, PLEASE...I need help deciding what to get my husband for Christmas. We decided to not spend more than $40 on each other. He likes Cleveland sports, and Chipotle...and that's about it - haha! I think I might get him a Chipotle gift card (or a gift card to a different restaurant he likes), a game he wants called Bananagrams, and a CD. His birthday is coming up in February, so I was thinking of getting him one 'big' gift then. Ughh...why do guys have to be so difficult to shop for!?

So, as we start to get more of a hold on this whole 'money thing'...I am suddenly struck with all the things I want to save money for. Here's a list:

1 - A HOUSE! We already have some $ saved for a down payment, and we actually just talked to Ryan Homes on Sunday ( http://www.ryanhomes.com/Venice_12556.html ) and talked to a mortgage guy today about buying/building a house in Willoughby. We have lot #106 on hold. I love it! Honestly, I wasnt crazy about Ryan Homes at first because Ive always wanted a big yard for our kids and I dont like the idea of living in a neighborhood where all the houses are close together and all look pretty similar. BUT...it would be brand spankin new, AND really modern and beautiful! Anyways, we could just add to our savings for a house.

2 - Decorations/furnishings for our future house. I would want new couches, and we may need some appliances if our future home doesn't come with everything we need (we own NO big appliances) - plus I would definitely NEED ;) to buy more/new decorations such as but not limited to things to decorate the kitchen, picture frames (for walls and for tables), and we may even need more cleaning supplies including laundry detergent etc, considering we've never really done our own laundry (Thanks to my wonderful in-laws!!). We will also need bins and boxes for packing/organizing.

3 - Missions Trip. God has put a desire on my heart ever since before, but especially I was a senior in High School. It is then, in 2005, when He told me that one day I would go to Cambodia...hasn't happened yet, but I think He really needs to prepare me first so that I may be used for HIS glory! My hope and prayer is that my family and I can go when our kids get a little older, so they can also have the experience of seeing lives change.

4 - Vacation. Shaun and I really enjoyed going to Vegas this past January and we recently saw a really good deal for a suite at MGM (75% off!), but I told him to pass it up since we are trying to get a house right now. We need to draw the line somewhere. seriously! I would love love love to go back to Europe someday, but I know that would cost a lot because not only do you have more expensive flights, but probably a rental car, a place to stay for at LEAST a week (otherwise its just not enough time to do everything!), all expenses for eating all meals and snacks, well you get the point! I told Shaun I would love to go to a bed and breakfast in every state, or at least states we've never been to together yet.

5 - CAR/S! Shaun has a 1996 Honda Accord, and I have a 2000 Chevy Cavalier - both are in okay shape, but they both have no A/C. I think they will both die at the same time...probably in a couple years. Until then, we will just have to fork out money 3 or 4 times a year for repairs. yuck! Im just ready for a new(er) car! Even anything 2005 or after is great for me!

I think that's all for my list?

Any comments? :)

thoughts

2009-11-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

Just a collaboration of my thoughts:

A couple of weeks ago at church, we talked about how much time we spend on the internet, watching tv etc...and I already knew that I clearly spend way too much time on Facebook. I averaged out how much time I spend on there, and it ended up being about 9 hours a week! That following week, I got it down to only 3 1/2 hours (if I was doing my math right - haha)...well, for this past week I was on an average of 4 1/2 hours...so it went up, but that's still a whole lot better than it used to be!

I can not believe it is almost Christmas! I wish I took more pics at Thanksgiving, but I really wasnt feeling motivated. usually Aunt Karen takes lots of pics with her old fashioned film camera - haha - but they were out of town so Greg took some with his super fancy camera. Still only got one pic of me, and a couple of Matthew though. Last year we got professional pics for Christmas, but Im thinking we'll wait till after Christmas this time...maybe Ill just see if that could be my birthday gift - Matthew will be 18 months in February, and last time we got professionals, he was 4 months old I think. Somewhere around there at least.

We have so many leftovers its disgusting! We did a murder mystery dinner the night before Thanksgivig - I made a big thing of lasagna and a little one too just in case people wanted seconds. there was leftovers of the big one actually, since there was also salad, garlic bread etc...so we left the rest of the 'big pan' at Aunt Shelley's for them to have, and we took the little one with us. so that's what we had for lunch today.

Im kind of glad I had a coffee date in the afternoon today, because otherwise I probably would've been incredibly lazy all day. Its actually kind of nice out, but for some reason Sunday afternoons just make me want to sleep! Why is that?

We are looking at houses now, and we are hoping to buy before April so we can use the $8,000 tax credit thingy for first home buyers. Which means...One step closer to getting a DOG! :D My family growing up has had 2 dogs (seperate times), one cat, some gerbils, goldfish and a rabbit. Shaun however has had one rabbit, in his whole life. He just doesnt understand what it's like to have a pet that you love. But, maybe when we get a house he'll eventually suprise me with one, or just let me go get one! There's a really cute 8 month old female spaniel/labrador mix at the shelter by us - it says she's a very nice dog - there are also Australian Shepherd/Labrador mix puppies there right now! SO CUTE!
This one is Harry:

Okay, well Im done here...Ill try to write again soon :)

2009-10-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

This is my son Matthew listening to his uncle playing Guitar. It was so cute (but I must admit, he is really pooping in this pic - haha!)

I was just talking to someone about how cool it is to have little siblings cuz I know they look up to me. My little sister (now 15 years old) knows that I will pray with her anytime, and we will often share what God is teaching us through His word and just life in general.

I think as Matthew gets older it will be awesome to have an older, but still kind of young uncle!

10 things:

2009-09-18T04:14:00.000-07:00

10 Things I love:

1. Christian retreats

2. The feeling when you know you've made a difference in someone's day

3. God's holy word

4. Helping toddlers learn about who Jesus is

5. Learning from all your mistakes (big and small ones)

6. God's grace

7. Secrets (because it's better than gossip)

8. Overcoming spiritual warfare

9. Re-decorating

10. Knowing that you don't have to compare yourself to anybody

today's events

2009-09-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

today: met up with my grandparents in Streetsboro while they were on their way from PA to Indiana. It was nice to see them, and they really enjoyed seeing Matthew of course. Maybe we will see them for Thanksgiving?

Met Leah at Bellasano for some lattes. Tried the new pumpkin spice and it was good but maybe needed to be a little sweeter and more pumpkin flavor. I always enjoy time with Leah :)

For dinner I made up my own recipe:
cook chicken on the stove with (canned) jalepenos and garlic seasoning
put in the crock pot with taco seasoning for 1/2 hour (on low)
add white beans and rice pilaf and cook on low for 15 or 20 minutes.

It was very yummy - but spicy. If you dont like spicy, dont do jalepenos, or only a small amount.

we borrowed Jason's truck tonight to pick up Grandma June's kitchen table that Grandma and Grandpa are graciously giving us. Its a lot smaller than the table we were using, but its newer and has 4 chairs (our old one only had 2). I picked some fresh flowers from Grandma June's garden to put on our new table :)

I REALLY REALLY want to paint the apartment since we are going to be here another year...BUT...Im such a procrastinator, plus that would take extra money and time :/

I did just rearrange and even with the new table, Im still not content. Just ready for a big change I guess. Its disappointing that Shaun couldnt get the job he wanted. We are super blessed though. God is so good!

crazy is normal

2009-09-14T07:05:00.000-07:00

well, i guess I haven't written in a while. I must admit, it is mostly because of something I had previously written which I shouldn't have. I guess all I can say, is I hope I learned my lesson in revealing too much on a public blog. Oh well. lesson learned.

First of all - anyone have any advice on starting to wean Matthew off the bottle, and/or using time-outs/smacking his hand?
2nd - (HOPE NO MEN ARE READING THIS- lol) I have been having irregular bleeding between periods. Is it something that I should be worried about or is it common? (Ive never had it before)

hmmm...I don't know what to start with.
Yesterday was a crazy day, but lately crazy is normal. I wish I could say I had a relaxing morning, but even though we didn't have plans, I still had to get a birthday gift for my friend Emily's little boy Dylan who just turned one. We were going to his party at 2 and of course i had last minute shopping to do. I did however use my portion of the clothing budget for this month, and didn't feel guilty for it! (since we have been following a budget) I bought a cute long sleeve shirt and a wonderful pair of skinny jeans (which is my first pair). I really wanted a pair, not only cuz they're cute, but also cuz now that winter is approaching I wont look so silly tucking my pants into my boots.
Anyways...Just Matthew and I went to Dylan's party and it kills me that I dont really get to talk to Emily much at these parties, since Im too busy chasing Matthew around and she's busy with her 3 kids and the guests. Shaun didn't come because Vanessa and him were working on something for Shawn for the upcoming retreat he will be attending! Its called Koinonia, and we call it a 'short course in Christianity', although it is mostly Christians who attend. It is just a good refreshing weekend where you are blessed by other Christians (through them serving you meals and other suprises ;)). Theres worship, and 'talks' or messages. Theres time for communion and reflection. Its pretty amazing!! I am going to be on the womens weekend again in October. Im super excited!
After the party I came home for about an hour, then went to church. Thanks to Becky I was able to get a break from Matthew while he was in the nursery although I ended up keeping Kaden with me cuz he didnt want to be with the kids. I was glad to see Emily and Dave there. And there is a nice girl named Sarah that has been coming. I hope we can continue to get a few more people each month to come every week. (did that make sense?)
Steve Baird gave the message and shared his testimony again which is always amaizing. God has broken him of a drug and alcohol addiction and now he goes into prisons and ministers to the men there. Our church has commited to beking cookies for the inmates in the prison ministry.

Its SO SO SO nice to have a day off today - AND not have any plans - well, not till tonight at least. Im just focusing on cleaning up a bit, then will go grocery shopping and make a yummy dinner. I think I will use that steak I bought last week and whip up some carmelized onions and chipotle chiles with it and serve it in a tortilla like a burrito. mm...I cant wait :) I love food - lol.

I also have a recipe for a 'salad' using zuccini and cucumber, fresh lavendar and oregeno. I think I will make that to take over to my parents on wednesday. My grandparents are coming for a night, and Im so excited to see them! They live in Florida but in the summer they work in Maine (?) at a campgrounds. I think if they continue to do that every summer, they will continue to visit us on their way from Maine to Indiana (where my Papa is from originally). They have seen Matthew twice. Right after he was born (he was maybe 6 weeks old), then at Christmas time (he was 5 months old). So its been a while! He is completley different now! Walking, NO, running all over the place. He definitely has a personality of his own!
We have started time outs now, and I think he started his terrible 2's early. He is a handful, but luckily sleeping right now :) We are just trying to be consistent with not letting him do certain things, like push the buttons on the Tv, or hit us in the face. Yes, he already does that. Today I was going to change his diaper, which he hates, and before I could lay him down on the floor, he looks at me with an angry face and starts swinging his arms trying to hit my face. Oh boy....Im in for a fun journey! haha

Well, I guess I should start getting stuff dont now.
Have a great day everyone!

rollercoaster

2009-04-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

Where do I start? How much do I say?
I guess I should update after my last blog. I wont give detail because they are too painful, and Im sure there are people who would not want to know details. I dont mind talking about it, if someone is curious. Anyways...We lost the baby on Monday. I was 11 weeks along and everything looked great according to a couple ultrasounds we saw. One of them, being at the hospital that morning. I am not mad at God, but I am confused as to why He had us so optimistic earlier that day. The baby was moving around on the ultrasound, and the heartbeat looked great. My doctor says she thought maybe it was because the baby wasnt implanted very well into the uterus since they couldnt find anything on the ultrasound that morning. The good thing is that she doesnt think it will happen again since the baby was fine up until the actual miscarriage. My husband wants to keep trying soon so our kids will be 2 years apart in school. I decided that I would like to just keep doing what we did before. We are usually careful during the time of ovulation, and alll other times, we arent as careful. If we get pregnant, I am fine with that, and if we dont, Im fine with that too. Its all in God's hands.

All of this has make me think of my goals. I feel like the positive I can get out of this, is that I can workout more, and try to lose more weight before we do get pregnant again.I asked Shaun for a membership to the YMCA for Christmas, but he thinks I wouldnt get our moneys worth. I really would love to use the pool, and occasionally the weights or track. I would also love to cook more. I make a really good lasagna, meatball soup, chicken/veggie soup, and Shaun makes a good broccoli/cheddar soup, chicken parmesean, and spaghetti parmesean. A more non-realistic goals is to learn a foreign language. I would definitely learn German considering I took it in high school and Ive been to Germany and Switzerland. Its not that I couldnt have done these things being pregnant, but because I was so tired, it was hard to achieve my goals. Now I know I will have more time and energy.

I am excited to start volunteering for Hospice. We havent heard back from the coordinator after finishing our orientation, but she should be calling to let us know where they need volunteers to visit.

Passion/Holy week is upon us.
"See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. Many were amazed when they saw him beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person. And he will again startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not previously been told about; they will understand what they had not heard about." - from Isaiah 52.
"He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave" from Isaiah 53