Being Intentional

This morning I managed to sneak in a few minutes of reading. Yes, I said reading. An actual book. For those of you who know me well, this is quite uncommon. I have many factors that work against me when it comes to reading books (of the chapter kind...I spend plenty of time reading picture books and my Bible). First, I have kids that keep me extremely busy. Add to that a house and husband to care for. Top that with my attention span which equals that of a gnat. And the cherry on top is that I have never been much of a reader and have a hard time finding a book I like. This has lead to me opening, but never finishing, countless books. The book that has been beside my bed for several months now is about mothering.....shocker, I know. It is one of those books that I could read over and over again without getting bored. Every short chapter has something that I can connect with. Many times, I find myself in tears as I read through the stories and advice that the mother/author of this book gives.


This morning was yet another morning of tear-filled reading. As I read, I was reminded of how quickly these early years of mothering will pass. My kids, as trying/needy/dependent/etc./etc. as they can be, will only be this way for so long. I want to stop time. I want to cherish every.single.moment of these precious years. I know I can't do that though, so my hope is to be more intentional with the time I have. Not only do I want to be intentional about how we spend these days, but I also want to make certain that I document as much as I can so that years down the road we'll have plenty of ways to remember these days that can often be a blur. Having said that, I am making a list of the ways I plan to be more intentional with capturing our memories.

1. Blog more: This blog is not only a great way to keep family/friends updated, but it also serves as a means of documenting the days and years that are quickly flying by. I love to look back on former posts just to remember what was going on during a certain season of our lives.

2. Take more videos: In this age of technology, we are so lucky to have a way to record everything from the ordinary to the extraordinary moments of child rearing. Some of my favorite videos are ones that I've filmed of the kids just being themselves on a typical day.

3. Journal more: For Mother's Day, I received a journal for each kid. It's not a baby book, just a journal filled with blank pages. I want to fill those pages with all of the milestones, phrases, and moments that make this journey so memorable.

4. Scrapbook: I've never been one to get hooked on traditional scrapbooking, but I really enjoy using the computer. I hope to become more familiar with my digital scrapbooking software and start using it much more frequently. I certainly take enough pictures, so I shouldn't have a problem finding scrapbooking ideas!

Well, there you have it. My list of 4 (huge and seemingly impossible-to-keep-up-with) goals. I will try, and in the back of my mind I'll remember the quote I read from my book this morning:

"Consciously or not, we are always making memories for our children. We can aim for making a quilt of memories that, little by little, creates in our children a sense of belonging, or what it means to be a family, of security and continuity of life."

Love at First Sight

We have these wonderful friends that we met a few months after getting married...Justin and Suzanne. They lived right around the corner from us in our townhouse and we clicked with them as soon as we met. As it turns out, we were married on the same exact day (before we even knew each other). When we met, we were both newlyweds and it was great to go through all the ups and downs of newlywedness with another couple in the same boat. We have so many great memories together in the "pre-kid" era! Since those days, they've had two darling boys and we've had our two kids.

With life as busy as it is, we don't get to hang out nearly as much as we'd like. The times we do hang out though are so much fun and it's awesome to see our kids becoming great friends as well.

Friendship might be an understatement though for two of our youngsters. We might have a case of love at first sight with their oldest boy, Nolan, and our sweet pea, Leah. They've seen each other a few times since Leah was born, but the past time we hung out was the first time we noticed the little sparks flying. Nolan was SO attentive to Leah and she just loved all the attention she was getting from him.

But of course, Nolan will have to learn that Leah has a certain someone who will ALWAYS be watching out for her. It's highly unlikely that Leah will be able to bring too many boyfriends home without an interrogation by her big brother!

Happy New Year

It's 2011. Already. I started high school in 1996. That's 15 years ago. 15!!! If time keeps flying like this, we'll be sitting in our rocking chairs at the nursing home all too soon!


In the meantime, let me fill you in on what's been keeping us busy since this new year began. Some of the days have felt eternally long. Have you been stuck inside with two kids under the age of 3 for an entire day? Let's not forget that this is also Tyler's busiest month of the year, so we're not seeing much of him during the awake hours of the day. But some of our days have been so packed with activity that it's been hard to find time to sit down and blog!

This past weekend, we packed in plenty of fun. On Friday night, Grandpa Ron, Grandma Sue, and Auntie Kalyn drove up to spend the weekend here. We woke up on Saturday and celebrated Christmas. The kids got plenty of awesome toys that have quickly become some of their new favorites. After "Christmas" we hung out most of the day and relaxed.

When naptime came around we rushed to get ready for Leah's 1st birthday party. Thankfully, I have the best mother-in-law in the world....because with her help we managed to get the entire house ready for everyone to show up at 4. It was a wonderful party and we really enjoyed having our closest friends and family with us to celebrate our sweet, little girl!
Along with the busy weekend, we've been keeping busy during the week. MOPS started again this week (which has been such an awesome group for me to get involved in). Caleb also started a "Just Tots" class at the park district. I drop him off for an hour and he gets to have a mini-dose of preschool. Speaking of preschool, I've been keeping busy researching and contacting several preschools in the hopes that we can find one that is just right for our (tears, tears, and more tears) soon-to-be preschooler (okay, I have at least half a year to get ready for that heartbreak). The few times we've visited schools, Caleb just makes himself at home. He will CLEARY be that kid that has a much easier time than his Mommy does on the first day of preschool! Other than that, we've been managing to spend plenty of quality time at home and have even made mandatory pj days a regular event. Why would anyone bundle up two youngsters to head anywhere when it's freezing and snowing, if they don't have to?!? I'm taking advantage of the stay-at-home mom role and we are learning to make the best of these cold, winter days...inside the walls of our cozy home!
We hope everyone reading this has had a great start to 2011 and is looking forward to another awesome year :)

Let them eat cake...

It's a tradition for every one year old to have a smash cake on their birthday, right?

Well, our one year old was given a cupcake and you sure wouldn't have guessed that it was only her first time eating such a delicious treat. She seemed to know just what to do:

I'll start out slow and make them think I'm new at this...

Little bites. Contain the excitement so they don't think I'm going overboard...

Oh boy, I'm starting to make quite a mess here...

Oh, maybe I should just stop...

Or heck, I'll just go ahead and make the most of this...

Yep, glad I didn't hold back...

This is everything I could've dreamed of and more...

Uh oh, I think I've surpassed my limit. This isn't going to look good in the diapers tomorrow...

Somebody better wash me off before I turn into a purple monster...

And just for your viewing pleasure, here is what a two and a half year old looks like after eating a piece of cake and a scoop of ice cream at record speed....and then being denied a second piece after asking (but I even said please...)!!!

Dear Leah,

Today you are one. Where did this past year go and when did our sweet, little baby turn into a girl on the verge of toddlerhood? We'll admit that this year has flown, but when we look back at all that has happened we find thousands of memories to fill our hearts. From the moment Mommy felt the first symptoms of pregnancy sickness, we knew that you would be a girl who planned to rock our world. Congrats, little darling...you have lived up to this expectation! The memories made within this past year stem from one end of the spectrum to the other. There have been times of great (GREAT) trial and times of complete joy.

You have taught us a lot about parenting. More than we ever really learned from your older brother. You've made it clear to us that you will not follow in Caleb's footsteps. On the day you were born, we discovered your first tooth. We waited almost an entire year for his first tooth. We knew at that moment you were telling us to back off and let go of the natural tendency to compare. You are happy with doing things at your pace, in your time, when you want to. You will create your own path and there might be a few (hundred) days (per year) that you will command everyone to walk behind and follow you on that path.

From the many challenging moments you have taught us to love with more patience and faith than we ever thought we had. Whether is was your jaundice, the battle with digestion, the sleepless nights, your lack of naps, your refusal to fall into any sort of routine, the early days of crying (followed by your innate ability to throw tantrums before the age of 9 months), and so many more trials...you have given us many moments where we thought there was no way we'd have enough sanity to see the dawn of a new day!

For every bit of frustration, you have managed to pour out an equal amount of joy into our lives. We love your smile that stretches across those adorable cheeks and makes every muscle in your face move to the point where your dimples couldn't possibly go any deeper. We love when you babble and we can tell that you have so much on your mind and that you want to be heard. We love your personality and the fact that you already have a sense of humor and enjoy making people laugh. We love that you love your family. From the beginning you have adored your brother, you've been a Mommy's girl all along, and you don't smile for anyone quite as big as you smile for your Daddy. And most importantly, we love that everyday since you were born you have been a reminder of how wonderful God is and how much of a blessing it is to watch a baby develop day in and day out.

The past year has certainly come with its ups and downs. We know that the years to come will follow along those same lines. No matter what happens, we are so thankful for all the joy you bring to our lives and we look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you. So, here's to you our baby girl....HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY Miss Leah, Leah Peah, Leah Loo Hoo...our wild child, our monster, our beast!

Love ALWAYS,

Daddy and Mommy

Where has the time gone?

A year ago today, we went to the hospital to have our little baby. Where has this year gone and will life ever slow down?

We like to joke that December 29, 2009 was the last time we'd ever have the upper hand in making decisions for Leah (we chose to be induced instead of waiting for her arrival)! Regardless of how much she keeps us on our toes, we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our little girl. We'll be sure to post tomorrow on her actual birthday.....remember, Leah waited 12+ hours to make her appearance. Would Leah have chosen any other way to make her grand entrance?!?

Who's kid is this?!?

Most of you who follow our blog would know that I have an older sister. She is the sister that girls would dream of having....she's the friend that I can tell anything to, the friend that I can argue and laugh with all in the matter of hours, the friend that has always been around to share most of my greatest memories, and the friend that I know I'll always have. Tracy is an awesome sister and a great aunt to my babies. She adores Caleb and Leah like they are her own and it makes me so happy to have her around....and slightly jealous of the fact that by the time she has her own kids she'll be a pro at the whole mommy gig :)

Anyhow, ever since Leah was born....almost a year ago (not quite ready to be saying that, but I guess I'll come to terms with it).....we've always debated where her looks came from. I still think that when sitting next to Tyler, she is his spitting image. However, when looking through my mom's photo albums today, I came across this picture:

The darling baby in this picture is not me....it's Tracy. When I came across this picture I instantly gasped and said, "This is Leah. It's totally Leah"! Although I don't have any pictures of Leah with this exact facial expression, I can assure you that she makes this face on quite a regular basis. Everything from the wild hair to the toothless-looking grin that stretches from ear to ear is 100% Leah.
So, to my little Miss Leah I have a few words to share. You are (and I might be a little biased) the most darling little girl on the planet. Your face and your smile melt my heart day in and day out. As I've watched you grow I've continued to imagine just what you'll look like when you grow into a beautiful woman....and now I just might have my answer. If you end up looking like your Ti-Ti, you will be one lucky girl. I've always envied my big sister for her beautiful looks and I'm sure you'll be happy to follow in her footsteps!