New age resolutions

Valentine's will be here before I know it...and THEN, my 23rd BIRTHDAY! It kind of feels like just yesterday that I was turning 22 and was 3 months pregnant. Now here I am, going into my 23rd year of life with a husband, a 5 month old & a bad bad dog. Haha. Could life get any better?!
Anyways, instead of making new year's resolutions I like to make "new age" resolutions. Haha. Basically, I don't start thinking of changes I want to make until I'm close to turning a year older. So, this 23rd year of life I'd like to become more disciplined (even a little bit would be nice), be a better encourager, read the Bible cover to cover, create a bedtime routine for my daughter and stick to it, become a more positive and helpful wife and lastly, I think I'd like to lose about 15-20 lbs. Mostly, I just want to get in shape. If the pounds disappear, even better. So friends, hold me accountable. I need it.

Tribute to B

A day I never saw coming-Bri W. created a blogspot :-O
This makes me super happy!!! Yay for her.

Our Babies

baby love & MAF

My baby bug turned 5 months old on Saturday! It's incredible how fast and slow time can go by... at the same time. Whether it is speeding by or crawling very slowly I want to enjoy every single moment I have with her. She is just THAT precious! Right now she is doing this thing where she sucks on her top lip with her tongue out (see picture). It's really funny. I'm sure it's because she's teething but who knows, maybe she's just trying to make mommy laugh and that she definitely does! She seriously cracks me up atleast 3 times a day. What a great medicine!

We bought her a "jump-up johnny" the other day...except our brand is called the jump & go exerciser. She isn't too sure about it yet. She's okay as long as mommy is within range but after that you can forget it. I thought it would be a really good "activity" for her because she needs to use her legs more but she just hangs there. I guess she hasn't figured out the whole jumping thing yet. I hope she does soon though, it will be so cute!!! It's a pretty neat little gizmo. The little toy contraption lights up and plays music. It's also removeable. And you can hang toys from two loops located on the straps. Pretty neat-o. It sounds like I'm trying to sell the thing.

Anyways, things are going well. We had lunch with a MAF dude (Ralph) and his wife (Valerie) on Sunday. It was pretty good. It helps to get ourselves refocused when time kind of robs us of our vision. It was especially nice because it's usually just Ralph that we meet with when he's in town but this time it was him and his wife. I got to talk to her about what life will be like overseas and what my roles will be as a wife of a missionary pilot. We talked about kids, schooling, housing, having more kids, shipping furniture and tons more. It was a really nice convo and of course, Anna-Kate stole the stage quite a few times. That little girl is the best conversational piece ever....if you haven't noticed already. :-) But yeah, I'm super glad I got to chat with Val.

Well, that's about it. I'll say more when I have more.

she does the cutest things

Anna♥Kate has started this new thing. When I am putting her down for a nap or for the night I give her her pacifier and I rock her until she's mostly asleep. Well she started making this noise as she's sucking on her pacifier. She makes a different noise when she's been crying or upset than she does when she's just tired and fighting her sleep. I can't explain it but it's so funny. She also just discovered my face .Well, I'm sure she's "known" my face for a while now but she just learned how to actually touch it. Everytime I'm holding her or rocking her she grabs my lips, nose, cheeks, hair, whatever she can get. Well, lastnight as I was rocking her she started making her noise and instead of harassing my face like she usually does she just reached up and put her hand on my cheek and left it there until she fell asleep. It was the absolute sweetest thing. I am so blessed to get to share in these precious little moments with my daughter. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to get to stay home with her and invest so much time in her life. I know in my heart that this little baby is so incredibly happy and secure because she gets to be with momma all day. My goodness, I have such a great husband. Sometimes I really want and need to be alone for a little bit but I wouldn't trade my days home with my baby for any amount of solitude. I love my life! I mean, when this is what I get to wake up to, why would I want anything else?

the wife, mom & maid.

Do people ever make you feel like your "job" is as meaningless as washing your car on a rainy day? Well, I've been faced with this a couple of times this week. It's the most irritating thing. Sometimes...well, most of the time they aren't direct blows just little comments that make you want to go nuts. So, my daughter isn't crawling, walking or talking yet but that doesn't mean I have nothing to do all day. There is plenty-dishes, laundry, put the laundry away (this one gets me every time), errands (if I have any), bathroom, those stinkin' wood floors that have to be swept atleast twice a day, bathe my daughter...and myself if I get a chance. Then there's changing her clothes a couple of times and more than a couple of diapers, quality time with the babe, teaching her to sit up-roll over-self soothe-laugh-no fussy-etc., feeding her with a SPOON (which takes forever sometimes), putting her down for naps (which is no small task either). THEN there is the dreaded question I have to ask myself, "What are we having for dinner?". Whoops, I didn't take anything out to thaw....now I have to scram to think of something more simple. Sandwiches. Okay. Good. THEN, the second dreaded question...which doesn't come from me but the husband, "Are you going to the gym tonight?" Which makes me feel guilty because I haven't gone all week and money is basically going out the window. Great. Now I have to pull up my boot straps...well, more like tie my tennis shoes and go to the gym...only to come home to a messy kitchen (the one I cleaned earlier that morning)...and a baby who still needs to be put to bed. Wonderful. That will take atleast another hour.
So, as I contemplate my "job" as a wife, mother and maid I see no where in the whole shabang the words easy, simple, menial or even boring. And please don't think I am complaining because that's not the case at all, I'm just trying to prove a point. I don't sit on my butt all day...although I do have a little more time to do that than others, I don't sleep all morning, I don't frolick through the sunflowers with my hair blowing in the wind. AND I wouldn't rather be doing those things (okay, maybe sometimes I'd like a break) because I LOVE MY JOB! I LOVE MY HUSBAND! I LOVE MY BABY! I LOVE MY HOUSE and for it to be clean! I LOVE IT ALL! But again, it isn't just doing nothing! So here's to all the stay-at-home moms out there. I feel ya.
Haha.