Mommy's Helper

I'm going to do a little back tracking today...to December, when Caroline discovered the joys of baking. As you all know, Christmas time is a time for baking. I had to bake several different things on different occasions, and Caroline really took an interest in helping me.



This day we were making Chocolate Chip cookies for some event, I can't remember now! Anyway, I was getting everything together and she really wanted to help, so she got up on the counter and poured dry ingredients and stirred to her hearts content. Yes, we had a bit too much flour in the cookies, but it worked out ok. (She got one good scoop from the bag of flour before I could stop her!)


This time, I was making Corn Flake cookies for a gift exchange with our friends. Since these cookies require the stove top, she wasn't able to help as much, but she did find the empty Peanut Butter jar and went to work on the sides. :)

When the a few Corn Flakes fell to the floor, she ran, PB jar in hand, to get the broom and clean up.

The pregnancy is going good. I'm in my 12th week, so almost to the second trimester and hoping the morning sickness will leave with the first tri. That did not happen with Caroline, but hopefully this time around it will. We'll see. I'll keep you posted. :)

Struggles and Joy

Back in August, Aaron and I suffered a great loss. We were so excited to find out that we were expecting another little one. Everything was going great and I was sick...not the best thing in the world, but a good pregnancy sign. We went in at 9 weeks only to see an empty gestational sac. The baby hadn't developed. We were shocked and heartbroken. After the miscarriage, we found out we were expecting again at the end of October. We were so excited again, but much more cautious this time around. It wasn't to be though...we lost that little one at 5 weeks...the week before Caroline's 2nd birthday.

I was very discouraged, but knew that the Lord is good and will take care of us. I never wanted to give Caroline the impression that she wasn't enough for us. I put all my thoughts and efforts into being with her and enjoying each and every smile she offered, each giggle, each day with her. We celebrated her birthday and moved on.

Around Thanksgiving, I began to notice some typical symptoms of early pregnancy. It goes without saying that I was scared to death, praying constantly, and in a semi state of shock when the second pink line appeared. The day after getting that positive test, I had blood work done...everything looked great. I went back 48 hours later for more blood work. I hosted a Christmas Brunch for the ladies of our church family. I was nervous that day because of the brunch, but my nerves were even more jumbled because I was waiting to hear the official word from the doc. If my HcG level doubled or more...I was definitely pregnant. I finally heard from the doc after lunch, and sure enough, my numbers more than doubled. We were thrilled, but still cautious.

Fast forward to today...we saw my doctor and we saw our beautiful little one with a strong heartbeat!

God is good!

Contentment

Resolutions.

All around us right now are people asking about resolutions and making resolutions of their own. I've never been someone who makes resolutions much...mostly because I rarely keep them. I finally told myself that what I needed to resolve to do was spend each year growing closer to God, striving to be a godly wife and mother, and loving those around me. Resolving to do those things...each year, was better than making a bold statement about something I was going to change. Not that I have anything against resolutions, I'm just not good at keeping them. However, last year I realized something that needed changing in my life and it was going to take real effort to change it. So, I did resolve to....send birthday cards out to all the members of our immediate family. (parents, siblings, nieces and nephews) I have always been TERRIBLE about sending cards. So, last year I really made an effort to get cards out on time. I think 2 of them were a day or two after the actual birthday...but I still counted them. :) I felt good sending them, and I was so glad our loved ones knew we were thinking of them on their special day.



Aaron and I have been discussing this upcoming year. Making our budget, thinking about things that need precedence and things that can be put on a back burner. We've always had in our minds that we wouldn't stay in our current house for more than 4 or 5 years. We've been here for 3, and we had a long talk the other night about moving. While I'm not going to say that we'll never move, I think we've decided to stay here indefinitely for now. We've been so focused on what we don't have, we haven't spent time utilizing the home we do have. So, we've dubbed this year our "Year of Contentment." We're going to make a real effort to settle in even more into our home. We hope to clean out and give to those less fortunate than we are. We want to open our home to friends and family and enjoy each and every day the Lord makes.



I hope you'll bear with me as I occasionally blog about our goal of being content with what we have and living each day to rejoice in the Lord.

Holiday Review

We had a really nice Christmas. Exhausting, but nice. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, but as an adult...it's a bit more tiring than I expected it would be. Between all the shopping, wrapping, parties, baking, "bring a $5 gift" exchanges, and traveling, it can wear a body out! When I was child...life seemed to stand still and halt around Christmas time, but now I realize that is not the case. If anything, life gets faster and more hurried now. It's sad, in a way, because this time of family, friends, fun, joy, and laughter is easily turned into a time of tantrums, frustration, crankiness, and arguments. (Not in our family, of course. :) ) That being said, amid all the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season, we had a joyous time with our friends and family.







Caroline really loved Christmas. She loved the trees, sparkling lights, Santa Claus, presents...everything. It was a blast spending time with her and seeing her face light up at the cookies baking in the oven, or the snowman she spotted on someone's lawn as we drove by. I love seeing her discover the world around her and begin to enjoy Holidays and events that I dreamed of one day sharing with her. What joy!







We were able to spend time with family and it was wonderful to be together. You think those two grandpas like that little girl? ;)

The Man of Our House

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!


(January 2006)

Aaron and met at Florida College. Our friends fixed us up and the rest is history! Ever since I first met him, I knew he would be a wonderful husband and father one day. The day he asked me to marry him is one of the happiest memories I have. The day we pledged our lives to one another is another happy memory, and also a reminder that we're in this for the long haul. I love him so much and I have so much faith in him, and in us.


(May 2007)

I am occasionally moody. (I'm sure none of you believe that.) Aaron is truly the only person who can get me out of a mood and laughing in no time flat. I understand that probably doesn't speak well of me, but I love that about Aaron. He can always make me laugh and he constantly fills our home with laughter.


(May 2007)

He had such a fun-loving spirit and creates joy all around him. He has a way of being able to say almost anything, to anyone, and not be offensive. He stands up for me. He protects me. He loves me.


(August 2007)

When we found out we were going to be parents, he was so happy he could not vocalize the words. His emotions overcame him when breaking the news to his parents, and the love he already had for our daughter warmed my heart. He worked hard throughout my pregnancy, sweating in preparation for her, helping me, urging me to rest all the time. He worked harder than I could have ever imagined to ensure I would be able to stay home. He leads us. He prays with us. He prays for us.


(November 2007)

When I was in labor, he stayed up all night, coaching me and watching the monitor. He would tell me when a contraction was ending, reassure me that I could do it, and he stayed with me through it all.


(November 2007)

Happy Birthday to a wonderful man, husband, and father. We love you and are so thankful for you!


(October 2008)

Christmas Card Reject

I'm sure you're all asking, "Why not use that picture for the Christmas card?" To be honest....we thought about it, but decided against it. Didn't want to gross anyone out...that would not be spreading Christmas cheer!

This is such a fun season of the year and a fun season of our life. Caroline is loving the Christmas season. She loves to look at the tree, and enjoys spotting them around town as we're driving. She's also really into Santa. She loves him! She did not sit on his lap...she was not given the option, I decided this year wasn't the year. I think it would have been disastrous. She LOVED waving to him as we passed him in the mall though. That was enough for this year.

There are 2 gifts under our tree that are wrapped in small gift bags. The bags don't have tissue paper in them, but shreds of decorative paper that match the bag. She is fascinated by these and has gotten into trouble more than once for pulling the shreds out. Luckily, those will be given on Monday so not too much longer to think about it. Seriously...lately if I'm in the kitchen and she's in the grotto playing and it gets quiet...I know what she's up to!

We have an old popcorn tin that has a Christmas scene on it that we put out each year. She really loves that too...she carries it around (it's about as big as she is) and sings, "Pa, rum, pa, bum, dum..." it's very cute and sweet to hear her little voice singing and hear the banging of the "drum." She got VERY excited the other day when she spotted a Christmas tin (for cookies) in the cabinet. "Drum! Drum, Mama!" she shouted. I let her have it...it's much more her size. :)

Growing Up

We've been super busy with lots going on...sorry for the blogging delay. I just haven't had much time to sit down and blog lately. As I've said before, life is flying by at rapid speed and we're watching in amazement as our daughter grows and changes.




Every morning this week Caroline could be found in her room "reading" the Bible. This is the Beginner's Bible Aaron's Aunt Sandra got her for her birthday. We've been reading it before nap time and bedtime every night, prior to saying prayers. She loves it. It warms my heart to see her loving the word, even though it's a children's version including pictures. I know this is just the beginning, a foundation, of the love of God's word we are working to instill in her. Heartwarming for a Mother.

Along with some of the other "younger" ladies from church, I hosted a Holiday Brunch last week for all the ladies from our church. We had a really good turnout and a lot of fun!




So, in preparation for this brunch, we removed Caroline's booster seat from her chair at the kitchen table. I needed all my chairs available, so I just intended to put it back once the brunch was over. However, I didn't get around to it that day and Caroline LOVED sitting at the table, without her chair, at supper that night. She loved it so much, and did such a good job, that we decided she no longer had to sit in it. *sniff* She's growing up so fast! So, Wednesday night, she's sitting in her chair like a big girl, and we're having corn on the cob as part of the meal. I cut some off the cob for Caroline...but she wanted to eat like a big girl.




It's seems so silly and small, but I can't believe she's eating corn off the cob! She loved it and I won't be cutting it off for her anymore. *sniff* It's the little things that make you realize how quickly life is flying by.

I have a new Christmas decoration this year that I'm really excited about!


Isn't it super cute? A friend made it for me as a surprise and I LOVE it!

Happy Christmas!