Faith fest 2016

Matt Maher concert!

You are my sweet little one.

Colette, if I had a nickel for every time I heard "enjoy this time, they grow up so fast" I could pay for your college education...including your medical degree! I try not to take this statement lightly because I have heard it so many times I am smart enough to realize that it must ring true. However, I know no matter how hard I try to soak up these moments, they will still be gone in a blink and I'll be left standing there, a few gray strands on my head and wrinkles around my eyes telling a new mom to embrace these precious times. You're already getting too big too fast. Not a day goes by where your dad and I don't comment on something you said or did that amazed us. How we delight in you! Every little word that comes forth from your mouth oozes cuteness. Your dad said yesterday that even when your in the midst of one of your crazy fits of rage you are so cute! We love you from the tips of your piggy tails down to your little painted toes. Thank you for the gift you are to us. It makes me sad that you'll never really know or be able to see the way we love you right now, the way we gaze upon your little body in awe of all you accomplish. I suppose we'll always look at you in this special way, but it will bear its own changing image as you age. I don't want you to grow up. I'm afraid we'll lose our precious little girl. My little girl that walks out of our bedroom every morning as I'm doing my prayer time, hair looking like she was just electrocuted, eyes scrunched shut saying "I'm up mom". My little thinker who spends hours alone in the playroom accomplishing puzzle after puzzle with her little mouth open and tongue hanging out in concentration (just like dad). My little dynamite who is so fiercely stubborn that she refused to eat an animal cracker the whole ride home from church unless she could hold the container (to which I said no so you persisted in screaming for it the whole drive). My little mom who admonishes her sister saying "no no Mae Mae..." time and time again. My little acrobat who is always jumping from couch to chair, climbing over and under pews at church, and running down the hall to jump onto the couch. My little dancer who is always spinning around in her "pretty pretty" skirts to music sometimes only she hears. My little musician who asks me to sing songs over and over and over, right now she is especially into "Old MacDonald" to which she insists there is a reindeer and Santa on the farm! My sweet girl who asks for snuggles, and "rock a baby" and gives me sly little kisses when no one is looking. I delight in you my little joy. My gift. My lover, my friend. My dear girl I hope that the world can appreciate all that you are and all you have to give to it. She may be little, but she is fierce. This girl is on fire.

2016

It is a new year. Last year, or the end of 2014 rather, I spent a lot of time preparing for the new year; planning my resolutions spanning from fitness, to family, to faith. This year, however was somewhat the opposite. While in years past I've not had time to plan and state that the new year "snuck up on me" this year came without a lot of planning on my part but I was ready for it none the less. I have been writing "2016" on my checks since day 1, I haven't set high expectations but realistic ones: 1. 10 minutes of daily prayer a day 2. as a couple, Adam and I want this to be God's year. We're ready to totally give everything over to him. 3. Trying to be more present in my role as wife and mother and less focused on others' lives (AKA less Facebook) The nice thing about the resolutions is that they are either very measurable (1) or completely relative (2 & 3) which allows me to start each day with a clean slate. I'm very much looking forward to our year ahead. It will be our first full year living in our new home. It will be our first year having a dog. The girls are getting older and more manageable and I'm hoping to do more than "survive motherhood". We are in a relatively stable place financially and have built a foundation in church and with our friends. We are getting comfortable in our role as a family and have established our place in relation to extended family. We're blessed to have my dad retired and my mom well enough so that they can spend time weekly with our girls. That is truly one blessing I will always be grateful for I'm sure, that my parents have shared such an intimate part of the girls' childhood memories. Colette is our little pistol. She is testing the limits on everything but she amazes me every day. She may be VERY hard to understand but she is talking so much and is so intelligent. Today she kept asking for "more puzzles" because she was accomplishing them so quickly. Adam and I laugh embarrassed that we have to confess that we treat our children like little gods. It is so hard not to! God help us to form them rather than worship them. Maelyn's vocabulary on the other hand is limited to "da" and "eh" and "ah" which somehow mean like fifty different things. I'm just glad she is finally walking. She is so sweet, what with giving kisses and hugs all the time, and she is very good at snuggling, but she has gotten a disobedient side to her and has began smacking as well so we need to work on that. Hopefully by the end of 2016 Colette will be potty trained, we will understand what both of our girls are saying to us, and as a family we will have grown in love of each other and the Lord.

Wondering, wandering...my mind this winter.

Oh my goodness, yet again I have been overcome by a melancholic ambush of thoughts. It is in the midst of these that I find myself wishing I had the time to sit, and to type, for hours. I feel as if I could go on and on, exploring all that is going on in my mind and attempting to expose it in written word rather than have it laying stagnant within me. This particular occurence began with the oncoming of Advent. Yes, my mind is blown by the fact that Advent is already here, nay, that Advent is already two candles in! It is December and a year has almost reached completion, a year that feels as if it has just begun its course. So Advent approached, out of nowhere. There I was in Nebraska for Thanksgiving and two days later getting ready to return home I attended mass and stared up in shock at the purple vestments before me. I was not prepared. However, I can say that I very gracefully and efficiently transitioned into this time. I was taken with a desire to make the most of this time given to me. Something about the structure of a planned span of time such as Advent, Lent, summer, etc. gives me the sense of an alotted time to make something happen. So, without fail, over the first day of Advent I came up with a plan: simplify. Yes, it is a little more detailed than that one word, but really that is what it boils down to. So many things I've been struggling with are due to a lack of it in my life, in our culture, in the world. As a melancholic introvert I am constantly overwhelmed to the point of shutting down when I think of the pure number of everything in our universe: people, things, relationships, jobs, grains of sand...oh my goodness. In this sea of everything it is so easy to feel forgotten, neglected, and commonplace. In a world where millions of things are added daily to the world wide web, how can anyone think they've done anything significant? Take this blog-I do it purely as an online journal, I don't expect any eyes but my own and a few bored family members to ever look upon it, and I am lucky if I post monthly amidst the craziness of my life. Yet, somehow, there are thousands of moms, busier than I,(homeschooling moms with dozens of children) who are posting daily the amazing doings of their family composed of several DIY crafts, incredible candid photos, delicious recipes, and advice. Jeez, if that doesn't make you feel insignificant I don't know what does. Wow, I'm getting so far off the beaten path right now I'm having to read back several sentences to find where I was going...Oh yes! SIMPLICITY! So, I have a few tasks for this Advent that I am attempting to accomplish. Of course, being me, I've already failed at several, but I'm not perfect, and I'm not giving up. 1. Get rid of one thing a day (particularly clothes) 2. No phone (other than calling or texting) 3. No Gilmore Girls :)

This is my first post from my new nook that my hubby got me for Christmas! Speaking of Christmas, this was Colette's first and it was full of beautiful memories!

Happy Feast Day to us ladies!!

Spontaneous Apple Picking

This week has been crazy. Daddy's only night at home was Tuesday and we decided to make the best of it. It is a blessing that, right now, we live only ten minutes from Erwin Orchards, so as soon as dad got home from work we whisked the kids away on a family adventure. I've learned already that family outings don't always live up to expectations, especially with a 15 month old and 1 month old, but this one exceeded my wildest dreams! Colette loved every minute of it! We got there just in time to hop on the next wagon to take us out into the orchards and quickly filled a bag of McIntosh and Gala. Colette was having so much fun up on daddy's shoulders picking apples and then eating them! Once on the ground she was overwhelmed by the food all around her feet (her Heaven considering she loves eating food on the floor!). She thought she was queen of the world when we got back on the wagon. When we got back we filled our bellies with apple cider and warm, fresh donuts. Obviously we all enjoyed that. In the meantime, Maelyn was sleeping away in the Moby. We took Colette to check out the Hay Maze, and then came the best part of the night...the goats. Oh my goodness, Colette loved the goats! She had no fear and walked up to them squealing away. Daddy showed her how to feed them and she had a blast letting them lick her hands. She smacked one goat across the face though when he attempted a lick!! Oh that was a great memory!!!