Rockets to Vacuums

As a first time "solo parent" of two, I'm happy to say that it's not as bad as I had imagined.

But, I'm not gonna lie, it's a lot of work!

Most days, I'm too busy to realize that it's a lot of work, but I realized today I have like 4 canker sores in my mouth.

I only get canker sores when I'm tired or stressed, so I guess I'm pretty tired (cause I don't really feel stressed).

If you've ever had one, they HURT like heck!

Of course mine are all strategically in places in my mouth that make it hard to eat and speak properly....ugh!

I never knew how unknowingly tired I would be taking care of two human beings instead of one.

To the stay at home moms of more than 2 kids, I applaud you.

I'm pretty sure if I had one more kid to the mix, I probably would have sold them by now.

(Which is one of the many reasons why my husband and I are 10000000% that we are done after 2 kiddos)

It's still a little crazy to me how much my life has changed in the last two years.

I posted this on my Facebook page last night:

 "I remember a certain time in my life when I was sitting in the ridiculously hot desert of Yuma on the rocket pad after building rockets from 5am until late into the afternoon and the sense of accomplishment that was. 

Tonight, I just cleaned out enough hair to make a wig out of my vacuum cleaner, cleaned the filters out, and put it all back together. I have the same sense of accomplishment as I did in the above statement. Boy, as life changed."

Just reading that statement amazes me. 

I never thought in a million years just how hard being a stay at home mom would be some days.

The only thing harder than being a stay at home mom to me was being deployed.

And even after saying that statement, there are some days that I think that being deployed would be easier than dealing with my kids...lol.

With that, I don't think I've ever felt so fulfilled and so accomplished at the end of every day.

Little things like being able to fix lunch for my daughter, drive her to school, and shuttle her around town to all her activities is something that I cherish and don't take for granted.

I remember sitting at work a few years ago and daydreaming about being able to take my daughter to the park that day because it was so beautiful outside.

Here I am...finally able to do that, and I am so thankful that I get to.

Here's to the weekend, and starting a new month tomorrow!

HOORAY!

I don't believe in "participation awards", but at this age, it's just so darn cute!

Dannika completed her first session in gymnastics and got a participation ribbon.

She was so stinking excited!

 

 

Did You Know...

That most onesies for babies have that wide neck so that you can pull the onesie down the baby when they have a diaper blow out?!?!? 

Do you know how many times a day I am trying to roll up a onesie in the back to try and avoid the inevitable poop from smearing all over my child's head?! 

Is seriously thought they were made like that cause babies have abnormally large heads (or maybe it's just my big headed kids). 

I read this cool little tip from a from a friend on her Facebook page.

My mind is blown.

Just a Woman In Love With Her Man

This isn't a cheesy post detailing my love affair with my husband.

Those can get annoying to some folks, although I am guilty of talking about my love affair with him every once in a while.

I actually enjoy reading everyone's love stories and marriage stories.

In fact, when I start reading a new blog, the first thing I search for is an "About Me" section about the blogger in hopes that they detailed some aspect of their love life.

I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic when it comes to things like that.

I guess that's why I love shows like "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette".

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the absolutely over the top dates where they go on helicopter rides to exotic places, and have private dinner dates with famous singers serenading them in the middle of a bridge. 

It's a fairytale.

I admit that my favorite Bachelor so far is the current one, Juan Pablo.

He's my favorite because he's so dashing, charming, handsome, and he has a spicy Spanish accent.

Of course, he doesn't hold a candle to my dashing husband.

As I watch these episodes, I genuinely hope that these strangers on my TV find love.

Statistically, the relationships fall apart after the glitzy dates are gone, but it makes me happy to see that SOME of the couples have made it work (so far).

Deep in my heart, I feel that everyone deserves to feel the type of love that I feel every single day.

Here's my cliche comment of the day....

"The world would be a better place if everyone were in love."

There are days that my husband irritates me.

There are days that I am jealous of his career.

There are days when I just want to be alone without him.

There are days when I shake my head and realize that men really ARE different than women.

But...

The good days FAR outnumber the bad days.

I don't like to say that we really fight.

We bicker about little things.

But bickering is a part of our communication process, and because we bicker, I feel that nothing builds up and explodes (turning into a blow out fight).

I can remember a handful of significantly serious arguments that we've had, but at the end of the day, we got through them together.

I watched Sean and Catherine's wedding on Sunday.

If you aren't familiar with the Bachelor series, Sean was the last bachelor, and Catherine was the woman he chose.

Their wedding was televised on ABC.

His father (who is a pastor) officiated their wedding, and the one thing that stuck out in my mind was when he said (not an EXACT quote), "Love God first, and you will love each other more."

I absolutely believe that, and it's a principle that we try to build our marriage on.
I feel like the more I love God, and the closer I get to Him, He just continues to bless my marriage more and more each day.
And with a blessed marriage comes blessed parenting.
I love that we share the same values and principles when it comes to raising our children.
I think that's important for two people raising a child to be on the same sheet of music.

God first + Marriage second + Children third = Healthy Marriage.

Oh, and did I mention I love Valentine's Day?!?
I'm so excited for it!
I love love, and I love that there's a day to celebrate love!

This was back in a day when I wasn't worried about aging or skin cancer....

Love this guy!

Growing Up is Hard On Me

Yesterday, I dropped off my daughter's registration packet for Kindergarten at the elementary school.

I've been looking forward to her starting Kindergarten for a while now for my own sanity.

Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with my daughter at home.

She's in preschool, but only part time.

I spent the first 3 years of her life working, so it's been nice to have her around more and to be able to do the "stay at home mom things" with her.

But honestly, there are days when it would be nice to drop her off somewhere for 7 hours, and just have to deal with one kid.

But after dropping off her packet, and getting the kids loaded back up into my Jeep, I just sat there staring at the building that would be her school this Fall.

The tears started rolling down my face, and before I knew it, I was sitting there crying in the parking lot.

I think what made it worse was the fact that I had been so impatient and short with Dannika all day long.

All day long, I was yelling at her to "hurry up!", "don't touch that!", "be quiet!", "no!".....etc. etc. etc.

I was overwhelmed and frustrated that day.

Realizing at the moment that my "baby" had grown so much in such a short time slapped me in the face. 

I feel like it was literally yesterday when I was pregnant with her, taking maternity photos on the beach in San Clemente!

 When did this precious angel...

Become this little lady?

 I never realize how fast time flies when I'm living each day in the moment.

I guess that's a good thing.

But when I stop to breathe and reflect, it makes me so sad.

It makes me desperately want to look into my memory and make sure that every single moment of my children's lives were meaningful. 

I start to beat myself up a little when I start thinking about the day that I let her sit in front of the TV too long because I didn't feel like finding something productive to do.

I start beating myself up a little more about the time she asked me to go see a movie, but it seemed like too much of a hassle, so we waited months for it to come out on DVD.

I guess at the end of the day, you can't make every single moment meaningful and "pinteresty".

But I hope that one day, when my kids grow up and read this blog, they know that I did the best I could.

My 5 month old throws baby tantrums.

I just let him carry on.

I was drinking coffee.

Coffee was more important at this moment than tending to his needs.

Big sister to the rescue.

Rolls for days.

This chunkster weighs as much as his sister did when she was 1!

My "Babaloo" is 5 Months Old!

Holy Cow!

My "babaloo" is almost half a year old today!

I started calling him "boo boo" when he was a newborn, and it just turned into "babaloo" (like from "I Love Lucy").

It's an endearing nickname, in my opinion....lol.

 

I woke up this morning to take his monthly photo, and I was amazed that he was practically sitting up on his own with no assistance.

It's such a huge change from last month's photo when he was still relying on the couch to prop himself up!

Things he's doing this month:

*We started solids two weeks ago! He loves ALL of it. Homemade brown rice cereal, apples, bananas, peas, and sweet potatoes! We'll be trying carrots in the next week!

*Roll over from front to back and back to front again

*Bedtime is at 1930 (730pm for you non military types) and pretty much sleeps all through the night until 7 or 8 in the morn! Both my kids are great night time sleepers!

*Loooooves his Baby Einstein jumper, and will play in it for an hour if his sister is entertaining him.

*Still so ticklish under his armpits and his belly.

*Obsessed with his feet. He loves to look at them, play with them, and he loves it when someone else touches them!

And lastly, he is such a mama's boy, and looooves his mama :-)

I can walk into a room, and his attention is automatically diverted to me.

He carefully examines my every move, and anticipates my next move.

I love when he realizes I am coming towards him to pick him up, he starts kicking and smiling at me!

Such a big boy!

I seriously can't believe it's almost been half a year since he was born!

Missing My "Boos"

By "boos", I mean my husband and my best friend.

 

I feel like I've become a total "weak sauce" when it comes to separations.

I mean seriously...

My husband has only been gone for like 3 weeks, and he came home last weekend to visit us.

This is coming from the girl who survived 2 deployments, and a nearly year long separation from my husband.

And yet, I totally find myself really lonely and hardcore missing my husband.

I think being a stay at home mom adds to that.

The last few times we have been separated, I had a job to keep me busy and gainfully employed and a child to take care of afterwards.

Now, I'm just home with two kids ALL. DAY. LONG.

It gets extremely monotonous.

I'm also living in a place where winter turns me into a complete hermit.

My best friend lives in California.

While texting back and forth with her today, I told her that I missed her out of the blue.

I genuinely really really really really missed her!

I told her I have lots of friends (more like acquaintances) here in Massachusetts, but no one I can really just call and say, "Hey, my kids are being crazy. I'm bringing myself, my crazy kids, and a bottle of wine over to your house....right now."

And I would be gladly welcomed. 

Actually, I would probably just show up at her house unannounced, and it'd be fine.

If I invited myself over to any of my friends (term used loosely) house here, they'd probably think I was rude...or crazy (maybe a little of both).

Moving here has truly made me realize how hard it is to find those life long friends that you can just invite yourself over to their house for no reason.

Those friends that you can cause total jackassery together.

Those friends that have seen you at your worst, and the ones that will never ever judge you.

And if they do judge you, they tell you to your face.

Every military wife needs a friend like my best friend for when our husbands are away.

Random pics.

Preschool drop off. It's been chilly here!

Starbucks date after preschool today. We got strawberries and cream fraps, a caramel flan latte, two cake pops, and lots of smiles!

My son was ridiculously whiney today. Life is so tough when you're only 5 months old (almost 5 months old).

Yes, my bumbo is on the counter. Yes, I know it is not recommended and it's dangerous. In my defense, I feed him on my counter, so I am in front of his face the entire time. No judging.

We had our first sibling accident. My daughter dropped a toy on his head hence the red bruise above his eye brow. Poor little guy.

I am very impressed by my 4 year old's art skills. This is a picture of a shark eating a jelly fish that she drew. 

Smile!

Hope everyone has a fab weekend.

#SAHMprobs

I know people get tired of hearing me complain about the cold.

SORRY, but it's friggin' cold here! 

We started my son on solids a few weeks ago.

I am in full stay at home mom mode, and making all his baby food.

So far, my freezer is packed with carrots, sweet potato, peas, bananas, and brown rice cereal.

I've become a maniac in the kitchen steaming, boiling, pureeing, and storing baby food.

I never knew how satisfying it would be to complete a batch of baby food. 

#SAHMprobs

haha!

Seriously though, these are the kinds of things I used to dream about when I was on active duty.

I wanted to be home with my kid, make home made baby food, and drive around to dance class, gymnastics, and play dates.

It literally is my dream come true.

Are there days I want to go back to work?

YES!

There are days I crave the adult conversations I used to have at work about meaningful things instead of conversations about which Disney princess is the best or talking baby talk to an infant who clearly has no idea what I am saying to him. 

When my husband calls me at the end of the day to chat, I feel like I talk his ear off.

I can tell he's tired and eager to go to bed, but he doesn't understand that I haven't spoken to a grown up for the entire day!

But when I weigh the pros and the cons, I'd rather be home with them.

I figure that since we have the means and the opportunity for me to be home with them, I should seize the moment!

God knows, if the opportunity were to disappear one day, I would regret it.

And these babies are only this big once, right?

 

Winter Blues

We survived our first "winter storm".

It wasn't as bad as everyone was saying it was going to be.

Thank God for my awesome husband for hiring a snow plow to do our driveway in the morning, so that I wouldn't have to worry about it.

The only thing I am complaining about is the fact that it is frickin' cold outside, and my daughter's gymnastics class was not cancelled.

That means I have to go outside.

I read an article today on militaryspouse.com about the "winter blues" (a common name for seasonal depression).

I totally related to it!

I've never hated a season so much until moving here to Massachusetts. 

I've tried really, really hard to make the best of our family's time here, but I have given up on winter.

The winter months are so depressing, and I honestly feel that I suffer from seasonal depression.

I get moody, lazy, and "bluesy". 

I don't necessarily get depressed.

Depression is a serious medical condition, and I don't think I'm medically depressed.

I just don't like to leave the house, and the thought of leaving the house just stresses me out.

I'm a runner and an outdoorsy person, and when it's 12 degrees outside with no plowed sidewalks, there is no way for me to get outside and run with a jogging stroller and two kids.

The indoor workouts get old, and this girl needs some serious vitamin D.

So I am 1000% sure that the north is not a place that I could make a forever home.

Never.

I can't deal with having the "winter blues" every year for the rest of my life.

I need warm sunshine, and maybe just a few chilly days a year.

I don't need snow unless I am going on a ski trip to Colorado.

I give major kudos to the people who have lived here all their lives, and have "adapted" the the cold winter months. 

I don't think I could.

No way.

No how. 

So here I sit...

counting down the days until we can go somewhere a little warmer...

A Weekend Through Instagram

After a weekend packed with tons of fun with daddy, we are back to my solo parenting routine.

We had the absolute best weekend together as a family, and I am so grateful that my husband flew up for the short few days.

Like I mentioned before, I forget how much of a difference it makes to have another set of hands around the house.

It was so nice to sit in the living room with a drink in the evening while he bathed the kids, got them in jammies, read bedtime stories, and tucked them in.

Another thing I really enjoy is the adult conversation.

As cliche as this sounds, I really believe communication is one of the most important facets to a healthy marriage.

I love the conversations that my husband and I have in the evenings after the dust settles.

We talk about everything from our future, the kids, what we're thinking and feeling...

We laugh....

And while we talk on the phone every night when he's gone, it's not the same as having him right next to me.

I also love to cook...

But I only love to cook when I'm cooking for people I love.

Yes, I love my daughter, but she doesn't quite appreciate my cooking like my husband does.

She could care less if she's having a home cooked meal or boxed mac and cheese.

It was nice to be back in the kitchen cooking for my man!

I made him Texas style chili.

If you've never had Texas style chili, you've never had real chili.

Texas style chili is not made with ground meat, tomato of any kind, or beans.

It's made with chunks of meat (rump or boneless beef chuck), real chili peppers, garlic, onion, bacon, corn meal, and herbs/spices.

It's our official state food, after all!

I really enjoyed making it for him, since it's one of his favorite meals that I make!

When he's not around, I get into a strict routine that revolves around Mattis' nap time, Dannika's activities and preschool, and my daily work out.

I HATE deviating from my routine/schedule.

It's like clock work.

Of course since Nick came home this weekend, my routine went out the door.

Laundry piled up to the sky, Mattis' naptimes were all screwed up, and I didn't work out.

Oh, and I ate really bad. 

When my husband left yesterday, the rest of the day just seemed to drag on.

The house felt a little empty again, and dinner time was a little lonely.

My daughter is so used to this life that when he leaves, she just seems to pick up right where we left off without batting an eyelash.

Thank God for her, because she helps me bounce back.

I hope everyone had an awesome long weekend!

Just some last minute play time giggles with daddy before he left!

He is OBSESSED with his feet. He thinks they're the coolest things ever!

My Springfield XD45. I keep him near when hubby's away. Just an extra feeling of security ;)

Mattis has been rolling over from his stomach to his back for a few weeks now.

Of course the day he decides to roll over from his back to his stomach was literally RIGHT AFTER my husband left.

Just a random selfie.

Super Dad

I think the hardest part of military life is watching your children grow up and experience new things when daddy (or mommy) is away for military commitments, whether it be deployments or training.

I love getting to share the experience of raising our kids together with my husband.

Unfortunately, because of his line of work, he misses out on a lot.

It makes me sad to say that he's been gone almost 50% of our daughter's life due to deployments, training, and separations.

I know a lot of military families can relate to that!

My daughter started dance the first weekend after my husband left for an 8 week long school in Virginia.

He was sad that he missed her first dance class, and like many other milestones in her life, he got to experience it via FaceTime and photos I posted on social media.

When he realized that he had a 3 day weekend for Martin Luther King Day, he jumped on the chance to buy a plane ticket to fly home for the weekend to watch our daughter dance.

I think that's what makes my husband such an incredible father is the fact that if it is in his power, he will stop at nothing to be somewhere for our children.

Dannika was so excited, and could not stop talking about how she couldn't wait for daddy to see her dance!

 

Remember in this post when I talked about trying to get my daughter's thin, wispy hair into a bun?

I think we got better at it this week!

Working on her arabesques

 Even though the last two weeks have been fairly uneventful for me, I forgot how nice it is to have a second set of hands around the house.

I get so into a routine when I'm solo parenting because I have to do everything on my own.

Routine is key to my sanity, and I hate veering away from it.

 I almost forget that when hubby is around, I can actually enjoy my coffee in peace and quiet while he takes care of the kids.

I don't have to stand in the kitchen while making breakfast for my daughter, wearing my son, and chugging my coffee down my throat.

Lucky for my husband, he made it just in time for some snow!! haha!

Y'all know that I don't go out in the snow, so Dannika was particularly excited that daddy was home to play outside in the snow with her!

So hubby leaves tomorrow again, and all the excitement that's been buzzing around our house will die down.

I'll go back to my solo parenting routine, and patiently wait until next month when he comes home.

Boston Rant

We live in the 'burbs.

We live 20 miles outside of Boston, and my husband happily makes that commute to work on the "Mass Turnpike" every day.

We chose to live outside of Boston, because living IN Boston isn't the most ideal situation for a family with children.

We wanted a big house with an open yard, and lots of room for our children to play in.

Also, parking in Boston is absolutely horrendous.

HORRENDOUS.

Not to mention, it is inevitable that at some point while you are parallel parked (because that's the only kind of parking in Boston), your car will be hit.

And no, people in Boston do not have the common courtesy to leave a nice little note with their phone number and insurance info on your windshield.

My poor husband's truck has taken a beating in Boston.

I don't drive outside of the metro west area (where we live) to go to Boston.

I avoid it at all costs.

The VERY FEW times that I have taken the plunge to drive into "the city", my anxiety flares up, and I become an unhappy and angry person.

I like my comfy bubble here in the 'burbs where I don't have to worry about parallel parking, and I don't have to worry about jerks.

I don't have to walk everywhere because parking is never an issue.

I can drive my happy self anywhere I want without having to worry about taking the dreaded public transportation system.

Last night, I had to drive into Boston alone with two kids to pick up my husband from the airport.

According to my GPS, it was supposed to take 43 minutes to get to the airport from my house.

Ninety minutes later with a screaming baby and bumper to bumper traffic, I made it to the airport in tears while shaking.

Never have I encountered so many selfish and inconsiderate people on the road than I have in Boston.

There was an instance where I was trying to move over into the left lane (in traffic) because I didn't have an EZ Pass for the toll booth.

There was a gentleman in a Mercedes next to me, so I rolled my window down and pleaded with him to let me in.

He looked straight at me, gave me the look of death, shook his head no, and inched up as close as he could to the car in front of him so that I wouldn't even think to get in front of him.

Five cars later, a woman in a minivan (thank God for moms in minivans) let me in.

Jerks I tell you.

I hate Boston.

I needed a Xanax and a new duty station last night.

Rant Over.

Sorry honey, but next time, you're finding your own way home from the airport.

This mama ain't doing that again.

Happy Friday!

We're all excited in our house today because daddy is coming home tonight for a short stay over the extended weekend!

Yay!

It's only been two weeks, but we sure do miss havin' him around!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

 

Love Yourself

Thank you to everyone for all the compliments about my post pregnancy weight loss.

I still have a little ways to go before everything is tight again, but I'm in no hurry.

I know things like skin tightening back up just takes time and there is no magic potion (except plastic surgery) to do that.

I had several ladies email me and ask me how I've been losing weight, and what I've been doing to make it come off so fast.

So I thought I'd address something.

I haven't done anything different than how I've been normally living my life!

I wasn't on a "diet".

I've always been into healthy cooking, and I've always been good about making wise choices when it comes to what I put in my body. 

I also work out and run 5-6 times a week.

I ate this way and worked out this way before I was pregnant and throughout my whole pregnancy.

If y'all remember, I was on the treadmill at the gym running 3-4 miles at 7 months pregnant!

After I had the baby, there were no "major changes" I had to make in my life.

If anything, I eat more calories because I am breastfeeding, and the most important thing to me is feeding my son.

But you bet your ass that every calorie that I eat counts!

Would I rather have 200 empty calories that won't do crap for my milk supply or 200 calories of good nutrients that are going to help my son grow strong and healthy?

Also, what I am doing may not work for you!

You have to know your body. 

For instance,  I don't eat breads, pastas, and starches because those are the foods that make me gain weight.

Some people can eat carbs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and not gain a pound, but as soon as they eat a steak, they've gained 10!

It's all about knowing yourself and your body.

I just want to leave women with this piece of advice.

Quit obsessing over getting back to your post baby body.

Weight will come off eventually, but your baby won't get smaller.

Eat healthy, exercise (when your body is healed and ready), track your progress (I did it through taking selfies of myself each week), and enjoy your baby.

Y'all are all beautiful, and the one thing that we can do that men will never do is give birth to a life.

Enjoy it.

And whether it takes you 4 months or 2 years to "get back", let the world know!

You deserve every. bit. of. praise. 

 

I Think I'll Dance Today

It's official.

I am back in my pre pregnancy size 2 jeans!

Allow me to gloat a little.

I've seriously worked my @$$ off these last 4 months.

Hours of working out and countless miles on the pavement even on days I didn't want to.

Knee pain and knee flair ups...

I FORCED myself.

I even had to practice some major self control over the holidays which meant I didn't quite get to fully enjoy just indulging on some delicious food.

(Maybe that was a good thing)

But it was SO worth it!

I'm totally regretting not taking a "before" pic now.

I was SO self conscious of my body after having the baby that I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror naked.

But it goes to show you that if you aren't happy with something, fix it.

Hard work and discipline.

Let me just add that these jeans did not even fit me prior to finding out I was pregnant with Baby #2.

I had knee surgery 2 years ago, and in the recovery and physical therapy process, I gained 5lbs and all of my jeans were fitting super snug and uncomfortable.

I know 5lbs doesn't seem like a lot, but I have a naturally small frame, and I'm only 5'4.

Five pounds on my frame is the difference between a size 2 and a size 6.

It's crazy because it took me 10 months for me to get back into these jeans after I had Dannika.

I really think that breastfeeding had a huge role in my post pregnancy weight loss.

I've always been a "workout-a-holic", but I didn't breastfeed Dannika past 6 weeks.

 It took me A LOT longer to lose the weight with her.

 Not to mention, I gained 65lbs with Dannika and only 35 with Mattis.

I was even taking weight loss supplements after my first pregnancy, and it took me 10 months.

I haven't been taking any supplements this time because I'm breast feeding.

Oh, and in my overly dramatic excitement this morning in wearing my old jeans, I fell down my stairs and scraped my knee really bad.

But it was in jeans that didn't fit me since after my knee surgery before pregnancy!!!! Win!!!

Let me go do my happy dance now.

Y'all can resume normal activities.

How I Became Wife of the Year

Well...at least to my husband.

Nick is someone I consider a "country boy", but not like "hicky" or "redneckish". 

He barely has a southern accent, and the only way you would be able to tell he's from the south is when he says things like "fixin' to" and "y'all".

He also has a love for sweet tea, BBQ, hunting, and trucks.

He grew up as a military brat, but settled in Alabama when his step dad retired from the Air Force.

He considers Alabama home.

Because of Marine Corps life, and being constantly on the move, it's been years since he's been hunting.

He talks about hunting all the time, and every time he pulls out his little "hunting trophies" from the box of stuff in the garage, he makes it a point to tell me about the time he shot the biggest buck on his friend's ranch.

I always roll my eyes and something along the lines of, "I KNOW! You've told this story a thousand times" comes out of my mouth. 

But I know it's a memory he cherishes doing something that he loves that isn't Marine Corps related.

This past year, one of his best friends got him all excited about bow hunting.

He came home from Virginia last summer after his TAD there telling me about bow hunting, and how his friend Steve had this awesome bow, and how his friend Steve let him shoot his bow, and how his friend Steve.....you get it.

Then he met two guys from our church who are avid bow hunters, and that just furthered his excitement about this new adventure he wanted to embark on.

So for Christmas he told me he wanted a bow.

Simple, right?

I was thinking about a bow like the kind on "Pocahontas". 

You know, like a long piece of wood with some sort of elastic string attached to the ends of it?

Yeah...apparently bows have become a little bit more high tech and complex.

Oh, and expensive.

So my husband is now the proud owner of a Bear brand compound bow.

And THAT...ladies and gents...

is how I became "Wife of the Year".

 

Look how complex this thing looks!

No worries, he got husband of the year by getting me a new DSLR camera.

This is a shot taken with my knew Canon 60D.

 Oh, and Dannika wanted her own compound bow too since daddy got one.

She even stores it in daddy's bow case.

(obviously, hers is the hot pink one, and it shoots little suction cup arrows)

I know Nick can't wait for the day when he can take our kids hunting.

Like Father, Like Daughter

Bible in 90 Days and Some Personal Thoughts

It was brought to my attention that I was a "no reply" blogger.

Sorry!

I totally thought I had changed my settings, but I didn't.

They SHOULD be changed now.

Just let me know if they're not!

It's officially been over a week since Nick has been gone, and I must say that things are a lot easier than I had anticipated.

My life as a solo parent isn't as stressful or as horrible as I had imagined.

I tend to make mountains out of mole hills.

The day after he left, I began a "Bible in 90 Days" reading plan with a group of ladies that I went to high school with via a Facebook group.

Most of the ladies are living in Texas, and there are a few of them scattered around the country, but it's nice to be held accountable even if it is on Facebook.

I really enjoy reading everyone's progress and thoughts in the Facebook group.

I think spending a portion of my day invested in the Word has really helped put my soul at ease while raising two kids solo while hubby is away. 

I notice the Lord working in my life, and I can feel His presence at times when I am starting to stress out or get overwhelmed with daily tasks.

If you've followed my blog long enough, it's not a secret that I'm a Christian in love with Jesus.

You also know that I am not perfect, and for those very close to me know that I have a very broken past.

Just like everyone else, I get caught up in gossip, envy, jealousy, pride, and everything in between.

I read a Facebook comment on a friend's page from someone who said "churches are full of self righteous people that are nothing but bigots."
It made me think...What kind of example are we (or I) setting as Christians for people to think this way? 

I know I am totally guilty of being judgmental, and forget the whole idea of compassion at times. 

I'm human, and I'm a sinner.

And by the way, "self righteous people that are nothing but bigots" are the types of people that need to be in church!

One of my favorite quotes from Jefferson Bethke is that "Church is not a museum for good people. It's a hospital for the broken."

So to everyone who says that they don't attend church because it's full of hypocrites, I say, "YES! We WANT hypocrites in church. Hypocrites are the people who need Jesus!"

Oh, and I am guilty.

I am a hypocrite too.

I hope to try a little harder every day to change that attitude that some people have about people who truly have a relationship with God. 

I've been to my fair share of "churches" where I've felt that they had other agendas besides having a relationship with God, but the places where I've met true selfless and loving Christians have always been a "place of worship" to me.

Dannika is such an amazing big sister!
I love watching her play with Mattis.

Post work out selfie, because who doesn't love looking at my beautiful, sweaty face? lol

I LOVE kinesio tape. 

I have a degenerative knee disease, osteoarthritis, and some other issues with my knees that surgery didn't fix.

I'm too young to stop running, and I love to run.

So I tape my knees up before a run to help with the pain.