Friday, February 10, 2012

  Throw a load in the washer.
Pay a bill.
It's 6:20am and i'm awake, such a rare event for this girl.

I plop the little peanut in his chair and pull it near the living room, put on my workout clothes and my own trainer steps in (Jillian Michaels of all people!) and we begin all of that fun cardio, strength, and ab training.  The little one begins to laugh as I am jumping around and it makes for one of my most favorite workouts yet.  I work harder and make silly faces because if i'm honest I already look ridiculous!
We have a morning full of smiles and fun and i'm loving him better as i've embraced the blessing of being a mother.

The night before I sit in bed reading a magazine article about Aaron Shust http://www.todayschristianmusic.com/artists/aaron-shust/audio/aaron-shust-story-behind-the-song-my-hope-is-in-you/ whose child has gone through health problems and faced the shadow of death with his son.  It's hard to picture being in that situation so I thank God over and over for this whole year with my son and I don't want to take for granted these healthy days. 

We had a wonderful trip to Indiana and Wisconsin. The days we traveled went smoothly and well worth all the trouble of a full day of plane and bus rides! I'd do it again in a heartbeat. :) It was really nice to come home and get settled back in with my man.  He let us know we were missed.
Sadly he found the freezer meals a few days short of when we returned and only ate corn dogs and frozen pizza most of the days. ...ladies i DID leave a note card of instructions ha. 

My mom and I had a blast doing a new craft project together and I loved doing this. 
I love learning from her because she is beyond creative. It's only taken me all of my life to finally start learning this stuff from her. She was very patient with me and didn't get annoyed when I messed up!
My mom has become special to me these last few years since I moved away and I absolutely treasured our time together. I love that woman more and more and am learning a lot from her about motherhood, being a better wife, and friend.  I'm glad to have her.


I spent a lot of time with my younger brother Timmy and we had a blast! He isn't so little anymore standing well over 6 feet, i don't even remember the inches! but he's one of my best friends.  We caught up on 'The Office' and cracked up the whole time.  We also played super Nintendo with great ideas to beat a game..we didn't but it was fun to laugh and spend time with my brother.
He is growing into such a fine young man and i'm extremely proud of him. 


I had a WONDERFUL birthday Wednesday.  It was nice to dress up and go out for dinner with my husband.  He also gave me a Barnes and noble gift card that I can't wait to use.  Not sure what i'll get yet. :) I also had plenty of phone calls, texts, and facebook notes to make the day even more special. 23 feels weird and i'm not a fan of getting older but i'm sure God will smooth over those fears later down the road. Right now we have so much other things we're dealing with.

I feel like i'm walking in a season of fullness and it's not like anything drastic has happened in my circumstances just a different attitude.  I am embracing this life God gave me with everything in me these days.
I am digging deep into His word, devotionals, fun magazines about parenting, marriage, friendships, organizing, and so much more.
I am a homemaker and it's a full time job.  It's either going to be done well or poorly and i'm thankful to finally be sorting through this area in my life.  I've given myself grace and am making changes to how I run this home.  It's getting organized room by room and i'm figuring out a better way to keep up with daily chores.  Serving God in this area is just as important to Him as going on a missions trip I believe.  I want my home to be warm and inviting and always ready for God to use. 
Well as soon as I wash the dishes Garrett and I will be heading to a thrift store to see if we can find something cheap for in the kitchen. I have a few boxes of baking things that have no place to go and it's driving me nuts! Hopefully we'll find something.

We are FINALLY buckling down and going on a budget. I am thrilled about this decision after meeting with a family at church about how to set up a financial plan. Thankful for their willingness to help us out.  I know having peace financially is important in a marriage and although discipline isn't fun always this will be a blessing in the long run. 
For the free spirited spender in me this will be hard (I don't go crazy but I like to pick up things here and there that I don't really need).  I am excited about my own 'fun money' and being able to pick and choose how I will spend that in a month.

Alright well those dishes won't wash themselves so i'd better go! I'll chat with you again soon :).
Laura