FINDING JOY

I came across these humorous photos of Norah from 2 summers ago....ENJOY!

To quote my sister-n-law..."Oh, fatty baby!"

I remember this day perfectly.

I was shocked and amazed how she went to town on these grapes.

No choking.

No branches spit out of her mouth.

She knew what she wanted.

And no one was getting in her way.

She's always been our choking hazard.

Only with food.

Lately, we cheer her on with the phrase "Almost there".

Which means don't you dare take another bite until that food is chewed and swallowed.

She even starts cheering herself on.

It's a pride thing for her.

You can tell when she swallows.

She gives the biggest grin.

Then takes another bite.  

oh, how I love her.  

Finding Joy

What to do when dishes are calling and the remains from the weekend are begging to be picked up?  Blog of course.  Avoid the mess.  It's a wonderful rainy Monday.  Although, I may have dreaded the rain last week.  And it might get that way again this week.  I am fine with it today.  It's not bothering me this morning.  It encourages me to make myself another cup of coffee.  Which sad to say, our coffee pot decided not to work this morning at 5:30am, making the waking up process a little longer.  Oh well.  My husband, who is obsessed with many different kinds of coffee apparatuses, simply said "Use the French Press or the pour over."  Simple for him indeed.  For me, I have mastered the coffee bean to water ratio in the coffee pot, not in any of the other contraptions.  So I'll put my best effort into mastering those as well.  My cheap side says "NO" to buying a new coffee pot right now.  So I will learn.  Hey, it'll make me a better person, right?!

Here are a few simple fun pictures from our weekend

 We made Rockets, played for hours in the backyard, and finished it off with celebrating a precious friends' birthday!

Its been raining for 3 days straight.  I like rain.  I do.  However, it has left me in the funk of sorts.  Its left me feeling damp to the core.  I turn up the heat, but nothing gets the chill from my bones.  Lying in bed under layers of covers help tremendously.  Can't do that with two little ones running around.  Emma's been out of school for the last two days.  I still feel like I haven't seen her.  As a mom, I hate that feeling.  My daughter is changing and I'm missing it because life is busy.  It gets to me.  I just want to wrap her in my arms and hold her all day long.  She would think I'm weird.  Time just keeps going.  I cling desperately for more.  The past few weeks have been hard.  Her and I seem to be at odds.  She gives me attitude and I shrivel up a little inside.  It hurts.  When it hurts, I get an attitude too.  The wall goes up so quickly.  She won't be able to hurt me again, which of course is untrue.  I know this happens with moms and daughters.  Not yet though, right?!  I want the short time I have with her to be a treasure.  It feels like a fight.  We'll get into a rhythm I'm sure.  In the meantime, I feel a little lost.  My pessimistic side rears its ugly head.  Lies are thrown at me.  Another fight to see past the hard.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Thankful Thursday

My sweet sister-n-law does Thankful Thursday posts every once and awhile.

I love them.

It's a good check on where the heart and mind are throughout the week.

A good chance to get "back on track".

This morning, I sat in a haze of exhaustion.

Watching the clock tick by.

Wondering if I had energy enough to run out and grab a cup of coffee.

Unfortunately, the pot I had made wasn't cutting it.

And, of course, we ran out of milk.

Instead of putting on another pot, and running to the store for milk, I opted for someone else to make me a cup.

What better place than Caribou.

I love their cups.

 I raided some piggy banks.

Oh yeah, we do that.

My addiction to coffee is evident.

When we got back, Norah said she wanted to play with her bank.

So, as I was sitting and watching her play (happens often), I was thankful for the gift that just keeps giving.

She got this sweet gift from her Oma a couple Christmas' ago.

She doesn't care how much is in it.

Just cares that she can take the coins in and out.

I'm thankful it helps get us through mornings/afternoons where I can't seem to think or function. 

Happy THURSDAY!

 

 

A Hike in the Woods

Slow down.

Stop thinking about the next thing.

Why are you rushing?

You are rushing through these precious sweet moments I’m giving you.

Your kids want you.

Sit with them.

Relax on the couch.

Stop walking around.

Watch the movie.

Sit on your butt for more than 2 seconds without thinking of the list.

Oh the list.

It sneaks its ugly head up again.

You give it too much attention.

Your work project is done.

Rest.

Enjoy.

Smile.

Laugh.

Be patient.

Love.

This week has flown by.  I need this weekend to enjoy things I forgot to this week.

I love watching her.

Ode to Monday

It is indeed a Monday.  My body is tired.  My mind is wandering.  My house is a mess.  I have a general crabbiness about me.  I loved this weekend.  I love most weekends.  Mondays are my "hangover" days.  The joy of the weekend is washing off and the "get back to work" feeling is slowly creeping in.  Mondays make me a little lethargic.  Usually I have to throw myself back into routine.  No more lazy morning cartoons.  No more cups and cups of coffee and sitting on the couch.  Monday's are liking jumping into a cold shower.  Nothing cozy about that. 

Current state of my house

 

And, no, I'm not sitting on the clean side of the room.  

Every where you look seems to be messy.

Every room has stuff all over the floor, begging for a place to belong.

But, hey, there are no funky smells.

So there's a win.