i'm sure you've been wondering what's been on my mind lately. i'll make a lil' list for your reading pleasure and to make it easier for myself to remember. ha!
1. the fruits of the spirit. and wanting to display them creatively in my home somewhere. so far, i've been cutting apart diaper boxes and painting a word on one piece. we'll see how it turns out.
2. for some reason, the closest starbucks to me is 15 minutes away. and it's in a grocery store. bummer. i can't just drive thru or run in quickly. i guess the gift card i got for christmas will keep on lastin me... that's a blessing. miss my iced coffee, though.
3. audrey looks really cute with FOUR teeth popping through.
4. what life will be like once wedding season hits. end of march.
5. i feel this weird pressure (?) or... like... rush to be pregnant again. i know, gasp!! i'm not. and i'm enjoying not being. i know i want more babies so i'm like, well just get it outta the way. but truly, there's no rush. enjoy your coffee, mer.
6. i'm excited to see what our house in the woods will look like when the trees are full again.
7. there's so many people i love who i don't see, ever. and i am thankful for ways to stay connected. yes, i mean you.
8. i've been wanting to get into sewing. for like, ever. will i ever? maybe i should get a sewing machine first.
9. why do i feel like i don't have any shoes to wear when i literally have about 12 pairs? that's nuts.
10. how often do i make decisions because i'm in one way or another discontent? simple things, like grocery shopping. i don't always stick to our budget because i'm buying something i think we must have. no good. just thinking about that one.
11. that i'm grateful you stuck around this far in the post.
12. happy, happy birthday, momma! i hope your 55th birthday is a lot of fun and filled with being spoiled. love you so much. you're the best.
night night for now.
love.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
who knew
did anyone out there know that when you have a 2 year old and a 10 month old you spend 90% of the day being a referee? for real, people. feels like all.day.long i am pulling finley off audrey, putting him in time out for shoving her down while she's crawling, etc. i am in the other room doing whatever, and i hear "the shriek". it's a well known sound around here. little audrey is... hmm... how do i say it.... loud. straight up loud. and every.single.time finley does anything to her, she freaks. and no, it has nothing to do with me and my reputation of being rather, "drama queen"-ish... says people in my life. very few, though. (and yes my big sister did make me a hoodie for christmas one year that said "drama queen" and everyone laughed cause it was such an outlandish thought...!)
anyhow, i've been wiped out the past few days because they are finally learning to play together and audrey moves all about the house and finley just pushes her. hits her. shoves her. anythings her. then she screams. i'm trying to figure out how to teach finley he can't just hit her and kick her. he loves her so much and it's not usually out of frustration. i think he just knows he's bigger and stronger and is exploring that. i've been trying to use words like, "we don't hit audrey because it isn't kind" or "we don't hurt people. and pushing her, hurts her".... i don't know how much he gets, but usually i find he understands much more than i give him credit for. all that to say, i feel like i'm in a learning curve right now. and it takes a lot of effort. i have to be monitoring and correcting anytime they're both awake. i guess i'm just a little tired. i do love it. wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. i'm sure this is how i will feel the rest of my life. learning and trying to figure out how best to correct/disciple my precious kids.
i should buy one of those black and white outfits they wear at football games. maybe it'll give me more authority. as always, really hope you're doing well out there.
love.
anyhow, i've been wiped out the past few days because they are finally learning to play together and audrey moves all about the house and finley just pushes her. hits her. shoves her. anythings her. then she screams. i'm trying to figure out how to teach finley he can't just hit her and kick her. he loves her so much and it's not usually out of frustration. i think he just knows he's bigger and stronger and is exploring that. i've been trying to use words like, "we don't hit audrey because it isn't kind" or "we don't hurt people. and pushing her, hurts her".... i don't know how much he gets, but usually i find he understands much more than i give him credit for. all that to say, i feel like i'm in a learning curve right now. and it takes a lot of effort. i have to be monitoring and correcting anytime they're both awake. i guess i'm just a little tired. i do love it. wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. i'm sure this is how i will feel the rest of my life. learning and trying to figure out how best to correct/disciple my precious kids.
i should buy one of those black and white outfits they wear at football games. maybe it'll give me more authority. as always, really hope you're doing well out there.
love.
Monday, February 20, 2012
crawling and weekend recap
i was really nervous for audrey to start crawling. finley never crawled. he went from sitting to walking. and i just always assumed the crawling stage was horrible and they got into everything and ate outlets and just major chaos. all the time. well, let me just say, i was wrong! audrey is the cutest little crawler! i love the crawling stage. she is so much happier because she can get to where she wants to go. her and finley actually play together now! wowza! there are the quite often occurences of finley throwing toys at her head, but otherwise, it's just about the cutest thing.
we had a pretty nice weekend! the first actual weekend since we've been here. friday night jake and i had our belated valentine's date. ooh lala. we went to red robin...! ha! i know, so romantic, but we just love it. my friend, becca will probably be laughing about that... :) we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and then went to see the new movie, "safe house". with denzel. we looove denzel movies. it was action packed the whole time! and we enjoyed it, too. all around, successful date night. even though anytime we're alone without sippy cups and diapers it's a good time.
saturday we layed around in the morning, watched our niece bella, while josh and joy had an appointment, then we all went to lunch at chick-fil-a. yes. that's right. cfa. love having it so close. then we did nap time. jake did some stuff around the house. we skyped with my mom and step dad (meema and "gampa") which was really nice to see them and catch up a bit. and then we went to sam's club. got some good bulk food items. came home. fed the kids. did baths and bedtime and then jake and i had pizza and watched "moneyball". it was good! very interesting. and brad pitt did awesome, i thought.
sunday we went to check out this church called, kinetic church. and loved it! it was really great. it's a smaller church, but still "cool". ha! we're going to go back next week. they're having their 7th birthday as a church and there's a... drumroll please.... a potluck afterwards! yes! a potluck! we can't wait. ha! everyone was super friendly and they knew we were visitors which we liked. so we'll see how that pans out. came home from church, we all took naps, and then i made chicken pot pie for dinner. josh, joy, bella, and juliana (their 2 daughters) came over for that. it was a nice evening. jake and i watched an episode of house and went to bed at 9:45! it was beautiful.
monday now. so far today, both kids have had blowouts requiring baths, finley has dumped out the trash can, he's dipping his bagel in orange juice as i write this, and audrey just woke up early from her nap. it's 10 am.
well, i'm sure you wanted a full play by play... hope you had a good weekend too.
love.
we had a pretty nice weekend! the first actual weekend since we've been here. friday night jake and i had our belated valentine's date. ooh lala. we went to red robin...! ha! i know, so romantic, but we just love it. my friend, becca will probably be laughing about that... :) we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and then went to see the new movie, "safe house". with denzel. we looove denzel movies. it was action packed the whole time! and we enjoyed it, too. all around, successful date night. even though anytime we're alone without sippy cups and diapers it's a good time.
saturday we layed around in the morning, watched our niece bella, while josh and joy had an appointment, then we all went to lunch at chick-fil-a. yes. that's right. cfa. love having it so close. then we did nap time. jake did some stuff around the house. we skyped with my mom and step dad (meema and "gampa") which was really nice to see them and catch up a bit. and then we went to sam's club. got some good bulk food items. came home. fed the kids. did baths and bedtime and then jake and i had pizza and watched "moneyball". it was good! very interesting. and brad pitt did awesome, i thought.
sunday we went to check out this church called, kinetic church. and loved it! it was really great. it's a smaller church, but still "cool". ha! we're going to go back next week. they're having their 7th birthday as a church and there's a... drumroll please.... a potluck afterwards! yes! a potluck! we can't wait. ha! everyone was super friendly and they knew we were visitors which we liked. so we'll see how that pans out. came home from church, we all took naps, and then i made chicken pot pie for dinner. josh, joy, bella, and juliana (their 2 daughters) came over for that. it was a nice evening. jake and i watched an episode of house and went to bed at 9:45! it was beautiful.
monday now. so far today, both kids have had blowouts requiring baths, finley has dumped out the trash can, he's dipping his bagel in orange juice as i write this, and audrey just woke up early from her nap. it's 10 am.
well, i'm sure you wanted a full play by play... hope you had a good weekend too.
love.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
.........................
hey guy(s). things are going well around here. post the youknowwhat. (see last post). i'm still a little skiddish. and when i have to get up at night to feed audrey, i typically run back into our bed. run. and jump. jake loves it. but i feel proud. i have overcome. a little. no doubt. thought you'd want an update.
we got internet yesterday. wahoo. it's sad, but true that i don't feel connected to the world really without it. i am thankful we are back in action. i'm sure you are too. be expecting lots of blogs comin your way.... ha!
so far, this is a really boring blog. im gonna let you in on some secrets of mer... and blogging. i typically think first, i wanna blog. then i think, what will i say? that line up can be a little dangerous at times like right now, because i don't think i really have much to tell you. if you've made it this far, bless you.
in other, cool news... audrey legitimately dances. aunt katie would be VERY proud. i'll get a video soon. you all will love it. we had music on this morning while she was in her high chair and she's got some moves. it's the best. finley looooves it too! he always says, "auda dance moosic". i feel like i'm finally back to being a stay at home mom and it feels good. nah nah nah nah nah nah nah. for real. we're in our house, mostly settled. and jake goes off to work every morning. i love those babies i've been blessed with. even more right now cause they're both sound asleep! ha!
well guy(s), maybe i'll go now and watch some internet TV, chill, eat a couple cookies. okay, one. really hoping all you guys who are reading are doing well. xoxo.
love.
we got internet yesterday. wahoo. it's sad, but true that i don't feel connected to the world really without it. i am thankful we are back in action. i'm sure you are too. be expecting lots of blogs comin your way.... ha!
so far, this is a really boring blog. im gonna let you in on some secrets of mer... and blogging. i typically think first, i wanna blog. then i think, what will i say? that line up can be a little dangerous at times like right now, because i don't think i really have much to tell you. if you've made it this far, bless you.
in other, cool news... audrey legitimately dances. aunt katie would be VERY proud. i'll get a video soon. you all will love it. we had music on this morning while she was in her high chair and she's got some moves. it's the best. finley looooves it too! he always says, "auda dance moosic". i feel like i'm finally back to being a stay at home mom and it feels good. nah nah nah nah nah nah nah. for real. we're in our house, mostly settled. and jake goes off to work every morning. i love those babies i've been blessed with. even more right now cause they're both sound asleep! ha!
well guy(s), maybe i'll go now and watch some internet TV, chill, eat a couple cookies. okay, one. really hoping all you guys who are reading are doing well. xoxo.
love.
Friday, February 10, 2012
YOU will NOT believe this story....
parental guidance suggested: coming story may not be suitable for young children.... or adults.
okay, so you know the "friends" episode when monica and chandler are getting married and chandler is missing... then rachel is trying to tell monica the truth that he is missing and right when she's telling her, phoebe pops her head in and says they found him. so then rachel covers it up and says "we can't find chandler's vest..." and monica responds with "for a second i thought, OH MY GOSH THE WORST HAS HAPPENED!"
okay, that's what happened to me today. THE WORST has happened to me today. okay, one of the worst. i promise i'm not being extra dramatic, mom. ha!
for several years now, i have had an extreme fear of m-i-c-e. (i'm spelling it, not saying it). like a completely irrational phobia. i am aware it is irrational. and i am aware it is extreme. however, it's where i'm at. as you know, we've been unpacking like crazy and getting our lovely, new, clean house all set up. so we packed up finley's dresser we had in portland full of clothes before we left. packed so full! of finley's, audrey's and some of mine. it's been in the u-box (a moving pod) for over a month and it was unpacked wednesday into finley's new room. hadn't even started unpacking it... until this morning.... the doom begins. the lights dim. children leave the room.
i started emptying the drawers. pouring the clothes onto the carpet. of finley's bedroom. audrey is asleep in her room. me and finley are in there together. then i see "lint". weird "lint".... i had taken a couple big handfuls across the hallway to my room to organize at another time. as i go back i take out another big handful and then... see it.... them..... baby.... m-i-c-e. OMYGOSH! this cannot be happening. i scream, loud. finley gets startled. i try regaining composure. grab him. run out the door. put a hoodie over the crack of the carpet/door separation. and immediately call my wonderful husband. who was at his first day of work. in his loving husband duty, him and his brother, josh come over. i'm sitting in the living room with my feet up trying not to look or think about what is happening. once they get there, i take finley and go to josh and joy's house where it's "safe". i get a call a little while later from jake saying it's all clear. with a few more details.... they found the m-o-t-h-e-r. (i guess this is GOOD news) (she was d-e-a-d)..... they found n-i-n-e babies. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! they are 99.99% sure they got everything! i mean, why not 100%... but i guess it's not a true guarantee. jake's best guess is the m-o-m got in there in PORTLAND! before we left. because there were no holes or anything indicating it happened in the u-box. good thing cause i was planning on demanding a FULL refund of that thing! no, i'm still not being dramatic. deathly afraid here, people. anyhow, i haven't been back to our house yet. when jake's done working, he's gonna go home and make sure all is clear and vacuum and clean his room well. i told him i wanted to get rid of the dresser. he gently told me that's not necessary. i'm working on it. one sad thing is he had to throw out like 6 of audrey's outfits.... they were... chewed through..... tear! sob! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
okay. well thank you for reading this and i am certain you all felt sorry for me. i think it was important i faced it as i wrote out the story. i still am quite shaken up. and i don't want to forever fear my new house. i won't. it was time to face this fear. i will overcome. or i might just accidentally burn the dresser down when jake's at work. who knows at this point.
my old college roommates need to read this story because the 5 of us lived in a big, old house in portland before i got married and for multiple months, they hid a m-i-c-e problem from me! what dear souls they have. i never knew. and it was a BAD problem. thank you, girls. i will never be able to repay you knowing now how horrible that problem must have been.
well all. that's it for now. wish me luck.
love.
okay, so you know the "friends" episode when monica and chandler are getting married and chandler is missing... then rachel is trying to tell monica the truth that he is missing and right when she's telling her, phoebe pops her head in and says they found him. so then rachel covers it up and says "we can't find chandler's vest..." and monica responds with "for a second i thought, OH MY GOSH THE WORST HAS HAPPENED!"
okay, that's what happened to me today. THE WORST has happened to me today. okay, one of the worst. i promise i'm not being extra dramatic, mom. ha!
for several years now, i have had an extreme fear of m-i-c-e. (i'm spelling it, not saying it). like a completely irrational phobia. i am aware it is irrational. and i am aware it is extreme. however, it's where i'm at. as you know, we've been unpacking like crazy and getting our lovely, new, clean house all set up. so we packed up finley's dresser we had in portland full of clothes before we left. packed so full! of finley's, audrey's and some of mine. it's been in the u-box (a moving pod) for over a month and it was unpacked wednesday into finley's new room. hadn't even started unpacking it... until this morning.... the doom begins. the lights dim. children leave the room.
i started emptying the drawers. pouring the clothes onto the carpet. of finley's bedroom. audrey is asleep in her room. me and finley are in there together. then i see "lint". weird "lint".... i had taken a couple big handfuls across the hallway to my room to organize at another time. as i go back i take out another big handful and then... see it.... them..... baby.... m-i-c-e. OMYGOSH! this cannot be happening. i scream, loud. finley gets startled. i try regaining composure. grab him. run out the door. put a hoodie over the crack of the carpet/door separation. and immediately call my wonderful husband. who was at his first day of work. in his loving husband duty, him and his brother, josh come over. i'm sitting in the living room with my feet up trying not to look or think about what is happening. once they get there, i take finley and go to josh and joy's house where it's "safe". i get a call a little while later from jake saying it's all clear. with a few more details.... they found the m-o-t-h-e-r. (i guess this is GOOD news) (she was d-e-a-d)..... they found n-i-n-e babies. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! they are 99.99% sure they got everything! i mean, why not 100%... but i guess it's not a true guarantee. jake's best guess is the m-o-m got in there in PORTLAND! before we left. because there were no holes or anything indicating it happened in the u-box. good thing cause i was planning on demanding a FULL refund of that thing! no, i'm still not being dramatic. deathly afraid here, people. anyhow, i haven't been back to our house yet. when jake's done working, he's gonna go home and make sure all is clear and vacuum and clean his room well. i told him i wanted to get rid of the dresser. he gently told me that's not necessary. i'm working on it. one sad thing is he had to throw out like 6 of audrey's outfits.... they were... chewed through..... tear! sob! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
okay. well thank you for reading this and i am certain you all felt sorry for me. i think it was important i faced it as i wrote out the story. i still am quite shaken up. and i don't want to forever fear my new house. i won't. it was time to face this fear. i will overcome. or i might just accidentally burn the dresser down when jake's at work. who knows at this point.
my old college roommates need to read this story because the 5 of us lived in a big, old house in portland before i got married and for multiple months, they hid a m-i-c-e problem from me! what dear souls they have. i never knew. and it was a BAD problem. thank you, girls. i will never be able to repay you knowing now how horrible that problem must have been.
well all. that's it for now. wish me luck.
love.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
hey guys
hey guys.
it's been a whirlwind round these parts. we moved into our house on tuesday. bought a new couch and recliner. been unpacking all day yesterday and today. i gotta say, unpacking is not as efficient with 2 babies around. for real. nonetheless, we absolutely LOVE our new home! God has been gracious to us. it's so new and pretty and clean and spacious. we don't have internet at the house yet.... so i will be posting pics in a few days, hopefully. and once it's all cute and stuff.
i hope all you guys are doing well. whoever you are who read this. probably my mom and sisters mostly :) hi, you three.
anyhow. something funny about finley right now.... he's really into jumping! he jumps everywhere. whenever there's any kind of step, he jumps off it. off chairs, the couch, beds. but the funniest thing is he calls it "gump" so he stands on the couch and then says, "big gump!!" with a huge smile and laughs as he jumps. it makes me smile.
i better get home and empty a box or something. big gump, y'all.
love.
it's been a whirlwind round these parts. we moved into our house on tuesday. bought a new couch and recliner. been unpacking all day yesterday and today. i gotta say, unpacking is not as efficient with 2 babies around. for real. nonetheless, we absolutely LOVE our new home! God has been gracious to us. it's so new and pretty and clean and spacious. we don't have internet at the house yet.... so i will be posting pics in a few days, hopefully. and once it's all cute and stuff.
i hope all you guys are doing well. whoever you are who read this. probably my mom and sisters mostly :) hi, you three.
anyhow. something funny about finley right now.... he's really into jumping! he jumps everywhere. whenever there's any kind of step, he jumps off it. off chairs, the couch, beds. but the funniest thing is he calls it "gump" so he stands on the couch and then says, "big gump!!" with a huge smile and laughs as he jumps. it makes me smile.
i better get home and empty a box or something. big gump, y'all.
love.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
jet plane... or minivan
we're leaving on a jet plane today. except it's our minivan. we had a little delay from our house being ready in charlotte, so we stayed in illinois a couple more days. we have the intimidating task of packing up today. we have belongings all over this house... i'm sure we'll forget a good amount. that's okay. maybe ignorance is bliss in this situation. i'm so ready to see our new home. unpack. unwind. and start living normal life. it's weird as a stay at home mom to be "homeless" for over a month! but it's been a really cool experience and i'm glad we made the cross country trip this way.
some thoughts i've been having lately:
if i'll actually make some of the pinterest wall art i've been wanting to for our new place.
i'm so proud of finley's new vocabulary! his words have exploded and it's so so fun to see him
grow and learn. one of the coolest things to parenting, i would guess.
i'm so thankful my big sister, liz, gave us a gift card to bed bath and beyond to get something new! hmmm maybe new bedding for jake and me. maybe some new dishes... oooh la la!
it's so weird that it's february 4th.
i'm really hoping the 11 hour drive through the night tonight goes quickly and flawlessly. that neither child wakes up AT all! and that we would magically not have to stop for gas! haha!
well, i think that's good for now. thanks for checking in. i'll be updating soon once we're in the new homeland. hitchin up the wagon. see ya on the other side. i'm rambling.
love.
some thoughts i've been having lately:
if i'll actually make some of the pinterest wall art i've been wanting to for our new place.
i'm so proud of finley's new vocabulary! his words have exploded and it's so so fun to see him
grow and learn. one of the coolest things to parenting, i would guess.
i'm so thankful my big sister, liz, gave us a gift card to bed bath and beyond to get something new! hmmm maybe new bedding for jake and me. maybe some new dishes... oooh la la!
it's so weird that it's february 4th.
i'm really hoping the 11 hour drive through the night tonight goes quickly and flawlessly. that neither child wakes up AT all! and that we would magically not have to stop for gas! haha!
well, i think that's good for now. thanks for checking in. i'll be updating soon once we're in the new homeland. hitchin up the wagon. see ya on the other side. i'm rambling.
love.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)