Reflecting...

This week I have been sorting through old pics in efforts to finish begin Jack's first year scrapbook.  Jack turned 2 in January...I am a little behind.  This pic is of him at about 3 months old, which was 2 years ago!  Time flies.  Baby Jude is about to turn a year old, and I haven't even started Jack's scrapbook or even thought about poor Jude's. 

It really bugs me.

It bothers me that I am so behind.  Not scrapbooking major events for over 2 years is just not me.

Neither is...

allowing the floor of my car be coated in cracker crumbs and fruit snacks,

tolerating mixed up colors of play dough and paint,

not noticing the smell of sour milk,

driving with an expired inspection sticker and registration,

enjoying an Imagination Movers concert,

putting on a t-shirt inside out,

preferring Diego over Dora,

getting excited about a sale at Carter's, and not even knowing the dates of Nordstrom's half yearly sale.

Becoming a mother is an incredible adjustment.  I've changed my sleep, personal life, work load...the list goes on and on.  I think I have handled those adjustments fairly well.  I have the occasional, sometimes frequent, meltdown.  But what I never expected, was that I would have to adjust to a new me.  The me that lets things go and is a complete mess at times.  It's hard.  It's not easy to look down at my inside-out t-shirt, covered in sour milk.  It's nearly impossible not to think of the me that would have been wearing a crisply ironed, white shirt, with stain-free khakis, while wearing those cute new heels I picked up at the Nordstrom's sale.  

Just like going to college, moving into my first apartment, getting my first real job, getting married...I changed.  Motherhood is the same.  It brings a change of self much more overwhelming, but with many more benefits.  So, I'll give myself a break and embrace the change.  Except maybe the car inspection and registration.  I probably should take care of those.

Looking Back

About this time in...
2008...We were engaged to be to married.

2009...Had a brand new baby Jack.

2010...Enjoying that sweet face!  And me in the background with baby Jude about ready for his arrival.

2011...My precious boys playing so nicely together.  I wonder how long that brotherly love will last?!?

I still can't get over how much my life has changed in 3 short years.  I am so incredibly blessed!

Happy Valentine's Day to My Heart's Desire

"Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart's desire."  Psalm 37:4
About two weeks before I met you I received this message in a fortune cookie...
"The love of your life will appear in front of you unexpectedly!"
Like everyone else, I enjoy a good fortune cookie, but I rarely save those tiny pieces of paper.  If I do save them, I usually lose them about 5 minutes later.  Ironically at this time in my life I was completely down on love and dating; so this fortune made me chuckle...sarcastically chuckle.  As I put it in my wallet, I thought..."right, we'll see."
Then several days later, I was rushing up the sidewalk of the Dallas Museum of Art to meet a blind date.  A blind date that I really DID NOT want to meet, but thought..."what the heck, surely this one couldn't be any worse than the last."
In that moment, that instant that we said hello...I knew.  Yes, it's true.  I knew.  I never believed in love at first sight.  It always sounded hokey...until it happened to me.  In the briefest moment of time, I realized that this man that stood in front of me was all I ever wanted.  All I never knew I desired, until that moment.  Suddenly God revealed to me those deep desires of my heart, and He plopped them right in front of me on that cold December afternoon.

So I keep that tiny little fortune on my desk not only to remind me of the moment I met you, but also how suddenly everything I ever dreamed of came to be...in one moment...the moment I met you.  Jeremy, you are truly my heart's desire.  Happy Valentine's Day!

A Rare Event

Another snowy day.  We're going on Day 4 of this winter storm, and the snow is still falling at my house.  It is actually starting to come down harder as I type.

There haven't been many times in my life that I could look out my office window and see this view.  I can count them on one hand.

This winter weather has caused the city to come to a screeching halt.  Schools closed, universities closed, businesses closed...you name it and it is probably closed.  I had already had plans to work from home this week.  There was a hiccup in my schedule which meant juggling the boys and the office for a week. 

This unusual event didn't throw off my plans too much.

Yes, I am going nuts like most moms who have been stuck inside with their darlings all week.  Little ones need to roam, run, play.  They need to burn off that youthful energy that we would like to bottle and save.  Several inches of ice and snow and below freezing temps make that difficult to do with toddlers.  

My nerves are wearing thin...

But as I think about the rarity of this storm, I realize it is just as rare that I get to enjoy an entire week in the presence of my little ones.  Most days I yearn to be home with them, but can't.  Many weeks I anticipate the weekend knowing I get to enjoy time with them....just time.  I am always searching for time...more time.

I am not going to lie.  There are many days I am so very happy that I get to jump in my car and get away for the day...even if it is just to the office.  There are weekends that I dream of childless vacations to all those un-family-friendly destinations.  Hey, I am normal!

But today I am going to soak up this rare event.  I am going to enjoy the snow, even though I despise the cold.  I am going to enjoy this blessing of time.